Gerald indecisively stood towards the city's edge, leading into a large grassfield away from everyday citizens. The glimmer within his eyes thickened, skimming the nearby power levels in search of the remaining cultists'. "There isn't a lot I can do with standard senses," he complained. "Either way, making it work is key to the mission!" His hesitation halted, intercepted by a wave of determination pushing him into the quiet fields. His shoes brushed against the damp grass, raising his gaze beyond the quiet field.
In the distance approached three men and one woman, tightening Gerald's chest. Each step closer forced the grassfield in further distortion. Gerald's legs combusted, striking his eyes towards the ominous shadows. "I don't know what the hell is going on, but I'll find a way to stop it!"
Gerald's leg shot through one of the shadows, shattering the illusion like a pane of glass. His moment of recovery was interrupted by a sudden chuckle. "You did well breaking out of that dimension, little boy," she admired. "However, I forbid you from going any further!"
Gerald's eyesight stabilized, shifting towards the hooded figure watching from above. "Who's talking?"
Her hood slipped off, revealing her glimmering, magenta eyes and golden-brown hair. "I am Songnote of Fire Moon, a proud transformation mage! Combined with my undying passion for music, you will be trapped in a melody of eternal torture!"
Gerald chuckled. "A melody of eternal torture? I've already escaped that same fate many years ago, and I refuse to endure it again!" Songnote reached into her robe, revealing her wooden violin. "Your first mistake was opposing Fire Moon. Now, you'll learn the consequences."
Volume 13, Chapter 53 - Clash of Fire and Music!
The white clouds blocking the sun parted, allowing its light to shine on Songnote's golden-brown hair. Her fingernails dug into her violin as she proudly lifted it into the open sky. "The arts of music are a rather marvelous phenomenon. Blending this with Advanced Transformation Techniques, the beauty of music is brought into the human eyes!"
A large gust of wind followed, lightly pushing Gerald's dark-brown curls. His eyes focused on her violin, sensing unusual sums of power flowing through its strings. "Normal violin on the outside, crazy battle weapon on the inside," he whispered. The flames across his legs thickened, dancing through the open air. "With the help of my friends, I've triumphed over the despair once swallowing me whole! Not even the power of music will force me through such torture again!"
Songnote chuckled. "Your sparks of hope are forcing blatant lies into your mind. However, this isn't anything I'm unable to resolve." Her bow lifted towards the strings.
The bow's thread slid across the strings, and a majestic note echoed through the fields. The surrounding hills melted into liquid, splashing towards Gerald like a raging whirlpool. His eyes shot towards Songnote, who slowly lifted from the tsunami's path. "Changing the ground's properties with just a single note!?"
A smile of happiness stretched across Songnote's face. "I'm honored to receive your surprise, boy. This is the true power of music!" The sloshing water grabbed Gerald's legs, forcing him into the whirlpool's epicenter. He struggled against the overwhelming waves, ultimately falling into the ocean's clutches.
Songnote smirked. "More anticlimactic than I expected, that's for sure."
She froze for a moment, lowering her gaze towards the whirlpool. Her eyes focused on a small light-blue flame swirling in the ocean's riptides. "Are my eyes deceiving me…? A flame in a raging sea?" The blue ember erupted, bursting Gerald's drenched body into the skies.
"THIS IS FAR FROM OVER!"
Songnote smiled, playing a deeper note on the violin. "Act one complete. Act two, commence!"
!!!
A large, wooden boat traveled under the star-scattered skies. Aboard the ship walked Gerald, his footsteps forcing repeated squeaks from the rotting floorboards. "A ship?" he whispered, inspecting the dark-blue waves crashing against the ship's hull. The humming of Songnote's violin echoed through the night, forcing a peaceful halt within the sea's ocean currents.
Silence.
"The waves withdraw, leaving the ship's voyage at a standstill!" Songnote's voice narrated. A deep squawk emitted from her violin, and the wind began to push the ship through the silent ocean. Gerald's eyes scanned through the skies, unable to grasp Songnote's presence in his current position. "Where am I…?"
His attention shifted towards a gradual sound of roaring water. "The curious boy rushes towards the ominous sound, noticing the large waterfall reeling him in! Within the waterfall's borders stood a thriving forest, populated with gargantuan-sized trees and… roaring dinosaurs!"
"DID YOU REALLY HAVE TO INCLUDE THE DINOSAUR PART!?"
A high-pitched note rang through the skies. "The ship breaks into pieces, succumbing to the waterfall's pull and plunging the young boy down into the forest!"
Gerald's screams echoed through the air. His body slammed against the damp leaves of a giant flower, quickly giving into his weight and flicking him into the dirt.
"The boy lifts his head from the ground, resting his eyes upon a large dinosaur! With a ferocious roar, the dinosaur begins to charge towards him!" Gerald's legs combusted in flame, watching the dinosaur as it ripped through the forest. "This is supposed to be a battle, not a show! Fight me like a good opponent!" The dinosaur's head jerked up from Gerald's impact, releasing another loud roar bursting throughout the air. "I'M NOT A DINOSAUR HUNTER, I'M AN ENTITY HUNTER! GET IT RIGHT!"
"The boy rushes away from the menacing beast, escaping into a small plain!"
Gerald panted, elevating his eyes onto the waterfall's sharp decline. "I don't get paid enough for thi-"
"A large explosion erupts near the boy's hideout! Descending from the skies spectates a man with crystal-blue eyes, examining his every movement!"
Gerald's eyes bulged. "Is that… who I think it is?"