Chapter 1

10 Nov 2008 2 Comments

by NspyraishN in The Beginning: Airielu Tags: Phase 0: Hidden Truth

By what method can one determine reality? We have guides all around us, things like the senses, logic, and the perceptions of those around us, but does it not vary from person to person, even if only the slightest? In addition, with all honesty we can only accept that this reality we are bound by is wholly attributed to the past. What if reality was something to be discovered, is something to be explored? Most choose to leave those questions unanswered, and accept the reality created by the past. Some indulge in determining their own fate, but “in reality” are still bound by the same legacy; many of these would not realize this even if they were told, because the vast majority of the rules bestowed upon us are painfully unsaid. It would seem that this would sum up all those that are governed by this antiquity in one way or another, But let us not forget the select few that make the choice to abandon these limitations and create their own reality- although some do not yet know they have made the choice…

Chapter 0 – The Mysterious Piano

In the the elevator of Congress Library’s Madison Building, all inside were backed up against the walls. Most of them seemed to be holding their breath…except one. Was this person dangerous? No. Did he have a deadly illness that was highly contagious. Most definitely not. But Jason Thomas did have a quality that seemed a novelty in this day and age: His life was not influenced by society in any way, shape or form.

Jason’s disconnection from the rules of society even extended to his ideas about life. Basically, he believed what he wanted to believe, and had a highly original logic that only he could even begin to understand. That’s not to say that he was one of those creepy conspiracy theorists who believed in Big Foot, aliens, and other supernatural phenomena– he was highly original, with ideas far more unique than such cliche’ fantasies.

However, this did not explain why all the people in this elevator– everyone but himself– were plastered against the wall, barely drawing breath. The simple answer: he had behaved like a true American psycho, only this time they actually believed him! Jason had casually mentioned that he had a deadly and contagious disease, and then went on to explain the details, mercilessly building upon the fearful visual. Within the first 30 seconds, there was no doubt in any of their minds that he indeed had the disease of which he spoke, and furthermore, was mentally unstable.

Jason was actually one of the most honest people you’d ever meet, and probably also the most candid. That being said, how could he lie so convincingly? The answer might puzzle you, but try to keep an open mind: He could because he’s so honest! Now, before you get worked up about this paradox, Let me explain: Jason’s fundamental understanding of reality is that of Subjectivism; that is reality cannot be defined, or even if it can, that definition is not static.

Thus, because at least one version of reality involved him having a deadly and highly contagious disease, He could easily believe it, and cause others to believe it as well. In truth, however, for him to get sick was so rare a thing that some may call it an omen– he could literally count the times he’d been sick in his entire life on his fingers.

Jason loved playing mind-games, although sometimes he loathed this about himself. After all, most people don’t like others to mess with their heads. As a result, this hobby of his tended to result in social isolation. The habit was so hard to break (since it’s so damn fun), so he had given up on trying to break it. Admittedly though, he still thought about it on occasion.

He also didn’t care much for what people thought about his actions. Not that he didn’t take others’ thoughts into consideration– but usually, he found that his way of living life was best– that’s the kind of person he was. You could say that most of the time, he just took others’ perspectives into account as a courtesy. Sometimes he wondered why he even bothered.

Once the elevator reached the first floor, and the doors opened, all those people inside scrambled out, like bats flying out of a cave. Jason gave himself a moment to take in the pleasantly comic scene, and then proceeded to head home.

Pulling off stunts like this– that was actually a daily occurrence for him. So you might wonder what kind of person he could be, having that kind of time on his hands. But the truth may surprise you: the reason he has “so much” time on his hands, is because acts like these were part of his job! Now as convenient as this may sound, most of his work isn’t that easy; sure he had ample opportunity to indulge in his manipulative pastimes, but this only accounted for about ten minutes of each work day. The rest of the time, he wrote notes, analyzed data, and researched statistics.

He was a genius when it came to that kind of thing though, so I guess you could say it was the perfect job for him. After all, the results of his work have had a significant impact on the future of society, and he knows it! But the goals that he has had in mind far exceed even that; truth be told, Jason’s goals were so ambitious that even he was not yet fully aware of their scope; much of these details were still buried in his subconscious, waiting to be discovered.

Right as he parked into the driveway, Jason received a call on his cell, and deduced that the call was from someone he did not know; after all, he had chosen this particular trance tone for such mysterious calls as this. The reason why he chose trance for unknown callers, was because both trance music, and the concept of getting calls from random people, were both very intriguing experiences for him. Perhaps his anticipation was misplaced this time though, as in this case, the call was from someone he did know: it was his good friend Tony.

“Bet you were wondering who was calling, huh?” he remarked.

“Well actually, my cell just died, so I had to use the pay phone. I knew I should’ve replaced it by now, and speak of the devil!”

Jason grinned.

“Well anyways, listen- there’s these rumors going around about this mysterious piano. But this isn’t just the everyday National Enquirer bullshit– no one has any actual information on it, and we all know if it was made up, somebody would have done a better job. I thought you’d want to check it out. Me personally, well you know me- I’m not the one interested in this kinda stuff. Why don’t you check it out?”

“You read my mind- hey Tony, did I ever tell you I have something of a hobby for playing piano?”

“No, you haven’t. That being the case, what kept you from telling me until now?” Tony asked.

“Don’t be silly- I just said it’s something of a hobby. You know well that my other hobbies are a whole lot more that something. The truth is, I just never got around to telling you, or even thought about it. I was too preoccupied with those other hobbies, as I’m sure you understand.

“Okay you got me, I give!” They both laugh.

“I won’t give away any spoilers, I know you wouldn’t like that. The address is at 828 PROSPECT PL, 53703- so yeah, it’s pretty near here. So I’ll leave things at that- I’ll catch you later then.”

Tony was more than a friend, he was a brother to Jason. Actually, Jason didn’t follow the philosophy of ‘blood’s thicker than water’ to begin with. Sure there is an undeniably convincing amount of history behind family bonds, But that was about the only thing that could support that type of thinking in his mind. But even then, Jason never really spent much time with his family, so he didn’t have any real connection to his relatives at all– it was if he just “happened” to be related to them.

Jason got in the car, and headed down to the address he and Tony had discussed, but halfway down there, something changed. he didn’t know what it was, but was sure that it had to have been something important. It was a bit surprising, as there was the inevitable question “How could I have known that something changed, if I don’t even have the slightest idea of what that change might be?”

But instead of worrying about this question, he marveled at it- and kept his mind occupied with the mystery of what it might be. Not for long though; he soon found that such an engrossing thing was too dangerous to think about while driving.

Upon reaching the place, Jason suddenly became aware of the location of the piano, as well as the things surrounding it, and he couldn’t help but wonder where all this psychic-like intuition was coming from.

This is getting to be very interesting! he thought. But if he had been able to see into the future, I doubt he would have said that. Not that is wouldn’t be very interesting– rather, these words wouldn’t even begin to cover the magnitude of what he would experience. Not only was he aware of the piano, but he felt drawn to it– not just from pure interest, but almost magnetically as well.

As he approached the piano, a song ran through his head- a beautiful song, not only one that he’d never heard, but also in a language he was quite sure was not of this world.

But at the same time, the voice in the song maintained a striking air of humanity; it was a song that illuminated the entire spectrum of human emotions. He felt a growing sense of calm at first, but just as the color spectrum blends together tones that would normally clash, The feelings shifted between intense passion, melancholy, and ecstasy, as well as so many others– even emotions that he had not even felt, or even been aware of before.

Awed by the utter splendor of the song, and the undeniable power it possessed, Jason was speechless. He had always been the inquisitive type- but never until now had the questions been so numerous, or so profound. He wanted answers, and somehow intuitively, he knew that there was only one way to find them.

So he sat at the bench, and began playing the song that ran through his head; this was not a problem, as Jason was an expert when it came to improvisation. As he began to play, the voice began to change to blend in harmony with the original song. As he realized this, Jason decided to take the challenge and concentrate on improvising the original part. The resulting piece was, quite frankly, out of this world; a pity that it wasn’t recorded. As he continued to play, Jason began to see a shadow taking form beside him. This must be the owner of the voice, he thought.

He was determined to learn more about this person, about the secret of the beauty of her voice, and what her relation was to the mysterious piano. He wanted to know of the aura she emanated, and of the supernatural qualities the piano possessed. He motivation now fueling his enthusiasm, Jason continued playing with legendary fervor, and passion worthy of recognition.

The shadow grew in clarity, and eventually took the form of what seemed to be female; but the bright and warm glow made it perfectly clear that she was most definitely not human.

But at that point, the song drew to an end, and at the same time, she began to fade. But before she had completely disappeared, he distinctly heard her say a few parting words.

“For the past few centuries, I have been trapped within this…piano. Well, at least that’s the form it has taken now…I don’t have time to explain. I have been very lonely here, and you’ve not only freed me from this prison, but also helped me to remember the joy of the simple things in life. In return, I shall now bestow upon you some of the mysteries of the world.”

With those words, she vanished completely, and to his great surprise, the piano along with her. At this point, Jason had a whole lot of questions and no answers, and he thought that quite ironic, especially since she had said that she would bestow upon him mysteries of the world. At least from the surface, it was quite the opposite- she had bestowed him the first mystery he had not solved…Well, of those that he had actually tried to- there are more mysteries than the whole world could even hope to solve in their lives. This being the case, it was clear to him that her words extended beyond human knowledge, and the truth would probably come… with time.