Chapter 124: Echo.

The sound of the crash attracted beasts near the vicinity. But the powerful blaze of the fire kept them at bay.

As the storm washed away the flame, the beasts finally gained enough courage to explore the place.

But no matter where they look, they can’t find anything interesting. These beasts only have the most simplest of minds, their curiosity are mostly guided by their stomach. Once there was nothing left to eat, they left the place.

They didn’t bother the black oval sphere as it was emitting an aura they feared.

The suns fall and rose again. The following day has come. The only sound in the area was that of a gentle breeze from the storm that passed by yesterday.

The black oval finally opened up revealing an unconscious Erika. As she slumped onto the ground as the oval finally opened full, she opened her eyes in a daze.

Her first reaction was confusion. Her eyes were hazy and she couldn’t collect her thoughts.

After staring at the wreckage around her for several minutes, she suddenly remembered. Panicking, she cried out for Johan.

[Erika]: Johan! JOHAN! Where are you!

She was frantic. Darting around the wreckage, lifting things off the ground, constantly looking for Johan and screaming his name.

After over an hour of searching, she couldn’t find any trace of human life around her, she returned to where she woke up.

Next to the black oval that was still opened up, there was a pile of ashes. The fire made sure to burn any resemblance of a corpse right out of it. The wind and rain caused the intact body to crumble into a pile of ash.

Erika didn’t want to believe it.

She prayed, she begged, she wished. Everything in her body was screaming that the pile of ash couldn’t be her Johan.

But reality was grim.

Another hour passed. Nothing has changed.

The beasts still ignore the area as the black oval was constantly sending out pulses of aura. This aura sent shivers down the spines of any predator and wards them away.

Erika sat between the black oval and the pile of ashes, hugging her knees.

Her eyes were dim, it was as if she had lost all hope, all the light in her life, snuffed out in mere seconds.

Hours passed by. Hunger soon took over as she finally moved from her sitting position. She scavenged everything that the beasts didn’t get. There were enough food and water left to last her a few days. Most of the food that was not stored properly or have been exposed by the crash were eaten by the beasts.

Erika took the food and sat back in her spot. She took out a pack of unsalted crackers and started nibbling on it. With a drink of water, it refreshed her battered body.

Her voice was faded from the hours of shouting for Johan.

Her tears had nearly dried up from crying an entire day.

The only thing that’s keeping her alive right now was her instinct to survive and her want to not waste the life that Johan had bestowed upon her with his sacrifice.

Night came. Erika slumped into sleep only to be awoken by the sound of animals. They didn’t dare to get near, but the sounds still kept her on high alert. Looks like she will not get a steady night of sleep.

______

The following morning, Erika stood up from her bad sleeping position. It seems she leaned on the black oval and fell asleep.

Eating a few more crackers from the package and taking a few more sips of water, she got up and searched the wreckage again.

It was not a very large ship. It didn’t take long before she had looked everywhere around the crash site.

But there were no clues that point out anything that Johan had survived the crash.

Feeling hopeless, Erika manage to find a glimmer of peace as she saw Johan’s guitar had survived the crash.

The heavy metal casing protected the instrument from the fires and the physical trauma as well.

She took the guitar back to the black oval.

Hugging it, she fell back asleep. Fatigue took over as last night she didn’t get much sleep at all.

In her dreams, it seemed like Johan was calling her out. The guitar in her hands glowed dimly.

[Johan]: My dear beloved. Live on. Remember that I will always be with you, as long as the music flows, I too shall live on.

______

When Erika woke up, the sun was setting. It seems she had slept the afternoon away.

But she felt strangely refreshed. Her remembered her dream and wanted to cry again.

Carefully, she plucked one of the strings on the guitar. It made a single note that seemed to be full of life.

Erika felt like she could feel Johan’s presence, his warmth, his love.

Finally tears once again poured down her face as she embraced the guitar.

[Erika]: Johan…Oh my Johan. As long as I live, I swear upon our love that the music shall never die. That our song will be known by all, young and old.

With renewed vigor, Erika packed what she could into a backpack that survived the crash.

She put the guitar back into its heavy metal case and with great effort, carried it on her back with the attached leather straps.

The next morning, she had to leave. She had to find civilization.

Looking at the black oval that saved her life, she felt both gratitude and a little spite.

She was grateful that it had saved her life, but angry that the black oval couldn’t save Johan too.

She wanted to take the oval along but whatever she does had no effect on it.

Suddenly, she felt a tinge of insight. She sang a note. The same note she had played on Johan’s guitar.

As if the gods had taken pity on her, her voice contained a trace of aura. It tapped into her innate energy pool and started her on her path of cultivation.

The black oval reacted to the energy and shrank back into a ball.

Erika picked up it and placed it in her pocket.

The suns rose the next morning and she headed out with hope in her eyes. She had many things to do.

To spread their song to the world.

To take revenge on whoever did this to them.

And lastly, to thank the person who saved her.

The burning flames of vengeance burn in her gaze.

The melody of love sings behind her back.

Her newly awoken aura, leaking heavily as it finally tapped into her deep pool of energy.

Erika will be the Songstress of vengeance. The Muse of the powerful melody.

The Echo of a loving musician.