Chapter Text
Cool spring breeze carried a far away melody through a shattered window, a shard of what once was a part of a beautiful stained glass design falling and splintering into six pieces on the white tiled floor. It danced through Babyls' halls, slipping between every crack in the stone columns that lined the vandalized walls and squeezed in the spaces between the classroom doors. The song filled every room, eventually reaching the pointy ears of a young purple haired demon wandering about looking for his next adventure.
Delkira, one of the most promising yet troublesome students in all of Babyls' history. He scored the highest on both the practical and written exams and delivered a speech so awe inspiring that it stirred uproar on orientation day. A few days later, he would summon the Bakunawa, a fierce serpent thought only to be a legend. After that, he went against the school's rules during the flying exam and strayed off course, discovering a new pathway along the way through Cutthroat Valley and somehow finishing first, earning him the rank of He. Due to his rise in popularity and his charismatic yet intimidating presence, many students have either pledged themselves to him, which he promptly turned down, or challenged him to a duel leading to them being sent to the hospital. Although most of the student body has developed at the very least an interest in him, he is no short of a pain in the ass for the staff who have to clean up after him.
However, Delkira wasn't interested in all of that. Sure, it was thrilling and would make his heart race every time he dueled, but as he racked up more wins, he started to grow bored. And there was nothing in the world that this demon hated more than being bored. He needed something new, something exciting to get him going again. So, when he heard that sweet song whispering in his ears, he knew he had to find the source.
"Hmm~ Where's it coming from?" he asked no one in particular. That song, ever since he started attending Babyls, that tune would play every afternoon. It was the same each time, slightly different notes but overall unchanged. It was elegant, sounding the same as any generic classical piece you may hear on an old devi record. But the longer the melody went on, the clunkier it would get. It was as if the performer had been trying to fit in notes where they didn't fit until the sound became bland, then it would stop. Uninspired? Maybe. Delkira couldn't care less for the reason. What he did care about was finding the person that had been chipping away at his boredom all this time. Who knows? He might end up making a new ally. He did have a knack for finding new and exciting people.
There was a slight problem though, he had absolutely no clue where to begin. In the two weeks he has searched for this mysterious person, he hasn't found the tiniest trace of them. In the morning, when he would stop and talk to his peers in the walkway, nobody knew what he was talking about, or only provided vague hints. Even when he tried to trace the melody back to the person by following the noise, his search would end up inconclusive. The melody could be loud in two separate rooms on opposite sides of the campus and neither would contain the person he was looking for. It seemed to him that the person playing didn't want to be found or disturbed and it would be nice if Delkira respected that. But demons are slaves to their desires, and right now he desired nothing more than to find them.
There are so many people I haven't asked yet. One of them has to know something. But who? he thought, walking down the corridor. Teachers? Ehh, I don't feel like dealing with them. But if I have to… Lately, all of the staff seemed to have it out for him, especially after that little stunt he pulled a couple of days ago when he accidentally knocked down a treasured chandelier while testing out a new spell. They'll probably start nagging again to go to that old man's office. What's that guy's name again? Sull… Suli… Sullivan? Yeah, Sullivan. Geez, it's not like I didn't restore the thing. So much for gratitude.
As he rounded the corner, he spotted his frazzled teacher, Mrs. Seere, one of the many professors at the school that teaches fundamentals of magic. He grimaced. She's the one person he didn't want to run into today. Apparently, she got scolded after the spell incident, and he was positive she would chew him out. It would be nice if he could avoid her but it's not like there's anyone else around. Hopefully, an apology will be enough to get back on her good side. Besides, if the professors here are so righteous, then they shouldn't be so petty and hold a grudge against a student. Not forever anyway.
Delkira sneaked up on Mrs. Seere. Was this something he should be doing after pissing someone off? Nope. But he couldn't think of any other ways to approach her without creating more tension. Come on, a little closer. She stopped and sighed, mumbling something under her breath. Almost there.. Ooo, what's that she's holding? Tests? Lemme see. "What do you think you're doing you little wretch?!" she screeched, casting cheruushiru at him. Delkira dodged. This would be harder than he thought.
"Mrs. Seere, nice to see you too." he put an arm around her, an action greatly unappreciated by the fuming professor. "I just wanted to stop by and apologize to you personally for the chandelier fiasco. I'm really sorry. I didn't mean for it to happen, honest!" "If you really think I'm going to believe that lousy excuse of an apology, then you have another thing coming. Are you aware of how much hell you've been raising around here lately? Did you even bother to report to the principal's office like I told you to?" "No, but I'll get to it. Look, I need your help with something. So, if you would be so kind and help a poor student out then I'll go straight to his office, I swear. Cross my wings and hope to die."
Not good, he thought. At this rate, he'll never get the information he needs out of her, not when she looks ready to explode. "Come on, please? I'll be quick. Think of all the good you'll be doing," he whined, elongating a 'please' until she gave in. "Fine, make it quick! As you can see," she motioned to the stack of papers in her hands, "I'm swamped with work, so I don't have time to entertain you today." "Aww, thanks Mrs. Seere. You've always been my favorite teacher, just so you know." "Whatever. Get on with it and stop wasting my time."
"Yes, getting on with it. You've heard that mysterious music playing in the afternoon, right? Got any info on who's playing?" Mrs. Seere rubbed her forehead, feeling an oncoming headache. "Why would I know what you lot do in your free time? If you're looking for someone music affiliated, then why don't you ask the music battler? They're probably more informed about this person than I am." The music battler? Why hadn't he tried that? Whoever is playing must be there. "You're so smart, I knew I could rely on you." Mrs. Seere rolled her eyes, "Yes, yes. Now that I've answered your little question, you're going to march to the principal's office and—Delkira? DELKIRA!"
Mrs. Seere yelled in the distance while Delkira sped away to his next destination, waving goodbye and flashing a cheeky grin at the teacher. A little lie never hurt anybody.
"What do you mean you don't have a list of your club members? How do you keep track of them if you don't know their names?" he argued with the plain-looking club leader that looked more annoyed by the second with Delkira. "The school doesn't require us to keep track of anyone, that's that. It's not my problem if you can't find what you're looking for." "So what? People can claim to be a part of this battler, and you'll accept them without question? How in the world do you set up for the Battler Party? It must be a mess." He should've expected this. The teachers were hardly ever organized, so why would the students be any better?
"If you're done, can you get out? I have stuff to do later and I'm not going to be late to help you solve your issues," they spat, impatiently tapping their foot. "Come on, can't you name at least one person in this entire school that might be interested in music?" "No." The point was clear: he wouldn't find any leads here. I guess there's no reason to stay here any longer. As he made his way out the door, he heard the leader grumbling under their breath, "He ranked… think he's better than everyone else… I hope he trips and falls." Jealousy is a nasty feeling.
Back to square one. A whole hour wasted and still no clues or leads. Clotho isn't spinning in my favor, is she? It certainly was frustrating not making any progress, but it only served to intrigue Delkira even further. Someone so challenging to find and that no one had the slightest clue about made his heart pound harder in his chest. What's their name? Has he already met them? What year are they? Are they a student at all? The longer his questions were left unanswered, the more he wanted to find them. He couldn't give up on his mission. Not yet.
And so, the rest of his day would play out exactly like that until sundown. He would ask around, receive useless information, and then move on to the next person. He considered leaving and trying again tomorrow since the harmony was getting quieter, yet something in the back of his mind pushed him to keep moving. He was getting closer; he could sense it. He just had to keep going.
He searched on and on until he found himself at the bottom of the stairs leading to the rooftop, the last place he hadn't checked. The stairway was silent, not the tiniest squeak slipping out from outside, the tune that sang in his ears long gone. There was no point in checking this place. Everyone, including the staff, had left an hour ago so nobody would be there. Despite that fact, his eyes remained fixed on the doors. I'm already here, might as well take a look.
Delkira ascended the stairs and gently pushed open the creaky wooden door, a wave of contradicting sounds hitting him all at once. Flat ones, emotional ones, ones that rocked you to sleep, ones that made you dance to its beat, a noise that managed to be both dissonant and harmonious bounced around in his skull, forcing him to stand in place bug-eyed, trying to comprehend what in the world he was hearing. In his trance, he pushed the door out further, revealing the figure of someone he never anticipated would set foot in Babyls.
Twenty feet away from the demon sat a coldly beautiful man, criss-crossed on the floor. He wore what looked to be the original male uniform that had been modified to resemble a blazer paired with tall black heels that made Delkira wonder how he could be comfortable walking in them all day. His two toned hair was reminiscent of piano keys, concealing his face as he muttered complaints and frustrations. "Hah," he huffed, his voice laced with irritation, "This sound… It's sloppy and amateurish. Why?! Why is it out of balance?!"
"…It's you." Delkira said absentmindedly. He had heard whispers of this person, murmurs about a young up and coming musician who, despite his age, has written and performed many popular works for counts and marquises. The one and only soloist, Amduscias Poro.
"Hey, I've been looking for you! So you're the one that's playing all of that music after school. Whatcha playin'?" Poro seemed not to hear him, still talking to himself, "What if this note went here… No, that's not right." "Helloooo?" Delkira greeted even louder. "Hah, the trumpet overshadows the piano… Not right at all." Is he ignoring me?
Delkira watched the music notes swimming around them. Each note rested on a staff, and every staff had its own musical bar that correlated to a different instrument. One played the flute, the next a cello, another the viola, and many more that his untrained ears couldn't identify. Delkira stepped closer, wanting to get a better look, when one of the bars came down like a whip, a sharp crack silencing the surrounding music, a thin black line marked inches away from his feet. "That's close enough," Poro said, cocking his head slightly, an arrogant look in his eye. "Have you no manners? It's rude to get close to a lady without her permission."
"Manners? I didn't know talking to you required any kind of special etiquette, considering we've never met before." "Excuse you?" "Yeah, I mean… I don't know you, you don't know me. But now we can get to know each other! I'm Delkira by the way." He held out a hand, "You are…?" Poro seemed to be in a deep trance and stared at Delkira, who was eagerly waiting for the other to shake his hand, tail wagging behind him like an excited hell dog.
Chirp, chirp, chirp, the crickets sang in the distance, birds cawing overhead. The weather was nice today. The wind felt good, the sky was clear, and it was a perfect day for families to spend time outside. Kids were probably getting called in to eat, trouble making teens were likely still out past curfew, what a lovely—"Don't… know who I am? Don't know who I am?!" Poro shouted at the top of his lungs, scaring the crows perched on tree branches miles away. Delkira winced and covered his ears. So loud, he's a sound demon, alright. What a powerful voice.
Delkira was joking, obviously. Even a deaf demon would hear of him. Unfortunately, the joke didn't land with the slighted demon that was going on a tirade in the background.
"Ha! You must think my hearing's impaired. You were whispering 'So it's you' a couple of moments ago, don't think I forgot! Trying to undermine me, how dare you." The piano demon's shriek shrilled, his gaze focused on Delkira burning a hole through his head where he certainly wanted to pierce with his baton. His organs vibrated in his body from the sheer energy of the sound. Yet, in Delkira fashion, he found the will to shake it off and act with nonchalance. "So you were ignoring me." "Of course I was, you fool!"
Delkira gripped the fabric over his chest. "My poor heart! You've broken it into a million pieces," his tone overtly dramatic. "Good. Pick up the shards and leave me be." He sauntered over to Poro, fixing his hair into a bun. "Mm, nah. I don't think I will. Not when I've found someone so interesting to play with," Delkira sat down on the floor next to him. "So, what are you making? A new piece? That's cool. Mind if I join?"
"Yes, I do mind. Now shoo, shoo! I didn't say you could sit next to me." Poro swatted the baton at Delkira, and he evaded. He was tempted to yank it from his grasp. However, a strange sense told him that Poro would do much worse if he did. "What's the big deal? It's not like you're coming up with anything on your own. Everyone can hear the instruments squawking from a hundred miles away."
Poro's eyes widened, brows pinching. "Squawking?! You must have the sound of your voice mistaken for my displays of pure, unadulterated elegance." How's it this easy to get under his skin? Delkira smiled to himself. There are many types of people he enjoyed. Those who were strict were fun to get under their skin; it was definitely worth the time to tease them when he received an explosive reaction. Quiet kinds were fine too. He appreciated the calmness brought on by their presence. However, the type he liked the most wasn't any of them, or most that you'd find walking around in public. No, the ones that gave him the most thrill were the ones that held themselves in high regard, the arrogant, prideful ones. The reason he couldn't discern.
Was it that everyone else left him a little too unsatisfied, or was it that the arrogance satisfied him more? The chase… yes, the chase may be it. "Uh-huh, sure. Whatever floats your boat. I should totally listen to the person who makes the harp sound a death scream." Unnatural? Possibly. But he was only consuming that which made his heart pound. That should be how all demons are.
"You-!" Delkira cut him off, his lips pulling into a sly smirk. "Face it, you're uninspired." It should be done in moderation, though. How far you push another needs to be portioned perfectly, like cutting slices of meat to serve to your guests. It wouldn't be fair for anyone if everyone were sent into a frenzy because of carelessness.
Poro's expression communicated pure annoyance, his eyes still piercing Delkira's skull. "Why did you seek me out? If you're here to mock me, then I'll curse you to speak in reverse for the remainder of your sorry life." Delkira tilted his head and leaned closer to him, the other moving away. "Nope. I sought you out because I'm bored." "Figures."
"Oh?" Delkira took a strand of Poro's ponytail, curling it around his finger. "You've heard of me?"
"My ears pick up everything. Delkira, a brash, wild, unpredictable demon that goes around instigating fights and inciting disorder." He swatted Delkira's hand away. "You've destroyed school property numerous times, forced the school to dish out more vill than you'll ever earn in your lifetime. I've heard plenty about you."
"I didn't pick all of those fights. Just a couple of em'." Delkira pouted. The rumors portrayed him so negatively. No wonder people were swarming him. "It'll be a cold day in hell before I believe anything that comes out of your mouth." "Hmph, so mean."
Clouds went by in the sky as time passed, both sitting in comfortable(?) silence. Poro leaned back, his hands supporting his upper half, wind swaying his hair. Delkira had to admit, Poro was aesthetically pleasing to look at. Another reason to talk to this person. "…What's it called? The song, I mean."
"It doesn't have a name. I don't title anything until it's done."
"That's counterproductive." Poro raised a brow. "How so?" "If a song doesn't have a title, how will you know where you want it to go? You can't start a journey if it doesn't have an end. You'd just be wandering." Poro positioned himself to rest his arm on his knee, his head resting on his hand. "Out of anyone to say that, I least expected it to be from you. I thought you liked wandering?" Delkira copied his movements. "I do. But I also like having goals."
"Every demon does, but your definition of a goal is terribly skewed," he scoffed. "Music doesn't have a point A or B; the only goal in mind is to create. We could debate the intro, verses, chorus, and outro of a song all day long and the technicalities of whether or not they are goals to reach, a debate that I would hate to have with someone as nonsensical as you. But at the end of the day, music is creativity expressed through sound. And, if you were to title it without starting your supposed 'journey', the song will go flat because you're confining yourself to what you think the sound should be."
"Yet your creativity makes all of your songs sound the same."
"That's. It!" Poro growled, standing up with quickness. The disconnected musical notes that had initially flowed slowly around them turned violent, stopping midair and then flinging themselves towards Delkira. He dodged, using some of his own mana to deflect the ones that were too close. "You disturb my peace, you traumatize my ears, and now you insult me! I hope you like never speaking to anyone other than yourself because when I'm finished with you, you're not going to have-"
Delkira's hands flew up into the air, hoping that maybe if he showed some form of subservience, it would calm the angry demon down by a few decibels. "Hey, I didn't say that it was a bad thing! If that's how you want to compose your music, then go ahead. I'm just pointing out that you have a specific style. That's all." His chest rose and fell rapidly, a thin layer of sweat sticking his bangs onto his forehead. Fear? This wasn't like him, a first time experience. He exhaled shakily, eyes glued to Poro.
Poro glared at him for a moment, staring him up and down, then sat back down on the floor following a 'Tch'. Delkira eyed the man, then sat down with him, a little farther this time. "You're not gonna curse me?" he asked, limbs ready to defend in case he decided to attack again. "No, but I should." The demon's lips parted, sighing softly. "You need to learn how to cushion your words. You're far too blunt with people, and if they aren't like me, who can decipher your intentions or a close ally, then one day you're going to end up offending the wrong person."
"My intentions? We don't know each other, so how can you tell what I'm thinking?" A bloodline ability? He doesn't look like the type to have a detecting ability. "Your heartbeat. It tells me everything I need to know." Suddenly, Poro, who was inches away from Delkira, had his ear pressed up against the larger demon's chest. "What are you-" "Shush." Thump, thump, thump. Delkira's heart fluttered in his chest, a beat skipping every other second. He tried to lean away, but Poro grabbed his undershirt, pulling him closer. Delkira gulped and watched the musician complete his listening, a light blush dusting his cheeks.
"It's thunderous…booming…dominant in every way. Your heartbeat is that of a proud demon. But there's another sound that I'm hearing…something softer…" Poro's slim fingers traced the white trimming of his blue jacket, playing with the lining. "The sound of nervousness…you're shy? Around me? How sweet of you. And here I was thinking you were nothing but a brute. Although I suppose it's only natural that you'd be bashful around someone like me."
Delkira, in a flash, was feet away from Poro, scooting himself away clumsily, his actions being met with laughter from the demon that seemed rather pleased, his anger vanishing into thin air. "You! Shouldn't you be finishing your song thingy? Why are you wasting energy touching people unnecessarily?" "Is it… wasting time if I'm making you… flustered?" Poro said between giggles, a bright smile, too bright for Delkira to stare at, spread across his face. He averted his gaze.
Poro got closer again, closing the distance, and faintly touching the back of Delkira's hand that curled tighter. "Fufu~ It seems that I've gained my motivation to compose and gained a muse on the same day."
"Delkira. Delkira, Delkira, del-ki-ra~ Your name sounds nice, the right amount of vowels to roll off the tongue."
"I think…I know exactly how my piece should sound now. Delkira, you'll help me put it together, right?"