The Music Speaks

“Get into position, all of you! this one won’t be easy!” Sylvia says, already back on her feet and brandishing her warchord.

In response, I stand up, pat myself down and stick my sharpsong into the frozen ground. With my arms crossed on top of each other and a smirk, I answer Sylvia. “I think I’ll pass.”

If this wasn’t a competitive event and they were truly in danger then I would have helped, but the more I think about it, the less reasons I find that justify me lending a hand. Even if we do defeat it together, it’s unlikely I’ll get the last hit, so there’s no gain for my team. Then, once the threat is gone, there’s no telling what they’ll do to me. Instead, it makes more sense to see myself out while they’re busy with it. I’m fairly confident this [echoed] won’t abandon three delicious [enlightened] just to chase me, especially if I make my way deeper into the Tundra.

It takes a moment for the others to register what I just said. Though they try to keep most of their attention on the still unmoving Sandworm, visible confusion arises from the members of Sylvia’s team once they’ve heard my stance. Perplexed, Sylvia grants me a quick glance, frowns, and calmly asks me a question. “...Do you not feel up to the challenge, Alden?”

I scoff. “Oh no that’s not it. I just don’t see why I should help you with this.” I say, still smirking.

Talyndra, holding her sharpsong and seemingly preparing something with her [melody], burst into anger. “WHAT?! What do you mean you won’t help?! Who do you think was the one that dragged you all the way here??!!?” She exclaims.

I rub my chin, pretending as though I’m considering her words. “Well, I’d say it was a mutual effort. I’m confident I’ve paid you back for the ride, wouldn’t you say? You wouldn’t have made it here without me after all.”

Feyrin, his complexion still pale and visible weakness permeating his body, painstakingly attempts to raise to his feet. With a few pants, he draws his melo-string toward me, but it seems he doesn’t even have the strength to imbue it with a fraction of what he shot at the Sandworm earlier.

With his typical eerie smile plastered on his lips, he stares at me as he speaks. “See? I told you both we should have thrown him overboard at the first opportunity we got. Alas, my words hold no weight in the hearts of you beautiful ladies.” He says loudly, as if it really bothered him that they hadn’t believed him. If I didn’t know any better, I’d almost believe his act.

Not feeling threatened by Feyrin’s melo-string aimed at me, I point to the Sandworm who finally seems ready to fight once more. “You guys might wanna focus on this one instead of me. I’ll take a few steps back and watch from afar.”

A vein on the side of Talyndra’s forehead nearly pops and she uses all she has to not jump at me. “You!!!! When I get my hands on you-”

Sylvia interrupts. “No matter, we don’t need him to beat this creature.” Syllvia then turns to me and smiles, a warm smile. “Stand back all you like. You’ll be able to see how much I’ve improved.”

‘Ahhh… that smile.. No matter how many times I see it, it’s still ... .but too bad, I’ll be long gone before you even finish your fight.’

Once I’ve made it clear I won’t raise a single finger, Sylvia settles into her battle stance, and the atmosphere around her shifts. The air comes to a standstill and cracks from into the ground as she digs her feet into it. Then, with incredible power, almost an explosion of force, she springs forward. Pureflow gathers into her legs with every step she takes toward her opponent, increasing her speed with every moment..

Once she gets within reasonable distance, an incredible amount of pureflow, with a much greater magnitude than what I can output without crescendo’s help, is infused into the muscles of her lower body. In response, they vibrate, tighten, and as if mimicking a spring, her body soars, parting the air as she ascends. At the right altitude, she finally releases a frightening swing of her warchord, hitting the Sandworm from the side. The blow itself holds so much power that Sylvia, who is like a grain of sand next to the titanic [echoed], drives it back. The creature crashes into the ground, sliding on the cold frozen floor for a few meters before stopping. The impact sends tremors through the earth and nearly makes me trip over my own feet.

‘...Damn, I better get out of here…fast.’

As I turn my heels the other way, ready to leave, the stillness in the air makes me uneasy. Worry begins to form on my face when I realize that the Sandworm…is not moving. Surely, that couldn’t have incapacitated it, could it have?

As sweat begins to form on my forehead, I intently stare in the creature's direction, internally begging for it to rise again. A few seconds of apprehensive silence pass with no reaction from it, only adding onto my anxiousness. Fortunately, however, my hopes are answered, and it gives signs of life. As if coming back from the dead, the creature squirms wildly and lets out a shuddering shriek, sending tremors throughout the ground. Then, with more anger contained within it than before, it adopts its standing stance again, towering above us. I wipe away the cold sweat on my face.

‘... Had me worried for a second, but I guess even Sylvia can’t take this thing out in one hit.’

Knowing that the battle couldn’t possibly be that easy, the golden haired heiress of the FullCastle family prepares another attack, and Talyndra who has summoned a few more of her tamed [echoed] commands them to support her. Not wanting to gamble on the result of the next hit, I take this as my cue to leave.

In a few dozen minutes of running at top speed, they are no longer within view, and I find myself alone within the Tundra, unsure where to go from here.

‘Right, the flag, what happened to it?’

[Your team has lost the flag.]

‘Great…’