Holes & Strings

The smoke began to clear. Little embers dissipated, waning by the minute. There were black scorched trees standing crooked and lying everywhere. From a bird’s eye view, there was a gaping hole in the huge forest, exhaling dark smoke.

Xylo stepped over burnt sticks and dirt. He held his hand in front of him so he wouldn’t bump into anything. He saw small flames dying out on what was left of some of the tree.

Smog blocked his view. Xylo fanned his hand, to no avail, coughing a bit. He paused and heard someone crying.

Xylo took slow steps towards the sound. The smog vanished with every step.

Malica kneeled to the ground, sobbing. The ground below her was green, unaffected by the blast. Xylo ran to her.

“Malica,” Xylo said. “I’m here. It’s okay.”

Xylo put his arm around Malica and comforted her as she rested her head on his chest.

The wind blew and the smog vanished. A wide circular opening of burnt trees was revealed.

Xylo helped Malica to her feet and they both walked to the temple.

“It seems like there are things about you we still don’t know,” Xylo said.

Malica wiped tears from her face.

Xylo and Malica approached the others who were waiting at the temple’s entrance.

“It’s good to see you guys in one piece,” Lafiet said.

“Did Malica do that?” Brandon asked. “That was something else. Is Fragera gone?”

“It appears so,” Xylo said as he looked at the damage. He then turned to the temple’s entrance and looked inside. “It seem like there’s a flight of stairs downward.”

“I guess we should keep going, huh?” Idalene responded.

“No time for breaks, unfortunately,” Lafiet said.

Xylo and the others entered the temple and began walking down the stairs.

The flight of stairs led down in a spiral-like manner. It was dark. But dim flames on the wall lit the area.

“Hmm,” Xylo mumbled.

“Hmm?” Idalene responded. “Why hmm?”

“These lights tell me someone has recently used this abandoned stairway,” Xylo replied.

“No surprise there,” Lafiet added.

The stairway came to an end and they entered a great library of books on shelves that reached to the roof. Hanging from the roof were several chandeliers of glass with flames within them. The glass magnified the flames’ light and provided good illumination for the giant room.

“Who would have thought,” Brandon said. “There was an underground library.”

There were shelves of books on the four walls and shelves of books that created aisles. There were about twelve twenty meter aisles in total.

Xylo walked off as the others explored the area, staying close together.

Xylo looked at the books. He pulled one of them from the shelf. The book was titled, “The Art of Enchantment.” Xylo took a step forward as he opened the book. He looked at the ground and saw a scroll. His attention left the book and he picked up the scroll.

Brandon walk to Xylo.

“What is that?” Brandon asked.

“These kind of scrolls hold the name and notes for particular melody types,” Xylo replied. “This one seems to hold information to a few melodies of vibration. It’s actually really valuable.”

“What about all these books?” Brandon asked.

“They all seem to deal with melodies,” Xylo said. “But I’d say they are all in-depth information about basic melody principles and examples.”

“Some are history accounts,” Lafiet added as he approached Xylo and Brandon.

“I bet some of these books have really important information,” Xylo said. “I found this valuable scroll, after all. It’ll come in handy in the future.”

Idalene appeared at the end of the aisle. “Guys!” she called out. “I found a hallway.”

Xylo and the others regrouped at the end hallway entrance.

They cautiously proceeded into the hallway. The walls and floors were made from white tiles. Flames hung from the wall.

Xylo entered a white empty room. He examined the room as the others walked in. At the other side of the room was a hole with countless cracks connected to it. The tile wall ended and everything inside the hole was ground and rock.

“Someone must have really wanted to get to the other side,” Lafiet said.

Xylo walked to the hole in the wall and the others followed as he went in.

They found themselves in a dark tunnel. A stone door was on the other side.

“That’s convenient,” Lafiet mumbled.

Xylo took out his flute and began to play. The moment he finished, the door slid up and opened.

Xylo walked into a man-made rock room. There was a horizontal fissure in the ground.

Xylo’s eyes widened. On the other side of the fissure were three people with their backs turned, along with a stairway leading upward. There he was. The hooded musición.

“It’s you!” Xylo called out.

Xylo watched as the hooded musición and the other two men turned to him. Standing beside the hooded musición was Aniraco and another man. Aniraco had a look of disappointment on his face and was looking off to the side

“This is a flabbergasting surprise,” the hooded musición said. “So, it is true. You have been following me. I never would have guessed.”

“What is going on?!” Xylo shouted. “Why would you do this?!”

The hooded musición remained silent. He reached for his white beard and removed it, revealing an evil grin.

The hooded musición raised his head a bit, showing his green eyes. “My name is Narsous,” he said. He looked about Xylo’s age.

“He’s not an old man?” Brandon responded.

“No, he’s not,” the unnamed man said.

“And who are you?” Lafiet said.

Narsous was about to speak, but the unnamed man motioned for Narsous to stay quiet.

The unnamed man had short hair. His hair color was a faint mixture of brown and gray. He, too, looked about Xylo’s age. He had a determined expression on his face and his burgundy eyes.

The unnamed man put his hands behind his back. “My name is Veth,” he said.

“What do you guys want?” Xylo asked.

“First, why have you come here?” Veth said.

“That musición played a melody of death on me,” Xylo reluctantly replied.

Veth and Xylo made eye contact. The room was silent.

“Since you came all this way,” Narsous said, “I suppose I could heal you. I’ll nullify the melody of death on you.”

“Wait just a minute,” Lafiet blurted. “Why would you do that so freely?”

“He came all this way,” Veth said. “Let the man be set free from what plagues him. Ask questions later.”

Narsous took out his flute and began putting it together.

Lafiet remained silent. Idalene nudged him. “What does this mean, Lafiet?” she whispered.

“I don’t like where this is going,” Lafiet whispered. “For him to freely heal Xylo leaves me to believe one thing. Especially with a grin like that. I don’t think they intend for us to get out of here.”

“There are two ways to free someone from this melody,” Narsous said. “Melody of Death: Song of Decay. That is the song I played for people across the land. One of the ways to get rid of it is by playing Melody of Healing: Song of Restoration. But, I don’t know that song.”

Xylo grit his teeth.

“The other way is by playing Song of Decay backwards,” Narsous added.

Narsous began playing his flute.

Idalene nudged Lafiet, again. “What if he plays that melody of death on us instead?” she whispered.

“From what Xylo has told us,” Lafiet whispered, “that melody would result in everyone except the musición to faint. Plus, Xylo would recognized that melody if it was being played. So, I don’t think that’s the thing we have to worry about.”

Narsous finished playing the melody.

Xylo felt a relieving sensation in his chest. He closed his eyes and let out a sigh.

Veth crossed arm.

Xylo opened his eyes and aimed his attention at Veth.

“My only question is why,” Xylo said.

“You know absolutely nothing about the truth,” Veth replied.

“What truth?” Xylo asked.

“This world we live in is a phony,” Veth continued. “It’s a fake—made from the sound and music of the real world.”

“Yes,” Narsous added. “It’s was marvelous world of metal that flies and people who speak in many different ways but share similar meanings. They speak in different tongues, if you will.”

“You’re kidding,” Lafiet said.

“Far from it,” Veth replied. “And the only way to get to that world—is by destroying this one.”

“What?” Brandon and Idalene responded.

“That can be done with the most destructive melody,” Veth continued, “which is part of the eighth melody type.”

“Eighth?” Brandon said to Xylo. “I thought you said there were seven.”

“There are,” Xylo replied.

“No,” Veth said. “There is an eighth melody group. It was sealed away hundred and possibly thousands of years ago because of its destructiveness. Melodies from this eighth type are hidden all around this world, most probably hidden in the countless sound temples scattered in various locations. The melody needed to cause global destruction is elsewhere. But we did find something here. We’ll start with what we’ve found.”

Veth motioned to Narsous. Narsous began playing a melody.

“What are you doing?” Xylo responded.

“I knew it,” Lafiet added as Narsous ended the melody.

“Melody of Atmosphere!” Narsous shouted with an echo. “Song of Shivering Lightning!”

A haze appeared inside the room and the place began to quake.

“I no longer wish to be fake,” Veth said. “It was nice meeting you all. You especially, Xylo.”

Xylo stood his ground.

A bright blue sphere began forming in the center of the room. It was above the fissure and had static sparking inside.

Veth, Narsous, and Aniraco turned around and began walking up the stairway behind them.

“Enjoy your health while you can, Xylo!” Narsous mocked.

Lighting struck the walls. A strong wind circled within the room. The tunnel to the room had collapsed.

“What are we going to do, Xylo?!” Idalene cried. “You’re a musición! You know what to do, right?!”

Xylo frowned in disappointment.

“No . . .” Lafiet mumbled.

“I don’t know what to do, Idalene,” Xylo said.

The quakes became more violent.

“Grab on!” someone called out.

It was Zygous who appear from behind them.

Brandon gasped and said “Where did you—?”

“Close your eyes and grab on to my arm!” Zygous interrupted as he rolled up his sleeve.

Xylo and the others closed their eyes and grabbed Zygous’ arm.

Xylo held his eyes closed tight. All of a sudden, the noise from the static was gone. He slowly opened his eyes and saw that the were a great distance away from the temple.

A blue light exploded from the forest and lighting erratically sparked into the air. A loud sound of thunder roared through the sky.

Xylo looked around. He and the others were on a grass plain.

“Is everyone okay?” Xylo asked.

Everyone nodded.

Xylo noticed the awe in Lafiet’s eyes as the static in the air vanished.

“We have to get to the kingdom,” Lafiet said sternly.

“What?” Brandon responded. “Exandrial?”

“We have to get this information to the kingdom,” Lafiet said. “We have to warn her now!”

Lafiet turned to Zygous.

“Can you get us there?” Lafiet asked.

“Sure, sure,” Zygous said. “It’ll only take a second.”