Valerius, commander of the NAES Army 25th "Lantern Squad," is a combat master who rejects reliance on precision instruments, trusting only his primal "battlefield instincts." His final mission was to escort scientists deep into The Dark Continent to establish an outpost, after which he vanished without a trace. One night, a deathly silence fell over the outpost. Though magnetic sensors read normal, Valerius felt a deep, gnawing unease—a prickling static on his skin, as if the very air was fleeing in terror. He resolved to retreat immediately, but the research-obsessed scientists refused with near-fanatical zeal, insisting on retrieving their experimental droid. Forced to compromise, Valerius ordered his squad to physically escort the personnel to safety while he returned alone to the tent for the damned experimental droid. Ironically, disaster struck in an instant. A sudden magnetic storm collapsed the tent, while the retreating convoy—exposed in the open—was swallowed whole. There were no survivors. When Valerius regained consciousness, he found the experimental droid digging him out of the rubble...