Chapter 318: A New Player
While the three waited in the tense silence of the room a new sound came from the heavy outer doors.
Three short distinct taps. The sound was not loud but in the oppressive quiet of the chamber it felt like a hammer blow. Lily flinched almost imperceptibly.
She knew who it was. The thought made the shame burning in her gut feel even hotter.
The middle-aged Clan Leader spoke without looking up from his desk. His voice was flat a stark contrast to the anger he had shown just moments ago. "You may enter."
The doors opened and a boy stepped inside.
He was about fifteen years old but his short stature made him appear closer to twelve. He had black hair brown eyes and the round youthful face of a child.
He looked harmless. A bright smile was on his face as he looked at the two men and the kneeling figure of Lily. The oppressive atmosphere in the room did not seem to affect him at all. He walked in with a light bounce in his step.
"Clan Leader, Clan Elder—did you call for me?" he asked his voice cheerful and full of energy. It was a sound that did not belong in this grim room.
The Clan Leader nodded once his expression unchanged. "Your next mission has arrived."
Excitement lit up the boy’s face. His eyes sparkled with genuine eagerness. "A new mission—excellent! What is it Clan Leader? You’ve kept me on training assignments for ages. I’m eager to get back into the field. The trainees are getting boring. They break too easily."
The Clan Leader’s cold gaze met the boy’s. The room temperature seemed to drop a few degrees. "Your task is to locate the leader of the Union and bring him back alive."
The boy’s smile vanished instantly. His entire demeanor shifted. The cheerful child was gone. In his place was a focused professional his eyes hard and calculating.