Zen entered the Rust-Pit Mines as a nameless slave. He spent weeks in the dark, watching, calculating. He identified Guard Baru, a sadistic man with an electric whip, and Lin, a spy masquerading as a miner.
He orchestrated a "Controlled Chaos." He planted unstable Fire-Essence in the pouch of a rival miner, the "Iron Ogre," causing an explosion that appeared like an attempted theft. In the confusion, Zen used the Mirror to drain the Ogre's strength and then "helped" Baru suppress the riot.
"You're a sharp one, brat," Baru had said, promoting Zen to Sector Overseer.
Now, Zen had his own cell. He had privacy. He had the resources to prepare for the ultimate prize: The Living Metal Nerve.