Beneath the Pink City
While painting a vivid picture of the beautiful city, Selenie effortlessly introduced the piece to the crowd and spoke of the significance of this exchange concert. A heartfelt desire for everyone—regardless of age, gender, or race—to share music without discrimination. The audience listened to her words in utter silence, not even drawing breath.
"Well then..."
Selenie wrapped up her introduction with practiced ease, took her position, and glanced our way. I nodded, and Monica nodded too.
Today's piece was Beneath the Pink City, composed by Selenie herself. It captured the emotions she'd felt upon first setting foot in Ramisel—pure awe at seeing people united solely through music. Happiness. Joy. I mulled it over inwardly as I assumed my stance. It was time to play.
Selenie slowly raised her bow. A motion repeated thousands, tens of thousands of times; a piece she'd played countless times. Yet today, her heart fluttered more than ever. She hadn't anticipated feeling this way while preparing for the exchange. Few things could bring new joy to someone who'd lived through so much.
But the ones sharing the stage with her had made it possible. The shock of first hearing their music had been dizzying—delicately beautiful yet laced with destructive intensity. And that violin... Seeing another instrument and coveting it was something she hadn't felt in over a century.
"Hehe."
Selenie smiled faintly as she laid her bow on the strings. Various thoughts swirled, but now was the time to focus. It was her role to open the piece.
Swoooosh—
The Silveri's bow grazed the strings, sending a deep, resonant low note vibrating through the air. She pictured Ramisel's massive pink walls awakening under the morning sun—the sight that had greeted her upon first arriving in this beautiful city. Serene yet majestic. A landscape she longed for so deeply.
The slow, heavy melody wound through the venue like sunlight tracing the walls. The audience stared in a daze, entranced by Selenie's hands and the sounds they birthed. But it lasted only a moment.
━━━!
A high, piercing melody pierced the heavy tones. In an instant, the air shifted. If the Silveri evoked Ramisel's vast earth and towering walls, Arden's violin was a streak of lightning slashing across the land and soaring skyward.
Selenie felt a pleasant thrill from the subtle vibrations at her bow tip. Each time the violin's highs intertwined with the Silveri's lows, it was as if an invisible whirlwind swirled across the stage.
Dararan—
Then the carillon's soft tones enveloped them both. The two melodies, depicting separate elements, wove together atop the carillon's notes into a single image of Ramisel.
How joyful.
Selenie's eyes sparkled. The vibrancy of Ramisel she'd notated—the laughter of its people, its stunning scenery—unfolded vividly. She focused even more on the sensations in her fingertips. Though it was her own composition, the violin and carillon beside her added unexpected hues, even to her.
That's the nature of performing with others. In grand terms, it's like isolated worlds colliding, touching, blending.
Dararan—
━━.
To her, Beneath the Pink City was a bittersweet memory of happiness. The joy and delight from her first arrival in Ramisel lingered in her heart. Yet she also felt sorrow that it was no longer the same. The pure days of musical exchange were gone.
That grief and longing always spilled out during performances, unbidden. It was why she hadn't played it recently.
Daran, dan.
━━━━━━━━.
But this performance? The same piece painted an entirely different landscape. Selenie could feel it. Arden and Monica onstage with her weren't seeing Ramisel of the distant past. They saw the Ramisel of now.
A city where countless artists and musicians still gathered, despite the changes. A place of clashes and rivalries, yet united once more under the banner of art. Their melodies pushed Selenie forward from the echoes of memory.
The violin's highs glided smoothly like silk, then ignited with heart-searing heat. Not a preserved relic, but the living pulse of the city in this very moment.
Selenie finely tuned every muscle in her bowing arm, responding to Arden's breath. Dan, daradan, dan—
Monica's carillon evoked a dream-filled girl, thrilled by a new world. A girl already in love with this city she'd only recently discovered, holding it close to her heart. Selenie saw her own past in those notes.
The three instruments explored, repelled, and merged anew. In that process, Selenie felt her playing grow bolder than usual. She pushed past the hazy, wistful memories, rising higher. It was simply too joyful to behold the Ramisel they conjured.
━━━━━━!
As the piece crested toward its climax, the three melodies fused, singing of the pink city. Sunlit walls. People alive within. Artists voicing their dreams. At last, it all filled the entire festival grounds, blazing with vibrant life.
Selenie lifted her head with her final bow stroke, as if to behold that radiant beauty.
"Huuu."
As she set down her bow, her chest heaved. The strings fell still, and perfect silence blanketed the venue. Only then did she realize she was smiling brilliantly.
It had been so long since she'd smiled this brightly—she couldn't even remember.
Selenie gazed at the audience, still beaming. The seats were hushed, like the calm before a storm. Even after the sound stopped, their faces remained dazed, as if the echoes lingered in their ears. Some had eyes closed; others looked on the verge of fainting.
Then, in a flash—
Clapclapplapplapplapclapclap—!
Thunderous applause erupted. Everyone rose as one, clapping with all their might. It was like a massive wave crashing from the seats toward the stage.
"That was the greatest performance!"
"S-such a beautiful melody!"
"Ahh! Peldoresi!"
Elves, dwarves, humans—all stood cheering. Even the stuffy noble critics wept as they clapped furiously.
Seeing that overwhelming tide, Selenie felt even greater joy. In this moment, racial barriers felt nonexistent.
Of course, she knew better. In time, today's moved would fade, and people would bicker and hate as before. But Selenie no longer felt sorrow over it. As long as the city endured, new people would arrive, and fresh flowers would bloom atop the old.
Just like the beautiful bloom onstage today.
"Everyone."
As the applause began to die down, Selenie spoke.
"Today's stage wasn't mine alone."
Her gaze lingered on the flushed faces of Arden and Monica.
"These two rising stars, Arden and Monica, were invaluable. A big round of applause for them too, please."
Cheers and fervent clapping erupted anew. Arden and Monica, faces brimming with emotion, bowed deeply to the crowd.
The audience clapped even harder. Among them were those who'd hurled insults at them just a week ago.
Whether they'd truly changed their minds in seven days was doubtful. But their praise in this moment rang true.
So Selenie smiled.
Whoa. Insane.
Even thirty minutes after leaving the stage, my excitement hadn't subsided. The previous performances had been intense too, but this one felt... different.
Matching breaths with Selenie, I felt my body lift into the air. Beneath my feet shimmered the ivory city in sunlight, people hand-in-hand, dancing joyfully. As if we'd become one.
I wasn't the only one—Monica had been rambling incoherently after we got offstage too.
"L-like, floating up, and people laughing, uh, and then."
Yeah. She still was.
As I watched her grinning face,
"There you are."
The door opened, and Selenie appeared. She'd changed from her ornate stage dress into a seductive deep wine-colored halterneck gown. The silk hugged her curves softly, with a deep thigh-high slit revealing glimpses of pale leg with each step.
Hmm. I'd been so overwhelmed by her presence before that I hadn't noticed. That figure of hers... incredible.
But just as captivating was her slightly flushed face. Her expressions were always varied, but this was a new one. The tips of her pointed ears peeked through platinum hair, rosy with excitement. Her golden eyes sparkled with childlike pure joy.
She lightly shook the white sheer fabric in her hands and spoke with a radiant smile.
"Truly, a magnificent stage. It felt far more energetic than our rehearsals."
"That's all thanks to your brilliant lead, Lady Selenie."
"Y-yeah!"
"Hehe. No, I had more fun playing thanks to you two."
Beaming as she said it, Selenie sat in a nearby chair and continued.
"I'll have your gifts ready when you leave. Oh, and you mentioned a performance in two months?"
"Ah, yes."
I nodded. We'd chatted after the last rehearsal, and I'd offhandedly mentioned the Armonia Church concert. She remembered.
Selenie said to me,
"I'd love to attend as an audience member. Should I reserve a seat?"
"Pardon? Oh, no! Just come as you are! I'll save you the best spot!"
Reserve? If Selenie was coming, I'd make a seat out of thin air.
She laughed and thanked me.
"Wonderful. Then, see you in the imperial capital. I'll look forward to it."
"We'll prepare diligently!"
Selenie nodded.
"Ah! And someone wants to meet you."
"Pardon? Us?"
"Yes."
To our puzzled looks, Selenie explained.
"The head heiress of the Golden Wheel Merchant Guild."
"What?"
I couldn't help but widen my eyes. The Golden Wheel was the continent's largest trading company. And the head heiress was essentially its successor... the apple of the guild master's eye.