Guardians

Chapter 1 With a blinding flash, the world burst into nothingness as the ever-present cacophony of life went mute. The only sound he could process was the harsh gasp of his own breath, echoing over-loudly in ears momentarily deafened to the outside and amplified within. Then time resumed; the brightness scattered into a rainbow of myriad color that resolved into a shadowed sea of upturned faces. With the return of vision came a clash of sound—drums pounding a heart-beat rhythm, guitar gearing up for a feverish opening riff, and the low hum of bass in an unusual counter-rhythm that intertwined all of the musical elements, tying in even the vocal melody which would begin imminently. Though the intro had seemed to pass in a slow-motion state, Kai slammed into a whirlpool of frantic energy the moment his diaphragm clamped down on the first word of the lyrics. He kept a conscious eye on the crowd even as he steeped himself in the emotion of the dramatic story, becoming at times the angel and at times the demon. At others, he was one of the masses staring upon Guardian with the expectation of being transported beyond mundane life. Sometimes he seemed to float outside of himself, becoming nothing but a singular note on the wind in a storm of music—only to snap back to reality with an almost physical force as he once more focused on the performance. As he sang, Kai felt the lighting hot on his face, sweat prickling his skin. The instrumental began and he stomped his foot, planting it hard as his hips swayed with the force, carrying the beat of the insidious bass. The motif repeated with an addictive pull and his body moved as if of its own volition. Inspired by a modern string quartet featuring some extreme cello and double bass, the bass line was one of Kai’s favorites. Reika was the one to incorporate and adapt the syncopated rhythm and unexpected scale. It was his bass work which made “El Diablo Angelica” such a gripping opening number. Later, Kai would remember only isolated moments from the performance; a view of the fans jumping like their lives depended on it, or a brief crash and tangle with Naoki and the lead that momentarily escaped the guitarist’s instrument by having caught on Kai’s foot—the rest was a blur. It wasn’t that he hadn’t paid attention, only that he experienced the time onstage with more senses than he could cram into the narrow confines of the human memory. He remembered the best and the worst, and occasionally the oddly vivid triviality. It was sensation that lingered even after memory faded. Long after Guardian returned to their dressing room and Kai sank bonelessly into the scuffed and faded leather couch, the exhilaration of the moment stayed with him. He grinned dopily as he caught a glimpse of a photo being reviewed for social media. Expertly captured, the golden sheen of the lights bounced off his coal black hair and intensified the red patch by his left ear to glowing embers, giving him a fierce aura. It was a moment eternalized. In the group shot, the band looked just as radiant: gold tendrils glinted through Reika’s lilac hair which screened his face as he swung low with his bass; proof of effort sparkled on Kirin’s brow as he brought a stick smashing down on the high-hat; and Naoki’s falls of midnight hair artfully screened a face pale and silvered, as if by moonlight. Kai was quick to give his approval of both shots. Exhilaration lasted through the removal of make-up, through the pack-up and roll-out, through a rushed flurry of celebratory drinks, a taxi ride home, and a quick shower, and persisted as the night wore on. Despite the physical exhaustion that only a successful concert could instill, he lay awake deep into the night, basking in the half-remembered moments and overwhelming atmosphere of Guardian’s first oneman show. ~*~