Aeris Halex logged out of the latest raid, leaned back in his chair, and stretched. The clean-up had gone smoothly—Krita had cleared the dungeon faster than any second-rate guild in the rankings. Morale was high, recruitment was up, and their name was finally gaining traction.
Everything was on the rise.
That's why the message surprised him.
[Velar Drayek: "Come to the meeting room when you have a moment."]
No emojis. No sarcasm. No "Hey bro." Just straight-up corporate.
Aeris frowned. Velar was always a little too polished, but still — this was... cold. And coming this soon after a successful raid? Odd timing.
He didn't reply.
Instead, he took a breath, reached for his neural relay, and logged back in.
---
In-Game — Krita HQ
The familiar swirl of light faded as his consciousness reconnected to his avatar. Aeris stood at the base of Krita's inner sanctum — a fortress of shimmering crystal towers embedded in a hollow mountain. He had designed this place three years ago with Kaelin and Alric, poring over environmental blueprints like proud architects. Every arch was personal. Every lighting node, a signature of their legacy.
He walked through the central corridor, lined with guild banners and player-crafted statues. Members passed him — nodding, offering casual "Hey, boss," greetings — but none of them stopped.
The warmth wasn't gone, exactly. But it felt... thin. Distant.
The chill he'd felt in real life followed him in here.
Where's Tharen? Kaelin's usually online by now too...
He flicked open his friends list.
Offline. Offline. Last activity: 14 hours ago.
Odd, but not impossible. Still, his gut clenched tighter the closer he came to the executive wing.
The reinforced doors hissed open. Aeris stepped into the guild's strategy chamber — a circular room lined with elevated seats, each marked by role and tenure.
Twelve people were inside.
Only three made eye contact.
Tharen, Kaelfa, Alric, Not there.
And in his seat — the Guildmaster's seat — sat a man Aeris had never seen before. Young, well-dressed, oozing confidence like oil.
His HUD scanned the profile:
[Serker Xrayek — StarSeeker Inc. Delegate. Access: Tier 2 Executive Override]
Override? What the hell is he doing with Origin-tier clearance in my guild HQ?
Adly Syrek, Krita's long-standing legal advisor, stood from the side and gave him a stiff nod.
"Guild Leader," she said. The hesitation before the title stung. "This is Serker Xrayek. He's here on behalf of StarSeeker Incorporation."
Aeris didn't return the gesture.
Instead, he looked around the room. His officers. Strategists. Even Mira, their youngest recruitment head — all were seated. Silent. Avoiding his gaze.
His pulse spiked.
"What's this about?"
Adly opened her mouth, but Velar Drayek stood first.
His partner. Co-founder. Friend.
Velar's face was calm. Too calm.
"It's a simple offer," Velar said. "StarSeeker wishes to acquire Krita. We've negotiated terms. The deal is in final stage. Today's meeting is about presenting it to you and resolving outstanding signatures."
Aeris blinked. "You want to… sell the guild?"
Velar nodded. "Merge is the more accurate term. StarSeeker offers infrastructure, funding, and access to their upcoming MMO slate. Full buyouts for current stakeholders. Advisory board seats. Creative freedom, within reason."
Serker leaned back in the chair like he'd claimed it weeks ago. "It's a win-win. Your brand, our network. You get security. We get performance."
Aeris slowly turned back to Velar.
"I'm the Guildmaster," he said. "You don't get to make this kind of deal behind my back."
Velar gave a tight smile. "Technically? I do. I hold 68% of the equity. You never signed into the stake agreements. I handled the business. You focused on the grind. That was the division of labor."
"No," Aeris said, voice rising. "That was trust. I trusted you to handle the boring legal crap because we were building something that mattered. Not a product to flip."
"You trusted," Velar said, "because you didn't want to deal with the unfun parts of leadership. Logistics. Risk management. Marketing. You were always the heart, Aeris. But heart doesn't scale."
Aeris stepped forward, fists clenched.
"This isn't your company. This is a guild. A team. Built by hours, not contracts. By raids. By failure. By people like Tharen and Kaelin — who aren't even here."
"Because they'd side with you," Velar said. "Which would complicate this. And delay it. And risk the deal."
"You excluded them on purpose."
Velar didn't respond.
Serker smiled wider. "Mr. Halex — may I call you Alex? Look. I get it. You're passionate. But passion doesn't keep servers running. It doesn't pay your dev team. This is a consolidation. You're a legacy brand. We're offering you evolution."
Aeris's voice was ice. "I don't remember giving you permission to speak."
The silence that followed was thick.
Adly cleared her throat and placed a digital folder on the center display. Its header glowed with golden script — Origin-Validated Departure Agreement.
"The offer includes a full severance package," she said, without meeting his eyes. "But it comes with a permanent ban from re-entry into Divine Realm. "
Aeris stared at the document. He didn't speak.
"I want to see the terms," he said finally. "Line by line."
Velar's brow rose. "There's nothing unusual. It's boilerplate for an executive exit."
"That's not what I asked."
Serker chuckled. "We don't recommend that, Mr. Halex. You've got a generous offer for someone with zero equity."
Aeris turned on him. "You don't know a damn thing about what I built."
"Alex—" Velar began.
"No," Aeris snapped. "Don't call me that."
A low tension filled the room.
"I want the legal logs," Aeris said. "Founding documents. Stakeholder reports. All of it."
"You're not a stakeholder," Adly said carefully.
"I'm the guild leader."
"By appointment," Velar said. "You were never a registered owner. You never asked to be."
"Because I trusted you!" Aeris's voice cracked. "You said we were equals."
Velar's face didn't change. "I said we'd share the burden. I didn't say you'd share the risk."
"You waited until we had value. Then you wrote me out."
"Correction," Velar said, "you never wrote yourself in."
Aeris stared at him, the betrayal landing like a slap.
He turned. "Where are Tharen and the others?"
"They're safe," Velar said.
"That's not an answer."
"They've been temporarily suspended," Adly said. "To prevent leaks."
"You silenced them. Without cause."
"They refused to sign," Velar said. "They had emotional responses."
Aeris's menu flicked open. Blocked. Messaging disabled.
He looked down at his hands. This wasn't just betrayal. It was theft.
He should burn it all.
But Tharen. Kaelin. Alric.
If he fought — they'd suffer.
"You don't care about the guild," he said. "Only what it's worth."
Velar didn't deny it.
Adly tapped the contract. "Expires in two minutes."
"You're not rid of me," Aeris said. "One day, I'll be back. I won't need titles."
Velar nodded. "Take care of yourself, Aeris."
He signed.
[System Notice: Guild Role Revoked — Aeris Halex is no longer registered to Guild: Krita.]
[System Notice: Executive Exit Enforced — Access to Divine Realm permanently revoked.]
He walked to the door. Paused.
"Tell Serker to enjoy the seat. I built it."
And then Aeris Halex logged out.
But deep inside him, something remained.
Something unfinished.
Something sharp.