The man behind him was enormous. Shoulders like boulders, arms thick as tree trunks, neck wider than most people’s torsos. A shaved head crisscrossed with old scars. Small, dark eyes that radiated contempt.

Mana Heart Rank 4. Kael felt it clearly.

The pressure increased.

Kael’s ribs creaked. His vision blurred at the edges. Around him, he sensed George’s mana signature shift. Cassian hadn’t moved. Yenna had gone still, ice flickering but not forming.

Testing me now, are we?

Kael almost laughed.

He raised one hand—slowly and created a gravity zone as a small and precise sphere of reversed pressure no larger than a basketball, centered directly above his head.

The crushing weight hit the zone and shattered.

The pressure vanished like it had never existed.

Bruno’s eyes widened for a second.

Kael straightened his collar and turned to face the big man fully. His silver gaze was flat like he was bored.

"Well, that was rude," Kael said.

Bruno’s jaw tightened. His mana flared—

"That’s enough, Bruno."

George’s voice carried no special weight. No command seal, no authority boost. Just words.

Bruno stopped anyway.

"Give the new recruits a break." George adjusted his cuffs, the picture of casual indifference. "They’ve had a long flight."

Bruno’s eyes stayed on Kael for three more seconds. Then he stepped back. The killing intent didn’t fade—it just retreated behind a thinner mask.

"Sorry for the inconvenience," George said, as if a near-assault were a minor scheduling error. "This is Bruno. Three-star hunter. He handles our... disciplinary matters."

"Disciplinary," Kael repeated. "Is that what that was?"

"Bruno takes loyalty to the Lady very seriously." George smiled. "As do we all."

Cassian finally opened his eyes behind his sunglasses. He looked at Bruno the way someone might look at a loud noise—briefly annoyed.

Bruno’s scarred face darkened. He took a step forward.

George cleared his throat.

Bruno stopped.

Kael filed away the hierarchy. Bruno obeyed George. George answered to Lyra. Lyra commanded enough loyalty that a Mana Heart cultivator would assault a stranger simply for saying her name without a title.

Interesting.

"You kids have been assigned a mission by our Lady," George continued, gesturing for them to follow. "The organization known as the House of Crimson. We’ve secured a three-week deployment window from the academy for your participation."

They walked. The obsidian floor gave way to a long corridor lined with doors—some open, revealing offices, armories, medical bays. Other doors were sealed with runic locks that made Kael’s newly trained instincts itch.

"Your objectives are twofold." George counted on his fingers. "One: track and map House of Crimson operational bases within Morir’s territory. We know they have a presence here. We don’t know the scale. Two: determine the purpose behind their mass abductions. The numbers don’t suggest simple trafficking. Something else is driving the collection."

He stopped at a junction and turned.

"Kael."

Kael raised an eyebrow.

"You have direct experience with House of Crimson operatives. Your performance on Planet Athelas—eliminating a Rank 7 soul specialist and a Rank 9 coordination commander with a team significantly weaker than your opposition—was noted in considerable detail." George’s smile sharpened. "You will lead this group."

Yenna stiffened.

"Excuse me?"

"Rank 1 of Sector 1 is impressive," George said mildly. "But rank doesn’t equal operational command experience. Kael has faced House of Crimson directly. He understands their tactics, their equipment, their psychological profiles. This mission requires that specific knowledge."

Yenna’s jaw clenched. Ice crackled at her palms again—but she said nothing.

Because he was right. And she knew it.

Cassian, of course, looked like he couldn’t care less either way. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"Complete this mission successfully," George continued, "and you’ll be compensated based on performance. Credit rewards, cultivation resources, technique access—the standard tier structure. Additionally, you’ll receive a monthly stipend and resource allocation for as long as you remain active Guardians."

He resumed walking.

"In the meantime, you’ll each be issued a Guardian token and asked to sign a binding contract."

The corridor opened into a wider hall. More people moved through here—hunters in various states of armament, some carrying weapons, others clutching folders, a few conversing in low tones. A beast-kin with wolf ears passed them without a glance.

Yenna fell into step beside Kael. Her voice was low.

"A binding contract?"

"Sounds serious."

"I don’t sign things I haven’t read."

"Then read it."

"I’m being serious, Vorn."

Kael glanced at her. The ice in her expression had thawed slightly—replaced by something more guarded.

"So am I," he said.

They reached a set of double doors carved with runic script. George paused with his hand on the handle.

"Before we proceed," he said, "any questions?"

Yenna’s eyes locked onto the doors.

"What does the binding contract contain?"

George smiled.

"Ah. The important question." He pushed the doors open. "Let’s find out, shall we?"

The hall beyond the double doors was smaller than Kael expected.

A single desk carved from what looked like living stone, veins of faint luminescence running through its surface. Bookshelves lined the walls—hundreds of them, spines cracked with age.

And behind the desk sat a woman.

A Vampire. Kael identified the bloodline immediately—the pale luminescence beneath her skin, the subtle inhuman stillness of her posture, the way her dark eyes caught the light like polished onyx. She wore a fitted charcoal jacket over a high-collared blouse, raven hair pinned up with silver clasps. Her features were sharp, aristocratic, the kind of beauty that belonged on a painting in a museum nobody could afford to enter.

She was reviewing a document when they entered.

George’s entire demeanor shifted.

The professional receptionist mask melted away. His shoulders loosened. His voice dropped half an octave, gaining a warmth Kael hadn’t heard before.

"Rosalie, darling. I brought the new recruits as requested."

The vampire’s eyes lifted.

"Lady Rosalie Sinclair," George said, his voice almost soft. "House of Sinclair. She handles our contractual obligations."

"Handles is a strong word," Rosalie said. Her voice was low, measured, carrying a faint accent Kael couldn’t place. "I write them. Others handle."

"She’s being modest," George said, leaning against the edge of her desk. "Rosalie is the finest contract mage in three galaxies. Her binding contracts have never been broken. Not once."

"Because the consequences are clear." Rosalie set down her document. "Clarity prevents mistakes."