Three weeks after the battle between the Silver Needle Troop and the Green Bees, nothing truly seemed to have changed.
The Silver Needle Troop had managed to reorganize itself despite the heavy losses it had suffered.
The new Tribune was a former Centurion—the one who had served the longest within the troop. Because of this change, four of the original nine Centurion positions were left vacant. Out of those four, only three soldiers managed to rise to the rank of Centurion.
Enette was among them.
Both Enette and Abel were also assigned to a new unit, but despite Enette's new rank, he was not its leader. The unit commander was also a Centurion, yet with the former leader having been promoted to Tribune, he had now become the most senior member of the unit.
Abel and Enette were the only two present among the six members of the unit, waiting inside the unit's hall. They had officially joined only a few hours earlier.
"Wow… why is their hall bigger than ours? They even have a kitchen. Seriously. And where is everyone anyway? Why are we the only ones here, Enette?"
Abel was right.
The hall was far larger than their previous one. It had two sofas, a massive library reaching almost to the ceiling, filled with books about the world. Compared to their former unit room, this place felt almost luxurious.
"Hm, yeah, you're right. Losing my old unit really affected me," Enette admitted.
"But I guess it's a blessing in disguise. I became a Centurion, and now we have a better hall… Anyway, Anastasia told me that for a while, it'll just be you and me."
Abel turned his head slightly, listening.
"The rest of the unit has been deployed to another continent Salzwüste. So get ready, because we'll probably have to leave the continent for the first time. It'll be my first time too. Until they return, we're basically free to do whatever we want."
"Free?" Abel repeated.
"We'll be joining a research expedition unit. Nothing exciting. Mostly observation work. But you'll learn new things, and we'll protect them in case something goes wrong."
Abel stretched out and lay down across one of the sofas.
Enette sat on the opposite one, removing the cushion behind his back he hated having anything pressing against it.
"Abel, you shouldn't lie like that. It's disrespectful. You're not at home."
"Yeah, but I've been doing this for years. Whenever I see a sofa, I can't sit properly. I either lie down… or lie down. So when are we joining that expedition unit?"
"Tomorrow. I'll come pick you up at your place so you don't get lost. Today, we're doing absolutely nothing. Honestly, it's boring as hell."
In the city of Auréline, the sun shone brightly.
Several hundred kilometers away, in an old village long abandoned, a bandit group had taken root. This was the group Ario came from. He had returned a few weeks ago, but today, bad news awaited him.
A man knocked urgently on the door of the house Ario had claimed for himself. The building was in good condition the former owners had clearly taken great care of it.
"Commander! Commander! Hurry! The chief is waiting for you at the village hall!"
Ario exited the house without saying a word.
He crossed the village, bandits stationed along filthy streets. The place wasn't meant to be lived in only used as a base. All vegetation had withered away, giving the area a lifeless, bleak appearance. Smoke from cooking fires hung thick in the air.
He entered the village hall.
Bandits loitered on the ground floor, doing nothing. Ario scolded them harshly, ordering them to stop slacking off. He climbed the stairs clean, well-maintained into a building stark white, decorated with golden accents.
At the top floor, he entered the conference room. It was used to avoid disturbing the chief's private quarters. Inside, all the commanders, the vice-chief, and the chief himself were present.
Ario frowned slightly.
So many people… Was this really that important?
He sat down opposite them.
The chief spoke.
"Good morning, Ario. I assume you just woke up, as usual. Because of that, you probably haven't heard the news yet."
The chief folded his hands.
"One of our men was in a nearby city today. He found something interesting a wanted poster, dead or alive. Your name is on it. Along with a portrait that looks exactly like you."
Ario's expression didn't change.
"Our first rule has always been discretion. If we must fight, we leave no one alive who can identify us. Yet you ignored all of that. You may be my best commander, but you are also the most reckless."
The chief's voice hardened.
"Your head is worth three million Folinari."
Murmurs spread across the room.
"That's a problem. If the Archon of this continent or another starts investigating us, there's a real chance none of you will survive."
The chief leaned forward.
"So from now on, you will stay discreet. Especially regarding your personal investigation into the woman you told me about. I approved your plan but if you attract too much attention, we'll end up on the world's most wanted list."
He leaned back.
"You're dismissed."
Ario remained silent.
« Bastard… we're bandits. Why force us to behave properly? We've already killed countless people. And he brought everyone just to humiliate me. The day I surpass him and kill him will be the greatest day of my life. »
He stood.
« For now, I'll obey. Otherwise, he'll kill me. I'll keep searching for Anastasia. I'll disguise myself as a monk three million is no joke. I'd be hunted everywhere. Losing time isn't an option. »
« I'm leaving today. The next city… Auréline. I know that place. It's far, damn it. Better leave now. »
Early the next morning, before the sun had fully risen, Enette was already standing outside Abel's home.
He knocked.
The door opened not to Abel, but to his mother.
"Oh, good morning, Mrs. Verdalys. I'm here to pick up Abel. We have an expedition today."
"Good morning… Enette, if I'm not mistaken. I'm pleased to meet you. Abel is still getting ready he's in the bathroom. I'll go tell him you're here."
Enette entered and sat on the second sofa in the living room the one Abel had bought. It faced the kitchen and hallway.
Mrs. Verdalys returned and sat across from him.
"I told him you arrived. Would you like something to drink?"
Enette looked uncomfortable.
"No, thank you. I've already eaten and hydrated."
She leaned closer, lowering her voice.
"What will you be doing with my son today? He never tells me anything about his life…"
"It's nothing serious," Enette replied.
"We're joining a research expedition unit to assist them."
She relaxed.
Before Enette could read her thoughts, he felt a sharp tap on the back of his head.
Abel stood behind him, glaring.
"What are you doing, Enette? Stop reading my mother's thoughts. Have you no shame?"
Mrs. Verdalys blinked.
"You… you can read people's thoughts? That's amazing. But my son is right you shouldn't do that, especially to a lady."
Enette turned red.
"I…I'm very sorry. We should leave."
He grabbed Abel by the arm and dragged him outside as Mrs. Verdalys waved goodbye with a warm smile.
"How did you know I was about to read her thoughts? And you didn't need to hit me."
"I can tell when you do it. Haven't you noticed? You haven't been able to read my thoughts for a long time now. There's your answer."
"…Fine. But you don't get to block my powers on everyone. And, uh… your mother… does she have someone?"
Abel stared at him with pure judgment.
"I don't need to read your thoughts to know you're a pig. Yes, my father lives with her. And no you're too young. Find a woman your own age."
Their conversation continued until they reached the expedition unit. It was small only three members.
One stepped forward.
"Thank you for coming. We're heading to a forest containing Sylphea Trees. It's a delicate operation, but there's no real combat expected. There's an Ivory Tower nearby, so there's nothing to fear."
Abel raised a hand.
"What are Sylphea Trees? And how do you know about this forest when the Night of Change wasn't that long ago?"
"They're common enough. Sylphea Trees are Qephraï that failed to integrate into a human body in time. They become trees instead. They gather into forests extremely dangerous ones. If someone touches them, the Qephraï possesses their body without a pact."
The man pointed.
"Our job is to assess their former rank. During the next Night of Change, they'll disappear… and appear elsewhere."
They reached the forest.
The leaves were sky blue, with violet circles at their centers.
"Wow… they're beautiful," Abel said. "It's unfair we can't touch them."
"Yes. The number of violet circles indicates their former rank. That one over there has one circle, so…"
Abel interrupted.
"Look at this one! It has seven violet lines!"
The man froze.
"What?! Be careful! That one is extremely dangerous. Its former rank was extremely high. If it disappears we're dead."
Enette frowned.
"Abel… did you hear that noise?"
"No… probably just an animal. Don't stay on edge. The tower guards will warn us."
High above, two men watched through binoculars.
"Nothing happened yesterday, nothing today."
"They're lucky. At least their lives are exciting."
"No Qephraï in sight. None today."
"You're wrong," a voice said behind them.
"I feel like coming out today."
They turned.
Too late.
The Qephraï killed both instantly. Blood covered the tower's summit.
"Good. Now I'll bring someone back… to awaken my kin trapped here just like I once was."