The Famed Piper

As they walked out of the alley, the sun hovered briefly above the clouds on the distant horizon, just before dipping below to paint the scenery in a warm orange glow.
Looking around, Erel took in a sight straight out of fantasy; something he never thought he’d witness. They stood on a cobblestone street in a bustling market, but it was nothing like what he was used to back in Seoul.
The entire path was lined with small shops on both sides, each offering something different. One shop displayed a wide variety of swords and blades, its burly shopkeeper deep in a haggling match with a passerby. Next to it, a sweet shop tempted customers with mouth-watering desserts that Erel had never seen before. There was even a shop selling odd trinkets, orbs, and jewellery, catching the eyes of many women as they passed.
Everyone seemed dressed straight out of a story, men in robes and oversized cardigans, women in long skirts and fitted blouses.
They were in the heart of a village that felt medieval in every sense. The atmosphere was light, carrying a subtle, lingering scent of sugar and mud. All around, people chatted away, filling the air with a gentle hush of conversations.
‘Seriously, why couldn’t the Bluebeard plane be more like this? Instead, I got to see one hell of a creepy family.’
“At times, even the Imaginarium can be beautiful,” Lyra muttered beside him, taking in the sounds around her.
Standing at what seemed to be the entrance to the village, with the sun already setting, Erel found himself uncertain about what to do next. The Bluebeard plane had been straightforward in its expectations, but here, he felt like he was starting on a blank slate.
“Lyra, what are we supposed to do now?” Erel asked, watching the villagers lost in their trivial gossip.
“Well, that is the problem with Beta planes. finding which myth you’re in. You might have noticed in the Seoul one, Alpha planes have a fixed narrative, so it’s very easy to figure out where you are. But here, knowing which myth you’re in should always be the priority.”
Erel briefly remembered how he’d discovered the myth before.
‘The parchment that I already had when I woke inside.’
“Still, it’s a start; being in a village eliminates quite a few options. Though always remember, not knowing which myth the plane operates in is equivalent to being completely blind for an Anomalite.”
With that, Lyra started walking toward the nearest stall, her steps confident and unhesitating.
“Wait, where are you going?”
“We’ll need to ask around, gain knowledge of where we actually are.”
Erel followed, his mind on high alert. In the Bluebeard plane, the switch to death and misery had been immediate, so the calmness and tranquillity here felt almost like a lie.
Lyra stopped at the first stall, which seemed to be selling clothes. The shop, if it could be called that, was a small cart loaded with a wide variety of gowns and shirts, each stranger than the last to Erel. The cart was manned by a couple: the husband, gaunt with a prickly face and hands marked by years of labour, and the woman, busy on a makeshift chair, stitching what looked like a woman’s gown.
“Hello, mister, my friend and I have been travelling and got lost and just managed to stumble upon this town. Could you please help us understand where we currently are?”
Lyra’s tone was warm and approachable.
The man, however, seemed starstruck, eyes darting up and down as he looked at Lyra.
‘Well, don’t blame him. Seeing someone as beautiful as Lyra, dressed in clothes that probably seem strange to him, would set anyone off.’
“Hu-m-miss…”
The man stammered, clearly blushing, glancing between Lyra and Erel, his head snapping back and forth. Lyra only smiled, waiting for a reply that never came.
‘Seriously, even I could have approached him better than that.’
Noticing the commotion and her husband’s antics, the woman stood up in clear annoyance.
“You fool, just get back to work; I’ll see to her.”
At her words, the man grew even more embarrassed and retreated behind the cart.
“How can I help you, miss? You don’t look like you’re from around here,” the woman said, her gaze lingering on Lyra’s modern, sleek protective gear and bow.
“My partner and I were passing nearby when we got lost, barely managing to stumble upon this town. Could you please help us out with some directions?” Lyra repeated, her smile unwavering.
“I see. Well, you are currently in the town of Hamelin. I’d suggest you stop for the night and stay at the inn down the road. After all, tomorrow is St. John and Paul’s Day. You can enjoy the festivities before leaving.”
‘Hamelin, wait, I’ve heard that before… But where? Which story was it?’
Lyra seemed just as puzzled, turning back to gesture for Erel to follow as she walked down the cobbled path.
“So, do you know which plane this is?” Erel asked hopefully.
“And here I thought having you take that Myths and Legends course in university would help.”
“Just tell me which one,” Erel muttered, a little annoyed.
‘Like I would remember the thousands of myths out there.’
“It’s the Pied Piper, smartass. You should know this much, but how would you? You sleep through all lectures,” Lyra said, smirking.
Erel grunted at her teasing, unable to refute her claim.
“The story where the piper leads away the children, never to be found again, when the village refuses to pay him for clearing out the rats. So what are we going to fight this time, oversized rats, or a clown with a supernatural flute?”
“Well, probably both,” Lyra replied matter-of-factly, continuing down the path.
Wherever they walked, they seemed to draw all gazes towards them, each lingering with curiosity.
“So, what next?”
“What would you have done if you were alone here?” Lyra asked, curious about his reasoning.
Erel pondered the implications of the myth as they walked to the end of the market. The shops grew scarce, the path turning into a residential area lined with single-storey brick houses and colored roofs.
“Since we need to rewrite the narrative, I think there are three ways to do it.”
“Hmmm, first?”
“We prevent the piper from taking away the rats in the first place,” Erel said, still deep in thought.
“But we can’t do that. Why?”
“Because, rather than just having the piper as our opponent, we’d end up riling up the villagers as well.”
“Good. Second way?”
“We stop the piper from taking away the children, which could work, but the piper’s guard would be up, so we wouldn’t be able to catch him off guard.”
As he continued, Lyra’s smile widened, her eyes bright with a strange excitement.
“And the third?” she prompted, expectant.
“We simply follow him when he takes away the children, strike when his guard is low, either kill him, or take the children without him knowing. Either would rewrite the original narrative.”
“Outstanding. I knew it, you surviving Bluebeard was no luck.”
“So, what do we do next?”
“We simply wait. Look, there…”
As they walked, Lyra stopped and pointed toward a narrow gap between two houses. The area around them was nearly deserted now, sundown leaving the streets barely lit.
Following her finger, Erel saw what she meant: a group of rats scurrying hurriedly between the walls. They were nothing like the rats he knew; each was as big as his forearm, with dark button-like eyes and yellowish, curved tails.
“The piper hasn’t yet rid the village of rats. He’ll probably do it tonight. For now, we wait. If I’m not wrong, he takes the children when all the adults are tired after the day-long celebration of St. John and St. Paul’s Day. That means we have until tomorrow night to prepare.”
“What do we do to prepare?”
“For now, let’s just go to the inn, rest for the night, and tomorrow we’ll go around the village, try to gather more information before deciding on a plan.”
As they continued down the path, the glances and stares they’d been receiving faded as the streets grew darker and emptier. All the families seemed to retreat to their homes early, as if sharing a silent understanding of what was to come.
‘They know the piper will do his work at night.’
They soon reached a two-storey building made of jutting bricks and small windows with perched balconies. A sign above the door read, Liz’s Inn and Bar.
“How do you plan on getting a room, though? I doubt they’ll accept won.”
“You underestimate your aunt’s charm,” Lyra replied with the confidence of someone who’d done this many times before.
‘Is she serious? She’s clearly planning on seducing someone.’
They walked through the main double doors, which opened with the metallic clink of a sonorous bell. The lights inside were blinding after the dark street. Erel paused, taking in the scene: a bar with a long wooden countertop at the centre, men slouched over high stools, and a bartender refilling giant wooden cups with a yellowish liquid topped with white foam. Round wooden tables were scattered around, most empty, their chairs stacked atop them, legs in the air. On the far end, an old wooden stairway likely led to the inn above.
The air was heavy, thick with the smell of alcohol. As the bell’s sound cut through the chatter and clinking, a few heads turned, lingering on them for far too long.
The man behind the counter eyed them with confusion, his gaze settling on Lyra before a look of realisation crossed his bearded face.
“Ahh, travellers at this hour. How can I help you? Are you here for a drink or to stay the night?” he called out, his voice as gruff as his appearance.
Lyra approached with a face full of pretended grief, her quivering tone sending shivers down Erel’s spine.
‘Never thought she could sound like that. It’s scary how good she is at acting.’
“G-good sir, my nephew and I got lost in the nearby woods while travelling. Luckily, we managed to stumble upon this village, or God knows what might have happened to us.”
Her words had an immediate effect; every man nearby was already entranced by her performance, especially the bartender, who stood with his mouth agape.
“O-of course, ma-madam, we can fix you up with a room right away,” the man replied after a pause, stammering.
“But I have no money, I-I lost it all…” Lyra murmured, her head dropping as she looked down, fingers fidgeting.
‘Oh my god, she is absolutely shameless.’
Erel stood behind her, amazed at how well her plan was working. All the men looked spellbound by her beauty, and now her act had only intensified their interest.
The bartender fumbled, reaching beneath the counter to grab a key from a cupboard.
“Madam, don’t worry at all. You and your nephew can stay here as long as you want,” he said, puffing up with pride at his own generosity.
“Thank you, good sir, thank you so much. I d-don’t know how to repay you.”
“Don’t worry, madam. Just stay safe and let me know if you need anything.”
Taking the key with trembling hands and giving the man a slight bow, Lyra walked toward the stairs.
“It’s the last room on the right. Have a good night, miss.”
Erel lingered in the hall, still processing what had happened.
‘Why the hell are they glaring at me like I’ve killed someone? She’s the one who played them all.’
Glancing at the men, who now seemed to be giving him death glares, Erel hurried after Lyra.
The room was modest, but comfortable. Two separate beds, a bathroom, and even a study table stood in the corner.
“You seriously have no shame, do you?” Erel muttered as he closed the door.
“What? It’s their fault for being played like that. Plus, it’s better than sleeping on the street,” Lyra replied, feigning innocence.
“Rest now, there’s a lot to do tomorrow.”
As soon as those words left her lips, Erel heard it.
A haunting, entrancing melody resonated through the walls. The sound was so clear, it was as if someone was playing right beside him.
The music was beautiful, reminiscent of Chopin’s nocturnes that Erel loved, but it was haunting, almost dreadful, as if something deep inside him was trying to claw its way out.
Lyra, too, seemed shaken by the melody that echoed through the inn. “There he is, the famed piper himself,” she whispered, her mind already caught by the strange, compelling tune.
Author’s Note:
Hello dear readers, I hope you are enjoying the novel so far. Your feedback is greatly appreciated.
Have a look at the new character designs. You can find them on Patreon following this link: https://patreon.com/ContagiousBean

Chapter end