Enette sat upright on his hospital bed, the thin blanket resting around his waist. A dull ache pulsed through his ribs with every breath a final reminder of the battle he had barely survived. The room felt too quiet. Too still. Abel, Anaïs, and Agathe had already left for Auréline days ago. Even Quentin had returned to his hometown in northern Seyrel.
Today, it was finally Enette's turn to leave.
He turned his head toward the window. All he could see was the morning mist drifting slowly through the grey streets of Vaille. He placed a steadying hand on the mattress and pushed himself up, his joints protesting. The hospital floor was cold under the thin soles of the slippers he had been given. He stripped out of the flimsy hospital clothes and pulled on the outfit he had worn on the day of his arrival torn, burned at the edges, and stained with dried dust. Still, it was his.
He left the room without looking back.
The walk to the station was silent. Even though Auréline was close to Vaille, he still had an hour of train ahead. When it finally arrived, he stood for the entire trip, refusing to let his body relax.
When he stepped onto the platform at Auréline, the air smelled of metal and rain. The headquarters building wasn't far. His steps echoed faintly in the corridor that led to Unit 12's room.
He opened the door.
Only Abel was there.
The boy sat on one of the couches, a drink in one hand, a book in the other. His expression was calm as if the world hadn't shifted in their absence.
"G…Good morning, Abel."
Abel lifted his eyes.
"Oh. Morning, Enette. You're finally back. And… there's news. We're suspended. We can't leave Auréline for one year. During that time, you and I will train together. Anaïs and Agathe want to rest at home, and I won't force them to come back. Also… Madame Van Hauban wants to see you."
Enette nodded and quietly left the room. Abel watched him go, his fingers tightening slightly around the cup.
« One year without missions… only training with Enette. It'll be useful, sure. But… I still can't believe he refused Van Hauban's offer. She wanted him in a different unit. Now look at us. »
Abel inhaled softly.
« When the suspension ends, I'll be ten. He'll be older… and responsible for everything that's happening. »
Meanwhile, Enette reached Madame Van Hauban's office. He knocked.
"Enter," a sharp voice called.
He stepped inside. The room looked the same as always yet this time, the air felt heavier. Judgment hung over him like a blade.
"Good morning, Anast…"
"For you, it is Madame Van Hauban," she cut sharply. "And yes, good morning. I assume Abel already informed you of your one-year suspension."
"Yes… I've been told."
"Good. I called you here because I am officially removing your position as unit leader."
Her tone was cold, almost clinical.
"Your rank as Legionnaire remains. After the suspension, you will join another unit. You will not be its leader. The new leader will be one of the Centurions."
Enette felt the words hit him like stones.
She continued mercilessly.
"Your unit is dissolved. The three other members removed themselves voluntarily. Only Abel had the loyalty or perhaps pity to stay affiliated with you. Agathe and Anaïs will remain home during the suspension, and I will not oppose it."
She leaned forward.
"Do you understand the trauma you caused those children? You were responsible for them. And what did you do? A false deadly test to the new member is one thing but taking your unit out of their designated territory? Confronting a Qephraï you weren't even sure to defeat? Your actions were unacceptable."
Her voice sharpened into steel.
"Return to Abel. From now on, you will not make a single mistake."
Enette left in silence.
Back in the unit room, Abel looked up.
"So? What'd she say? Though I think I already know."
"My unit is dissolved," Enette answered. "In one year, you and I will be placed into a new one. And… she removed my role as leader. She says I traumatized children. And broke too many rules."
Abel blinked.
"Traumatized children? That makes no sense. When I joined, I had to face a Qephraï too. If I failed, I was dead."
Enette sighed.
"Not exactly. The troupe makes Assimilators believe that. It increases their stress, their reflexes. And as you saw during your last fight we can intervene at any moment. I would've stepped in before it killed you. No one has ever died during the test."
"Oh." Abel looked aside. "Well… let's go train. We've got one year, right? I want to show you my new abilities."
"Actually," Abel added hesitantly, "about the second one… I can't activate it. Nothing happens."
"That's common. You don't have enough energy yet. Training increases your reserves. Once your energy grows, the ability will manifest."
They reached the training hall, both in sports gear with wooden swords.
"I won't hold back, Abel," Enette warned. "Pain is part of training. Injuries make you stronger. Even I grew stronger after that Qephraï fight. The fear of dying… it changes you."
They faced each other.
Enette moved first a blur.
Abel blocked the first strike. His stance was sharper than before. But the moment Enette chained attacks, Abel struggled. Some strikes landed hard, driving the boy backward.
One hit knocked Abel to the ground.
"O…Okay, enough!" Abel groaned. "Damn… you're too strong. How did you even lose to that Qephraï?"
Enette smirked weakly.
"That's what I want to ask you. How did you kill it?"
Abel shrugged.
"I only had one chance. I used my ability to locate its heart and hit it as a traitor… If I missed, I'd be dead. But it was curious about me. It said I carried the aura of one of the Seven Great Kings."
He glanced at Enette. "Do you know what they are?"
"The Seven Great Kings… yes. It's a myth. They're said to be the strongest Qephraï in the last layer beneath Tartarus. Even among the strongest, they stand above all. But if one had touched you, you'd be dead. So it was mistaken."
He exhaled.
"You want to keep training or… eat together? I'm not in the mood to fight anymore."
"I'm eating with my parents tonight."
"Alright… see you."
Enette remained alone in the hall for a moment, then left to eat at his favorite restaurant. The servers recognized him immediately.
"Oh! You're alone today, sir? The three children who always follow you aren't here?"
"No. I'm alone. I… don't have the energy to cook tonight."
He ate quietly, then returned home. His apartment felt colder than usual.
He dropped onto the couch and stared at the ceiling.
« Shit… I've lost everything. One week… and it's all gone.
I used to dream of becoming a Tribun. Or even a Troupe Chief, a Décarque… an Archonte.
Now all I want is to be a unit leader again. »
He closed his eyes.
« I'll leave the troupe someday even if it's forbidden. I'll ask Abel to become my Tribun. Together, we'll become strong. Unstoppable. I trust him… but I can't tell him yet. Not until the time is right. Maybe one day, I'll be able to leave legally… »
He exhaled shakily.
"One day… yes. One day I'll become a respectable man."
His eyes hardened.
"After all… I'm a genius."
In the quiet darkness, a new ambition took root.
Enette would rise again.
And Abel his future Tribun would rise with him.