Harmony of Hatred: The Wicked Pianist

The air in the King's Palace Concert Hall was thicker than usual, filled with suffocating incense and expensive perfumes. That night was the culmination of the art season, attended by the King and Queen, and the entire echelon of the highest nobility. Edric Sebastian Thornleigh stood on stage, bowing deeply after his mesmerizing Sonata performance. The applause thundered, but this time, he felt the pulsating rhythm of a different power within him—a power not from practice or talent, but from the pact he had made. His eyes briefly glanced at his father, Alaric Thornleigh, who sat in the front row, smiling proudly beside a radiant Lady Lilian Elowen Ashcroft. This was the end of the charade.

Edric stepped forward to the front of the piano, not to bow again, but to speak. The music in his head, a new, dark symphony, urged him to act. "Distinguished ladies and gentlemen," his voice resonated, filling the entire hall, "I am Edric Sebastian Thornleigh. And I thank you all for your presence and appreciation tonight." Edric took a deep breath, his eyes staring directly at the VIP box, piercing through his father's proud gaze and Lilian's radiant smile.

"However," he continued, his voice now colder, "there is another announcement I must make tonight. Something no less important than every note I play." Alaric's expression shifted slightly, sensing an odd tone in his son's voice. Lilian, beside him, furrowed her brow.

"I hereby declare," Edric looked straight at Lady Lilian, "that my engagement to Lady Lilian Elowen Ashcroft, and our wedding plans after the Lumièrebourg concert, are officially... canceled."

The words struck the hall like a sledgehammer. A tumultuous murmur erupted instantly, overriding the lingering applause. Lady Lilian's face turned ashen, her eyes wide with disbelief. She gasped, her hand flying to cover her mouth. Sir Edmund William Ashcroft, Lilian's father, sitting beside her, rose to his feet, his face crimson with furious, utter humiliation. Alaric Thornleigh, Edric's father, froze in place, his eyes radiating cold fury and absolute disbelief.

Edric ignored the chaos he had created. He offered a faint smile, a smile that now held a cruel satisfaction. "I trust you will all understand. This is the path I must take. Thank you." He bowed once more, this time not to the audience, but to himself, and turned to leave the stage, leaving behind untold chaos and whispers.

[Confrontation at Thornleigh Residence and Disownment]

Back at the Thornleigh residence, the grand main hall felt chilling. Alaric Thornleigh stood in the center of the room, his hands clenched tightly, his eyes blazing with hellfire. Lady Lilian, her face now wet with tears of anger, stood beside her father, Sir Edmund Ashcroft, whose eyes radiated hatred. The Ashcroft family had left, cursing the Thornleigh name. Edric stood before his father, his cloak still smelling of the stage, but his aura was now different—cold and unyielding.

"What have you done, Edric?!" Alaric growled, his voice low but full of menace. "You have destroyed everything! We are disgraced! The Thornleigh name... Ashcroft... ruined! Now, go see Sir Edmund! Apologize! Retract all your insane words in front of the King!"

Edric looked at his father. There was no fear, no regret in his eyes. Only a quiet, almost terrifying emptiness. "Destroyed?" Edric smiled. "You haven't seen anything yet, Father. The true symphony has only just begun."

He turned towards Lilian. Her eyes were filled with tears and anger. "Edric... how could you...?"

"Lilian," Edric cut her off, his voice flat, emotionless. "Our engagement is over. The wedding in Lumièrebourg... will never happen. You are free, Lilian. Free to return to your empty, predictable life."

Lilian's face turned ghastly pale. She gasped, collapsing onto the sofa. "Edric... don't be like this. Your father... he won't let this happen!"

Edric chuckled, a cold, echoing laugh from an abyss. "My father? Oh, he will know. He will know that his instrument has found a symphony far grander than he could ever imagine. I am the new Maestro. And your orchestra... your orchestra will be shattered." He finally turned, looking at his father, his eyes flashing with a faint red gleam that was now clearer. "I have made a pact, Father. A pact for true dominion. And you, and your world, are merely discordant notes in my new melody. I will ensure the Thornleigh name is remembered. But not as a musical genius. But as the name of the Maestro of Darkness."

Alaric gasped, his body tensing, his eyes widening in disbelief and a newfound fear. He saw something in Edric's eyes that had never been there before—something very old, very powerful, and very dark. A power that did not come from years of practice or Thornleigh blood.

Edric smiled again, a smile that promised ruin. Without another word, he turned and walked out of the Thornleigh residence, leaving his father frozen in silent rage and Lilian sobbing hysterically. The main door closed silently behind him, yet the echoes of destruction filled every corner of that house.

[New Identity and First Vengeance Plan]

One month before the planned concert in Lumièrebourg, Edric did not return to the Thornleigh residence. He left the city, not with regret, but with the euphoria of newfound freedom and power. In a distant town, far from old memories, he changed his identity. Edric Sebastian Thornleigh was dead. Born was Julian Lucien Malrick. With his long hair still a defining feature, but now always flowing free, and a sharper gaze, he was the new Maestro of Darkness.

He contacted his concert agent in Lumièrebourg, ensuring he would still perform as scheduled. "My father will not be accompanying me," his voice was calm and firm over the phone. "I will perform alone. And that concert will be something Lumièrebourg has never witnessed. My influence... will spread throughout the world." The Devil's power pulsed in every word, every note of his voice, promising a dominion that transcended mere art. His mission was now clear: to spread the Devil's influence through his music, to manipulate souls across the globe, to begin the symphony of ruin he had longed for.

However, before heading to Lumièrebourg, there was one thing he had to settle. Vengeance. William Richard.

Julian tracked William in the city, using his new keen senses and the dark whispers that now guided him. He knew William was a pawn, but the betrayal at the inn had carved a deep wound, and he had to retaliate. He wanted William to pay.

[White Witch's Protection and Julian's Failure]

However, another force moved in the shadows. The outcast witch (formerly hired by Alaric), somehow sensing the new dark power in Edric, grew concerned. She knew of Julian's plans for William. Unbeknownst to Alaric or Julian, the outcast witch contacted her niece, a pure white witch who lived in seclusion. She informed her of the danger threatening William, in order to maintain the balance.

The white witch, with her wisdom and magical prowess, acted swiftly. She found William—still consumed by guilt and sorrow—and granted him protection. With ancient spells, she cloaked William and his family in an illusion impenetrable to ordinary eyes, even to eyes that had received demonic power.

Julian, with all the dark magical power he had acquired from the Devil, hunted William with burning resolve. He scoured every corner of the city, every trace he should have been able to find. But William seemed to have vanished into thin air. No trace. No scent. Not even the Devil's whispers in his mind could guide him. Frustration gnawed at him. He, the newly born Maestro of Darkness, could not find a single target of his vengeance.

However, this defeat only stoked his fire. Julian stood in the forest where he had made his pact, his eyes flashing red. "William Richard," his voice resonated coldly, "you can hide. You can run. But I swear, I will destroy you. And your entire family. This is a vow from Julian Lucien Malrick. And every symphony I play from now on, will be your death melody."