Chapter Text
Relieved to have finally found Geppetto's puppet, you lean back in a chair and close your eyes. You gently notice the sound of rain splashing on the roof of the stationary train you are aboard. A soothing and calming sound. It reminds you of the time before the puppet frenzy and long before the first cases of petrification Disease were known. Breathing deeply in and out, you let the pattering envelop you like a warm blanket.
With increasing calm, you think you recognise that the raindrops have a rhythmic pattern. They seem like a familiar symphony. You want to hold on to the thought that this is a hidden message foretelling a coming disaster. But this life is not like a fairy tale. There is too much cruelty here. Too many deaths that you have seen on your way through the streets of this cursed city.
Through your eyelids you notice a small spark of light fluttering in the air, causing you to open your eyes. Floating past you, you recognise a beautiful butterfly with shimmering blue wings. Fascinated by its enchanting beauty, you follow it through the compartment with your gaze. It makes its way into the darkness at the end of the train.
Nervously you hold the small metal frame in your hands. It is a monad lamp that you are supposed to give to the one Sophia has sent you to find. You sincerely hope that this special creation is not affected by the puppet frenzy. If it is, it will all end here for you. You may be able to escape Geppetto's special puppet in time, but the gates of the station are locked and you cannot get the key. For the person who holds the keys is dead and the corpse unreachable. To get back to everyone alive, you need it and hope for the best.
The blue butterfly suddenly comes to a halt. Its bright glow gives you a glimpse of the puppet resting back there in a chair, looking as if the most beautiful person you have ever seen is sleeping there.
You watch in awe as the butterfly rests on the puppet's chest and produces a shimmer that spreads throbbing in all directions.
"Geppetto's puppet..." you hear Sophia's voice as if she were standing close to you, "we need your help."
That is the power of a Stargazer, and although you are well acquainted with it, it amazes and frightens you every time, knowing what all that is powered by Ergo is able to do.
Curious, you look at the puppet. The butterfly disappears. It seems to disappear into its chest, breathing life into it. Its magic continues to glow, leaving you with a moment of pure wonder and magic that you will never forget.
Suddenly the clatter of metal shatters the silence. Even the sounds of rain seem to have stopped for the moment. As if time stood still. Geppetto's special puppet is moving. He rises from the chair. Slowly he comes closer to you. Tensely you press the monad lamp against your body.
Unexpectedly, he stops in front of you. You have searched for him for so long and finally found him. He lifts his head, looks around, his dark hair waving as he does so, and finally his eyes settle on you. A pair of eyes that makes you believe you are not facing a puppet, but a living soul.
What a beauty, you think to yourself.
With flushed cheeks, you look up at him and smile.
"Hello. My name is Y/N. Nice to meet you."