Our boots echo across the floor as the door shuts behind us with a low thud.
I lift my chin, refusing to let any one of them think I’m weak.
I’m expecting Lucian to speak, but a feminine voice speaks from somewhere beside him. “You were tasked with securing a prototype.”
My shoulders are stiff. I want to roll out the tension. It was supposed to be simple.
“Correct.” Jace answers.
Jace’s hand brushes mine, the lightest graze.
“You adapted to a compromised route.” Another masked voice speaks.
“Daniel ambushed us,” I say.
“There was no way to foresee him. We followed the intel provided,” Noah adds.
The silence stretches.
“The council agrees,” a man says. “Thus, we have decided the last mission served as your third initiation task.”
My eyes widen, and I look to Lucian. He gives me just the smallest fraction of movement.
“You have shown your dedication and capabilities. You handled an impossible situation and came out the other side.”
Not all of us.
I will the sting to recede.
“You were outnumbered. Outmaneuvered. And at one point,” his eyes flick briefly to me, “out of options. You didn’t panic.”
His attention shifts to Jace. “You were under fire and you all held your positions. You made the difficult decisions. Even losing one of your own.”
He pauses. Letting his words sink in before continuing. “The Guild does not measure strength by who can just complete missions. It’s measured by how you handle unexpected situations. How you carry the weight of consequence and continue forward. Loss is not failure. Failure is learning nothing from it. You will carry this, it will inform every choice you make from this day forward. And that is why you are ready.”
Lucian turns to address the council. “These initiates have demonstrated tactical proficiency, strategic adaptation, and operational cohesion under lethal pressure. They have shown they understand what the Guild truly demands. Choices. Sacrifice. Consequence.”
He turns back to us. Four members of the masked break off from formation and move towards us, their long black cloaks giving the illusion thatthey’re floating rather than walking. They stop in front of each of us. I stare into the black abyss of the mask’s eyes.
“Take off your jackets.” The woman says. I recognize her voice.
Savvy.Something in me eases.
I quickly take off my jacket and fold it over my left arm as clicks sound from behind her, a case is presented as Savvy reaches inside, ripping open an alcohol wipe.
“Please present your right arm,” Lucian says.
Savvy’s black latex-covered hand extends to me. In my periphery, I see Jace and Luca offering their arms without question. I hold it out as she wipes my inner bicep. She turns back around, applying a stencil.
“This mark is not a decoration. It’s not tradition for the sake of it. It will not make you more capable than you already are,” Lucian says.
“So no superpowers?” Luca chimes.
Lucian gives him a look and I hear Luca chuckle. “This insignia exists for one purpose. To signify that you entered this by choice. Your actions will no longer be shielded by initiate status. Your failures will be yours, as will be your successes. You are claiming the Guild. If any of you have doubts, this is your final opportunity to walk away without penalty.”
I can feel Savvy’s eyes as she waits for my acknowledgement. Lucian gave me a choice before, and I chose this path. I’m not about to back down now. I’m not a coward. Danielmustpay.
I nod to Savvy, keeping my head lifted. She switches on the tattoo gun and presses the needle to my skin. The vibration is soothing in a way. It stings, but it’s nothing compared to what I’ve endured. It turns into a fine, insistent pressure. A controlled etching just beneath the surface. My fingers twitch a few times as Savvy traces the stencil.
