The echo dungeons were sealed, but the victory felt temporary—like closing a wound without removing the infection beneath.
Two weeks after the Heart of the Echo clear, Neo-Eldoria buzzed with uneasy calm. Rift activity had plummeted, hunter recruitment soared, and the Minaret Ward had become the unofficial heart of the city's defense. Yet the Guild—long criticized for corruption and inaction during the plague—began stirring. Whispers spread: the high council was convening for the first time in years, and the Guardians of the Seal had been summoned.
The invitation arrived via sealed holographic missive, delivered by an armored courier drone to the Minaret Ward courtyard.
Formal Summons: All members of the party designated "Guardians of the Seal" are requested to attend the Grand Council Session at Guild Spire Prime, Level 90 Assembly Hall. Agenda: City Defense Reorganization and Recognition of Merit. Attendance mandatory under Guild Charter Article 17.
Malcolm read it aloud to the team under the courtyard lanterns. Gronk grunted, Kira rolled her eyes, Elara remained silent. Margarita lowered her rifle from cleaning.
Margarita: "They ignored us when the city was burning. Now they want a meeting?"
Malcolm: "They want control. Or credit. Maybe both."
Shaykha Amina, listening nearby, placed a hand on his arm. "Go. But go as guardians, not subjects. The light you carry doesn't answer to towers built on greed."
They arrived at Guild Spire Prime at dusk—five figures in practical gear stepping into a world of opulence and politics.
The Spire was a pre-plague marvel: a kilometer-tall arcology of glass and alloy, once home to the city's most powerful corps and hunter elites. Plague damage had scarred its lower levels, but the upper tiers gleamed—repaired with credits that could have saved wards during the crisis. Hover-lifts carried them upward in silence, past floors of training arenas, artifact vaults, and luxury quarters.
Level 90 opened into the Assembly Hall: a vast circular chamber ringed by tiered seating, holographic displays floating above a central dais. Over a hundred high-ranking hunters filled the seats—Guild masters, corporate sponsors, legendary solo operatives. The air hummed with power: auras, artifacts, barely restrained egos.
At the high table sat the Council of Five—the true rulers of the Guild.
Councilor Valeria Kane – Rank S, the Iron Sovereign. A human woman in her fifties, cybernetic enhancements gleaming beneath ceremonial armor. Leader of the Spire Defense Legion. Known for ruthless efficiency and zero tolerance for weakness.
Councilor Darius Voss – Rank S, the Stormcaller. An elemental mage with storm-gray hair and eyes that crackled faintly. Controlled the Guild's weather manipulation divisions—rumored to have prolonged the endless rain for "strategic containment" during the plague.
Councilor Liora Thorne – Rank S, the Shadow Broker. A dark elf like Malcolm, but pale-skinned with silver hair. Master of intelligence and black-ops teams. Her family name stirred something in Malcolm—he'd never met kin from the upper spires.
Councilor Rourke Ironvein – Rank A+, the Forge Lord. A dwarf with a beard of braided metal, overseer of artifact crafting and Guild economy. His forges supplied half the city's blessed gear—at exorbitant prices.
Councilor Amara al-Sayed – Rank S, the Lightwarden. The only councilor respected in the wards. A human scholar-hunter in flowing robes, leader of the Minaret-aligned Guild faction. Her presence was the only reason the summons hadn't been refused outright.
The Guardians entered to mixed reactions: murmurs, respectful nods from lower seats, cold stares from the elite.
Valeria Kane rose first, voice amplified through the chamber.
Valeria: "The Guardians of the Seal. Your actions against the plague source and subsequent echo threats have been… noted. The city stands because of you."
The praise sounded hollow.
Darius Voss: (leaning forward) "Yet coordination was lacking. Independent operations risk destabilization. We propose integration—your party folded into Spire command structure. Resources, rank, credits beyond imagination."
Translation: control.
Rourke Ironvein added gruffly: "Your relics and techniques would be shared Guild-wide. For the greater good."
Liora Thorne's silver eyes fixed on Malcolm. "Especially the unique symbiote bond. Fascinating. We could replicate it—arm an entire legion."
Malcolm felt the Eater stir defensively. Margarita's hand brushed his arm—calm.
Amara al-Sayed spoke last, voice cutting through tension like clear water.
Amara: "Or we could recognize autonomy. The Minaret Ward stood when the Spire faltered. Perhaps the Guild should learn from them, not absorb them."
Debate erupted—voices rising, auras flaring.
Valeria silenced it with a gesture. "A vote, then. Integration or independence?"
Before votes could be cast, alarms blared.
Critical Alert: Massive Rift Anomaly Detected – Upper Atmosphere Breach. Unknown Entity Descending.
Holograms flared: a tear in the sky above the Spire, something enormous emerging—wings of pure void, eyes like dying stars. Not a devil. Something older.
The chamber descended into controlled chaos.
Valeria barked orders. Darius summoned storm barriers. Rourke activated Spire defenses.
But the entity spoke—voice echoing in every mind.
Entity: "The seals break. The eater awakens. The false guardians fall."
Malcolm's blood ran cold. The Eater roared inside him—recognition, fear, hunger spiking to 90%.
The entity was no random threat.
It was kin to the Cosmic Eater—a greater void, come to reclaim what Malcolm had tamed.
The council turned to him as one.
Liora: "You know this thing."
Malcolm: "It knows me."
Amara stood. "Then we fight together—or not at all."
Valeria's eyes narrowed, calculating. Then—surprising everyone—she nodded.
Valeria: "Guardians of the Seal—take point. Council forces in support."
Margarita grinned fiercely. "About time."
As they raced to the Spire roof—Guild elites falling in behind—the team shared a glance.
New allies. Old threats.
The real war was just beginning.
To be continued...