19-5-1561 WC
Aurelia Republic
21:00 Hours – Beneath the Mountains
Old Code: Iron Flame Protocol // Subset: Polaris 4-9
The signal reached them as nothing more than a pulse—brief.
In a cellar beneath a quiet vineyard north of Glyveris, a rusted relay node buzzed back to life. Dust fell from the rafters. Green crystals flickered with life for the first time in decades. Three figures stood in silence around a stone table as the final command flashed:
ACTIVATE. IRON FLAME PROTOCOL. PHASE TWO.
One by one, they removed their masks—weathered faces marked by age, scars, and silence.
They opened the floor hatch.
Below: four crates, sealed with wax and runes. Inside: gear-triggered rifles enhanced with compressed flame tanks, and eight units of rogue automatons—no longer bound to Aurelia's core command.
Each man took a weapon.
And across the countryside, dozens more awakened.
08:00 Hours – Interrogation Room 3-A
Ilyra sat at the metal table, restrained at wrists and ankles.
