Karax's convoy, hauling open iron-plated trains packed with people, rolled leisurely through the vast, desolate expanse of Chemos.
Bright days free of radioactive sandstorms had once been rare in this wasteland of Chemos.
Thanks to Fulgrim's governance, many machines capable of absorbing radiation had been deployed around Karax.
Once some more time had passed and the radiation had fallen below a certain threshold, trees could be replanted across this wasteland to shield against the wind and sand and hold back the dust.
After that, railways and roads could be built, linking the entire world together.
But for now, they could only travel using these crude machines.
As one of the shelters not too far from Karax, a clear day without wind and sand was the perfect time to relocate people.
The transfer convoy was large and mixed, filled with all manner of strange people.
These shelters, nearly crushed beneath their harsh surroundings, had practically ordered these radiation-mutated people to leave with the relief of casting off a burden.
After all, these grotesque mutants were burdens wherever they went.
Under the effects of wasteland radiation, few among them could truly still be called "human."
They had long since accepted their fate.
Living in this hopeless hell, death was not necessarily the worst kind of release.
Yet they had not died.
Amid endless numbness and despair, they received the guidance of a god.
A goddess named Fulgrim descended upon them.
She brought hope to every one of them.
Hope.
A potent remedy that allowed people to keep living.
Though Fulgrim repeatedly stressed that she was not a god, in the eyes of those who had lost everything, she was no different from the gods of legend who could save humanity.
She brought them the possibility of survival.
And expectations for the future.
"Big brother, the goddess said that beyond the sky is the universe, and that the ground is actually a sphere. Wouldn't we fall off, then?"
A young boy and girl sat cross-legged on the train, talking.
They were twin orphans. No one knew who their parents were.
Though neither of them had any deformities, and both had pale, well-formed faces, they had still been abandoned.
Until the goddess arrived.
She led them toward the home of the gods, Karax.
The goddess said that there, no one would force them to work, and sick people would not be thrown outside. Instead, they would be sent to a place called a "hospital."
Hospitals were wondrous.
As long as one stayed in a hospital, illness would be cured, and people would not die.
And she had even brought them candy!
Candy!
It was something delicious. The goddess told them that flavor was called sweetness.
She also promised these children that in Karax, someone would take care of orphans like them. They would have lots and lots of candy to eat, and people would tell them lots and lots of interesting stories.
And the people there would never whip them.
That alone was enough. More than enough.
"Big brother, big brother!"
"The goddess also said spaceships can take us into the sky, but what is a spaceship?"
The girl still remembered the stories told to them by that towering yet approachable goddess.
A spaceship... it was a kind of ship, like a bird that could soar through the sky?
That was how the goddess had explained it.
But what was a bird?
The goddess said that birds were animals with wings that could fly in the sky.
So Uncle Wenz was a bird.
But he was a "mutant bastard." No one else wanted to get near him. They said that because he had secretly learned "black magic," his hands had turned into wings.
Were wings really something good?
Children always had endless questions.
"Little ones, what are you talking about?"
Only when the officer escorting their convoy came closer did she shut her little mouth and curl up.
Her brother, meanwhile, stood with striking maturity and gave the officer a respectful bow.
"I'm sorry, sir. We'll be quiet now."
The man was the leader of this convoy. The other messengers of the goddess all called him Officer.
It was obvious from his appearance that he had a handsome face untouched by mutation, and his jet-black hair stood in stark contrast to the sparse hair of the other uncles.
"There's no need to be afraid. I was only asking."
The officer smiled.
The goddess's messengers were always smiling.
It was an expression rarely seen before.
When other adults encountered them, most merely wore stony faces and tossed them a few crumbs of starch when they begged.
That was considered a good outcome. Most would curse at them to get lost, while the foul-tempered ones would even kick them away.
"Also, there's no need to call me sir. Just call me Brother Kasgar."
Perhaps seeing that Kasgar was not angry, the younger sister gathered her courage after some hesitation and asked timidly.
"Then, Brother Kasgar, do you know what a spaceship is?"
"A spaceship..."
Kasgar sat beside the children and considered how to put it. "A spaceship is like the vehicle you're riding in now, only faster, bigger, and able to fly in the sky."
"When that time comes, we'll be able to travel the world in spaceships and help children suffering just like you everywhere. We'll no longer have to fear storms and radiation blocking our way."
"Yay! Spaceships! I want to fly a spaceship!"
A strange light sparkled in the girl's eyes.
When the time came, if she could fly a spaceship into the sky, she would surely scatter candy from it for the children below, so they could experience the taste of sweetness too.
"You will, little one," Kasgar replied with a smile. "Once you grow up, you can become a captain and fly a spaceship."
Kasgar smiled and patted the girl's head, then turned toward the quiet boy beside her.
"And what about you, little one?"
"What do you want to become in the future?"
"Officer, the Augur Array readings from the scouting team show dozens of unknown signals rapidly approaching from the right side of the convoy. They are likely scavengers coming to raid us."
As everyone chatted, a patrolman hurried over to them.
"Good. I knew they'd come."
Kasgar stood and brushed the dust from himself.
"Have the scouting team fall back first. Notify Firepower Teams One and Two to stand by."
"Guard Teams One through Four, mount the motorcycles and engage with me. Team Five will remain in reserve. If the situation becomes critical, notify Fulgrim to come provide support."
It was no surprise that scavengers had set their sights on them.
Meat. Slaves.
These mutants carried some radiation, but they were still meat in the end, still capable of working.
To the Sulfa people living in the terrifying wasteland, that was the finest feast imaginable.
Even if they found nothing, their dead companions could still be eaten.
That was how they survived in the wasteland.
"The bad guys are here!"
The two children clung to the train's iron railing and looked toward the dust cloud billowing in the distance.
Before you continue