Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva-Chapter 827 - 36 The First Album ’Voice of Silence’_2

"Pop" it bursts forth

"Mhm" the endurance

"Whoosh" just like that, it vanishes

————

In the song, the scenes seem to freeze in time: the colorful fireworks bursting at the top of the frame, the static crowd of shadows below, and the continually emerging and sweeping lyrics. Rarely, this song does not use any dynamic visuals, solely to present each line of introspective lyrics that one cannot escape or forget.

As the tune ends, the text on the entire screen gradually disintegrates, leaving only the unchanging sky and the pedestrians on the road below.

The room dims once again, before everything returns to silence.

In the darkness, the soft glow of a pinkish-purple disc flickers on, from which a nostalgic and retro melody emerges, and then the lifelike scenery slowly unfolds.

This time it is not an image, but the actual reality before us: a dispirited figure walks along the neon-lit surreal streets, surrounded by ordinary pedestrians, hovercrafts flying across the sky, and collisions happening across the street, while in the alley mouths lie figures fallen and weeping.

To experience the neon lights twinkling on this street

Is like the light and dreams I cannot reach

Those people, hands stained with blood yet feeling no pain

All for the pursuit of greater wealth and fame

If you're willing amidst this hunting season

Please tell me where you wish to go

I look up but the luminous moon isn't seen

I only hope that later on, we can head

Through all these hardships we've weathered

Just to free you from agony

Even if you cannot hold me tight

I still wish for you to stick to your original intent

Forgive me for letting you down

Forgive me for disappointing you again

I think it's because I'm not strong enough

Right here, right now

All that's left for them in the end is fire

A fiercely blazing inferno

That makes my blood boil

I will burn this city down to ashes

We've already resolved to leave and never return

Striving to gain our freedom

I just want you to see everything in my eyes

Even if you cannot hold me tight

I still wish for you to stick to your original intent

Forgive me for letting you down

Forgive me for disappointing you again

I think it's because I'm not strong enough

Right here, right now

Forgive me for letting you down

Forgive me for disappointing you again

I think it's because I'm not strong enough

Right here, right now

My one true love in this life

The person I love most

My cherished love

I've let you down so greatly, to your profound disappointment

Disheartened and desolate

Utterly disappointed

—————

In the clarity of disillusionment, one sees more darkness; beneath many beautiful concepts lie nothing but merchants' packaging and lies. Yet, even with clarity, it serves no purpose. Society is no longer about individual heroism, nor does anyone stand up in response to your slogans and rallying cries.

People willingly immerse themselves in this kaleidoscopic fantasy. It's their pursuit, their vulnerability, their numb way of self-soothing that allows them to survive.

All great ideals and beliefs have been defiled and deconstructed; their brilliance fades away. Although the Federation's facade remains prosperous, bewilderment and disappointment permeate every stratum of society.

Amid the struggle for interests, the information network is inundated with various and chaotic ideologies. People are frenetic and numb, with no corner spared from the era's tumultuous cleanse and baptism, no tranquility or innocence left unpolluted.

This is a world of sorrow, a world that will eventually tread toward oblivion.

One after another, songs and music videos slowly play to their end, and then the girl sits in the darkness for a long while before slowly turning on the light, illuminating her figure and outline.

She stands up, pressing the stop button, bringing the projected images and music to an end. Afterward, she opens the door and steps out.

Seeing her emerge, several staff members waiting outside approach, but they are all turned away by the girl's slight shake of her head. Then she walks straight out.

[After the album is produced, does it need to be released and promoted?]

Sitting by the window of the hover car, Hexia Tilan received an email inquiry on her personal terminal.

She stared at the inquiry, silent for quite some time, then glanced outside at the night scene full of neon lights.

[Release it, but do not promote it.]

[Received, Lord Tilan.]

The screen of the personal terminal then went dark, and the girl leaned against the car window.

Although they were her album and songs, she had no idea what outcomes awaited their release.

Unnoticed or criticized, she could not guess, but she did not regret making this choice.

It was the voice of her heart and her thoughts, the emotional outpouring that had accumulated over many years.

Just let it be. Suddenly, her mood relaxed considerably, probably because she no longer needed to maintain some semblance of a perfect image like before.

The hover car drove off, gradually disappearing into the night.

In the early hours of December 6th, Hexia Tilan's first official album was quietly released on her personal official website, without prior notice or publicity. If this weren't an officially recognized site, people might think it was some sort of prank or scam.

The first album 'Voice of Silence', audio-visual content free to access, as Tilan does not rely on this for income and is not constrained by managers or companies, able to decide as she pleases.

Following the release, some people quickly noticed the news and started to sample the album.

The first night passed quietly; Tilan's new album did not make a splash. People remained engrossed in the sensational news of great stars and the promotion of newfangled products, with only a small fraction of the community paying attention to the album.

The next day, broadcast media within the Four-leaf Crystal Star Domain spontaneously reported on Hexia Tilan's new album. After all, as a songstress from their Star Domain, she received much attention and endearment.

While some may not understand or resonate with the emotions expressed in the album, the residents of the northern Four-leaf Crystal felt a deep connection. The decline and competitive involution of centuries made many feelings resonate without words, and people began ordering physical copies of the album.

Listening online was free, but producing physical chips and cassettes incurred costs, something Tilan could not change, though she intended to keep the prices affordable.

On the third day, some online tech-enthusiasts promoted the album's songs, making them circulate within certain niche communities.

While Tilan's songs weren't specifically produced for them, they seemed to have a particular fondness for these tracks.

[I didn't know this songstress before, but after hearing her last night for the first time, I played it on loop all night, as if enchanted.]

[Isn't that the truth T_T] followed by a long string of crying emoticons

[I'm tired of being told any discomfort or dislike is met with accusations of not being strong enough, cheerful enough, extroverted enough.]

[If put in psychological terms, it's as if certain true feelings, long denied and overlooked by society, have finally been acknowledged and seen.]

[For those living in superior circumstances, it's hard for them to feel the emotions in the songs.]

[But for us, it's different. Maybe it's just a few simple words, but like a key, they unlock the doors of memory, and numerous scenes come flooding back.]

[These songs surely won't be mainstream hits, but I know I will remember them for many years.]

[The 'Black Angel' didn't get her title wrong; although Tilan looks serene and cute, I never imagined she harbored so many thoughts.]

[Cough cough, no offense to Tilan, but I've genuinely grown to like her more.]

[It's strange, although the lyrics don't contain any message of goodness or hope, after listening, I don't feel as depressed as before.]

[Hahaha, it's probably because I feel understood and less alone, finally someone gets me.]

[Or maybe it's a contrarian thought; your words are so despairing, but it makes me feel there's still a glimmer of hope.]

In the following days, Tilan's new album saw two starkly different fates: barely a ripple among mainstream media, scarcely any notice or recognition in reality, yet within certain web communities, it was explosively popular. One by one, social group after group was captivated, and some niche open-source websites even made the image of Tilan playing the guitar in the dark their homepage.

"Our very own 'Black Angel', Miss Hexia Tilan, she won't bring you any salvation or hope, but she will accompany you, continue to advance through the night."

"If you like Hexia Tilan too, then join us."

"We are the flames in the dark, tireless specters, empathizers of sorrow."

To grieve for the world is not to be devoid of feelings, but perhaps precisely because one once harbored hope, they now feel such sorrow and regret.