I am a listener, in the truest sense of those words,

All I do is listen,

My actions,

My reactions,

They all depend on how I’ve heard, how I’ve interpreted things to be,

You see, words or sounds aren’t just things you hear, but what you feel,

Even as you read this right now,

What voice are you hearing in your own mind right now?

What does that voice feel like?

……..

……..

*****

……

…...

“Woooo!”

“Alright everybody!

How did you like that performance!?

Well up next, we have a heavy metal band, they go by the name, Lucifer’s Sons,

Give it up for Murdoc, Brandon and XPunk!”

“Wooooooo!”

……

…….

“Nervous?” Himari notices my daze,

“No, I’m just thinking about stuff,

All the months of practice we’ve spent together,

I’m beginning to realize something, but I don’t know what it is,

Not until we perform at least,”

“Just don’t push yourself Kage, remember this a group, you always have people to lean back on,”

“Thanks Himari…”

(I like Himari,)

She doesn’t chat often and when she does it’s always assertive and condescending slightly, but under all that she may be one of the most compassionate people I know,

(I say one of because the other is–)

“–Kagee,” Zinnia dashes through the curtain,

We are backstage at the competition right now, our performance isn’t until a little later, so everyone is out and about warming themselves up in and around the school’s auditorium,

“Lyra told me you stayed behind to brood, don’t tell me you are getting anxious,”

“No, Zinnia it’s –”

“Huhh!

You’re feeling warm too Kage,” she presses my forehead

“Warmer than usual,

Maybe it’s my fault?

I must have designed your costume too tight, or….”

“Relax Zinnia,” Himari wraps her arm around the girl

“Some people like to spend time thinking things over in times like this,

I do it and so does Kage, if anything I think you’re then one stressing the most,”

“I am?

I am a little you know, what if you look horrible up there, then it’s all going to be my fault,”

“We, look great just focus on supporting us with all your heart,”

“Ayo!” the curtain to the backstage area pulls back, Lyra and her sister strides in,

“Apollo, Darius!

Look here, while we were gone Kage has been trying to woo both your girls,” grins Lyra clearly trying to instigate something

“Wah!?” the two boys pull in,

“…..”

Their eyes pass on me Himari and Zinnia,

Then to each other,

Back to us again–

“–Nahhhhhh!” Darius and Apollo laugh out simultaneously

“Nice try Lyra, I think there’s a higher chance of us building a colony on the dark side of the moon than Kage trying to woo anyone,” Apollo states cheerfully,

“You know, there’s no dark side of the moon really, matter of fact it’s all dark., but from our perspective here on earth, the side we always see we call the light side, and the one we don’t is dark,”

“Last thing need is science lecture Kage,” yawns Darius

“Seconded,” agrees Lyra,

“Who asked for the explanation for Apollo’s analogy?”

(Not what an analogy is but I won’t correct her)

“I just wanted to share that, my dad’s an astrophysicist you know”

“Yes Kage we all know,”

…..

“Good we’re all here already,” Pinoki struts in energetically

“It’s almost time for us,

By the way, I bumped into Claude and Amelia on my way here,

He’s was asking if he could join Requiem last minute,”

“No,

He can join after today,” Karina shakes her head

“Claude is such an attention whore, he’ll do anything for the spotlight,”

“Takes one to know one,” snorts Lyra

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know what it means.”

“Yeah I do, but I’d like to elaborate”

“Ok, it takes an attention whore, equals=Karina, to know when another is being an attention whore, equals=Claude, in mathematical terms, K is equal to C”

“Damn, she actually elaborated,” Pinoki murmurs in amusement

“I am not desperate for attention if you must know,” Karina rolls her eyes and turns up her nose

“It just so happens that people stare whenever I walk in”

“Okayy, whatever you say–”

“–Alright, alright people get ready,” claps one of the backstage workers, signaling us that it’s our turn,

(Showtime)

The talks die out immediately as we head past the curtain to our instruments,

The spotlights are off, and the excitement of the crowd seeps through the stage curtain,

Behind it the host hypes up the crowd

“Get ready for this next act people, not a band but a musical collective going by the name Requiem!”

……!

Dududm!

The spotlights turn on shining us on and the curtain draws apart,

I feel my heart beating, the sound of my slow breaths, Lyra’s little taps she does with the drumsticks before starting,

Even the sound of the cameras in the crowd taking pictures,

All our parents and friends are there,

(Time to finally see how it all feels)

“One

Two,

One two three–”

—KAAAAAABBBBBOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!

My finger just glances on the guitar string and in an instant…

(No)

In that instant the auditorium’s roof breaks open, the stone crashes down crushing some of the unsuspecting audience

“aiiieee!!”

Screams begin to drown in,

A sky of smoke reveals itself from the opening,

KAAAAATTTTTTHHHHHHUUUUDDDDDDD!!!!!

Another explosion

(No)

“We’re under attack now of all times!?” exclaims Pinoki

“Everybody get cover!

We need to get somewhere safe!” orders Darius,

“Wait,

Wait!

Attack!?

What about the performance?”

“Snap out of it Kage!” Lyra shakes me

“Now’s not the time for you to zone out,

Things like this are expected to happen when you’re at war,”

“War?

What war?”

(No)

“Don’t tell me forgot, our country has been in active war for years with–”

“–No!

That’s not true,

There’s no war here!”

“There is always going to be a war Kage, it’s just how things are”

“NO!

Listen to me!

There is no war here,

Because I didn’t make it like that.”

“What?

Your talking gibberish now,”

“Come with me,” Karina pulls me close,

“Kage’s just confused, let’s look for our parents and get out”

KAAAAAABBBBAAAAAAAMMMMMM!!!!!!!

Another explosion sounds off, as a missile burst through the auditorium’s wall, exploding onto the frantically escaping people

(No, I didn’t allow this)

“”Eeeeeiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!”

The atmosphere fills with screams blood and smoke

Just like that,

Everything all gone,

(My world)

“No!

No!

I didn’t say this could happen!”

“You didn’t have to Kage,

This is the inevitably of a world of peace.”

A voice cuts through the screams and explosions speaking directly into my mind,

As it does everything surrounded me begins to fade away

Each brick of this world crumbling out of the wall of reality

The wall of my creation

The bricks I placed

“Put it back!

Rebuild my world!”

(My wall)

“I didn’t destroy it Kage, you did,

This wall of peace that you created was always going to end up in this state,

Because chaos, war, these are essentials Kage that’s what you don’t understand,

No matter how calm how happy, the sheer absurdity of chaos always breaks through when you least expect it.”

“No, I didn’t even get a chance to play,

My song!

It isn’t finished!”

“And it never will be as long as this balance that exist,

Peace is just–”

“–Shut the fuck up about that!

I don’t car….”

(I understand now)

…….

…….

…….

…….

…….

…….

…….

…….

(All and all it was, all just bricks in the wall♪)