> “My hands ache from the cold metal, the clangs echoing in my bones. The machine’s whirr is now my pulse, each screech a shiver.
The Batal Stone once whispered secrets in a voice like my father’s—warm, hopeful, a promise of greatness.
Tomorrow, I’ll break free from these iron chains, breathe in dawn’s first light, and turn whispers into truth.
✴”
— Scene 1, *The Hero’s Stone* ⟁
_Batal Vol.2 · Ep.2 · Scene 1 – Factory Manager · Unknown_
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📖 **Excerpt from the book:**
> Factory Manager: It’s defective. Another defect. What on earth is the problem?!
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