Insanity

The bow. A gracious tool that threads through our fingers as smooth as silky butter, strumming strings as light as feathers. Years of practice in handling such a baton of elegance creates angelic perfection with each stroke. The strings. A product of royal craftsmanship prevailed through ancient civilizations that creates the eloquent tone of ecstasy. Strings may last an eternity as long as one takes precious care of the instrument. Lastly, the nature of the violinist. A violinist must be audacious, optimistic, and willing to sacrifice all for their prime.

Meld all of the reasons, and it creates beauty. For the reason why one would play, none of it truly matters. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and as long as the violinist is able to understand how beauty transcends through music and into the hearts of others, then nothing else truly matters.

That was who Lucine Vicio Melodia was. She was the bold violinist and serenader that only cared about lifting the spirits of others.

The young prodigy would delight in playing the violin in a floral garden filled with cyan-budded flowers circulating her presence. The scent of such flowers provided her with enough energy to sustain for the entire day, playing to her heart's content to cleanse the hardships and stress of all those who lived in her community. Whether it was supporting the community with providing food on the table, Lucine would provide entertainment during feasts. Whether it was to peacefully serve as a lullaby, Lucine would create a paradisal environment for the kind.

The Melodia family frequently attended Lucine's miniature concepts and played sprees to relish in her beauty. The elder family consisted of aristocrats who were natural caretakers of the Fon, originating from Planet Vicious. The Fon brought the people of Vicious free energy sources in exchange for hospitality, and it was the elder family that immortalized the future of the Melodia family as a whole.

It was the elder family that recommended that the planet's children partake in weekly listening sessions to understand what beauty meant. And for the most part, the children found solace and enjoyment in watching Lucine perform. Many of them found her long red hair to be a massive spectacle; her twists and turns swirling like a crimson vortex. Her elegant stature, with one leg back and one leg gently resting against her thigh, was also marvelously charming.

One night, while Lucine had tuned her violin for the next day's performance, she whistled out a preview of the newest tune she had planned to play. She rested on a stool while polishing her violin, wiping the sweat from her forehead occasionally. Suddenly, a large thud sound caught Lucine's attention; a mini iron cauldron rolled across the garden, and a child's head peeked out from behind a crate.

Lucine giggled, placing her violin beside her foot. "Hi," She called to the child in a soothing tone. Her voice had been restless ever since the morning day performance, but she still pushed forward regardless of her weakness. "What are you doing out here so late?"

The child, who was a young light-skinned boy, came out from hiding while pretending he had not pushed the iron cauldron down. He placed his fists on his hips and stared into Lucine's crimson eyes. He was lost within them immediately. "I… I wanted to hear you play," The boy said. "This is my first time here. My parents said you were good, and-"

Lucine laughed. "Did they, now?" She said, standing up from her stool to approach the boy. She kneeled down and placed her gentle hands on the boy's shoulder. "I'll play tomorrow afternoon for everyone, so you can come back then, okay?"

"Please," The boy begged. His mouth squirmed as if he would lose a great deal of hope if Lucine was unable to fulfill his request. "I can't sleep. All my friends say you're the best in the Melodia family. Pretty please?"

Lucine sighed, fluffing the boy's hair with her hand. The chandelier's light reflected upon a glass surface, shining Lucine's cheek to indicate to the boy that she was a pure angelic deity. "Okay," She whispered, lifting the boy from the ground and onto the stool in the center of the refracted garden. "Here's to falling asleep… underneath the starlight." She said, picking up her violin and placing her chin on its rest.

The boy anticipated an enjoyable experience, but all that he received at the start was a melancholy tune creating an afterthought of why he was there in the first place. Lucine shut her eyes, slanted her eyebrows downward, and opened her mouth slightly until a mini gap remained for her to breathe in the scent of the cyan flowers. She began her violin melody with a single note to set the stage.

The boy envisioned himself on a stormy sea besides Lucine as her first mate. Accumulated clouds filled with violent rains and winds began pouring behind his stature. Waves crashed against the hull of the wooden ship as he struggled to maintain control. Lucine poured her soul into the violin as the boy witnessed the winds engulfing his ship in a disastrous catastrophe. Uncertainty struck the boy's heart as he closed his eyes to envision the music flowing through his veins.

There was a pause. The boy sensed a single second of solace as Lucine switched melodies. Now the boy was shopping in a bustling market filled with delectable food and wondrous gadgets. His feet lifted off of the ground like a bird learning how to fly, and he soared the clear skies with his heart fueling him forward. Civilians and bystanders relished in his flying ability, watching the boy soar with his arms and legs spread like a wingsuit diving at full velocity.

The melody shifted once again. The boy landed on a sandy beach by himself filled with crystalline waters reflecting off of a crisp sun in the center of the land. His dry back soaked in the waters and invigorated him with life. One note after another made the boy's muscles relax, and by the time Lucine had finished, he had awoken with a new meaning of beauty present to him in the form of a harmonious unforgettable melody.

Lucine's forehead was glazed with sweat. Five minutes passed like seconds to the boy, and he was dying in anticipation for the future. "That was… that was awesome!" The boy cheered with his arms pumped to the sky. His sheer gesture caused him to flop backward off of the stool. Lucine dropped her violin and slid forward, protecting the boy from suffering a grand fall.

"Are you okay?" Lucine asked, checking the boy for wounds.

"Um, I'm okay…" The boy said, recklessly pretending that his actions were normal. His eyes traced over to Lucine's violin. "Oh, no…" He said.

One of the violin's strings detached itself from the rest of them all, while a severe chip in wood shattered a great portion of the instrument's underside. Lucine gently rested the boy on the stool as she leaned to grab her instrument. The boy's breath shook in paranoia, realizing that he would be responsible for the damages. Lucine picked up her violin and blew some particles of dust off with her breath.

"There goes another month..." Lucine said, placing it on a nearby glass countertop. She sighed and rotated her shoulders for a light stretch. She chuckled jokingly at the young boy, shrugging her shoulders. "I'm kidding. I've got a spare."

"Aw, man!" The boy panicked once more. "Why'd you do that?!"

Lucine chuckled once more, kneeling next to the boy. "What's your name, young man?" She asked, ignoring his previous question.

The boy stammered, looking deeply into Lucine's crimson eyes of generosity. "Z-Ziko," He said, cracking his voice slightly after. "H-hey, why did you ask me?" He panicked, pushing himself and the stool an inch away from Lucine. "Are you gonna tell my parents?!"

"No, of course not," Lucine said. "But I'd like you to go home. It's getting really late."

"I don't want to!" Ziko yelled. "I don't want to because of your music! First, you were playing like, whoa, and then you sent me to a beach!"

"A beach?" Lucine asked.

"Yeah, it was all sunny and hot!" Ziko cried, standing up from his stool, and leaped across the garden with his hands touching the cyan flowers and the glass terrariums. Lucine kept a close eye on him, watching him express his utmost excitement and gratitude by going haywire. "My family was right! I wanna hear more!" Ziko shouted, rushing over towards a darkened portion of the garden hidden from the light rays.

"Ziko, wait!" Lucine called, rushing forward.

"I can't believe I just heard all of that for the first time!" Ziko cried, touching a hefty-weighted item with his hand. He pushed it just as Lucine dove in to snatch him from the darkened area. She yanked him back as a massively sheathed gunblade toppled over on the stone floor. Lucine held onto Ziko as the both of them fell backward. "I'm sorry!" He immediately apologized. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," Lucine said. "Just stay still. I'll be right back."

Ziko watched as Lucine approached the silver sheathed gunblade. She grasped the handle of the blade and drew it out to her side, maintaining her position while Ziko gasped in awe of her beauty and prowess. She held the blade close to her neck as she examined its surface to check for any marks or damages from the fall. Once she discovered nothing had changed, Lucine sheathed the gunblade back into its holster and sighed, stretching her arms once more.

"Whoa…" Ziko said as his eyes gleamed in curiosity. "You know how to use a sword?"

Lucine nodded. "I do." She said, blocking the entrance site to the darkened area where the gunblade lay.

Ziko clenched his fists and pulled them tightly to his hip. "My dad told me that there was only one person in the Melodia family who knew how to use a sword, and he was talking about you?!" He dumbfoundedly said, shaking his head. "I can't believe it."

"Ziko," Lucine whispered. "You need to go home now."

"Teach me how to use a sword!" Ziko interrupted.

"I…" Lucine said, looking away.

"Please! Pretty please?"

"The boy said please," A rich and deep voice intervened between Lucine and Ziko, catching both of them off guard. A tall noble figure approached the center of the garden wearing regal red and golden sleeved bed robes with his hands clenched behind his waist. His courteous smile made Lucine shy away, as many would kill to receive a brilliant smile like that in their lifetime. "I don't mean to overwork you, Lucine, but you are the only one in the elder family who knows how to use a blade, minus me."

"Sir Vayah," Lucine gasped. "I'm sorry. I should not have played to this young boy tonight-"

"There's nothing wrong with that," Sir Vayah said, approaching Ziko and carrying him on his shoulder. Ziko remained still, recognizing Sir Vayah's leadership position as the head of their family. "If music is needed in the daytime, then surely the opposite should suffice. Your music and voice mean more to the people of Vicious than entertainment. It is the absolute uniqueness and one-of-a-kind value of your beauty that enriches us with strength. The music flows from head to toe, mind and body, heart and soul; it connects with us all. I think this is why this young man wanted to hear you so badly. The experience was merely too special to turn down for the occasion."

"Sir Vayah, you're too kind," Lucine said, blushing and turning away. She sighed and withdrew her sheathed gunblade from the darkness. "I have never taught the children or the people of our community to battle. I simply do not know where to start, or even if I should…"

"Take some time to decide," Sir Vayah said. "I am sure young Ziko here would appreciate it. He would be able to see you more often, and that is a fact."

"But my fighting style is not used for combat or defensive purposes," Lucine clarified, unsheathing her gunblade once again. She held the handle elegantly and placed her left hand behind her waist. Her left foot stepped forward two inches from her right, drawing the air with her blade in a swift manner. She gently closed her eyes and swept her right leg back, slicing through the air. Her poise and figure were flawless to Ziko's eyes; he wanted nothing more but to learn Lucine's fighting style himself. "It… it is an art." She finished.

"Art can never be perfected," Sir Vayah said. "And neither should you think so. But perhaps if you pass it down to our young ones, we may work as a community to ensure its perfection."

"I…" Lucine whispered, placing her gunblade back into her sheath.

"Think about it, Lucine," Sir Vayah finished. "Ziko, we shall return home."

Ziko was speechless. Not only did he have an outstanding opportunity to spend more time with his most cherished beauty, but he was able to follow his father's footsteps as a potential swordsman prodigy much like Lucine's gift. As he wrapped his fidgeting and excited arms around Sir Vayah's shoulder, he waved at Lucine enthusiastically before the garden was out of sight. Lucine waved back and disappeared from his gaze.

The violin's gracious melody, combined with the brazen personality and art of Lucine Vicio Melodia, could never be broken.

She would later accept Sir Vayah's decision as to the instructor of the Melodia fighting style, an elegant art taught to a group of young children, including Ziko. Every morning, the children would ask Lucine to train them in the art. And every time, Lucine would say:

"Grace waits for no one."

Extreme exercises include posture, stamina, and grace needed to be trained, and Lucine taught the students with optimism. Her boldness was unparalleled. The children of Vicious would go on to train for years on end, educated by the arts that Lucine was gifted with. The talent passed on from person to person, until the otherworldly invaders raided their community.

Hundreds and thousands of acres of desolate land smoldered by the flame of those seeking innovation for the future. The invaders sought out the fabled old man that created and sustained the planet, hoping to recreate the frozen energy core imbued within his heart. In the process of doing so, thousands of the elder families and the people of Vicious were murdered ferociously by the invader's futuristic technology.

One of the people who witnessed all of these murders was none other than Lucine herself. Ziko watched the shadowy silhouette of Lucine on her knees, desperately begging the invaders to cease their attack. But the more that Ziko and Lucine witnessed in the midst of the invaders in their home, they began to change their views on the people of the universe.

Blood splattered and flowed through the rivers of Vicious's community. Heads were battered and beaten to death. Some of the magical relics and relics passed on from generation to generation were stolen and destroyed. The royal family's main palace and home were razed to the ground; only a small number of people survived. But while a small number survived, only one child survived the chaos.

Ziko witnessed Lucine lose total control of her composed and elegant personality. Her shadowy silhouette was seen grasping through the flamed dirt and soil, tearing through it in a fit of rage. She screamed and tore clumps of her crimson hair off as her insanity slowly increased with the blood of the children flowing through the planet's life source. Her bloodlust to seek revenge was satiated as soon as she seized hold of her silver gunblade.

Ziko begged Lucine to escape, but she could not hear him. Lucine's insanity for the death of the children and the elder family took absolute control over her. She rampaged forward into the cindered lands of Vicious, crying as she sliced and gutted the invaders without hesitation. She snatched one of the invader's firearms and blasted through the heads of the murderous people. Even those who retaliated by electrocuting, stunning, and pinning her down were useless to Lucine's rampage. All traces of elegance waned away, and traces of insanity endured. Her spirit was buried by the blood of the Melodia family.

"Die!" Lucine cried, disemboweling one of the invaders with her gunblade. Two more invaders tackled Lucine down on the ashen soil and restrained her using the blight, the pistol-shaped light source used to induce horrors of the deceased. Lucine pinned her head up from her chin and caught a rough glimpse of the invaders snatching the bodies of the deceased to cover them up in cloth and transport them to their flying facilities. "No! You monsters! What are you doing to them?!" Lucine cried, spitting and struggling to break free from restraint.

From a distance, Ziko caught a shimmer from the corner of his eyes near several towering jagged rocks. Sir Vayah leaped and slid down the rocks with his gargantuan claymore, striking down on one of the soldiers seizing Lucine's shoulder. The remaining soldier jabbed with its bayonet attached energy rifle, colliding with Sir Vayah's iron gauntlet. The knife snapped off like a twig, and Sir Vayah summoned his strength to smash the soldier away into rubble.

Sir Vayah grabbed Lucine's shoulder and tugged her away from the vicinity.

"No!" Lucine cried, jerking Sir Vayah's hand away. She snatched her silver gunblade and dashed forward once again, screaming in agony thirsting for revenge. Her crimson eyes and pupils constricted as she flailed her blade without her elegant style. Sir Vayah grabbed her shoulder again and lifted her over his shoulder. "I'll kill all of you! I'll kill all of you!" She screamed, attempting to break free from Sir Vayah's grasp. "Let me go, damn it! Let me go!"

Ziko gasped and leaped for cover to hide from Sir Vayah and Lucine. He burst into tears as soon as his eyes locked with Lucine's berserk outrage. Ziko's eyes were shrouded by his over streaming tears, and he assumed a fetal position while he heard the last of Lucine's cries. Sir Vayah quickly noticed his presence and took him to safety.

Flames engulfed the children's corpses as their ashes filled the atmosphere. There is no more grace, and there never will be.