216 – Alfi Titor – I’ll love you until time’s end
Alfi started to panic and walked towards the stage. But then she paused, looking hesitant.
But of course. After all, the people there were just there virtually, not physically. Even if she went to go help them, all that she would touch would be air.
Fortunately, a few of the people in the crowd started to stir.
Seeing that, Alfi let out a sigh of relief. Placing her hands over her chest, she shook her head and stepped back, taking a look around.
Slowly, emotes were starting to show up again in the distance. The faceless audience sending their reactions. Thumbs ups. Hearts. Flowers, melty blob smiles... It looked like the crowd was mostly alright.
Alfi walked back to her mic and gave a weak smile. "I-I'm sorry everyone. I forget that I have that effect on people. Um... I'm still not sure why, but I'll try not to do it again."
Alfi glanced at the chat and smiled. "Thank you everyone. Then..." She reached up and grabbed the mic off the stand. After that, she took a deep breath. "Please, listen to my song."
[Play Genesis of Aquarion - AKINO]
A guitar intro, mixed with piano.?The surroundings shimmered, causing the stage to change, slowly fading away.
And then Alfi started to sing. "Upon the day that the world began. The start that came after ruin again."
The stage vanished, replaced by a ruined world. Buildings reclaimed by nature, green vines creeping into collapsed skyscrapers and abandoned cars.
Alfi stepped back and held her ruby mic in her left hand. After that, she raised her right and sang, "The only one who still knew it all was myself who had survived the world's fall."
The surroundings shimmered, filled with static. And then the buildings were restored, showing modern day Tokyo with shadowy silhouettes milling about.
Alfi stood in the middle of that. She slowly lowered her right hand and sang, "And now with all that I have just lost. And now that I'm living without cause."
The scene behind Alfi sped up. Like someone pressed fast-forward, time advanced. Buildings came and went, silhouettes blurred past. But eventually the city became ruins once more, reclaimed by nature.
Alfi looked at her open right hand, her expression soft and delicate. "With now only empty hands I think of what awaits me now and just where can I even go?"
Soon, even the ruins behind Alfi crumbled, leaving just a dusty wasteland. Standing there, Alfi held her hand up, reaching towards an ashy sky. "But right then a voice calls out to me within the dark. Reminding me of times oh so bright to serve as a guide when I am lost."
She paused and then smiled, lowering her hand. After that, she looked forward and sang, "Souls that call out even now through all of the ruined time. 'You were the one who brought light to my life.'"
Golden lights flickered around Alfi. She walked towards one and tapped it, causing a glass shard to appear, spinning in mid-air. And on that shard, there was an image of Alfi's first stream, singing to everyone.
Alfi's smile widened and she placed her other hand on her mic, singing. "And then all of the memories come back making me smile."
With that, the other lights burst as well, revealing more shards with other moments from her streams. But mixed with those shards were flickering colors. Superchat boxes, blinking in and out of existence with encouraging words.
Alfi looked back to the front and sang. "Ten thousand years have come and then gone since the time I first loved you. And since then I've just come to love you even more than I could ever have thought."
Alfi lowered her left hand and then sat down. As she did, the surroundings changed, flickering with static. When the static faded, the scene had changed, revealing Alfi sitting on the edge of a building beneath a starry sky with a silver crescent moon.
Holding the ruby mic to her lips, she let out a soft smile and closed her eyes, singing. "Ten million more might come and then go but I will always love you. Even if I am just here by myself I still know that the glow of those memories will always remain."
With that, static covered the area before revealing a different Alfi. Covered in dust and grime with a tattered and faded uniform, she sat along the edge of the roof, holding a worn-out photo album. With a smile, she gently flipped through the pages, showing old photos.
Hana and Aoko. John and Titor. A beautiful young woman with crimson hair that looked a lot like Alfi. And then, on the last page, a picture of Alfi standing on a stage in front of a crowd.
While the Alfi sitting there quietly stared at the picture, Alfi's voice echoed.
"Before this time we have just repeats. Before you fly away from my reach. I want to tell you all that I have, all the love that was born from the depths of my beating heart."
Alfi gently touched the picture, her expression soft and tender. And as she did, she sang. "Even if I have to face eternity now all by myself. I won't be sad because these memories we shared will always be with me."
After that, Alfi gently set the photo album aside and then pushed off the roof, falling down the edge. But as she did, the world changed, blurring past with starry lights. And then the stage was back, but different. The floor was cracked, the lights were dim and flickering. And the crowd that should have been there was gone, leaving only Alfi standing there.
Alfi slowly stepped back to the center of the stage, holding the mic close before singing. "So I will wait once again until the day where we can meet. And then with a smile I will just wave. Praying that the life you live now will always be happy."
The surroundings flickered again before revealing downtown Tokyo once more, with people milling about.
Alfi quietly looked around before shaking her head and looking up to the sky. "Ten thousand years have come and then gone since the time I first loved you."
The buildings flickered before being covered with ads and videos promoting Project MirAIs. The people walking around also held up phones, watching various streams of the three girls.
"And since then I've just come to love you even more than I could ever have thought."
Time passed and the promotions vanished, along with the number of people watching Project MirAIs streams.
"Ten million more might come and then go but I will always love you."
Soon, no one was watching streams. The only things playing on the phones of the people passing by were news, video game trailers, or music videos. But not a single one was Project MirAIs.
Alfi shook her head and let out a soft smile. "Even if I'm no longer the one who you think of, it's enough to just know that you're somewhere out there."
She paused. When she did, the instruments accompanying her voice stripped down to just soft percussion and piano.
And then the surroundings started to fade away, filling with static.
In the middle of that, Alfi sang. "Time is like a river always flowing to the first time. But even so I know when I see you then I'll just greet you again with a smile and the words that I still hold precious now even after all."
She held out her hand, a soft expression on her face. As she did that, the camera panned out before showing a cracked monitor. On the flickering screen, Alfi continued to sing.
"I will love you to the end because... I've loved you since the very first time that we met so long ago. And since then I only love you more, a love that I'm sure will last for all of time."
The camera panned out more, showing an abandoned room. Shortly after, a figure walked into the room. The features were blurred by the darkness, but they were definitely an adult. After entering, they turned to look at the monitor.
There, Alfi held out her hand and sang. "Eternity would be so cold and bleak if I had never met you. I will hold onto the times that we shared..."
With that, the room brightened and the figure became younger. A teenager, sitting with rapt attention and watching Alfi sing.
Alfi closed her eyes and placed her hand over her heart while singing. "Ten thousand years have come and then gone since the time I first loved you."
Time advanced, and the teenager became a young adult, sorting through stacks of paperwork. But when they watched Alfi, their fatigue visibly faded.
"And since then I've just come to love you even more than I could ever have thought. Ten million more might come and then go but I will always love you."
Time advanced again and the young adult became a working member of society, watching Alfi's stream on their phone while they caught the train.
"Even if I'm no longer the one who you think of, it's enough to just know that you're somewhere out there."
Time passed again, and the figure was seated inside a cafe, fidgeting with a box in their hands, stealing glances at the entrance.
The camera panned to show Alfi standing outside the window, wearing a non-descript sweatshirt. After looking inside at the figure, she let out a soft smile and then walked away, vanishing in a flash of light.
Then everything turned dark.
Silence. And then light turned on, revealing the stage once more with Alfi standing in the center and illuminated by the lights. With a soft smile, she held the mic to her chest and bowed her head. "Thank you, everyone. Even if our time together is short... I'll always love you."
HappyVainGlory
Here are the lyrics laid out if you want to read them with the song.
Upon the day that the world began. The start that came after ruin again.
The only one who still knew it all was myself who had survived the world's fall.
And now with all that I have just lost. And now that I'm living without cause.
With now only empty hands I think of what awaits me now and just where can I even go?
But right then a voice calls out to me within the dark.
Reminding me of times oh so bright to serve as a guide when I am lost.
Souls that call out even now through all of the ruined time.
"You were the one who brought light to my life."
And then all of the memories come back making me smile.
Ten thousand years have come and then gone since the time I first loved you.
And since then I've just come to love you even more than I could ever have thought.
Ten million more might come and then go but I will always love you.
Even if I am just here by myself I still know that the glow of those memories will always remain.
Before this time we have just repeats. Before you fly away from my reach.
I want to tell you all that I have, all the love that was born from the depths of my beating heart.
Even if I have to face eternity now all by myself.
I won't be sad because these memories we shared will always be with me.
So I will wait once again until the day where we can meet.
And then with a smile I will just wave.
Praying that the life you live now will always be happy.
Ten thousand years have come and then gone since the time I first loved you.
And since then I've just come to love you even more than I could ever have thought.
Ten million more might come and then go but I will always love you.
Even if I'm no longer the one who you think of, it's enough to just know that you're somewhere out there.
Time is like a river always flowing to the first time.
But even so I know when I see you then
I'll just greet you again with a smile and the words that I still hold precious now even after all.
"I will love you to the end because..."
I've loved you since the very first time that we met so long ago.
And since then I only love you more, a love that I'm sure will last for all of time.
Eternity would be so cold and bleak if I had never met you.
I will hold onto the times that we shared...
Ten thousand years have come and then gone since the time I first loved you.
And since then I've just come to love you even more than I could ever have thought.
Ten million more might come and then go but I will always love you.
Even if I'm no longer the one who you think of, it's enough to just know that you're somewhere out there.
P.S. Just realized we're trending number one. Don't really have anything prepared for this, so I'll make a note to have a fun bonus in the future. Thanks everyone!