Author's Preface
For the next month, the team didn’t slow down. They cleared gates across Dublin, routine raids that once felt dangerous now reduced to controlled execution. Movements were tighter. Calls were sharper. Fights ended quicker. But none of them treated it like progress. Not after the Minotaur. Not after what Blue told them. Every free moment was spent training. Formations were torn apart and rebuilt. Again. And again.
Blue’s power, when he could use it, threw everything off. Too fast. Too overwhelming. More than once, they had to stop mid-run because no one could keep pace with him. Chris adjusted. Cynthia analyzed. Samantha pushed harder. Darrien ignored half the plan and somehow made the other half work. Eve held it all together. Slowly… it started to click. Not perfect. But enough. Because now they all understood something they hadn’t before. Clearing gates wasn’t the only goal anymore.
Aaron entered Eve’s team office. They were looking over the map of Dublin. Over the last month, the guild had basically cleared Dublin out. Aaron smiled and cleared his throat. “Excuse me for interrupting. As you all know, we’ve basically cleared Dublin."
Darrien leaned and whispered to Blue, “Basically means he’s about to tell us some terrible shit.”
“So, I have some terrible shit to tell you now.” Aaron stared Darrien right in the face. Then Olivia appeared behind him, placed her hands on Darrien’s shoulders, and squeezed. The team laughed. “No, for real,” Aaron said. “Everyone has done a great job so far. There is one more gate that needs clearing. This one could be tough, even for y’all. It’s A+ on the verge of S-rank. If it turns to S-rank, you all know what that means, right?”
“Yes, sir!” Blue looked at Darrien, confused. Darrien, whose shoulders were being squeezed to death by Olivia, turned and said, “I’ll explain later. Little busy here.” He tried removing Olivia’s hands. Aaron continued, “I’m assigning your team and Derek’s team to this gate. Olivia will also join you. I’ve asked her not to interfere unless necessary.”
The team took the night off to themselves before the potentially dangerous raid tomorrow. Eve grabbed Blue before he disappeared to train like normal. “Hey, want to grab pizza? I hear the old man opened a new spot down the road from his old one.”
“You mean?” Blue asked.
“I sure do. And we’ve been so busy lately, we really haven’t spent any time together.” Eve started to blush.
“Of course. Just like old times.”
“Old times… right,” Eve responded.
Darrien and Chris overheard their conversation. Darrien whispered to Chris, “I think Murim broke our boy’s radar.” Chris nodded. “He is definitely dense when it comes to women.”
Blue and Eve arrived at the pizza place they visited regularly back before the gates were even a thing. The moment they walked in, the old man recognized them both. “Well, well. If it isn’t my favorite couple. It’s been a while. Take a seat. You having your usual?” Eve and Blue, now both nervous, replied in unison, “Yes!”
Blue and Eve sat together for hours, talking. They went over the gate, the future guild, Mary and David… even old memories from before everything changed. Outside, a familiar face passed by the pizza shop on his way home. Derek. He was minding his own business when the scent of pizza caught his attention. He slowed slightly, glancing toward the shop, debating whether to grab a slice. That’s when he saw them. Eve and Blue. Laughing. Smiling. Sitting across from each other like nothing else in the world mattered. Eve reached out a few times grabbing Blue’s hand, smacking his arm as she laughed. Derek stood there longer than he meant to. Something in his chest tightened. He turned away. He had chased Eve for years. And now, Blue. Derek recognized him as a rival. But the worst part? Blue didn’t even seem to notice him. Derek let out a quiet breath, staring up at the sky. “Tomorrow’s my shot,” he said under his breath. Then he walked off.
The following morning both teams stood by the gate. Olivia stood facing them. "It seems you lucked out," Olivia said. "The gate stabalized and is sitting at A+ rank. Nothing you all can't handle, but I'll still be tagging along. Lets go." This raid proved to be more difficult than the others. Derek’s team took the lead, handling the initial packs as they pushed deeper into the gate. The enemies inside were different from what they were used to. They were humanoid, pale white in color, with no mouths. Small horns protruded just above their eyes, and wings extended from their backs. Each carried a spear, and the light they produced wasn’t natural. It formed around their weapons and bodies, sharp and focused, used to strike and pressure anyone who got too close.
They moved with coordination, forcing both teams to stay disciplined as they fought through them. Derek’s team managed to bring down the first boss without much trouble, and not long after, Blue’s team handled the second. By that point, it seemed like the raid was under control. Then they reached the final boss. It was much larger than the others, with broader wings and a heavier presence that made it harder to approach. The light around it was denser, its attacks carrying more force than anything they had faced so far in the gate.
The moment the fight began, Derek’s team started to struggle. Their attacks weren’t landing the same way, and the pressure from the boss forced them back. Eve’s team stepped in to support, trying to stabilize the fight before it got out of hand. Blue moved forward, preparing to use his divine energy. Derek was on the ground, catching his footing as he looked up at the fight. For a moment, his focus shifted. He saw Blue moving ahead.
Then, for just a moment, his mind went back to the night before. Eve laughing. Sitting across from Blue. Reaching for him without thinking. Like it had always been that way. His expression tightened. He raised his hand. A fireball formed. Blue moved. Derek released it. As Blue dashed toward the monster, the fireball struck him square in the back. The impact knocked him off balance. He went down hard, his head hit a rock as he lost consciousness.
There wasn’t time for Eve’s team to react. Olivia appeared instantly, grabbing Blue and pulling him out of the immediate danger. She glanced toward Darrien. Darrien met her eyes, then nodded. He took one quick look at Derek. Then something in him snapped. He surged forward, his aether flared as he charged the boss. He moved in and out of its range, striking repeatedly, throwing dagger after dagger without slowing down. His movements were fast and uncontrolled, driven more by anger than precision.
Chris and the others held back. There was no clean way to assist him. Any attack risked hitting Darrien instead, and in his current state, he wasn’t paying attention to anything but the target in front of him. After a few minutes, the strain caught up to him. His movements slowed, and then he collapsed, having burned through all of his aether. Eve watched Darrien tear into the boss, his movements reckless but effective. It was already taking damage, more than enough. They didn’t need a prolonged fight. They needed it over. Blue was down. That mattered more. She stepped forward. She summoned her spirits and fused Cindyr and Rhyla. The combined energy formed into blue flames that surged forward and struck the boss, finishing the fight.
Back at the guild, the team stood around Blue’s bed. He had light burns across his back. Nothing major. His qi and divine energy had blocked most of the blow. The problem was, he was still unconscious. Darrien sat in a chair in the corner. “That son of a bitch hit him on purpose.”
Cynthia looked back at him. “You don’t know that, Darrien.”
Chris cut them both off. “Enough. Right now, Derek isn’t our concern. Aaron will deal with it however he sees fit.” As if on cue, Blue’s eyes opened before Chris could say anything else. “What the hell happened?”
“That mother-" Darrien started, but Eve cut him off, wrapping vines around his mouth. “An accident happened, Blue,” she said. “You hit your head on a rock and knocked yourself out.”
Samantha leaned against the wall. “Who knew you were such a klutz.”
Aaron and Olivia walked into the room. Aaron ordered everyone out. Once they were alone, he looked at Blue. “Do you remember anything?” Blue shook his head.
“You know, Blue, you keep getting caught up in these situations. Get better quick, because we have another situation that needs to be addressed.” Aaron’s expression wasn’t friendly. Blue closed his eyes. “Yes, sir.”
Aaron nodded and walked out of the room. "Seriously, what the hell did I do now?" he thought as he drifted back to sleep.