> "Trade. Bargain. Risk. Want."
> "Welcome to the Market of Might."
The voice was not the doll's, nor Enviel's. It was metallic and sly, like a whisper made of knives. The arena had once again shifted, now reshaped into a vast spiral city of glass stalls and shadowy merchants.
Each player stood at a crystal pedestal, blinking at a glowing interface.
> **New System Unlocked: Trait Market.**
>
> * Exchange minor traits, abilities, and pact favors.
> * Spend: Echo Points, Memories, Time Credits, or *Will.*
> * Warning: All trades are permanent.
"This looks like a setup," Eli muttered.
"No," Lena said beside him. "This is where people destroy themselves."
---
Kayaks walked slowly past the stalls. Each offered something dangerous.
> *+10% speed in time-distorted areas – price: a childhood memory.*
> *Gain "Flame Pulse" attack – price: 1 Loyalty Point with Patron.*
> *Sense lies for 24 hours – cost: trust penalty from all allies.*
And worse.
> *Resurrect one eliminated ally – price: 50% of your soul.*
"Someone's going to buy something they shouldn't," Kayaks muttered.
He turned and caught sight of a tall, lean player—*Merris*, Rank 11—trading his **entire moral compass** for a trait called *Absolute Focus.*
His eyes turned gray. He smiled without emotion.
"Now I can win," he said.
Eli grabbed Kayaks' sleeve. "We have to stop this."
"We can't stop all of it," Kayaks replied. "But we can show a better way."
---
Kayaks stepped onto a central podium.
"This system wants us to *bleed* ourselves for power," he said. "But if we lose our hearts, we become the very thing we're trying to escape."
Some players paused. Others laughed. But a few listened.
Kayaks made no trades.
Instead, he offered part of his Soul Echo to a weaker player, strengthening them for the next game—for free.
And that choice… changed something.
> **Unseen Choice Registered: Defy the Market.**
> **Reward: Trait Fusion Unlocked.**
>
> * Soul Echo + Leadership Echo → **Echo Pulse**
> * Allows Kayaks to radiate temporary strength boosts to allies once per game.
At the end of the cycle, several players had lost themselves for power.
But others had grown—together.
And the Playhouse whispered.
> "A leader forms. A seed takes root."
---
**End of Chapter 4**