The Hunter's Fantasia: A Never-ending Tale By Kumatenshi

VOLUME I: THE BOOK OF PROPHECIES ** Chapter II --- Music for the Perished **

From the memory crystal of Kurapika

"Leorio, have you heard about the monster on the top of the cave?" Gon asked, a little after we left the village. It was still dark and the winding road we were traveling along was dim. It was illuminated only by a weak flame from a torch made from the thick branches of an old tree. Gon wanted to leave before Mito woke up because the last he wanted at the moment was to hear Mito's painful sobs. It was not the first time he experienced the agonizing melody of Mito's tears and each time he heard this tragic sound, his heart would ache. Yet, never before had they aroused as much pain as the sobs the previous night. This was because Gon realized that in the past, the source of Mito's distress was his father Jin. However, this time was different. He was the one who broke Mito's heart by going to the mountain against her wish. Yet, his conscience would never let him sit idly and watch Killua losing his precious memories. In fact, Gon could never rest when he knew someone needed help until he had stretched out a helping hand. His innate kindness could be a gift that would draw him friends and allies. However, just as nothing in this world could be perfect, his gift could also lead him onto the path of death.

"When I was young, I used to hear many stories about the monsters. Some people said he had the face of a fish and a body of a gorilla that could summon earthquakes and breathe out fire; some said she was a very beautiful women who killed by stealing away the hearts of her suitors; still some said he was really a devil who was lost his way on Earth and could not return to hell. ," Leorio said.

"But how could a fish have a body of a gorilla?" Gon asked, looking puzzled. "But if it's a fish, that's simple. I can catch it and we can have a nice warm meal together! No fish can escape from Gon, the great fisher boy! Killua, do you like fish?" It seemed there was never a moment Gon could feel depressed, or was there?

The boy was a bit startled by the question for it took him a full 10 seconds before he could give a reply. "Yes, I love fish fillets with lemon sauce. They taste good".

"Fish fillets? What are they?" Gon asked curiously.

"You don't know what fish fillets are?" Killua seemed surprised. "Then how do you eat fish?"

"Me? I just catch the fish and heat it over a fire and eat it."

"What? The whole thing?" Killua shivered as he tried to picture the scene of heating a fish over a fire and eating it, with head and tail. I have now no doubt about it. Killua must have come from an extremely wealthy family for his hands revealed no signs of having indulged in any sort of physical labor. Besides, he knew about fish fillet, a dish limited only to nobles and lords. It never existed in the vocabulary of commoners, peasants, and slaves.

"Fish fillet," I began to explain, "Is a dish where you serve only the meat of the fish and remove head, the tail, the fins, and the bone." I wanted to add it was only for celebrities in the country but I swallowed the words. I would like to observe Killua just a while longer.

"Ah, Kurapika, you're smart as usual. Have you heard about the monster then?"

"I'm a foreigner myself and I've been to the village for just 3 years, so I haven't heard much about the monster. However, I did read a few poems and some memoirs of the villagers that mentioned the monster. One traveling poet described the monster as:

"A reflection of my dream,
An illusion it seems,
That extends my imagination to its rim
And vanishes, like steam"

"Wow, what a complicated fish but I'll catch it anyways!" Gon said. Leorio was laughing. So were Killua and I. Sometimes, I just wished I could be as optimistic and simplistic as Gon, but I doubt if I ever could, after all I had gone through.

The road in front of us soon came to an end as a cave emerged In front of us, there was a sign saying: "No entry beyond here" and a rope that separated the monster's world from ours.

"Are we ready?" Leorio asked.

"Yes!" Gon was the first to answer. I nodded but Killua was standing still and not moved. With his head tipped toward the ground, he asked, in a small, trembling voice: "Why? Why do you have to help me? I'm a stranger, why do you have to risk your lives to help me?"

"Because you're a friend!" Gon answered without thinking. "Because you look wealthy!" Leorio answered. I'm a bit taken aback by his answer, as he seemed so absent minded. I never realized he also deduced Killua's background.

"Eh? Leorio, what are you talking about?"

"People who can eat fish fillet must be wealthy! That's what my teacher told me."

"Because." I said with a little hesitation, "you're a stranger. The villagers helped me when I came as a stranger and they treated me as if I lived there all my life. I would like to return the favor by helping you too. So, are you ready to enter the cave?" I said, a little shocked at what I said but truly that was what was on my mind, or rather, in my heart.

Killua finally raised his head, smiled, and joined our venture into the cave. The cave was not big, in terms of width and height, but it was certainly very deep. We walked and walked but there never seemed to be an end. On the way, we saw the remains of what must once have been the corpses of travelers and villagers who got lost in the cave. Finally, we came to a dead end. On the wall, there was a picture of a beautiful girl with long hair. A picture of a dancing girl was not uncommon except for the fact that she did not have a face. At the bottom of the picture, I recognized a small logo. Although danger was not imprinted on the logo, the pattern itself hinted so.

"Don't touch the wall!" I shouted as I saw Leorio trying to find a way through the way but it was too late. There was a loud noise and sounds of rocks falling. We tried our best to protect ourselves. After a few seconds, only silence remained.

"What happened?" Killua asked. Leorio were also wondering but Gon was looking at the picture very carefully.

"Take a look at the small logo", I said, "it is the symbol of an old kingdom, called Panoria. It was a very civilized kingdom that was destroyed because of the greed and ambitions of its inhabitants. They were famous not only for mechanics and engineering, but also for art and music. This cave must have been the hiding place of people from Panoria and the painting. The painting was used as a control. Anyone who could decipher the secret of the painting would be able to pass through the cave, and those who could not would be trapped here". This also implied that perhaps the monster, whatever it would be, could be related to the Panorians.

"What should we do, Kurapika, do you know how to decipher the picture?" Leorio asked.

"No, I don't." I replied quite honestly.

"Not even you know how to decipher the picture, oh, so this is our end. Gon, Gon what are you doing?"

Gon was still looking at the picture, slowly, he said: "I.I've seen this picture before".

"What?" All the three of us shouted.

"It was last night, I was having a bath and suddenly, I saw in the water this picture but I thought I was just too tired. It's strange."

"Gon, what else did you see?" I asked in an excited manner.

"What else? I thought I saw a harp and a flute but I wasn't sure".

A harp and a flute, that's it. I know what the picture means.

"Perhaps" Killua suddenly said, "Music is the key to deciphering this picture. Look, there's a girl dancing but there was no one singing or playing any instrument. It's unusual you dance without music".

"And I can play the harp and Leorio, have you bought your flute?"

"Of course, I won't go anywhere without it. Let's try it."

Leorio and I played a typical song together, the song we used to play when all the villagers gathered together to celebrate the harvest but nothing happened.

"Maybe, it's not music then?" Killua was a little disappointed but I was certain it was music that would be needed to trigger the system and open the door but what music and why did the girl not have a face?

"A girl without the face, this almost looked like a ghost, how strange". Leorio remarked. That's true, the girl certainly looked like a ghost.a ghost. maybe.

"Leorio, could you play "Farewell forever my love"?"

"Is that the song where you play at the funeral to calm the soul and let them rest in peace?"

"That's right. Let's try this song. Gon, can you remember the music? Try humming it if you can. Killua too, try to follow us and hum the song?"

Not long, the melancholic melody of "Farewell forever my love" began circulating in the cave and at the same time, the lovely features of the faceless girl began to appear. Simultaneously, the wall began to slide open to let in the bright sunlight and a warm breeze.

"Kurapika, what really happened?" Gon asked. "Why did the wall open this time but not the first time?"

"I think that's because the first time, we played a light-hearted piece but in the second, we played a piece that honored the dead. If I guessed correctly, this cave should be a hiding place for the Panorians who escaped from the destruction of their kingdom. Many must have died and for those who survived, to avoid being attacked by their enemies, they made this trap. To open the door, we would need music that would put the poor, faceless girl's unsettled soul at peace and "Farewell forever my love", which had a tragic melody but otherwise soothing, did exactly that".

"I see. We wouldn't know what to do without you, Kurapika!" Leorio patted me on the shoulder.

"But it was not true. We all solved this puzzle together. It was Gon who first hinted the use of music. It was Leorio who first enlightened me with the idea of a ghost and it was Killua who pointed out that music probably was the key to the picture. All I did was to put the bits and pieces together to arrive at an explanation which might be right, but also wrong."

"Great! So let's continue our search for Memalia!" Gon said merrily.

"Gon, I would like to ask you a question. Have you ever seen things in water before?"

"Sometimes, but then I could never make out what I saw until last night, when I was in the bath, I could see the picture quite clearly, is there something wrong, Kurapika?"

"No, no, I was just curious, that's all". Could Gon be a descendant of one of the twelve tribes of the ancient nymphs, the Sein, who possessed the power to travel through time? The pendant, and his ability to see the future showed it could be possible.

This journey certainly appeared to be more fascinating than I've anticipated.