II Dottore

The festival had been beautiful.

Lanterns floated across the endless night sky like drifting stars, their warm glow painting the world in gold and crimson. Music echoed through the streets, soft laughter blending with the scent of sweets and spiced drinks. For one fleeting evening, there was no war, no gods, no fate looming overhead. Only joy.

Everything felt... perfect. Too perfect.

At the center of the celebration, Columbina wandered peacefully through the festival grounds, her soft humming nearly blending with the distant melodies. Nearby, Lauma and Nefer stood together in quiet conversation, exchanging amused smiles as they watched the crowd pass by. Flins, somehow having transformed himself into an old lantern-bearing man, chuckled warmly while handing candies to passing children — and to you — acting as though he had done this for centuries.

Not far away, Varka sat slumped against a wooden table, already several drinks too deep into the night, his booming laughter erupting every few moments. The Traveller and Paimon sat across from one another at a small stall, intensely arguing over a card game neither seemed willing to lose. Three Hexenzirkel witches entertained the guests with dazzling magic, filling the skies with shimmering illusions that danced like living dreams.

Elsewhere, Jahoda, Wanderer, and Durin sat awkwardly around a table stacked with candy wrappers, somehow locked in a very serious debate over flavor rankings.

Mint versus berry. Chocolate versus caramel.

It was absurdly normal. Peaceful. Almost enough to make you forget the feeling crawling beneath your skin.

Then... something whispered into your ear.

"Join by my side."

The voice was quiet. Gentle. Wrong.

And suddenly, the festival no longer felt warm. Your heartbeat slowed. The music dulled.

The lantern lights seemed dimmer than before.

At the edge of the festival grounds, Columbina had begun her journey home — to the Moon.

And yet, She never made it there. From the shadows, he appeared.

Dottore.

Before anyone could react, before even the wind could move, he struck. The two Moon Marrows were torn away from Columbina in an instant, their pale celestial glow flickering violently in his grasp. And then— a box. A strange, invisible barrier unfolded around her. Sealing Columbina inside. And then the world stopped. Everything froze. The music. The lantern flames. The falling petals. Even the drunken laugh caught in Varka’s throat.

Every person stood motionless like abandoned puppets trapped in time itself.

Except you. You could still move. And for the first time in a very long while... Dottore looked surprised.

"Interesting," he murmured, tilting his head.

You didn’t hesitate. You attacked him instantly, fury and desperation crashing through your veins as you fought to protect Columbina. The frozen world became your battlefield — shattered lanterns, broken cards, and flickering moonlight scattering beneath every strike. But Dottore was prepared.

Every movement you made felt anticipated.

Every attack countered. No matter how hard you fought, no matter how desperately you reached for that barrier holding Columbina inside—

You lost. Pain exploded through your body as Dottore struck you down, your vision blurring as you collapsed onto the frozen festival streets.

And above you, beneath the motionless sky, Dottore simply smiled.

"You already lost. Now, join me. Let us reshape the world and make new rules."