The strategic meeting at M.E.G. Base Alpha concluded with a unanimous decision. The remaining Party Creators had already begun spreading their influence. The first confirmed infected zone was Level 188 — "The Courtyard of Windows" — a once-relatively stable hotel-like level now showing signs of severe Party corruption.
Nine Chosen system users, accompanied by Daniel's five summoned souls, entered the transition node together.
They emerged into a vast, enclosed atrium bathed in sickly pink-tinged light. The architecture resembled an abandoned luxury hotel: polished marble floors, high ceilings with ornate chandeliers, and walls lined with hundreds of perfectly square windows. A large central courtyard stretched before them, surrounded on all sides by the windows.
Most of the windows were closed, heavy curtains drawn. A few were "open," revealing impossible vistas — familiar Earth cities, peaceful meadows, or nightmarish distortions. But something was deeply wrong.
The pink hue was not natural. It pulsed slowly, like a heartbeat. Soft, harmonious giggling echoed faintly from behind the curtains. Several windows had been replaced by Window entities, their glassy surfaces now cracked and leaking faint pink mist. The air smelled of artificial sweetness mixed with mildew.
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Current Level: Level 188 – "The Courtyard of Windows" (Infected)
Corruption Status: Severe (Party Protocol Active)
Party Creator Influence: Confirmed
Threat Level: Extreme
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Chosen-0001 (Vanguard) scanned the area. "This was supposed to be a Class 1 level. Now it's a breeding ground. The Party Creators are using the windows as vectors to spread their narrative."
Daniel raised the golden baton. The Symphony of Dominion hummed softly, golden notes hovering around the group. His summoned souls — Elias, Reyes, Mara, and Vannia's parents — formed a protective perimeter.
Vannia's silver aura flared as she looked at the windows. "They're watching us. I can feel it."
Mia's Precognitive Flare activated, her eyes glowing white. "Multiple futures… most of them end with us smiling. They're already rewriting the level's rules. If we stay too long, the windows will start showing us things we want to see… things that will make us lower our guard."
One of the open windows suddenly rippled. A perfect, serene image of the original Outpost Epsilon-19 appeared — everyone alive, smiling, waving. Elias's summoned soul visibly flinched.
The central Party Creator's voice drifted through the atrium, soft and inviting, coming from every direction at once.
"Welcome, dear Chosen. We prepared this stage just for you. Look through the windows. See what the everlasting party can offer. No more fighting. No more loss. Only joy… forever."
Daniel flicked the baton once. A golden barrier expanded around the group, pushing back the pink mist.
"We are not here to watch," he said calmly. "We are here to cleanse."
The other Chosen moved into formation.
Chosen-0004 (The Blade) drew her twin daggers.
Chosen-0003 (Silence) muted the giggling with a wave of her hand.
Chosen-0005 (The Anchor) stabilized the floor to prevent sudden shifts.
Daniel conducted a single, measured note.
The Symphony of Dominion surged.
Golden light clashed against the pink corruption. Several closed curtains were forcibly drawn open, revealing not peaceful scenes but the twisted, smiling faces of Party Creator agents staring back.
The infected Level 188 reacted violently.
More windows began to change. The giggling grew louder. Pink mist thickened.
The first wave of corrupted Window entities emerged — glassy figures with wide, permanent smiles, stepping out of the frames as if the glass had never existed.
Daniel's voice remained steady as he raised the baton higher.
"Stay together. Do not look too long at any window. We purge the infection at its source."
The nine Chosen and their summoned allies advanced into the courtyard as the Party Creators' laughter swelled into a full chorus.
Level 188 — the first major infected zone — had become a battlefield.
And the Conductor had brought his orchestra to play.