Shadows of Betrayal    

". . . RANK-D!"

The shock was instantaneous. The top student of their batch . . . was a Rank-D?

The room buzzed with disbelief, and even Cloud felt the weight of the unexpected announcement.

In a world where strength and rank meant everything, this was a twist no one had seen coming.

"What's going on?"

"Our top student is an unevolved?"

"Serves him right. He always acts so high and mighty."

"He never even practices with us, right?"

"He's always seen himself as above the rest."

"That's karma for you."

Cloud hadn't fully registered his Rank and class yet as he descended the stairs. The harsh whispers of his classmates barely reached his ears; his mind was still reeling from the brutal reality.

Unevolved meant . . . death.

Literally. No faction, guild, or kingdom would want him now, despite his rare Tamer class.

Forcing the thought to the back of his mind, Cloud returned to Travis and Trisha, attempting a smile as he laughed it off. "Looks like I'll be depending on you guys for a while."

Trisha looked away, her eyes brimming with tears. "Cloud . . . I was hoping you'd be at least a Rank-A or B. But D?"

"It's not so bad," Cloud tried to reassure her.

"Not so bad?!" Trisha snapped, surprising Cloud with the intensity of her reaction. "Don't you understand what this means? You won't be able to protect me out there! I'm a Sorceress — I need someone reliable to guard me. If you can't do that . . . then . . . then what need do I have for you?!"

"Wait . . . are you breaking up with me because of my rank?" Cloud's voice wavered, disbelief in his tone. "I'm still a Tamer. I can tame beasts and fight on the front lines for you."

"For how long?" Trisha challenged, and Cloud fell silent, the weight of reality crushing down on him.

For how long?

As a Rank-D, he would be a weak Tamer with a bleak prospect of evolving, unlikely to amount to much. Even being a Tamer, he still had to tame his first monster to be of any use. In Eternia, strength ruled everything, and being unevolved meant a fate worse than death.

"Trish, we can figure this out," Cloud said calmly, trying to hold onto the connection they had.

Trisha shook her head, her voice tinged with hysteria. "No, Cloud. I expected you to be a Rank-S, given your excellent combat skills and academic performance. I thought you were going to protect me forever. That's why I stayed with you. But this . . ."

She pointed a trembling finger at him, her eyes filled with a mixture of anger and loathing. "How dare you to be an unevolved!"

Cloud was stunned, the words hitting him like a physical blow. The future he'd envisioned with Trisha crumbled before him, replaced by a cold, harsh reality he was unprepared to face.

Cloud stood in stunned silence. Was this really his fault? How could it be? Wait . . . had Trisha only been nice to him because she believed he'd become an Rank-S, someone who would protect her forever?

Maybe it was his fault. He'd protected her all their lives, and now she was accustomed to it. She didn't need him; she needed his protection. And when he could no longer offer that, she discarded him like he was nothing.

"Trish, are you really going to throw away almost fifteen years of friendship?" Cloud asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.

Trisha stared at him, her gaze cold and unyielding. "What am I supposed to do with that friendship when my future is on the line here?!"

Cloud was appalled. Was this her true nature after all?

Cloud looked over at Travis, hoping for support, but his friend was grinning at him in a mocking way.

"T-Travis?"

Travis sighed, shaking his head. "Sorry, Cloud, but you're on your own now."

"What?"

"Don't you get it? Being number two, always behind your shadow — do you know how frustrating that is? All this time, I have been holding it in! My goal has always been to surpass you, but when I couldn't do it back in the ARK, I settled for being in the same group. But now . . . it looks like I didn't have to do it." Travis's friendly face twisted with anger. "I hate being in your shadow."

In an instant, Cloud found himself alone. He had truly believed he'd forged real friendships. He had spent nearly all his life with them, only to discover he didn't know them at all. It was like he had been played for the fool.

"Fine then . . ." Cloud muttered, his voice hardening. "If you want to cut ties with me, then so be it."

He wouldn't force himself to someone who didn't want him.

Eventually, the Class Initiation was over, and the mysterious robed figures standing by the orb revealed themselves. The room was filled with gasps as some of them were leaders of powerful guilds and factions, while others were top players in Eternia.

Each of these factions moved swiftly, approaching their chosen players and offering contracts that would bring them to their respective fief.

Cloud and the other unevolved found themselves factionless in a matter of minutes.

Trisha was scouted by a powerful kingdom, while Travis was recruited by one of the top guilds. Neither of them even glanced back at Cloud, treating him as if he were invisible.

Cloud stood firm, teeth clenched, as he watched them disappear from sight. His nails bit into his palms, a silent vow forming in his mind — they would regret the day they betrayed him.

Magical circles began to appear one after another, each varying in size, shape, and color, as the players and their factions stepped into them, teleporting to specific locations within their territory.

As for the unevolved . . .

"You can step into this magic circle," said one of the guardians, his voice echoing through the chamber. Two of the mysterious creatures, draped in robes of gold and white, remained stationed on either side of the orb, their faces hidden.

A wide magic circle appeared on the floor, glowing ominously.

"This circle will teleport you to a random location in Eternia," the guardian continued.

Fear spread among the unevolved. Cloud could feel their nervousness. Some of them began to cry, pleading to return to the ARK. But it was too late now — there was no going back.

Cloud stepped forward, anger and betrayal burning in his chest. His so-called friends had abandoned him when he needed them the most, but that pain fueled his determination. He wasn't going to let them or anyone else define his fate. If the world shunned him for being unevolved, then he would forge his own path, carve out his own territory, and rise above them all.

Cloud would build his own faction, stronger and more formidable than any other.

"Good luck . . ." the guardian's voice resonated one last time as the magic circle began to glow brighter, the air around it humming with energy.

And then, with a flash of light, Cloud and the others were gone, transported away into the vast, unforgiving world of Eternia.