The game started three weeks ago.

Nobody remembered who invented it.

That was normal.

Rules survived longer than creators.

---

The children sat in a circle around a chalk diagram scratched onto the steel floor.

Three paths.

---

Worker.

Soldier.

Saint.

---

The goal was simple.

Reach the center.

---

Nobody ever asked what happened afterward.

The game already knew.

---

Mara:
I don’t like this one.

---

Chibi looked up from the board.

---

Chibi:
Why?

---

She pointed toward the center.

---

Mara:
Because everybody ends up the same.

---

Several children frowned.

Confused.

---

One boy shrugged.

---

Boy:
That’s how you win.

---

The others nodded immediately.

---

That answer bothered Mara more than the game itself.

---

Every turn required giving something away.

---

Food.

Sleep.

Comfort.

Family.

Fear.

---

The player who sacrificed the most reached the center fastest.

---

Nobody questioned the rule.

---

Mara:
Why does giving things away make you stronger?

---

A girl answered without hesitation.

---

Girl:
Because that’s how heroes work.

---

More nodding.

More agreement.

---

Mara had started disliking agreement lately.

---

Agreement felt dangerous.

---

Not because people were wrong.

Because people stopped thinking after they agreed.

---

The game continued.

---

One player became a worker.

One became a soldier.

One became a saint.

---

Different paths.

Same destination.

---

Another child reached the center.

The others clapped.

---

Boy:
What did you become?

---

The winner smiled proudly.

---

Winner:
Useful.

---

Everyone cheered.

---

Everyone except Mara.

---

Not happy.

Not loved.

Not free.

Not curious.

---

Useful.

---

Only useful.

---

Mara:
What if you don’t want to be useful?

---

The circle became quiet.

---

Not angry.

Confused.

---

One child finally answered.

---

Boy:
Then why are you here?

---

Silence.

---

The question landed harder than he intended.

Because he wasn’t being cruel.

He genuinely didn’t understand.

---

The game ended.

The other children left.

Soon only Mara and Chibi remained beside the chalk board.

---

The distant machinery hummed through the walls.

Steady.

Endless.

Comforting.

---

That was probably a bad sign.

---

Mara:
Do you think people become fanatics on purpose?

---

Chibi thought for a while.

---

Finally—

---

Chibi:
No.

A pause.

---

Chibi:
I think they stop noticing.

---

Mara:
Noticing what?

---

He looked down at the game board.

The three paths.

The single destination.

---

Chibi:
The things they gave away.

---

Silence.

---

The hive continued humming around them.

---

Mara:
How do you know when you’ve lost too much?

---

This time Chibi answered immediately.

---

Chibi:
When you stop missing it.

---

That answer stayed between them.

---

Because suddenly the game wasn’t about workers.

Or soldiers.

Or saints.

---

It was about everyone.

---

Khorne.

Nurgle.

Tzeentch.

Slaanesh.

The Mechanicus.

The Imperium.

The Drukhari.

The Orks.

---

Every path begins with something worth keeping.

---

Strength.

Hope.

Endurance.

Passion.

Duty.

Purpose.

Belonging.

---

And every path carries the same danger.

---

The moment the thing you love becomes the only thing left.

---

Three paths.

One destination.

---

And for the first time—

Mara wasn’t afraid of where the paths led.

---

She was afraid of how reasonable they looked while getting there.

---

If you remember what this felt like —
you already know what you’re missing.

Step back into it.
Or keep missing it.

👉 https://startplaying.games/gm/dunchan

Want to go deeper?
Then don’t stop at the surface.

The full stories. The dossiers. The things behind it —
they’re waiting. Or they’re not.

👉 https://www.patreon.com/c/mythveilchronicles_bydunchanhuntergames