Jay's heart pounded in his ears—not from fear, but from the electric thrill charging the air.
Goblin blood hissed on Kaela's blade.
Her cloak fluttered as she stood between him and the last few snarling beasts, one silver eye glowing through the shadows of her hood.
The goblins hesitated which was a
Big mistake.
With a flick of her wrist, Kaela vanished from his side and reappeared midair—blades outstretched like twin wings of steel. She landed behind the goblins as their bodies hit the ground, cleanly sliced.
Jay gaped. "Are you a ninja? A ranger? A—"
She turned toward him slowly, wiping the blade across her sleeve. "I'm Kaela. And I'm not here for labels."
Jay stood, brushing leaves from his arms. "Bodyguard, huh?"
"You're lucky the goddess thought you'd need one." Her voice was low, almost cold. "Though I imagined someone taller."
Jay snorted. "Thanks. I just died and reincarnated, but please—insult my height."
"You're welcome."
Lumina's form shimmered nearby, watching with a serene expression. "Kaela's been bound to your protection by my decree. She has walked the Silent World alone for years."
Jay rubbed the back of his neck. "Cool.
She slices goblins like she's in a fighting game and has the social skills of a cactus.
Love that."
Kaela adjusted the hood further over her face. "Your voice is your weapon. My blade is your shield. Don't confuse the two."
Jay opened his mouth to answer but stopped.
Because the wind shifted.
And just for a second, it carried a sound.
Only A note but in it carried weight to the scene
A single hum, faint and ethereal—so quiet it could've been mistaken for memory. But it came from inside him. From his throat.
Jay narrowed his eyes. He tried to recreate it. Just a gentle hum.
The trees responded.
Leaves shimmered. The air pulsed. The moss glowed faint gold beneath his feet.
Kaela spun, blades raised. "What was that?"
Jay backed away. "I—I didn't mean to do anything! I just… fricken sang."
"No." Lumina stepped forward, her eyes bright with wonder. "You awakened it immediately"
Jay looked at his hands again. "That was real?"
"Music still lives within you," Lumina said. "Even in a dead world. Your voice carries a piece of the ancient Harmony."
Kaela lowered her blade slowly. "Then we need to move. The more he sings, the more they will come."
"They Who?"
Kaela turned away. "You'll see."
Before Jay could question her further, Lumina raised her hand once more.
"Your journey begins now," she said.
Light swallowed the forest instantly from Lumina's powers and they were transferred to a safe spot.
[ THE SAME DAY]
Night fell like ink over the vast forest canopy. The sky above sparkled with unfamiliar constellations—stars arranged in musical patterns, like notes on an ancient score.
Jay sat near a crackling campfire, knees hugged to his chest.
His once-gaudy rockstar outfit had been replaced with a simple tunic, laced boots, and leather gloves. He felt… lighter. Younger. But the weight of what just happened still buzzed in his mind.
Across from him, Kaela crouched in silence, sharpening one of her short blades with a whetstone.
Sparks leapt in rhythm with each stroke. Her hood stayed low, the shadow of it hiding most of her face—except that glowing silver eye. The other remained behind an ornate black eyepatch etched with a runic circle.
Jay cleared his throat.
"So… mysterious assassin girl. We just fought goblins, my voice made a tree light up, and now I'm stuck in magical Skyrim with a personal death ninja. This is weird, right?"
Kaela didn't look up. "You talk a lot for someone who nearly died twice today."
Jay smirked. "Stage habit. Silence kills the vibe."
Silence answered.
He sighed and leaned back, gazing at the stars. "You've been here longer, yeah? What is this place really? I mean, why would a whole world lose music?"
Kaela's whetstone paused. A faint wind tugged at her cloak.
"They didn't just lose it," she said quietly. "It was stolen. Long ago. When the Harmonist was killed."
"Harmonist?"
Kaela finally looked up. "The last one who used music as power. Their songs could mend wounds… control nature… summon storms. After they died, music turned to silence. People forgot how to feel. Magic faded."
Jay blinked. "And now… I'm supposed to fix that?"
Kaela nodded once. "You were chosen by Lumina for a reason. Your voice isn't just art. It's ancient. Alive."
He swallowed hard. "No pressure."
A beat passed.
Then he added, hesitantly, "So… about that face of yours."
Kaela's eye narrowed. "No."
Jay grinned. "C'mon. We've fought together, bled together. You saved my life. Can't I at least see who's under the hood?"
"No."
"Not even a peek?"
"You'll see it when I know you're strong enough. Until then…" She turned back to her blade. "You get the eyepatch and the attitude."
Jay chuckled. "Fair enough, Kakashi."
Kaela raised a brow. "Kaka-what?"
"Nothing." He hummed under his breath—just a small, wistful note.
The trees shimmered again. Fireflies lifted, glowing in time with the tune. The campfire pulsed like a living heartbeat.
Kaela stared. "You're already adapting."
"I guess it's muscle memory," Jay said, softer now. "I lived for music. Maybe it came with me."
Kaela's eye didn't leave his. "Then learn fast. Because if the silence catches you first…"
Jay met her gaze, firelight dancing between them.
"…there won't be an encore ninja babe"
[Next Morning]
Jay Phoenix trudged along the muddy forest path, sweat clinging to his forehead, his boots squelching with every cursed step.
"Seriously… no roads? Not even a dirt one? What kinda fantasy world is this?"
Ahead of him, Kaela walked in silence, barely making a sound as her cloak fluttered with every graceful step.
Hood up, her silver eye gleamed in the dappled morning light, unreadable and cold.
"You know," Jay called, brushing away a branch that slapped him in the face, "it wouldn't kill you to walk slower. Or, I don't know, talk?
Say something cool like, 'This path is cursed by the fallen moon' or some sh*t."
Kaela didn't stop. "Your whining is louder than the goblins we killed last night."
Jay groaned. "Hey, that was teamwork! I distracted them with a sick falsetto and you just… diced them up."
She finally glanced over her shoulder. "If you call shrieking 'sick falsetto,' then yes."
He blinked. "Wait… was that sarcasm?"
A brief pause. Then, "No."
Jay smirked. "You're starting to like me."
Kaela's eye narrowed, then she turned away. "Don't flatter yourself. I've seen dying kobolds with more self-preservation instincts."
The forest around them pulsed with quiet tension. Birds didn't sing. No wind rustled the leaves. Jay noticed the silence and frowned. "This place… it's too still."
"It's Eronia," Kaela said. "The further we go, the deeper into the Silent Lands. Music once lived in every branch and stream here. Now it hides."
"Hides from what?" Jay asked, genuinely curious now.
Kaela hesitated. "From what happens when music is misused."
Jay fell silent. For a moment, only their footsteps broke the stillness.
Then, instinctively, he began to hum. A soft, rising tune. A memory — something his mother sang when he was five, nestled on her lap as rain tapped against old windows.
His breath caught. His chest warmed.
Then—
CRACK!
A tree branch snapped violently above. Jay looked up — a glowing shadow darted between the branches.
Kaela's sword was in her hand in an instant.
"What was that?!"
"Echo Beast," she muttered. "Drawn to your voice. I warned you."
Jay backed away. "I-I was humming!"
"In Eronia, that's the equivalent of throwing fireworks in a minefield."
They moved on quickly after that.
Jay grumbled under his breath, quieter this time. "You could at least admit that was beautiful."
Kaela glanced back, unreadable. "…It was."
Jay blinked.
"But next time, save it for the village," she added.
"…Was that a compliment?"
"No."
"…Still felt like one."