That first night changed Shell’s life. When the group was packing up the next morning to move on, she made the decision to go with them and be a permanent member of the band. For three years they travelled around performing wherever they could. Fame started to build and soon they had thousands of people at each of their shows.

  Over the three years, Shell had experienced so much of the world. Passing through towns she had never heard of, and big cities she couldn’t even dream of, had introduced her to an entirely new life.

  With every stop, she had talked to anyone she could and learned any new skills she found interesting. A glass artisan in Medunea had taught her how to blow and shape glass into beautiful works of art. She found a painter in the trade city of Plissa that used water paints to create masterpieces. This form of art spoke to her due to her background and ability to push and pull water. Her bandmates even decided to stay for a week, so that Shell could learn from the master.

  Other than hobbies, she was able to experience what land dwelling people go through in their daily lives. It wasn’t much different from the Wave which surprised her, but there were some differences. One was the sheer size of areas they had to explore. This led to roomy homes, parks, and options on where to eat or shop. Of course, every experience wasn’t a good one.

  Shell realized that a big difference was that some people were pushed down by society. The Wave treated everyone with the same level of respect. Every member had a home and a job. In some of these towns and bigger cities, she found that some class chosen that didn’t have super useful classes were often cast out. Without a decent job, they couldn’t get enough guins to afford a home. This was something she was sad to see, and she would often give some of her guins from her cut of the shows to these homeless citizens.

  Between locations, they would spend time in the wilderness and Shell had picked up a few new survival skills. Elise taught her how to identify different plants that were safe to eat and how to prepare them. Sed taught her how to track and stealthily hunt land prey. Radia showed her how to ride horses. She felt amazing when learning all these life skills. It felt like she was growing even though her class wasn’t levelling up.

  Seven months in they were on a hunt and Shell felt bad that she wasn’t able to help. Secretly, she never had liked using her abilities for combat, but what she did enjoy was protecting her allies. Violence was something she was never suited for even though it was necessary sometimes to survive. When she thought about this, she decided to figure out a way to make her class more useful which made her training begin.

  Whenever they were by a river or a lake she would attempt to apply her skills to the water there. Of course, it worked, but how could she utilize these skills to help outside of the water. After some months of thinking about this and trying different techniques something important occurred to her. She embodied the ocean. The Wave were the ocean personified or at least that was their belief. So, when she saw her friends struggling against a beast that used fire as armor, she surged her mana into a nearby river and in her mind pictured herself as the ocean. To her surprise she pulled the water towards herself and out of the river. A notification rang out and she knew that a forced skill evolution had just occurred. She was able to feel the ebb and flow of water in her own body and moved the water like a raging waterfall into the beast immediately causing a hiss of steam. This made an opening for an arrow from Elise to get through and end the fight.

  After that they always made sure to try and hunt near water sources. Shell also found her telepathy to be useful on the hunts for quiet communication. A year in and she started to grow in her class. She refused to fall behind her new friends or the friends waiting back on the island.

  Her favorite moments were still when they were all travelling down the road in the wagons and they were practicing the music. Radia had shown her how to play other instruments, and she was getting pretty good at all of them. The ocarina was still her favorite and was her instrument of choice when they played though. It just felt right.

  Every night she made sure to look up at the stars and wonder what her family was up to. Even in this trial, she could feel the call of the ocean. Her skill to always sense her home would tug at her mind constantly. Part of her wanted to go see what the mana echoes of them were like, but it would be a far trip. One of the many things she had learned was the geography of Motholo and she was on the opposite side of the world.

  Part of her wanted this life to be reality. She was so happy here. Of course, she loved being with everyone on the island even though sometimes she felt like an outsider, but this was the life she had always wanted. Here she felt extraordinary like Radia said she was. People would crowd venues to see the band play. People would shout her name. Many would offer to buy her drinks or take her out to dinner just to be around her. It felt good to be wanted.

  A particularly great show led them to get an invitation to play in the biggest city in this half of the world on the biggest stage ever built. Elise and Radia were in complete shock. Sed said he knew it’d happen, which led to him being teased relentlessly. Shell wasn’t sure how she felt. Happiness had been a constant and she hadn’t felt fear on stage since that first show. Her friends always made her feel safe when they were up there doing their thing. Now, she only felt pride at the news. Pride in how far her and her friends had come. Pride in their music and how much effort they put into it. It felt good to be measured by something other than how many creatures you could take down in a single attack or how dangerous you are. This opportunity felt substantial. Full of purpose and an opportunity to put their true souls on display. With great confidence, they accepted.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  Two weeks worth of travelling got them to the city. Over those two weeks they practiced harder than ever and came up with new songs. Radia even wrote in a solo for Shell to showcase her ocarina skills. She called the song, “Sapphire Eyes” which made Shell smile for nearly a day straight. She was nervous about having a solo though. It was something that was new even after three years.

  The night finally came. It was exactly three years since that first show and the venue was packed. A clear night sky hung over the venue and the stars looked exceptionally beautiful. Everyone quieted and the music began. Soft notes led into big crescendos. Melodic sound filled the ears of those in attendance and was only drowned out by the applause.

  Shell looked over at her bandmates and saw them right where they were meant to be. Not on stage, but in life. Radia looked perfect with the masterful way she played the low whistle. The music flowed through her like water and poured out into the crowd. True passion was written all over her confident face. Elise produced a sense of love and happiness with every pluck of her lyre’s strings. Her little dance shouted freedom to anyone watching. Sed’s strings embodied strength as he fingered his lute with absolute confidence. His face held a look of certainty as if he knew there was no way they could fail while up on stage doing what they were meant for.

  Shell fell into the music like normal and let the flow take her to that place she loved. Before she knew it, Radia played the opening note for “Sapphire Eyes”. After an opening from the band, their instruments dropped and made room for Shell center stage. She stepped up without hesitation and started to play her solo. The crowd loved it, and their admiration made Shell want to give them more. She fell further into the music and did something she didn’t even expect.

  Her telepathy skill activated and connected with every mind in the venue. Tears rolled down their faces as they felt the music as she did. Her happiness, her dreams, her purpose all flooded into their minds and connected to the music. Sounds of the ocean, her humming in her mind, waves crashing, and wind whistling sounded out into their minds complimenting the music even more. Even Radia fell to her knees in tears as the song ended. Silence filled the venue. Shell opened her eyes and for a second felt horror as she saw the wet cheeks of the crowd. Then the entire place erupted into thunderous applause and people shouting. Emotions overwhelmed her at the acceptance and praise. Blue tears fell down her face that looked like the ocean waters and the show ended.

  On their way out, Radia grabbed her hand and pulled her into a private space.

  “Shell! That was incredible! Using your skill to enhance the music like that was brilliant. I mean I have never heard of anything that beautiful!”

  “Thanks! I didn’t plan to do it, it just felt right. The flow of mana was like water going through my ocarina.”

  “Well, you should do that more. You really are amazing! I’m really glad we met you. Spending time with you has changed my life and I couldn’t imagine life without you now.”

  “I think you’re amazing too. When I see you up there playing, it’s inspirational.” Shell put her fingers through Radia’s and stepped a bit closer. “I want to say thank you. You’ve all changed my life too. I’m sad it can’t last, but I fear my trial is almost over. The whole point of me coming in here was for me to experience the world. To experience life. In the past three years I’ve experienced more new things than in the past twenty-two years out there. Passion, fun, purpose, and love. You’ve taught me so many things and I’ll never be able to repay you. I’ve grown as a person, and as a class chosen because of you. The change was more than I could have ever imagined. Radia, I will never forget you and every time I play, the notes will have a whisper of the love I feel for you. You’ll always be remembered.”

  The last thing Shell saw as the light and sound of the world faded was Radia mouthing the words “I love you too”.

  ***

  Nothing happened when the empty white space returned, so she checked the notification she had gotten after the song ended.

  Class Evolution in progress

  Ocean’s Melody (Unique): The ocean’s your home and that will never change. Music, however, is where you belong. Combine the call of the ocean with the beautiful melodies you create to form skills with the sole purpose of encouraging others. Let the music flow through you like the water of your home.

  Shell smiled a little when she read the class. It didn’t take away her skills and she still felt that she could be of purpose to her family, but now she could also follow her passion. A couple of new skills presented with the class evolution and they revolved around providing her allies buffs through her music or being able to heal much like a bard would. A lot of practice would be required to see how powerful this new class could be. Most importantly, that meant she would be playing music as much as she could.

  Congratulations Shell, you have completed your trial by experiencing life and finding a true passion!

  Bonus experience has been awarded

  Triumph of Oneself Achievement has been unlocked.

  Triumph of Oneself: You have completed a trial dungeon and triumphed over what was weighing down your soul. Through knowing yourself better and cleansing your soul, your resources have benefited. Stamina and Mana will now regenerate at double the rate.

  To her surprise two items also spawned in front of her which made her realize that the class wasn’t a reward. She had done that herself. That meant this trial had changed her soul. Radia had changed her soul.

  Endless Ocean (Legendary): This bag contains a spatial dimension which holds a vast ocean. Carry the power of the waves with you.

  Ocarina of Radia (Unique): Playing this ocarina will boost any music related skills. The sound of this instrument also soothes the souls of those who hear it.

  The items perfectly fit into her new class. One kept her home close while the other allowed her to follow her passion. Both would be an incredible step forward for her as she emerged back into reality. Her trial ended and the white faded, but she swore that she could hear the sweet notes of the band playing in the distance.