Horror Game Developer: My games aren't that scary! - Chapter 287: The First Phase [4]
Chapter 287: The First Phase [4]
The first phase was divided into three sections.
The overtune, the staccato, and the requiem.
Each lasted for ten minutes, with the piece growing more and more complex with each section.
WAM—!
The music flared inside my ears.
Pressing onto the keys of the keyboard, I followed the music sheet in front of me.
Dang! Da—!
I didn’t make a single mistake, but..
“…..Kh!”
I felt breathless.
A sharp pain invaded my mind the moment I began playing and heard the music around me. I couldn’t quite pinpoint where the pain came from, but for a brief second, I nearly lost the hypnosis effect.
Thankfully, I was just able to maintain it as I continued to press down on the keyboard.
Swoosh!
The conductor slashed down with its arm.
The tempo quickened.
I tried my best to keep up with the tempo. It was hard, but it was manageable.
’This isn’t too hard just yet. I can do this. I can do this.’
I clenched my teeth and focused my absolute best on the situation. While it was true that I was currently moving thanks to the hypnosis, I still needed to maintain focus on the occasion that the hypnosis would snap.
’…There’s seven minutes left to the overtune. This will be the easiest part for now.’
From the staccato onward, I knew that the situation would become more and more dangerous. For me and the audience.
I slowly turned my attention towards the audience, and my breath paused.
The lights were bright, but even amidst the brightness, I could see the red that spilled all over.
I turned my gaze away and continued to play.
’I hope he’s okay.’
I started to worry about Kyle, but I knew that it was an unnecessary worry. I needed to focus on myself.
Daaa—!
The music continued to play.
The minutes ticked. One minute. Two minutes. Three minutes.
I had long forgotten about the situation behind the lights.
My back was soaked in sweat.
Even under hypnosis, my body strained to keep up.
There was something about the atmosphere and situation that was interfering with the hypnosis. I could feel the effect slowly starting to waver, with me focusing entirely on keeping the sensation.
My mind churned, and the sharp pain that I felt before grew increasingly more intense.
’Not now. Not now…’
I gritted my teeth and fixed everything on the keys.
A minute.
I had one minute left until the second phase. I could feel it in the piece. The tempo, which had been steadily increasing just a few moments prior, had started to slow down.
It was bracing for something.
Something like—
“Get ready.”
A voice rasped through my mind, dry and monotone.
Huh?
I subconsciously raised my head.
There, greeting my gaze was the conductor’s back.
The world suddenly grew silent.
And within the silence, the conductor slowly raised its hands.
“Haaa…”
The slow sound of my own breath echoed in my mind.
And then—
WAM—!
The silence was shattered immediately.
“….!?”
The instruments flared to life. My hands moved on their own, shooting towards the piano at a speed unlike before.
My heart raced inside my chest.
Da! Da! Da! Da! Da! Dang—
The pain in my mind intensified as my fingers began to move extremely quickly. The tempo had increased substantially and almost instantly.
I could even hear the screams from the audience.
And yet, I couldn’t pay any attention to it.
The only thing I could do was focus on the keys in front of me as I focused my entire mind on keeping the connection with the hypnosis.
’Ten minutes. I need to resist for ten minutes…!’
But this was easier said than done. The more I played, the harder it became for me to keep focused. My hands started to tense as sweat dripped down on the keys.
Swoosh, swoosh—!
The conductor’s movements were erratic and quick. With each swing of the baton, the music would shift.
Each movement signified a change.
A change that was felt by both the audience and me.
“Ukh.”
I clenched my teeth, my hand shooting towards the other end of the piano as my fingers rolled across each key.
The movements were swift and fluid.
But at the same time, the ache in my mind increased. My vision suddenly grew hazy, and four hands overlapped in front of me. For a brief moment, I struggled to understand which one was my real hand.
That brief lapse in judgment nearly screwed me over as I felt the hypnosis wear off for just a second.
’No!’
I pressed down on the keys, keeping up with the momentum of the second.
Dang!
Thankfully, despite it all, I was able to remain alert. I didn’t let the momentary lapse in the hypnosis affect me.
I managed to press the right key as the hypnosis returned.
My fingers started to move on their own again.
“Haa… Haa…”
In that moment, I felt it. My back… It was entirely soaked in sweat as I felt chills run down every part of my body.
’…This is ridiculous. Just what in the world is happening?’
It became pretty obvious to me that all of this was no coincidence, and as I slowly turned my head, I caught a glimpse of the conductor looking at me.
My heart sank in that moment.
Especially when I caught the subtle pull of its lips.
’It knows…’
I swallowed quietly, my throat constricting as my body tensed.
Dang! Da—!
Screams followed suit in the background. They grew louder, and I could see that the entire place had fallen into chaos.
And yet, I couldn’t do anything about it.
To my horror, I found that the more I played, the more I felt the energy get sapped away from me. The lights shone bright, and breathing became more difficult. It was hot. My entire body was soaked in sweat, and my forearms started to sting due to the intense playing.
I felt…
Suffocated.
Wam!
But despite how I felt, the show continued.
It didn’t stop for me.
It grew even more intense as I sat by the front edge of the stool, my fingers gliding across the keys, so intensely that it felt like they’d fall off at any second.
“Kh…!”
My vision was entirely hazy by this point.
I could hardly see.
…My mind stung, and the pain had grown to the point where I could hardly bear it.
Everything was working against me.
And yet, I persisted.
“Ukh!”
Dang!
I pressed the keys. I allowed the hypnosis to do the job, following the sheets fluently. I concentrated on everything I had and clung to the hypnosis.
And then—
Wam! Wam! Wam!
I smashed down on the keys three times before suddenly stopping.
“Haa… Haa…”
I nearly collapsed on the spot, feeling my hair cling to my forehead underneath the mask.
The hypnosis wore off shortly after, and the world grew silent.
All besides the sound of my own heavy breath as it resounded loudly within my mind.
In that moment, the silence took over the theater.
And as I looked at the conductor, I understood.
It was still not over. There was still one more part.
The last phase.
The Requiem.
Source: Webnovel.com, updated by novlove.com
