• In the fair southern lands of partly arid hills and vast temperate valleys, there lived a wealthy merchant who was very well known throughout the continent. His travels and trades have led him to great riches. His coffers were made of gold, but his heart was made of stone. He was materialistic and would not give up until he owned the entire world. He would often travel everywhere far and near searching for exotic items that interest him. He would go through great lengths to obtain these items even to the point of committing ghastly crimes. His bottomless pockets could pay off any authority in his way... or else he would have them eliminated.

    One cool summer night, the merchant, disguised in peasant garments, entered a humble tavern where a trade-off for one of his items would occur. He had his gold ready for the payment and was eager to receive his item; but he was also disgusted with the shoddy atmosphere and was more than eager to leave. This tavern was a lonely place filled with the woeful drunkards of society's outer circle. Amidst all the sorrow was a soft, soothing voice that calmed every wretch that entered the tavern. The voice came from the tavern's hired nightingale. Crowned with bright ruby hair, a symbol of hope for the hopeless, she uttered a tune pleasing to the ears.

    The merchant was so entranced by her song that all his concerns left him. He never heard such a voice so innocent yet unfaltering. Before she could finish her song, he approached her and asked for her. At the end of the hour, he left with the artist instead of the art. He had forgotten about the precious item that he had sought after. He did not know it yet, but he would soon realize that he had received something more valuable.

    For many days, the singer would sing for the merchant. She stayed in his home and was lavished with his ornate jewelry. She had maids hired to care only for her. Even with all this, the songstress still sang with unrelenting softness. She had heard of this merchant before and was not sure about accepting to sing for him, but she felt that her voice could change the miserly man. Her voice could change any man.

    After listening to her songs, the merchant no longer had any bit of a desire for his exotic item collections. He was slowly changing. Every day he would listen to her songs and soon he would no longer aspire for endless wealth or power. He started giving away his gold and treasures to people in need. As she sang, the singer grew to like his presence. No other man had ever been so attentive to her songs and to her needs. They felt inseparable.

    The merchant later proposed to her for marriage and with a radiant smile, she accepted. She continued to sing to him on a stage and in private until the day before they were to be married. That day when they were alone in his mansion, the singer began a serenade for the merchant. The serenade was slow and calm but covered an amalgamation of tones. The singer wanted her future husband to hear every part and every variation of her voice.

    The gifted singer wanted to give to him something that she hasn't given anyone else, something that no other woman could give their man. The experience was majestically awe-inspiring for both of them, but something went horribly awry with her last note. It was a note that had a devastating effect on the merchant. He felt a sharp pain in his ears while blood trickled out of them. He also collapsed onto the hard marble floor unable to use his legs. The distraught singer rushed to his aid, but he shook violently and could not hear a word she was saying. His screams shook the whole mansion.

    He cried for her to leave.
    He cried for her to never return.
    He cried for her silence.

    And so, she left bewildered and ashamed. The singer wept as she fled through the courtyard and through unrecognizable places. She was lost and could not bear to face anyone. She vowed never to sing again for fear that the harmful note would be uttered. As she loudly lamented, she was unable to comfort herself. She had no one to turn to anymore. She could no longer sing and could never live with herself knowing that she was cursed.

    The End

    "The Silent Singer" is a story told throughout the countries of Dastonia and its close neighbor Epyria. It was mainly told as a sort of ghost story with its title having the prefix "The Legend of". Legend has it that the "silent singer" as told in the story still roams the southern lands(Dastonia and Epyria are located south of the continent). When she died laying on her side, she is facing neither heaven nor hell, which seems to suggest that she ended up staying on Aersia, searching for a man who can hear her song. Whenever she is present, the surrounding area turns a reddish hue, the color of her hair. When she sees a man, she will sing to him. The man would hear nothing because of her vow that she made to herself. When the silent singer finishes her song, the surrounding area returns to normal; but the man becomes instantly deaf and impotent. The story mentions that the merchant who heard the last note was suddenly unable to use his legs. It became popular that the merchant lost control of his legs because of the extreme pain in his crotch.