Chapter 1: Fleeting Melodies

As the sun began to set on the streets of Kyokai, its orange glow flooded in through all the windows of all the buildings in the city. and as its beams of amber glow crawled their way up the walls of the school marking the end of another day, all throughout the halls you could hear, someone who wasn't ready to call it quits. Someone who didn't want the day to be over. A girl who just didn't want to go home, whom sat in the empty music room, Playing piano until the strings wore out. She didn't often stay after school, but today, for whatever reason, she felt like she couldn't go home, not until she was finished, not until she was satisfied. When she sat down in front of the grand piano and began to play, she played slowly at first, but rapidly picked up the pace the more time went on. It was clear she not only knew how to play, but diligently practiced every day. Her arms swayed back and fourth as her fingers danced along the black and white Avery keys. But even so, you could hear her growing more and more frustrated the more she played. Because no matter how hard she practiced, she couldn't see herself getting any better. 

"Lonely girl

finds herself alone again

trying at something that's just out of reach

its not enough to play pretend

why don't things ever go my way?

i guess I'll just keep rolling with the punches

never mind, its okay

never mind, its okay."

At times, Even today, she'd still catch herself with her fingers hovering hesitantly over the wrong keys on the keyboard. Shed practice that part over and over until she got it right, only to mess up a different part. it was as if she was trying to plug up wholes in a sinking ship, for every one she patched up, three more sprung a leak around her. it felt as if every one step forward, inevitably lead her two steps back. Frustratingly, the more effort she put in, the worse she inevitably got.

"Expectation suffocation

no one gets it

no one can help you when you're trapped in your mind

there's no where to run away

its not enough to just have fun

i want the whole world to know where I'm from"

And the song she was trying to write, the feelings she was trying to convey, she couldn't get it right, she just couldn't get the words out. it all laid stuck at the tip of her tongue. it's like she could feel its shape in between her hands, but the more she tried to grasp it, the faster the feelings slipped between her fingers. Leaving her with nothing but an empty canvass traced with the silhouette of what she wanted to say.

"frustrations picking up

and my hair's getting wrecked

if every day is different,

 then why does it feel so much the same?

these mountains I've been climbing

they seam to be no end in sight"

She felt she had hit a wall with nowhere to go. She couldn't deny her inability to find a path forward. She couldn't ignore how trapped she felt in her stagnation. Her fingers were already so sore from practice. But even so, she couldn't possibly stop now, she was far from satisfied with her story so far, there was so much she still wanted to do. And so, day in and day out, in spite of the words never coming out the way she wanted, and in spite of the melodies she couldn't get right no matter how much she played, she kept at it, refusing to let it go. Refusing to let her passions die. Because what she feared most of all, was that if she ever took a break, she might never pick it up again.

"stop wasting your time

aren't you tired of getting nowhere?"

"no I'm not, and if you're not gonna help,

then shut up and stand aside!

don't wait for me to stop

and don't go and hold your breath now

I'm not leaving this seat until i get it right

I'm not dropping this dream

I'm not giving up this fight.

so i cant give in, 

i cant give up

I'll run as fast as i can 

for as far as i can

just to not end up right back where i started

Because...

 I'm not just another in-crowd!"

The piano keys stopped all at once as the thought crossed her mind. Like an epiphany that froze her in place. Her hands began to shake as the weight on her chest grew deeper and deeper as the recursive thought banged against the side of her head again and again. the question she couldn't bring herself to answer

"why... why do the words sound so hollow coming out of my mouth? am i... am i really just not good enough?" The insecurity... it overwhelmed her...

She clenched her fists and slammed them into the keys. The rawarus thunder echoed throughout the empty halls. Getting up from her chair in frustration, she drew in a sharp breath and kept it there, as if holding it in place would alleviate the pressure she felt. But... it didn't.

As she finally let the air out of her lungs, calming herself down in the process, her gaze wandered across the empty music room. and an image began to manifest in front of her. Before her eyes, thousands of adoring fans surrounded her as she stood at the center stage of a massive concert hall, all the while calling out her name "Luna! Luna! Luna!"

And with her gaze firmly fixed onto the images in her mind. Enraptured in an illusion so vivid she could feel it, a reality where, beyond the stage in front of her, when thousands of people came to watch her play, all there was left to do... was to sit down and play. She couldn't bring herself to say no... not to them at least. She started to hop in place, adrenaline began to pump thorough her veins as she began to relax. She spoke to herself in barely a whisper trying to hype herself up.

“one more time, one more time. What dreams may come if you don't even try?”

She sat back down and started playing once again, but this time, it didn't go quite as she expected.

"so... your scared of giving in?

you're scared of letting go?

don't you fret my friend 

everyone is here for you

they stand in bated breath

they're here to hear you play 

don't you know by now?

You are long for this world!"

Her fingers nimbly danced across the keys. she missed not a single note for what felt like the very first time. it was as if she could feel the notes rush in. and through he countless hours of practice, she managed to develop the skills necessary to really make them sing. all the while the words bellowing out from deep inside of her like a symphony she could no longer hold back. all the feelings she couldn't put into words, and all the words that escaped her, were all coming together like a perfect storm, coming fourth in all at once in a radiant display of emotion.

"i might not be the best musician

i might not be the best singer

but I'll never stop trying

I'll never stop giving it my all

you're the one i do this for

sometimes its hard to even try 

sometimes its hard to not give up

but i... but i... but i never will!

its all just a matter of time 

keep at it and don't give up

your audience is out there waiting for you

don't you let them down!

go and give them all a show!"

in that moment, deep from inside her, a melody erupted onto the piano, something she had never practice before, suddenly came to her like a flash. and in one seamless motion, the music flowed like a river from the innermost parts of her heart, out through her arms and off the tips of her fingers, down onto the keys in front of her. She didn't understand what was happening at first. it was like catching lightning in a bottle. A moment in time where everything fell right into place. A resonating anthem of who she was and everything she was going to be. The sheer joy and happiness she felt in that moment was so radiant it could bounce off the walls. Because after all of this time, she had finally broken through. The song from deep within her soul, was finally coming out.

"so... you didn't just give up

you couldn't let it go

 good job my dear old friend 

not many get this far!

i knew you had it in you

i knew it all along

you're not just good enough...

You were long for this world!

you are long for this world!

go and give them all a show!"

as the last words left her mouth, her hands trembled over the piano keys as chills ran up and down her spine. With excitement filling her heart and tears swelling in her eyes she couldn't help to scream “FUCK YEAAAAH HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!!!” she said jumping up and down, raising her arms in the air in excitement “I did it! I finally did it! it might not be perfect, but it's definitely a start!” but the moment was fleeting, all the excitement she felt quickly faded as she looked up from her piano up towards the crowd, just to once again find herself in the empty music room. The crushing silence overwhelmed the thunderous applause she could hear in her head. "Luna! Luna! Luna!"

Her face slipped into a half smile as tears rolled down her eyes, she wore a melancholy look on her face as she said “well, maybe not today, but one day...for sure.” finally satisfied with her practice, she decided to pick up her things to go home. 

With her bag in hand she made her way down the stairs, with the music room all the way at the top floor, she still had a ways to go, all the while, her footsteps echoing across the eerily empty halls. From the fourth floor, she made her way all the way down 6 flights of stairs. until, on mere chance, she hopped over the last one. Meaning she only took 39th steps. she may not have remembered it at the time, but a long time ago, she once heard a rumor. a rumor where there was, supposedly, a magic staircase with 40 steps going up, but only 39 going down. and if you were to go down those 39 steps, you'd be taken to a far away world unlike our own. She, of course, didn't believe it at the time. but for whatever reason she couldn't bring herself to forget it. So, just as a precaution, she made sure to note all 40 steps down and never skip a single one, not even once. but today, she was still riding so high from her practice, she completely forgot about her after school ritual. and as a result, she absentmindedly skipped over the last step. 

The moment her foot made contact with the ground, she was already gone. her foot stepped not on the familiar birchwood floors of her school, but a dark blackness she couldn't recognize. In that moment, she was overtaken with a sinking feeling as she remember the rumor she had heard so long ago, as a result, she instinctively turned around to go back up the stairs where she came from, but something wasn't right, as she pivoted her foot on the ground to turn around she found that the floor was wet and damp. and it caused the floor to give way beneath her causing her to slip and fall, hitting her head on the way down. 

By the time she opened her eyes, the orange glow of the sun had faded, and in it place a purple hue radiated all around her. She looked around and saw how the school had changed, the glass windows were now made of paper and mostly boarded up with planks of rotten wood and rusty nails, the walls were covered in a patchwork paint that had been peeling off for what looked like years, showing all the different coats of paint that had long been forgotten, and the floor, dark and wet, composed of a series of mismatching carpets that reeked of humidity and sloshed with every step. Her hands dripping with water as she picked herself off the floor. A cold wind blew through her as she consoled her battered body by rubbing down the parts that hurt the most. It wasn't all that bad it seemed, she probably couldn't stand if something was broken, she thought.

“What is this place?” never once had she ever seen such a sinister sight in all the years she’s been to that school. She walked through the halls as the humidity filled her lungs and condensed over her warms skin. Searching desperately, trying to find any semblance of familiarity where there was none. she could see the sign marker of every classroom along the hall. but she couldn't read the words. it was as if they were jumbled up and spelled using multiple different languages. one sign that, at first, she recognize was the bathroom markers at the end of the hall. but as she got closer, the familiar stick figure wearing a dress and stick figure not wearing a dress, suddenly began to shift as she got closer. Transforming into arbitrary geometric figures that eluded any sort of tangible meaning. but even so, inexplicably, the more she looked, the more she could see herself in one of the symbols over the other. but either way it was of no consequence, the school was empty, it doesn't really matter so long as no ones watching.

she approached the bathroom. She thought she might feel better after splashing some water in her face. but upon opening the sink, a dark brown, almost black sludge began to pour out in front of her. And in it dozens of tiny bugs and worms squirming in the cesspool trying to crawl their way out of the sink only to slide back down the ceramic and back into the filth from whence they came. the sight was so appalling she couldn't help to gag as she desperately tried to shut the tap. She backed away in a shiver as the sight made her skin crawl. and that's when she heard a metal clanging sound underfoot. she looked down to see her foot standing over a knife that lie in front of one of the bathroom stalls. At first she didn't know what to think, but when she remembered the urban legend of Hanako-chan who hid in the woman's bathrooms  waiting to slice up his next victim with a kitchen knife, she suddenly felt the urge to hightail it out of there.

At this point she'd had enough of this school of fright and began to look for an exit. but as she began to run down the halls she slowly realized the building itself wasn't anything like she remembered. the halls went on for what felt like forever and twisted and turned in on themselves in confounding ways that defied any semblance of logic and physics. but then, suddenly, she stopped in her tracks. she didn't realize it at first but she saw something strange that stood out to her. A dark aura emanated  from one of the dozens of halls she had run past. She turned around and traced her steps until she could physically feel the pressure building up around her as the ambient temperature dropped several degrees. she couldn't actually see the malevolent shadows pouring out from within the hall, but she could feel it in her bones. and as she approached the hallway, she could feel her heart beating out of her throat. 

turning the corner she looked deeper into the hallway and all the way at the end was a padded blood red door. it looked so sinister and mysterious it sent chills up and down her spine, but at the same time, she felt comfort, along with a desire to approach it, almost like it was beckoning her. as she approached the door and reached for the silver door knob, she hesitated for a second. “curiosity killed the cat…" she thought to herself, Her hand hovering over the reflective handle, but she steeled herself when the second half of the phrase came to mind "but satisfaction brought it back” and with that, she swung opened the door and made her way in.

As the famous adage goes, curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back. meaning indulging in ones curiosity and escaping ignorance can sometime be a painful process but a necessary one that is overshadowed by the satisfaction of the experience. but while the second half may imply... that, in the end, its all worth it... don't leave the trail for the rough... because if you get tempted by the latter, you might forget the formers explicit warnings, that, at least by this logic, satisfaction comes only after you've already encountered death.

what she saw that day, would kill the girl formerly known as Luna, was herself. In that music room again, but it was no longer empty, it was filled with students who were only half paying attention. She talked about the wonders of music and art as a form of expression for one’s true feelings and emotions. but this wasn't a club that she started, she was twice her age teaching music in the very public school she attended as a teenager. She couldn't believe her eyes, what could this be? Could this be… was this her future? When the thought crossed her head, Her knees gave way hitting the floor as she broke down in tears. this was by far the scariest thing she's seen all night. How could this have happened? she asked herself after all those years of practicing, how could she be right back where she started?! This wasn't fair! and in the pit of that despair she heard a voice.

“you know… it doesn't have to be this way…”

the girl swallowed her tears in a hurry trying to stow her emotions. “what? who said that? what is this? show… show yourself”

but the voice didn't concede, “don't play dumb, you already know full well what this is, but it doesn't have to be that way. you don't have to be the person you don't want to be, I can help you with that”

“help me? what do you mean?”

"I can bring out the best in you. By yourself, you'll never make it, but together, i can bring fourth the words that lie dammed at the tip of your tongue, unable to come out."

"what... what are you talking about? You don't know anything about me!” she barked back in a desperate attempt to discredit the voice

“oh lonely girl, that's where you're wrong, i know you better than you know yourself." the voice snarled. “I heard your song, you have a dream that lies beyond your reach, and I can see in your heart that its killing you inside."

"what... what do you mean by that?"

"I've been watching you, and I've seen quite a lot. I've seen every bated breath, every fleeting moment, every tear that ran its way down your cheek, out of anyone in the world, i, and only i, can say have truly seen you for who you are."

"do you have any idea how creepy that sounds?" she said in a snarky tone trying to fluster the voice. but all it did was make him laugh. A sinister chuckle that emanated all around her. surrounding her and filling her heart with dread like a hare about to get pounced on by a fox.

"You... are nothing more than a lonely girl chasing waterfalls. Trying so desperately to attain something you can never grasp. You think that if you diligently work day in and day out, that one day, all your efforts will pay off. you hold onto that hope with all your strength no matter how hard it gets. no matter how much it kills you. because deep down, all the way in the back of your mind, you know it yourself, that's all it'll every be. nothing more than a dream you cant wake up from."

"That's not true! i know i have it in me! what i did today is proof of that!"

"oh? you mean upstairs, in the music room?" the voice laughed an uncontrollable laugh, it sounded like he was bellowing at the top of his lungs

"why- WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING?!" she shouted

"oh, you felt so good about yourself didn't you?  who do you think did that for you?"

"what?..." her mind spiraled what was he implying? 

he could read it in her face. "ah, so your finally starting to get it? Don't you see? You've already had a taste of my power" he said

the realization shattered her "but... i thought..." her gaze fell to the ground as her head slumped forward

"well, you thought wrong" the voice taunted as it began to laugh. "because you understand as well as i that you are not one for the spotlight. That's why you have to constantly keep telling yourself that you are as you sing. you entire story from start to finish is shrouded in mediocrity. gagged and bound to the sidelines. completely unremarkable in every way. and its killing you inside to know that. That's why you fight so hard against yourself. that fire in your heart is nothing more than that fear of failure you carry inside pushing you to keep going. but you know as well as i, deep down, its all futile... one day you'll have no choice but to accept... there's no escaping who you are. that desire, that chase for something bigger, is all you'll ever have."

Her silence was telling. his words cut into her like knives. her true feelings revealed by the absence of a response. every inside voice she had pushed away through the years were all coming out all at once. she couldn't help to shatter onto her knees as she began to cry. She couldn't stop thinking how cruel it was. for what felt like the first time, her practice... it was finally paying off... she was finally getting somewhere, what she had wanted all this time, was finally within reach, but... for it all to be just some sick joke at the hands of... this... thing. she couldn't possibly bear the burden.

"but..." the creature broke the silence "the future isn't written in stone, that's why I'm offering you my help... the truth is... i want you to succeed" the voice whispered like he didn't want anyone else to hear

her heart stopped as she rose her head "what?"

"upstairs, in the music room, that feeling you had. it doesn't have to be fleeting. I can help you find your voice, and bring your music to life. hundreds of thousands of fans shouting your name. It doesn't have to be another pipe dream"

the girls tears rolled down her eyes. "do you... do you truly mean that?"

"of course!"

"in that case, show yourself... look me in the eye and tell me to my face..."

"..." the voice when silent. "I... I don't think that's such a good idea..."

"Well, why not? you talk so much about accepting the truth but you cant bring yourself to step into the light?"

"no... that's not it... the way i am now... it frightens even me... i fear you'll run away like all the rest..."

"no... i promise i wont..."

he looked at her face... across all the hours he's watched her, he grew to know it through and through. and although his mind spoke a different tale, from the determined look on her face, in his heart, he knew she wasn't lying. And so... he stepped into the light and put a face to that sinister voice of his. The heavy foot steps slammed down with a loud thud on the ground with each passing step. and as he approached the light, she could begin to make out the silhouette of the voice that taunted her. the footsteps stopped just before the spotlight. a hint of hesitation in his voice "are you sure about this?"

She didn't say a word. All she did was hold out her hand. and thus the shadow had no other choice, it reached out as it approached, the light finally pouring down upon him. All at once she could see the grotesque oozing figure before her. its shape changing and shifting with each passing second. With black vine like tendrils sprouting out all around its body. and in place of where its face should be, rested a mask unlike anything she'd ever seen. comprised of two different colour's split right down the middle. the left side, blue and resembled mask of Thalia, the muse of comedy. while the right side, black and resembled the mask of Melpomene, the muse of tragedy. together they formed a melancholy look, both smiling and crying at the same time. In a way, she felt as if she was staring at herself in a mirror. The thought was just enough to creep a smile across her face.

"You're... smiling? You're not... scared of me?"

she shook her head "no."

She held her heart in her hands, she could feel it racing, almost beating out of her chest. She had always been so scared of failing, that's why it frustrated her so much when she couldn't get the words right. that's why it frustrated her when she kept getting the notes wrong. she wanted it more than anything in the world. she wanted the whole world to know her name, to sing her songs. Just like the pop idols that inspired her.

"you know...I have to admit... you're right, you're the only one in this world that can see me for who i am. this dream... its all i have."

"So? do we have a deal?"  

All this time, because failure wasn't an option, she could feel the pressure of success suffocating her. Because it was her only way out, she had a strangle hold on the hope that one day, she would pull it off. But now.. it was different. 

“I’ll do it, I’ll do whatever it takes. I'm not proud enough to turn away a helping hand. if i cant do it by myself, then ill use everything and everyone at my disposal. I just... i just want my songs to reach the hearts of millions.”

“with my help, you’ll reach the hearts of billions.” 

And with that he reached out and grabbed her by the arm, dragging his nail across the palm of her hand, slicing her flesh

"This is our bond, you and I are one in the same." as he spoke the words, a flow of power poured out from him and into her. the sensation was so overwhelming in nearly knocked her to the ground. and soon she was enveloped in a shadowy vortex that began to suffocate her. all the while its voice emanated from all around her.

"From now on, on the eve of every night at 11:59, you'll meet with me, and together we'll work on your music, ill give you the magic that'll bring out the words that lie stuck at the tip of your tongue. ill give you the words, and you'll take the fame. But fair warning, miss our accord by but a single night and our contract is null and void. Do you accept these terms?"

There, At the center of that vortex of darkness, surrounded by nothing but shadow, she slowly breathe in and out, letting it all sink in. With the chaos and horror surrounding her, she stood at the epicenter unfazed. Because, for what felt like the first time in her life, she felt as if she could finally breath. Because now, the pressure building in her chest was finally letting up and she could feel herself growing lighter with each passing second. she finally knew for certain she was destined to fail. And starting out from a point of failure, was somewhat of a relief, because it now meant she had nothing left to lose. She now knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, holding onto hope wouldn't do her any good. All she could do now, was give it her all and hold nothing back. And if agreeing to the terms of this apparition, even if the chance of if leading to the future she wanted was only slight, she couldn't possibly say no.

"Every night at 11:59? It's a date!" she said with an unflinching determined look in her eye.

And with that, All at once the shadow moved in on her filling her lungs with the pitch black smoke that surrounded her, dispearsing inside of her. all this time hadn't realized how long she had been drowning. All at once, The pressure had finally been lifted. Now, she could finally give it her all, anything less would lead to failure, at least this way, she had a fighting chance. it was her only shot. It was all she had left.

The next thing she knew she was waking up back at the school, at the foot of the stairs. and buzzing in her ear were two voices she couldn't parse at first. 

she heard them go back and fourth as she waited for her eyes to adjust as her head was still reeling. Little by little, the faded images in her retina clarified just enough for her to see the two boy she'd known all her life. Her best friends that she had been in a band with since preschool. with Seth on the guitar, Niko on the drums, and her on the piano.

"hey, are you okay? why are you on the floor like that?" asked Niko

"she obviously must've fallen" replied Seth

"you don't know that, she might have been just taken a nap"

"nhhng... Seth? Niko? what are you two doing here?" she said rubbing her eyes with her sleeve

"rise and shine Luna" Seth greeted her with a dry snark "you know, we could ask you the same"

"you're mom called us when you never got home, we figured we'd find you here" Niko said

"ugh, why? i haven't even stayed that long today."

Niko and Seth looked at each other bewildered

"ummm, are you sure about that?" Niko said

"when was the last time you looked at the time? its already dark out." Seth said

"WHAT?!" she turned to see the windows that were boarded up just a few minutes ago were as clear as day letting in all the shine of the moonlight

"aw man! I'm gonna be in for it today!" she said as she pushed herself off the ground and ran off to head on home 

"hey! Luna!... aaaand she's off" Niko said dejected.

"She's always in such a rush... i wish we could do more" Seth said

"Yeah, but it cant be helped. She's just not that kind to let people in." Niko said

"Yeah, that's what makes it so frustrating" Seth said

Meanwhile, Luna, running as fast as she could, finally made it home. 

"Hey mom! I'm hoooooome!" she said putting on a cheery tone "I'm sorry I'm late, i was practicing piano in the music room and i was so focused, i completely lost track of time."

Lunas mom stood silently in the kitchen reheating her daughters dinner. She hated having to reheat anything because of her daughters absent-mindedness. But Luna, already used to her moms silent treatments, continued on with her story undeterred. 

"well, anyway today was really good, i know i stayed late and you hate it when i do that, but mom, i did it! todays practice was really good, i finally felt like i actually improved."

"So You're still on that? When are you gonna stop wasting your time on that silly little band of yours Ellie? You cant sustain yourself on dreams alone, you know."

the comment sucked all the wind from her sails and put whatever momentum the conversation had to a halt. Instinctively her hands began to ball themselves up into fists. frustratingly smacking her teeth as she took in a sharp breath trying not to let her anger towards her mother swell out of control.

But then, she managed to stop herself. She didn't respond. she finally didn't feel the need to defend herself.

 it suddenly hit her all at once. the realization of what had transpired earlier that day. And how all of this, this back and forth, this senseless bickering, it was all so beneath her now. She couldn't stop herself from smiling. and soon that smiling turned into a sinister chuckle. 

"I'm sorry, did i say something that you found funny?"

But she couldn't find it in her inner most self the desire to respond. in fact, as she heard the words, she burst into full blown laughter. she laughed and laughed and laughed. she laughed until she fell to the ground keeled over laughing all the while until tears started rolling down her cheeks. Because what she had wanted for oh so long, what she so desperately wanted, was finally within reach.

it was suddenly no longer a pipe dream, but just a matter of time. on the floor she calmed herself down from her manic glee. only to notice the mark on the palm of her hand. that mark the masked figure in the shadows had imprinted onto her. it made her think about The promise they made to each other. And the thought filled her chest with glee. she just needed to be patient, soon enough, she would have her time in the spot light. 

"its all just a matter of time 

you're audience is out there waiting for you

go and give them all a show

you are long for this world!"