A group of men huddled around a circular table parsed through papers and envelopes that were filled with graphs and numbers. Most of them were in their late fifties, but the assumed leader of the group was in his seventies.
"What's the status of our internships and competitions?" asked the leader of the organizers.
They quickly looked at their stacked papers until someone replied back. "It is doing as expected. We have about 5,357 current applicants for our internships and it is growing by the hundreds each day. Those that pass are given a background inspection and integrated into our main company."
Another one replied, "for our Fame project, the musical competition has already finished its last preparations. We are ready to start the official event today. We have an expected 2,050 applicants for the whole duration of the competition."
"That is lower than we want…" commented the leader.
The other guy scratched his head. "Yes, it is. But that is to be expected because our Atlas Inc. is not renowned for our Fame. When they think about our company, they think of Power, so it is only natural that there are less applicants in our project. Although, that could change quickly once we have expanded more on the territory."
"Good. What's next?"
KNOCK KNOCK
The last man who was about to speak was interrupted by a knock on the closed door meeting. They all looked at each other; there weren't supposed to be any interruptions. Each one of their employees were notified that their current meeting was of utmost importance and that under no circumstances should they be interrupted or else heads will roll.
So if someone broke the silence, then that could only mean that there was an immediate emergency that needed to be dealt with.
"This better be good," said the leader to one who knocked.
The door opened and a meek little employee bowed in a ninety degree angle before he even said anything. "Pardon my intrusion, but someone from up there came here and demanded to talk to you."
From up there? Could the main branch of the Atlas Incorporated have sent down one officer to oversee this project?
Each one of them tensed up as they heard this news. The matter must have been important enough for a big shot to travel all the way down here. Could they have done something wrong? Everybody knew that the company was going through a transition to join a very exclusive club that very few had ever joined; being a global-level company.
And this whole project was all because they needed to expand their man power before tackling the world. The importance of this matter was not to be understated. It could even be said that this transition would be the most important thing they ever do in their lives. Period. Nothing will ever compare.
If they somehow screwed this up, then not even their lives would be enough to compensate. The company gave them everything they ever had, and with just a snap of a finger, they could take it all back without any problem.
Step…step…step
In their anxious silence, the only thing they could hear was heavy footsteps that seemed to plant itself deep within the ground and reverberate back into the sky. The pace and timing of the steps were slow but strong, giving them an illusion as if a titan was about to walk through the door.
The first thing they noticed was that an aroma of freshness and ground permeated through the room. They feel as if they were atop the skies finally breathing the purest of air without any pollution. This was the first time they breathed 'air'. But paradoxically, they didn't feel as if they were soaring through the skies with flight. No. They somehow felt as grounded as ever. They could feel solid ground underneath their feet that gave them security that they would never fall.
They could feel all those emotions only with a single scent. They heard that professional Dreamers who have reached a high enough level will naturally give off an aura and a smell that would immediately show everyone what their specialty and territory lay in. You could hear all about it on the internet and in the news, but experiencing it for yourself was another thing in and of itself. You cannot describe it.
And when the man finally reached them, all they could see was a big mountain towering the skies. They saw a man, but didn't see him. All their brains could ever process and understand was that they were in the presence of a floating mountain with a perfect cone shape. Even when they tried to pierce through the 'illusion' using all their senses and perception, all they could see was how detailed and real this mountain seemed to look.
In their efforts to disprove what they were trying to see, the more they were convinced that they were seeing the genuine thing. This man was a floating cone-shaped mountain.
This was not a normal big shot. They thought that the company would only bring down a normal officer to oversee the whole project to make sure that nothing bad happened. But they were wrong. This man wasn't just a simple officer from the company.
This aura, this larger than life image, this natural superiority that he exuded: there was no doubt in their mind that they were looking at the real Dione, one of the commanding generals of the entire company second only to the founder himself!
"Sit down," Dione said.
The men didn't even notice that they were standing up in deference.
"It has been ages. I still remember when our company was still a middling group in the countryside struggling to even find one client. We didn't even know what we were doing back then."
The men couldn't even comprehend a time when the Atlas Incorporated didn't have nationwide control of everything. They don't even think that their parents or grandparents ever lived in a world like that. If that was true, then how old was this man?
"I'm old enough to miss the bad days haha," Dione joked.
Did he just read their minds?!
"From our journey to build this company from the ground up, I have accumulated various skills and powers. I had to break myself and rebuild it millions of times to create the strength of the company that you have seen today. But as the group expanded, I slowly found myself doing less and less until the days would come and I had nothing else left to do."
The men would never dare to say that the Immovable Dione was a slacker. This man had done the impossible and helped create a company that could actually compete with the global hegemonies of the world. They might even become one of those companies that immortalized themselves by birthing a Supreme Being from their ranks. They might be seeing history unfold right before their very eyes. And without Dione, this would never have happened.
"I have started dreams and destroyed a lot of them. I daresay that I have experienced everything this world has to offer, but I am afraid that all this knowledge and skills in my brain will fade with me and die in my grave."
They couldn't even think about Dione passing away, much less rotting in a grave. Seeing his immovable presence right in front of their eyes gave them a feeling that he was immortal. There was no way that the sands of time would chip away at that invincible exterior.
"How could that be sir! Death's scythe would shatter upon making contact with you!"
"I firmly believe that you will become the 11th Supreme Being in future, sir! You will join the immortals!"
"You underestimate the Supreme Beings." Dione could only laugh at their remarks. He forgot that he was dealing with country bumpkins. Even though this country was advanced and powerful compared to others, they were still unaware of the reality of the world. In some places, entire lineages would disappear from reality just for belittling the Supreme Beings like that.
"Anyway, I come to you for a simple favor." Dione faced them with a sincere face. "I want you to find me a successor for my powers."
Everyone gasped. This was breaking news. If anyone ever found out that Dione, one of the founding members of the Atlas Incorporated, was looking for an inheritor, then the whole nation would go into an uproar. This was the opportunity of a lifetime! There would be a riot the size of the whole city! And that was just if the
Only powerful men like Dione will be able to produce the legendary S-class Teqx or even the mythical SS-class Teqx for his inheritor. This would immediately elevate his successor from a scrub in the country into a golden goose that could evolve into a golden dragon! And the fact that Dione himself would personally teach his successor everything he knew meant that the student's success was guaranteed to reach the skies.
All the pitfalls and fallbacks that most Dreamers would experience can be avoided just from a small advice by an experienced Dreamer like Dione. Jumping from one stage of Dreaming would usually take years, but with Dione's personal guidance, it could be cut down to a few months!
Suffice it to say, anyone Dione chose would be a lucky son a bitch. Even the old men right now wished they were back in their youth so they could participate in this competition. Unfortunately, they already had a Teqx and were set in their ways.
"I might have someone in mind, sir Dione. There is this one genius who was said to have been able to handle a Fiendish Armament during his freshman year in high school. He scored first in his Physicality Tests, he has shown great talent in entrepreneurship, and he is greatly adored by his friends, teachers, and everyone around him. This guy has it all; he has the Power, Money, and Fame."
"..."
They thought that Dione would react positively to the extremely talented youth, but judging from his silence, it looked like he was searching for someone else. They started to list out the most talented students that they knew.
"There's Felix D'Macchio who has shown great talent and affinity with both gravity and lightning"
"..." still no response.
"Or we have Alexandra Von Cromich whose beauty is said to rival that of the biggest idols in the entire world. She is talented in all the arts, but the harp is where she excels."
"..."
"...we have also have the direct descendant of Sonny Sunverk…"
"..." Dione still kept silent, seemingly disappointed with the choices he was given. Even though each one of those names that they gave were extremely talented in their own way, it looked like Dione was unsatisfied with them.
"Uh…sir Dione? Do you have any criteria for who you want?"
It was then that Dione finally broke his silence. "I don't know. But for now, I will oversee the current Strongman competition for today's event."
"It may be a problem for you to show your face, sir. There would surely be chaos once the press finds out you are here."
To that, Dione only replied:
"I need to be there. I'll know special when I see one."
------------------
Meanwhile, Patty and Grammo finally reached the open area just behind the school grounds. There was a big sign at the very top of the entrance gate.
ATLAS INCORPORATED EVENTS
"Achoo!"
"You okay, Patty?"
"Yeah, it's nothing. It's probably someone just talking about me," he said jokingly.