Nothing But Requiem

Chapter Four: [Music Never Leaves Me] #3

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Leila took in a small breath and gazed up at the sky. The moon was directly overhead. Draped in the pale glow, Leila appeared divine as her thin fingers glided over the keys. A melody in tune with distant ripples. Eventually, Leila's soft singing voice mingled with the cool night breeze.

Every day I'm suffocating.

I can't tell you how many times I've tried to pack.

Don't pretend you can't see it.

I want to take one more step forward.

I'm not supposed to have anything to lose.

Why are my fingers shaking?

Unquenchable impulse and loneliness

No matter how much you try to forget.

Before you know it, it's dwelling in your mind.

No matter how much you shake it off,

No matter how much you shake it off,

Music Never Leaves Me

When she finished singing, Leila closed her eyes, enraptured in the moment. Ario and Seere applauded softly. 

"What a lovely song." Ario smiled as she clapped her hands. Next to her, Aria was also applauding in admiration, though Leila couldn't see her. "I think... It has a feeling of sorrow as well..." Ario interjected honestly. She felt an unspeakable anxiety and sadness in Leila's voice as she sang.

"I just wrote it to express my feelings. Don Nicolas doesn't seem to like it, though."

Ario's ears perked up at the mention of that name. "You mentioned him earlier too... Who exactly is this Don Nicolas guy?"

Leila looked a little troubled. "Don Nicolas walked into Vinea a few years ago and rose to the top of the underworld in the blink of an eye. No one knows where he came from or who or what he really is. But now I'm just another one of his playthings."

"You said it right in the song, Leila. The real you wants to leave this city."

Leila sat in silence, looking away.

"So why not just leave? It's unfortunate that your parents are gone but there's no reason for you to stay with Don Nicolas anymore."

"Without me everyone in the favela will be in trouble," Leila said, still averting her gaze. 

Before Don Nicolas, the favela was a hangout for drifters and outlaws, and a site of endless violence. Don Nicolas brought order through force; he promised Leila that he would maintain the peace on the condition that she become his 'property.' On the plus side, if she held an event in the favela, the people of the favela managed to make a little money out of it too.

Don Nicolas didn't only take from people, he also gave them something he could use to manipulate a person who has been given wealth and security for the first time in their lives—the fear of having it taken away. Even with her family out of the picture, this time it was the people of the favela that held Leila back.

"I don't think that's true." The cold words stung Leila.

It was Seere.

"It's just easier for you to go through the motions. If you follow someone else's orders, you don't have to think for yourself."

"What do you mean?" Leila looked at Seere with a puzzled expression.

"Leila. I think you're happy with who you are now, aren't you? You won't stop talking about 'sacrificing your freedom for everyone in the favela,' but the truth is that you're fine with things just the way they are," Seere said as his demonic eyes peered into the depths of Leila's heart. "The whole 'I want to leave Vinea and be free' thing is nothing more than a lie you tell yourself and everyone else, isn't it?" Seere said bluntly. His figure was very much not the child it appeared to be.

Leila was speechless. She couldn't deny it. Although Leila did harbor feelings of resentment towards Don Nicolas, somewhere in her heart she accepted the status and fame that her current situation brought to her as a DJ. 

Is what he's saying true? I really do want to create music in an environment without restraints, but... Leila swallowed the words that came to her throat. She had a feeling that even she wouldn't believe it if she said it now. She looked down helplessly, feeling herself on the verge of tears.

"That's enough, Seere!" Ario burst out. "You're out of line. Leila has her own circumstances. There's no way we can know the whole situation. Now, apologize!"

"Huh? But Ario, I'm just telling the truth—"

"No! Apologize!" The way Ario scolded Seere, they really did look like siblings. Eventually, Seere succumbed to Ario's menacing look.

"I went too far... I'm sorry, Leila."

Leila grinned bitterly at Seere, trying to return his apologetic gaze with something like reassurance. But everything he said was true. All this time, Leila had been fooling herself. "Don't worry about it, Seere. I feel like you can see right through to my heart even though we've only just met... Like you're an angel or a demon or something."

"Well, that's because I am a—"

"Hey!" Ario rushed to block Seere's mouth. "Wow, would you look how late it is already! We really should get some sleep! I'm sure you must be tired from the music festival too, right Leila?! Good night!"

"Huh? G-good night..."

Ario ushered Seere into the bedroom. They changed into borrowed sleepwear and settled into the beds. Exhausted from all the running, Ario's body was unable to resist the softness of the comfortable bed, and she really did fall asleep almost instantly.

She awoke only once during the night. From a distance, she could hear the faintest sound of a stringed instrument being played. Ario wondered if Leila was still awake working on a new composition. It was not an unpleasant sound that disturbed her sleep, but rather a gentle melody that was incredibly comforting.

"Ario?" Seere's voice suddenly interrupted Ario falling back to sleep. "What does Aria have to say about Leila?" The demon's voice was quiet and dark as it blended into the darkness.

"She thinks it's sad," Ario answered and closed her eyes again.