'The Hands of Light are hosting the Spirit Life Walk tomorrow to promote Spirit Life Day! We hope that everyone will join us as we walk through Grandebelle spreading kindness with smiles and laughter!'

'On this special day, let’s show the world what it means to be a Hand of Light – by showing people that peace is worth fighting for.'

'Let’s join together and celebrate life as we spread the light of spirituality all throughout the world! This is the essence of what it is to be a Chosen One!'

'On Spirit Life Day, we encourage people throughout the world to spread happiness by sharing kind acts with others. Tomorrow marks the twelfth annual Spirit Life Day celebration held by the Hands of Light and organized with the help of dozens of local businesses dedicated to improving the lives of people living in poverty around the world. Each year thousands of people gather at Spirit Life Day events to share in the joy and happiness that comes with true spirituality.'

'This is truly the most important event of the entire year. Please donate generously so we may continue helping others spread light and love throughout the world. Your contribution will go towards helping those less fortunate than yourself, providing food and shelter, education, medical care, and so many more wonderful programs that have made a difference in so many people's lives.'

"Did you see this e-mail, Eliza? It looks like this Spirit Life Day thing is a pretty big deal. What do you think?"

"What do I think about it... I guess I'll see for myself, David. Scroll down. They're having a big dinner here tomorrow at the Tower. Seems like a good chance to mingle with some people from the other departments. Casual dress code... I'm not sure if I'm going."

"Hmm. I'm curious, but my daughter's big piano recital's tomorrow. Maybe you could come by, say hi. If you're not busy..."

The managers from Farha-Smith financial services were coming into their own. Although their understanding of the Chosen Ones was still far from complete, they were making great strides and their confidence was growing by the hour. Some dove into their new roles head-first, others took a more patient approach, and a few were still struggling to figure out exactly where they fit in. A handful were even starting to think about using their new psychic powers to make a name for themselves outside of the organization.

If the Chosen Ones had been structured more like a traditional corporation, the talented outsiders from Farha-Smith might be able to fit into the top slots right away. But since they were more like a cult than anything else, that sadly wasn't possible. Everyone had to learn as they went along and hope their business acumen could carry them through.

"Good morning, Mrs. Ines. I've got your coffee and your croissant hot and ready for you."

Eliza's personal Pit Razor assassin, the Shadow of Agony, was a well-behaved teenage girl with short black hair and eyes as dark as the abyss. She wore a simple white dress and black shoes, and carried a small black backpack slung across her shoulders. She always smiled when she spoke and Eliza never heard her utter a single word of complaint. She seemed genuinely happy to be doing her job and was quick and efficient at everything she did.

"Thank you, Shadow of Agony. I don't know what I'd do without you."
"My pleasure, Mrs. Ines. Let me know if you need anything else."

"Yeah, actually. I wanted to ask you about something... I was planning to visit all of our smaller accounts next week just to get familiar with the territory, and I was looking at the list... this account is labelled 'Blood Spillers.' The name is a little ominous... is that just for show, or is there a reason for it?"

The Shadow of Agony's smile didn't falter.

"Blood Spillers. You should steer clear of them, ma'am. They're a street gang with ties to organized crime. Very dangerous."
"Hmmm... why are they on the account list, then?"

"They're an affiliate of the Chosen Ones, ma'am. Or rather, they're independent distributors. They buy Nuke in bulk and distribute it to dealers all over Grandebelle at a higher price."
"So they're basically a middleman? Except, why are we selling to a criminal gang? Aren't we supposed to be helping people?"

The Shadow of Agony shrugged her tiny shoulders.

"The Chosen Ones are like any other large-scale enterprise, ma'am. Sometimes they have to turn to shady characters to fill in the gaps. It's not like it's illegal to sell to them or anything, so..."

The Shadow of Agony cut herself off and looked away. Eliza felt a little bad asking such an awkward question. She cleared her throat and tried again.

"Is the Blood Spillers'... uh, affiliation with the Chosen Ones an official thing? Like an endorsement or something?"
"Not as such, no. But given those sales figures, I can't blame you for wondering... I would suspect they choose to buy from us because our Nuke is so high-quality they can dilute it with cheap stuff and still get decent results."

"Seems kind of sleazy to me. Do we really want to be associated with these kinds of people?"
"I'm afraid I can't comment on that, Mrs. Ines. That's not for me to decide."

"Hmm... guess not. I'm going to keep working on this. Can you come get me when it's time for the production meeting?"
"Of course, ma'am."

It was possible that the most significant threat to the Chosen Ones' continued existence was the Chosen Ones themselves. They were an organization with one foot in the light of spirituality and the other in the darkness of the underworld, and the gap between message and reality was growing increasingly apparent at every level of their operations. They were a collection of contradictions that made one wonder how they managed to remain functional as one coherent entity at all. If they remained as they were, it wouldn't take long until they unraveled completely and were reduced to nothing more than a memory of a dream that once was.