The Pianist of the Lost Hearts

Chapter XVII

That place was literally a dome.

The glassy, circular surface separated them from the rest of the world, which was not that. Feeling intrigued, he approached the edge of the dome. His eyes widened, in disbelief at what was before them. The silence that isolated that place from the pitch-black night, only lit by the quarter moon, caused goosebumps from head to toe, how surreal that place was. However, what surprised him were the thousands of small planets that orbited in the vacuum, with sparkling and flickering yellow and orange lights of cities and metropolises, which could be seen from above, in that dome. Ludwig was entranced by what his eyes saw, it was an unbelievable sight.

"But... What is it?..."

"How did you get here?" A female voice came from behind him, making him look back.

His gaze fell on the small figure dressed in a purple dress, illuminated by the moonlight, a few meters away from him. Her hazel eyes showed surprise, but they didn't seem threatening or fierce, just serene. His shoulders relaxed as he felt the absence of tension between them. His heart pounded in his chest at her presence, but he was calm, as he rarely was.

"It wasn't very difficult to follow your steps." He took a step towards her, shyly running his fingertips through his black hair.

Mélodie looked him over from head to toe, with a suspicious expression and crossed her arms.

"Should I consider that panting is a clear deficiency in your respiratory system, then? Or..." She took a step towards the maestro, with a charm in her posture. "Does my beauty take your breath away?"

A sideways smile appeared on the curve of Ludwig's lips, and with his heart galloping in his chest upon hearing those words, he replied in a deep and charming voice:

"I think you know the answer."

A genuine smile almost escaped the pianist's pink lips, who soon retracted, looking away from the viewpoint, at the same time as she took a few steps back, establishing some distance between them.

"Is this your first time here?"

He followed the pianist's gaze, slightly embarrassed by her reaction, also recomposing his posture.

"Yes, I didn't know this part of the maze." He approached the glassy surface again, looking down at the galaxy of small city lights. "What are..."

"They are worlds." Mélodie interrupted him, also approaching the surface, her gaze lost on the thousands of planets. "Yours, Ludwig, is just one of them among so many different realities and worlds that exist."

Ludwig was speechless.

"All of them..."

"For a skeptic it is impossible, but..." She moved away from him, sliding her fingertips across the smooth, cold surface of the crystalline glass. "For a believer, it is already a truth in their eyes."

With that, she turned her body and faced him, with a mysterious gleam in her eyes.

"Looks like you switched sides, Ludwig."

His open eyes looked at her, lost in her ethereal figure, which looked more like an impressionist painting of Van Gogh's starry nights, transmitting an unshakable peace that dominated his heart, it seemed like she was in a dream.

"And..." His hoarse voice spoke softly to her. "That is good?"

Mélodie watched him, intrigued by his person. She stopped for a moment, noticing his black hair, shining in the silver light, that fell softly across his forehead, his face carefully sculpted by the moonlight, his well-defined lips through which the careful and calm words were addressed to her, in a way that someone had been talking to her for a long time. She closed her parted lips, her eyes silent. Her expression showed delicacy, but at the same time melancholy and nostalgia in her hazel irises.

"Where I come from... Whoever was a dreamer was called a fool and whoever was an unbeliever was recognized as wise."

Those words remained imprinted in the maestro's mind.

"And... Which of the two were you?"

Her eyes filled with hurt.

"Fool."

Silence broke out between the two, who stared at each other. The maestro watched her, feeling his heart being dominated by the empathy he had for the pianist. He ran his hand over the back of her neck, nervously fidgeting with his fingers as he looked for a way to make her more comfortable after that conversation.

"Something I learned after entering this world is that... Being an unbeliever makes life grayer than we can imagine." He gave a faint smile. "Only after we know the colors of the dream do we know how much we lost by just being gray."

She slowly nodded her head as she took in Ludwig's words.

"Do you think so?"

"I experienced it with my own eyes." He took a step towards her. "My reputation in the outside world wasn't exactly being one of the biggest dreamers and idealists."

Seconds passed, and none of them took their eyes off each other. The pianist's lips opened and closed, hesitant because of the question that her mind insisted on asking, fighting against her instinct that kept her away from everyone, isolating herself from the world. However, her heart was pounding in her chest, more and more, every minute she was with him. She wanted to get to know him better, find out more about that peculiar person who ignored all the warnings and dangers about the mysterious pianist, just to know the true essence behind that mask. Her fear fought against her heart, in a battle that seemed to be never-ending.

She took a deep breath and took a step towards the maestro, following her stubborn heart and opened her delicate lips, asking in a hesitant voice:

"Can you tell me more about the outside world, Ludwig?"

The black irises framed by the wide gaze bulged at that unexpected question, especially coming from the pianist's mouth. A faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips and his eyes sparkled, laughing.

"As you wish, miss."