Ashfall was quiet tonight.
That didn't mean it was safe.
The market had shut down early. Gunfights over food, another mimic attack, maybe even whispers of "Objects" — no one asked too many questions anymore. People just kept their heads low and locked their doors.
Up on the rooftop of an old broadcasting tower, Kazuo Mori stood under a broken light. The city stretched out below him, all shadows and ruins. He had set five Rule Objects into the city, and already the stories were spreading faster than he expected.
Still, he wasn't here to listen to rumors tonight.
He was here to build something new.
### The First Recruit — Milo "Stitch"
Milo Crane showed up late, as expected. He was thin, sharp-eyed, and had the twitchy energy of someone who'd survived by luck more than skill.
"Didn't think the guy behind the myths would meet in person," Milo said casually, stepping out of the dark. "You the one they call 'the Maker'?"
Kazuo said nothing. He just placed a small object down on the table between them — a smooth, metallic tube, coiled with silver wires.
Milo picked it up and raised an eyebrow.
"What's this do?"
> **Object 014 – Static Spine**
> Grants the ability to sense motion around you, even in the dark.
> Side Effect: Over time, most people develop severe sensitivity — headaches, twitching, paranoia.
Milo turned it over in his fingers. "Let me guess. Trick is figuring out when the blessing turns into a curse."
"For you, maybe," Kazuo said. "Not for me."
Milo paused, then smiled. It didn't reach his eyes.
"Alright, Maker. I'm in."
### The Silent One — The Hod
The next recruit didn't speak at all.
He was wrapped in layers of scavenged clothes, his face hidden behind a stitched mask. Thick, dark gloves. Barely made a sound when he walked.
All he did was kneel and set something on the ground between them — the broken shell of a Rule Object. A fake one. A bad copy.
Kazuo studied it. "You've found one of the forgeries. Mimics?"
The masked man didn't reply. He only drew a circle over his chest with a finger. A kind of oath.
Clara, who stood nearby, frowned. "You sure about this guy?"
"No," Kazuo said. "But he knew where to find us. That's more than most people can say."
He turned and reached for another object on the table — a flat, iron sigil shaped like an anvil.
> **Relay Mark – Grey Anvil**
> Links the user to others wearing the same mark.
> Side Effect: Over time, users begin sharing thoughts and habits. Less independence, more group instinct.
He placed it silently into the masked man's hand.
The Hod didn't move. He simply held it tight, like he'd been waiting his whole life for it.
### Clara's Choice
Later that night, Kazuo and Clara stood alone. The city shimmered far below, lit by broken lamps and flickering signs.
Clara stared at the last iron sigil still on the table.
"Three marks. Three agents," she said slowly. "But you made four."
Kazuo didn't answer.
She picked it up, studying the symbol — ∇ — in the center.
"And this one's for me?"
"You're the only one who talks to me like I'm still human," he said. "That's useful."
Clara gave a short, dry laugh. "You're scary, you know that?"
"But I'm building something no one else can," he said. "If people suffer using these artifacts, that's still better than dying powerless."
Clara pocketed the sigil without another word.
### The Grey Anvil Begins
By midnight, the three recruits were gathered: Milo, The Hod, and Clara. They stood under the cracked sky, the wind sharp with chemical dust.
Kazuo looked at them one by one. His team. His first real strike at the broken world.
"When the system's dead," he said quietly, "you don't fix it. You build something new. And you shape it hard and cold, like steel."
He looked out toward the ruins — where the mimics lurked, where governments had fallen, where no rules held anymore.
"Let them chase old laws. We'll write better ones."
And so, the Grey Anvil was born.