One Vow

Video

Chapter 1

The stage is set in a distant and technologically advanced world.
At a concert venue, a wildly popular singer is due to release her newest
creation. Her true identity, as well as what agency is backing her, is unknown.
But her popularity is undeniable all the same, and her powerful voice helps
those who hear it forget their troubles. In a time where the people are
plagued by never-ending war, the people look to her songs for relief.

Trouble breaks out during her concert. Just as the girl thought to express
words of thanks to her crowd, a group opposed to her actions appears
before her. Unsatisfied that she would engage in such activities during
times of war, they angrily berate the girl. And as though in response to their
pressure, the singer disappears, leaving only a pair of words in her
wake: LOG OUT. She is a digital songstress, appearing only on social
networks in virtual reality.

Chapter 2

This country develops under the governance of artificial intelligence,
and its capital city shines even in the dark of the night. The only beams of
light, however, come from the city's illumination, for there is nothing but
darkness found on the faces of its people. The girl had ceased all of her
activity since the commotion at her last concert, and she sighs deeply as
she walks the city streets. Everywhere she looks she sees armed guards,
drones, and security cameras. People argue. Citizens are drafted for the
war. The long war has caused fierce disputes within their own borders.

The reason the girl took up singing was to help reclaim the joy the people
of this nation held long ago. But as she gains more fans, so too rises the
number of people who criticize her actions, and it has come now to the point
where some among them would resort to force. The girl was deeply troubled
that her own actions ended up causing further conflict. She began to
wonder if there had been any meaning to anything she had done.

Chapter 3

The girl was unsure if she should sing again. Though it was something she
had initially taken up as a means of bringing joy to the people, she could
not shake the feeling that there was no point in continuing if it just ends up
hurting people. If her aim was to inspire joy, what should she have done?
Her eyes, once driven by the power of her prayers, were clouded with
darkness.

At that moment, she receives a notification. Upon opening her inbox, she
finds messages beyond counting. Many offer words of encouragement,
while some contain scathing critiques. But among them, she finds herself
particularly moved by a message from a former soldier. He says that even
though he is no longer able to fight, her music encourages him to keep
helping however he can. As she reads the messages, she is reminded of a
sensation—an emotion—long thought lost.

Chapter 4

An unusual event befalls the city at night. The girl appears as holograms
and on monitors and begins singing before the surprised populace. A melody
of prayer echoes through the streets and across the battlefields. As the city is
enveloped in music, people who support her emerge, as do those who
criticize her. And as people are absorbed in her powerful, yet delicate song,
a light begins to shine behind them—it is the songstress in question.

She walks through the city to witness it for herself up close. She does what
she does not just for those who support her actions—she does it for the sake
of all, which she communicates through the power of song. She will wipe
away their tears and stay close to their heavy hearts. As she thinks back on
this vow she made long ago, she says to herself, "And I will keep singing.
Because I..."

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