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The band had rhythm. The band had fire.
Now, they needed soul.
"You sure he even plays bass?" Zack asked, cracking open another energy drink as the trio walked through the riverside park.
Rex kept his hands in his pockets, eyes scanning the crowd around the small outdoor performance stage.
> [SYSTEM SCAN COMPLETE: Target Acquired – Yuki Reign. Distance: 180 meters. Role: Bassist. Trait: Ghostwalker.]
The blue holographic interface flickered briefly in Rex's vision. Only he could see it. Only he knew what it meant.
Kai tilted his head. "Ghostwalker? That's… oddly specific."
Rex smirked. "Just a feeling I have."
They reached the edge of the open mic stage nestled beneath the trees. Small crowd, nothing serious. Acoustic players. A lo-fi rapper. A kid with a violin. And then—there, off to the side, sat a lone figure.
Yuki Reign.
Tall. Slim. Pale. Dressed in all black with a turtleneck and long coat that moved with the wind. His hair veiled half his face like shadows clinging to him. His hands moved slowly over a sleek five-string bass, fingers dancing silently in practice.
He didn't draw attention. He avoided it. And yet, Rex couldn't look away.
"That him?" Zack asked.
"Yeah," Rex said.
Kai raised an eyebrow. "Dude looks like he's auditioning for a vampire movie."
Zack chuckled. "The moody ones are always the bassists."
Rex walked ahead, ignoring the jokes. Yuki didn't acknowledge his approach—just kept tuning.
"You always play that quiet?" Rex asked, stopping in front of him.
Yuki looked up, his silver-gray eyes sharp despite the calm on his face. "Quiet is where music begins."
Rex smiled. "I'm putting together a band. Got rhythm. Got fire. Now I need gravity."
Yuki's eyes narrowed slightly. "You don't look like a bandleader."
"Let's just say I've been inspired," Rex said, his voice low. "By the gods of heavy music."
Yuki stared at him a moment longer. "What kind of music?"
Rex stepped back. "Something the world's never heard… but will never forget."
He opened the system interface in his mind—subtle, silent, invisible to everyone around him.
> [LOADING TRACK DATA: Hysteria – Muse]
[SYNCHRONIZATION INITIATED – BASSLINE CALIBRATED]
The system outlined the bass rhythm in his vision. He couldn't teach it exactly… but he could inspire.
"You ever play something called Hysteria?" Rex asked.
Yuki blinked. "No. Never heard of it."
"Then listen."
Rex grabbed his guitar and started plucking out a simplified melody from the song. Not perfect. Just enough to lead.
Yuki listened, head tilted.
Then… his fingers began to move.
And the bassline came alive.
Fast. Controlled. Smooth. The deep pulse echoed out from the amp like a second heartbeat in the park. A few heads turned. One of the rappers stopped mid-verse. Even Zack and Kai stood stunned.
Yuki's hands blurred, perfectly nailing the frantic, soulful tempo. Every note carried power, even though it was quiet. It wasn't flashy. It was felt.
Rex didn't speak. He didn't need to. He just smiled as Yuki played it through to the end.
When he stopped, the crowd clapped — not like for a show, but like they knew they'd heard something different.
Yuki looked up.
"I'm in," he said. "But I don't follow leaders."
"You don't have to," Rex said. "We follow the music."
> [SYSTEM NOTICE: Band Member Acquired – Yuki Reign, Bassist]
🎉 New Feature Unlocked: Track Fusion Mode – Sync Band Energy into Unified Output
🟣 New Skill Gained: Harmony Link (Lv. 1)
Rex dismissed the notification before anyone noticed him spacing out. He turned and waved Kai and Zack over.
Zack clapped Yuki on the back. "That was insane, man. I thought you were gonna summon a thunderstorm."
Kai fist-bumped him. "We're called Obsidian Saints. And now we've got a full lineup."
Yuki nodded. "Dark name."
Rex chuckled. "Fitting, huh?"
As they walked off the stage, Kai whispered, "Where'd you even find that song, dude? I've never heard anything like it."
Rex shrugged. "Let's just say… it came to me."
---
That night, in Rex's cramped apartment-turned-practice-den, the newly formed Saints played deep into the early hours.
Enter Sandman. Hysteria. Chop Suey. Come As You Are. War Pigs.
They didn't know the songs. They felt them.
The music wasn't perfect yet—but the fire was there. And for the first time, Rex felt like the dream was becoming real.
But in the back of his mind, the system pulsed, quiet and waiting.
It was his edge. His secret.
And no one else could know.
Not yet.
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