Seeing Reeve pronounce these words and trace on his chest the sign proper to Abraham, that, despite their inner reluctance, all the members of the family put aside their prejudices and reproduced the same gesture on their chest the sign of the Gate.
In the silence that followed, Reeve, like a priest of absolute fidelity to his god, finished his prayer, then declared in a slow voice
"The new Elder is named Amadi Abraham. Of course, his public name is Amadi Hart. He works in the new government and resides at 47 Hiron Street in the Xingye district. He is a powerful "Astrologer."
When Reeve finished his introduction, all the Abrahams turned their gazes toward the new Elder, clearly waiting for something. But the latter didn't speak further. He calmly walked up to Reeve's seat, under everyone's attentive gaze, then bowed slightly out of habit.
Then Mr. Amadi said in a rather humorous tone:
Gentlemen, I am very happy to be able to become a true astrologer and serve you as an elder. Although I think it is better for us not to meet in person, I do not want to remove my mask, but so that you can receive better help, I will take off my cold iron mask and let you gaze at my mediocre face.
With almost theatrical words, Amadi aroused the curiosity of the assembly. After a brief silence, he slowly removed his mask. Everyone looked up and saw that his face was veiled in a fine mist. Then, with a breath, he dissipated the fog like a magician in a circus. Beneath the mist, a young face was revealed, full of mischief and expectation.
Furen had to admit that this Elder named Amadi with his playful temperament was, of all the men he had met, the most attractive.
His sharp, blade-like eyebrows surmounted eyes full of irony and nonchalance; his straight nose, without excessive hardness, revealed a firm will; his lips, although unvarnished, shone with astonishing vitality in the candlelight.
Everything about him exuded elegance and beauty.
His short black hair didn't give him any rigidity: on the contrary, it highlighted his refined and almost unreal appearance. His expression gradually became indecipherable, a half-smile, a strange curve of the mouth, so much so that it was impossible to guess what this "Astrologer" was thinking.
Furen thought back to all the men he knows
Quevedo, though charming and cheerful, lacked Amadi's finesse in facial features, and Erich, cold and handsome, suddenly seemed to present a thousand imperfections in comparison.
As everyone remained captivated by Amadi's beauty, Reeve abruptly interrupted their thoughts with an icy voice:
"Good. Introductions are made, instructions given. It's time to wrap this up. The meeting is adjourned."
Oh, and for those who haven't reached Sequence 8 yet, the "Apprentices," come now and collect your materials. The others, if you don't want me to accompany you personally, you can go.
This abrupt conclusion takes everyone by surprise.
Today's meeting, which had begun with such solemnity, ended in a confusing, almost rushed manner. But seeing Amadi calmly put his iron mask back on and shrug his shoulders, then seeing Reeve turn away and leave without another word, no one dared to protest.
Furen, who was initially thinking of leaving with the others, suddenly remembered Heidilin's attractive personal maid.
He decided to stay to speak with Reeve and retrieve his own portion of Sequence 8 materials.
To his surprise, only three other members joined him in following Reeve. Yet, from what Furen knew, most of the Abrahams present were only "Apprentices," not yet "masters of magic."
Reeve turned to face the observers. He said nothing, but his gaze, cold and impassive as always, swept over the few followers before he resumed his walk in silence.
The Abrahams, frightened by this simple look, remained frozen for a moment before following him.
The icy atmosphere seemed to freeze the air between the five people.
Furen could only hear the heavy footsteps of the Elder in front of him; behind him, the four "Apprentices" were doing their best to muffle the sound of their shoes.
Suddenly, Furen heard several undisguised footsteps behind him.
Intrigued, Furen turned around: two men were calmly catching up with them, one of them was none other than the new Elder, Amadi.
The latter, noticing his gaze, gave him a friendly gesture by raising his hand, to which Furen responded politely before turning around to catch up with Mr. Reeve.
He didn't have time to observe the other person, but guessed from her slim, slender figure that it was probably a woman.
Behind him, Amadi's cheerful and cheerful voice echoed
"Gentlemen, wait for me. Don't be so restrained. You're like vampires following a normal human. I can't hear your footsteps. Relax, relax. Mr. Reeve won't eat you."
This light tone broke the rigidity of the atmosphere.
The "Apprentices" behind Reeve feel a little more comfortable, although still nervous.
Furen watched Reeve to see his reaction: he didn't even turn around, didn't change his pace or attitude, just walked straight ahead, indifferent to everything.
Amadi, however, stopped talking. His footsteps echoed with quiet regularity, while the person beside him walked with an almost imperceptible step.
Reeve doesn't stop until he reaches the stairs, which he climbs without a word.
They reached the third floor, where the rooms became more numerous . Continuing straight ahead, they reached a room located just opposite the staircase, as if isolated from the rest of the building.
Reeve ushered the Abrahams into the room.
It was lit only by one or two solitary lamps; when he lit them all, Furen discovered the whole place.
He quickly realized that Reeve's preparations far exceeded anything he had imagined.
(End of chapter)