## Chapter 7 — Correction The music slows. Not stopping. Not failing. --- Adjusting. --- Three empty chairs. Four people standing. --- The math is wrong. --- Badger sees it first. --- “…nah,” he mutters. --- He steps sideways. Deliberate. Breaking alignment. --- The room reacts immediately. --- The nearest table shifts. Not sliding— reassigning position. --- Still three empty chairs. --- Badger exhales. --- “Yeah, okay, that’s cheating.” --- --- Mai is already recalculating. --- “It’s not counting bodies,” she says. --- “It’s counting roles.” --- --- Ace doesn’t look away from Skullker. --- “Define roles.” --- --- Mai gestures slightly toward the stage. --- “Performer. Observer. Anchor.” --- A beat. --- “…and something missing.” --- --- Shammy’s eyes narrow. --- “The one that leaves.” --- --- The air tightens hard. --- The room agrees. --- --- One of the empty chairs pulls back. --- Slow. --- Inviting. --- --- Badger’s voice drops. --- “Nope.” --- --- The chair stops moving. --- Then— --- another one shifts. --- --- Closer to Ace. --- --- Ace doesn’t move. --- Her blade hums low— steady. --- --- Skullker watches her. --- Perfect stillness. --- --- “You are late,” he says again. --- --- Ace’s voice is flat. --- “We’re not part of your show.” --- --- The music distorts. --- Sharp. --- Wrong. --- --- Mai reacts instantly. --- “Don’t reject it outright,” she snaps. --- --- Ace doesn’t look at her. --- “It’s a trap.” --- --- “Yes,” Mai says. --- A beat. --- “But it’s a structured one.” --- --- The room stabilizes slightly. --- The music returns to baseline. --- --- Shammy exhales. --- “That helped.” --- --- Badger glances between them. --- “So we… what? Play along?” --- --- Mai shakes her head. --- “No.” --- A pause. --- “We align correctly.” --- --- Grouse shifts position slightly. --- Minimal. --- Controlled. --- He keeps his distance from the chairs. --- --- Jello lowers his device completely. --- “Signal’s gone,” he says. --- A beat. --- “Or it doesn’t need one anymore.” --- --- The lights dim. --- Not dark— focused. --- --- The stage becomes the center again. --- --- Freddy moves. --- Slow. --- Deliberate. --- He steps forward— toward the empty chairs. --- --- Ace’s grip tightens. --- “Targeting confirmed.” --- --- “No,” Mai says. --- A beat. --- “He’s assigning.” --- --- Freddy reaches the first chair. --- Pulls it out. --- Waits. --- --- The pressure spikes. --- Harder than before. --- --- Shammy braces. --- The air around her compresses— visible distortion now. --- --- “It’s forcing resolution,” she says. --- --- Badger’s voice cuts in. --- “Yeah, well, it can force someone else.” --- --- He turns— half step— --- and freezes. --- --- One of the children is looking at him. --- --- Not moving. --- Not blinking. --- --- Just— watching. --- --- Badger’s grin fades. --- “…okay, I don’t like that.” --- --- The child stands. --- Slow. --- Silent. --- --- The chair it sat in— --- is now empty. --- --- The count doesn’t change. --- --- Mai’s voice drops. --- “It’s redistributing.” --- --- Ace finally looks away from Skullker— just for a fraction— --- toward the stage. --- --- “Then we break the pattern.” --- --- Shammy shakes her head sharply. --- “No.” --- --- The air snaps. --- Hard. --- --- The child is closer now. --- Too close. --- --- Not moving. --- --- Just— closer. --- --- Mai steps forward. --- Between Ace and the stage. --- --- “We don’t break it,” she says. --- --- A beat. --- --- “We finish it.” --- --- Silence. --- --- The music shifts again. --- This time— softer. --- --- Almost— expectant. --- --- Freddy remains by the chair. --- Waiting. --- --- Skullker turns his head. --- Looks at Mai. --- --- “Correct,” he says. --- --- The room stills. --- --- Not stable. --- --- Focused. --- --- Three chairs. --- Three roles. --- One missing piece. --- --- Mai closes her eyes. --- Just for a second. --- --- Then opens them. --- --- “This never ended,” she says. --- --- The lights dim further. --- --- The children freeze again. --- Mid-motion. --- --- The stage sharpens— like the rest of the world is being pushed out of relevance. --- --- Shammy’s voice is low. --- “Choose carefully.” --- --- Mai nods once. --- --- “I will.” --- --- She steps forward. --- Toward the stage. --- --- And the moment she crosses the invisible line— --- the entire room— --- resets. --- --- Hard. --- --- Sound drops. --- Color drains. --- --- Everything— --- goes still. --- --- Except for one thing. --- --- A single spotlight. --- --- Centered— --- on her.