Liv stood at the front of the crowd gathered outside the gated walls of Karatheon, a mix of volunteers from different communities all waiting behind her.
Some had come out of pure curiosity. Others were here because Liv had told them about the changes she believed Asher—and by extension, his company—might bring. Whatever her approach had been, she'd managed to convince them all. Another part of that was because Liv spoke often about Asher, even when she wasn't working with him.
She rarely mentioned his name, but she spoke about him and his plans with high regard.
That alone got people's attention. Liv was someone whose voice carried weight in their communities. So when someone like her started praising a mysterious reformer and hinting at the work he was doing, people took notice. It came as a real shock when they learned that the person was none other than the future heir of Frostvale Enterprises.
Not that Frostvale had a bad name, necessarily.
In fact, it was one of the few Atlas-based corporations that openly pushed back against discriminatory hiring—even though those practices were already illegal. But it was still an Atlas company, and that came with baggage. Like all companies, it has had its controversies, especially the company's recent entanglements with the Schnee Dust Company.
Those memories lingered.
And then there was the matter of Asher himself—he was young, extremely young. That alone stirred doubt among many of those present. Even so, the turnout was larger than anyone expected.
Standing there, Liv could hear the crowd murmuring behind her as they waited for the gates to open.
"I've never even heard of Karatheon before," someone muttered.
Another voice chimed in, "From what Liv told us, it's a new company. Started by the Frostvale heir, but not tied to their other businesses. It's something totally separate."
"But isn't the Frostvale heir just a kid? Bet he's still riding on his parents' money. What would someone like that know about changing a place like Mantle?" Doubts like that weren't uncommon—they were the loudest ones.
Still, not everyone was skeptical. A few were more hopeful.
"I heard Liv's working as his attorney," one person said.
"Maybe she's guiding him? They say if you want to make real change, start from the top and influence the young before they turn into the old guard. Maybe she convinced him to start this company and back Mantle?" It sounded like something out of a drama—getting close to a wealthy young heir, steering him into launching a company to support a crumbling city.
There were some shady implications to it, sure. But for all the moral grayness, people couldn't deny it seemed possible.
Whatever their reasons, whether hope or suspicion, what got them to follow Liv that day was simple: curiosity. They wanted to see for themselves what this "tour" was all about.
As for Liv herself, she could hear all of it—the doubts, the questions, the half-baked theories—but she didn't step in to correct anyone. In moments like this, she'd learned it was better to let people talk things out on their own. Let them build expectations. Then let the truth speak for itself.
Still... Asher's taking a while. This is around the time he told me to bring everyone. Maybe I should call and remind him we're out here?
Just as she reached for her scroll, the gates let out a quiet mechanical hum and began to move. The sudden motion caught everyone's attention. Conversations stopped mid-sentence as all eyes turned toward the smooth, synchronized motion of the gate splitting open down the middle.
Through the growing gap, the first thing Liv saw was Asher.
He stood poised as always, arms slightly open as if he were presenting something, that calm smile of his right where she expected it. The others saw him too—but unlike Liv, their focus wasn't on the young man standing there.
Their gazes drifted past him, to what lay behind.
The building grounds were striking, especially by Mantle's standards.
The structure looked like it had been airlifted straight out of Atlas—clean lines, reinforced paneling, advanced environmental shielding, and reinforced glass designed to handle both harsh weather and aggressive dust runoff. The construction team Asher got to handle the job typically operated in Atlas, and it showed.
Everything about the architecture looked premium, high-spec, and by extension, out of place.
While the crowd quietly took it in, Liv walked forward to meet Asher, who gave her a half-grin.
"You made it sound like no one was going to show up," he said, eyeing the crowd behind her.
"But look at this turnout."
"You're telling me?" Liv replied, folding her arms.
"Imagine how surprised I was when I saw them all. Honestly, it's kind of scary how much weight they put on my recommendation alone. Though I'm guessing this is exactly what you were hoping for, huh?"
Asher chuckled, shrugging lightly.
"Naturally. If my attorney's got a stellar reputation, it'd be a waste not to use it. For everyone's benefit, of course."
"Right, right," Liv replied, voice dripping with sarcasm as she gave a slow nod.
Asher let her have her moment, then gestured toward the crowd.
"Well, now that you're all here, let's not keep them waiting. I'm sure I'll have to answer a few questions before we start the tour, so could you get their attention for me?"
Liv didn't hesitate.
"Sure thing."
With that, Liv turned back to the group that had come with her, clapping her hands to get their attention.
"Alright, everyone. First off, thank you for trusting me enough to come out here, even if it's just to take a look. I know a lot of you probably have questions about what all this is, so before the tour starts, Asher's going to take a few minutes to answer them. Don't hesitate to speak up—but let's try to keep things orderly."
The group followed her and Asher a little further onto the property, settling near the courtyard. Asher stood with the water fountain at his back, while Liv took a position slightly off to the side—neither aligned with him nor the crowd. She naturally slipped into the role of a neutral observer, ready to keep the exchange smooth and fair.
Asher raised a hand with a relaxed gesture.
"Alright. Feel free to ask anything."
His invitation didn't immediately open the floodgates. The group hesitated, murmuring quietly among themselves. Even with Liv's encouragement, most weren't sure what was appropriate to ask, or how formal this whole thing really was.
Eventually, someone stepped forward.
A woman raised one hand while the other was crossed over her chest, her posture skeptical but confident. She'd clearly been waiting for this moment, and Asher picked up on it right away.
"Our first question," he said, nodding toward her and motioning for her to go ahead.
She didn't hesitate.
"Hi. So, from what Liv's told us, this company is focused on welfare tech—and down the line, even civil infrastructure and construction. But that's all pretty broad. I'm wondering what your actual long-term goals are… assuming you've even made plans that far ahead. And no offense, but what exactly are your qualifications in any of this?"
Her tone was blunt, but composed. It was clear she'd come prepared, with none of the uncertainty shown by the others.
Off to the side, Liv glanced at Asher.
To her mild surprise, his smile widened just a little. Not in offense, but as if he genuinely appreciated someone coming in with real questions.
It became even clearer just how seriously Asher took the question when he answered, "Excellent questions."
"To begin with, Karatheon's long-term vision is fairly straightforward. As Liv likely told you, we're a tech company focused on welfare innovation—tools and systems designed to improve quality of life. Our first priority is Mantle. I know this city's problems can't be solved with gadgets alone—and believe me, I'm not under any illusion that they can. That's exactly why I'm addressing the root issues through other methods."
As he spoke, Asher didn't just look at the woman who asked—his gaze moved across the entire group, making sure no one felt excluded.
"But improving a city like Mantle isn't going to happen overnight," he continued.
"Before anything else, I need to earn this city's trust. That starts with giving people a future they can actually survive to see. And in Mantle, one of the most immediate and painful problems is heating. The current system is outdated, inefficient, and for many people, just too expensive. Heating costs often force families to sacrifice basic needs—food, water, even medicine."
The woman who'd asked the first question raised an eyebrow, her tone sharp but intrigued.
"And you're offering a way to fix that?"
Asher gave a firm nod.
"That's right. Our first product will be a new type of heating unit—different from anything currently on the market. It can be installed into any room and is directly connected to a home's internal power grid. That means it bypasses Mantle's central heating infrastructure entirely, eliminating—or at least massively reducing—the need to pay into the city's heating grid."
He let that sink in for a moment before continuing.
"And these units aren't just cheap to install. They're designed to run off the excess power that's currently being wasted in Mantle's outdated grid. That means very little additional energy use, and in most cases, no significant increase in power bills."
That last part clearly caught the woman's attention—and not just hers. The rest of the group seemed equally intrigued.
Privately, Liv was taken aback as well. Even she hadn't known Asher was working on something like this.
She knew how many companies had tried and failed to market independent heating systems before. Most either didn't generate enough heat, cost too much to run, or were more expensive to install than just staying connected to the grid.
So naturally, the woman asked him to elaborate.
"What do you mean by that?"
Asher nodded at the group's curiosity and clarified, "Exactly what I said. Most homes in Mantle are still running on a legacy grid built during the city's founding era. Over time, modern tech has been patched onto it, but the core system still wastes a large portion of the energy being pulled in. That's energy people are paying for—but not actually using."
"Our heater is designed to draw from that inefficiency," he explained.
"It will operate using the residual load that already exists in the home's wiring. That way, the unit requires almost no new energy, and it sidesteps the heating grid's fees entirely. The only time power usage might noticeably rise is during extreme cold, when the heater needs to run hotter for longer."
It all sounded very impressive. Maybe a little too impressive.
"And how do we know your company can actually do any of this? For a first product, this seems like a big promise." This time, the question didn't come from the woman Asher had been talking to, but rather someone else in the group, hidden amongst the sea of faces that seemed to agree.
In response, Asher nodded and said, "I can understand your doubts. Which is why I direct you to the building you see behind me, as well as the surrounding grounds."
He gestured to everything around them as he continued, "Everything you see, I personally made the schematics for. And every bit of technology on the premises, including the very gates you walked through, was made by me. If you doubt my word, you can ask Liv herself, since she was involved."
Indeed, some people turned to look at Liv, who responded, "It's true. Asher here has been involved in multiple construction projects, and all of them were made using his blueprints and schematics, including this very building. It's through the selling of technology he developed that he was even able to fund the formation of this company."
Her words sent ripples through the crowd, as the sound of disbelief escaped them..
"Wait, seriously?"
"But he's just a kid, how..."
"But Liv wouldn't lie about something like this, would she?"
Asher waited for a moment before speaking up again, letting the shock settle slightly.
"As Liv said, I'm a creator, an engineer, and an inventor. As such, even these heaters that my company is planning to sell were made by me, after I personally viewed the schematics of how the heating grid was currently operating inside of people's homes, and the power system that older buildings in Mantle run off of."
As for how Asher got his hands on all of this? He had Whitley to thank. After he showed the two Schnee Siblings what Mantle was truly like, as well as the Schnee Dust Company's involvement, Whitley, in particular, began going through company records. Needless to say, neither he nor Weiss where happy at what they found.
They talked or more so, ranted about it in the group chat, and with a bit of questioning from Asher, he was able to gain access to the details of just how the heating system in Mantle worked, as well as a few infrastructural details that even his role in the Atlas military wouldn't have gotten him access to easily.
The benefit of having friends in high places.
The result of all that work was a brand-new kind of heater. Compared to some of the other projects Asher had taken on, the design had come together relatively easily. It was efficient, simple to install, and cost-effective to produce. Of course, that also meant it wasn't much in terms of profit—at least, not in the traditional sense—and Asher knew that.
Profit wasn't the goal. Income was just a tool, something he needed to fund change. Most of his actual revenue would come from external contracts—like the one he was planning to secure with the military or other corporate entities—not from the people he was trying to help here in Mantle.
Still, doubts remained. The woman who had started the earlier questions went quiet for a beat, then finally said, "This still seems a bit hard to believe."
Asher didn't seem offended.
"That's fair," he said calmly.
"Honestly, it would be more concerning if everyone here believed me right away. Skepticism is exactly why I asked Liv to bring you all here. I want you to see things for yourselves."
He glanced across the group.
"Now then—any more questions before we start the tour?"
With the ice broken, more questions followed.
People asked about the structure of the company. Who else was involved? What were the wages like? Was there room for skilled laborers or only engineers? For the most part, Asher handled the answers directly, giving clear, straightforward responses. When it came to legal or operational specifics, Liv occasionally stepped in to elaborate, especially on areas where she'd been directly involved.
Eventually, the last questions were answered, and Asher clapped his hands together.
"Well then," he said, his voice light but clear.
"If that's everything for now, let's begin the tour." And just like that, the group followed him as the official tour began.
Asher led them on a scenic loop around the perimeter first, giving them time to absorb the surroundings. The walk helped ease some of the tension and allowed people to take in the clean, modern design of the facility as well as the forecourt, which, thanks to Asher's mother's input, was quite the sight.
From up close, the building was even more striking. If the group had been impressed from a distance, they were doubly so now.
That's when they noticed—they weren't the only ones here.
"This is the reception building," Asher explained as they entered.
"The second floor houses a break room and lounge. It'll be open to all employees during work hours." He motioned them toward the stairs, but several people were distracted.
All around them were what seemed like employees already moving through the building.
Some smiled and nodded at the group in passing—but they didn't talk, didn't socialize. They moved with sharp, practiced efficiency, avoiding one another with near-perfect coordination, focused entirely on their tasks.
Someone near the front of the group spoke up, voicing the thought that had clearly struck others as well.
"He already has this many people working for him?"
Liv, who was walking just a few steps ahead, turned back and clarified with a small smile, "Oh—no, these aren't actually people. They're androids."
"Huh?" The person blinked, clearly confused. Their reaction was mirrored by the rest of the group, who exchanged uncertain glances.
Another voice quickly chimed in.
"Wait, what? Androids? You're saying all of these are androids?"
This time, Asher answered without slowing his pace, his tone calm and matter-of-fact.
"That's right. I've always believed that if people are going to work, it should be on things that truly need human attention. Printing documents, answering reception calls, wiping down floors or windows, trimming the grass—none of that should require a human being's time or mental energy."
He glanced at the group over his shoulder.
"Humans and Faunus alike possess some of the most advanced cognitive processing systems in existence—our brains. Wasting that capacity on tasks that can be automated is, frankly, idiotic. That's why one of the first things I developed for this company was a line of androids to handle menial labor."
Even hearing it straight from him, it still sounded unbelievable. But now that they were paying closer attention, the group began to notice the subtle but telling differences—movements that were just a little too perfect, reactions too synchronized.
The uncanny feeling set in. They really were androids.
"This is incredible… I've never seen anything like this before," said the woman who had asked the very first questions earlier, Flaye.
Asher had picked up her name during the exchange. Like Liv, Flaye was known as an activist, primarily focused on Faunus rights. Though a human herself, she worked as an organizer, coordinating across various outreach efforts, from fundraisers to food drives, trying to bridge gaps between communities across Mantle.
It was no surprise she looked up to Liv.
Liv, after all, had made waves after winning a pivotal court case that resulted in the repeal of the discriminatory assembly permit law—a law that once made Faunus-led gatherings prohibitively expensive due to steep permit fees. Without that permit, police intervention was common, and protests had too often turned to chaos.
That victory had been yet another boost to Liv's widespread reputation, especially in Mantle.
Still processing what she was seeing, Flaye turned back to Asher.
"But if you've got androids doing all of this already… why do you need human employees at all?"
Glancing back at her, Asher answered smoothly, "Liv asked me the same thing. And the answer hasn't changed. These androids run on a central AI system—they're fast, reliable, and perfect for repetitive, rule-based tasks. But they're not human. They don't feel. They don't empathize. They can't build trust or understand nuance."
He shook his head lightly.
"Sure, I could program them to simulate empathy, maybe even convincingly. But that would defeat the point. Their strength lies in cold efficiency. That's what they're for."
He faced forward again, voice steady.
"But for a company like this—one built around welfare, community, and actual change—I need real people. People with compassion, understanding, and a desire to make things better. People like all of you."
Flaye nodded slowly, the gears in her mind still turning.
"I see..."
Asher smiled at her thoughtful expression and continued on with the tour.
Asher showed them everything—from the second-floor break rooms and lounge areas to the office wing and its various workstations. Each space came with its own surprises, catching the group off guard time and again. Whether it was the unexpected level of technology, the revelation that Asher had designed it all himself, or the sharp, insightful answers he gave to their questions, something always left them thinking.
And little by little, the idea that Asher was just a "kid" faded away.
It was hard to keep calling him that when he spoke with such clarity—when he explained things not just with knowledge, but with vision. The way he articulated ideas, the way he painted images of what could be—it was hard not to listen. Slowly, the group began to understand why Liv had spoken of him so highly.
The tour began to wind down as Asher led them toward the testing facility, which also doubled as a prototype development lab.
At the moment, Asher kept his most sensitive inventions—the ones not even his closest knew about—in the only place they couldn't be stolen: his own mind.
Everything else—things he'd built, demonstrated, or revealed but hadn't yet sold—was stored on a private, closed-loop network, accessible only through his workshop at home or his secure office on-site.
Meanwhile, any project intended for public distribution—whether as part of welfare development or contract-based production—was stored on Karatheon's internal servers and would be manufactured in his factories under tight supervision.
It was a three-layered security structure. Even if someone managed to breach one system or steal something from his network, it would never be the real core of his work. Not that breaching any of it would be easy. Asher's firewalls could be considered untouchable—he was arguably one of the best software engineers alive.
"And this," Asher said, sweeping open the doors to the next section, "is where the magic happens."
The first floor of the testing facility was split into dozens of zones, each one dedicated to a different stage of prototyping and evaluation. The section they entered now was where completed or near-complete prototypes were stored and put through final-phase testing.
Both sides of the corridor were lined with glass-wall chambers, like sterile zoo exhibits—but instead of animals, each chamber contained sleek testing equipment and machines in motion.
Inside, automated assembly arms moved with precision, operating alongside various custom-built devices—some running on preset scripts, others responding to real-time data processed by GAIA, the AI that helped manage the facility's automation systems. From the outside, it looked almost like an operating room, except instead of patients, these machines were dissecting and refining raw tech.
Androids were present here as well—dressed in clean lab coats and moving calmly through both the glass-enclosed chambers and the open corridors that stretched deeper into the facility.
They weren't building or inventing anything themselves, but instead ensured that everything ran smoothly: logging results, maintaining active tests, and occasionally giving GAIA a physical interface when certain equipment couldn't be operated remotely.
There were dozens of ongoing tests Asher needed to keep up with, and while the Nexus Space gave him a near-perfect way to test out new creations, it wasn't realistic for him to handle everything alone when running a company like this. Now, with a workforce of androids, that bottleneck was gone.
Asher didn't hide anything from the group. Whatever was on display, he explained openly—including the prototype heater he'd mentioned earlier. He answered every question asked, and in doing so, brought the tour to a close—at least, for the areas accessible to outside visitors.
Now, he stood atop a slightly elevated platform overlooking the section of the lab they had toured. A short staircase connected the platform to the ground below, but it clearly served as a sort of control hub for this part of the facility.
Looking down at the group, Asher addressed them with an even tone.
"And with that, I believe our tour concludes. I hope your time here at Karatheon has given you a clearer picture of what I'm trying to build. I know we've already gone over quite a bit, but if you have any final questions, now's the time."
The room fell quiet. All that remained was the low background hum of machines, the soft footsteps of androids, and the occasional mechanical whir of testing equipment.
But the silence wasn't due to lack of curiosity.
The group that had arrived with Liv looked different now. The tour had lasted just over two hours, yet in that span, their expressions had shifted entirely—from cautious skepticism to something more contemplative.
One question now lingered among them all.
And as before, it was Flaye who stepped forward.
Asher spotted her immediately and gave a small nod.
"Ah, Flaye. Go ahead. What's on your mind?"
She hesitated for a moment, then asked, "You said… You were looking for employees, right? Does that mean you're hiring now?"
At that, Asher's smile returned, more open this time, and he gave a confident nod.
"Of course. We're always looking for people who want to be part of something meaningful."