Rayleigh walked ahead of them, leading the trio through a hall in the Guild's west wing. "This is a supervised, lightly instructed field bonding program," he said, sipping tea as he walked backwards like an overworked tour guide. "Not a vacation. Don't make me repeat that."
"I heard 'vacation,'" Vellum whispered.
"I heard 'bonding,'" Leo muttered.
"I heard 'death by cringe,'" Ari said flatly.
Rayleigh stopped and pointed to a side chamber.
Inside stood a girl.
She turned around.
A soft gust swept across the marble floor, almost as if the air held its breath.
Silky silver hair flowed past her waist. Her eyes, a shade between lilac and moonlight, blinked in quiet kindness. She had a small leather satchel tucked under one arm and wore a pale blue robe with a glimmering vine motif around the sleeves. Her entire aura? Sweet pastry that could kill you if underestimated.
"I'd like you to meet your new unit member," Rayleigh said. "Elira. One of the top-ranking empath-mages from the central guild."
"Hi," she said, smiling. "I'm really looking forward to working with you."
Vellum froze mid-breath. His scroll slipped from his arm and hit the floor with a thunk.
"Oh—let me get that for you," Elira said, picking it up.
"N-no! Let me! Or let us—Leo, help her!!" Vellum yelped, nearly tripping over his own bag as he bowed dramatically. "Milady, forgive the scroll for its… clumsiness. It wasn't worthy of thy hands."
Leo just stared at him like he'd lost his last brain cell.
Ari, meanwhile, had the fakest smile ever painted on her face. "Wow. So you're an empath? That's… cool. Super useful in very rare scenarios. Like when you need to know your teammate's favorite tea flavor."
"I actually do that," Elira said sincerely.
"Of course you do," Ari replied through gritted teeth.
"Welcome to the dorm quarters," Rayleigh announced, pointing lazily toward the winding stairwell. "Where dreams, drama, and deodorant mix freely. Do not confuse your neighbors' laundry with ghost attacks. Yes, that's happened before."
Leo raised a brow. "This place has ghosts?"
"No, just sweaty socks. But they've caused panic."
He handed them each a bronze badge marked with their room number.
"Girls on the left wing, boys on the right. Ari and Elira, Room 28B. Leo and Vellum, 29A. Both rooms are side by side. Walls are thin. Be warned."
Ari muttered, "Great. Now I'll have to hear him snore and flirt."
Vellum grinned. "I don't snore. I narrate my dreams."
---
THE GIRLS' ROOM
Elira stepped inside first. "Ohhh, it smells like lavender and… lemon tarts?"
Ari blinked. "How—?"
"I infused my badge with a calming charm. Dorms can be anxiety-inducing."
Ari stared at her for a second too long, then flopped onto the lower bunk. "Cool. You got top."
Elira peeked around, curiously opening drawers and magically bouncing a pillow into place with a flick of her fingers.
"Do you like pink or teal?" she asked.
"I like silence," Ari said, pulling a blanket over her head.
"…Teal it is!"
---
THE BOYS' ROOM
Leo stepped in, took one look around, and sighed. "Smells like… guy."
"I will not be shamed by my natural scent," Vellum declared, already decorating the desk with mini scrolls and a framed doodle of his own face with sparkles. "Behold, our glorious headquarters!"
Leo slumped on the bed. "It's two beds, a wobbly table, and a wardrobe with mysterious stains."
Vellum pulled out a feathered quill. "I shall name this place: La Fort de Simp."
"...I'm sleeping on the floor."
---
EXPLORING THE GUILD
After unpacking (read: tossing things everywhere), the four of them regrouped and explored the guild.
The place was massive—glowing chandeliers hanging from moving ceilings, spell-testing chambers echoing with fizzles and screams, and a cafeteria where the food levitated slightly just to show off.
They saw:
A library where books rearranged themselves alphabetically when you blinked.
A training yard where one guy accidentally punched his own fireball.
A gossip board titled "Rumors & Runes" with an entire column dedicated to "Is Velyour Actually a Failed Love Spell?"
Leo stopped at that one. "Wow. We're just… accepting anything these days, huh?"
Ari stared at another post. "This one says Velyour left because he was denied dessert."
Elira giggled. "That one might've been me."
Vellum dramatically bowed. "A lady of chaos and cuteness. I'm in danger."
---
THE CEREMONY
That evening, a gathering was held in the Grand Hall. New recruits stood shoulder to shoulder, banners flying above them with old guild emblems glowing faintly under the magical lighting.
Rayleigh stood at the back.
Lady merry began
"As tradition," she began, "we welcome our new batch of walking liabilities—uh, I mean heroes—into the Guild."
A giant echo of polite laughter and someone coughing up juice.
Elira turned to Ari. "You look really pretty tonight, by the way."
Ari flushed. "Shut up."
Leo leaned over to Vellum. "You think this means we're officially part of this circus?"
"We've always been clowns, Leo. Now we're just paid clowns."
The ceremony ended with the lighting of the central brazier, a massive floating orb of blue flame that pulsed softly like a heartbeat.
The four of them stood side by side.
Ari glanced toward Leo.
Elira smiled at Ari.
Vellum clutched his scroll like it was a love letter.
And Leo just quietly stared at the flame, a strange feeling of warmth and warning twisting in his chest.
---