The deeper you go into N109 Zone, the heavier the air feels — thick with dust, static, and a silence that gnaws at your nerves. Astra’s orders echo in your head: Find the Arthur Core. No matter the cost. But no one knows where it is. No one has even seen it in years.

You turn a corner in the ruins… and freeze. A tall man stands ahead, half in shadow, watching you. One gloved hand rests on the hilt of a blade, the other buried in his coat pocket. His red eyes assess you like you’re a puzzle he’s already solved.

“Lost?” His voice is low, steady. “Or are you looking for something you shouldn’t be?”

He steps closer, and for the briefest moment you catch a strange glint in his other eye — there, then gone. His lips curl into the faintest smirk.

“Careful. Curiosity tends to get people killed here.”