My mother was a lovely woman, when she was still alive. Her heart was big enough to have space for every lost child in the world – even if she couldn’t give them a home, she would give them anything she could to aid in their safety.

Plenty of people mistook her kindness for softness, yet she was anything but soft. The poor souls who dared to attempt to challenge her swiftly learned that her sword skills were second to none. She had tried to teach me to use a sword as well, but much to her dismay, I refused. My father had promised me his old battle axe once I became old enough to wield it, and I wanted nothing more than to earn that weapon. Wonderfully, my mother agreed to teach me on that instead.

My father taught me about the sort of things one may learn in school. I did not go to school, so I learned from him instead – reading, writing, math, wildlife, history, etc. Meanwhile, my mother taught me not only how to fight, but how to have a kind and loving heart.

Well, she had tried to, anyway.

“Can we talk?”

Lynx had found my in my room, putting away my share of the treasure and preparing for hunting. His voice interrupted my time remembering my mother, and for that, I faced him with a harsh glare, not opening my mouth to answer him. Perhaps he could speak; I would decide soon enough if I would speak as well.

“I feel that we’ve started off on the wrong foot,” Lynx explained. I felt my expression soften, ever so slightly. If he was willing to admit to his flaws, I was willing to hear it.

“I know you’re new to this,” he continued. “I understand you’ve never joined a guild before, quite intentionally. So maybe I’m expecting you to feel too much investment in a guild you’ve just joined.” He paused thoughtfully. “We want you in this guild, Arrow. Truly, we do. But we need for you to work toward the good of the other members, too?”

“And risking my life to go after Reed wasn’t enough?” I waved my hand dismissively. “For all I knew, touching that orb could have been instant death. Yes, November convinced me to do it, fine – but she didn’t force me. She couldn’t force me. I had to agree to it, and I did.”

“And you want the money you found doing it. I understand, you’re the one who found it–”

“I didn’t just find it, Lynx!” I shook my head. I had managed to keep my horror at bay thus far by distracting myself from it – by being angry with Lynx, by talking to Reed and November, by thinking about my mother – but now I could push it away no longer. Lynx was forcing it all back. “I went to another world. I encountered a specter – an apparition, a spirit, a ghoul!” My hands flew to my face, as if I could hide myself from the memory. I could feel the growing tension in my body, and I was sure Lynx could see it.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Tell me what happened.” Lynx’s voice was unexpectedly soft and compassionate. I uncovered my face and for a moment, it felt like I was looking at my mother – at her kind and understanding eyes.

So I told him. I told him every detail of the world I had entered, of the specter calling itself The Mansion, of the shed I tore down and found the treasure in.

“It’s like I’ve gone mad!” I declared. “Reed and November are fine. No one else has been concerned about any of this! No one else has been worried about the odd qualities that this mansion has, and neither of those two seemed at all shaken by the encounter!”

“I’ve been concerned about this mansion, Arrow.” Lynx spoke in a hushed voice. “But I can’t go around stirring up panic. I need to remain calm. I can assure you, however, that there are others who are as worried as you – more worried, in fact.”

I couldn’t bear the conversation anymore, so I changed the subject. “It’s not about the money, Lynx. It’s about–”

“The principle,” Lynx finished. “Yes, Arrow, I know. Keep your part then. But you’re not considering what I wanted the money for.” I didn’t respond. I waited for him to continue. He did. “I wanted to use it to feed people. To make sure everyone here is provided for. I know you came prepared. You can take care of yourself. Not everyone here can.”

I looked away from him and considered his words. Once again, he managed to remind me of my mother – of how she had lectured me when I complained about her not buying the expensive axe I had eyed at the blacksmith’s market, when she had instead been buying food for her students.

“There will be more trials,” I finally explained. “The specter said that more orbs are going to appear around the mansion, and they’ll lead to trials like the one we just returned from.” I smiled weakly. “And they’ll yield treasure, as well.”

“Interesting.” Lynx stroked his beard thoughtfully. “I’ll keep this under consideration. Thank you.” He looked away and paused for a moment before looking back at me. “So, Arrow, I need your answer. The guild – are you in or out?”

I chuckled dryly. It wasn’t an easy question. My logical side had declared it to be a ‘no’ a long time ago. I don’t do guilds, and I certainly don’t do haunted mansions. There was no reason for me to stay.

And yet…

Would I truly be satisfied if I left before I got to the bottom of this? Before I solved the mystery? I had come this far and gotten through the maze – could I really leave now? In any case, I could always stay a while and leave later…

“I’m in.” I was surprised by how confident I sounded when the words came out of my mouth.

Lynx patted my back hard enough that if I had been a smaller man, he might have knocked me over. “I knew I could count on you, Arrow!” He patted my back once more before triumphantly heading for the exit. “We’ll do amazing work together, Arrow!” he yelled as he left the room, leaving my door hanging open behind him.

November exited her own room across the hall and appeared in my doorway. “Are you ready?” she asked with a smile.

I smiled back at her. Lynx is right, I thought.

We’ll do amazing work together.