Song Of Death

To understand the vibe of the first part of the chapter, please listen "The Death of a Violin" written by Abbie Stephens and performed by Tobie Trip.

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CHAPTER 12 - Song of Death.

A lone figure stood knee-deep in a lake, a violin in hand as they let out tunes that saddened the heart... The figure fiddled on the strings and played with vigor. As the tunes came out violently, the plants and all life around began to wither...

***

Wara sat with Zola on a rock, contemplating where she would go next and where Zola would be safe and out of harm's way.

She slowly plotted evil for those who had tried to harm the one she held dear to her heart when she heard it... A tune.

Albeit played violently, it was still melodious to her ears. She then noticed something strange, the air reeked of death. The land-life creatures were too silent and the trees had become orange like the season of cold when Wara knew through Senior Pax that this part of the veil had no snow as she had called it.

***

The figure fiddled more violently and a string on the violin snapped loose. Though their face obscured, the blood from pressing their fingers harshly on the strings could be seen dropping into the lake and as it did so, the lake turned black...

It threw its head back and moved smoothly but violently, sinking even deeper into the lake. It suddenly let out a cry that sound suspiciously close to the cry of a siren.

***

Wara heard a sudden cry of a siren and saw it before it reached her; the imminent death of those who heard that cry.

With a swiftness saved for only times of dire needs, she put all her belongings in a dimensional space and grabbed Zola who had not yet heard the Siren.

She thanked whatever gods were watching over her and rushed back in the direction she had run from. The child clung to her shoulders in order not to feel nauseous due to the speed Wara used.

Wara ran as quickly as she could. Something, whether it was instinct or her rare moments of foretelling the future, told her she would be safe if she ran back to Nak's camp.

***

The figure fiddled even more violently than before, allowing more strings to come loose. Although its fingers were bloodied by the strings, it did not falter. Bits and pieces of the violin fell off and the violin began to give off a beautiful sound.

It stilled on a note and began a song. It would have been said to be even more beautiful than the siren's save for the fact that all those who heard it never lived to hear the tale. The trees withered and shriveled, turning into ash and swirling around it as it resumed fiddling and singing.

***

Wara stopped still. The song had begun…

There was no running now for her, once Zola heard the song, he would wither.

She had no idea how she knew what would happen and pegged it on those rare moments where some knowledge were revealed to her in dire times.

She pulled the child down and he emptied his bowels through his mouth. She wondered why the song had not yet affected him. He seemed like he could not hear the song at all.

With that thought in mind she continued their journey back not quite bothered as she was. She could not care less if the others were not immune like Zola. If they turned out dead at her arrival, she would simply take what she could and set for those who tried to harm Zola.

However, something told her reverse might be the case since they had a child who could produce flames from his body and an Āsimati whose nik'isati was strange.

***

It plucked on a string while fiddling and where the mouth was supposed to be, a shark like grin appeared.

It suddenly stopped playing, leaving the song on a sharp and uncomfortable note as violin snapped into two. The swirling ashes suddenly stilled in midair and fell into the lake, giving it a mystical ash color.

The one had finally appeared.

***

Nak absentmindedly walked through the forest. A clear translucent trail appeared on the ground and he followed it. The trail suddenly began to shimmer and then fade.

Nak frowned. That only meant the person was turning back… he suddenly looked up to find Wara barreling into him. Well, almost since she had sighted him.

"I shall say it for you. You did not hear the song either." She said immediately he recognized her and the child whose hand she clutched tightly. It was strange, the way she spoke, like she was speaking in another language but he could still understand her all the same.

Like Sica…

Noticing his mind was wandering, he asked "What song?"

Wara smiled. The smile made him somewhat uncomfortable like he had confirmed a suspicion she had had of him.

Opening her lips, she uttered what gave him goosebumps for the entirety of the week.

"The Song of Death."