Save Me

“I think…Rayven needs an intervention. Has she even moved from that spot since we arrived?”

Silver eyes watch over the lone figure from above, perched on a tall tree. The woman lies on a grave, her body curled up into a ball. Her hooded cloak conceals her, but half her face is exposed to her observer. Her face is pale, mouth is taut, and golden eyes are vacant under the moonlight.

“I think she just needs space. She literally lost her heart…again. Except this time it’s for good.”

“I know, ok? I know Melody was everything to her. She was her light. She was her soul. She was her reason for living. No one cared about her more than Mel. Mel loved her more than she ever loved herself. I think everyone loved Kanade more than she loved herself. Now Rayven…I think this mission was the only thing left keeping her alive. The chance to see Mel again and hold her close; that was literally all she dreamed of. But now she doesn’t dream at all. She’s just empty.”

“How many days has it been? I lost count after a week. I want to respect her wish to be left alone right now, but she’s going to start deteriorating soon if she doesn’t eat something. Her immortal body won’t die from hunger so easily, but she will start wasting away. As Mama always told her and Mel, they’re immortal but not invulnerable. With enough time of excessive wear on their bodies, even they will die. Same if they receive any injuries that damage their bodies beyond repair. Most important of all, too much time spent away from Harmony will return them mortal.”

“Yeah I remember those rules. Too much time away…that’s what ultimately sealed Mel’s fate.”

“Exactly. We have to consider that the guilt of not finding her sooner is also eating Rayven up inside. Mel lasted so long thanks to her lingering immortality and whatever preservation methods that psycho Conductor used to keep her useful to him over the years. However, she clearly lost her immortality over time, which is why she’d already begun aging when Rayven finally found her. Could she have stopped her regression if only she’d come sooner? I’m not so sure. Harmony is already lost. With no Mother to watch over and nurture it, the creatures remain in hibernation.”

“Do you think Mother will ever return to it? Not Mama, I know she’s gone. But surely she chose another to take her place? I’m sure if things were different it’d have been Kanade. But it can’t be her now….” They become depressed. “I wish we could all go back. Back to happy times again.”

‘Enough.’ Just one word is enough to silence Alten immediately. ‘I don’t want to hear anymore.’ Her eyes are sharp as a knife as she glares up at them. ‘I just want it to be quiet.’ She gets to her feet. She shuffles forward, dragging them like a zombie towards some destination. ‘It’s too loud.’ She removes the flute from her satchel, and places it to her lips. “This world is too damn loud!’

Alten look at each other in confusion. “What…is she talking about?” They ask with one voice. Just then, two unique voices come into earshot of them. “Wait, that’s-.” They turn to look into the distance outside the boundaries of the cemetery, and their eyes settle on two figures. “No!”

~-~

“La, La, La, La, Lah. La, La, La, La, Lah.” A highly-pitched melody carries along the deserted street as two girls walk down it hand-in-hand. “La, La, La, La, La, La, La, La, La, La, La, Lah!”

“That’s enough for now Haru. I think we’ve already repelled the lingering monsters in the area.” The dark-haired girl walks slowly in front of her blonde companion, the metal of her makeshift armor clanking lightly as she walks. A metal trash bin lid presses against her back, while her free hand holds a spear fashioned out of a mop handle and butcher’s knife. It’s not the best gear, but it’s kept them alive since they escaped the café just over a week ago. “We need to find shelter.”

“Ok, got it, Rika.” Haru falls silent and takes a moment to absorb this moment. She looks down at her hand, which Rika holds firmly in her own. Haru smiles and blushes slightly. “You know, you’re so cool, Rika. You’ve been like, so brave this past week, and I’m super grateful to you.”

“For what? I haven’t done anything special, have I? I just wanted to survive, together with you.”

Haru feels her heart skip a bit. “So, is there like a reason you wanted to survive with me or…?”

“Huh? What do you mean?” She replies with a tone of confusion. “We’re in this together. It’s not like I could run off and leave you behind. I’d never be able to live with myself if I survived on my own without even trying to save you. It’d make me a coward. I won’t abandon a friend.”

“Friend?” Her smile fades. “Oh, so it’s not like I’m special or anything. I’m just an obligation.”

“Huh?!” Now her tone is frustrated. “I didn’t say that at all? Why are you twisting my words?”

“That’s basically what you meant!” She stops abruptly, forcing Rika back. “Everyone else in that café deserved a chance to live too. You could’ve saved anyone…but you only saved me. Why?”

Rika turns to face her now. “Tell me why I’d save people I don’t know in such a dangerous situation? I’m not a coward and I don’t enjoy seeing innocent people suffer. However, I’m not foolish. If I didn’t care about you I’d have only saved myself, because it’d give me the highest chance to survive. But surviving means nothing if I’m all alone. We’re way stronger together.”

Haru is relieved to hear her words, but she still can’t help but feel frustrated. She doesn’t really understand it herself, but she still snatches her hand from Rika’s. “So all I’m really good for is companionship, huh? If it’d been any other friend with you, I bet you’d have saved them too. It could have been anyone else. I’m talking hypothetically of course. You have no other friends.”

“Wha-.” She starts to protest, but realizes she’s right. Haru walks on ahead. “Hey, stay back!”

“Don’t worry about me anymore, okay? I’m not as smart as you, or as talented, but I can fight if I need to. I’m not some damsel here to tie you down. Your chance of survival is higher if you’re alone, right? Then let’s just go our separate ways here. It’s what’s best for you!” She runs off.

“Wait! Don’t run off on your own idiot!” Rika calls after her, but she ignores her. “Haru! Haru!”

Haru ignores Rika’s calls and continues to run. She has no idea to where, but she just knew if she stayed there any longer her heart would burst. She runs into an abandoned retail store and finds the nearest bathroom. She locks herself in a stall and sits on the seat with huddled legs. Only then does she allow her tears to fall. “Why’d you have to say that?” She sniffles. “Stupid Rika….” She cries for a while, but soon her frustration develops into anxiety. “Oh gosh, she’s probably so worried about me right now. I left her all alone too. How could I do that?! I’m the stupid one….” She gets to her feet and exits the stall. “I need to get back to her!” She rushes out and focuses on returning to Rika right away. However, the moment she steps outside, she’s met with a group of beasts sitting in formation obediently, as if waiting for an order. “Oh no!” She backs away from them slowly. “Um, uh, oh!” She has an epiphany. “La, La, La, La, Lah! La, La, La, La, Lah!”

She attempts to sing the song as she has many times before, which was effective in getting the beasts to back off. However, it’s ineffective against these, and they only watch her with low growls. She shakes her head in disbelief. She doesn’t understand why it’s no longer working. Suddenly she hears the sound of an airy tune; a wordless song with bitter undertones. The beasts immediately begin to stir, and soon grow increasingly more aggressive. They begin closing in on her. “Hurry and run! These are not the same beasts you know! These beasts are called Ongaku!”

She looks around searching for the source of the voice and tune, but she doesn’t find anyone. However, their words breed curiosity in her. “Ongaku? No, those are extinct beasts. They’ve been gone for years now. The Conductors eliminated them all. These are Hangaku…aren’t they? Hangaku are more sensitive to music than Ongaku. As long as music is played at all times, they won’t attack. The Conductors said the age of Heroines is already over. Once upon a time only they could protect us from the Ongaku with their special voices, but after the Heroine of Staccato betrayed and turned the Ongaku against us, the Conductors had to step in with a weapon of their own and that’s what they used to eliminate the Ongaku. No one really knows where Hangaku came from, but when they disrupted our peace and drove us into the compounds, the Conductors learned that playing vocal music deters them. That’s when the music mandates began and there was a boom in musical artists and bands. It’s been this way for about 50 years now, you know?”

“Those were all lies! The Conductors are evil.” The booming voice abruptly grows soft. “You really shouldn’t have said those things…. I’m so sorry Miss, but it’s too late to run away now.”

“Huh. What do you-?” Just then she catches sight of a feminine figure jump down from the roof and right into the center of the pack of beasts. They wear a hooded cloak of green and gold, and don a bow and arrows. “An archer?” She can’t see their face from beneath the hood, but she can feel the overwhelming sense of malice emanating from them. “Who…who are you Miss archer?”

They don’t reply with words. They instead place a wooden pipe to their lips and begin playing a low menacing tune. With an instant response the beasts begin their charge. “Run girl! Run now!”

She doesn’t need to be told a third time. Haru turns and begins running for life. “Ah!” She runs as fast as she can, but she can feel them gaining on her with the increasing patter of their feet on the street and the increasing volume of their snarls. “Please stop! Why are you doing this? What did I do to you?!” She attempts to quell the archer. “Can’t we please talk about this?” She pleads, but her wishes are not heard, and an onslaught of beasts continues. To make matters worse, Haru trips and falls to the ground hard. “Ouch!” She grabs her leg, and a nasty scrape starts to bleed on her knee. She tries to stand, but she winces in her pain. “No…please don’t.” They loom closer as tears start to fall from her eyes. “I don’t want to die! I don’t want it! Save me! Save me, Rika!”

“Haru!” With a brilliant beacon of light from the clash between a metal shield and spear against claws, Rika appears before her. Like a lighthouse, that beacon guides Rayven back home, to Her.