Part 1: The Silence of Songbirds
Lyria wakes screaming—but no sound comes out.
The Audience's punishment is elegant in its cruelty:
Her voice box is replaced with an inkwell, black liquid bubbling where words should be.
When she tries to write, the parchment drinks her blood instead of ink.
Aiden's System mocks:
[Quest Failed: Protect the Bard]
[New Objective: Let Her Die Quietly (+50% Survival Chance)]
He tears the notification in half.
Part 2: Nirah's Hollow Prophecy
Her missing eye bleeds visions:
Aiden impaled on Kael's sword.
Ignisia's corpse floating in an ink ocean.
Lyria's name fading from the world.
Nirah's Choice:
Betray them now to "save" them later.
Let them hate her so they'll never see her real fear.
She slips away at midnight—taking the ship's compass with her.
Part 3: Ignisia's Last Spark
The dragonfire inside her sputters.
Her scales flake away, revealing parchment skin beneath.
She begs Aiden: "Burn me now. Before I forget why it matters."
He kisses her instead.
**The last flame erupts—**purifying a single, perfect memory:
A sunlit balcony. Aiden's laugh. The first time she loved him.
Then darkness.
Cliffhanger: The Audience Applauds
A single ticket drifts down, stamped:
"ACT II: THE HERO'S TURN"
Kael stands in the doorway, **his sword dripping with ink—**and Elara's blood.
Next Chapter Teaser:
Elara's "Death": She survives—but remembers nothing.
Kael's Corruption: The Audience recasts him as the hero.
Aiden's Breaking Point:"Fine. You want a villain? Here I am."