Adagio stood quietly on her own feet, staring up at the old mansion in front of her, wondering what she was doing there. The town of Spookane had been just another stop on her seemingly endless journey, and it had seemed ordinary enough. But then she'd seen this mansion, sitting all by itself on a hill, abandoned for who knew how long. All Adagio had gotten from the locals was that some girl had named Rosemary had lived there once, and now they believed that the house was haunted. She dismissed those concerns, of course. Pure nonsense. Nonetheless, she felt as though something inside her head was calling her to the house, something she couldn't explain.
For Adagio Dazzle, the idea of being called somewhere was rather unusual. Her life basically consisted of wandering from place to place, settling wherever she could make a few dollars singing at any club that would take her, before moving onto the next. It wasn't the most fulfilling existence, she admitted. It had been her dream to sing on one stage, forever adored by the audience, but that wasn't happening right now, not for her. That wasn't to say that audiences didn't delight in her singing at all. She had a rather unique ability to hold a crowd's attention. In many places she'd visited, they'd dubbed her "The Siren." That kind of attention was what Adagio lived for. Eventually, once she'd saved up enough, she'd find her way to a big time music deal, where she'd be adored by people all over the world. From what she'd heard across the grapevine, her sisters Aria and Sonata were in much the same business. Of course, they'd never get there before she did.
As she stepped up to the door, Adagio couldn't help but notice how decrepit the building was. The bricks that composed the walls were cracked and dull, and several windows were broken. The front lawn was overgrown in places, densely populated by weeds, and in some others the grass was just dead. The door itself may have once been painted white, but now it had faded to a dark grey. Adagio gently tested the knob, surprised to find that it opened easily.
Stepping into the old manor, Adagio found that that the inside was a match to the outside. The manor was dark and deserted, and dust seemed to bury every visible surface. The old fireplace had the ashes of what might've once been a log, along with several broken picture frames. A few armchairs remained inside the room, but they were covered with white sheets, looking as abandoned as everything else. The paint on the walls was scratched and peeling in more places than she could count. As Adagio walked through, a mouse scurried by her foot, briefly startling her. She scolded herself for getting startled by something so small.
"Hello?" Adagio called, beginning to regret her decision slightly. She didn't think this manor was the type of hideout a serial killer would choose, but entering alone, in hindsight, didn't seem like the smartest decision. Still, she couldn't help that feeling in her chest. It was as though an invisible magnet inside her was pulling her towards a massive metal object somewhere in the manor. She called out again, receiving no response.
She walked over to a nearby door, opening it as easily as she had the front door. Below her, in the darkness, Adagio could make out a long flight of stairs, leading to the basement, as dusty as everything else. She reached out, confirming that whatever was calling to her was stronger down there. Apprehensively, she proceeded down, leaving the door open to allow some light.
Adagio, as previously stated, didn't believe in ghosts, or anything of the supernatural sort. However, as she continued to descend, she could've sworn she felt an unnatural chill in her bones, especially unusual given the warmth of the day. Some sort of noise, like the slightest whispering of children, seemed to emerge from the very walls around her, though she couldn't make out any words. Shivering ever so slightly, Adagio wrapped her arms around herself, as she took each step slower than the one previously, reaching the bottom after what felt like days. Slowly, Adagio grabbed the doorknob, and pushed the door open once again.
If she'd been expecting to find some sort of horrible cult alter, or the scene of a horrific murder, she was sorely disappointed. The room was much like the foyer, an abandoned room that might've once been lovely. A bedraggled and beaten sofa, filled with holes, sat gathering moths in one corner of the room, and a dusty old bookshelf, the vast majority of its volumes falling to pieces, occupied another. A massive network of cobwebs seemed to cover every inch of the room, filled with what looked like dead insects. Adagio released the breath she didn't know she'd been holding, filled with relief. No ghosts here.
As she looked around some more, Adagio found herself drawn to the remaining object in the room. Sitting the far corner, nearly covered by darkness, was a rather large, old style piano, dusty and abandoned like the rest of the house, but still looking playable. In spite of herself, Adagio managed a small smile at the sight. As a singer, she loved musical instruments, even if she wasn't particularly skilled at playing them, and it always caused her to feel a certain kind of sadness whenever they broke down. She sat down at the piano bench, pressing a few keys experimentally.
Evidently, that action was the correct one, as the keys of piano began to play by themselves. Adagio could only stare in amazement as the instrument played out a brief, serene tune. It was only four notes long, but it repeated itself three times, as though for her benefit. Adagio wasn't sure why, but the notes brought out a feeling of calmness inside her, for reasons she couldn't explain. She had no doubt that this was what had called her to the manor. Instinctively, she wrapped the tune in her memories to preserve it.
As she sat back, letting the notes she'd learned wash over her, a massive thump jolted her out of her calm state. The door slammed shut, and two torches that hung on the walls suddenly ignited into flame, bathing the room in yellow light. Adagio leaped to her feet, spinning around to the source of the noise. Standing in front of the door she'd previously entered through was an old fashioned suit of armor, gleaming silver in the torches' glow. In one hand, it held a large spear, with the tip braced against the ground. Adagio looked at the helmet, discovering that the suit was completely empty. That didn't stop it from stomping forward, pointing a finger accusingly at Adagio.
"You shouldn't have come here," hissed an unnaturally cold and female voice. Adagio swallowed nervously, realizing she may need to rethink her belief in the supernatural after all.
"Hey, I didn't break anything," she snapped, raising her hands in a gesture of harmlessness, but making sure to keep a firm tone in her voice. "Look, I'll be on my way out of her soon, and—"
"Silence!" shouted the armor, prompting Adagio to close her lips.
. The armor continued to march towards her, priming its spear for a stab. Adagio glanced around for a weapon, finding nothing in the area that was suitable. Gritting her teeth, she raised her fists, determined to-
"PK Beam!"
Another yellow glow emerged behind the suit of armor, accompanying the sudden shout. Something burst directly in the middle of the armor's back, causing it to stumble and fall face-first into the floor. Adagio let out a shriek of surprise at the metallic clatter as the suit shattered on the floor, the pieces bouncing in various directions.
"Hey, are you alright?"
Adagio looked at where the suit of armor had once stood. Now there was a young man, probably younger than herself, if she had to guess. He wore a red baseball cap on his head, a t-shirt streaked with blue and yellow, and navy blue jeans. He had a mess of short black hair emerging from beneath his cap, and his face was round and kind looking. In one hand, he carried a wooden baseball bat, and his other hand sparked with what looked like yellow energy.
"Yes," Adagio managed to get out, relaxing her breathing. "Thank you."
"Good," replied the man, resting his bat on his shoulder. "I don't know what it is about this old house, but something ain't right." He held up his hand again, causing it to pulse with those yellow lights once more, as though searching for something. "Hm, that's strange. The fourth Melody isn't here anymore."
"Melody?" asked Adagio, an idea springing into her mind, "The piano played by itself, is that what you're talking about?"
The man looked Adagio in the eye, as if noticing her for the first time. His eyes started to wander, but he stopped himself from going too far. He held out a hand.
"Er, hello. My name is Ninten," he said, awkward. "I feel like I should've led with that."
Adagio shook his hand. "Adagio Dazzle."
"Pretty name," he complimented her. "Let me buy you a drink. I'm guessing we have some things to discuss."
Adagio sipped a cup of tea in the Spookane Hotel lobby, watching employees rushing around and speaking in hushed tones, apparently trying to restore order to the place. According to Ninten, the hotel wasn't even functioning as a hotel right now, due to the fact that the most recent clerk had been an alien called a Starman in disguise, which had previously attacked Ninten. Yes, that had been the explanation he'd given her. And then there was his explanation about the Melody.
"So, let me get this straight," she started, "you discovered that an alien invasion is causing strange disasters around the world, got warped to a magical place called Magicant, and a woman called Queen Mary asked you to locate Eight Melodies which are scattered around the world, and that these melodies are the key to saving the world."
"Hey, I can't make this stuff up!" Ninten protested "I—HACK! HACK!"
Ninten bent over as his words dissolved into a coughing fit. Adagio, filled with concern despite herself, reached over to him, but he held out a hand to stop her. Reaching into his pocket, Ninten produced an inhaler, taking a quick puff, bringing him out of his coughing fit. He relaxed back into his chair, pocketing the inhaler once more.
"Sorry about that," he said simply. "All that dust in that old manor brought out my asthma. But like I was saying, all that's true. You saw me use my PK Beam on that possessed suit of armor, you know. Is what I said really that much of a stretch?"
Adagio had to admit, he made a pretty good point there.
"Anyways, I'm guessing the fourth Melody must've somehow called you to it. I thought I was the only one who could sense them, though."
Adagio gave a small, knowing smile. "Maybe I've just got a musical touch," she said. "Back to the point, you need to know the Melody, don't you?"
"Yes," Ninten replied, eagerly. "If you could sing it, or find some way to—"
"No worries," Adagio replied, preparing her diaphragm. "I've got you covered."
Closing her eyes, Adagio sang the Melody the piano had played for her. It was only four notes, and thus only took a few seconds for her to sing. But for those few seconds, Adagio could tell, Ninten was enraptured by the sound of her voice. It was the feeling she created whenever she sang in front of a crowd, coming from a single person. Adagio adored having people see her, listen to her voice, like she was the only thing in the world. And this time, Ninten, just Ninten, was enough to bring joy to her heart. It was wonderful, pure and simple.
As she sang, she looked over Ninten. He wasn't that handsome, certainly, but looks were only skin deep. He seemed to be in possession of a kind and polite nature, even stopping himself from checking Adagio out fully back at the manor. She smiled, finding herself ever so slightly attracted, even if it was just for a bit of fun.
As she ended the melody, Ninten blinked several times in surprise, apparently snapping out of the trance she lulled him into.
"Er, yeah. Thank you. I can memorize that," he managed to stutter out.
"So," Adagio continued, resting her hands on her chin. "Care to share the rest that you have so far? Just to satisfy curious old me?" She couldn't stop herself from messing with him like this. It was one of her greatest joys in life, next to singing.
"Sure, why not?" replied Ninten. "I gotta warn you though, I'm not much of a singer."
With that, he began to sing the four Melodies collected so far. Adagio actually felt herself flinch backwards in surprise. Not because Ninten actually had a decent singing voice, she'd guessed he was just being modest. However, she was blown away by how captivating his ability to relay the Melodies so far. Adagio realized that this must be how people felt when she was singing, and for the first time in her life, she was on the receiving end. The music flowed from Ninten to her, bringing absolute peace and contentment. She forced herself to rethink her attraction, wondering if there was something real there.
As she listened to those few notes, Adagio suddenly realized what the complete song was: A lullaby, like that she'd sang to Aria and Sonata when they'd been children. It was the most perfect, harmonious lullaby she'd ever heard in her life, though. It was something that shouldn't have been conveyable through human speech, yet Ninten was pulling it off. If she were asked, she'd have said she wasn't sure human hands could've composed it.
The young man ceased his song after what felt like days (though in reality, it had been mere seconds), and Adagio felt herself slide back into her normal state of being. She took several deep breaths as she wiped her head. If she were told that her hair was now standing on end, she wouldn't have been surprised.
"You said you're not a good singer?!" Adagio breathed. "I think that's the most unbelievable thing you've told me."
Ninten blushed a little, standing up from his seat. "Thanks, I guess. I honestly think you're the better of the two of us, though." Adagio felt her face turning red in turn, in spite of herself. "Well, I've gotta go. I still have four Melodies to find—"
"Wait!" Adagio called, louder than she would've wished. She also leaned forward and grabbed Ninten's wrist, causing both to blush slightly again. "Listen, if it's not too much trouble, when you're done...will you come back and...sing that entire song for me? Please?"
Ninten stared at the woman with what might've been shock, and for a second, Adagio was worried she'd overstepped her boundaries. But then the young man's face softened, relaxing into a content smile.
"Of course, Miss Dazzle," he replied simply, shaking her hand again. With that, he turned on his heel and left.
Adagio sat by herself for some time, pondering what just occurred. She didn't know exactly what had prompted that request, but she knew one thing. For the first time in a long time, she had a reason to stay in one place.