After the Malicious Guide Lost His Voice

[Switching between first and third person. It's sort of a mystery novel.]

They all say I have a venomous tongue, that my words ruin even the sweetest dreams.

But I've never understood what I'm doing wrong. I just like telling the truth.

They're the ones acting bizarre.

They let their spirit forms run wild all day. After crashing into me, they give me a look of profound wisdom, wag their tails like crazy, call me cruel, then run off with their faces bright red.

Me? Cruel? How is it cruel to live for your own happiness?

I just don't know whose curse came true.

One day, I woke up and found I couldn't speak.

//

Within the White Tower lives a breathtakingly beautiful Guide, bristling with thorns and keeping everyone at arm's length.

No one knows where they suffered heartbreak, but overnight, they grew quiet and listless.

They simply sit off to one side, watching everything with a cold gaze.

And yet...

Somehow, they look even more delicate and captivating.

Theme: Live a life that isn't defined by others.