-- Aster --

My eyes shot open. Song who the fuck was singing. I tried to move only to find my body not responding. I could only move my eyes while for a cat that wasn't nothing but when I couldn't turn my head. I could only stare forward at the dirt, and listen to the voice singing. It was unnatural. I could feel it telling me everything was ok and to just go to sleep. But I knew more than anyone I wasn't ok and even this fucking supernatural song wasn't going to lie to me like that.

Rage was beginning to build in me as I pulsed power into my eyes to see exactly what was affecting me. It took a few tries and I even heard the tell-tale ding of a new level when I saw it.

The music was like a spell, but rippling sound waves slowly drifted through almost like a fog. Slowly it would circle my head and enter into my body through my ears.

Now that I knew what was happening I began to follow it. To understand what it was doing. That and it was the only thing I could do. The energy was inside my mind so I was getting a front-row seat at exactly was it was doing.

I watched as the mana flowed over my brain, stimulating parts of my brain. Thanks to my anatomy skill I had a vague idea of which parts of my mind the music was affecting. This is brilliant, using sound waves to bypass the natural barrier on the body. No that's not right, the song supersaturates the air, and the body just kind of absorbs it. If this was a direct attack it would most likely look like a normal spell, instead of a nebulous cloud.

I knew I was on the right track of thinking watching the energy slowly drifting through my mind, making me want to drift off. It wasn't making things easy, but I was fascinated by it. I was feeling I might be able to do something similar with my mana, casting a cloud out in front of me. But how would I do it?

Then it hit me, my eyes, open the connection and let out a wave. My eyes would concentrate on it. I felt I was on to something, I completely lost myself in studying the effect for I don't know how long before the melody changed, and I suddenly had the urge to go towards the sound. I had learned a lot from studying the music and this change gave me the final piece I needed, I found the clump of power blocking signals to my body and tried to clear it.

It didn't budge, I had spent too long doing nothing and the power had accumulated, locking me in place. I felt I could break free from it given time. I was wondering if I could break it down and absorb it when I heard rustling sounds from my team. When I heard the zipper I panicked, pulling all the power I could and funneled into two words, "FALL away." I chose a possibility far away and left the song's power behind, as I began to find the source of the music.

-- Unknown Singer --

I watched from my station, as the strange vehicle entered our woods. It looks pieced together from many different vehicles. Why had they come to our forest? Did they know what lay inside? I didn't think so, it looked like they just wanted a place to sleep. When they only entered a short distance I was convinced. But it was my job to find out, as I had taken the rank three mission to guard and interrogate anyone who came close.

I thought it was a needless risk to expose ourselves, but this was considered a typical guard mission from my guild. Having only one out here there would be less of a chance to be spotted and I would be able to make a quick escape. Not to mention they wouldn't be able to find the city without help. The night had gone just as planned, I even waited for them all to go to bed, to ensure nothing went wrong.

I began to sing my song and let my power roll over them all like a fog slowly saturating them. The first part of the song locking them in place, the second verse lulling them deeper into sleep, only when I was sure they were asleep did I start the third part, which would guide them to me. It would all just be a dream. No need for them to not tell me what we needed to know. I would even put a suggestion in their minds to walk away. If they did somehow wake. I would need to put them down, if I killed them the amount of time it would take them to come back would guarantee they wouldn't remember.

I wasn't good enough yet to make the forget without serious side effects. I was still learning the ins and outs of being a siren. I was only recruited a year ago and this was just. It was when I was in part three of my song everything went wrong.

"tTurRNn itT oFf." A voice came from everywhere both growing and fading. Almost startling me enough to stop my song. Almost.

I knew it had to be one of the party, so I decided to play along. I calmly asked, "Who are you?"

The voice ignored my question now more definitively saying, "tTurRNn itT oFf SSiReNn."

That shook me. How did he know what I was? We were one of the hidden guilds, one of myth. I had only joined because I, myself, was scouted. I needed to know how this person knew, but they could just be testing the waters, "Oh, you think I'm a siren? You are sweet, aren't you? To think I was a beautiful songstress." With every word, I flooded out thickening the cloud of power. Looking to bring the voice forward.

"iI aMm in nO mOOd to Pplay SSiReNn." The voice said annoyed, suddenly being much closer, and farther away, "tTurRNn itT oFf." The voice demanded.

I got to learn how he does that, "I have no idea what you're talking about. If I was a siren I would be singing."

The voice let out a booming laugh that came from everywhere shaking me slightly, "I can still hear your song little bird."

I fought to keep my voice from shaking. I couldn't stop the song, soon the voice would be affected, "Then you're hearing things."

"Amm I?"

I took a gamble., "This is getting tiresome, why don't you come out in the open."

"I alLRreadDy waas." A man that looked to be made of mist appeared right in front of me as though he was always there and his eyes glowing a bright yellow.

I felt a hitch in my throat throwing my song slightly off, "Misty man, your eyes are really bright." Almost

"aAnNd yOUr songG Is oFF kKey."

How could he tell, "As I told you I'm not singing." I denied.

"nNEeitheRr amm I."

The voice's words made no sense. Of course, he wasn't singing, he was being all creepy That's when I felt it, I didn't even think to defend against it. There was no reason to. None of them should know how to deal with our songs. I could feel something in my mind reaching in stimulating pieces of my brain, making me tired, and distracted. It was crude and unshaped. Like their first try, but it was making it hard to concentrate on two things at once, and it felt like. My eyes widened and stared indignant, yelling, "You stole my song!"