11

We were running down the streets, avoiding the everchanging formation of the streets in this town. By this time, I came to understand how the lyre player controls the town. The town was divided into four parts, when the lyre takes higher note left side of the town changes and right side on taking lower notes. The change not only limits itself to erecting walls or changing the flow of streets, sometimes like a jigsaw puzzle one of the four parts interchange their position with the other part which mainly happens when the song ends.

Guessing the time and part of the town on which lyre would be affected was easy however there was still uncertainty that lyre player who seemed to guess our location would follow this pattern again when one song ends.

We were running through a narrow path which seemed like the alley between two buildings. One after another the buildings continued to change around us. Some were tall four storey buildings making alley look darker like a pit, while others were less than three storeys. It was shocking how the path remained unchanged both in its width and the roughness of cobblestones.

This is the loophole that travelers usually take

The town transforms but the distance between each building doesn't, it is only limited to the roads and other factors.

'Where are we going? Is it the lyre player?' Zubair who was following me asked in huffing voice.

I was no adventurer, just a mere low-grade assassin who is qualified in poisons and seduction, for someone like me to fight the lyre player was like death wish. I was not quite skilled in crossbow which I bought in case of emergencies however the entity we were facing was not human, only a high-grade shaman can take it out.

'No, we are going to meet with Young master.'

'But how? I could neither hear the sound or the light of the Vajra which I saw hours ago. Do you really think that your snakes are taking us in the right direction?'

He was right there was no sound or light to the place we were headed to. Snakes were not dogs who could smell young master from miles away and lead us there, they are blind creatures but my snakes were not normal. They are cursed creatures capable of doing many things.

'Zubair you already know that my snakes are not normal. Although they are still blind like their species but their sense of smell and natural instinct to protect themselves from predators has advanced. They have already guessed that Young master is the only one to protect me, you and them.'

These guys lived in that mansion for ten days, lounging and touring every place, there is no way that they have forgotten how young master smells. Leading us to him could be our only chance of survival.

'Have more faith in me Zubair, I will not let you get hurt.' I said these unfamiliar words that even surprised me. Back in my world I had a younger cousin brother. I used to hate him as he was quite annoying in the perspective of a young child I was back then. Zubair looked a little like him despite his exotic face. It is said that human only help one another if they have any kind of guilt or benefit. Maybe I was looking for the benefit of spending time with Zubair like I would have done with my brother.

'I have faith in you but I was just a little scared'

The alley was coming to an end but neither the sound of the Vajra nor any footsteps could be heard. The sound of the lyre immediately thickened when I was just seven steps away from moving out into the street.

Something was not right; the snakes have stopped midway.

'Stay back'

The town seemed to have come to a standstill when the lyre stopped suddenly. I held my breath in anticipation and a lingering sense of terror.

Something was not right but I could not place my hand on it no matter how many times I thought about it.

The Vajra crackled with energy in front of me

Young master?

A small and dark silhouette stood in front of young master who even after the light illuminating from Vajra could not materialize a body. The shadow was holding something which I had never seen personally in my whole twenty-one-year-old life but just through random pictures. It was a dark brown lyre.

Another tune was played, it was aggressive and domineering, completely different from the two. It felt like a warning for us, a do or die situation.

The lyre player and young master were fighting.