The three of them stood in the hallway, gazing at the row of doors before them. Seraphina led the way, her steps echoing lightly on the wooden floor. Garrick decided to stay downstairs.

“Which rooms are ours?” Haruki asked, curiosity glinting in his eyes.

Lila and Roderick echoed his question, their interest piqued. Seraphina gestured towards the doors. “Haruki, Roderick, your rooms will be side by side, right here. And Lila, your room is just across from Haruki’s.”

With a smile, Seraphina handed them the keys.

“These will unlock your rooms. Don’t fret about the rent; it’s all taken care of. Oh, and be prepared, the rooms might need a bit of sprucing up. They haven’t seen guests in quite some time. Now, we’ll head back to the castle. My father may have important tasks for you tomorrow. See you!”

Waves and farewells were exchanged before they set about unlocking their respective rooms. The air inside was thick with dust, a testament to years of neglect. Yet, Roderick’s room seemed to have borne the brunt of time’s passage, far worse than the others.

“Look at this mess!” Roderick exclaimed, his voice tinged with disbelief. Haruki and Lila couldn’t help but peek into Roderick’s room.

“It might take a while to get this sorted. But worry not, we’ll lend a hand,” Lila assured them.

“Absolutely,” Haruki chimed in.

“Thank you. Well, I guess this is our first task of the day. Let’s get to it!” Roderick declared, his energy infectious.

Together, they set to work. Brooms swished across the floor, pillows and sheets were taken out for a good wash, and sunlight streamed through freshly cleaned windows. Cabinets were wheeled out to make space.

Downstairs, the elderly innkeeper caught the sound of movement from above. She ascended the stairs and peered into the hallway. The sight of the three diligently cleaning their rooms brought a smile to her face.

Curiosity brimming, she asked, “What’s all this then?”

“We’re getting our rooms in order,” Haruki explained.

The innkeeper’s face lit up with gratitude. She had a proposition. “You know, there are more rooms that could use a bit of attention. Would you be up for it?”

They glanced at each other and then back at her, nodding in agreement. With a jingle of keys, she handed them a bunch. “Here you go. Take your time. And thank you!”

They resumed their cleaning spree, moving from room to room. After an hour of dedicated effort, they finally took a well-deserved break.

“Phew! That was quite the task,” Haruki sighed, wiping sweat from his brow. The three of them leaned against the walls, their breaths heavy but satisfied.

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“Whew! What a work!” Haruki sighed. They were exhausted from all the cleaning they’ve done

“But guys, we still have a lot of work to do” They looked at the doors in the hall. And Roderick scratched his head.

“But it’s worth it. It might bring back attention to the people in town, and maybe many will stay” stated Haruki

“You’re right, let’s make this place attractive!” shouted Roderick

And they went back to work, opening the rooms one by one, and they cleaned all of them. Doing the same as their rooms. And they finally finished all the rooms except the last room all the way to the end of the hall. Lila took the key and inserted it into the door knob.

“One last room guys, and we are done” she said in excitement and exhaustion

She slowly turned the key and the door opened. But as they saw the inside of the room, it was already clean. They were surprised at how incredibly clean the room was, they went in and looked around and not a single dust was found, even under the bed, and they came to the conclusion that a person was staying here before they came. Haruki said to them that he’ll ask the lady on the counter. So he went down the stairs.

“Whoever stayed in this room, I’ll thank him… or her, for cleaning the room” Roderick was relieved

They looked around again to check for anything left to clean. But Lila lifted up the bed sheet where they didn’t check, and she found a note with words that they didn’t understand. She handed the note to Roderick, but even him didn’t understand what was written on the note

Haruki came back, and he was told that a man was staying on the room for weeks, he was also told that he left about more than an hour ago

“It might have been important business that this ‘man’ left this room” replied Roderick, he also handed the note to Haruki, but Haruki doesn’t understand the words written on the note. Haruki said that he’ll give the note to Seraphina tomorrow, and they left the room and went to their respective rooms. Haruki puts his case on the desk, and went straight to bed, and he thinks about his sister and made him worry

“I hope you’re okay back there, Mei… I’ll be back in no time”

From cleaning the rooms, Haruki was tired and quickly fell asleep.

As Haruki slumbered, he found himself immersed in a dream, a surreal and flickering tapestry of scenes. Images came in fragments, like an old television with an unstable signal, making it hard to discern the details.

In this shifting vision, Haruki stood outside the gates, a sword firmly gripped in his hand, surrounded by guild members including Garrick. The atmosphere was charged, a prelude to battle. The dream then jolted, focusing on a skirmish against an enemy force, with Haruki facing off against a knight who wielded his blade with intent. The blade swung perilously close, but before impact, the dream abruptly shifted.

Now, Haruki was in pursuit of a figure, darting through unknown terrain. The mysterious individual hurled a potion at him, causing Haruki to falter and succumb to waves of nausea. Back in his bed, his sleep was restless, his body drenched in sweat, struggling to regain composure.

The dream altered course again, this time featuring a distressing scenario: Seraphina, abducted by an enigmatic stranger dressed in somber attire. Though the stranger spoke, the words were muffled, as if Haruki had lost his sense of hearing.

In the final segment, Haruki navigated a foreboding dungeon, his steps echoing as he delved deeper into its depths. It was a desperate search, a quest for something vital. At last, he arrived at a solitary door, seemingly suspended in the midst of the dungeon’s expanse. Upon entering, a chilling sight awaited him—Seraphina, bound and suspended by chains, with the ominous stranger standing nearby, brandishing a knife. With heart pounding, Haruki surged forward, sword drawn, as the man moved to strike Seraphina. But just before the blow landed, Haruki awoke, gasping for breath, his body drenched in sweat. He lay there, staring at the ceiling, hand pressed against his forehead, grappling with the weight of the haunting dream.