A Song To Save

Before Raymond could object the sound of a sharp flute shut him up. He tried to talk but his mouth was sealed as if suddenly glued shut. Another flute, this time softer, began to play, and an invisible force tied Raymond's hands together. The invisible handcuffs pulled him toward the source of the music, the tall guard from earlier. He tried to protest but his mouth and muscles were disobeying him. All he could do was follow his captors.

Raymond left his body on autopilot and began to think. "What is going on?" He questioned internally though he was already starting to get an idea. In recent years Raymond had begun to expose himself more and more to media outside of music, one of his new discoveries was a genre of media called "Isekai". Raymond had a strange suspicion that that's what was happening to him. He clearly wasn't dreaming seeing as he could feel pain as shown by the rough treatment the policemen were giving him. He was also seeing things in the first person, who ever dreams in first person? He still couldn't fully accept it, "why was he brought here?", "What did this world have for him?" were all questions he had begun aking himself.

He took a deep breath and decided to recollect his thoughts. "I've been brought to another world. No matter how much I don't want to believe it, that's my current situation. What I need now is a way out, let's run through what I can gather so far. One, this world seems adjacent to the medieval era back in my world. Two, humans aren't the only apex species here, they have to live with human-animal hybrids demi-humans. Three, magic is real here, I've seen it demonstrated more than a few times. First, there was that wolf guy with his telekinetic reed pipes then the paralysis flute, and finally the invisible handcuffs. I can see that instruments are needed to cast the magic in this world, is that why that wolf freaked out when he saw my guitar? No, he had an instrument on him as well." Raymond was so deep in thought that he hadn't noticed the large crowd forming around the policemen "The First One has returned!!" they chanted. It soon snapped him out of his pensive state as he looked around confused, "The First One?". He tried to ask a policeman for enlightenment but his mouth still refused to obey him. He took a deep exhale and decided to just see where this would lead him.

His attention often deviated from the march and lay on those around him. All the policemen had instruments on them instead of weapons which seemed to confirm his theory, instruments held power in this world. The only one who also bore a traditional weapon was the larger man who appeared to be the captain, a sword at his hip. Even many in the crowd had makeshift flutes, ukeleles, and other instruments, no one seemed to have an acoustic guitar though.

The policemen brought Raymond to a gate that separated the peasants from the middle and upper class. The difference was astounding. On the peasant side were old poorly built sheds that just barely passed themselves off as houses while almost every building on the rich side looked like a mini palace. Even the air seemed crisper on the rich side as the perpetual sound of a harp could be heard. The men took their prisoner into an old medieval barrack, climbed down a flight of stairs, and threw him in a cell. They also took his guitar.

Even with all his mental preparation and repositioning, Raymond was still stunned, everything was happening so quickly. He sat in a corner of his cell, waiting for something to happen. "This world has to have a justice system, right?" he thought to comfort himself. He eventually managed to find the comfort to sleep though he is interrupted not too long later by the sound of conversation. It's the voice of the large policeman and another, an older more commanding voice.

"No Grand Conductor, it can't be the Cithara. No one has seen one since the fall of the Voices." The policeman says as he walks towards the cell. "What I saw was a Cithara" the Grand Conductor responds "300 years or not, what we saw before us wasn't Elktiric. That was a Cithara." The policeman continued to deny it until he was in front of Raymond's cell, the key turned in its hole and the door was sent flying open.

The Grand Conductor, an older man with a white Fu Machu, long silver hair, and thick eyebrows of the same color kneeled before Raymond. "This is him?" he asked to the policeman. The policeman nodded.

"Boy, do you know what you have in your possession?" He asked calmly, no traces of animosity in his voice. Raymond hesitates a little before responding, "N-no, I have nothing in my possession!" The Grand Conductor strokes his beard before replying "The instrument in your possession when you were apprehended, is it not yours?" Raymond thought it better not to lie, "My acoustic?" he asked referring to his guitar. The Grand Conductor nodded and laughed, "Acoustic? It has been forever since I've heard it called that, you are from the real world." He said with another laugh. Raymond was clearly confused so the Grand Conductor explained "The land you find yourself on right now is known as Palmarius, the shadow kingdom. It is referred to as the shadow kingdom because it lives in the shadow of the world you know, the world we call the real world or the Veritas. This knowledge is known pretty universally."

This proved another one of Raymond's theories, he had been isekaid! He looked at the Grand Conductor for a second before testing his luck, "Is there a way to go back?" He tried. The Grand Conductor laughed again, "But of course!" he replied with a smile. "I'll even take you back myself" he added. Raymond was a little skeptical but he managed a smile. "Really?" he asked. The Grand Conductor stopped laughing and smiled widely "Yes, really. I do have a condition though." he revealed. Raymond wasn't surprised, "What is it?"

The Grand Conductor's smile grew malicious, "I need you to kill some people for me."