Val and Poppy discover that Branch has more family out in the world and was once part of the famous boy band, BroZone. When one of his siblings, Floyd, gets kidnapped by a pair of nefarious villains, the three of them embark on a journey to reunite...
As I start to calm down, Veneer's footsteps get quieter and quieter by the second. Let's just hope he doesn't find me in here. Speaking of which, where am I?
The room I'm in is about the same size as the dressing room I found Floyd in. Only this, time there are instruments lying around. Guitars, a keyboard, a drumset, it was a lot. In the corner of the room was also a small bookshelf.
The room also has a vent up on the ceiling. My eyes brighten with relief upon looking up at it. "There's my way out."
I quickly climb onto a table and pull out my grappling hook. But before I can shoot at the vent shutter, my eyes land on a hardcover book lying flat on the table just a few inches away.
The book has many pages and a light brown cover, with the title reading "History Untold." Not to mention a ribbon bookmark peeking out.
After constantly looking back and forth between the vent and the book, I put my grappling hook back in my sweater. I kneel down and open the book to where the bookmark is. And the title of the section I was looking at surprised me.
"Humans"
Below that word depicts an image, or silhouette, of a human. I then looked over to the next page, which took an effort to turn due to my small size. I don't read everything, but some information caught my attention.
Humans, with height averaging about five feet and four inches, lived in this world many centuries ago. They were considered the original creators of music, henceforth being known far and wide...
When times were dull and grey, many creatures, such as trolls, for instance, were introduced to the many varieties of music and became friends with the humans. They were seen as allies and worked together to bring peace into the world of music...
Unfortunately, the human population was declining. And it was because of that, the humans created six musical strings and were given to the trolls to keep music alive. Each one of those strings represented a different style of music. After giving the strings to the trolls, they knew conflicts would arise without humans around. So they thought of a solution, which involved the use of a sacred flower, called the Diarkis Blossom...
*The Diarkis, meaning "lasting" or "everlasting," was an ancient flower that bloomed every ten centuries. It was believed to hold everlasting life, which is why it lived on for so many years...*
Before humans went extinct, they left behind an artifact, hiding it within the petals of the Diarkis Blossom. That way, it remained safe until the day the Diarkis was to bloom once again. The artifact remains unknown to this day, but it is what holds the peace between all music...
"Wait, what?" I ask myself quietly. "I thought the trolls created the strings. And what does it mean by 'artifact'?"
I skim through the first pages once again, remembering how it mentioned the characteristics, including height. Apparently, my size now is not my original height. And that's when I saw it...
"Besides the normal human, a few consisted of mages, who performed magical spells like levitation, size changing, and many more. Therefore, it was with the help of the mages' magic that they created the musical strings."
There it is. Some humans knew magic. They probably shrank the artifact in order for it to hide in the Diarkis Blossom. But...what is the artifact?
"'...it is what holds the peace between all music,'" I read aloud.
I stand up and look down at the book. I am also taking the time to finally process everything I learned about myself. For a few moments of thinking, I put the pieces together, thinking back to the beginning of my past. I hardly remember anything that happened to me before I first met Branch, and I knew nothing about an artifact that I possibly could have had with me the entire time. Maybe there's something else about me that I still don't know. The only thing I do know is that I am the Peacekeeper of Music... But, what if...
My eyes widen a bit out of realization. "C-could I be the--?"
"There you are!" a familiar voice says from behind me.
I quickly turn around in a jolt, falling back in the process. Looking up, I see Veneer looming over the table with a mischievous grin.
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Just as I get up and pull out my grappling hook, he snatches me up into his hand. His eyes look down at the opened book, realizing what I was doing just now. "So you are a human," he says to me.
"You know about humans?" I ask curiously.
"Of course, everyone in Mount Rageous knows about them. They are a part of the world's history. But you didn't?" Veneer's grin disappears as he eyes me in confusion.
I shake my head. "No. I don't remember anything about my past, besides waking up in the middle of a forest."
Veneer hums in thought before turning to the door. "Well, time to head back to my sister."
Already freaking out again, I try to pull out of his grasp. "No, wait! Just pretend you didn't find me! I can sneak out of the vent and leave. You won't have to worry about me ever again." Obviously, that was a lie. But I had to think of an excuse to get away.
"Uh, nu-uh," Veneer says with a sassy tone of voice.
"What do you mean 'nu-uh'?!" I ask hysterically.
"Nu-uh, as in I'm not going to let you go. Because that means I'm gonna get in trouble with my sister," he says, already walking out of the room.
"Why would you be getting in trouble with Velvet? She doesn't control you," I say afterward.
Veneer sighs before saying, "I just don't wanna let her down."
I look down the hall to make sure no one is around. "Look, I know she's your sister, and there's nothing wrong with caring about her. But why risk it all if she's only going to bully and manipulate you? If anything, all she cares about is the fame."
I can tell Veneer is troubled about this as his eyes seem to soften.
