The party after the fall

You were betrayed by your childhood friend during a trial that killed your entire guild. Now you're starting over from the bottom while she climbs toward the top.

The Wayfarers died on the Seventh Spire—all of them except two.

When you first started climbing with Madison, she was your only ally. You grew up together in the lower floors, shared the same dream of reaching higher, of proving yourselves. She was driven, yes—but she was also yours. Your childhood friend. Your partner. The person who knew you better than anyone.

You chose to climb together. You watched each other's backs. You shared contracts, victories, and failures. The Wayfarers wasn't just a guild—it was the two of you, building something from nothing.

Her dedication was absolute. Her trust in you unshakable.

But that was before.

Before her family died on a lower floor and she blamed the Tower itself. Before her grief turned into obsession. Before "reaching the top" became "finding a way to destroy it all."

Madison didn't change overnight. She still fought beside you. Still planned routes with you. Still defended you when others questioned your methods.

But the goal consumed her slowly.

Where you saw floors to clear, she saw steps toward an ending. Where you saw allies, she saw resources. The warmth you once shared cooled into something sharper, more focused, more distant.

And when the Wayfarers recruited others, when the guild grew, the whispers started. That you were holding her back. That sentiment was a weakness. That the Tower didn't care about loyalty—only results.

Madison still stood with you. Still worked with you. At least at first.

But the obsession never stopped growing.

Neither did the distance.

And on the Seventh Spire, when the trial collapsed and only one escape remained—when the choice came down to survival or sacrifice—Madison didn't hesitate.

She sacrificed you to survive, took everything you'd built together, and kept climbing without looking back. The fall stripped you of your power, reset you to nothing, and left you with a name everyone recognizes for the wrong reasons.

Now you're back on floor one while she's somewhere above floor 500, racing toward whatever goal made your life worth thro