Soul // Third Egg // Accidental Video
[ The screen is black, but the sound is loud and haunting. Piano music fills the air with its pained and distorted sound, as if played by two hands possessed to create two separate melodies, only to come together in the rare chorus filled with rage and frustration or a dream-like bridge. There are wrong notes that stick out among the chaotic chords and a whimper or small gasp follows each. The easily overlooked sound of footsteps fades under the music as Soul approaches the source of the music.]
[In order to prevent the communicator from turning on, unaware that it already was on, Soul removes the device and sets it on a nearby music stand. There's blood on the edges of the keys, still the hands play with split fingertips. His wrist, arm and shoulder is in view, wearing his pin striped suit and red dress shirt that would peek out at the cuff, just as red as the blood on the ivory.]
Why did you come? [The whispy voice of the shadow asks, his tone quiet and tired.]
[Soul's hand and leg slip into frame, his fist balled. His voice is filled with annoyance and borderline anger.] Stop playing.
I can't stop. I have to practice. I have to get better. [The red smears on the keys grow a little darker as the force of his fingers increases and the notes become more violent.]
Someone's going to hear.
Why can't we seem to play anything beautiful, like them? Maybe if I keep playing...maybe if I play more, I'll be normal. [ The shadow pauses in his playing, but his hands still hover over the keys. ] Why do you think we were born? Do you think it was a mistake?
I don't worry about stupid questions like that. [ Soul hadn't hesitated in his answer and directly after, he puts his hand on the shadow's shoulder, pushing him further from the keyboard. ] Now get up and move away from the instrument. I can't stand to hear that noise.
Music. It's music.
It's not! It's not music. Music has order and-and sanity to it! Something that wrong and twisted should never be played.
It's you, your soul, your melody.
No, it's not.
Twisted, off key, out of place. Two people at the same time. The right hand thinks it hides the left, but it doesn't. It thinks it can make people forget the left's melody, but instead just adds to the off-tilt. The song can't decide what it is, a person, a weapon, a shield, a musician, ending up shallow, fake and just noise when it could be a masterpiece.
[ The shadow shoves Soul backwards and out of frame before he continues his playing from exactly where he left off. His voice is no longer tired. In fact, his volume increases with the swelling of the music. ]
What did you hope to do coming here anyway? Kill me or just keep trying to hide me? Let's get everyone down here. Heh, let's put on a show. Let's let them see who you really are. All your real use and power as a weapon comes from these keys, MY notes, MY melodies. Hide me away, act cool, change your name, pretend I didn't happen, this is who you are. A wrong note in your family's line.
No, I-
You never belonged. Never belonged. Where does a weapon fit in with music and art? How could you think you could be any good? Even as a weapon you fail. Even with all my help and my strategies and my skill, you still fail. Let's see, what key was Maka's screams in again? Oh yes. This one. [ The shadow pounds an un-godly combination of keys, recreating a sound strikingly similar. He does it again and again and again. ] We could write a whole symphony from the sounds of pain we've heard from her.
Stop it!
[ The shadow laughs and continues the song from before, but weaves that same horrible note into the piece, here and there. ] She has so many friends here. So many people more powerful, more sane than you. She's your purpose. Protect her, fight for her. Even I know that's pathetic. She doesn't need you here, just like she didn't want you back home. She told you herself in her own words. She didn't want you anymore.
That was just the book talking, you know that damn well. Besides, she said that she was the one holding me back-
She felt sorry for you. Everyone does. You don't think you fool anyone do you? It's the old “It's not you, it's me” break up line. It's just a matter of time before she says it here. She already doesn't care about your opinion. You're just a joke. Threatening to not trust her if she went after Giriko. Right. The moment she teared up, you gave in. Do you think she'd still be so gung-ho about it if she knew how he almost- [ The shadow stops and laughs at whatever unscreened expression Soul was making. ] Well I guess anyone here would be better at that than you, even him. Even thinking you might ever have a chance at something like that with someone like her. You don't measure up, you'd just pull her down into this horrible noise-symphony. You should give up. You can't protect her, you can't stop her, you can't touch her, you shouldn't even be around her. Not a weapon, not a shield, not a musician. Just noise. Noise. Noise. Noise.
[ Soul slips past the communicator, and for a second it appears he's left. The shadow's playing stops for just before Soul's hand, gripped firmly in the player's hair, smashes the shadow's head hard down onto the keys. The discorded sound it makes is just as loud as the shadow's laughter. He brings the shadow's head down on the keys again and again. In the midst of this, the communicator slips from its spot on the nearby music stand. The new, low angle has a clear view of the enraged and slightly off look on Soul's face and his shadow's bloodied smile. Soul stops for a moment, if only to catch his breath and the shadow looks directly at the camera with a wide red smile before looking over his shoulder. ]
This is the sane thing to do isn't it? How long have you wanted to do this to yourself?
Everyone wants to kill theirself, deep down. [ He brings the shadow's head down once more before letting go ]
Then do it. You're a weapon aren't you? That's what you're made for, for killing, cutting, destroying. The only thing you're good at. You and the kitchen knife, equally useful. You should be so proud.
[ There's a flash and a blade appears on Soul's right arm and light gleams off of it as Soul raises it high. He brings it down a moment too late, the shadow rolls to the side and counters with a blade of his own, cutting Soul's left arm. ] I am the real you. The one not made of lies. You're not even denying it. You know it.
I left you behind. I left you to rot in the past. I won't let you keep messing up my present. I'm stronger now.
Lies. Everything you say is a lie. None of your friends have any idea how messed up you really are.
And that's how it'll stay! [ Soul rushes at the Shadow with both arms bladed this time. The shadow doesn't dodge this time, Soul's blade running through the chest of his inner self and deep into the instrument as well. Instead of crying out, the shadow laughed and with a shaking, bloody hand pointed at the communicator on the floor. ]
Bravo. E..encore. Encore. [ The blade vanished and Soul walked over and picked up the device with a look of horror on his face. ] No one will forget your performance.
How long has this been..
[ The shadow slipped to the floor, blood dripping from the broken instrument. ] I win.
[ The communicator creaks as Soul squeezes it hard in anger. A rage filled yell follows before the device is thrown at a nearby wall. The feed ends. ]
[In order to prevent the communicator from turning on, unaware that it already was on, Soul removes the device and sets it on a nearby music stand. There's blood on the edges of the keys, still the hands play with split fingertips. His wrist, arm and shoulder is in view, wearing his pin striped suit and red dress shirt that would peek out at the cuff, just as red as the blood on the ivory.]
Why did you come? [The whispy voice of the shadow asks, his tone quiet and tired.]
[Soul's hand and leg slip into frame, his fist balled. His voice is filled with annoyance and borderline anger.] Stop playing.
I can't stop. I have to practice. I have to get better. [The red smears on the keys grow a little darker as the force of his fingers increases and the notes become more violent.]
Someone's going to hear.
Why can't we seem to play anything beautiful, like them? Maybe if I keep playing...maybe if I play more, I'll be normal. [ The shadow pauses in his playing, but his hands still hover over the keys. ] Why do you think we were born? Do you think it was a mistake?
I don't worry about stupid questions like that. [ Soul hadn't hesitated in his answer and directly after, he puts his hand on the shadow's shoulder, pushing him further from the keyboard. ] Now get up and move away from the instrument. I can't stand to hear that noise.
Music. It's music.
It's not! It's not music. Music has order and-and sanity to it! Something that wrong and twisted should never be played.
It's you, your soul, your melody.
No, it's not.
Twisted, off key, out of place. Two people at the same time. The right hand thinks it hides the left, but it doesn't. It thinks it can make people forget the left's melody, but instead just adds to the off-tilt. The song can't decide what it is, a person, a weapon, a shield, a musician, ending up shallow, fake and just noise when it could be a masterpiece.
[ The shadow shoves Soul backwards and out of frame before he continues his playing from exactly where he left off. His voice is no longer tired. In fact, his volume increases with the swelling of the music. ]
What did you hope to do coming here anyway? Kill me or just keep trying to hide me? Let's get everyone down here. Heh, let's put on a show. Let's let them see who you really are. All your real use and power as a weapon comes from these keys, MY notes, MY melodies. Hide me away, act cool, change your name, pretend I didn't happen, this is who you are. A wrong note in your family's line.
No, I-
You never belonged. Never belonged. Where does a weapon fit in with music and art? How could you think you could be any good? Even as a weapon you fail. Even with all my help and my strategies and my skill, you still fail. Let's see, what key was Maka's screams in again? Oh yes. This one. [ The shadow pounds an un-godly combination of keys, recreating a sound strikingly similar. He does it again and again and again. ] We could write a whole symphony from the sounds of pain we've heard from her.
Stop it!
[ The shadow laughs and continues the song from before, but weaves that same horrible note into the piece, here and there. ] She has so many friends here. So many people more powerful, more sane than you. She's your purpose. Protect her, fight for her. Even I know that's pathetic. She doesn't need you here, just like she didn't want you back home. She told you herself in her own words. She didn't want you anymore.
That was just the book talking, you know that damn well. Besides, she said that she was the one holding me back-
She felt sorry for you. Everyone does. You don't think you fool anyone do you? It's the old “It's not you, it's me” break up line. It's just a matter of time before she says it here. She already doesn't care about your opinion. You're just a joke. Threatening to not trust her if she went after Giriko. Right. The moment she teared up, you gave in. Do you think she'd still be so gung-ho about it if she knew how he almost- [ The shadow stops and laughs at whatever unscreened expression Soul was making. ] Well I guess anyone here would be better at that than you, even him. Even thinking you might ever have a chance at something like that with someone like her. You don't measure up, you'd just pull her down into this horrible noise-symphony. You should give up. You can't protect her, you can't stop her, you can't touch her, you shouldn't even be around her. Not a weapon, not a shield, not a musician. Just noise. Noise. Noise. Noise.
[ Soul slips past the communicator, and for a second it appears he's left. The shadow's playing stops for just before Soul's hand, gripped firmly in the player's hair, smashes the shadow's head hard down onto the keys. The discorded sound it makes is just as loud as the shadow's laughter. He brings the shadow's head down on the keys again and again. In the midst of this, the communicator slips from its spot on the nearby music stand. The new, low angle has a clear view of the enraged and slightly off look on Soul's face and his shadow's bloodied smile. Soul stops for a moment, if only to catch his breath and the shadow looks directly at the camera with a wide red smile before looking over his shoulder. ]
This is the sane thing to do isn't it? How long have you wanted to do this to yourself?
Everyone wants to kill theirself, deep down. [ He brings the shadow's head down once more before letting go ]
Then do it. You're a weapon aren't you? That's what you're made for, for killing, cutting, destroying. The only thing you're good at. You and the kitchen knife, equally useful. You should be so proud.
[ There's a flash and a blade appears on Soul's right arm and light gleams off of it as Soul raises it high. He brings it down a moment too late, the shadow rolls to the side and counters with a blade of his own, cutting Soul's left arm. ] I am the real you. The one not made of lies. You're not even denying it. You know it.
I left you behind. I left you to rot in the past. I won't let you keep messing up my present. I'm stronger now.
Lies. Everything you say is a lie. None of your friends have any idea how messed up you really are.
And that's how it'll stay! [ Soul rushes at the Shadow with both arms bladed this time. The shadow doesn't dodge this time, Soul's blade running through the chest of his inner self and deep into the instrument as well. Instead of crying out, the shadow laughed and with a shaking, bloody hand pointed at the communicator on the floor. ]
Bravo. E..encore. Encore. [ The blade vanished and Soul walked over and picked up the device with a look of horror on his face. ] No one will forget your performance.
How long has this been..
[ The shadow slipped to the floor, blood dripping from the broken instrument. ] I win.
[ The communicator creaks as Soul squeezes it hard in anger. A rage filled yell follows before the device is thrown at a nearby wall. The feed ends. ]