Book 5: Chapter 77: Second Trial (19)

Amphorae was shocked. “This…”

“Go on, pluck a string.” Dyon said gently.

Complex feelings whirled within Amphorae’s delicate blue eyes. “I … I don’t know how to use it.”

Amphorae’s adorable side was showing through again. She was always one to get easily embarrassed about such simple stuff, yet she did what was hard without blinking an eye.

She sat in front of Dyon right now with her body only partially covered by an untied silk robe while being a complete and innocent virgin, yet she was embarrassed about plucking a string on an instrument that had just now been invented.

“Come.” Dyon took back the lyre and reached out his hand for Amphorae to grab a hold of. After some hesitation, she reached forward, accepting Dyon’s hand.

Dyon lightly pulled Amphorae into his lap, wrapping his arms around her waist and setting the lyre on her thighs. He rested his chin on her shoulder, lightly pressing his cheek against hers.

Amphorae’s heart beat inadvertently quickened. She was practically naked and sitting in a man’s lap, she had never experienced this before. Even when she and Dyon had grown up together, even knowing they were betrothed, they had never had any intimate contact because Dyon wanted to preserve her dignity. Rumors could be the end of a woman’s reputation in such an ancient society.

But now, none of those barriers were here.

Suddenly, Amphorae thought back to Dyon’s words yesterday. The word love reverberated in her ears, causing them to redden.

“For you to create such a thing…” Dyon whispered, “You are truly amazing.”

Amphorae froze, “But… This was you…”

Dyon shook his head, not explaining. It would take too much. So, instead, he took her hand and slid it across the strings.

A mesmerizing sound lit up the room, resonating their hearts as one. In mere moments, Dyon no longer had to guide Amphorae’s hand, she seemed to lose herself in the melody, gracefully playing the emotions of her heart.

This was a true genius. Dyon could only be considered good at music will become from a very early age, his mother had wanted him to learn the piano. She had always been so charmed by a man who could take command of those black and white keys, and despite the stoic nature of his father, maybe that was the only time one could see the depths of his emotions.

However, where would Amphorae have learned from? She not only came up with the idea of a stringed instrument on her own, if Dyon’s perception had anything to say about it, she had damn near perfected it despite what it looked like.

The heaven’s rumbled as the pace of Amphorae’s fingers quickened. She poured out her soul, leaning back into the embrace of the man she loved, but also feeling the deep and reverberating pain that his love wasn’t all hers.

Tears streaked down her face without her noticing, but the more they flowed, the more the skies seemed to respond, opening up their heavens and raining down upon the world.

The patter of rain drops assaulted the wooden cabin and its windows, making it seem like a symphony accompaniment. The skies themselves felt everything Amphorae felt. Every bit of anger and resentment threatened to tear space apart. And yet, the deep and inerasable love that resided within her held it all together.

Thunder rippled through the accumulating clouds, following closely being the golden streaks of lightning.

Never had Dyon witnessed something like this before, but his main focus wasn’t the phenomenon. He had frozen the moment he felt Amphorae’s tears moisten his cheeks. He held her with all his might, afraid that she would disappear if he stopped for even a moment. He was completely oblivious to what was happening…   

The golden streaks of lightning grew more frequent, condensing, before striking again with more force. It was as though every note that refined the strikes of lightning, morphing it… molding it…

The skies sang with Amphorae’s heart, it took only a moment for lightning to learn to strike with only the same intensity and frequency in the heavens as her fingers did on the strings.

In the next instant, the roof of the cabin was torn away by the savage winds, and yet not a single drop of rain fell upon Amphorae or Dyon. Dyon wouldn’t be so naïve as to think any of this was because of him… There was no doubt that Amphorae was protecting him!

Dyon’s eyes widened as he finally noticed the skies. The golden lightning had become a raging dragon that coiled in the air, and its only goal?… Them!

The heavens trembled as the dragon charged for the two of them. Dyon’s eyes lit with defiance. He had promised to protect his women, where did this dragon get off thinking it could do as it pleased?!

Dyon leaped from his position behind Amphorae, his wings spreading out as though he was the true deity of the skies. A roar escaped his lips, tearing through space.

Time seemed to slow.

A man stood in the skies unafraid as a dragon of lightning bore down on him.

A woman say seemingly unknowing of her surrounding, completely engrossed in the music of her heart.

And then, the dragon tore through Dyon as though he wasn’t there, charging directly for Amphorae and piercing into her lyre.

Dyon fell from the skies, landing directly before Amphorae as arcs of golden lightning crawled along his skin, rampaging through his body and meridians.

Amphorae’s daze slowly faded. The lyre in her hands had completely transformed, emitting a terrifying golden light. It had grown to double its original size and its strings sparkled with such a refined light that it didn’t lose to the blinding golden light even a small bit.

A moment later, the lyre disappeared, turning into a small golden bracelet that looked like a dragon biting its own tail. It seemed attached to Amphorae, unwilling to let go.