The new discovery, courtesy of their sentient plot-device, Plotz, cast a new light on their recent adventures. The Void Syndicate, the antagonists from the space opera tale, were not just a one-off villain. Their interest in the Star-Tears, a powerful conceptual artifact, meant they were operating on a higher level than mere corporate greed.
This was the perfect opportunity to test their 'Key to the Backstage.' They hadn't just visited the world of the Crimson Corsair; they had become a part of its story. This key, in theory, should grant them access to its hidden mechanics.
Cid held the spectral key aloft. "Let us take a peek behind the curtain of our corporate rivals."
They didn't open a physical portal. Instead, they used the key to shift their perception. The solid walls of the Citadel dissolved around them, replaced by the familiar, dark space filled with lines of glowing code. But this time, they were not looking at the world of Eldoria. They were looking at the live, real-time narrative of the Void Syndicate.
They could see their target: Director Cygnus, the cold, calculating leader. He was in his office aboard his flagship, which was currently undergoing repairs at a secret starbase. They couldn't hear his words, but they could see his "narrative."
Jin-woo used his Narrator's Eye to read it.
[Character: Director Cygnus.
[Current Motivation: Uncover the identity of the 'Shadow' entity. Assess its potential as a 'Market Anomaly' or a potential 'Hostile Takeover Target.'
[Current Action: Reviewing the 'Shadow Incident' report.]
On a massive holographic screen in Cygnus's office, they could see the Director re-watching the recording of Cid's dramatic intervention and Jax's impossible victory.
Cygnus paused the recording on a single, blurry frame—the moment Cid had placed his hand on the Stardust Drifter's console to 'supercharge' it.
"Magnify. Enhance," Cygnus commanded to his empty office. The computer complied, zooming in on Cid's hand.
On Cid's wrist, just peeking out from under his sci-fi coat's sleeve, was a simple, leather bracelet he had been wearing since he was a child in his first reincarnated life. It had no special properties. It was just a keepsake.
"Isolate the artifact," Cygnus ordered.
The computer scanned the bracelet. The screen filled with data.
[Analysis: Material composition... common bovine leather. Magical energy... negligible. Historical origin... unknown.]
Cygnus leaned forward, a dangerous glint in his eye. "It's not about what it is. It's about what it represents. A single, consistent element. A lead. Cross-reference this artifact's design with every known database, every legend, every myth, every piece of forgotten lore in every known sector. I want to know where it comes from."
They had their answer. The Syndicate was hunting them. Now, they needed to know why they wanted the Star-Tears. They shifted their focus in the backstage, following the narrative threads connected to the Syndicate's "Project Star-Tear."
The thread led them deep into the Syndicate's R&D division, a place of horrifying corporate-magical experiments. Here, the "story" became darker. They saw what the Syndicate did with the single Star-Tear they had managed to acquire before Jax.
They weren't using it to grant wishes. They were trying to mass-produce it.
They were using a captured, sentient creature—a 'Dream-Weaver,' a species that could naturally shape reality through its dreams—and were forcibly feeding it the Star-Tear's sorrowful energy. They were torturing the creature to make it "weep" new Star-Tears, hoping to create an infinite supply of wish-granting material. It was a factory farm for miracles, powered by agony.
To Cid, this was the ultimate sin.
The Unwritten Page in their Citadel, sensing their shared discovery and moral outrage, began to glow. A new "Tale" was not presented. An update to a previous tale was offered.
[Story Update: The Tale of the Crimson Corsair.]
[New Chapter Available: 'The Dreamer's Prison'.]
[Synopsis: The Void Syndicate has captured a celestial Dream-Weaver, torturing it to replicate the power of the Star-Tears. Captain Jax Valor, hearing whispers of this atrocity, has decided to use the wish granted by the real Star-Tear not for himself, but to find and liberate the Syndicate's captive. His quest for treasure has become a quest for justice.]
And then, a new set of runes appeared on the page.
[Editor's Privilege is now active. You may perform up to THREE 'Major Revisions' before beginning this new chapter. How will you set the stage?
They were being invited back into the space opera, but this time, with the full power of their editorial authority.
Cid and Jin-woo looked at each other, the same cold, determined idea forming in both their minds. They were not just going to help Jax. They were going to dismantle the entire Void Syndicate from the inside out.
"First Revision," Cid said, holding up his Author's Pen. "Let's give our enemies a little... internal strife."
He wrote: "Director Cygnus's secret 'Project Star-Tear' has been anonymously leaked to the Syndicate's Board of Directors. Many on the board are now deeply suspicious, viewing Cygnus's private obsession with miracle-replication as a liability to their bottom line."
This would sow dissent, tying up their enemy in corporate infighting.
"Second Revision," Jin-woo stated. He used his will, and the Unwritten Tome glowed, supporting the next edit. "Let's give our hero a better tool for the job."
He wrote: "The 'information broker' who tells Captain Jax about the Dreamer's Prison also, out of a rare fit of conscience, gives him the complete security schematics for the Syndicate's R&D prison-station."
This would give their hero a fighting chance, turning an impossible infiltration into a difficult but achievable heist.
"And now," Cid said, a cruel, cold smile on his face, "for the final, personal touch." He was thinking about Director Cygnus and his obsessive investigation into "Shadow." "The Third Revision."
He wrote: "The Syndicate's deep-lore database, in its search for 'Shadow,' finds a single, corrupted, apocryphal text. It describes a chaotic, primordial entity known as 'The Jester of Chaos' whose calling card is 'leaving his enemies utterly humiliated and confused.' The text claims this entity can be summoned by performing a ridiculously complex and embarrassing ritual. Cygnus, desperate for any advantage, now believes 'Shadow' and 'The Jester' are one and the same."
Jin-woo stared at Cid.
With their three masterful revisions, the stage was perfectly set. The villains were squabbling, the hero was empowered, and the main boss was now on a wild goose chase, distracted by a lie of their own design.
The portal opened, the scent of recycled spaceship air returning.
It was time to make their grand re-entrance into the world of sci-fi, not just as surprise guest stars, but as the behind-the-scenes producers of the entire season finale.