Chapter 28 Joining the enforcers
Vandal stood beside Grand Elder Williams with his new enforcer cloak draped over his shoulders. He scanned the crowd slowly, taking in every face. Sabine beamed openly, her eyes bright with pride that she made no effort to hide. Matron Clara stood nearby and fought to keep her features blank, yet the corners of her mouth kept twitching upward in quiet satisfaction no matter how hard she pressed her lips together.
"Now, I want all the enforcers to come out and congratulate your new brother," Williams announced, his voice ringing across the hall.
He leaned down and spoke quietly to Vandal. "From this moment on, you will only answer to your code name during missions. Never your real name. Do you understand?"
"I understand, Holy Father," Vandal replied with an amiable smile.
"Alright, get yourself acquainted with your teammates. We will be seeing one another again soon enough," Father Williams said before he stepped back.
Three figures emerged from the enforcer section, each cloak unique and striking. At the same time, Matron Clara hurried over to Sabine and pressed a beautiful watery blue cloak dotted with delicate white polka dots into her hands. Sabine slipped it on at once, completing the group of four present on the scene.
Physicians rushed forward with a wide stretcher to carry the still unconscious Hutrar away.
The three enforcers stepped forward to introduce themselves.
The first was Teion. His cloak shone in a deep almost black blue embroidered with tiny stars that caught the light and twinkled with every shift of his shoulders. He gave Vandal a warm, genuine smile and a firm nod of welcome.
Next came Yazmeen, a curvaceous woman whose heavy bosom pressed against the rich blood red fabric of her cloak. She closed the distance in one smooth step, flashed a playful grin, and traced one finger slowly along Vandal's jaw.
"Hi, sweet boy. I already like you," she purred. "Such a strong jawline."
Sabine's eyes narrowed to sharp slits. She folded her arms tightly across her chest and glared hard enough to drill holes through Yazmeen. The way that woman looked at Vandal like he was something delicious made heat rise in Sabine's cheeks. She bit the inside of her lip to stop herself from snapping out loud.
The third was Chamaun, a chatty youth a head shorter than Vandal, wearing a simple grey cloak. Despite his smaller size, his aura pressed outward like a thick invisible weight.
"Hi! I'm Chamaun, but you can call me Chan," he said brightly, already looking ready to chatter for hours.
After the brief introductions, Teion gestured toward a wide archway.
"Come. Let us move to the Enforcers' Courtyard. There are things you should see."
The group walked through stone corridors until they reached a secluded courtyard reserved only for enforcers. Tall walls draped in flowering vines enclosed a training ground, meditation pavilions, and several private chambers.
The moment they stepped inside, Vandal's gaze locked on a figure standing at the center with arms crossed, watching them approach. The young man looked older than Vandal, perhaps eighteen or nineteen, with sharp, intelligent eyes and an air of quiet authority. His cloak stood out above all others: pure pristine white edged with faint silver threading, the only white cloak in the group.
Chan placed a hand on Vandal's shoulder.
"This is our leader, Mael. He did not attend the public ceremony today."
Mael gave a small, respectful nod but made no move to approach or congratulate Vandal. His jaw stayed tight. Even after he had heard the reports of Vandal defeating Hutrar, Mael had dismissed the victory in his mind. Hutrar had grown careless and arrogant lately; the fool had clearly not used most of his strength and had simply been caught off guard. In Mael's eyes, Vandal still had not earned his place among them.
Before Vandal could process the cold reception, another familiar face stepped out from behind a pillar.
"Jaden?" Vandal said, surprise lifting his voice.
Jaden stood there in a dark green enforcer cloak, shifting uncomfortably and refusing to meet Vandal's eyes.
Chan continued calmly, "Oh, you know him. That means you will get along with him just fine. He is also a new recruit, just like you and Sabine. He is now one of us."
Vandal glanced between Jaden and the white cloaked leader. Something felt off.
Then a fourth voice spoke from the side, smooth and slightly husky.
"Welcome to the family, new boy."
A young woman with striking features leaned against a stone pillar. Her cloak was a deep rich dark purple that seemed to drink in the light at the edges. She had long legs and her fingernails were perfectly maintained, sharpened to delicate points almost like claws. She carried herself with elegant, dangerous poise.
"I'm Jaclynn," she said, offering a small, knowing smile.
Vandal noticed Sabine's sour expression at once. He walked over to her with a calm, gentle smile.
"Sabine, you did not formally introduce yourself to me as an enforcer."
"What is the need in that? You already know me, don't you?" Sabine snapped, her voice sharp.
"Why are you in a bad mood?" Vandal pressed, still smiling.
"I don't know," Sabine answered at once, her lips pushing out in a pout.
"You don't know or you won't tell me," Vandal said with a knowing smirk.
"If you know then why don't you tell me why I am upset, huh?" Sabine demanded, her tone fierce.
"Well, I don't know if you don't tell me," Vandal replied, his voice light and teasing.
The exchange made Teion smile softly at the playful banter. Mael, however, found none of it amusing. His eyes hardened as he watched Vandal.
"Enough," Mael cut in, his voice flat. "New recruits should head to the library and study the rules and regulations of the enforcers as well as how to polish your respective techniques."
He emphasized the next words while looking straight at Vandal. "I would hate to have liabilities dragging the group back during missions."
Over the following days, Vandal and Sabine became inseparable. Wherever Vandal went, Sabine was right beside him, her watery blue cloak brushing against his as if she were deliberately marking her territory. When they studied the enforcer rule book in the library, she pulled her chair so close that their shoulders touched.
During training sessions, she positioned herself between him and anyone else who tried to approach, her eyes scanning the courtyard like a watchful guardian. She laughed a little too brightly whenever Yazmeen or Jaclynn glanced in their direction, then quickly steered Vandal toward another corner of the training ground.
Yazmeen noticed everything. A small, amused smile often played on her lips as she watched Sabine hover protectively around Vandal. The curvaceous enforcer clearly found the situation entertaining, and her gaze lingered on Vandal with open interest.
Yet every time she tried to find a moment alone with him, Sabine was already there, linking her arm through his or suggesting they practice together "just the two of us." Yazmeen had not managed to corner him yet, but the challenge only seemed to sharpen her playful curiosity.
Jaclynn, on the other hand, showed no romantic interest in Vandal whatsoever. Instead, she spent long hours in the corner of the courtyard mixing strange herbs and vials, her dark purple cloak pooling around her like spilled ink. Her sharpened fingernails tapped rhythmically against glass containers as she tested new poisons.
The sharp, bitter scents drifting from her workspace reminded Vandal uncomfortably of Master Kennedy and the torture he had endured in the past. Every time he caught a whiff of those toxins, his stomach tightened, but he said nothing.
Teion occasionally offered them quiet, precise pointers on technique, while Chan tagged along whenever he could, chattering nonstop and filling the air with his easy laughter.
Mael, however, remained distant and cold. Whenever Vandal practiced, Mael's sharp eyes followed him with clear disapproval. Even after hearing how Vandal had defeated Hutrar, Mael still believed the victory had been nothing more than luck against an arrogant and careless opponent. He never missed a chance to deliver pointed remarks.
"Vandal, you are not punching properly. You have terrible form," Mael would say, his pure white cloak spotless and commanding as he walked past. "I would hate for you to become a liability on missions."
Sabine's auxiliary healing ability as a guardian echo bearer made her invaluable to the team, so no one dared give her any trouble. Vandal, however, remained the frequent target of Mael's subtle jabs. Yet Vandal never argued back. He simply nodded, lowered his head, and carried out every order without complaint, leaving Mael with no open excuse to escalate the tension.
Later that afternoon, Chan burst into the enforcer courtyard, grey cloak flapping, waving a rolled-up parchment.
"Everyone! The Grand Elders have chosen us!" he announced loudly. "We will be accompanying several prominent sect members to the newly announced tomb. A powerful treasure is said to be hidden there according to the map already in circulation. We leave in three days."
News of the expedition had arrived.
At the same time, someone walked into the courtyard. He was wearing his signature deep crimson robes with embroidered flame patterns.