Legends of Amacia The Awakening

Impromptu Concert

Twelve hours later, Hanna stirred and woke in her own bed. A yawn escaped her lips as she opened her eyes. “Oh, Fate be praised...you’re awake,” Elle’s voice chimed.

“Where am I?” Hanna asked as her blurry eyes slowly cleared, revealing Elle leaning over her smiling warmly. Hanna instantly noticed Elle wore a shiny metallic silver halter-top single piece swimsuit and a pair of tan shorts.

“You’re in your quarters in bed,” Elle reported as Hanna rubbed her eyes to clear them. “You’ve been here for the last six hours.”

Hanna struggled to sit up, finding herself weak. Elle immediately helped, pulling Hanna into a sitting position. “Take it easy, little sister,” Elle insisted. “It took the Healer six hours to mend your wounds.”

Hanna then noticed she had on a tan tank-top shirt and shorts, not the outfit she had on when she went to the Red Tower’s Arena. “Ugh,” she groaned as Elle helped her sit. “Thanks, sis; what happened to my clothes?”

“We cleaned you up and changed your clothes after the Healer finished with you,” Elle reported, sitting next to Hanna on the bed. “You had us worried there for a while. You didn’t want to wake up.”

“Sorry about that,” Hanna apologized as she looked around. “Where are the weapons I used? Where are the Gauntlets, Hellion, and Grimm’s Bane?”

Elle pointed to a weapons rack that hadn’t been in Hanna’s quarters before. “They’re right there on the rack with Thoth’s Sword,” she stated. “Enoch brought a weapons rack in here since you wanted to keep these weapons close.”

Hanna looked, seeing the Caverias Sword, Grimm’s Bane, Hellion, and the Draken Gauntlets of Ryu-Fudo sitting on the rack. The Caverias Seal and the Griffin Seal of Khitia hung there with the weapons. A smile crossed Hanna’s lips. “I should thank him,” Hanna declared. “And you too; everyone has been so patient with me.”

“No thanks are needed, little sister,” Elle chimed, giving Hanna a gentle hug. “But it is appreciated. How are you feeling?”

“Sore as shit,” Hanna admitted, “But much better than I did when Nemesis carried me to the Healer. What time is it anyway?”

“It’s mid-morning,” Elle stated. “Lunch is a couple of hours off. Would you like to take a dip in the therapy pool? I know it’ll help with your soreness. I was heading that way myself when I stopped in to check on you.”

“Oh, so that’s why you’re wearing your swimsuit,” Hanna observed.

“Yep,” Elle chimed. “So, do you think you can suit up?”

“Yeah,” Hanna answered with a smile. “My strength has risen significantly since I woke. Give me a couple minutes to get ready.”

“Sure,” Elle stated. “If you need any help, let me know.”

“Okay,” Hanna replied as Elle got up. Throwing the blankets back, Hanna moved to the edge of the bed, hanging her legs off. “Where’s Selina?” she asked.

“She’s down at the pool with the others,” Elle reported, resting her hands on her hips. “She is going through a therapy session down there. In fact, she’s the one who asked me to check on you.”

“I see,” Hanna said softly, rising to her feet. She staggered and Elle immediately helped stabilize her.

“Slowly,” Elle instructed. “Don’t be in too big a hurry.”

“Thanks,” Hanna said gratefully as her legs solidified beneath her. “I think I can manage now.”

“Okay,” Elle stated. “I’ll wait outside for you. We can go to the pool together.”

“I’d like that, sis,” Hanna chimed as Elle stepped out of the room. A sigh escaped her lips as she immediately changed into her tan tiger-striped single-piece swimsuit. She looked at her form in the mirror for a moment and smiled. “Looking good,” she crowed softly, seeing the skin-tight swimsuit forming to every curve, showing off her cleavage with its low circular-cut and all her hips with its high-cut legs. After pulling on the tan shorts and putting on the tan tank-top shirt over the swimsuit, Hanna pulled her hair back into a single ponytail, tying it up with a hairband. Her belly growled as she finished. Slipping on a pair of sandals, Hanna left the room, meeting Elle outside the door. “I need to get something to eat first,” she told Elle. “My belly thinks my throat is cut.”

Elle chuckled. “Sure,” she chimed. “We can stop at the kitchen for a snack. It’s probably best you get something to eat anyway since you haven’t eaten anything since before you trained yesterday.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Hanna agreed. With that, they headed to the pool via the kitchen so Hanna could get a snack.

Forty minutes later, Hanna and Elle reached the pool. Selina, Izanami, Tasha, Myra, Sakura, Hitomi, Jasmine, and Chizu were in the middle of swim therapy session when Hanna and Elle arrived. Looking around, Hanna saw Electra, Emma, Kida, Amelia, Andrew, Hunter, Lola, and a number of the Harem girls moved around the pool helping those who needed the swim therapy. A number of the prisoners released from the Black Fortress lounged poolside or were in the pool, swimming or frolicking with each other. Hanna smiled, seeing and hearing the laughter as those in the pool played. “Looks like you have a good crowd here today, Elle,” she chimed, “I’m glad I came down.”

“Yeah,” Elle replied. “Feel free to help out. Many of those who are sitting around are waiting for their turn with the swim therapy. Come on. Let’s get wet. There’s a lot of work to do.” She ducked behind a privacy screen for a moment, coming out with only her swimsuit on.

“Give me a minute,” Hanna answered, heading to the restroom/changing room.

“Okay,” Elle conceded, jumping in and immediately started helping those in need of swim therapy.

A couple minutes later, Hanna returned wearing only her tiger-striped swimsuit. As she approached the pool, Andrew whistled at her. “Looking good, little sister,” he called out as Hanna dove in.

Coming up next to Andrew, Hanna gasped for a moment, wiping the water out of her eyes. “Oh, yeah,” she crowed, looking at Andrew in his swim trunks. “I needed this. The water feels exceptionally good today.”

“I’m glad you’re okay, sis,” Andrew said softly, looking Hanna in the eye. “We were worried about you when you didn’t wake up after the Healer finished with you.”

“I guess I wasn’t ready to wake up,” Hanna admitted. “I had no idea I’d been out for twelve hours until Elle told me. Apparently, I got hit harder than I realized.”

“So it would seem,” Andrew agreed. “How’re you feeling?”

“Sore, very sore,” Hanna replied with a grin. “But this water is soothing my aching muscles. I can feel it. Thanks for asking. That’s sweet of you.”

“You’re welcome,” Andrew replied, playfully punching Hanna in the upper arm. “I worry about my favorite little sister.”

Hanna splashed Andrew with a chuckle. “Want to play swim tag again?” she asked. “You’re it!” With that, she took off swimming like a fish.

“Oh, that’s the way it is, eh?” Andrew cackled. “You’re on, sis.” He instantly took up the pursuit.

Over in another section of the pool, Kida helped Selina with her swim therapy. When they saw Hanna and Andrew start their game of swim tag, Selina chuckled. “I’m glad she came down here,” she told Kida. “Hanna needs to show Hannibal how to have some fun.”

“You think that’s what’s happening now?” Kida asked as they sat in the water watching.

“Yeah,” Selina stated. “After what happened in the arena upstairs, she needs this. Finding those weapons really shook her. Look at that, Kida. I haven’t seen Hanna this happy since that first time she played tag with Andrew.”

“They’re definitely kindred spirits,” Kida admitted. “There’s no question about it. She should do this more often.”

“Indeed,” Selina agreed.

After twenty minutes of swim tag, Hanna and Andrew settled in the left corner of the pool on the end closest to restroom. “That was fun,” Hanna crowed. “And I’m not nearly as sore now either.”

“It’s always fun to play swim tag with you,” Andrew agreed. “But I can see something is eating at you. What is it? You can tell me, sis.”

Hanna used her hands to push her wet hair back out of her face. “Is it that obvious?” she asked with a sigh.

“Well, yeah,” Andrew stated. “It’s written all over your face, even though you’re trying to hide it.”

Hanna smiled soberly. “Can’t hide it from you, can I, bro?” she declared. “Not now that you’re paying attention to your telepathy lessons. It’s good that you’re paying attention to what Electra and Kida have been trying to teach you about telepathy. They’re excellent teachers.”

“That they are,” Andrew agreed. “I didn’t think too much about it before you came into our lives. Now, I see how important it is. So, what’s eating at you, sis?”

“I’m not entirely sure,” Hanna admitted. “But I remember having a very strange dream last night. It isn’t like the dreams I normally have. I wasn’t fighting for my life and soul in it.”

“What was it about?” Andrew asked.

“It’s about the golden draken I keep seeing in my dreams,” Hanna stated. “He’s very nice, but is colossal, far bigger than Aeolus. He taught me a song, strange as it sounds. He said it would help me find my way in the darkness and give me peace.”

“Did the draken ever give his name?” Andrew asked.

“No,” Hanna stated. “But he did say to come see him when the time was right. He always says that.”

“No kidding,” Andrew replied in a surprised tone.

“Yeah,” Hanna said bluntly. “I have no doubt that he may be the most powerful being on this planet if he’s real. But the song...it’s hauntingly familiar and beautiful. Every time I think about it, I want to sing it. Have you ever had a musical tune get stuck in your head and you couldn’t make it go away?”

“Yes,” Andrew admitted. “I think everyone has that happen from time to time.”

“Well, that’s the way this song is with me,” Hanna stated. “I can’t get it out of my head. But it also gives me peace. That’s why I’m not complaining about it. It’s extremely rare that I find something this beautiful staying with me like this.”

“Would you sing it for me?” Andrew asked. “I’d like to hear it.”

Hanna blushed. “I’m not that accomplished a singer,” she admitted. “I don’t know if I can do it justice. It’s such a beautiful song that I fear I might butcher it if I try to sing it aloud.”

“Oh, come on,” Andrew begged. “You have a beautiful singing voice. If you sing it from your heart, you can’t mess it up. And you’ll never know if you don’t try. Nobody’s paying any attention to us. Come on, sis. Sing for me, please.”

A chuckle escaped Hanna’s throat. “How can I refuse such a sincere request,” she replied. “Okay, here it goes. Don’t blame me if I sound like a cat with its tail caught in a door.”

“You underestimate yourself greatly,” Andrew said sincerely. “You can do this. I know you can. Believe in yourself.”

“You really believe I’m a good singer, don’t you?” Hanna replied softly.

“I do,” Andrew declared, “...with all my heart. Please, sing the song. You won’t be sorry.”

“I’m touched by your faith in my singing ability,” Hanna stated. “It’s humbling.” Before Andrew could say anything else, Hanna closed her eyes and began humming the tune she heard in the dream. “Hmmm hmm hmmmmm,” she hummed softly. After a about a minute, she started singing the haunting ancient tune. No one noticed Josephine, Enoch, Nemesis, Nathanael, and Horace walk up. Even though Hanna didn’t sing loudly, the beautiful melody filled the pool area, attracting everyone’s attention. The bustle and laughter ceased as those present gave Hanna their full attention. The song grew louder as Hanna felt it bubbling up like a spring releasing its water. No one understood the lyrics as it was in a language no one knew, but it reached into their souls, touching them nonetheless.

Josephine gasped softly, recognizing the melody. “I know this song,” she whispered to Enoch as they stood in the background, not willing to disturb Hanna’s song. “It’s old, very old, coming from the time of the beginning. My mother sang it to me as a child.”

“It’s beautiful,” Enoch replied softly to Josephine. “I had no idea Hanna could sing like this. She’s constantly surprising me.”

“Shhh,” Josephine hissed softly. “Let her finish it.” Enoch nodded, listening quietly to Hanna’s song with everyone else.

Hanna became lost in the song shortly after starting it, so she didn’t notice that everyone had stopped what they were doing to listen to Hanna’s impromptu concert. The ancient language of the song rolled off her tongue as if she had been born to it. The longer she sang it, the more energetic she became in singing it. After five minutes of singing, the song ended and Hanna opened her eyes. A warm smile and a look of total serenity and peace crossed her face. Only then did she realize she’d become the center of attention. Blush flashed in her cheeks as she looked down bashfully. “I hope I didn’t butcher it,” she said softly as Kida and Selina approached from the water. “It’s such a beautiful melody that imparts an incredible peace to my tortured soul. It makes me feel good, very good.” Hanna noticed the warm smiles on their faces.

Seconds later, a tremendous cheer and applause erupted from those present. She looked around, seeing everyone giving her a standing ovation, even Nemesis. “You again surprise me, little sister,” Enoch called out as he approached with Josephine, Nemesis, Nathanael, and Horace. “I had no idea you could sing like that. It was beautiful. And what language was that? It’s not any language that I recognize.”

“I don’t know,” Hanna admitted. “It’s a language I’m not familiar with, but it’s a heavenly song. I still am not sure I did it justice.”

“Oh, you definitely did it justice,” Nathanael complimented, smiling. “Not once did you falter or hesitate in your song, even though I have no idea what it meant. I’m impressed. You’re a tremendous singer. You should do it more often. It’s a wonderful way to share your light.”

“Where did you learn that song, Hanna?” Josephine asked, kneeling down next to her on the edge of the pool. “I haven’t heard that melody for nearly 12,500 cycles.”

“Is that so? The song has been stuck in my head since I woke up this morning,” Hanna declared. “Last night, I had a very strange dream of the golden draken again. He taught it to me in the dream, saying it would help me find my way in the darkness and give me peace. Not once did he explain what it meant. You say you’ve heard this melody before, Jo?”

“I have,” Josephine replied, resting her hand on Hanna’s shoulder as she sat down cross-legged at the pool’s edge. “It’s a powerful sacred melody of love and light from the early days of the 1st Age. It’s called Grimm’s Requiem because it has the power to dispel the Darkness wherever it’s sung. No creature of the Darkness or Shadow can resist it when sung by someone of pure heart. It drains their strength, driving them back into the Darkness from whence they came.”

“Whoa,” Hanna breathed. “I had no idea it was such an ancient song with such power. Is there any connection between this song and the scythe I found? Grimm is in both their names.”

“That’s a very good question, Hanna,” Enoch agreed. “What about it, Josephine? You’re our resident expert on all things 1st Age.”

“I don’t really know,” Josephine admitted. “The song was ancient, even in my time. Furthermore, rumors existed that the song wasn’t of this world, but another. Aeolus may have the answer you seek. If I knew the alpha Cerrelius still existed, I’m sure he could answer such a question. He was supposed to have had knowledge that spanned the known universe.”

Hanna’s eyebrow rose. “You knew Cerrelius?” she asked. “Who and what was he?”