Prelude of Beginnings

Argh! I can't believe traffic could get this heavy in Harmonia. I'm really late for the opening ceremony. I double-tap the screen of my smartphone to check the time—9:12—which means that it is probably over. The white-colored font, which indicates the relative rotation on my side of the planet, tells me that I messed up on the first day of classes. Good thing Melodrama is here to keep me pumping. I better make a run for it.

As I went, I jumped out of the taxi, flinging a hundred bucks to the driver. The gate nearest to me is the one on Mozart Avenue, my current location. Giant redwood and tall pine trees provide a cool canopy shadowing the avenue. The pavement is wide enough for both bikers, joggers—which I quickly passed by thanks to the traffic—and musicians, who are making their mark in the city of music.

I make it to a flyover bridge connecting the avenue's two wide pavements. On the other side of the road is Sonus University Elementary School, which houses prodigies and geniuses adept at the musical arts.

A white-haired boy is sitting on the steps of the flyover. He seems to be scribbling something on a piece of paper. He glares at me, revealing ruby red irises that almost made me trip as my foot caught in a root. The entrance is finally up ahead. I reach the teal-colored steel gate, which is higher than me. The fences surrounding the university are even higher painted with murals of great artists and composers, such as Taylor Swift, Bach, and Aretha Franklin, and dazzling scenes from famous operas.

Is the guard around here somewhere? I look around the gate seeing no one—it is completely deserted. Where? What should I do? I knock on the cold steel, letting it resonate. I hoped someone would open it, but there was no response.

"It's an automated gate," a boy shorter than me walks toward a screen on the left portion of the gate. "You scan your ID on this screen, and it opens." He snatches his ID card, which loosely hangs from his university lanyard, bearing the letters SU, or Sonus University, and of course, the teal and silver colors of the university. He scans it on the screen, and the gate opens wide. "It's in the university manual that they send us after enrollment. Is it your first time here in SU?"

Not only was I late, I also forgot my ID card, and I did not read the university manual. Wait, are we even supposed to read those? What a hassle.

"Yeah, today is my first day here," I extend my right hand for a meeting gesture, which he looks at expectantly. "My name is Ian, Ian T. Francoise."

"I am Timothy van der Musel, my liege." He bows down, puts his right hand on his chest, and slides his left foot backward. The entire air around him flutters with nobility as he gestures gracefully. He smiles and gestures to the open gate, "Shall we?"

The university is everything I expected it to be—musicians and artists flocking every nook and cranny—creating music and melodies that satisfy every bit of the human sense. Timothy and I walk on a wide road, where a serene willow lets its leaves flutter with the wind, reflected by a mirroring pond on its feet. There were large buildings left and right, reinforced with a barrier that prevented unenrolled students in that department from entering.

"I'm in the Sound Engineering department, Bb Resonance," Timothy brandishes his Sonus Stone glowing a resolute silver. "I turn left off here. And you?"

"Oh, I'm supposed to go to the opening ceremony in the auditorium," I scratch my right ear, hoping he would tell me the way. "Speaking of the opening ceremony, it started about twenty minutes ago. I need to get there ASAP."

"The auditorium is on the fourth floor of Skybeat Tower," Timothy points to a golden crystalline structure piercing the azure sky. The tower's surface is filled with hexagonal glass windows reflecting the golden sunlight. It was like a beehive chock full of honey waiting to be harvested. "Normally, only students enrolled in the Studio of Pop can enter the tower—those with C Resonance—but freshmen can enter on the first week just as I was."

"Thanks, catch you later then." I try to be polite before making a beeline to the tower.

Up close, grandeur and opulence embody the structure. White protruding steel sheets establish the outline of the golden hexagons. Golden silk fabrics hang on horizontal poles by the entrance. A fountain gracefully sprinkles water in the middle of the circular road leading to and from the door. Flowers of variegated colors and kinds grow on the center island.

I make my way directly to the entrance. Inside, a grand foyer with two large meeting ascending staircases. Nestled in between the staircases is the reception desk. A large screen hanging on the wall behind it flashes a message for entrants. "Freshmen Opening Ceremony and Orientation on the Auditorium on the Fourth Floor," it says.

The foyer is large enough to hold an entire gala or a party—many people can fit in, and it's just the first floor. Multiple sofa sets are on the sides and corners of the room, each beside wall-embedded shelves filled with books. There are EDM boards on each of the tables. Musicians are breaking beats—some fast-paced like cumbia, others slow reggaeton—which led to a somewhat chaotic room.

At the center of the foyer, an olive tree grows out of a clearing. It looked like plastic from afar, but the natural beauty exuded the surrounding environment's artificiality as I got closer to it. Multiple clearings filled with soil and growing plants are also on numerous floor areas. Skybeat Tower is a place where both technology and nature meet.

There are four elevators—two on the left and right side- besides the winding staircases. I make a run for the seemingly empty left elevator. I click on the ground floor button. The elevator door instantly opens. I beat on the fourth-floor button multiple times. I jumped out of the door when I reached the fourth floor, rushing to the room with the word "Auditorium" plastered on the double doors.

"Thank you for that inspiring speech, President Mittermeier," the master of ceremony announces. I look for a seat in the corner of the room. I immediately sat and listened, hoping I didn't miss something important. "Next up, a brief history of Sonus University and the mission and vision of our great institution."

The main screen blacks out only to emit white light for the next few seconds.

"The development of the Sonus System gave humanity supernatural and metaphysical powers to change the course, alter, and bend the laws of nature," a woman's voice narrates, showing a video of the very first Sonus Stone. "When the system came to conception, a miracle occurred—every human being was born with a Sonus Stone that resonates with the inner song and melody—within the heart and the soul."

"Scientists observed that the stones have twelve distinct resonances, later called the Sonus Resonance. The Sonus Resonance is not limited to genre but by the key and progression of the inner melody. Scientists agreed to classify the eleven known resonances, like the Circle of Fifths, composed of the keys C, G, D, A, E, B, F, Bb, Eb, Ab, and Gb/F#. The key of Db/C# is still under multiple studies. Still, our best minds are figuring out an explanation for the missing resonance.

"In recent years, children are born with a Sonus Stone but have no resonance. They are called blanks from their blank Sonus Stone. However, these individuals are inclined to music and may hold equal or far greater potential than those possessing a resonance.

"Harmonia, the great City of Music, is home to the best musicians in the world. Sonus University is the training ground for those musicians. Presenting the departments of Sonus University. Resonance of C—the Studio of Pop; resonance of G—the School of Sacred Songs; resonance of D—the Classical Conservatory; resonance of A—the Valhallan Conservatory; resonance of E—the School of String Theorists; resonance of B—the Orden der Rosenritter; resonance of F—the College of Sonus Spells; resonance of Bb—the Institute of Sound Engineering; resonance of Eb—the Academy of Occult Songs; resonance of Ab—the Gramarye Progressions; and resonance of Gb/F#—the Chamber of Harps and Arias.

"Sonus University also welcomes blank resonance individuals in the newest pioneering course. Freshmen, welcome to Sonus University." The video presentation ends, and the entire chamber resumes the pitch-black state.

Those were a lot of schools, but for a university this big—it should not be surprising. I took my smartphone, which vibrated violently. It is the alarm for the next event, which is supposed to be the department access, but since I am one of those blank resonances, my itinerary dictates that I should join a general education class. Well, better than not doing anything, I guess.

"Hey, you must be Ian T. Francoise," a guy wearing formal approaches from the aisle. His coat appears navy blue under the yellow incandescent-like fluorescent lighting in the auditorium. Golden embroidered bass clef, treble clef, and G-clef designs make up the front of his tie, which was highlighted by its silver fabric and the white shirt underneath it. The boutonniere pinned on his chest pocket bears his Sonus Stone—blank like mine—but designed to be the stamen of the floral design. His fair complexion and face feel like they have never seen the light of day, smooth as polished marble and white as ivory. The cerulean irises and the ebony black pupils of his eyes gaze intently at me—darting around looking for my Sonus Stone which causes him, upon sight, to redirect his focus on my eyes when he confirms that I also have a blank resonance. "I am associate professor Antoine Saint-Symphonie. The university professor has asked me to be your personal guide, chaperone, tutor, and instructor during your time here at the university. As you might have noticed, like you, I have a blank resonance." He polishes his Sonus Stone attached to his boutonniere and realigns it with his pocket. "I'll accompany you all day while you are at the university."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Professor Saint-Symphonie," I extend my right hand for a handshake, which he, like Timothy, returns with an expectant gaze.

"In the university, we curtsy." He places his right hand on his chest and bows down, diagonally moving his left foot towards the right. His left-hand moves to his back. "Handshakes are polite, although they do not measure up to the degree of formality required here."

Is this some kind of etiquette camp? Or is this school just full of weirdos? Well, no harm in curtsying. I copy his movements exactly. I have a slightly lower bow, almost 60 degrees, by estimate. Who knows? Maybe one day I'll meet the queen, and I can use this skill.

"These are also yours," he hands me an iPad, except that it does not have the applications an iPad usually has. It only has Notes, Gallery, Music, Settings, Browser, Camera, and the Sonus University app—containing my schedule, a university map, my class eBooks, and all the essential people in the administration from the various music departments.

"If everything is settled, we shall head to your premier class."