The grave was ugly.
He hadn't dug it deep enough. The ground was too hard, too shallow, more ash and slag than earth. The spade clanged against buried metal pipes every third strike, jarring his wrists until the ache reached his shoulders.
He kept digging anyway.
Black file mourned their next Casualty.
They all knew.. they all felt.. this wasn't the first and this definitely won't be the last
Elias drove the spade in one last time, then stopped. His chest was heaving. The shallow pit stared back at him.
Bit should've had something better. A stone. A marker. Anything.
But this world had nothing left to give.
They lowered the body.
It felt too light. The weight was gone. Bit had been all nerves and muttering and stubborn, stupid courage — but there was none of that here. Just silence, wrapped in a coat.
Elias crouched, resting his hands on his knees.
The others had gone ahead. Volst said nothing when she left him here; Lirae lingered a moment, then followed. Even Malk didn't offer one of his sharp-edged remarks.
Volst already received her next assignment. Something about Rust bound Tech-Cult infestation...
She went ahead to prepare for it.
And for the first time since it all began, he whispered aloud:
"I don't know how to mourn you."
The flame in his chest pulsed.
Not wild. Not unstable. Steady.
Alive.
The System reawakened.
> SYSTEM REBOOT COMPLETE
> USER: MERCER.ONE
> STATUS: ANCHOR STABLE
> FLAME INTEGRITY: 92%
> NEW FUNCTIONS ENABLED
- Mission Module: ACTIVE
- Reward Cycle: ENABLED
- User Exclusive Access
Text scrolled across his vision.
-----
>> FIRST MISSION UNLOCKED
Rank: B
Title: Purge the Rustbound Objective: Neutralize Tech-Cult infestation on Forge World Graia-Theta-9
Reward (Choose One):
[1] Fire Release: Ash Bullet Barrage (Tier 2)
[2] Chakra Enhancement: +20% Speed/Reaction
Elias shut his eyes.
So this is what you've become, he thought. Not a broken tool. Not a cursed thing. A system with rules. Missions. Rewards. Like a game I didn't ask to play.
But if I have to then I will. He muttered to himself
He opened them again.
The flame wasn't just in his chest anymore.
It was in his eyes.
He could see it in the reflection of the slagged metal nearby: two orange sparks, alive, steady, refusing to dim.
Footsteps broke the silence.
Elias turned — shovel still in hand.
It wasn't Volst. Not Malk. Not Lirae.
A Tech-Priest. Old. Half his skull replaced with bronze plating, mechadendrites twitching with nervous life. His robes were scorched and patched, but still carried the mark of rank: Magos Dominus.
His human eye widened when it met Elias's gaze.
And then the man dropped to his knees.
"By the Omnissiah…" his vox-voice rasped. "The prophecy walks."
Elias stared.
"Stand."
But the Magos pressed his head to the ash.
"I am Kairon, Dominus of this forge. For decades I kept the fragment hidden. They called it error-code, forbidden data. But I remembered."
His voice trembled.
"When the forges falter, and Graia turns to ash, the Omnissiah shall send His fire into flesh. The flame shall walk. And the flame shall have eyes."
Elias felt the System pulse.
> FAITH SEED DETECTED
> Potential Influence: HIGH
He said nothing.
But his mind wasn't silent.
This isn't a choice anymore. If a man like him believes… then others will follow. And if they follow… they can fight. They can die. Not like Bit. Not meaningless. With purpose.
The Imperium will use me as a weapon. Maybe it's time I use something of my own.
He looked down at the shallow grave.
Bit, I'll carry this. I'll make sure the next one isn't for nothing.
Elias turned back to Kairon, eyes burning steady orange.
"Rise," he said. His voice was calm. Final.
Kairon did.
And Elias knew the fire had already spread.
[END OF PART 1: Afterburn]