Yessenia was the first to be called out onto the stage. The young girl's body trembled with nervousness as she walked out of the backstage. Already expecting to be greeted by the sight of a dense crowd, Yessenia’s eyes widened in disbelief when she saw the sea of darkness before her. Amidst the darkness, thousands of shimmering white glows moved across the air symmetrically, giving off a sense of mystical beauty. If one should define it, the whole stadium had actually switched to that of a concert venue. Yessenia was so stunned by this scenery that her feet remained rooted to the spot. It wasn't until Vashti's voice nags at her for the delay did she finally recalled why she was called up to the stage. Although it was daytime, the entire stadium was covered in a night hue. Not later, a soft musical tone filled the place. Since all that was in her view were white specks of lights, Yessenia's nervousness actually reduced, and she began to sing into the mic according to the music tune. ~♪ ♬ My world, my only… ♪ ♬ ~ Although, she wasn't a talented singer, her soft voice soon sparked an intense reaction among the crowd. “Go, girl! Go Yessenia!” “We love you so much. Go Fethegan Academy!” Students from her academy began to root for her. At the end of her performance, she was greeted with a loud cheer. A beautiful smile blossomed on her face when she witnessed this.If one hasn't experienced it themselves, they wouldn't realize the thrill it brings seeing so many people cheering for you. The collective cheers of the crowd brought a tear down Yessenia's cheek. “Thank you. Thank you so much.” Her voice shook as she spoke excitedly into the mic. Soon followed was the judge's evaluation of her song. Judge one: “I must say, that was a wonderful performance. It's an 8 over 10 for me.” Judge two: “Your chosen song was great, but there were certain parts where your vocals couldn't match the tempo of the songs. You do have a beautiful voice. With much practice, you'll be able to perform flawlessly next time. 8 points for me too.” “Thank you. Thank you so much.” Yessenia didn't expect to receive such a high evaluation from the start. She bowed towards the judges repeatedly in gratitude. At the backstage, the other contestants were also watching the scene live on the virtual screen. “Wow, I didn't expect that she could sing so melodiously.” “Yeah. With her voice, she could definitely become a famous superstar.” “I don't think so.” One denied. “Her choice of song was a very popular one. She likely got a huge reaction from both the crowd and judges because of it.” “Hmm. I think you're quite spot on about that.” Everyone had two views about the Yessenia performances, but it was none of Sylvia's concern. With ten voting judges, Yessenia managed to achieve 76 points, making her first place in the rank. Seconds later, the next contender was called. Although the first performance looked successful, it doesn't mean that everyone was a talented singer. Some students couldn't perform well, facing some mixed reactions from the crowd. The evaluation from the judges was also brutal. However, they were relatively lenient with their words since this wasn't an actual talent show. Surprisingly, among them, Charvi unexpectedly received the highest evaluation of 95 points. With such a high score, it's a definite that she would be the one to emerge as the victor, unless there was someone with a higher score than her. But would Charvi agree that there was someone better than her, of course not! The forty-nine contenders were soon done with their performances, leaving Sylvia as the only one who has yet to perform. Euphrasia clenched her hand into a ball of fist as she looked at Sylvia with an encouragement eyes. “I… You can do it!” Since Sylvia had encouraged her when she was also anxious, she thought she had reciprocated the act. “Hmm.” Sylvia nodded at her with a slight smile before striding out of the waiting area. A barely detectable smirk appeared on Charvi's face as she watched Sylvia’s leaving figure. 'Personal song, my ass. I want to see how the renowned CEO of Creamery Creamer is going to embarrass herself in front of the crowd. Maybe another headline news might top the chart before the end of the day.' Ian became spirited the moment he saw Sylvia walking out of the backstage. His eyes trailed on her walking movement until she finally stood still at the center of the stage. “Hello. My name's Sylvia Austen.” Her voice, laced with coldness, and her indifferent expression, fell into everyone's eyes on the virtual screen as she introduced herself. Unlike their raucous cheers for the previous participants, the audience were all silent the moment Sylvia arrived on the stage. Even a subtle whispering would be heard out loud, given how silent the place was. “It's said that you would be performing a song written by yourself? Is that true?” Vashti looked at the cold eyes of the girl on the screen. He instantly recognized that she was the one who had withstood his power earlier.“That's right,” Sylvia responded. Vashti expected her to say more words. But seeing that she stood there silently, he guessed that she wasn't much of a talker. “Okay. I wish you a wonderful performance.” A beautiful freestyle tone soon began to play. “A personal song? Does that mean she can write a song? Wow, she's really talented.” “Keep shut.” Ian didn't want to miss any of the moments happening on the stage. Colton's muttering was like a distraction to him. “Ah…” Colton saw his seriousness and shut back his opened mouth. Why is he so interested in her? Wasn't he the one who rejected her back then? Or could it be a feeling that stems from being rejected? Pfft. What am I thinking about? How can he be interested in her? He might only want to see whether she could sing or not. Yes, that must be it. ~ ♪♪ I thought it was a dream. Me crashing into desolation. My fear, my doom. All turning to reality… ♪♪ ~ The cold, yet high-spirited voice floated to all corners of the stadium. The silence of the audience heightened the sound wave of the voice to the outside stadium. Even the stall owners were stunned by the clear like voice. The voice was filled with the anguish of the protagonist at the unpredictable thoughts of her life. Listening to the lyrics, one could invoke an imagination of how hard the protagonist's life had been. From having to lose a loved one, finding herself betrayed by her close bond, and her unknown situation in such a world filled with danger and cruelty at all sides. Reaching the second tempo, the storyline begins to change, telling the gruesome life of the protagonist in the dangerous world. Some didn't even realize that they had begun to shed tears as they listened. Vashti's eyes widened as he looked down at the girl standing on the stage. Although he wasn't a music extremist, he knew what a good song was. A song should not only focus on entertaining the audience, but to bring out the deep emotions behind the writer's lyrics. It was clear that Sylvia had mastered this act. ~ ♪♪ … and say goodbye to the past. ♪♪ ~ After what seems like a whole timeline or let's say a fleeting moment, the final note came to an end. The complete stadium went silent. Even a drop of a pin would have been loud like a beating drum. Everyone's heart was in a trance-like state because they were still engrossed in the storyline of the protagonist. 'Clap! clap! clap!' No one knows who started clapping, but it sounds like a wake-up call to everyone. Thunderous clapping and loud cheers soon reverberated both inside and outside of the stadium.