I... might've made a mistake.

I'd gotten so used to the Tech-Priests that I knew and forgot about the fact that these were not, in fact, the Tech-Priests that I knew. And so, when I approached them, they reacted quite badly and started firing at me with what appeared to be primitive and fear weaker versions of the Lasguns that I knew and recognized. They also had slaves with them. Slaves. I knew what Servitors were and what their function to the greater Imperium was and I accepted that. It was grotesque and rather disgusting, but I accepted it. After all, only the most heinous criminals were turned to Servitors and, if anything else, they deserved such a fate. But the chained, malnourished things they dragged by their sides – while shooting at me – were most definitely not servitors. Men, women, and children, naked with their limbs bound in chains.

Unacceptable. I knew, right then and there, that this was not the Mechanicus that I knew. They were Hereteks. And, like every other Heretek, they deserved only death; though I wasn't quite sure what punishment awaited them from the Machine God, I remained certain of the fact that I'd be the one to send them there.

And so I did not feel particularly regretful when I raised [Mjolnir] and summoned massive pillars of lightning from the sky, which tore apart their vessels and fried the Hereteks within their mostly-metallic bodies. All of them died instantly, which was rather regrettable as I would've preferred that they suffered for a while, but then that was entirely my fault for choosing [Mjolnir], instead of a simpler weapon. Their slaves died as well, reduced to ashes, but at least I gave them quicker deaths than their masters would've otherwise granted.

A few of the Hereteks survived, having hidden themselves far enough away to avoid the worst of the lightning strike. I killed them before they could even think about retaliating. And, soon enough, it was just me and the ruins they were about to explore. I kind of wished I'd left at least one of them alive for interrogation, but I wasn't skilled in that art and I was rather certain of the fact that Tech-Priests, Hereteks or otherwise, couldn't feel pain unless they wanted to. So, an interrogation would've definitely been useless, even if I knew how to do it. I summoned two more giant lightning bolts to destroy their ships entirely, breaking the vessels apart in a shower of electrical currents and globules of melted metal.

Shaking my head, I walked up to the ancient and ruined structure. They were interested in this... thing for some reason. It was even stranger from up close. It was clear, at a glance, that the structure, half-buried in sand and rock and stone, was ancient. Far older than anything I'd ever seen. There were markings all over its surface, though most of it were vandalism as they clearly hadn't been a part of the structure and were, instead, carved upon it. There were markings, however, that clearly were a part of the ruin, though I recognized none of the actual words.

I glanced around me. Mutated wretches and barbarians covered in rags and leathers emerged from rocky outcroppings, observing me at a distance. They carried odd spears made of cobbled bits. They were afraid and rightly so. I had no quarrel with them, however, as they were still humans, despite their unfortunate mutations and sickly bodies. They didn't seem hostile either, but were merely curious. My eyes narrowed at the state of them. When all of this was over, I was gonna have to find a way to get the Imperium to colonize this place. Humans were suffering on this ball of dust and that was unacceptable.

Regardless, there was nothing I could do for them – for now. The ruin was 'open', in a way. There was a clear entrance for me to walk through. It clearly hadn't been fully excavated by them – or at all. One could usually tell if the Mechanicus had a presence in an archaeological site by all the equipment they'd prop up, like lights and scanners. But, the clear absence of such things meant this was very likely a recent discovery. Or one of insignificant importance. Whatever the case, I walked right through the entrance and froze as a feminine voice suddenly spoke in a very odd, but strangely understandable dialect.

"Welcome to Summer Mall, where your satisfaction is our call to action!"

What? I glanced around me and found... nothing interesting. It was dark – or, at least, it would've been pitch black without my enhanced senses. All that awaited for me within the ruin were large and empty rooms, hallways, ancient things covered in dust from the passage of eons. Quite a bit of interior was flooded with sand and dirt, and there really wasn't much here that would've otherwise enticed the Mechanicus to salvage it – or Hereteks for that matter. So, why were they-

My eyes fell upon... something at the center of the 'mall'. It looked like a fountain of sorts, but there was no water. And at its center was a vast blue emptiness that appeared to almost glow against the shadows around it. That, I figured, was the only thing here that was of any interest. So, I walked right up to it, detecting no malice or aggression. The odd blue glow, I noted, seemed to pulsate at my coming. For what reason, I didn't know. But I would admit to being curious. Idly, I noted the few mutated natives who stood by the entrance, likely hoping to catch a glimpse of me, which would've been entirely impossible in this darkness.

As I got close, something emerged from the blue emptiness. It was a woman, but not quite. Her body appeared to be... digital? She certainly wasn't a spirit or a daemon as either of those things would've triggered my [Concept Shaping]. So, the only conclusion left was that this woman was some kind of technological projection. Her blue body was tattered, however, missing entire patches and replaced with odd blocks of square or rectangular things. Only half of her face remained; the other half was just... not there. Idly, I had to wonder if this... thing was an Abominable Intelligence or merely a projection. The latter seemed more likely, however.

And then, the projection spoke, "Hello, dear customer! Welcome to Summer Mall. My name is Cortana, a digital intelligence created by 343 Systems. How may I assist you today?"

That I somewhat understood her dialect was a blessing. The manner with which she spoke, alongside her words, assured me that this Cortana was, indeed, nothing more than a digital projection, likely a remnant of old humanity. Still, I did have a few questions that needed to be answered. "What is this place, Cortana? Where am I?"

"You are in the Summer Mall." Cortana said. "Specifically, you are currently located in the Nevada branch, one of three hundred branches across the United States of America and nine hundred across the whole world! How exciting!"

I had no idea what of that meant. Nevada was obviously a place and this... United States of America surely was a country at some point, though it surely no longer existed. How intriguing. Learning about new places and new things, I found, seemed like a very interesting thing to do – not much else here, anyway. I wanted to know more. And this digital creature was going to tell me everything. "What can you tell me about Summer Mall?"

"Summer Mall was founded by John Summer on the year 23,450 – and, like all great things, Summer Mall began as little more than a childhood dream." Cortana began. What caught me off-guard, however, was the year. If this digital intelligence was right, then this 'mall' was built before the Age of Strife. It was, in fact, built during the Golden Age, something the Custodians very briefly spoke of during our time together, an age where humanity had reached its technological and political zenith. I knew little of it, truth be told. But I knew that the Mechanicus spoke of that time as a time of great techno-heresy, when mankind innovated. Cortana continued. "And, after only a few decades of hard work, John Summer brought his dream across the United States of America and soon, across the whole world. And so, Summer Mall became the greatest and most popular mall destination on the entire planet!"

My eyes narrowed. Something told me, at the back of my head, that I wouldn't like the answer to my next question. I wasn't sure why or what or how, but I just did – a gnawing doubt at the back of my head, an instinct that threatened to burst out of my own mind. Or, perhaps, one of the memories I'd apparently forgotten, the ones that might explain how I came to be here. I swallowed a hard lump in my throat. I looked down and stared at the ground, my hands curling into fists. If only I could remember. The seconds ticked by like eons, before I mustered the courage to ask. "And what planet are we on, exactly?"

"This is Earth – otherwise known as Terra!"

My eyes widened.

"Perry... humanity can no longer win – not as it is, not here... not now. It was far too late for that... but that does not mean there is no hope."

"Take this with you and give it to him. He'll know what to do with it. He'll know what it means. Keep it hidden... keep it safe. Only he may see this. Do not fail, Perry the Guardsman – the fate of humanity hangs in the balance."

"What a fascinating universe. I must admit, it is not a common occurrence that I am summoned to aid entities that may be considered gods. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Emperor of Mankind; I am the Man of Glass. How may I offer my services?"

"It was nice knowing you, Perry. I think we'll meet again, surely, but I won't remember you by then. I'll be younger and dumber as well."

"Do not trust her – do not trust anything she says. She is an enemy of mankind and will remain so until her death."

"The map is in your head. And the clues to unlocking it will be found on your journey. Understand that this was done for your protection and benefit. What you don't know, our enemies won't know either. And we have them aplenty. Stay safe, Perry. And trust your instincts; it shall guide you just as it has guided humanity for thousands upon thousands of years."

I awoke on the floor, on my knees, with Cortana standing before me, her form illuminating the darkness. The rush of disjointed memories offered no clarity, but I think I now kind of understood what my mission was to be – or, at least, what the circumstances around it were supposed to be. How this was even possible eluded me, but I had a feeling that Master Mirror was somehow involved. I'll just have to find him, then. Though, something told me that it wouldn't be an easy task.

I stared at the digital creature's form for a moment longer and sighed. "And what year is it now?"

Something shifted about Cortana, her form flickering and seemingly breaking apart. And, when she spoke, her voice was broken. "tHe yEAr iSssss... 26,754!"

That was... all I needed to hear. "Thank you, Cortana. You've been very helpful."

I then reached out and absorbed the machine that housed her, sending it straight into my [Inventory]. It should be an interesting thing to experiment with, using [Tech-Shaping], a skill I hadn't really paid much attention to.

My mind still reeling, I walked up to one of the dust-covered benches and sat right down. And there, I stared at the far wall.

I was on Holy Terra... but not quite. I was on Holy Terra, during the Age of Strife.

My eyes narrowed. Why?

AN: Chapter 73 is out on (Pat)reon!