When the daughter of the God of Music was young, the God would play her a happy, calm tune every night on his harp to help her fall asleep and have good dreams. The little girl loved her father’s music, it made her feel joy that she wanted others to experience, and so when she went to sleep each night she would dream of making others happy just as her father made her happy.

During the day, while the music god’s daughter was being tutored, the God would wander the world to spread music and find adventure! He was a romantic at heart and wooed just about every mortal and immortal female that crossed paths with his music. Women always fell for his gentle nature, the sweet taste of his kisses, and his presence that was as commanding as a symphony. His heart, however, remained only with his little girl- the daughter of his first true love. And so the God would eventually leave each woman that fell in love with him, for he could never love them back. This left behind a trail of broken hearts and mournful melodies resembling sobs from many beings around the world, and caught the attention of a certain love goddess, the music god’s wife. No, not his first love, but an arranged marriage that was agreed between the immortals’ parents.

The goddess did not appreciate the sadness that her husband had instilled in the lives of the young women he wooed, so she confronted him. The god, however, always ignored her. Though he would never tell her, the God wanted to continue to find love, only to fail time and time again. The goddess was livid. That good for nothing god of music was breaking hearts and she somehow knew that he would continue to break more, but she swore it would not be so…

That night the proud father returned home to see his daughter. Ecstatic to see him, the girl started to talk to her father about her lessons, the new music she had learned, and all of the things that she hoped to dream about that night. As the daughter continued to talk excitedly, the god, listening to her every word, sat down next to the girl’s bed and played a calm tune on his harp. The longer he played, the more tired the girl became. Eventually, she stopped talking and fell asleep with a smile on her face as the light and happy music filled her dreams. Sure that she was in a deep sleep, the god kissed his daughter’s head lovingly and left.

It was a matter of minutes after the god exited his daughter’s room that a dark shadow appeared. The comfortable warm air that had settled in the room was replaced by an eerie coldness that made the girl shiver in her sleep when the shadow approached. Concealed by a cloak, the figure entered the room and pulled out a dark red flute. The figure brought the flute up to its face and started by playing a long shrill note that could shatter glass, followed by a rapid melody filled with a sense of dread and horror. The terrifying song made the child stir in her sleep. She gripped her sheets tightly and whimpered as a nightmare began to form in her mind, and penetrating her happy and innocent soul. Though the enchanting music carried itself to the music god’s room, he slumbered peacefully, being immune to the dark music.

The god of music rose with the dawn and went to his daughter’s room before he left for that day’s adventures. He knew something was wrong before he entered his daughter’s room. He sprinted, feeling an irrational sense of dread. He entered the room. His daughter was usually up bright and early like him, but here she was sleeping in her bed with a frown on her paling face. He rushed to her side tried to wake her up but failed to do so. He was startled to find that his daughter was cold to the touch as well. When he touched her, the cold seemed to go through him like electricity and he swore that he could hear his daughter’s scared sobs in his mind. Fearing the worst, the God of Music called the best healers known to immortal kind to cure his daughter of what seemed to be a never-ending nightmare.

Try as they might, however, each healer failed in turn to do so. All seemed lost for the God of Music as he cried in frustration at his daughter’s bedside. He became angry at the world, and angry at himself for being unable to cure the child. He had searched through many musical remedies that would hopefully awaken his daughter. He played every tune he had ever heard and created a million more to rouse the girl, but nothing worked. The God tore through the castle’s large halls that were empty without the echoing sound of his daughter’s laughter, and he tore down sheets of music that his daughter studied so lovingly, only to greaten the void in his heart. He cast himself off to the human world no longer wanting to be reminded of his daughter’s unknown fate.

The God roamed the lands of the mortals hoping to drown his sorrow with another lover…another lover that he could never love back, he reminded himself. As he traveled in misery a familiar song entered his mind, one that he had not heard in a very long time... Nervous excitement building up in his chest, he traveled to the source of the sound and was awestruck at what he found. A beautiful woman was playing a harp that looked similar to his own. Each note she played brought memories back to the God of Music’s mind. However, when he looked at her he noticed that she played the song with a look of nostalgia on her face. Then he noticed that the woman was not alone. A young boy stood next to her with a tiny violin in his hands. He played in harmony with the woman a tune so sweet and gentle that if one could grasp the music in the air it would shatter. Smiling, the music God listened to them play from afar and approached them when they finished.

The woman gasped when she looked up from her harp to see eyes so familiar. They stood, each searching for recognition in the other’s eyes, before the woman started to cry tears of joy and run into the God’s arms. In that moment, the God knew that after so many years he had finally found the woman who had been his first true love.

The woman explained to him that she thought she had been abandoned by the God of music and that she would never see him again. But the God assured her that that was never his intention. In that moment when he was reunited with his love, he knew what had separated them in the past. The last time that the God had seen his love was shortly before his marriage to the goddess of love. The God of Music realized that his wife had erased all memories of his true love, only to have them restored by listening to the melody he and his love had written together when they were young- a song he had long forgotten. With that in mind, he looked down to see the small boy hidden behind his mother, and kneeled down to great his son.

Reunited here with his true love and his son, the God of Music was reminded of his daughter. He took his love and son back to his castle to bring back the last member of their family.

The girl was lost in a labyrinth of her deepest and darkest thoughts and could not find a way out. She was scared. She wanted her father to be with her! However, just as things were starting to seem hopeless for her, she heard music. Not dark music, but a gentle, happy melody that was driving the darkness away and spreading a comforting warmth back into her body. The music grew stronger, beckoning the girl to concentrate on its happiness, and luring her out of her deep sleep. She opened her eyes and saw her father, and a woman and boy that upon sight she knew were her mother and brother. All of them were playing the enchanting music that awoke her on their instruments. Her father however, set down his harp the moment his daughter’s eyes opened, and he wrapped her in his strong embrace.

Being reunited with his love and children, the God of Music no longer fancied any of the women that he encountered- he had all of the love he needed. Hearts would still break, but they were the cause of new music that spread through the mortal world- the music of nightmares. But the family of musicians, especially the girl, took it upon themselves to counter the dark music with their own music that brought people joy in their sleep and became the muse of their dreams.