I entered a hall after getting in from the mansion's doors. When I came in, I saw six people in front of me. I thought I was working alone, but yes, I have some team members. Actually, it's better for me. I would never have to dirty my hands. After a few seconds that felt like years, a man with black wavy hair started to speak.
"Welcome. If I'm not wrong, you're a member of the group too. How surprising. I supposed to think I was a lone wolf. However, it turned out I have six friends. What an awesome gift for me."
He better not talk anymore. His voice didn't feel like sunflowers. In fact, it felt more like wilting weeds! Now, I'm looking at places where I can't see him. I felt really sorry for thinking like this. I shouldn't be a mean person. This is what my mom said too often.
Inside the shadows, a figure appeared. It was a man's silhouette. This guy's clothes were much dirtier compared to the other's. He said, "Don't you dare to use a single letter from 'wolf'," with anger. The other guy said that he was kidding. Then a girl approached me.
"Please, don't take them too seriously. I am Seraphine, and they are Veyren and Caelum."
Veyren was the guy with dirty clothes, and Caelum was the guy with black wavy hair.
I talked with curiosity. "You guys are pretty impressive. And tell me if I'm crossing the line, but are you a priestess or something, Seraphine?"
Seraphine confirmed that she was a priestess. It wasn't hard to guess, especially with the dress she wore. Seraphine introduced the other three people behind them to me.
A person who was eating a cake — her name is Thimel.
A person who looked directly at me — which is scary — her name is Nivain.
And there was a girl who was not giving me any attention — her name is Lysira.
Lastly, I introduced myself. I told them my name: Solma. That was all. The only thing they needed to know about me.
A few minutes and some unnecessary speeches later, a woman walked in.
"I am the community headmaster. You all are here to complete the mission that we gave to you and that you signed up for. The mission starts a few days later. Until the starting day of the mission, you can do whatever you want. There is only one condition: you need to stay in the mansion. Now I have some things to do and some missions to complete. Goodbye. At least for now."
After saying these lines, she suddenly disappeared. I felt happy and relaxed. I had some extra time to spend with my mates. I was going to go to my room, but first I needed a herbal tea. I asked Seraphine where to find the kitchen, and she helped me. The kitchen table was white. Just like everything else in the mansion. I stopped thinking about this and focused on making a herbal tea.
While I was drinking my tea peacefully, a person came to the kitchen. It was Nivain. I gently asked her, "What brought you here?"
Nivain said she liked me, and somehow, she trusted me. After saying that without hesitation, she started to tell what brought her here:
"Ever since I was a kid, I always wanted to be a musician. The harmony of melodies always enchanted me. Unfortunately, my parents weren't able to educate me about music. But it still didn't stop me. I admired musicians. However, I couldn't become one. Suddenly, I turned into a merchant who sold harps. I was selling them like this: getting the wire out, placing my hair instead, and then selling the wire itself. It was a better and shorter way to get money. I wanted to play the harp one day. Even though I wasn't a member of any music group, I had heard about the magical harp. With the help of this harp, a person could play any song even if they didn't know how to play.
One day, a mystery merchant came and sold me the magical harp. But it wasn't the magical harp. It cursed me, and I got exposed for my secret ways of earning money. Everyone found out. But the community offered me a way to break the curse. And now, I am here to complete my mission."
Honestly, I wasn't expecting a story like this. Now I understand the reason behind her pathetic behavior. I barely spoke, and Caelum came into the kitchen.
"Hey, there are seven of us. So, as you know, we need a captain. Please come to the living room. We are going to decide who will be the captain."
Nivain and I went to the living room as quickly as possible. When we arrived, Seraphine was already speaking.
"God will lead our way, and as a priestess—even though I don't want to—I have to be the captain."
Seraphine looked at me for a moment. It was clear she didn't want to be the captain.
Still, I couldn't stop wondering—if she didn't want the role, why did she step forward in the first place?
"You all can't protect the team. Especially you, Seraphine. Praying won't kill the bear. Unlike you six, I'm an archer—and I *can* protect the team."
After Caelum's speech, I was impressed. He was right. Since I came into the mansion, I've thought Seraphine would be a good friend—but not a good captain. As I compared Caelum and Seraphine, someone else—Veyren—spoke up.
"You might be an archer, but that doesn't make you trustworthy. Being an archer also means you can easily kill one of us. We don't even know you. How did you expect us to react?"
"Okay, I see you don't agree with me. So... who else wants to be captain besides Seraphine?"
No one replied. Then Caelum spoke again.
"On one side, there's a poor priestess who only knows how to pray."
Seraphine looked at him with disgust.
"Don't take it personally, Seraphine," Caelum added, "but it is what it is. On the other side, there's an archer who can take down the enemy and guard the group. I've been a hero. So... who do you want as your captain?"
"You underestimate Seraphine and glorify yourself. I vote for Seraphine," said Lysira.
"She's right, but I still don't believe Seraphine is fit to lead. I vote for Caelum," said Thimel.
"I don't like the way Caelum treats others. Sure, he'll protect us—but he won't treat us kindly. I vote for Seraphine," said Veyren.
"I don't want to die. And it's clear that Caelum will protect us better. I vote for Caelum," said Nivain.
Then it was my turn.
Seraphine was like a daisy—beautiful at first glance, but something you wouldn't want to keep around. You can't hand a daisy to a bear.
Caelum, on the other hand, was like poison ivy. If we let him lead, he'd wrap himself around all of us. His poison would kill us—but it would also keep any danger from getting close. I had made my decision.
"Seraphine already said she doesn't want to be the captain. We don't need to argue. Just let him lead. It's not a big deal."
Caelum was undeniably pleased. With my vote, Caelum became our captain.
It hadn't been a long day, but it had been overwhelming. I hadn't even changed my clothes yet. Everyone went to their rooms on the second floor.
After putting on my pajamas, I lay on the bed.