The Glorious Evolution

”Instrument... hmmm, it did cross my mind once, but I laughed it off...” Levi smiled wryly, ”I can barely play a normal instrument, how can I use one in a battle?”

Levi knew that if he created an instrument-type weapon, he would actually have a weapon much more fitting for sound than his other weapons... Since sound and vibrations were one of the best aspects as a medium, if he were to launch a spiritual attack, it would hit harder than he could even dream of.

”You’re missing out... Attica has chosen to focus on the Echo Keeper stance... she unlocked only auditory abilities throughout her path... All of her chosen weapons were instruments.” Ash’Kral sighed, ”The pain has taken her out in the Pathfinder rank... but she made her music alive... and it was beautifully deadly.”

Hearing this, Levi began to give the suggestion some actual thought, understanding that it would be too much of a waste for him to give up on such a fitting weapon.

Sure, he knew nothing much about instruments, music, and how to apply them effectively in his combat... but he had time and the eagerness to learn.

Though he was suffering from an issue Attica didn’t have... the transformation duration.

Attica chose three instruments, which implied the main form was still based on an instrument, allowing her to switch between them easily.

But in his case... he would be switching between a staff, a sniper rifle, and an instrument... Each switch must take half a second second or less.

”What kind of instrument will match with both my staff and sniper...” Levi opened the dimensional network and began searching for instrumental designs and similar content on the dimensional Pinterest.

Many pictures and videos of instruments pulled up... some familiar, like violins, cellos, and electric guitars, others utterly alien, with twisting shapes, strings of light, and impossible forms that defied physics.

Levi imagined each instrument in his hands, testing their balance, weight, and how easily he could switch between them mid-combat.

He didn’t even care about their looks... Unless the switching duration was handled, nothing else would matter.

”My staff is two meters long, but I can break it into segments, which will make it somewhat smaller and give me access to smaller instruments.”

At first glance, Levi wasn’t too fond of weird musical instruments or ones that made sounds outside chordophone.

His soul was attracted to chordophone instruments like guiters, Cellos... and most precisely, the violin. He might not have played it in his life, but his mother used to play classical violin pieces in the background when she worked on her research.

Levi didn’t know why... but he always felt soothed when he heard it as a child playing beside her.

”A violin... hmmm, it’s gonna be difficult to pull off less than a split-second transformation.” Ash’Kral expressed, ”Violins are intricate pieces of art that need attention to detail... You can’t just slam some strings and expect heavenly music to come off.”

Levi nodded in understanding, also finding it difficult to imagine his sniper rifle or staff pulling off such an instant transformation.

Neither weapon had fine details such as strings or the addition of a bow with its own hair.

”Maybe half a second then?”

Levi added some leeway, knowing when to back off... half a second might not give the illusion of an instantaneous transformation, but it would at least not be detrimental in a battle.

’Half a second is a challenge as well, but I ain’t gonna doubt you again...’ Ash’Kral said lazily, ”Once you finish thinking of the concept, run it by me.”

”Will do...” Levi nodded, his mind already working on some feasible concepts.

***

Back to the present...

Levi stood in front of Ash’Kral, who was already sitting inside the crafting station... then, he turned him into a staff and used his will to send images, blueprints, and his intentions.

The Ancestral Void tree responded to his will... still cold, silent, but at least, it responded.

The concept of the weapon-instrument appeared in his mind: a violin, born out of the staff separated into four segments... each had a vital role.

Since the staff was capable of separation on its own, it didn’t require the tree to make such a change, which would also play a big role in saving transformation duration.

”Here we go...” Levi murmured, his spiritual eyes affixed on the staff’s two crowns thinning while the crimson chains gushed out of their shrinking storage rooms.

”Good... It’s starting with the lower crown,”

The bottom crown twisted and narrowed under everyone’s eyes, forming an elegant bow still tethered to the main shaft by crimson chains.

Then, it split open in a straight line, exposing the crimson chain held tightly by the narrowed staff’s interior. Not done yet, the exposed part of the chain started transforming into fine hair-like crimson strings.

This process stopped once it reached the end of the bottom segment, making it resemble a dark wooden bow with crimson hair held tightly.

”Not bad. Keep it connected... I’ll need that chain for the rest.”

Levi’s focus shifted to the remaining three segments... they remained connected; however, the design had separated the two central segments and the upper crown.

The thinned-out upper crown started stretching and flattening until it appeared as a fingerboard.

The two central segments realigned beneath it and flattened as well, giving the classical shape of a violin’s bouts. Then, one shaped into a chin rest while the other formed the foundation where the bridge would rest.

”Now the rest of the frame...”

The excess chains on the ground started pulling their own weight as they weaved and affixed themselves on the edges of the bouts.

This made it resemble more of an electric, aggressive violin instead of the classical one everyone was familiar with.

The chains continued with their work and coursed across the entire violin, morphing into the fine details: pegs, tailpiece, even the faint ridge of the nut.

What remained of the chains went inside the flattened main form, attaching themselves to the corners and then remaining there.

Of course, for this to happen, the chains needed to be cut from the upper crown’s locking mechanism, just like what he had done with the Starpiercer Rifle.

”Almost there... now, the strings.”

Before Levi’s voice could reach far, four strings of liquid gold, incredibly thin yet strong, threaded themselves across the frame... pegbox to tailpiece.

Levi watched as those threads got connected with the pegs, leaving them tight enough to cut a normal citizen’s finger with a single touch.

Once the strings got attached, the weapon’s creation was completed... no piece unused, nothing wasted.

”How graceful...” Levi smiled, truly satisfied with the final design.

The bow hovered beside it, still tethered by the living chain... The entire masterpiece radiated a deadly elegance... dark frame, crimson chains for details, and golden strings to complete the piece.

Levi picked up the violin with one hand and its chained bow with the other. Then, he started examining it in detail... its weight, its touch, how it would fit on his shoulder, and most importantly, how it sounded.

Ting... Ting.

Besides the ear-screeching noise, his unskilled hands kept emitting, he found that the weapon fit his body comfortably to his pleasant surprise... even though it was considerably bigger than a standard violin.

A standard violin was about sixty centimeters in length, while Levi’s... cough, it was more or less about a meter and a half.

Ash’Kral’s eye popped out of the violin’s fingerboard and teased, ”Are you sure you haven’t created a Cello?”

”Shshsh... It might be slightly bigger than the norm, but it doesn’t matter that much... I can use my resonance access to tune out the sound to match a violin.” Levi shushed him, not wanting his dream shattered, ”Who knows? I might use it as a Cello too.”

Levi was strong enough to use the violin as he wished; its size wouldn’t affect his performance capabilities.

As for sound? His access was high enough to tune out what was produced out of the violin. After all, he planned on using the violin as a weapon primarily, not to play in an orchestra.

”Your thinking is a bit flawed, little one...” The Titan smiled nostalgically as he gazed at the giant violin, ”Music is art... music is peace...music is chaos... music is life. I know you want to use the violin as a weapon, but please, respect the art, and it will respect you back.”

”He is right.” Ash’Kral nodded, ”While I am not as big a fan of art as Old Bark... I suggest you start taking musical lessons seriously... Gifted musicians are capable of straight-out unlocking the upgraded version of Sound Aspect... Melody Aspect: giving them the same access to sound like you, but in a much finer technical way.”

”Melody Aspect?” Levi raised an eyebrow in surprise, ”That’s a thing?”

Levi thought that having Sound Aspect was great enough to harness the violin to its greatest potential... but it was not even close.

”There are levels of Aspects... You have Sound Aspect, which is the lowest-ranked of the aspects in terms of freedom... Melody Aspect comes second, and Vibration Aspect is the peak since it was the closest to raw control.”

”You can create sound constructs, roars, sound blades, and all of that... but once you attempt to learn weaving sound notes into songs capable of making people worship you, drop dead by a note, or such... You will start struggling without having Melody Aspect as a power.”

Ash’Kral lifted a wing and continued solemnly.

”Most seek strength in steel, boy... but Melody... Melody makes the world your instrument. Every breath, every heartbeat, every echo in the void... becomes a note you may choose to play.”

”But don’t lose hope... As one keeps nearing the commanding law of the seed, the aspects upgrade to higher levels to keep up.” The Titan added with a smile, ”That is evolution, my little friend... It’s not just an evolution of one’s body, soul, or even the tree... even the Powers evolve along the journey. One only needed to respect his powers to reach their final potential.”

”I understand.”

With a nod, Levi went silent as he gazed at the violin in his hand... He had created it for spiritual warfare while using sounds as the medium.

But now, he realized that if he truly wanted to master this weapon... he needed to take music as a power more seriously than he thought... Otherwise, he would always be stuck at Sound Aspect.