The taxi driver left me in a open field. This is where it was supposed to be. It was probably past midnight now and only a dark forest was ahead of me. I took out my paper and tried to read it. I looked at the forest which looked like a mass of darkness. I gulped. I walked closer to the forest where the open field divided from the tall trees. My cello was on my back and my suitcase dragging behind me. I looked at the soul of the forest and took the first step. Suddenly out of the ground appeared blue light in forms of small specks of light. My eyes widened. " Amazing." I said aloud. I tried to touch the speck but the speck immediately disappeared to the touch. I stepped back. I looked deeper into the forest and there was a trail of them leading far off. " Follow them?" I thought aloud. I put my suitcase next to me and starting following the specks of blue light. As I followed them step by step they disappeared. " Interesting." I stepped forward and a tree got caught in my hair. I pulled and my hair tie fell. I discarded it and kept following the light. The more steps I took the harder the terrain was. I felt slow but the light was patient. I was following the light blindly. I stepped on something wet.. I assume it was a puddle. My shoes where now soaked and my arms filled with scratches from the branches. I could feel them bleeding. I took a step forward and felt a rock. I tried to step on it. I was losing my balance. " No,no.no.no.no." I felt fear. I took off my cello quickly and put it on top of me. I fell for what felt like seconds. The blue specks disappeared in front of my eyes. I hit my head and my vision went blurry. " Stay awake Zlyth" I said encouraging myself. A Huskie appeared in front of me. I tried reaching out but my vision collapsed.
" Do you think she was sent by him? She has the mark." A childish voice said. I refused to open my eyes. Was I in a nightmare? I thought. " Mark or no mark she isn't my problem."A more mature voice said. By the sound of his voice he must be in his mid twenties? I assume. Wait this is a dream right? I tried to convince myself. I opened my eyes and I was in king size bed. My cello was by my side and my.. Suitcase unpacked? I raised my brow. Did I get drunk? I thought. I got out of bed. I was in another set of clothes what happened. In a nightgown.. My eyes widened. I was sore and my arms filled with scratches but they were treated. It was not a dream... " What did I get myself into?" I said aloud. I looked outside, I was still in the forest but in some kind of mansion. It was now midday and there was gardens around this home. All the flowers where red black and white. Interesting, but strange. Someone knocked on the door. " Can I come in?" The more mature person said. " I opened the door curious to what I may see. I opened the door wider. It was a young man. He was very white, but had black hair and lavender eyes. Lavender? He did not look very gentle. Behind him was a boy no older than 10. His hair was messy and wore khaki shorts and a grey baggy shirt. He had a darker complexion but had a light hair color. I was speechless. They came in. " Welcome Mistress!" the little boy said. He came and hugged me. " You must be mistaken, I am not the mistress." He said. " I was sent here to do a job." I said to him. " Did Guren send you?" The young man replied. "He did, but he did not specify what the job was." I said in return. " He sent a measly human?" He started to laugh. " Leon stop being so mean to the new Mistress." The child said. " She has the mark!" He took my wrist. "Mark?" I asked aloud. A dark green tree made of swirls appeared on the back of my hand. I widened my eyes. "She's clueless Gray." I had a contract with Guran not this human." He said to the child. I have almost had enough of his attitude and I had just gotten here. "Look, Leon, I know I can learn whatever task you give me." I said with a stern face. " Give people a chance before you judge them so harshly." I said in return. Gray widened his eyes as if he was impressed I talked back to him. " You won't be able to." He said dismissing himself. I was stunned. " Stupid Leon and his pride." Gray said folding his arms. " We need you but give Leon some time. He has some.. Issues with humans." He said looking down. " You are referring that he is not human?" I asked Gray. "He isn't, he's mostly spirit and mage. A powerful and arrogant one too." He said. "What is a spirit and a mage?" I asked. " You really are clueless? I can explain it isn't a bother." He took a deep breath. " A mage is a person who can cast spells because they can control the magic around them. A spirit comes with a type of magic already inside them. They soak specific magic from the air and use it to there will. Spirits usually have limited use of spells but have strong natural magic." He said. If I had heard this before yesterday I would have said it was utter nonsense. "What is natural magic?" I asked. " Natural magic? Natural magic is simple to understand. Spirits can only have one or two of these powers. Lightning, water, air and rock along with fire." He ended. " And what are you?" I asked. " I am mage, part page. I have transformation magic." He turned into a huskie. He turned back into a boy. " That is really cool. What else can you do?" I asked curiously. I could tell he liked the attention. He transformed into a younger huskie than turned to normal. " That is my true form but I can change my age in huskie form. I am not experienced and my magic is limited. But I can also create barriers. Not everyone is lucky to be able to use a lot of magic." He said partly pouting. " And Leon?" I asked. " He is mostly spirit but is also a mage. I don't know much about him since master took him in 50 years ago. Rough past for sure but everything I know about him is that he is named the Executor Nymph. But he is a good person just give it time." He said almost what seemed was doubting his own opinion. " He says one thing but means another. So don't worry." He said standing straighter. He was adorable I admit. " Leon has to train you to do your job..." He said. " I'll get him to train you." Gray said with his hands on his hips. " What is it i'm being trained for?" I asked still confused. I listened to Gray intently.
" This mansion is dedicated at the heart of almost all magic. Your job is to cleanse it." He said simply. " To exorcise?" I asked. " I can't explain it." He nodded.
" You should be resting. You hit you head pretty hard." He said taking my hand and leading me to the bed. " I'll bring you some food. Wait here." He said turning back into his huskie form. I should probably help... I don't mind cooking. I stood up and quickly and followed the tail of Gray. He lead me to a stairway where a open hall was. The ground was made of granite and the walls with what looked like Japanese lettering. The theme was mostly white and grey with a bit of black. Gray looked back at me then in a flash he was human again. " Your supposed to be in bed." He said. " I thought you may want a helping hand." I responded. Grey looked surprised. " Sure. I could use the help." He said giving a grin. He led me to a spacious kitchen. " What are we making?" I asked pulling up the sleeves to my dress. " How about salmon? With salad and a side of seasoned potatoes and... Kimchi?" He asked. " You give the word." I said as my stomach gave a loud rumble. " Well, let's do it quickly." He said laughing. I gave a slight smile.
" We start with the salmon." He said taking out a big fish out of the fridge. " Spices?" I asked him. " There on the top shelf." He said. " There should be a big green box containing many spices." He said pointing to a shelf above my head. I turned around and opened the cabinet. What I opened was a cup drawer. I looked up there was a green box. I stood on my tip toes and grabbed the box and looked at Gray for further direction. He took the box and started adding seasonings and oil. I set the oven and he took out the ingredients for the potatoes. " Will Leon join us for dinner?" I asked as I was cutting avocados. " I am not sure." He said while cutting veggies. " Is he always in a bad mood?" I asked. " Depends with who." He said. " He, is complicated." He said finishing up the salad. I started cutting the potatoes. " I see, how about Guren? Who is Guren?" I asked. "Leons master, but since you bear the mark as mistress his contract with Guren has been broken. He has a right to leave." He said. Guren is a powerful Mage and spirit. He is a wise man and can gift his powers to others. That is what makes him so special and powerful." He said. " Is he your father?" I kept asking questions.
" Oh no, I was actually someone else's trustee. She passed away... Guren took me in after her funeral." He said. " I see." I replied. " It must have been hard." I said adding the seasonings gray had put out for me. " You are too kind Mistress. It is an honer to serve someone with a kind heart." He said. Gray definitely looked like a child but the way he spoke was older. Gray is older than I for sure but his form stayed the same and he still has a very childish touch to his personality. Interesting. He is coming to grow on me in the short time I have been here.
" What was the wooden thing in your case?" He asked out of the blue. "So you where the one looking in my things.." I said teasingly. Gray blushed and looked away. I smiled. " That is a cello." I said answering his question. " A cello? What is a cello?" He asked. The timer went off for the Salmon. I took the oven mitts and took out the Salmon. " It is a musical instrument." I said. " I have never heard music from anything except for the voice." He said. " Would you like to hear it?" I asked Gray. " Would you mind?" He said with the most eager face. I forget he's older than when he makes faces like that. " I would love to play for you." I said. " After dinner of coarse " I said winking at him. "Then let's eat." Gray said taking out plates from the cupboard.
