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Once upon a time, long before yuri had a name, there was a goddess named Yu, lady of the skies. Long and far she searched through the heavens for a lover, yet her efforts were in vain. After all, all the male gods were incels. Lol.
One day, while soaring through the skies, a melodic voice echoing from earth piqued her interest. Curious as to who the beautiful voice belonged to, she traveled to the mortal plane and laid her eyes upon the mortal Ri.
To avoid startling the maiden, Yu disguised herself as a traveling merchant, approaching her. She questioned the lady’s origin, to which Ri spoke of her home, the palace of the royal family of El Lysbeon atop Mount Sizerin. Ri invited the god-turned-merchant to her home to showcase her array of flutes, pianos, and stringed instruments. Yu accepted this gracious offer, anticipating Ri’s exquisite fingering technique.
As they travelled the vast lands of Earth, Ri serenaded Yu, captivating the goddess even more with her heavenly voice. As they approached Mount Sizerin, Ri disguised Yu as a handmaiden to successfully bring her into her own quarters.
Despite the glory blessed upon Yu as she observed Ri’s technique, she could not help but admire the princess’s voice most. As Ri finished fingering the Saf Ecc on her harpsichord, Yu grasped her hand, revealing her true form as a goddess. Ri could only stare in awe at the figure in front of her, and instead of kneeling, she only approached the goddess even closer.
From there began the romance of Yu & Ri, their days spent together in the meadows at the foot of Mount Sizerin, frolicking and enjoying each other’s company. However, all good things come to an end.
One day, as Ri returned from her date (makeout) with Yu, the king’s advisor, Homoh Phobos, approached her with a decree from the king: Ri El Lysbeon was to marry the Prince of Secsuahl, Prince Hetteiro Secsuahl. Naturally, she protested; she was promised carefree days, a life of peace and freedom. He shook his head; as a royal decree, she was not at the liberty to deny it.
Ri fell to her knees, begging Homoh to reason with her father; why should she be subjected to such cruelty? He commanded her to return to her quarters; the wedding was already planned for 67 days later. She ran to her room, slamming the door with the hope Yu would hear and come to her rescue. The gods are not so gracious, though. At the moment, Yu was busy debating her dearest brother, Yao, and his mortal husband, Oi. She could not hear her lover, and that was the mistake that cost Ri her life.
Ri, in her predicament, could not see any escape. She could not imagine a life tethered to a man she couldn’t love. To burn is to cleanse, so she would cleanse herself. She doused her room in gasoline and lit a match. Heartbroken and certain that her lover had abandoned her, she let the match fall onto her form.
There were no screams, for she died cherishing her final moments with Yu.
The next day, Yu came to the meadow, anticipating Ri’s arrival. The mortal never arrived, though. And she never would again. Yu stormed the palace, or rather, she tried, but only discovered a site of ruin burnt to the ground.
Yu rushed to the remains of Ri’s room, finding a pile of golden ashes. She approached it, sensing Ri’s presence. The goddess fell to her knees, gently touching the ashes, realizing that these were Ri’s remains. Hunched over, the goddess’s tears fell upon the ashes, and from there, a beautiful creature was born: a bird, complete with a melodic singing voice that can rival only Ri’s. The goddess transformed each grain of ash into a songbird, carrying Ri’s sweet song along the winds and across the skies.