The piano's song still echoed—like a dream that refused to end.The lights in the music room flickered, trapped under an invisible pressure.A faintly sweet scent lingered in the air—something between flowers, blood, and memory.
The image of the piano girl slowly faded with the trembling light, leaving only a lid dampened by tears.Maya clutched the hem of Lucian's coat, her heartbeat tangled in chaos.
"Just now… was that really a person?""No." Lucian's voice was calm, though his hand brushed lightly against her back."It was a remnant of will. Are you scared now?"
"I—I'm not scared."Maya puffed her cheeks, but she could feel the cold crawling from her fingertips all the way to her heart.
Alice lowered her head, holding the recorder tightly."Sorry for interrupting… but the recording—it's still playing."
From the small device came a faint piano melody—soft, lingering, yet unbearably sad.
Lucian froze.That tune—he knew it too well.
It was The Forgotten Concerto, the Song of Parting from the Underworld.
A piece meant to be performed by a soul and its contractor—and now, a lonely ghost was playing it alone.
His eyes darkened, expression tightening. He stepped forward and snapped the recorder shut."Don't listen to that."
Maya jumped at his sudden tone. "W-What's wrong?"
Lucian's gaze was deep as night. "That song can awaken the dead—and tear open the boundary between life and death."
Silence.Then—
Ding.
The piano lid creaked open by itself.Black and white keys sank one after another, releasing a trembling stream of notes.
The lights flickered violently; the curtains flared under a wind that came from nowhere.
Lucian's head lifted."—She's here."
A soft silver glow rose from the piano's surface, slowly gathering into the shape of a person.The figure became clear—a girl in a white ball gown, long hair floating though the air was still.Her toes touched the ground, but she cast no shadow.
Her gaze fell on Lucian—gentle, sorrowful, and laced with hatred.
"Lucian…" Her voice was like a sigh through the wind. "Do you still remember me?"
Maya's eyes widened. "S-She knows you?"
For the first time, the cold mask in Lucian's expression cracked."…Seren."
She smiled—a trembling, tearful smile."Finally… you're willing to say my name again."
The air froze.
Alice backed into a corner, clutching her recorder."She… she knows Lucian," she whispered.
Maya's chest tightened. "Who is she?"
Lucian didn't answer.
Seren drifted closer—her steps made no sound, her skirt brushing the floor without gathering dust.Her image nearly touched Lucian's body.
"You promised me," she whispered."We were the perfect duet… but you left."Her fingers, pale and cold, almost touched his face."Why did you abandon me?"
Maya's mind went blank.
—Abandoned?—An old flame?—Lucian had… history with a ghost?!
Her thoughts scattered.
Lucian frowned, stepping in front of her. "Don't touch her."
Seren's voice sharpened, twisting into something broken."'Don't touch her'? You once said I was the only one who could play your song!"
The melody warped—painful, wild.The piano roared as a surge of silver energy exploded outward.
Maya staggered back, her vision spinning.The black and white keys ripped free, slicing through the air like blades.
Lucian flipped his wrist—his silver scythe materialized, and the air froze.Every key stopped mid-flight.
His eyes were black as midnight."Seren," he said coldly, "don't make me do this."
"Make you?" She laughed—a laugh laced with heartbreak."I'm already dead, Lucian. What more can you fear from me?"
The music burst apart again—mirrors on the wall cracked, shards raining down.
Maya stumbled back, slipped, and fell onto the floor.Her hand landed on the piano lid.
Ding—
The world went still.
The piano began to play again.But this time—
The one playing was Maya.