A TALE OF CRESCENDO
CHAPTER THREE ~ The West & The East
CHAPTER FOUR
The First Crescendo
Year Twenty-Four
As a year has passed Juna and Tilian continue to woo each other, only able to vaguely glimpse the other while visually signaling across the point. On its east side Tilian has built a small wooden catapult which he uses to launch satchels of cloth across to the west bank containing roses and ribbons for her hair, strawberries and tangerines, along with notes written on balsam wood to express his affection. At the western peninsula, eighteen-year-old Juna fashioned a slingshot to return the favor with sunflowers and prepared fish along with tender replies on the bark. Enamoured by each other’s letters, the penpals notice that their tribes’ written languages have deviated from the other over the two decades.
On the sunny solstice, Tilian spots a large shell-shaped driftwood washed ashore nearby. He contemplates using it and an oar-like stick to cross the river to finally meet Juna. However since their fateful arrival here, the Archfathers have forbidden ship-building and crossing the river. Using its few tributaries on either side for cleansing, fishing and fresh water the tribes dare not cross or swim in the Shendoa itself, lest they be swept out to sea with their elders by its mighty current.
Equally eager to meet Tilian face to face, Juna gestures to him at Lepe Point to cross the river using the driftwood shell. Torn by desire and his father’s order, he sorrowfully declines and walks away from the shoreline after waving her goodbye.
Brokenhearted, Juna loudly calls out to Tilian in a wail. Subconsciously, she begins to imitate the ash gray and scarlet songbirds trilling outside their cavern home. Suddenly, Juna begins to sing!
Rainbow River by Kel Verde
For the first time the earth perceives the impassioned song of a human voice, and is momentarily in harmonic convergence. Resonating in the frequencies four three & two, the aria of the one mystically multiplies throughout the land. As all winged creatures join along, the chorale flows through the planet’s atmosphere as an empathic wave.
Without being prompted, all of the children born on the continent over the past twenty years spontaneously sing in unison with Juna to conceive the first musical crescendo. Even the twins, who have not spoken in eleven years, suddenly sing along. The world momentarily stops on its axis, and time has no meaning as the resonation is broadcast through the solar system at the speed of sound.
The aria lasts for ten or twenty minutes, perhaps an hour during which the passage of time is temporarily non-linear. As their ears are awakened and eyes peer skyward, the effect on the Crescendant tribe is profound and their world is never the same thereafter.
Juna’s Aria (Mystical cosmic art by Mindful)
As the unprecedented hymn resounds through the land the harmonious wave ripples back to its operant at the convergence point. Juna is overwhelmed by the sudden aria she has conceived which was heard by all, and is stunned into silence. As the chorus of singing birds and children subsides to a quiet lull, the tribes are astonished having never heard a human song. Drawn to the source of this extraordinary sound the inland villagers on either side start to walk towards its origin at the river, which has receded during the resonation.
Back at Lepe Point, the two admirers try to comprehend what has occurred. Tilian was unable to sing and join the harmony, as the only native-born Crescendant who could not sing. As he groans to Juna, she is too startled to repeat her song. While the Shendoa has momentarily calmed, at this narrowest point it is now shallow enough to pass over in the driftwood shell.
As Juna reaches to him, Tilian crosses the dwindling river with ease. Finally, they meet after glimpsing and wooing each other from across it for years. As Tilian sets foot in We’scend and approaches her, Juna is suddenly shocked and aghast at the sight of him.
She recognizes that Tilian’s face is that of her two younger brothers, Aedan’s sons who unmistakably bear his and her grandpa R’Nesto’s likeness. Juna cannot believe her eyes as she comes to understand that Tilian must be her brother as well, which cannot be. She shrieks and flees from him, while he cannot understand the cause for her sudden disdain. He follows after her as she pleads for him to leave her be.
As the first answering the crescendo’s call to reach its origin point, Juna’s brothers hear her cry and rush to her aid at the riverside. Paedan comforts his sister, while the older Kaedan confronts the swarthy Tilian. As they begin to tussle they are both dumbfounded – they wear the same face! Although his skin is tanner than theirs, Tilian’s visage is nearly identical to Kaedan and his brother.
While the three young men aged nineteen, seventeen & sixteen gesture at each other quizzically, the villagers from both sides arrive at the shorelines. Arch Dilian emerges across the river with armed tribesmen, while Arch Aedan and Ivera arrive with the western tribe.
For the first time since their arrival over twenty years past, the tribes and its chiefs can clearly see and speak with each other while the diminished river lies still. As they view the Arches’ offspring standing together with their tribes on either side, they collectively gasp and fall silent.
Aedan approaches his sons and Dilian’s son and immediately recognizes his own heritage in the tanned Tilian, as do all summoned to attendance by the aria. As Aedan and Ivera have only three offspring together, and he was an only child there can be no other explanation for Tilian to bear his and R’Nesto’s likeness. Tilian is the son of Aedan, not the son of Dilian.
Speaking to Aedan for the first time, Tilian asks him if he is Aedan’s son and they are his brothers and sister. Aedan stares at him intently and hesitates before responding. “Yes.” Almost on cue, the villagers on either side reply nearly in unison. “Yes.”
“No-ooooooo!” snarls Arch Dilian in a primal scream from across the river. While the skies darken around them to the squawk of a descending raven, he glides across the receded river to retrieve his heir. Defending and stepping in front of his newfound son, Aedan confronts Dilian and they begin to skirmish. Following their Arches’ leads, the tribesmen begin to throw rocks at the opposing side in their first ever battle.
Attacking each other in fisticuffs, Aedan’s physical fighting prowess is somehow matched by slender Dilian’s slithery evasion. Despite being hammered by Aedan’s fists Dilian pounds him with an iron-crusted gauntlet, dazing him.
Dilian grabs Tilian and half-drags him to the shoreline as he protests. Aedan pursues them with his sons closely behind, while a hard rain proceeds to fall around them. At Lepe Point the Arches struggle to claim Tilian, grabbing his arms. In the scuffle, he gets away and they pause.
Peering at his foe, Aedan comes to a shocking realization. He loudly proclaims to all in attendance that this is not Arch Dilian standing before him, it is a charlatan! Confounded by these conflicting events, the villagers on both sides stop clashing to scrutinize Dilian.
As the downpour soon turns to a thundering storm, Dilian emerges on his side of the river during a lightning flash while Tilian is nowhere to be seen. Furious, Aedan chases after the deceiver Dilian to the east. Using the driftwood shell beached on the riverbed, Aedan crosses the Shendoa towards E’scend to pursue the impostor.
Without warning, the river surges and roars from the north. Sudden raging waves rushing downstream overwhelm Aedan in the driftwood, sending him down the river uncontrollably towards the sea. Without thinking, his sons Kaedan and Paedan dive within in a valiant attempt to save him; however they too are quickly overcome by the waves.
As the three men desperately swim for the shore downstream towards Minuet Point, Arch Aedan has washed up on the opposite side. Kaedan has managed to paddle to the western shore; however his brother Paedan has been lost to the sea.
Kaedan and the royal guard rush to rescue their Arch from the other side in the driving thunderstorm, however the rising water level causes the Shendoa to be once again insurmountable. Aedan stands up on the E’scend shore for the first time, and is immediately captured by Dilian and his lieutenant who drag him off into the jungle.
Outraged as they clench their fists and avow vengeance, Kaedan and the Wescendant tribe rally all of their armed forces as they prepare to invade E’scend and liberate the Archfather. On both sides of the river the warriors steel themselves for battle, bellowing together to declare that this war between the tribes has begun.
Landing of Leif Ericsson on Vinland CE 1000
CHAPTER FIVE ~ The War Begins
Musical accompaniment for context
Ambient Instrumental Score: “Tabula Rasa” ~ Parts 2 & 4 of 7
“Crescendo Chapter 4 Score ~ v1” (01:28)
Containing segments of ” Tabula Rasa”
Part II : Cambrian (3rd movement)
Part IV : Eden (2nd movement)
“Tabula Rasa” ~ A musical representation of the past, present and future of life on planet Earth
Composed & recorded 2010 by William Kurzenberger; Released on the album Solitary Road © 2010
Vocal/group accompaniment for lyrical context
“It starts with an intonation of instrument and voice,
A blind collaboration, not a conscious choice,
Some call it soulful melody, others call it noise,
But it has the potential to make your heart rejoice.So if you find you can’t relate, let the music resonate,
If that’s too much to contemplate, let the music resonate,
Come and recognize your fate, and let the music resonate,
And if the hour’s getting late, let the music resonate.And when the spark is lit, the music then ignites,
An audio inferno that spreads throughout the night,
It elevates the music into the atmosphere,
A current of torrential rhythm, flowing through the air.So if you find you can’t relate, let the music resonate…”
Written 2003 by William Kurzenberger; Released on the album Resonate © 2015
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Created and written by Bill Kurzenberger, December 2025 ~ All Rights Reserved