The Sounds of Change

Metal bracing unfolded with ease. Humming whispers echoed in the air. Yellow lights bobbed within their containment bands. Tiny bearings moved within smoothed chambers. The instrument came to life.

Sayane and Azag were on the floor of his room, where they had plenty of space. Before them was Echo’s sacred instrument, which he had given as an offering and proof of his commitment. There had been some concern between Sayane and Azag, but in the end, they agreed to trust him. All of his statements had held true in the truth serum’s grip, and at minimum, they were either going to have to kill him or release him and hope he held to his word.

Now it was a day later, and Sayane was intent on figuring out what this strange instrument was. They had finally gotten everything in place, and the instrument seemed to be waiting for Sayane to do something, but she did not know what.

The main body of the instrument was a large circle. Its frame was only an inch thick, and it sat flat on the ground, supported by several upright braces. Two cylindrical devices folded outward from the main body and pointed upwards. When the device activated, yellow pulses hummed like strings and rippled with light-like energy within the circle’s body.

“Now what?” Azag asked.

“I… I have no idea,” Sayane admitted.

“Maybe sing to it? See how it reacts?” she proposed.

Azag shrugged and nodded.

“Can’t hurt,” he agreed.

So Sayane scooted closer to the instrument. As she did, its yellow pulses gained intensity. Sayane cleared her throat and began to hum.

“Oh ohhhhh oh. Ohhhhh ohhhhhhhhhh ohhhh…” she sang towards the alien device.

As she did, the device radiated sound back to her. Tinges of synthetic violin notes danced in the air, and the light within the circle all moved to the circle’s edge nearest Sayane. Sayane smiled with excitement and sang out again.

“OOOOOOOHHHHH AHHHHHHHHHHHOHHH OOOOOOOHHHHH!!!” she called.

As she held the note, the light pulsed and pulled towards the circle’s center. It was almost as though the light was beckoning her forward.

“Sayane, it seems like it wants you… IN it?” Azag proposed.

Sayane was also feeling the same thing. A pull in her chest, and the faint electronic notes both seemed to tell her to step into the ring’s center. Even though she didn’t know what to expect, Sayane decided to give it a try.

“Well, here goes nothing,” she said as she stood and stepped into the device’s center.

The ring’s circumference was over a meter wide, so she easily fit within its bounds. As soon as her body passed the invisible barrier of the ring’s edges, yellow light shot up around her in thousands of small strands. Every strand reached out and attached itself with invisible anchors to Sayane’s fingers, palms, arms, elbows, chest, hips, chin, shoulders, back, thighs, legs, and feet.

“Whoa!” Sayane shouted in surprise.

“Sayane!” Azag called as he scrambled to reach for her.

“It’s fine! It doesn’t hurt!” Sayane said as she held out her hand to stop him.

As she moved her hand, harmonic string sounds burst out in complete clarity and resounding force. The slight movement of her hand extending caused the pitch of the strings to shift and reverb.

“WHOOOOOAAAAAA…..” they both said at once.

“Wait, move again,” Azag said.

Sayane nodded and lifted her hand once more. Doing so created another band of string notes to sound out. The more she extended her arms, the stronger and higher the note became. Extending her fingers into a fully open hand caused every individual note to shift. Bending and swiping her hand in elegant curves caused the notes to change altogether.

Then Sayane lifted her other hand, and more notes began. Just by lifting both hands, she now had an entire symphony’s worth of string sounds at her literal fingertips. Breathing in deep caused a deep cello-esque sound to cry from the beyond, like a great whale lost in the deep.

Sayane let her shoulders sway and the whale’s cry rose and fell in sync with her.

Lifting her feet created a sound not unlike icicles breaking. Setting her foot back to the ground generated a crashing noise that was impactful but pleasant.

“Hooooooollllly crap…” Sayane laughed as she marveled at the device.

“What wonder,” Azag muttered.

“What wonder!!” Sayane smiled as she looked at her glowing hands.

This was but one instrument, and she now felt as though she had an entire arsenal of sound at her disposal. Faced with a new level of creative freedom and the challenge of mastering this beautiful instrument, Sayane found herself thrilled to continue performing.

“I will not use this tonight, but I will be ready when Echo returns with his daughter,” Sayane said to herself.

Two nights later, that moment was upon them.

Once more, dozens of glowing eyes looked out at Sayane as she entered the atrium carrying the compact device. Nervous, fascinated whispers danced along the walls. Everyone shifted forward to get a better look.

“Is that?”

“I think so.”

“It can’t be.”

“I think it is.”

“What wonder!”

“What wonder!!”

Sayane reached the center point and knelt to place the instrument in position. Metal clinks and winding gears echoed around her. Ripples of light dotted and danced along the walls as the world’s fundamental harmony responded to the returning sacred sound. Everyone in attendance gasped in excitement as the lights performed in silent reverie. When everything was in place, the instrument center glowed yellow once more, and the lights within the stone walls changed their radiance to match.

Soft yellow ambience coated the space in tranquil silence.

Sayane stood and faced the audience as she crossed her hands before her. What she was about to ask was quite severe, but she prayed it would work.

“Friends, thank you for coming tonight,” she said with a nervous bow.

Behind them, Azag opened the door and let an unseen figure into the room. Even from a distance, Sayane spied glowing rose-colored eyes looking to her with somber anticipation.

“Friends, I have to ask you something tonight. This night will be different than others. But I need your help. I am about to ask you for something very significant, and I understand if it is too much for some.”

No one spoke. Azag led Echo forward around the perimeter of the space towards the stairs, which went down to Sayane. Sayane watched them approach unnoticed and felt an anxious lump build in her throat. She had so little understanding of the century of suffering these people had endured at The Silence’s hand. But innocence never deserved to suffer. And maybe, through this, she could create a new path in many attendees’ hearts.

Not a path of blind acceptance or forgiveness, but a perspective to build a new coalition of disparate, unlikely allies.

Echo reached the stairway’s edge, and now the audience began to notice him. Uncertain whispers began to rise. In Echo’s arms was a small, frail body. Sayane held up her hand for him to wait, and returned her focus to the audience.

“I do not think I came to this world to continue as is, or to return it to how it was. Already there has been a shift. I feel it in my own heart. Now, I must ask you for a great effort. Beside me is a man who was once a member of The Silence…”

Gasps echoed out towards Echo, along with hisses and growls. He stood his ground and kept his gaze on Sayane.

“Songstress! No!” cried a voice.

“Listen to me, I beg you,” Sayane called out.

The concerns began to rise, and Attis stepped forward.

“ENOUGH!! Sayane is speaking!!” he boomed out.

Everyone fell silent once more.

“...A man who was ONCE a member of The Silence. But no more. He has forsaken that world and pledged himself to our cause under full truth serum and a heart offering. He does this because his daughter is dying!” Sayane shouted as she pointed to the small body in Echo’s grip.

No one spoke. Dismayed melancholy pulled Echo’s face down as he looked to his daughter.

“I… I cannot ask for your forgiveness yet. I will accept whatever hate and jeers you throw at me and know it is deserved. But my daughter. She is a victim of the Empire as much as any other. They poisoned us, then left us alone. Please, no matter what you do to me, please, for her…” he sniffed as he stopped speaking.

Murmurs drifted across the room.

“This man shall be known as Echo, for he is no longer of silence. He is the one who gave me this lost instrument! And tonight, I will use it before you. With your help, and with this instrument’s help, I would like to try to remove this suffering from this child,” Sayane said as her voice shook.

There was more silence, and all of the lights seemed to calm. No pulses of energy circulated in the room. Only the faint glow of the instrument remained.

Azag’s hand raised with slow, shaky hesitation. Then it came to rest on Echo’s shoulder.

“I do not do this for this man. But for the child who had no say in the cruelty of this world. It is a grace I begged for on my own behalf as a child, but it never came. If I can do that for one other child, then by my heart I will. I give you my word.”

Tears ran down Echo’s face as he nodded in gratitude.

Azag’s words carried a weight few could object. If anyone knew suffering and tragedy at the hands of The Silence, it was him. But he was willing to listen to Sayane’s request.

Seconds later, a single audience member sat down in agreement. Then another. Then another. Then the entire audience sat. No one left. No one else objected.

“Thank you. I do not ask this lightly,” Sayane said with a bow.

With that, Echo stepped down into the atrium and positioned himself before Sayane’s feet. All the while, he held his daughter close to his chest.

Sayane knelt before him and removed the covering that hid the little girl’s face. Doing so revealed a blotted, pockmarked snakelike face similar in shape to her father’s. Strong cheekbones jutted out in gaunt weakness as closed eyelids tensed in pain.

“Papa…” she whispered.

“Shhhh. Shhh… Papa is here. This kind woman is going to help you,” Echo whispered as he held the girl’s face in his hand.

Sayane stood and stepped into the instrument’s embrace. Once more, the hordes of strings burst up in silent expectation and attached to Sayane’s body. As they did, Sayane crossed her arms over her chest and set her feet together.

“This time it will be different. You may sing if you wish. You may hum. You may clap. You may beat your chest. Whatever the music moves you to do, do that. All I ask is that you send a small bit of the grace in your heart to this child. I will pull her suffering out and take it myself…”

The audience gasped. Even Attis and Azag were surprised.

“Sayane,” Attis whispered.

“I believe this is correct. When I have it within myself, I will release it. Just like burdens and sorrows, I will allow them to move into me before relinquishing them. Trust me. I can do it.”

Attis hesitated then nodded.

With that, Sayane was ready. She held up her hands and the sounds of one hundred digital strings rose in intensity. Yellow bursts rose from the ground up the walls and lifted in unison with the sound like a great equalizer. Sayane inhaled and began to sing.