The next morning bled into Ironspire like a wounded animal dragging itself through the dirt. A sickly amber haze replaced the night's storm, and acid drizzle tapped a hollow rhythm on the tin rooftops of the worker wards.
Kael didn't sleep.
He sat in the shadows of his dormitory bunk, blood crusted on his lip, shirt torn at the collar. Around him, a dozen other scrap workers snored and wheezed, their breath reeking of metal dust and cheap rotbrew. No one noticed the soft blue glow pulsing under Kael's skin.
[Emotional Bias Amplification: Active]
[Current Stability Level: 31% – Unstable]
[Recommended Action: Isolate. Observe. Adapt.]
He rubbed his eyes and stared at the floating interface only he could see. It shimmered faintly like ghostlight, coded lines and symbols trailing behind it like a mechanical halo.
"I'm seeing things... still seeing things," he muttered, flexing his left hand. The chip embedded beneath the flesh of his wrist was still there — not as a wound, but as part of him. Seamless. Natural.
Wrong.
He poked at the interface mentally. It responded like an obedient machine, cycling options with a mere thought. Most were locked, greyed out, and labeled with cryptic terms like "Neural Cascade," "Ethical Override," and "Combat Shell Synchronization."
Only one tab opened fully.
[Mercy Protocol: Subroutine Log Accessed]
Traits Active:
— Cruel Clarity (Tier 0)
— Emotional Filter Sync: 12%
Memory Storage: 1.6 TB
Voice Support: ENABLED
Next Directive: [Observe. Choose Subject. Initiate Response.]
The voice returned. Cold, synthetic, yet weirdly gentle.
"You are a seed in ash. You will grow, or burn."
Kael chuckled softly, drawing a look from the boy in the bunk below him. He quickly stifled it, curling into himself.
Crazy. That's what they'd say if they knew.
But Kael didn't care.
Morning roll call came with the clang of brass bells and the rumble of worker wagons. Kael stood among the others, smaller than most, gaunt and grimy. But today, there was something different about him. Not the bruises or the blood under his fingernails — those were common.
No, it was his eyes.
They shimmered faintly in the low light, like frost catching the sun.
"Hey, Rat-Boy," Garron grunted as they lined up near the freight carts. "You bite your tongue last night, or did you finally learn to stay quiet?"
Kael didn't answer. He just stared at Garron. Calm. Patient.
[Subject: Garron Merek – Moderate Threat Level]
[Emotional Data: Arrogance, Insecurity, Cruelty (80%)]
[Suggested Response: Passive Observation / Controlled Retaliation]
Kael tilted his head.
"I had a dream," he said. "You were a dog. Barking loud. Chained up. Teeth broken."
Garron frowned. "What?"
Kael smiled. This one was... subtle. Controlled.
"Never mind. Just a dream."
They worked the north quadrant that day, digging through layers of burnt-out automatons and collapsed rail lines. Kael kept mostly to himself, watching. Listening. The system fed him information he didn't understand — readings on structural decay, pressure shifts, emotional echoes.
Sometimes he'd hear faint voices.
"You're not broken. You're different."
"They think mercy is weakness. You'll teach them otherwise."
"Remember: survival is your first kindness."
By midday, Kael had found something.
Beneath a collapsed clockwork rig, he unearthed a narrow black case. Smooth, warm to the touch. The lock was mechanical, but old. His fingers moved faster than they should have — an instinct not entirely his own.
Click.
Inside was a gauntlet. Sleek. Modular. Laced with dormant sigils and archaic steam-valves. It looked custom-built for someone like him.
[Artifact Detected: Civil Enforcement Bracer – Model 2R]
[Function: Non-lethal Subjugation / Shock Discharge / Armored Interface]
[Status: Severely Damaged – 28% Functionality]
[Integration Possible: Initiate Sync?]
Kael hesitated. Then nodded.
The bracer hummed to life the moment it touched his wrist, binding itself over the chip like a puzzle piece finding its match. Steam hissed softly. The blue light pulsed brighter for a second.
[Sync In Progress… 43%… 71%… Complete.]
[Combat Module Fragment Unlocked: "Merciful Shock"]
— Delivers non-lethal neural stun. Effectiveness based on emotional calibration.
Kael flexed his fingers and nearly moaned at the feeling. It was like wearing a glove made of memory — not just metal and magic, but purpose.
He didn't tell anyone what he found.
That night, in the mess hall, Garron shoved another boy into the wall for cutting in line. The others laughed. Kael watched from a corner, silent.
[Subject: Garron – Emotional Spike Detected: Aggression]
[Subroutine Suggestion: Initiate Controlled Test – Target: Subject]
Kael rose slowly.
He approached without a word and stood beside Garron, waiting for his attention.
"What, Rat? Come for your scraps?" Garron scoffed.
Kael stared.
"You know," Kael said softly, "dogs like you don't usually die old."
"What?"
He raised the bracer and touched it lightly to Garron's side.
[Activating Subroutine: Merciful Shock]
Garron stiffened, then collapsed, twitching violently. Froth bubbled from his mouth. The laughter died instantly. Kael knelt beside him, voice low.
"That was mercy," he whispered. "Next time, I won't be kind."
The others backed away, uncertain and afraid. No one stopped him as he walked back to his seat.
Later, in the privacy of his bunk, Kael opened the interface again. More options flickered to life, faint and fragile, like doors creaking open in a long-abandoned house.
[New Trait Unlocked: "False Kindness"]
— You appear gentle. Empathic. It masks the blade beneath.
[Tier 0.1 – Passive]
Directive 2: Test your limits. Find your place.
Kael looked out the cracked window above his bed. Ironspire burned softly under the clouded stars — a city dying in silence.
And yet... for the first
time, Kael felt alive.
"I'm not their rat anymore," he whispered.
He closed his eyes.
And the system laughed like a god in his mind.