The ruins stretched before Sergeant Dain like the skeletal remains of a long-forgotten civilization. The artifact—his objective—rested deep within, pulsing with an unnatural energy that set his teeth on edge. He had fought his way through battlefields, survived the horrors of war, and even endured the presence of the Archivist, but this was something else. This was wrong.
His orders had been clear: retrieve the artifact and report back. The Inquisition's arrival had thrown everything into uncertainty, but duty remained his guiding light. No matter what doubts crept into his mind, he was a soldier of the Emperor.
And yet, something deep inside him whispered that this was a mistake.
The ruins were eerily silent as he moved forward. His squad had been ordered to hold position outside, leaving him alone with nothing but the glow of the artifact illuminating the darkness. It was a strange, shifting construct—its surface ever-changing, like liquid metal caught in a frozen moment. The symbols carved upon it were unlike anything he had seen before, neither human nor xenos, radiating a presence that pressed upon his mind.
As he reached out, a system notification flared in his vision.
[WARNING: Contact with the designated anomaly will forcibly trigger system activation.]
[Do you wish to proceed? Y/N]
Dain's breath hitched. The game-like interface, the one given to him by the Archivist, had remained mostly dormant. He had resisted using it, ignored the potential it offered, clung to his faith instead. But now? The message told him what he already suspected—this was no mere artifact. This was something designed to force his hand.
A part of him screamed to turn back. To leave it. To purge this heretical thing and let the Inquisition deal with it. But the moment he took a step back—
The ruins came alive.
The walls trembled. The symbols burned with energy. The floor cracked, and a violent force dragged him forward, pulling him toward the artifact as if the very air had turned against him.
[System Override Engaged]
[Emergency Protocols Activated]
[Survive.]
Dain did not choose to use the power. The power chose him.
Pain erupted in his skull as data flooded his mind, raw information embedding itself into his very flesh. He collapsed to his knees, gripping his head as the world around him twisted into something unreal.
The ruins were shifting—no, collapsing. The artifact had been a lock, and he had just become the key. The ground beneath him shattered, revealing a bottomless void beneath. Strange tendrils of energy lashed out, forming grotesque shapes that moved with unnatural purpose. Something ancient had been waiting here. Something that should have never been found.
Dain felt his body move on its own.
[Skill Activated: Adaptive Reflex]
He dodged. Barely.
A tendril of energy sliced through the air where he had just been, cutting deep into the stone. Another came, then another, and Dain's body reacted faster than he could think, his enhanced reflexes barely keeping him alive.
His mind raced—this power, this system, was responding to the danger. It was guiding him, forcing him to use its gifts whether he wanted to or not. He hadn't accepted the Archivist's offer. He had rejected it. And yet, here he was, surviving only because of the very power he refused to acknowledge.
Was this fate? Was this the Emperor's will? Or was it something far worse?
[New Objective Acquired: Containment Failure]
[Escape the Ruins Before Total Collapse]
Dain gritted his teeth, forcing himself to move. This wasn't the time for doubt. Survive first. Question later.
He pushed forward, weaving through the chaotic destruction, the system feeding him real-time tactical updates he didn't even know he could process. He was moving faster than any normal human should, his mind sharper, his reflexes heightened. This wasn't just some passive guidance—it was an enhancement, a fundamental shift in what he was capable of.
He hated it.
But he needed it.
The exit was within reach when his instincts screamed. He spun, weapon raised—
And came face to face with something that should not exist.
A shape half-formed, half-real, a shifting mass of forgotten existence, something between time, between space. It was watching him. Studying him. Its presence sent a pulse through his new system, and for the first time, he saw an error.
[ERROR: Entity Undefined]
[WARNING: SYSTEM CORRUPTION IMMINENT]
The thing moved.
Dain fired.
His bolter rounds phased through it.
The creature reached for him.
And then—
Golden light flooded the ruins.
The air shook with power. The very concept of existence seemed to bend.
Dain knew that power. Everyone in the Imperium knew that power.
The Adeptus Custodes had arrived.