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I WAS STANDING AT the entrance of the kitchen with my arms crossed, watching a priest make our breakfast while little Adie stood beside me. I just wanted to check on him, but honestly, I'm really here to make sure he doesn't put anything weird in our food.

     "So, when have you two arrived at this so-called paradise?" The priest asks, his back facing us while he cooked whatever he was trying to cook. Surprisingly enough, it already smelled better than the food that Adie and Lino made last time, but I'm not going to give him the pleasure of hearing a compliment from me.

     Adie then moves closer to me, obviously showing that she was uncomfortable - which was surprising because I'm a pervert myself but she'd rather stick close to me than to father Laurence. It's either Adie can sense that he's dangerous or she just thinks that he's really weird too.

     "Darling, how about you join Lino at the greenhouse? I think you're more needed there than here. I'll just ring the bell if breakfast is ready," I say in a soft tone while leaning down on Adie so I could get close to her ears.

     Adie doesn't say anything and nods her head before running away. As soon as she was gone, I took a deep breath and walked closer to father Laurence.

     "Where did you come from?" I finally ask him.

     I thought he was going to dodge the question, but then he says, "I came from Santa Rosita. I was a priest there for about twelve years until I was kicked out," he answers with no hesitation. Isn't he even worried about the fact that being kicked out would make him even more suspicious?

     "How about you? You haven't told me anything about yourself yet," he says as he looks over his shoulder.

     I stare back at him and lean on the table, deciding not to answer him, so father Laurence chuckles and says instead, "How about we start with your name? That military man referred to you as Winter and then called you Bishop right after. Do you use different names according to who you're talking to?"

     I continue to stare at father Laurence, trying to figure out what he really is. Despite being a resident at this manor for only a day, I consider myself his superior. I know it's ridiculous, but I have to make sure he doesn't do anything that would cause problems.

     The way he speaks is calm, probably because he's been a priest for twelve years. He also looks like a gentleman, but there's something about the way he speaks and stares that makes me cautious around him.

     What confuses me though is that Alice and my other alters haven't shown themselves yet especially when they're good at making judgments. Maybe they're just tired after what happened earlier, or maybe father Lawrence isn't all bad. Maybe the warning sign is only in yellow.

     "Right now I'm Bishop," I finally tell him, making Laurence chuckle again.

     "Right now? So you're going to be Winter, then spring and fall later?" Laurence sarcastically asks, which is not entirely wrong.

     "You can say that."

     "So how did you get this job? For my case, Dr. Giovanni bought me at the auction house. After getting kicked out from church I had to wander off a bit so I ended up in the hands of the wrong people. I was eventually sold to this woman who had this weird fetish of treating me like a baby. Of course, I didn't like it so I beat her up and I ended up getting sold again. That's when the doctor bought me," father Laurence casually shares.

     It was such a serious story, yet he told it like it was something that just happened on a normal day. At first, I thought he was lying, but for some reason, he still sounded so truthful.

     What a strange man.

     "And you? I told you my story then shouldn't you share yours too?" He then asks.

     I wasn't originally going to tell him anything, but I don't think there would be any harm if I do.

     "My mother sold me. I'm not mad about it though since I'm not particularly happy to be alive, but I guess it's better than just getting tied at home," I tell him, and father Laurence turns around with his right eyebrow raised. Even though his own story was bizarre, he looked at me like I was the one who was lying.

     "And the military man with the scar on his face? What's his story?" He asks next.

     "I'm not sure. He said he was badly injured or something when the doctor found him. The rest is a mystery," I honestly answer.

     "Don't tell me, the girl was found in a prostitution house this time?"

     "Oh, believe me, her story is worse, but it's not my place to tell about it to some geezer who beats up women," I tell him, and this time, father Laurence laughs.

     "Hey, I don't just beat anyone. That woman was straight-up weird. She made me wear baby clothes, and then fed me baby food. I had to sleep at a freakin' crib too! That was worse than the sexual advances she made," he then blurts out, surprising me.

     "W-Wait, sexual advances? Why'd you miss that part out?!"

     "I thought that was common sense. Like I told you, she treated me like a baby, and then every night she would—"

     "Alright, let's stop right there," I immediately say as I massage my temple. "I've had enough of these crazily disgusting stories. I should have known you were fucked up too. Now I'm just going to accept the fact that this manor will eventually drive us all crazy."

     "Well, thank doctor Giovanni for recruiting such a weird bunch," father Laurence says as he turns back around to finish what he's cooking. When he was finally done, he looks back at me and says, "He wants a bunch of fucked up people to take care of suicidal criminals. If you ask me, he's fucked up too."

    "Don't say that," I immediately warn him.

     I know I've said such things about the master too, and I've even got scolded by Lino a couple of times, but after I got to know him a little, I couldn't help but find him...terrifying. Master Claudio hasn't really done anything physical–other than fuck me–yet there's something about the way he moves that makes one feel eerie and nervous.

     At first, I thought I was just nervous around him because I found him attractive, but now I realized that my anxiousness was rooted in something deeper than that.

     "Anyway, I should—" Just before I could finish my sentence, a loud bell was suddenly heard throughout the mansion. If I remember correctly, two bells were for the butler, three for the maid, four for the cook, and five for the gardener. The bell only struck once, so it means...

     "Hey cook, finish that later. Master Claudio is calling us. And just to warn you, he does not like people who ask too many questions, so shut your mouth now or you'll end up regretting it later, believe me."

...

All four of us were at master Claudio's office. Despite only having four people–plus Claudio, who was sitting in front of his desk-the room seemed and felt packed. Master Claudio was reading something when we arrived, so he didn't really mind us as we waited for him to finish. After a while, he finally pushes the files to the side to look back at us. "Thank you for waiting patiently," he says.

     The four of us were lined up in front of him. None of us knew why we were called, but I could tell that it was something serious just by reading the atmosphere.

     "Now that all of you are here, I want to talk about the reason why I chose you as my direct employees," master Claudio finally says, and for some reason, I couldn't help but gulp.

     "I know you all have a rough idea of your role here. Everyone calls this manor the Hell House where the most fearsome criminals reside. That is true in a sense, but what others don't know is that there's a system here that keeps things going smoothly," Claudio explains as he stares at us one by one.

     The atmosphere was tense as we try to listen carefully to everything that the master was telling us. Even father Laurence, who arrived just an hour ago, is now silent too.

      "A couple of years ago, the manor was shut down. Everyone who once worked and lived here left and went on their separate ways until I officially became the master of this place. It was only occupied again when I recruited Marcelino and Adeline," master Claudio explains further.

     "During the time of the manor's supposed silence, I was traveling to different places around the world, looking for the right people to use as test subjects. In between, I was searching for the right people who will be able to effectively help me," master Claudio says as he gestures at the door.

     All of us looked at what he was pointing at, and right on cue, Ms. Sunny entered the office holding four black boxes with a red bow.

     "Ms. Sunny?" I ask in shock, and she looks at me and winks before placing the boxes on top of master Claudio's desk. The master thanked her, and for a second, I thought she was going to take her leave, but then Ms. Sunny stood on the side to watch us.

     "The four of you are my direct employees, but for others, you are far more terrifying than what such a title entails," master Claudio says as he starts pulling the ribbons one by one, making us see the engraved symbol on the box.

     Each box had symbols of a head of a horse that are in different colors. One was white, the other was red, and then black, and the last one was pale, almost yellowish. All of us stared at the symbols with furrowed brows, but then, like cheating in a test exam, someone inside me whispers, "The four horsemen."

     My eyes widen as I stare at the symbols again. When master Claudio noticed my reaction, he smiles and says, "Do you know what these are Bishop?"

     "Somehow," I answer as I start pointing at the boxes. "The white horse represents conquest, but others call it pestilence, or the rider that brings plagues. The red symbolizes war, black for famine, and pale for death," I explain, making Ms. Sunny and master Claudio look satisfied.

     "Precisely," master Claudio says as he stands from his seat to take the box with the pale horse. He then walks towards Adeline and hands it to her, almost making the poor girl flinch.

     "This is yours," the master says, and Adeline doesn't say anything and just nods her head as she takes the box from Claudio's hand.

     Master Claudio then gives the one with the black horse to father Laurence, the red horse to Lino, and then the white horse to me.

     "Bishop..." He says, and I take the box with no hesitation.

      As we each now received a box, master Claudio looks at us with a menacing grin and tells us, "I won't explain why I chose you to represent that symbol, but I hope as time goes by, you will understand the reason on your own, and by that time, you will fully understand your purpose."

     "And what would that be? What is our purpose?" father Laurence asks even though I already warned him about asking anything to the master.

     As expected, master Claudio wasn't thrilled by the question. He approaches father Laurence and stands in front of him, staring directly into his eyes to show that he was not scared of him even though father Laurence looked way older.

      "As I said, sir Laurence, you must seek for that answer yourself. People who choose ignorance will be killed, and I do not need such useless creatures in my manor," master Claudio says with conviction, almost making my hair stand when I heard him refer to people as creatures.

     I can't believe I was willing to let such a man fuck me. How desperate was I to lust over a man like him?

      "But if you really want to know then let me tell you," Claudio suddenly says as he steps away from father Laurence to look at us.

     "I chose you all for this important task, a task that my grandfather and father have left me. We will bring the apocalypse to this forsaken town. We will wash away all the sinners and make them all pay for what they have done to us. That...is your purpose," he says, making me gulp again.

      I glance at father Laurence to see if he was finally satisfied with that answer. Thankfully, he didn't ask anything anymore. I wouldn't want to see him get scolded.

     "Now, the other employees will be arriving tomorrow. There are thirty of them in total, but you do not have to worry about any of them. They know their purpose here as much as you do," master Claudio then explains as he walks back to his desk to take a seat.

     "For the time being, you are not allowed to wear those uniforms. I will be teaching you your roles here in the manor first so when the patients arrive, you will know what to do, is that clear?"

     "Yes master," we answer in unison.

     "Now, that will be all. You may return to your stations," he then says, and I step forward and bow to him first, automatically making the others follow. Right after that, I look at the master and Ms. Sunny for one last time before finally heading out of his office.

     As I close the door, I look back at Lino, father Laurence, and Adeline, who were all still speechless after hearing what Claudio had to say.

     "Did any of you know all this?" Father Laurence asks.

     I take a deep breath and shake my head. "I knew that I was going to be doing something crazy for him, but I didn't know that we were targeting the entire town. What's with Capo di Monte that the young master hates so much?" I ask back.

     "Let's not dig too deep on such a topic," Lino immediately tells us. "Just go back to whatever you're doing. Breakfast is almost about to start."

      Lino heads out first before waiting for our answer. Adeline follows right behind him, and then father Laurence pats my back before leaving as well.

      I was left alone in the hallway, staring at the box in my hand. I was given the white horse that symbolizes plagues. I was sure that master Claudio referred to himself as the plague doctor, but why did he give me this?

     "I should just let it go for now," I convince myself as I was about to head out as well, but then I hear something shatter from master Claudio's office.

     Without even thinking about it, I drop the box on the floor, open the door, and rush inside to check on him. But to my surprise, I saw master Claudio with Ms. Sunny who was sitting on his lap, her shirt unbuttoned. It instantly reminded me of what we did last night. I was in that same position, but now someone else was in it.

    My chest aches oh-so-slightly, but I retain a neutral expression as I ask, "I apologize for the intrusion master, but I heard noise from outside and wanted to check if everything's alright."

     "It's nothing," Claudio answers, not even flustered to see me.

     While Ms. Sunny ignores me and continues to kiss Claudio's neck, Claudio looks straight into my eyes and says, "Sunny accidentally pushed the glass off of my desk. I'll just ask Adeline to clean it up later."

     For a quick second, I couldn't say anything as I stare at the two of them. Ms. Sunny's lips traveled around Claudio's shoulder and neck, while the master's hand snaked around her body. It was an unpleasant sight, but I couldn't look away for some reason.

     "Is there a problem Bishop?" Claudio then asks with such a sweet voice, making me bite my lip to the point where I thought it would bleed.

     Why am I so shocked? Am I disappointed that he's doing this so carelessly right after having sex with me last night? Am I disappointed that he doesn't even look apologetic after getting caught like this?

     Why am I so bothered by it anyway? I only fucked him once. It's not like we declared our love to each other and exchanged promise rings.

      This has always been my problem. I get attached to things too quickly. When someone shows just a bit of kindness, I fall to my knees and give in. How pathetic can I be?

     "Bishop?" He calls out again.

     I was about to open my mouth to force an answer out, but then my vision turned black for a quick second. I thought I was going to stumble back, but I immediately got control of my body and stood still. Dr. Giovanni didn't even notice.

     "No, I apologize for spacing out. I was making sure that there were glass shards on the table so I could quickly clean it up before I leave. It would be terrible if your guest gets hurt by it," I say, and the guest that Bishop referred to as Ms. Sunny turns to me and smiles.

     "That's very sweet of you, darling. Thank you," she says, and I smile back at her and bow at both of them.

     "I apologize again for the intrusion. If you need anything, please let me know," I say with a respectful bow before finally stepping out of the room.

     As soon as I close the door behind me, a tear suddenly falls from my eyes, making me sigh.

     "Bishop..." I whispered underneath my breath as I hold my shoulder, almost as if I was comforting myself. "When will you learn? We can't always be there for you, and I'm afraid that if we leave, you'll only go back to the place where we desperately tried to run away from."

to be continued...