Chapter 166: The Council of Directorates. 2
Chapter 166: The Council of Directorates. 2
Director Cassian Rook walked in next. He sat beneath the Eye, as the Inquest Seat.
He wore a dark suit, had neat hair and a calm face, his hands resting lightly on the table. The Inquest represented internal security, corruption checks, possession investigations, demon contract detection, betrayal cases, and all the quiet rot that could grow inside an organisation built to fight monsters.
And as the head of the Inquest Branch, Cassian did not trust anyone. After all, he had spent decades revealing the true faces of the people who were otherwise trusted by their peers.
After him came the Reliquary Seat, Director Ophelia Saint. She sat beneath the sealed box.
Ophelia was a tall woman with silver hair. She was graceful and wore white gloves that never left her hands. Her eyes were distant, almost priestly, but nothing about her felt soft.
The Reliquary represented relics, holy weapons, cursed artifacts, sealed objects, spirit chains, and the dangerous treasures the Enclave kept locked away until they were desired.
No major operation moved without the Reliquary’s shadow. After all, weapons decided what hunters could face, and Ophelia Saint decided which hands were worthy of holding those weapons.
After Ophelia came a man who attracted everyone’s attention.
He was an old man, but even his age couldn’t hide his sharp features. He wore a perfect black suit and had a strange air around him.
He was Director Severin Hale, the Concord Seat. He sat beneath the symbol of two clasped hands.
The Concord represented diplomacy with the supernatural world.
Yes.
Severin was responsible for dealing with vampires, witches, werewolves, demons, spirits, and no, these ’dealings’ weren’t about killing or hunting them, they were actual deals, treaties, complete interactions with the supernatural world.
Because of this, many hunters disliked Concord people, especially their leader. Old Families distrusted him.
Yes, Severin wasn’t well liked, but the people here still knew how important what he was doing was.
After Severin came another beautiful woman. She had dark hair, a smooth voice, perfect posture, and curious, piercing eyes that wanted to learn every single thing she could.
She was Dr. Selene Marr, the Research Seat.
The Research Branch focused on supernatural research, blood studies, advanced science and magic, altered humans, medicine, containment theory, and biological classification.
At least... officially.
Unofficially, they were also known as the Black Rooms.
Not much was known about what happened inside the Black Rooms. Not even other Directors had much information. They only knew that the Black Rooms were dangerous and entering one was prohibited.
The last man to walk into the room was Lord Cadrien Ashcroft. He sat beneath the Bloodline Tree.
Cadrien was the current head of the Ashcroft Family and, for this term, the acting voice of the Old Families within the Council of Directorates.
The Old Families Seat.
He had silver-black hair, pale eyes, and the calm confidence of a man who could probably take on most of the people in this room, except for Garrick Vale.
Old Families were not only strong, capable, and more capable than normal humans, they were important for another reason.
Resources.
Because of how vast their network was, the Old Families were the ones who supported all of Enclave operations monetarily. This was also the reason they had a lot of say in the way Enclave operated.
Once Cadrien settled in his seat, the rest leaned back, prepared to start the meeting.
The last seat, the Regional Seat, was empty.
It wasn’t unusual since this wasn’t the annual Directorate Meeting, but an Emergency Call. Unlike other Directorates, who mostly stayed here in the Enclave Headquarters—
The Regional Seat was different.
The Regional Seat represented the commanders of different territories across the world. Since every region had its own supernatural balance, local treaties, monster territories, government complications, and old rules, Enclave needed a Regional Branch to represent all these regions.
The Regional Seat was the head of this Branch, the one responsible for raising regional demands to the Enclave Headquarters.
However, since this was an emergency sitting called without warning, the Regional Seat could not arrive.
So the meeting began without her.
Claire stood near the edge of the room, several aides and record-keepers stood behind the Directorates, and Alaric stood alone in the center, not daring to speak until he was asked to.
For a good few seconds, the chamber stayed silent, then, Losef Ardent, the Archivist Seat and the oldest serving director present, finally opened the session.
"Alaric Ashcroft."
He called, his gaze moving to Alaric.
Alaric straightened himself.
"You invoked emergency council authority. State the reason."
Alaric nodded and began without making any of the Directorates wait.
"At 21:47, during the Starling protection operation, a hostile breach occurred inside The Night Desk studio."
Marcelline Voss, the Cleaner Seat, tapped her finger on the table.
"The public cover?"
"It is being handled."
Claire answered from the wall.
"Fire-related equipment failure, panic, partial evacuation injury reports, footage is being collected. Witness separation is ongoing."
Marcelline looked at Claire for a moment, then her attention returned to Alaric.
Alaric continued.
"The breach began with staged equipment failure. It caused panic, disrupted movement, and forced extraction protocol before the target’s scheduled performance.
Initial route separation failed due to Nolan Faye, then known as the host of the show The Night Desk."
Alaric paused for a moment, a slight flicker of frustration showing on his face.
"He was Orpheus.
A human collaborator, an agent contracted with the Greater Incubus of the Court of Desire, Vaelrith."
"Vaelrith again?"
Severin Hale, the Concord Seat’s face turned grim.
"Yes."
Alaric nodded.
"How many hostiles?"
Garrick Vale, the Warden Seat, questioned as he leaned forward.
"Over one hundred entered the structure in coordinated waves."
The Warden Seat went silent.
"Veil classifications?"
Helena Draven, the Crucible Seat, asked curiously.
"Mixed. Third and Fourth Veil Hosts were used to occupy support personnel. Two Sixth Veil Hosts engaged me directly. Seventh Veil Hosts formed a suppression group around Lucian Cross."
And those words gained a reaction.
"Seventh Veil Hosts?"
Losef frowned.
The Archivist Seat noticed the plural word and Alaric nodded.
"Yes, they were the Choir of Kneeling Flesh."
Losef’s expression changed.
"The Choir of Kneeling Flesh moved? To restrain a recruit, not you?"
Cadrien Ashcroft, the Old Families Seat, narrowed his eyes as he stared at Alaric.