PATH OF THE STAR HUNTER

320 Chapter 320 Something Completely New

Tempo, the rhythm or speed with which a piece should be performed, maintaining an adequate tempo was one of the most fundamental requirements that any self-respecting musician must follow and although there is always a minimum degree of flexibility in the interpretation of music, one should always be in control of the tempo within the parameters of one’s performance.

Desmond could not be considered a musician, at least he did not think of himself as one and never believed that he was suitable to be one, it did not matter if he had the talent or not, Desmond believed that he did not possess a suitable personality nor did he invest long enough at it to have the nerve to call himself a musician.

Even then, Desmond loved music or perhaps loved his memories of music, whichever the case, when Desmond played he pushed himself as hard as if he were really a musician.

That was exactly why he found it so disconcerting that he couldn’t keep control of the tempo, or rather it was strange that he didn’t want to keep control of the tempo, from an adagio to a moderate and straight all the way to a vivace, because of The speed at which he was playing the melody sounded completely different from how it was meant to be played.

And with this came a strange idea in Desmond’s mind, why don’t I play something else? Another question followed this idea: What am I supposed to play?

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Eyes closed still trying to focus on playing as these strange feelings invaded his mind, Desmond heard Kyuru’s seductive, siren-like voice: “Play whatever is in your heart.”

Play whatever was on his heart, like it was that easy? was what Desmond thought, but he couldn’t get those words out of his head, composing on the fly was not only extremely difficult but required one to have years of practice and a very deep understanding of music composition, which Desmond lacked; but even then one question kept pounding inside his mind. How would it feel to play from the bottom of my heart?

For Desmond, music had always been about two things: love and peace. Love had always been present when Desmond played as a child next to his mother who guided him in a strict but loving way and Desmond had always found spiritual peace when he played, but that was in the past.

Today Desmond was desperately searching for that peace only to find this longing that it had carved into his soul, longing for what could no longer be, for what is lost, and for a distant past.

.....

Without even knowing it Desmond’s tempo had changed again, reverting to an adagio before moving to a slow, the lively notes changing and turning melancholic as Desmond immersed himself in this longing feeling.

But there was more than that, it was the melody, Desmond was not playing the melody with which he had started playing, moreover, Desmond was not playing any melody that he knew, only guided by his instincts and emotions are driven by the slight hypnotic help of a certain fairy; Desmond was composing as he went.

As Desmond allowed himself to be consumed by this feeling of nostalgia and longing, the memories flashed quickly, so many happy memories, days full of joy and simplicity, that motherly love that he could no longer enjoy all for that cursed day.

Then the scene of watching his parents die flashed through Desmond’s mind followed by that year full of darkness and sin as his wrist movements became broader but also faster reaching moderate with dark almost aggressive notes that he had recently for expressing the deep pain Desmond was feeling.

And he came to that moment in front of the mirror, looking at that damaged and corrupted child, the notes turned sad and deep with a melancholy that was only reinforced by the tears that slowly but steadily slipped out of Desmond’s closed eyes.

He was crying, something Desmond had never done in the last five years, he didn’t cry when he saw his parents die, he didn’t cry when he killed a man for the first time, he didn’t cry when he was hungry or cold and he didn’t cry even when he saw to that broken child in the mirror but now he was crying, for that damaged child who had lost everything.

Pain turned to relief and an invisible weight that had always been there melted away as if eroded by the tears of a man who had endured and done everything to protect someone he loved.

Then that person flashed through his mind, smile, innocent look, and lively personality, always bringing light to his life tinged with darkness by the world and by his hand.

And the melody changed once more, it was fast and energetic like that girl in his mind, it was beautiful and pure, full of joy and life. The tempo got faster and faster until it reached presto with constant changes and capricious tones that any classical music expert would find appalling and unattractive, but Desmond didn’t care anymore, his melody didn’t have to be perfect, he just wanted to put his heart in it and he did it achieving something known as cantabile; where Desmond basically played with raw emotions expressing himself as if he were singing.

Completely focused on playing, Desmond had completely ignored the changes around him as he immersed himself in the music, the mana long since swirling around him condensing into a kind of mana mist.

Reacting to Desmond’s musical whims, the mana moved, oscillated, and even vibrated, responding not necessarily to Desmond’s music but his emotions.

But mana wasn’t the only thing that reacted to Desmond’s emotions, as an empath how Kyuru did not react, instead, Kyuru was being affected on an even deeper level than she had even expected.

Kyuru didn’t understand the music, but she understood the emotions, she could feel these invade her mind, her body... her soul. Beyond just being an expression of Desmond’s current state he was having a strange effect on Kyuru, she wanted to be close to him, she wanted him...to be one with him.

Kyuru didn’t know where these feelings and ideas came from, it was as if something deep inside her was driving her to follow an unknown path, a gravitational pull at a spiritual level that led her to get closer to Desmond.

Kyuru couldn’t even stay away from a jar of honey when she was driven by her gluttony, she certainly couldn’t resist the feelings that now washed over her, and without fear of the unknown, she followed that impulse.

Each of them was controlled by an unknown impulse, one absorbed in his own emotions as the music he played tried desperately to keep pace with his chaotic heart while the other like a moth approaching a fire had been mesmerized by the image in front of her.

Then it happened, not knowing where the idea came from, Kyuru touched with her small forehead the center of Desmond’s forehead releasing a blinding light that immediately filled the entire courtyard.

The music stopped, the mana gathered in massive amounts, flooding the entire courtyard with the same mana mist that had previously only surrounded a couple of meters around Desmond, the mana seemed to stir as if shrieking with immense joy.

Soon the glow faded, revealing not two figures but one, shoulder-length blonde hair, elegant and refined features somewhat neutral, showing a clear case of heterochromia with one eye blue as the ocean and the other purple as quartz, with four structures made of mana condensed from different elements to the point of appearing solid with the shape of extended rhombuses giving the impression of forming a pair of butterfly wings with a sharp and elongated appearance.

A serene smile, the sparkle in his eyes was full of joy and his hands resumed the beautiful melody that he played before, now calm, continuous, beautiful, and peaceful; reaching a dreamlike beauty that went beyond the realm of music as spiritual waves were radiated by this figure.

The mana seemed to have gone mad with bliss as it vibrated furiously with glee at this figure that smiled in response, this smile that was still filled with serenity and purity.

This figure showed a behavior and presence that was not at all similar to that of the two people who were in this place before, this figure was not Desmond, nor was it Kyuru, perhaps it was not even simply the sum of both, was it perhaps an amalgamation from both of them? Or was it something else... Something completely new.

The figure itself did not know and perhaps did not care, this figure was simply happy and satisfied with its current state of existence, this figure was at peace with itself and the world around it.

The figure’s eyes rested at some point on the stone maiden who had been waiting all this time in a corner of the place, dormant, waiting for someone to give the little ember burning inside her a single breath that would fan the flames of her life.

The figure’s peaceful smile grew almost imperceptibly and a playful touch tinged the sparkle in his eyes, the music stopped, and the figure still set his instrument aside as his body floated until he was right in front of the titanium and jade maiden.

It was as if the mana had heard a heavenly command when all the mana mist rushed to condense into a small flame of pure mana in the outstretched right palm of the figure who with a single blow of his breath brought that strand of pure mana accompanied of something else to the maiden of titanium and jade.

Watching as that world-bestowed breath of life was sucked into the previously dormant stone maiden, the figure smiled even deeper as a touch of sadness and reluctance filled his eyes.

“Time’s up” Those were the only words the figure ever mentioned, his voice was beautiful to the extreme, unfortunately, no one was there to listen to it or observe its existence.

As soon as those words left his lips, the figure disappeared in a flash of light leaving only Desmond and Kyuru lying unconscious on the ground accompanied by a titanium and jade maiden who looked at everything with curious eyes like those of a newborn baby.