The five carefully descended the mountainous terrain. They could see a vast expanse of plains, and in the distance, a mountain stood out among all the others because there was a large hole in the center of it.
"The nest."
They had found it. This nest was the one they had to investigate. As Andrew and his squad descended to the plains, Andrew thought to himself.
What kind of creatures could they be? Andrew had seen many different types of creatures, but even so, he knew he had barely scratched the surface of what he needed to know about melody creatures. He was a novice in this field.
As they descended, Andrew also observed his new "Leader." Ariel was quite quiet, not speaking unless necessary. It was even difficult to hear him breathe.
Maybe he's shy?
Andrew thought, searching for an answer. But could he really be shy and lead the four of us at the same time? To Andrew, that didn't make sense.
I'm thinking about it a lot, maybe he just hates talking to us.
They were about to reach solid ground. Andrew got overconfident and slipped on one of the many rocks. Andrew had thought it was much bigger than it actually was.
Andrew closed his eyes, expecting the impact of the fall, but nothing happened. When he opened them, he saw Ariel's indifferent face. Ariel was holding him by his jacket with ease.
How embarrassing…
"Thank you..."
Andrew said nervously, definitely making a bad impression.
Ariel rolled her eyes and let go of Andrew.
"Watch where you're going."
Ariel said before jumping onto the plains, with everyone else following suit. Andrew, not having a body as powerful as theirs, simply climbed down the other rocks.
Once down with the others, they walked across the plains. There were no trees or anything else useful to hide behind. This put Andrew on alert, because if they wanted to escape, they were in trouble.
"Guys, are we really going to be okay? I can sense second-class creatures inside that cave..."
warned the boy, who seemed nervous the whole time.
With an almost immediate response, Alexander, that egocentric bastard, said.
"We'll be fine, Lucas. Relax, I'm here."
Andrew tried not to change his expression. He hated that bastard kid, but he couldn't ruin the plan by fighting with him right now. Besides, what could Andrew do against a musician of equal rank?
As he walked behind the squad, Andrew noticed that Ariel and Adele were talking quite a bit up ahead.
With her, if you like talking, huh, bastard?
From what Andrew could hear, they were talking about the revelation of this boy, "Lucas." This was really important; it changed plans significantly. Second-class creatures were something to worry about.
They're the same rank as them...
The chords were equivalent to second class. In retrospect, they had the upper hand, as there were four chords, and they were also humans.
The combined strength of humans will always be superior to that of monsters. But now the important question was, how many of these creatures were inside the nest?
Maybe the team could handle ten, maybe fifteen. But more than that? It was impossible.
So the plan to go in and out was still in place. They would not take any risks.
As Ariel and Adele talked, at one point they turned around and looked at Andrew for a brief moment, then turned their gaze back to the front and resumed whispering. Apparently, they were thinking about him too.
Finally, my greatness is not being taken lightly!
Andrew thought, a little excited to finally be taken into account. Although deep down he wondered if they were really thinking about how to save him...
No, they're probably thinking about how to harness my latent potential.
Andrew thought, puffing out his chest.
Pulling him out of his hopeful thoughts, Adele looked back and frowned. She slowed her pace and approached Andrew.
"Andrew, we have a plan ready, but you're a nuisance in it. I know you're our tuner, but we can do it without you. The idea is for you to stay outside the cave while we go in.
Do you understand?"
Andrew looked at Adele with wide eyes. Did she really just say that? Adele's tone was so blunt that Andrew thought it was sarcasm. It felt like a joke, but clearly it wasn't. Andrew touched his chest, checking to see if it had broken his heart.
"Well, okay, I guess."
Andrew reluctantly agreed. It wasn't as if he could argue back. What good would a hoarse voice do in there, right?
Andrew slowed his pace a little, falling slightly behind.
His natural and formidable mental shield of humor was a little damaged.
So he preferred to be alone for a moment.
Oh God, I hope you really have a reason for making me hoarse...
Andrew hated being voiceless with all his soul. Half his life was spent lamenting and hating himself for not being born with musical energy. For not being part of the stupid score. But just four years ago, he decided to accept it. What else could he do? Being voiceless meant being automatically rejected by society.
A first-class, high-ranking child musician could kill you, and very easily. This was the life of a tone-deaf person, in a world full of dangers and threatening people everywhere. Being tone-deaf is simply a curse.
And Andrew had a goal in mind since he was born, a goal he had to put aside due to his lack of musical energy.
Without musical energy, you're not in the score; if you're not in the score, you're not a musician; and if you're not a musician, you're not allowed to explore the Nadira. And without exploring the Nadira, he could never know what happened in the 2011 incident.
They walked a few more minutes until they were in front of the large cave. A gust of wind came out of it, and it felt as if the cave itself was threatening them, or perhaps warning them...
"Okay, you know what to do."
Ariel said, addressing the rest of the squad. Adele took out her canteen and, instead of drinking from it, used it to wash her face, leaving a small puddle on the cave floor. The two boys stretched and gripped their instruments tightly. Finally, Ariel looked at Andrew.
"Hoarse boy, you take care of checking that nothing happens out here. In case any melody creatures are attracted here by the music, let us know."
He patted Andrew on the shoulder, and Andrew nodded reluctantly. Following this, they entered the cave. He knew that Ariel was trying to make Andrew feel better by giving him a job. It seemed that this man did have leadership qualities. How could he tell that Andrew wasn't feeling very good about himself at the moment?
Andrew turned his head toward the floor and saw his reflection in the small puddle of water Adele had left behind.
"Ah, I guess that makes sense then."
It was as if Andrew's face was screaming that he was sad. It seems he wasn't as good at hiding his feelings as he thought.
Andrew, trying to put this topic aside, leaned against one of the walls outside the cave. He trusted his team; they would surely be fine.
And exactly one second after thinking that, a mutilated body and a head split in half were the last things Andrew saw flying through the air before everything turned to chaos.
Andrew could barely breathe. Ariel was carrying him as if he were a sandbag, moving abruptly and at immense speed.
The changes in pace and Ariel's firm grip made it difficult for Andrew to breathe. It was impossible for him to see what was happening, but from what Andrew could see, he knew that the boys, Alexander and Lucas, had been mutilated to death. Andrew couldn't see Adele's remains, but he assumed she had also perished in the same way.
Andrew didn't even bother to scream anymore; he had already accepted his death. Ariel could barely protect himself and was now giving his all to protect Andrew. Ariel ran at full speed across the plains, trying to go faster. He lifted Andrew onto his back, and as he did so, Andrew was finally able to see the creature.
It was humanoid, its skin was purple, disgusting and full of pores. It was very tall, at least 2 meters, and had antennae like the creature that attacked the domain when they arrived at Nadira, but this creature felt more dangerous, more intelligent.
And this time there was no harmonious nearby to save them. This creature had just killed three chords as if it were nothing, and now it was coming for the fourth.
We're screwed.
"Shouldn't you give up? We're going to die anyway."
Andrew said as Ariel ran with Andrew on his back, giving it his all.
"What's the point of giving up?"
Ariel replied as he desperately gasped for air. Andrew thought about it. He was supposed to do anything to survive. He hated giving up.
But in a situation like this, there were few options left. Or rather, there were none.
Or maybe...
Then Andrew's mind began to work. If he were a machine, he would most likely be on fire.
"Were the creatures that lived in the nest there?"
Andrew asked hesitantly.
"No, only he was there."
Ariel said, barely able to breathe or speak due to accumulated exhaustion.
Andrew thought it over. And a small light came on in his head.
"I can. But why?"
"Just do it, just do it, throw it up into the sky or something."
Ariel didn't have many options, so he just did it. He took his violin and played a really loud song, a melancholy song. The song echoed throughout the place, and in the distance, birds flew among the trees.
Andrew smiled.
"Run to that rock."
Andrew said, pointing to a large rock that was somewhat hidden in the plains. From this perspective, few could tell it was there. Andrew had seen it when they arrived at this place while looking for a place to escape. Ariel listened and ran with all her might toward the large rock. The monster picked up the pace, a loud, nasty melody coming out of its antennae, causing another pair of legs to sprout.
You're the most disgusting thing I've ever seen.
Even though he was hoarse, Andrew could sense the creature's murderous intent; it really wanted to kill them.
When she reached the rock, Ariel turned around and hid behind it, as Andrew had previously instructed her to do.
"Now what?"
Andrew didn't answer as he stared into the distant forest.
"...Andrew?"
Ariel was desperate; the creature was almost there. Then, the trees moved abruptly and a large number of melody creatures emerged from them. They were mainly shaped like wasps, but their wings looked more like those of dragons. They were really curious. Ariel turned to look at Andrew with a slight smile.
"Good idea, aphonic."
Then, the humanoid creature turned around and, upon seeing the creatures, a guttural roar burst from its enormous throat as a threat to the swarm of creatures, and with that, the war for dominance began.
The entire ground of the plains shook violently.
Neither Ariel nor Andrew wanted to look at what was happening outside. Even hidden so far away, they could hear the loud melodies of these creatures. Andrew was surprised. The humanoid creature was resisting too much. How was it possible that it could resist so much against the swarm from the nest?
The answer was more than obvious, but Andrew didn't want to think about it. This creature was of a higher rank. It was a Disaster-rank creature.
To get out of this alive, they had to flee or wait for a Harmonic to arrive at this location. Something almost impossible.
Andrew stood up and looked at Ariel.
"We have to go. There's not much time."
Ariel stared blankly into space. Then, regaining some sense, Ariel opened his briefcase, took out a communicator, and tried to call for help. Obviously, the communicator wouldn't even turn on. On Nadira, technology that wasn't based on musical energy was useless.
"We won't be able to escape."
Ariel was very tired. His spirit was breaking. Andrew assumed that this behavior was because he had finally thought about the death of his companions. Even Andrew thought that Ariel had a special affection for Adele, perhaps they were boyfriend and girlfriend. Even so, Andrew admired Ariel's mental strength; he had managed to keep a cool head and get out of danger while protecting Andrew.
Andrew looked at him. Although it wasn't obvious at first glance, Andrew knew that Ariel was devastated.
Without Ariel, Andrew had no chance of survival.
"Wait a minute, didn't you assume we were dead a few moments ago?"
In fact, Andrew had. Where had this newfound desire to survive come from?
"Oh, right."
Andrew wasn't going to leave this world without achieving his goal. Besides, he couldn't leave his mother alone; he wasn't going to leave her with his brother.
I can't leave her in the care of that idiot.
Andrew grabbed Ariel's arm and lifted her up. Andrew ran, using all his strength to pull Ariel along. Ariel barely managed to take a few steps; she didn't feel like fighting anymore. Andrew was too tired to realize what had just happened. A deep silence filled the place.
Andrew ignored it and kept running. But he knew what had happened. If he didn't hear a melody, it meant that no one was using musical energy. No one was fighting.
The battle of the creatures was over. Andrew could barely breathe; he was too tired. Suddenly, Andrew stopped pulling Ariel's entire weight. Ariel got up, grabbed Andrew by the waist, and jumped forward. Behind them, everything exploded. Andrew turned around and saw the humanoid creature, seriously injured but with a monstrous murderous intent.
Ariel seemed to have regained consciousness just in time. Andrew had no idea what thought had brought Ariel out of that deep state, but he was definitely grateful that she had returned. Ariel stopped and let go of Andrew, took out her violin, and lunged at the creature, singing a beautiful melody that the creature quickly destroyed with another. The two collided, but the creature was too fast.
"No..."
Andrew's voice cut off; he couldn't speak. He didn't want to. His fingers trembled, his legs felt unsteady. His right eyelid twitched.
In front of Andrew, Ariel's lifeless body was pinned to the humanoid creature's arm. Ariel's jaw was broken, adding a grotesque touch to the situation.
"...Ariel?"
Andrew didn't know what to do, didn't know how to react, couldn't move. Ariel's violin fell to the floor, breaking the silence. Andrew was in complete shock. The creature was drooling. Although it resembled a human body, this thing was impossible to mistake for one. It even seemed to be smiling. A thought began to creep into Andrew's head. He remembered his old home in Barsical, a beautiful home, the smell of cookies, the crackling of the fireplace. And of course, a man his mother hugged happily, a strong man who protected his family, a strong man who never hesitated.
Fear is the precursor to courage.
And with this thought, he decided to act.
Andrew jumped forward and grabbed the violin, stepped back and held it. The creature growled and approached Andrew quickly. Andrew took the violin and tried to play a melody. The melody sounded, but it wasn't charged with musical energy. Why would it be? A voiceless person can't do that.
Why would a voiceless man try to fight a creature of disaster rank? What could a useless voiceless man do? How could a voiceless man even think of trying to fight? Was Andrew an idiot? He's just voiceless, what could he do?
All the thoughts that were completely overwhelming Andrew's mind at that moment vanished in an instant. Thanks to the overwhelming pain caused by a huge purple arm piercing his sternum, this was more than enough to completely destroy all his doubts.