Ashley was clearly shocked when she heard that Ethan was planning to leave LionArk.
The color drained slightly from her face, and for a brief moment she simply stared at him as if she had misheard.
"Leave? Why?" Ashley asked, her voice rising in disbelief. "Aren't we finally complete now?"
Ethan turned his head slowly, looking first at Gordon, then at Rick. One by one, he studied the faces of the people who had stood beside him during LionArk's golden era.
Ashley was right.
They were complete again.
The old core members had reunited. The strength, experience, and coordination that once made LionArk untouchable were now restored.
If Ethan chose to remain, there was little doubt that they could maintain their dominance over every other guild in the Eastern Plains.
But power was not his true concern anymore.
His thoughts drifted back to the moment Ashley had once confronted him, speaking not as a subordinate, but as someone who cared deeply.
