In Natsuno City…
Reika, Luca, and Hikari dropped out of the sky, landing on a nearby roof. Hikari peered over the rooftop. "I hope we're not too late!"
They saw Toru clashing with Melodar in the sky, with the others on the ground nearby.
"Looks like they took a beating," Luca remarked.
"Hang on, I'm going to help them!" Hikari announced.
She tried to jump down, but a loud sound struck the three, making them drop and cover their ears. Melodar launched Toru to the ground, aiming his hand at the trio.
"Nuh-uh! You'll stay put!"
Toru gritted his teeth, getting to one knee. "Your quarrel is with me. Leave them alone."
"Actually," Melodar corrected. "It's with everyone. Everyone who calls themselves a Voltian, every being from that accursed race, that's who my quarrel is with."
"You all spout that same nonsense," Toru replied. "But tell me, truly, what incites your hatred? What injustice do you perceive to be so great that it warrants our annihilation?"
"Many things, Kaneko," Melodar answered. "Many things."
With a strum of his tune, Toru fell over. Melodar touched the ground, closing his eyes. "There are still a large number of humans in this city. I'll have to wash them out."
He played a soothing tune on his guitar, and all across Natsuno people began to straighten and exit the city's borders. After only a few minutes, Melodar opened his eyes. "That's better."
Toru watched as Melodar formed a large bell that rose into the air. Akari, Aoki, Hikari, Luca, Reika, and Noriko gathered beside him, watching the bell grow larger and larger.
"That doesn't look good," Luca pointed out.
"It's not," Akari agreed. "He wouldn't have cleared the city out otherwise."
Aoki drew her blade. "What's the hold up, idiots? Attack him!"
She and Noriko burst forth, but a ringing of the bell immediately blew them back. Toru's eyes widened. "All of you, get back!"
"Bell Toll of Destruction!" Melodar shouted.
BOOM.
The bell rang much louder than before, decimating the entire city and reducing every building in it to bits. When all the destruction was over, Melodar could see the soldiers all on the ground, missing multiple limbs and bleeding profusely. Toru's right arm and legs were blown off, and his spear hung out of reach.
"My body…isn't healing…" Akari realized.
"That's correct," Melodar explained. "The sound waves created mess with your nerves and biological processes. Sweet, right?"
The bell rang again, blowing off all the rest of their limbs, leaving bleeding, crippled soldiers in its wake, along with more destruction that reached and damaged nearby cities like Mekone and Sanbu. The Melodar clone's flesh began to further deteriorate.
"My timer's running short!" he laughed. "Well, looks like you guys won't be moving anytime soon, so how about we end this, shall we?"
Toru gritted his teeth, attempting to move, causing Melodar to clap. "Man, you don't stay down, do you? You might just be the coolest of all the Generals!"
Toru picked up his lance with his teeth, launching it so hard at Melodar that it pierced right through his chest, surprising him.
"Almost got me! Impressive! Losing to a crippled general would be a true stain on my reputation!"
With a wave of sound, Toru was brought to the ground along with the others. Melodar waved his hand, making the bell disappear.
"Now, for the final note!"
He punched the ground, causing a massive crater thousands of feet deep that swallowed the city. The critically wounded soldiers fell into it, and so did every destroyed building.
Once he was done, he cracked his shoulders.
"Beautiful inspiration for my next song," he mused. "But it did shorten my timer. I'll have to leave the rest to me and Vortessia."
He sat on a pile of rubble, playing his guitar. "What a happy day."
A lance nearly pierced through his back, but he caught it without looking. "Still alive, I see? You never give up, do you?"
Toru appeared behind him, fully healed, while Melodar stood up. "I thought I blasted you all to hell! Turns out you still live!"
"The healer girl used the last bit of her energy to restore my body," Toru explained. "A smart choice, I didn't know she had the intelligence."
"Man, I knew I should have wiped Hikari out when I had the chance!" Melodar groaned.
Toru pointed his lance at Melodar. "I just have to draw this out until you decay. Fine by me."
"It won't be as easy as it looks!" Melodar assured. "High-Key!"
He played a high-pitched note on his guitar that launched Toru well out of the city, crashing into Sanbu. Melodar sighed. "I guess I've got one more tune in me. Killing a general makes for an inspiring song!"
Toru got up, feeling his right leg, left arm, and several ribs broken. "A strong attack. Even being a clone, it has devastating levels of power. How long can I hold out…?"
In the blink of an eye, Melodar appeared in front of him.
"…we shall see."
Meanwhile…
In the Shadow Realm, the real Melodar and Saori stood inside the mansion, watching as a Zharian woman wearing a kimono played a biwa.
"Who is that?" Saori asked.
"My mother," Melodar replied. "Ume Otokami. A renowned musician."
She played a tune in front of a bunch of gathered samurai, one of whom was much taller than the others. Melodar pointed him out. "My father. Utamaru Otokami. He was a captain of the army, and he founded the Otokami family, taking the title of an ancient, all-powerful god of legend as his family name. He used to invite his soldiers to gather at the house for meals and drinks."
Utamaru clapped for Ume, who blushed and waved. The samurai gathered all followed his lead, and a young boy who appeared to be in his early teens walked into the room, holding a biwa similar to Ume. "Hi, Mom! Hi, Dad!
The father ruffled the boy's hair. Saori giggled. "Aww, he's cute! Who's that?"
"Me," Melodar admitted. "As young and naive as I'll ever be."
Saori's expression changed. "How can you be so cute when you're young, but turn into a totally meanie in the present! That makes no sense!"
"Life, Saori," Melodar stated. "Life."
"Still holding your biwa, Uta?" Utamaru questioned. "Are you sure you want to follow in your mother's footsteps? You've inherited the Sound Element from your grandfather. It could prove valuable to the army, if you wish to join my unit."
"I'm sure, Dad!" Uta confirmed. "I'm not much of a fighter! I'd rather be the best musician in all of Zhari!"
His father chuckled. "If that's your dream. Be careful, however. The fierce war that rages makes it unsafe to wander far from home. You should stay with your mother and practice."
"I will!"
Ume motioned to her son. "Come, Uta. I can show you a few tricks!"
He knelt on the mat and watched as his mother played the biwa, earning another round of applause from the samurai in the mansion.
"Do you wish to give it a try, Uta?"
Uta nodded, and he began to play his biwa, the sound filling the air even more refined and emphatic than his mother's tune. The entire room stared in awe, and once Uta was done, a loud round of applause rang through the room.
"What a masterpiece, son!" his father congratulated.
His mother stood up, putting a hand to her son's cheek. "My dear boy, you've got such an impressive talent for music! I know all of the people will be thrilled to hear your tunes! How about tomorrow, I take you on stage?"
"Stage?" Uta gasped. "Like…in front of the public?"
She nodded.
"Wait, my love," Utamaru interrupted. "The nation is still plagued with constant strife. The Voltians have not let up their assault."
Ume hung her head. "Yes, I know, but I just don't want this to kill our son's dreams! He's a good boy! He deserves a chance to show his talent to the world!"
"The rest of our clan has been wiped out by them, Ume," Utamaru warned. "The Master does his best, but they come with numbers that surpass ours, and technology greater than anything we could conceive. Their base in Umego supplies artillery that's brought our death toll into the millions."
She placed a hand on Uta's shoulder. "I'm sorry, my child. Maybe when this is all resolved, we can arrange a show?"
"Can't we reason with the Voltians?" Uta asked. "Don't they like music? I could write them a song!"
Utamaru shook his head. "They want total domination. They won't stop until we surrender or die."
"Aww…"
Utamaru patted his head. "Do not fret. Once I come back from my next mission, I'll take you shopping for a new instrument in the town."
"Yay!" Uta brightened up.
"The happiest day of my life," Melodar commented. "Finally being allowed to leave my mansion for the first time in fourteen years."
"You've been stuck that long?" Saori replied, shocked. "Why? That had to be really lonely!"
"It was," Melodar confirmed. "Nothing but my biwa and my parents to keep me company. But, with the ongoing war, they couldn't risk me going outside. Especially with my Elemental Power."
The scene shifted into a view of a Zharian city, where people were walking through the street and buying items from shops. Uta and his parents came into view, holding hands as they explored the shops.
"That one looks particularly promising," Utamaru remarked. "Shall we take a look?"
Uta nodded, and so did his mother. The three entered the shop, where a lively man welcomed them in. "Greetings! Please take a look at our selections, I hope they are to your liking!"
They walked through the shop until Uta found a large instrument hanging on a wall that he did not recognize. "What's this?"
The shopkeeper approached the instrument. "This is a guitar. It is very uncommon in our lands. We first got the invention from our enemies across the land. It is a wonderful work of art indeed."
Uta grabbed it, but his father gave it a wary look. "Are we sure this is safe?"
The shopkeeper nodded. "Positive. It was retrieved in a counter-strike, so they had no time to boobytrap it."
"Alright. How much does it cost?"
The shopkeeper led them over to the counter. "Come. I'll help you pay for it."
A little while later, Uta and his parents were outside, while Uta admired his new guitar, playing a tune on it. "Awesome!"
His parents both smiled at him, but suddenly, the sky dimmed, and everyone on the street froze.
"What's going on?" Ume asked.
"Get behind me," Utamaru ordered. "Now."
A woman in long white robes that covered her body, suddenly appeared, with a massive rolling fortress that had an army of soldiers following behind her.
"Pitiful scum!" she laughed. "Where is your leader? Bring him to me, now!"
The surrounding Zharians began to panic.
"No, it's HER!"
"Queen Falasuna!"
"No way! How did she get here?"
A young Kenshi Fujii stood behind her, with six other soldiers wearing similar attire to his, their faces covered in hoods.
"No one wishes to talk?" the queen remarked. "Ah? Okay."
She turned to her Generals. "Kill them all."
Without question, the six soldiers behind Kenshi moved to attack, using their Magic to annihilate the surrounding Zharians. One formed massive spikes in the air, another caused chests to explode with a mere touch, and one even sent many flying up into the air with a wave of her hand, before they crashed to the ground with a hard thud.
Falasuna put a hand on Fujii's shoulder. "Kenshi, my loyal General, my delightful pet! Serve your Goddess! Kill these beings for me!"
His eyes lifted. "Yes, my Queen."
He formed a katana of ice in his hand, slicing through piles of Zharians with a speed and precision they couldn't hope to match.
"Run!" Utamaru shouted. "We have to run!"
A female General appeared in front of the family, and Utamaru drew his blade. "Ume! Take Uta and get out of here! It's not safe!"
"But what about you?" she exclaimed.
"Don't concern yourself with me! I'll hold them back!"
Falasuna suddenly appeared in front of Utamaru, recognition on her face. "Utamaru…you're the one who worships a dear relative of mine. How cute."
He tried to slash her, but she easily grabbed his blade without even turning her head. In the next second, Uta watched her punch through his father's chest, who coughed blood.
"DAD!"
Ume pulled her son along, running as fast as he could.
"Come on, Uta! We must run!"
Before they could get far, the General with the spikes stabbed her in the back, causing her to drop to the ground, crawling to her son.
"Uta…you have to go…"
"Mom!"
Kenshi appeared behind him, an unreadable expression as he raised his blade over both of them. Uta stood in front of his mom, protectively. "Get away from her!"
With one slash of his blade, Uta's entire world went dark.
The scene eventually shifted to the aftermath, where Uta was sitting among the ruins of the city, his broken guitar and his dead parents lying before him, while he knelt down, his expression haunted. Titan stood in front of him, taking in the damage.
"She was here," Titan said. "She…came to look for me…and all she left behind was a young boy, now orphaned…"
Uta sat there, unmoving. Rikuna stood beside Titan. "What do we do about him, Master?"
"We take him in," Titan declared. "I sense the Element of Sound within him. His talent and power have high potential. It's only right we give him a home, after his was taken so unjustly…"
Rikuna nodded. "Of course. What is your name, youngster?"
"It's…Uta…" he answered.
"Well, Uta. I go by Runea, but you can call me Rikuna. The Master and I will take care of you from now on, so don't worry!"
He picked up his broken guitar, staring at his parents. "Why? Why? WHY?"
A large wave of sound decimated the entire surrounding area, even surprising Titan and Rikuna.
The vision ended, leaving Melodar and Saori back in the Shadow Realm.
"That was so sad…" Saori acknowledged. "Mister Fujii…"
Melodar stood in silence. Saori clenched her fists. "But it still doesn't excuse what you did to me and my friends!"
Melodar straightened up. "If that's your way of thinking, little Saori, I can't stop you. After all, an artist must be set on their views, and you and I clearly have our minds made up."
The Armor appeared in front of them, and they both raced to touch it, but as they did, a wave of green light flashed, transporting them into a new scene: one of a bright, sunny sky, and a lush, green field. A Voltian woman appeared, holding a young child's hand. Saori immediately got up.
"Where have we ended up now?" Melodar wondered.
The woman turned around, and Saori instantly realized who it was.
"Mommy!"
—-