"Harmonize!"
Distant explosions were heard in the background. The town is in ruins, as the atmosphere rains with puffs of dust with no light in sight. This used to be a town so serene and beautiful, flowers of different shades of hues covering the green fields as the light blue sky surrounds the air.
"Hahaha! Oh you're so flirty darling!"
The woman giggled with delight, her pale skin blushed in a shade of pink. Afterwards, a man tucked her smooth, wavy, hair behind her ear while placing a white carnation as well. She was like an angel, living on earth.
"You're the most beautiful woman who ever stepped into this universe. Don't you think so Arion?"
He mumbled, before caressing the baby's soft cheek. The baby let out a noise, one that is full of joy and happiness. Until that was once it used to be.
The man raised his conductor stick before it glows yellow and shoots out a glowing music note that pierces through a fellow enemy. The enemy, a dark levitating smoke, with dimly lit eyes resembling faint, dying sound. The music note immediately dimmed, while a bell chime sound was emitted.
Another enemy died, the once white carnations painted red and dark. A garden of corpses. That's how it is now. The place is tainted red, while piles of dead people can be seen everywhere.
The man winced in pain. He falls down to the ground, dropping his bloodied stick, before covering an open wound at his right oblique and throwing up blood. A woman tried to help him, but he quickly jerked off her hand.
"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!"
"I hate to break it to you, but our army is dead! So if this is how you wanna rule Discordia if you cannot even protect your own son?! Now look at this hell hole, you fucking failed your duty as a king and as a father. Lower your pride darling, your ego has nothing to do with what's happening right now!"
The lady yelled, before wiping the tears off her face. She watched as her lover slowly bled, the same lover who she just yelled at, the same lover whom she loved years ago. And just like that. It's all ruins.
The air grew still, the echoes of her voice cutting through the chaos. The man, trembling and bloodied, stared at her with wide eyes. Her words pierced him deeper than the bullets ever could. He tried to speak but choked on blood, coughing violently as his body weakened.
She then turned away from him before wiping another tear from her eye.
"One last dance darling. No matter how much you hate me right now, Discordia is falling apart. I screwed up all right, but I never once lied to you. I've done a lot of shit in my life, but loving you is different," the man said with annoyance, while crawling to reach her bloodied violin.
"Your words, mean nothing to me dearest. I still love you, but you're not letting me," she replied to him, before she helped him stand up.
In the moment of pause, when their synchronized movements caused the battlefield to still, the woman looked up at the man, her gaze filled with unspoken emotions. Instead of explosions, silence slowly enveloped the surroundings, muting screams and sound, painting the already gory environment in a shade of dust and crimson.
"I never wanted this, you know," she whispered, before an enemy found them where she quickly played a chord on her violin, casting a barrage of golden music notes to the enemy. She then replied to her lover, "I never wanted to fight you."
"And yet here we are," he replied, his tone a mix of exhaustion and sorrow. He knelt down to grab his conductor stick, before leaning down on his knee to stand up. "You betrayed me first, my queen."
She flinched at his words, her steps faltering for a split second before she forced herself to continue. "I betrayed your pride, not you. There's a difference. I've been a mother and a wife. I guided Arion in a path worth going through. He reminded me a lot of his father, prideful and arrogant."
"Don't lecture me about pride, and don't you dare compare your son to me," he shot the barely conscious enemy, his conductor stick slicing through the air, conjuring another barrier of golden notes, fully killing the enemy. "You abandoned our dream for your own justice."
"My justice was for our son!" she snapped, her voice breaking. "Or did you forget? You were so obsessed with leading Discordia, too obsessed with your research on magic, too obsessed with your dream that you didn't care what it would cost Arion—or us," her voice raised before she clenched her jaw knowing that if she continued raging, this relationship would be dead. But it's already dead, like a falling rhythm. "A conductor is supposed to lead an orchestra, but here you are."
The words hit him like a blow, and for a brief moment, the music faltered, the glowing notes dimming as if mirroring the turmoil in his heart.
But the enemies did not falter. A barrage of enveloping silence broke through the fading score of shield, forcing the woman to act. She drew her violin close, the strings glowing a vibrant blue as her melody was guided by his husband.
"Focus, damn you!" she shouted, her voice cracking. "If you're going to hate me, at least hate me after we survive this!"
Her words reignited something within him-whether it was anger, determination, or love, he couldn't tell. Together, their music swelled, a chaotic harmony that mirrored their clashing emotions yet remained undeniably powerful.
In a glorious trance, the man lifted his conductor stick, conjuring music notes and finishing the last of the enemies. The couple panted with exhaustion. They didn't know how long they could keep this love-hate relationship.
There's only deep pants, and silence.
"If we could be together again, how would you rewrite our piece darling?" the man broke the silence with a gentle tone, his voice raspy, before taking a step towards her.
"Maybe arrange the notes to something more lento, slow but joyous," she replied hesitantly, while gunshots emerged above them.
He let out a soft giggle, before placing his hand on her waist, on her torn dress. It's dirty, its pure state is now covered in mud and dried blood. His other crimson covered hand caressed her face, before wiping a tear that tried to roll down her face.
"We could never love each other again with all that happened. But for some reason, I still yearn for you dear," he replied, and the lady looked up towards her lover.
The music notes then lifted her violin, floating gently beside them. The notes glowed faintly as the music notes gently pulled the bow across its strings. A haunting melody filled the air, soft yet commanding, weaving through the crumbled ruins. The eerie yet comforting sound leaves chills to your spine but makes you want to listen to it more.
Before they could take another step, more enemies erupted from the shadows. Enemies emerged, their shouts piercing the melody as a faint sound tore through the air.
"Gufp-! Shit-"
The man groaned in pain, making him lean to the lady as his grip on her waist tightened. Blood starts pouring out behind his back, but he manages to lift his conductor stick and conjure glowing notes.
Golden music notes shimmered into existence, dimming as soon as it emerged, spiraling around them like a dying protective shield. The music notes sound quick, but off tune.
"Stay with me," he murmured, his voice trembling but trying to remain calm despite the chaos. "Is that sarcasm?" she replied, holding onto his shoulder tightly, never letting go.
Her gaze locked onto his. The violin played on, the music swelling, each note pushing the enemies back as though the melody itself refused to let them advance.
The couple began to move in unison, their steps a dance of defiance and grace, but there's a hint of hate between them. They are lovers, but they aren't at the same time. They weren't the same people who used to love each other. They changed, but here they are, dancing in a wicked waltz that's both infuriating and exhilarating.
His hand on her waist guided her through the chaos, while her movements matched his rhythm, fluid and precise. The music became their weapon, each step producing a wave of energy that rippled outward, sending the enemies staggering.
Soon enough, the enemies tried to contain the music, enveloping the couple in a silencing aura. Without hesitation, the man flicked his conductor stick, and a sharp crescendo erupted from the violin. The lady rested her forehead on the man's chest, before a glowing note shot out, bouncing around them, and lighting up the dark smoke around them.
Their enemies hesitated, but they kept engaging as the music's intensity grew. Each wrong note was evaded by the bloodied couple, the score of the music seemed to protect them. The melody shifted, a haunting waltz that seemed to pull the battlefield into another realm. The ground beneath their feet began to glow faintly, the music bending reality itself.
The couple ignored the chaos around them, their focus entirely on each other. He twirled her, the glowing violin moving in perfect harmony with their steps. She laughed, a sound so pure it cut through the despair, her voice trembling with defiance and love. Their eyes never leave each other.
"Do you remember our first dance?" she asked, her voice soft.
He smiled through the pain, his grip on her waist tightening. "How could I forget? You stepped on my foot three times."
Her laugh turned into a sob, scarlet tears streaming down her face. "You deserved that to be honest. You're such a terrible dancer yourself, even to this day," she replied in a trance, her body pinned towards his.
Their movements quickened, the music reaching a fever pitch. "Is that so? I didn't know that there is a queen who couldn't be as poise as her title?" he responded, looking down on her and kissing her head.
The glowing notes spiraled outward, faster and faster, forming a vortex of light and sound. The enemies screamed, their voices drowned by the overwhelming melody.
As the crescendo reached its peak, the man pulled her close, their foreheads touching. "For Discordia. For Concerto. For us."
"For us," she whispered. "I'm sorry, for everything."
The violin let out one final, resounding note, and the world seemed to shatter. The glowing notes exploded outward, consuming the battlefield in a blinding light. The ruins trembled, and the air was filled with the echoes of their melody—a song of love and defiance that would linger long after the dust had settled.
When the light faded, the battlefield was silent. Where the couple had danced, only the violin remained, floating gently to the ground, surrounded by glowing music notes that slowly faded into the air.