Mik sat at their desk, mind still reeling from their encounter with Cayde. The reality of having an alien friend - one who had been watching and guiding them all this time - felt almost too big to process. They touched their pendant, remembering how Cayde had helped them understand the cosmic connections that bound everything together.

  The news played softly on their tablet: Adebayo Okafor, chief engineer of the Lagos Sea Wall, gesturing excitedly at holographic data streams showing unprecedented environmental improvements. A marine biologist in Australia documenting the miraculous recovery of the Great Barrier Reef. Scientists in Brazil reporting how the Amazon rainforest was regenerating at impossible speeds.

  It wasn't just their backyard garden changing - it was the entire world. And now Mik understood why. The Xyrillians weren't just visitors; they were distant cousins coming home to help. The thought made them feel both tiny and enormous at the same time.

  A knock on their door startled them from their thoughts. "Mik?" their mom called softly. "Can you come downstairs? We need to talk about something. It's about Alex."

  Still buzzing with the revelations from their meeting with Cayde, Mik made their way to the kitchen. Their family sat around the table, an information packet from Dr. Patel spread out before them. Alex fidgeted in his chair, his breathing easier than it had been in months but still not quite normal.

  "An experimental treatment program?" their mom said carefully, her finger tracing under each line as she read. "Using some kind of advanced bioengineering?"

  "Dr. Patel says it's based on new technology that emerged after the Symphony," their dad added. "The success rates are... remarkable."

  Alex perked up. "Does this mean I won't need the transplant?"

  Their parents exchanged glances. "It's not that simple, sweetheart," Mom said. "This is very new technology. There are risks..."

  "But there are risks with a traditional transplant too," Dad pointed out. "And the waiting list..."

  Mik watched their brother's face carefully. Since the Symphony, Alex had shown amazing improvement, but they all knew he wasn't fully healed. The oxygen concentrator still hummed in the background, though not as loudly as before.

  "I want to try it," Alex said firmly. "I feel different since the Symphony. Like... like my body wants to get better, it just needs help figuring out how."

  Later that night, after Alex had gone to bed, Mik checked their SpaceSpeak notifications. Their heart nearly stopped - 10,000 views overnight. Their video documenting the Symphony changes had struck a chord. Comments poured in from around the world:

  "Those plant reactions! The same thing is happening in my garden!" "My grandmother's arthritis improved too - the doctors can't explain it!" "Finally someone talking honestly about what's happening!"

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  "Mik! Your video!" Jasmine practically tackled them in the school hallway the next morning. "It's everywhere! My cousin in California says her whole science club is talking about it. We have to make a follow-up!"

  By lunch, the views had climbed to 25,000. Jasmine, whose weekly vlog series "Just Jasmine" had over 100,000 subscribers, insisted on a collaboration.

  "Your perspective as a nonbinary person experiencing all these changes? That's powerful stuff," she said, setting up her professional streaming equipment. "My followers would love to hear your insights."

  The livestream felt natural, with Mik sharing their observations about the transformed world while being openly themselves. They talked about the plants' reactions, Alex's improvement, and how accepting change - both personal and global - had opened their eyes to new possibilities.

  As Jasmine's followers shared the stream, social media algorithms spread it further. Views climbed into the hundreds of thousands. Then something unexpected happened.

  Someone took clips from both videos - Mik's excited observations and heartfelt reflections - and created something new. "The Celestial Symphony (Earth's Response)" became a global collaboration, with people adding layers of music and their own Symphony experiences. The song built organically - ambient sounds from transformed environments, traditional instruments, even recordings of the actual Symphony frequencies layered with the new sounds the transformed plants were making.

  Good news kept flowing. Their dad's smart home installation for a tech mogul led to six more contracts. "Premium rates for priority installation," he announced one morning, his eyes bright with happy tears. "We can finally breathe easier."

  "Speaking of breathing easier," Mom added, "Alex's first treatment is scheduled for next week."

  That weekend, their parents surprised Mik with an account at NeuFit, a popular clothing service known for its gender-inclusive fashion. "Pick out whatever feels like you," Mom said, hugging them tight.

  As Mik browsed through galaxy-print button-downs and sleek vests that seemed to catch starlight, they felt truly seen. Their growing confidence showed in their next video, which attracted even more viewers.

  One evening, as the family sat in their backyard, the "Celestial Symphony" song drifted from a neighbor's window. The garden seemed to sway in time with the music - their mother's tomato plants, the mysterious new flowers, even the old oak tree moving to the rhythm.

  "Your song," Alex grinned, nudging Mik.

  "Not my song," Mik corrected. "Everyone's song. I just helped people start paying attention."

  Later that night, as the song's melody carried on the breeze, Mik noticed something odd. While most people embraced the changes, celebrating with music and dance, some seemed almost allergic to the Symphony's effects. A few neighbors kept their curtains drawn, the same old songs playing on repeat behind closed doors. Even at school, certain classmates moved through the halls with strange synchronization, as if following a different rhythm entirely.

  A message from Cayde appeared on their screen:

  CelestialObserver: You've done well, Mik. But remember - this is just the beginning. Change isn't always easy, and not everyone welcomes it. Stay alert. Stay true to yourself. The Symphony was just the first movement of a much larger song.

  Mik looked out their window at the transformed world, the new plants glowing softly in the starlight. Whatever came next, they felt ready to face it. They had their family's support, their own growing confidence, and a sense that maybe, just maybe, being different was exactly what the world needed right now.