Victorian France.
The palace of one of the most powerful aristocrats in the country sat in a beautiful white shade while the roof was made of a stunning navy blue. The building sat with a large section shaped like a rectangular box with two large columns encasing it from each side, windows covering more surface than anything else. Past the columns were long stretches of hallways without any shadow whatsoever, not a single curtain or drape anywhere to be seen. The halls ended in identical columns covered in windows with large watchtowers sitting on the domed tops, looking out into the expansive amount of land surrounding the home. A garden stretched nearly the size of the building around back, with flowers and every fruit that was imaginable creating a painting-esque collection of color and beauty. In the front of the home was a large beach that was full of beautiful, vibrant sand as crystal clear and clean water washed along the shore, a small wall of rocks preventing the water from getting too high if it ever came.
A young woman was standing in front of the massive doors made of the finest wood she had ever seen. Her dress was flowing, beautifully glistening from the sunlight behind her. The colors were white and very light shades of blue and purple, flowing down her body as if it were made of air itself. She was clutching a small violin in one hand and a bow in the other, holding them close to her chest while her body was doing its best to stand still. The wood of the violin was faded from age and usage, but still in good condition. The bow was in less good shape, the hairs brand new for this performance. Her hair was curly and flowed down to her shoulders with a small bun at the parietal part of her head. She could feel her heartbeat against her skin, but was doing her best to contain her nerves and slow down her heart by taking very long and deep breaths.
She had been told to wait for somebody to fetch her, but that was nearly two hours ago. She refused to move from her spot, as if moving even the slightest inch was the difference between life or death. As she continued to wait and wait, admiring the craftsmanship of the home up close, she began to hear something.
Whispers.
She thought they were coming from inside, like people were just behind the doors talking quietly, but then she felt her body turn on its own.
She faced towards the sea, the whispers growing louder. The tones were beautiful and seductive, like they had been composed by the greatest artists to sound as enticing as possible. She shifted her weight off one foot, then heard the doors open.
She jumped and almost dropped her instrument from the sudden shock.
“Ms. Luciene, we are ready for you.” An older man spoke in French with a boisterous sense of occasion as he was dressed in only the finest of suits, completely white without any black or shadow on it.
The girl bowed and smiled wide with perfectly white teeth.
“It is an honor.” She replied back in French as she followed the man into the home.
Right inside the front door was the most beautiful room Luciene had ever seen. The floor looked to be made of pure marble with the walls covered in paintings in every possible style. Wherever the paintings did not cover were instead windows that shined in enough light to make it nearly blinding no matter where you looked. Luciene followed the man straight from the doorway, more windows and paintings covering the walls. There didn’t seem to be a single shadow in the entire home as the amount of natural light drove them away. As Luciene walked, she realized the amount of candles lining the walls was quite extreme. Every few steps sat candles attached to the walls, yet they didn’t seem real. Lighting every single one would take forever, yet they seemed to have an artificial quality to them.
As Luciene followed the man, she looked out the windows to see the massive stretch of land. The closest neighbor had to be at least an hour by horse, as no homes of any size could be seen from any window.
Luciene stopped in front of two very large doors embroidered from top to bottom with jewels that shined like twinkling stars. The natural light reflected off of them, covering the surrounding surfaces with beautiful rainbows and patterns. Luciene’s eyes were full of wonder and awe as her nerves had seemed to completely disappear.
The doors suddenly opened as she looked forward. The nerves came flooding back as she locked eyes with the owner of the palace.
A middle aged woman dressed in an elaborate dress that flowed down far off her body, creating a large rug by her feet that covered the few steps in front of her. She sat on a golden throne and wore a crown as if she were a queen.
Before Luciene stepped, she could once again hear the whispering. It sounded even more enticing and beautiful, a siren song drawing her to run away from the large ballroom filled with guests wearing elaborate outfits. Every woman wore dresses that put Luciene’s to shame with the amount of color and size. The men were all in expensive suits made of fabrics that she couldn’t even name.
“My majesty, I bring to you the talented young performer Luciene Auclair of Marseille.” He spoke loudly and with the boom of a cannon as he stepped aside.
Luciene cleared her throat quietly before lifting her head up, her back straight, and she moved very slowly and gracefully along the marble floor.
Much like the rest of the palace, the walls were covered entirely by windows, the room nearly blinding as Luciene walked in.
She stopped in between the center of the room and the woman, who scowled with a sense of displeasure as she looked over Luciene’s dress, almost as if judging.
“Who are you to come here and play for me?” The woman asked.
Luciene swallowed hard as she looked forward.
“My name is Luciene Auclair. I have been a student of the École Royale de Musique in Paris.” She replied as she did her best to hide her nerves.
“And how long have you been studying?” The woman asked.
“I have been a student there for three years…your majesty.” Luciene hesitated, unsure of what to truly call the woman.
“Very well, show me what you have prepared.” The woman waved her hand towards Luciene.
Luciene bowed before standing straight yet relaxed, or at least as relaxed as she could be.
She lifted the violin onto her shoulder, placing her chin on the faded wood and the bow perfectly angled. She took a few seconds to compose herself, maintain her breathing, and focus.
The bow slid beautifully along the strings. She began to play Fantasia Appassionata Op. 35 composed by Henri Vieuxtemps. Normally a piece for violin and piano, she began to play it as a violin solo.
The bow moved very quickly all over the violin as she played. It sounded beautiful as she moved so quickly but looked so calm and collected. She closed her eyes to focus harder and block out any of the nerves. Block out all of the people whose eyes were locked on her and her alone. She continued to play at the same speed, the bow moving as if it was being controlled by an angel.
As Luciene continued to play the piece perfectly, she could suddenly hear the whispers again. They were harmonizing with her playing, sounding more enticing than ever before. She squinted her eyes shut tightly to block out the noise as her hands continued to move at their pace. The whispers grew louder as she began to be pulled in multiple directions mentally.
She suddenly played a wrong note, the dissonance filling the room as Luciene could hear the quiet gasps and mumbling. She quickly recovered though, continuing to play the piece perfectly…until the whispers returned.
She began a fast run, but every single not was off just by a minor second, making it sound incredibly out of place with the rest of the music. The dissonance washed over everybody, filling them with an unknown and indescribable dread. The woman sitting on the throne looked appalled and disgusted by the display, but Luciene went back into the perfect and beautiful tones of the instrument, the beautiful melody helping everyone in the room including Luciene relaxed.
She could hear the whispers creeping in slowly, but she blocked them out as she reached a beautiful passage of the music, that despite sounding of loss and pain, it was too beautiful to change the emotion. Everything Luciene did was as if a painting was being created by the music, everyone listening to the art.
The whispers were louder than ever before in Luciene’s ears, flooding inside until they were overtaking her brain. Luciene was frantically trying to keep herself playing the music as it was written, but the whispers were too much. She began to slow down, every note being drawn out as the tones began to very subtly modulate down. It started off with a small minor second difference, but as she played the music began to get loewe and lower and lower.
Luciene had taken the music down a perfect fourth…and her body was preparing to go down another step.
“Enough!” The woman in her throne quickly stood up, waving her hand as Luciene was so startled she jumped, the bow quickly pulling from the instrument as the whispers disappeared.
“You have done nothing but show that you are no musician. You have cursed our ears with your wretched and horrific sounds. Now leave here at once and never return!” The woman shouted.
Luciene could feel the tears in her eyes forming. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.
She could only turn and run towards the doors, gripping her instrument and bow tightly in her hands.
The doors slammed shut behind her as she sprinted down the halls, making it to the front door and running straight across the grass, jumping over the wall of stone, then into the sand. She continued to run before tripping and falling to her knees, sending sand flying into the air as she let all of her emotion go. Tears came rolling down her face quickly as she dropped her instruments down to the sand and covered her face, ballin uncontrollably.
The whispers slowly began to come back, louder and clearer than ever before.
“We can hide your pain…” The whispers began to repeat over and over as Luciene removed her hands from her face. She was staring at the water in front of her, which continued to move around with waves washing higher and higher up the sand. She scooted forward as the water washed up and ran past her knees. The water felt like a warm embrace as it wrapped around her, stopping in its place. Luciene looked confused, but fully relaxed her body as the water began to pull her from where she was sitting, moving her closer and closer as more water came and began to reach higher and higher up her body.
She didn’t feel anything but calmness, her mind relaxed to the point that thought ceased.
Her body was pulled down under the water, afterwards the water sat completely still and silent. The water continued to move her as if she was in an underground current, pushing her down deeper and deeper into the body of water. Her eyes opened and could see quite clearly, but the water was entirely empty. She kept being pushed as the sunlight grew fainter and fainter. She was pushed deeper into the dark abyss that lacked any sense of light or life, yet she remained completely calm and relaxed.
She didn’t have issues breathing, a smile beginning to form across her face.
“We are here to protect you.”
The whisper spoke as Luciene was stopped, pointing upside down with her face away from the sun. As she stayed perfectly in place, something small began to emerge from the depths of darkness.
A small black mask began to float up. It was in the bauta style, something that covered nearly the entire face with large circles around the eyes. The mask turned on its own underwater as it inched closer and closer towards Luciene.
Luciene shut her eyes, giving up everything as the mask pressed against her skin. The straps wrapped around her head like a loving embrace, hugging her more lovingly than her own mother would.
Luciene’s eyes slowly opened as the mask was tight, her body quickly being pushed back to the surface.
Her head emerged from the water, which continued to push her back towards the sand.
As she walked, energy began to flow, making her veins bulge and turn a shade of black as they ran through her entire body, a virus spreading through her body. As it spread to her torso, the colors of her dress all began to fade and darken until the dress was completely black, so dark that the sunlight seemed to disappear whenever it touched it. She made her way to the violin and the bow. As she reached out to touch it, both items began to do the same as the dress. They faded and turn hellish black, the strings resembling silver instead of hair.
As Luciene lifted the violin up, she began to play.
Das Lied der Geige, Op. 2 by Jan Schebek came from the instrument, yet as she played there were two distinct tones. She played the music in the right key, but every note was harmonized with one exactly a tritone below, creating a disgusting dissonance and harsh sound as she continued to play.
As she played, she began to walk towards the palace. The sand where she stepped began to fade into gray and black dust, spreading quickly with every step. She made her way to the wall of rocks, which quickly eroded into nothing but dust as she stepped closer. She continued to play as she stepped into the grass, the grass drying and dying beneath her as it spread quickly throughout. She grew closer and closer to the home, the doors opening on their own as she walked inside. She stepped in and continued to play her music, which reverberated through the halls. The windows all began to fade until the glass became tinted and black, blocking any light from passing through. The paintings began to melt and be changed into hellish deformations of whatever they contained. People were changed into ghoulish looking demons, landscapes melted into barren wastelands, and food morphed into blobs of faded color. As she walked, the music became louder and louder. The walls fading and darkening as shadow began to take over.
All of the guests in the ballroom were still talking, but the faint music grew closer and closer.
“What is that awful noise?” One of the guests asked.
Everyone backed away from the doors as the music began to grow louder and louder, the dissonance piercing their souls.
The woman on her throne could hear the sound and quickly rose to her feet. Her face was covered in fear.
“We must get out of here!”
Before anyone could move, the doors flew open to reveal a black abyss of nothingness. Shadow and darkness so lifeless that nothing could be seen. From the darkness, Luciene emerged, still in playing position with her head tilted.
Her eyes were completely lifeless as she stared into the crowd of people. She raised the bow as everyone was frozen in fear.
She began to play Waltz No. 1 in A Major, Op. 54 by Antonín Dvořák. The two tones played at the same time from the one instrument.
As she played, all of the guests inside began to dance. They partnered up and slow danced like marionette puppets as Luciene continued to play. Luciene gracefully moved her way through the ball room, sliding and darting in between the couples dancing as she made her way to the throne. As she moved, the shadows began to move with her, taking over more and more of the room as she moved. The woman standing seemed to be unaffected, yet was still frozen in fear. Luciene continued to play as she danced her way around, climbing the steps till they were face to face.
“You…”
The woman started, but then the music stopped.
All of the people dancing froze in place, as if time itself was frozen. The shadows had overtaken all of the floors, walls, and ceilings except for the throne and the woman.
“I am the ruler.” Luciene spoke, her normal voice clashing with a whispering tone that was a tritone lower. She took the bow and slashed it across the woman’s throat, the blood pouring out a thick black color. As she fell, Luciene snatched the crown off of the head and let the body drop to the ground.
Luciene put it on her head as she turned to face the ballroom of guests. She sat on the throne as the violin and bow floated in the air. She leaned back and the violin continued the piece by itself, the people forcefully dancing along as she watched. The throne faded into black and silver, overtaking the red and gold from before. Luciene stared on with emotionless eyes and an obvious smile underneath the mask.
The people dancing like puppets controlled by the hellish music of the black violin. The woman sitting in the black and silver throne wearing a crown and bauta mask. The room made of shadows and darkness.
The music played, the people danced, and the woman watched.
For all of eternity.
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