The night after the audition felt too quiet.

Kai sat by his computer, staring at the blank screen of his old streaming dashboard.
The login button glowed faintly  familiar, almost mocking.

His cursor hovered over it.
He hadn’t logged in since the day his voice gave out on stream.

Back then, the silence wasn’t just physical. It was digital too.
The chat had exploded with confusion and fear as he coughed, choked on the last note, and disappeared mid song.
No goodbyes. No explanations.
Just static.

And then, Echo was gone.

He sighed and opened his old fan forum instead.
The site hadn’t changed  same dark blue interface, same usernames, same threads full of speculation.

[FanForum: TheEchoVerse]

@starlit_singer: I miss Echo’s voice. Nobody could hit emotion like him.
@lowkeyidol: He’s not coming back. Probably quit after the injury rumors.
@silverwave: nah i heard his voice in a new audition clip 👀 sounded just like him!

Kai froze.

He clicked on the thread. Someone had posted a blurry video  a bootleg clip from the IDOL SURVIVAL audition hall. The title read:

“New contestant sounds EXACTLY like Echo!”

The clip was only thirty seconds long. His voice  raw, cracked, imperfect filled the speakers.

The comments were already piling up.

“No way that’s him.”
“The tone, the emotion… it’s gotta be Echo!”
“He wouldn’t join an idol show, right?”
“He disappeared for a reason. Leave him alone.”

Kai’s pulse quickened.
He hadn’t even made it through the first round, and already the past was clawing its way back.

A notification popped up  a new message.
He almost didn’t click it, but curiosity won.

From: @SilverWave
Subject: If it’s really you…

“If you really are back… just know, we never stopped waiting.”

Kai’s hand trembled slightly. The username felt familiar  one of his earliest fans. Someone who used to comment on every stream.

He closed the message and leaned back.
His heart was racing, a strange mix of fear and relief.

So much had changed yet the world hadn’t forgotten him.

Elsewhere, across the internet, his name began to trend again.

#EchoReturns
#NextLegendsAudition
#FacelessSinger

Clips of his performance were being edited into compilations. Side by side comparisons of his old and new voice flooded social feeds.

“The range is lower, but the emotion? 100% him.”
“Echo’s voice matured… it’s beautiful.”
“I hope he’s okay. If this is his comeback, I’m all in.”

Not everyone was supportive, though.
Some old trolls resurfaced too, their words colder than he remembered.

“He faked that injury for attention.”
“Guess he’s desperate now.”
“Still overrated.”

Kai exhaled slowly. His throat tightened  not from pain, but from memory.

He used to read those comments until his hands shook.
Used to sing through tears just to prove them wrong.
But not tonight.

He clicked the monitor off. The darkness reflected his faint smile.

Down the hall, his mother peeked through the door, a soft knock following.
“Kai? You’re still awake?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Just reading.”

She stepped inside, holding a mug of tea.
“People are talking about you again,” she said carefully. “Your cousin sent me a video from that show.”

Kai blinked. “Already?”

She nodded, setting the cup down beside him. “They said you sounded… alive again.”

Kai looked at her, unsure if she meant it as praise or concern.

After a moment, she smiled. “Just don’t forget this time, you don’t have to face it alone.”

He nodded. “I know.”

When she left, Kai turned back to his monitor.
He opened a blank post under a new username.

“Sometimes, a voice disappears not because it’s gone  but because it needs to learn how to be heard again.”

He hit send.

The post went viral within an hour.

Nobody knew it came from him.
But for the first time in a long while, the world was listening again.

To be continued...