A Flame Ignited. A Spark Distorted. A Shadow Scouting the Wasteland.

Training floors are supposed to test your combat readiness. They aren't supposed to unearth buried guilt, pit sworn allies against each other’s throats, or serve as a playground for dangerous entities lurking in the back of your skull.

In Passage 01: Simmering Ashes, the fragile balance keeping a team of volatile executioners together begins to crack before their next major mission even starts.

When Joe Skyne enters the simulation arena, he isn't just fighting the mechanical traps in front of him—he's fighting the fiery monster screaming inside his head. Balanced on a knife-edge between rigid discipline and total self-destruction, Joe is forced into a brutal sparring match against Lawrence "L'Quinn"—a lightning-fast thief whose bitter resentment and deadly shadow-speed make him as dangerous to his allies as he is to his targets.

Behind the control glass, mysterious handlers weave their own political games: Lum'Yer, a shape-shifting operative whose mangled dialect hides a cold, calculating mind, and Nute, a theatrical coordinator masking a deep fatherly dread beneath a veneer of awful puns and manic flair.

And far out in the sunless, freezing desert, away from the neon glow of the arena, Rywho Yu watches the perimeter. Masking a bloody past behind easy charm and terrible jokes, he tracks a silent beast roaming the sand—unaware that tomorrow’s deployment is about to blow wide open.

Five perspectives. Five motives. One mission that could burn everything to the ground.

Ready to step onto the arena floor?

Will Joe keep the fire contained, or will L'Quinn's bitter ambition tear the squad apart before the hunt even begins?

👉 [Click Here to Read Passage 01: Simmering Ashes Now!]