Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 268 - 247: Rat King (5000 words)_2

The performance was like a dream; Inlet had given me a book of secrets, like a musical score; the title "Magic Flute" had been rubbed white from friction.

Inlet, not only a piper, but also a Mystic, a player of the magic flute. His music had the power to control people’s minds.

"Why? Inlet, with this kind of power, why do you still endure their mockery?"

"What I want is sincere praise, not the mechanical clapping of puppets. My friend, you are special. I can tell from the sincerity when you play music that you will change your Lokarot, you will change this place devoid of inspiration."

"This is my gift, please take your fervor and perfect your music."

That night, while all the residents of Lokarot were discussing the same bizarre dream, I said goodbye to my teacher.

I had no particular feelings for Lokarot. This city, it seemed like invisible hands were turning us into something we didn’t want to be.

Our family had fallen into decline. The sudden downturn in fortune caused my parents’ health to deteriorate. They were bedridden for many years, and I, who should have been the pillar of the family, was still lost in the illusions left by Inlet. Like him, I raced among the crowds all day, hoping my music would change my kin. My sister had to take on the family responsibilities, she took care of our parents and worked as a maid to support the family, constantly and earnestly advising me to face reality. Yet the reality was harsh; despite selling off the family’s wealth, my sister could not save our parents.

In Lokarot, there was a special kind of trade. One could trade noble surnames and status; some fallen nobles chose to survive by trading their names with wealthy merchants. To pay for our parents’ burial costs, my sister sold our surname, and we became ghosts of Lokarot. One night, we stood before our parents for a long time; my sister cried in my arms. She never blamed me and wept to our parents, lamenting not preserving the family’s honor.

I realized it was time to wake from the dream.

I found a job and lived with my sister in dependence; that flute I had made myself was tucked away in the farthest corner of the cupboard, never to be taken out again. I thought of playing it when tired, but I was afraid my repressed soul would lead me to play obliviously, just like before.

After five years of hardship, things seemed to be getting better. My sister received a marriage proposal from a merchant. When he visited, I saw something unpleasant in his eyes. After I became a piper, my eyes had gained some strange abilities.

I shared my findings with my sister, hoping she would refuse.

Looking at me, her once bright blonde hair had turned dull, tears had left marks on her cheeks, her skin no longer fair, her palms were as calloused as any farmer’s wife’s.

"No, I can’t refuse him. Brother, this is our only chance to live better."

"Why must you do this? It won’t get better this way! For your own sake, my sister, please refuse him!"

My sister gave a smile that tore at my heart, her rough palms caressing my face. "You need to start a family, brother."

My sister never pursued a girl’s dream, for her dream had been torn to shreds by both me and reality a long time ago.

Numbly, I walked through the streets, streets rampant with rats.

A notice caught my eye.

The lord of Lokarot was offering a hundred thousand gold coins to anyone who could clear the rat plague.

A hundred thousand gold coins, a gift to redeem our past. My body rekindled with rolling blood, I rushed home, tumbling and scrambling, and took out my flute.

All was arranged by heaven, all was my redemption. This thought clenched the flute in my hand, I had found what I really wanted to do, what I needed to do.

I despised Lokarot, despised the hardships it had given my sister. Even if the blade was removed, the scars would remain.

I dressed in a patchworked cloak like Inlet’s, wearing a ludicrous hat. Like a proud artist, I embarked on my path to redemption, convinced by Inlet’s teacher’s words that I would change Lokarot. This belief sustained me as I reached the heart of Lokarot.

In the empty square, I played an original song for Lokarot. The song imbued with magic power penetrated every crevice of Lokarot. The city’s inhabitants watched me in astonishment, watching the swarms of rats that followed behind me. I was their king, and they my soldiers.

The performance was impeccable; I danced with joyful steps, leading the rat army through every corner of Lokarot. With my mighty host, I arrived outside the city where they followed my bewitching music and one by one leapt into the river without a struggle or resistance. The river was strewn with black fur, sweeping away the grudges in my heart.

Passing a wildflower patch, filled with inner joy, I spotted a blooming rose, untouched in the center of a thorn bush.

"A gift for my sister." The stinging of the thorns did not alter my smile as I successfully picked it, blooming brightly as blood in the palm of my hand.