See the Light Chapter 2 Part 6 Song for the Souls

I played three more songs, pouring myself into each note, my voice weaving through the room. As I sang, I barely noticed the bar filling up, more and more faces turning toward me, their eyes wide with curiosity and something close to wonder. The foreign girl who played the instrument—wasn't that how they saw me? I almost smiled at the thought.

When I finished the last song, the room was hushed, the air thick with emotions and the last notes of my voice. I offered a quiet thanks, my heart still racing, and then a plate of food appeared in front of me. I didn’t hesitate. The flavors were strange, yet after the first bite, I could again feel energy surging through my body, revitalizing me in a way I hadn’t expected. I downed a drink—a curious blue liquid that tasted far better than it looked—and felt its warmth spread through me, soothing my nerves, giving me strength. What was in this food?

But as much as I appreciated the meal, the only thing I wanted now was to get out of the city. Tonight.

The bartender leaned in, his eyes thoughtful. “You know, you could stay here. Play for the folks every night. We could make a good living from that.”

I smiled at his offer, genuinely touched. “Thank you, that means so much.”

He looked at me, his expression softening in a way that made me pause. “You really mean it when you say ‘thank you’? I haven’t heard it in years…”

His words lingered, confusing me, but my mind was already elsewhere—focused on my escape, on what lay beyond the city walls. I tucked his strange comment away in the back of my mind wit all the other things I didn’t yet understand, another puzzle to solve later when I had seen more of this world, when I understood its secrets better.

He smiled again, almost as if he could read my thoughts. “Yes, yes, your search. You let me know when you find what you’re looking for.” I didn’t try to correct him, as I knew he saw through my lie immediately.

There was something in his eyes, a knowing, as if he understood more about me than I did myself. It creeped me out but I couldn’t afford to dwell on it now. I needed to go, needed to find my path before it was too late.

“Thank you for everything,” I said, and this time, I meant it with a weight I couldn’t fully explain. He was the first person to treat my well in this crazy place…

I turned to leave, feeling the bartender’s gaze on my back, as if he were watching over me, a silent guardian of the night. Then he stopped me reaching out with his hand. I almost forgot, my information I had asked him for.

The instructions he gave me were scrawled on a piece of paper, in a language I could somehow read. The letters were eerily similar to ones I knew—yet that was the strange part, wasn't it? I couldn't even remember my own language, but this... this felt familiar. The note was simple, just directions, and all I had was the bartender's word that it would lead me to safety, not into a trap. I decided that I had no choice but to take the chance.

I followed the instructions carefully, the note clutched in my hand like a lifeline. When I reached the designated spot, I handed the it to the person waiting there. It was a girl—or rather, a woman—flanked by two men. She was stunning, her beauty striking and different from anyone I’d encountered so far. There was an elegance to her that felt out of place in this rough, unfamiliar world.

She wore gloves, as did one of the men beside her. That small detail caught my attention, intriguing me for reasons I couldn’t quite pinpoint. As she took the note from me, she glanced up, her eyes meeting mine, and smiled. It was a smile that held a thousand secrets, but whether they were friend or foe, I couldn’t yet tell.