A firey duo
Time to visit another possibly lesser known favorite of mine, when it comes to Sound Horizon stuff. It's "Ishidatami no Akai Akuma" (The Scarlet Demon of the Stone Pavement), which is one of three songs from the maxi single "Seisen no Iberia". It was released after the "Roman" album and before the "Moira" album. I think it's rather touching, so here we go.
The story in the "Seisen no Iberia" single is shorter than most Sound Horizon stories, but it's still a strong one.
We have Layla, whose parents are killed due to religious conflicts, and after this, Layla flees, full of hate and seeking answers. As she runs, she's shot down by an arrow and falls into a dungeon where she meets the demon Shaytan.
Shaytan had been trapped in the dungeon for so long, he even forgot his own name, but is freed from his prison once Layla calls out to him. For reviving and freeing him, Shaytan promises Layla to destroy anything she hates and may harm her, only if she stays by his side for eternity, to which she agrees.
As the battles rage on, Layla realizes that she doesn't hate any specific group; she hates war and conflict. Shaytan then becomes the enemy of both religious sides, which allows both sides to join together to fight Shaytan. Once the battle is ended, Shaytan and Layla vanish together.
What I found really touching is not only the anti-war message but the interaction between Layla and Shaytan. Although it's left open for interpretation, I do consider them to truly love each other. In Shaytan, Layla finds someone who is willing to always be by her side and find a way to drive away the battles that ruined her family. In Layla, Shaytan finds someone who wasn't afraid of him, freed him from his imprisonment, and willing to always be by his side. Shaytan's words about wanting to drive away whatever Layla hates before even a single tear falls is pretty telling.
The song "Ishidatami no Akai Akuma" begins after the two meet and ends before Layla understands what she really hates.
CD version + translations:
Live version:
The story in the "Seisen no Iberia" single is shorter than most Sound Horizon stories, but it's still a strong one.
We have Layla, whose parents are killed due to religious conflicts, and after this, Layla flees, full of hate and seeking answers. As she runs, she's shot down by an arrow and falls into a dungeon where she meets the demon Shaytan.
Shaytan had been trapped in the dungeon for so long, he even forgot his own name, but is freed from his prison once Layla calls out to him. For reviving and freeing him, Shaytan promises Layla to destroy anything she hates and may harm her, only if she stays by his side for eternity, to which she agrees.
As the battles rage on, Layla realizes that she doesn't hate any specific group; she hates war and conflict. Shaytan then becomes the enemy of both religious sides, which allows both sides to join together to fight Shaytan. Once the battle is ended, Shaytan and Layla vanish together.
What I found really touching is not only the anti-war message but the interaction between Layla and Shaytan. Although it's left open for interpretation, I do consider them to truly love each other. In Shaytan, Layla finds someone who is willing to always be by her side and find a way to drive away the battles that ruined her family. In Layla, Shaytan finds someone who wasn't afraid of him, freed him from his imprisonment, and willing to always be by his side. Shaytan's words about wanting to drive away whatever Layla hates before even a single tear falls is pretty telling.
The song "Ishidatami no Akai Akuma" begins after the two meet and ends before Layla understands what she really hates.
CD version + translations:
Click to viewLive version: