Sylvia pants heavily as her body casts a shadow over mine. The arm which holds the warchord to my throat trembles, barely managing to keep it steady. A mere second after declaring her victory, her grip fails, and the instrument drops beside me. Sylvia follows suit, her strength fading as she collapses to the ground. She lays with her frontside facing the moonlight. Despite her condition, a radiant smile is plastered on her face, displaying her joy. Attempting to manage her erratic panting, she takes deep consecutive breaths. Eventually, regaining control, she corrects her statement.
“Actually, why don’t we call this one a draw.”
I grimace.
“You must be kidding…”
I can’t help but let frustration well up within me. I believe that I fought well, considering I forced her to play her [melody], but in the end, I lost, and that is all that matters. She was ahead of me in terms of skill, strength, speed and even strategic thinking. The only reason I was even able to present her with a challenge is due to multiple elements which ordinary [enlightened] would not have access to: The ability to see the paths her pureflow take, my shield’s peculiar ability to emit waves which paralyze my opponents… and last but not least, the strange image of the valiant wolf fending off the somber specters which was shown to me. I suspect that the ladder is another, unexplored facet of my ability. Perhaps the capacity to shield the mind, or it could also not be that simple. I do not know why it activated in this particular moment, but it entails that, so far, the usage of my [melody] has been far from optimal. That leaves me with a lot to ponder.
No matter how infuriating the loss is, this duel has opened my eyes to new possibilities. Sylvia, painstakingly turns her head towards me and retorts.
“No! Seriously, Alden, you did great! I can’t move a muscle anymore. Our battle has left me defenseless which would count as a loss if it was real!”
Her explanation is sound, but I refuse to acknowledge this as anything less than a loss for me.
“Sure… I’m kind of curious though, why would you ever want to conceal such a power? It’s a miracle I was even able to resist. I doubt anyone else at our level could have.”
Her smile grows smaller.
“... To tell you the truth… It reminds me of someone I don’t particularly like. Hence, I insist on not using it, against the wishes of my family.”
“Wait… They know you can do this?”
“Obviously? I’m sure you know the saying; ‘Nothing escapes the eye of the FullCastle’”
‘Of course I know that saying, my mom used to quote it in order to scare me into behaving when I was younger!!’
As the home of a fourth stage [enlightened], and the most third stages of any family or organization. The FullCastle is considered the apex great family of Melodica. Fourth stages can be compared to demigods, their authority is unshakable and their will is absolute. We’re often told in school about the seven entities of that status which roam the world. They're referred to as the octave and given a special title once they’ve reached that level, though I’m not sure who gives it and why. The professors would always claim that seven existed, but only two of the seven had ever been mention in my classes:
Zephyra Fa Marysvale: Queen of the Sirens; Receiver of the ancient resonance; The beast tyrant.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
And,
Sirius Do FullCastle : The all-seeing; The oracle; The truth.
Due to the long lives they have lived and their immense power, they tend to have many epithets. Those who dare call them by their real names are few. Soulweaver happens to be one of those crazy individuals. Is it confidence in his own strength or is it simply his insanity speaking?
The powers of the octave, even the ones whose identities are made public, are shrouded in mystery. However, only from knowing their titles, they inspire awe. When Sylvia suggested we go meet her grandfather, I admit that I was slightly frightened at the idea. That fear only grew when she confirmed that he would have never let me go had he laid eyes on me. I’m glad she was willing to settle this in another way. Lost in my thoughts, I realize I never answered Sylvia. I prepare a reply, but she interrupts me.
“Well, if you do know it, just know that it is not exaggerated. Especially if you are ever in his presence. Putting that aside, do you have any other questions?”
“Like a million, but I’ll keep it at that for today…”
A giggle escapes her mouth.
“Pfft, I understand! We’ll see a lot of each other so there’s no rush! Now that this has been sorted out. We should probably head home. It is getting late. I expected you might rip my clothes apart, as such, I have made preparations!”
‘Woah! someone might totally misunderstand if they heard this with no context!’
Not realizing the flaw in her phrasing, she continues.
“I’ve left a bag on a bench not far from here. It has a change of clothes for you and I and boosters to hasten our recovery. Could you retrieve it? I honestly will not be able to move for a while…”
I mentally thank her for having such foresight while attempting to stand up. Unexpectedly, ignoring the command from my brain, my body refuses to move by even an inch.
‘That… might be a problem’
I explain the predicament to Sylvia.
“... I can’t move either.”
Still smiling, but slightly nervous, she replies.
“Are you being serious?”
“... Very serious.”
“Haha… How unfortunate.”
After a few moments of attempting our absolute hardest to make our bodies obey, we accept that we will remain stuck for a considerable amount of time. We then decide to have a light conversation, awaiting rescue or any sign of movement from either of us. She mentions wanting to make a better second impression on my family in the near future. Reflecting on Aurora’s advice, I extend an invitation to dinner one day. Perhaps, on our next vacation from DaiKar. I then ask if Sebastian would reveal the events that occurred in the forest and put me in danger.
“You don’t have to worry about my brother, seriously!”
She claims that he must have already forgotten about me and that even if he didn’t, he spends most of his time on the frontlines, thus having no time to care. Noticing my lingering skepticism, she assures me that even in the case that he learns of my return and did care, he would never intentionally divulge such a disgrace as him turning tail before an opponent and abandoning a comrade. Now reassured, I shift our talk to our plans after DaiKar and then to the best pieces of entertainment out at the moment. Surprisingly, she is an avid fan of dramatic series. She mentions enjoying a series titled “New Horizons” and extensively explains the plot. My mind wanders as she enthusiastically recounts the events of “New Horizons”.
Eventually, ending her lengthy synopsis, Sylvia regains her freedom of movement and immediately attempts to stand. She slowly, but steadily succeeds. She then makes her way towards her bag and throws a booster in my direction. Its purpose is to heighten the recovery of [enlightened] individuals. It cannot go so far as to force the regrowth of a limb, but it could permit its re-attachment. As I inject its contents into my arms, my body feels hot, its natural healing process has been pushed beyond its limits. My wounds close, the tears in my muscles repair themselves and my bruises fade. The process completely exhausts my energy reserves, leaving on the brink of collapse, but at least able to move. For an ordinary person, a significant enough injury may kill them if healing with a booster is attempted.
When it ends, all that is left is the gaping holes in my tracksuit.
‘I should have picked an outfit that I didn’t like…’
Sylvia tosses a bundle of clothes my way.
“Change into this, It should fit!”
I stand there, idle, the clothes in my hands, and she stares at me with confusion. Eventually, unable to bear the awkwardness, I speak up.
“... You mean change… right now? Should I wait for you to turn around or…?”
For the first time since I’ve known her, her face reddens and she promptly shows me her back. I do the same and we both don new items of clothing. I will not lie and say that I do not momentarily get the urge to turn around, but I resist it and focus on wearing the clothes she so kindly gave me.
The sun has already risen when we bid each other farewell and return to our respective homes.
A few days pass, and I am back on the mountain peak. I have returned to DaiKar. As Maestro Lauren explains the curriculum for the next few weeks, I attempt to recall a certain dream I had a few nights ago, to no avail.
****A dream, now long forgotten****
“Seems like you’ve gotten yourself in a bit of trouble, child”