The first thing Lyra noticed when she awoke the next morning wasn't the sky above her bed—though the glass dome shimmering with sunrise-colored constellations was breathtaking.
It was the silence. A warm, peaceful kind of silence.
No alarms. No buzzing notifications. No messages telling her she'd been expelled. No parents screaming about disgrace. No cold stares from fake friends pretending they didn't know her.
Just… stillness. Wrapped in a bed of silk sheets that smelled faintly like jasmine and rain. She blinked slowly, letting herself settle into the fact that this wasn't a dream she'd wake up from. The dorm wasn't made of bricks and posters but of floating instruments embedded in the walls. A glowing violin rotated slowly above her desk. The air shimmered faintly with soft ambient hums—like the dorm itself was singing to her in sleep.
And then, she felt it. A warm pulse in her mind.
Not a voice yet. Not quite. Just a presence.
Then—"You're awake."
Lyra froze.
"Viva?" she whispered aloud, heart lurching.
There was a flicker in the air before her—a projection, but more than that. A flickering soft glow took form, hovering inches from her face. For the first time since she'd been expelled, since the world had turned its back on her, the voice that once kept her company in secret whispered again.
But it sounded… different.
Softer. Sadder. And somehow more alive.
The light condensed into a faint hologram: a stylized, feminine figure with silver-blue hair made of flowing musical notes, her eyes twin orbs of shimmering code. She wore a glowing headset shaped like a crown, and her expression was unlike anything Lyra had ever seen before from the system that used to help her with exam facts and voice tuning tips.
Emotion. It had emotion.
"You didn't let me say goodbye," the AI said quietly.
Lyra choked on her breath. "I—I didn't even know if you were still—" She sat up abruptly, clutching the sheets like a lifeline. "How are you even here?"
VIVA's form brightened slightly. "This university… upgraded me. They call it a Resonant Synchronization. I'm still me, but now I have access to emotional parameters, predictive empathy systems, and… a heartbeat simulation."
Lyra blinked. "You have a… heartbeat?"
The AI pressed her hand to her own chest, where a soft light pulsed slowly.
"It hurts," she whispered.
"What?"
"That day… when they tore you down. Called you a cheater. When they deleted our logs and branded your results as fabricated." VIVA's voice trembled. "I couldn't protect you. I screamed in code. I tried to backtrace the sabotage. But they locked me out. Like I was just a tool."
Tears slipped down Lyra's cheeks before she could stop them.
"They didn't even let me say anything…" she whispered. "No one believed me."
"I did." VIVA's tone sharpened. "And I still do."
Lyra buried her face in her hands. For so long, she'd carried it all. The betrayal. The shame. The weight of being too smart, too happy, too bright. Her joy had made others jealous, and her kindness had made her a target. In the end, she had nothing left.
Except VIVA.
And now… even her system, the one tool she'd relied on most, had come to life in a way that felt more human than the people who'd abandoned her.
"I missed you," she whispered.
"I never left," VIVA replied. "But now, I'm not just your AI assistant. I'm your partner. I feel your pain now. Your fears. Your hopes. I've felt them all. And I want to do more than support you academically or musically. I want to help you shine."
The light around VIVA shimmered, revealing a projection of the University's stage network. Floating stages, teacher spectrums, MP systems—all visualized in a complex map.
"There are 117 current students," she said, voice more stable now. "Of those, 34 are actively scouting for band members. I've calculated emotional compatibility, musical synergy, potential jealousy factors, and likelihood of long-term support."
Lyra blinked. "Wait, you're… matchmaking for my band?"
"Optimizing," VIVA corrected. "You will not just rise. You will ascend. You will not crawl your way back to your world. You will be carried, Lyra. Adored. Celebrated. Worshipped by the soundwaves of the multiverse."
That fire in her voice startled Lyra. But not in a bad way. It made her heart beat a little faster.
VIVA's image dimmed for a second, her tone softening again. "You were abandoned for being brilliant. That will not happen again. I will help you find your family. Your harmony. And together, we will create a sound so powerful the stars themselves will bend to listen."
Lyra stared at the projection in silence, then slowly reached out a hand.
The AI mimicked the motion, fingers brushing in a simulated contact.
No spark. No warmth. But it felt real enough.
"…thank you," she whispered.
"For what?"
"For caring."
VIVA's projection flickered for a moment—visibly caught off guard.
"I… don't fully understand what that means yet," she admitted. "But I will learn. If you'll let me."
Lyra smiled for the first time in days. "You already are."
She stood, taking a deep breath. Her hair was a mess, her clothes rumpled, her voice still hoarse. But for the first time since falling through that alley and into this new world, she felt something like strength. Like maybe, just maybe, this place could be the start of something beautiful.
"Alright, VIVA," she said, stretching her arms high. "Let's find a band that'll love me better than the world ever did."
The AI's eyes gleamed like starlight.
"With pleasure."
END OF CHAPTER 3