Arc 1 - Chapter 1: Down the rabbit hole we go.
2278 Words
Our old school is an old building but it used to be one of the most prestigious, everyone spend their life saving just to get in here. The once a glorious academy for many students now is nothing more than an old and empty building. Nothing more in those classes are some old dusty black boards and a few broken chair, most of valuable things were no longer here. This school is the place where i first met Sou, we shared our interest in music and the instruments the school have is perfect for that purpose. We practiced together for a very long time and soon we just live together until now, maybe that is the best memory i have.
"Hey Higeki, you might want to check something in room 6-3."
Inside the room is a lonely table, nothing else in the room but thing make me surprise is the table, it is clean and there aren't dust on it. Nothing on it but a music box and a letter, of course we took the box since staying too long in an abandoned building will be considered as a suspicious action. We bid farewell to our school and left, there is nothing else to do so i open the letter.
"This is a boring world right ?
Everything, everyday, every moments is just another things in the cycle,
Do you want to leave this circle ?
Do you want to goes to a world where everything is different ?
And do you want to see that world in your dream.
Just open the music box and you will see,
Your world and my world which one is a dream."
Some thing aren't right, my world and this mysterious person's world, how could there be another world, the only other world is the world exist among your dream. Could it be, this world is an illusion ? An eerie invitation yet tempting, a music box, crafted to perfection with every detail coated in gold. There is a small line on the lid but i can't read it, even if i can does it really matter, i will wait for Sousuke then we can open the music box. So another boring day begin, my normal work is composing songs while Sou do all the job of dealing out there.
"What was the last time someone ring the bell of my house, i have guest, now that is rare. I am coming."
When i open the door, a man already waiting outside, black hairs and the feeling of his shadow casting on me is just something normal because of his large frame. He seems to be a normal office worker who goes to the gym a lot to improve his appearance, not really care too much with how he treat his body and i do nothing so i have free time for guest anyway.
"Anything you want to ask me ?"
"Are you the composer they are talking about, Higeki ?"
"Yes, and you are ?"
"I don't think my name is that important, but first, can i get your signature ?"
"Hmm ? Why would you need something like that ?"
"To be honest, my son is a fan of your work and because of my work as a social worker and his birthday is coming so i want to give him something."
"Of course but you are not coming all the way to my apartment just because of some signature right ?"
"No, i just want to do something for my son, his birthday mean a lot to him."
"Alright then, it's just a signature, so should i write something to him ?"
"Yes, happy birthday from your favorite composer would be great."
"All done. Have a great day."
"A great day to you too."
What is the last time i remember my parents, anyone older than me taking care of me, i remember no one like that. It has been only me and Sousuke, our life together and no one else in it but this is not the life i am looking forward to, i felt like, i forgot something, trapped in this world like a caged canary, an empty corpse, a puppet controlled by this world. Maybe the music box will be my freedom, i need to be free, i need to escape this box, this world the first time i can see it for what it is. This world is a prison to me, to both of us, everyday the same thing repeat and repeat all over again. Like an eternal performance, da capo al fine.
"Higeki, i'm home, how is your day ? a little bit boring i know but after that message i want to check the music box with you."
"I need to use the music box Sou, i can't stand of this world any longer. I want to be free."
Not listen to what Sou are going to say or stop me, i open the music box. The whole room is filled with violet smoke, with the music we slowly fell asleep, before my eyes closed i heard a voice, the voice of a woman maybe pre-record from the music box.
"I hope you enjoy your trip in my world."
The world around me is not the same world, i felt myself floating and drifting, there can only be some reasonable explainations, that i am dreaming or that mysterious woman can conduct some kind of interdimensional travel. But even if this is a dream, i will enjoy it if it can be different than the world i am living in, maybe this dream brought the truth for me to live in that world till the day i part with my life.
"Awake ?"
"Asleep."
"The truth ?"
"The dream."
"Your realization begin, time to leave the bird cage."
The moment i open my eye, i saw blue sky with cloud, i can hear bird chirping, the sound of water and wind. The color is livid and so real, i take a deep breath i felt this is even much more real than everything i ever felt before. The sky, the sound, the colors and everything, a horizon open before my eye, i felt alive for the first time in my life. Even if this is a dream i forsake the old world for this world.
"This world is... beautiful."
"I'm glad you felt the same my friend. This world make me felt alive, i thought i can never see the world like this but here we are."
The world we currently standing on is beautiful, i want to praise this world through a song but it seem like all of my instrument is not here. So Mrs.Strange, thank you so much for bring us into your world, this world is so beautiful, i want to explore it, every stone and every corner. I admire your world even if this is a dream, i will treasure it and i will enjoy this world.
"Higeki, our outfit..."
"Hmm, anything strange ?"
Our outfit did change, to be honest we are just like people who walking out of a history book, because our outfit like what people wear from ten centuries ago. But admire the world for this long is enough, the important thing is to survive in this world, after that we can enjoy it later. This can become a problem because i am a composer in the old world, to think about doing something else seem to be a pain. On the other hand, i don't even know what can Sou do to sustain our life here, it seem to be the end of the road but we just arrive here.
"We will figure something out, don't worry too much about it Higeki."
"You're right, this is just a world, how hard could it be. I think we should find someone first, interaction between human can be a good way to find more information."
While Sou and I split to find someone we can talk to find some information, we arrived to this world when it's almost sunset, the moment the world have the best color. So this is the feeling of being rebirth, i felt myself so free, i know i have to find a way to live but i want to enjoy this world a little bit longer.
"I have never see you before, are you a foreigner ?"
"I don't think so, i travel with a friend and seem like we lost our memory, we only remember each other and he told that he is finding someone to help us."
"Father ?"
"I know what do you want to say, do you want to come with us ? Only me and my son live in the same house, we won't mind having more people but if you can help us with something in return."
"Thank you but i need to wait for my friend, i can't go without him, we agree to meet here."
"No problem, our house is near here, make sure to visit us, i am Koll and this is my son Devaro."
"I am Higeki, it's a pleasure to meet everyone. We will visit you soon, i can do some simple job but not really much so we might come to your house but it is mostly Sou's decision."
"Alright then we looking forward for your arrival, let's go Devaro."
"See you again Higeki."
"See you again, Devaro."
The sunset soon end and moons shine above my head, this world seem to have two moons, both of them shine with beautiful blue light. Sou soon come back and i wave at him, he share me some knowledge about this world, it seem like this world take a different route of advancement. everyone in this world born with different ways of thinking. Those ways of thinking forming their power, the power to shaping their own fate, those are called rules.
"I found some people want we come to stay with them, in trade for some chore, is that good ?"
"Your first human interaction is not as bad i thought it would be. So lead the way."
"So you can't find any place to stay for us."
"I trusted you with that."
We headed to Koll's house and introduced ourselves, Koll give us a gentle gesture while Devaro is curious about us. The night was fun, after the dinner we agree with Koll that we will help him with some of his job while trying to find a way to improve the quality of life. Even this world choose a different way to progress their own world there are still a lot of thing that lacking. Dental care is not one of those but there are still something can't be accepted.
"I see that dental care is not a problem but what about soap ?"
"It has much more complicated magical structure than the current type of paste used for dental cleaning is simple, it is just a structure of a resin but soap is another story." (Koll)
"I think i can make them, it would make life easier."
Making soap is not really hard, it just about ten steps so it is a wierd reason that no one can do it. A lot of improvement need to be made to improve quality of life, soap is just one of those, a lot of works and too much time to spend. Life in a new world and i have to live with the highest quality of life. Reshape your own world to the best you can accept, give your own life the utmost comfort, that is how any creature live in this world.
"The soap is finish, how about give it a try, i will focus on the thing. I want to improve our life as much as possible, maybe with all of these knowledge i can do something." (Higeki.)
"Then may be Devaro can help you with some of your invention, my son can use his magic to shaping object, maybe that can help you." (Koll)
"Why don't you say that in the first place, i could save so much time with his help, i have so many new idea."
"It is strange that you don't remember your own rule and power and still have all of these amazing knowledge. Who are you actually ?"
"Don't focus too much on the past, i want to move toward a brighter future. This world is so beautiful, i want to enjoy it as much as i can and to do so, i must increase our quality of life. And do you have any idea what is my friend doing at the moment ?"
"He is helping me and my son, we are farmer and hunter afterall, maybe he is helping Devaro on the field. The harvest festival is coming after all."
"The harvest festival... do you have any kind of musical instrument here ?"
"Well, when the festival came, a few people chosen to play the lyre, you participate in it if you wanted to."
"Interesting. Maybe this will give me some clue about my long lost memory."
A new instrument to play, a new thing to learn about, this world is amazing. Even if i can't do thing like other do, i think i can enjoy myself in this world. Afterall, maybe i will know about something in the future, for now let's improve our life first, next thing on the list, learning to play lyre and try to find my power. They can't just toss me into this world and not give me anything isn't it ?
- Writer
