Budapest

Seeing Heather's radiant smile, Renly spread his hands. "I think it's more likely that I won't even pass the auditions and will be eliminated immediately. Then you'll pass each round, reach the finals, become the new American Idol, and achieve your dreams."

At first, Heather thought Renly was joking and laughed uncontrollably. But then she caught the seriousness and sincerity in his eyes, making her smile freeze. She stood there, stunned, and then her smile turned bitter, so overwhelming she could hardly resist. "It's not that simple. I need help just to eat and walk. How could I possibly compete on 'American Idol'?"

"It is that simple," Renly said firmly, still polite but now unyielding. This made Heather look up in surprise, meeting his gaze. "It's 'American Idol'! It's a stage that tests your voice. All you need to do is get up there and sing. No one cares whether you're standing, sitting, or... lying down."

Renly's playful tone was as usual, but this time Heather didn't laugh. A surge of anger and frustration rose within her, and after holding back several times, she finally exploded. "What do you know? You're not the one who's sick, not the one lying in a hospital bed, not the one who has no privacy even to go to the bathroom! You don't understand anything! You can do whatever you want! You don't understand! You're just standing on the side, making painless comments, no different from those selfish narcissists!"

"I understand, I understand it all." Renly didn't back down, looking at Heather with unwavering resolve. His powerful presence gripped her, leaving her nowhere to escape, staring at him blankly.

"I know that when death's scythe hangs over your neck, when even basic survival becomes a luxury, dreams are useless luxuries, even less than waste. But I also know that if you give up, give up on dreams and hope, then nothing matters. We're just lingering, like the walking dead, struggling just to exist, eating, drinking, and defecating as the entirety of life. The mind has no purpose, only instinct remains. One day is no different from ten years, and it would be better for it all to end."

Renly's words were still gentle yet resilient, resonating with an undeniable power. Heather, looking into his bright eyes, was stunned. The immense energy from the depths of his soul hit her softest part. How could he know? How could he guess all her thoughts?

The shock was so overwhelming that she sat there, unable to speak, her soul trembling.

"I also know that if I wallow in self-pity and give up, I'll regret not having tried, even just once." Renly took a deep breath, emotions surging uncontrollably. For the first time, he lost control because he saw himself in Heather, his past self.

He didn't know how much pain Heather had endured, as ALS is far more terrifying than imagined. But he knew that in his past life, he was sentenced to death without even the process of slowly losing vitality, paralyzed and strangled without a chance to struggle. He knew that Heather could still fight, strive, and work hard. She had a chance, but it was slipping away.

"This is your dream. If you don't achieve it yourself, are you praying for someone else to do it? Jesus? Buddha? God? Or your parents?" Renly clenched his fists, suppressing his emotions. He knew it was unfair to criticize Heather's life so easily.

In Renly's eyes, Heather saw a glimpse of struggle and pain, fleeting and quickly hidden behind his lashes, but she could feel the deep emotions that made her soul tremble, profound and overwhelming.

Suddenly, Heather's eyes filled with tears, moved by empathy and inner turmoil. She realized that just as Renly couldn't judge her life, she didn't know his. Behind Renly's free spirit lay stories she never knew and refused to know. But now, in his brief words, Heather felt Renly's deep fear and vulnerability.

Like hers.

Renly stopped speaking, quietly watching Heather. He saw her hesitation and struggle, her fear and vulnerability, her pain and anger.

He knew it was easier said than done. He had spent a lifetime in hesitation and confusion before waking up in this life, running barefoot regardless of everything. Now, Heather was only fifteen, even younger than he was when sentenced in his past life. He couldn't ask more of her. But he knew if he could turn back time, he would give everything for a chance, not to start over but to seize a chance, a glimmer of hope—before it was too late.

He was lucky to have a second chance, but what if Heather wasn't so lucky? More importantly, her condition hadn't fully deteriorated yet. She still had a chance, but time was running out.

His fingers danced lightly on the guitar strings again, light and joyful, romantic and poetic. The low strings beat like drums on the eardrums. Golden sunlight, fragrant coffee, green grass, vibrant flowers, black and white butterflies, running children... Vivid images slowly painted in her mind.

Heather couldn't help but look up, her eyes falling on Renly's gentle smile, bright and clear. The chaotic thoughts dissipated in the light, airy melody.

♫♪[Budapest - George Erza]♫♪

♫♪My house in Budapest

My, my hidden treasure chest

Golden grand piano

My beautiful castillo

You, ooh, you, ooh

I'd leave it all♫♪

Renly sang softly, his lowered voice deep and elegant like a cello's strings, sketching the beautiful emotions with a few words. Heather closed her eyes, imagining an ancient mansion in Budapest, a golden piano, dark red wine, a shining treasure chest, footsteps on a deep brown carpet, silent, oil paintings on the walls showing the owner's artistic taste, carved sofas, and copper teapots, serene and peaceful, with the faint scent of tea in the afternoon sun.

It was all so wonderfully unreal.

♫♪My acres of a land

I have achieved

It may be hard for you

To stop and believe

But for you, ooh, you, ooh

I'd leave it all

Oh, for you, ooh, you, ooh

I'd leave it all♫♪

The moving melody seemed simple, but each bar was like a beautiful poem, pure and extreme, simple and supreme, with a complex simplicity. The light rhythm made Heather's fingers tap her knees, her body gently swaying, as if swimming in a sunlit stream, warm and free, touching the smooth stones, the flowing water, the lively breeze.

♫♪Give me one good reason

Why I should never make a change

And, baby, if you hold me

Then all of this will go away♫♪

The world gradually lit up, golden sunlight piercing endless darkness, slowly, gently, waking all life.

♫♪My many artefacts

The list goes on

If you just say the words

I'll, I'll up and run

Oh, to you, ooh, you, ooh

I'd leave it all

Oh, for you, ooh, ooh

I'd leave it all♫♪

Unable to hold back, Heather laughed, imagining a long scroll of treasures at Renly's feet, him in vintage French court attire, holding a feather pen, checking rare items, then lifting his chin arrogantly, saying, "I'd leave it all." His casual words were firm, with a hint of pride and coldness.

The vivid image made her laugh. Heather smiled, letting the joy spill out, happy and content. Her body swayed to the rhythm, her fingers and toes eager to dance.

♫♪My friends and family

They don't understand

They fear they'll lose so much

If you take my hand

But for you, ooh, you, ooh

I'd lose it all

Oh, for you, ooh, you, ooh

I'd lose it all♫♪

Unexpectedly, happiness, joy, beauty, warmth filled her eyes with tears, but she didn't open them, letting the hot tears fall from her closed eyes.

She understood, understood the melody's call, the lyrics' resonance, Renly's persuasion. In this moment, she truly understood, touching her soul. It had been too long, really too long.

(Note: "Budapest" by George Ezra)

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Felt like writing the following up at the start, but it ruins the flow... Also tell me if I the author notes that I have written in previous chapters ruin the immersion, cause I torn between whether to keep them or not....

A/N: I had promised you guys only 10 chapters and a Sigma male doesn't go back on his promises, but this chapter is wholesome enough to melt even me, an Alpha...