Valerian, The Legendary

155 Harmony.

The echo of eerie laughter chilled the hearts of the two people standing at the entrance of this place. Valerian did not delay and cast the illumination spell, “Luminare.”

A blog of light appeared over his head floating in the void. The darkness faded away slowly and they located the source of the laughter and found a humanoid figure sitting on a platform in the distance.

Valerian was surprised to see this figure and asked, “Fortuna, what is she?”

The little dragon collected her wits and said, “She is a Syreli, half human and half fish. Her kin lives in the depths of the blue seas and her voice can take control of the hearts of other creatures. You have to be careful when dealing with her.”

Valerian nodded and the humanoid figure smiled at them as she spoke with a sad smile on her face, “To think the young dragon knew about my humble self? How endearing of you to acknowledge me. Welcome to the second trial.”

The two did not speak, even this casual remark was laced with the power of enchantment and it was about to bewitch Valerian. The boy shook his head like a rattle and woke himself up. Syreli chuckled and said, “What quick reactions you have. Very good.”

Valerian did not bother giving this lady his full name, she did not give him a righteous vibe like the dragon outside. He was aware that the beast did not even use a tenth of his strength and was simply sitting at the same spot fighting with him. However, this woman in front of him was simply making his heart shiver from the cunning vibe she gave.

He said, “What do we have to do, to pass the test?”

Syreli smiled eerily and said, “You will have to show me an act of harmony. Whether it be a story you tell me, a piece of music, or a dance. You can even use your magic to show me an act of harmony. Something that depicts the balance of life or death, light or shade. Anything opposite to each other, I want to see those elements in harmony. If you succeed, I will let you pass.

.....

If not, then your young heart might satiate my hunger.”

Valerian gulped, this trial was indeed tricky. It was not like he would not be able to do it, but he will need to think a lot about it. He was not very experienced in the way of nature. He was a child, who dedicated his time to the pursuit of strength. Now that the creature in front of him demanded him to present an act of harmony, it was a challenge he had to take on. Failure meant death for him and Fortuna.

Thinking about this, he asked, “Can I take some time to think about it?”

The Syreli chuckled and said, “Good, you know your weakness and strength very well, human child. Go on, you have three minutes to decide what you will present to me.”

Valerian fell into thought and sat down on the ground. He tried to rummage through ideas but nothing substantial came to his mind. Three minutes were not enough to turn up his brain, the Syreli snapped her fingers before long and said, “Time’s up. Come on, tell me what are you going to present to me?”

Valerian took a deep breath and said, “A piece of music?”

He could have chosen the way of magic, but he did not know how to merge the two elements to reach an equilibrium with each other and what kind of effect it will have. So, with no other option left, he decided to take a gamble.

The Syreli nodded and gestured for him to begin. Valerian took out his Filum Vita and set it on his lap. The magical creature in the distance could not help but exclaim, “What a wonderful instrument.”

Valerian did not pay any attention to her remarks. He sincerely tuned the instrument by his ear and then began to strum the strings. The reason he picked up music as an act to show in front of the Syreli was that his instrument represented the harmony of the entire planet with the creatures that roam on the surface.

As his fingers moved on the strings, the underground cavern began to echo with them, creating a surreal atmosphere. Fortuna had come to stand up in front of Valerian, guarding him against the Syreli. She did not place her trust in this creature. She had memories about this creature and knew they were famous for treachery.

Valerian had once visited his mother’s grave and there he gained an epiphany about music and his emotions. The scene of Diligentia’s death was playing like a loop role in his mind, as his fingers moved on the strings. Every single movement he made ripples in the void. The restlessness and the sadness that overwhelmed his heart at that moment were recreated.

Then he recalled the joyous moments he spent with Diligentia and the tune picked up happiness. The notes became light and gentle as if a mother caressing the head of her child. Fortuna did not move, even if her heart was beating slightly faster than ever, she did not turn around to look at the young man behind him.

She could even see that the Syreli was slightly approving of the skill, after all, Valerian was making them imagine the scenes with his progressive input in the piece, however, it was still not a display of harmony. Since he chooses the harmony of life and death, then he must be able to blend them together.

All of a sudden the notes became even gentler, and the resonation amplified in the cavern. He was now imagining his time with Flos, and how he yearned for her. However, knowing that she will not come back, his love and joy blended with the sound from the Filum Vita.

He was unaware of the things around him and was completely immersed in the music. The Syreli looked at him with a deep gaze and nodded. She was not appreciating his musical piece, his skill could at most drive him a little but it was not at the level to pass the test. However, the human doing his best to help a dragon pass the test selflessly, and an arrogant dragonling standing in front of the human to guard him despite being weak. This was an act of harmony.”

She said, “You need practice, human child. However, the two of you standing together is perfect harmony. You can stop grinding my ears. I declare you pass, now please leave, I need to rest.”

The Seryli waved her hand and a passageway in the corner lit up. The young man woke up and stored his instrument. Then he nodded to the creature and walked over to the lit-up passage, and just as they crossed the Syreli, he discovered that her lower body was like a fishtail, covered with shiny azure scales.

Valerian was surprised by this and the Syreli said, “What? Do you feel pity for me? Well, you are too kind.”

She burst into a chuckle and Valerian did not delay as he walked ahead with Fortuna. The two of them entered the passageway and the young man found that his back was covered with cold sweat. Dignus was weak in comparison to this lady. To think that the first trial was to face their fear, and the second one scared his soul out of him.

The two did not speak for a bit as they walked through the passage, Valerian noticed that the illumination came from a few bottles embedded in the walls. He thought this thing was interesting and Fortuna said, “What you are looking at are the tears of a Syreli. They condense into pearls, and over time, they give off light in dark. The stronger the glow the older the pearl. They crumble into dust a few hundred years later. They are called the sun pearl.”

Valerian nodded and said, “You are so smart, Fortuna. I have a question?”

The dragon nodded, and Valerian asked, “Why was that Syreli tied to chains, I can tell those chains were all magically forged.”

Fortuna did not turn her head to look at him and said, “Dragonkin only take prisoners when the individual has committed some crimes against them. Given that she was taken prisoner and placed here as the trial guardian, then she must have harmed a dragon. Syrelis do that sometimes, but hardly ever do they succeed.”

Valerian nodded and said, “well, yeah, your kin is like a walking treasure mountain. No wonder every creature in this world drools at a mention.”

Fortuna nodded and just as the two of them arrived at the end of the passageway, they froze. In front of them, small piles of bones were set. These bones were all as long as three feet. The two exchanged glances and said in unison, “Dragon Bones.”