Chapter 17: The Returning Harmony
The greatest symphony is not born from the finest instruments...
but from breaths that have become one...
And when peril arrives... that very harmony... is a weapon more powerful than any blade.
— From "The Journal of a Warrior-Conductor, Maestro Leon"
Lunaria's words that day... were like a stone thrown into the still pond of my heart.
It created ripples... hesitation... and fear...
But at the same time... it awakened a "desire" that I had tried to bury for so long.
A week later... I gathered all the courage I had... and walked to the town hall with Lunaria, Leo, and Maya, who had volunteered to come along as friends.
There... I met "Maestro Matilda"... the elderly female conductor who led the Ashwood town orchestra. She had a warm smile and eyes that seemed to see right through you.
"So you wish to try playing?" she asked after I had stammered out my request.
I nodded.
"Have you ever played an instrument before?"
I shook my head... I couldn't tell her the truth.
She led me into a storage room filled with old instruments... but then my eyes stopped on one in particular... It was carefully stored in a case... a golden metal wind instrument with an artistic, curved shape... a saxophone...
The instrument I loved most in my past life...
I picked it up... a familiar sensation ran through my fingertips... I tried assembling it... tried pressing the various keys... My body "remembered"...
When I tried to blow into it... the first sound that came out was hoarse and embarrassing...
But when I closed my eyes... and let my memory guide me...
A simple but familiar melody emerged... it was a folk song I had often heard my mother hum.
Everyone in the room fell silent...
[...You have used memories from your original soul to perform music...]
[...Condition Met: Unlocked new proficiency line 'Musical Arts'... Proficiency: D...]
[...The feeling of 'Passion' is causing continuous MP restoration!]
MP: 415/1000... 416... 417...
After that day... the orchestra became a part of my life.
I made new friends... "Elwin," the taciturn elven flutist; "Thorin," the loud but kind-hearted dwarven drummer; and several others.
But rehearsals were not always smooth... We were just a small town orchestra with a limited budget... Maestro Matilda taught us with love... but she wasn't an expert instructor.
Until one day... "Mr. Ronan" and "Mrs. Elara" stopped by to watch us practice.
"Your rhythm is not yet in sync," Ronan said after we finished playing. "It is not a matter of skill... but because your 'breaths' are not yet one."
That day... the two Shadow Guards became our "special instructors."
They didn't teach music... they taught the "discipline" of an assassin.
They taught us to practice "breathing in the same rhythm"... taught us to "perceive" the movements of the person next to us without looking... taught us to merge into a "single unit."
It was the training of a special forces unit... applied to an orchestra... and it worked marvelously.
Our music became tighter... more powerful... and filled with life.
One evening... our practice went exceptionally well, running a little late until dusk began to fall...
...Everyone was smiling.
"That's enough for today, children... Hurry on home now," Maestro Matilda said.
Suddenly... Kaen appeared at the town hall door, whispered something to Lunaria..
"..Princess... there is urgent news from the subterranean city... I must ask you to return with us first."
Lunaria looked at me with a worried gaze but nodded and left with Kaen, Ronan, and Elara.
"Alright... let's head back as well," Maestro Matilda said, packing up. "I'll walk Elwin and Thorin home today... your houses are far."
So, Leo, Maya, and I decided to walk back together.
The sky was growing dark... Our path home led through a small forest on the outskirts of town... which was normally safe.
But today... was different.
When we reached the middle of the forest... low growls echoed from the bushes around us.
Multiple pairs of red eyes appeared in the darkness...
"Goblins!" Leo cried out, his voice cracking. "Why are there so many of them gathered here!?"
They were local monsters, normally cowardly and wouldn't attack first... but today... they seemed unusually fierce and aggressive.
They slowly emerged from the shadows... their bodies thin and hunched... their skin a pale green... but the most terrifying part was their "eyes"...
Their main eyes were wide with terror... and on their skin... were small, not-yet-fully-opened eyes... darting about suspiciously all over their bodies.
[...Detecting 'Frenzy-Inducing Aura' in the vicinity...]
[...Warning from Vulcan appears: 'Do not use conspicuous magic or mental power... The temporary seal is still active... Releasing power may attract something far worse'...]
I cursed inwardly. I knew Vulcan had placed some kind of "seal" on me for safety after the last incident... which meant... I couldn't use magic!
Maestro Matilda pushed us behind her. "Children... stay behind me!"
She was just an ordinary person with no combat ability... but she was ready to protect us.
One of the goblins leaped forward...
In the worst possible situation... on the day I was weakest without Lunaria by my side... and unable to use my true power...
I... and my friends... would have to use all the brains and brawn we had... to survive this night.