Chapter 50: I’ll Keep Rising

Pre Author Note: For this Chapter, I’ll recommend ’I’m Still Standing’ by Taron Egerton. You can also opt for the classic Elton John’s, but Taron’s cover feels more fitting for the Chapter.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Roughly a week after they’d filmed the preliminary rounds in [Silver Comets], the crew was currently at a mid-sized hall in Downtown Los Angeles where they were to shoot the next rounds of performances.

The knock out rounds.

To that effect, there was an almost suppressed feel of electrifying excitement in the air, one that was notably palpable as the extras lingered around the venue’s hall and the crew finished their last-minute checks.

Afterall, most couldn’t help but hope that they would once again be treated to a mini-concert of their own.

More so because Silver Comets was set to perform first this time.

Yet, not the least bit perturbed by the expectations demanded of them, Niall whom was currently seated in a corner backstage was rounding up the last Chapters of the third act in [The Spire of Fate].

Tristan reaches the fourth spirepoint, only for him and the freed Elder Gods to meet a realm completely frozen in time with no one in sight.

Upon sensing the divinities on his being though, the entire realm picks him out, freezing everyone else in place.

Then Chrovak, the Elder God of Time, appears before Tristan and informs him that he’s been long dead, and what’s left of him is just a fraction of his powers.

He then hands over a ring to Tristan imbued with the very last of his powers and tells him that he’ll know what to do with it when the time comes.

Tristan questions why he isn’t been tested and Chrovak explains that if his fellow Gods have chosen him, then he must be of noble quality and that he trusts in their judgement.

Upon exiting the realm, the other Elder Gods mention that Chrovak had been the most gravely injured as at the time they’d chosen to make the spirepoints, hence why he probably didn’t survive.

They then mention that the last of their rebellion, Aurelia, the Goddess of Nature, had also been gravely injured and the chances of her surviving was also quite low, as although they were Gods, they weren’t immortal.

They also remark that Chrovak being dead, is a serious dent to their forces as he alone could’ve held back two to three Elder Gods, if not four on his own.

To that effect, Tristan decides to split up their party. He asks of each of the three Gods he has freed to contact the nations he’s been involved with for a helping hand in the coming threat.

Then he and Cassarae head to the last spirepoint.

Closing the bezel-thin laptop shut with a soft clap, Niall nodded in satisfaction. Then he returned his attention to his surroundings...

...only to sees his fictional band members and Red Velvet staring at him in a mix of intrigued curiosity.

Before he could question why he was being stared at like he was some exotic animal at a zoo, Johnny who played Leeroy genuinely asked of him;

"How do you even do it? Juggling everything together with such aplomb, I mean."

"Yeah. What’s the secret ingredient to multitalented success?" Sam queried, a notable intrigue in his eyes that every other band member around shared.

Chuckling in amusement, Niall was just about to respond when one of the production assistants with a clipboard in his hand walked over to them and said, his tone polite;

"Guys. You’re up."

Opting to shelve his response for later, Niall got off the storage box he was seated on, and politely asked of the assistant as he handed over his laptop;

"Could you help me hold on to it till we’re done with our performance?"

"Yeah, sure."

No sooner had he received it, he and his band members making their way out onstage, Johnny called out with a playful grin as he and his band made their way out too;

"Try not to turn the whole place into a real concert this time!"

To that, the band members of the fictional Silver Comets glanced over, genuinely amused smiles on their lips.

"We’ll try." they simultaneously said in response.

Yet it was a hundred-percent clear to everyone backstage who witnessed the interaction that they had no plans of doing anything of such.

Following up from the preliminary rounds, Silver Comets had only had to wait a week before they got news that they’d progressed to the knockout stage.

Excited, they promptly increased rehearsal sessions to work on the next song in preparation for it.

However, though things were going smoothly on that front as a band, individually, each member was going through their own troubles.

Sam struggles with his family’s upkeep while running the garage at a loss as bills upon bills continue to pile up. It also didn’t help that said family had began breathing down on his neck for pursuing a dream that he had once failed at, further adding to his mental toll.

Alex contacts his parents to tell them that he’d made it to the knockout rounds of the Battle of The Bands, all in hopes that they might be willing to support him. Instead, he gets a whiplash in response, his parents detailing how much of a failure he was and how disappointed they still were that he thought he even had a shot at becoming a renowned musician.

Luke soon found himself homeless again and with no one to really squat with, especially since he had a reputation around the neighborhoods for being hard to work with, something his previous band members had circulated in jealousy after seeing him integrate so well with his new band.

Owen later finds him one night sleeping on a bench after trying to apply for a job as a cashier at a nearby restaurant. There, Luke explains that although he could have asked of any of them to squat with for a while, he didn’t want to be a burden as they were all dealing with their own shit.

In response, Owen tells him that even though his place is cramped, its always open for a friend. Not that Owen himself wasn’t battling against the clock with an eviction notice after spending all his savings on his father’s monthly medical expenses.

And as if that wasn’t enough, he just happened to run into his former boss while applying for a position at another convenience store the next day who laughs at his predicament and berates him for thinking the grass would be greener on the other side.

All these events, cumulatively built up a frustration in all four of them that they needed to let out one way or the other. But they opted to do it through the medium they loved best.

Which was why, they ended up making another song practically two days before the knockout rounds... one they’d gone ahead and decided to perform instead of the one they had in mind before.

Yet, that very same song, was the song Niall had written to diss Callow. It was the song he had played to get Midnight Avenue on board for [Silver Comets].

It was also the song Niall felt was a fitting response to Hollywood’s decision to boycott him. At the same time, it was the song Midnight Avenue resonated with the most of all the tracks Niall had made for the movie.

And as Harrison took his seat at the very back of the hall, he looked to Niall, Sam, Archie and Lucas whom had assumed their positions on stage, as did the extras and indie bands in the hall who got into character.

Then, after calling for the clapperloader to do his thing, he commanded;

"Action!"

In sync, Niall tugged on his Gift of Bestowal, a rippling wave of diamond hues spreading from him to his bandmates.

-

{Silver Comets | 30th, September 2016 | Act 4 | Scene 9 | Take 1}

The hall was far, far quiet than the warehouse in the preliminary rounds preceding the performance, especially given the kind of civilized environment they were in.

Yet, compared to the disinterest from back then, the spectators looked on in genuine anticipation.

Compared to them who were standing, the judges sat behind a long table at the very front on a slightly elevated platform, just below the stage itself.

As for the fellow indie bands, they crowded the wings of the hall, looking on with fierce competition at the band whom had come out of nowhere to steal their thunders in the previous round.

Leeroy especially had the fiercest look of all, his jaw set.

Yet, as Silver Comets stood in the dimness of the stage, they waited for the signal to begin their performance.

There was not a single nerve in their being as they did, Owen’s gaze burning with resolve, Simon’s knuckles white around his bass guitar, Alex staring towards the stage entrance with his jaw clenched and Luke spinning his drumsticks between his fingers with enough force to snap it.

This time, they weren’t performing because they had anything to prove. No, no, no.

This time, they were performing because they had so much to say, and everything to give while saying it.

Then, as the spotlight switched on, the announcer declaring;

"Rockstars! Give. It. Up. For. SILVER... COMETS!"

A lone tune rippled from Alex’s piano, followed immediately by an opening riff that merged into Owen’s raw guitar riff, both of them exploding through the amplifier.

The sound tore through the halls with an unrestrained flare, Luke immediately following up with an aggressive drumbeat as Sam’s bass underpinned the tune with a driving beat.

And as everyone watched on whilst nodding in rhythmic sync, months of pent-up frustration finally finding an outlet through their music, Owen stepped up to the microphone and sang;

You always said I’d never go far,

Raging in caps lock all the time,

And there’s that cold, pitiful light that seeps from you,

You’ll end up like the hollow thing you are, empty and loud as a barrel,

Though the crowd didn’t know what the cause of it was, they could feel it... the raw frustration in Owen’s voice.

Then as the beat picked up, Luke bashing all the cymbals and including it the tune, Owen continued;

And did you think I’d twiddle my thumbs?

Well, take a look, I’m still standing here,

Living out the life you tried to take away,

Now that all the chains are gone, I’ve got nothing left to fear,

Then as the powerful tune climbed, Simon attacking his bass guitar with an intensity unlike any other, Owen exploded into the chorus, his band member’s voice accompanying his;

Don’t you see, I’ll keep rising farther than you’d ever dream,

I’m looking towards the future, I’m feeling like a little kid,

And I’ll keep rising with every step,

If you’re looking back, don’t you dare expect me there,

I’ll keep rising! (Yeah, yeah, yeah!)

I’ll keep rising! (Yeah, yeah, yeah!)

By now, one the judges had begun taking notes, while the other two had subconsciously begun clapping to the rhythm as the audience’s cheers grew louder.

Completely forgetting they were even there, Owen moved to the second verse, he and his band members looking completely unhinged as they poured their all into the song!

Once I hung on every word you’d say,

Every step I took was torn apart by you,

And if your words were meant to drag me down,

Put me in a box and strip me of my voice,

Now I’m louder than your every doubt,

Once again, they ripped into the chorus, every single lyric telling of their decision to keep going forward nonetheless;

And don’t you know, I’ll keep rising farther than you’d ever dream,

I’m looking towards the future, I’m feeling like a little kid,

And I’ll keep rising with every step,

If you’re looking back, don’t you dare expect me there,

I’ll keep rising! (Yeah, yeah, yeah!)

I’ll keep rising! (Yeah, yeah, yeah!)

As the song reached its crescendo, Owen and Alex playing their interconnected riffs with such precision, the energy in the venue became supercharged!

Now the crowd was completely part of the performance, hands shooting up into the air in excitement.

Then, Owen and his bandmates sang the outro...

I’ll keep rising!

... the audience echoed back!

Yeah, yeah, yeah!

Again, they repeated;

I’ll keep rising!

Again, the audience returned their energy;

Yeah, yeah, yeah!

No sooner had they responded, they grinded the tune to a rapid halt, signifying the end of their performance!

Immediately, the audience cheered in excitement, whistling and clapping with a fever high!

"Cut!"

-

Once again, the audience in the auditorium couldn’t help themselves. Even after the performance had ended, they were still whistling and clapping as Niall and his co-actors grinned in exhilaration.

And as the crew joined in with the cheering crowd, the indie bands doing much the same, Leeroy couldn’t help but shake his head in awestruck amazement whilst thinking to himself;

’Challenge failed successfully.’

Advance Chapters are available on Patreon!

/Caer07