> “The machines’ hum feels like daggers in my ears, a relentless assault. My hands are grimy, calloused, bearing the weight of every error, every second lost.
I remember the village spring, the day I touched the Batal Stone. Its warmth promised a future that seems so distant now.
Tomorrow, I will reclaim silence, let clarity be my guide, and mend what’s broken to start afresh.
✴”
— 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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