Chapter 26 – The Fame Trap

came faster than anyone expected.

After the showcase prelims, it was like someone had flipped a switch. Students who used to glance past Soul Sync now stopped in the halls, whispering their name. Some asked for selfies. Others asked for collabs. The corridor walls were suddenly plastered with magic-ink posters featuring a frozen moment from their "Echo" performance — Lyra mid-note, Kai leaning into his guitar, Rin flaring with rhythm, Yuu's silhouette glowing beside his synth. Even their dorm's nameplate was glowing gold now. It was surreal.

Lyra tried to breathe through it.

It wasn't bad. In fact, some part of her — the child who once sang into hairbrushes and dreamt of stages that didn't boo — was elated. But another part, deeper, more fragile, felt the ground shifting too fast beneath her.

Everyone wanted something from them now.

And someone wanted something from Kai.

It happened on the third day after the performance. Kai was quiet at breakfast, pushing scrambled egg petals around his plate, the steam from his teacup curling up but untouched. VIVA was running vocal harmony drills with Rin, who bounced between chords on the wall-piano like it was a trampoline. Yuu sat nearby, already deep into tempo syncing with a blank expression that only flickered when Lyra smiled at him.

Lyra sat beside Kai and nudged his elbow. "You're brooding again. Is this your mysterious loner routine or should I be worried?"

He looked up at her, eyes softer than usual. Then he slid a sleek obsidian envelope across the table.

The second she touched it, her fingers buzzed with passive magical residue — high-grade sponsor seal. Interdimensional. Serious.

Her breath caught. "Kai, what is this?"

He leaned back. "An offer. From Label Astralis. They saw the prelim performance. They want me."

Yuu looked up. Even Rin stopped bouncing.

"They want the band?" Lyra asked slowly, even though she already knew the answer.

"No," Kai said. "Just me. Solo artist. Full contract. Private production suite. Five-year projection. Portal tours."

The room tilted slightly.

Rin's brow furrowed. "Wait… they're offering you multiversal fame now? That's crazy. Like, good crazy. But also, what about us?"

Kai didn't answer immediately. His fingers tapped a silent rhythm on the edge of his plate. When he finally spoke, his voice was low.

"They want me to leave the university early. Train in their system. They said I've 'graduated past the amateur phase.'"

Lyra's stomach clenched. She tried to smile, even though her lips twitched from the weight of it. "That's… a big deal. You should be proud."

Kai's eyes searched hers. "You don't want me to go."

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to."

Silence fell. VIVA blinked and projected a soft-pulse privacy screen around the table, shielding them from the buzz of the dining hall. The rest of the room faded into dim blur, like the world had paused to let this moment stretch and stretch.

Lyra swallowed. "Of course I want you to succeed. You deserve it, Kai. You're… you're brilliant. You've earned it."

"But?"

She looked down. "But we just started. You just started. You said you weren't going to play again. Then you did. With us. It's not about whether you're good enough to go solo — of course you are. It's whether you're… done with what we started together."

Kai was quiet for a long time.

"I used to think I didn't need anyone," he said finally. "I played because it kept me sane. I left people before they could leave me."

He looked across the table at the others. "But then there was you. All of you. And somehow, this stupid chaotic band… started to feel like home."

Rin sniffed loudly. "Wow, that was sappy. I loved it."

Yuu gave a tiny thumbs-up.

Kai turned back to Lyra. "I haven't decided yet. But I wanted you to see it first."

Her heart twisted, the way it always did when people offered her things she couldn't hold on to. But she smiled anyway.

"Whatever you choose, I'll back you," she said softly. "Because I believe in your music. Whether it's with us or without."

He nodded.

"But I hope you stay," she added, voice smaller now. "Because this band only feels complete when we're all onstage together."

Kai reached out and touched her hand — not romantic, not dramatic. Just grounding.

"I won't disappear without saying goodbye," he said. "I'm not that guy anymore."

And for the first time, Lyra wondered: was this the price of rising?

Fame was a beautiful spotlight. But it came with cracks — ones that split teams, stole friends, and left solo stars burning alone.

They had made it into the top ten.

But would they still be a band by the time they reached the final stage?

She didn't know.

All she could do now was sing harder, reach farther, and love them all — enough that maybe, maybe they'd choose to stay in the song.

END OF CHAPTER 26