Volume 2 Chapter 7 Drunken Souls

Chapter 7 Drunken Souls

I

Aislina and Yanni came back from the walk. When they arrived back at the tavern , they ran into Floria and Starsha. It was quite a coincidence that they came back at the same time.

“Well, what happens in that factory?” queried Yanni.

“It sucks! We meet the one in charge there. Her name is Hetepasis. She is totally a bitch!” cursed Starsha.

“Watch your language, Starsha!” reminded Floria.

“Anyhow, I am not a bard anymore. Maybe I could be a Hunger Artist,” sighed Starsha.

“A Hunger Artist? What is that?” questioned Yanni.

Cursing with dirty words, Starsha entered the bar.

Inside the bar, the music box of the bartender was still functioning and people there were still drinking and numbing their brains.

Starsha walked up to the bartender.

“I need some alcohol … I don’t feel well,” she demanded.

The bartender nodded. He had noticed that Starsha didn’t have a good mood so he didn’t say anything but handed her a bottle of wine.

She removed the cork from the bottle and drank a mouthful of wine. Alcohol was not yummy. In fact, it tasted like hell. The burning feeling was streaming down slowly along the throat of Starsha, burning every inches of her skin. Finally, it made its way into her stomach.

Her stomach was burning. Some sort of numbness was scorching the neuros all over her body and she commenced to feel that kind of nothingness. She didn’t know what was important or what was unimportant.

Music used to be her love of life but now it meant nothing. But now, she knew that music was just some mechanical stuff. It was not sacred. Muses didn’t exist …

Alcohol was burning her both physically and mentally. She even began to see some hallucinations manifested by her childhood memory, where she was playing a lyre. The sound of the lyre was beautiful, but it was soon blasted into dust and ashes by the sound of the music box inside the tavern.

It was the feeling of despair.

Floria patted on her shoulder.

“Everything is going to be better, Starsha,” Floria reassured her soothingly.

“You’re the best, Floria. Let’s drink together,” proposed Starsha, mindlessly.

While Floria was trying to console Starsha, Aislina and Yanni were looking at them.

“Will your brother and his blue-haired girlfriend drink too?” probed the bartender.

“No, they are not of drinking age.,” rejected Floria.

“Yeah, they look young,” muttered the bartender.

“Yanni, Aislina, I’ll stay here with Starsha. Can you two, uh, just find a place and have a rest, or play together … Anyway, do whatever you want …” pleaded Floria.

“OK, Aislina, let’s go and have some fun …” agreed Yanni.

Yanni and Aislina walked to the second floor where there room was while Floria was staying in the main hall drinking with Starsha.

Both Floria and Starsha didn’t like drinking because they thought alcohol tasted bad in their mouths. But today, it was different. They finally realized that though alcohol couldn’t help them physically, it could help them mentally. Their brains were soaked in endless numbness where they could get away from worries.

Nothing in this world mattered anymore.

“Floria,” called Starsha softly.

“What’s up, babe?” asked Floria.

“Thank you for staying with me in these years. I am an immature person and I always cause you a lot of trouble. Besides, I am, uh, I am bad, very bad. I am too emotional, um, yeah, too emotional. Sorry …” purred Starsha.

“You’re not bad, Starsha. You’re an adorable girl, and I …” Floria smiled, her face reddening.

After Floria and Yanni lost their parent, Floria became autistic and irascible. Starsha helped her to overcome those dark emotions … Floria loved her … She wanted to tell Starsha that she loved her but she didn’t dare to.

In the culture of Normania, girl’s love was a sin …

“Adorable? You must be kidding, huh … I am adorable,” stuttered Starsha, drunkenly.

“What will you do in the future? We cannot stay here and drink forever,” inquired Floria.

“We will help Aislina find the Sanctum of Life. We will help her find her destined abode, though it means that she will leave us in the end,” answered Starsha.

Alcohol was burning in the veins. Those burning feelings were travelling through the nerve, rending the whole world blurry. Soon the spinning world turned into a giant kaleidoscope. Everything was chaotic but colourful.

The music box of the bartender was still playing. What was burning Starsha’s heart was not only the wines, but also the music box. However, wines were helping Starsha to run away from the reality while the music box was dragging her back.

Those flawless melodies … Starsha wasn’t a priggish person and when learning music, she was always eager to seek help from those better than her.

However, now everything was different …

With music, she could travel mentally through the whole world. Through music she could see the Northern Lights at the end of the sky and she could also communicate with the greater spirits. Bathed in melodies, she could walk into the spiritual realms and witness those greatest wonders of humanity.

Now, she had lost that ability. She became ordinary … She became nothing … She was pathetic …

She looked at Floria and Floria was looking at her too. Their eyes met …

“Floria, did you remember that when we were 12 years old … Some boys picked on you saying that you were an abandoned child without mother. To avenge you, I punched them so hard that they cried like babies …” narrated Starsha, immersed in childhood memories.

“For sure I remember … That’s violent,” giggled Floria.

“No one can pick on you,” drawled Starsha.

“I am a lucky girl, and … So are you. There are many things to do besides music, right?” asked Floria affectionately. Urged by alcohol, she really wanted to kiss Starsha but she resisted herself …

“Yes, for sure there are. I can be an adventurer. I want to travel around the world and I want to the uncover those mysteries on earth … Of , uh, of … Yeah … Like other elder vaults … There are no vaults now … Perhaps I can be a dancer too … A dancer, yeah …” stuttered Starsha deliriously.

“You’re right, Starsha . Well, I’ve just taken in, uh, too much those liquids. I don’t feel well … I think I need to go to the, uh, bathroom. Bathroom, you know …” stammered Floria.

“Great, bathroom. Be careful, the bathrooms here are tricky … Don’t drink the liquid in the urinal because it may be toxic,” joked Starsha.

“I know … Thank for you advice,” expressed Floria.

II

While his sister was drinking with Starsha, Yanni was accompanying Aislina in her room. It was a clean room with two beds and a balcony.

Aislina opened the door of the balcony and looked up to the night sky. There were only a few stars in the sky here too.

Santo Cielo that the jewellery seller said was floating high in the sky too. There were many wonders in the sky …

Suddenly there was a shooting star descending from the sky. It was so small that it was barely visible. People always made a wish under the shooting star, but Aislina didn’t know what she really wanted.

She wanted to find the Sanctum of Life, but she didn’t really want to find it. If she found it, she would have a real abode, but it meant that she might need to leave her friend.

Were those humans her real friends, or were they only some replacements? Aislina didn’t’ know, because she used to hate humans. She could not figure out what she was really thinking about. Maybe her subconsciousness was dark and evil … Maybe her kindness was just a façade … Maybe everybody was wicked and thus the whole world was wicked, substantially …

“Aislina, you’re zoning out,” reminded Yanni.

“Yeah. Yanni, are we … Are we all evil deep inside our souls?” asked Aislina.

“That’s a question … I think we’re born evil. There are sins in our heart. We’re born greedy and cruel, but we can choose to walk on the path of kindness and wash our evilness away. The life is a journey of redemption, right?” drawled Yanni.

“Starsha is heart-broken, but I cannot help her,” whispered Aislina.

“She will get through it,” Yanni reassured her.

“We’re too weak, Yanni. We have beaten the Grey Factory last year, but now we’re at a bigger world and there are ones even stronger than the Grey Factory,” Aislina pointed out.

“You mean Macchina Gloriosa?” questioned Yanni.

“Yes, I can feel some sort of power inside their base, that enormous pyramid. They’re not a normal organization. In fact, they are far more powerful than the Grey Factory,” answered Aislina.

“So are we going to fight with them?” inquired Yanni.

“No, we may be no match for them. We’re not invincible, Yanni,” sighed Aislina.

“Since that, let’s find the Sanctum of Life together. We have searched all the elder vaults in Normania, but maybe the real clue is hidden here on the land of desert,” proposed Yanni.

“That’s a reasonable speculation. There are too many mysteries on this continent. You must remember Santo Cielo that the jewellery seller said,” agreed Aislina.

“Yes, a floating archipelago … That’s fantastic,” commented Yanni

“We have the souls of liberty. Even though we’re not invincible, nothing can stop us,” breathed Aislina.

While they were chatting, Floria entered the room. Her face was glowing reddishly. Yanni stared at her face with surprise. He knew that his sister didn’t like drinking and neither did Starsha.

They must have experienced something sad today.

In the ancient ages, many things in this world had meanings. The ancestors believed that doing good deeds could make people ascend into the heaven after they died.

But now things became meaningless. No one believed in the heaven, or the hell, just like that no one believed in the art now … Art used to be a sacred way to help people communicate with greater spirits, but now it had become mechanical merchandise.

“Hey, seemingly you two are having a good time. Drinking makes me happy. It’s a pity that I hadn’t realized it in the past. Anyway, have you two … Uh, never mind. I’m here to go to the bathroom but I cannot find where the bathroom is … That’s awful …” stuttered Floria drunkenly.

III

While Floria was finding the bathroom on the second floor, Starsha was drinking at the table alone.

She was smiling because alcohol had made her forget all her worries. She had lost the meaning of her life, but she hadn’t lost Aislina’s. She was going to help Aislina find the Sanctum of Life. She was going to help Aislina go home and nothing could stop her.

The music box was still making those beautiful melodies with the gears inside it turning. Bathed in the perfect mechanical sounds, Starsha began to sob like mad. Tears commenced to burst out from her eyes.

Worrying about his guest, the bartender walked up to Starsha.

“צְיַאוֹ, דוֹוֵוי סטַה קְוֵיסְטַה רַאגַאזַّה דֵייְ קַאפֵּילִّי רוֹסִّי קוֹן קֵי סְטַאיְ בֵּיוֵויטוֹ?׃” [Hey, where is that red-haired girl whom you were drinking with?] inquired the bartender.

“פלוריה… פוֹרְסֵי הַַא קַאדוּטַה אַלַّה אוֹרִינַאלֵי. סִי הַא לַאדוּטַה אַלַّא אוֹרִינַאלֵי אֵי שִׁיקוֹלַאטַה אַלַה פוֹעַה.׃”[Floria … Maybe she has fallen into the urinal. Yes, she has fallen into the urinal and slipped all the way to the sewers,] giggled Starsha, her face reddened by alcohol.

“קְוִינְדִי סְטַה נֵילְ בַּאעוֹ וֹרַה? בֵּינֵי… טוּ דְוֵי סְטַאיְ בֵּיוֵוידוֹ טְרוֹפּّוֹ אוֹגִّיי.׃”[So she is in the bathroom now? Fine … You two are drinking too much today but you two don’t look like alcoholic people,] guessed the bartender.

“אִי פוֹעִי, פְּווֹיְ טְרוֹוַוארֵלַה נֵילַّה פוֹעַה… נֵילַّה פוֹעַה… נֵילַّה פּוּזّוֹלֵינְטֵי פוֹעַה… נֵילַّה מַאלֵיוֹדוֹרַאנְטֵי פוֹעַה… נוֹן סִיַאטֵי אַקוֹלִיקֵי פֵּירְ צֵיטוֹ. סְטַאיְ סוֹלוֹ דִיוֵוירְטֵינְטֵי אוֹגִّיי.׃”[The sewers, you can find her in the sewer …. In the sewer … In the sewer … In the stinky sewer … In the smelly sewer … We’re not alcoholic for sure. We’re just having some fun today,] explained Starsha.

“סִי, דִיוֵוירְטֵינְטי… קוֹמוּנְקְוֵי, טוּ אֵי אִי טְוִי אַמִיצִי דוֹוֵויטֵי אֵיסֵّירֵי אַטֵّינְטִי קְוִי. לַה מְיַה טַאוֵוירְנַה סְטַה סֵימְפְּרֵי פֵּינַה דִי וְויוֹלֵינְזַה. סַאיְ קֵי מוֹלְטֵי פֵּירְסוֹנֵי אַמוֹנוֹ וְויוֹלֵינְזַה אֵי אוֹוְّויַאמֵינְטֵי טוּ קְוַאטְרוֹ נוֹן סְיֵיטֵי פְרַה לוֹרוֹ.׃”[Yes, having some fun today … Anyhow, you and your friends shall be careful here. My tavern is always full of violence. You know, many people love violence and you four are obviously not among them,] suggested the bartender.

“נוֹ, אַמְיַאמוֹ וְויוֹלֵינְזַה. אַבְּّיַאמוֹ אוּצֵّיסّוֹ פֵּירְסוֹנֵי, אַנְקֵי סֵי קֵי אוּצִّידְיַאמוֹ סוֹנוֹ טוּטַّאמֵינְטֵי מַאלִי טִיזִי! צְ אֵי סַאנְגְוֵי סְוִי נוֹסְטְרִי מַאנִי, אִילְ סַאנְגְוֵי דֵילְ מַאלֵי, אִילְ סַאנְגְוֵי דִי מַאלְוַואגִייטַה… מַאלְוַואגִייטַה…׃” [No, we love violence. We’ve killed people, though whom we kill are all bad guys! There are blood on our hands, the blood of the evil, the blood of wickedness … Wickedness …] retorted Starsha.

“אַהְ, סוֹפְּרֵינְדֵינְדוֹ. נוֹן סֵימְבְּרִי אוּנַה וּצִّיסוֹרֵי.׃”[Wow, that’s surprising, you don’t look like a killer,] the bartender pointed out.

“נוֹן אֵיסֵّירֵי אִינְגַאנַّאטוֹ דֵילְ פַאצַّאטַה דִי קוֹסִי. פְּרוֹפְּרְיוֹ קְוֵיסְטַה סְקַאטוֹלַה מוּסִיקַאלֵי. סְוַא פַאצַّאטַה אֵי֫, אוּהְ אֵיסְטְרֵימַאמֵינְטֵי בֵּילַّה מַה אִילְ סְווֹ קוֹרֵי אֵי֫… נוֹן אִימְפּוֹרְטַה… לַה סקַאטוֹלַה מוּסִיקַאלֵי…׃”[Don’t you be cheated by the façade of things. Just like that music box. Its façade is, uh, extremely beautiful but its core is … Never mind … The music box …] argued Starsha.

“סֵי נוֹן טִי פְּיַאצֵי דֵילֵّי סְווֹנֵי דֵילַّה סְקַאטוֹלַה מוּסִיקַאלֵי, פְּוְוֹיְ סְפֵּיעַארְלַה, סִיעוֹרִיטַה.׃”[If you don’t like the sounds of the music box, I can turn it off, lady,] proposed the bartender.

“גְרַאזְיֵי, אֵי֫ גֵיינְטִילֵי דֵי. לַא סְקַאטוֹלַה מוּסִיקַה אֵי֫ אִינֵיוִויטַאבִּילֵי, גְייוּסְטוֹ? אֵי֫ אִינֵיוִויטַאבִּלֵי, פְּרוֹפְּרְיוֹ קוֹמֵי … קוֹמֵי לַה פַאבְּרִיקַה גְרִיגַייה, נֵיקְרוֹלוֹגִי֫ייַה! נֵיקְרוֹלוֹגִי֫ייַה אֵי֫ אִינֵיוִויטַאבִּילֵי! מַה לַא בַּאטְّיַאמוֹ! פְּווֹיְ בַּאטֵّירֵי לַא אִינֵיוִויטַאבִּילִיטַה֫! ”[Thanks, it’s nice of you. The music box is … It is inevitable, right? It is inevitable, just like … Just like the Grey Factory, necrology! Necrology is inevitable! But we beat it! We can beat the inevitability!] exclaimed Starsha.

Suddenly, a drunk man in the bar commenced to fight another man crazily.

“פַאצְّיַה דִי קוּלוֹ!׃” [Face of ass!] cursed the drunken man.

He rushed towards his opponent and punched him on his chest.

“Yeah!” he roared.

Witnessing this, Starsha walked up to the man.

“קֵי פַאיְ, רַאגַאזַّה?׃” [What are you up to, girl?] demanded that drunken man aggressively and erotically.

A barely detectable smile appeared on Starsha’s face. As fast as a flash of lightning, she clutched the neck of that drunk man. The latter failed to dodge and his neck was caught by Starsha. He wanted to struggle but failed. He commenced to feel hard to breathe and soon he found himself at the mercy of Starsha.

Luckily, Starsha was a good girl and she unbent her fingers, letting go of that poor man.

Irritated by her, the friends of that man surrounded Starsha.

Starsha began to dance, dodging all the fists of her enemies. With her graceful dancing steps, she swept all her enemies to the ground like a gust of breeze: quiet, soft but lethal.

Her blood was on fire. She could feel her deepest desire, the desire to fight, and to destroy.

Veins burning, she stormed out of this tavern.

“Where are you going?” probed the bartender.

Saying nothing, Starsha walked away and her figure soon disappeared in the bartender’s sight.

IV

After about three minutes.

Floria walked down the stairs and saw the main hall of the tavern in a mess. Those drunken men were cursing. Floria couldn’t understand what they were talking about, but she was sure that the words coming out of their mouths were obscenely dirty ones.

The music box had stopped, shut down by the bartender. Without doubt, it was Starsha who asked him to do that.

Starsha was not there. She was gone, disappearing without trace.

“Where is Starsha? Where is her?” demanded Floria.

“I don’t know! She just walked away. By the way, that girl was terrific. Has she learnt some kind of martial arts? She was like a superhero!” exclaimed the bartender.

“She’s not a superhero, she is a supervillain,” corrected Floria.

“A villainess. That’s sexy,” commented the bartender.

“Oh my heavens … I need to find her … Where is she …” uttered Floria.

She walked out of the tavern. It was nearly midnight now and the winds were groaning in vain. The cunning moon was pouring its pale lights down to this hopeless withering world.

Everything was murky in this dark night and there were no signs of Starsha at all. Where did she go actually?