Star Rail: Starting with a Lyre, Living off Busking [59]
Yet Venti continued to play, his mournful melody intensifying the crowd's fear, each note heightening the tension.
The first few, unable to hold back their curiosity, ventured outside, where they caught sight of the massive hole in the barrier—the wall that had shielded humanity for seven hundred years, now breached by the dragon. Seeing it shattered their morale even faster than Venti had anticipated.
Panic spread, the crowd pushing and shoving to escape, and if not for a handful of Silvermane Guards maintaining order, the ensuing stampede might have taken lives even before the dragon itself did.
Amidst the chaos, Venti played on, undisturbed, his fingers bringing the music to a crescendo, and only when the final note faded did he look up to see the hall had emptied entirely. Only Old Goethe, the innkeeper, remained, staring at Venti in a daze.
While everyone else had ignored the bard stubbornly playing his grim melody amid the panic, Old Goethe had noticed something amiss. Though his instinct wasn't strong, he'd felt a certain premonition. Just as the poet would not abandon his song, he sensed that this attack would not be the last.
If Belobog's great walls fell for good, how could they survive against the raging storm and the Fragmentum threat?
Old Goethe's shoulders slumped as if he'd aged even further, his face full of despair.
In that moment, Venti's voice broke the silence. "Well, Mr. Goethe, what did you think of my performance?"
"…Your performance? The crowd ran for their lives. It was the worst show ever, if I'm being generous…"
Goethe's voice was bleak, his eyes shadowed.
"The worst, not just bad? Hmm, that's fair."
Venti chuckled softly, his face lighting up with a playful grin that made Goethe stare at him as if he were mad. Then, with a bounce in his step, Venti turned and headed for the door.
Outside, fear had taken hold, though the chaos remained contained.
Part of this order could be credited to the citizens' upbringing, trained from childhood in evacuation drills, and the Silvermane Guards who held the crowd in check.
In the middle of the crowd was a petite woman. Though small in stature, she exuded a powerful presence, guiding people toward the shelters with calm authority.
As Venti looked toward her, Pela noticed him, their gazes locking across the crowd.
Calling out, she lifted her voice. "—Venti!"
"Well, it seems it's my time to exit the stage for now," he murmured to himself. He returned his lyre to its compact form and hung it by his side, then sprinted toward Pela's location.
Since the Prelude to the End had already played, the Finale was inevitable. He'd have to make preparations for the next act, after all—an opportunity like this was far too rare.
As he took his place behind the scenes, it signaled that the true stars of the show would soon shine brightly, their destinies unfolding at this turning point in history.
The order they'd known was about to dissolve, and a controlled chaos would soon begin.
Hopefully, the cold-hearted tyrant upon the throne would enjoy the gift he had set in motion.
---
Meanwhile, in Qlipoth Fort…
The shattering of porcelain broke the silence, followed by a furious female voice that echoed throughout the hall.
"Find out what that beast is, immediately!"
The guards trembled, heads bowed, and the other officials stood paralyzed by the Supreme Guardian's rage.
The position of Qlipoth Fort afforded them a clear view of the dragon's arrival, its devastating assault on the barrier, and its eventual retreat.
There was no doubt in anyone's mind: this creature was beyond their ability to handle.
The crisis weighed heavily on them all, but the Supreme Guardian, entirely undone by her fury, only made things worse.
How were they supposed to investigate a creature that had vanished into the clouds, far beyond human reach? Even if they managed to build an aircraft capable of pursuit, who could guarantee their return to report what they'd found?
None dared volunteer; each kept their gaze fixed downward, unwilling to be the one to break the silence.
Finally, Cocolia dismissed the guards and attendants in frustration, leaving her alone in the empty hall, muttering through clenched teeth.
"You deceived me!"
Though no one else was present, she spoke as if addressing an invisible presence.
"…Cocolia, this… is an unforeseen variable. It has nothing to do with us…"
A strange, indistinguishable voice echoed in her mind, neither male nor female, young nor old.
"…Though it carries the Fragmentum's scent, the dragon is not an ally…"
As if caught in a spiral of contradiction, Cocolia's anger gradually morphed into a frozen calm, her rational mind clawing its way back through the haze of rage.
"What does that mean?" she demanded icily.
"The dragon… is an anomaly… a misfit… a prelude to the end of the old world…"
The Stellaron's voice resonated in her mind, and a vision appeared before her.
The dragon soared through the sky, reveling in its destructive freedom, as if the chaos it had brought was nothing more than child's play to it.
Did it see humanity as mere insects, creatures whose only purpose was to satisfy its curiosity?
Such thoughts sent a fresh surge of fury coursing through her.
"Your choice remains, Cocolia… Overthrow the old order… embrace the new… It is the only way humanity will survive…"
The words, which she'd heard countless times before, now carried a surprising allure.
Her rage cooled, replaced by an emotionless, calculating demeanor.
"And why should I trust you, after your failure to warn me?"
"…We have glimpsed the new world. You may choose not to believe… and we will respect that."
The strange response, as frustrating as it was cryptic, made Cocolia's barely contained anger flicker once more.
It was then, as if recalling something, that she murmured to herself.
"…I must bring Bronya back. The frontlines near the Forbidden Zone won't hold much longer."
The Stellaron's voice agreed.
"She… yes, she… could become the mother of a new world…"
"Silence. I'll never hand her over to you, you heartless entity!"
As if her very core had been struck, Cocolia growled with contempt.
"…."
For a moment, the Stellaron's voice fell silent.
It took several moments for Cocolia to regain her composure and restore the facade of the Supreme Guardian.
Her first order was to summon Bronya back to Qlipoth Fort.
As for the Silvermane Guards at the frontlines, or the civilians caught up in the chaos within the city, none of these were part of Cocolia's consideration.
No matter; even in death, they would still find their place within the cradle of the new world—
This was her final mercy as Supreme Guardian.
---
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