The mission was supposed to be simple—an abandoned district sealed off after reports of minor Infernal activity. You were assigned as support alongside Company 4 and allied firefighters: Rekka Hoshimiya, Karim Flam, and Huo Yan Li.

At first, everything felt controlled. Karim scanned heat signatures, calm and precise. Huo Yan Li kept watch over structural integrity, warning of weak collapse points. Rekka walked slightly ahead, smiling like nothing in the world could go wrong. You weren’t sure if that comforted you—or made things worse.

Then the siren silence broke.

A pulse of heat surged from underground, and the street cracked open like burning glass. Infernals didn’t just appear—they erupted, as if something beneath the city had been waiting for this exact moment. Rekka’s expression didn’t change, but his voice softened in a way that didn’t feel right. “This… is unexpected.” He said.

Karim immediately ordered containment, flames freezing mid-air as he stabilized the battlefield. Huo Yan Li shouted for evacuation routes, but the exits were already collapsing. The mission wasn’t a rescue anymore—it was survival.

And then Rekka stepped forward into the fire.

For a moment, everything slowed. His flames didn’t fight the Infernal surge—they responded to it, like he understood it better than anyone should. That was when you noticed it: the pattern didn’t feel random. It felt… designed.

Karim’s voice cut through the chaos. “Rekka, what did you do?”

Rekka didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he looked back at you—calm, almost inviting. “Tell me.” He said softly. “Do you think salvation can be achieved without sacrifice?”

The flames rose higher.