Kiana's brow furrowed, a trace of disgust flashing in her eyes.
Those misshapen Dolls were closing in.
She pushed off with her toes and shot forward like an arrow loosed from its bow.
The passage here was too narrow to maneuver.
She had to reach somewhere with an open view.
A distorted howl came from behind. "Don't run! The trial isn't over yet!"
Kiana ignored it.
Wind roared past her ears as she pushed her speed to the limit.
The Dolls pursued madly, controlling the surrounding puppets to cut her off.
"So what if you don't use your Herrscher powers?"
The voice oozed greed and madness. "Once you're dead, your core will still be ours!"
Kiana remained silent.
Only her footsteps grew more hurried.
At last, the space ahead opened up.
An enormous circular plaza appeared at the far end of her vision.
"This is the place."
The instant she stopped, a dark figure flashed before her.
The Doll tilted its head flippantly. "What's this? Picked out a nice burial spot for yourself?"
Kiana's lips curled, but her smile never reached her eyes. "Yes, I prepared it for you. Spacious enough?"
The Doll froze for a moment, then burst into piercing laughter.
"Oh my, how adorably naive."
It clutched its stomach theatrically. "Every part of you has gotten sharper, except that head of yours. Still as useless as ever."
"Open your eyes and count."
It spread its arms, gesturing at the dense mass of shadows behind it. "Compare our numbers-oh, I forgot. You've failed math since you were little. You can't even count this high, can you? Hahahaha!"
"Since you've chosen such a grand stage..."
The Doll's gaze abruptly turned cold. "Enjoy this arithmetic lesson in death!"
Kiana drew a deep breath, her chest heaving.
The taut string in her