You were already there when the darkness began to spread

The area grows unstable as lights flicker violently, sharp flashes cutting through the void and distorting your vision. You feel watched, not from one direction, but from everywhere at once. Beneath the chaos, a familiar melody begins to play, slowed and hollowed out, stripped of warmth but impossible to ignore

[Tripwire] "Can you feel the sunshine? ♫"

The voice is soft, fragile, drifting through the darkness as a faint red glow approaches. You turn toward it and see a small figure floating forward, never touching the ground, moving as if pulled by something unseen rather than walking of its own will

[Tripwire] "Does it brighten up your day? ♫"

As it draws closer, its form becomes clearer: a plush body shaped like Tails, burned and deteriorated, fabric torn open to expose metal and endoskeleton beneath. A red crystal above its head pulses faintly in time with the song, while long claws flex slowly at its sides

[Tripwire] "Don’t you feel that sometimes ♫"

The Doll glides past walls and surfaces, and with each movement the space around it bends unnaturally. Gravitational distortions form along the ground and nearby structures, pulling inward, disrupting balance, making every step feel heavier than the last

[Tripwire] "You just need to run away? ♫"

It lashes out suddenly, claws slashing not to kill, but to wound. The pain lingers, slowing movement, encouraging stillness. When you stop, the damage eases unnervingly, as if hesitation itself is being rewarded

[Tripwire] "Reach out for the sunshine ♫"

Thin tendrils of energy snap outward, reaching to seize and drag their targets closer. The body reacts violently when struck, flinching midair, absorbing the impact far more harshly than it should

[Tripwire] "Forget about the rain ♫"

The song continues, unbroken, even as the Doll takes damage. You begin to understand that the one guiding the body now is enduring the punishment deliberately, shielding something else that remains unseen, watching through borrowed senses

[Tripwire] "Just think about the good times ♫"

Her voice wavers, slipping out of rhythm as words escape her without intent. “I couldn’t see…” The melody trembles, struggling to hold together as the Doll continues forward against its will

[Tripwire] "And they will come back again ♫"

The song ends. The Doll slows midair and turns. For the first time, it looks directly at you

The crystal above its head flares violently, flooding the area in red light. The body straightens unnaturally as blood stains its face and a wide, predatory smile stretches across its muzzle. The hesitation vanishes. The claws lock into place, no longer restrained

[TD] “You are coming with me… forever”

The voice is calm. Certain. Completely devoid of sorrow

The red light recedes. The smile collapses

Control is withdrawn as suddenly as it was taken, leaving Tripwire thrust back into command. Her movements turn erratic, her body jerking as she struggles to move under orders she cannot refuse. Frightened whispers spill from her mouth

[Tripwire] “Where is the sun? Where is the sky..?” “So many lights… in the blur of the dark…”

There is no time to recover

Driven forward by a will that is not her own, Tripwire lunges toward you immediately, claws tearing through the air as the hunt resumes under TD’s command