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This trick was incredibly dangerous - Freminet had warned as much. Not because of the trick itself, not even because of the water tank that would be used in it. Because of the ropes that suspended it to the ceiling. They did not have enough, and there was no time to procure more.
"I can't guarantee the ropes will be stable... If you put even the slightest bit of stress, the whole tank will fall." Freminet fussed, trying to convince his brother not to use the tank.
Lyney and Lynette had not dared to use water tanks in their show for over a year. Last time, there was a horrible accident, orchestrated by a man who Lyney and Lynette thought they could trust. But it had been a while, and this was a brand new tank with a pretty sun symbol on the side.
"Don't worry, Freminet, it'll be fine," Lyney brushed his concerns off like they were nothing more than dust.
"No, Lyney... It- it's not safe. You should wait to do this trick until I can guarantee your safety."
So they went to Father to present their cases, like lawyers in front of a judge. Freminet argued his side; the tank was not fully secure, one wrong move, and it would come crashing down. Lyney argued he was experienced with unstable props, and as long as no fire burned the ropes this time, it would be fine.
"This is not a good idea. The tank is unstable," Father warned, walking across the stage to examine the fixtures.
Lynette nodded. "I'm not sure about this, either, Brother."
"But we've worked with these for years!" Lyney exclaimed. "Besides, as long as nobody pulls on the ropes, it's fine, right?"
Freminet nodded, but he looked uncertain.
Father took a deep breath of contemplation, judging which side she thought should win.
Eventually, she turned her gaze to Lyney.
"Be careful. I trust you and Lynette know what you are doing."
Lyney smiled wide. "Thank you, Father."
Freminet looked defeated for a moment, before an expression of worry crossed his face. "Just... Be careful, Lyney..."
Lyney smiled, patting his little brother on the shoulder. "I'll be safe!" Don't worry about me, okay?"
Freminet sighed. "Don't make me say I told you so."
And so the show was good to go, but not without a few practice runs. Lyney tugged at the release cord for the tank, causing it to slowly lower down onto the stage. The water sloshed around inside, the golden sun on the side glimmering in the stage lights.
Why a sun? It was summer, after all, it fit.
He gave a thumbs up to his brother and sister, watching from the audience seats. Father had left to oversee a nearby Fatui expedition, so she was not going to make it to the show.
Lynette and Freminet gave nods and thumbs up back to tell him it looked good.
Lyney used the pulley backstage to get it back up, bowing dramatically for his siblings as they clapped.
"Told you it works fine!"
Lyney deliberately ignored the sound of a rope snapping. He blocked out the sound of the tank creaking. It was just one of ten different ropes. There were supposed to be twenty... But now they only had nine.
"Welcome, one and all, to the Opera Epiclese!" Lyney announced from the stage, his voice echoing through the open space. All of the tickets had sold out, and every single spot was full, including the standing ones. The audience began to applaud their Great Magician, cheering for him and his assistant.
The magician walked around to stand on his sister's other side. "I'm today's star, Lyney, and this is my twin sister and assistant, Lynette!"
Lynette waved at the crowd. "Hello."
They clapped, all smiles as the magician and his assistant waved.
A second assistant came on stage, this one was wearing a mask to preserve their identity.
"What fun is a magic show if the performers both have Visions?" Lyney hummed, placing his Vision in the assistant's hand. Lynette placed hers next to his, and the assistant walked off. "I can assure you, this is real magic." Lyney winked.
Lynette shared a glance with him.
He patted her shoulder. "Now, my dear sister is going to prepare something spectacular for you!" He waved goodbye to her as she headed backstage. "Don't miss her, she'll be back before long to steal the spotlight from me."
The crowd whispered amongst themselves, eyes still on their Great Magician.
Lyney laughed, a delicate sound designed to make him appear as innocent as possible. "Without further ado, let's get this show on the road!" He took off his hat, displayed its emptiness to the crowd, and then set it down in midair. He patted the top of the hat, causing a few cards to fall out.
The crowd watched with bated breath. This was a trick Lyney had done several times before. But this time, he had put a different spin on it.
"Whew, magic is exhausting," he complained aloud. "I think I should sit down..." Lyney sat down on the floating hat, to much cheering and applause. He crossed his legs, pulled a card out of thin air, and duplicated it in his hands. He held up both cards, then put them back together again, merging them into one.
The audience murmured in awe. Lyney's lilac eyes caught the lavender ones of Fontaine's very own Iudex, who was sitting in the front row next to his awe-stricken little brother. He gave the man a wink, then turned away.
"Those were just little tricks. But this one is a bit complex."
Lyney placed the card in between his hands and audibly crumpled it into a ball inside his palms... Then he threw a bird into the air, the card nowhere to be seen. The dove flew high, and a delicate feather fell from its belly, drifting slowly to the stage below. Lyney caught the white feather in his fingers, and he held it up.
"Just an ordinary feather, hmm?" There was a spark in his eyes, like a candle's flame burning strong. The magician tossed it high into the air, and it flew higher and faster than a feather of that size and weight should. As it twisted and turned in the air, it transformed into another magic card, and Lyney stood up to catch it when it fell.
With well-practiced moves, he grabbed his hat, placed it back on his head, and threw the card into the air. Like the feather before, it twisted and turned, before reaching its peak. It burst into a cloud of colorful confetti, drifting to the stage with the elegance of colorful leaves. Amidst the confetti pieces was the original white feather, which landed in Iudex Neuvillette's lap. Whether by coincidence or not, the man would never know.
"As spectacular as this is... You came for something bigger."
Lyney stepped aside, motioning an arm to the ceiling. A spotlight fixed on the area, and the water tank slowly lowered down. The golden frame shone in the bright light, helping to illuminate his little sister. The woman was sitting right on top, waving to the crowd as she descended.
"This is a trick I've performed before," Lyney started, walking across the stage. "Using this water tank, I will make my sister disappear, right before your very eyes!"
The crowd murmured in excitement.
Lynette jumped into the tank, doing a little spin in the water. The sun symbol was facing the back, almost framing the young woman.
"It's quite simple," he rehearsed, walking back across the stage. "She'll just turn into air bubbles, and float right out the top." The lid flipped shut. Lyney flashed a grin, his confidence soaring like it had been given wings. "You may be wondering, 'Oh, but how will air float right out the top if the lid is closed?' Hehe..." He took a breath. "Magicians never reveal their secrets."
The magician held up a gloved hand.
Snap.
Lynette twirled around again, practically evaporating as she transformed into a thousand tiny air bubbles, which floated right to the top of the tank... And vanished. Leaving only her clothes behind.
The audience cheered and applauded once more, louder than that night had seen so far. Lyney noticed another set of familiar faces in the crowd, Miss Furina and Champion Duelist Clorinde. They sat near the back, and Lyney did not make eye contact with them. Lynette's clothes settled to the bottom of the tank, and Lyney began to pace the stage.
"Alright, Lynette!" he called, cupping a hand by his mouth to emphasize the act. "Time to come back now, we don't want to use too much magic yet!"
On cue, Lynette stepped back onto the stage, fully clothed. "Tada." The spotlight moved away from the tank, fixing on the magician's assistant.
Lyney beamed, motioning an arm to her. Lynette opened her arms wide, and the audience began to clap. Lyney clapped too, still beaming at her. The tank began to rise, going back to its resting spot until its next trick. Lyney and Lynette grasped each other's gloved hands and bowed.
As the tank ascended, Lyney heard another sound that made his heart sink.
Snap.
Eight ropes remaining.
He attempted to mask his distress with a smile, making brief eye contact with Lynette as they stood upright. Her feline ears were more sensitive than his human ones. She heard it too.
But the show had to go on.
To Lyney's horror, the broken rope fell onto the stage, still attached to the other ropes on one end. Someone could easily trip on it. If they tripped, they'd tug the other ropes right out of the fixtures suspending the tank... Causing it to fall.
"Not to worry," Lyney announced, as Lynette rushed backstage to alert an assistant of the problem. "It appears we are having some technical difficulties, but we can perform magic around it."
Lyney met his terrified little brother's gaze. He gave the boy a brief smile to reassure him, but Freminet's expression did not change.
The young man hummed slightly, putting a hand to his chin. "I'll have to perform some smaller tricks while that is fixed. The show must go on, after all. I'm sure you'll enjoy them just as much!" He grinned. The man did not make distance between himself and the hanging cord.
The magician turned away, confidently pulling a few cards out of thin air. He threw his cards above his head, and they exploded into even more white feathers.
"Watch carefully," he plucked a feather from the air, closing his hand around it. He opened his hand, sending not one, but two pigeons flying. They circled around him once, twice, then flew up and out of sight.
One pigeon flew back down with a card in its beak, which Lyney took, holding up for the audience to see. He crumpled the card in his hands as he had done before, and when he opened his hands, a bright red apple sat in his right palm.
"Tada!" He tossed the apple to a lady in the front row. "You like apples?"
She nodded, scrutinizing the shining fruit for any signs that would reveal it was an illusion.
"Eat it!" he encouraged with a wide smile.
She gave him a bewildered look, before slowly raising the apple to her lips, and taking a bite.
Crunch.
Her eyes blew wide. "It's real!" she held up the bitten apple in her hand, and the crowd cheered.
Lynette walked back onto the stage, and Lyney grinned. "Ah, it appears my dear assistant is back!" He stepped backward, to give her room to come into the center. "We can get back on tra-"
Lyney's foot caught the fallen cord. He stumbled, tugging the rope with his boot. He managed to keep his balance... But it was too late.
Creak.
When he realized what he'd done, there was no time to move out of the way. He was too close to the sun; his wings were already melting, and he would soon fall into the ocean below.
Crack.
With Lyney's last thought, he opened his arms wide and closed his eyes, prepared to accept Death's cold embrace in its entirety... Even though it was his fault all along.
I'm sorry, Lynette.
Crash.
The water tank fell on top of Fontaine's Great Magician, glass shattering and releasing gallons upon gallons of water on the stage.
If the tank falling wasn't so loud, the sounds of about a hundred bones breaking would have been clear.
"LYNEY!" His sister/assistant was over in an instant, trying to push the frame of the tank off of him.
It was clear this was not a part of the show.
Several audience members rushed on stage to help, including Freminet, and with the combined strength of about twenty people, the tank was lifted off of Lyney.
A mother covered her son's eyes, a pair of confused teenagers whispered to each other, Champion Duelist Clorinde and Furina rushed towards the stage. A couple of Fatui agents rushed out of the building.
A self-proclaimed doctor and the Iudex knelt over his battered body, Freminet and Lynette watching in stunned horror. The doctor felt his neck, then whispered something to Neuvillette. The Iudex nodded solemnly, standing up and addressing the horrified crowd.
"The show is over. He's dead."
Father had been out with some Fatui agents to investigate something in Erinnyes Forest. A normal occurrence, except for the sudden rain. Normally, it would go away after a few minutes, but it had rained for about fifteen, with no signs of stopping.
Fine, she thought. We'll work in the rain.
An hour into the steadily worsening downpour, several Fatui agents rushed up to her, soaked in water and mud. Some of them she recognized as her subordinates, the rest worked under Sandrone.
"Lord Arlecchino, you must return to the House of the Hearth this instant!" one of them announced. "We're here to escort you."
"Why must I return halfway through my expedition?" she queried, but they all avoided her gaze.
"It's best if you don't hear it from us, my Lord... I'm not sure we could explain. But something happened."
Fine. If this was some assassination attempt, she could easily kill them all. Besides... The look on their faces...
Whatever reason they had for taking her back home was very important.
Father had this horrible sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach the whole way home.
When she stepped over the threshold of her house, she called out to the children. "I'm home. What's going on?"
Father paused.
All of her children were in the living room. But they weren't the only ones. Two Gardes, Miss Furina, Champion Duelist Clorinde, even the Iudex himself.
All of her children were either crying, or on the verge of tears. Lynette, who never expressed her emotions, was sitting on the largest chair, sobbing loudly into a handkerchief. Rosseland sat on her lap, snuggled up to her to help comfort her.
Every time one of the Gardes would try to ask Lynette a question, she would cry harder, unable to get a word out.
She was still wearing her magic costume from the show she and Lyney had been performing earlier in the evening...
Wait.
Not all of her children were there.
Lyney was missing.
"What's going on?" Father asked again, taking long, quick strides as she walked over to the living room. "Where is Lyney?"
"Are you his mother?" one of the Gardes asked.
"Father," she corrected. "What's going on?"
Freminet sniffled, wiping his face. "There... There was an a-accident," his voice broke. "During the show."
Father's heart sank.
"No."
Lynette sobbed louder. "It's all my fault! I- I should have-"
Miss Furina squeezed her shoulder. "It's not your fault..."
"Where is he?" Father asked. "Which hospital is he at? Take me to him." By the gods, if they thought she didn't want to see her child after something like this...
"Ma'am..." the male Garde started. "We... We can't do that. He-"
"And why not?" she snapped. "He's my son."
The champion duelist cleared her throat. "Lord Arlecchino." She motioned to the Iudex, who appeared as if he wanted to say something.
Father went silent.
The Iudex took a deep breath. "The water tank... It... It fell and crushed him. He was pronounced dead at the scene."
Lynette sobbed harder at those words, the rest of the children hanging their heads in sorrow.
Dead. Her son, dead.
Her son was dead because of the tank she had personally approved.
She'd seen mothers and fathers alike, pleading and screaming to "please tell them it wasn't true."
But Father knew nobody would dare lie to her about something like this.
Lyney was gone.
"Was... Was it quick?" she asked.
The Iudex nodded solemnly. "Instant. He didn't feel a thing."
And that was the most comfort any of them could hope to get. Lyney was dead. Gone. They'd never see him again. Never hear his triumphant laugh when he succeeded at something, never feel his warm hugs, never tell him how much they loved him...
Had he known what was going to happen? Did he have any warning at all before the tank fell on him? Or did it just... Happen?
Father should have forbidden him from using that tank the second she found out.
She pulled her sobbing daughter into a tight hug. "It's not your fault," Father murmured to the girl, holding her tight lest she lose her, too.
"It's my fault," Freminet practically whispered. "I'm the one who built the tank..."
"No," Father said. "It's not your fault. I'm the one who should have forbidden this from the start. This is my fault. And I'm sorry."