There were two things that struck Ryder the moment he stepped into the building. The first was a wooden and glass cabinet with stacks of music sheets displayed inside. The second was the piano that was sitting next to it. It was much smaller compared to the one the Knight was guarding, since it had to fit into an already cramped house.

  The rider and the musician sat while Alin cleared out the table before serving them a cup of water. Then, she sat down and continued fiddling her fingers.

  “S-so, what would you like to know?”

  “There’s no need to be anxious, Ms. Orris. We aren’t gonna push ya like those two twats. Take yer time to calm yer nerves. Memories come to ya better when yer in peace.” Findir gave her a comforting smile.

  “Right, sorry.” She took a deep breath. “It’s just, it’s my first time talking with people who want to break the curse. It’s usually my mother who answers their questions, but she’s currently on a trip with my husband. Okay, I’m calm now. What do you want to know first?”

  Ryder straightened his back. “Tell us about everything that happened between Cybele, her family, and Attis.”

  “Okay. My great-grandfather, Dion Miuzika, was initially a traveling musician who came from a faraway place that he said no one ever heard of. He would play tunes from his hometown at wherever country or town he found himself in. When he arrived in this city, he fell in love with my great-grandmother, and decided to live here with her.

  Together, they had four daughters: Cybele, the eldest; Thalia, my grandmother; Aria, and Syrinx, the youngest. My great-grandparents immediately knew Cybele was special because she was born with green hair and fur while her sisters had blue instead, which was the color that my great-grandmother had. When she was one year old, she started manifesting her powers to control nature. They thought she was just the usual prodigy, but even a prodigy couldn’t make an entire field of crops grow to maturity in days at three years old. They tried to hide her power to protect her. But, when she was five years old, everyone found out when she beat up a bunch of children who were bullying a one-armed girl called Sappho Zeker.”

  “Zeker? Attis’s sister?”

  “His younger sister, yes. After that incident, she couldn’t use her power against other people or her family would get kicked out. Not only that, the mayor demanded her to master her power and use it for the good of the city. She was already called a freak because she didn’t have a tail like Grandaunt Syrinx, but after that, the kids bullied her relentlessly. It was also during the incident that she met Attis for the first time, when she brought Sappho back to their home.

  Even though he and Cybele are now well known for being together since they were young, Sappho was the one that hung out with her every day initially. She was like the fifth sister in their family, and she looked up to Cybele a lot more than her actual sisters. Attis only started spending time with her after he got sick of seeing her getting called names.”

  “Huh, interesting.” Ryder pulled out his notepad and started scribbling on it as he mumbled, “That lazy ass broker…”

  “Hmm? Did you say something, Mr. Ryder?”

  “It’s nothing. Please continue.”

  “Okay. Attis then spent more time with Cybele when his sister got too busy studying. Their family wasn’t well-off, unlike my grandmother’s, and since she was handicapped, being smart was the only way she could survive come adulthood. When Cybele showed interest in learning music, my great-grandfather made the sheets you see here to teach his daughters how to play. Sappho joined in as well. Even though my grandmother and her sisters learned it for fun, she would try to learn it as fast as she could and test her skills against Cybele. My grandmother said those days were the happiest days of her life.

  As Cybele grew up, her powers became unmatched, and the city started relying on her abilities more and more to expand. Additionally, my great-grandfather’s music had grown so popular that people from another continent came to the city to listen to it. With that, the Miuzikas became one of the most well-known families on this side of the continent. The neighboring countries weren't happy that a little city was getting more attention than them. So, when Cybele turned 15, she had her first assassination attempt. The assassin killed my great-grandfather and, if it wasn’t for Sappho’s sharp eye and Attis’s frightening strength, she would’ve died that night too. My grandmother described it as the greatest turning point in all their lives.”

  “That's an unbelievably tragic thin' a young girl had to experience. Those countries are truly despicable and villainous.” Findir shook his head.

“It must’ve been traumatizing,” Ryder commented.

  Alin nodded solemnly. “My grandmother doesn't like talking about those days. Soon after the funeral, she met my grandfather and became busy with her job. So, she stopped keeping a close track of everything that was going on with her sisters. Cybele joined the city council as the city’s official guardian when she was 17. Many people disliked her initially because they still saw her as a freak, but her looks, charisma, and unyielding spirit won their hearts eventually. Attis enlisted as a guard to protect Cybele and became the captain when he was 20. As for Sappho, she dove into politics and joined the city council a year after Cybele did.

  In the same year, she convinced the mayor to change the city’s name to Miuzika City for her first major contribution as a council member. On that same day, Attis declared his relationship with Cybele, and she gave him a necklace my grandmother helped make. It was a very happy day for Cybele and her family, though my grandmother noted that Sappho was not in a celebratory mood. She guessed it was because Sappho thought her accomplishment was undermined by that announcement in Cybele’s eyes.”