novelapdf The Symphony of the Broken
The Symphony of the Broken
(Tap... Tap...)Following the explosion that reduced the mansion's opulence to a skeleton of ash, the environment transformed into a stage where time seemed to have stopped only to observe the agony of matter...
(... Tap... Tap...)
In the midst of the desolation, footsteps resonated.
(Fsssssssss...)
The flames, far from being extinguished by the rain, swayed with a supernatural vitality.
(Sssss... ffffff...)
They were not vigorous bonfires, but tongues of condemned fire that twisted over the charred wooden beams, dancing with an erratic rhythm.
(Ffhu... ffhu...)
Their orange and feverish glow was the only thing that brought color to the gray wasteland, casting elongated and deformed shadows that crawled over the cracked marble like specters seeking refuge.
(Plic... plic... plic...)
From the colorless firmament, the black rain continued its rhythmic descent.
(.... Ploc-ploc... Fssshhh... Plic...)
Each drop fell with a deliberate slowness, heavy as lead, breaking against the hot ashes and generating small clouds of steam that swirled at foot-level.
(VUUUUUUUUUU...)
It was a constant precipitation that did not seek to cleanse, but to bury beneath its dark patina the remains of memories and dead hopes, causing the air to begin to change.
(Fffshhhhhh....)
Then, a gelid and heavy wind, laden with the rancid smell of tar and the bitter purity of ash, began to blow through the debris.
(Whhh-oo-shhh...)
It was not a natural breeze; it was an atmospheric moan that swept through the ruins of the mansion, whistling between the empty window frames and causing the embers to fly in incandescent spirals.
(Sss-hhrrr...)
The wind carried with it the echo of destruction, stirring the dust on the surfaces of the broken structures...
(Vvv-hh-ooo...!)
At that moment, the wind blew with increasing force, tilting the flames and dispersing the steam from the black rain, as if the world itself were drawing breath, preparing for the awakening of something that would change the course of history.
(... Tap... Tap... Tap... Tap...)
And in the middle of that place, a being that did not belong there walked slowly...
(The wind... is blowing...)
In that place, walking toward the presence he had heard and subsequently detected, little Shija, with his two-year-old body, remained in motion.
(... Fff-shhh-tt... Sss-plahhh... Whhh-shh-shh...)
The wind whipped his short hair and the rain soaked his torso, but his eyes remained fixed on the horizon of ash.
(Hhh-uuuu-shh...)
As a result, the crackling of the flames, the rhythmic beating of the water, and the howling of the wind formed a symphony of disaster that marked the beginning of a new era...
"... Hic... hahaha... Uuh... ehehehe..."
And, in turn, the end of an old era.
(Whuu-ooo-shhh...!)
However, despite that, Shija, clenching his small hands and feeling the atmospheric pressure increase, kept his pace.
(Sss-iii-uuu...!)
In response, the wind, which initially only whistled between the beams, increased its intensity violently.
(Vvv-rooo-mmm...!!)
Heavy gusts laden with soot began to lash the ruins, kicking up curtains of ash that blurred the little warrior's vision.
(VUUUUUUUUUU—VROOOOOM!!)
It was not clean air; it was a stifling gale that howled as it squeezed through the gaps in the broken masonry, pushing Shija's small body with a force that threatened to knock him down at every step.
(PLASH... PLASH... PLASH!!!)
Synchronized with the wind, the black rain also gained strength...
(Pla-takk... Vv-thakk!!)
The drops, previously slow and rhythmic, turned into dense projectiles falling with a frenetic cadence.
(Shhhhh-hrrrr... Rrr-shhhh-ooo...!!)
The pattering against the debris transformed into a constant roar, flooding the furrows of the charred ground and creating pools of liquid tar that reflected the gray sky.
"....."
At the same time, the water lashed Shija's skin, chilling his body temperature and reminding him of the fragility of his new physical form.
(... Move forward... just... keep moving forward...)
Under the punishment of the water and the pressure of the wind, the light of the devastation began to wither.
(Fsssss... shhh...)
The flames that once swayed with pride were smothered one by one, shrinking until they became faint embers that barely emitted a reddish, dying glow beneath the soaked beams.
(What is it that I want to prove?)
Finally, when the warmth of the fire vanished, leaving Shija submerged in a cold and damp gloom where only the residual emerald glow of his Ki allowed him to distinguish the silhouettes of the debris, he continued his reflection.
"...."
Despite the storm growing around him, Shija did not stop.
(Why do you keep moving forward?)
His small feet sank into the ash mud, but his ears were sealed to any sound other than that broken voice.
"...hic... ha... uuh... Ahahah... Ehehe... Ahahahehehe!"
The crying, like a mixture of laughter and unbearable sadness, became clearer as the intensity of the weather increased.
(Rrr-shhhh-ooo...!!)
It was as if the wind and the rain were trying to hide the voice, or perhaps, as if the voice were the one summoning the storm.
(Almost there... it's right there...)
But with no time to think, Shija moved forward with his jaw clenched, feeling the black water sliding down his cheeks, while his warrior mind calculated the distance to the epicenter of that lament.
"Hee-hee-ha!... He-he!... Haa-ha-aa-gh...!"
Each gust of wind seemed to bring a clearer fragment of the pain in that voice.
"Iee-hee-hee-ha-ha!... Hee-hee-uugh!..."
Hearing the voice growing closer, Shija's progress became an odyssey of pure endurance.
"Ha-ha!... Hee-hee-hee!... sniff... Ha-ha-ha!..."
With his small two-year-old body, each gust of wind was a physical blow trying to throw him back, forcing him to bury his short fingers in the mud of ash and tar so as not to be swept away.
"He... Hee-hee-hee-hee-HAAAA-HA-HA!!"
The rain, now a violent deluge, lashed his skin with such force that the sound was a constant drum in his ears.
(BOOOOOOOOOM!!!)
Suddenly, the gray sky exploded. Lightning of a cold, white light tore through the colorless firmament, illuminating the skeleton of the mansion for fractions of a second.
"Daddy, daddy! Will you buy me the strawberry ice cream with glitter sprinkles?"
In the midst of that electrical chaos, the voice became overwhelming.
"No, no... Mr. Martinez, the cost report must be on my desk at eight sharp, or we're ruined! The stock market is a roller coaster of emotions, you know?"
It was no longer just a cry or a laugh; it was a presence that saturated the air, vibrating right in front of him...
"Like, literally, Ximena, I can't even with this drama! My outfit is a total disaster with all this rain..."
What was heard were senseless words, a feverish babbling that filtered through the sobs and the laughter.
"Honey, set the table, dinner is getting cold and the kids have to do their homework before watching the soap opera! Ha! Ha-ha-ha! The ash is rock sugar and the tar is melted chocolate!"
The voice sounded broken, as if the vocal cords were being torn by the effort of pronouncing concepts and identities that did not belong to it.
"...the coins are dripping blood... sleep is the only kingdom... hahaha!... please, someone close the glass door..."
Shija, with the black water blinding him and the lightning revealing twisted silhouettes of debris with every blink, clung to a charred beam to move through the final stretch.
(RUMBLE!!)
Finally, the sky tore open again in an electric discharge of blinding white that froze the scene for an eternal instant.
"...."
And in that millisecond of absolute light, the silhouette of the creature was etched onto Shija's retinas.
"Where did I leave the car keys? I'm running late for the nine o'clock meeting..."
What Shija had in front of him lacked lips and skin on much of its burned face, revealing teeth perpetually exposed in a grin, with sunken eyes that overflowed with both confusion and infinite sadness.
"... No, wait... Mommy, mommy! Look at this big sandcastle I'm making for the kitty..."
Its hair, long, black, and thin, fell like threads of mourning soaked by the black rain, tangling between its fingers as it moved with a maniacal urgency.
(BOOOOOOOOOM!!!)
While the thunder shook the debris, the figure paid no attention to its surroundings.
"Excuse me, officer, is this the way to the laundry? My silk dress was ruined with this tar coffee... Ha-ha-uugh!"
She was on her knees in the center of the crater, in a posture that resembled a wounded animal.
"Who am I? Am I the one who pays the bills or the one who plays in the garden? Kh-kh-haaa! Like, what a horror, my nails are a disaster, Ximena! Literally, I'm dying! H-hiee-hi-hi!"
In that place, searching desperately for something she could no longer remember...
"The report! The toy! The heart! Where did they bury it? Ha-ha-ha!... Look under the bed, that's where the monsters keep their snacks! Hee-hee-uugh...!"
There was only a broken "girl."