Rock N' Roll, Morning Light Falls On You

0/

If I could, I would repaint the world.
Nothing as drastic like getting rid of wars.
But maybe, there's a bit of that too.

The strange little buds at the end of the strings sang those words as the unnatural sounding instruments played their melodies. Those were the first and only lines of that song. It felt a bit unfinished really, but the melody was nice.

It has been a week since I found this little device in the middle of the forest. I couldn't read the engravings on it but I could understand the words that it sang when I touched it.

At first, I was wary of the object. I was taught about artifacts that were possessed by evil spirits that whispered of power and riches, promising everything yet only seeking to devour you. But I couldn't resist the otherworldly sounds and eventually I held up the buds to my ear.

With each touch of the small disc set on the front of the artifact, a small, glass window lit up and I heard voices singing of unrequited love, of lost love and moving on, of fun days with friends, or just messing around. Sometimes the voices sang in a different language that I couldn't understand but the instruments and the melody carried the feelings across.

I was dazzled by the enchanting music. I locked myself in my room and listened to it constantly as soon as I got back.

By the next day, the artifact had died and the music stopped.

No matter what I did, it wouldn't light up or sing again. Whatever magic it contained was gone.

When I brought it to my teachers, they immediately checked me for anything that was out of the ordinary. They were afraid that whatever was powering the device left because it had already taken what it needed from me. Fortunately, maybe unfortunately, I was still the same ordinary, lackluster witch that they started with at the beginning of the year.

None of the instruments that the bards had or have heard of could even begin to replicate the music that I had in my memory. And for some reason, their usual songs of heroes and god-kings rang hollow in my heart.

I think the memory of that music drove me a little mad because I soon found myself in our great library. Among the endless shelves I searched for any clue that would help me. I learned of holy swords and cursed swords, of demon princes and the dragonborn that brought them down, and I learned of the weapons and magic that they used. In the span of a month, I think I gathered enough knowledge to be able to have a go at a senior's exam.

But nothing about a small white device with a small disc set in the front along with a piece of glass that lit up while it played music that spoke to my heart.

It was not a complete loss however.

In one of the books, a ranger's guidebook of all things, I found something that might help me. The rangers of the forest that surrounded our tower used a relatively simple spell to quickly find their way home. By holding the memory of that which they held dear in their heart, the spell could send them instantly back.

With a bit of tinkering, maybe I could use it so that it would send me to where the artifact came from.

It was no guarantee and I did not know what awaited me if and when I find the artifact's origin but I've never felt this way before. The music inside it awoke something inside me. Maybe it was just a demons call and I would find myself in a terrible dungeon and turned into a slave. Who knows really? In any case, I don't think something like a demon would be able to make music like that.

I think it's worth a try at least~