"What the hell is taking them so long? They need to hurry up. After the Razihelians step off the stage, it'll be our turn."

"You think Jaejoong hyung finally let out his little dude? What if he pulls a quick one on noona... what if it's doing things to her?"

"That's a possibility, Junsu. And she can't even scream for help..." Yoochun and Junsu turn back to look at the door, allowing their y imagination to run wild with them... somewhere deep in the gutter. Junsu, a little more so.

"Should I check if it's unlocked first?"

"No! Kick down the door! Kick it down and let's save our noona from his little duuuude!"

"Try to resist, noona! Scratch out his eyes if you need to! He'll still be able to sing without eyes, right? It'll be okay, noona! We're coming! We're coming!" The door slides open before Yoochun can perform his powerhouse straight kick.

Jaejoong appears in the door way. With those crazy eyes, he looks like a man deprived of . Phew. Their noona is safe. "I wonder what she said to him. There's a demonic scowl masking his handsome face."

"No one scowls like our hyung. He is just so y cool like that. So y..."

Yoochun sighs while shaking his head. He better take Junsu aside and try to knock some non-ual sense into him. After that dive into the gutter, it will take a hell lot of work. "Junsu... look deep into my eyes and focus."

"Is this ? Are you by this kind of ?"

"No..." Yoochun tries again. "Your granny's undies. Think about your granny's undies."

"Why you so , hyung? Why you so like that? But it's okay. It's okay." Junsu pats Yoochun's shoulder and squeezes it with a more than friendly hand. "We can be together."

This will definitely be a challenge but... Yoochun go!

"What is it you want from me? What is it you want from us?"

Your sound has changed, Jaejoong.

"How would you know? How would you know anything? You're no help to us. No help at all. And I'm ing sick and tired of it... sick and tired of hearing you tell us we're not ready... that our sound is... is..."

What I tell you is only the truth. I am not here to feed you sweet lies. I am not here to your wounds. I am here... to win it all. Do you understand? Compared to the other defenders, you three are nothing. Nothing in terms of power, endurance, and range. All you have is the love. And if you allow that love to waver, you will have nothing. Do you understand?

She is in need of that same love. She rides upon its sound. But that sound alone cannot save the world. In order to save the world, she must bring the Empire down to its knees. Only then will she win and live forever.

It seems I have overestimated your love... your love for family... your love for friends. You must not want it enough... to be with everyone again. Am I wrong?

She is wrong.

Does it make you angry? That I speak what I see and hear?

She is wrong.

Cyndi tilts her head to the side. Her long hair slips over a bare shoulder and she smiles. Love under stress. Love, so strong. That is the sound she needs from him. That is the sound she is most familiar with. A key part of the whole. Once she has that sound, the others will naturally fall into place. Junsu's floating above. Yoochun's seeping below. They will come together, the optimum trinity of all sounds. The dream will be realized and she will live forever.

Upon the final stage, they stand. The four. With their love, so strong, they will shatter standards and bring the Empire down to its knees. With eyes closed and lips parted, they initiate the evolution... the evolution of sound.

Once their eyes re-open, they will have silenced the crowd. With tears in their eyes and fists held up high, the vote, unanimous:

Immunity. Immunity for Earth and its Sun.

Inside the souls of listeners, something gives way. Something important that can neither be explained nor comprehended. But their ears will be happy for days, for weeks, for months. That much, they know. That much is certain.

To be happy. Anywhere. Everywhere. Always. The evolution of sound.

On the pulsing floor, she lies, as still as the dead. Bloodshot eyes... looking extremely pale... like a sickly ghost. She will sleep now. It has been a long while since she last slept. She will sleep for a little while... and once she wakes, her dreams will be realized. She will live forever.

Forever.