The Doll clapped excitedly, its voice so sickly sweet it made their skin crawl. "Heeheehee! You noticed long ago, didn't you? We can invite promising 'audience members' to take a seat."
"But you've suppressed that woman's consciousness so thoroughly that our threads can't latch onto it at all."
"If we can't invite her to visit the Theater, we'll just have to choose someone else."
"So we came up with a new plan."
"We'll drag you into this play, whatever the cost!"
"Even if each of us is weak, together, we can tear through your defenses!"
"As for those traps you set? Cannon fire? Clever little tricks? Doesn't matter."
"The moment you set half a foot inside the Theater, we win!"
"Come on, pick somewhere with a nice view."
"It's time for the curtain to fall."
Before its words had faded, the Doll dissolved into a fading afterimage.
Kiana stood frozen, her mind blank.
Everything that had felt wrong before now clicked together like pieces of a puzzle.
No wonder they hadn't cared whether their companions lived or died.
No wonder they had never tried to seize the Herrscher of the Void's power.
Power wasn't what they wanted at all.
It was an opening.
She gritted her teeth and charged back up the stairs.
Her footsteps were hurried, her heart thundered.
At last, she burst onto an open platform.
Three Dolls stood there.
The one in the middle had its hands behind its back and was looking around like a picky director.
"Hmm... not bad."
It nodded in satisfaction and pointed around. "An unobstructed view, superb lighting and shadows. The perfect place to stage the final grand act!"
Though it was only the final act, it trembled all over with excitement. "Heeheeheehee!"
Kiana tightened her grip on her weapon and advanced