Dat Window + ''Last Solace'' stub

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"Last Solace"

Overhearing a piano played such as he had never heard one played before, Ansem is drawn to the source and discovers a young man no more than 16 years of age writing compositions in the choir pit of a desolate cathedral. Within these towering walls awash with colored light and unearthly melody, one feels sheltered from even time itself, and Ansem dares not approach the artist even though Ansem is king over all the land. He waits around a corner as the music peels back every conscious thought of present matters, revealing memories of his departed family that Ansem didn't even know he still had. They made him realize how much like his own cold, ticking inventions he has had to become just to remain a functioning human being.

The following morning, Ansem returns to the old church to learn more about this composer, but there isn't a single person there to ask. Still, Ansem lingers in the sanctuary, urged toward the piano himself out of curiosity. He seats himself behind it, stiff with selfconsciousness as yesterday's solo rises in his mind with all the force of an ocean's roar. Ansem presses a few yellowed keys, contemplates their tone placement, and settles into some semblance of a pattern. A startling feeling of familiarity creeps into Ansem's fingers as he becomes more relaxed in this inviolable setting. Every sound is amplified like pebbles tumbling down a canyon wall, and like the pebbles, every note struck garners more. Ansem never learned how to play----or had he?

At the age of 14, Ansem had developed amnesia but retained rote skills like writing and archery. That was long ago, and now none remained alive who could confirm if music had been a part of his previous life. Helpless for answers, Ansem closes his eyes and surrenders to the mystery, letting his fingers roam at their own will like someone feeling his way through a dark room. His skill is of no comparison to the composer, and yet once again ghosts dance behind Ansem's eyelids. Moments of joy give way to moments of sorrow and terror as he relives with tactile clarity each person's fate. What Ansem can remember of his childhood reads like a horror story; should he be grateful not to remember the rest?

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Some people probably thought I'd never get around to coloring this..... [ORIGINAL]

Up to this point, I must have spent almost 10 hours just coloring that window...
Most of that time, I had this song on loop.

Didn't want to draw a "station of awakening", because everybody does that.