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The phone rang, or rather vibrated, in my pocket. It took me a moment to retrieve it, but I was eager to pick up and hear her. It was somewhat of a disappointment when I did. It was still the same voice.

"Leave the phone where you found it."

She hung up immediately after. Of course I wanted to ask what to do next, but a little voice inside of me suggested that it would come natural. And it was right. In the phone's stead, there was a small device with one earplug connected to it. There was no camera or microphone on it, but as soon as I'd put it on my head a distorted voice spoke to me.

"I will lead you to Seriph. Please follow the instructions carefully."

It wasn't even clear if it was a woman or a man speaking, layers of reverb, chorus and distortion made it hard to even place anywhere. There was no other way than actually following the commands given to get where I wanted to be.

Besides, if any of the commands didn't suit me, I could easily say no.

Well, that thought proved to be half-right.

I won't go into the whole route I was given. It went through the streets, over rooftops and, at one point, even through a construction site at the edge of the city. It wasn't a direct way and I had the distinct feeling I was being tested on multiple levels. My speed, reflexes and dexterity all came into play one way or the other. Probably all seen.

The voice just droned on, literally. The digital distortion more than once reminded me of some supposedly super-cool-robots, possibly helbent on the distruction of this puny mankind. Anyway it took me hours of walking around being ordered around without ever seeing the same place twice. Was Seriph an ex tour-guide or something?

Until I finally reached a mansion. An old, gloomy, Victorian mansion. Large curved windows, deep and dark colors, even inside, and noises that had no clear source. Lost mostly by the streetlights or the few lights in the garden, subtle enough to appear dark, light enough to cast shadows. Very pretty.

When I rang the doorbell, it looked like some dust poured out of a grating above the door. People hadn't walked these paths in quite some while. The villages might be scared of superstitious stories and otherwise, but there was little for me to be afraid of.

Well, little as long as I didn't take a moment and think of what could actually happen. Like being held prisoner or worse, accidentily locked up.

The voice guided me through the house, which gave me a good overview of the insides. Most pieces of furniture were covered with sheets, looking dusty and unused for years. The floors were all bare, not like the walls, who obviously once had the choice to deviate from the eerie emptiness the rest emitted and grabbed it met both hands. Still, with the design being mostly antique, with the dark wooden floors, doors, walls and ceiling, both the decorations on the wall as well as the white sheets themselves, stood out like a candle in the darkness.

Which is almost exactly what I saw after I opened another door.

It was a large room, empty of anything but a desk with a single laptop on it, screen turned off, but a dull indicator light suggested it was only sleeping. In the middle of the room, there was a single cheap candle standing lonely on the floor, with a little girl sitting fascinated next to it. She reached for her head and removed a headset that was put down quietly beside her. Unsure of what to do , I followed her example by leaving the device at the door.

Step by step, looking at her every movement, I got closer to her. To that pool of light in this dark room, this dark house. Her eyes were looking at me as well fascinated perhaps as much by me as I was with her. She didn't look much older than perhaps fifteen. She was sitting on the ground, legs crossed and impressively beautiful straight long blond hair, reaching all the way to the ground, or her hips were she standing. Her clothes were simple, almost without color. Just a faded white, one piece dress with no frills or decoration. The fabric looked very soft though, very supple as well.

Her eyes were gray. This could have been because of the light, perhaps, but even when I focused on them, I saw no color but the soft red at the edges of the spheres of white. A most unusual color. Her lips were a soft gentle pink, curved in a smile as she almost felt my eyes roaming her body.

And her body. It really looked like a young teen. A hint of hips and breasts, but nothing fully developed. An odd thought struck me as she appeared to wear nothing under the dress at all. No shoes, no socks, bracelets or even a bra. She looked so frail, so fragile. So immensely alone.

Yet...

There was something about her that made you look twice. A feel of power, control, precision, intelligence and more. She didn't stop where her body ended, her attention was much more intense than I realized. She had seen every pieace of me as soon as I got in and just waited for me to see her. Completely at ease, unafraid, strong.

Her two sides were difficult to deal with.

I spoke up, much much softer than I would normally have. The moment was just that tense.

"Seriph?"

Her voice came, unaltered now. She sounded like a child as well, light and feathery, but with an honesty and responsibility behind it that was beyond her apparent age. How much information was stored in such a simple word. There was one thought that kept me from running away at that moment and that was that she looked as fascinated by me as I was with her.

One simple word.

"Yes."

The answer to everything.