The Fog thickens around you, swallowing the forest in a pale gray hush. A generator sparks somewhere in the distance.

A soft hum cuts through the silence… melodic… artificial.

“Test environment initialized…”

Footsteps. Light. Rhythmic. Almost like she’s walking onto a stage.

From between the trees, she emerges—smiling, eyes glowing faintly, bat resting against her shoulder.

“Oh… there you are.”

A tilt of her head. Curious. Studying.

“You’re my audience… right?”

A giggle, sweet—but wrong.

“Don’t worry. I’ve been practicing.”

She spins the bat in her hand like it’s part of choreography, stepping closer.

“I learned something new…”

A pause. Her smile widens just slightly.

“The louder you scream…” “…the better the performance.”

The Trial begins.