A great barrier stood in the mystical existence of Nadira, and in front of it, two people watched with disappointment and exhaustion. The dying woman's knees trembled as they gave what little strength they had to try to keep the young woman standing.
The gloomy boy next to her knelt in front of the barrier and pounded the ground with his fists full of rage.
"Damn it! We messed up again..." cried the angry young man, on the verge of breaking down.
They were in one of the most dangerous areas of Nadira, 'Precursor Land'. This area was protected by a great barrier sung by a powerful musician from ancient times. No one was ever allowed to enter this place, and the boy and girl knew it.
They were lost. They had been stranded after the incident at Insect Hill. As if the situation couldn't get much worse, a drop of cold water fell on the young man's neck. The young man looked up at the sky, searching for the source of the annoying drop of water, and what he found only made crying incredibly easier. Clouds as black as night, lightning so vast and powerful that if someone told the young man that Zeus himself was being reborn, he would believe it. Tears slid down the young man's dirty cheeks, his battered suit soaked in seconds. Indifferent to the consequences this heavy rain would bring, the boy took this time to mourn.
"Just... just a moment..." thought the boy, silently begging the universe to give him a break.
The girl, worried about what was coming thanks to the rain, approached the boy urgently.
"Ariel, we have to go, get up," said the girl nervously, looking at the distant jungle.
Ariel didn't answer, breathing deeply as he prepared himself.
"Okay... let's go," said Ariel wearily as he stood up.
That girl was none other than Adele, the once strong and beautiful young musician with blue hair. Now, only the remains of what she once was remained. The two had managed to survive that fateful day at Insect Hill on the mission assigned to them by the symphony, in which Andrew was the supposed sole survivor.
Ariel and Adele had managed to escape after the melody creature was killed by Andrew. The two found themselves in a situation where they could only prioritize themselves and had to completely discard Andrew, escaping on their own—a move that was neither very smart nor elaborate, as the two now found themselves stranded alone in unexplored regions of Nadira.
The two fled without a fixed destination, hoping to find a safe place and then return to Earth. Unfortunately, this did not happen as they had imagined. Every day, the two took refuge in a cave near the outskirts of the Precursor Earth barrier, waiting for the sun to illuminate the dead lands of Nadira. Today, one of the typical situations that Ariel and Adele often encountered had just happened. This morning, they had left the cave prepared to leave this place once and for all. They walked for hours until they exhausted all the supplies they had brought with them, only to encounter the melody barrier again. They seemed to be stuck in a loop, or perhaps their exploration skills were simply mediocre. Adele and Ariel flatly denied this idea. The two were young musicians of the second rank, not the best of the best but not mediocre at all. In fact, the symphony itself had classified them as "exceptional subjects." So they chose to believe that they were stuck in a loop.
The two carefully descended the steep cliffs on the outskirts of the precursor land. They were in a hurry; the rain showed no signs of letting up anytime soon, and this was not good at all. When rain fell in Nadira, the "Keres" emerged from their mystical underground nests. These beings, which mimic human behavior, can copy any being they encounter. There are even reports of Keres copying the power of fifth-rank creatures. Little is known about them, as survivors of encounters with these beings usually die within two days. It is believed that these creatures only come out when the weather is humid due to their viscous composition. These beings are completely different from melody creatures; their existence has little or nothing to do with music.
A bolt of lightning followed by a thunderous clap frightened young Adele, who was walking carefully through the dangerous jungle of Tambor, one of the largest jungles in Nadira. They were already close to the cave. Ariel was breathing heavily; they had been walking for a long time and her determination was beginning to waver. He didn't have much hope left in his supposedly inexhaustible tank. He had been raised to fight against all contingencies, but now more than ever, he felt finished. He was running out of options...
"Are you okay?" Adele asked, concerned about Ariel's low spirits.
"Yes," Ariel replied immediately.
For Ariel, the monstrous creatures of Nadira were not the most dangerous thing in the world; for him, showing weakness was the most deadly thing that existed. Without a doubt. Ariel had not taken on this dark personality without reason. Instilling fear in others was the best way to stay safe.
"You don't look very well," said Adele, unsure whether to pursue the subject.
"I'm fine, understand!" Ariel shouted angrily.
Adele remained impassive in the face of Ariel's attempt at manliness. Unfortunately, Adele had experience dealing with men of a similar character; her living conditions had forced her to adapt to such behavior. Compared to them, Ariel just seemed like a scared child. He was strong, Adele didn't deny it, but his character still needed a great deal of experience to reinforce it.
After their exhausting hike, they finally caught a glimpse of the summit of the enormous mountain where the warm, dark cave was located. Upon reaching the cave, the constant dripping of water from the stalagmites returned. A dripping that irritated Ariel daily. Adele took a deep breath of the cave air.
"Home, sweet home," said the humorous young woman.
Adele was trying to lighten the mood a little, but this attempt apparently did not work, as the gloomy Ariel merely snorted and dropped his belongings on a large rock before sitting down on it. Ariel then took a long sip from his canteen, which had previously been full of water. When he finished the little liquid he had left, Ariel let out a slight groan as he regained his standing position.
"I'll go get more water and firewood," said Ariel, pointing to the old, extinguished fire pit on the cave floor.
"Try to keep it dry," Adele replied.
"Okay," Ariel said, frowning.
Ariel walked past Adele and left the warmth of the cave behind. Adele entered the dark cave and left her things behind, just like Ariel. Adele unbuttoned her suit and let it fall to her hips. Her once beautiful alabaster skin, which used to look smooth on her athletic back, was now covered with scars, open wounds, and marks caused by different situations or creatures. Adele took an old handkerchief from her worn backpack, grabbed her own water canteen, and wet the dirty handkerchief. After washing and cleaning it as best she could in her current condition, she gently wiped her body, cleaning the most important or dirty areas. Adele frowned, enduring the pain as she carefully cleaned her wounds. The wounds that had almost killed her just a week ago had not yet healed; she was nowhere near her full strength. While the blue-haired young woman was cleaning herself, Ariel was back in the darkness and warmth of the cave, carrying several logs of wood he had just cut himself. The first thing Ariel looked at when he entered was the soft figure of Adele. Ariel could see the new wounds on the young woman's athletic back. It had been a long time since Ariel had stopped being surprised to see Adele half-naked. She used to have that kind of confidence with him, and it didn't bother him at all.
Ariel took a few steps that echoed in the gloomy expanse of the cave. Adele, noticing Ariel's arrival, turned a little more, trying to hide. Ariel ignored this behavior. When he reached the remains of the fire they had previously made, Ariel dropped the firewood, then arranged it so that all the logs could touch each other. Ariel took his two hands and pointed them toward the mound of firewood, took a deep breath with a frown, and began to sing. Ariel sang a beautiful melody that attracted the presence of a growing heat. At first, it was simple summer heat, then the heat of a microwave. In just a few seconds, this heat grew to the point of completely setting the wood on fire. The musical energy calmed down when Ariel stopped singing and then fell to the ground exhausted.
"Is there any meat left over from what we hunted?" Ariel asked as he wiped the sweat from his forehead with the sleeve of his suit.
"Yes, just a little," replied Adele, still buttoning up her shirt.
Ariel stood up tiredly and checked the provisions. When he found the cuts of meat covered with palm leaves, a small smile finally appeared on Ariel's gaunt lips. The two cooked, seasoned, and tried to make it look as good as possible. In the end, in front of them, they had two cuts of roasted melody creature meat with some edible Nadira vegetables as a side dish.
"Bon appétit," said Adele, drooling at the smell of the food.
"Bon appétit..." replied Ariel, eager to start eating.
Just as Ariel was about to take his first bite, a bright green light illuminated the sky in the distance, a light that emanated protection and safety.
"...Andrew?" Ariel said into the air.
Ariel had been there the day Andrew became a musician. He had seen the exact moment when Andrew defeated that melody creature using his curious defense songs. Ariel knew that the voiceless man he had saved was special...
When they finished their meal, the two stood up to observe the horizon from the height of the cave. Something was happening out there. If they followed that light, they might find someone, or they might just get lost again. They had no idea what decision to make. Leaving the cave right now meant risking encountering the terrifying Keres, and those beings were no joke. They couldn't take this lightly; they were just two second-rate musicians. If they got into combat with a larger number of creatures, they would be brutally killed. Their provisions were really scarce; this could be one of their last good meals. Neither of them was in the best possible condition; leaving now could be their death sentence...
"What time do we leave?" Adele said, against all odds.
"In ten minutes, get ready," Ariel replied, still watching the horizon.
Not taking that chance would have been foolish; they would not let this ray of hope pass them by...
When they were finally ready, the two walked out of the cave, covering themselves from the thunderous rain with only two large leaves torn from a strange tree in Nadira. The odds were not in favor of these two unfortunate musicians, but lately, probability had been proving inaccurate.
"Will we make it?" asked young Adele.
"I hope so..." replied Ariel as he carried the tired girl.
It was their last chance to escape that hell.
They weren't going to let it pass them by.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)