Thread of Destiny | Lando Norris

Chapter 2: The Pearls of Calling

Days had gone by since the unexpected encounter between Marie-Elise and Lando, but the two never seemed to bump into each other again. She found herself wondering about how he was doing, about whether her words managed to offer him any sort of comfort from the seeming pressures he was facing. Maybe there was a reason for the two to meet, she thought to herself, recalling how his mini monologue on expectations and demands weighing one down felt all too familiar to herself. "Trust yourself," was what she said to him before they parted ways that fateful night. Perhaps those were the words she needed to hear herself.

She sat by the piano tucked into the corner of her living room. Drawing in a deep breath, she lifted her hands tentatively and they hovered over the ebony and ivory keys. In that moment, the weight of the world seemed to rest upon her hands— the very hands that once effortlessly danced across the keyboard seemingly now trembled, paralysed by a sudden hesitation. Releasing a heavy sign, her hands dropped to her sides and she abandoned the piano stool once more. It had become an almost daily ritual— a hopeful morning awakening, yearning for the day when the melodies would flow freely once more, only to end in disillusionment. Would the echoes of the piano, once beloved, ever resonate within her again?

Just like the night she provided shelter from the rain for another, Marie-Elise found herself, once again, yearning for solace in the familiar embrace of the night. With silent determination, she donned her coat and ventured out into the moonlit streets of Monaco. The air was crisp, filling her lungs as she strolled down the pavement glistening beneath the soft glow of the city's gentle lights. But unlike the quiet night, her thoughts echoed louder than the distant hum of passing cars. With each step she took, a desire to rediscover a part of herself she had lost grew stronger and the looming shadows of buildings, too, were casting their doubts and uncertainties upon her journey. In the tempest of emotions swirling within her, she questioned the turmoil she endured for the love of music. Was all of this really worth it? Once, music was her sanctuary—a refuge that whisked her away from the mundane, a companion through joys and sorrows, a source of boundless inspiration that fuelled her longing to create. But the melody of her life had changed its tune in recent years. What had once been a solace now felt like a labyrinth leading her far from the passion she once cherished. Her moving away had begun as a quest for rediscovery, but with each passing day, it morphed into an escape, spiralling her farther from the essence of her love. Maybe it was time to bid farewell to something that once defined her for good.

Lost in contemplation, she aimlessly began to cross a road, failing to notice the traffic signal ahead transition from green to amber, then to a glaring red. It was in this passing moment of distraction that fate, in its unpredictable ways, intervened. A car sped through the intersection, disregarding the stoplight's command. The screech of its brakes and blaring horn pierced the night's silence as chaos unfolded. Before she could even comprehend the imminent danger, a deafening collision erupted. Marie-Elise was caught in the impact, flung violently onto the pavement. Her world spun, a whirlwind of disorientation and agony, and the shriek of tires and thud of her body colliding with the pavement drowned in her ears. She lay still, breaths shallow, as pain shot through her body, but through the haze of agony, her thoughts began to drift. Her eyelids fluttered like fragile wings before succumbing to a haunting darkness.

It was in this abyss of unconsciousness that a surreal encounter awaited her— a realm beyond the tangible, where time and space danced to an ethereal tune. She found herself in the presence of a figure— a silhouette shrouded in a luminous glow. "Marie-Elise, I've been waiting for you,'' echoed a resonant voice, soft yet commanding. The figure's presence gave off an otherworldly aura, a sense of profound serenity amidst the chaos. "You stand at the crossroads, and you have a choice to make," the voice continued, like a melody threading through her consciousness. "To return to your realm or embrace a path that transcends existence itself."

Her mind swirled with confusion. Transcends existence itself? Death? The radiant figure extended a hand, revealing a delicate bracelet adorned with glistening pearls— a creation that seemed to shimmer with endless light. "This bracelet," the figure began, "if you choose to accept, is your compass amidst the mysteries that bind the fates. Each pearl holds a fragment of your journey— a testament to the soul you are destined to guide and protect." Destined? Protect? Eli's gaze fixated upon the bracelet; her mind now laced with so many questions. "The beads, they represent souls intertwined with destiny," the figure explained. "You are to be their guardian, their guiding light, to safeguard their paths until the last bead darkens, signifying the completion of your sacred duties." As the celestial figure's words resonated through the realm she was now stuck in, a tide of uncertainty swept over her. Yet, an unexplainable pull drew her attention to the shimmering bracelet— a potent mix of curiosity, fear, and an unspoken resolve stirred within her. Her fingers trembled, suspended in the ether between hesitance and curiosity. But with a determined breath, Eli extended her hand, fingertips grazing the radiant pearls. The moment her touch met the bracelet, a surge of energy coursed through her and she was enveloped in an ethereal embrace where time hung in suspension.

But before she could comprehend anything that was going on, including her decision, a jolt reverberated through her being. Eli's eyes snapped open, her chest heaving with urgency as she sat up in her bed, the echoes of the realm she was just in dissipating into the quiet hum of her room. "What just happened?" Her bewildered thoughts echoed in the silence of her room. The surreal encounter felt like a distant dream, yet the bracelet snug around her wrist bore testament to a reality she couldn't dismiss. That was when she realised that one of the ten pearls on her wrist was already darkened. So, I've already met the one I'm destined to protect? I've already helped them in some way? In the midst of her countless thoughts and questions, her mind echoed with the parting words of the figure. "But who am I meant to protect?" she murmured, the question lingering in the air. A whisper of reassurance lingered, "It shall reveal itself in time."