The Fire is Lit: Passage 03 – The First Funeral Pyre

The air is thick with rot-flies, the fog is literally poison, and two of the Saints’ most unhinged operatives just got dropped into a pine forest to hunt a monster.

What could possibly go wrong?

Passage 03: The First Funeral Pyre is officially live, and it brings us front-row to a high-stakes, scorched-earth hit job.

When Nute gives the green light to take down Maska—a former council member turned Stage 4 Auk Mentar—he sends two men who couldn't be more opposite if they tried:

• L’Quinn: Flashy, arrogant, and operating on pure bloodlust. Armed with a black scarf (strictly for the aesthetic) and a terrifying arsenal of stolen Will constructs, he’s treating a lethal execution like a personal playground.

• Joe Skyne: Walking iron furnace, bound by suffocating armor dampeners, and trying to keep a literal twelve-headed fire entity locked behind his ribs. He’s cautious, methodical, and running on a dangerously tight leash.

While L’Quinn blitzes ahead to turn Maska’s beast-loyalists into modern art, Joe is left marching behind to clean up the mess. But Maska isn't just another target—he’s a centuries-old war veteran who doesn't play fair, armed with spatial magic and brute force capable of cracking heavy iron.

When speed fails and restraint crumbles, somebody has to break the leash.

Told across multiple shifting perspectives—including the chaotic inner monologue of L’Quinn, Joe’s battle against his own overwhelming power, and a spectating spirit who just wants to eat chili and fries—The First Funeral Pyre is an explosive, action-packed chapter that changes the game for the Saints.

Will L’Quinn claim the prize first, or will Joe be forced to unleash the inferno he’s spent years trying to contain?

There’s only one way to find out.

👇 Click the link below to dive into the ashes:

Read Passage 03: The First Funeral Pyre Now