Azura followed Timothy back into the house, resting her chin on the table as she curiously watched him work with his brush, ink, and paper.
"You came back a day early, and you're not even going to see Goddess Sylvia?" she asked, her eyes fixed on the tools in his hands.
"No rush. Tomorrow's Valentine's Day. What's the point of going so early today?" Timothy replied, continuing to sketch.
"Hmmm… let me think. Oh! I get it! You're playing hard to get, aren't you?" Azura suddenly jumped up, her small frame bouncing with excitement as the realization hit her.
"Come on, am I right? Did I totally nail it?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
Timothy just gave her a blank stare. "..."
"I'm really starting to wonder what those old dragons at the Shrine of the Oceanic Dragon have been teaching you all day…" Timothy muttered, gently pushing Azura back down to her seat.
"Hey, what are you drawing, anyway?" Azura asked, her curiosity piqued as she leaned over to get a better look.
She found herself captivated by five illustrations laid out on the table, each titled "Piccolo Practice I," "Piccolo Practice II," and so on. Each drawing depicted a different stage of playing the piccolo.
Even though she didn't know anything about how to play the piccolo, Azura's attention was completely drawn to Sylvia, who was the subject of the sketches. The drawings were so lifelike, capturing Sylvia's ethereal beauty in a way that felt almost otherworldly.
What fascinated Azura the most was how each of the five drawings showed Sylvia in a different emotional state.
In the first drawing, Sylvia's eyes held a trace of sadness, her cheeks puffed out slightly in a delicate pout.
By the fifth drawing, Sylvia was smiling brightly, her expression full of life, as if the music she was playing had filled the air with joy.
Azura was amazed. Could emotions really be expressed through musical notes like this?
Her eyes blinked in wonder, filled with curiosity.
"What is this?" she asked, her voice tinged with confusion.
"It's a visual guide for piccolo practice," Timothy explained. "The goddess wanted to learn, so I thought I'd bring these to her when I get the chance."
"Piccolo practice?"
Azura's eyes drifted to the long, slender instrument in Timothy's hand. It looked so… rigid. Her cheeks flushed slightly as her mind wandered for a moment. The old dragon had taught her many things, but this was new.
The five drawings were laid out on the table, flowing together seamlessly, as if they were meant to be one continuous piece. Even though there was no sound, it felt like each note of the music was somehow visible on the page.
Timothy had poured his deep understanding of music into these five drawings. Whether or not Sylvia could learn from them would depend on her own talent and intuition.
Timothy picked up the piccolo, but as he brought it close to the drawings, something unexpected happened.
The piccolo began to glow faintly with a soft golden light, as if it was resonating with the illustrations.
In response, the five drawings also started to emit a gentle golden glow.
"That's strange. There shouldn't be anything unusual about these drawings. What's going on?" Timothy murmured, a hint of curiosity in his voice.
He quickly noticed that the strange reaction of the piccolo seemed to be connected to Sylvia's image in the drawings.
For a brief moment, Timothy's mind flashed back to Sylvia's Sacred Form.
"That wooden sword with the crimson glow…"
Though he couldn't quite figure out the exact connection, Timothy had a feeling that there was something linking the two.
"What could it be…?"
"Azura, can you take these drawings to the goddess for me?" Timothy asked, handing her the illustrations.
After giving her the instructions, Timothy fell into deep thought, trying to piece together the mystery.
"Alright, alright, since tomorrow's Valentine's Day, I'll do it," Azura said, standing on her tiptoes to barely reach the five drawings on the table. She grabbed them and dashed off toward the Sky Sanctuary. Searᴄh the NôᴠelFirё.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
...
"Goddess, Timothy sent you these piccolo practice guides," Azura announced as she arrived at the Sky Sanctuary, handing the drawings to Sylvia.
"Oh?" Sylvia took the drawings from Azura, her curiosity piqued. She had indeed mentioned the piccolo to Timothy before, but she hadn't expected him to remember so clearly.
And then…
As she unfolded the drawings and looked at their contents, Sylvia's expression subtly shifted, a faint blush creeping onto her face.
Each of the five drawings depicted her in different outfits, with emotions ranging from joy to anger, sadness, and happiness. Every expression was captured with incredible detail, Timothy's brushwork bringing her likeness to life in a way that was both realistic and stunning.
Not only were the drawings incredibly lifelike, but they also highlighted her natural, cool elegance. Every detail was meticulously rendered, even down to the contours of certain… areas.
"Ugh, how closely has this guy been watching me?" Sylvia muttered, crossing her arms over her chest. She felt a mix of embarrassment and, strangely, a small flicker of joy in her heart.
"Humans in love are so weird," Azura remarked, tilting her head in confusion as she watched Sylvia's odd reaction.
"Oh, by the way, Goddess, Timothy's back. Aren't you going to go see him?" Azura asked suddenly.
Sylvia shook her head. "No rush. Tomorrow's Valentine's Day. What's the point of going so early today?" Experience exclusive tales on m v|l e'-NovelFire.net
Azura blinked. "You two are seriously alike. You even say the same things in the exact same way…"
Sylvia raised an eyebrow. "?"
"Oh, nothing, nothing! I was just saying you and Timothy really look like a married couple," Azura quickly covered her mouth, realizing she might've said too much. But deep down, she was more convinced than ever—these two were a perfect match.
"Thank you for delivering these," Sylvia said, putting the drawings away. She reached out and patted Azura's head, handing her a small, azure-colored elixir. "This is an Azure Sea Elixir, an Epic-level potion. It should help with your dragon training. Take it."
The elixir radiated a cool, calming energy, like the ocean itself, and Azura felt a wave of peace wash over her just by holding it. But what really caught her off guard was the gentle look in Sylvia's eyes. For a moment, the goddess seemed so approachable, so warm.
Sylvia was still the same goddess, but ever since she'd met Timothy, she had undeniably changed.
Azura's eyes sparkled, and for some reason, her heart felt warm.
As the sun set in the distance, the fiery red glow of the sunset bathed the Sky Sanctuary and the mountains below in a festive light. Many of the disciples had hung up beautiful decorations, and vibrant flowers adorned the entrances to their homes.
Disciples passed by, their faces lit up with smiles, a rare sight in this usually cold and imposing place. The Sky Sanctuary, which had stood tall and aloof for centuries, now seemed to have a touch of warmth and humanity.
"Tomorrow's Valentine's Day, huh?" Azura murmured, gazing at the breathtaking sunset. She wasn't the only one feeling a surge of emotion. Many hearts were stirred by the beauty of the evening.
Especially Sylvia. Though her face remained calm, her heart was beating faster and faster.
"Oh? Looks like Goddess Sylvia's getting shy," Azura teased, her timing as off as ever.
The moment the words left her mouth, she realized she might've said too much again.
"No, no, Goddess, I didn't mean anything by it! Please don't look at me like that, I'm scared!" Azura yelped as Sylvia's lips curled into a subtle, mischievous smile, and she began to step closer.
Azura's hair practically stood on end as she realized she might be in trouble.