Intentions
Chapter 131 Intentions "Right," Aleshia replied. She bent down to the children's eye level and sweetly said, "Hi there! It's nice to meet you all. I'm Aleshia." After introducing herself, she took off her witch hat and continued, "Look at this hat! It's a witch hat, and its name is Lucia!" As soon as she introduced Lucia, the hat began to move its brim like a hand, trying to coax the children closer by waving at them. However, the children became spooked by this odd display and retreated a bit back into the safety of their home. At first, the three children were frightened by the moving witch hat. However, one boy bravely stepped forward. He stretched out his hand and reached for the waving brim. When the boy grabbed it, he exclaimed, "Wow, it's so soft, guys! Come try it!" His shout encouraged the other two children to approach the hat and pet it. "You're right, Tommy! It is so soft!" they all agreed. As the children petted the witch hat, it secretly used nature magic to revitalize them as it had with Ren. Meanwhile, Ren was worried about Riley's hair being cut. "I'm really sorry about this, but I can't focus on you right now. Aleshia, please explore the house on your own; the others inside will help you." With that, Ren continued to watch Riley, lost in thought. Aleshia watched the children play with Lucia for a while. After some time, she left them behind and walked into the house through the damaged doors. Inside, the interior was modest yet well-lived-in. As Aleshia's eyes adjusted to the dim light, she suddenly became aware of many eyes watching her from the shadows of the room. The feeling of being scrutinized made her a bit nervous, but she introduced herself with confidence. Aleshia waved her hand as she said, "Hi everyone, I'm Aleshia." No one responded, leaving Aleshia in silence as she felt the weight of watching eyes on her. She grew increasingly nervous. After a long pause, someone attempted to speak but was hushed, and the room fell silent again. Several minutes later, the person who had silenced the first speaker spoke up. "Who are you, and what do you intend to do with us?" The voice asked, his voice steady but laced with danger. After hearing the hostility in the voice and considering it, she stammered, "Um, I was invited by Ren. She said I could explore this house and that she wants me to help the children here."