Long long time ago, there was a man named Orpheus. Known for his supernatural skills with music, just hearing a single note from his lyre will make your heart move with how beautiful it is, be it good or evil, be it a rock or a tree. However, one day he has met his life’s end for worshipping the rival god of Dionysus, Apollo, who was also the one that taught Orpheus how to play the lyre.
Hearing the news about the death of Orpheus, the world couldn’t even believe it. With the thought of never ever going to hear him play music once more, everyone’s hearts were filled with grief. He was after all, the only man known that could do such a thing as move the hearts of not only the living but as well as the non-living.
Thousands of years has now passed and Orpheus has been almost forgotten. Cruel as it may be but such is inevitable as everything in time will no matter what, be forgotten especially when humans, now called wizards, have killed every gods known in existance.
However, there was a certain young girl born into the world. Hearing her mother sing, it was the most beautiful song that she could ever hear, one that filled her heart with peace and joy, it was then where she first fell in love with music.
Wanting to share what she felt to everyone, she studied music. If her mother was the one singing, then she will be the one to play an instrument, one that would be fitting her mother’s angelic song. It was then when she first touched a lyre.
It was odd though since it was the first time she has ever used a lyre, and yet, it was as if she already knows how to play it.
She hurriedly asked her mother after getting a feeling as if it should be immediately played with her mother’s song.
“Mom! Please sing a song!”
Her mother smilingly replied to her request.
“Again? Well it cant be helped since you do like me singing.”
Her mother starts and as she continue singing, her daughter played the lyre. Note by note, word by word, every single bit of it was as if it should be both together in one.
As both of them continue, the room was filled with such pleasant music. As if it was once more, Orpheus continued to live and played music. Everything around them was moved, just as how Orpheus moved the hearts of the living and non-living.
Her mother was surprised by what just happened after the song ended.
“That… That was the most beautiful music that i’ve ever heard.”
As she ended her sentence, tears started coming down her eyes.
“What’s this…? Im crying…?”
She was not the only one who started crying as well, her daughter too started crying and told her mother something.
“Mom… Sobs… Why do I feel like we’ve been doing this for a long time…?”
It was a strange feeling, it was as if they were both glad, no, it was as if Orpheus was glad that he was once more able to play music. Among the mother and her daughter resides the soul of Orpheus which was split between them.
The world as well was affected, no matter how far they may be. Everyone who are both living and even the non-living felt the urge to cry, as if something or someone was brought back to them. After all of this, never once they have thought of the tragedy was about to happen.
While her daughter was out to gather herbs, their village was raided by bandits. Her mother was still in their house while it was happening and as her daughter comes back, she was greeted with the village already burnt to crisp.
After witnessing such a sight, she dropped her basket filled with herbs and hurriedly came back to her home. As she took the paths leading to her home, she was filled thoughts, hoping that her mother lived.
“No… No…! Mother…! Please tell me you’re still alive!”
She has arrived the front of her house. It was no different than the other houses as well, it was burnt to crisp. Underneath it all, she started digging through the rubbles only to find her mother’s corpse curled up. Her daughter moved her body only to reveal that she was protecting the lyre.
She was filled with misery after knowing her mother, who was a lovely and kind person who’s singing were so beautiful that not one dares to have her life taken, was killed but her corpse was layed in front of her.
“This cant be happening… This has to be not real… Why! Why must my mother die!”
After saying such words filled with disbelief, she looked at the lyre.
“Was it because I learned how to play music?!?! Was it because I only wished to play music with my mother?!?! Why! WHY!!!”
Her daughter being filled with anger and regret, she started to grab the lyre and held it up, as if to throw it down to break it.
“I shouldn’t have played music!!”
As she shouted such words, she recalled a memory of the time they first played music together. She stopped on her tracks and her lyre was only held up. She started thinking, why did her mother protected the lyre?
It came up to her, it was because her mother wished to play music with her daughter once more before her very own death. Her daughter bursted into tears after realizing what her mother was trying to tell her, she didnt want her to stop loving music and yet she said those hurtful words.
In hopes that it could make it up to her mother, she picked up her lyre and played a song. Even though her surroundings were quiet, even though everywhere she looked were just burnt houses, she continued to play song.
In front the corpse of her mother, she still played beautifully. Even if her mother was no longer there with her to sing while she plays the lyre, she still played beautifully.
While she was playing her lyre, tears still continued running down her face as she imagine her mother singing in front of her once more. The days with her mother, has now come to an end and while playing the lyre, she starts to reminisce the times with her mother beside her.
The song has reached it’s end and her daughter looked up in the sky as if to bid farewell.
“Mom, im sorry for the things i’ve said before. I’ll continue loving music so that I wont forget the time weve spent together, so you can rest well now.”
As she bids her final moments with her mother, she stands up and left the village while carrying the lyre tightly within her chest. With nowhere to return to, she travelled throughout the War Seas as a bard and continued playing music so that she cannot forget the pleasant feeling that she felt and as well as to share that feeling to the world.