"He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze."
— Psalm 18:34
The sun had barely risen over Zion District-7, but underground beneath the abandoned ruins of the old sanctuary, the walls echoed with the sound of combat.
Abraham stood at the center of a cracked circular platform, sweat trickling down his brow, muscles taut, eyes focused. Across from him, Saral—now dressed in her team's tactical black gear—moved like lightning. For a brief second, he almost forgot she was the head of the 7th-rank squad in ExoCore. She was terrifyingly skilled.
But she wasn't fighting to win.
She was testing him.
"Again," she ordered, raising the glowing staff encoded with a blue cross insignia. "This time, use the ExoCore surge. I want to see if it reacts to your bloodline."
Abraham's eyes flickered.
"My bloodline...?"
Saral hesitated. "You're not normal. The energy you used to shield me during the ambush... it wasn't from Earth."
Abraham raised his palm. His ExoCore gauntlet glowed faintly, unstable. Ever since the attack in Chapter 4, strange things had been happening—his senses sharper, reflexes inhuman, dreams filled with whispers and symbols from a language he couldn't read. A flaming sword. A shining throne. A voice calling him "Saint of Flame."
With a cry, he lunged forward, using his instinct rather than training. His gauntlet sparked—releasing a blast of pure light energy. Saral barely dodged it.
A second blast followed—uncontrolled.
It shattered part of the ceiling.
Saral's eyes widened. "That's not just ExoCore. That's... Holy Tech."
The room fell silent.
Abraham collapsed, panting. "What is happening to me?"
Saral knelt beside him, removing her glove. She reached out and touched his hand. "You don't just have ExoCore compatibility. You're bonded to the original Saint's legacy. You're not from a military bloodline... you're from the 'First Saints'—the lost protectors before the Techfall."
"Then why... was I abandoned in a village?"
"Because if the world knew what you are," she whispered, "They'd use you. Or kill you."
Abraham looked at her, and for the first time, his voice cracked.
"Then why are you helping me?"
She smiled, soft. "Because I prayed for someone who could save this world without losing their soul. And I think God sent me you."
---
Scene Change: Elsewhere – Obsidian Command Tower
Inside a dark chamber lit by red-coded symbols, an artificial intelligence named NEPHIL-A spoke with a hollow voice:
> "Subject: Abraham. Code Fragment Identified: 'He Who Burns Without Fire.' Recommendation: Terminate."
A council of masked figures nodded. One of them whispered:
> "Activate the Black Host. Begin Phase 7."
---
Back at the Sanctuary
Saral pressed a glowing chip into Abraham's gauntlet.
"This will suppress your power until you're ready. But from now on... you're no longer just a village boy."
She stepped back.
"You're ExoSaint."
Abraham looked down at his palm.
> "If God is with me… then let them come."
And far above, hidden in the clouds, a satellite locked on his position.
End of Chapter 6