His mind reeled from the strange visions he had experienced before losing consciousness, especially the memory of the magical keybed. "Was it all just a dream?" he muttered to himself. "Is the magical keybed just my hallucination?"
He searched for his phone and found it in a bag on the table. Upon opening it, he was greeted by a flurry of messages, with Ed's texts being the most recent.
Hey, man! Just wanted to update you. We had to get another pianist to fill in for your gig. Hope you're okay! Everyone is worried.
Jazz continued reading, his brow furrowing at Ed's next message.
Jazz, dude! You probably haven't read my previous message, but just so you know, we were replaced by another band. We had no choice—Troy got sick the day after you passed out. I also think there's something going around at the Pines Hotel, so we decided to let go of the gig. Several staff members are showing symptoms too. It's starting to feel like an epidemic. Hope you get well pretty soon!
He couldn't shake the feeling that his collapse was somehow connected to whatever was happening. As he pondered these thoughts, a sense of urgency began to build within him. He needed to get back to the hotel to find out what was going on. "Was the piano in the basement real? And what about the guy in the black hat?"
* * *
After three long days in the hospital, Jazz finally received the news he had been waiting for: he was being discharged. The doctors had run countless tests, yet they found nothing wrong with him. As he dressed in his street clothes, a mix of relief and unease washed over him.
Upon stepping out of the hospital, the fresh air felt like a double-edged sword. It was a beautiful day, the sun shining brightly, but Jazz's heart raced with anxiety. He took a deep breath, determined to confront whatever mystery awaited him at the Pines Hotel.
* * *
As he entered the hotel lobby, a sense of dread settled in his stomach. The vibrant atmosphere he remembered had been replaced with an unsettling stillness. The air felt charged, as if something dark lurked just out of sight, waiting to reveal itself.
Jazz felt a familiar tug of urgency as he descended the stairs to the basement, the air thick with an unsettling energy that mirrored his previous visit. However, as he reached the bottom, his heart sank; the old piano was gone, and a feeling of terror gripped him, twice as intense as before.
"Your name is Jazz, right?" came a voice from behind him. Startled, he turned to find the man in the black hat standing there.
"Yes, and can you please tell me what's going on?" Jazz asked.
"My name is Leeland," he replied. "Is this where you found your Echo? A strange musical instrument?"
"Yes, an eerie piano." Jazz replied.
Leeland nodded, his expression serious. "We call it an Echo—typically the same instrument as your main one. But there are instances where the Echo isn't your primary instrument."
Leeland continued, his voice steady yet filled with urgency, "Your Echo has already merged with you. The darkness surrounding this place isn't actually coming from the Echo. It's coming from the Negative Harmony."
Jazz's heart raced as Leeland's words sank in. "What do you mean?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper.
Leeland's gaze intensified. "You might notice that the presence of darkness feels more intense because your Echo is no longer here."
"Once an Echo appears, a Negative Harmony will manifest in the same place and at the same time," Leeland continued, allowing a moment of silence to linger in the air. Then, he slowly pointed his finger at the ceiling.
Jazz's gaze followed Leeland's finger, and he looked up. There, hovering above them, was a swirling portal, its edges pulsating with a soft, eerie glow. The colors within it danced like a mesmerizing aurora—shades of deep purple and midnight blue intermingled with flickers of silver light.
"That is the Negative Harmony," Leeland said. "Unlike the Echo, the Negative Harmony is not visible to ordinary people; it is only visible to the Resonants. But the Echo will vanish as soon as the Resonant merges with it."
"And you have to close it," Leeland continued, his tone grave.
Jazz felt the weight of Leeland's words, his eyes widened, and his breath quickened as a rush of anxiety coursed through him. He clenched his fists, trying to steady himself. A wave of disbelief washed over him, making it hard to process the gravity of what he had just heard. His brow furrowed, and he bit his lip, grappling with the overwhelming realization that he was now part of something much larger than himself.
"But why me?" Jazz asked.
"This is the Negative Harmony of your Echo. You are the only one who can enter it." Leeland replied.
"Wait, what? Enter it?" Jazz asked curiously.
"The Negative Harmony is affecting the surrounding area, and its negative effects can vary. In this case, it seems to be causing illness," Leeland replied. "The only way to close it is by entering the portal. You will need to find the entity of the Negative Harmony."
He paused for a few seconds before adding, "And kill it."
Jazz's heart pounded in his chest as Leeland's words sank in. His mind raced, struggling to process the gravity of the situation. Kill it? He had never considered himself capable of such a thing. The very idea was foreign and terrifying. Jazz felt the weight of responsibility bearing down on him, the fate of those affected by the illness hinging on his actions. He took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves, and nodded slowly, signaling his reluctant acceptance of the daunting task ahead.
"I'm assuming that you are a Resonant." Jazz inquired.
"Yes." Leeland replied. "The last time we talked was the deadline of my Negative Harmony."
"Deadline?" Jazz asked nervously.
"Yes, the portal remains open for thirty days. If it closes without you killing the Negative Harmony's entity, something really bad will happen."
Jazz did not reply but remained looking at Leeland, his eyes silently asking what could possibly be worse as many were already sick.
"Death…?" inquired Jazz in a very worried tone.
Leeland gave a silent nod. "Yes, it always leads to death. In this case, probably all the sick will die."
A wave of fear washed over Jazz. He put his hands on his face, rubbing his temples as he tried to process the gravity of the situation. The weight of the responsibility felt almost unbearable. Thoughts of Troy, who had fallen ill, flashed through his mind. The idea that his friend could die because of this overwhelmed him with dread.
"How do I enter the portal?" Jazz continued.
"Not now," Leeland answered. "I'm guessing you haven't used your Echo yet. But I'm sure you already saw the manifestation of the Echo."
"I think so, I saw it at the hospital," Jazz replied, "But I haven't seen it since then."
"How many days have passed since you first heard the Echo?"
Jazz paused, trying to recall. "I was in the hospital for three days…"
He looked at his fingers, counting. "Eight, I guess."
"We have twenty-two days left. You need to meet the Conductor," Leeland said.