Seraphina was unusually cheerful as she reapplied her eyeliner, humming a dark melody that made the mirror vibrate.
"Why so giddy?" I asked, adjusting the tripod.
"We're doing a collab stream," she said brightly. "With LilithDollxoxo. She's one of the fastest-growing witch VTubers right now. Huge audience. Cute gimmick."
I raised an eyebrow. "You mean the girl who streams from her 'haunted bedroom' with dolls that supposedly move on their own?"
"Yes! Isn't it perfect? Ghosts adore collabs."
---
The stream went live. The viewer count spiked instantly—her fans flooding in alongside ours. The chat began scrolling at a manic pace.
> [CHAT]
"omg collab timeeee 🔥🔥"
"ngl Lilith is kinda sus tho 👀"
"nah this is free clout for Seraphina 💅"
"CAMERAMAN BETTER NOT DIE THIS EPISODE LOL"
---
Lilith appeared on screen, framed by her collection of porcelain dolls. Their glassy eyes gleamed faintly, reflecting the livestream lights.
"Hi hi everyone~!" she sang in a pitch so sweet it made my teeth ache. "Thank you for having me, Seraphinaaa!"
The dolls twitched behind her. Just slightly. Enough for the chat to notice.
> [CHAT]
"nah did that doll just BLINK???"
"bro i saw it too 😭"
"scuffed collab already lol"
---
Seraphina clasped her hands together, all smiles. "Tonight's challenge: ghost story trading! Whoever tells the scarier story, wins."
Lilith leaned close to her mic, grin widening. "Heehee~ oh, I don't need to tell a story. I brought mine with me."
The dolls turned their heads toward the camera. All at once.
I nearly dropped the rig. "Nope. Nope. Absolutely not."
The viewers went feral:
> [CHAT]
"LMAO cameraman about to rage quit"
"nah he's INVINCIBLE remember?? let him cook"
"bro if a doll touches him I'm unsubbing fr"
---
One doll slid off the shelf and scuttled across the floor like a spider. It lunged for my ankle—
—but I tripped backward over a cable, landing just right so the tripod leg smashed down on the doll's head, cracking it in half.
Chat erupted.
> [CHAT]
"💀💀💀 HE DID IT AGAIN"
"this guy got main character plot armor no cap"
"luckiest cameraman in history"
"nah he's just built diff"
Lilith giggled, but her smile twitched. "Ooh~ my dollies like you, camera boy. Maybe too much."
Seraphina's eyes narrowed. She mouthed silently at me: keep filming.