Primeval soot covered the ancient roads, dusting them with a grayish hue. All was dark except for the candlelight of Musique's glowing body; a spell he had cast to illuminate the darkness. In that blackened world, what they saw was a city, older than time itself, that still stood despite over ten thousand years of existence.
The decrepit and crumbling remains of sandstone buildings and granite huts were nothing like the newer cities of the Southlands. They were grand, focused on height rather than luxurious design, and stood tall even far beneath the surface. Their structure was not ideal for the harsh sandstorms of the desert, which was perhaps why it had sunk into the earth hundreds of years prior. Despite the collapsed architecture, cracked roads, and overarching emptiness, the lost city had held up somewhat well for a fossil of the past. It almost seemed mystical in its hidden subsistence, if not foreboding in how eerily silent it was. So quiet that even the grains of sand hitting the ground could be heard.
"The magic in this city is old," Musique said, slowly panning his gaze around the collapsing brick skyscrapers. "Older than any other magic today."
"How can you tell?" Xinyu asked.
"Kitsune taught me to sense the age of magic, as well as its nature," Musique said. "And the magic all around, the magic keeping this city alive, is older than I can conceive. It's likely older than humankind."
"Eh? But was this city not built by humans?" Xinyu asked. "The style of buildings is strange, but they are so obviously made by the hands of skilled men and women."
"I only know what Kitsune has relayed," Musique said. "Which, in essence, is nothing."
"I am sure Cygnus would like this place, then," Xinyu said. "It is filled with mystery and the unknown. I must tell him of this place later!"
"Cygnus? You're talking about Cygnus Rift, right?" Musique asked.
"Oho? You know him?"
"Not personally," Musique said. "But I've watched humanity for a while now, and he's someone whose name is recognizable far and wide. Almost as much as Arthur."
"What a coincidence, the old king is the very reason we have traveled here!" Xinyu said.
"Oh, wow, you sure know some impressive people," Musique said. "But I'm beginning to think you're the most impressive of them all."
"No, I am nobody special," Xinyu said.
"That's quite different from what you were saying before," Musique said. "Weren't you so intent on praising yourself earlier? The sin of pride and hubris?"
"If we are talking about the seven deadly sins in Western culture, then I am avarice, pride, wrath, and envy!" Xinyu said. "But praising myself is different from being praised by others. They can talk all they wish about me when I am gone, but for now, I do not accept a single ounce of their words."
"Why does the first human I meet have to be as obscure as Kitsune?" Musique sighed. "I've spent my whole life with her, and I have yet to decipher her words. Maybe it's all in vain."
"I am the first person you've met?" Xinyu asked.
"Yeah," Musiqe said. "I've lived upon the peak of Kitsune's mountain until recently."
"How odd!"
Musique let Xinyu brazenly lead the way and seemed to jump like a mouse at every little sound that echoed throughout the sandy ravine. Oddly enough, for a city so large, there was not a single indication that creatures, human or otherwise, had ever lived there. Whatever catastrophe had befallen the city at its end left no clothes or bones. Or they had become dust themselves.
They walked for a bit, then Xinyu stopped and looked up.
"Musique. Do you not think it odd that this city is not completely buried with sand?" Xinyu asked.
"I hadn't thought about it… But you're right," Musique said. "What does that mean?"
"Some sort of magic is allowing this city to exist," Xinyu said. "You said you sense old magic? Perhaps that is what is keeping place alive. We must find the source. That is most likely the treasure you seek."
"But this place is huge. It could take days."
"Can you not sense where the magic is coming from?" Xinyu asked.
"No, I can only sense the nature of magic, not its strength," Musique said. "It is like being able to tell the notes of a song, but being able to tell whether it is loud or quiet. Or it's like-"
The conversation was cut short when the ground began to unravel as dozens of mounds began to emerge from the ground. From these mounds, mole-ish men clawed their way out and surrounded the two unsuspecting victims. Molemen were nocturnal carnivores who often preyed on small creatures and unsuspecting travelers. Despite being called men, they were not actually derivatives of men, but the result of putrid experimentation from a bygone era. Normally, they wouldn't attack at such a time, but Xinyu and Musique had entered their domain and awoken them from their slumber, agitating them.
"Interesting! Can you fight?" Xinyu asked as she took a step forward. The balding rat-like creatures took a precarious step back.
"I have some combatative magic, but I've never had to use it before," Musique said in a shaky voice.
"Wow! How fortunate you are!" Xinyu said. "But that fortune will not always be around for you. Let this be a lesson! These creatures are not strong, but they will not go down easily either. I will leave it up to you to fight them!"
"Me? I can't," Musique said. "Didn't… didn't you say you'd protect me?"
"Of course, as long as I am around," Xinyu said, spinning around behind Musique. She leaned into his ear. "But I will not always be around."
"Still…" Musique moaned.
"Do not worry!" Xinyu said, nudging him forward. "I am still here! Just give it your all, and if things go bad, I will intervene. You can trust me, for I am as strong as heaven itself!"
"Well… okay…" Musique said, trembling. His hands tingled and became wet with cold sweat. His breath was uneven, growing deeper as the disgusting abominations crept closer.
"Calm yourself," Xinyu said in a soothing whisper. "You can do it."
"I'm not fearless like you," Musique said. "I'm so afraid right now."
"I am not fearless, I am courageous," Xinyu said. "There is a difference. The fearless have no fear, but many die because they are careless. Having courage is fighting despite fear. It is those who overcome their fear that become heroes and legends."
"But I'm not a hero. I don't want to be one either," Musique argued. The
creatures were beginning to circle and surround them, but were being cautious because of Xinyu's calm demeanor.
"Really, I'm scared," Musique said.
"I find it scary too," Xinyu said. "People often glorify fighting because they do
not know what it is like. It is not glorious at all. But sometimes, we must do it if we wish to protect something we love. When that time comes, will you be ready, or will you cower in fear?"
"I-" Musique started.
"You will not!" Xinyu exclaimed, slamming her hands on his shoulders. She squeezed them tightly enough to shock him out of his drolls, but not so hard as to break his arms. "Take the first step!"
"Fine!" Musique yelled as he closed his eyes.
The molemen cautiously trudged towards Xinyu and Musique, but halted when a rambunctious sound began to echo. Although distant at first, flutey whispers fluttered in like butterflies of harmonious wind, and the vicious beating of drums grew louder until a destructive melody was zipping through the immediate air like a swarm of furious bees. Musique, surrounded by a spectral orchestra he'd summoned with his musical magic, unveiled a song that shot like cannons and rushed through a sea of plucky strings. To the molemen, the music stung like razors as blades of a melody ripped through their flesh, though no sword could be seen.
With his song, the molemen were ripped asunder, though they were not cut too deeply. As quickly as they came, they retreated back deep into the earth, hiding in their burrows.
"Wa! I knew you could do it," Xinyu said. "But that was kind of harsh, do you not think?"
"You're the one who told me to fight," Musique said.
"That I did!" Xinyu chimed. "Even so, I have not seen that magic before! It was like a deadly song."
"Yeah," Musique said as the bluish ghosts with horns and stringed instruments dissipated into the air. "Kitsune taught me all about the songs of the world. I see magic as notes, and when I arrange them in certain ways, they create melodies with various effects."
"Who were those ghosts you summoned to play the song?" Xinyu asked. "Are they spirits?"
"No, just visual constructs to convey the instruments of my music," Musique explained. "Each one is the image of a musician I've come to admire."
"Music, huh?" Xinyu said. "I like music as well. My sister used to sing to me, and they used to play drums at the lantern festivals in the East. It really is ama-"
"Music is amazing, isn't it!" Musique excitedly said. "I just love how it can connect so many hearts at once and sway emotion with just the sounds of a concert."
"A concert? I have heard of those," Xinyu said. "When I was in Wunderdum, people spoke very highly of famous singers and bands holding concerts, though I never had the chance to hear them."
"They are so inspiring!" Musique exclaimed. "Just hearing them fills me with joy, and I just want to fade into the air with their lovely sounds."
"So you have been to many of these concerts?" Xinyu asked.
"Not in person," Musique said. "Didn't I tell you? I've been confined to Kitsune's mountain my whole life. She has floating image projections up there where I can watch the world below, which is where I listen to all the singers of Helios."
"Do you have a favorite one?" Xinyu asked.
"I do!" Musique said. "Her name is Seren! She is my idol! Out of every person I've watched, her music is the most beautiful."
"Then let's go," Xinyu said, smiling at Musique's enthusiasm. "When we finish our missions, let us go to see her!"'
Musique looked at her and couldn't help but grin in agreement. "Yeah, let's."
A bygone city left to ruin; the lost city with no name lies in the deserts of the south, unfound for centuries. Although it once had a purpose, the city was destroyed by calamity at its zenith and seemed to disappear from the earth. Many legends passed, but the story of the city was not one of them. Within the confines of the place lies the world's greatest treasure: the treasure of existence. Although it may not play its role until many millennia in the future, it will surely hold the key to humankind's fate, and mayhaps more.
"That was one of Kitune's prophecies," Musique said to Xinyu while they were taking a break in a crumbling house. "She entrusted me with this item's retrieval, but she won't tell me what it is. Apparently, I will know more when I find it."
"Fate and prophecies, I disdain those words almost as much as the gods," Xinyu said. "The future should be the one we weave with our own hands, not one predestined by fate."
"I agree with your point, but that's simply not possible," Musique said. "Kitsune could never be wrong."
"Are you sure about that? What makes you say that?" Xinyu asked. "Is she really that powerful?"
"Well, it's more than just her magic that I believe in," Musique said. "I have faith in Kitsune because I trust her."
Xinyu watched as Musique adjusted his hair in a small mirror he carried in his pocket. He kept it long for a man, but short for a woman. It was neatly messy and held a beautiful brown sheen, even in the darkness. She wondered why he kept it so nice, even in a dusty place such as the ancient city. It's not like anyone was there except for her.
"You said your master was Kitsune," Xinyu said. "Can you tell me more about your story and how you became the disciple of that fox?"
"Well, honestly, she's more like my mother," Musique said sheepishly. "I was abandoned at the foot of her mountain as a baby, and that's all I know."
"Well, you are lucky that the angry cat did not find you first," Xinyu said.
"Bai Hu? Ha, you're right about that. I would have been a snack if he found me," Musique chuckled.
"It is strange, though," Xinyu said. "Though they are spirit deities, they do not seem bad like the gods. Bai Hu is grumpy and kills those who cross his path, but it seems like he is still protecting something."
"Why are the gods bad?" Musique asked.
"Because they take away our smiles," Xinyu said.
"How so?"
"There is a story from my land," Xinyu said. "It is about a group of evil humans who sought to defy the gods because they wanted to live sinfully and selfishly. They were not grateful for what they were given and were only driven by greed. Ultimately, these people were brought to justice, and the land was saved."
"That's how it usually goes…"
"But!" Xinyu said. "I do not see why it is wrong to live as one wants. That is freedom, and freedom brings smiles. I do not think those people were evil. I believe they just wanted to make people happy."
"It's not pleasant, but the gods aren't people," Musique said. "We cannot judge their actions by our own standards. They are beyond us, beyond understanding itself."
"If their level is unachievable, then maybe we have to bring them down to us," Xinyu said.
Musique remained silent. He wasn't sure where the strange girl was going with her lecture, but he sensed that she was very sentimental about the subject and decided not to interject. If she were a heretic, he'd also want to get away from her as soon as possible, though in the underground, there weren't many places to run. Besides, she did not seem so bad, so he decided to stick around.
"We have rested enough," Xinyu said with a smile. "It is time we go hunt for this treasure!"