Chapter 1: The Iron Cradle
The year he turned fifteen, Kaelen woke up to a screen floating three inches from his eye.
[WELCOME, HOST. THE NEXUS SYSTEM IS NOW ONLINE.]
It was a nightmare, except the nightmare had been his entire past life: spreadsheets, traffic, and the slow, grinding realisation that he'd wasted thirty-something years. This new life, this terrifying, metal-and-magic-infused existence, felt more real, more urgent. And it had the distinct advantage of a cheat code.
He squinted at the floating text, feeling the familiar, quiet thrill of the secret he held. No one else saw these screens. No one else heard the synthetic chime that sounded every time he killed one of the overgrown, crystal-furred Rust Hounds that infested the outer sectors. They all relied on grinding, dangerous resource hunts. Kaelen just needed to see the pop-up: [MATERIALS ACQUIRED: 3x Iron Filings, 1x Minor Energy Crystal.]
He slapped his palm against his plain cotton tunic, pushing the knowledge deep down. Today was the day the lie had to become reality.
Today was the Mecha Awakening.
Every child of the Iron Dominion knew the fear and the thrill. At fifteen, you either manifested a Frame—a personal battle mech, the only true measure of wealth and power—or you were relegated to the mines and factories, forever feeding the gears of war you couldn't fight. The Awakening didn't rely on skill or luck; it was a biological fact, like the colour of your eyes.
Kaelen stood with fifty other trembling teenagers in the vast, echoing Chamber of Gears. Above them, massive, hydraulic arms moved along ceiling tracks, preparing to lower the sterile, grey summoning pillars. He felt the familiar dread that had nothing to do with the mecha and everything to do with his secret. If he awakened a weak Frame, how quickly could his System cover the gap? If he awakened a strong one, how could he possibly explain his rapid, unnatural progress?
"Quiet!" The Proctor's voice, amplified by his own heavy, bronze-plated Mecha—the Sentinel—boomed through the chamber. "You are the future of the Dominion. Step forward and touch the Pillar. Let the Iron Cradle know your worth."
One by one, they placed their hand on the chilled metal pillar. A brilliant flash of light—green, blue, silver—would erupt, manifesting a mech of various sizes and power levels. A boy with nervous, sweating hands touched the metal. FLASH! A nimble, five-foot-tall scouting unit, painted silver. A strong manifestation. The boy gasped in tearful relief.
Then it was Kaelen's turn. He stepped up, his heart pounding a rhythm that felt too loud in the sudden silence. He reached out and pressed his palm against the column.
He didn't need the flash of light. He just needed the System to confirm.
[ALERT: CONFLICT DETECTED. PERSONAL DATA OVERWRITE PENDING.]
[AWAKENING FRAME: Unnamed Unit (Tier 1, Common)]
[SYSTEM INTERFERENCE: Initiate data fusion? Y/N]
Kaelen mentally screamed the only answer possible. Yes.
[FUSION INITIATED. UNNAMED UNIT DATA INJECTED INTO HOST INVENTORY.]
[MECHA AWAKENING COMPLETE. BASE FRAME MODEL: IRON CRADLE. TIER 0.01 (UNIQUE).]
There was a light, of course, but it was nothing like the others. It was a faint, bruised purple, small and sputtering, like a dying pilot light. And then, there was the mecha. It wasn't silver or bronze or a scouting unit.
It was a mess.
It stood maybe four feet tall, a pathetic, asymmetrical collection of rusted plates and mismatched limbs that looked like it had been salvaged from a scrap heap. It rattled, and a faint plume of black smoke drifted from its single, oversized shoulder pauldron.
A collective snicker rippled through the chamber. The Sentinel Proctor sighed, a deep, metal-on-metal groan. "Tier one, Common... and a poorly manifested one at that. You are assigned to Sector 7 maintenance, boy. Get to work."
Kaelen looked at the pathetic, rattling husk of metal. He could feel the connection—the Frame was utterly, embarrassingly weak. He could also see the System's unique interface hovering over the cockpit:
[IRON CRADLE (Unique)]
DURABILITY: 15/15
POWER CORE: 5/10 (DRAINED)
UPGRADE SLOTS: 5 (OPEN)
It's a blank slate, Kaelen thought, a cold, focused joy washing over the initial shame. A Tier 0.01 Unique. And with my System, Tier 0.01 won't last the week.
He had a purpose, a system, and a piece of junk mecha. It was time to start leveling up.