I was making breakfast for me and Higen, after the Carter incident I was reprimanded by Lulu and she explained to me what happened “that was the alluring darkness” she started “Divine word users are divided between sorcerers the new users, and melodists the advanced crowd, users train themselves for using their powers, since you merged with the staff of eon and gain the ability to use them you aren’t used to the grip the staff can hold” she pulled a book form a shelf and placed it on her desk in front of me, the book depicted a shadowy figure behind a person holding the staff, guiding his hand and unlashing power to kill someone, I was mortify by it “how do I stop the darkness?” “You need to master the staff and your emotions, for now, you are grounded and will have to help at the school’s library for one week, also.”
She placed a silver chalice in front of me, it had some kind of ichor inside it “What is that?” she pushed the chalice forward “Ashes of elder wood, this will bind your ability to use the staff for one week, please understand is not that I don’t trust you but rather I can’t let this slide” the taste was awful I felt like my throat was burning but I down the whole drink, so for the next few days I’m Ozwald Voloro normal guy, Higen tried to also blame himself but when Lulu asked me I put all the blame on me, he stopped me and did nothing wrong even if he thinks he did.
I was finishing breakfast, and I was singing a lullaby from this realm “The other night dear, as I lay sleeping, I dreamt I held you…” I turned the pancake I was making and put it on the plate I almost threw it against Higen when I noticed he was sitting down on the table, he had his phone in his hand and was looking at me “For a big guy, you are pretty sneaky Higen…” he put a huge grin on his face as I placed the pancakes in front of him “sorry I smelled the food you were making and then hear you singing it was captivating, do you sing a lot?” he asked me as he grabbed a bottle of syrup and butter.
“not really, but when Kelvin and Loran were younger I made their food and sang to keep them in check, I also thought that it could help when I get my powers back” his grin banished, he still felt guilty about the whole thing “hey come on big guy is only two more days and I get them back plus I did deserve it” he kept eating but I managed to look at his phone, he was on a popular music app our phones had installed, “what were you listening to Higen?” he got all excited again and showed me his one song playlist.
“Higen you know you can have like one thousand songs on this not just… marine illusion?” the picture of the song was a woman in a silver and blue sparkling dress, with a high torques ponytail “I know but this one really speaks to me a guy put it on the changing room a few days ago and I′ve been hook since then, listen, listen!” he pressed play on the screen and a horrible screeching sound came from the speakers it was horrible like someone was scratching a chalkboard with coal, but Higen seemed to like it.
I was so thankful when it ended but Higen looked at me with his big eyes waiting to hear what I thought “Well Higen that was…” awful? And ordeal? Barely singing? He had that hopeful expression on his face that I didn’t want to break “Great, no, amazing I want to hear it at all times” “Oh I can play it again and again if you want!” “I… a… look at the time we have to go, now!” I took my bag and a pancake to go and ran from the apartment.
I tried to escape that horrible song but it was everywhere, people blasted it on the streets, I could hear it coming from cars and the bus at campus was worst people had it on speakers and their phones, they were just standing mesmerized by the scratching sounds, maybe is a thing form this realm I didn’t understand, the sound was so overwhelming that it induced a head-splitting headache, I put my headphones on and played music I liked, but I bumped into a member of the football team.
“Oh, it’s just you pipsqueak, what are you listening to?” God damn it as it couldn’t get any worst I had to bump into Carter, I was intimidated by what I did but he looked weird he was smiling but not like his usual smirk it was calm and sincere “Carter are you okay?” I asked genuinely concerned for his wellbeing “Yeah oh right I have to apologize” “Excuse me, what?!?” I was stunned by the headache and also by his declaration “Yes, you heard me, ever since I heard marine illusion I realized I don’t have to act that way, I’m really sorry, if you want we can listen to it together some time it will change your life” he placed his hand on my shoulder as he walked off, I feel traumatized just yesterday he was been a jerk to a poor student and now he apologies I need to get to the doctor′s office.
“Doctor Cambell! Are you here?” finally a place where that horrible song was not booming, he was taking inventory of his medical supplies, he looked at me and took his headphones off and my heart sank I could hear the song coming from them too! “Ozwald nice to see you how have you been with the binding and all, any allergies from the ashes?” he is never this energetic at seven thirty in the morning “I have a migraine can I have some medicine please?” “Sure, sure your test came back, and you don’t have any allergy to the formula” he placed a cardboard box on his desk and gave me a glass of water, my headache subsided, and I started to feel better, he went back to listening to the song as I was leaving.
All of this day was wrong, the majority of my classmates were zombified by that damn song, so much so that a few started to paint their faces with the logo of the album, I think everyone has losing it, me and Niko, were walking from school to my apartment, he made me company during the grounding, “I still don’t understand how you got grounded Ozie” he started to call me that when he got into more confidence “well to be fair fire alarms don’t look like that from where I came from is okay it ends in two days” people were still blasting the song sometimes but now it was less noticeable “hey have you heard that song everyone is blasting?” I asked him to see if he was also mesmerized by it.
“Marine illusion? Nah my abuela doesn’t like English music so it got banned from home plus I don’t understand the whole thing I mean is kinda catchy but sometimes it sounds like someone is skinning a cat” I grabbed his hand “Right! Right! I’m so glad that I found someone that heard the same thing, Higen played it in the morning and now I think everyone is playing it and it's driving me nuts” I was so relieved that someone else thought the same, I heard the sound of a heavy bag falling to the ground “so you don’t like it Ozwald…” Higen was walking behind us, he looked so hurt by my comment he made a mad dash toward the apartment, “ah geez I hurt his feeling, sorry Niko I have to go make sure he is okay”
Higen was very fast on his feet, I probably arrived at the apartment five minutes after him, he was holding a pillow on the sofa looking very disappointed “Hey there buddy… can we talk?” he shrugged but made space for me “Listen Higen yeah I don’t like the song but it was wrong of me to act as I did, but I won’t stop you from listening to it I’m sorry” he sighed “well I’m sorry too I know I can be pushy sometimes but I don’t know it just feels like it fills a void in my chest that’s why I wanted to show it to you so maybe it could help with your problems too” great now I feel really bad for not understanding the song “but… I think is fine if you don’t like it then you don’t like it… hey, I’m going out with some of the guys on the team, are we good?” I nodded “Yeah go have fun and don’t come back too late okay?” he didn’t answer he just left; I’ll make his favorite breakfast in the morning to apologize once more.
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After I went to bed, I had a dream where I was back in the underground, I was cooking dinner for my family the knights came and I used the staff to make them go away, my family was chanting my name “Ozie… Ozwald… Ozwald!” I felt something heavy over me when I opened my eyes, I saw Higen over me he was griping my hands over my head with one hand, he had the same logo painted on his face and his eyes were all small and shifting “Higen what are you doing? You are scaring me let go!” he laughed a little “I… I′m sorry Ozwald but... but you know I think you just need to try and listen to the song again and then everything is going to be okay, please you must do this for me!” I tried to free my hands from his grasp, but it was too tight he was trying to put his headphones on my ears as the horrible scratching sound filled the room.
“Ozwald please, please just one more time I swear you will get this in no time then we can listen to it together oh we can even go to the concert and be best friends again” he pressed his body against mine trying to make me listen to the song he was all jittery and twitchy something obviously was wrong with him, that’s when amongst the scratching sounds of the song I heard screaming coming from the street “Higen… I forgot to thank you” I told him his eyes shined bright full of hope and happiness “You finally got the song? I’m so ha…” “for teaching me self-defense!” I knee him on the family jewels, and he fall off my bed giving me enough time to run somewhere safe.
I wanted to run through the front door but apparently, Higen invaded the other members of the football team to the apartment, so I locked myself in the bathroom, I moved a piece of furniture we keep there, to keep the door shut “okay let's be real I am been chased by a crazy Higen, and I hide in the shower!” I reprimanded myself, okey I need to think of a solution, I don’t have my powers, Higen is been controlled by something and there are at least five other people in my house, I looked at the mirror, I didn’t want to talk to him, but I don’t think I have a chose I have to talk to the allure.
I got close to the mirror, and my reflection was imitating me as normal, I tapped on it “Hey… me I know you are in there I need your help” but my reflection was the same, someone started to bang on the door “Ozwald… Ozwald please I understand you are scared but” Bang bang bang “I just want to help!” oh no Higen is back on his feet “Listen I forgive you for what you did so why don’t you come out, it’s me your old pal Higen don’t you want to hang out?” he keep banging on the door, “geez having trouble in paradise me?” my reflections eye turned dark and cracked and acted on its own, “been a while huh? me”
“I knew you would be coming crawling back to me the sorcerers always do” he laughed, “So Boy Scout went nuts?” he asked, I nodded “Figures, I′ve been hearing a noisy siren song for days, it drives us nuts” “a siren? like in the stories?” my reflection nodded, “yeah some legends are actually titans or other monsters, got to handle it to Higen, he held out for almost five days before giving in most people fall under the charm in a matter of minutes”
Higen kept banging on the door, I didn’t think it would hold up for much longer “okay I need the staff, but I can get it myself, but you can” my reflection picked at his teeth “And why should I help you? Last time I did you went “I didn’t want to do it my reflection forced me wahhhh” Remember?” he imitated my voice in a higher pitch to mock me “right look, ether you help me now or” Higen finally remembered he has weapons and started to hack at the door with a black axe, I started to scream “he is going to murder us… fine for this time I call a truce” my reflection reached within him and pulled the staff from my chest.
I opened the window and leaped out as the door was turned into timber “Levitate!!!” my nails turned black as I gently landed on the ground at the bottom of the building, I hid and waited for Higen and the rest of the team to leave, in a moment they ran past me and down the street, I saw more people been forced to hear the song, I returned home and changed my clothes and check my phone “the Titan is at in the concert hall” I twirled the staff in my hands “Jump!” and in a leap, I was on my way to fight the titan.
It took me a while to figure out my way to the Concert hall, where a line of people was entering through a door to the labyrinth, “and what exactly are you going to do when you find the titan?” my reflection asked from the gold disk of the staff “do you think I can break the charm on Higen with a divine word?” “Unlikely, if you were a more skilled melodist sure, but, you can’t even fly for more than a minute… although, if you manage to shock him in some way, and say something like “countercharm” it might work” I′ll think of something right now I can’t let those innocent people be eaten by the titan, I press the barrier button and entered the labyrinth.
The inside looked like a shore covered in sand and rocks, there were some dead trees and poodles of murky water, “Hide” a circle formed in front of me and made me transparent, it wouldn’t last long but it would prevent any unwanted attacks for now, I walked, looking for the location of the titan, I noticed that the people were running in a straight line towards something, they were forming a circle in the sand, were the horrible singing was louder, there in the center I saw the titan, it had the general shape of malnourished bird with the head of a woman, her long hair was covering her face she moved one of her wings and a fanatic moved in front of her, her neck elongated and attempted to swallow the fanatic.
“Shell!” even if it’s risky I need to try to save that person, I managed to protect him from the head of the titan she looked at my direction and screeched “Oz… Ozwald!!!” Higen ran at me at full speed blade in hand I barely managed to dodge the cut as one of the petals of my barrier shattered, he was panting heavily and looking more unhinged “hahahe I… I knew you would come with me Ozwald” “Higen snap out of it, this isn’t like you!” he laughed and lunched again at me “Disarm!” his sword was pulled out of his hands and into the sand, and he laughed maniacally and lunched his fist jabbing me in the stomach and threw me to the ground, I spat some blood, the titan screeched again, Higen nodded widely. “hehehhe did you hear that Ozwald!” he kicked the staff of my hands and sat on my chest “Higen please… sto” his hands wrapped tightly around my neck “shhhhuuu shuuuuu she said “if you do this you two will be together forever” so I have to, that’s all I want!!!” he started to strangle me, a few more petals shattered as his grip grow tighter and tighter, I extended my hand if I could touch the staff I could try the only thing I can imagen now, “I want someone that would never leave me! Someone that will never use me! Hehehe!!!” as he continued with his rant, I felt the tip of the staff with my middle finger “co…countercharm! So…sorry”
I then grabbed his head with my two hands, conjured all the strength I had left, and pulled his face towards mine, our lips met it was a reach, but it was the only thing I could imagine that would shock him, his eyes returned to normal, the logo on his check broke and he released his grip on my neck “I… I wha… what just happened!?!” he screamed, his face was so red he looked like he was the one been strangle, he got all flustered that was the singe that he had gone back to normal, I rubbed my neck and look at my crest only one petal remained “wel…welcome back Higen, titan behind you, you cuff you got this one right?”
He didn’t waste any time, he activated his barriers and lunged himself into the fight “You foul beast!” he yelled as he clashed against the wings of the titan, “how dear you made me do such a thing to my best friend!!!” he pierced trough one of her wings with his sword, the titan try to shake him off but he was relentless on his onslaught “that was my first kiss!, how am I supposed to continue after that!!!” he pulled a black and blue bastard sword out of his gloves and beheaded the titan in a single slash, he grabbed the core as the labyrinth crumble.
The rest of the people just fainted “Cure!” I said my throat stopped aching and I was able to talk again, “well that was close, but we did it” Higen started to draw circles on the dust of the concert hall, “Ah… yeah I guess” he looked depressed “… look it was the only thing I could think of, I’m sorry” he sighed “no, its okay it was that or death I’m more bumped about the fact that I hurt you…” I patted him on the back “Hey is okey it wasn’t you, you were possessed I know you would never do something like that” he stood up and dusted his shorts, “were do you think the after team is?” he asked I was going to answer when a familiar voice interrupted us “they were also under the titan compulsion, they should be here shortly gentleman”
Lulu entered the building and looked at us I tried to hide the staff, but it was useless “I see you took care of the situation Mr. Voloro, I’m sorry if the punishment put you in danger” “Well I’m just happy it was resolved, am I in trouble for using the staff?” I asked concerned she shook her head “You were pretty amazing handling the situation by yourself, here” she offered me water in a tiny glass “That should nullify the ashes you consume” I quickly opened it and drank the water, “Miss Lulu, how did that titan get into this app?” Higen asked as he handed her the core, she looked at it against the light “She probably charmed someone who was able to make her more well known, recorded her song, and put it on the app, gradually infecting people” she put the core into a case “but thankfully you guys stopped her, did anything else happen?” she asked we looked at each other than away “wha… something else puff no way” I said “yeah we just took care of the fight nobody kiss anyone definitely not on the lips ha-ha”
