Transdimensional Journey of Paradise Ch. 3: Ashton Mia Cadenza
"What a damn fool." Muttered an older looking teenage boy while shutting his laptop down.
This boy is Ashton Mia Cadenza. He has a godlike gift of musical prowess, having the ability to play any instrument he is handed like he has practiced on it for years, which may explain his clothing, which include a coat with musical notes on it, black jeans with instruments on it, and white sneakers with sheet music lyrics on it. It makes you wonder why he likes music so much. He believes its a true expression of one's soul and it cannot be chained down through opinions and debauchery, which is why he is on rather bad terms lately with Alain, his best friend.
"He can be so damn hard-headed...doesn't he understand the true meaning of music and its great wonders?" Asked Ashton as he grabbed his baby harp from his nightstand and began playing his #1 hit on the harp, Hyperion Serenade.
The mere beginning notes were enough for Ashton as he closed his eyes, and let his hands take it from there. For exactly five minutes, he had played one of the best songs you could ever imagine multiplied by 1,000. "The true essence...oh, Alain. Why don't you stop tinkering with your toys and listen to me?" Asked Ashton as he set down the harp and picked up a photo. It was a photo of Ashton winning an award for his song "Dolorosa Finale", and a noteworthy mention for "Aria of Miracles". The names were made by Omar, which he didn't mind having no credit making, as he believed his true worth isn't making weird phrases, but by making the best story ever, in which you believe he will do.
"I wonder who's online..." Wondered Ashton, as he opened the Chatorium app on his phone, seeing who was online. "Emma and Hailey, huh. Alright."
-CacophonicElegy has joined the group chat-
CE: hey girls.
VW: hey Ashton! I missed you!
CC: sup Ashton how's the music biz goin for ya?
CE: pretty great! The Ballad of the Bard is almost finished
VW: are you sure retiring is such a great idea? You're such a big hit! And at the age of 17? That's crazy.
CE: I'm getting really tired. I don't want all this fame. I just wanted to write music for my mom, to heal her aching heart.
Ashton's mother, a rather beautiful woman with an even beautiful voice, was recently divorced, losing much of her possessions, including her trust, passion for singing, and most of all, her love. She just sat around, thinking about ways this could go worse. It really shocked Ashton how long she could go on about it, so he promised to be her guardian, to protect her from any more heartache and betrayal, and by doing so, found the passion to become a big hit in the music industry. He plans on making an album for her alone on Mother's day, called "Amore de un Angel", and prays it could bring back the spark in her heart.
CE: I made a promise to mother, and I plan on keeping it. As soon as the album is made, I plan on retiring and to help mom on her music career as her manager and musical muse.
VW: that's really nice of you, Ashton. You must care for your mother a lot to do this all for her.
CC: our mom isn't really supportive of our dreams of being a painter and chef
VW: she wants us to be doctors! That's crazy!
CE: yeah, I heard from Erin about that. If you believe that you can accomplish your dreams, then do it. Dreams don't die that easily.
VW: of course!
-ArcadeRhapsody has joined the group chat-
AR: you got that right.
CE: hello, Dylan. Continually playing games as usual?
AR: Yup. Gotta have a hobby, no matter what.
CC: hey, Dylan!
AR: hey, Hailey. How's the cooking business?
CC: not so good. I can't get a good starting point without it bailing out on me at the last second.
AR: sorry to hear about that.
CE: as am I.
Meanwhile, outside, through a familiar portal...
"He sure has a lot of instruments, doesn't he, Youmu?" Asked a voluptuous pinked hair woman in a blue kimono decorated with flowers.
"Yes, Lady Yuyuko. This is the Bard you were telling us about, Lady Yukari?" Asked Youmu, a silver haired girl with a green outfit, two swords, and a white ghost orb hovering near her.
"Yes. He will be in your care when he arrives in Gensokyo, and the Prismriver Sisters will help him use his abilities in battle, to prepare." Said Yukari, watching Ashton through a portal.
"And what of the other two you brought?" Asked Youmu.
"They will decide where they will stay, although I may have an idea as to where the Mind Purveyor will go." Said Yukari, pondering about Omar.
"So, the Bard has Music Manipulation, similar to the ability possessed by the Prismriver Sisters? And is that why he is not given the choice of locale?" Asked Youmu.
"That's correct. Just watch." Said Yukari, pointing her fan at the portal.
"Alright, now that that's done..." Said Ashton before closing his laptop again and looking around, making sure no one is watching, then proceeds to grab his harp, and pulls out a boxing bag. "Alright...Judgment of Angelus!"
At that moment, Ashton began playing a song on the harp that had a fast tempo and felt rather like a battle theme than something Ashton was playing. At that moment, three musical notes appeared, and began spinning around the bag. "Adagio Ifrit." The music notes began attacking the bag in dance-like motions, causing the bag to repeatingly get hit, similar to a person within a tornado. "Vivace Prominence!" Yelled Ashton, and at that moment, the music notes charges at the bag so hard, it broke through the bag, creating three holes where the notes entered, causing the sand within the bag to spill, and eventually the bag dropped down due to half of it being held together, literally, by a thread. "Perfect."
"What a technique. Although small, it was coordinated and had no holes in its plan." Said Youmu, amazed at the technique.
"But he has no control over it. That is why he cannot control more than three notes at once, and regrets it. That is why he practices everyday, with every instrument he has. In order to attack with his ability, however, he has to make a new song for new techniques. Watch." Said Yukari, watching Ashton pull out a piece of paper and a pen.
"Hm...aha!" Said Ashton, before reciting poems to write down. "As the flow of time begins to grow stagnant, it is I who must revive this archaic tangent. Time stops for no one, and I am not above that rule etched forever in stone. Man has the chance to create how much impact they put on the world around, even though there are those who wish to aggrieve and surround. Man cannot be brought down so easily, as he is one with tranquility. As he turns the clockwork back to its original glory, those who follow him begin to tell his story. "A brave man has decided to become one with time to preserve its purity, but realizes it is futile to restore time completely. In order to cleanse time, he calls upon the warm embrace of God for protection, and the process of time has begun its correction. Eons have passed, and long after the Man has withered into naught, him and his great legacy will always be all who believed in him's thoughts." Said Ashton as he finished writing, shaking and looking rather tired.
"Oh, my. Why is he like that?" Asked Yuyuko, concern within her voice.
"He was controlling his powers during his poem. His powers don't have a limiter, and can spike to dangerous levels within minutes." Explained Yukari.
"Oh...man..." Muttered Ashton before staggering up and heading towards his bed, but as he was about to jump on the bed, his laptop began ringing, meaning someone wants to chat with him on Chatorium. "Not...now..."
-RagnarokAdvent began chatting with CacophonicElegy-
RA: hey there!
It was Erin, or miss demon summoner, his title of hers.
CE: yes, what is it...?
RA: are you tired because of your powers? And that you can't control them?
CE: what I do is none of your damn business!
RA: hey! That was rude of you!
CE: I DON'T CARE! I'M TRYING TO FUCKING SLEEP AND YOU'RE CONSTANT BADGERING ISN'T HELPING!
RA: fine! Be like that, asshole! I hope you die!
-RagnarokAdvent has logged off-
In that moment of uncontrollable rage, Ashton began emitting musical notes without an instrument, and was shaking violently and began to vomit.
"No...not again...please help me!" Yelled Ashton, but knowing that he lived by himself in the house he bought with his money, he soon began crying and praying that this would end soon. And prayed harder. And harder. Then he began punching the floor, making dents in them, and eventually holes in the wall.
"MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP! END IT NOW!" Screamed Ashton at the top of his lungs. He had dealt with these sudden outbursts of power and rage his entire life, and he knew that if he had to deal with this his entire life, he knew he had to end it now. End the suffering. The pain. The agony. "Gotta get...something...to end it...anything..."
As Ashton began to stagger across the room, looking for a weapon, his powers began destroying everything in his room, from portraits to music to furniture, even his only picture of his dad. At that moment, he saw a pile of broken glass around the frame containing a group photo of himself when he was young, his dad, and his mom, and grabbed the biggest piece he could find, and put it up to his neck. "Sorry, mom. If you were to get hurt because of me, I wouldn't forgive myself. I can't take it anymore. I'm sorry." Cried Ashton as he put the glass shard closer to his neck. At that moment, however, the notes stopped in their places, and began to disappear, leaving no trace of them at all. "H-huh...?" Muttered Ashton as he dropped the glass shard with a prickle of his blood on it, showing that he broke the skin a little bit.
"This won't do, Mr. Bard. If you were to die, then you won't be able to control your powers, would you?" Said Yukari, obviously annoyed at the display Ashton had put on.
"Who...are you?" Wheezed Ashton, trying to catch his breath. "And how...did you get in my house?"
"My name is Yukari Yakumo. And how I got in here isn't important. What's important is taking you to Gensokyo." Said Yukari.
"Gensokyo? I think...Dylan talked about that place before...that's where Touhou takes place..." Said Ashton, getting up and putting bandage on his neck.
"Yes. You have power, that is known. It is also shown that you can't fully control it. And that's where I come in." Said Yukari, as she pointed her fan at Ashton. "The moment you get to Gensokyo, you will be put through the wringer. You will learn to control your powers. If you don't, you will be killed by them."
"Wait...did you stop the berserk notes?" Asked Ashton.
"Yes. You can't be doing that where you and your friends are going." Said Yukari, picking up Ashton's family photo.
"Why should I help you? If I remember what Dylan said, you're a youkai, correct?" Asked Ashton.
"That's right, but I'm going to eat you, if that's what you're thinking." Answered Yukari, annoyed at the stereotypical comment from Ashton. "And, don't you want to make your mother happy again, like you promised?"
"H-how did you know that?" Said Ashton, getting angry.
"I've been watching you and your friends for a while, and your life has been one of the hardest to endure out of them all. Its a miracle to get this far without ending it all in one slash." Said Yukari, picking up the bloody glass shard.
"...so, you can help me? How so?" Asked Ashton.
"The Prismriver Sisters, a band that usually plays at Hagukyokuro, has your ability, Music Manipulation. They can help you control it, and with luck, you can completely have it at your own will. Its your choice." Said Yukari.
"...alright. I'll go with you." Said Ashton, obviously speaking what was on his mind.
"Good. Go pack up, and make sure to pack lightly. You'll be traveling a lot, I can assure you that." Said Yukari, covering her mouth with her fan.
"Alright..." Said Ashton, packing up with stuff in a yellow backpack. "Ready."
"Welcome to Gensokyo." Said Yukari, opening a portal for Ashton to enter.
"Mother, its time I repayed you for your love and support. I promise." Thought Ashton, as he entered the portal.
"The Demon Queen of Pandemonium...she's going to be tough to convince." Said Yukari, entering a portal, taking her to the locale of Erin Corata.
