Omnia Vincit Amor

II.

"Caelesti sumus omnes semine oriundi." - Lucretius

We are all sprung from a heavenly seed.

Edward Chen was always talented and smart. It was easy and effortless for him to get outstanding grades and to maintain a practice schedule, despite being one to put off work until the deadline being near. He was talented and hardworking, but only for the things that he truly loved doing. He was selectively passionate and his mother and father knew it from when he was young.

His sister was the opposite. Belle worked hard to be a great musician because she does not have the privilege to study or work into professions that their parents are dreaming for them. She was also talented in her own right but she worked even more just so she could be at her very best. It was quite fascinating if you saw them play something together. Each of them were powerful in their own right, but like siblings, they support one another.

They both play as if it would be the last time they are able to touch their instruments. It's always so bold and passionate, sometimes you will forget that they are siblings. Their melodies entangle with one another, the same way lovers who have not seen each other in a long time and have been reunited. It is simply sweet, loving and passionate. Just like their relationships as siblings.

Edward played the violin as if he was dedicating it to his sister. His sister was the biggest muse when it comes to playing because he looks up to her dearly. He remembered back when he was only three and his sister was eight, his sister would play some melodies on their upright piano. Eddy would start humming along to it until his father saw his potential.

His father saw how Eddy could replicate the exact same notes that Belle was playing. Belle happily played every time Eddy was sitting next to her on the piano stool. One day, his father bought home with him a violin and Eddy was delighted. He was already at the age of four when he got one and he couldn't be happier.

They both loved playing so much and it made his mother and father proud of them. They took pride in knowing that their children are both talented and hardworking when it came to musical instruments. Edward's mom always had her heart set on making the boy a doctor or a lawyer. She knew that Eddy was the only one who could take up such professions.

As Edward grew up, he knew that he was slowly falling in love with playing the violin. He wants to make a career out of it but he knows that his mother would be disappointed in him. He will tell her when the time is right. His father already knew and he was supportive of him. Edward knew that he would be okay as long as he has his father to support him for his career.

One day, everything changed.

He was only sixteen when he saw his father painfully die of a fever. He really did not want to see it unravel before his very eyes but he did. He took it like a man and never complained, though. He helped his father and always tended to his needs. His mother was slowly falling apart but she was still doing her best to keep calm and continue to help Edward with taking care of her husband. Belle on the other hand was working as a full time musician in order to support their family.

He was alone with his father when the death happened. He had witnessed his father write farewell letters as he was slowly getting weak. Edward wanted to stop his father from writing and to just rest but his father insisted on continuing. Claiming that he was already feeling his death come and he needed to leave messages to his wife and children.

When he was finished, he lied down and Edward was just kneeling beside his father's bed. His father bought a hand up Edward's shoulder and squeezed it a little. Edward gave his father drinkable water.

"Edward, my boy, don't forget to take care of your mother and your sister. You are now the man of the family..." His father paused, slowly removing his hand from the teenager's shoulder. He instead held onto the boy's hand and whispered.

"Always follow your dreams and do the best that you could. I always knew that you were born to be a great artist that can transcend time. Do not worry about what your mother is pressuring you to be. Be whoever you want to be." His father continued as he could feel himself get weaker.

"Tell my girls that I love them, alright? I love you so much Edward. You will do great things." His father said, his grip on Edward's hand loosened and Edward felt the tears run down the apples of his cheeks.

Edward simply cannot speak at the moment, too much words to say but he couldn't find his voice. He felt his throat dry up and all that he could do was sob and wail, mourn the death of his father. He curled himself into a ball, still continuing to cry, not feeling the presence of his mother and sister  slowly arriving at the room.

Both were at a shock when they saw Edward crying his heart out on the floor. The first to cry among the two women was Belle. She immediately felt her knees get weak and sunk down on the floor next to Eddy. Holding Edward close, she sobbed and held onto Edward. He was now shaking terribly from crying too hard but he did not care. He just held onto his sister for comfort, allowing the familiarity of her arms to overtake his senses. It gave him a slight feeling of comfort but not enough to stop him from crying.

Mama Chen, on the other hand, was too shocked to cry. She still cannot wrap her head around the fact that his husband was gone. She picked up the letters that was written for each of them and read what was for her. By the end of the letter, she could not handle it anymore. She shed all the tears and she never thought it would stop.

They were all crying their hearts out but Edward slowly stopped. Determined to stay strong for his mother and sister, he wiped his tears with his numb and shaky hands and held both of them close to him. He allowed them to cry until he knew that they we're about to be tired.

He stood up, grabbed two cups of clean water and gave it to his mother and sister. They still didn't stop crying but they have now caught their breaths. Edward's hands were still shaking but he tried his best to boil water for tomorrow. It was a long night and when both Belle and Mama Chen was ready to sleep, he helped them get tucked in bed.

First, he tended to his mom who was going to sleep in their couch. He wrapped her in a blanket that was warm and he held her until she was asleep due to her exhaustion from crying. When she was asleep, Edward immediately went to Belle's bedroom to tend to her as well. He tucked her in bed and held her close to his chest. He felt his sister fall asleep, he got up to take his own bed. His sister stirred awake and asked him to stay and sleep next to her.

He wanted to say no, he really did. Yet he did not. He figures that it would be good for him and his sister. He went underneath the blanket and held his sister tightly, Belle leaned in more for the comfort of his brother. She was slowly lulled to sleep again by Edward's humming.

Edward on the other hand, could not sleep. He could not cry anymore because he felt as though he had cried too much for today. He instead looked outside of Belle's windows and looked at the moon glow. He admired how bright it was but at the same time it felt too bright for what just happened to them.

He sighed, knowing that the world will not stop just so he could grieve. He will have to continue and stay strong for their family as he is the only one who should be strong for them. He closed his eyes and reminisced better days from his childhood. He remembered every word that his father told him before he was weak and gasping for air.

Edward did not notice but he already had tears streaming down his face. He wiped them all away and stayed closer to his sister, if it was possible. His father's last words haunt his head and lull him into a dreamless and miserable sleep.