Barret stood in a dark room made of grey stone that was a vast contrast to the white stone used in the construction of the Academy. The only light sources were sparse torches held to the stone wall by simple iron sconces. The light only providing the barest of visibility as he stood before a pair of others.
One of the two he recognized as the woman who had allowed him to train under the Black Chain. The other was a man that, if Jien had been present, would have recognized as the one who had walked off with professor Everhart after the alchemy lesson. Both stood with their backs straight an their hands held firmly behind their backs as their sharp eyes peered at Barret.
The ever stoic member of Unit B114 was standing before his superiors in a similar pose in silence as he waited for instruction or any conversation. They had been standing in the same posture in silence for ten whole minutes. Only now did something change.
There was the sound of footsteps and something else clacking against stone. However, there wasn't any sign of a door having been opened. No air movement, no light, no extra sound. Despite this the sound was coming from the direction that he had been escorted in from. Despite this Barret did not turn to see who or what was headed in their direction. He was trained follow orders and his orders were clear. He was to stand at attention until told otherwise, nothing less, nothing more.
Soon the sound of foot steps and clacking seemed to fade even as they should have grown louder. It was at this moment that an elderly woman with stark white hair that seemed to glow in the weak light of the torches seemed to appear as if from the shadows themselves. In her hand she held a simple wooden cane with a silver handle. She wore the same military uniform as all of them, the only difference being that hers had a total of five black chains.
The elderly woman's hunched form seemed to be reliant on the cane for balance and yet she moved as if gliding across ice, her steps silent. She turned to the two standing side by side for a long moment before facing Barret, her piercing hazy white eyes seeming to pierce into him. It was clear immediately that she was blind, but Barret was absolutely positive that it didn't affect her abilities in the least.
After inspecting their new recruit for a few long moments she turned back to the other two. "Has he been given orientation?" Her tone would have been that of a doting grandmother if the undertones weren't so cold. Barret had already known it from her gaze but the woman before him was perhaps the most dangerous he had ever been in the presence of. She was even more terrifying than his own mother.
It was the woman that responded to the query in a stern but resolute tone. "Not as of yet Madame Crowl." The elderly woman just gave a nod in response before turning her attention back to Barret, looking over him once again. "Very well, let me tell you what you need to know about the Black Chain."
The air seemed to chill as the elderly woman identified as Madame Crowl gathered her thoughts. "Every organization needs a method to enforce the rules. A disciplinary committee of sorts." Her words were just as chilly as the room. "The military has such a force and that force is overseen by the nobles who are overseen by the royals."
After a short pause Madame Crowl smiled a cold smile, exposing her teeth that seemed to be sharper than any humans were meant to be. "We are not of that force. The black chains exist to take care of those that go beyond what those normal committees can handle. We are the executioners blade, the force that cleans up the refuse from the shadows. You are from the Romero family, while we won't give you special treatment you should understand our purpose better than most."
She took a simple breath before her gaze seemed to intensify, as if she were trying to freeze Barret over with her eyes alone. Barret for his part managed to hold himself back from shivering if only just barely. Seeing this her gaze seemed to lessen slightly as if to give him a reprieve. "You've been trained well. You will be apprenticing under this gentleman by the name of Blackthorne."
She lifted her cane up before striking down with a force that caused an echoing clack to resonate throughout the room for several tense moments. "Do you swear to do your duty and keep the secrets of the Empire until the day your body rots beneath the earth?" Her tone had become far more demanding, as if a general asking her soldier to die for her.
Her expectation was clear. The Black Chain was a force similar to his own family, however rather than keeping a tight grip on the underground or the Empire there purpose was to keep a firm hold on the academy and the military as a whole. If he wouldn't give that loyalty after choosing to come this far then she could only regretfully tell the Romero family that they had lost one of their heirs.
The rules were firm. One could walk the path of a Black Chain if they knew where to look but once you stepped onto it you wouldn't step off until you drew your last breath. Barret didn't disappoint however, having been prepared to walk this path since the time he had first stepped through the Academy gates.
He released his grip on his hands behind his back, bringing his right fist to his breast in a firm salute. "I swear to to do my duty and carry the secrets of the Empire until the day my body rots beneath the earth." His tone was resolute. This was the path that his family always took. This is where simple training became action that would continue to carry the Romero family firmly into the future.