Rise To Stardom

Walking onto the dimly lit stage that made it hard for anyone to see them, Kyle and Lily proceeded to walk even further from each other by more than just a few meters apart.

This was obviously, a planned move on their end as both individuals wanted to infuse as much soul and meaning into the song so it would leave a lasting impact on the audience.

Moving over to the edges of the vast stage, the bright lights of the hall instantly illuminated the dimly lit stage, drawing a surprised yet similarly confused expressions from both the people in the hall and those watching from home.

The reason, obviously, was because they saw the two contestants standing on opposite ends of the stage.

Even more surprising, was how Kyle, wearing a tight-fitting long-sleeved shirt tucked into his suit pants, in addition with his shoes, was dressed in complete black from head to toe, while Lily was dressed in a beautiful flowing white gown and white high-heels to boot.

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PinkPegasus: Oh wow. Both of them are so stunning…

Curious Mouse: What are they up to though…

Ana_MZ_27: I was already really invested in how this duet of theirs would turn out but this, this has further piqued my interest! I can't wait to see what they have planned!

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The judges on the other hand, already realized what the two were going for and were pretty much already impressed before the performance even started.

As Kyle stood on the stage, the band yet to begin playing the instrumentals of their song, he let out a deep breath of air.

He already knew, that despite the rapid growth he had seen this past two months, only a miracle would make him win against Lily.

And because he very much understood that, he completely threw out the idea of wanting to beat her and instead, put so much focus into wanting to bring out the absolute best in the song he and her were about to perform.

So, in line with that, the young man made up a character in his head that was fitting of the parts in the song he was about to sing and then, along with intense practicing over the past week, was ready to give it all he had.

Raising his head slightly to gaze at Lily who stood at the other end of the stage, the young man thought to himself.

'[Deep Dive]…'

No sooner had he uttered those words in his mind, the world around Kyle completely changed as the audience and everything else around him asides Lily who was performing with him remained.

It was only both of them who were now on the stage and the lighting, despite actually cascading on the entire stage in a soft, gentle manner, the spotlights to Kyle, was only focused on he and Lily as everything else went pin-drop silent.

At this exact same time, the delicate piano tune of their song began to play, its tone somber and reflective as Lily's soft and emotive vocals then entered, delivering an introspective first verse.

🎹 🎵 🎼 🎤

Tell me somethin' babe,

Are we going somewhere?

Is this just another failed attempt?

Or do we have more to give…

🎹 🎵 🎼 🎤

Ending the first verse while taking slow yet deliberate steps towards Kyle, the crowd instantly let out small claps, whistles and light cheers while the chat on ViewTube went absolutely crazy with Lily's delivery of the first verse.

Not minding the cheers though, her eyes solely locked onto the man a few meters from her, the pretty lady sang the refrain.

🎹 🎵 🎼 🎤

Why are we holdin' on?

Even when we know it's wrong…

🎹 🎵 🎼 🎤

Finishing her part with her vocals stretched high whilst still keeping the somber feel of the song, Kyle sang the second verse, his voice far more somber than hers as he also slowly walked towards her.

🎹 🎵 🎼 🎤

Listen to me babe,

Haven't we tried enough?

Love's passé in this day and age,

How do we expect it to grow?

🎹 🎵 🎼 🎤

Stunning both the judges and the audience at the rich emotional depth on display which Kyle had so much infused into his voice as his soulfully gentle vocals deeply resonated with everyone, the young man, oblivious to it all, sang the next refrain with the same intensity to his voice.

🎹 🎵 🎼 🎤

We're stuck in an illusion,

And we're so scared to let go…

🎹 🎵 🎼 🎤

And no sooner had the refrain ended, the audience and live viewers, seemingly stuck in a trance by the hauntingly beautiful performance of the two's portrayal of the complexities, struggles and pains of a broken relationship that had run its course, both singers harmonized perfectly with each other as the music's orchestration reached its crescendo to deliver the standout chorus that only served to add more to the emotional intensity of the song.

🎹 🎵 🎼 🎤

Struggling along…,

Just like a house of cards…,

Where nothing lasts… anymore…,

Let's be real… (Let's be real babe)

This love, will be the end of us…

🎹 🎵 🎼 🎤

Having sung the chorus and delivered it so perfectly with so many somber high notes and equally low notes, Kyle struggled to keep up with Lily's monster vocals but having practiced the song so many times, he was able to articulate his voice enough to pull it off as best as he could.

Now at the middle of the stage, mere centimeters from each other, Lily picked up the next verse as they both stared into each other's eyes and interchanged after each lyrical line, Kyle feeling the intense, varied complexities and loneliness of a relationship gone stale.

🎹 🎵 🎼 🎤

You're on the clouds…,

And I'm deep underground…,

Signals, are fading…,

And static's, all that's left…

🎹 🎵 🎼 🎤

This time, the verse which was short yet still so impactful as it accurately portrayed the lack of meaningful communication, emotional intimacy and haunting isolation in a dying relationship, resonated so deeply with the audience.

The two's performance on the other hand, just kept moving on as they both sang the emotionally resonating chorus again with their powerful vocals and insane chemistry which was on full display as they gazed into each other's eyes with a complexity only they could feel as they were performing.

🎹 🎵 🎼 🎤

Struggling along…

Just like a house of cards…,

Where nothing lasts… anymore…,

Let's be real… (Let's be real babe),

This love, will be the end of us…

🎹 🎵 🎼 🎤

With that last lyric been sung from both parties, Kyle and Lily slowly raised their hands up.

However, instead of their hands actually touching, it stayed suspended in the air, seemingly separated by an invisible wall only they could see.

To Kyle though, he could actually see a thin frame of transparent glass preventing him from touching Lily's hands due to [Deep Dive] still being in effect.

This gesture of theirs though, to the audience and judges, had so much more of an emotional impact to the song they were performing as it signified that even though they were trying to give it their all to yearn for each other once more, the spark they once felt in their relationship was long gone.

In addition to that, a lot of people, both from the live audience and those viewing at home or via ViewTube, could now understand just why both of them had dressed in all black and white attires.

It was done to further enhance the emotional weight, raw honesty and evocative performance from the two, making the song that much better audio-visually.

Black and white, signifying two people that are unable to see eye to eye with each other even when their trying so hard to do so.

Deactivating [Deep Dive], Kyle finally felt himself return back to the real world while watching Lily grin at him happily after the melancholic piano tune finally came to an end.

"You were amazing!" she gushed.

"And you were breathtaking" Kyle returned the compliment two-fold with a light smile of his own.

 At that exact moment, the entire auditorium erupted into a wave of full-on applause for a minute straight as people stood up to give them a standing ovation, extremely loud whistles and cheers filling the entire hall!

Even the judges followed suit, genuinely impressed grins and expressions on all their faces.

Lily and Kyle just basked in the entirety of it all as they both gave small polite bows that caused the audience to cheer even louder.

In addition to all that, the chat section on the ViewTube livestream was going absolutely bonkers!

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Luxury-CruiseShipper82: THAT WAS ABSO-FREAKIN-LUTELY FANTASTIC!!! AHHH!!!

Princess Peach: Oh my god… I was left utterly speechless I couldn't type till the song was over. It almost felt like I was doing a disservice to them if I did so…

Christina_Writes_Scripts: These two have ruined me and I doubt I'll ever be able to see duets normally anymore. Even the original musicians didn't have this much on-screen chemistry when they sang this! So amazing!

SitStill_LookHandsome: I went from believing this was going to be a one-sided thrashing to actually being in a concert of my own where I was forced to just sit and enjoy without judging!

Heavenascendance: Both knew exactly what they were doing! Lily carried the most powerful vocals of the song while Kyle handled the emotional weight and intensity like a champ.

Piggy: All that, added that to the way they delivered the entire performance through their subtle actions and dressing code, now that was just the cherry on top! I am, Mind. Blown!

Catnip_Dealer 091: Usually, when Lily performs in a band or against her opponents, I've noticed that she tends to far outstrip and overshadow them. That was not the case this time around because damn, Kyle perfectly matched her stage presence without issues!

Kuro_uzumaki: Darn it! It's such a shame that one of them has to be eliminated today…

---

Having calmed down after a while, the judges began to give their comments.

"Honestly, I don't know what to say. I'm speechless and I feel like it'd be a crime at this point to try to even give a compliment because it just wouldn't be enough! That's how I feel about your performance!" Kiara rambled on without pause, chills still running down her spine.

"I hope that, no matter the outcome today, that you two get to collaborate again in the future. It would be a big shame if you didn't" Blake on the other hand, gestured to them with the widest of smiles.

"That was a phenomenal performance period. Just simply, out-of-this-world." Jack spared no efforts with his compliments this time and he himself knew it.

That was literally the best compliment he had given any contestant, team or band over the course of his time as a judge on the show and the salt-pepper haired judge was sure that it was something he would never do again in a very, very, very long time.

Lily and Kyle simply grinned happily at those words from their judges while the crowd gave another short round of applause, cheers and whistles.

"Thank you so much" they both said with appreciative gestures.

After all that was over, Chris then walked onto the stage and then, initiated the voting with his charismatic demeanor and winning smile.

"Viewers, please place your votes within the next five minutes on the app! The fate of these two amazing contestants, is in the palm of your hands!"