108 The Big Three of Darkness (2/2)
”Seventeenth. I’ve been counting!” John answered smugly.
Levy put his hands on his hips and roared with laughter, ”We found so many Eastern kids in one day, but that group of failures couldn’t find any. Seems like downtown is filled with failures! This is the day that we, the Big Three of Darkness, will rise!”
The figure eavesdropping in the darkness finally could not hold it in anymore and burst into laughter, holding onto the wall for support.
”Who’s there? Show yourself!” Furious, Levy raised his mace, ”Do you know who we are?”
”Yes, yes, I know.” Trying hard not to laugh, the black shadow answered, ”One-eyed Swordman Levy, Wind of the Dark Night John, and Bloodthirsty Excalibur Rabbi, You’re the Big, sorry, I can’t go on. Please excuse me, I need to laugh!” The figure covered his mouth, but sputtering laughter still made its way into Levy’s ears.
”You wanna die?” Levy slammed down his mace in fury, but it sliced through air! Air?! Stunned, he looked forward. When Levy had gone to hit him, the black shadow had rippled like water and almost dissipated.
”Friend, can you not start fighting without warning?” A hoarse voice murmured in his ears, ”I think we should put down our weapons and talk nicely.”
Freaked out, Levy spun around and attempted to strike him with his staff, but he heard a cry of pain and saw that he had hit John!
”Boss, what’s wrong?” Rabbi gaped at Levy who was yelling at nothing. He felt that something was wrong.
Levy was still furious and could not be bothered with John’s pained cry. He glared at the nonexistent black shadow and danced crazily with his weapons, ”Stop playing around and show yourself!” As he continued to wave his mace, the shadow continued to change. Like water, it rippled, scattering for a moment then becoming whole again.
Just as one would start seeing things after staring into the darkness for too long, the shadow felt unreal. But the supposedly nonexistent shadow was right against Levy’s back, latching onto him like an angry spirit.
Levy roared in anger. He could no longer take the infuriating feeling. Gripping his weapon, he slammed it down.
The black shadow scattered with a pained cry, but after the shadow disappeared, he saw that he had brought the mace had down on Rabbi’s face.
”Boss, why are you hitting me?” Rabbi gaped at Levy, his face bloody and his eyes full of tears and pain. He fell over.
Levy blanched. The only sound in the alley was his heavy panting. An eerie wind blew through the alley. As it blew over the raised cobblestone, there was faint laughter. He finally heard the vague melody in the wind, like a black river of despair, the sharp yet wild sound melted into the wind, becoming extremely delicate. The delicate sound echoed in his ears, pushing at his nerves, flooding his senses in the black river. The wildness, hopelessness, and sadness echoed in his brain, awakening the most traumatic memories.
”Failure! Failure! You useless piece of sh*t!” The angry roars seemed to sound again, as if the man who always got violent after getting drunk had returned. Levy cried out and spun around, but there was nothing behind him. Then the world went black and he could not see anything.
His memory became clearer in the darkness. As if he had returned to the past, the darkness in the bottom of his heart awakened. It dragged him along, forcing him to relive the cruel abuse, the scars left behind from whips and sticks, and the helpless despair…
”Go away! Go away!” Levy screamed. He waved his mace crazily, but he could not hit anything. Finally, he collapsed onto the ground. He waved his arms, trying to fight the nonexistent ghost, but the monster was in his heart, snickering.
”Who? Who are you?!” Levy yelled hoarsely. Picking up a rock, he threw it blindly, ”I’m going to kill you!”
”I told you to calm down.” Beside him, the figure leaned lazily against the wall. The moon shone over the high wall, casting silver light on his upper body, but his body was shrouded in a menacing black robe. Even his face was hidden under a wide-brimmed hat. All that could be seen was his delicate and pale palm. He rested against the steel-gray cane in his hands. Under the moonlight, the cane seemed to vibrate, rippling faintly.
Not even Ye Qingxuan had thought that a simple shadow made by the rune Mirror, and the first measure of Black Friday could have controlled Levy, and made him hurt his friends, practically turning him into a lunatic.
The ease came from Jiu Xiao Huan Pei’s help. The instrument had been designed to help the musician perform precise manipulation of the aether. Ye Qingxuan could only perform the music score carved into his brain with its help. With its aid, Ye Qingxuan was able to perform complex notes. He had entirely skipped months and years of practicing, and had jumped right to the Rhythm level.
Unfortunately, Black Friday had five measures in total. Of these five effects, he only had the ability to choose one. Unlike a true musician, he could not pair the measures how he wanted to, or even use all five effects at once. The music piece influenced enemies’ senses by using the negative emotions in the melody as a medium. All Ye Qingxuan had used just then was the first measure—vision interference. If he played the whole piece, he could make someone blind, deaf, and unfeeling. Even if he stabbed them through their chest, they would not even be able to feel the pain. In the end, they would die in confusion. This strange style was darker than the Dark Musicians!
When he played this piece, Ye Qingxuan could feel himself becoming colder too. The music did not only influence others—it also affected his spirit. Ye Qingxuan really wanted to know why his father had created such a dark piece of music, but at the moment, he had more important questions to ask.
Ye Qingxuan suddenly banged the cane against the ground. The melody jumped from the first measure to the third. The tide of despair spread with the melody, rushing into Levy’s brain.
Levy’s vision suddenly brightened and he could see again, but his body was numb and he could not move at all. Someone stepped onto him and looked down at him, their face shrouded in shadows.
”Good evening, sir!” The figure’s silhouette seemed well-dressed, like an elite, but why would an elite be in the dirty downtown? The strange cuts and material of the robe had a beastly aura, mixing wildness and grace. It was inexplicably strange. ”I’ll be honest with you. I need your answer about something.”