CHAPTER 11: TWILIGHT MELODY
His sprint had ended with a slight jog toward the fleeting light entwined in the distant treeline. With jagged breath, he stomped his bare feet to continue their march, regardless of the numb feeling coming from them. If it weren’t for his adrenaline, he’d probably be screaming in pain from all the cuts they had received—not to mention the possibility of them getting infected.
Ugh, did someone put a curse on me or something? Why the hell is my luck so horrible as soon as I transmigrate to a different world?
Still, he swallowed down his indignations and forced himself to continue moving toward the flickering light. His instincts were telling him that he needed to get there.
Wait—Instincts? The thought made him wonder. Since when did I rely only on just my instincts? I would never do that. And yet, he was continuing his march regardless. It wasn’t so much as a gut feeling. It was more of a guided sensation—something more tangible and real. He didn’t know why, but his entire being was putting its trust into that sensation.
He bit his lips. Just this once… I don’t have a choice anyway. He theorized that it may be a lingering effect of [Eyes of the Fairy] that was still guiding him toward the right path. He had been jogging for 10 minutes since the ability had worn off and yet, the distant light had still not shrunk any closer.
How big is this forest, anyway? Does it extend forever?
His heartbeat was beating out of his chest—exhaustion was closing in on him. Still, he was surprised to have been able to run this long at all. The hours he spent not exercising his body had to make up close to 99% of his time alive in total. He was a completely hopeless couch potato. Heck, even a potato put more effort than him at growing itself.
His thoughts continued to wander aimlessly as his limbs began to resist their call to run. He wanted to lay down and rest, but he knew how dangerous that would be. Rather than resting in the eternally dark twilight forest surrounded by numerous unseen dangers, he would rather throw himself into the light, regardless of how much effort it would take. Though, even the light didn’t guarantee his survival—he could simply be another moth swimming pointlessly toward an all-consuming flame.
Still, his mind protested the desire to collapse. He continued to push himself forward, one step at a time. The flicking light was extending itself more and more. He could almost picture a large enough meadow, similar to the one he awoke in.
Suddenly, a tune carried by the wind approached his ear. His half sunken eyes widened. What was that sound? A calming melody was coming into focus—one that could make the flowers bloom and the butterflies dance a joyful waltz. His chaotic thoughts soothed slightly. His dreary eyes brightened—the glowing fauna radiated a texture of tranquility, regardless of the terror he once felt from it all.
Maybe it was all a matter of perspective. A caged forest, huh… It made him reflect back on all he had seen since arriving in Yarian. Even in the midst of danger, nature was truly beautiful.
A smile took hold of his face. What the hell am I thinking about right now, haha. His leg muscles, which used to burn, now felt more alive than ever. The distant chimes radiated a feeling of freedom—one he had yearned for since his dreaded childhood—if he could even call it that. He thrusted his feet forward, sprinting faster toward the distant light. The brilliance of the flute was becoming more and more vibrant the closer he reached.
Maybe this world truly has the answers I desire, he thought. Maybe it was never a mistake to travel here…
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The vibrancy of the ethereal music was enough to make even the birds flutter their colorful wings in the direction of the light. It took Soren another 15 minutes to reach it—a clearing within the forest had come into view. Catching his breath, he pushed away the remaining bushes and climbed his way through the twisted branches.
A vibrant light caught his attention. It was a beam of light, roughly the diameter of a campfire flame that extended toward the heavens—toward infinity itself. Its cyan white texture drew him in closer. It was hard to understand why, but it felt as if his very soul yearned for its touch. Even if it could burn him, his body was relaxed—he could not feel any sense of danger towards it.
“Don’t touch it.”
The soothing voice broke him from his reverie. He blinked a few times before looking to the right side of the light pillar. A blonde man with a candid smile was sitting on a log—a vibrant white robe covered him from his shoulders to his toes. Above his golden flowing hair sat a long cone hat with a cyan ribbon attached to its tip that swung with the flow of the wind. Besides his enchantingly handsome features that definitely didn’t make him question his sexuality, were two elongated ears that resembled that of an elf.
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In his white-gloved hands was a silver glowing flute that extended from one side of his body to the other. It was shaped in a swirl, with colorful wind escaping from its tone holes.
“Did you enjoy my performance?” He said with a smile.
Soren didn’t know how to reply. Who is this man?
“I go by the name Myrin. It is a pleasure to meet you.“
Did he just read my thoughts? Soren’s eyes widened.
The man chuckled slightly. “It is nothing so sinister. I simply read the tunes of your soul. Though, I guess it can be interpreted as a form of mind reading, haha.”
Which is it, man… Soren cleared his throat before replying. “My name is Andre. Nice to meet you.”
The man rested the flute on his lap. “Andre, huh?” His smile widened as he rubbed his chin.
“Myrin, stop playing around with him.”
The voice startled Soren—he turned to face the left side of the pillar of light. A few meters away, a woman in a leather tunic and a lengthy battle skirt sat atop a tree branch with a plate of food in her hands. Her silver-colored gauntlets had all kinds of decorations adorning them—they looked fairly powerful. His eyes narrowed. I didn’t notice her presence…
She had ginger hair that was neck-length and crystal blue eyes that hid a layer of impatience. She was arguably as attractive as the man named Myrin, though it was hard for Soren to notice with her face twisted in pure annoyance.
She spoke while chowing down on her food. “Dude, you don’t need to lie. Myrin can read your soul, remember? He knows that’s not your name.”
He smiled softly, “I’m not sure what you mean—my name is Andre. Now, can you tell me yours?”
“Ugh, another paranoid one… Whatever.” She rolled her eyes. “My name is Tina Graywood. We have been awaiting your arrival, Mr. Paranoid man Andre.”
Ignoring her crude remarks, her last few words caught his attention. “Awaiting my arrival?” He looked suspiciously back at Myrin, who was cleaning his flute while whistling softly under his breath.
“Yes, our mistress told us that an individual with your description would arrive at this beacon of guidance.” She brushed her reddish-brown hair behind her ear smugly. “More specifically, she mentioned that the person in question will have a golden book levitating next to him—I assume it’s a Soul Weapon?”
He crossed his arms—frowning. “And why exactly should I believe you? You two could simply be swindlers or something trying to fool me.” Everything about this encounter screamed “suspicious.” But surprisingly, he couldn’t feel a hint of animosity in them. Since he was young, he had developed a keen eye for those who wished to use him. Their disgusting stares—he could immediately see the greed leaking out of their nostrils from a mile away. Yet, these two clearly didn’t have it.
Though, it wasn’t like it was some kind of omnipotent ability. He had been tricked in the past by countless nice looking people. More the better to just not trust anyone at all.
Tina sighed before stuffing another spoonful into her face. “Think what you want, but our mistress told us that the person will be desperate for help—far more than what we need of you, anyway.
“I did wonder what she meant by that statement when she said it to us a few weeks ago, but now…” Her eyes trailed off toward Soren’s body—cuts all across his torso and feet, mud and dirt covering half his face, eyes that were close to fainting… It was clear to her that he needed help in more ways than one. “I think you understand what I’m hinting at here, don’t you? I mean, you look like you’re about to pass out any minute now.”
Her words hit him harder than a semi-truck barreling down the highway. Myrin’s music had made him forget what kind of state his body was in. Though, he was thankful to it for giving him the last push he needed to continue his sprint.
“Fine…” He loosened his arms and sighed. “I'll believe you… Though, before any of that, I seriously need to rest.” He had already fallen on his knees before finishing his last sentence. The Records gave up its levitation and fell beside him.
Tina shook her head before jumping off the tree branch skillfully. “Seriously… Not even fainting from exhaustion will change his way of speaking to others…” She looked at Myrin and frowned. “And you! Stop messing around and heal him already! Tyrel should be coming back any minute now! You know how impatient that shrimp is.”
He smiled as the silver glowing flute broke apart into orbs of light that slowly disappeared. “My, my, Tina. Are you sure you aren’t as impatient as he is?”
“Huh?” her eyes pierced daggers through his heart. “Say that again, I dare you.”
“Alright, alright. I'll get to it!” He stood up from the log and walked over to Soren who had completely fallen asleep by that point.
Tina watched as he expanded his Soul Realm around Soren’s body. She sighed inwardly.
O’ Mother of Silver, bless the coming days with your radiant grace. For the nations of disorder lay dormant ahead… Lend us your strength for but a fleeting moment, for the sake of my mistress’s heartfelt aspirations…