Time seemed to solidify around him.
And he stepped into that frozen time, moving forward at an extremely slow pace, becoming the only one exempt within the flow of time.
A distance of barely a dozen meters felt, in Kisho's nearly chaotic thoughts, like two or three hours of walking.
Only when he reached the very bottom did he see a resplendent tomb chamber.
Eternal lamps burned along the walls, flames flickering—yet forever suspended in the very instant of their flicker.
The light, too, was frozen by solidified time, unable to reach the outside world.
At the center of the chamber stood a crystal coffin.
Inside the coffin lay a snow-haired girl on her back, her features delicate, her posture serene.
Her complexion was rosy; one could hardly tell whether she was dead or merely placed here in slumber—then left to sleep forever within the river of time.
Before the crystal coffin stood an ancient harp. Beneath the harp, pressed down, lay a scroll of parchment.
Kisho felt a tremor coming from The Fantasizing Musician.
Recorded on the parchment was none other than the score of Sonata of Darkness (harp).
Kisho moved toward the crystal coffin, unbearably slow.
His speed was affected by the "curse" within the movement, reduced to one-twentieth of normal. No matter how he tried, he could not move faster.
After who knew how long, he finally stood before the parchment scroll, his gaze brushing over the score written upon it.
As his sight wandered across the notes, within The Fantasizing Musician, musical symbols continuously appeared, leaping and arranging themselves… until they solidified into a complete movement.
—Sonata of Darkness (harp).
After that, Kisho noticed that the speed affecting him seemed to return to normal.
He tested it by waving his hand, then condensed a Fire Whirl in his palm before dispersing it.
Kisho murmured, "It's really back to normal."
In that case, there was nothing to worry about.
With that thought, Kisho carefully examined the harp leaning against the crystal coffin.
The golden body of the instrument was carved with laurel branches and wreath patterns. Around the strings lingered a faint glow—like motionless golden mist. It was someone's gentle Nen, enveloping the harp.
The moment Kisho's fingertips touched the harp, a resonant and melodious note echoed within his mind.
As the sound flowed, a crack bloomed across the harp's body and rapidly spread.
Kisho immediately withdrew his hand and reexamined the harp.
At the instant of contact, he had felt within it an unimaginably vast amount of Nen.
Most likely, some musician skilled in playing Sonata of Darkness (harp) had continued performing until death.
And for some unknown reason, even after death, that person's Nen remained within the harp—replacing them, eternally playing the movement before the coffin, allowing the one inside to sleep forever.
Kisho frowned in thought.
His time was normal now. Therefore, his touch would affect these things that had been stopped.
"So that's why when I touched the harp, I could hear it being played."
Kisho understood inwardly.
"The harp has always been played under the influence of Nen. But because time was halted, nothing could be heard."
Kisho folded his arms and rested his chin on his hand, continuing to think.
"But if this harp loses the Nen protection of 'stagnation,' it'll be destroyed instantly. Unless I can use the new movement's ability, I won't be able to truly lift this harp."
His gaze fell again on the crystal coffin against which the harp leaned.
"…Once I take the harp away, not just this coffin—even this entire ruin—will be destroyed afterward."
At that thought, Kisho slowly stepped back.
Even if he really used Nen to take the harp, so what? The moment it lost protection, it would shatter instantly. Even if he brought it out, it would be of no use to him.
This place was where the harp belonged—better to let it remain here, accompanying everything, resting in peace.
This adventure would end here.
For him, obtaining the harp movement of Sonata of Darkness was already an absolute and unexpected windfall.
"But this Sonata of Darkness…"
Kisho thought, slightly frowning, then pressed his hand onto the parchment.
The halted gears of time began turning once more. Crushing down mercilessly, the parchment turned into white smoke and vanished without a trace.
...
Kisho returned to the stone hall, pulling the slab that had been opened by the mechanism and covering the downward entrance again.
As the eternity within the tomb was concealed, the frozen time in the stone hall above dissolved.
He waved toward the two in the side chamber and grinned.
Sion walked back toward him, withdrawing the vines wrapped around Kisho as he spoke, "Looks like you gained quite a bit, kid."
Kisho smiled. "Not bad."
Amos also walked over.
"You're not hurt, right? Didn't get affected? You're not going to turn into an old man the moment we step out of here, are you?"
Kisho snorted and raised his fist at Amos in mock threat.
"Then I'll turn you into an old man too!"
Seeing how energetic Kisho was, Amos nodded in satisfaction.
This time it was Kisho's turn to roll his eyes.
After that, he briefly described what he had seen below and said to Sion,
"The time down there is still stopped. Sending real people down to explore probably isn't possible."
Sion patted Kisho's shoulder. "I understand."
He then added softly, "Also, on behalf of my friend, thank you for not bringing up the harp you mentioned—letting everything remain as it was."
Kisho shrugged. "Mainly because even if I brought it up, I couldn't use it. Might as well let it stay where it belongs."
Kisho spread his hands with a smile.
"Besides, I don't really want to see what the girl inside the crystal coffin would look like once the time-stop is lifted. I've got a feeling just one glance would make me lose my sanity."
Sion smiled faintly and neither confirmed nor denied it.
He looked at Kisho.
"When there's a chance in the future, I'll introduce you to that old friend of mine. Maybe… there'll be an opportunity to let you explore somewhere even more interesting."
Kisho said, "Sounds good."
"Alright." Sion clapped his hands. "Since the matter's resolved, you two can go back and continue the exam."
Amos frowned. "We just solved a puzzle this difficult. Can't you just let us pass?"
Sion froze.
Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't be impossible. But this time, the fourth phase was overseen by a certain extremely annoying old geezer he despised. If that guy found out he had bent the rules, he would definitely seize the opportunity to make his life miserable for fun.
"What did you say? The wind's too loud—I didn't catch that."
Sion shifted uncomfortably under Amos's stare. As he spoke, he took out his phone and pretended to answer a call.
"Debest? There's something at the exit that needs me personally? Got it, I'll be there right away!"
The next second, he vanished from Kisho and Amos's sight, leaving behind only one sentence that seemed to slam onto the stone floor:
"Good luck, boys. I've got high hopes for you~"