Secrets of Sound

Back to the present

"He also said something about a party, and he told me we were invited as well!" Rekka told Ren, excitedly, in a pleasant mood despite the storm that Shry just brought in

"That's nice. When is it?" Ren asked.

Without reacting at all, Rekka, after hearing her brother's question, smiled and answered with only one word.

"Yes"

"Haaah, Shry has been acting extra eccentric lately... You have any idea as to why?" Accepting Rekka's answer, Ren counteracted, asking Rekka something he's been curious about for quite a long time now.

Placing her right hand, covering her cheek, Rekka rhythmically tapped the side of her ear with her index finger, searching her memories and racking her mind as she tried her best to find a different one. However, no matter how hard she thought, she couldn't find a difference.

"Hmmm, he doesn't feel any different to me, to be honest" Rekka said

"Ehm Hmm..." Ren hummed with his eyebrows furrowed as he nodded, beginning to rethink his thoughts on Shry's recent demeanor.

"Anyways, we'll be heading out to eat tonight with Mr. Haze. When do you get off work?" Ren asked.

"Also, do you think Shry could make it if we invited him? I don't want to make him worry after I text him the time" Ren added, looking down a little, avoiding eye contact with his sister like she was Shry.

"They didn't tell me where they were going, but I'm assuming they're heading to the laser tag place nearby, and that place closes pretty early, so it should be fine" Rekka said, breaking down Shry and Tiy's actions and deciphering their course of action in seconds.

"Then can you tell him for me? You know him better" Ren asked casually, with a hint of timidness only Rekka could notice.

"Sure! By the way, I'm leaving work at 6 pm. I'll go to where Shry is and send you the location." Rekka presented her plan to her brother, her eyes glowing in delight as the thought of them going out to dinner together brought her immense joy.

After hearing his sister's proposal, Ren didn't answer immediately because his routine for off days was significantly messed up. Currently, it's half past three in the afternoon, so he got bothered by what to do next. He wanted to go home and relax, but he felt like it would be pointless, since, by the time he gets there, he'll only have just a little over an hour to kill before he has to leave and pick up Rekka and Shry.

It got so bad to the point he wondered if he should just work the remaining hours away since it's such a hassle to go back home. But then, something loud from the outside broke his train of thought.

*HOOONNNKKK* A car horn sounded from outside of the building.

Ren was shocked at first, but as the car horn continued to linger, he had a feeling that it was calling to him, asking him to come out.

So... Thinking that it wouldn't hurt to follow his instincts, Ren strolled over to the entrance, coolly waving goodbye to his sister with his back turned.

(Are car horns usually this loud?) Ren thought to himself as he waited for the automatic doors to open for him.

"HEY REN, I'LL GIVE YOU A RIDE HOME, HOP IN!" Haze yelled as his eyes twitched after noticing Ren's figure behind the automatic doors.

The car Haze drove didn't make any sounds; its engine was silent, and even on a closer inspection, the sound of the engine was still excluded, but yet, with a keen eye, you could see that the car had actually been shaking in very small increments, indicating that the car was actually running.

In contrast to the inner magnificence of the car, however, the outside left more to be desired. Its body didn't look any different from the usual car on the road; it might even look cheaper than that. All that the car had going for it was the paint job, as whoever did it was definitely overqualified for the job, and yet, with different shades of green as well as the minor design added to it, it really made the car's body pop.

"Is that you, Mr. Haze?" Ren questioned just to be sure, as he couldn't see clearly through the tinted windshields that hid the face of whoever was driving it.

Noticing that Ren was hesitating, Haze quickly pressed the button to lower his windshield, giving Ren no more reasons to avoid the strange man and his loud voice any longer.

"C'mon, get in!" Haze reiterated in a loud but clearly gentle voice.

...

After driving for a while with no obstructions, they unfortunately encountered a fairly long line of traffic. So, now with time to kill while they wait for the traffic to clear, Haze tried to spark a conversation with Ren.

"So, is this elusive Shry I've been hearing so much about coming to dinner with us tonight?" Haze asked Ren informally, trying to make small talk with his newest passenger.

"I left the responsibility of inviting Shry to Rekka since she knows him better, but I'm sure he'll come at some point, that is" Ren revealed

Briefly, as Haze heard what Ren said, he couldn't help but briefly glance at Ren, trying to gauge his expressions, curious about the kid that he had grown so close to.

"I guess that's fine; it's not like the secretaries have many things to do anyway" Haze said, mainly to himself, then Ren

"We're going to the edge of the world next week. If you have any questions, ask me anything, even the dumb ones. I want you to not be completely oblivious when we get there" Haze boldly stated,

"Rather than that, I'd like to know more about Origin Phrases... mostly how to activate it" Ren asked, somewhat rudely, as the pang of annoyance began to bubble up again.

(Seriously! I really need to get this kid in line; he can't keep this up if he truly wants to continue on this path... I'm definitely sending him to some lectures about the edge of the world; he wouldn't survive out there even if I'm with him if he doesn't know anything) Haze rambled on in his mind.

Haze stayed silent for a full minute, without answering or reacting to anything. Because of that, Ren was just about to give up on getting an answer until Haze finally spoke up again. His voice was reluctant, but his information was sincere.

"There's a reason why we don't teach kids or even most adults about the Origin Phrase, and that's because of the requirements to activate it..."

Haze took a breath and focused on the road for a moment.

"You and everyone else were taught about the dangers of overusing Node. Usually, completely draining your Node wouldn't lead to any permanent damage, but... There's a phenomenon that rarely happens, and as you may know, that phenomenon is named Overtake. This phenomenon can happen to everyone, as long as they have a will; even if their Node runs completely dry, a new Node reserve could open up..."

Stopping for a moment, Haze took a deep breath, and as he prepared himself to say what comes next, the air around him suddenly turned heavy. His eyes turned dark, and his facial muscles dropped, drooping as his heart tightened.

"And if one were to tap into that power, the will that allowed them access to this unknown well of power will begin to take over them, damaging both their mind and body with every second it's being used, and in the worst-casescenario, after a full minute of exposure, if nothing is done to stop it, that will will take over the user's body, leaving the user as a lifeless husk with the sole purpose of fulfilling that goal even after it's done"

"What does that have to do with Origin Phrases"

Ren was confused; that knowledge is taught to every kid as soon as they identify their Resonance path, as a precaution, but yet, the way Haze said it made it sound more ominous and malicious.

"Triggering an Origin Phrase is a path of no return; you may not have noticed, but... you're here because of your Origin Phrase."

Haze's voice hung, his last words hanging on Ren's mind, repeating like a never-ending echo long after the sound had faded.

"What... What does that mean?" Ren stuttered through his words, feeling a shiver run down his spine.

"You don't need to worry too much about your Origin Phrase guiding you, since you still have control; what makes it really dangerous is that it becomes far too easy to accidentally tap into that power... So I'm telling you this now: make sure to not let that emotion consume you." Haze explained with heaviness in his voice, making sure that Ren would understand the weight of an Origin Phrase.

"..." Ren was silent, scared even. He couldn't fathom how much influence an Origin Phrase could have on a person.

Ren's breathing visibly became heavy as his pupil shook, revealing how fearful he is on the inside. All he had believed about the Origin Phrase so far immediately crumbled, shaking his whole perspective about his own power.

"Unless you want to become a zombie, uuuuuooo" Haze added, alleviating the tension by making an over-exaggerated ghostly voice.

Although Haze may have meant well when he tried to alleviate the tension, it unintentionally had the opposite effect, causing Ren's mind to spiral out of control.

"What do I, what can I do? Am I even myself anymore?" Ren violently muttered to himself silently.

Simultaneously, the traffic finally began to clear, so Haze got ready to concentrate on his driving, but as he stared forward, waiting for the car in front to start moving, a faint volley of words drifted by his ear.

Although Haze was unable to interpret those words, a sinking feeling suddenly hit him.

The car in front of him finally moved, but instead of stepping on the gas and following suit, he pulled the handbrake.

"REN, ARE YOU ALRIGHT? TELL ME WHAT'S WRONG!" Haze accidentally raised his voice, shouting in his panic as he unbuckled his and Ren's seatbelts.

"I don't want this! Please take it away" Ren desperately pleaded, his voice faintly screaming for someone, anyone, to remove his Origin Phrase.

At that moment, it was like Ren was back there, at the beginning of the erasure of Pertice. He felt trapped, controlled, left with nothing he could do but follow his previous course of action, desperately yelling to break the cycle of inevitability, crawling to regain control.

And in turn, his wish was briefly granted. Moments ago, he felt like he was being pushed by an invisible tsunami, but now, he somehow gained the ability to swim against it... Creating a new will that's growing and bringing him ever so close to breaking the will of his Origin Phrase

"REN, DON'T DO THIS, YOU'LL DIE!" Haze's desperate voice shook and pierced through the mental barriers that were blocking all his sensations.

Acting quickly, Haze dragged Ren out of his car and began shaking Ren violently to get a response out of him or, for better or for worse, cause him to faint.

Ren's brain rattled around as Haze shook him, causing him to get extremely dizzy, which successfully brought him back to reality.

Able to properly think now, Ren consciously moved his right hand, ready to stop Haze from shaking him before he really fainted.

Because Haze was shaking Ren so intensely, even though he was observing Ren really closely, he only managed to notice that Ren was back to his normal self after Ren began moving his hand.

"I... I think I'm fine now" Ren stuttered, grabbing his head as Haze stopped shaking him.

(Thank God!) Haze thought as he sighed in relief.

*HONK HONK HONK*

Haze left Ren on the ground without asking any questions; he just allowed Ren to rest and recover on the pavement. It was like neither one of them could hear the honking of the cars they held up.

...

"W-what was that?" Ren stuttered in between breaths of exhaustion.

"That was the reason why I held back on telling you more about the Origin Phrase... I guess you weren't a hundred percent ready, but at least we got it over with now" Haze explained himself.

"Most people who find out about the meaning of having an Origin Phrase after they've already gained it had the same reaction as you" Haze elaborated.

Hearing Haze's answer, Ren had a lot going through his mind. Closing his eyes, Ren faced downward, getting into the most comfortable position he could get into currently, as he began to gather his thoughts together.

(Today is supposed to be my day off...) Haze thought to himself, trying not to say it out loud.

Moving from his position, Haze wandered toward Ren and picked him up, lifting him with his shoulder.

As Haze began to move, with Ren hanging by his shoulder, he looked in-between the front and the back. On one hand, the back seat will be more comfortable for Ren, while on the other hand, Haze needs to monitor Shry as he drives until it finally blows over.

"It's going to be a bit uncomfortable, so hang in there. I'm going to find somewhere to park so you can chill in the backseat until we go out for dinner... If we go out for dinner"