Sinful Tunes
On a vast field unknown to ordinary men, two people walked, their steps muffled by the lush, wet grass springing from the earth. Their countenances were as gloomy as the clouds above them, and the wind, as though sharing in their sorrow, was especially chilling—enough to make a grown man yearn for a thick blanket and a space near the fire. But these two men seemed unaffected; in fact, they walked as if the weather were normal, as though the cold was soothing to their souls.
Obviously, they weren't ordinary men.
Raymond Young wore a grim expression, his eyes closed and his brows furrowed even as he walked. His head was lowered, and the chilly wind kept pushing his hair in different directions, and he just allowed it.
Walking two steps behind him was Lucas, Raymond's most trusted subordinate and right-hand man. Unlike Raymond, his eyes were open, but he could see nothing, yet he could still find his way and walk in a straight line without fear or panic.
This was the curse of this place, and even though Lucas was no ordinary man, he wasn't too extraordinary either. The curse still affected him, but he wasn't sure about his superior. Whether Raymond could or could not see, Lucas didn't know, and he never thought of asking about it. All he did was walk behind, following the sound of Raymond's footsteps so he wouldn't lose his way.
The two walked in silence for a while, their steps slow as though they were in deep thought. It almost looked like they planned to spend the rest of their day here until Raymond paused suddenly, and when he stopped, Lucas, keen as ever, detected it and stopped as well.
Raymond's eyelids separated, revealing a pair of grey eyes that seemed to change the air around him. From a calm, gloomy countenance, to a dark, cold, and suppressive aura that would have anyone shivering if they came any closer than ten feet. He ran his fingers through his dark locks, keeping them away from his forehead and eyes before looking up at the sky.
The clouds were slowly changing their colors, from their gloomy blue to an even gloomier shade of purple mixed with green, and at this point, it was so dark that one would have to squint to see anything. The wind was howling and even chillier than before. Clearly, there was a disturbance in this place.
“Do you hear it, Lu?" Raymond asked, his voice so quiet that combined with the howling wind, Lucas had to strain to hear what Raymond had said.
He heard and understood the question, but he couldn't, for the life of him, hear anything else except the harsh wind. So he shook his head. “No, I don't hear a thing.”
Raymond half-turned to him and smiled. “Right? I forget sometimes that I am the only one who can hear this tune. This sinful tune…” He sighed, followed by a light chuckle. “Why did you stop walking? Let's go.” He saw Lucas's lips stretch into a thin line, and he suppressed a smile. It must be so frustrating for Lucas to walk without his sight.
He began to walk again, his hands behind his back and his gaze fixed straight ahead. “Do you find it weird too? I can hear the tunes right now, but I could never sing it myself. It's truly disturbing, do you know why?”
Lucas kept quiet, partly because he had no answers and partly because he was used to Raymond's monologue whenever they came here.
“I can't seem to recall the song later when everything is over, but I will always recognize it when it starts to play. Haunting, right?” Again, Lucas was quiet. “I wish I knew the reason, maybe then I can help her. Maybe she will be free then.”
Lucas's eyes twitched at the mention of "she." He knew how sensitive Raymond was when it came to her, and he opened his mouth, about to speak when he heard Raymond's voice from a distance. "You are going the wrong way, Lucas!” And that was when he realized that, lost in his thoughts, he had stopped listening to Raymond's footsteps.
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saskh_xle · ファンタジー
