A New Beginning

The journey back to the city was surprisingly quiet.

For once, there was no arguing, no bickering. Just the steady rhythm of horses trotting against the dirt road and the occasional rustle of the trees.

Draymoor had been saved.

But Asvorn's mind wasn't on the victory. His eyes kept flickering to his mother, who sat beside him in the carriage, hands folded neatly in her lap.

She was safe now. That was all that mattered.

Delivering Justice

The city gates loomed in the distance. As they arrived, the guards took one look at the bloodied, bound criminals in the back of the cart and immediately rushed to call reinforcements.

Word spread fast. By the time they reached the guild, a crowd had gathered.

"Is that—?"

"Those are the bandits that attacked Draymoor!"

"They actually took down Clement?!"

People murmured, pointing, whispering. Asvorn ignored them. He was used to stares.

The guild master, a burly man named Garret, met them at the entrance, arms crossed. His sharp eyes scanned Clement's unconscious form.

"Well, well," Garret muttered. "I was skeptical when you took the mission, but you really pulled it off."

Kaisel smirked. "Of course we did. Did you really doubt us?"

Garret snorted. "Not you, blondie." His gaze shifted to Asvorn. "You."

Asvorn met his stare.

Garret sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't know how the hell you pulled this off, but the guild's already heard about it. And that means…"

A pause.

Then—

"Effective immediately, you, Lyara, and Kaisel are being promoted to Top-Rank Adventurers."

Rising to the Top

The guild erupted into cheers.

Top-ranked. The highest status an adventurer could hold within the city.

Asvorn barely reacted, but Kaisel—

"HAHAHA! Finally! It was only a matter of time!" Kaisel threw his arm around Asvorn's shoulder, grinning ear to ear. "We're at the top now!"

Lyara rolled her eyes. "Tch. It's not that impressive."

Garret smirked. "You say that, but you look pretty damn pleased."

Lyara quickly looked away.

Asvorn just sighed, shaking Kaisel off. He didn't care about ranks.

But… it was nice to be recognized.

Garret gestured to the tied-up criminals. "We'll handle these guys. You three, take the day off."

With that, the guild staff dragged Clement and his men away, disappearing into the building.

Asvorn exhaled, finally able to relax.

But there was still one more thing to do.

A Home for Anna

Later that day, as they settled into their new home, Asvorn sat across from Lyara, leaning forward.

"I want my mother to stay here," he said simply.

Lyara blinked. "Huh?"

"Here. With us."

Lyara crossed her arms. "You're asking like I'd say no."

Asvorn raised a brow. "Would you?"

She clicked her tongue.

"…Of course not."

A small smile tugged at his lips. He hadn't expected a fight, but still… it was nice to hear.

Lyara sighed. "Your mom's been through enough. She deserves somewhere safe."

Asvorn nodded. "Good. Then it's settled."

Anna, who had been listening silently, finally spoke.

"Are you sure?" Her voice was soft. "I don't want to be a burden."

Asvorn's expression darkened.

"You're not a burden, Mom."

She hesitated, then smiled warmly.

"…Thank you, Asvorn."

For the first time, he felt like he was doing something right.

A Party of Strength

As night fell, Asvorn sat with Lyara and Kaisel in the guild tavern, a single idea brewing in his mind.

"We should form a party," he said.

Lyara raised a brow. "We already work together."

"A real party," Asvorn clarified. "Official. Registered with the guild."

Kaisel grinned. "I like it. Makes sense, considering we're already carrying Lyara through missions."

BAM.

Lyara slammed her fist on the table, eyes twitching.

"Say that again, you arrogant bastard."

Kaisel smirked but wisely leaned back.

Asvorn sighed.

"You in or not?" he asked.

Lyara huffed, looking away. "…Fine."

Asvorn turned to Kaisel. "You?"

Kaisel hesitated.

For the first time, there was no cocky remark, no snide comment.

He looked at his hands.

For a long time, he had worked alone. Depending on others had never been his thing.

But…

This past mission had been different.

They had each other's backs.

And—though he'd never admit it—he had fun.

"…Yeah," Kaisel muttered. "I'm in."

Asvorn smirked. "Good."

Kaisel tapped his fingers against the table. "But we need a name."

Asvorn and Lyara exchanged glances.

Then—

Kaisel grinned.

"How about… Oblivion's Wrath?"

The name hung in the air.

Powerful. Fearsome. A name that promised destruction to their enemies.

Asvorn's lips curled into a smirk.

"I like it."

Lyara huffed. "Tch. It's not bad."

Kaisel leaned back, arms behind his head. "Then it's settled."

Oblivion's Wrath was born.

And from this day forward, the city would never forget their name.