Tales of Arcadia: Mordred's Curse

Part 8

Without Amaltheia's powers, the boy meetup did not seem to want to line itself up.

Thus, Krel found himself still alone in his lab, some days- had it been weeks? -later. The room didn't have windows, so his sense of time was somewhat... skewed.

He was nearly done with his repairs, though. He was devising an identity recognition system to make all his automatons shut down if Cara came into view- that would keep her safe indefinitely.

He'd put on the k-pop playlist she'd made for him back when they'd first found each other again... had it been a year, or had it been two?

It had been a while.

Krel had forgotten some of the girlier, sillier songs on it... Cara had meant well, but Twice... just was NOT up his alley.

But this time, a piano intro in the middle of all the Twice caught his attention.

Krel had always skipped over it- he couldn't recall hearing it.

He was startled when the lyrics began in English. "I'm missing you- and I don't know what to do, I'm missing you."

"These pictures just remind me of you- I miss you, and time is just so cruel."

"I hate this- trying to see you once, never worked out once, where do we find a chance?"

Something about the irony of the lyrics struck him, and he set down his tools.

"It feels so cold like winter. It's August, and not December. With my heart, I walk alone across town, this train is a snowpiercer."

"Wanna take you by the hand and forge across the other end of the Earth. Tell me, how much more should I long for you, and pray for spring to come forth?"

Krel stood there, staring at the opposite wall, a painful emptiness creeping up on him from all sides.

The video continued further, the lyrics seeming to set in as he quickly went to get his guitar.

He spent... it must have been at least an hour, plucking along quietly with the song on loop as he figured out an accompaniment.

The lyrics seemed to come all too naturally to him.

It was in a decent range, too.

He finally stopped when Lucy caught him and got curious.