Hymn for the Missing

“Do you truly want to see your sister Kanade?” Endora finally breaks the silence. “I’ll take you.”

Kana jumps to her feet. ‘You will?!’ Her hands now tap calmly. ‘Please, I want to see her now!’

Endora lowers her head and flattens her body, as though she was bowing before her. “Climb up.”

Kana looks on hesitantly, her imposing size making her nervous despite her kindness. But she soon steels herself. ‘This is the only chance I have to reunite with Uta. I can’t let fear stop me!’ She climbs up on Endora’s back and softly clings to her smooth feathered coat. ‘I’m ready now.’

Endora immediately rises, the sudden motion causing Kana to instinctively cling to her harder. “Fear not child, I will not let you fall. However, please hold on tight to ensure your safety.” She hovers a few feet off the ground, but before taking to the skies, she turns to the twins. “Will you be joining us, or will you stay? I shall not decide for you. The choice is yours to make alone.”

“This has nothing to do with me,” Ten says with indifference. “I don’t even know her. I’ll stay.”

“I’ll go! I’ll go!” Al agrees without hesitation. “I want to help her. She’s our family now, right?”

‘Family? With whom? Me? As if.’ Kana denies his claim, but thankfully he can’t hear her say it.

Endora however, can hear everything clearly. “Family is not something you can choose on your own. Yet, it still can be chosen even by those who share no blood. Family is but a special bond.”

“Hmm…I’m not sure I understand, but I do want to help her, so I’ll go. Ten, please come too!”

“No way. Why should I? We’re going to the lost lands, right? No thanks. I’m quite happy here.”

“But Ten, we can’t let her face that place alone. Mama can’t influence the lost ones since they’re not connected to the Heart of Harmony. If Kanade gets attacked by Ongaku, she’ll need help.”

“So? That has nothing to do with us. Harmony is our home, and it’s at peace. Nothing bad ever happens here, and it never will because Mama is here to protect it. The Lost Ones are a cancer to this world. Their wickedness is why the Ongaku were born in those lost lands. They’re the ones who killed our siblings too. I hate them all! It’d be best if they’re wiped out with the Ongaku.” There’s vitriol in her voice as she casts her eyes down, hiding the resentment present in them.

Al looks sadly at his sister, but doesn’t respond. Even his optimism is drained. However, it’s Endora who says, “Bitter words come from bitter hearts. A bitter tongue can heal with time, but we must be cautious to not let bitterness consume us. Lest we become those who are wicked.” She soon rises up towards the sky. “Come Alto, let’s go. Tenor has made her choice. Respect it.”

Alto looks back once more. “See you later Ten. I love you.” His sweet words linger on even after he’s already fluttered away leaving her heart heavier than the bitterness could ever manage to do.

~-~

Endora lands on the ground gracefully, having arrived at their destination. “We are here child.” She lowers herself again, and allows Kana to slide off her back and step onto the ground. Alto perches on an extended branch of a nearby tree. Everyone remains silent as Kana looks around.

Kana approaches the familiar large metal doors, which are smashed in beyond repair. They won’t provide any defense again, and the kingdom is no longer protected. However, everything is silent and there’s no people around. With the way the moonlight casts down, the surrounding areas look chilling. It’s an environment befitting of the dead, and it’s likely that all that remains there are ghosts. The ghosts of the Kingdom of Staccato. ‘Onee-san…are you among the ghosts too?’

“Kanade! Kanade! Look, I found this on the ground!” Alto swoops down and hovers in the air in front of Kana. His two feet are wrapped around a gold and white headpiece. Kana immediately recognizes it as the Duke’s crown. She takes it with a frown, and with all her might she tosses it angrily away into the forest. She turns sharply and heads towards the gate. “Did I do something bad?” Al asks sadly. “I was only trying to help…Mama?” He looks towards Endora for comfort.

“Human feelings are complicated Alto; this is something you must learn if you wish to interact with them. They are emotional and often irrational creatures, but that’s also what makes them interesting. They have a tendency to reject what they don’t understand, and outcast anything that is contrary to their norms. However, they are also intelligent and innovative creatures. They can create things creatures like us could never imagine, and they study this world closely in order to unlock its potential. That said, they’re also greedy and self-serving. As wonderful as they can be, they can also be cruel, selfish, and have no consideration for Earth’s nature and animal habitats.”

“I see.” Alto takes a moment to reflect on all Endora said, then finally says, “I won’t give up!”

He flaps his wings with purpose, and follows after Kana, who’s already reached the castle doors. Endora doesn’t follow them; she instead settles her body in place. “Take care, my dear children.”

~-~

Kanade walks the various corridors of the castle, reminiscing at every corner. She often would wander aimlessly when she was bored, and her sister wasn’t around to humor her. She never attended school with the other kids of the kingdom, but instead had a private tutor. Neither she nor the tutor had much interest in the arrangement, so they reached an agreement. The tutor gave her weekly assignments to study for and complete on her own, and in return the tutor would leave her to do as she pleased without reporting that she wasn’t present for her lessons. The assignments were always simple, so she could complete them without much effort. Therefore Kana had a lot of free time to explore and investigate things of her own interest. She loved it.

However, she loved no place more than her own room. She passes through the old doors at the oldest wing of the castle. She enters a room that’s considerably smaller than the other rooms, and is furnished with basic furniture rather than having the grandeur of the main rooms. This is the room she was considered ‘worthy’ of, but for once it was not a result of the duke’s spite. It was her own mother who insisted on this room for her. That way she’d be out of sight and out of mind in an effort to avoid troubling others. Yet the only one who was troubled by her was her. Uta made a case for her of course, but she was at the mercy of their mother all the same. Kana hated the duke, but their mother was the real enemy who kept them shackled long before the duke came along. Even when their father was alive, she’s certain the one calling the shots was their mother as well. She was truly wicked, and perhaps it spawned the disease that killed her.

She steps on something hard that’s not the floor, halting her exploration of the room. She bends down to pick up the object. It’s long and round, has holes along the length, and the tip is narrowed to one end. The texture is smooth but rough, and it has ridges from the natural wood. ‘I forgot about this. Uta gave me this flute so long ago as a present. She said this would be the sound of my voice, and the melody I produced would carry my message to her, and anyone who cared to listen.’ She grips it tighter in her hands and grits her teeth. ‘Too bad no one else did.’ She chucks it away in anger. However she immediately runs to pick it up again and holds it to her chest as tears start to flow. ‘I’m sorry Uta…I’m sorry.’ She places it to her lips, and plays a melancholy tune. It’s a composition filled with a sense of mourning for the light she’s now lost.