The day was dark.
Storm clouds loomed over the cemetery as if mourning alongside them.
A soft downpour slicked the marble gravestones in cold reflections, soaking the dry earth beneath their feet.
Liam stood silently, a black umbrella held loosely above him, his fingers white around the grip.
Beside him, his fifteen-year-old sister Vanessa clutched his hand, her umbrella slightly tilted, droplets pattering against its fabric in rhythmic taps.
Before them lay a simple grave.
[Leonard Shroud]
[Father]
[Founder of Crimson Wing]
[Unfortunately fell in battle]
Liam's throat tightened as he stared at the name etched in stone.
The world had changed over a hundred years ago when the first Abyssal Gates had first made appearances.
Now, this was the era of monsters, of dungeons, and of those rare individuals who awakened supernatural abilities — Awakeners, better known as Hunters.
They were humanity's last wall against extinction, but that wall was bloodstained and cracked.
And one thing had become universally understood:
Hunters die.
It could be sabotage in a dungeon.
A gate mutation.
A double-gate event.
No amount of power could make one truly safe.
Liam knew that better than anyone now.
His father, the fearless leader of Crimson Wing, one of the top mid-tier guilds in the city, had died inside an S-Rank gate that suddenly bloomed in an abandoned train station.
Details were scarce, and no full party report had been released yet, but the official statement was clear:
"Leonard Shroud perished during the subjugation attempt of the Arc Vein Gate. Body unrecovered."
Liam hadn't been in the dungeon but something deep inside him whispered: It hadn't been that simple.
The gathering was supposed to be a respectful funeral.
But now, under the rain, with over thirty guild members assembled beneath dark umbrellas, it had become something else entirely.
A man stepped forward, silver-haired with streaks of black near the roots.
He wasn't that old, though his expression had aged overnight.
Jonah Marris.
Leonard's trusted advisor. A man who once joked with Liam and brought candy to Vanessa when she was sick.
Today, his eyes were cold.
"As you all are aware," Jonah began, his voice steady despite the weather, "our former Guildmaster, Leonard Shroud, has fallen during an S-Rank dungeon raid."
The silence was heavy, but no one objected. Everyone knew.
"And now…" Jonah's eyes moved deliberately toward Liam. "A new leader must be chosen."
Liam swallowed hard. His sister's hand gripped tighter around his.
"Liam Shroud," Jonah continued, "is the late Guildmaster's son, and by blood right, is expected to inherit the Crimson Wing Guild."
There were murmurs — they were llow, buzzing, and very uncertain.
Liam raised his head slightly, hope flickering in his chest.
Then Jonah smiled.
Not warmly.
But cruelly.
"…However," he continued, "his Awakening has revealed a D-Rank potential. Statistically, he'll never surpass that tier. He is not the kind of leader Crimson Wing needs to survive in this era."
The flicker of hope inside Liam died as quickly as it sparked.
He didn't respond.
He couldn't.
His mouth was dry.
His jaw clenched.
He remembered that day all too clearly — standing inside the crystal chamber of the Awakening Hall, holding his breath, praying for a miracle… only to see that cursed red text appear on the monitor:
[Potential: D-Rank]
The humiliation.
The silence.
The disappointed looks from everyone except his father.
"No."
"That kind of power is too low."
"We'd collapse within months."
More voices now.
They were loud and harsh.
They weren't this bold when Leonard was alive.
"And let's not forget," Jonah pressed on, "he's only seventeen. He hasn't cleared a single dungeon. He's enrolled in Theron Hunter Academy and will start in two months — he hasn't even started his career. Are we truly to hand over Crimson Wing to a child with no battlefield experience?"
Liam wanted to argue.
To scream otherwise.
But deep down… they weren't wrong.
He was weak.
And the world didn't wait for the weak to catch up.
If only he had awakened with the talent of someone like Loki Venhart, the son of a Guildmaster who manifested a rare Dual Affinity.
Or May Arlin, the prodigy who received an SS-Rank Healing Talent on the spot.
Either of them would have been handed this Guild without question.
But Liam Shroud?
He had nothing.
There was a pause before Jonah continued.
"…On the other hand," he said, turning with a smile, "Miss Amara Shroud, the sister of our late Guildmaster, has expressed her willingness to step forward. As you all know, she has contributed greatly to the Guild's success, and is a registered A-Rank Hunter. Her leadership would be both stable and… effective."
Amara.
A soft click of heels against stone, and the woman herself stepped forward, umbrella perfectly poised over her head.
She wore a sleek black suit that hugged her curvaceous figure, her lips painted crimson, her eyes lined with subtle malice.
Not a tear in sight.
Her smile could've sliced glass.
Liam hated her and she hated Liam, that was how it was… she never had the family interests at heart.
Not once.
"I never imagined it would come to this," she said sweetly. "But Crimson Wing is too important to let it crumble in the hands of the unprepared. I loved my brother. Deeply. And in his name, I will elevate this guild higher than it has ever been."
Her eyes flicked briefly to Liam and Vanessa.
The look she gave them was...
Condescending.
"I will ensure Crimson Wing thrives. For Leonard's legacy… and for the future."
Polite applause broke out. There were no more objections from the GUILD members.
Liam's fingers tightened. His lips pressed into a thin line.
Jonah gave the final blow.
"Also," he said, casually turning pages in his waterproof folder, "with the change in guild leadership, it must be said that the mansion residence where Liam and Vanessa currently reside is classified as Guild property — meaning…"
He looked up, feigning sympathy.
"…you will have to vacate within the week. Of course, the Guild will provide a small allowance for relocation."
Vanessa gasped softly.
Liam didn't flinch.
The rain hit harder now, thunder rumbling behind the clouds.
So that was it.
They took the Guild.
They took their home.
And they dressed it up as "what's best."
Liam lowered his umbrella.
Rain pelted his face.
He didn't care anymore.
"…Okay."