Song of Torment

Chapter One

Chapter 1: A memory of love

The music is all around us. In the wind that embraces us. In the air that we breath and in the light that shines above us. All we have to do is open ourselves and listen.

My mother met my father because of music. Music became their pathway to meet each other and eventually, they fell in love. Music can transport you from where you are and from where you want to be and that's how I met her.

It was the music that carried me to you.

I stopped walking and look around and there, I saw a girl in her white dress, the wind blows her hair while she plays her violin beautifully.

I started walking again but this time, I started walking towards her when she suddenly stops and she saw me.

"What the...."

She couldn’t even finished her sentence. She is just looking atme with shock all over her beautiful face. I smiled at her but wince in pain because of the cut I got on the corner of my lips.

Those bastards really know how to punch.

"Liam!" she yelled.

I saw my friend Liam running towards us. The girl immediately hug Liam and hide behind him as she looks at me. I smiled because of that.

She's such a kid.

"What happened?!" Liam asked as he scan me. The girl look at her with a questioning look. As if asking him if he knew me.

I think that's her little sister.

"Just the usual gang fight. Damn! Thank God Uncle Rain at Uncle Thunder came and saved my ass," I said. Liam just shook his head and then helped me walk inside their house.

“You could have called me for back up.”

“I don’t want to burden you,”

“Tsk. We’re a team you know. You’re never a burden to me,” he said making me smile.

"Liam! We don't even know him! You shouldn’t let strangers come into our house. Uncle Max will get mad at us!" the girl said as she tries to removed Liam’s hand from me

"I know him, Rei," Liam said making the girl stop.

Rei? Is that her real name?

I lie down on their sofa bed. Liam left me with his sister for a while.

She still giving me those death stares. I guess I really scared her earlier or she just really hates strangers?

"Here. Put some ointment on his wounds. I need to go to buy some pain killers and I already told Uncle Max that my friend is here so stop killing my friend with those stares,” Liam said when he came back and gave the first aid kit to his sister

"But Liam..."

She didn’t finish what she’s about to say when someone called Liam on his phone.

“It’s your Dad,” he said showing me his phone.

“Don’t answer it,” I said but he just smirked and answer the phone.

I was left again with his little sister. She looked at me and sighs.

She open the first aid kit and started putting some ointment on my wounds. I guess she really doesn’t like what she’s doing. Her face is crumpled.

“f**k!” I cursed when she put too much pressure while putting an oinment on the corner of my mouth

"Sorry sorry!" she said not knowing what to do.

I held her hand which has an ointment and gently put some in the wound on the corner of my lips

"There. Just do it lightly. It hurts so damn bad when you’re putting too much pressure on it," I explained 

I let go of her hand for her to do it alone but she just keep staring at me. Her face is like the color of a tomato.

I can’t help but look at her admiringly. She's cute. I bet she's 3-5 years younger that me and Liam.

She blinked a few times as if waking up from her trance. She looked for a band aid and immediately put some on my wounds and then she left me without saying a word.

"You’re finish? You didn’t even tend on the cut on my side."

"Argh! Shut up! Clean it up yourself!" she shouted which made me smile

Then, I heard her playing the violin again making my eyes close to listen to her music carefully.

Now for the second time around, our path meet again. But unlike the first time, it wasn't the music that carried me to her. It was the thing she hated the most.

***

"I swear! Rhapsody needs her, Lute," Ethan told me.

"Don't call me Lute here,” I said firmly.

Lute is my other name while Ethan is also known as Violin.

My mother is a gangster queen. I was 18 when I found out about this. I thought my Dad was just telling me some kind of joke until they introduce me to their other world. The gangster world.

Unlike my grandparents who hid the truth from my mother, my mom and dad explain to me everything I need to know about this world. Even if they wanted to runaway from this part of their life, this life keeps running after them.

So as I grew up, I learned how to fight. I learned how to hold a gun and use it. I learned how to use a katana, a bow and arrow and other deadly weapons. My father trained me to become a warrior. At first I thought he did it for me to protect my self but then, I was wrong. My mother can’t step down from her position as they can’t find someone who deserves her title. Until I came into their lives.

But I don’t want to become a gangster king. It come with so much responsibility not just in the gangster world but also outside that mess up world. And I don’t think I’m ready for that. So up until now, my mother still holds that position until I’m ready to take it from her.

So for me to become ready of that heavy responsibility, I decided to stablish first my own organization without knowing it would become so big that other organization will try to take it down. And that’s the one Ethan talking about. The Rhapsody.

"You know the rules, Ethan. Before you become part of Rhapsody Legacy, they need to pass all the qualification and they need to fight against Harp and win it"

Rhapsody Legacy or RL are the heads of the Rhapsody. They’re the one who control the organization. The one who make decisions. Originally there were 5 of us. Violin, Harp, Shawm, Me and there is Liam.

Harp is my sister. Her real name is Rhyme. She’s 20 years old when she became part of our organization. At first, I don’t want her to get involve into this kind of thing until she asked me to fight her.

I never expected her to know the Melodic Death which is the deadly move created by my mother. Right then, I knew that she would become a better fighter than me so I accepted her.

Shawm, who’s real name is Ryle, is my sister’s boyfriend. He did something before which qualified him to become part of the organization. Making him the last person to take the spot in RL.

"It’s done," Ethan said.

I stop walking when we reach the front of elevator which will lead us to my office.

I was on my way to the recording studio of Serenade Music and Arts Corporation when I remembered that the copy of the song I composed is on my office. It was also my secretary’s day off so I have no choice but to get it myself. SMAC is our family’s company and currently handled by me.

"And? Did he or she passed the initiation?" I asked.

A lot members of the Rhapsody tried to become part of the RL but up until now, no one can pass the initiation. Meaning, no one can beat my sister.

I build the Rhapsody to protect the people from the mess up gangster world. It was then Ethan’s idea to do this Rhapsody’s Legacy. He said that an organization needs a leader that will lead it’s members in every decision they have to make. At first, it was just the three of us, Ethan, Liam and I since we’re also the founders of the organization. Ethan is in charge of every connection we needed for the organization. Liam is the one who handles the initiation for those who wants to become part of the Rhapsody. And I was the one responsible for every move, decision and plans of the organization.

And when Rhyme came, she took the position that Liam left. And Shawm is the commander of the members of the organization. 

"Yes," Ethan answered.

"What?" I asked not knowing if I heard him right.

“She passed the initiation. She won the battle against Harp and as we talked right now, Shawm is with your sister, attending her wounds. Harmony left the scene after that fight and just asked me to call her after telling you about it. We’re only waiting for your final decision for her to become officially part of RL.”

I got into the elevator and Ethan follows.

"Harmony huh. How long is she a member of Rhapsody for her to take this bold move and be a part of the Legacy?"

"3 months but the length of stay in the organization is not even part of the qualifications so it doesn’t matter," Ethan said as a matter of fact. 

"I want to meet her," I said.

I step out of the elevator and Ethan follows until we reached my office.

"Well then you are about to meet her,” he said while looking at his phone.

Not sure about what he’s trying to say, I open the door to my office only to stop and stand frozen in front of a person I haven’t seen for almost a decade

"I'd like you to meet Cassidy Reigan Ramirez or Harmony. The 5th member of Rhapsody's Legacy."

 —