The void where Ms. Harlow's library once stood now buzzed with the garish neon of a livestream countdown. Pixelated confetti rained down as a holographic chat scroll exploded to life, flooding the space with emojis and ALL-CAPS FURY.
@Storyweaver_Prime's avatar materialized—a grotesque anime girl with too many eyes and a dress made of shredded manuscript pages. Her voice oozed synthetic sweetness.
"HIYA, LITTLE HEROES! Welcome to my ~Doki Doki Apocalypse Stream~! Let's see those donations roll in, or…"
The screen glitched, revealing the Storyweaver's true face—a writhing mass of ink and regret.
"...I'll CANCEL YOUR CHARACTER ARC."
The void morphed into a twisted game show set. Alex stood center-stage, cybernetic arm glitching into a Meme Microphone. Kairo and Finn flanked them, back-to-back, while Nyx lurked in the shadows, her crayon clutched like a dagger.
Finn: "Cool set! Who's your interior decorator? Satan's middle manager?"
@Storyweaver_Prime: "AUDIENCE, CHOOSE THEIR FIRST CHALLENGE!
A) DANCE-OFF TO THE DEATH
B) 1V1 BOSS BATTLE
C) SHIPPING POLL SPEEDRUN
Chat Vote: B) 1V1 BOSS BATTLE
Alex: "Oh thank god—wait, what's the matchup?"
The stage split into a Dueling Ring lined with narrative tropes like barbed wire.
@Storyweaver_Prime: "FIRST UP! Our star-crossed rivals—ALEX and KAIRO! Will they fight... or fall in love?"
Alex: "What? No—we're not—that's not how this works!"
Kairo: "...We are being shipped." His scar pulsed, torn between annoyance and something unreadable.
Finn: "Called it."
Nyx rolled her eyes and scribbled "JUST KISS" in the air.
Alex's Move:
They lunged—not at Kairo, but past him, cybernetic arm morphing into a Narrative Wrench aimed at the livestream's core. "Distract the chat! I'll crash the server!"
Kairo's Move:
He pivoted, blade flashing to deflect a barrage of Toxic Comment Arrows shot by the audience. "Hurry."
@Storyweaver_Prime: "BORING! CHAT, SPAM 'KISS' TO UNLOCK THEIR TRUE FEELINGS!"
The duel ring morphed into a Romantic Balcony™, rose petals materializing underfoot.
Alex: "Oh come on—"
Kairo: "Ignore it." He grabbed Alex's wrist, pulling them behind a Plot Armor Barricade as hate comments rained down. "Focus."
Their hands lingered a second too long. The chat exploded.
@SlowBurnShipper: "THEY HELD HANDS!!!! KYAAAAA!!"
@NewEdgeLord4Ever:"KILL THE MOOD! KILL IT!!"
@Storyweaver_Prime: "FINE. LET'S DESTROY THE SHIP!"
The Independent System Core around Alex's neck pulsed, yanking Nyx into the spotlight.
Nyx's Sync Rate: 12%
@Storyweaver_Prime: "DELETE THE GLITCH! CLICK HEART TO SAVE HER!"
Donation alerts blared as Nyx's body flickered.
Alex: "NOBODY CLICK ANYTHING!"
Kairo's Gambit:
He slammed his Admin Blade into the livestream's source code, his scar burning through layers of encryption. "Finn! Redirect the donations!"
Finn's Move:
Hijacked the cash flow into a "Save Nyx" GoFundMe, crashing the Storyweaver's servers. "Eat altruism, you capitalist squid!"
Nyx's Move:
In the chaos, she glitched behind the VTuber avatar and stabbed her crayon into its core.
@Storyweaver_Prime: "[ERROR! ERROR!—]"
The VTuber avatar imploded, sucking the void into a single pixel. Nyx collapsed, sync rate 9%, as Alex caught her.
Kairo: "It's over."
Finn: "But the ship sails on."
Alex: "Shut up."
***
The pixel expanded into a vintage TV screen. Static hissed, then resolved into a 1950s sitcom set.
Laugh Track:"HAHAHAHA!"
The Storyweaver (In a tacky sweater vest): "Honey, I'm home! Let's discuss our character arcs!
Nyx flipped off the sitcom screen. Finn saluted. Kairo sighed. Alex groaned, "We're getting a laugh track, aren't we?"