The night was unnaturally still.
Dain sat alone by the dim glow of a portable lumen, his mind heavy with thoughts. The ruins, the artifact, the system—all of it had changed something in him. He had fought against it, resisted the lure of whatever the Archivist had done to him. But now the system was moving forward, whether he willed it or not.
And then, it happened.
A familiar sensation rippled through his mind, like fingers trailing through his thoughts. His vision dimmed again, the world shifting into that strange, layered reality only he could perceive.
[System Notification: Quest Complete]
[Objective: Investigate the Ruins] — Completed
[Objective: Survive] — Completed
[Reward: Path Unfolds - Hidden Truths Revealed]
Dain tensed.
It wasn't an item. It wasn't a weapon or some cursed boon. It was truth.
The moment the words appeared, something clicked in his mind. A flood of images, thoughts, and whispers not his own surged forward. They weren't visions, not quite—they were knowledge. Pieces of something buried. Something hidden.
And it all revolved around one lie.
The war on this planet had never been about the Tau.
Dain's breath caught in his throat. The battles, the endless bloodshed, the sacrifice of thousands—none of it had been necessary.
The Imperium had known about the artifact.
They had known about the ruins.
They had sent soldiers—sent him—not to reclaim territory, not to defend the Emperor's realm, but to cover something up.
He gasped, his hands trembling. The Tau hadn't been the enemy.
They had been another distraction.
The real battle had always been deeper, buried beneath the surface of this dying world.
And the Inquisition… they knew.
Dain shut his eyes, gritting his teeth.
He had devoted his life to the Emperor, sworn to follow His will without question. And yet, now he had seen something he was never meant to see.
[New Quest Unlocked: The Veil of Lies]
Dain opened his eyes, his heart hammering in his chest.
The system had given him knowledge—a revelation.
And now, it was forcing him to make a choice.