| abstract | - In any city, in any country, go to any concert hall you can get yourself to. When you reach the front desk, ask to see someone who calls herself "The Holder of Harmony." The receptionist should start to hum a tune you don't recognize and rummage through some papers in her desk. Be patient. Don't ask again, or the receptionist will get annoyed and close the front desk. If this happens, you have forever lost the opportunity to gain the Object the Holder possesses, and that's not even taking into consideration the sentinel beast you've awakened. Wait patiently and the receptionist will eventually stop what she's doing and beckon for you to follow her. As soon as the two of you pass through a set of double doors, pay very close attention to how she leads you. The two of you will proceed through a maze of corridors, with each hallway being identical to all the others. Make a mental note of which direction she turns and when, noting any corridors you pass by completely. Suddenly, at a random intersection, she will say, "Good luck," and abandon you in the maze, leaving you to fend for yourself. Continue in the direction the two of you were going, acting as if you just passed through the double doors, and then follow the receptionist's directions exactly. No matter which directions you take, your path will eventually dead-end at a battered wooden door. If you made so much as a single mistake, demons that even the devil himself fears will greet you on the other side. Because there's no way of telling if you're at the right door or not, turn and run if you have the slightest doubt in your mind, and pray that you somehow make it out of this labyrinth before you die of dehydration. If you've followed the receptionist's directions precisely, however, opening the door will reveal a winding, narrow path suspended in an infinite golden void. As soon as you pass through the door, it will vanish behind you, stranding you in this nexus between dimensions. As you walk along this path, you will faintly hear the most beautiful-sounding choir singing the most beautiful song you have ever heard. Do your best to block the singing from your mind, lest you be driven to search for the source of this heavenly sound and thus plummet into the void. Should the singing suddenly turn discordant and unpleasant, shout as loudly as you can, "No, no, that's all wrong! Start again from the beginning!" If the singing stops and then resumes as it was before, it is safe to continue. If it grows even worse, however, immediately throw yourself from the pathway, for an eternity of falling is far preferable to what this "choir" will do to you should you stay on the path a single second longer. After you've tread this path for what seems like days, you will eventually reach a large door crafted of solid gold, with a platinum knocker mounted in the center. Knock exactly twelve times. No more, no less. Knock any other amount of times, and the door will fling itself open as soon as you touch the knob, releasing foul creatures beyond explanation to torture you for a number of eons equivalent to the amount of knocks you were away from twelve. After knocking twelve times, open the door. You'll find yourself in a concert hall much like the one you started your journey in, only in a dilapidated state. Onstage will be a single woman sitting on a stool, playing a pan flute. Take a seat and listen to her perform. As soon as you hear the slightest pause, ask her just one question: "What makes them resonate?" Make sure you ask during the silence, for the Holder does not like to be interrupted in the slightest. Nor do the hundreds of horrid concertgoers suddenly materializing all around you like their concert being interrupted by an outsider like you. If you asked at the right moment, she will stand up, place the flute on the stool, and sing to you the entire history of every one of the 2538 objects, including the 2000 lost objects. She will sing in the voices of every great singer who has ever lived, but focus not on the music; it is there merely to distract you. Instead, pay attention to the words she sings, for in a seemingly random place, you will hear the phrase "de capo al fine." The moment you hear this phrase, shout out, "Bravo! Well done!" Miss this phrase, and her words will soon be drowned out by the song you heard on the winding pathway, except this time you will be able to see the hellspawn that create this beautiful music behind her. Pray you go mad before they finish and resume their usual business. If you stop her at the right time, however, she will bow and exit the stage, leaving the pan flute behind. Ascend the stairs to the stage and take it. You will then find yourself on the stage of the concert hall you originally entered. You are free to leave now, but know this: never try to play the flute, for the notes it plays were not meant for this world. The pan flute is Object 217 of 538. The Objects form a chord; never let that chord be played.
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