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The music came from an old classroom in the disused part of the school. It echoed and invaded the old corridors but no one heard it, for the simple reason that no one was in this part of Alfea after dark.
And as an old clock struck three in the morning someone was playing the piano in a disused music classroom where only a few old instruments remained.
Riven let his fingers run over the black and white keys, focused on the melody he was creating with his hands, totally ignoring the rest of the world. The moon lit the room whose only source of light came from an old candle placed on the instrument.
His eyes were closed and it was as if his whole body was in perfect harmony with the music, he wasn't playing, he was living what he was creating.
He didn't play much, like really not much. No one at school knew he could play the piano, even Sky didn't. To tell the truth the only person who knew the real potential of the young man was probably his mother. She had always been the only one to encourage him to give free rein to his desires and his inspiration with this instrument, she always said that he was born with a gift that few people had. And it was true that when his fingers were on a piano even the world seemed to hold his breath to listen.
Riven could say on the piano the things he wanted to say aloud but never found the courage to express. He always put his soul into what he played, it was one of the many things he found beautiful about this instrument, he was the mirror of his player's soul, that could capture the light and shadow of the performer. He played with passion every time his fingers touched the keys, and once again he had to thank his mother for that, because she had told him, one day when he was repeating for the hundredth time a tasteless piece, “To play a wrong note is insignificant. But to play without passion my son, it's inexcusable.”.
There was something about harmony in the piano that had always drawn him since he was a little boy, something about the white keys and black ones all finding their places, not one being too much or not enough, all united without difference to form one melody that could move a homeless person to the greatest leader. That's what he liked the most in music, everyone ended up finding their place there, just like the keys of a piano, you had to mix the white keys and the black ones to create something harmonious, mix the shadow and light.
Because when the words were failing, music spoke clearly.
He liked the work it required of him and the energy he had to provide, because the piano was the easiest instrument to play in the beginning, but the hardest to master in the end.
What he also liked about the piano is that he was enough alone, of course it was always magnificent accompanied by an orchestra composed of a hundred different instruments, but with or without, the piano could be suitable on its own.
And that's what Riven appreciated. He didn't need to be around anyone else. He could just lock himself in an old classroom where nobody came and play for hours without being disturbed or taken back if he ever drifted off the score.
The free will that this instrument gave him when he played it alone was, for him, one of the best feelings in the world.
After having been trained throughout his childhood by several teachers, each as strict as the next, without ever having the possibility of playing what he liked, being able to let off steam on the keys without having to fear a stick on the fingers because he had changed the melody slightly, no longer tolerating his father's incessant remarks about his lack of seriousness and his slowness in learning more boring pieces than the others. All of these reasons were why Riven enjoyed the solitude the piano gave him so much.
Only him and his thoughts, him and his problems, him and his emotions. Because it was only in these moments that his mind seemed to calm down completely, or the storm that usually reigned in his head seemed to fade. It was among all the parade of black and white that Riven tasted millions of different colors.
His hands gradually slowed down on the instrument until he sounded the last note, then silence resumed its place in the school.
His fingers still on the keys he caught his breath slowly, coming down from the sphere in which the music had locked him for a while. A smile like no one had ever seen on the boy's face now appeared on his lips.
He then slowly untied himself from the piano and took his phone, seeing what time it was he let out a slight curse, he was still going to have to find an excuse for Sky concerning his lack of sleep tomorrow morning at practice. But the feeling that still echoed through his whole body was worth it.
Maybe one day he would reveal this secret to his best friend but for the moment he wanted to keep this isolated bubble for himself a little longer in which he could take refuge whenever he wanted.
He gently closed the instrument and left the room to return to his room, his heart and mind lightened.
What the young man didn't know was that tonight he wasn't the only person in that part of the school. And as he disappeared around the corner of the hallway a young girl with long black hair finally allowed herself to breathe.
Her originally brown eyes lit up by a beautiful purple and a single tear escaped from her eye and slid down her cheek.
Musa let her heart calm down for a few more minutes before coming out of her hiding place.
She never had the attention to spy on Riven, she hadn't managed to fall asleep that night, an intense headache having taken place in her head. sSo she had decided to take a walk in this part of the school to relax.
Then she heard the music and her body had been attracted by this wonderful melody.
She had then seen through the half-open door Riven playing as she had never seen anyone play and throughout the performance her gaze had been unable to detach herself from the young man.
Her magic was then awakened in a way she had never felt before, and what she had perceived in Riven's mind would remain etched in her memory.
Because never before had she faced so much peace and beauty.
And as she in turn resumed the path of her room, she realized little by little that hearing the young man play again was going to become a vital need in her life.