Chapter 32

Then, Airic realised that the crew had no money for the final marketing shoot, which was needed to draw attention to the film.

In the end, Lunaria watched a preview and agreed to market the play.

**********

The movie Alone, set to be released late in the month, left Lunaria in awe. It was thrilling, action-packed and vague enough to keep people guessing till the end. The longer it went on, the more he could not believe that Airic did this alone. He watched enraptured as the main hero fought his way home and felt relief when he made it through obstacles. The ups and downs took his breath away. However, what completely blew his mind was the length of the trailer that he just watched. It was better than the movies he had watched as he became emotionally invested in the character.

The sounds were also incredible as it held Lunaria in a spell of emotions.

Altogether, it was a success. However, it was still in the post-production stage, and, it was unknown if the trailer would have the same lure as the trailer would. Lunaria, as a businessman, agreed to the investment, on the condition that Airic oversaw everything. He also wished for Airic to present it to the board. He needed to ensure that the quality of the trailer matched the movie.

Airic had no choice but to agree. So, he oversaw the post-production team and watched every scene be put into place with the correct background music for each. Then at the end of each day, he would rewatch the accumulated video, making necessary changes. It was to be perfect as his debut movie.

Airic spent days in front of the screen, as it was ill-advised to use the COMM he had implanted to edit a movie. If it was for live streams or other light content, then, he could use it freely, but Airic was editing a two-hour-long film with effects, background music and editing.

Finally, he had completed fifty per cent of the movie. At this stage, he sent a report to Lunaria, as the only investor, asking for the film marketing to begin.

As soon as Lunaria read the report, the publicity went on a full charge. Before the week was over, everyone knew about the new movie Alone. The trailer was sent out once the name spread, which caused a lot of discussions online. Airic was still working on the remaining fifty per cent of the film when he received a call from Lunaria to present to the board. It had been over seventy-two hours since he had any sleep, as he spent most of his week working on the edits. Which was why when he stepped up to present the movie, he collapsed in front of the board, sending everyone up into arms as he had to be carried out by the emergency service.

Two days following the disastrous meeting, everyone was on tenterhooks as they waited on Lunaria and Airic to make a statement. Due to the very public way he was carried out of the building, this incident spread to the netizens. It became a spectacle centred around Airic who was in a coma due to overwork.

Even the hospital's verdict about his condition sent out as a statement by the company created waves. Airic had become the most talked-about human on the planet and beyond.

His beautiful songs and his impressive trailer/movie were the most anticipated, as the netizens were forcibly reminded of the person who bad-mouthed the entire entertainment industry. As well as the magical sounds he produced two years ago. They were all shocked when they realised that two years had passed without their realisation. Their shock grew at they recalled that the same artist, that they loved to hate had made a comeback as a director/actor. This caused another outcry on the net as everyone surged to be heard.

It completely blew their minds as he showed talents for more than one branch in the entertainment industry.

As all this went on, one of the post-production staff disclosed the projects' status, declaring that it was not done. Another surge happened, but this was more on the business side as someone confessed to them that Lunaria had spent all the company's liquid funds on this. This caused the shareholders to panic as they sold off their shares crazily, in an attempt to minimise loses if the company had to file for bankruptcy.

It was in the midst of the chaos that Airic woke up. There was but a scant few days left to finish the film, and the world outside was going crazy with explosive news.

He struggled to get out of bed to continue working, determined to finish what he started, but was forcibly restrained by the hospital staff and Lunaria. He was forced to rest for a day before he was allowed to work with strict restrictions, which he planned to ignore.

Airic worked like a man possessed, aiming to finish before the stipulated day to submit the work. He stared at the screen so much that his vision blacked out every time he looked away. It was finally done a minute from midnight. He sent the completed film to Lunaria with just a second to spare, almost collapsing from relief.

As he had been having little to no sleep for the last few days, he fell asleep on his work desk.

Meanwhile, Lunaria was surprised to receive an email containing the link to watch Airic's movie. He clicked the link in a daze and was rewarded with a two-hour-long film that gripped his soul and refused to let go. Starting from the opening, he was hooked by the planet view as he tried to guess its location and name. Then the action and adventure involved in exploring and surviving in unknown terrain. Quickly followed by the suspense of being stranded on an island in a foreign planet in a remote galaxy. Finally climaxing in the sheer relief expressed at the end when he escapes hell.

Lunaria could only say one word at the end:

"Damn!"