All of us stood up and asked Amy to lead us to the room. Before we all left the room, I asked Amy, remembering something, "Amy, do you remember the character on the door of the room the food was in?" Seeing her shake her head, I clarified, "Like some sign or picture, just like the one on our door."
Hearing me, all the others expressed some doubt as to why I was asking this but didn't interrupt me. Amy started to think, and after pondering for a while, she looked like she remembered and drew the sign for us to see. The sign she drew looked like, 'あ'. Looking at the sign, I nodded and said, "That's good. The butler showed me the same sign when he told me about the door of the dining room." Listening to me, all of them realized why I asked Amy such a question.
"Guys, you all go to the dining area. Now it's my turn to go to the party. I will leave now," I said. Hearing me, all the others nodded to express that they understood. Amy was the only one who looked sad, as she wanted to eat with her new brother. I looked at Amy's sad face and said, "Don't be sad, little girl. When I return, we can eat sweets together." Hearing me, Amy's face brightened.
As I saw them leave, I too headed towards the hall that hosted the party. While heading inside, I saw a lot of doors; they had these symbols on all of them: ५, ७, द, र, त. I was quite fascinated by these symbols as they had this ancient feeling to them. After walking for a while, I reached the door with two guards on either side of the door. They just stood there without looking at me or taking a peek inside; they seemed quite professional with their focused gaze and huge bodies.
As I got near them, I saw that next to the bodyguard on the right was the butler, probably waiting for me, which proved to be true as he greeted me and gestured me to follow him. I nodded to him and, just as I got near him, I was stunned by the sight before me. It felt unreal to see what my eyes were showing me. As I approached, the sprawling gardens leading to the entrance were adorned with twinkling moonlight-like lights, creating an enchanting pathway.
As I walked and got inside, the grand hall came into sight. It was a symphony of opulence, illuminated by chandeliers dripping with crystal. The air was alive with laughter and conversation as elegantly dressed women showcased an array of artistic dresses, each a masterpiece in its own right. Men donned tailored suits, their presence adding a touch of refinement to the festivities.
The butler smiled seeing me and my speechless face at the sight of this unreal place. I followed after him on instinct as I couldn't quite wrap my head around the thought that such a beautiful creation could be made, and if so, why haven't the creators of our place done so. It was such a disappointment to know that I have never seen such beautiful places even when I was with those guys, I thought in nostalgia.
"Mr. Bittu, this is the place where you have to perform your music. You may play anything you like, but I recommend that it may sync with the atmosphere of the party, as all of your friends before this played. The guests were very satisfied with their performance, except for the first one, but it's fine. I hope you can perform well." As I listened to the butler, I understood why Laila's face was blank and her eyes hollow when she came to our room. It must be because of her performance here.
"Yes, I shall do that." After saying that, I neared the place where all the musical instruments were kept. It was at the center of the hall, right beneath the shining moonlight. The sight of the moonlight on the instruments was mesmerizing. I got near the place and was about to observe the atmosphere of the hall, but suddenly, I felt as if I was being seen... observed maybe, by someone. I, on instinct, turned my head in the west direction as I felt that I was being seen from there, though I couldn't find anything there.
I was baffled at that thought and shrugged my shoulders as I once again started observing the hall. What I didn't know was that two eyes were right on me, from one of the most beautiful women in the current dungeon.
************
Sitting on a sofa, alone, away from all the mesmerizing and captivating sights of the party hall, was a woman in a captivating and beautiful purple dress. She had a gorgeous face and a stunning body. She was currently holding a glass of wine and looking at the sight of her younger sister talking with a man. The same man that arrived nearly a month ago from the east. After arriving in just fifteen days, he had made her sister fall head over heels for him. She doesn't know what happened that her innocent and cheerful sister would fall for such a man. She was disgusted at the sight of this man. It was because of that incident, where this man tried to blackmail her to do things because of her sister. She was vexed at that time and decided to warn her sister, but God knows what happened; the next day, her sister was very angry with her and ignored her for a day.
The next day, that viper of a man once again blackmailed me when he told me that he was the one who made her sister like this with just some words. That was when I knew that my sister was currently in a swamp of mud that was trying to swallow her, and only I could save her. So I bent to his wishes and gave him some wealth. After that, this kept on going for the past five days.
'I am in a lot of stress these past five days.' The woman thought as she looked at the mirror in front of her. Anyone from outside and even most people from this place would be shocked at the sight, that the woman was looking at the scene of the party hall, not from a computer or any digital form but a glass, particularly a mirror. The mirror wasn't connected to any wires or connected to anything at all. It just rested on the wall, showing her master what she wanted to see. After the shock, anyone that saw this scene will have only one thought in their mind afterward, the word being, 'MAGIC.'
The woman was quite frustrated at the sight of her younger sister with the Easter guy, so she told the mirror, which she was connected to, to change the view and show others at the party. The mirror obliged and started to show other scenes. First, it showed some women gossiping, second, it showed a kid eating in the dining hall, which was surprisingly Amy, after that, it showed some men drinking alcohol and laughing.
The woman told the mirror to skip all these. After a while, the mirror showed a scene in which a man in a blue dress was standing near the music area, observing the party, but just after a second, the mirror started to tremble, and right after, the guy gazed in the direction of the mirror in such a way that he matched his gaze with the woman. The woman was shocked at the sight. She thought that she was seeing things because no one should have been able to feel being spied upon by the mirror, just like all the other times.
She relaxed when she saw, that the man was just moving his head here and there and observing the hall. 'He must have seen this way on accident' she thought as she tried to calm her racing heart. Though, she was now interested in this guy, that made her feel this way after such a long while. She saw that, the man now sat on a piano.
***********
After thinking for a while, I pondered what I should play. I decided on an original piece to match the atmosphere of the hall. I informed the butler that I was going to play the piano and needed some space. The butler agreed and went on his way.
I placed my fingers on the piano and started the music. As the music went from low to high pitch, the entire hall began to listen, and all the noise subsided, creating a silent atmosphere. Everyone in the hall wore surprised expressions, fascinated by such lovely music. As the music progressed, they all became lost in its soothing notes. After a while, they started to enjoy the music, and their bodies were itching to dance.
A woman sitting far away on the sofa noticed this and called the butler, instructing him to start the dancing phase early to this beautiful music. The butler complied, and after doing so, all the lights in the hall were turned off. As the lights dimmed, the guests understood what was about to happen, moving to the walls and creating space for others to dance. No one considered it bad; they understood why the host took this initiative, as they hadn't expected such beautiful music from a youngster. 'Truly a talent,' was everyone's thought.
Seizing the opportunity, all the couples first took spots where the moonlight shone in a round shape, circling the musician. As the music progressed, the dancers changed, giving a chance to new couples or those about to be. Everyone watched, danced, and enjoyed the music until the end. Bittu kept his eyes closed throughout to maintain focus and not be distracted by any beautiful or mesmerizing sights even for a second. Eventually, the music stopped, and so did the dance. The guests applauded the marvelous performance by the youngster.
"Marvelous...!"
"Amazing...!"
"Beautiful...!"
"..."
Listening to them, I stood and bowed with one hand in the air and the other near my stomach in all directions. After that, I decided that playing too much original music might not be good for myself for obvious reasons, so I started to play some famous tunes from the outside world. This continued for about half an hour.
During this time, Bittu noticed many influential people, and among them, he observed a gorgeous and cute woman surrounded by a crowd. She clung to a man who seemed to be avoiding her, while she ignored everyone else. Looking at her, I thought, 'She must be one of the twin flowers if she can ignore all these people and still not anger them.' The question was, which of the younger or older twin was she? I pondered for a while and recalled a conversation in a street restaurant. It was mentioned that the younger sister was the one who fell for the Eastern man.
Now, looking at the man the girl was clinging to, he resembled people from the eastern part of the outside world, possessing facial features typical of that region. He truly was very handsome, and it was no wonder the girl was head over heels for him. However, looking at the man, I got a sinister vibe that made me look at him in disgust. I confirmed my thoughts that the girl beside this man was indeed the younger one of the twin flowers.
The younger one wore a yellow dress that made her look innocent and beautiful. She appeared quite pretty in that outfit. I also observed some beauties in enchanting red, white angelic dresses, and elegant black dresses.
After entertaining the guests for a while, the butler approached me and conveyed that my time was over, instructing me to send in the next performer. I complied and returned the same way to the room. While returning, many men raised their glasses and nodded at me, while the women looked at me with smiles. I reciprocated politely and humbly.
Upon returning to the room, only Max and I were present. I looked at Max and said, "It's your turn now, I guess."
"Yes, it's indeed my turn now. Wish me luck as I get nervous in front of the crowd," said Max. "Good luck, show them what you got," I replied, seeing his nervous face with a laugh. Seeing me laugh, he too joined in, which helped him calm down. Saying, "Thanks," Max left for the hall.
I also headed to the dining room with the character 'あ' on it, as everyone else had gone there to eat. Although I was curious as to why they hadn't returned yet, I got near the dining hall. It would be more correct to say it was a hall rather than a room. It was quite chaotic, with everyone moving around with plates of food and chatting about various things. The beautiful and artistic design of the hall was the only thing that helped maintain the image of the dining hall.
As I entered the hall, I once again saw a lot of strange symbols: お, 日, द, उ, 大....
After a while, I got near the dining room. It would be more correct to say that it was a hall rather than a room. It was quite chaotic seeing everyone moving around with plates of food around the hall and chatting about various stuff. The beautiful and artistic design of the hall was the only thing that helped maintain the image of the dining hall.
I got inside the hall as I searched for all my... friends. I searched for a while but in this endless tide of people I couldn't find any of them. After some time, I decided to grab some food and eat as I was very hungry; searching for them could wait for later. As I thought that, I moved towards the place that held all the food with the people in cook uniforms beside them. Just as I got near them, they handed me a plate filled with food without even asking me for my preferences, quickly gesturing me to move so that the next person could get their share. I was amazed at their efficiency. I moved aside from there and went to sit in an empty seat.
I saw that on my plate there was a lot of food and varieties of them. They all looked like they were all Indian cuisines. It looked quite delicious, and the aroma given by them made me salivate. I guess this is the reason they didn't ask for my preference since they knew that no one could resist eating these. While moving here, I also saw cuisines from a lot of countries like Japan, Italy, France... being eaten by people.
As I ate my food, two people sat near me. I didn't mind, but as they started to talk and talk more, the less my mouth moved, and the more my body started to tremble, and my heart raced.