The Seawave Guild had seven leadership pillars.
Six were gone.
And now only one remained:
The guildmaster himself.
The man who let corruption grow.
The man who ignored warnings.
The man who believed reputation mattered more than truth.
The man who watched his guild rot and hoped it would fix itself.
A well-intentioned fool.
And a fool in power is more dangerous than any villain.
Today was the day he fell.
The Guild Trembles
The halls shook with whispers.
"That kid broke six leaders?"
"He's more dangerous than the rot."
"He's going after the big seat."
"Can he even DO that?"
People stepped aside as I walked through the hallway.
They lowered their heads.
Not in respect.
In fear.
Risenne walked close beside me, too close for her comfort.
Her breaths were unsteady.
Her posture conflicted.
She wasn't trying to protect the guild anymore.
She was trying to protect me.
And that terrified her more than anything I'd done.
She spoke without looking at me:
"Montig… once you cross this line, there's no going back."
"I know."
"The guildmaster isn't like the others. Bringing him down will shake everything."
"I know."
"And I…"
She swallowed hard.
"…I don't want the world to come for you."
I slowed.
She stopped too.
"Risenne," I said quietly, "why do you care?"
Her shoulders tensed.
Her heartbeat betrayed her.
"I… don't want to answer that."
"You'll have to."
She looked away sharply, pain flashing through her eyes.
"Montig… please. Not now."
But it was now.
Everything pointed to this moment.
She just wasn't ready.
Not yet.
The Council Chamber
The guildmaster stood alone in the massive chamber.
No guards.
No advisors.
No leaders left to stand beside him.
Just him.
And me.
Risenne followed silently, stopping behind me with the calm of a warrior…
and the anxiety of a woman whose heart was tearing itself open.
The guildmaster looked at me with weary eyes.
"Montig," he said, "is this truly where we've come?"
"Yes."
"Six leaders gone. All at your hands."
"No," I corrected. "All at their own hands. I just turned on the light."
He rubbed his forehead.
"You think you've helped this guild… but all you've brought is chaos."
I stepped forward.
Risenne stiffened behind me, instinctively ready to shield me if necessary.
"You call it chaos," I said. "I call it truth."
"The guild is falling apart!"
"It was already falling apart. I just stopped you from pretending."
His jaw clenched.
"You want my seat, don't you?"
"No," I said.
Risenne inhaled sharply behind me.
The guildmaster blinked. "No?"
"I don't want your seat. I want a guild that works."
"And you think you can create that?"
"I know I can."
He stared at me long and hard.
Then his voice dropped.
"Montig… you are too dangerous."
He turned to Risenne.
"And you. You stand too close to him."
Her eyes widened.
She didn't move.
Didn't deny it.
Didn't even speak.
The guildmaster pointed at her.
"You should have been the one to stop him."
Risenne's jaw trembled.
"…I can't."
He blinked.
"What?"
She swallowed hard.
"I can't stop him."
Her voice cracked.
"He's—"
She stopped herself, breath shaking.
"He's right. And I… I trust him."
The guildmaster went pale.
"So that's it," he whispered. "Even you…"
Risenne lowered her head.
A gesture of guilt.
And something else.
Something breaking.
The Showdown
The guildmaster gripped the edge of the table.
"You want the truth? Fine."
His voice shook with anger and resignation.
"This guild was already broken before you came. Leaders stole. Officers lied. The system collapsed years ago."
Then he glared at me.
"You didn't save the guild, Montig. You exposed it."
"Those are the same thing."
"No," he roared. "They are NOT!"
He slammed his hand on the table.
"You gave people someone to fear. You're not healing this guild. You're replacing corruption with terror."
I stepped closer.
Risenne's hand moved toward her sword hilt — protective instinct.
Quiet.
Automatic.
Unbidden.
The guildmaster didn't miss that movement.
He stared at her, horrified.
"You… you're protecting him?"
Risenne's breath hitched.
Her fingers clenched around the hilt.
"I—"
She couldn't lie.
Not anymore.
"Yes," she whispered.
The word echoed like a blade being drawn.
Silence fell over the chamber.
The Collapse of the Last Pillar
The guildmaster sank into his chair, defeated.
"This is the end of my guild," he murmured.
"No," I said. "This is the beginning."
Risenne stepped up beside me—not behind me.
Beside.
Her presence spoke louder than words.
The guildmaster stared at us—this strange pairing of a dangerous boy and the strongest woman in the guild.
He finally nodded.
"Fine," he whispered. "Fine. If the guild must be rebuilt, then not by me."
He placed the guildmaster's crest on the table.
A symbol of leadership.
Of authority.
Of power.
"I step down," he said.
"You take over."
Risenne looked at me.
Not with fear.
Not with doubt.
With certainty.
Despite everything, she believed in me.
Something inside her had already fallen.
She was just refusing to look at it.
The Confession
When we left the chamber, Risenne caught my arm.
Not with strength.
With trembling fingers.
"Montig…"
Her voice wavered.
"I can't— keep pretending nothing is happening."
I tilted my head slightly.
She swallowed.
"Every day, you walk into fire. And I… I keep following you. I can't stop."
Her breath shook.
"I don't know when it started. I don't know why. But I—"
She stopped.
Her eyes shined with something raw.
Terrifying.
Beautiful.
"Montig… I'm six years older than you. This shouldn't—"
"Age doesn't matter."
"It does to me," she whispered painfully. "Because it makes this harder."
She clenched her fists.
"I tried to stay away. I tried to treat you like any other recruit. I tried—"
She choked on her words.
"—but I can't."
Still trembling, she finally looked at me.
"Montig… I think I—"
Her voice almost broke.
"I think I'm in love with you."
Silence.
Pure.
Sharp.
Her confession hung in the air like a blade poised above both of us.
She closed her eyes, terrified of the answer.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I know I shouldn't. I know it's wrong. I know it's reckless. I know it could ruin us both. But I couldn't keep it inside anymore."
Her shoulders shook.
"I love you, Montig."
And after all the restraint…
the walls she'd built for years…
the guilt and fear and denial…
She finally let the truth free.