The next morning arrived much faster than Adelasta wanted, though in truth she barely slept enough for the passage of time to matter. Her thoughts spent most of the night circling around the same unbearable problem until exhaustion eventually forced her eyes closed for only a few hours.
Even then, the moment she woke up, the first thing she checked was whether Veneri was still beside her. Only after confirming that he had not somehow disappeared again did she finally relax enough to breathe properly. It wasn't hard for them to sleep in the same bed in the mansion of Epsilon V.
Most of Concerto remained unusually quiet, though that was expected considering the daytime taboo against verbal sound. Veneri walked beside her with his hands in his pockets like they were simply taking a peaceful morning stroll rather than heading toward something called the Hourglass of Truth. Somehow, seeing him act normal after everything he told her last night felt mildly offensive.
The Hourglass of Truth stood far from the residential areas near the outer edge of the Percussion Regio, separated from the rest of civilization by long white roads lined with silent stone structures. Unlike the rest of Concerto's elegant architecture, this place felt impossibly old in a way that immediately caught Adela's attention.
The entire area carried an atmosphere that somehow felt sacred without trying too hard to appear intimidating. At the center stood the Hourglass itself. It was far larger than she imagined.
The structure towered over everything around it while golden sand moved impossibly inside, flowing upward and downward at the same time as if the concept of direction no longer mattered within its existence. Strange melodies drifted faintly through the air despite nobody playing instruments nearby. Every now and then the surrounding stone seemed to pulse softly like it possessed a heartbeat of its own. Standing in front of it felt oddly similar to being near something ancient enough to have watched civilizations rise and disappear.
Adela quietly stared at it for several moments before noticing something strange happening around them.
Apparently, early risers had already gathered nearby for whatever purpose brought them here at this hour. Yet the moment their eyes landed on Veneri, everything changed almost immediately. One by one, Musica began lowering themselves respectfully with some bowing deeply enough that Adela briefly wondered if she missed something important.
Nobody looked afraid. If anything, they looked respectful. Adela frowned before opening a telepathic connection with him.
[Why exactly are people bowing to you?]
Veneri immediately looked mildly uncomfortable.
[Ah. That.]
Adela narrowed her eyes immediately.
[You are going to explain properly.]
He sighed mentally before glancing at the people around them.
[Apparently, after years of accidentally existing here, I somehow became famous.]
[You became famous by accident?]
[Listen, I was here for a century and six decades. Eventually, people just start paying attention.]
She gave him an unimpressed look.
[That explained absolutely nothing.]
[Okay, so apparently they consider me a genius. They call me Omega I.]
[Omega?]
[In the Name Ranking, Alpha and Omega are the highest possible names someone can receive. The ranking reflects achievement, resonance and importance to the realm itself. Most people spend entire lifetimes climbing name hierarchies, but somehow I skipped several stages because apparently, inventing things nobody has seen before and helping stabilize parts of Concerto made me interesting.]
Adela looked mildly suspicious.
[Interesting sounds like you are leaving details out.]
He looked mildly offended.
[Okay, maybe I also revolutionized some things involving Musicum Resonance.]
She stared harder.
[Veneri.]
[Fine. I accidentally became one of the most influential people in the realm.]
Adela rubbed her forehead.
[You always say ridiculous things like they are normal.]
As they resumed walking, something else clicked in her mind.
[Wait. Yesterday, Alpha II challenged me.]
[Correct.]
[Then who is Alpha I?]
For the first time that morning, Veneri's expression shifted noticeably.
[Alpha I was Melody.]
Even mentally, the name somehow carried weight.
[She is considered the strongest Musica in Spheraphasian history.]
Adela immediately became curious.
[Who exactly was Melody? Wasn't she the first wielder of the violex?]
Veneri glanced toward the Hourglass before beginning.
[Well, to understand Melody, you first need to understand what the Musica originally were. The Musica are actually a subrace of Humans. Back during the Destras Cataclysm, immortal races treated them terribly because of their natural affinity toward sound, rhythm and resonance.]
[Oh?]
[They were not seen as equals. Most kingdoms treated them as entertainers, musicians, dancers or decorative servants for nobles.]
Adela frowned.
[So they were slaves.]
[Pretty much. Melody was born into that system. She was born in slavery during the Destras Cataclysm. Her family belonged to some immortal noble household where Musica performed constantly during banquets and ceremonies.]
Adela stayed silent while listening.
[Then one day, the slaves rebelled. Apparently, enough people finally got tired of suffering. It ended horribly.]
Adela already knew where this was going.
[Her parents died during the rebellion. Melody was five years old when it happened. She escaped somehow. Nobody even knows exactly how.]
For a while, only the sound of wind filled the silence between them.
[After that, she wandered the continent of Anqerise completely alone.]
[How did a five-year-old survive?]
[She played music. She was a violinist. At first, she played for scraps of food near villages and towns and eventually, people started noticing how talented she was. Apparently, even as a child, she was absurdly talented. She moved from city to city, performing in marketplaces, noble districts, inns, festivals or anywhere people gathered. Eventually, she became famous.]
Adela narrowed her eyes.
[You sound suspiciously impressed.]
Veneri looked at her briefly.
[You are still prettier.]
Adela immediately looked away.
[That doesn't distract me, you know.]
[It kinda worked.]
She ignored him.
[By the time she reached adulthood, nobles across Anqerise wanted her. Some wanted marriage, some wanted exclusive performances and others just wanted the prestige of associating with her. But she never settled. She kept wandering. Eventually, she reached Divine Rank.]
[She awakened the Music Divinity?]
[Exactly. That's when everything changed. The Primordial of Time noticed her. Apparently, Thyrexxa saw something special in her and decided to personally bless her. She gave Melody the Orchestral Violex. Giving somebody control over time turned out to be an incredibly dangerous decision.]
[What happened after that?]
[She went to war against slave empires, immortal kingdoms and entire systems built on oppression.]
[She used time manipulation to dismantle slavery piece by piece. She saved Musica settlements, rescued entire populations, erased extinction-level events and spent centuries rebuilding her race. She fought until there was nobody left who could threaten her people. By the time she finished, she had already reached Primordial Rank. That is when she met Vasreveilder.]
Adela immediately looked interested.
[Thar guy again. What happened?]
[She begged him for one thing. She asked for a place where the Musica would never suffer again and exist forever. So he created Regnum Musicae for them. All the Musica moved here eventually. Over time, they built everything you see now. Melody won but she did not stop after saving the Musica. Apparently, once she realized her people were finally safe, she joined something much bigger.]
[The Nexus Heroes?]
[Yeah. The First Generation Deities became a problem near the end of the Destras Cataclysm.]
Adela already knew enough history to understand what he meant. The First Generation Deities were infamous for destabilizing reality itself. Entire continents changed because of their influence and some of the greatest disasters in Spheraphasian history traced back to their existence.
[Melody joined the Nexus Heroes and several other powerful figures to stop them. It was one final war that lasted a long time and she died in it. She died protecting people.]
The story somehow felt fitting.
[The Orchestral Violex was brought back here afterwards. The Musica preserved it inside Regnum Musicae because, to them, it represents Melody herself.]
Adela thought about something for a moment before narrowing her eyes.
[Then why have you not taken it? It's what we came for, after all.]
Veneri immediately looked mildly uncomfortable.
[Because taking it would be catastrophic. The Orchestral Violex controls temporal flow in this realm. Regnum Musicae exists inside altered time because of it.]
[Explain that better.]
Veneri scratched his cheek awkwardly.
[The years I spent here? Outside, that was basically a few days.]
Adela stopped walking.
[What?]
[For you, it was probably seconds. Right now, the hundredth day of the Second Epoch Cycle is already happening outside. We are experiencing it in slow motion.]
[So while we are standing here…]
[Time outside keeps moving absurdly fast.]
[And if you take the Orchestral Violex?]
[The entire temporal structure collapses.]
Adela immediately looked horrified.
[You are not touching that thing.]
[That was already the plan but I have a plan.]
Eventually, they finally reached the center of the sacred chamber where the Hourglass of Truth stood before them. Up close, it somehow looked even larger than before. Strange runes glowed faintly beneath its base, spreading outward like veins across the white floor beneath their feet.
Several early risers quietly bowed again as they passed. Some even lowered themselves further for Veneri. Adela still had not recovered from that. Veneri looked at it before turning to her.
[All you need to do is touch it. The Hourglass of Truth will show you your resonance and grant your name.]
Adela hesitated before finally stepping forward. Something about it felt ancient enough to see straight through her existence.
Slowly, she raised her hand and touched the massive base. The moment her fingers made contact, everything vanished. The world disappeared completely.
She found herself standing somewhere unfamiliar while ocean wind drifted softly nearby. Sand stretched endlessly around her while waves swayed gently toward the shore beneath a bright sky. The atmosphere felt strangely peaceful.
Someone groaned.
Veneri sat up slowly from the sand, rubbing his forehead while looking deeply annoyed. His clothes looked worn and for a second he simply stared blankly at the ocean like he had forgotten how reality worked.
"Why is everything wet?"
A voice interrupted.
"You sure are handsome."
Veneri froze. Very slowly, he turned.
Standing nearby was a woman wearing a flowing white dress that moved gently with the ocean wind. Long hair rested over her shoulders while vivid green eyes studied him with obvious curiosity. She looked impossibly beautiful in a way that somehow felt calm rather than overwhelming.
She was suspiciously close to her husband.
"I did not expect to find a mage here, especially a handsome one."
Veneri looked deeply confused.
"Excuse me?"
"Oh. Right."
She gave a graceful bow with where hand on her chest.
"My name is Melody. Well… the last reincarnation of Melody."