Despite the calmness with which Alex spoke, the mbers of Constellations found themselves sitting up in response, almost as though they were before the presence of a great being, unwilling to offend him in the slightest.
Alex ignored this as he began. "As we all know, the expedition to Aragon was a success. You all have the right to be proud, you did well for our first official mission."
His words helped to adjust the otherwise tense atmosphere to a more amiable one as he continued. "Now then, before I speak about our next mission, I believe it best to introduce a new mber to our ranks."
Already aware of who the candidate was, none showed overt surprise when the doors to the halls opened and Elena walked in with her head down.
She seed quite delicate as she moved to stand before the council.
"Raise your head." Alex intoned.
Hesitant, Elena ultimately heeded his words as she raised her head to et his gaze.
"As a Constellation, you aren’t allowed to bow your head or show weakness. Now then, make your choice, the stars above await." Alex remarked while gesturing to the starry sky above the hall.
Caught in its radiant beauty, Elena found herself admiring the sight, unable to tear her gaze away from it.
The stars looked like freshly polished glowing gems placed in the sky by so cosmic deity.
It was... incredible.
However, with the self-awareness to know that she wasn’t here to admire, Elena soon pointed at a cluster of radiant objects.
"I choose that one." She muttered in a soft, almost subdued tone.
Alex followed her gaze and upon laying eyes on the star cluster, revealed a knowing smile.
Then he spoke. "Berenice."
He allowed the na to linger in the air for a bit before shifting his gaze to et Elena’s own. "Your na shall be Berenice. I hope you cherish it as much as your real na, that shall be your identity."
Nodding in response, Elena decided to leave the hall as she turned only for Ana to speak up.
"There’s no need for you to leave, Berenice. Co, join us."
As she spoke, she glanced at Alex to ensure he was okay with her statent.
His silence served as tacit approval with Ana moving to support Elena, even going ahead to create a pillar chair for her to sit on and a black and white veil to cover her visage, officially marking her as one of them.
Though she said nothing, the innocent smile tugging at the corners of Elena’s lips, served as a telltale to what she felt within.
Seeing as everyone was in position, Alex continued. "Our next mission will be taking us to Cance, the academic glory of the Empire. Though we aren’t sure if Ashtyx is there, we can be certain that the clues to find it would be in the city. Unlike with Aragon, we will be taking a more active approach as aggressors."
"Are we all taking part?" Arwen inquired rather excitedly before quickly adding awkwardly. "My lord."
"No," Alex replied while shaking his head, drawing a sigh out of Arwen’s lips.
Glancing at her, he explained. "How far have you gone with learning about your domain?"
"..."
"Exactly. The mission will be dangerous. We can’t afford to make any mistakes or take in any newbies. So, now, I’ll be assigning the tasks of each mber for the duration of the mission."
Taking a deep breath, Alex began. "Apys, Cassiopeia, you both will remain behind to continue working on your newly ford domains. Give it your best and ensure a certain level of mastery before the end of the mission. Failure to do so would result in punishnt."
Though silent, both won involuntarily tensed up at the veiled threat as Alex continued.
"In addition to that, you both shall serve as chaperones to Berenice, helping her make a space for herself in our midst. I hope that by the end of this mission, Berenice will be a bonafide mber of this group."
"By your wish," Nadia replied with Arwen echoing the sa.
Elena, on the other hand, remained silent, thankful enough that Alex didn’t forget to ntion her as she’d feared he would, considering she was a new mber.
Satisfied with the response of the ladies, Alex remarked. "Lupus, you shall return to Aragon. The Rey has been generous enough to gift us the ways of Entropy. It would be a sha to waste such an opportunity so for all our sakes, I hope you can learn all that needs to be learned, understood?"
"Mn."
"Just like the previous mission, Androda and Ara shall be the only two involved with the current mission. Though understandable, I ask that each of you don’t waste too much ti before showing your worth to this group. We are short of ti and we can’t afford to waste it."
"By your wish." Everyone replied with Alex nodding.
The slightly militaristic ambiance transported him back to his days in camp.
Though not the best mory, it did hold a bit of sentint for him and so, unwittingly, an unlikely smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he remarked.
"If there are no questions, then you are all dismissed."
***
Choo...choo
The train station of Willow County was as busy as ever as trains moved to and from it.
Serving as a connection between Thebes and most cities close to the capital, it was sothing of an economic point that allowed the rather small town to experience incredible growth.
One could guess the opulence in the town judging from how most of its inhabitants dressed and the appearances of the various structures available which though simple, held an aesthetic and added variation that one would only find in those big cities.
In any case, just like any other day, a steam train jerked as it ca to a stop at the train station filled with potential passengers.
As people disembarked in their numbers, those waiting quickly ca aboard with the security n at the entrances checking their tickets to ensure they were supposed to be on the train.
One or two people were kicked out for trying to smuggle Aragon spices illegally with one even daring to try bribing the security man in public.
Those were the miscreants who always sought to damage the good reputation of Willow County and as punishnt were detained by security and handed over to the Royal Blues patrolling the station.
Having dealt with the problems, the process continued for a bit as two people, a man and a woman, approached one of the entrances with minimal luggage.
The security man gruffly took the ticket of the man first and inspected it before shifting his attention to the man.
Noting the noble but arrogant ambiance about the man, the security man turned respectful as he remarked. "Have a nice trip, Mr. Lucius."
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