An electric buzz reverberated above Suri’s head. She stood in a shallow lake of sorts with no land in sight, just listening. The water lapped at her bare calves, a deadly force leaping and dancing in the encircling clouds. Flash! Suri felt the lightning touch her skin with a note almost too high to hear. Spinning Suri dipped her fingers into the warm water pushing the lightning into it, causing to a pure tone to sound fourth. This sound no mortal instrument could produce, this sound was of the stars, moon, and the sun itself. Suri grinned as she danced with the sky fire, it felt right. One wrong move would result in her death, but performed right and she could transform the lightning into something delicate, bold, unpredictable. The water rippled with every caress of her gentle touch.

Another strike, new timbres forming stately with order, not loud but insistent and inspiring.

Another flash, the music began to become one, melding into one another as Suri danced. The water shifted color with her words and touch. Suri began to lose herself in the music, forgetting any and all cares. She attempted to sing, to capture the feeling of ecstasy and peace, but her voice failed her, words held no meaning any longer.

The rythym shifted. A new tone, chaotic and powerful, made manifest. She looked up from her art, and saw a man shadowed by the fog, outlined by twin thunderbolts to either side of him. The sound of the lightning and water meeting directly with no control ground at Suri’s nerves. She growled with a sudden anger at the intrusion of her moment, her quiet place of sound and art. The man raised his hands lightning arced to his outstretched fingers. He began to dance his tone of chaos becoming stronger as he moved. Suri realized her own tone had began to fade, she reluctantly resumed the stately medley. As he moved closer their music clashed violently. Suri would not be beaten, she flung bolts of lightning at the water with a ferocity she had previously never known.

Electricity danced in the air. A perfect melody forming from nothing. Half calm and sturdy, half chaos and turmoil. Suri saw the story form before her eyes.

This was life and death intertwined, one part dependable as inevitable death another as chaotic as life. The contest morphed changing into a combined effort to make something beautiful.

A new tone.

A beautiful tone of life.