The Golden Aura

The recent sighting took the young pair by surprise. They never expected to see someone they were supposed to avoid so soon. For them, the moment felt like slow motion: the door, which wasn’t very big, seemed to grow wider with every passing second.

— Rio, stand still. Strike a welcoming pose, as if we were waiting for our master — Ren said firmly.

Rio swallowed hard, her fingers trembling as she adjusted her shirt sleeve. For a moment, her breath quickened, but she tried to mimic Ren’s composed stance.

— Y-Yes! — she said, visibly relieved by Ren’s words, though a flicker of uncertainty lingered in her eyes.

Slowly, both of their smiles began to surface, as if to ease the tension by greeting someone dangerous with warmth. The stiffness in their bodies started to fade as they adopted a more receptive stance.

Luckily for them, the “player” was just passing by. Within moments, the golden aura vanished from sight, and the two collapsed to the ground in relief.

— Phew… That was terrifying — Ren sighed. — I had no idea what could’ve happened. —

— I feel the same way… Let’s just get inside before someone else shows up — said Rio, her heart still racing.

— Right, but carefully. We don’t know who might be inside — Ren added.

As they moved through the garden shrubs toward the entrance, they walked cautiously, almost like detectives. Their steps were silent, and for an instant, Ren remembered the time he dressed as a police officer. By reflex, his hand brushed his hip as though carrying a weapon.

He was taking the wrong role, even though they had just been warned to keep their servant act.

— Ren! Don’t be so naïve. We’re supposed to be servants at all times. Stop fooling around! — scolded Rio, frustrated.

— Sorry! I just had to do it. Entering a new place can be terrifying, and it helped me relieve the stress. I mean… we don’t have any information! — Ren replied.

— You mentioned “information,”?, Ren — Rio said, getting an idea. — Open your guide. See? Just look at the top right corner and open the menu.

Ren did as told, opening his interface. A small chibi-like sphere appeared and greeted him.

— "Hello! I'm an AI. You can talk to me, and I will listen to every word—even the quietest whisper. Ask me anything, and I'll do my best to answer. — it said.

— Can you talk to both of us? — Ren asked, noticing Rio hadn’t reacted.

On Rio’s screen, her sphere drifted toward Ren’s and merged with it. Then the new sphere replied:

— Now I can. As long as you’re both within my range of vision, I can communicate with you at the same time. But I will only answer one question at a time. — it explained.

Rio immediately decided that, as punishment for Ren’s “imaginary weapon” stunt, she would be the one to ask the questions.

They stopped at a gazebo in the garden, the kind where wealthy owners usually enjoyed tea outdoors. There, they decided to address their biggest concern: the mansion’s inhabitants.

Feeling calmer, Ren recalled the moment before they were transported, when Rio caught him off guard with an unexpected gesture.

— Rio… now that we’re settled, can I a-ask? Before we were brought here, you grabbed my hand and… — Ren began.

Rio froze, blushing furiously. She laced her fingers together and struggled for words.

— Stop! I… I thought they’d send me to a world full of chaos. I was terrified. I believed I’d never see you again, that we’d be separated, and I’d… I’d be completely alone. All I wanted… was to say goodbye to my best friend… — she said, lowering her head in shame.

In truth, she had wanted to confess her feelings. But she held back, clinging to that half-truth.

Seeing her so flustered, Ren remembered the time Rio cosplayed as a mage from a series where heroes had to defeat the demon king. At once, he believed her. He knew she was always drawn to dramatic stories, while he preferred ones about adventure, fantasy, and treasures.

— I get it, Rio. I’m sorry you had to go through something so stressful. And… thank you for considering me that important — Ren said, smiling ear to ear, unaware of the effect he had on her.

— N-no big deal — muttered Rio, still blushing. — Let’s focus on what we came here for, okay?

— Sphere, should we be worried about running into a ‘player’ inside the mansion? — Ren asked.

The sphere displayed a report titled Daily Status of the Mansion. Photos showed spotless rooms, lists of dozens of NPC workers, and at the bottom: No scheduled visits by special players.

— No visits today — the sphere confirmed. — Would you like me to show you the yearly record?

— Yes, please — Rio requested.

— This year, twenty-one players have appeared near the mansion’s perimeter. Only three requested scheduled visits — the sphere continued.

The pair sighed in relief. The numbers were low, and the fact that players had to schedule visits made them feel safer inside the mansion.

Even so, as they approached the entrance, Ren wondered:

— If there are that many workers, why haven’t we seen any yet? — he asked.

Rio looked at the sky thoughtfully.

— If it’s close to sunset, maybe they’ve already finished their shifts and are resting — she replied.

Ren, unusually serious, considered their next step.

— Rio, we should act like real servants and introduce ourselves properly — he said.

She hesitated.

— What if they assign us too many chores? — she asked.

— Then we’ll deal with it. Besides, it could be fun. Look — he said — we dressed this way for a reason, didn’t we?

Rio sighed, then smiled faintly, swayed by Ren’s energy.

— Fine. But let’s say we’re novices, so they don’t overwork us right away — they reached an agreement.

With bright smiles, they knocked on the door.

It creaked open slowly, like the entrance to a haunted house.

From the darkness, a tall, sinister shadowy figure began to emerge.

Panic seized them. Their proud servant poses twisted into rigid stances, legs trembling.

Rio couldn’t help but worry, thinking — Are there dark entities in this world? —