The next morning came slow and bright, sunlight spilling over the Amethyst Guild estate like molten gold. The guild members had returned one by one from their respective missions, dust-covered, armor scuffed, and grins wide with success.
Kai stood front and center in the guild hall, still slightly limping but alive. His report had everyone listening in silence.
"The ruins… were worse than expected," he said, holding his side where a faint claw mark remained. "The first monster that came out—something ancient—its aura alone made it hard to breathe. I managed to kill it, but just barely. That place is… alive."
Ashura, leaning back in his chair with a lazy smirk, nodded slightly. "Alive, huh? Sounds like it's been waiting for someone stupid enough to disturb its nap."
The room laughed softly. Even Kai cracked a smile, though the memory still made his skin crawl.
When everyone quieted down, Ashura stood. "You've all done well. Every mission was handled cleanly—no major casualties, no chaos. So…" He paused, scanning his guild like a proud, mischievous older brother. "…I'm giving you three months off."
The room exploded with disbelief.
"Three months?!"
"Are you serious, Captain?"
"Did someone possess him?! Check his pulse!"
Ashura chuckled and raised a hand. "Three months. Vacation. Enjoy it however you want. But there's a catch."
The groans were instant.
"You didn't think it'd be that easy," he continued, grinning. "In those three months, each of you will grow stronger. Learn something new. Gain knowledge or experience that'll make you a better fighter—or a better person. I don't care how. But when I return, I expect to see results."
He turned toward the large window, sunlight hitting the faint scar that cut across his jaw. "Because when I'm back… we're going somewhere much bigger than this continent."
The guild went silent for a beat, realizing this wasn't just another break—it was a turning point.
But before the mood could grow too heavy, Ashura clapped his hands. "Now, before anyone runs off to the beach or a bar, let's have a little fun."
He smirked. "We're going to the Gods' Ruin."
The Gods' Ruin — Now Known as
Eryndor's Abyss
Once, it was said to be a sacred city built by demigods to test mortals' worth. Marble towers, floating spires, and a great ring of radiant stone. Now? It was a collapsed wasteland of blackened earth, broken temples, and beasts that had evolved in its madness.
Wind howled through fractured archways. Lightning occasionally struck the center where divine fragments still pulsed with forgotten energy.
And there, at the entrance, stood the Amethyst Guild.
"Captain, remind me again why this counts as fun?" grumbled Rei, tightening her gloves.
"Because," Ashura said, hands in pockets, "I get to watch you all fight while I relax."
"What?!"
He flopped down onto a smooth boulder and waved them off lazily. "Go on. Stretch your legs. Kill some monsters. Don't die."
A deep growl echoed through the ruins as a giant wolf emerged, easily fifteen feet tall, its mane of silver flickering with sparks.
Rei sighed. "You're unbelievable."
"Thank you."
She charged forward, blades flashing. Behind her, Kenji unleashed fire from his palms, while Yura's arrows found their marks between the wolf's eyes. The rest followed, spells lighting up the ruins like fireworks.
Ashura yawned, watching them fight. "They're doing fine," he muttered to himself.
Then a shadow loomed over him.
"Captain!" Kai shouted, dodging a chimera's tail. "Are you just gonna sit there while we fight everything that moves?!"
"Yup."
"Come on! Even the newbies are sweating their asses off!"
Ashura cracked one eye open and sighed dramatically. "You're all so needy."
Laughter echoed between the crumbling walls. Even as the ground trembled beneath the fight, their banter kept the atmosphere light.
Rei yelled over her shoulder, "Captain, if you don't get off your lazy ass in three seconds, I'm telling your mother!"
Ashura froze. "You wouldn't."
"Oh, I would."
He stood instantly. "Fine, fine—stop nagging me."
The guild roared with laughter as he stretched his arms and neck. His hand brushed the air, and his sword appeared—black metal laced with thin streaks of lightning.
Ashura smirked. "Alright then."
He flicked his fingers. The wind screamed.
Lightning coiled around his arm, thunder cracking through the ruins as he swung once—just once—and the entire field of monsters split apart, from wolves to wyverns, disintegrating into dust under the pressure.
Silence. Then—
"…Show-off," Yura muttered.
"Who, me?" Ashura smirked, lightning still humming around him. "I'm just warming up."
"Warming up?!"
The group burst out laughing again, their voices echoing through the ruins as the smell of ozone filled the air.
For a moment, it wasn't about gods or power or vengeance. It was about them—fighters, survivors, and a family forged by chaos and trust.
Ashura sheathed his blade and looked around, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "You guys did good today."
Rei grinned. "So, Captain, where to next?"
Ashura glanced toward the horizon, where storm clouds twisted like a living thing. "Next?" His eyes hardened with that quiet, dangerous fire. "Next, I head north. To where the gods fell."
And as the lightning danced behind him, the rest of the guild felt it too—something big was coming.
Something that would change everything.