On the continent of Sorora lied a kingdom named Adagio.
Adagio was a peculiar kingdom: music was seen as the most noble profession, as it was said to touch and cleanse the souls of those who opened up for it. After them came other artists, such as painters, sculptors and theatre performers, followed by labour professions and eventually money-making professions. The soul was the most important thing for an Adagian, as they believed that a clean soul meant inner peace and inner peace meant outward peace.
Many kingdoms saw Adagio as weak and incompetent, but time and time again Adagio proved to be resilient: they weren’t pacifistic or undetermined, they were in balance with their selves. When kingdoms tried to attack them, it turned out they indeed knew how to fight back. Their inner peace just made sure they didn’t crave for war. And so Adagio prospered and became bigger, as other civilizations added themselves to their ranks willingly.
Within this kingdom lived a lute player named Nocturne. Nocturne was considered to be one of the best lute players as soon as he picked one up when he was 4 years old. As he played throughout the years and grew, he was always looking for new challenges. He set the bar higher and higher and was always able to beat his set challenges. But somehow he always missed something. It felt like he knew how to approach his challenges, but he never really felt satisfied as he beat them. Yet on this day he would encounter a challenge that would forever change that. A journey was about to start.
A peculiar little figure called Fatum visited him and showed him a musical key he never encountered before: a key that fell outside of the well-known systems he used to play his music in. It wasn’t a traditional A that expressed youthful cheerfulness, nor was it a G which expressed friendship and faithful love. Nocturne decided to travel to the places Fatum showed him in order to find out what this musical key could be and how he could play a sonata in this particular key.
The first place he visited was Chroma, where he would have to perform his music against a pack of magical deers called Chromanae. The deers were half deer, half human and were part of Adagio’s kingdom. They were peaceful creatures and very skilled lute players.
As Nocturne approached them a female deer called Leila, spoke to him:
‘So you’re here to play a chant with us, huh? Do you think you have what it takes to play with the legendary Chromanae?’
‘I believe so, yes, as I am Nocturne, the legendary lute player from Adagio’, he responded with conviction.
Leila was slightly surprised as she heard his name: she had indeed heard tales of his songs.
‘Alright then, Nocturne, show me what you can do on the lute’.
Nocturne whipped out his lute and started playing. He had a black lute embroidered with deep purple details all along the lute case, which breathed a certain mysterious and elegant style. As he was playing, the Chromanae started to play alongside him and sing a chant. The challenge for Nocturne involved replying in key in order to prove his worth.
As the deers played on and sang, Nocturne followed and felt what the song symbolized. It breathed peace and quiet, innocence and simplicity. Yet it also felt slightly sad and melancholic. As the chorus set in, Nocturne got chills and saw beauty in the song:
The lyrics showed Nocturne acceptance of circumstances and how one could wander between these circumstances in accordance with one’s nature. The chords showed him that happiness and sadness can be two sides of the same coin. Both were part of the better life compared to a blissful pure happy or a damned sad life.
As the song drew near a close, Leila closed with the last line of the chant:
‘Meet you on the other side….’
Nocturne proved his worth once again, but this time it was different than other challenges. It felt like he actually learned something that improved his being, as if his soul grew instead of his outward skills. Was this what the books of Adagio tried to convey to all Adagians who professed music during early youth?
Leila spoke to Nocturne and congratulated him:
‘Indeed, you are one skilled lute player, Nocturne. You have shown us that you can understand and respond to the rhythm of the key of C Major – a rhythm of purity and innocence – and for that we reward you with this Pearl Gem. But be wary. I know of your endeavour and it is not an easy one. Do not take this first challenge for granted, nor see it as an example of what’s to come. Always be ready for for whatever crosses your path and approach it with an appropriate stance.’
Nocturne thanked Leila and nodded his head in agreement. This journey was going to be an extraordinary one, one he could not prepare for like he did in the past for other challenges. But something deep down inside told him he was up for it, like he needed to do this. He accepted that failure was also an option and continued on to the next destination.
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Hey guys! Pieter here again. Hope you enjoyed yet another story which is slightly different from last time. Sonata of the Sun will be a series I’ll regularly write, although I might slip other stories in sometimes and give this one a break. See you next post!
