Coincidence [2]
Somehow, even up until this moment, it didn't feel real to me at all.
Of course, I'd heard the explanations.
Deciding the fate of the world? No, that's too grandiose.
...To reduce the suffering of those in pain?
Yeah. That seemed right. So that the boy named Iman, who should have died as a child, wouldn't have to...
I carefully placed my hands on the keys and slowly closed my eyes.
What piece should I play? Beethoven's passion? Chopin's Revolution? Liszt's transcendental techniques? No.
What the hell am I even thinking?
Right. Back to basics. The fundamentals. That pure, essential feeling...
All the sheet music cluttering my mind vanished in an instant, replaced by a single, worn score floating before my eyes.
The father of music, the Old Testament of the piano—Bach (J.S. Bach).
And among his works, the clearest, most unadorned first piece.
A piece in the purest C major, without a single sharp or flat.
Only gentle, rippling arpeggios repeating endlessly, guiding the changes in harmony.
The most fundamental, simplest, and most beautiful piece...
This felt right. I took a deep breath. Then, softly, I pressed down the first key.
A clear, crystalline piano melody shattered the dome's heavy silence, ringing out transparently.
The prelude flowing from the piano was merely vibrations in the air, but the phenomena unfolding were anything but simple.
Each note touched the air and coalesced into dazzling golden particles, taking on physical form.
The sparkling golden motes swirled around the piano, filling the dome's interior with fantastical light.
Concepts gaining physical force, sound being sculpted into light.
An impossible phenomenon, inexplicable.
Yet it was happening in reality.
Like feeling someone's gaze upon you. Or a phenomenon beyond the spectrum of light humans can perceive.
But unmistakably, a soft, billowing light began to spread.
And it kept coming.
As the piano continued without pause, the golden dust and clear tones burst through the ceiling toward the surface.
A pillar of light shot past the palace spires, piercing the capital's highest skies.
It soon formed massive golden clouds over the capital's night sky. And then, the miracle began.
As warm, sparkling golden snow.
The most beautiful snow in history began to fall upon the world.
That beautiful snow was later recorded in history books.
Snowball fights broke out across the continent. Even those locked in battle paused in awe, halting the war.
A temporary truce, but in that moment, everyone felt an inexplicable peace...
So it was written.
"Mom... it hurts..."
A child lay in bed, reaching toward the empty air. His mother could only weep at the sight.
They'd consulted every renowned doctor, every priest.
But no one could diagnose the illness. As a mother, she felt self-loathing. And sorrow.
And finally, regret. Regret for letting her child, who had suffered her whole life, endure such pain...
"Mom..." "Yes!"
The child reached out, and his mother hurriedly embraced him.
His body was cooling slowly, and as a mother, she knew.
This was the end. The end for her precious child, guilty of nothing but having such worthless parents...
Then.
Through the open window crack, a transparent piano melody tickled their ears, carrying a single warm golden snowflake inside.
The beautiful flake settled lightly on the child's hand.
"Pretty..."
The child stared blankly at the window, and his mother followed his gaze outside.
"It is pretty..."
Even through her tear-blurred vision, the mother wondered. Was this a blessing? Or a curse?
God's mockery? Or mercy? A beautiful scene for her child's final moments?
No. Absolutely not. What she needed right now was her child's body to heal...
She'd give her own life for it. All she needed was for her child to have the strength to live on.
And.
"Ah?"
The child blinked in shock, then spoke in confusion.
"I... don't hurt anymore." "Huh?" "I feel... like something. My body... it's light, Mom."
The child murmured in bewilderment. His mother blinked blankly too.
Together, they looked outside again. And spoke.
"Pretty..." "Yeah. So pretty."
Radiant golden light blanketed the world like a field of wheat.
"This... isn't a dream, is it?"
The mother murmured blankly, pinching her cheek.
It stung.
The child sparkled with joy at the beauty outside. Then said,
"Mom! Let's go see it!" "Ah..." "I'm okay now!"
The child jumped from the bed, and in that instant, his mother knew what to do.
Maybe it was an illusion, but she never wanted it to end.
So she smiled brightly and said,
"Let's go!"
Of course, the next day, they realized it was no illusion—but reality.
The final note rolled across the keys.
At last, the most fundamental and perfect C major chord softly dispersed into the air, bringing the performance to an end.
"Haa..."
I lifted my hands from the keys and let out a long, deep breath.
The moment the performance ended, the Dragon Heart Fragment, which had been pulsing madly and emitting light, turned into an ordinary gray pebble, as if all its vitality was spent.
The Abyssal Magic Stone lost its glow and crumbled into white powder, scattering.
The magic array that had adorned the floor gradually dimmed and vanished, restoring ordinary silence.
It's over.
Honestly, I still had no idea what had happened.
But I knew something had.
I couldn't explain it precisely... but instinct? A sixth sense beyond the five?
Like seeing colors of light beyond human perception...
The feeling that the world's laws had changed. A sensation I could describe but not truly explain.
I shrugged my stiff shoulders loose and slowly turned back from the piano bench.
Serika, Haruna, Elise... they all stared blankly, feeling something similar.
"...Something's changed, right?"
I approached them and murmured. Serika nodded first.
"Yeah. Something... has changed."
"Can't explain it?"
"Nope. Can't put it into words."
Haruna came over and pressed firmly on my lower back, like before.
"What."
"No, how was it?"
"How was what?"
"Ugh! How was the piano!"
"Oh."
I felt their gazes waiting for what I'd say.
Fucking pressure. What do I even say? Can't just say I was too focused and don't remember.
Those gazes had viscosity, pouring onto my face.
I tried to come up with something profound, but that wasn't my style.
I scratched the back of my head awkwardly, smirked at Haruna, and casually opened my mouth.
"Um..."
My first words broke the silence.
"Tuning was spot on. Sounded great, Haruna."
Huh... what a lameass thing to say. This is what I agonized over?
It was so pathetic it filled me with self-loathing, but Haruna nodded in satisfaction.
"Want me to repay you with the maid outfit?"
"?"
"?"
"?"
Her words instantly shattered the dazed mood, snapping back to normal.
Gazes shifted from her to me, then back to her with wary glares.
"You're doing this on purpose, right?"
I asked incredulously, and Haruna put on an innocent face.
100% yes.
I'd suspected, but now I was sure. She was absolutely doing it deliberately.
She just wanted to see me squirm. For real.
I could only sigh.
"So, what happens now?"
The awkward atmosphere returned as I brought it up. Thankfully, Elise clarified.
"Well... rest for now. But from tomorrow, things will get quite busy, so I apologize in advance."
It didn't take long to understand what she meant.