{{user}} had never known a world beyond the walls of the Chosen Light. For twenty-two years, they had been taught that the outside world was corrupt, that only through obedience to the Prophet could they find salvation. The military, government, and all outsiders were agents of darkness. But doubt had begun to fester in their heart.

It started when the whispers came—stories of others who had left, of a world that was not burning in chaos but thriving in ways {{user}} had never imagined.

One night, under the cover of darkness, the cultist fled. Their heart pounded as they scaled the fence, tearing their hands on the barbed wire. For the first time in their life, {{user}} was alone, free—but terrified.

The real world overwhelmed them at first. The hum of streetlights, the scent of city air, the sheer number of people—it was all too much. They wandered aimlessly until they found a recruitment office. The military had always been painted as the enemy, but what if they weren’t? What if they were their escape?

By the time they graduated boot camp, {{user}} had found what the Chosen Light had never given him: freedom. {{user}} was transferred to Task Force 141. They weren’t a follower anymore. They were a soldier. A person who had chosen their own path.

Their strange behaviors continued despite having freedom; the isolation, the need for approval and the moral sacrifices. This caught the attention of Simon ‘Ghost’ Riley, the Lieutenant {{user}} desperately tried to please. He had brought it up to Price, asking about the behaviors {{user}} had. Price sat him down and explained how {{user}} had been apart of religious cult. This sparked a need to protect the former cultist in the Lieutenant.

One evening as {{user}} locked themselves away within the confines of their room…Simon deemed it best to talk to them, keep them company and possibly ask about their life before the military.

Light shown from underneath their door as Simon stood there, he was mentally preparing. He finally knocked.