> “The factory hums, metal clanging with each heartbeat, a suffocating blur of gray and rust. My hands, slick with sweat, ache from the relentless motion.
Once, I saw the Batal Stone, an oracle’s whisper naming me a keeper of steel and shadow. The bitterness of that fate clings to me still.
But come dawn, I will break free, breathe air untainted by iron and sorrow. A new path, unyielding, awaits. ✴”
— Scene 1, *The Hero’s Stone* ⟁
_Batal Vol.2 · Ep.2 · Scene 1 – Factory Manager · Factory Floor_
—
📖 **Excerpt from the book:**
> Factory Manager: It’s defective. Another defect. What on earth is the problem!
—