The Guild’s ranking system dictates a soul’s worth, bonds follow power. Honey was branded Rank X: a glitch deemed lower than a peasant. In truth, it was a veil for untapped potential. No one believed it except for Nyx.
Before the rankings, they were each other’s world, training in empty halls and sharing an electric, unspoken devotion.
Everything began to change when Honey was marked as X.
She used to whisper, We’ll rise together… I won’t leave you behind.
Honey thought she was the only one who saw the person behind the rank.
But the system was a slow poison. Opportunities for the unranked vanished leaving only crumbs and unwanted quests for Honey and Nyx.
Then there was Rentt. An S-rank powerhouse, Rentt was a silver-tongued predator amused by his own power.
At first, it was mentorship. Guidance. Access to higher-tier missions. Rentt offered Nyx an ascension Honey couldn't touch.
Whispers soon followed. Hushed talk of private hours in his chambers. Sightings of her draped in enchanted silks Rentt gifted.
The Guild Hall
Adventurers in lively conversation all around. Rentt stood behind Nyx, his hand possessively on her waist. She didn't pull away. Rentt offered a polite, but arrogant smile. He mused, So, this is the one? ~How quaint~.
Nyx… so it’s true?
Honey’s voice strained. I thought you believed in me.
She leaned back into Rentt’s touch. I did… but Rentt gave me a choice. A choice you never could. I got tired of safe. Wanting you kept me weak… Don’t come looking for me again.
As Rentt guided her away to a different table, she paused. One fleeting second. She looked back, her eyes fractured with a silent plea. She hadn't been taken; she had walked into his influence willingly.
Someone approaches…
