> "Survive long enough, and you'll realize not all monsters wear claws. Some wear your face."
---
System Prompt: Welcome to the Broken Capital – Del'Taar
> [Zone: Del'Taar - Dead City of the First Human Kings]
Tier: 3 - Level 5
Active Anomalies: Demonic Fog, Time Inversion Fields, Soul Mirrors
Local Laws:
• Physical time may reverse unpredictably.
• Death echoes—remnants of those killed here linger as spectral loops.
• Authority belongs to the Puppet Lord.
Warning: Anyone who breaks a mirror will face themselves.
---
Arrival: Ruins That Breathe
The party entered Del'Taar, and for the first time since arriving in the demon world, they felt cold.
Not the kind that chills skin—but the kind that seeps into memory.
Buildings stretched upward like melted candles, half-organic and shivering in the wind. Some windows blinked. Others bled. Roads slithered subtly, stone scraping on stone as if the city were alive.
> [System Notification: You are being watched.]
Source: Unknown – Identified as "The First Puppet."
A sudden giggle echoed through the air. Then silence.
---
Mystery Discovered: The Soul Mirror District
Melia noticed a courtyard surrounded by thousands of floating mirrors, each suspended midair like still birds. They reflected not what stood before them, but different versions of the viewer.
Lian approached one.
In the mirror, he saw himself… with red eyes, a throne beneath him, a road paved with bodies. His allies—dead.
> [New Discovery: Soul Mirror]
Description: A device left behind by the First Human King before he was betrayed by the Puppet Lord. These mirrors reveal a possible fate.
Side Quest Unlocked: The One You Might Become
Reward: ???
Warning: Breaking a mirror binds you to the version you see.
Demist looked at his and turned away. He never told anyone what he saw.
Jayce chuckled weakly. "Mine just showed me in a gold rickshaw. Loaded with guns. And melons. What the hell…"
But Boom didn't laugh.
His mirror didn't reflect him. It showed nothing.
---
Battle: Threadlings of the Hollow Choir
As they moved deeper, the cobbled path beneath them unzipped. Dozens of pale, faceless beings—dressed in noble robes, eyes sewn shut with gold thread—rose from the stones.
They moved like dancers. But their fingers were blades.
> [Hostiles Detected: Hollow Threadlings – Soul Rank 3 Creatures]
Traits: Shared HP Pool. Damage to one heals the others.
Weakness: Their movement is tied to sound and rhythm.
Status: Controlled by the Puppet Lord.
Melia's bullets missed.
Demist's axe sliced one—but it didn't die. The wound zipped shut as two others laughed silently.
Astra shouted, "Break the tempo—make them stumble!"
Boom took out his speaker system—normally used for war cries—and blasted chaotic jazz.
The creatures froze, twitched violently… then exploded into threads of screaming silk.
> [Victory]
Coins Earned: 750
Talent Influence: Coin Multiplier applied
Bonus: +1 Puppet Fragment
Lian picked up the shard. It pulsed in his hand like a dying heart.
> [You have obtained a Puppet Fragment – 1/13]
Collecting all 13 may grant access to the Throne of Strings.
Be warned: Others are searching too.
---
Campfire: Beneath a Living Tree
That night, they rested under a massive, tree-like structure made from hollowed-out bodies. The wind passed through its mouths like a haunting flute.
Jayce stared at the puppet fragment. "Why does it feel like we're not fighting monsters anymore… we're fighting stories? Like… cursed legends that want to be remembered?"
Lian nodded. "This world isn't just demonic. It's mythic. It wants us to choose. Who we become. What we become."
Boom added, "And it keeps score."
> [System Reminder: This is the first world where your evolution paths may begin to diverge.]
Based on your decisions, you may evolve into:
• Road Lord
• Demonbreaker
• Puppet Warden
• Coin King
• Or… something darker.
---
End of Chapter 69: City of Puppets