Chapter 3 - Threads of the Heartspire

The heartspire loomed ahead, a colossal needle piercing the bruised firmament, its base ringed by cyclone walls of swirling void-mist. Warden corpses dissolved behind him, absorbed into the street like offerings. [Resonance Harvest: +3% Coherence Drain]. The meter ticked to 73%. Riven flexed; phantom limbs extended from his shadow, probing the air. Strings everywhere—invisible webs binding the city like a vast marionette.A plaza unfolded: tiered platforms crowded with spectators, their faces porcelain masks etched with fractal madness. At the center, an altar pulsed, channeling essence into a floating throne of warped crystal. Chanting rose: "Fuse or shatter!" A figure ascended the steps—cloaked, crowned in thorns of light. The False Sovereign?Riven's strings itched. He plucked one from the crowd; a spectator convulsed, mask shattering to reveal hollow orbits. Chaos rippled—stampedes, screams morphing to static. [Crowd Puppet: Unraveled. Anomaly Detected.] The throne flared, spotlighting him. "Intruder!" the Sovereign boomed, voice a chorus of fractures. "Your echo disrupts the weave!"Enforcer swarms boiled from the mist—dozens, strings taut. Riven laughed, ultra-crazy glee bubbling. He slashed air; a swath of threads snapped. Wardens puppeted each other into meat-grinders, limbs interlocking in grotesque ballets. Gore painted the plaza, essence siphoning to him: [Mass Severance: Overload Imminent]. Sanity plunged to 68%, visions flashing—Earth labs overlaid on the carnage, test subjects begging in spire-tongues.The Sovereign hurled a lance of crystal; Riven sidestepped, countering with a yanked plaza string. The altar buckled, throne cracking. Up close, the Sovereign's mask slipped: another puppet, eyes swirling with his reflection—Riven's grin multiplied. "You... are the fracture," it gasped.Deeper tolls shook the heartspire's core. Something ancient stirred below. The host wailed: We're unraveling everything! Riven advanced, scalpel drawn. "Good. Let's cut to the real Sovereign."