"It isn't in my blood"
The clear voice effortlessly reached the two-octave treble, breaking through the layers of restraint and unveiling an expansive world.
Then...
Closing your eyes and spreading your arms, you could almost feel the strong wind rushing through your fingers and over your arms.
The confined space expanded limitlessly, and the vast, starry sea stretched endlessly before you.
It was as if you stood on the precipice's edge, teetering precariously, at risk of plunging and shattering into pieces at any moment.
Your body absorbed the sensations of powerful winds and crashing waves from all directions. The roar above your ears conjured images of stormy waves.
You opened your chest to embrace the boundless sea, sinking into the deep blue, gradually becoming one with it. You gradually diminished, fading into insignificance, and eventually transformed into a speck of dust in the dark blue, vanishing into the vast universe.
"It isn't in my blood"
Once more!
Ronan's singing easily overshadowed the thunderous melody of the audience, setting free all the pent-up and suppressed emotions.
The soaring high notes illuminated the entire stage, and their majestic power resembled a meteor shower hurtling recklessly toward the earth
He couldn't give up.
He understood, comprehended, grasped, and internalized it all. Yet... he refused to surrender.
He didn't want to, he couldn't, he resisted the idea because it was not in his blood to give up. It wasn't in his blood in quitting, even though he knew that surrender might be the logical choice. But he clung on a little longer.
Stubbornly, he held on.
Foolishly, he persevered.
He truly... wouldn't and couldn't give up.
Could anyone hear his cry for help?
"I'm looking through my phone again, feeling anxious
Afraid to be alone again, I hate this
I'm tryna find a way to chill, can't breathe, oh"
"Is there somebody who could help me?"
The drumbeat quickened, blood coursed faster, and heartbeats accelerated. The frantic impact sent waves of pain through the chest, as if the heart were on the verge of bursting.
A popping sound echoed above the eardrums, a throbbing rhythm, and the blood vessels near the temples pulsed uncontrollably.
Despite being in the midst of a roaring crowd, the fear of loneliness and isolation crept from the soles of the feet to the crown of the head.
Chills ran unabated, unceasing. The overwhelming anxiety tore at the soul, and the sense of fear and unease had no outlet, nowhere to escape.
So familiar.
Every person in the audience felt this familiarity. Anxiety had become an integral part of life.
Everyone could find in the melody the emotions they experienced countless times each day, and then, within the rhythmic surge of the melody, their adrenaline climbed slowly.
"It's like the walls are caving in
Sometimes I feel like giving up
No medicine is strong enough."
"Someone help me
I'm crawling in my skin
Sometimes I feel like giving up
But I just can't"
Every word rang true, and the lyrics "I-am-crawling-in-my-skin" resonated deeply, truly outlining the emotions beneath the skin.
The tingling pain of rolling and struggling, the slight warmth was akin to standing barefoot in a midsummer desert.
Every word and sentence bled emotion, the agony hidden in the piano keys interweaving with the drums and venting out, like vines wrapping around calves with sharp thorns.
The bloody, painful torment tore through the skin's protection but continued to tighten, bit by bit.
Yet still, he couldn't give up.
"It isn't in my blood
It isn't in my blood (oh)"
Duncan's eyes welled with tears, and his body grew warm. Hot tears blurred his vision, but he couldn't move, his muscles frozen in place.
It might have been the result of fatigue from the early hours of the morning, causing him to lose control of his body. It could have been that his lethargic spirit had entirely disintegrated.
Or perhaps it was a combination of both, making it impossible for him to make a judgment in that moment.
He couldn't give up.
He refused to surrender!
Duncan, too, wanted to give up on his dreams, to relinquish his determination, to bow down to fate's guidance, to return to a routine, ordinary life, acknowledging that he had achieved nothing, becoming just one more ordinary individual among thousands.
But... he couldn't.
He truly couldn't!
Deep within his heart, he still longed to chase his dreams, to reserve a corner of his heart for the baptism of the soul and the awakening of the spirit.
He still yearned for real life, a life ablaze with passion and joy. Love endured because of passion and joy.
Giving up was not in his blood.
Hot tears broke free from the confines of his eye sockets, blurring his vision entirely.
He stared at the figure in the center of the stage amidst the vibrant lights, his heart ablaze.
Ronan clutched the microphone with both hands, his slightly hoarse voice carrying a trace of vulnerability.
The veins on his arms emerged, indicating that every muscle in his body was engaged, emotions pouring out unrestrained. He displayed himself without pretense, concealing nothing.
"I need somebody now
I need somebody now
Someone to help me out
I need somebody now"
The slightly trembling voice soared into the treble range, as if standing on the cliff's edge, shouting into the vast ocean. Yet, there was no response; the echoes bounced back, and the despair of loneliness and isolation enveloped him once more.
The concluding notes wavered, emotions spiraling out of control. Imperfection crept into the song, but it was this imperfection that truly touched the audience's most vulnerable spot.
In the dazzling spotlight, Ronan's closed eyes were faintly visible, his long lashes quivering slightly.
A glistening trail of tears formed colorful halos in the light, gently falling onto his cheeks. They carried fragility, pain, and struggle—all laid bare from the depths of his heart.
In the darkest moment of dawn, they touched the deepest recesses of the soul.
Then, the melody slowed, the drumbeat echoing beneath the surface like the sound of a deep lake. They seemed to have returned to where it all began.
"Help me, it's like the walls are caving in
Sometimes I feel like giving up
But I just can't"
The bass and guitar joined in, the lights suddenly blazed, and stars overflowed.
"It isn't in my blood
It isn't in my blood"
The piano rejoined, the melody's depth and layers reaching their zenith once more. In just three lines of lyrics, it reached the crescendo, step by step.
Ronan, having reached the high pitch earlier, continued to release his emotions effortlessly. He raised another octave, singing into the microphone with full force.
"It isn't in my blood"