#modric

Comparing Declan Rice to Modric and saying he's better than him cause he won the Premier League at 27 (after bottling three years prior) is some crazy work

Awakened Suit: Starlight Concerto

Designer's Reflection: Starlight Variations

Obtained: Starry Night Sonata event

Rarity: SSR

Attribute: Green/Fresh

Awakened Suit: Starlight Concerto

Story - transcripts from Designer's Reflection

Chapter 1 - First Melody

Chapter 2 - First Meet Starlight

Chapter 3 - Meteor's Song

Chapter 4 - Follow the Stars

Story - summarized

Modric is going to the Children's Music Festival in Ninir on behalf of Queen Ophelia. He's looking forward to his trip, and he already has the perfect song picked out: Starlight Variations.

He first learned it from his teacher, Leonid. As a kid, he practiced hard to become as good as his teacher. The lessons became more interesting when Leonid showed him powers he could use with music. Illusions of forests and birds came to life, and he could summon real starlight with a few notes.

Ever since, Modric has sought the power of the stars in all his endeavors. He made good progress, too... until the day his teacher vanished and his father died. The sorrow was too much, and eventually he lost his starlight.

It would be years before he could see those musical stars again, when he finally learned the "memory extraction" song. Even though it's harder to find the starlight in the world, Modric won't give up. He will keep trying until he can summon the Star Sea, until he can see his teacher again.

Connections

-While Modric learned to summon starlight in this Reflection, his greatest show of power came during Astral Sonata. He visited a Pigeon town ravaged by the war, and it's there that he finally mastered the "Swan's Melody" that can summon the Swan constellation and grant his wish.

-Modric shows off his "memory" collection in Journey of Memory. Leonid taught him how to extract memories from people, and he uses this gift to ease his mother's grief at his father's death, and remove Joy's guilt at betraying Nikki.

-This event is the first music event in Shining Nikki, and Ophelia doesn't go to this festival. However, when the second event takes place in Valentine, she shows up alongside Lilith to help put on the show.

-Modric is surprised that Ninir is hosting events after the earthquake. The earthquake is from the Angel/Demon hell event, which wraps up Vol. 1 with the Goddess of Desire possessing Lilith, destroying half of Ninir, and fighting Nikki after the girl unlocks the secret of Leonid's manuscript.

-It's unclear if the little boy who is Modric's student is meant to be Jacob, but he does eventually join Modric on a journey across Miraland. He decides to leave with him after the events of Stellar Scales, and the two of them return to Pigeon in Vol. 3, Ch. 9, during a Blood Bat attack.

-Ophelia sent Modric because, according to him, she doesn't trust anyone around her. That's because Mercury set up his pawns in her court during her coronation in Elves' Elegy. She sees more of their power in First Light of Dawn, where they easily overrule the queen's plans for expanding art and music.

Fun Facts

-Most of Modric's Reflections are about him searching for his teacher. He never gave up trying.

-When you read the Reflection and Modric summons the starlight, a starry ball appears onscreen, lighting up the frame.

-The "Starlight Variations" are based on "Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star."

Designer's Reflection: Starlight Variations

Awakened Suit: Starlight Concerto

Rarity: SSR

Attribute: Green/Fresh

Set: Melody Fancies

Archive: Symphony of Fate

~Image~

~Skills/Stats~

Call of Reflection: Eternal Comet

Receives 25% Score of Styling Power. Increases Modeling Skill Bonus by 23.1% in 20 seconds.

"Through the long journey, the distant starlight eventually found a place to call home."

Skill Detail: Twinkle Twinkle (hairstyle)

Modeling Skill - Perfect Hairstyle additionally increases Score by 10% of your Styling Power.

"Listen to it. Each star is telling its own story."

Skill Detail: Afflated Variation (dress/top/bottom)

Modeling Skill - Stunning Aura additionally increases Score by 10% of your Stying Power.

"Make the uncertainty a trial of courage for the twinkling stars."

Skill Detail: Purest Notes (shoes)

Modeling Skill - Brisk Pace additionally increases Score by 10% of your Styling Power.

"A shared melody makes our star trails intersect."

Narrated by Modric.

Narrator: That night was like a dream. It was only when I woke up the next day that I realized how wonderful it was.

Narrator: Although I have played the piano in the past, I have never seen stars. What, exactly, is in the teacher's song? Can others do the same thing?

Narrator: With this question in mind, I got up early in the morning to ask my mother, who was painting in the courtyard.

Narrator: I described what happened last night to my mother. She simply grinned and gently touched my head.

Mom: Modric, imagination is an artist's treasure. You can use it to enrich your imaginary world.

Young Modric: But Mother, this wasn't my imagination. I really saw stars.

Mom: You mean, you can see stars in piano music?

Young Modric: Well, it starts from one star, but it becomes a whole galaxy of stars!

Narrator: Perhaps, my determined look convinced her. She seemed to believe me.

Mom: It seems that our Modric is very special. Perhaps your eyes can see something in the melody that adults cannot.

Narrator: What is this melody that adults cannot see? Why is the starlight in the teacher's song different from mine?

Narrator: I just nodded as if I understood even though I did not. Although I was still confused, my mother's trust in me made me happy.

Narrator: It took me a long time to realize that maybe my mother could not see the world I saw. Despite this, she didn't think I was lying, and encouraged me to explore further.

Narrator: From the next day on, I began to practice tirelessly, engraving every note into my memory. I could always see that star.

Narrator: I was anxious for a while. Would I ever be able to reach the level of my teacher and see the whole sea of stars in the piano?

Teacher: Want to see the stars?

Narrator: The teacher was aware of my dilemma. One night, he took me to the rooftop and instructed me to use the telescope. That was the first time I saw a comet so clearly.

Narrator: It radiated brightly in the night sky. Even when it finally faded into the night, it seemed to leave a mark in my eyes.

Teacher: Its name is "Eternity."

Teacher: Compared to stars, comets are always moving. It will travel to many places, witness different scenery, and finally return to its homeland.

Narrator: I seem to find a distant star that belongs to me, small and bright.

Teacher: You don't have to become the whole galaxy of stars.

Teacher: You can just be yourself.

Narrator: Soon, I had new ideas.

Narrator: I collected a lot of material, whether it was sheet music or technique. I practiced harder.

Teacher: Have you been dozing off a little while practicing piano?

Young Modric: I have something I hope to show you. Just wait a little while longer, then I will have a good rest afterward.

Narrator: I sincerely apologized to the teacher and did not hide my intentions.

Choose either "What are you planning?" or "Not good to be lazy."

If "planning," ...

You: What are you planning?

Narrator: When I was a kid, I would never tell you. Let's keep a little suspense, ok?

If "lazy," ...

You: It's not good to be lazy.

Narrator: If you lectured me this way when I was a kid, I'd be angry.

You: If it was the teacher who lectured you, then it was fine?

Narrator: ...

--

Narrator: That night, I put on my favorite little suit, tied my bowtie, and even cleaned the piano room. After everything was prepared, I invited the teacher to listen to my concert.

Narrator: I adapted "The Star Variations" and added my own inspirational touches to the starry music.

Narrator: Use Easy Allegro to present the flowing stream, use Staccato to represent the birdsongs, slow Adagio builds the forest.

Narrator: From the forest to the streams to the birdsongs, these elements would be featured in the music for a grand presentation.

Narrator: Then in Free Rhythm, the stars that belong to me revolve around me, as if to dance with me.

Narrator: I played it as if I was blown into the forest by the night wind. I played it as if I saw stardust falling on the tip of my nose, like the song of a distant soul.

Narrator: At the end of the song, I got up and bowed. I immediately looked at him proudly, waiting for the teacher's praise.

Narrator: He reached out and touched the tip of my nose. There was something different in his eyes.

Teacher: You have found your own melody.

Narrator: Even though the teacher's face was calm, I was sure that he liked this song very much.

Teacher: But you need to rest more than you need praise.

Narrator: I did feel a bit sleepy. So, I leaned against the teacher and closed my eyes contently.

Narrator: I quickly fell into a deep sleep, perhaps because I was afraid of missing something. I opened my eyes dazedly in between dreams.

Narrator: In a daze, I felt light streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows and falling on my eyelids. I followed the light and saw a grand meteor shower falling from the sky.

Narrator: Is that a gift? It was a gift from my teacher, a miracle that he gave to his students.

Narrator: There were thousands of stars in my dreams that day, dancing around a bright comet and its long tail.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Narrated by Modric.

Narrator: In retrospect, the first time I sat next to my teacher and learned to play the piano, we started with this song.

Narrator: I already knew and looked up to my teacher, though, even before I started taking lessons from him.

Narrator: He taught me how to read music scores and listen to the sounds of nature... from the ambience of the forest, to the flowing streams, to the birdsongs. He taught me to feel and to listen.

Teacher: Music is born from human inspiration, but inspiration comes from the world around us. Without the ability to sense and reproduce sounds in our world, art is just an abstract fantasy.

Narrator: As a child, I wasn't able to understand this yet. But just following my teacher and spending a quiet afternoon in the woods, distinguishing different bird songs and playing in the stream...

Narrator: Those were all fond memories for me as a child.

Narrator: When my teacher played the piano, as soon as his fingertips moved, the music flowed like moonlight. The strong notes were like shining beams of light, like the twinkling of stars.

Narrator: I could tell that it was "The Star Variations," but the teacher stopped abruptly after he played the first half. I didn't understand why.

Narrator: Under the influence of my parents, I already had basic music skills, which the teacher should have known about.

Young Modric: I already know how the last part goes. You can teach me to play it now.

Narrator: My teacher did not continue playing, and instead scooted over so that I could play. Excited to get to show off, I happily began to play.

Narrator: I played following the sheet music and what I already knew. At first, it went smoothly, but in the second half, I started struggling with the complex transitions.

Narrator: Gradually, it was clear that I wouldn't be able to play to the end, frantically trying to keep up with the tempo. This sound wasn't music at all.

Narrator: I stumbled through to the end, wanting to end the pitiful performance quickly. I almost expected the teacher to laugh.

Narrator: The last note sounded. I lowered my hands in frustration. I glanced up at the teacher, and he seemed to smile slightly.

Narrator: Teacher did not scold me, nor did he try to demonstrate. He took my hands and placed them on the keys again.

Teacher: Play it again, slowly. I'll count the beats.

Narrator: The teacher's explanation was very accurate. I noticed my mistakes in the most technical and critical parts.

Narrator: He patiently guided me in my piano technique, correcting my fingering and dynamics over and over again.

Narrator: It was like he laid down a perfect path for me without interfering with any of my own decisions.

Narrator: By the time the sun set that day, I was already able to play the entire song effortlessly.

Narrator: At that time, I noticed something wonderful.

Narrator: When my fingertips touched the keys, the earth became covered in shadows and stars lit up the darkness.

Narrator: As the music went on, a comet dragging its long tail illuminated the keys under my fingertips as it crossed the starry sky.

Narrator: Surprised, I stopped playing. Then, the bright starlight extinguished without a trace.

Narrator: The darkness silently enveloped me. Teacher came next to me. Only then did I want to look back at him.

Narrator: I couldn't tell the teacher's expression, nor could I confirm that the starlight from that moment was real or an illusion.

Teacher: Play it again.

Narrator: He said this calmly, as if he had already known all of my feelings.

Narrator: So I did.

Narrator: Starlight twinkled again. A comet streaked overhead with a long tail. When I finished playing the whole song through this time, I watched the comet fly over the city and the mountains towards the horizon.

Narrator: The room didn't go dark. I didn't notice when the teacher had lit the candles. The candlelight lit up his face, giving him a gentle appearance.

Teacher: It seems that you can see something in this song.

Young Modric: Could you see the star, too? What was that?

Teacher: That is your starlight.

Young Modric: How could I see it?

Teacher: Because you have the ability to feel it.

Narrator: His reply confused me even more, so I asked another question.

Young Modric: When you play, do you also see the stars?

Narrator: His silence implied that he also could.

Narrator: Curiosity suddenly came over me. What would I see in the teacher's song? I looked at him excitedly and asked him to play it again for me.

Narrator: The teacher complied.

Narrator: The music he played ranged from simple to complex. It flowed quickly and lively intertwined with transitions.

Narrator: When his fingers played the notes of the second half of the Variation, a bright sea of stars surged towards me.

Narrator: Millions of stars were interwoven into a magnificent mirage. The star trails crisscrossed each other, almost blinding my eyes.

Narrator: I felt my body floating, and the concepts that were too mysterious and profound suddenly penetrated my mind.

Narrator: The sound of the piano stopped abruptly. I stared blankly, stunned, unable to say a word.

Chapter 1

Chapter 3

Narrated by Modric.

Narrator: It's rare for me to wake up on my own accord before the postman rings the doorbell in the morning. Perhaps it was because I went to bed early last night.

Narrator: Inspiration comes to me in the form of an exquisite package delivered from Ninir.

Narrator: I head into the archives, quickly revise the unfinished score, and give the melody I've come up with a test run on the piano.

Narrator: What a beautiful morning. I feel so inspired that for a moment I almost decide that getting up early is totally worth it...

Narrator: Except my good mood is ruined by an unexpected guest in the archives.

Narrator: When I practice my music, please do not disturb me if there's nothing urgent.

Choose "I'm sorry..."

You: Sorry... but what were you doing?

Narrator: As you can see, the daily work of an artist.

Narrator: This is my latest work, a Ninir-style nursery rhyme. You like that?

Choose either "Like" or "Not quite used to hearing."

If "like," ...

You: I like Ninir's style of music very much.

Narrator: Of course, I think the Queen of Ninir will like it, too.

If "not sure," ...

You: I'm not used to this style.

Narrator: It doesn't matter if you like it or not. I just hope the Queen of Ninir likes it.

--

Narrator: I need to go to Ninir to take care of something that just came up.

Narrator: It's not a concert. If it were, I'd be awfully busy now. It would take several months in advance to prepare the venue, check the condition of the instruments, plus a lot of business dealings...

Narrator: The Queen of Ninir sent a collaboration proposal. She wants to hold a friendly artistic and cultural exchange with Pigeon Kingdom during the Children's Music Festival.

Narrator: Ophelia is not good with diplomacy, and she doesn't trust anyone around her. So, I seem to be the most suitable person for this occasion.

Narrator: Although I don't work for the Royal Family of Pigeon Kingdom, I help them out with certain tasks occasionally.

Narrator: Besides, I'm a little interested in Lilith.

Narrator: I'm curious... Ninir had such a big disaster not too long ago, yet they were able to rebuild so quickly... And even have the time and energy to consider art diplomacy. I wonder how they managed?

Narrator: What did Lilith see in the abyss? Could she have seen something that could lead to my teacher?

Narrator: Of course, it's pointless to think about that now. I'm used to leaving empty-handed anyways.

Narrator: Although I do look forward to the end of this long journey, I have learned to enjoy the scenery along the way.

Narrator: As for now, let's give our attention to the scheduled performance. This is the song list I received this morning.

Modric: The Star Variations...

Narrator: What is it?

Narrator: Nothing, I just remembered something.

Narrator: Want to hear me play it? It starts very simply, but it becomes quite complicated near the end.

Choose either "I often hear the first part" or "The second part is more like you."

If "first," ...

You: I hear the first part a lot.

Narrator: Looks like it's popular everywhere.

If "second," ...

You: The second half suits you more.

Narrator: Really? So you do believe in my talent.

--

Narrator: Is this also an extracted memory?

Narrator: It's not an extracted memory, but one of my own... and of many others.

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

...how Modric wonders where Leonid is. It's been years since his teacher left, but he's determined to find him. Thankfully, Lilith is hosting a music festival between Ninir and Pigeon, so Starlight Variations should provide him some clues.