Suffer Not The Radiant

Chapter 2: The Playground Incident

Hampshire, Britain

The warm summer sun cast long shadows across the playground as children laughed and played in the afternoon breeze. But beyond the playground's perimeter, the towering buildings of the Kingdom Corporation rose high, casting their own shadows over the land. At first, everything seemed peaceful. But despite the relative tranquility, the world was still a dangerous place. Acts of terrorism and violence by Radiant supremacists were all too common, and the existence of the Mirror Earth was a constant reminder of the dangers lurking just beyond the veil.

Thankfully, the world had the Valorant Protocol to keep the peace. With generous funding from dozens of nations, including the Kingdom Corporation, the Protocol had the resources it needed to tackle any challenge that arose. The result was a mostly peaceful world, with minor crimes like robberies being the most common offenses in wealthy countries like Britain and the United States.

In Hampshire, a mother watched as her daughter played with the other children in the playground. She smiled as her little girl ran around, giggling and having fun. "Be careful, sweety," she called out. "You'll hurt yourself!" "I won't!" her daughter replied, grinning from ear to ear. The mother chuckled at her child's boundless energy. "Kids these days, huh?" she said, looking around at the other parents in the playground. "They just never stop." But as she turned back to her daughter, she froze. Her little girl was nowhere to be found. Panic gripped her heart as she called out her daughter's name. "Anna? Anna, where are you?" But there was no response.

The other parents in the playground noticed the mother's distress and started helping her look for her daughter. They searched the playground and the surrounding area, calling out her name. But there was no sign of the little girl. Just when they thought things couldn't get any worse, they heard an ear-piercing scream that chilled them to the bone.

The mother and the other parents ran towards the source of the sound, pushing their way through the thick forest and clawing their way through the undergrowth. Their minds were filled with the worst possible scenarios - a wild animal attack, perhaps, or some other horror that no parent should ever have to face.

As they made their way through the woods, they followed the trail of Anna's footprints. They ran as fast as they could, their hearts pounding in their chests, desperate to reach the little girl in time. After what felt like an eternity, they found her, huddled in a ball on the ground, shaking and covered in dirt. The mother rushed to her daughter's side, cradling her in her arms and holding her tight. She couldn't bear the thought of losing her little girl.

But as they embraced, the other parents froze in fear. They were staring at something behind the mother and daughter, something that made their blood run cold. "What is it?" the mother asked, looking over her shoulder.

A giant humanoid figure stood before them, clad head to toe in gray armor.
He was more than seven feet tall, his massive frame looming over them like a mountain. A sword hung at his waist, and a massive gun was strapped to his side. The group of parents stared at the armored figure, transfixed by his presence. They had never seen anything like him before. The sheer size of him was enough to make them tremble with fear.

The armored figure was crouched down, as if trying to make himself smaller, but the group of parents knew better. They knew he was dangerous, and that his intentions were anything but good. "We need to get out of here," the mother said, her voice shaking with fear. "We need to run."

The Astartes stood tall and immovable, surveying his surroundings with an air of detached curiosity. He observed the people in front of him, noting their clothing and movements with a practiced eye. From their dress and reactions, it was clear that they lived in comfort and luxury - a far cry from the harsh, spartan existence of all the imperial worlds he had set foot on.