Beautiful Piece

People gawked in astonishment at her.

The woman on stage resembles a rose in full bloom.

A rose that will entice you to pick her from her stem as you'll be enthralled with its beauty and as you appreciate it, you won't even realize that its thorns are causing you to bleed.

Suddenly a bang of drums can be heard, signaling the start of the performance.

Then it got quiet.

They waited with trepidation in their hearts, as their eyes were fixed on the flower above.

Then a note can be heard from a piano, followed by another one, creating a stirring melody that makes one restless in their seats.

A beat of drums continued along with the tune of the piano. The once gentle but stirring melody starts to sound an exhilarating and mystifying piece of music, and as people continue to listen, their beat of their hearts starts to correspond to the beat of the drums.

Then suddenly everything went silent, and a cold yet hauntingly beautiful voice could be heard.

"Let me tell you of a tale..."

She sang with barely any emotions in her voice. As if she's simply a third person sharing someone else's story.

"Of what once an honest nation..."

Another beat of drums followed, making everyone restless as they waited for the next words.

"Now a kingdom of condemnation."

"As those fingers point to one,"

"In just a second a life is gone!"

With the following verses, the audience can feel her emotions from the words that flowed. The Lady who was simply narrating a story was gone, as the lady on the stage now appears to have actually gone through those things.

"In themselves writhes forever a demon,"

"For their hands was made for destruction..."

The song that started with a soft yet thrilling melody, started to transition to a powerful and aggressive tune as it entered the chorus.

"She who dances in the beat of flames..."

"To the ground was blazed and burned,"

"For she is a witch,"

"A foul sinner,"

"And a wretch,"

She chanted with a bang on each word.

Making their heart leap along with the tune.

"And her pleas of cries were never heard."

She sang in a small and soft voice, that anyone can barely hear, yet at the same time, they understood it without question.

And it made more impact on them.

"A land beneath where hatred is buried."

The melody started to mellow, yet everyone feels tense despite it.

"Her heart filled with rage, in her last breath she cursed,"

And then the beat drop again, along with the listeners' hearts.

"Heed my words, and heed my verse..."

"Retribution will come,"

"To all of you people in this land!"

"Together this was done,"

"Blood and soul is the only one,"

"For the curse to be undone."

"In themselves writhes forever a power,"

"Strong enough for a land to suffer."

"She who dances in the beat of the flames,"

"To the ground was burned, and blazed."

The way the words flow out from her mouth makes one imagine the scene.

A bloody land, with corpses around, and a woman on her knees, begging she be spared.

As she is not the kind of person they claimed she was.

"Though she is not a witch,"

"Nor a foul sinner or a wretch."

"Despite her pleas of cries she was never spared."

The instruments stopped playing, and the stage fell silent once more.

Too quiet for anyone to hear another person's breathing.

And another verse of words can be heard in a soft yet hushed voice.

"Creatures of the night,"

"Creatures of the light,"

"Both were forged with power,"

"For the land to thrive and prosper,"

Once more, the instruments began to play, the rhythm emulating the feelings of the flower singing on the stage.

Hurt and enraged.

"Yet one was burned and blazed!"

"And their pleas of cries were never heard."

"A kingdom bathed in blood,"

"Power lost and weakened,"

"A history forgotten and buried,"

If one can look close enough, people will see that the flower singing on the stage, has tears rolling down her cheeks, as she sang the words to her piece.

Scenes of the said happening in the song, has been flashing in her mind and had been causing her nightmares.

And for Eli, it feels too real.

Too real.

"How can it all be undone?"

She finished off with words that sounded bittersweet on the ears. And the audience couldn't help but repeat her question in their mind.

'How can it all be undone?'

Everyone fell silent once more. As if the sang verses are still repeating within their head, and the scenes are still flashing within their mind.

When the audience saw Lady Rose finished her curtsy on stage, that's when round of applause started to enclose the whole space.

Everyone felt mystified with the performance.

The piece was mythical and soulful in the audience's ears.

They were impressed how it was delivered in a powerful yet lovely way.

"A beautiful piece!" One can be heard saying such words, and soon the other ones followed.

Even the clients on their respective rooms couldn't resist saying a few words about the performance.

"An experience worth remembering."

"An amazing performance."

"I've never heard a piece like that before."

Even the flowers on the front can't help but praise the lady on the stage.

"Lady Rose will be a gem in Bare Elegance." Remarked by Lady Hyacinth as she gracefully clapped her hands.

"Indeed, such a beautiful performance. It evokes such a range of feelings in me." Followed by Lady Scilla which made Lady Hyacinth giggle.

The two gentlemen in the center VIP room, however was quarreling for some reason.

"Zequiel! They do not entertain clients after a flower's debut! That is the house's rule. You can't go against that."

Ahren emphasized as he looked at the man leaning on the baluster of the room swirling the glass of liquor in his hand, while gazing at the flower who had just left the stage.

There was no other performance after that, nor any other follow-up.

"You can go tomorrow—"

"I want to talk to her now." Zequiel stated in a voice that does not take 'no' for an answer.

"I already told you, they do not entertain clients, they have rules... I've tried it before." Zequiel looked back at him, and raised his eyebrow at Ahren.

"It did not work okay? I doubt it would work on you either. They are very strict about their rules."

"Just offer them any amount, if they still refuse to let me meet her, buy the place."

"Wha—What?" Ahren gawked at him, bewildered by the words he uttered.

When Zequiel realized that Ahren will just waste his time, he called his right-hand man, Reuel.

"Go tell the hostess that I want to have a talk with Lady Rose. You can inform them about my identity. If it's still not settled, then offer any amount."