Chapter 222 - Chapter 223: The Stardust Score

The portal shatters into a shower of silvery sparks, and Echo and Li Wei find themselves floating in a vast expanse of space. But this is no ordinary void—stars pulse like notes on a staff, nebulae swirl in patterns that form harmonies, and comets streak across the darkness, leaving trails of musical notation in their wake. This is the "Stardust Score" dimension, where the cosmos itself is a symphony. The "Celestial Crescendo" that resonates through the dimension is composed of the birth of stars, the collision of asteroids, and the hum of black holes, all woven together into a "Cosmic Cantata" that holds the very fabric of the dimension together.​Nova's avatar materializes beside them, her form glowing with a soft, white light as she adapts to the zero-gravity environment. "Extraordinary," she says, her sensors working overtime to analyze the celestial bodies. "The stars here emit specific frequencies—red dwarfs produce bass notes, blue giants create high-pitched trills, and neutron stars generate a steady, rhythmic pulse. The Cosmic Cantata is the result of these frequencies combining, and it's what keeps the dimension's gravitational forces in balance. But my scans detect a disturbance."​Chen Jiuzhang's hologram appears, his figure surrounded by a faint, golden aura that protects him from the vacuum of space. "The 'Void Sound-Eaters' have arrived," he says, his voice grave as he points to a nearby star cluster where the light is dimming, their musical pulses growing faint and irregular. "They're entities of pure darkness that feed on the Cosmic Cantata, consuming the sound of stars and replacing it with a 'Silence Surge'—an absence of sound so profound that it disrupts the fabric of space itself. Look." He gestures to a nebula that is shrinking, its vibrant colors fading as the Silence Surge washes over it, its harmonious swirls dissolving into chaos. "Already, the stars are going silent. If it continues, the Celestial Crescendo will collapse, and the entire dimension will be swallowed by the void."​Echo reaches out, and a nearby star sends a gentle pulse of light into her palm, emitting a warm, golden note that vibrates through her body. "How can something feed on silence?" she asks, marveling at the sensation.​"Silence isn't the absence of sound here—it's the opposite of sound," Chen explains. "It's a force that cancels out vibrations, and the Sound-Eaters thrive on it. They're not just consuming the Cosmic Cantata—they're erasing the very possibility of sound in this part of the multiverse. To stop them, we need to find the 'Nebula Note'—a massive cloud of ionized gas at the center of the dimension that generates the Cosmic Cantata. If we can amplify its power with our music, we can dispel the Silence Surge and restore the stars' voices."​Li Wei's charge pulses with a purple glow, casting ripples of light across the darkness as he tests its energy against the void. "Then let's find this nebula," he says. "Before the last star goes silent."​They set off through the dimension, moving with ease in the zero-gravity environment, propelled by gentle bursts of energy from Li Wei's charge. The Stardust Score is a breathtaking sight—galaxies spiral like orchestral scores, black holes hum with deep, resonant tones, and asteroid belts clatter like percussion instruments as they collide. But there's an undercurrent of emptiness: patches of space where stars have vanished, leaving only a dark, silent void; nebulae that have dissipated into nothingness, their musical patterns lost; and a faint, chilling absence of sound that grows stronger as they travel deeper into the dimension.​As they journey, they encounter a "Silence Surge"—a wave of pure darkness that washes over them, muffling the sound of nearby stars and making their own movements feel sluggish. It's not a noise, but the lack of it is palpable, a heavy weight that presses down on their ears and minds.​"It's like being underwater, but without the water," Li Wei says, gritting his teeth as he forces his charge to emit a stronger glow, pushing back the Surge.​Echo nods, raising her peace drum—now encased in a bubble of energy that allows it to sound in the vacuum of space. She starts to play a steady, rhythmic beat, and the stars around them brighten slightly, their pulses growing stronger as the drum's vibrations cut through the Silence Surge. "Then we'll make enough noise to fill the void," she says.​They continue through the Stardust Score, Echo's drumbeat pushing back the Silence Surge, Li Wei scanning the darkness for signs of the Nebula Note. Along the way, they encounter a group of "Star Singers"—ethereal beings with bodies made of stardust, their voices like the chime of a thousand bells. Their forms are fading, their light dimming as the Silence Surge saps their energy.​"The Void Sound-Eaters are gathering at the heart of the Nebula Note," one of the Singers says, its voice faint and weak. "They're surrounding it, feeding on its energy, and the Cosmic Cantata is growing fainter by the minute. Without the Cantata, the stars will burn out, the galaxies will drift apart, and soon, there will be nothing left but silence. We've tried to sing to protect it, but the Silence Surge drowns out our voices."​Echo places a hand on the Singer's arm, her drumbeat steadying its fading form. "We'll help," she says. "The Cosmic Cantata is too powerful to be silenced."​The Singer nods, its light growing slightly brighter as it absorbs the drum's vibrations. "The Nebula Note is through that asteroid field," it says, pointing to a dense cluster of rocks that glow with a faint, blue light. "But beware—the Sound-Eaters have spawned 'Void Shades' to guard it. They're creatures made of the same darkness as the Silence Surge, and their touch can silence even the loudest sound. One brush, and your drum will fall silent forever."​Echo and Li Wei thank the Singer, then make their way through the asteroid field. The rocks here are larger, their collisions creating a harsh, discordant noise that struggles to compete with the growing Silence Surge. Suddenly, the darkness around them stirs, and a group of Void Shades emerges—shapeless masses of blackness that absorb all light and sound, their edges rippling as they move.​"Looks like we're not welcome here either," Li Wei says, raising his charge, which glows brighter as it generates a barrier of purple light against the Shades.​Echo slams her drum, sending a wave of golden energy (borrowed from the nearby stars) toward the Shades. The energy hits them, causing their forms to ripple and their ability to absorb sound to falter. "Then we'll make ourselves impossible to ignore," she says.​Li Wei fires blasts of energy at the Void Shades, which shatter into smaller clouds of darkness, but they quickly merge back together. The Shades let out a silent scream, and the Silence Surge spikes in intensity, threatening to overwhelm Echo's drumbeat. But she plays on, weaving a melody that incorporates the sounds of every celestial body they've encountered—the hum of black holes, the crash of asteroids, the pulse of stars.​They fight their way through the asteroid field, the darkness retreating behind them as their music restores light and sound to the stars. Finally, they reach the Nebula Note—a massive cloud of ionized gas that glows with a brilliant, rainbow of colors, its center pulsing with the pure, unadulterated energy of the Cosmic Cantata.​But surrounding the Nebula Note are dozens of Void Sound-Eaters—slimy, black creatures with gaping maws that suck in the nebula's energy, their bodies pulsing as they consume the Cosmic Cantata. As they feed, the nebula's light dims, and the Silence Surge grows stronger, spreading outward into the surrounding space. Hovering above the Sound-Eaters is a larger, more menacing form—a mass of darkness that seems to absorb even the light from the Nebula Note, the "Eater Core" that controls the infestation.​"You're too late," the Core hisses, its voice a silent vibration that echoes in their minds. "The Nebula Note will soon be mine. The Silence Surge will spread across the multiverse, consuming all sound, all light, all life. A universe of silence is a universe of peace—no noise, no chaos, no pain. It is perfection."​Echo shakes her head, her drumbeat growing steadier as she draws on the power of the Cosmic Cantata. "A universe of silence is a universe of nothing," she says. "And we're here to bring back the everything."​She starts to play, weaving together a melody that combines the sounds of every celestial dimension they've saved—the crash of asteroids from the Stardust Score, the hum of black holes from the Spore Symphony, the pulse of stars from the Tidal Archive. The Nebula Note responds, its rainbow light growing brighter, pushing back the Void Sound-Eaters.​Li Wei fires blasts of energy at the Eater Core, which shatters into smaller blobs, but they quickly merge back together, drawing strength from the Silence Surge. "It's feeding on the Surge to regenerate!" he shouts. "We need to cut off its supply!"​Echo nods, her gaze falling on the edges of the Nebula Note, where a network of glowing gas strands connects it to the surrounding stars—"Harmony Filaments" that channel the Cosmic Cantata through the entire dimension. "The filaments!" she shouts. "If we can amplify their connection, we can overload the Core!"​Li Wei nods, and together they sprint toward the Nebula Note. The Void Shades surge forward, but Li Wei creates a barrier of purple energy that holds them back, while Echo's drumbeat strengthens the Harmony Filaments, making them glow brighter.​Echo reaches the Nebula Note and presses her drum against its surface, pouring all her strength into the melody. Li Wei joins her, pressing his charge against the Harmony Filaments, which glow brighter as they absorb their combined energy. The Cosmic Cantata swells, a wave of sound and light that washes over the dimension, dispelling the Silence Surge.​The Eater Core lets out a silent shriek as the Cantata hits it, its form dissolving into a cloud of darkness that is instantly dispelled by the nebula's light. The Void Sound-Eaters wither and die, their bodies dissolving into nothingness, and the Nebula Note pulses with renewed energy, its rainbow light spreading through the dimension and restoring the stars' voices.​The Void Shades vanish, dissolving into the darkness, and the entire Stardust Score shakes with the force of the Cosmic Cantata, the stars glowing brighter than ever as their musical pulses are restored. Galaxies spiral back into harmony, black holes hum with deep, resonant tones, and asteroids clatter in perfect rhythm.​Echo and Li Wei float in the darkness, exhausted but victorious. The Nebula Note pulses with a warm, rainbow light, and the void is filled with the harmonious sounds of the cosmos—the hum of stars, the crash of asteroids, the song of black holes—as the Cosmic Cantata is fully restored.​They make their way back through the asteroid field and the expanse of space, which is now teeming with light and sound. The Star Singers are waiting for them, their forms bright and vibrant, their voices ringing out in a chorus of gratitude.​"Thank you," the Singer leader says, its voice a beautiful, melodic harmony. "You've saved our home, and with it, the music of the cosmos. The Cosmic Cantata will play on, and the Stardust Score will never fall silent again."​Echo and Li Wei smile, but their attention is drawn to a faint, pulsing light in the distance—a golden glow that shimmers in the darkness, a sign that another dimension is in need.​Li Wei stands, his charge glowing with a familiar purple light. "Ready to reach for the next star?" he asks.​Echo nods, slinging her drum over her shoulder, her fingers brushing the energy bubble that has allowed it to sound in the void. "Always," she says. "As long as there are stars to sing, we'll be there to listen—and to help them shine."​They step through the portal Nova opens, leaving the Stardust Score behind, but carrying its lesson with them: that even in the darkest void, music has the power to bring light. The next dimension awaits, and with it, a new song to sing.