They arrived back in the office, the familiar scent of parchment and polished wood greeting them.
"I'll take care of this," Athena said to Elandor, already moving out the door. "In the meantime, I'm supposed to meet Sir Walter… why don't you meet him in my stead?"
"Of course," he said with a small bow.
_______
Micah sat at the reception desk, quill in hand, eyes tired from hours of writing. He was going over a parchment brimming with names—names of people who had come in unprompted.
"Soldiers," he muttered to himself. "What even is this soldier position?"
A few hours ago, people had started trooping in, one after another, all saying the same thing—they wanted to become soldiers. He had told them that he didn't even know what the job was about.
Protecting the island and people,they had said. 'You mean a guard',he said trying to correct them but no,they were persistent.
The Queen said so, they claimed.
So just in case, he wrote their names down.
"What's your name?" he asked the girl in front of him.
"Celine," she said. "Celine Atok."
He dipped his quill in ink for what felt like the hundredth time that day and scribbled her name onto the third parchment dedicated to this strange new 'job'.
"Alright," he said, setting the quill down. "Be at the manor before daybreak."
"Which manor?" she asked, confused.
"The same manors we thought were hunted,"he replied.
"I don't know the particular one," he admitted with a shrug. "But you'll know when you get there."
He opened the door for her. "Goodbye. Don't forget—before daybreak."
As the door closed behind her, he turned—only to see Athena walking down the corridor.
"My lady," he greeted, holding the door open for her.
"I've been getting weird sign-ups," he said once she was close enough.
"Weird sign-ups?" she repeated, pausing.
"Yes," he nodded, moving over to his desk. "They signed up to be soldiers."
"Oh," Athena smiled knowingly, "yes, don't worry. Just keep writing down their names."
She flipped through the parchment he handed her, eyes skimming the lists. "There must be over two hundred names here."
She scoffed. "Let's see if that number holds after tomorrow's training."
Then, as if remembering, she handed the parchments back to him. "You told them to be at the manor?"
"I did."
"Good," she nodded, and with that, she turned and left.
As she did she looked at the notification that the system had sent.
"Office Space?" she muttered under her breath.
Another soft chime followed.
[FEATURE DETAILS UNLOCKED]
Time Dilation Active: One hour in your world equals 24 hours inside the Office Space.
Basic furnishings and tools provided.
An assistant automaton has been assigned to help with recordkeeping, logistics, and analysis.
Development Coin Cost: 10 coins per real-world hour.
Athena rubbed her temple. "Of course it costs coins." She nodded at an elf that stopped to greet her. She paused to look at her surroundings, people just moved around doing nothing. The kids played all day from morning to night,the women were usually sewing sandals with reeds brought back from their husbands who fished. The aroma of roasted fish filled the air and she retched for a bit,Weren't this people tired of eating fish.
Forget it,two days seem to be enough time for the soil to rest from the years of lack of nutrition, she would start farming tomorrow. She focused back at the screen.
The glowing text blinked once.
[Office Space Available Anytime. Speak the phrase: "System, enter Office Space" to begin.]
Athena nodded to herself. "Good. Let's just hope it comes with a decent chair."
****
Athena stepped into the Office Space, and for a moment, forgot to breathe.
It was... modern.
Flawlessly modern. Bright lighting, polished wood floors, sleek glass desks, and—was that a laptop?
She took a cautious step forward, glancing around in awe. There were wall-length bookshelves, empty for now, and a machine humming softly in the corner that looked suspiciously like a coffee maker. A soft hum announced the arrival of someone else.
Her assistant.
"Welcome, Mistress," a smooth, gender-neutral voice greeted her. A humanoid figure rolled forward—sleek white metal with glowing blue eyes and a silver plate where its heart might have been. "I am your assigned assistant."
Athena tilted her head, amused. "Do you have a name?"
"No, Mistress."
She crossed her arms. "Fine, I'll call you Robo."
"Designation accepted: Robo."
"Robot, what are your abilities?"
Robo's glowing eyes pulsed slightly as it began. "I have access to all the knowledge you currently possess. I can assist you in penning down any information, creating documents, and organizing them. I can also generate copies of any written work at your command. I serve coffee, set reminders and timers, and offer scheduling assistance. You may upgrade me in the future to access features beyond this Office Space. For now, my functions are limited to this environment."
Athena nodded, impressed despite herself. "Efficient."
She pulled up the System interface and paid the 10 development coins. The moment the transaction completed, Robo's eyes flashed.
"All systems online. How may I assist, Athena?"
She gave it a half-smile. "I need a book on mining."
"Noted."
"And one on farming as well."
"Understood."
Athena paused, tapping her chin. "Add 'Introduction to Elven Language,' 'Introduction to English,' and 'Basic Mathematics I.'"
Robo's eyes glowed steadily. "How many copies for each?"
"Ten copies for the first two. Two hundred copies each for the rest."
A pause. "Can you manage that under 24 hours?"
"Of course, Mistress. I will begin immediately."
Athena hesitated, glancing around. "Can I stay? I want to see how you work."
"In order to execute large-scale tasks—such as printing multiple copies, transcribing full books, or synthesizing data—you will need to exit the Office Space. I cannot begin such operations until you're gone."
Athena raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"System restrictions. Major processes run through isolated computing cores only accessible when the user is absent."
She sighed. "So basically, if I want to write something myself, I stay. If I want you to do the heavy lifting, I leave."
"Correct, Mistress."
With a sigh, she stood up. "Fine,But can I get a cup of coffee before I go,I'll be fast."
The robot handed her a cup of coffee a few minutes later. Athena sat down as she savoured the taste,soon she was done.
As the shimmering walls of the Office began to dissolve, Athena found herself once again back on the dusty street.
After Athena appeared back on the streets, she approached a few women, asking if they could help her clean the manors. The women, eager for work and perhaps even a sense of purpose, nodded and followed her without hesitation. Some of the children also joined, grabbing their old clothes to use as rags for dusting. Others began sweeping, while a few of the smaller ones carried clay bowls to fetch water. Most of the kids took charge of carrying out the waste and trash, cleaning up the forgotten remnants of the nobles who had left in a rush.
Athena watched as the workers made their way through the vast estate. She had expected chaos, but the energy was surprisingly organized. Furniture that had been left behind by the fleeing nobles was moved outside to be dusted and cleaned. The scent of old wood, stale air, and dust filled the air, but it didn't matter. The workers were relentless in their tasks, even the children helping with enthusiasm.
Soon, the group of workers began to grow. Every time the women went to fetch water, they returned with more people in tow. Athena didn't mind. She stood back, allowing them to take charge. Whenever she tried to pitch in and help, someone would magically materialize to take over her task. The community came together quickly, as if the work was never as burdensome when shared.
After hours of cleaning, furniture was dusted, floors swept, and the trash cleared from every room. Athena couldn't help but marvel at how efficiently everything had been done. There was an energy here that she hadn't expected. As the workers finished, many of them began to pack up their things, heading towards the exit.
One woman, smiling with pride, lifted a noble's forgotten underwear she had discovered. She laughed hysterically, shaking her head. "My, oh my, what were they thinking?" she joked, causing the others to burst into laughter. The tension and heaviness of the task seemed to fade with the lighter atmosphere.
Athena, however, felt a pang of guilt. She hadn't expected so many people to turn up, and now that the work was done, she didn't have anything to offer them in return. She stood at the gate, watching as the workers filed out, tired but smiling.
"It's okay, Your Highness. You don't need to give us anything," a woman called out as she waved goodbye. "You've already given us what we could ask for."
A chorus of affirmations followed. "We're just happy to help," one of the children added.
A small girl, clutching her ragged cloth, looked up at Athena. "Can we do this again tomorrow?"
"Of course," Athena said, her heart warmed by their willingness to help. "We still have a lot to clean, let's all go home and rest. Tomorrow will be a busy day."
The crowd of workers began to disperse, many of them laughing and chatting as they made their way home.
*****
Not far from the beach, nestled in a cluster of weather-worn houses, a whirlwind of activity was underway.
"Come on, hurry up! We need to move fast!" Walter bellowed as he hoisted a barrel onto his shoulder and stomped toward the dock. The sun had dipped halfway into the horizon.
Inside the main house, chaos reigned. Children darted between rooms, cousins shouting over one another as they scrambled to find clothes, shoes, and whatever food they could stuff into sacks. Walter's family was large—sailors, all of them. Generations of tide-hardened men and women who had always traveled together. His parents had gifted him eight siblings, and all still lived with their own families and families' family under the same shared roof.
"We just ate!" someone groaned from inside. "Must we leave this night?"
"Yes, we do!" Walter barked back. "We need to catch the tide—if we miss it, we lose a whole day!"
His younger brother Groff stormed into the room, half-dressed and holding a shirt. "You didn't say anything about leaving tonight! This was sprung on us!"
"I found out this afternoon!" Walter replied, setting the barrel down with a thud. "They called me to the Hall. Gave me a task. We don't get to say no when the Queen gives an order."
Groff huffed, muttering under his breath, "Still could've let us nap first…"
"Aella!" Walter called out. His eldest daughter looked up from helping one of the smaller children tie a bundle together. "Take care of your siblings and the younger cousins, alright? You're in charge until I return."
She nodded seriously. "Yes, Father. We'll be fine."
Walter gave her a tight smile, then turned to the rest of the household, now gathered around with half-packed bags and grumbling faces. "Listen, we don't have the room to take everyone. Only the adults for now. Kids stay behind."
"But why?" someone asked—his sister-in-law, arms folded over her chest.
Walter let out a breath, wiping sweat from his brow. "Because I don't have a big ship. We need space for what we're bringing back."
"And what are we bringing back?" asked another brother, already carrying a sack on his shoulder.
Walter hesitated, remembering the instructions he'd been given. "Clothes. Food… lots of food. And animals. Loads and loads of animals."
"Animals?" someone echoed. "Why? Hasn't the island healed already? The forest's full of them again."
"I don't know," Walter admitted, "I just accepted the task and the money. I didn't ask questions."
Groff raised a brow. "And we're not supposed to tell anyone, right?"
Walter nodded. "Exactly. We're not allowed to tell anyone that the island is healed. That came straight from the Queen."
A stunned silence fell for a second before his mother's voice rang out from the back. "Well, if the Queen says it, then that's that. Don't waste time arguing."
With the decision made, the family moved like clockwork. Wooden crates were passed hand to hand, bags tossed onto the small ship docked just outside. The children stood on the edge of the compound watching as their parents, uncles, aunts and even cousins bustled about.
"This should last us the trip," Walter muttered as he stashed away the last box of foodstuff in the ship's hold. The nearest island was just over a day's journey away by sail—if the wind was kind.
Aella stood by the water, watching her father with worried eyes.
"You'll come back soon, right?" she asked softly.
Walter crouched to meet her gaze, placing a firm hand on her shoulder. "I'll be back before you even miss me."
Then he boarded joining the rest,"Let's row this thing",he bellowed and slowly the ship moved. The children watched till the ship disappeared from view