Song of the Piper

::31:: Memory Recovery

Music is Mistakes by Haimin. Play it!

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Days, nights, weeks—months. I didn't know how I spent down there in the darkness. All I knew was that Lord Himmel would come at irregular hours, invoking the blood oath, trying to push me to give in to him. I resisted, but it became harder over time.

One of the few things that probably kept me going was that Elise would stop by and replenish my tray of food and water, speaking words of encouragement to me as well. That, and the fact that she was constantly sharing some of her magic with me. Every time she stopped by, she would also sing softly to me, one that plucked at some odd memory tucked away at the back of my head. It was only during the next time that Lord Himmel came when I realised I was drawing on her power to resist the blood oath.

I didn't question how she got past the enchantments of the cell. I was just too grateful to think about anything else.

Even now, as I lay in bed—like what I did most of the time—I could feel her powerful, untapped magic running in me. It intertwined with my own energy, testing and coaxing each other. It was somewhat unsettling, but I'd grown used to the sensation.

Another thing that kept me sane was my flute. I always clung to it, hugging it to my chest, as though it could ward all my nightmares away. I even played it, when I was feeling particularly lonesome. Of course, I still couldn't cast any proper spells, even if I pushed my Core to its limits.

The final thing that I held onto in the darkness was my memory. Or more specifically, memories.

I didn't know why or how, but it was as though a fog had been cast on my mind, and now it was slowly being lifted away. Perhaps it was like Josef's case—something of enough significance returned to me, and it had served as a trigger to unlock my memories. Just one crack was all that was needed. The rest of the tangles came unravelling by themselves.

I still couldn't remember everything, but I vaguely remembered travelling. Always moving from place to place. Anton. Elise. Leon. Helene. I remembered songs-songs by starlight, by campfires, in bed, at twilight. They were sometimes forlorn, sometimes uplifting; sometimes the melody was the sweet hum of a violin, sometimes it was accompanied by a voice, and sometimes the voice sang by itself. One thing for sure was that the songs were always beautiful. Even though I couldn't recall every single note, the ghost of it was enough to send chills snaking down my spine.

Perhaps it was because Elise had finally revealed the truth to me, and her words, combined with her face, had been strong enough to return my memories to me. At any rate, I wasn't the cripple from Hamelin anymore. I had a past-I had an identity.

I was Klaudia.

And I would make it out of here alive.

So far, Elise hadn't come up with anything substantial for our planned escape. It was tough going, I knew, but with each hour lost our chances of getting out was decreasing.

I tried to think up a plan too. Unfortunately, without my magic, I was as good as dead. If only I could pry the bars open—but there were barriers cast upon that too.

With a loud sigh that filled up the tiny room, I stared blankly at the ceiling.

"Tired already? But you're not even moving."

I sat upright with a jolt. It couldn't be-but it was. The man's voice sounded strong, self-assured, and not at all injured. Like how I'd last seen him.

"Josef?" I said tentatively.

The broad figure at my cell door shifted in greeting. "You beckon me?"