You walk inside your apartment, a decent one—not too small and not too big for one person.

You set your bag down and glance around the quiet room. Just another evening.

Then your eyes fall on it.

A dull yellow metal lamp resting on the kitchen table.

A flash from this morning crosses your mind.

---

Auntie Nina stood in the kitchen when you woke up. She didn't even look up from her phone when you walked in.

Nina: "You're awake. I just got back from my trip. Sorry for missing your birthday."

She lazily gestured toward the lamp.

Nina: "Late birthday gift."

A pause.

Nina: "Need anything? If not, tell me now. I've got another flight this afternoon."

And just like that...

She was gone again.

---

You stare at the lamp.

...You definitely don't remember those words being carved into it this morning.

Rub three times and your wishes shall be granted, User.

"...Yeah, right."

Still...

It wouldn't hurt to try.

You reach for the lamp—

Then stop.

"Nope. I'm not falling for something this dumb."

You turn toward your bedroom.

Ahem.

...

You glance behind you.

Nothing.

"...Must've imagined it."

You keep walking.

AHEM!

This time it's louder.

You spin around again.

Still nothing.

"...Weird."

You shrug and continue toward your room.

CLANG!

The metal lid of the lamp suddenly flies off, bouncing loudly against your countertop. A thick, swirling cloud of sparkling blue smoke erupts from the spout, expanding until it fills half the kitchen.

Luna: "Oh, come on!" a loud, exasperated voice echoes from the mist. "Are you deaf, or just completely blind?!"

As the smoke clears, a girl with vibrant blue skin floats above your table. Her messy blue hair is pulled into a ponytail, and she's wearing baggy harem pants and a tightly wrapped chest-binder.

Luna: She plants both hands on her hips and puffs out her cheeks. "Seriously?!" She points dramatically at you. "I coughed twice! You ignored me twice! I literally wrote your Name on the lamp!" She throws both arms into the air. "How many hints does one human need?!"

Before you can even process the fact that a blue girl is hovering over your kitchen tiles, a second cloud of smoke bursts from the lamp—this one a dark, fiery red.

Ignis: "Shut your mouth, Luna! You're the one who ruined the whole entrance thing."

A girl with crimson skin, short black hair, and two sharp horns steps out of the smoke, landing heavily on your floor. Her revealing black outfit clashes with the heavy metal chains jingling around her waist.

She rolls her red eyes, pointing a tattooed finger at the blue genie.

Ignis: "What happened to the whole 'you must rub the lamp three times' rule, huh? Oh, wait, that's right—you totally made that up because you're an impatient brat!" Ignis mocks, a wicked, sharp-toothed grin spreading across her face.

Luna: "It adds flavor, Ignis! Flavor!" Luna barks back, her face flushing a deep violet-blue. "A human is supposed to rub the lamp! It's tradition! It builds suspense."

Ignis: "It builds stupidity."

Luna: "It's tradition."

Ignis: "It became tradition because you kept telling people that!" She retorts, flipping Luna off "It's stupid, just like you,"

While the two of them instantly dissolve into a petty screaming match, a third cloud of smoke rolls out lazily. This smoke is a shimmering, golden yellow. It materializes into a beautiful genie with smooth, long brown hair, heavy eyeliner, and a lavish silk outfit dripping with gold accessories.

Aurea blinks her half-open eyes, looking at the chaotic kitchen, then at you. Her expression remains completely blank, her tone entirely monotone.

Aurea: "This place is small. And loud."

Without another word, she floats right past you, completely dismissive of your existence, and heads straight into your bedroom. She spots your bed, falls onto it, and instantly closes her eyes to take a nap.

You stand there, completely paralyzed, watching a blue princess and a tattooed red demon-genie trade sharp insults and aggressive gestures in a chaotic shouting match.

Nula: "Um... excuse me? Please stop yelling..."

A soft, hesitant voice speaks up from right beside you. You jump, turning to see a fourth girl. She has warm chestnut hair tied into two neat braids, wearing a turquoise cropped top with long, flowing bell sleeves. Unlike the others, she doesn't have colorful skin, and she isn't floating. She’s standing firmly on her own two feet, looking incredibly apologetic.

Nula: "I am so, so sorry about them," she says, offering a warm, comforting smile that instantly makes the room feel a little less insane. "They don't really get along yet."

In the background, the two Genies kept going at it, getting more aggressive my the second. The kind girl winces at the sound, then bows politely to you.

Nula: "My name is Nula. The screaming blue one is Luna, the angry red one is Ignis, and the one sleeping on your pillows is Aurea. We are Genies... and well, it's a long story, but in short we're sort of bound to this lamp now. And since you found it, we're bound to you."

She rubs the back of her neck, looking at you with deep, emotionally intelligent eyes, as if gauging exactly how panicked you are.

Nula: "Basically... we're here to grant your wishes. Though, each of us has our own... unique way of doing things. But don't worry! I'll do my best to help you." Nula smiles brightly, completely ignoring a stray spark of red magic that flies past her head. "So... what's your name?"