musicians of old

Chapter 942 Forever! Forever!
The Symphony No. 8 in E-flat major, "The Thousand," reaches its sacred and profound climax in the final chorus, magnificent and unstoppable!

This sound should not merely be a record of humanity, nor simply a description of a sound emanating from the universe, but rather a poem that ensures "humanity's eternal existence in the universe," bearing witness to the direct, immediate, and eternal connection between the earthly soul and the celestial bodies of deep space!

The entire church was no longer slowly struggling, but was being drawn away steadily, firmly, and irresistibly.

That heavy "weight of existence," along with Fanning, was soothed and accepted, becoming light and full of upward yearning.

The raging light from above poured down, and all consciousness should have been indiscriminately reduced to dust, but Fanning, who was embracing the "Eternal Feminine" with her arms outstretched, raised her head at this moment.

And then, he opened his eyes.

He saw Bach's figure leaning against the organ stand, bowing in homage to the ultimate truth above.

He saw the “boundaries” of the church’s outer walls, stained glass windows, or brickwork begin to crumble, merging with the boundary nature of the “door of non-doors” itself, and thus no longer becoming a “church”.

He saw the sacred space and performance scene inside directly "spread" into the strange external environment, where galaxies, light, vortexes, lightning, shattered star rings and static frost flower light bands intertwined and resonated, all turning into dynamic, flowing ribbons of music.

He sensed that from the lower, outermost layer of the world, following the name of "Eternal Femininity," all earthly things began to connect, linking into the surging currents, into the wastelands, the surrounding mountains and basins, into the towers of light and the gates.
"Disregarding the three" – this other "path," another "pillar," another possibility to be discovered, also possesses completeness in both form and content.

Although its current purpose is not to "enter, possess, or dominate the radiance" as Mithraic claims, but rather to more practically "equip the diseased radiance with a sufficiently effective and sustainable pacemaker," and although these connecting nodes still have many shortcomings, such as the heavy "legacy of order" left by dictators and the dangerous elements who have disappeared after their heterogeneous purposes have completely failed, the path it points to truly leads to a "new world."

A new world in the truest sense.

"Forever!" "Forever!" "Forever!"

As the finale approached, after the choir's praise, the ecstatic shouts of "Forever! Forever!" began to build, cascading down like a tide under Fanning's direction.

Those brilliant streams of light brushed against the faces of the congregation, compelling them to open their hearts completely. The rhythm surged in the noble hymns, and each congregation could even recall the heartbeats of their ancestors who performed the ancient drum rituals, for she and they were already there embracing the world.

That force propelled the church upwards.

Strictly speaking, the "Door Gate" wasn't opened for Fanning himself, but for the "Concert of Creation" and this "seed of a new world" that had already sprouted. Perhaps there was already a place waiting for him on the roof, but Vincent's warning, the ominous metaphor of the "double-petaled trematode," and the ambiguous attitude of the dangerous elements all made people suspicious. He still had important things to do in Order Six, or perhaps he wanted to go back and take one last look. Right now, he was just a "farewell attendee."

On this final journey of farewell, Fanning did indeed feel that his "self" was being squeezed and shattered as he passed through this unopenable door, but for some other reason, he was quickly reintegrated in a new realm.

Because he is no longer just himself.

He is not this “church” that is crossing boundaries, but he is the music flowing within it, the beacon of the stars of history, the witness to the cruel imprint of martyrdom, the revealer and redeemed of the “eternal femininity.” He is the sum of all these things, and the only “is” that makes this “sum” the embryo of a new world.

He is no longer the "torchbearer," no longer the pioneer and illuminator who held the torch, lit up the starry sky, and guided the tide of the times into the lives of others.

Illumination still requires a distinction between the light source and the object.

And at this moment, he is standing in the doorway that has become the light source itself.

He is the "father".

To create a work of "creation concert" level, achieving the feat of having over "a thousand" people sing hymns with the maestro.
It depicts the sublime concept of "Our Lady of Glory," then points to the ultimate truth of "Eternal Femininity," and offers a prayer of true knowledge that can be understood.
In contrast, why can't he be called "father"?

Even from the naive understanding of dualism, this upgrade was already inevitable.

“All things are impermanent, all phenomena are fleeting; all things are incomplete, only now do they begin; all things are nameless, only now do they come to fruition; the eternal feminine guides me to ascension—” This is the highest level of truth as expressed by Fanning.

All those who later discussed mysticism and sought ascension would take this as their source, explaining that "what follows is its secret doctrine."

The creator and giver of names. The one who establishes order and family. The one who provides shelter and a framework for meaning. The origin and the destination.

"Forever!" "Forever!" "Forever!"

In the coda, the independent trumpet and trombone sections, along with other brass instruments, solemnly play the opening theme of the first section and its reflection in a grand counterpoint. The sound that once called for "the kingdom of creation to come" now echoes the "eternal femininity" endlessly.

Until everything came to a powerful end amidst ecstatic praise.

Fanning felt as if she were on a huge, moving plane, or as if she were riding a panoramic elevator, like the skyscrapers of her past life.

This "plane" or "elevator" led him through a layer of warm water film. Of course, the concepts of hot and cold were flattened and smoothed out at this moment, or it could be said that it was like rising from the deep sea, about to break through the ice.

The light has changed.

This plane placed him securely in a solid place.

Then take another step yourself—

Beneath my feet were rough, hard, and cool rocks.

A high place.

An extremely vast platform, its edges disappearing into the mountain peaks shrouded in flowing clouds and morning mist.

The wind blew in without any obstruction, crisp and real, carrying the scent of distant earth and morning dew, stirring the hem of Fan Ning's ordinary clothes.

The word "ordinary" is incredibly precious.

This sky, you can see it without even looking up, just by looking straight ahead.

Fanning's dark pupils reflected the sky and the outside light, like a newborn being pushed out of the house in a stroller for the first time.

The sky ahead was an unusual, clear blue, deeper and higher than any blue sky I could remember. The clouds were pure white, clustered together, their edges shimmering with faint iridescence, floating and drifting slowly and solemnly. The air was breathtakingly clean.

Fanning stepped down from that plane and out, but of course, the "elevator" didn't stop; it was still going up.

The "Kingdom of Creation" is rising like a hot air balloon.

As its lower boundary crossed over Fanning's head, the speed of the entire invisible outline seemed to slow down significantly, as if carrying a hint of lingering attachment and reluctance.

Fan Ning looked up, stood on tiptoe, and reached out his hand.

I gently pushed it upwards one last time.