Chapter 33: Almost

Third person's POV

"But she still has something to say," Astra protested. She didn't want Michel to leave yet because she still had something to share.

"Really? Do you still have something to say, Michel?" Armann threatened. His tone hinted at a strong objection to Michel speaking further, prompting her to step aside.

"Oh, nothing. Don't worry about it anymore, Astra. It's not that important," she lied, flashing a fake smile.

"Oh, really? Okay. If you say so," Astra replied lifelessly. 'Maybe it's really nothing,' she reassured herself silently.

Michel just waved goodbye to Astra before leaving the room, leaving her and the Armann behind.

As Michel stepped outside, she unexpectedly encountered the Overseer in the hallway, she felt a twinge of fear facing the Elderly alone.

"They're waiting for you," the Overseer said coldly, handling her glasses before continuing on his way.

She opened the door and saw Astra sitting in her previous chair with Armann standing beside her.

"Greeting," Armann put on a show by fakely greeting him. "Astra, this is the Overseer," he introduced.

"Good morning, or maybe good afternoon?" Astra greeted the man who entered. She wasn't sure what time it was because she couldn't tell the time or see the outside from that room.

The man who entered was a bit taller than the man who had entered with Michel earlier. He was also dressed in black clothes, similar to Armann's attire.

Overseer changed his appearance in an instant like magic while entering the room. To the point that even Astra didn't notice it.

'Is he the one we need to meet now? Where's my aunt?' Astra wondered to herself, still searching for her aunt's presence.

"Hello. Happy to finally meet you. I'm the Overseer of Platoon 11. Armann mentioned that you wanted to speak with me," he began. "How may I be of service to you?"

You could sense his leadership in the way he spoke. His speech was polished, easy to understand, yet authoritative. His tone conveyed his position clearly that his above.

Astra couldn't speak, partly due to the overwhelming events and information she had just experienced, causing her to forget her questions for the overseer. Plus, it was Armann who wanted them to speak to him, so she glanced at Armann, who was on her right.

*You ask,* Astra's eyes seemed to say silently to Armann.

"Why me?" Armann said a bit louder, causing the Overseer to look in his direction. Armann felt embarrassed and quickly adjusted his posture.

Feeling unsure of what to do, Armann blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.

"What are we going to do now that she's an Aisling?" she unconsciously blurted out. Astra's eyes widened in surprise because Armann immediately caught on.

"How did you know?" Astra asked, confusion evident in her tone. She furrowed her brows as she looked at Armann.

Armann was taken aback by her question. Astra couldn't possibly know that they've been watching her all along, so he quickly thought of an excuse.

"What do you mean? Didn't I tell you before that you're an Aisling?" Armann pretended to be confused as well.

"Oh, right," Astra said simply, then glanced back at the Overseer. "That's also my question, Mr.. What should we do?"

"Only two of you in the world have that ability," the Overseer began to explain.

Astra pondered on that. 'There are only two with that ability in the world, and I'm one of them. Who is the other one?' she asked herself. Delving deeper into her thoughts, despite her occasional memory lapses, she eventually recognized who the other individual might be. She won't forget that chilling encounter she had experienced on that day.

"The Nyx!" she unconsciously exclaimed.

"Correct. That's why we know very little about your kind, but don't worry. While you're under our care, neither Nyx nor even the Grim Reaper can approach you," he explained, assuring her of safety in this place.

"Meaning?" Astra asked.

"This place will be your new home for a while," the Overseer replied. "But don't worry because everything you need is here. There's enough food and I'm sure you'll learn a lot during your stay here," he continued, trying to persuade her.

The Overseer's mission was to convince Astra to stay in their hand so it will be easier for them to use her.

"But-" Astra hesitantly interjected. She thought about the rooms and the appearance of the place. Indeed, the facility of this place was impressive, and she would likely improve her skills in dream-related matters if she stayed here. However, she couldn't shake off a feeling of sadness about this place for reasons she couldn't explain. "Will I be able to stay with Aunt Morph when I live here?" she asked.

The Overseer anticipated that Astra would ask that question, so he already thought of an excuse.

"For now, you cannot meet her because to be honest with you, Your aunt is not here because we brought her to a distant hospital. Due to the fire, she sustained minor injuries, but don't worry. She is in stable condition, and you will soon be able to see her." The Overseer's explanation left Astra visibly disheartened. She had hoped to reunite with her aunt soon, but it seemed that wouldn't happen yet.

"You could also choose to stay here temporarily while waiting for your aunt to recover, what do you think?" the Overseer added, extending his offer. Astra hesitated, contemplating whether to accept the offer before her. However, she couldn't shake off her uneasy feeling.

She felt something was amiss and that she should be cautious.

"Hmm, thank you for the generous offer, but too much has already happened to me. I lost contact with my aunt, and now I'm living with a man I barely know. And maybe It might be too much for me to move to another place again," Astra paused briefly in her speech, her words losing coherence. "If possible, I would like to stay with Armann for now while waiting for my aunt's arrival. On that day, I will willingly accompany you without hesitation," she explained.

Although the Elderly couldn't see Astra's future, they could perceive the Overseer's intentions, so the Overseer future has clues about Astra's decision. "I agree. I trust Armann, and I know he won't let you down, but there's one thing I would ask of you," the Overseer said, his tone gentle yet authoritative.

"What is it?" Astra asked.

"I will be straightforward with you. We need you because you're the only Aisling aside from Nyx, so we need your power. My request is, I want you to come here once a week to tell us about your dreams. You can also call us if you have any unusual dreams, even if it's not been a week," the Overseer said.

"Sure, but may I ask why?" Astra asked curiously again.

"Because there's a storm coming in the future. Even Darsha, who can see the past and future of a person, can't predict this big storm, even the prophecy is blank. Only an Aisling like you can see it," he explained.

Astra nodded, indicating that she understood everything clearly.

"Thank you. I agree and you can now go with Armann. We trust that just like this building, he can protect you from all the bad things," the Overseer concluded before they bid farewell to each other.

After a few minutes, Astra and Armann exited the building and headed towards their car.

From the glass window of the hallway on the second floor of the building, the three Elderly watched the events outside. Astra's car started moving away from the place.

"What's your next plan?" Resias asked Phias seriously, her gaze fixed on Phias.

"I don't know, I just let destiny decide on its own," Phias replied simply.

Resias' frustration boiled over at the unsatisfactory response, her brows furrowing deeply as she stormed out of the room, her footsteps resonating against the quiet walls, punctuating her silent protest against the decision made.

Resias opposed Phias and Mundorus's plan from the very beginning. For her, the plan of the two Elderly was wrong because she was afraid that it would be the cause and trigger for Astra to turn evil, but she couldn't do anything even if she's one of the Elderly. The vote was 7/7.

There was an emergency meeting in the holy land about Astra's special ability. The seven Gods and Goddesses of dreams agreed with Elderly Phias's plan. This is the only plan they have so no one paid attention to what Resias was saying.

Resias still didn't forget her objection and thought it was still the right thing to do, but she just let everything happen and followed what they wanted because she couldn't do anything. She was just a servant of those above her.

~ To be Continued ~

Note:

Have you thought about a change in Astra to also have special someone? The next chapter will have a sprinkle of joy and romance, so stay tuned.