The Cornflower Witch

Book 2: Chapter 222: The Black Violin and Memories

Vol 2 Chapter 222 The Black Violin and Memories

Inside the Griffin residence.

Sylutia sat on the stool in her bedroom, tilting her head as she adjusted the violin. The body of the instrument was made of black oak, its hue elegant and refined.

This violin was a gift sent over by Madam Sarah a few days ago, because she felt that with Sylutia's temperament, playing the violin would surely look very beautiful.

In this lifetime, during her childhood, Sylutia had followed her mother and studied music for a period, but that was when she was very young. At the time, her mother had mainly encouraged her interest and had not subjected her to very strict training.

Gripping the bow, Sylutia recalled the instruction she received as a child, slowly searching for that musical sense.

She calmed her heart and mind, circulating the 'Memory Maze' Meditation Method she had previously learned, exploring the scenes from her early childhood forgotten in the corners.

In the iris-blue room, the floor was as clear and bright as a mirror. One wall was hung with various musical instruments, while the other side featured large floor-to-ceiling glass windows. Gauze curtains half-concealed the sunlight. At that time, her mother sat before the blue porcelain-colored piano, playing notes, letting her follow her rhythm and slowly draw the bow.

Sylutia back then must have been only eight years old, holding the small-sized violin custom-made for her, clumsily drawing the bow. The sound of the violin was intermittent and broken. In her memory, her mother wore a beautiful blue iris dress, her long silver hair tied up in the back, adorned with a ribbon hairband decorated with pearl silver leaves. Just looking at her back, she was a vision of beauty.

"Ya, when playing legato, you need to be a little slower.""Mhm."

The young Sylutia of that time answered softly, then pressed her fingers down with a hint of nervousness, with some obvious flaws still appearing midway.

After practicing a few times, the young Sylutia grew somewhat discouraged and didn't want to continue.

"What's wrong, Ya, no more practice today?" Sherin asked somewhat dotingly, stroking the Sylutia in her arms.

"I feel like I can't learn it well, I always make mistakes."

"Is that so? But I think it's not bad. Even though I'm playing with my back to you, I can still imagine Ya's adorable appearance in my mind," her mother replied with a smile.

"That's because you're my mom, that's why you say that," Ya pouted. Sometimes even she couldn't stand listening to the intermittent, unsteady sound of the strings.

"It's alright, it'll be fine after practicing a bit longer."

"To feel that something is good, one needs to get through a rather bitter and difficult stage first, Ya."

"But that feels too far away." The Ya of that time was still very discouraged. Afterwards, she reluctantly practiced a few more times before never touching the instrument again.

The scene in her memory slowly became clear. Sylutia could even recall how many types of instruments were hung on the walls of that music room, and which piece she was practicing at the time.

Compared to her childhood, her fingers were much more slender now, and her body coordination and control were vastly stronger. Things that seemed difficult back then now seemed to be easily accomplished.

The piece she had never managed to practice to completion in the past, today, after a few simple adjustments and familiarizations in the room, she slowly played through completely.

After finishing, Sylutia opened her eyes, put down the bow, then gently ran her fingers over the violin, reminiscing about the past with many emotions.

A child's memories and the feelings of adulthood are vastly different. Steps that seemed very high back then can be reached with a single step now; rooms that seemed enormous back then might be crossed in just a few steps now.

When she was eight years old, her body hadn't developed yet. The control over her fingers and body was far inferior to now. However, even back then, her hearing was already very sharp. In other words, a piece that might sound fine to other children her age would, in her own ears, reveal many more flaws and shortcomings. This greatly discouraged her, because the gap between her and her family members' musical performance level was enormous.

There were many members of the Meizhalansi family who could play instruments. Even many of the maids could skillfully master several instruments. In such an environment, Sylutia felt she couldn't compare to anyone, completely unable to build any confidence. She once believed she had inherited none of her mother's talent and was a very 'useless' child.

Back then, she seemed especially prone to crying, often running to her mother Sherin for help, because her mother would always comfort her gently. This caused the young Sylutia to develop a dependency for a time.

Because of this personality, she also rarely played with children her own age back then, until she later met Ilythia...

Speaking of which, when she first met Ilythia, she felt the other girl's personality was quite terrible, always bullying the other children around her, and she also played many pranks on her. It wasn't until one time when Ilythia made her cry that Ilythia became somewhat more restrained. Later, the relationship between the two strangely slowly improved.

After having Ilythia as a playmate, the number of times she cried seemed to gradually decrease. She also didn't run to find her mother the moment something happened, like she used to.

In a sense, Ilythia changed part of her personality.

Finishing her reminiscence, Sylutia emerged from her immersed meditative state, moved her body slightly, carefully put away the exquisitely crafted violin, and placed it back into its case.

After condensing her Aspect, Sylutia continued her studies with Nox. Her current task was to combine the 76 Basic Runes she had learned into the most basic Spell Models.

"Hedra, do you understand what 'runes' actually are?" One day, after Sylutia finished a segment of her lessons, Nox asked her.

"Probably the transcendent patterns or 'imprints' summarized by people of the past."

"That is so, but that's only the surface appearance," Nox continued explaining.

"You should have heard that rituals are the 're-enactment' of legends. And 'runes' are actually also a kind of re-enactment, only their scope is broader and the conditions are simpler."

"A simple example: in ancient times, no living being in this world could fly, because in the most ancient epochs, everyone was in water, moving by swimming."

"This instinct is still passed down in the bloodlines of many creatures to this day. Even humans living on land, their infants instinctively know basic paddling and swimming."

"In the era when no living being could fly, insects were the first to grow wings, becoming the earliest flying creatures. It was also at that time that the 'Insect Moth' was born from the 'void,' becoming a brand new 'Aspect.'"

"Why could insects fly? What was the biggest difference between them and other life forms? The life forms of ancient times also observed and imitated. They believed the key lay in 'wings.'"

"Thus, other creatures also began to imitate the 'wings' construction, shape, function, and so on."

"Wings' is one of the most basic runes. As long as its appearance and shape are re-enacted, it can grant living beings the ability to fly."

"The 76 Basic Runes you are learning now are all similar re-enactments. They are also summaries by people of past eras regarding certain phenomena and abilities."

"Combining the five runes 'Triangle · Sharp · Sturdy · Speed · Flight' forms the most basic attack spell 'Magic Missile.'"

"Your assignment today is to construct the Spell Model for 'Magic Missile' and condense it into a primary Ability Card."

"Yes, Instructor Nox."