Andrew drank eagerly from the fountain in front of him. The cool water flowed down his throat, refreshing him. He could drink freely after a while; he felt safe.
Next to him, the desert harmonist watched him, surprised by the large amount of water that could enter his body. It wasn't normal how much he had drunk. Andrew finally finished and took a deep breath, now hydrated.
"Thank you," said Andrew, grateful for the man's surprising kindness.
The man remained silent and looked at the horizon. He could only see dunes and more sand. What else was there to see? Andrew, who had been kneeling next to the fountain, stood up and looked at the masked harmonist. Then, Andrew felt the pressure of standing in front of such a powerful harmonious being. It was like standing in front of a deity itself, a deity that had treated him quite well. Since Andrew woke up, the man had remained silent and invited him to drink water from the fountain. From Andrew's perspective, this man seemed to be a good person, or at least he treated Andrew well.
"Aren't you going to say anything?" Andrew asked, looking the man in the eyes.
The man's eyes were deep, the kind that penetrate the soul of any being. Andrew swallowed and followed the man's gaze to the horizon. Then a hoarse voice broke the silence of the desert.
"You are curious, son of defense," said the mysterious musician.
"Curious?" asked Andrew, quite confused by the man's first words.
"You are the last."
"The last?" asked Andrew, even more confused.
"You are the last son of defense."
"What?" Andrew felt that name resonate even more within him. It felt so deep that even his soul trembled at the call.
"What... what does it mean to be a son of defense?"
The man remained silent, in total silence, the only sound that kept the desert of silence alive was the slight constant breeze.
"It means being a musician who specializes in defense. I'm sure you already realized that."
Hearing it directly from someone as experienced as this musician made Andrew's mind a little freer, just a little...
"Who are you?" Andrew asked. "Forgive my boldness..." he said, putting aside the previous topic and focusing on the really important issue at hand.
"...Don't worry, I'm Kloei."
"Nice to meet you... Kloei, I'm Andrew."
"Do you think I would attract you to me without knowing who you are?" Kloei asked, frowning.
"Attract me?"
"It was easy, I just left a small trail of musical energy. Your body is so in need of energy that I almost forced you to follow me."
Andrew remained silent, feeling a little cheated. He had thought at that moment that this was the work of fate.
The work of fate... what was I thinking?
"Follow me," said Kloei as he turned his back on Andrew and slipped between the pillars of the temple.
Andrew rolled his eyes and followed her. Andrew followed the man's footsteps. The footsteps that would normally be marked in the sand were nowhere to be seen. Kloei was good at hiding his tracks. After walking through the remains of the temple, they came to a specific area where the ground was completely destroyed. Kloei jumped into the huge hole in the ground. Andrew, surprised, ran to look at the hole. It was deep, as deep as a large canyon. Looking at the end of the hole, he could see Kloei standing in the distance waiting for Andrew to jump.
No, I won't. Definitely not.
Then, a strong gust of wind, seemingly determined to know what the future held for Andrew, pushed him inside. Andrew screamed as he plummeted to the bottom of the hole. Kloei, at the bottom of the hole, smiled amusedly and sang a beautiful wind song. New winds flowed from the bottom of the hole and gently stopped Andrew's fall. As he fell, Andrew felt only a slight drop.
"Thank you," said Andrew, still shaking the sand off his clothes.
Looking up, Andrew was speechless. It was a cave, a huge, authentic cave. The curious thing about this cave was what was in the center. Another large hole lay in the center of the cave, and its walls were covered with beautiful purple crystal. It vibrated with pure, energizing energy. The crystal seemed to come from below, expanding toward the surface.
"It's the crystal that gives energy to the arc of harmony beneath the entire desert. Where did you think the primordial matter that created this desert came from?"
"Primordial matter?"
"Oh, didn't they teach you that at the European academy?"
Andrew frowned and turned his gaze back to the beautiful crystals.
"If these crystals didn't exist, would the desert disappear?"
"It doesn't work that way."
Andrew clicked his tongue and looked curiously at a corner of the cave, where a small sandstone house stood. It wasn't the most refined finish, but it looked quite sturdy. Andrew then smiled.
"Do you live there?"
"It's beautiful, isn't it? It took me two years to build it."
Andrew resisted the urge to burst out laughing. Two years to build something like that was crazy. Apparently, construction and art were not Kloei's main talents. The two walked around the large hole and reached the small house. Kloei opened the worn wooden door, and a small squeak made Andrew's hair stand on end. The interior was quite warm and homey. Inside, a small single bed made of leather and all kinds of things was the first thing that caught Andrew's attention. In the other corner of the house was a sandstone fireplace, which appeared to be purely decorative, as it showed no signs of use. Directly in front of it, a table and two chairs gave the place a homely feel.
"How crazy..."
The harmonics, considered supernatural beings who have taken music to the next level, the most powerful champions of humanity, and one of the most prominent even among the harmonics, lived in this pigsty. It was certainly curious.
"How long have you been here?" Andrew asked curiously.
"A few years."
A few years... That could cover quite a lot, but Andrew wasn't sure about asking; he still didn't feel comfortable enough with this man. Anyway, he had some more important things to ask.
"Why did you attract me?"
A small smile slipped onto Kloei's lips, a smile he quickly hid as he turned his gaze to the small, extinguished fire outside his "home." The man walked outside and stood in front of the fire. A thin, light melody flowed from his lips, the musical energy swirling above the wood, red and orange sparks dancing happily to the beautiful melody, then a small spark was born, which quickly expanded and set the wood on fire. Kloei smiled and sat down next to the now burning campfire.
"You are the last of your kind. It is important that you survive," said Kloei as she played with the flames of the campfire using a wooden stick.
It was curious to see how she used wood for most of her things, since they were now in the most desolate desert on the planet. It would be normal to think that trees cannot grow here.
"Are you going to protect me?" asked Andrew.
"No. I will teach you how to survive."
"Why would you do that?"
Kloei remained silent. She had no intention of revealing her motives. Andrew simply frowned. Learning from this man could be a tremendous opportunity. Earlier, he had considered asking Obel for help, but that grumpy old man didn't seem like the type of person who would teach anything to the person he had kidnapped. Learning from Kloei sounded good; a harmonica player who had managed to survive alone in the desert of silence and, moreover, knew of Andrew's existence long before bumping into him in the balloon. There was something hidden in this, it was more than obvious. Maybe that musician had ulterior motives, or maybe he was just a good person seeking the common good.
Ah... Andrew, you're still so kind...
No one does anything without getting something in return. Those were the words his mother repeated to him most often when he was a kid. No one will ever do anything without benefiting from it. This couldn't be an exception, right?
"Really?" he asked incredulously.
"Yes."
Andrew, who had been standing at the door of Kloei's small house, slowly walked over to the campfire and sat down next to the musician.
"Will I learn songs like the one you just played?" Andrew asked, trying to hide his excitement.
"No."
Andrew snorted.
"Then what will I learn?"
"I'll help you form your core."
Andrew's eyes lit up. An opportunity to gain power had finally arrived.
The man stood up and walked inside the old sandstone house in search of something. Every sound the musician made with his footsteps seemed to be carried away by the air; his stealth was extremely good. Andrew found it rather strange, as stealth did not seem to be one of the most useful skills in this place abandoned by the gods. There was no intelligent being here that would be guided solely by sound, as there are only two options for the creatures that inhabit this place. Either they exceed at least the third rank, or they perish. When you reach the third rank (harmony), you simultaneously unlock "Sensonance," also called "Etheric Hearing."
Upon unlocking it, most of your senses are reduced, and this sense becomes the rudder of human perception, faster, more efficient, and much more powerful.
Andrew played with the branch Kloei had left behind. This whole situation was quite abnormal; his last few days had been, in fact. He had been acting much more daring than usual, challenging people, asking more questions than usual, even forgetting his old life as a mute in a way. These few days felt like months.
The world is changing...
Andrew had the idea that this whole complex world was beginning to change, and maybe he was the cog that had made it happen.
Stop deluding yourself, idiot...
Andrew slapped his cheeks and let his battered ego return to the depths of his soul. Kloei then returned with an old pot that Andrew easily recognized. It was the kind of pot the army used, even on expeditions to Nadira. The symphony gave them to musicians who didn't carry cooking equipment. Andrew hid his surprise and silently watched the man's actions.
Kloei simply brought over a grill that was leaning against the left wall of her home, set it over the fire, and placed the pot on top to heat up.
You're even going to cook for me, huh?
"What? Aren't you going to ask me what I'm going to teach you?" Kloei asked. "I thought you had a strong desire for power."
Andrew cleared his throat, somewhat embarrassed, as that question had been running through his head for a while.
"So... what will I learn? And how will I form my own musical core?"
"I'm glad you asked! Very well, disciple, I will take you to kill the Sejmet, and when you do, you will awaken your musical core."
A low laugh escaped Andrew's lips.
"You're quite funny. Okay, so what are we going to do?"
"Huh? ... I already told you, we'll kill the Sejmet and you'll awaken."
"Master? ... Well, I think telling that joke once was enough."
Andrew's new master, Kloei, remained silent and simply frowned.
He's clearly joking... right?
"It's not a joke."
Shit.