Chapter 1-Music For The Soul

Music is a set of notes in specific tones and patterns used to create something extraordinary. There are hundreds of different genres of music. Some are used to help in the process of connecting with religion, some are just used to excite you, and finally there are songs which can connect deeply with a person. Songs that connect to a person's soul and help make who they are more pronounced. People are led into singing these songs like a Siren leading a ship to the deep... People are drawn in, and there is no escape once encapsulated.

It was at this moment in time I felt that wonderful feeling myself. Truly music was magic unlike any other. I had found myself in a world of bliss. Calming my soul and being as each note a piano sounding the melody of my life. I felt my soul being moved from where it once resided to somewhere new. I even felt myself linked with something on a deeper level. Like my life had been linked with another. Even these feelings though like a dream fade as a song plays its last note.

It was when it did end, that I found myself in a new room this time waking up to the sound of a deep calming melody, different from what I had just heard that alleviated all my inner troubles. It was from a instrument I hadn't heard before. The sound of it though was similar to a woodwind instrument, but it was deeper and higher when necessary to give a greater range of notes to use for the player.

Getting up and walking towards it as a snake would crawl towards its charmer, I started looking for the person who was playing. Intrigued, wondering who, or what it was that made the sound. Eventually, finding the source. It was a man who seemed to have been made as elegant as possible from the very conception of his birth. He also seemed to be one with nature as he performed his melodic miracle. The notes started being switched between, faster and faster until finally, the music stopped at its climax. The melody had overwhelmed my being and made me forget my purpose in finding where this sound came from. I stood there blankly basking in its presence. My mind had never thought to even ask where I was.

Then I was frightened out of my reverie, as a large hand was placed upon my shoulder. The man who was in front of me was now next to me smiling into my face. Yet it wasn't a frightening smile "Are you feeling better now Shino," he asked as he looked me in the eye, but I felt a contradictable feeling at the mention of the "new" name. The smile froze on the man's face as he gave a sigh at seeing my inability to answer. Then a look of anger crossed the man's face. "I'll capture Hinamaru as soon as possible and give him a reason to fear life itself." The man's mumbling was freaking me out a bit, but when I tried to back up I knocked myself into another person and then hit the floor.

Trying to get back up I noticed a butler who had his hand carefully held out so I could get up easily. Now fully on my feet I heard the man speak "Careful young master Shino." Standing completely still once I had gotten back up, I started wondering just what was going on. Thinking over what I knew I started realizing something even if the idea took a bit to digest. I barely knew anything specific throughout my whole life's (Live's) memories. I seemed to only know some general things such as being part of some big family, and that the person in front of me was my brother. Even some memories that didn't seem to relate to this world. Looking at the butler, I however didn't remember the butler at all. In fact I knew we had butlers and maids, but I couldn't place any of their names to their faces. I had even forgotten what my parents looked like.

All the thoughts started to aggravate my head, then the pain continued even after I quit thinking about the matter. I started feeling sick, nauseous, dizzy and still it kept getting worse. It was when the pain became unbearable that I passed out. As I started falling I felt the two people in the room instantly move to help me. Taking me up and putting me on what seemed to be a couch in my haze. Feeling sleepy I once more fell asleep this time because I simply passed out. Unlike which I had yet to know; being knocked out.

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Time passed slowly for the two men in the room. One stood quiet with the occasional point of advice coming out, while the other made plans on who to contact. He thought back to the people who had caused this whole ordeal. One was a boy, a classmate of Shino who lay peacefully unconscious in the dungeons of this building. The other was the father of the boy. They had together tried taking over the business and status of Shino's family.

They had done it in an extremely rough method to, that's quite well known. It was for this reason they also lost. They had hired some assassins to take care of the guards, while they themselves got their hands dirty and beat Shino up, capturing him for ransom. The boy of course had no way to fight without his Siren Chords being developed enough, and so he had now lost most of his memories.

Siren Chords were the mana enhanced vocal boxes and chords in a human that contained musical power. Using the power it was possible to achieve a wide range of effects in a way that a wizard would, except the use of song was a necessary. And while you could say everyone was a "Bard", it to wouldn't be enough of a truth when they could go toe to toe with a dragon, and, 'not in the bedroom and defeat them kind of way.' They could also channel this power into instruments of various kinds or the air directly if they were skilled enough with the control of the energy. Each instrument had a different power base that it created to be used in combat. Each instrument as such was a type of class in this amazing world. An example of this would be the use of drums as a way to best do one blast attacks in quick succession. That's why most Siren Chord users used these weapons. The use of other instruments would depend upon the pitch, timbre, and mood of a song, person, and instrument.

Only one percent of the world however had these chords, and even then those with the cords were split into stronger and weaker groups early on with their levels of talent. so it was no surprise when his brother's chords developed very slowly. It was better than him having none after all. Later the family lowered the guards placed on the boy as he was seen as less important to the heir of the family, himself. His guards were also weaker according to that logic, and so it was no surprise when Shino had been captured for a quick ransom without having to put much effort into the plan. After all hindsight was 20/20, or at least to the majority of the family it was.

Eventually they sent in their people and saved Shino, however the father of the problem had gotten away. Knowing he would be back since they had his son. They could only wait furious about what had happened. At least in the meantime he could take care of all the current small problems and take out his hatred on them.