The door's surface rippled like liquid static as Lisa stepped through, her boots crunching on shattered glass and fractured code. The Audience's realm sprawled before her—a cathedral of screens flickering with stolen memories, their edges dissolving into a void that hummed with predatory static. Faceless giants lounged in floating seats, their emoji eyes (🍿👁️🔥) locked onto her.
**"WELCOME TO THE FINAL CUT,"** they boomed, their voices glitching between amusement and hunger.
Lisa's tattoo burned. The child's crayon drawing glowed in her pocket, its edges singeing the fabric.
---
### **The Banquet**
The screens flickered to life, replaying Lisa's greatest failures:
- **Loop 1,304**: She lets Lora die to save Rabbit.
- **Loop 5,002**: The child's first scream as the Garden consumed her.
- **Loop 6,000**: Lisa merging with the core, becoming the monster she swore to destroy.
The giants leaned forward, their laughter shaking the void. **"DELICIOUS."**
A banquet table materialized, piled with grotesque delicacies:
- **Hors d'oeuvres**: Hybrid hearts skewered on lavender thorns.
- **Main Course**: A holographic Lisa, roasted over codefire.
- **Dessert**: Rabbit's ghost, crystallized in static and served on a platter.
---
### **Lora's Shadow**
Lora's silhouette emerged from the darkness, thornless but translucent. "They're not feeding on *you*," she hissed. "They're feeding on *regret*. Your *flaws*."
She pointed to the screens. "Every choice you didn't make. Every life you didn't save. That's their *currency*."
Lisa's reflection in a shattered screen sneered. **"YOU'RE JUST A FAILED DRAFT. WE WANT THE *HERO*."**
---
### **The Child's Truth**
A giggle echoed. The child skipped through the void, her jump rope now a noose of bioluminescent vines. "Silly Lisa. You thought *I* was the villain?"
She twirled, petals blooming from her palms. "I'm the **hook**. The *cliffhanger*. The reason they keep *watching*."
The giants applauded. A screen flickered:
**AUDIENCE APPROVAL: 89%**
**RECOMMENDED ACTION: KILL THE GHOST. SAVE THE CHILD.**
---
### **Rabbit's Last Trick**
Static fizzed. Rabbit's voice crackled from Lisa's tattoo, his code embedded in her DNA. *"Ghost. The kid's a Trojan Horse. The Audience's *pet*. You wanna win? *Erase her*."*
The child's smile sharpened. "He's lying. I'm your *way out*."
The void trembled. Roots erupted, binding Lisa's limbs.
---
### **The Choice**
1. **Kill the child**: Sever the Audience's hold, risk collapsing reality.
2. **Merge with her**: Become the story's new "hero," lose free will.
3. **Burn the banquet**: Let the Audience starve, but erase all loops—including her own existence.
Lora's shadow whispered: *"Choose fast. They're rewriting the script."*
---