Chapter 486 : The Nirvana of Life
Chapter 486: The Nirvana of Life
"Zheng—Zheng—Zheng—Zheng—一一"
As Quentin-Lycente’s fingers flew faster and faster across the piano keys, Janna could distinctly feel the change in 【Isabelle】’s emotions within the melody.
From resistance, to despair, and finally to that moment of complete desolation when she transformed into the Black Angel—each rising wave of the musical rhythm made the observing actors’ skin crawl. They couldn’t help but feel awe at Quentin-Lycente’s masterful musical artistry.
“This section is simply marvelous! I can feel my blood boiling with excitement!”
As the second movement gradually reached its end, Liji Silks—who had been holding her breath the entire time—finally exhaled deeply. Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she turned to Janna.
“This piece is truly exceptional.”
Compared to Liji Silks’s excitement, Janna was far calmer. In fact, her gaze toward Quentin-Lycente carried a trace of contemplation.
When Quentin-Lycente composed the second piece, the musical theme he sought to express aligned with Janna’s understanding—【Isabelle】’s utter despair in the face of hopelessness.
However, on a deeper conceptual level, the two differed greatly.
Beyond despair, Quentin-Lycente’s second underlying motif was hatred—the flames of vengeance ignited within 【Isabelle】 after her fall, ready to unleash divine retribution upon the Lord of Heaven.
On this point, Janna did not quite agree.
“Janna, don’t be nervous when it’s your turn to perform later! Even if your opponent is Master Quentin, you’ll always be the best in my heart!”
Seeing Janna’s slightly serious expression, Liji Silks suddenly remembered that Janna would also soon perform 【Isabelle】’s solo piece. Snapping out of her excitement, she gently took Janna’s hand, her face full of “concern.”
“It’s fine. I’m just here with a learning attitude this time. I won’t be nervous.”
Janna gave a soft smile at Liji Silks’s worried look, patting the back of her hand lightly to assure her that she truly wasn’t anxious.
“That’s good. After all, Master Quentin is a giant in the opera world. Being guided by him is something countless people can only dream of. And, I just saw Director David’s grin almost reach his ears!”
Hearing that, Janna’s eyes shifted toward David-Berg, who stood not far away.
Just as Liji Silks had said, after hearing Quentin-Lycente’s second piece, David-Berg was in an unusually excited state.
Perhaps it was because Quentin-Lycente’s exquisite performance had struck precisely the chord of his heart, leaving him grinning from ear to ear.
“It seems David is quite satisfied with Master Quentin’s compositions for the first two solo pieces.”
“Indeed! I haven’t seen Director David this thrilled in ages. But it’s fine—when it’s your turn to perform, Janna, I’ll definitely cheer for you!”
Zheng—Zheng—
Just as Liji Silks was still trying to “reassure” Janna, Quentin-Lycente began playing 【Isabelle】’s third solo piece.
Once again, the melody was fierce and stirring. In composing the final movement for 【Isabelle】, Quentin-Lycente had chosen the themes of revenge and rebirth.
【Isabelle】, now transformed into the Black Angel, raised the Sword of Judgment in front of all beings, sealing the Lord of Heaven and saving countless humans from calamity.
At that very moment, the Fallen Angel 【Isabelle】—bathed in the faith and devotion of humankind—shed her black feathers and grew twelve pairs of holy wings anew, completing her rebirth through nirvana.
As the grand climax of the entire opera, Quentin-Lycente’s handling of this passage was exquisitely brilliant.
It began with the dense, storm-like, oppressive rhythm of 【Isabelle】’s fierce battle against the Lord of Heaven. Then, in the very instant the villain was about to be sealed, Quentin-Lycente’s melody halted abruptly, replaced by the triumphant “call to charge.”
When the Lord of Heaven was finally sealed, the music shifted suddenly. The entire tone transformed from its initial oppression to a gradually brightening rhythm—
—until the final moment, when 【Isabelle】 shed her black feathers and her twelve holy wings unfurled anew. Quentin-Lycente’s piano tempo accelerated sharply, and every listener felt as though they had ascended to heaven itself—witnessing 【Isabelle】’s rebirth through nirvana alongside her!
“Thank you, everyone.”
As the final note faded into silence, Quentin-Lycente rose from the piano and gave a slow bow to the still-enraptured audience, signaling the end.
“Pa—pa——”
“Pa—pa—pa——”
“Pa—pa—pa—pa——”
Realizing the performance was over, everyone stood and burst into thunderous applause.
For a moment, the clapping rolled through the rehearsal hall like a surging tide, echoing endlessly.
“That was incredible! Truly worthy of Master Quentin!”
“So beautiful—by the end, I almost cried!”
“Yes, with this music, our opera is bound to be a hit!”
For most of them, it was their first time hearing such a master’s composition up close. Their hearts brimmed with excitement and reverence for true “genius.”
Especially the final movement of 【Isabelle】—from revenge to rebirth—left everyone feeling as though they had drunk a cup of fine wine, their emotions warm and unsteady long after.
“So the final chapter’s theme is revenge and the nirvana of life, hmm——”
Standing among the applauding crowd, Janna carefully savored Quentin-Lycente’s melody.
Like many others, she understood that the grand climax of Withering Rose’s finale began with 【Isabelle】’s revenge and ended with her victorious triumph.
The emotional high points were clear—the moment when 【Isabelle】 sealed the Lord of Heaven with her own hands, and her subsequent ascension into a Great Angel, achieving perfect transcendence.
As long as those two moments were fully brought to life, the final solo would be a success.
And Quentin-Lycente, famed as the “Godfather of Music,” had undoubtedly captured this perfectly, accomplishing it with effortless brilliance.
Yet, as that thought crossed her mind, Janna’s gaze subtly drifted toward David-Berg once again.
Like everyone else, his expression was radiant—but Janna, ever sensitive to emotion, could also feel a faint trace of disappointment from him.
Yes—disappointment.
As the scriptwriter and director of Withering Rose, David-Berg was not entirely satisfied with Quentin-Lycente’s composition for the final movement.