Fingers danced over the piano keys with precision, filling the room with the rich, melodic notes of a classical piece. The player, tall with sharp eyes and white hair that contrasted strikingly with his dark suit, exhibited a touch both delicate and powerful. Sitting upright, posture perfect, his expression remained serious as his eyes occasionally flicked to the music sheet perched on the music desk. The music swelled and ebbed, each crescendo and diminuendo executed with flawless control.
From time to time, he glanced at the audience, scanning the rows as if waiting for someone special. His mother’s familiar face was there, a comforting presence in the sea of spectators, but he continued to search, a hint of longing in his sharp eyes.
His hands glided over the keys, the left providing a steady, rhythmic foundation while the right brought the melody to life. The interplay between his hands was seamless, a testament to his mastery of the piece.
The room was silent save for the piano’s song, the audience enraptured by the performance. Each note was played with meticulous care, every rest observed with perfect timing. The interpretation was deeply expressive, conveying a range of emotions from gentle sorrow to triumphant joy.
The final notes hung in the air, a delicate echo that slowly faded into silence. His hands rested on the keys, eyes closed for a brief moment as if savoring the last remnants of the music. The room remained still, the silence almost tangible, filled with the lingering presence of the performance.
Then, applause erupted from the audience, a wave of appreciation that filled the room. He stood up and bowed, his serious expression softening into a polite smile, but his eyes continued to search the crowd. The smile was brief, overshadowed by the still-present longing as he looked for someone who wasn’t there.
As he descended from the stage, the applause still echoing in his ears, he was greeted by a warm, familiar voice. “Congratulations, Kenzie,” his mother, Leafmir, said, her eyes shining with pride. She pulled him into a hug, her embrace filled with love and admiration.
Kenzie returned the hug briefly before pulling back, his sharp eyes searching hers. “Did Dad come?” he asked, hope threading through his serious expression.
Leafmir’s smile faltered, and she sighed softly. “I'm afraid your father is too busy with his music research, Kenzie,” she said gently. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, her touch meant to ease the disappointment that clouded his face.
“He wanted to be here at your recital, but his research keeps him very occupied,” she added, her voice soothing.
Kenzie nodded, trying to mask his sadness. Leafmir squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. “He’s proud of you, Kenzie. We both are. Your performance was beautiful.”
As familiar faces approached them, Kenzie was surrounded by a wave of congratulations. A professor from the music department clapped him on the back, friends and relatives offered their praise, each voice blending into a chorus of admiration.
“Kenzie, that was phenomenal,” the professor said warmly, shaking his hand.
“Thank you,” Kenzie replied, a polite smile on his face. Despite his best efforts, a hint of sadness lingered in his eyes.
“Wonderful performance, Kenzie,” another friend added. “You played beautifully.”
“Thanks,” he said again, nodding in appreciation.
As more well-wishers gathered around, Kenzie continued to smile and thank them, his responses gracious but his heart not fully in it. His eyes occasionally darted to the entrance, still hoping for a glimpse of his father.
Sensing his melancholy, Leafmir gently placed a hand on his arm. “Shall we go to the reception now?” she suggested softly.
Kenzie nodded, allowing himself to be guided by his mother. As they made their way towards the reception area, he heard a whisper calling his name, “Kenzie.” He looked behind him, thinking it was someone, but the people surrounding them were all busy chit-chatting. The voice he heard was familiar, as if he had whispered to himself.
As they sat at a table in the reception area, the whisper came again, “Kenzie.” His face showed obvious confusion, prompting his mother to ask, “Are you okay?”
He forced a smile and nodded. “I’m fine, Mom. Just need to use the toilet,” he said, excusing himself. He stood and began to walk away, but the whisper came again, more insistent this time.
Kenzie quickened his pace, weaving through the crowd to avoid the noise. Once he reached the relative quiet of the hallway, the whisper came again, “Kenzie.”
He glanced around, heart pounding. “Who are you?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper, echoing in the empty corridor.
“To the corridors,” the voice said.
As Kenzie hurried down the corridor, the whisper continued to guide him. He found himself drawn towards a part of the School of Music he rarely visited. His steps led him to an old, seldom-used music storage room.
The door creaked as he pushed it open, revealing a dimly lit space filled with dusty, forgotten instruments and stacks of yellowing sheet music. The air was thick with the scent of aged wood and paper. An eerie silence hung in the room, broken only by the faint rustle of the pages as he walked in.
Kenzie felt a strange pull towards the back of the room, where a grand piano stood covered with a sheet. He approached it cautiously, the whisper growing louder in his mind.
Kenzie approached the grand piano and carefully removed the cover, sending a cloud of dust swirling into the air. As the particles danced in the faint light, he took a moment to examine the instrument before him. The old piano had a worn, polished exterior, with faded wood and a few scratches.
Upon closer inspection, he noticed several broken keys—C, D#, F#, and A—each one silent and lifeless. “A Cdim7?” he muttered to himself, a flicker of curiosity igniting within him. He pressed a few keys tentatively, wincing as the sound that emerged was a jarring cacophony, the piano desperately out of tune.
Determined, he focused on the broken keys, pressing them down one by one. As he struck the C and D# together, a shiver ran through him, an electric sensation that felt almost alive. The moment he touched the F# and A, something extraordinary happened.
Kenzie felt an overwhelming rush of warmth enveloping him, as if an unseen force was reaching out, intertwining with his very essence. It was a sensation unlike anything he had ever experienced—like electricity coursing through his veins, igniting every nerve in his body. Just as the feeling intensified, he sensed a presence merging with him, and before he could comprehend what was happening, darkness swept over him, and he collapsed.
* * *
Kenzie woke up to an unexpected sight: a swirling portal in the ceiling, its edges shimmering with a kaleidoscope of colors that seemed to pulse and shift like a living entity. The light it emitted was both mesmerizing and unsettling, casting strange shadows across the room.
He slowly stood up, confusion washing over him as flashes of memory surged in his mind—brief glimpses of warmth and sound from when he touched the piano. He turned to where the instrument had stood before, but it was gone, leaving only the cover lying forgotten on the floor. Shaking his head in disbelief, he thought he must be hallucinating, yet the portal remained, unwavering in its presence.
His heart raced as he checked his watch, panic flooding him when he saw the time: it was already 5:26 a.m. He realized he had been in the storage room for about twelve hours. Fear gripped him as he imagined his mother worried sick about his absence, a sense of urgency driving him to find a way out of the room and back to her.
As Kenzie hurried out of the storage room, he nearly collided with a janitor pushing a cart down the hallway. The man looked up, his brow furrowing in confusion. “What are you doing in the storage room at this hour?” he asked, curiosity etched on his face.
Without answering, Kenzie felt a surge of panic and dashed past the janitor, his heart racing. The corridor stretched before him, a blur of motion and noise as his mind struggled to process everything that had just happened.
He fumbled for his mobile phone in his pocket, breath hitching as he powered it on. A flood of notifications greeted him—missed calls and messages from his mother, all expressing her concern. “Where are you? I’ve been so worried!” one message read, followed by another, “Please call me. I’m worried sick.”
The weight of her worry settled heavily on his chest, amplifying his confusion and fear. He quickly dialed her number, hoping to reassure her that he was okay, even as his mind raced with questions about the night’s events.
As Kenzie’s mother’s phone rang, he paced the hallway, anxiety bubbling within him. After a few tense moments, the call connected, but to his surprise, it was his father who answered.
“Where are you, Kenzie?” his father’s voice came through, a mix of worry and dismay lacing his words.
“I’ll explain later,” Kenzie replied, his voice shaky. “Where’s Mom?”
“She fell asleep about thirty minutes ago; she’s exhausted. We’ve been looking for you everywhere. Come home immediately.”
The urgency in his father’s tone made Kenzie’s heart race faster. “I will. I’m on my way,” he said, before ending the call.
* * *
Upon arriving home, Kenzie was immediately enveloped in his mother’s warm embrace. “Thank goodness you’re safe! I was so worried about you,” she exclaimed, relief flooding her voice.
“What happened, Kenzie?” his father demanded as he stepped into view, his expression stern and his scolding tone cutting through the warmth of his mother’s welcome. “Your mother has been beside herself with worry. You need to be more responsible!”
Kenzie felt a knot form in his stomach, a mix of guilt and frustration boiling to the surface. “I was just—” he started, but the words faltered in his throat. He hesitated, unsure if his parents would believe the strange events he had experienced.
“Was just...?” his father pressed, clearly expecting an explanation.
“Never mind! As if you care,” Kenzie shot back, frustration bubbling to the surface. He turned and started to walk away, needing space to process everything.
“Kenzie!” his father shouted, his voice laced with anger, demanding that he not walk away.
“Let him be for a while,” his mother intervened gently, placing a calming hand on her husband’s arm. “I’ll talk to him later.”
As Kenzie stepped into his room, he felt the weight of the day pressing down on him. He sat on the edge of his bed, his thoughts swirling in a chaotic mix of emotions. Suddenly, a shimmering keyboard materialized before him, like a hologram suspended in the air. It radiated an ethereal light, flickering with vibrant colors that danced across its surface.
He blinked in disbelief, mesmerized by the enchanting sight. Just as quickly as it had appeared, the magical keyboard flickered one last time before vanishing into thin air, leaving Kenzie staring at the empty space where it had been, a sense of wonder and confusion lingering in the air around him.
Kenzie lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling, but sleep eluded him. Thoughts raced through his mind, tangled and chaotic. The fleeting image of the magical keyboard lingered, sparking a flicker of curiosity amid his swirling emotions. Maybe he should ask his dad about it, he considered.
But as he weighed his options, a tug-of-war ensued within him. He didn't want to talk to his dad right now; the disappointment ran too deep. Confusion gripped him, leaving him torn between his lingering resentment and the pressing need for answers.
After a few hours of restless contemplation, Kenzie finally decided to let his anger go. He slipped out of his room, hoping to find some comfort or distraction. However, when he stepped into the hallway, he realized his parents were fast asleep. Disappointed but undeterred, he turned back toward his room.
As he passed by his father's study, an inexplicable urge tugged at him, compelling him to enter. He hesitated for a moment but then quietly crept into the room. The soft glow of a desk lamp illuminated the study table, cluttered with papers and books. Curiosity propelled him forward, and he began to sift through his father's annotations.
As he scanned the notes, Kenzie’s breath caught in his throat. One particular page caught his eye, detailing whispers from Echo and references to something called Negative Harmony. He read intently, his heart racing, glancing over his shoulder every few moments to ensure he wasn’t caught.
Eager to preserve this newfound information, he quickly pulled out his mobile phone, snapping pictures of the notes and descriptions with steady hands. Once he had captured everything he could, he slipped back to his room, engrossed in the revelations he had uncovered. He didn’t know how long he had been studying and researching the topics on the internet, but eventually, exhaustion overwhelmed him, and he fell asleep, the mysteries swirling in his mind.
When Kenzie woke up, a surge of urgency rushed through him. He quickly got up, determination propelling him out of his room. He needed to find his dad. After a moment of searching, he found his father in the study, hunched over his desk, lost in a sea of papers.
"Dad, I have something to ask," Kenzie said, his voice tinged with urgency.
His father looked up, a frown forming on his face. "You don't even start with an apology?" he replied, his tone sharp.
In that moment, Kenzie's anger flared back to life. “All you care about is your research!” he shot back, his voice rising. He stormed out of the study, frustration boiling over. He pushed through the front door and stepped outside, slamming it behind him. The cool night air hit him, but it did little to calm the turmoil inside. Kenzie felt a mix of anger and disappointment swirl within him, feeling more isolated than ever as he walked away from the house that felt increasingly suffocating.
* * *
An intermittent static crackled through the air. “I’m sorry; I think I lost them,” a voice came through the radio. “Kenzie, Kenzie. Are you still there? Can you hear me? Over.”
“Kenzie, Kellan is on the radio,” a female voice chimed in, nudging him gently. He jolted, startled as reality came rushing back to him, the flashbacks of his past still lingering in his mind like shadows.
Kenzie quickly regained his composure and leaned closer to the radio. “Go back to the hotel where they are staying. Ivy, Titus, and I will meet you there. We need to find out if they’ve already found the Resonance Key. We have to take it from them,” he added, pausing for a moment as the weight of his words settled in. “Even if we have to kill them. Over.”
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