Devil’s Music

Suddenly appearing in America, Shiva walked among three demons. Gamagin, who was about to rise and leave, saw Shiva and extended a hand to invite him to sit.

"Sit down."

Shiva took a seat opposite Pyemon and Amdusias, to the right of Gamagin. Amdusias, who was not used to seeing a god instead of a demon or an angel, fidgeted nervously until Shiva chuckled and said,

"I've come to help, so don't look so grim."

Gamagin, taking off his sunglasses and tucking them into his shirt pocket, replied,

"I was indeed planning to seek you out."

Shiva, putting a finger to his lips, whistled sharply and long.

Squeeeee~~~

Startled by his sudden action, Amdusias wore a dazed expression as a huge shadow cast over him, and he looked up, murmuring,

"Garuda…"

As the massive bird blocked the sun, a shadow as if clouds had covered the sun swept across the entire United States instantly.

The garuda, with its red feathers and black beak, larger than the eyes of most humans, rolled its eyes, and Shiva spoke softly,

"Go, protect the child."

Caaaaaaaw~~~~~~!

As the garuda, emitting a sound like thousands of crows cawing, vanished instantly, Shiva tapped the table with his finger and remarked,

"The hospitality here leaves much to be desired. How about some tea?"

Quick to notice, Pyemon promptly stood up and asked,

"Shall I get it for you, what would you like?"

Shiva glanced at the menu and smirked,

"Human menus are always so cryptic. Just bring anything."

"Please wait a moment," Pyemon said and left to place the order. As Amdusias awkwardly got up to leave as well, Gamagin finally spoke up,

"Did you know?"

Looking at the beautiful view of the Brooklyn Bridge in the distance, Shiva slowly nodded.

"I've been watching ever since the child visited the Himalayas."

"Why?"

Shiva smirked lightly,

"There's no reason for liking something good, whereas there can be a thousand reasons for disliking something. Good things are just good."

Gamagin also smiled,

"That's true. Thanks for lending Garuda. I was about to ask you for a favor myself."

"Heh, don't worry about the demons' familiars anymore; Garuda will take care of it all."

"Thank you."

As they conversed, Pyemon returned with the tea on a tray.

"I've prepared something you can't get in Nepal—a caffè latte. I left out the syrup as you seem to dislike sweet things."

After taking a sip of the caffè latte from the takeaway cup, Shiva looked surprised at the coffee and asked,

"What is this… caffè what?"

Pyemon, barely suppressing a laugh, replied,

"Caffè latte."

"Ha, this is quite the delicacy. I should have this occasionally."

"I'm glad you like it," Pyemon said.

As Amdusias hesitated and then approached, placing a few cookies on a plate, Pyemon patted him on the back, smiling,

"Well then, let's go and serve Lord Gamagin. Enjoy your conversation."

As Pyemon was about to leave with Amdusias, Shiva called out,

"Pyemon."

Pyemon stopped and turned back, and Shiva smiled,

"This is our second meeting, isn't it?"

"Yes, Shiva."

"I like you, why not visit the Himalayas sometime?"

"Thank you, I might."

"Go ahead then."

After Pyemon and Amdusias left, Shiva closed his eyes, savoring the caffè latte, while Gamagin chuckled,

"That isn't even expensive."

Shiva, with his eyes still closed, shook his head,

"Only humans would measure value in terms of money, Gamagin."

"Heh, my mistake."

"What will you do now?"

"Well… the demons have Pyemon to deal with it."

"Is Pyemon enough?"

"Pyemon is a high earl, ranking ninth among the demons. Most would run just feeling his power. He smiles often, but his nature is to oversee grinding, raging, and destruction. If Pyemon gets angry, demons below rank forty might just die."

Shiva looked surprised in the direction where Pyemon had disappeared,

"I thought he was just a prankster. Was he always so fierce?"

Gamagin, lifting his cold coffee, said,

"Even Baal steps down when he's angry. You could say he's tough."

"Tough?"

"Yeah, once he snaps, he doesn't even fear annihilation when fighting. A few who fooled around because of his smiling face have perished."

"Ha, I see. What about the angels?"

"I've

 secured a promise through Caliel, Michael's right-hand."

"They won't touch the child?"

"No, they promised to protect."

Shiva arched an eyebrow,

"To protect?"

Gamagin nodded, looking up at the sky,

"Yeah, they promised to protect. I don't know what they're thinking."

Shiva, gazing seriously at Gamagin and then at the sky, smiled softly,

"They must be waiting then."

Gamagin turned towards Shiva,

"What do you mean?"

"You, I suppose."

"Me?"

"Ha, Michael thinks of you as a friend. Isn't he waiting for a friend's return?"

At Shiva's words, Gamagin looked troubled for a moment and then shook his head,

"Friend is a big word for it. It's been over thirty thousand years since I saw his face."

"A friend feels like someone you met just yesterday no matter how many years pass. Trust me on this."

"Heh, you are that to me as well."

"Ha, are we friends then?"

"Maybe we are."

The god and the high demon looked at each other and smiled. After a moment of silence, Shiva, thoroughly enjoying his caffè latte, drank the rest and stood up,

"I should be going."

"Thanks for coming."

Leaning on the chair, Shiva looked down at Gamagin sitting,

"Through the children of Hindu, cover the Eyes of Gusion."

"Will you do that?"

"I've seen the music the child wants to create."

"Heh, so you have."

"It will be a light to many who are suffering. You know what to do to keep it from going astray."

"Don't worry."

"Alright, then I'm off."

A whirlwind arose, and as Shiva's form disappeared, the lingering wind fluttered Gamagin's long hair. Putting on his sunglasses, Gamagin whispered softly,

"Thank you, my friend."

 *

In Nepal, at the Annapurna Base Camp, the recent decline in trekkers had quieted the village at dawn.

In a humble stone house, Tenzing groggily got up.

It took about 20 minutes for his eyes to fully regain focus as he seemed to wake up completely.

Suddenly alarmed, Tenzing kicked off his blankets and almost jumped out of bed, bursting through the door and shouting,

"Rahul!! Rahul!!!"

In the courtyard, he saw Rahul, the only Brahmin of the Sherpa village, sitting cross-legged in meditation.

"Rahul!! The, the oracle!!"

Half-opening his eyes and still in meditation, Rahul nodded,

"It has come to me as well."

Stretching his legs from his seated position, Rahul stood up with a stern face and said,

"Gather all the Sherpas."

"Yes!"

As the peaceful dawn at Annapurna Base Camp was disturbed, servants began to bang pots with spoons to wake the sleeping Sherpas, who started bustling about the village.

In Nepal's Deurali, Timo, with a stern expression, struggled to get up from his bed. As a servant approached to assist him with his morning routines, Timo waved his hand dismissively and spoke in a grave voice,

"Inform the Brahmins of an emergency meeting."

The servant, who had bowed his head to the floor, looked up in shock, and as Timo stood up and looked out the window, he said,

"The oracle has descended."

Without daring to question further, the servant again bowed his head to the floor. Timo, with a stern face, said,

"Call the servants of the gods. We must find the demon."

The servant, as quick as a bullet, dashed out. Alone, Timo sighed deeply and gazed at the distant Himalayas,

"O Brahma…"

In Nepal's Bamboo, from the early morning, monks were sweeping the courtyard of the monastery while Pravin inhaled the fresh air. The unusual sound of the door of the room where Lama Haike rested made him turn his head.

Creeeak.

Unlike usual, Lama Haike appeared outside the door, performing a series of deep bows to the rising sun, and then bent deeply at the waist.

Pravin approached, puzzled, but the serious and mystical aura around Haike prevented him from speaking. After several bows, Haike took a deep breath and surveyed the monks gathered around, including Pravin.

"Get ready."

Startled by the sudden command, Pravin hurriedly asked,

"Excuse me, Lama? What are we preparing for?"

Haike turned his head to look at the massive Himalayas visible behind the monastery.

"Seek out the demon. And stop him."

Pravin, tilting his head in confusion, then looked at the Himalayas and suddenly widened his eyes,

"Is it an oracle?"

Slowly nodding, Haike watched as Pravin and the other monks began to bow deeply to the ground. As all the monks in the

 courtyard started to prostrate themselves, Haike spoke firmly,

"Order all available monks to prepare for climbing by this afternoon."

As the powers of Hindu and Tibetan Buddhism united, the effect was tremendous. A few tourists preparing for trekking were astounded to see thousands of people geared up for climbing heading towards the Himalayas.

That afternoon, an uncharted peak of the Himalayas saw about three thousand people, unchallenged by anyone before, staring up at its summit as they trudged through a snowstorm.

And in a cave halfway up the mountain, a pair of eyes looked down in confusion. Gusion, brushing snow off his purple clothes, glinted with dark eyes and said,

"Go down and find out what's happening."

Two bats sitting beside him spread their wings and soared up. Soon, hundreds of bats emerged from his cave and began to fly across the Himalayan skies.

The next day.

As if the chaos of the previous day had been a lie, everything had vanished cleanly. Byung-jun, having heard from Miroslav, came back to Red Castle with Geon after the sanitation was completed, and even the bodies of bugs, rats, and crows had been tidily cleaned up.

With a worried expression, Byung-jun looked around the house, whereas Geon, upon arriving, dashed into the annex shouting.

"Lucy! You must be so hungry, Lucy!"

Meow—

Lucy, who had been sitting on the sofa licking her bottom, greeted Geon with her pretty face.

Jumping off the sofa, Lucy climbed up Geon's legs and settled on his shoulder, making Geon laugh as he rubbed her head and then took out some pet food from the kitchen to fill her bowl.

"Sorry, I had to rush out and couldn't even feed you. You must be really hungry, eat up."

Contrary to Geon's concern, Lucy, who had gorged herself on crows and rats until she could eat no more, seemed indifferent to the pet food in the bowl, scratching her ear with her hind leg.

Knowing the cat's nature to eat only when hungry, Geon entered his room, thinking she would eat if she was hungry.

Geon organized the music scores scattered on his bed and took out the score he had been working on in the school practice room from his bag. Although he wanted to rest at home and create music today, he had a commitment with the school and was preparing to return there.

Having put the draft of 'Song of Water' into his guitar bag, Geon came out to the living room where Byung-jun, who had just entered the annex, hitched up his trousers and said.

"Going straight to school? Then why did you come in?"

Geon, showing his guitar bag, replied.

"I left Haku at school, and I thought I might need the acoustic guitar too."

"Oh, is that so? Okay. Did you feed Lucy?"

"Yes, I put it in her food bowl."

"Alright, let's go then, I'll take you."

"No need, brother. You must be tired, take some rest."

"No way, man. Am I your manager for nothing? Let's go."

As Byung-jun opened the door, Lucy dashed out like a bullet. Red Castle was a closed space, and although she could not leave the garden, Geon quickly followed knowing that there were fierce guard dogs outside.

"Lucy! It's dangerous!"

Lucy seemed to be waiting on the bonnet of the Cadillac parked in front of the annex.

Unlike what Geon had expected her to run around the garden, Lucy sat quietly waiting, which made Geon put the guitar bag in the car and then picked her up, looking into her eyes.

"Do you want to follow?"

Lucy's pupils shifted from Geon's eyes to the sky. Following her gaze, Geon looked up at the sky, puzzled.

"Huh? Is it a bird? It doesn't look like a crow..."

A bird the size of a large hawk was gliding on the wind, spreading its wings wide. By the time Geon felt Lucy struggling in his arms, she had already slipped out and was darting back into the annex. Watching Lucy re-enter the annex, Geon pursed his lips.

"Thought you wanted to follow... Well, can't take you anyway."

Byung-jun, now changed into different clothes, opened the door of the annex.

"Ah, sorry. Let's hurry. I've got a meeting because of Shizuka."

As the car carrying Byung-jun and Geon departed, Lucy's cute ears popped up in the window of the annex.

With a white face and a pink nose, Lucy looked up at the sky with round eyes, and the bird above slowly circled a few times as if to say, "Leave it to me from here."

Arriving at school, Geon entered the empty practice room without Shizuka and Kevin. He placed his guitar down, sat on a chair, and sank into thought.

Unlike his previous smooth music work, various issues had complicated his mind, and Geon had to spend quite a lot of time meditating to focus.

After about an hour of concentrating and shaking off his thoughts, Geon's eyes opened, and he began to seriously contemplate his music.

"Let's not forget, 'Song of Water' is music meant to heal."

Patting his cheeks with his palms, Geon thought of a mother he had seen in Chicago who had lost her child.

"May my music finally reach her."

Taking out a pen, Geon closed his eyes and took a deep breath, like a calligrapher preparing his spirit before facing a piece of Hanji. He began drawing notes on the staff paper.

Unlike other works, Geon used four times the emotion to insert a single note and after drawing

 one bar, he let his arm hang loose.

Drawing just one bar felt as tiring as if he had written several pieces, and Geon rotated his right shoulder.

"Definitely not easy."

He wanted to take a break, but knowing it was difficult to refocus due to recent events, Geon slapped his cheeks again and stared down the staff paper.

"There's no eternal pain; eventually, the rain stops, and the blue sky appears through the clouds. When sadness and pain dig deep into the heart, remember, they will pass like a storm cloud."

Inserting another bar, Geon looked at the notes shining in red, orange, yellow, and green, and smiled in satisfaction.

Although he had only drawn two bars, this new task was giving him both fatigue and satisfaction. Geon smiled, holding the staff paper up to the light, then suddenly frowned in thought. He set the staff paper down and crossed his arms, lost in thought.

"What is happiness?"

Some say happiness isn't minimal or nonexistent but rather that people feel unhappy because they do not realize they are happy.

People try to pick up coins in unfamiliar places, but they often don't try to pick up the happiness that falls right at their feet.

However, the music Geon was trying to create was not meant to bring happiness but to provide healing to those who are hurting.

"Hmm... healing and happiness."

Geon set his pen down and murmured deeply in thought.

"Those who need healing aren't happy, right? But surely there is happiness there, just without the leisure to look back. Being in pain makes one sensitive."

Music alone cannot cure physical ailments, but Geon thought his goal was to create music that could help those experiencing mental pain.

"Don't think of anything else; the music for the album isn't just 'Song of Water.' First, complete the music for healing, then worry about the next."

Geon leaned back from the chair and refocused on the score. Inside the peaceful and quiet practice room. But outside Juilliard School, it was not so tranquil.

Unknown to the students commuting to the school, a slaughter was occurring at an altitude invisible to the human eye.

The black beak of Garuda was smeared with blood, and its massive beak engulfed dozens of crows and bats with each snap, as quickly as a whale swallowing a shoal of krill.

Occasionally, bloodied black feathers would fall to the ground, but the people on the ground could not even glimpse a dead bird.

They thought it was merely feathers stuck to a tree falling to the ground. Looking up, they saw only a small dot near the sun, the struggle of the birds not visible to the human eye.

On the rooftop of Juilliard School.

Arms crossed, Gamagin slowly nodded his head.

"Indeed, Garuda."

The struggle was on the side of the crows and bats. Garuda, with relaxed glides, swallowed dozens at a time and occasionally let out a long cry.

Still many bats and crows remained, Garuda watched them with gleaming eyes, preparing for another glide when a sparkle appeared in his black eyes.

The swarms of bats and crows that were either attacking or dodging stopped in mid-air and looked in one direction.

Garuda also looked in that direction but saw nothing but the late afternoon sky. Turning his head back to them, Garuda's eyes widened slightly.

Hundreds of bats and crows were flying in formation in one direction. Continuously looking back, keeping an eye on Garuda as they retreated, they were not heading towards Juilliard or Red Castle but seemed to be strenuously trying to distance themselves from Garuda.

Gamagin unfolded his arms and turned his head in the direction they were flying.

"Ah... it seems Paimon's matter is settled."

Whether Paimon had finished negotiating with the other demons or not, their familiars had vanished all at once.

Yet, Garuda did not relax his vigilance and still glared menacingly down from the sky. Gamagin, looking at the distant sunset, said.

"Shiva, please."

Gamagin's blue eyes flashed, and his vision instantly expanded, stretching across mountains and seas to the Himalayas.

Thousands of people trampling through the snow-blown mountains were visible in his eyes.

The village chief Timo, hooded against the blizzard but leaning on his staff, shouted.

"Find it at all costs! It's the oracle of Brahma!"

At his command, the people probing the snow with their sticks sped up.

They searched in a tight formation from the bottom of the mountain to the top, leaving no room for even a needle to escape.

In Gamagin's sight, a white monkey sat on the edge of a cliff.

A normal monkey would scratch its body, wag its tail, and chew on something, but the white monkey just looked down at the people without moving.

Gamagin bared his teeth as his blue eyes shimmered.

"Gushion."

The monkey, visibly startled, climbed higher up the trees and began to leap towards a higher peak.

As the last of the blue light faded from Gamagin's eyes, he put his sunglasses back on and turned around.

"Humans who are not afraid use fear as the source of their magic, so he would probably fear those who are unafraid. Yes, blind his eyes, or else I will have to deal with him myself."

Gamagin quietly looked up at the sky.

"If I have to deal with it myself, the 72 demons won't stay quiet either."