Moonbound: Reincarnated as a Moon Elf

'Alright let's see here. There's a circle, a line from the middle, probably a diameter, being intersected by a chord of 8 units in the middle. The distance from the centre to the point of meeting is 3 units. Since it's a right-angled triangle with radius being the hypotenuse… Alright, simple enough.. 4, 16 and 3, 9, so 25.' 

"You have to travel 5 units… cubits to reach them. 2 more if you reach the joint." 

Noctis replied with an odd expression. He was being asked middle-school math sum in a fiction-esque illusion. Whatever to make of it.

"Impressive traveler. You may pass." 

As soon as the voice stopped, several small black spiders and markings suddenly came out from nowhere enveloping the wasp's body.

Hundreds of spiders stacked on top one another as the wasp's body became completely buried under it. 

Noctis saw with a frown on his face as soon the silhouette of the body shrank more and more until it disappeared quickly, along with the illusion.

Noctis messaged his forehead with his hands a little before jogging ahead as the shadow almost reached his position. 

The spiders went back into oblivion as soon as the body was… digested, so he didn't need to worry about it.

The web here was connected to two other paths going to either side, but since the giant spider ahead did not change its course, he too kept staring. 

Some time after moving upon the bridge, he encountered another thing blocking the path. 

This time it was a grand architectural fountain with a sculpture of a beautiful lady holding onto a harp-like instrument in the middle.

Noctis had to stop as the fountain covered the whole breadth of the web and was high as well as long enough that he'd have to get into the water into the fountain to get across.

Despite recovering a little he didn't wish to be anywhere near water, or any liquid for that matter for a while.

As soon as he had stopped, however , the face of the statue that was a little to the side suddenly but slowly turned towards him.

Noctis braces for another weird sequence of events when an extremely harsh sound reverberates across the place. 

Noctis immediately covered his ears and buckled in the ground. It was by far the worst sound he'd ever listened to across two lives, and he'd heard some very unpleasant ones for certain.

This sound felt physically hurtful despite not being too loud. Like metal being scraped and broken drums reverberating, it got worse as the time went on.

Finally the sound stopped as Noctis' eyes glazed from the nausea he felt as his ears kept ringing.

"I beg your forgiveness, patron, for I'm truly troubled. This lyre of mine does not soothe but only distresses. I need thy help.

"For you see, "On the lyre of the muses hang three strings; voice, echo, and the stranger.

One sings the song, the second sings it deep. The third sings not at all, only breaks the tune.

Two are bound in brotherhood by the law of whole and half. The last is thrice the voice.

Which must be silenced, to restore the lyre?"

Noctis looked into the white, pupil-less, still eyes of the sculpture before getting his teeth and taking a deep breath to calm down.

Time was of the essence and he didn't know what consequences he'd have to face for punching the sculpture straight through its face.

'Alright think. It's just simple harmonics. Three strings in the instrument. Second is double the first and third is thrice.

Let's say L, 2L, and 3L respectively. Since the length is the inverse of the frequency of a string… hmm… if the first string is f¹, a standard chord, then the second would be f¹/2 making it an octave lower, harmonious interval, cool.

Then the third being f¹/3, relative to first… would be perfect twelfth, and with second… 3:2, perfect fifth but altogether… let's say first a C, then second minor C, then third would be… F?... Yeah nope. No wonder. 

It still shouldn't be so bad so bad goddamn! Haah… calm down it's definitely the third messing up. It's not a standard triad.'

Taking another deep breath, Noctis said, 

"It's the third. It needs to be some other length, preferably 1/3rd more than first for a harmonious triad." 

The atmosphere stilled as Noctis held his breath in the uncertain situation. Soon the voice returned, 

"Marvellous, patron. You've helped me immensely. I shall forever be grateful, for you have given me the key to cleanse myself of a great sin." 

'Yeah, just move on already. I'm pressed for time here.' 

With that the sculpture, along with a fountain holding the water, suddenly broke apart and water in it escaped, flowing down into the sea below.

Noctis did not dilly-dally this time and started moving forward soon as he saw the fountain breaking apart.

Soon he reached another crossroad with paths leading to three directions. He stopped and looked ahead to see in which direction the spider went when suddenly he saw… a lush tree top instead. 

Noctis lowered his head and sighed deeply. 

'Just how many?' 

Noctis looked ahead at the white marble slab placed under the shade of a tree. 

The sun shines above casting shadows upon the forest floor. 

A strange shape full of twists and turns laid carved on the forest floor a little distance from the stoke slab.

Noctis walked up to the slab and noticed some carvings on the tree. 

"Truth lies in what remains, not what is added.

Shape the form that casts no false shadow."

Noctis looked at the hammer and sickle laid beside the stone slab, the strange carvings laid on the ground and the sun slowly heading west. 

Soon the sun will reach the point where, if the slab were to be placed upright, its shadow would fall roughly where the carvings laid. 

And if interpreted the instructions… he was beyond fucked.