Part 1: The Last Song
The celebration was supposed to be safe.
Lyria stood atop the tavern table, her boots stomping out a rhythm as the others laughed. Even Nirah smiled - a rare sight since losing her eye.
"Sing the one about the dragon and the fool!" Elara shouted, sloshing ale over the rim of her tankard.
Lyria grinned, threw back her head, and-
Silence.
Not the hush of a rapt audience. Not the pause before a chorus.
Absolute, unnatural silence.
Her mouth kept moving. Her fingers plucked invisible strings. But no sound came out.
A single drop of black ink slid from her left ear.
Part 2: The System's Cruelty
Aiden's vision filled with notifications:
[WARNING: NARRATIVE CORRUPTION DETECTED]
[VOCAL TRACK: DELETED]
[LYRIA VEXIS: DESIGNATION CHANGED TO "BACKGROUND CHARACTER"]
"No." He reached for her -
Her lips stitched themselves shut with glowing red thread.
The tavern around them froze. Patrons mid-laugh, ale suspended in air.
A new message:
[THE AUDIENCE REQUESTS MORE DRAMA]
[SUGGESTED ACTION: CRY. BEG. MAKE IT ENTERTAINING.]
Part 3: Nirah's Choice
Nirah's remaining eye rolled back, showing only white.
"They're offering a deal," she whispered. "Her voice...for my other eye."
Aiden grabbed her shoulders. "We don't negotiate with-"
"I wasn't asking." Nirah's dagger flashed. When she turned back, both sockets wept ink.
Lyria gasped - the threads vanished - but what came out wasn't song.
It was the Audience's laughter.
Cliffhanger: The First Cut
Kael stood in the doorway, his sword already drawn.
"I can fix this," he said.
His arm was pure ink up to the shoulder.
Chapter 18 Teaser:
Kael's Corruption Accelerates
The Tavern Becomes a Cage
Aiden's System Begins Self-Destructing