1 Prologue

"K-Kuta? Wh-Wh-Why is it YOU??" Out of them all, the girl hadn't expected her best friend's betrayal. The man only looks on at her and her fallen comrades with cold eyes. The vibrant and attractive purple sash around his waist, instead of making her become awed. Instead, it burned her eyes and brought an enormous amount of hatred. The guild master of Triumph, an attractive woman in a thin suit fit for her assassin class smiles at her while wrapping her arms around his shoulders possessively. Her slim waist also carried a disgustingly bright purple sash which made Ailing want to vomit blood. "I offered him a deal that he just couldn't refuse~" Still Ayling couldn't take her eyes off her best friend turned enemy who still looks at her unsympathetically. "D-Deal?" The woman laughs and leans her head on his chest as if they were lovers. "Your guild's destruction, for my eternal loyalty and devotion. And," She fawns over him looking up with loving eyes and caressing his cheek. "He will take over as guild master of Triumph with me by his side." Ayling felt sick and coughs a large pool of blood into the puddles formed due to the recent massacre of her guild. She searches Kuta's face for any trace of a lie, any indication of it just being a scheme to trick the woman. But he kept firm in the distance he put between them. Even going as far as to kick her down to the delight of the whore who hung off his neck. Lifting his blade he cruelly pins her hand to the dirt making her scream with agony. Leaning forward he finally shows something other than an icy expression. He smiles kindly almost tricking her into thinking he was the old Kuta. The one who always ran by her side since they were young yelling "Big sis!!" Instead, this look was hideously evil and mischievous as he laughs softly. "No hard feelings right?? Big sis?" The address of "Big sis" that use to bring her joy now brought her disgust. His voice was the same as before, sweet and gentle. Her eyes pool with angry tears as she glares up at him. "It's just a game after all." With quick and precise movements, he picks his sword back up and decapitates the woman on the ground. Her headset cuts off as Ayling gasps opening her eyes to the real world. The people cheered chanting Triumph's name as Ayling and her comrades awaken in their capsules. Her face was pale, her fingers shook as she carefully takes off her helmet and opens the pod. Beside her, her commanders and guild members came out from their pod too. Their faces like hers were pale and she could see they were visibly shaken. Some even sat on the edge of the pod lowering their heads between their knees. Ailing could hear a few girls even cry into their hands trying their hardest to muffles their sobs. There were a few men who could not hold back tears and wipes their red-rimmed eyes with shaky hands. She didn't have the strength to comfort them as she also shed a tear that fell down her cheek. She blankly looks up at the large projectile over their heads as Kuta and the Triumph guild master smile at the camera together. Their guild members who had all been revived were cheering in the background as well. The announcer in a pumped and excited voice yells into the microphone. "And the winners of the Annual Guild Battle competition go to Triumph!!! Who would have thought the Undefeated Warrior Queen Ayling would go down so easily! It was a massacre!! It seemed Triumph was on an entirely different level! Please give a large round of applause to "Triumph" undisputed champions of "Endless Realm"!!" Even more applause and shouts of excitement erupt in the area. It should have been ours!! Ayling would have fell to her knees if it were not for her commanders who rush to support her. They could see out of everyone she was the most shocked by the loss as well as betrayal. "Guild Master!" Ayling whispers brokenly to her guild members who crowd around her with concern. The family that she had built from nothing. "I failed you...I failed all of you.." A girl chokes on her words as she tries to find words of comfort though she herself was upset. "Guild Master..its not your fault, we..we were the ones who were not good enough. If we...if we had..." In the end, she couldn't even finish her sentence and just buries her face into her hands again letting out a sob. All her guild members were middle and lower classed people. They had joined her guild because of the promises that she made. The promise to allow them all to fulfill their hopes and dreams. StormChase, the girl who attempted to speak up was also one of them. The reason she had joined was for her sick father who was terminally ill. She needed the money from this competition to save his life. Then there was her commanders, IcyStar, LivelyFlame, EternalWander...They stuck with her through it all putting everything they had into this pursuit for glory. For a chance...All for her sake, because they believed in her!! "DAMMIT!!" Ayling with a river flowing from both her eyes slams her fists into the pod beside her. Her face was red from frustration and shame, her exclamation shocking the members surrounding her. "DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT!!! Augh!!" She seemed to have gone mad kicking and screaming at the pod as her guild members try desperately to hold her back. "BASTARD!! YOU FUCKEN BASTARD!!" They plead for her to get herself together. Crying sorrowfully with the young woman with so many lives put over her head. Oblivious to the group's sadness the whole world continues celebrating with Triumph. Staring at the two people who were waving and celebrating happily with the people surrounding them.

~

"Guild Master...this morning another 100 members have left our guild to join Triumph....." Ayling hearing the sound of Eternal Wander reporting her their slowly decreasing amount of members. Stops her work calculating the amount of money left in their guild storage. His voice was stiff and almost nervous, as if afraid she would explode. After her outburst that day everyone was careful when in her presence. They were afraid she would lose it completely if they said the wrong thing. But Ayling only paused for a second before calmly speaking up. "I see." The silence was deafening to the ears, Eternal Wander hesitates before turning to leave. "Wander," He froze in place, then quickly jumping to attention he turns back around. "Yes, boss?" Ayling closes her menu with the list in front of her. Meeting his eyes her voice was monotone and bland. "Sell everything in the storage. I've arranged a buyer for my equipment this afternoon. Storm still needs money for her father's operation. Spilt the money evenly between whoever is left in the guild." Eternal Wander's eyes were opened so wide it would have been comical if not for the circumstances. "Boss?" He asks not sure if he had heard her correctly. Ayling repeats again while standing up from her desk to approach him. "I'm disbanding the guild, sell anything of value we have left, or take it for yourselves. Soon, "Fallen Stars" will no longer exist." She smiles at him with a scarily calm look in her eyes while placing a hand on his shoulder. "Alright?" He didn't know what to say having the third-worst shock in his life. He stutters dumb folded, "W-What do you mean "disband"? Boss this..." Having expected this reaction she ejects him from her study and sits back down in her seat. Ayling leans forwards in her chair resting her head on her desk and stares outside the window. There the skies were bright and the scene is lively, a complete contrast the inside the room. Her eyes close to block out the irritatingly beautiful scenery. Unknowingly she falls asleep. Ailing wakes up to find the window open and the night sly stars winking at her. Her brows furrow with confusion, had someone come into her office while she slept? Ayling assuming it was just one of her concerned commanders stands up only hear and feel something slip onto the floor. She picks up the blanket that had been covering her shoulders and inspects it. "That's odd..." The blanket wasn't the most expensive she saw before but looking at its stats she was even more surprised. The blanket had a warming and energy rejuvenation effect on the person using it. As she was inspecting this she also sees a strange bag left on her desk and curiously opens it. Seeing the contents her hands shook violently, "Who....?" Seeing a note also listed she drops the bag in a hurry to read it.

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One felt that miss Eu-meh is a kindred soul at first sight. Cannot bear to see ones own kind suffer so. Please accept this gift as this one finds Eu-meh pleasing to the eyes.

~Mystera

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For the second time in a long while, Ayling shows a complicated expression more befitting of a human. Her eyes water as she carefully cradles the bag of gold to her chest. Suddenly Ayling starts sobbing violently clutching at the bag like it was her last lifeline. Her murmurs were incomprehensible to everyone but herself as she mutters the same words over and over again like a mantra. "Thank you...thank you...thank you.."