First Song

by Blaise Corvin

  Someone else shouted the question he had been waiting for since he began speaking. “Why you? Why do we have to listen to a kid like you? You are covered in blood!”

  A tattooed man yelled, “Yeah! This is crazy! Why should we believe any of this?”

  Noah gave a grave nod. “Great question. Turn to page twenty. But I’ll tell you now that I received information in the past and acted on it. For proof, examine any electronics you like. Test the facts listed in the pamphlet or do your own experiments, don’t just take my word for it.

  “Your pamphlets will list every other possibility for the changes you are experiencing, and also explain why the Shift is unique. Different from an Electromagnetic Pulse, or EMP, firearms will no longer function properly.”

  The crowd muttered. People processed what had just been said, and some people murmured to others that it was true.

  Noah held up a hand. “In another week or two if all is going well, there will be new pamphlets distributed for phase two. However…”

  He paused for effect, fueled by the tingles of Charisma flowing through him. The crowd’s growing murmurs stopped. “I am not your leader. I just have some answers and resources. Steelton already has a great leader.”

  This was a part of his plan he had not originally prepared for. Over the years, several unexpected things had occurred in Noah’s life, for better and for worse—Camp Firestarter, the Merriweather Division, Anonymoose, and other things around town that he had influenced. One of those things, a simple seed that he’d planted had borne considerable fruit.

  It had also made his mother feel proud and accomplished, which had been worth it by itself.

  Noah pointed toward Krystal, and then a little bit to her left at her mother. He shouted through the cone, “People of Steelton, a leader we already have and can trust is Eileen Connolly, your mayor! She helped shine a light on all the past corruption in this town. Since she took over, Steelton has flourished, both its economy and community. Mayor Connolly did not know about the coming Shift, but my team and I will be working side by side with her to make sure Steelton and its residents are safe in the days to come.”

  He clapped slowly, deliberately, and thankfully the crowd eventually joined him, hopeful voices rising around the square. Eileen looked surprised, but to her credit, her face steeled with resolve and her back straightened. Noah caught a frown from Krystal.

  After the applause died down, he said, “I will not lie to you. These are dark times. Unlike in stories, there are no heroes to save us, we will have to do this on our own. We will all be following Eileen as our mayor, but right now, until she is up to speed, I ask that everyone study the pamphlets and please heed my words.

  “We are a community, and that is our greatest strength. For now, if you feel safe you can go home, but we will be preparing community halls for everyone soon. Running water will likely be a problem within a few days, and if we have to turn off water to the rest of town, we can probably still keep water flowing in a few central locations. Please be patient, and be strong.”

  Noah still saw the fear in the eyes of the crowd, but rising determination as well. Not everyone from Steelton was present to hear him, not even close, but hopefully word would spread.

  The town’s cohesiveness came from something deeper than his speech just now. These people had trust and faith in each other, in part because of Noah’s tireless meddling.

  The battered, bruised, and aching young man grabbed his guitar before heading down the ladder. Log Cabin guards made sure he had plenty of space. Jamal came forward, shaking his head and clapped Noah on the shoulder. “It’s time to do your mojo now I think.”

  Noah nodded. He strapped on his guitar over his shoulder and began to play lightly, recalling the names of every person he had ever encountered in Steelton. [Harmony] reverberated through him, guiding his thoughts.

  [Community] called open each person’s screen as they came to mind, and Noah assigned them to different groups before giving each group its own note. As he played, he moved forward, away from the milling crowd. They didn’t need him anymore, at least not until tomorrow.

  Noah lost himself in the music, but gave instructions to Jamal and his security team, assigning different guards to various collection points, giving orders for the guards who weren’t present, either.

  He kept playing, sparing encouraging smiles for the people he passed. Most of them had their heads buried in their pamphlets, in various states of shock, but those who looked up had varying expressions as they watched him go. He didn’t linger with any one person to talk. With [Harmony] they were just notes to be moved and played.

  Noah had never played a song this long and this complex before. All of his attention and focus were being spent—the best he could manage beyond [Harmony] was short, concise orders to the Log Cabin guards. Jamal in particular made sure his words reached the right person every time.

  As he passed, townspeople did try to ask him questions now, some even pressed forward. Thankfully, the surrounding guards stopped them.

  He didn’t know how much time had passed, but when his music finally ended, the stars were beginning to shine, brighter than ever before now that there were no more city lights to wash them out. Noah’s fingers were cut, a few of them bleeding freely. He looked at them in confusion, realizing that he’d been so engrossed in his abilities that he hadn’t felt the damage.

  Noah noticed Jamal staring at him warily and also realized that they were far, far away from Lucy’s at this point. His friend looked tired. Voice hoarse, Jamal asked, “What do we do about security now? You gave a good speech, but things are probably gonna get dicey soon. I’ve been willing to take things on faith for a while now, but it’s time to level, Mr. Log Cabin owner boss man.”

  The young Marine set down his riot shield and folded his arms. “I know this has been a long day for all of us, especially for you,” he eyed Noah’s wounds, “But this is where the rubber meets the road. If we are gonna work together like this, you can’t keep me in the dark about anything anymore. I think that’s fair, because everyone else can sing kumbaya and trust in the mayor, but I know this is one hundred percent your show right now. I’m worried about my family. So are you gonna fill me in, now? Like, what is behind that big steel door in the back of the warehouse I used to work from?”

  Noah’s throat was parched. He set down the guitar and studied his hands again. Somewhat distantly, mechanically he wondered how long it would take his body to heal. Noah wanted to sleep, to have time to grieve for Johnny, to adjust his plans for the premature Shift. He had so much to do, he felt overwhelmed. Crushing despair descended, but Noah pushed it away with feelings of accomplishment.

  He had done it. The first day of the Shift was almost done, and Noah had set Steelton on the path of survival. Within the month, Steelton might truly be a beacon of hope.

  But protecting his family wasn’t enough, and wasn’t his true mission. Noah couldn’t just stay in town. This was only the beginning–the Aelves were coming. Noah had faced three monsters and had almost died, barely surviving. What’s more, he was fairly sure that those three had been among the weakest of their kind. None of them had used magic like he had seen before.

  The Shift had finally come, and he still had unanswered questions. How did I understand the Aelves? Is there anything I could have done to save more people? What could I have done differently earlier today against the Aelves? Did I prepare myself enough?

  Doubts began to crowd his tired mind, but he remembered the first Shift he’d lived through. In his past life, he had cowered in his room as chaos broke out around him, growing worse every day. His parents had died in an effort to save his life, but now in this life, they were alive, safe. Worm was a lifetime away, only a memory.

  Noah looked up and watched the stars. One of the constellations, the Big Dipper, was out of alignment, and for some reason, the odd sight gave him comfort. Some things hadn’t changed, and the strange stars reminded him of Doc. The wise man
’s mission had been to unify humanity through communication. Despite all of Noah’s efforts, he’d never been able to locate Doc. They had no way to create electricity in this life. Without his friend, Noah didn’t have the crazy machine he’d invented, and didn’t even have a physical orb—it was part of him now.

  Noah blinked, and new screens appeared he had never seen before.

  Modifier’s alignment with the [Listener] Archetype has strengthened.

  Modifier has gained one stat distribution point.

  Modifier has gained one [Listener] ability point.

  His jaw dropped.

  Jamal gave him an irritated look. “Are you ever going to answer my question?”

  Noah nodded absently. “Yes, sorry. I was planning to tell you everything anyway. Behind the warehouse is an armory, and we’ll get you geared up by tomorrow at the latest. I’ve said several times now that you are a natural leader, and it’s true—I am going to need you. Heck, the town needs you. I’ll give you every tool I can. After that, I doubt you will even need my help anymore.”

  After the Marine reservist grew silent, Noah’s thoughts turned inward again. Truly, had he done enough? Would he survive the days to come? Could he save the rest of his friends who were still alive?

  Suddenly Jamal stressed and chuckled darkly. The tall, muscular man said out loud what was likely on the minds of most people in Steelton, probably most people on the planet. “I can still barely believe this is all happening. What do we do now?”

  Noah let his mother’s lullaby run through his body, making his mysterious power rise in response for a moment. The first song he’d ever heard in his life was still the only music that made his orb react that way. Noah turned and said, “We Listen.”

  Epilogue

  “This is for you, miss.”

  Yoko warily watched the unfamiliar, uniformed guards. She had her own people nearby, but the world had obviously gone mad, just like the theoretical world changes Noah had always suggested in the past. The Firestarter group had played hypothetical, leadership simulation games with each other based on outlandish situations. As of two days ago, Noah’s bizarre scenarios didn’t seem so impossible anymore.

  And now a strange woman was handing over a letter with a handwritten, “To Yoko, From Noah,” on the envelope.

  Yoko was a bit surprised at first when her hand shook as she withdrew the letter, but then merely accepted the reaction. Her hand stilled. Now was the time to think, not jump over every little thing.

  The note read,

  Dear Yoko,

  By the time you receive this letter from one of my people, you will have already realized that the laws of physics have changed. The others from Camp Firestarter have also been sent similar letters like this one. This message and the ones like it are part of a contingency plan in case I am not able to properly speak to you about the coming disaster called the Shift.

  On the last page of this note is a map with locations of warehouses I have set up in your country with supplies for your people. Additional instructions to open fortified, armored doors to more sensitive equipment (like weapons) is on the back of your map. Please guard this information carefully.

  In the warehouses, you will find pamphlets created specifically for your people, and suggestions on how to unify them. Modify the plans and materials as you wish. If there is anything I’ve learned over the years, it is to not underestimate you.

  Carlo’s interest in old weapons has proven invaluable.

  As for the Shift itself, I told you and all of our friends in the past that something was coming—something big.

  Let me say now with grave sincerity: I told you so.

  I know all of this may seem unbelievable, but I trust you to do what is right. You have hopefully not seen any in person yet, or even heard about them, but the Aelves, murderous aliens, are coming. I’ve attached everything I know of them, including my guesses about their social structure, technology, magic, and abilities. It isn’t much, but hopefully you and the other Firestarters might be able to use what I can give you.

  As for myself, I will be fortifying my town, Steelton, ensuring that I have a solid base of power and establishing a stronghold for civilization in my area. After that, I will probably travel, visiting other communities.

  We will be largely travelling with horses. You already know about the horse stables I founded throughout the world. Japan has several. Travel and communication will be the key to keeping humanity unified. Please establish control of the stables as soon as possible, and you will control the information network. Horses are precious.

  Enclosed with this letter is a sample of the pamphlets I created and printed for your country. These are meant to quickly and easily educate people about the Shift. I don’t have to tell you the implications of the Shift or the terror it will bring. I suggest you build a power base if you haven’t already, and assign people to establish order, create some sort of medical infrastructure, and control, then distribute food.

  Good next steps will probably be securing roads between population centers to cut down on crime and prevent as many atrocities as possible. The hidden armory I have left you will help you initially arm your people with Shift-effective weapons and armor.

  Please use everything I have left you with my blessing. Take any measures you can to save as many people as possible and prepare them to defend against human raiders…or the Aelves.

  As I said before, if all goes well, I will travel my country, but international travel is unlikely, especially in the near future.

  Even if we never meet again, always know that I feel fortunate to have met you.

  Stay strong. Hope. Survive.

  You friend,

  Noah Henson

  -End of First Song, Book One

  End of First Song, Book One,

  —First book of the Anthem of Infinity series!

  Noah’s adventures will be continued in the next book of Anthem of Infinity: First Song, Book Two!

  Please read on for a note by the author, including multiple ways to connect on social media.

  …And don’t forget to review this novel!

  About the Authors:

  Blaise Corvin served in the US Army in several roles. He has seen the best and the worst that humanity has to offer. A sucker for any hobby involving weapons, art, or improv, he’s a fairly hard core geek.

  He currently lives in Texas with enough geeky memorabilia to start a museum.

  Being a professional author, he must sometimes talk about himself in third person within author biographies.

  It’s all very eccentric.

  ***

  Outspan Foster can be found writing and reading on RoyalRoadL.com, lurking on Discord chats, drawing and painting digitally, animating in 3D, flying kites, and talking about stories and the craft of stories with his friend Regan

  Outspan is clumsy, stares at people too long, and likes weird people. He believes in the almighty power of love. He is not a hippy.

  He has no great aspirations and lacks any real ambition. He just wants to eat ice cream and relax with friends.

  To Readers,

  PLEASE, PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW!

  You are wonderful and reviews are amazing for all authors, but especially indie authors like Outspan and I. Your reviews help me pay the bills. Seriously.

  If all you can think of to say is, “I liked this book, you should try it too,” that would still be awesome!

  In 2016 I published my first book. Now I’m full time. This is pretty amazing, but also extremely scary. …lol. A lot of writers won’t admit to this. The uncertainty can be intense, wondering if everyone will like what you just wrote enough to help you keep the power on.

  The Anthem of Infinity universe has been extremely fun to write so far, and Noah definitely has many more adventures in store.

  Ways to connect with me:

  1. My Facebook fan group

  Amazon and other distributors are pretty terrible at letting you know when my ne
w books come out. For the latest news and updates, join my Facebook group:

  Blaise Corvin Reader group

  http://www.facebook.com/groups/BlaiseCorvinBooks/

  2. My website

  If you’re interested in checking out my website, the URL is http://blaise-corvin.com/. You can find news, Delvers artwork, and maps. In 2018, the site will have a store, too.

  The site is still a work in progress so please be patient with me.

  3. These are my social media pages. Connect with me!

  Twitter - @Blaise_Corvin

  https://twitter.com/Blaise_Corvin

  Facebook - Leave me a like on facebook!

  https://www.facebook.com/BlaiseCorvinWriter/

  GameLit Society Facebook Group

  https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPGsociety/

  Blaise Corvin Reader group (best place for updates)

  http://www.facebook.com/groups/BlaiseCorvinBooks/

  My Patreon!

  http://www.patreon.com/BlaiseCorvin

  If you really love my work and would like to support me further, Patreon offers a great way to help out. I get a lot of support from readers there!

  My email

  If you want to drop me a line for any reason, you can email me at:

  Blaise.Corvin.Art@gmail.com

  Until next time (--and please leave a review!--)

  Thank you for joining me on this adventure! I couldn’t do it without all the knowledge and encouragement I get on a daily basis from everyone I interact with.

  I can’t wait to spend time with you again and with Noah in First Song, Book Two