To Continue On

Blurred vision drifted back to Sayane’s eyes as she felt herself being held up by Azag and Erosc. Hammering thuds echoed out as the crowd chanted her name.

“Sayane! Sayane! Sayane! Sayane! Sayane!”

Every call of her name chimed with the thunderous slams of the stone fists. Burning strain stopped her words from formulating. Her throat was hurt, maybe even damaged. All she could do was hum. So she closed her eyes once more and let her body droop forward as she hummed softly to herself in a plea for healing.

Soothing cool throbs of relief moved from her throat down to her pulled abdomen. Each hum stimulated some new strained area of her body and focused on repairing its injury. Azag heard her humming and stood to face the crowd.

“Comrades! The songstress needs your help! Hum with her! Gently!!” he called as he lowered his hands in visual cue to lower the volume.

Silence fell over the great cavern and the Great Harmony Shard listened to Sayane’s voice. As her hum echoed out, small spirals of flame drifted down to her and came to rest on her back. Deep hums of stony support projected to her from the crowd below.

Azag was back facing her now, and he began to hum as well. Sayane had never heard such a sound from him. Through everything, he was always in the background, drowned out by the intensity of the music. Hearing his gentle baritone reverberating her song back to her gave her comfort. Each of her friends’ voices rose to greet her and blanket her in support. Even Erosc was purring rumbling, chest-filled harmonies.

Each breath and second of calm allowed her strength to return and the burning pain in her throat eventually faded. Within a minute of focusing, Sayane’s body and voice were mended. A heavy gasp sounded out and Sayane let out a laugh as she regained herself.

“How was that?” she croaked to the audience.

There was a pause, then an ear-splitting cheer. Fists of stone rose in the air as answer.

“I think that means you did pretty well,” Echo chuckled as they all helped Sayane to her feet.

Azag’s hand met her waist and he guided her to the front of the stage. The rest of the friends remained back, so that only those two were at the forefront. The cheers continued for several more seconds until Sayane weakly lifted her hand.

“Friends. This is not the end. Only the beginning. Tomorrow my tour continues to the land of Akna, where another Great Harmony Shard awaits. Then, my journey ends at the very heart of The Silence…”

Her word choice surprised her.

‘Ends’

It was a sneaking fear that had only recently appeared in her heart since she and Azag had become the de facto leaders of the rebellion. The guiding and formation of a new world was not her skillset. Music was. All those weeks ago, Attis had told her that most Ethereals had disappeared as randomly as they had appeared. Maybe, Sayane feared, they vanished once their tasks were complete. Maybe the breaking of the Dissonance and overthrow of The Silence was her task.

Deep in her heart and mind, a dread arrived that she couldn’t shake. Her time in this strange, wonderful, terrifying, beautiful world might be ending soon. But she did not wish to stop or slow. So many innocent beings across the realm were crying out for aid and a new existence. If she could help bring that into fruition, she didn’t want to waste another moment.

Though none in the audience took her words as hints of farewell, her statement had shocked the audience nonetheless. None dared speak, but Sayane knew they were as concerned as she was that the final Shard was in The Silence’s hands.

Azag stepped forward to speak.

“We do not ask for oaths of loyalty or proclamations of alliance. We merely ask you to stand and fight with us, however you are able. If you wish for violence, Erosc can offer you that. If you wish to provide intel, Echo can use your aid. If you wish to spread the message of Sayane’s song and our cause, Attis can give you Voice Carriers to send to the distant lands. But we march on, and we shall not stop until The Silence is broken! Stand with us, and bring forth a new world!” Azag cheered out.

His cheer was met by more roars of agreement.

“Azag the Guardian! Sayane the Songstress! Azag the Guardian! Sayane the Songstress! Azag the Guardian! Sayane the Songstress!”

The chants continued for minutes, even as Sayane bowed farewell and left the great cavern.

Once she was alone in her cabin, she collapsed onto the bed and tears returned, though she could not exactly articulate why. Soon, after the tears had stopped, she fell asleep once more just as the caravan thrusters fired. While she dreamed, the tour continued on, back into the shadows, and on towards Akna.

Dreaming brought flashes of her first life, but they were no longer nightmares. No longer did she see visions of the heap of metal crashing down upon her. Instead, her mind was filled with memories of the city she had once known as home. Neon signs along the shopping streets of Ginza and Shimokitazawa. Cherry blossoms in the spring. Summer festival fireworks lighting up the sky.

All these images recalled a previous life that was now as foreign to her as this place was when she arrived. Yet for every remembrance of that life that was lost, there was no memory of music. Her song had died in that world. Instead, her heart and mind had decided to focus on all the myriad small moments that had nurtured the person she was beyond music.

When Sayane awoke in the deep dark of the night, the dread returned. She wondered if those dreams were some manner of warning that she would be returning to her previous world soon. Maybe she hadn’t actually died, and this was all some form of a dream in a different reality while her body healed. If that was the case, it seemed that her dreams were telling her that her music would remain here in this world. Her song belonged in this world, and this world only. Tears of concerned remorse returned, but Sayane held to her gratitude that she had at least gotten to experience the true power of her song for even a short while.