Thousand Peaks Cultural Foundation, founded by the Rodin family, serves as the epicenter of all myth-related culture in Thousand Peaks, also functioning as a distributor of the 'Melody of Starsong.'

The Red Chamber Crew is well acquainted with this opera, having personally experienced it fifteen years ago at this very place. The Melody of Starsong is an opera that undergoes revisions every few years, correcting inaccuracies and adding details, and is then re-performed on a similar cycle.

This time, after a fifteen-year hiatus, it has reopened with numerous additions. While preserving much more detail, the fatigue when watching has been significantly reduced, so they say. Thanks to the promotion by the Rodin family, opera tickets went on sale and were sold out within just one day. VIP rooms were sold separately, and their prices exceeded expectations, but fortunately, Jun managed to secure one VIP room.

"So, they're performing the entire trilogy in just five days this time?"

Inside the Red Chamber's bridge, during the time when the kids were off to sleep, Remi peered out from the pilot's seat, turning around to look back. Jun answered while looking at the pamphlet he had obtained in advance.

"Yeah. They'll perform the first part around the time we arrive, take a day off, then perform the second part the next day, take another day off, and finally, perform the last part."

"The fatigue for the singers must be no joke."

Eda, raising her head from the lumen reso-scanner, looked down at Jun and spoke. Jun nodded in agreement as he responded.

"Indeed. It's written here that they did it to organically connect the content more. With much more to see compared to fifteen years ago, it's worth looking forward to, right? They seem to have used some new technology too."

"Oh..."

Eda expressed considerable anticipation. However, her excitement was not on par with that of her first daughter, Fey, who was currently asleep. From the beginning of the journey, most of her interest had been focused on the opera, and as the time to watch approached, her anticipation was so great that she couldn't sleep properly.

"Fey has a lot of interest in myths, huh?"

In response to Remi's words, Eda nodded and replied, "It's not just interest. Since she was a newborn, she particularly enjoyed me singing, and when she learned letters, the first thing she looked into was the Myrian mythology. She used to come running to me, always asking various questions, saying she wanted to become like me. I remember saying the same when I was young. I wanted to be like my master."

"Fey does resemble you quite a bit."

"I'm not sure how to teach Fey."

Eda sighed, resting her chin on her hand.

"Fey wants to become a witch, but she only has a positive image of witches. It's probably because the only witch she knows is me. Within the Lee Clan, everybody don't speak ill of witches because of me. But once you go outside the Lee Clan, you know how people perceive witches. So, I wanted to show Fey, through this trip, different perspectives on witches. I want my daughter to be able to choose for herself."

"Eddie, Fey is still young. What if she sees something bad and gets hurt?"

Remi expressed concern, raising a worried expression. Eda, nodding as if acknowledging that the concern was valid, let out a sigh.

"True. It breaks my heart to think about it. But if I'm really going to teach Fey to become a witch, I have to start teaching her the starsong soon. Witches learn special vocal training and lumen cognitive exercises that are different from ordinary people, and it has to start from a young age. At the latest, we must start within the next six months. I can't help it. I want to show her only good things, but the world isn't like that. So, on this trip, I'll show Fey about witches, and help her make her own choices."

The three adults continued to discuss the future journey with the children until late at night before eventually falling asleep.

/

"Mom! Dad! Auntie! Brother! Sis! Come on! Let's go quickly!"

At the entrance of the Thousand Peaks Cultural Foundation, Fey couldn't contain her excitement, shouting while running around. Unfortunately, despite her eagerness to hurry, they couldn't rush because hundreds of people with the same purpose were moving towards the opera seats. As they checked each ticket, more people were entering than leaving, causing the crowd to grow even larger.

"Ugh."

"Remi, be careful."

Jun caught Remi, who almost tripped over someone else. Remi expressed gratitude and looked around with a slightly annoyed expression. The sea of people surrounded them.

"This... It was crowded fifteen years ago too, but not to this extent, right?"

"Yeah. If we hadn't purchased VIP rooms, it would have been tough for the kids to see anything. Eda, Remi, be careful. Don't lose sight of the kids."

"Don't worry. I gave each of them a recording of my starsong, so as long as they have that, I can find them."

"what?"

Since it was the first time the kids had seen such a dense crowd, they seemed scared and stayed close to their parents without wandering around. There wasn't much space for that anyway. However, Fey was an exception. Instead of being scared by the crowd, her excitement for the opera seemed to increase with each step.

"I'm going in!"

Fey shouted while holding a pair of opera binoculars. She was adorned with all sorts of Myria myth-related merchandise, which she had asked Jun to buy by pestering him. Non-prescription lumen sparkling glasses, a shirt with symbols of the gods, an outer garment with meaningless Myrian mythology characters, a bracelet with Ignis's symbol, and a headband with Helius's symbol, among others.

As Jun looked at the various souvenirs on his daughter, he remembered the time when Eda scolded him, saying that if he bought all those things, it would spoil Fey.

/

Melody of Starsong Act 1 began with the creation of Ignis and ended with Helius descending from the heavens to fall in love with Terra. Compared to fifteen years ago, there were quite a few differences. Firstly, the details of the singers' costumes and various props had improved significantly.

Unlike the previous performance where singers acted while wearing costumes, this time augmented reality technology was applied, creating a feeling as if the gods were truly on stage. The use of real lumen for visual effects was particularly impressive.

In terms of content, not much had been added. It was a well-known story, so the modifications were minor, fixing small imperfections. The singers had been replaced over the years, and the vocal power of the singer in the role of Terra was especially outstanding. According to the pamphlet, the singer had briefly received witch training when young. Eda subtly frowned upon seeing that information.

Overall, having only seen Act 1, it was an opera entertaining enough even for adults who knew the story. It had a certain viewing charm. The singing and dancing of the singers, along with the appropriately used augmented reality effects, provided a powerful experience for the audience. It was impressive for adults, and needless to say, even more so for the children.

When the opera started, except for Fey, the three children were initially a bit bored, or rather, they seemed tired from being squeezed in the crowd. However, once the performance started, even they couldn't take their eyes off the binoculars, trying to see more details. Although young Yen seemed not to understand the content, just seeing the sparkling spectacle seemed to satisfy her.

Jun was grateful they had the VIP room. Thanks to the VIP room, separated from the other spectators, the children could watch freely in their own space.

Even Remi focused on the opera, but Jun noticed that Eda's attention was on something else. Whenever the singer in the role of Terra performed, Eda made a subtle expression. It seemed like she had a lot on her mind, and Jun only took the quiet action of holding Eda's hand without saying anything.

In truth, Jun had his own inner turmoil. Whenever he watched the singer portraying Helius, something inside him felt uneasy and itched.

On the way out after the opera, the four children discussed the contents of the opera, centered around Fey.

"So, why did Ignis tell Helius to just watch?"

"Uh... because Ignis is a bad guy?"

"No, Mom said it was natural from his perspective. Right, Mom?"

"Huh?"

Eda, lost in thought, turned her head quickly when she heard Fey calling. Blinking her eyes, she made an apologetic expression and asked Fey.

"Oh, what did you say?"

"Mom, you said..."

And so, the day of Act 1's performance came to an end.

/

Act 2 of the Melody of Starsong. Terra's song led to the prosperity of the Myrian Empire, but it went against the laws of Ignis. The six gods who feared Ignis assassinated Terra, leading to a civil war of the empire.

Whether it was due to Rodin's insisting on details for fifteen years or if it was overly crafted, the well-executed scene of Terra's assassination left everyone, except for Remi, in shock. Remi's response was pure appreciation for well-made art, saying, "Oh..." However, the two adults and the children had different reactions.

When the six gods raised their spears and stabbed Terra's throat, the shocking music echoed, and the singer in the role of Terra fell while singing. The four children were surprised and swayed. Some even cheered for Terra to get up quickly, but Terra never rose again, and the children were shocked. Fey, especially, was so immersed that tears flowed down her cheeks. Even after that scene, the four children passionately supported Helius in the holy war.

When Terra was stabbed, Eda involuntarily brought her hand to her own throat, making a soft groan, as if feeling a phantom pain. When Terra delivered her final words to Helios, Eda tightly grasped her husband's hand, as if she didn't want to let him go ever again.

When Helius failed to save Terra, Jun felt a simultaneous surge of rage towards the six gods and a profound emptiness and guilt. He even felt an urge to rush forward and lift her up. Several times, he looked beside him to confirm that his wife was still alive, breathing normally.

Exiting after Act 2, the atmosphere was heavy, with everyone feeling disheartened. Remi was bewildered, wondering why even Eda and Jun were so down. Approaching Eda, Remi poked her waist.

"Hey, why are you and Jun like this? It's after watching something good. If you two are like that, the kids will feel even more down."

While Remi tried hard to console everyone, the children expressed their anger among themselves.

"Bad six gods."

"Sis, didn't you roughly know the content?"

"I knew, but... Watching it as an opera makes it feel different. Bad six gods."

And so, the day of Act 2's performance came to an end.

/

Act 3 of Melody of Starsong unfolded. Helius emerged victorious in the holy war, attempting to resurrect Terra. However, Ignis vehemently warned him not to resurrect her. Defying the commands of the creator, Helius concealed Terra's remains in Excidium. As a consequence, Ignis engulfed all the gods in flames, and Helius flew beyond the stars in a shattered state.

Children rejoiced when Helius sought revenge against the six gods, and they cheered when he tried to resurrect Terra. However, when the singer in the role of Ignis delivered a heavy and resonant warning through his song, the children, perhaps overwhelmed, stealthily moved closer to their parents.

In the final moments, as Helius fragmented and soared beyond the stars, Kay and Shan, initially expecting a happy ending, were left open-mouthed. Fey, knowing the plot, couldn't bear the tragedy and wept, while Yen, not fully grasping the story, joined in sadness seeing his siblings upset.

After Helius hid Terra in the void and delivered his last words, "When the flowers bloom, we shall meet in the next life." Eda and Jun turned to each other. Strangely, a faint scent of flowers lingered, despite the absence of any nearby.

As the performances concluded, Kay and Shan, experiencing tragedy for the first time, walked away with empty expressions, unable to comprehend why the story didn't end with a happy note. Yen, tired, nestled into Jun's arms, falling asleep. Meanwhile, Fey sought solace in the person who would best understand her words.

"Mom, sniffling. The goddess Terra is so pitiful..."

Wiping the tears from Fey's face with a handkerchief, Eda spoke reassuringly.

"It's okay. Terra will... meet Helius again someday. For sure."

"How do you know that?"

After a brief hesitation, Eda replied.

"...Because Mom met your dad."

"Huh?"

Fey, not understanding Eda's answer, raised a question mark above her head. However, Eda remained silent, just embracing Fey without saying more.

And it seems that although Remi enjoyed watching, the somber atmosphere after the performance didn't sit well with her, prompting her to lower her internal score for the opera by one notch.

/

After that, the group explored safe places near the Mount Aurora, such as Myria Civilization Museum, temples, war memorials, and so on. All these places naturally sparked discussions about witches. Naturally, Thousand Peaks' view on witches was far from positive.

Fey, who only knew her own mother as a witch, was visibly disturbed by what she witnessed. Having heard only a bit about the crimes of witches in the war from Eda at the interstellar space gate, Fey struggled to understand why people disliked such fine individuals like her mother.

Eda continued to make efforts to showcase as much as possible to Fey, marking her as much as possible. She aimed to show people's perceptions, avoiding overly shocking things for a child to see.

Once, while having a meal in a restaurant, the whispers from a nearby table reached their ears.

"Hey, did you hear? There was a witch at the broadcasting station."

"Really? The world is going to the end. A criminal was freely mingling among people."

"Tsk. If it wasn't runners who liked them, those creatures should have been thrown into Ignis long ago."

"Hey, tone it down a bit."

"Shut up. My brother died in the war because of those war machines."

Afterward, Fey, in a drained state, asked Eda a question.

"Mom, are witches really bad?"

Unable to fathom her own mother as a bad person, but unable to ignore what people were saying, Fey sought an answer from Eda.

"Indeed, witches did collaborate with United Mining for their own gain and participated in the war. That is an unforgivable act. However, even among witches, there were those who opposed it. One of them was my master, who, after the war, started trading medicinal plants to atone. She took me in, raising me as a new era witch, true to the voice of inner self.

But regardless, it's true that people's view of witches outside the Lee Clan is not favorable. Fey, I'm sorry. I wanted to show my daughter as much as possible before you make a decision. I thought you should know how people outside the Lee Clan view witches. I'm sorry for not being able to guide you to a better path."

Fey still wore a bewildered expression.