Death Volcano

In the ancient tongue of Nocturne, its name—"Nocturne"—usually carried two meanings.

The first was darkness; the second, night. Both could be associated with silence, yet this world was anything but quiet.

Every fifteen Terran years, it was struck by an inescapable, planetwide catastrophe. Thousands of volcanoes erupted at once, followed by earthquakes, tsunamis, rising radiation, and a series of other abnormal natural events, all culminating in a long winter.

During this time, everything teetered on the brink of collapse, without exception.

Yet the people of Nocturne were not pessimistic. On the contrary, they even regarded this series of disasters as a harsh tempering, calling it the Time of Trials.

That made them sound like madmen who worshipped suffering, but that was not the case.

Nocturne was generous. Who knew how many treasures lay buried beneath its crust? The unceasing tectonic movements during the Time of Trials happened to bring these treasures to light—valuable mineral veins, ancient technological artifacts, and more. The Mechanicum was always willing to pay dearly for them.

In fact, the nearby forge worlds had long since dispatched their own trade representatives to reside on Nocturne or its moons, allowing them to obtain information firsthand.

All things considered, this world could be described as exceedingly prosperous. Moreover, Nocturne possessed seven hive cities, all located in places unlikely to be heavily affected by the disasters. Each had been fitted with massive void shields and alloy walls. They were astonishingly sturdy, capable of standing firm through the Time of Trials.

Not only that, but every city even housed a company of Salamanders, equipped with the finest gear and subjected to the harshest training.

Thus, in the minds of the general public, the people of Nocturne should have lived simple, happy lives wanting for nothing.

Unfortunately, reality and imagination were often