VALERIA, PRIMORIA – JULY 17, 1987
The truck lurched over another crater in the road, suspension groaning like an old man forced to stand. Kairo braced his palm against the bench, rifle barrel tapping his knee with every jolt.
It had been two days since the briefing at the rendezvous point. Two days of slow, grinding travel toward Site 47. The convoy had left the outskirts of Primoria at dawn on the 15th, expecting a straight shot. They never got it.
The main highway had been torn apart years ago—craters from artillery, collapsed bridges, stretches of asphalt melted into black glass from some forgotten weapon test. No one knew if it was human or something else. Either way, the official route was gone. They'd had to take the back roads—narrow, unpaved tracks that wound through hills and abandoned villages. Every mile felt like punishment.
Jax kept the wheel steady, eyes narrowed against the dust.
"This path is worse than the last one," he muttered. "We're adding hours."
Lena, sitting opposite Kairo, checked her map again.
"We're almost to the Fortuna border. Fifty kilometers more and the roads should smooth out."
Fortuna. The name alone felt like a different country. One of the three major powers on Valeria, but untouched by the worst of the war. No ore-stone deposits. No mining rush. No demonic leaks. The fighting never reached their soil. Their highways were paved, their cities lit, their people still living like the war was someone else's problem.
Harlan leaned her head against the canvas wall, eyes half-closed. "I'd kill for a real bed. Or toast. Or both."
Reyes chuckled from the radio bench. "You're still on the toast thing?"
"It's the principle," Harlan said. "Toast is civilization. We haven't had civilization in days."
Mara, riding shotgun again, turned to look back at them. "You're all dramatic. We've got rations. Water. Guns. We're fine.
"Fine," Jax echoed, "is what people say right before they die."
Kairo said nothing. He stared out the open flap at the passing landscape—ruined farmhouses, overgrown fields, the occasional burned-out vehicle. The war had chewed up Primoria and Vindicator hardest. Fortuna sat fat and safe behind its borders, selling supplies to both sides and pretending it wasn't complicit.
The truck hit another rut. Everyone swayed.
Lena folded the map. "We're close. The industrial zone starts in another hour. Once we cross into Fortuna-controlled road, it'll be smooth sailing."
Kairo finally spoke. "Smooth doesn't mean safe."
Everyone with a surpriced expression looked at him.
"wowwww it talks," Herlan remarked dryly.
But at that moment, He didn't elaborate. He didn't need to. They'd all read the same reports. Blue glows. Heat spikes. Men who came back wrong. The ore stones were spreading. The Dominion said it was progress. The soldiers knew better, for this wasn't their first time on a mission like this.
Hours later, the road began to change. Potholes smoothed out. Cracked asphalt gave way to fresh blacktop. The air lost its acrid bite. Trees appeared—real trees, not charred skeletons. Streetlights flickered on as dusk deepened. They'd crossed into Fortuna territory.
Jax let out a low whistle. "Look at this. Actual pavement."
Harlan sat up. "Civilization."
Lena stared at the record that had been sent through telegram, whispering to herself with a gloomy expression. She sighed "Site 47". Still bending her head, she raised her eyebrow and looked toward Jax. In that instant, she began to recall events of the past.
********
- VALERIA, PRIMORIA – August 9th, 1962 -
Lena had just turned 7 years old three days earlier. She went with her elder brother and his friend—who was also Jax's elder sister—to an open wheat field.
It was a sunny day. The weather was peaceful, the sky bright blue. The sun hung high and brilliant, with only a few clouds slowly floating overhead, casting their shadows across the field.
Young Lena stood at the entrance of a low wooden fence, a bright smile on her face. She could see the brilliant yellow wheat flowing in the direction of the wind like waves, with cloud shadows drifting over it.
At the end of the field was a stream of water. The land formed a gentle slope with the stream at the bottom and the fence at the top where Lena stood. On the other side of the stream was a large building.
Lena, still staring at the awkward but strangely cool-looking building, turned toward her brother and his friend, who were deep in conversation. She ran to her brother, calling out his name, and gave him a big embrace, distracting him from his talk while pointing excitedly at the building.
"Bro…ther… See… see…"
Turning toward her, he lifted her from the ground and started walking into the field. Smiling, he replied:
"Oh, that's a mill factory."
"A mill fact…ry?" Lena asked, making a confused face.
When they reached an open space in the field, they sat down. Jane brought out a mat and a couple of food items from a basket she had placed on the ground. After some time of merrymaking, laughing, and fun, Lena once again looked at the factory.
Richard, noticing his sister's gaze, asked:
"Do you want to go there?"
With a very happy expression, the child jumped up and shouted,
"Yayyyyy!" exposing her few white teeth.
Jane looked at the little girl with a smile and replied in a giggly tone:
"Well, I guess one more exploration won't hurt."
After arranging their things, they all headed toward the factory. Reaching the stream, a bridge that hadn't been visible from a distance suddenly appeared. Lena ran over the wooden bridge, chasing a butterfly, slowly followed by her brother and Jane.
Reaching the factory, Richard observed the area and noticed it was quite empty, though the water wheel on the outer body of the mill was still rotating due to the flow of the stream. A cold breeze kept blowing across their side of the field.
"Looks like this place is empty," Richard said while looking at Jane.
Just then he noticed a window close to the entrance door that was open. After several moments of observation, he realized the three of them could enter through it. Richard went in first, followed by Lena, then Jane.
Inside the factory, everything seemed at a halt.
"Why isn't anyone here?" Jane asked, making a confused face.
Little Lena, with a huge expression on her face—eyes wide open and mouth agape—yelled,
"Wowwwwww, it's so big and so big-looking! Wowwwww…"
After a couple of minutes of exploration and a mini tour around the place, it was time to return. Just then Jane noticed the sky darkening. Looking out the window, she saw a large number of people coming out from the field toward the factory. At that moment she screamed.
To be continued…