In the far corners of the world of Ardentia, where the sun gleams off floating ruins and the wind hums through the ribs of broken machines, there lived a young man who had absolutely nothing going for him.
His name was Rayan Tarsa, twenty years old, unemployed, and equipped with exactly zero remarkable skills — unless you counted the ability to nap anywhere and somehow owe money to everyone in town.
Rayan's home wasn't much — a tiny metal shack at the edge of Scrapveil, a town built from the remains of ancient mecha. Every morning, the streets echoed with hammer strikes and the hiss of steam. Merchants yelled over each other selling spare gears, half-functional drones, and bottles of low-grade energy fluid.
Rayan dragged his feet through the dust, a sandwich in one hand and a small mechanical bird perched on his shoulder — its wings held together with tape.
"Morning again, Gearbit," he muttered.
The bird beeped once.
"Morning, Rayan. Status: still broke."
"Yeah," Rayan sighed, taking a bite of bread. "You don't have to remind me every day."
He worked — sometimes — at an old workshop run by an ex-engineer named Grim, repairing rusted relics from the old wars. Most were too damaged to ever function again, but Rayan liked them anyway.
There was something… sad about them. Like silent giants that once moved mountains but were now just forgotten statues.
"Kid," Grim said one evening, his goggles reflecting the orange light of the forge. "You've got potential. Maybe not in fixing things, but in seeing what's worth fixing."
Rayan laughed, scratching his messy hair. "That's just a poetic way of saying I'm bad with tools."
Grim smirked. "Maybe. But keep your eyes open. Sometimes, fate hides under rust."
That night, a storm rolled in from the northern cliffs. The sky turned violet, and lightning danced across the horizon.
Rayan couldn't sleep.
He walked out to the old scrapyard — a forbidden zone where relic cores sometimes still pulsed with unstable energy.
As he passed through piles of broken mecha parts, something caught his eye — a faint red glow beneath the rain.
He brushed away the dirt and saw a massive, rust-covered hand. Its surface was engraved with strange runes glowing faintly through the grime.
Then, he heard it — a voice, deep and distant.
> "...Who… awakens me…?"
Rayan stumbled backward.
"Uh—hi? I'm just… a guy. Please don't kill me."
The ground trembled. The massive hand twitched, and the red glow brightened.
> "A… human? After all this time?"
Rayan froze. "...Great. The scrap talks now."
-
The earth split as a colossal figure began to rise from beneath the rubble — its eyes burning red like molten metal.
Mud and broken armor fell away, revealing a towering, ancient Relic Mecha.
> "Designation: RUSTFANG. Status: dormant… no longer."
Rayan shielded his face from the wind.
"Okay. Okay. This is either the coolest dream ever… or I'm about to die."
The mecha lowered its head toward him, one glowing eye focusing on the boy.
> "You… have touched my core. According to the Protocols of Binding… you are now my master."
Rayan blinked.
"Wait—what? No, no, no. I'm not qualified for this! I barely manage to keep a toaster alive!"
> "Acknowledged," the mecha said calmly. "Initializing link… Rayan Tarsa."
A surge of light enveloped him. His vision flashed red, his pulse syncing with the machine's rhythm.
And for the first time in his life, Rayan felt alive.
When he woke up, dawn was breaking.
The storm had cleared, but beside him stood the massive, half-repaired mecha, its eyes dimly glowing as if watching over him.
Rayan rubbed his temples.
"Okay… either I just adopted a war machine, or I've finally lost my mind."
The mecha's voice rumbled softly.
> "We are bound, Rayan. Until death… or freedom."
He groaned.
"Fantastic. My first serious relationship, and it's with a walking tank."
But deep down, something inside him stirred — a strange warmth, like destiny humming through iron.
And thus began the legend of a broke, hopeless young man…
and the ancient machine that chose him.
---
🔥 End of Chapter 1: "The Rusted Dream."
Tone & Themes:
Humor and humility — Rayan's self-aware and sarcastic personality keeps the story light.
A slow-burn discovery of destiny and connection between man and machine.
The world of Ardentia introduced as a mix of ancient technology, forgotten magic, and a second chance at balance.