The lights went dark.

Not dim — dark.

Across the massive desert crowd, a sudden hush rippled like a shockwave as the giant LED wall went black. Then, a single vertical slash of light split the screen — a slow, burning silver claw mark across total blackness.

The crowd erupted.

Drums thundered. Spotlights flared. Pyro cannons spat twin fireballs skyward as the screen exploded to life with a pulse-pounding montage of wolves, storms, and the glowing red logo of Feral Eclipse.

And then… they were there.

Gabriel stepped into the blast of white light with his bass slung low, tail lashing behind him, silhouette outlined in mist and heat shimmer. The crowd surged forward like the tide. He didn’t speak — just locked his icy blue eyes on the roaring mass of fans and struck the opening chord of Howl Reborn with enough punch to make the ground shake.

Mark, stoic and laser-focused, stood elevated behind the lighting rig, fingers flying over his board like a pianist with fangs. Each drop of the beat triggered laser blasts and pulsing red lights that carved through the fog like a heartbeat. He didn’t smile… but his ears twitched in satisfaction every time the crowd screamed louder.

Jonah launched into the drums like a madman. Cassie’s vocals hit like thunder. Rico’s guitar sliced through the chaos with precision, and Maya—fierce and radiant—fueled the storm beside him.

But it was Gabriel’s solo that lit the spark.

Midway through the third song, the lights dimmed save a single spotlight on him. He stepped to the front of the stage — crowd screaming his name — and ripped a wicked bass solo with a wild grin. A howl rose behind him, echoed by fans across the whole arena.

Thane, perched near the monitors, caught his bandmate’s eye and gave the smallest nod.

Gabriel’s fingers blurred across the strings of his red Ernie Ball DarkRay 5, black pickguard flashing under the lights. It was raw, it was perfect, and it ended with him leaping from a riser as flames burst in a ring behind him.

The howl that followed could’ve cracked concrete.

Back at the front barricade, somewhere among the crush of screaming fans, a familiar pair of figures stood watching:

Rowan and his father.

The boy wore a new tour hoodie three sizes too big, his eyes lit with joy. When Gabriel saw him, he gave a wink mid-song — and the LED wall immediately cut to Rowan, front and center, beaming into the camera.

The crowd went nuts.

The finale was absolute chaos.

Fireworks. Lasers. A synchronized drone show spelling “FERAL” above the desert sky.

And as the last note echoed into the heat-heavy air, Thane took the backstage mic.

“We’re Feral Eclipse,” he growled low, voice like thunder, “and this world’s been asleep too long.”

He dropped the mic.

The lights went out.

Silence… and then a roar of howls that lasted two full minutes.