章 105: Chapter 104 - Birth Of A Virtuoso
Kotone walked out into the arena and towards the stage. She had changed into a new dress, a graceful royal blue satin dress with a split on her right leg.
The stage was of simple design. A giant square stage in the middle of the arena, with a red carpet leading to it from one of the hallways. Other than cords and a microphone, nothing else adorned the big white stage. The colorful lights came from high above the stage on the highest level of the Colosseum. There was no need for speakers since they used the Colosseum's state-of-the-art sound system already installed.
Right now, only a classical piano could be seen in the middle of the stage. Students called out to Kotone in their excitement, as they watched their goddess appear before them.
"Senpai! I love you!"
"Onee-sama!"
"Finally! It's the Goddess!"
Soon, all the cheering quieted down as Kotone neared the stage. She sat down and all the lights turned off except for the one which shined upon Kotone and her piano.
Kotone took a deep breath and glanced at Acheron. She received a nod and she began. Her fingers moved over the keys with precision and gracefulness. The moment she hit that first note, it seemed like it resonated within everyone.
"Summer by Vivaldi," Acheron whispered to himself, his eyes widening underneath his eyelids.
This piece is one that some consider being in the top 10 most difficult pieces to play ever. But what really surprised Acheron was the soul behind the music. There wasn't that coldness or mechanical feel to her music anymore, it was being played better than when Vivaldi himself played it.
"Goddess of Music, indeed," Acheron whispered with a smile.
Upon the stage, Kotone's fingers moved like lightning and with a flexibility like her hands had no bones in them. She never missed a key and hit every note at the perfect time. Everyone here was witnessing the birth of a virtuoso.
Without missing a beat, Kotone seamlessly moved on to Fantaisie-Impromptu by Chopin, another piece famous for its difficulty but a tempo faster than the previous piece.
Kotone was starting to perspire, her sweat slowly trickling down her face and onto her dress but she didn't care. This was it! This is what she was looking for, this feeling! This feeling that she only ever had the day she met Acheron!
A full-blown smile blossomed on her once stoic face, and in the audience, Acheron matched that smile.
'She did it,' Acheron thought to himself.
Kotone was at the cusp of becoming a grandmaster. Few had reached this true level throughout history. Acheron was sure that she would've reached it sooner if it wasn't for the death of her parents.
Kotone rejoiced in the feeling she was currently in. She was euphoric! She didn't have to think about the notes at all, her body just played the music without her even thinking about it. It was as she was being possessed by the goddess of music and had taken control of her body to play the best damn session of her life!
Kotone's mind drifted off as she thought of her journey to this very moment.
Hoshiko Kotone was born in a small clan from Kyoto. The Hoshiko Clan is known for producing world-class musicians. Her mother played the koto, while her father was a genius with the violin. Both were borderline grandmasters but for some reason couldn't breakthrough to becoming true grandmasters.
From an early age, Kotone showed talent in every instrument she touched but her parents noticed none of them resonated with their daughter. From when she began playing at the age of three, Kotone felt that her teachers and parents, as well as herself, were missing something when they played but she had no idea what it was.
When she was eight, her parents were invited to America to play in an event for an important woman and her charity. Her parents decided to take her with them as this was once in a lifetime opportunity.
Once they arrived in Las Vegas, the family headed for Caesar's Palace, a famous hotel in the heart of the city. When the family walked into the lobby, Kotone suddenly saw an old woman playing the piano and stopped. The old lady was playing Beethoven's 5th symphony, but it was different from was she was used to. It had something… something she never felt before when either she or her parents played the piano.
The music that echoed through the lobby washed over everyone like a gentle breeze, it cleanses one's soul just from hearing it. Before she knew it, Kotone was standing by the piano watching the old lady, her eyes fixed on her hands.
When the old lady stopped playing, Kotone asked absentmindedly,
"Who taught you how to play?"
Kotone had forgotten that this was America and not Japan, so she had asked in Japanese. Surprisingly, the old smiled at her warmly and responded, to Kotone's surprise, in Japanese.
"My father taught me, little one,"
Kotone wanted to learn from this man!
"Where is your father?"
Kotone's excitement blinded her to the fact that the old lady in front of her was probably in her late 80's, her skin was wrinkly and her hair had long ago turned white. At this point, anyone's parents would likely already had passed away.
If those in the lobby that knew who the old woman was, had heard her words, they would be surprised because as far as anyone knew, the old woman was an orphan.
She chuckled at the little girl's question and smiled even brighter.
"He's probably somewhere around doing incredible things,"
The old lady lightly tapped the young Kotone's nose.
"I can see you have talent and passion for music some I'm going to leave you with some words my father once said to me about music… He said, 'Music doesn't come from a sheet of paper, it comes from emotions and the soul'… remember that, okay?"
Kotone nodded her small head, as the old lady got up and walked away with many people following her.
When she turned around, she saw her parent bowing in the direction of where the old lady went. When Kotone asked them who the lady was, she found out that the old lady was the one that invited them here and the reason for the whole event happening tonight.
From then on, Kotone devoted heart and soul to the piano, in search of that feeling she got from the old lady. She participated in countless competitions; her wall adorned with the trophies she had won. And just as she was started to be considered an unparalleled genius, tragedy struck. Her parents died in a car accident when she was 10.
But as if to add to the injury, people stopped competing with her, they didn't even bother to try the moment they saw her name in the roster. The pain from losing her parents and being outcasted by her peers in music, was such a blow to her she decided to close off her heart so she wouldn't have to feel the pain anymore.
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