Your Lie In April: Across The Multiverse

YLIA x Multiverse Episode 1: Chosen

Episode 1: Chosen

As the final notes of Kousei's part for Saint Saen's Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso concluded, Kousei breathed a massive sigh of relief as the last note faded away. The diminuendo was comforting...the performance was over! He looked over at Kaori. Surely she must be enraged at him for his hideous accompaniment that had thrown her off, right?!

But no...she just stood there, with her back turned to him, basking in the momentary blessed silence that filled Towa Hall. Then, the audience erupted into thunderous applause and cheering for the duet. Kousei smiled; he'd done it! They had done it! They'd given a grand performance despite the lack of rehearsal! Kousei's breathing slowed as he took in the audience's shouts of appreciation. Then, he felt his face grow warm as he blushed with admiration looking at Kaori. Her long, beautiful blond hair swayed ever so slightly, and her hands which gripped her violin and bow shook from the sheer joy of their victory. Kousei figured now was as good a time as ever, and called out her name.

But then, the moment the "i" of her name departed his tongue, something changed. The audience's applause abruptly ceased, and Kaori's arms dropped to her sides. The overhead lights grew dark, and Kousei gulped. What was happening?! Had saying her name in front of the crowd embarrassed her to the point where it tainted their accomplishment?

As Kousei continued to observe, frozen by fear, some of Kaori's elegant blonde hair suddenly began to fade into a ghostly pale yellow, grow somewhat shorter, and even...fall off! Her skin changed from a healthy, vibrant tan to bright white like that of a leper, and when she turned to face her accompanist, the gorgeous, sweet face he'd fallen in love with had decayed into an eyeless, sneering skeleton head.

Kousei screamed.

He tried to get up from the piano bench and run for his life, but at that moment his knees turned to jelly, and his feet were stuck to the floor! His eyes were locked with Kaori's empty sockets, but in his peripheral vision, he saw that the audience members were beginning to suffer the same fate! Doomsday sirens blared and rose to an impenetrable din as Kousei quaked with terror on the music bench.

"No, no, no!" he thought in horror. "Why is this happening?!"

Just when he thought it couldn't get any worse, Kaori began walking over to him! Her skin had completely disappeared by now. All that was left were thin, scrawny bones that could no longer hold her precious instrument. Her skeleton body was only clothed in a frail, white dress. But clearly, her arms still had some strength as they seized the helpless Kousei and gripped him with feral rage.

Kousei struggled to break free of the horrid, bony arms. But then, he felt another pair of arms grab him...then another...and another...and another! Turning around, he saw that five more of Kaori's nightmarish skeleton form had suddenly appeared and surrounded him! He jerked back and forth with all his might, but the ghouls held him firmly, preventing him from escaping this hellish concert hall.

"You couldn't save me," the Kaori ghoul on his left hissed. A shiver ran up Kousei's spine.

"You couldn't save me," the one on the right repeated.

"You couldn't save me!" the one behind wailed.

"You couldn't save me!"

"You couldn't save me!"

"You couldn't save me!!!"

As the gangly, piercing fingers of the ghouls restrained his scrawny body, Kousei suddenly felt something wrapping around his ankles! He looked down; deadly black vines were grabbing him from below! A dark, bubbling violet liquid formed underneath the piano bench, and Kousei saw his shoes disappear as the six monsters aided the vines in dragging him down to the abyss.