Chapter Four

Mist still clung to the earth as the father and daughter descended from the ridge, the gleaming city now behind a veil of soft cloud. This valley was unlike the haunted one they had crossed—no growls, no flickering eyes. Here, silence reigned, not with menace, but with mystery.

A sound floated through the mist. It was delicate and searching—its voice rising and falling like wind over dunes. The girl paused. “What is that?”

“An old sound. It means someone is here.”

They followed the music deeper into the valley. The path was overgrown but not wild. Vines embraced ancient stone walls etched with symbols. Towering sculptures stood half-buried in earth and time—guardians of something long forgotten.

Soft rhythms joined the mysterious melody, barely more than a pulse beneath their feet. It was as though the valley itself breathed, alive with memory.

The girl reached out, brushing her fingers across a mural carved into the side of a sloped stone. It depicted travelers like themselves, standing before a radiant figure with arms outstretched. Her eyes widened. “Do you think… they came here too?”

Her father nodded slowly. “Long ago, perhaps. Or maybe this place remembers everyone who passes through.”

They walked on in reverent silence.

Still wrapped in the valley’s quiet awe, they moved forward, the melody guiding them toward whatever lay ahead.

Chapter Five

The first tremor came through the ground—a low thrum that rolled through the soles of their feet like the heartbeat of the earth. Then came another, stronger. The girl stopped mid-step. “Do you feel that?”

Before the father could answer, the sky filled with sound: thunderous drums, layered and immense, beating in rhythm like giants marching across the heavens. The air itself pulsed with it. They climbed a low rise of stone and brush, and then they saw it.

An army.

It marched in perfect formation, stretching like a living river across the open plain below. Rows upon rows of armored warriors moved with synchronized grace. Their weapons shimmered gold in the diffused light—long spears, curved blades, massive shields engraved with symbols that echoed those carved in the valley walls.

Banners fluttered in the rising wind, each marked with a sigil neither of them had seen before but which seemed ancient and absolute. At the head of the force rode figures mounted on towering beasts, their armor impossibly ornate—gilded and dark, reflecting both sun and shadow.

The drums continued, unrelenting and vast, their beat not one of chaos, but of discipline and intention. The girl’s eyes widened, not with fear but awe. “They’re protecting the city.”

“Yes,” her father said, his voice hushed. “This is no army of conquest. This is a wall of living honor.”

He watched the formation, noting the way each soldier held themselves—upright, steady, eyes forward. There was strength here, but not reckless strength. It was the strength of guardianship, of quiet, deliberate power.

The girl leaned into him. “They don’t look like they want to fight.”

“They don’t,” he replied. “But they will, if they must.”

The wind shifted, carrying the scent of the city once more—spiced air, warm stone, something older still. And through the towering sound of the drums, a single, higher note sang faintly in the distance, threading the thunder like a voice in a storm.

Together, the father and daughter watched the golden army pass, silent witnesses to a force both fearsome and noble, standing between the world and something sacred.



There and back again Part 4_5

All Piano, Keyboards, Percussion, Drums, Bass and Guitar performed by myself.

I also love recording my own soundscapes and all photos used are taken by myself unless otherwise credited.

No AI used in the making of the music or art. I like to create something from nothing myself, its a joy.

https://progettosonoro.bandcamp.com/follow_me
progettosonoro è Marco Mascia, accumulatore seriale (e parallelo) di strumenti musicali e oggetti sonori e (non)musicista. Dal 2007 fa parte (con Manuel Lain) del duo Le Pecorecaramellate che ha all'attivo un Cd (Una botte e via! edito da Sesto Esercizio Records) e ha partecipato (Cagliari, 10 Ottobre 2015, Nuovo Panificio) al Multiversal EXP-OFF. 
Il 1 Maggio 2016, sempre al al Nuovo Panificio, ha partecipato, con la Roaring Pianolas Orchestra, alla perfomance live "pianoltre"

Ionut Mirel Udrea (Member Of APRA/AMCOS) is a music composer, piano player and music producer based in Sydney - Australia. 
Ionut Mirel Udrea composes emotive piano-based instrumental music.

In addition to SC - tracks available on 
Spotify: http://bit.ly/3sGsCG8
iTunes: https://apple.co/2RAe9DU
Apple Music: https://apple.co/40TPePO
Youtube Music: https://bit.ly/40Uky0W
Amazon Music: https://amzn.to/3QZhU5C

Composing using PC, Cubase Pro, Reason and various orchestral libraries among others. Focused mainly on orchestral, atmospheric, cinematic soundtrack style.

For licensing queries and commision work contact Sturle on Sturlestrausscomposer@gmail.com

Multi-genre composer and producer. I write full band rock, metal, pop and blues arrangements to collaborate with vocalists and instrumentalists. My music is free from AI and always will be.

⚠️Technical issues
My distributor's contract with SoundCloud only offers uploads for 30 countries. There is not much I can do about that, because I need their services for my complex collab situation. If you can't play my songs here, please follow me on any other streaming platform. Just follow the buy link of the individual song.

🎵June 2025
Still working down my pile of unfinished projects and re-releasing older songs. Feel free to comment and repost. As a rule of thumb, electronic music is old. I don't have the capacity for collaborations and remixes.

Hi there,
my name is Stefan. Composer, sound sculptor, and professional “what happens if I add a bassoon here?” enthusiast.

I write music because I honestly can’t stop.
I’ve tried. Gardening. Taxes. Meditation. But within three minutes, a string chord sneaks into my head and boom – I’m back at the piano.

So what do I make?
Emotional instrumental music.
Or as my dog would say (if he could talk):
“Something between Hollywood, daydreams, and soft existential drama.”
Strings, piano, orchestra – sometimes epic, sometimes fragile – always aiming to say something that words can’t.

I could list the number of streams, followers, and playlists I’ve not yet been featured on… but let’s be honest: music isn’t a spreadsheet. It’s more like an internal volcano. With strings.

And why do I do this?
Because I believe music can reach places that logic can’t. And because someone has to soundtrack all the bittersweet fantasy worlds living rent-free in my head.

So if you’re in the mood for a musical journey somewhere between film score, poetry, and mild megalomania – grab some headphones and join me.

It won’t be normal. But it’ll be worth it.

Cheers,
– Stefan
(Writes more music than he sleeps. Thinks coffee should be its own genre.)

There and back again Part 4_5

Sturle Strauss Lisaeth-Composer