Unwritten Mythos

The voice

No matter what fate had in store for Siren, the outcome wasn't entirely bleak. Once she arrived home, her first instinct was to test her voice, a mixture of curiosity and hope driving her actions. She picked a few familiar songs, ones she had longed to sing, and began her practice. To her surprise, the familiar sensations of her voice gradually returned, and she found herself captivated by the enchanting sound that emerged.

Her singing had improved beyond her expectations. The voice she now possessed was more than just good—it was perfect, surpassing even the boundaries of human appreciation. Siren marveled at the transformation, a touch of disbelief coloring her thoughts. The change had brought an unexpected gift: a voice that was as flawless as it was mesmerizing.

Reflecting on her recent metamorphosis, Siren recalled the sensation of her transformation into what she initially perceived as a mermaid. Her body had adjusted with surprising fluidity, her legs replaced by a graceful fish tail and scales, and fins adorning her form. She gazed into the mirror, enchanted by the sight of her dark blue hair and the otherworldly changes.

The feeling was extraordinary—her legs were gone, but she no longer felt the cold. The transformation into a creature of myth was oddly satisfying. "Adapting to being a monster doesn't seem so difficult after all," she mused, still marveling at her new form.

Yet practical questions soon arose. "How do people with fishtails use the toilet? And how do they mate?" Siren pondered, only to dismiss these concerns as she realized they were not immediately solvable.

Returning to her human form, Siren turned her attention to the computer. The song she had just posted online had not yet garnered much attention. Given her absence over the past month, it was understandable that many of her fans had moved on. However, she was determined to start anew.

With renewed resolve, she said aloud, "The old won't go away if the new doesn't come. I need to rebuild my fanbase and rediscover that original spark."

She was confident that her singing would once again attract listeners, and she hoped for a bit of assistance from those who remembered her. Her optimism paid off sooner than expected. Within half an hour, the data for her new song began to surge dramatically, capturing the attention of many and rekindling interest in her voice.

...

In a modest rental house, a game streamer was deep into a high-stakes shooting game, his fingers flying over the keyboard as he maneuvered through the screen's rain of bullets. His live stream was abuzz with activity, but today, the chat was unusually persistent. The comments section was overflowing with the name of a song, posted repeatedly by seemingly everyone in his audience.

The streamer's concentration wavered. He frowned at the screen. "No need to spam, everyone. I'll check it out later, okay? Let me finish this game first."

But the spamming only intensified. What started as a trickle of song requests had morphed into a deluge. It was as though the entire chat had united in a single, relentless chorus. The streamer was bewildered, his irritation giving way to confusion.

As he was about to address the frenzy again, his cell phone rang.

"Hey?"

"Plums? What's up?"

"Wait, what? Listen to music?"

"What music are you talking about?"

The conversation continued, but the streamer's attention was divided. "Yeah, yeah, I'll check it out," he said, hanging up. He turned off the game and started searching online for the song that everyone was so fervently recommending.

To his surprise, the song had skyrocketed to the top of the trending charts. He clicked on the link, and the moment the music played, a beautiful, haunting melody filled the room. It was a sound that tugged at the heart, natural and deeply moving.