Freedom Through Harmony

by Electricut

Chapter Sixty-eight

Chapter Sixty-eight
Eclipse Swamps; Outer Edge
Twilight

Bright fire spell lighting the way before her, Twilight stepped carefully through the swamp, her boots sticking to the wet earth and making her progress slow and noisy. A pungent smell filled the air, and the foliage above was so thick that Twilight could see absolutely none of the night sky, the only visible light coming from her palm. The darkness that surrounded her felt like it was closing in on her, holding countless unknown dangers just beyond her line of sight...

But the one thing that kept her going was the sweet sound of music, still emanating from somewhere deeper in the swamp. She was able to tell that it was from some kind of string instrument, and as she wandered in the muck, she was slowly gaining ground and finding herself closer and closer to the source. Unfortunately, she had lost all her other bearings, and wondered how she was going to find her way back to camp after she pinpointed the music. She took another step forward... and her foot caught on a root, sending her sprawling across the ground, the fire in her hand extinguishing.

Panic immediately gripped her heart, and as she tried to get to her feet, the music came to an abrupt halt, as though alerted to her presence. Her eyes widened in the perfect darkness, hoping to see anything that would light her way and get her out of the swamp, but she was still blind in the night. She struggled with the words to her spell, trying to re-light her torch.

Another song began, and as far as Twilight could tell, it was coming from the same place as before. But the tune was different this time; while the last one seemed to just be wandering around musically, stepping from beat to beat, never staying in the same place for too long, this one was generally calming, slow and sweet, almost like a lullaby... and it sounded familiar. As Twilight stood, listening to the music in the blackness, allowing the tune to seep into her mind, she knew that the song was something she had heard before. There was something about the calming melody that wormed its way into her mind, absolving all worries and allowing her to think straight...

That’s it! Twilight thought, snapping her finger in victory. A new fire spell roared to life in her palm. I know where I’ve heard this. It’s Fluttershy’s song, the Galdr of Bliss... But who is the musician? Who else could possibly know this song? She nodded purposefully, ready to continue and get to the bottom of the issue, and stepped forward carefully.

She made a bit more progress before the source seemed to switch directions suddenly, but she hadn’t sensed any movement nearby. She looked around, the tune sounding much closer now, but saw nothing. Only a large-trunked tree stood next to her, and there was nothing else visible on the ground... Twilight looked up, and started. Just above her, leaning against the tree trunk with legs crossed, sitting on a large branch, was the musician.

A small blue stone, glowing with magical light, illuminated him dimly in the night. He wore simple clothing- jeans and a white T-shirt- and had his eyes closed as he strummed on the large blue bass guitar balanced in his lap with bare fingers. Twilight couldn’t see much more about him from where she was and with the limited light, but saw that out of the back of his shirt sprouted a large, grey pair of wings, and he had messy blonde hair that was occasionally flecked with black.

He brought the song to a simple yet elegant close, the moved his arm to grip the branch he sat upon. Exhaling slightly, he dropped from his perch and landed right in front of Twilight, who stumbled back a few steps. His deep blue eyes watched her with detached curiosity, the guitar still slung across his front, and the blue-tinted magic light held in his palm. Twilight’s own flame-light still burned in her hand, and she recovered herself quickly and pointed it at the boy.

“Twilight.” He said simply. His very voice seemed to carry some of the musical quality of his guitar. “I thought you wouldd arrive soon.”

“Wha-” Twilight stuttered. “Who are you?! Why are you just sitting around in a swamp, and... Well, I guess it makes sense that you know me, but how did you know I’d be here? And why did you know that song?”

The boy watched her calmly, his eyes half closed as though he were just bored, but remaining locked on Twilight. She still felt the effects of his- Fluttershy’s- song, and began to calm as he stood unthreateningly. “My name is Max.” He said at last. “I am sitting around in this swamp because I knew you would come here, searching for clues to your ancestor. Another of the Elements should be around here somewhere though...”

“Um, back at camp.” Twilight answered. She was no longer intimidated by Max, but thoroughly confused. “How did you know? And, aren’t you cold only wearing a T-shirt?” She hadn’t meant to, but she couldn’t help but notice how flimsy his shirt looked... and that he was fairly well-built beneath it.

Max looked away sheepishly. “A little. It is hard to play guitar in my coat though. And I knew... because a friendly time-traveler told me. I knew you were coming here to find the fortress tucked away here somewhere, and decided to come myself, to provide backup and assistance. I have no idea where it is, but felt you might appreciate having an extra set of eyes.”

“Uh... Yeah, that would be nice...” Twilight shook her head clear. She was getting distracted. How could she trust this boy right off the bat like that? Like he wanted her to... Like she wanted to. “But why? I don’t even know you, you don’t owe me anything.”

Max took a moment to respond, but finally turned his back to Twilight and took a step forward, speaking all the while. “There is another reason... I want to meet your guardian, Spike the Goldoan. You asked earlier why I knew the song I was playing- the Galdr of Bliss- it is because I was born and raised around such music. I am a lower-class heron, you see, and possess the ability to use the minor Galdrar. I have since traveled the world, and when I heard there was someone else from my home continent here, I wanted to seek him out and meet him... But do not get me wrong, part of it is still just for the sake of assisting you.”

From behind the tree, Max pulled a black cloth of some kind, and draped it over his shoulders as he approached Twilight again. She saw that it was in fact a coat of some sort, the sleeves too big for his arms and the tails dragging against the ground, though Max was not short himself. Twilight rubbed a hand on her temple, once again having lost focus. “Alright... I guess I’ll ask the rest of my questions there. Follow me back to camp, and Spike and I can sort this out...”

She began to trod back the way she had come, Max following in a light gait. Twilight knew that she wasn’t thinking clearly, but decided that the best thing to do was to get Spike in contact with this boy. He could figure out what Max really wanted, then she could get to sleep and recover her proper mental speed. He said he’s a heron, but a lower class one. I don’t think he knows about Fluttershy then, especially if he’s been away from home for years. Strangely, with her newfound confusion came a different sense of clarity, and Twilight had no trouble finding her footsteps in the marshy ground and retracing her steps.

Their progress was still slow, but Max was not impatient, and followed dutifully behind her. She may have lost her way a few times, but recovered quickly enough to hide the fact. At last, the night sky began to poke in through the treetops above, and Twilight could make out the faint glow of the campfire just beyond the fringe of the swamp. She picked up the pace slightly, finally sure of where she was going, and soon the two emerged from the humid air of the inner swamp and back into the frigid breeze outside.

Spike still sat by the fire, waiting for Twilight to return. As he heard her approach, he turned and stood to face them, but adopted a confused and concerned expression when he noticed Max. “You found the source of the music, I see...” He commented. “But you brought him back here?”

“This is Max.” Twilight said simply. “I’m not entirely sure... but he says he knew we were going to be here, and came in order to help us. Also... he says he’s a heron, and knows the Galdr of Bliss at least to prove it. As such, I’m tempted to believe him.”

Spike took a long moment to observe the mysterious newcomer, leaving Twilight feeling a bit awkward. She noticed out of the corner of her eye that Pinky was already sitting at the edge of the tent, listening to the proceedings without being seen. Twilight was somewhat glad of that, at least they wouldn’t have to explain Max’s presence a third time.

Finally, Spike nodded. “I believe you. To be honest, I can smell the Laguz on you. I’m sure that since you knew we’d be here, you know of my own Laguz blood. You’re a heron all right, and as such I have not a doubt in my mind that your motives are true. But that still leaves the questions of how and why.”

“How I knew to be here exactly now? I asked my time-traveler friend, who owed me a favor. How I intend to help you... Because there are monsters and ancient booby-traps in this swamp, and I am good at sensing them before setting them off. It will be much safer to have me on your team. And why... I don’t know. I felt like it. I like to go with the flow, much like music, and my heart led me here. I guess it might have been that I was just bored, too. But you need not worry, you have got my full support and attention, regardless of reason.”

Spike didn’t move for several seconds, then just shrugged exasperatedly. “I can’t imagine what you’d hope to accomplish if you’ve got ulterior motives, but I also can’t understand why you’re here in the first place... Agh, whatever. I hope you don’t mind that you’ll have a close eye kept on you, but I guess it’s alright if you stay.”

Max nodded gratefully and took a seat by the fire, placing his guitar to the side, and shrugged on his coat for warmth. Spike looked on for a moment longer, then his eyes widened in alarm. “That cloak... You’re with The Order!”

Max looked up, showing for the first time a genuine expression of surprise. “I am. You have heard of us?”

“I’ve had the displeasure of clashing with one of you. Suffice to say I’m a bit distrusting of your true motives now. All I’ve been informed of about your group is that you follow some Goddess, and the one I met was willing to go to insane lengths to get what he wanted. The only other I’ve heard of wasn’t much different.”

“We serve the Goddess.” Max corrected. “Of anything an Order member tells you, believe that. Our Goddess exists. Now, I suppose you have heard of Number Five, Lucius, from the three Elements who met him in the past. Correct? Whom did you meet personally?”

Spike shook his head. “I don’t know. I never got a name, or a look at him beneath his cloak. He... He used two glowing swords, one pink and one blue.”

“Ah, that would have been Number Two. He is... He is a determined one, to be sure. But let me say that not all of us are like Two or Five. Very few are, actually. I worked very close with Lucius... He was my teacher, actually. But I was able to tell that what he was doing, and how he went about it, was wrong. You need not fear from me actions reflecting theirs.”

Spike nodded again, still suspicious, but willing to take the answer for the moment. Max told them that he would see himself to bed in a while, wanting to sit by the fire for a while, so Twilight and Pinky both retreated to the tent until one of their turns to watch. Twilight inquired as to Pinky’s opinion on the boy, but she didn’t have much new to say. ‘He seems nice. Kinda handsome too. I trust him. And as long as we keep an eye on him to make sure, I don’t see any reason not to let him help.’

Pinky fell asleep shortly after that, leaving Twilight awake and somewhat confused. It was only her common sense of caution keeping her from trusting Max now; everything Pinky had said was true, and she had a natural inclination to believe what he was saying. She fell asleep soon after, sure that she didn’t have anything to worry about.