Hours had passed ever since I had started the drilling, my mana is nearing exhaustion and all I made was a small cavity that barely made a cavity it was more like a peeping hole.
I expected more than this fraction of a job, I had ordered 15 men with mining drills to make a cavity enough so that I can enter and this is really the only result I get.
Forget it, my mana is nearing exhaustion this won’t do…
I destroyed the Hammer drills to stop my mana expenditure and ordered the skeletons to guard me, their raw physical strength is enough to protect me, I can’t waste more mana for swords and armor, unlike live soldiers they are expendable.
“It is common knowledge that the dead far exceeds the number of the living.”
I said to myself with a philosopher like tone.
As I said that I noticed something strange, the door was shifting forwards, my skeleton guards became wary of this and placed me under constant and vigilant watch, they only had their sights on the door and what’s behind it.
As I stood up I suddenly heard a soft and light tune, it was like a classical piece, slow and relaxing, it didn’t seem like one was playing, there were other sounds other than the violin, I couldn’t describe nor guess them for I was not a musician, but they made a beautiful piece together like I was inside a concert.
Is this my enemy?
I thought as I walked forwards in a spearhead battle formation with the skeleton guards at the front, their I entered what seemed to be a stone made theater, completed with seats, lights particularly torches, a stage, and some parts might’ve even had a carpet.
Continuing my walk forwards the stone-like theater then as I reached a certain point, the sweet and soft tone turned into a powerful and dramatic tone, from the violins and harps, trumpets, tubas, French horns, etc, it gave a powerful impact, knocking and destroying the first 3 skeleton guards I had at the very front of the spearhead.
I didn’t cover my ears due like something of a restriction, but it wasn’t deadly, it was more like my skeleton’s joints were only loose, as it gave the heavy impact of the Aerophone instruments accompanied by the stringed instruments it soon slowly and gracefully turned down.
Returning back to its soft and light beginning, but this time more dramatic, unlike the almost quiet beginning this middle part of the piece was accompanied by more violins and trumpets, whilst lowering and raising the pitch constantly creating a perfect entrance piece, then the music slowly faded away ending the piece.
I enjoyed it but little did I know it seemed like I was actually the star of the show, my entrance was accompanied by such elegantly and dramatic piece, I was so focused and intent into listening how it continued that I forgot my reason to be here.*1
My enemy is smart, he knows I’m yet he doesn’t show himself but let the music welcome me, just like the last one it seems he is also intelligent.
“Greetings! As you might’ve guessed I am the one that made the noise outside, was it okay? Was it not a bother?”
I yelled out the theater but no reply came back to me, all it gave me was the cold wind of the theater, as the music stopped playing so did any life in the theater, it was like a musician’s graveyard.
Being ignored but still feeling a gaze, I continued my walked down the stone theater’s auditorium, passing the seats and heading directly to the stone stage, I soon noticed that the curtain was shut, as if it was covering something behind it.
Being the curious man, I am, I walked towards the curtains, before suddenly being stopped by an unknown force, before hearing the sound of a violin again, there I immediately looked behind me and noticed a black figure with horns seating at the seats that surrounded the stage.
“Greetings human, this is such a lovely night don’t you think, may I have the permission to play a piece for you?”
It asked with a well-mannered, discipline and respectful tone but with a grim and dark voice that of the devil, so the only way to properly have a conversation with him is act the same way.
“I have to excuse myself, music is not my specialty for I do not have that much knowledge in music.”
“Nonsense! Humans, demons, elves, dwarves, and other living entities they can be connected through music, what you play is what they hear, they may enjoy it they may hate it, I am not to decide, experience and knowledge within music is needed only to play but to hear is not.”
“Then, if I may ask, what is this certain piece that you’ll play on such a lovely occasion?”
“You may know once you hear.”
He said to me, I soon saw that he stood up from his seat and placed the violin at his shoulder, all while being covered by the theater’s darkness.
As soon as he placed his chin at the violin, he drew the bow across the strings and it released a peaceful and calming start, I knew he wasn’t playing alone I could noticed some other violins playing but from a different direction.
Like an orchestra, they composed with such coordination and timing that it almost felt that only one man was playing the piece, then from my perspective I could noticed it was slowly turning into a sweet tune that even myself can’t be tense by the situation, it was that relaxing.
Then from that point onwards it seemed I was seeing something different, the stage, no, the entire theater lit up with sparkles and lighting, livening up the once dead place.
There the music soon slowly turned into a dramatic tune, then before I knew it, I felt something holding my hand, it was soft and gentle and was also smooth, like a girl’s.
Then before I knew it…
“Captain! This is the stage, this isn’t the seating, over there is our seats.”
I remembered something, the soothing and gentle voice, it was a clear memory like I was witnessing and experiencing it again, the one that held my hand was none other than what should I say, my first love or girlfriend.
She was 2 years younger than me, and was currently a lieutenant while I was a captain, she once invited me to listen to a classical orchestra and was the first one to move on me, I was shocked by how our relationship started but nonetheless I followed her.
We took lunch and went towards the orchestra’s venue, that was currently playing a piece by an Italian violinist, the name whose I forgot.
As we entered the venue, I immediately got teleported to our seats which shocked me at first but soon pushed it away, I looked upon the lit-up stage and saw a lone man in a black suit with a violin at his shoulder, he was only concentrated on one thing, the piece that he was about to play.
He soon drew the bow and started like the one that I had met earlier, the shadow man, he played with precision and concentration, he was a lone man yet he played like a violin orchestra, from the sweet and mellow tone he continued to play I soon noticed that it was slowly turning dramatic.
As it turned dramatic the sounds slowly decreased making the entire theater silent, before giving a crisp, quick, and surprising bravura or execution before preceding into a brief cantabile slow movement.
He then repeated what he did earlier, slowly fading out the music before giving again a crisp, quick, and surprising bravura, before preceding into a brief cantabile slow movement, it gave of a feeling that not only one violin was playing but more.
It was no doubt he was a master and expert violinist…
As he finished that part again, he slowly faded the music out again, but instead of doing what he did earlier it started now dramatic, more dramatic.
Then as it continued playing, as I blinked, I soon saw a different place, not the theater’s interior but a burning city, I was dressed in ragged clothing, as I continued wandering the streets, alone, but I still heard the piece’s dramatic tune.
Looking at my surroundings I saw dead bodies of civilians and soldiers, burning and destroyed houses, empty and dirty streets all the while as the music played somewhere, somewhere I couldn’t find.
It kept playing its dramatic background with just a violin, I couldn’t hear anything apart the violin playing.
But it soon slowly faded out its noises, before giving a shocking and crisp, quick bravura like before, immediately pushing me away before noticing the sounds turned dramatic again, but instead of a different surrounding I opened my eyes to see a familiar place, a stone theater.
But I was on the stage with a shadowy figure playing a masterpiece using only a violin opposite of my side, it soon faded out the violin’s music and ended the piece. *2
Mesmerized and shocked by the turn of events, I asked in a shaking tone, my emotions and mind were in turmoil by what had happened, I almost lost myself.
“W-what happened?!”
I asked with a disrespectful tone, as he heard that he slowly lowered his violin in line with his waist and looked at me.
“This piece, is a masterpiece with a dark history, showing joy before slowly turning to despair, like your loved one, dead… The memories of every living thing have two sides, the loved and the hated, the loved is what you what you want to experience again, the Hated is something that you want to forget.”
It said before looking at me.
“This piece, influences the mind of the listener, revealing his pasts, as the music plays the listener’s memories will be subjected to once again reminiscing and experience it, you will feel like everything had just happened, such as what you have felt, was it nice?”
It sincerely asked.
“No, I did not!”
“I’m very confident you’ve enjoyed it, tell me, what did you see?”
“Why are you asking me! This isn’t a normal piece! I almost forgot my reason to be here, I’m sure you know what I came here for too!”
“Indeed, a duel is what you’re asking of me, but this is just the beginning of my performance, I cannot prolong any further if that is what you want.”
It soon grew giant wings behind its back in an elegant and clean manner, before announcing.
“Are you prepared human, I have shown you my capabilities, will you continue?”
It interrogated me, but I already had one answer in mind.
“Of course, I also want to know what you shall play for this wonderful duel?”
“Since you’re that curious, Fine! I only say my pieces once my opponents are on the verge of death, but since you are respectful, I shall announce the piece that I shall use to strike you down.”
He inhaled before announcing aloud.
“Everyone, prepare for the Piece I am about play! The Devil’s Trill Sonata!”
Thanks for the chapter
Thanks for the chapter
Thanks for the chapter!
Have a nice weekend