[img=http://i.imgur.com/UPINOf1.png]

There was light, soothing music in the air and the skies were bathed in soft wondrous colors. It was exactly like a scene in a painting, except static cut the lullaby and the pastel hues turned scarlet every time Lute glanced up. 

He tried. When he couldn’t see his sister anywhere time suddenly played back, and he found himself back to the day before it happened. He really tried. 
Except it never worked. The first day, Lute camped out to wait for the criminal. He set up a watch route ranging ten meters out the farmhouse and was halfway through his fifth round when screams erupted. When the virtuoso returned Ruana was gone. The second day he asked her to stay with him in the same room. During midnight, when Lute thought the danger would have passed, he allowed her to go to the bathroom. She never returned.

And it kept repeating. He would do everything in his power to save his sister, but it never worked; his efforts fell a centimeter short of the real thing, and Lute found his incompetence unforgivable.

Now, it was different. Now, there were more people to be lost.

Lute tore his gaze from the skies and looked at Estelle as her blade dug deeper into her arm. The last time he went in and slashed at Simon, but the wildcat popped out of nowhere and stabbed the fiery-haired woman through and through. This time there could be no more mistakes. The virtuoso just knew it was his last chance. His emotions were strung taut and he could barely breathe. Estelle was a part of his trial, they said. If he could save at least one of the Pride, they said they would return his sister. He couldn’t panic. He was far too terrified for her life to even panic. He was far too terrified by all the things that had happened, by all the bloodshed he had caused, to feel anything aside from this.

… There wasn’t anyone left in the Pride. His decisions had killed them all. Up in the seats, back when the crowd was running wild, Selan was cut down where she stood when he chose to defend Lucien from an incoming attack, and when Lute had to turn his back on the summoner he was murdered too. They all ended that way. Even Atlas and Robin. Even Jeff and Aria and the girl who jumped on her chair in the restaurant. Everyone.

Lute readied his blade, his hands shaking. [I]‘This is it’[/I], He thought and took a step forward, only for Simon to raise his arms up then swing his sword down in a forceful slash, completely severing the girl’s arm.

[i]“It’s all on you, kid. You're really not a leader type. Leaders listen, and you're deaf dumb and blind! You can't listen to anything asides from your own voice, which is why you can't talk with anyone. That's pretty bad, isn't it?”[/i] The people in the audience froze and their heads pivoted towards Lute, all of their eyes trained on his very form. [i]"Hell, if that ain't bad enough, you can't even decide for yourself, let alone work with others. It's too dangerous for everyone if you do anything!"[/i] He was staring in shock at the collapsed Estelle and even before he could react, a hole in the ground opened up and swallowed him whole.

[i]“Stay there, pet. There where you can’t hurt anybody.”[/i]

And Lute did.