The crown was back in my hands.The crowd still cheered.But this time… I wasn't afraid.
I was curious.
---
I didn't even look at the king when he bowed.I let him speak his lines, let the crowd chant "Hero!" like a broken choir.
Instead, I scanned their faces.
The baker.The soldier.The priestess waiting by the gates.
They all wore the same masks.But now I knew those masks could slip.
---
So I forced it.
I dropped the crown again.The world stuttered.The cheer skipped like a scratched record before snapping back to full volume.
I grinned.
"Do it again," I whispered.
---
I walked to the baker's stall and slammed my sword onto the counter.
The metal rang.The bread baskets rattled.Her smile stayed.
But her head… jerked sideways for a split second.Not natural.Like someone had yanked invisible strings.
Then the smile returned, stretched wider than before.
---
My chest tightened.She wasn't human.None of them were.
And yet, behind those masks, something was watching.
---
The knight came again, proud and polished.But this time, his eyes flickered—just for a moment.
Not blue. Not human.Something hollow, pale, staring through him.
He spoke his line, voice booming.But when he turned to look at me, his mouth moved without sound.
Like two voices were trying to speak through him at once.
---
I stumbled back.
The priestess stepped forward, smile gentle.But her lips trembled before her line came out.Like she didn't want to say it.Like someone else was forcing her.
"Glory to our savior," she whispered.
And I swear…I heard a second voice beneath hers, broken and pleading:
"Run."
---
My blood ran cold.
These weren't just puppets.Something lived behind them.Something trapped.
---
The mage grinned. Too wide.His head tilted too far, like a doll bending wrong.
Then, for just a second, his eyes locked onto mine.
And the grin vanished.
His lips moved silently, almost desperate.
"Don't break it."
Then the grin snapped back into place.
---
The crowd roared again.The knight raised his sword.The priestess smiled.The mage laughed.
The script continued.
But I had seen it now.
The masks were cracking.And behind them… were souls.