I looked at the empty dining room and then at other empty rooms in the house.
"They must have gone to the slums..." I muttered as I sat on the couch in the common area or more like the small hall designed for small gatherings.
I had asked them to get at least fifty people but the number that accepted the offer would be much less than my expectations.
After all, our credibility is not that good. As a new organization, it will take time to build some trust among locals and the nearby businesses.
"It seems the best option would be children."
I was not talking about making children work but rather making them influence their families. For this, I planned to provide them with several facilities and perks such as free education and food at least 4 times a week.
Other times I hoped to teach them skills that they could use together with their parents. For them, survival is much more important than knowledge and skills.
Having extra helping hands would be beneficial for them and us as well.
But I would try to stop it as much as possible.
"I should also get a workshop first thing in the morning and some teachers...."
I thought about several ways I could get some workers and skilled artists but the best thing would be to get volunteers.
Such as teachers for children from Temple, I have made good connections and even a great impression on them.
If I could get them to help me for even an hour for the first week. Then after all the management is done, Elda and I could take turns to teach children.
This was the basic structure for the children's plan.
But the main plan still consists of adults that I would need to make work with.
After several discussions and debates with Elda and Albert. We have decided to split the business into three ways with all the capital we have. This should not be too hard of a job if we move slowly and not try to do everything at once.
Since all three works will be independent of each other they can also not drag the other down in case one fails.
The first business was of food, the one I had secured a deal with Mr. Castellanos. The other would be tailoring or more like clothing business.
The third and most important one will be related to hygiene suppliers. But this will need to be done at last. Since to do this we will need to secure several resources that are not available for us currently.
This work will also need to be divided systematically. As not to make a place get filled with more work power than needed.
No more than five people will be sent to the restaurant while others will be taught jobs such as weaving clothes and damage repair by Elda's acquaintance who used to run a clothing store in the past.
She had praised him a lot so, I don't think it will cause any problems.
"I should just rest for now.." I sighed and closed my eyes, Elda and Albert shouldn't take too long to come back.
It's already evening. A small nap should be a good idea to kill time till then.
The house was eerily quiet, the kind of silence that makes you aware of your own breathing. I leaned back into the couch, letting my body relax. My eyes grew heavy as the stress of the day started to wear off, and before I knew it, I had drifted off into a light slumber.
****
A gentle yet cold breeze caressed my face and my chest felt warm, something was burning in me. But it was not painful, rather it was filled with warmth. The feeling was so comfortable that I could stay like this forever. Moving my hand I brought it above my heart from where the heat was coming out.
My eyes flickered open slowly to see a serene white light coming out of my chest where the mark of stars resided.
My mind suddenly felt empty as I continued to look at it with no thoughts, and then like the embrace of soft a feather a gentle sensation filled me.
I was about to finally say something coming out of my dazed look but stopped, as a hand came out of nowhere touching my face from my right.
My hair stood on end as a figure appeared beside me, their hand still resting on my cheek. The light from my chest reflected off their kind, yet stern eyes. They were dressed in white, almost blending with the light itself.
The figure turned out not to be behind me but rather sat on the couch arms, just a bit away from my lap.
I couldn't move...
I turned my head to see the intruder's face but a new light came from their figure blinding me.
In the next instance, their hand poked my cheeks with gentle pressure making me shudder.
'Who is it?' I tried again to break free from the invisible restraints that had made it impossible to move.
But the struggle felt futile as the grip pressing me down seemed to increase with each move I seemed to make. The pressure wasn't painful but rather it felt gentle...
I gulped and tried to say something but before I could open my mouth, the intruder's delicate hand traced its way to my lips gently resting upon them.
"Hehe~" They giggled as their legs ended up on my lap, followed by a gentle and soft fabric of a white skirt with a hem decorated by silvery white embroidery.
All of this was done so fast that in real time it didn't even take seconds.
Finally, she stopped and smiled behind the blinding light and muttered.
"I became greedy..."
"What—!"
Just as I felt my control come back the whole room illuminated in a flash of light.
"Don't die... or I will kill you."
Leaving those ominously heartfelt words behind, In a trail of pale blue and white light the fantasy of her mirage ended.
The pressure pushing me down also came to an end followed by a sense of weakness and exhaustion coming over me.
My eyes once again closed as the light dissipated. When I opened them again, the room was just as it was before—dark and silent. The only evidence of the mysterious visitor was the lingering warmth on my cheek and the echo of their giggle in my ears.
I sat up, my heart racing, and looked around. The house remained still and empty.
"It's been three hours," I muttered touching my cheeks, was it a dream or was it reality?
"Sh—" I stopped on what I was about to say, fearing she would hear me.
It was not a dream, that mysterious woman had come here herself.
After all, my origin reserves had been emptied and a deep sense of exhaustion had taken over me, which resulted in unusual tiredness all of a sudden.
This was not a normal thing to happen.
If previously I only had doubts I was certain now that she was the woman from the white world. And she can also come out of it.
But there seems to be some condition regarding it.
Standing up from my comfortable seat, I walked toward the tap to wash my face.
Cold water splashed over my face, making me shiver for a moment. Seeing my reflection in the mirror I sighed and moved my hair away from my eyes, getting a clear view of myself.
"What is even happening...?"
I really can't understand anything anymore.
Sigh...
Was it a bad joke or was there something deeper, much more profound and far beyond my ability to understand?
Unknowingly, even to myself a small seed of fear has sprouted in me and was trying to anchor its root deep inside my heart.
I moved toward my seat in the hall. And found myself becoming more restless as my thoughts grew deeper.
I was not afraid of her, instead what I felt was something I couldn't word out.
The emotions were complex.
And I was not yet capable of understanding even my own thoughts.
Gripping the corner of the chair, I looked down and slowly muttered.
"Celestia who loves silver..."
"You are the ruler of Stars..."
"The divine judgment of heavens..."
"The beacon of Justice..."
"And the hope of Civilizations."
With a small pause, I took a deep breath and said slowly.
"Can you hear me...?"
The words echoed in the silence of the hall, my voice barely a whisper. The coldness of the wood under my hand seeped into my skin, grounding me in the reality of the moment.
No change happened...
Was I wrong in my assumption?
I knew I had to get a grip on the situation, to figure out what this all meant. I had to prepare for the future, for the people who were going to rely on me.
"Why am I even getting so restless... I should already be grateful for growing so fast."
"Anything else would be nothing but greed..."
But I wish to be greedy...
Scratch—
Scratch—
Unknowingly I started to scratch my neck then sighed.
"Stress is getting over me."
Click—!
The opening of the door brought me back to reality as I stood up. All my senses were at maximum efficiency to move for the unexpected right now.
"Asher, are you at home?"
A soft and familiar voice brought me at ease.
It was Elda who seemed to have returned earlier...
I walked toward the corridor to see her, but she was not alone.
She was with someone I had seen in the past but never talked with.