Lies of I Chapter 1, a My Hero Academia/僕のヒーローアカデミア + Lies of P Crossover fanfic

Chapter 1

"You're useless to me," A mysterious voice said, spite and anger in its tone.

That voice faded into the nothingness of the dark space. It sounded…familiar, yet he couldn't remember who it belonged to. The voice also brought a certain type of…feeling to his being, although he couldn't place a proper name to it. Soon after, a new voice spoke out from the darkness. However, this voice was softer and more feminine than the aggressive masculine voice that has spoken several moments ago.

"Can you hear me?" The voice called.

An onyx-colored butterfly with blue outer margins flapped toward a body seated on a chair. The chair held the body of a young boy. His most notable features were fluffy green hair, freckles in the shape of diamonds, and a mechanical steel left arm buckled tightly with two leather belts. His outfit consisted of red steel-toed shoes, black combat pants with a black leather belt, and a plain white T-shirt with a collar and a frilly v-opening that exposed a portion of a toned chest.

"Midoriya's puppet, we need your help," The voice begged the boy.

As the butterfly neared the boy's slumped form, it landed on his chest. The butterfly began to dissipate into the boy's chest. Small particles of blue and onyx light seeped into him. A few seconds later the process was done. The boy's fingers on his left hand twitched as soon as the butterfly finished its strange process. They slowly curled with a light mechanical clinking before the rest curled into a fist with a resounding-

CRUNCH

The boys' eyes fluttered open, revealing dull emerald green eyes. Slowly getting up from his chair, he took several steps forward and examined his surroundings. He appeared to be inside a train. Its floors were polished dark brown wood in a long corridor with emerald curtains closing the windows. A small lamp on a wooden table to his left provided illumination, with mechanical limbs and several test tubes being held in a wooden test tube rack, extinguished candles, scraps of paper, and piles of books. Next to where he sat was a lamp casting a light on the chair that held him. Next to the lamp was another wooden table holding a metal tray with surgical equipment, in front of it sat a gold and black suitcase with the top bearing a strange symbol with a gold fist clutching a peculiar object next to it. Slightly in front of where he stood were French-style armchairs made of shiny mahogany lining both sides of the cart.

"Ah", the voice uttered. "There you are. I've been looking all over for you"

The boy looked around for a bit but wasn't able to locate where the voice was coming from, he began to move towards the second part of the train. It was nearly identical to the first room he was in except for a small bar that held various glasses for drinking as well as more tables that held chairs for others to enjoy their drinks. Paying little attention to that, he noticed a small metallic oil lamp emanating a soft pink light on the ground. Although the table and the ground it was next to was stained with blood, coagulation was evident. Moving closer to inspect the lamp, a voice rang out that was completely different from the voice he heard before.

"Úråvï†y wïll rê§†år† §ððñ" A feminine voice called out. Although it was garbled and made it a little difficult to understand what the lamp was saying.

"Oh my, it seems they got to Uravity too… But we have to hurry. Listen, Midoriya's puppet. My name is Momo"

Momo, The boy repeated the name in his head. It brought a sense of warmth to him. He felt his springs react to the name and brought his hand over his chest, hearing the clockwork heart tick faster. Deciding to ignore that strange occurrence for later, he got down to one knee and examined the lamp closer.

"Please come to Hotel Krat, and I'll explain what's happening. Uravity, please escort him to the hotel," The voice instructed the lamp.

The boy grabbed the lantern. Hooking it to his belt, he continued down the corridor until he came to a door. There were several posters filled with color tacked onto the walls of the train. Some of them depicted a handsome man with mechanical joints bowing to a lady of high class. Underneath that picture read "GET THE MOST LOYAL SERVANT TODAY". Three other posters were advertising the "MARVELOUS PUPPET SHOW FESTIVAL"

"Let's get you out of there. Find something that might help," The voice instructed.

Nodding in understanding, the boy walked up to a door, grabbed its handle, and slid it open with little effort. Opening the door led to a dark room with little illumination and wooden flooring, and the walls lined with boxes and crates roped together, drums bearing an elegant '𝓗' insignia filled with unknown contents. Further down laid a table with a lamp providing the only illumination within the last room.

"The streets aren't safe," the voice informed him. "Arm yourself with one of the weapons over there. It will be helpful on your way to the hotel."

Reaching the table at the end of the room, the weapons on it consisted of, a saber, a rapier, and a greatsword, as well as various other items such as books, schematics, an alarm clock, a screwdriver, a wrench, and spare mechanical heads in a box below the table.

[Path of the Cricket]

[Path of the Bastard]

[Path of the Sweeper]

Making his decision, he picked up the [Path of the Bastard] rapier and holstered it to his belt momentarily. Doing so, the voice coming from the lamp began to speak. Uravity's nearly disjointed voice spoke over a constant static noise.

"ÐÈ§†ÌñÄ†ÌÖñ: HÖ†ÈL KRÄ†. RÈÇÖMMÈñÐ È§ÇÄþÌñG £RÖM †HÌ§ LÖÇÄ†ÌÖñ" She informed him.

Curious as to what he might find outside, the boy noticed a large door with a handle to the right of the workbench. Walking over to it, he tested the weight of the door momentarily before grabbing the handle and sliding it open. It began to open more as the boy added more strength to the left arm, the mechanical arm revving with electricity slightly as he pulled the handle to the side. With the door now open, the boy unsheathed the saber on his hip and stepped outside into the train station.

The boy looked around him and saw another train next to the one he exited from. Benches lined the platform as well as suitcases that were tossed to the ground. Corpses stained in red were so mutilated it was impossible to discern their facial features. Above the entrance where he noticed an open door, a large train schedule showed the arrival and departure of the next trains. Near his location, he noticed someone slowly walking towards him slightly obscured in shadows. Deciding to ask for directions he walked toward the person at a calm pace.

He stopped when the figure passed by a lamp bolted to the ground, shining its light upwards. The figure looked to be a man dressed in a blue conductor outfit with a black tophat bearing a clock indicating the train's arrival and departure time. The figure's face was plastered with a permanent smile and glowing red eyes. In its hand was a sign with the words 'STOP' and 'GO' in red and green, although it was nearly stained with blood. He appeared to be…made of metal.

He must have stood there too long as the man of iron quickly began to move towards him in a beeline. Preparing himself, the boy watched the metal man come right to him as it lifted the sign in an attempt to bash him to death. The boy was faster and dodged to the side just before it could bring its arm down. As soon as the boy completed the dodge, he quickly engaged the enemy. Thrusting his rapier forward, the weapon connected with the enemy's metal body. As soon as he did so, blood spurted from the damage and slightly coated the boy's clothes. No. It wasn't blood, it looked too green and had a strange scent to it. Oil and…something more.

Ignoring that line of thinking, the boy kept his focus on the fight. He pressed the attack before the enemy could recover from the hit. He thrust the rapier, which caused more of the strange substance to spurt out. Not letting up, he stabbed the rapier into the enemy again before pulling his weapon back and striking with more force in a final strike. The impact cut through the machine and its red eyes ceased to glow. Falling backward, its body fell with a metal clanking on the station floor. Flicking the blade, the substance staining the blade was quickly removed, although he noticed the blade was dulling. Without even blinking, the boy brought the saber to underneath a groove in his left arm. The action caused a grinding sound to be heard for several seconds before a clanging sound rang, signaling the weapon was back to full sharpness. Removing the weapon, the boy now saw the edge of the blade was honed.

Continuing, the boy calmly walked towards the entrance of the station but with his weapon at hand, ready for any threat. He noticed another of the figures resting on the ground next to carts full of suitcases but continued walking calmly and slowly to avoid it. He walked past it halfway before noticing it was getting up. Quickly running towards it, the boy stabbed its metal body several times before it fell limp to the floor, its glowing eyes going dark. Continuing heading to the entrance, the intercom of the station burst to life as if in welcome of still-living visitors.

''WELCOME TO KRAT STATION, EVERYONE' The feminine voice welcomed him. ''HERE YOU WILL WITNESS THE MOST SPECTACULAR DISPLAY OF HUMAN ENDEAVOR ON EARTH. IF KRAT IS YOUR FINAL DESTINATION, WE WISH A SAFE AND PROSPEROUS STAY''

Heading up the steps and going between the open doors, the boy stood looking at a statue of a man holding a sign. In front of the man's feet was a pulsing cell filled with unknown purple electricity.

"PЦLSΞ CELLS WILL HEAL ÄñY PHYSICAL DAMAGE YOU RÈÇÈÌVÈ. ACQUIRE IT TO GAIN †HÈ§È BENEFITS" Uravity's voice spoke, though there was still static in her speech.

Nodding, he walked up to the foot of the statue. The statue was made of metal and had a bronze sheen to it. The statue depicted a giant of a man wearing a trenchcoat with a combat vest, combat pants, and steel-toed boots. His most notable feature was two bangs of hair standing up in a V, seemingly defying gravity. Another feature the man had was a large, seemingly permanent smile that gave a feeling of safety. The man must have represented something to the ones who saw it if they made a statue of him.

'Maybe a symbol of Peace?'

Giving the statue one last look, the boy reached out and grabbed the item in front of it. No doubt it will be important for fights he will encounter in the future. Curious, the boy took a moment to look at what the sign said.

KRAT GRAND EXHIBITION 18XX. Witness the greatest show on earth! Experience the future of the world!

Finished reading it, the boy noticed several mechanical men to the left of where he stood. Not wasting time, he quickly rushed and dispatched them from the room. Heading up the stairs towards a shut door, he went to push them open but found they were locked tight. Uravity's voice spoke up.

"A STATION ÈMþLÖYÈÈ HAS THE TRAIN §†Ä†ÌÖñ KEYS", Her mechanical voice spoke.

While he felt something slightly akin to annoyance, the boy made no argument. While heading up the stairs, he had noticed an open door to the right side of the room near the doors. Making his way down and nearing the entrance to the open doors, he heard the sound of repeated bashing. Making his way further down the stairs, he came face-to-face with a mechanical device locking a gate-like door, on the other side he spied a figure clad in black, with a waist-length black cape, and a black baton. The figure was repeatedly bashing a corpse so much that blood was flying everywhere, though the figure appeared to be not bothered by it. Noticing the device on the door once again, the boy went to press it and see if it would open. The device let out a burst of electricity from the coils up and down on it in response to the attempt, the boy curled his hand and shook his mechanical arm to shake off the electrical shock. He quickly knew the door would not open from where he stood, he would have to find another way to get to the figure who most likely had what he needed.

Making his way back to the open door, he barely made it two feet to the other side before he had to dodge an incoming bullet from a mechanical man wielding a single-shot pistol. The mechanical man quickly began reloading the weapon before firing again. The boy quickly dodged again and rushed up the stairs to the mechanical monstrosity. He made short work of the enemy and continued up the next set of stairs. Once again, Uravity's voice spoke up.

"YOU ÇÄññÖ† SEE IN THE ÐÄRK. SWITCH MÈ ON AND ÚRÄVÌ†Y WILL LIGHT THE WAY," She said helpfully.

Acknowledging her help, he continued climbing the stairs before seeing another enemy, its back turned to him. Walking slowly, he began making his way behind it, noticing several doors to his left block. Walking directly behind the enemy dressed in black and wielding a large metal candle holder, he stabbed the rapier into its back before it could turn around and attack. With the enemy no longer moving, the boy continued walking while seeing more posters on the walls and several doors blocked with heavy suitcases. Ahead he saw an area that looked to be a small food store. While walking towards it, an enemy rounded the corner, noticed him, and began to run towards him. The boy dodged a swing of the enemy's stop sign before striking it several times until it fell limp. He arrived at the area and noticed a piece of paper on the floor. Picking it up, he read its contents.

'If anyone finds this note, get out of the station and run.

Be sure to steer clear of the waiting room.

I saw a huge puppet smashing people to death in there.

I locked the door, but I don't know if that'll work.

At least it should stop people from randomly coming in.

I'm going to die soon, so I want to help you even if it's not much.

Please survive. Anyone.'

Puppets. Those mechanical beings he was seeing and fighting were puppets. And it was more than likely that the figure clad in black in the waiting area was a puppet as well.

Storing the note in a small bag he had hooked to his belt, the boy exited the area and continued on his way. He noticed another puppet wielding a metal candle holder with its back to him. He quickly rushed to it and performed a series of slashes to its back before it could even move. With the puppet dead, he also saw two more heading towards him. Taking his time he quickly rushed towards one and slashed it before dodging backwards to avoid the strike of another. He slashed at the puppet with the stop sign several times before dodging behind it, the puppet wielding the candle holder delivering the final strike to take down the puppet he had dodged behind. Rushing forward before the last puppet could do anything, the boy also delivered a final strike, taking down the remaining puppet. The boy saw some stairs that led down, no doubt to the waiting area. Heading down the flight of stairs, he saw the locking device had a mechanical button and a red light. To his left, he saw dozens of bodies all mangled and covered in blood.

Walking over to the rest of the waiting area, he saw the puppet clad in black. It was much larger now that he was able to get closer. Walking slowly towards it, he decided the element of surprise would help him take down the puppet faster. Unfortunately, he stepped on shards of glass, producing a loud-

CRACK

The puppet stopped and turned away from the brutal smashing it was performing to look behind it. Turning around it revealed itself to be a sort of mechanical police officer. Its face merely consisted of glowing red mechanical eyes, a white faceplate with white top lips a black metal chin, and black bottom half lips. The outfit was all black with a black custodian helmet with a silver badge resting in the middle of the helmet. Its clothing was also black with its 'shirt' having two embedded pockets. It had a short tunic which also had a black belt wrapped around its torso. Underneath the one strap that held the belt in place on both sides was a bullseye lamp that currently had no light source, while the other held a pair of iron handcuffs. It also sported black knee-high boots to complete the look. It took note of the boy and quickly ran towards him after getting up.

Readying his rapier, the boy also rushed towards the puppet. The puppet made a shoving motion towards him as he neared it. He blocked it with his weapon producing a loud clanging noise. The puppet recovered from the brief stun and made a sweeping motion with its baton, the boy dodged into its personal space and slashed it several times. The puppet jumped slightly back and made another shoving motion to knock the boy off his feet. The boy dodged to the side as it got close to him and reared his rapier back to gather strength for a heavy attack. As the puppet stopped to turn to the boy, it was met with several heavy thrusts to its midsection before staggering and stopping in place. The boy saw his opportunity to end it and quickly ran in front of the puppet shielding itself from him. He performed a stab into its body while it was still stunned and managed to destroy it into dozens of parts after ripping his weapon out of the mechanical body. It dropped a key and a peculiar part. Grabbing both from the ground, he made his way to the lock device and slammed his left hand into the button. The device locking it whirled for several seconds as the light turned green, both the piece he had pushed as well as on the other side, fell and allowed the door to open. Making his way out and towards the locked door, he inserted the key and heard the door click open.

With the door unlocked, he began pushing it open. It was heavy and required him to pour more strength into the push and more power into the mechanical left arm. Eventually, it was pushed open and he looked ahead to see a plaza with a statue, its head wrapped in cloth with rope wrapping around its neck. Its outstretched hand was wrapped in rope holding a corpse with that same rope tied around its feet. Around the statue were dozens of broken carriages and dead animals, all rotting from the time spent in the rain and from time. Surrounding the majority of the plaza were buildings containing shops of every kind.

Walking down the stairs to the fountain, the boy noticed parts and pieces swirling several meters off the ground before him. Thinking another battle is starting, the boy readied his weapon. However, the voice from before quickly calmed him down.

"This is called a Stargazer, a marvelous device used by Stalkers in the past" Momo explained.

"WÄRñÌñG! þÚþþÈ† †HRÈ§HÖLÐ ÈXÇÈÈÐ§ ÐÄñGÈR È§†ÌMÄ†È§. þLÈÄ§È RÈÐÚÇÈ þÚþþÈ† ñÚMßÈR§ ÖR RÈ§È† ÐÄñGÈR þÄRÄMÈ†ÈR§" Uravity interrupted.

"As we are, we are not strong enough to beat the puppets. But if I lend my power to this Stargazer for a moment…" She continued.

"Gather Ergo, clever one. This Stargazer will make you stronger. But the Stargazer's strength doesn't last forever, so be careful with it. Hurry up and come to Hotel Krat", she finished.

Nodding, the boy used the Ergo he gathered and began strengthening himself. He felt his body empowered and possessed more strength than what he had several minutes ago. Satisfied that his strength was higher, the boy left the Stargazer and continued his journey towards the hotel.

However, before doing that he decided to inspect the statue for a moment. Walking up to the plaque in front of the statue, he gave it a once over and read the inscribed words.

WELCOME TO THE CITY OF KRAT.

-IN HONOR OF VALENTINUS, WHO ERECTED THE CORNERSTONE OF ORIGIN

Feeling that he had read enough, he took a step back and began his trek out of the area he was in.

As he walked past the plaza that held the statue, he noted the sensation of the cold rain on his flesh. It almost felt…soothing, in a way. Ignoring that thought, he noticed a set of stairs over to the far right along with a closed gate. Making his way over there, he also couldn't help but gaze at the disarray the plaza was in. Broken carriages, dead horses, corpses that were brutalized so much a name couldn't be placed on their faces. It felt…horrifying to see. They must have been terrified to their last moments.

Continuing, he encountered several enemies near the stairs and made quick work of them. Climbing up the stairs, he also saw that several puppets were near the gate. Not giving them a chance to fight back, he began slaughtering them with barely any effort. Not to mention their attacks were quite predictable. After flicking the oil off his blade, the boy walked up to the gate and noted that it was chained shut. While he could easily make quick work of getting rid of the chain, Uravity stopped him.

"WÄRñÌñG! †HÈ þÄ†H YÖÚ ÄRÈ ÇÚRRÈñ†LY †ÄKÌñG WHÌLÈ ÐÌVÈRGÈ £RÖM †HÈ ÖRÌGÌñÄL Ìñ†ÈñÐÈÐ ÐÈ§†ÌñÄ†ÌÖñ."

Remembering that he still needed to get to Hotel Krat, the boy turned around and left the gate alone. Walking down the stairs, he walked over to the other side of the plaza to investigate more. He encountered several more puppets along with…dogs? They had a gold shade to their body along with white synthetic-like skin on their neck and main body. Their eyes glowed an ominous red and their jaws held razor-sharp metal teeth. Seeing that they were also puppets, he dispatched them all the same. After clearing everything, he saw a newspaper article on top of some luggage. Picking it up, he read its contents.

The Krat Grand Exhibition has been delayed. This decision was made to protect the citizens until the Puppet Frenzy that has paralyzed the city is under control. The occurrence began on Rosa Isabelle Street, resulting in hundreds of casualties. While the cause is still unknown, the number of casualties and the scale of damage are both growing. As the crisis dragged on, the Workshop and Hatsume Company, Krat's largest puppet factory, announced that they would offer emergency supplies and do everything they could to alleviate the situation.

A task force is investigating the possibility of a fatal loss of the Grand Covenant, which is the control protocol of the Workshop's puppets. However, there is no quick as of now with the puppet frenzy resulting in more casualties. As the city braces for a resurgence of the Petrification Disease, the citizens were advised to stay indoors for their safety. However, many citizens are trying to escape through Krat Central Station, intensifying the general chaos.

'What is going on?'

The Grand Covenant? The Petrification Disease? Something was happening to this place and he would need to find out. Putting down the paper, he made his way to the stairs that led out of the plaza. Before he walked down, he noted an alleyway that stood next to the stairs and decided to investigate for anything that would prove useful. Making his way to the entrance, he saw a puppet lying next to the railing near the entrance to the alleyway. Quickly killing it, he walked through the entrance and looked to his left. Another locking device was blocking the path. He walked up to it and looked through the other side of the gate. It looks like there is a festival just across from him, only it appears to be in ruins like everything he encountered so far. Walking back out the way he came, he walked over to the railing he killed the puppet near. Looking over it, he spied a puppet wielding a pistol.

Slowly making his way down the stairs towards it, he walked up to its back and performed a thrust into it's back that killed it instantly. Dropping down, he saw several puppets in his way and made quick work of them. Continuing forward, a puppet dog jumped out at him and would have slashed him to pieces had the boy not dodged backwards. Making quick work of it, he made his way down the stairs and saw the exit to the area he was in next to a lamppost. Walking out of it, he took notice of a spiked metal railing that was barring him from falling off to his death. Looking down it, he saw the waves of the ocean crashing into the rocks below with ferocity. Looking up to his left, he also saw buildings that held elegance and a certain high-class feel to them.

'That must be the train station where I came from'

Taking several steps back from the railing, he continued on his path. On the way, he saw a phone stand. Its message was sputtering and barely comprehended as its words were barely strung together. Walking near it, it sprung to life.

"ATTENTION, DEAR CITIZENS OF KRAT. THE RECENT PUPPET FRENZY IS BELIEVED TO BE A MOMENTARY GLITCH. THERE IS NO CAUSE FOR ALARM. DO NOT PANIC, WHATEVER YOU MAY HEAR. THE CITY IS SAFE TO TRAVERSE. WE REPEAT: DO NOT BE ALARMED, CITIZENS OF KRAT. WE ARE EFFECTIVELY HANDLING THE SITUATION WITH THE COOPERATION OF THE WORKSHOP AND THE ALCHEMISTS.

THE PUPPETS ARE, NATURALLY, IMPRINTED WITH THE GRAND COVENANT THAT PRIORITIZES HUMAN SAFETY ABOVE ALL. PLEASE REMAIN PATIENT WHILE THE PROPER AUTHORITIES RESOLVE THE SITUATION. YOUR ACTIVE COOPERATION IS REQUESTED AND REQUIRED. YOU WILL REFRAIN FROM ANY UNAUTHORISED DEPARTURES, ASSEMBLIES, OR ACTIVE PROTESTS.

NEVER FORGET THAT YOUR SAFETY IS OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE TO YOUR CITY. THE TIME FOR FEAR IS OVER. KRAT…IS SAFE.

KRAT…IS SAFE…"

[The noise is too loud. You can't hear anything]

'Krat isn't safe. But who are the Alchemists?'

Seeing that the machine stopped broadcasting its message, he continued his journey. That message, while optimistic, was useless now that this 'Puppet Frenzy' tore this city apart. He wasn't sure if the Petrification Disease was present where he was but he won't discount the possibility that it could be happening beneath his nose. Overall, the situation this city was in was very grim. If nothing is done, the whole place will meet its maker very soon.

Filing those thoughts away, the boy walked past a burning building. Up ahead, he noted a puppet that had red overalls and a white cap on its head. In its hand, it held a large club-like piece of metal. It walked around the corner of the building and began walking in his direction, not noticing him yet. Seeing that he still had more enemies to take down, the boy ran to the puppet. Noticing him, the puppet also began running towards him. The puppet held its weapon low and near its body in preparation for a wide-sweep attack. The boy stopped in his tracks and managed to dodge backward in time before the puppet had a chance for its weapon to connect. As it finished its attack, the boy performed quick thrusts to its body. Not giving up, the puppet whirled its weapon and brought it down to bash the boy. The boy managed to bring his rapier up in time to block its attack while producing a loud clang. Winding up for a heavy attack, the boy made a series of thrusts with his weapon to inflict more damage. The attacks were enough to cause the puppet to stagger and fall to its knees. Seeing the opportunity, the boy ran close and stabbed the blade into its body and managed to break the puppet into pieces. Seeing the battle was done, the boy continued on his way.

The rain was almost a heavy downpour as he continued along the path, the boy's clothes were soaked but held sturdy. Nearing the spot where he saw the puppet make a turn, he noticed a clearing in front of him that had empty crates and barrels. Curiosity got the best of him and he walked over to investigate. Noting that there wasn't much, he was about to turn back when he spotted a building in the distance across from him. He walked near to the railing and Uravity spoke up.

"ÐÈ§†ÌñÄ†ÌÖñ: HÖ†ÈL KRÄ†. Öþ†ÌMÄL LÖÇÄ†ÌÖñ FÖR Öß§ÈRVÌñG †HÈ ÐÈ§†ÌñÄ†ÌÖñ."

Seeing that he was close to his destination, he turned back and continued. Making his way through the street, he saw how many metal ladders and walkways were on the side of the buildings. Continuing forward, he spotted a puppet on the ground and quickly killed it. Turning around, he wasn't fast enough to dodge a bullet that hit him in the shoulder. Dodging to the side, he thrust his left arm out. The action caused a pulse cell to slide out of a compartment in his wrist and into his hand. He crushed the cell as a burst of light purple electricity enveloped him and repaired the damage. He noted how the electricity also managed to repair the hole in his shirt as well.

Looking over to the perpetrator, he saw a puppet begin to reload its pistol and prepare to shoot him again. He rushed over to it before it could raise its weapon and quickly slew it. Being more aware now, he looked to his right and saw a headless puppet wind up its candle holder to bash him in the head. Dodging backward, he rushed it and performed a series of attacks that quickly left it dead and unmoving. Noticing some stairs that were behind the puppet's body, he walked up made a left turn, and walked up several more sets of stairs. Making a final left turn, he saw he was on a ledge. Peering over it, he saw he was above a puppet and further observing saw he was going to be surrounded by other puppets as soon as he took down the one he was above. Not quite caring, he jumped down and stabbed the puppet to death. The rest of the puppets began to get up and begin their advance on him. With a blank expression, he charged them.

Several minutes later

While tedious, he was able to quickly take all the puppets down without too many problems. Although he did hope he wouldn't encounter a large group of them in the future.

Flicking the oil off his blade, he continued his way. Walking out of the alley he was in he saw a bridge as well as a large sign with the word 'CIRCUS'. Taking the stairs on the right of him he took down two more puppets and walked up until he was finally on the bridge. Looking to his right, he saw the lock mechanism and decided that it might as well be a good idea to get rid of it to make his journey somewhat easier. After finishing that task, he looked behind him and made his way across the bridge and to the circus, or, what was left of it. As he walked over the bridge, Momo spoke to him. Although, her voice seemed to be coming from everywhere, or was it coming from…in his head?

"A powerful parade puppet is blocking the entrance. And that's the only way in! So please be careful," She warned.

Nodding, he made his way over to the other side of the bridge and saw how little of a circus there was. There were only several wooden cutouts of clowns, a red and white tent cutout with the elegant symbol 'K', and a single stand with the word 'Welcome'. In front of that stand was a man dressed in a brown coat with a white shirt underneath with a green ascot. He had a brown cap as well as brown pants, and knee-high laced brown boots. In his left hand was a bag used for carrying various items while in his right hand was an oil lamp. On his back was a brown wooden case. Finishing his look, he had a white cloth wrapped around the majority of his face, save for his eyes. Approaching him, the man gave him a friendly greeting.

"Hello there! Welcome to Krat, visitor! I didn't think there were any Stalkers left to fight the puppets." He exclaimed.

Confused, the boy's head slightly tilted to the side. Seeing the confusion on his face, the merchant elaborated.

"You didn't hear? Figures… The whole organization fell apart… All that's left are wannabes and amateurs who think they can fight on their own. You oughta buy something while you're at the festival. You can't rely on yourself alone" He finished.

The boy mulled over his words for several seconds and could see the truth of his words. He was going to need every advantage he could get. From those puppets he fought on his way here, the enemies would only get stronger and deadlier. Nodding, the merchant's eyes lit up with excitement.

"Out here alone? You could use some help. Here's a festival gift for you. Now, get yourself something useful!"

The merchant opened his bag and presented him with several items.

[Fable Catalyst]

[Throwing Cell]

[Electric Blitz Abrasive]

Seeing these items, the boy wondered how he was supposed to pay for these items. While he would need them for the coming battles, he wasn't sure how he was supposed to buy items from anyone that would sell. Seeing this, the merchant decided to clarify.

"Ya need Ergo to get a hold of what you need, visitor. It's the lifeblood of this city. Can't imagine where'd we be without it. And in case you don't know, puppets use Ergo to function. Don't know much else beyond that," He finished.

'Interesting'

Nodding in understanding, the boy used the Ergo he had collected to buy everything the merchant had. Reckless spending? Yes. But it was better to be over-prepared than underprepared if the danger in this city was as serious as he was imagining. Probably even worse.

Finishing his final purchase, the merchant gave a grateful look to him.

"Take care out there, visitor. You'll need everything ya can get your hands on to survive."

The merchant walked over to the wooden cutouts next to him and began inspecting them as well as his empty bag for anything else that could be sold. Looking over to the stand where the merchant used to be directly in front of, the boy noticed a poster for the Krat festival. Curious, he walked directly in front of the stand and picked up the piece of paper.

INTRODUCING THE PARADE PUPPET!

Here appears a terrific puppet that will enliven the parade!

Introducing, a remarkable parade puppet model from the Workshop to celebrate the Grand Exhibition!

"Hello there, I am the Parade Master. I like singing and marching with people!"

The Parade Master has the following functions.

- 16 jolly songs

- Cheerful laughter and 54 parade phrases

- Parade dances to delight children

- The strength to carry 6 men on his shoulders

This Parade Master was made big in commemoration of the Grand Exhibition.

Check out its charms on the eve of the upcoming exhibition!

'This must be the parade puppet Momo was talking about. Then that means…'

Looking to his right he saw a series of stone staircases leading up to an entrance. Placing the paper down, he made his way over to the beginning of the way up and began his ascent. On his way up, he saw a metal archway into the building. Continuing, he also saw a metal gate painted in blue and gold, although rust was beginning to set in. It held a padlock at chest level with him and a thick chain wrapped around its center just above it. Looking inside, he saw other wooden cutouts of clowns, clown puppets, and jesters scattered near the entrance in a welcoming manner. Above the cutouts was a metal flat arch, and above the center of the arch was a metal sign that read 'City of Tomorrow, KRAT' while below it were eight fluorescent letters that completed the message. 'FESTIVAL'. In the center of the area was a giant wooden cutout of a red and white tent, being bathed in light from the overhead light source. Carnival music was heard playing inside the area he needed to pass through.

Slightly narrowing his eyes, he quickly came to the obvious conclusion.

'It's in there'

Making sure the items he purchased were ready to be used, he went to open the gate. Realizing he didn't have a key to open it nor did the merchant have any to buy, he made due with what he had.

Rearing his left arm back near his body in a low punching position, it crackled with electricity as the sound of revving was heard from it. Getting enough strength in his arm, he punched forward and caused a small sonic boom as the gate was violently forced open while obliterating the locks meant to stop anyone from entering. Shaking his arm from the punch he made, small sparks came out of the arm as he slowly walked forward to face the puppet.

"ßÈ ÇÄRÈFÚL," Uravity whispered.

Fortunately for Uravity, the boy either was too preoccupied with the battle that was about to take place or he simply didn't hear her. Either way, there was evident worry in her voice.

Walking several feet before stopping, the boy looked around the area. His eyes gazed at the wooden cutouts before settling on the tent cutout behind a clown cutout. Gripping his saber, he watched the tent for any signs of movement. Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long. Mechanical clicking was heard before something large burst through the cutout, destroying the other cutouts around it. The carnival music abruptly stopped as well.

Several feet in front of the boy stood a large crouching puppet. Standing at its full height, it stood at an imposing 10 feet tall. Its 'clothing' consisted of a red coat with long sleeves that covered its arms except its claw-like mechanical fingers. Its pants were blue and white striped, although they were slightly covered in dried blood. Its head was pale and slightly portly with a long mustache above its wide metal grinning mouth full of bronze teeth. The puppet also sported long dreadlocks on its head which were covered in a long tophat. On its back was a metal cage attached to it by an arching piece of thick metal connecting the cage. While under the light source, it appeared more intimidating with the added effect of its red mechanical eyes glowing. Walking several steps, its feet thundered slightly from the weight of its mechanical frame.

Wasting no time, the large puppet rushed to the boy. As it was running to attack, it began to speak in a strange language. And as it spoke, the murderous grin it had never moved.

F̷͙͙͙̉̃̉̿͜I̶̧̦͊͑̚͠N̶̲͖͗̈A̷͔̔͝L̷̡͇̀͆̀͝L̸̡̀̏̀Ẏ̵̬̂͜͝ ̸̘̤̔A̷͖̯̣͊͗̽̕ͅ ̸͚̞͂̏̑G̷̙̚Ű̴̧͚̂͝͝È̶͔̈̒̃S̴͎̖̗̏̌̓T̴̙̠̱͌͜ ̶̪̻́I̶̟̮̎͜Ṣ̷͇̙̄̒̌ͅ ̴̠̘̘̀̓̔Ḩ̸̣̗͐Ě̷͕Ŕ̷͚̮̮̘͐̆E̶̢̞̊͝!̴̹́ ̸̼̟̯͗Ḳ̸͕̅I̸̗͆̄͋C̶̨̖͕͋͝K̵̭͔̭̪̈́̈́̚̚ ̶̟̎̽T̷̰̄͋̉̈́H̶̖̒͝I̷̪̦̪̾̑S̶̛̭̤̍͑͝ ̵͍͈̊͆̅͝P̶̠̜̈́͜ͅÄ̴͔́̐̀͗Ŗ̷͎̝̃̑̔̚T̸̟̲͊Y̵͕̏̽͘ ̸̭͉̽́̊̔I̶̡̹̖͓͛N̸̹̯̝̦͠T̷̬̩̼̪̂̋O̵̮͚̼͠ ̶̘̐Ğ̶̠́̅E̵̼͓͊̔Ä̶̻͍̥͛̓R̵͕͋̉̚͝!̶͇̩̭͙͐͘

[PLAY: LIES OF P OST - Dreadful March]

Closing on the boy, the puppet finished its run with a shoulder charge. The boy quickly dodged to the side and began his fight against the puppet. Running to its side, the boy managed thrusts to its knees and dodged backward before the puppet turned, reared its arm back, and punched forward, its metallic fingers jutting forward to impale the boy. Luckily, it barely reached the boy by a couple of inches, the force of the punch merely pushing his hair back slightly. Rushing back into its personal space, the boy continued his assault and stabbed the puppet several more times before bringing his rapier low next to him in preparation for a heavy series of thrusts. With the boy taking several seconds to wind up, the puppet saw its opportunity to strike by bringing its arms upwards and performing a low outward sweeping motion that caught the boy off guard. The sweeping attack connected with the boy's body and flung him several feet away from the puppet. Quickly sitting up and returning to his feet, he eyed the enemy and checked himself quickly. He felt some damage to the mechanical parts inside his body. Thrusting his left arm outward with his hand open, a [Pulse Cell] slid out of his wrist and he quickly crushed the cell in his fist. Purple electricity enveloped his body before quickly disappearing. Using that moment the boy was using to heal, the puppet ran towards him. Jumping up, it began to perform a bellyflop. Looking up, the boy saw the attack and dodged to the side. Seeing that it was taking several seconds to get up, the boy used the opportunity to strike it several times.

Getting to its feet, the puppet swung its right arm in another sweeping motion to knock the boy off balance. Dodging into its personal space, the boy performed a heavy thrust attack that managed to stun the puppet and bring it to a single knee. With the puppet stunned, the boy stabbed his rapier into its face and using the enhanced strength granted to him, viciously ripped the weapon out that heavily damaged the Parade Master. Quickly running away before it could do anything, the boy brought out one of the [Electric Blitz Abrasive]'s he had stored in his bag, buckled it to the joint of his left elbow, and quickly dragged the blade of his rapier across the grinding metal. The blade quickly got electrified and ready for more combat but now the item in his metal elbow was useless from a single use. Undoing the harness of the item, it fell to the ground with a clatter, a small spark being seen on the item before disappearing. Not sparing the item a second glance, the boy readied himself for the puppet to charge him as it finished recovering from the damage he did.

Having had enough, the puppet steadily got to its feet, reached for the cage on its back, and violently threw it into the ground. Placing a foot on top of it, it began to pull its head off much to the boy's confusion. As it was pulling its head off, the puppet started to speak again in that strange language.

B̷̞̘̈̕͝͝A̷͙̘̩̿̊Ḑ̶̛͙͖͐̓͂ ̷͖͓̫̺̓̃̏C̷̛̻͌H̶͔̓Ḭ̷̰̦̓̀L̵̞̈́͒̚D̴̙̆́͂͐R̴͙̥̤̝̓E̸̛͓͆̍̄N̸̳̬͚͚͆͋̉̀ ̸͕̹͙͉̀G̴͎̜̬͚̐̎Ȅ̶̱̼̠͜T̵̛̝̙̿͝͝ ̸̠͙̬̟̈͑̑̾T̴̮̾ͅḦ̸̰̳̯͇́̂̋̚Ȅ̷̦̭̑ ̶̌͜Ş̵̘̫͂͐͆̊T̸̞͂̌ͅI̸̲̥͉̯͛̆͝C̶͔͎̱̉͘K̷͂̏́͜!̴̜̻̋̇̊̽

With another tug the puppet's head was free. Its remnants of a head were a faceplate with a metal attachment with a joint when the head was ripped off. With the head in its right hand, an ominous red glow emanated from the area where its neck and faceplate are attached along with its ribcage, expelling small streams of black smoke. Raising its foot, the puppet slammed down on the cage with such force the metal bent and was completely crushed. With its weapon ready and reaching the boy in a few hops, the puppet closed the distance, reared its arm back, and slammed its head down on him in a burst of speed. Raising its club-like weapon, the puppet looked down and was expecting a splatter of blood and organs on the ground but found nothing. Hearing running behind it, the puppet quickly turned around to retaliate and was rewarded with several stabs to its body from an electrically charged rapier. Letting out a mechanical laugh, the puppet spoke.

Ö̶̡͖̝͓̼̳Ȟ̴̘́̎̊͋͌,̸̛̦̈̈́̉ ̷͕̈͛̈͘Ṭ̶̯̈̚H̵̪͍͔̝̾͛È̸̢̪͙͕̈̂͝ ̶͔͖͈̻͚͔̔͗̈́͊Ǩ̷̳͕̬̤͓̺̍͝͠Į̸̻̥̿͒́N̸͕͕̫̮̲͎̋̊̀̚͠G̶͔̪̦̪̋̐͒̽͋͝ ̷̰̮̻̃̋̕I̷͕͒̀̃S̷̢̛̼̦͒́̈̈́͝ ̷͖̖̬̝̖̋̈́Ċ̸̹̲́̀E̵̳̫̺̱̙͑L̷̪̥̠̈͋͠Ě̵͖͍̬̒̐B̶̧̠̥͖̻̽̒̌̊̕Ŕ̵̺̘͍̯̮͋̕Ä̵̺̮͙́͆̾͐̾͝T̷̢͔͂̐̓͋̄̑I̵͙͉̋̉͂̏̕͠Ņ̵͍̥̲̀͋̂̎Ğ̴͈̺̩͇̐!̶̮̲͔̪̩̿

While it was laughing joyfully, it felt something strange. The feeling was something akin to…fear. No matter, the show must go on!

Continuing its attack, the puppet swung the upper half of its body in a 360-degree motion along with its weapon. Seeing the attack closing in on him, the boy raised his weapon in time to block the attack with a loud 'clang' and returned the favor with several stabs to its leg. The puppet retaliated by performing another belly flop. Fortunately, the boy managed to jump out of the way in time. Getting up from its failed attack, the puppet continued pressing its attacks. Thrusting its left arm back, it attempted the same attack from earlier by thrusting its arm out with its fingers gathered together into a point in an attempt to stab the boy. The boy dodged to the side, reared his left arm back, and threw a strong left hook to the puppet's leg. Staggering slightly from the hit, the puppet looked at the boy for a moment and yelled something out to him.

Ḑ̵̥̳͉̺̊̔̂͠Ī̴͓̙̺̂S̵͔̐C̵̢̨̨͉̤̒̆I̸̲̹̒P̵̡̤̼̳̈̇͝L̴̥̣̉Ị̵̥́̄͆͜N̷̪̝̔̉̄E̸͚̥̔̈̈́ ̸͙͎͙̥̀̐͘W̵͖̙̜̖̐̿̆Ì̸̡̟̹͖̂̂́͋L̷̯̹̲͊͆̍L̴̼̭̞͙͑̊͊̚͝ ̸̤͊̀̒̚͝D̶̰̳̖̲̝̔͋̂̊̈Ơ̶̧̗̜͇͓̄̇ ̴̣̌̾̎Ṯ̴̀̊̈H̷̡͍̗̿E̷̗̔ ̸̗̱̿̀Ṱ̴̰̠̎̆R̶̹̩̒Î̷̹͎̔̇͝C̴̬̋̎̾͛K̴̺̔̊̑̈́͆͜!̸̛̥͙̆͌̎̕

Noting that it was severely damaged and wouldn't last another hit, the puppet made a desperate low-sweeping attack with its club. The boy simply jumped back and grabbed another item from his bag. The puppet quickly ran to the boy and raised its club again, intending to finish the fight. Raising his arm up and rearing it back to throw the item in his hand, the boy chucked a [Throwing Cell] at the puppet right as it ran in front of him to kill him. The item exploded in shards of glass as the electricity inside was allowed to surge free. The electricity coupled with the Parade Master's severely damaged body, guaranteed the puppet wouldn't survive another day.

Twitching slightly, the puppet began to tip back and forth slightly, before falling on its knees and teetered, threatening to fall forward. Its left arm falling off its body completely as its main body finally fell forward. The boy simply walked back a couple of steps and let the puppet fall onto the ground face first. However, just before it completely shut down, the puppet spoke one final time in that language the boy couldn't understand.

Y̸̝͍̆̈́́̂ͅO̸̪̘͇̅̈U̸̗͆͜ͅ ̶̣̯̃̑̄Ć̴͖̱̜̇̏̚Ọ̴̜̫͋͛͘Ṵ̸̢͖̺́̐̚Ĺ̴̪͕̑̍̈́̚D̷̥̮̪̠͓̐'̷̛̭̯̘̏͘V̴̡̩̤͚͈̀͒͂̈́̓E̸̙͝ ̵̭̤̽̔̊̒G̷̘͘͘Ĭ̴͚̖̭͖̐̾V̷͚̖̯̠̔̈͑̈́E̶̡͔̳̳̱͌̑̃N̸̡͚̰͔͍̈͒ ̶̩̫̤͈͘Ṱ̷̗̐Ḧ̵̭̠́Ë̸̛͙̘̪̞́͂ ̷̺̼̫̂͊̈̈́̾ͅK̷̻̯̗̰̭̋̎̕Į̸͖͇̝̠́̓̃͘Ň̴͈̻̍͝Ĝ̶̡͙̐́͝͝ ̷̞̣̂͑͛̈Á̸̧̬͇͇̥ ̴̧̛͙͉͉̉̉͊̚R̷̘̳̫͌ͅE̷̙̳̿̆̋̈A̶̻͔̙̅͐̀̏̚L̵͇͗́̃́ ̶͇̘̥̥̺͐F̵̗̕E̴̼͈̟̞̒̆̎S̶͕̗̃̏̔́͝ͅT̷͔̼̪̱͖̾͒I̷̖̐̓̄̀V̷̥̬̋̎̉̌̈A̷̼͒̀̾̕L̴̛͔̖̇̿͊̚.̵̬̊͂.̷̖̣̑̄͛̈͘.̵̠͉̦̻̅̌̽͌͋

[MUSIC END]

'What was it trying to say?'

The boy knew he was no expert on understanding the language the puppet spoke, and that made it slightly frustrating to know the exact words it spoke. What is that strange language the Parade Master talked in? It certainly wasn't the language the merchant spoke in. Perhaps there could be a way to understand it soon. Either way, he had secured his victory and needed to keep moving. Walking towards the exit of the area, he passed by more cutouts of clowns and the like in a small passageway leading to the exit of the festival. Walking out, he noted a large open crate right next to him, and in front of it was a fountain that was overflowing with water, its contents spilling onto the brick pavement. Looking ahead of him, he saw a downed puppet that seemed to be twitching slightly, its body in front of a large plaque. Moving towards it, he heard its attempt to speak, and seeing as it wasn't able to attack him, he walked next to it and decided to listen to its message.

"Puppet.. Cannot enter…energy depleted…"

As it finished its message, the puppet's eyes stopped glowing and its whole body suddenly went limp. Seeing it wasn't going to be moving anymore, the boy turned his attention to the plaque on a small stone pillar. Walking closer to it, he read its contents.

HOTEL KRAT.

THE GREATEST LUXURY YOU WILL EVER EXPERIENCE.

TREAT YOURSELF TO AN UNFORGETTABLE DAY.

'I must be close to the hotel'

Looking to his right, he found more stairs that were leading him to his destination. With a slight deadpan expression on his blank face, he made his way up the stairs and directly beneath an overhead of the bridge. Seeing a corner to the right with more stairs, he continued onward. Before he could climb them, Momo spoke to him again to advise him.

"One more thing I should mention… The hotel security excludes puppets like you. So you'll have to lie to get inside. You're a special puppet after all."

After having said that, her voice went quiet again. Nodding in understanding, the boy made his way up the last set of stairs and turned the corner onto the bridge. The sight he witnessed took his breath away, if that was possible to begin with. The twin set of lanterns on either side of the bridge leading to the hotel was stunning, but the hotel itself was what stole the view. The hotel was absolutely elegant, majestic, and large. The architecture only complimented the spectacle further with its many lit and dark windows, a towering second building of the hotel, and a private train system attached to the second building. It was all breathtaking to witness but the boy remembered he still needed to enter. Making his way across the bridge, he also noticed the large majestic name of the hotel, 'ℍ𝕆𝕋𝔼𝕃 𝕂ℝ𝔸𝕋'. Finishing crossing the bridge, he began approaching a set of majestic blue and gold doors and noted several bodies of puppets either in literal parts or scorched. The hotel security must have done this to them. Either way, he needed to get inside and talk to Momo. Getting close to the doors, he went under an overpass that shielded him from getting drenched in the rain. Seeing that he was not getting wet anymore, he tested the doors to see if they would open but was not surprised when they didn't budge. A loud mechanical voice resounded as soon as he finished his attempt at opening the doors.

"WELCOME TO THE SANCTUARY OF THE GRAND COVENANT."

"PROVE YOUR IDENTITY."

"WHO ARE YOU?," The Hotel Defense System finished.

PUPPET / HUMAN

The boy was suddenly hit with an impending time to answer, while he couldn't tell what was the cause other than the defense system waiting for an answer, he needed to give it soon. Should he tell the truth and just say he is a puppet? No, he would get locked out and never be able to enter the hotel. But something inside him was telling him that the truth was better than lying, that no matter how much worse the situation or person gets, lying wouldn't solve anything and would lead to more suffering. Yet, the logical part of him was telling him that lying was his only chance of getting inside and solving whatever was happening to this city. He felt he was being pulled in both directions, one driven by faint emotion while the other with hard logic. The weight of both sides felt oppressing even though he was standing tall and strong. But at that moment, he felt his time shorten even further. He needed to give his answer fast. Wrestling control of himself again, he gave his answer to the system.

…

[Human]

With his answer given, the hotel system gave its response to him.

"GRAND COVENANT'S FOURTH LAW: A PUPPET CANNOT LIE."

"WELCOME TO HOTEL KRAT" It finished, welcoming him to the hotel.

His lie had been useful and granted him access to the hotel. Suddenly, his heart began ticking faster and beating harder as he felt the parts and gears inside him shift in place. Placing his left hand over his heart, he waited for the change to pass and looked himself over to find anything irregular on his body.

[Your springs are reacting.]

Feeling the change finally pass. He holstered his weapon and began pushing the doors to the hotel open. They were considerably heavy but he continued pushing them open. Finally getting them open, he walked up the stairs leading to the hotel. As he made his way to it, some part of him was ashamed of his answer and couldn't believe he had told it.

'I had to'

In that moment, a faint voice that wasn't Momo's spoke to him. It almost sounded…like him. It asked him a simple question to ponder. Although, it would be one he would struggle to find the right answer to in the near future.

"How many lies must be told before it becomes dangerous?"

- Scene Break -

[PLAY: LIES OF P OST - Hotel Krat]

Walking into the hotel, he spotted a young woman standing near what looked to be a larger version of the Stargazer. As he began walking closer, the woman turned around and gave a look of relief. Stopping several feet from her, the woman turned and began walking towards him. The woman wore a white gown that covered her body but wasn't able to hide the impressive size of her chest. Another thing he noted was dangling above her chest was a gold watch that had a butterfly inside it. Draping her shoulders was a large red leather coat that reached to her thighs and had an onyx-colored butterfly brooch with its center colored blue. The woman's face was beautiful with delicate onyx eyes and a calm smile that complimented her beauty while her black hair was tied in a spiky ponytail and a long bang framing the right side of her face. The air around her held a certain type of high-class elegance that wasn't familiar to him but gave her beauty more prestige.

Stopping several inches from him, she spoke.

"I'm so happy to see you," She told him, giving him a soft small smile. Deciding that an explanation was in order, she began to advise him of the situation.

"I am Momo. I've been waiting for you, searched all over the city of Krat to find you. You must have questions… Midoriya will have answers, but we have to find her first. She was last seen on Elysion Boulevard" Momo began.

Nodding, he waited for her to continue explaining. Though, he felt there was some information she wasn't sharing with him. Filing that thought away, he continued listening.

"All of Krat is dangerous for humans, and that neighborhood is one of the scariest. Please find Midoriya on Elysion Boulevard. I'll explain more once you find her" She finished.

Looks like he was being sent on a rescue mission and some answers were being withheld. Well, he should have foreseen the answers weren't going to be given to him that easily. Still, this was better than not getting them at all. He was going to need to arm himself further. As he was pondering these thoughts, Momo looked down to where Uravity was holstered and had a look of concern.

"Look at Uravity… I think she's in shock" She commented, breaking him from his thoughts.

"ÚRÄVÌ†Y Ì§ FÌñÈ," She stated.

"That's proof you're broken," Momo countered, a small frown appearing on her face. "The real Uravity isn't so…calm".

Looking up at the boy, she saw a ghost of concern on his mostly blank face. Momo spoke to calm him.

"I'm no inventor, but perhaps I can fix her. Or perhaps she'll fix herself in time…" She said.

While it didn't completely satiate his concern, he accepted it for what it was. Perhaps Uravity can be fixed soon. Readying himself, the boy was about to move and head out and find Midoriya before-

"... Wait, take this pocket watch" Momo suddenly said, catching his attention.

He looked down and saw she was holding out an ornate gold pocket watch in her hands toward him. The gold watch was beautiful, the front of its cover held an intricate design of a butterfly with the center of it housing a glowing blue piece of Ergo. Reaching out and gently taking it from her hands, he looked it over in his hand before looking to Momo for an explanation. Seeing his expectant face, she obliged his unheard request.

"Krat is a labyrinth of peril right now," She explained. "This watch will guide you to a safe place".

Not quite understanding how a watch can 'guide him to a safe place', he nonetheless accepted the watch and placed it in his bag. Before he moved, Momo gave him one last warning.

"Be careful, clever one" She finished.

Deciding that while he couldn't get answers for what was happening, he could get answers to some specific topics. Looking at her, he decided to ask about Ergo.

"Ergo is the miracle that made Krat prosper. Without Ergo, there would be no automated puppets to make Krat wealthy. When you move, you tap into the power of Ergo within you. Gather more Ergo, it will make you stronger" She explained.

'Ergo is more special than I thought'

Noting that Uravity was a lamp, more accurately, in the lamp, he also asked Momo about the Monad Lamp. She obliged.

"In the folklore of Krat, a cricket often acts as a guide. That's why these automated models became popular. But Uravity is unique…she's more than just a guide. As you get more familiar with Uravity, you'll see what I mean" She said, answering his final question.

'So Uravity is more than what she is'

Nodding, he took several steps back and inspected the hotel more closely. It was as grand and elegant as one could be able to imagine. Looking to his left he saw in the middle of the hotel what appeared to be a much larger Stargazer. Approaching it, he saw the majority of it was on a circular pedestal with a lamp in the center of it. Above it was a clock that was slowly moving its hand down the time from one to six. Not to mention the clock looked amazing and the metal almost appeared to be made from gold. Looking slightly to his left, he saw a reception area with a man in a butler outfit. However, he noted the features and joints of the 'man' were artificial and mechanical. The boy would have to confront the man as soon as he finished getting a layout of the hotel. But seeing as it wasn't attacking anyone, he assumed the hotel was safe…for now.

Looking more to the left, the boy saw a wooden pedestal holding a gramophone. It was currently not playing any songs and looked to just be collecting dust, though he supposed it was an exaggeration as it was still in perfect condition.

'Maybe I can find some records for the hotel'

It was a small thought but it could help liven the hotel slightly. Looking further to his left, he saw an opening that gave him a clear view of someone sitting in a wheelchair that looked to be made of quality material. Attached to the side of the wheelchair was a small pole suspending a glass IV. From the distance he was at, all the boy could see of the head of the person on the chair was a head full of yellow hair. Deciding to go and meet the one in the wheelchair, the boy walked away from the Stargazer to the left wing of the hotel. Walking through the doorless entrance, he looked around and saw the area the person was in was a library. It held some areas where one could sit and read any type of book. Looking to his right, he saw a piano resting on top of a circular carpet. Walking over to it, curiosity got the better of him and he decided to play a few notes.

[PLAY: LIES OF P OST - Pianist of Krat I]

Using his right hand, he played of couple of notes here and there on the piano. He knew he had no experience in playing pianos but the thrill of playing one was sufficient motivation. Finishing playing a random couple of notes, he heard chuckling coming from his left.

[MUSIC END]

"It took me a while to properly play the thing. But once you understand the notes? The flow of the song? The proper placement of each finger? You get lost in the euphoria it brings. Trust me" The masculine voice said.

Looking over his shoulder, the boy saw the person on the chair, while not turning to face him, comment on his performance. Walking to the left of the wheelchair, he saw that the person was a man, although he appeared to be older and didn't have a single gray strand of hair on his head. While the man was sitting and not able to walk, the man had a yellow striped tuxedo with equally striped pants, silver cufflinks on both of his arms, black gloves, and a small red bowtie to complete the outfit. Framing the man's face were two long bangs on either side of his face, he had a sharp chin and nearly glowing blue eyes. But the boy looked closely and noted that the pupils were almost surrounded in shadow in the man's eyes. It almost appeared that there wasn't anything else besides the pupils.

Looking over to his left slightly, the man spoke to him.

"Unexpected visitors are welcome. We don't insist on reservations. I am Toshinori, and this is my hotel. Welcome," He said, welcoming the boy. He lifted his left hand in a gesture to shake it.

The boy, deciding to not be rude, lifted his left hand to return the gesture. Flesh and Steel made contact at that moment but Toshinori knew there was nothing hostile about the boy. Chuckling again, he released the boy's steel left hand.

"Oh, I knew from the moment we met that you're Midoriya's puppet. She might have a few loose screws but her skills are undiminished," He happily commented.

The boy slightly perked up at this information. The feeling of praise felt…nice, especially from Toshinori. But at the same time, the boy felt something familiar about the man. Has he seen him from somewhere? He can't remember, his memories felt empty but the feeling of knowing was there. What does it mean? However, Toshinori's next words lowered the mood and brought him out of these thoughts.

"It's a shame. She took off for Elysion Boulevard, and she never came back" He informed him with sadness in his tone.

The boy nodded and understood that he needed to save her. Although, Toshinori brought the mood back up again.

"If she doesn't turn up soon, we'll have to make a new coffin," He said jokingly, laughing slightly until…

COUGH

Covering his mouth, he coughed almost violently into his hand to the point a small bit of blood was seen dripping down it. Recovering from the small coughing fit, he brought out a small handkerchief and wiped the blood from his hand. The boy had concern on his face, even when it was mostly blank, the man could tell. Placing the handkerchief away, he waved off the boy's concern before remembering something.

"Oh, I forgot I was keeping this for her. It comes with a long story, but I think it's better off with you" He said. Reaching beside his wheelchair, he handed the boy a uniform. It was a school uniform but it looked to be already worn. The uniform was a light blue blazer with a blue and white striped tie. On the left side of the uniform was a gold brooch with an elegant M engraved in the center of it. The uniform also came with gray knee-length pants, knee-high black socks, and laced black boots. Even worn, the uniform still represented class. The boy accepted the uniform and quickly put it on, appreciating the man giving him privacy by looking to the other side.

Checking himself over, the boy was surprised that it fit him so well. Has he worn this before? It brought a feeling of warmth he didn't quite understand. Looking to his right and thrusting his right arm out in a fist bump on instinct, he knew nothing was next to him but the action had a meaning to it. Lowering his arm slightly and bringing the fist close to his face, the boy looked at it in confusion but also with a sense of loneliness. He…missed someone but he didn't know who. He'll figure this out later, for now, he had a mission to do. Regaining his composure, his face returned to its mostly blank state while also lowering his arm down to his side quickly so the man wouldn't notice. Bringing his left arm out, he gave the man's shoulder a small tap, signaling he was done changing.

Looking back after being given permission, and slightly wincing at the strength the boy had in that tap, the man noted the boy's new attire and praised him with a smile.

"It suits you. For a moment there, you looked just like…," Toshinori's words slowed to a near halt, his smile drooping slightly before he quickly recovered.

"F-forgive me, I'm rambling… When you get to my age, your memories are like good friends - and just as distracting" He finished with a small laugh. Understanding that the man wasn't ready to talk about this topic, the boy nodded. He was about to ask him a question when the man spoke up again.

"People have no idea so many secrets are buried in Krat…" He started. "Thanks for keeping me company. What are you curious about?"

Being a little caught off guard, the boy nevertheless asked his question after being given permission. He decided to ask the man about lying.

"I see you're here. That means you can lie," Toshinori explained. "Your lies are a rare ability. You are able to choose your own path, unbound by anything".

Understanding, the boy continued to listen.

"People on the outside are still afraid of puppets. Lie to protect yourself and find your path." He finished.

The man knew there was still something else the boy wanted to ask. Waiting patiently, he saw the boy mull over his words for several seconds before asking his final question. The boy asked about Midoriya. Nodding, the man began explaining.

"I'm an old friend of Midorya's. Her son is like family to me" He said. "Make yourself at home. You're always welcome at the hotel. If you have any questions, ask my butler, Mirai." Nodding, the boy thanked the man and decided it would be rude to keep disturbing the man. Turning around, he began walking back to the center of the hotel and talk with the butler. Before he passed the entrance he came through, he took a look back and saw that the man had his wheelchair several feet from a large portrait depicting a young man in a grey trenchcoat. Other pieces of clothing also included a white button shirt with a collar, underneath the collar was a black tie that extended to a grey combat vest. He also wore black combat pants with multiple pouches. He was next to a table filled with items for eating, although it appeared it was for the upper class. However, the man had a large smile on his face as if that fact didn't bother him. A curious coincidence the boy noted was the man's hair, he had two bangs that were standing straight in the air in a V, seemingly defying gravity.

'Could he be… later, when the time is right'

Walking out of the library, he noted across the hotel was another entrance leading to what appeared to be a garden. To the left of it was an area he hadn't looked at yet. Looking to his left, he saw the butler standing and waiting to serve anyone who came to ask him. Walking over to the front of the desk, he stood in front of the reception and got a better look at the butler.

The butler's hair was dark green with yellow streaks with a portion of it swept to the right side of the head, but it appeared to be as artificial as the rest of its body. It stood at a height of 6'6 with standard black butler clothes consisting of black pants, a black coat with coattails, white gloves, and a black bowtie. On the left side of its 'clothes' was a small gold brooch with an emerald center to complete the look. Walking closer to the desk, the butler greeted him.

'Welcome to Hotel Krat. My name is Mirai, butler to Sir Toshinori. Please let me know how I may be of service. At Hotel Krat, comfort and calm walk hand in hand" The butler greeted in a monotone voice.

'Well, it's not attacking anyone like the ones outside'

Remembering that the phone stand mentioned the Grand Covenant, the boy asked the butler. The puppet responded to the asked question with no hesitation. But the boy noted it kept clasping and unclasping its hands as it spoke, even when he walked to speak to it.

"The Grand Covenant is a set of absolute commands imprinted on puppets when they are made".

"First Law: All puppets must obey their Creator's commands".

"Second Law: A puppet may not harm humans".

"Third Law: A puppet protects and serves humans and the city of Krat".

"Fourth Law: A puppet cannot lie".

"I've told you about the laws engraved upon every puppet. Do you require anything else?" The puppet asked.

Shaking his head, the boy thanked the puppet for the explanation and made his way to the other side of the area he was in. As he walked, he heard a bit of speech the puppet was muttering behind his back, though the boy made sure to appear as though he wasn't listening.

"Can Sir Toshinori trust this 'boy' " He heard the puppet mutter, a hint of distrust in its tone.

Making his way over to the entrance where he assumed a garden was, the boy noted to his right was an area that had crates as well as other large items covered in tarps. Perhaps it can be used soon, if at all. Looking to his left, he saw an area that looked to be a workshop though it wasn't very large. Sitting on a stool next to a table, he saw a girl dressed in work clothes that consisted of a brown leather apron, brown work gloves, knee-high socks, and laced brown shoes. Walking closer to her work table, he also saw she had her hair braided, with glasses resting on her face. Her features appeared to be Eastern, and seeing as no one else so far had the same features as her, he guessed she wasn't from around here. Nearing closer, the girl looked up from inspecting an axe and axe handle and greeted him.

"I heard about you from Midoriya, but to see you in person…Wow!" She said with excitement.

Feeling a small sweatdrop, the boy greeted her all the same. Taking something out from the box next to her feet, she presented the boy with an item.

"You should take this. Midoriya left it with me," She told him. Nodding, he accepted the item and with her help, attached it to his left arm. After several minutes, the boy looked at his new left arm. It was essentially a new cleaner version of the arm he woke up with but it had an extra feature mounted on the forearm. The feature was a steampunk device that had a sharp harpoon tip capable of releasing wire at the exit point of the device to anyone he aimed it at. With a few curls of his mechanical fingers, the boy looked back to the girl. Which made her excited to discuss his new arm.

"The sound of it alone…that craftsmanship comes only from the hands of Midoriya. You must be something else… A custom arm from Midoriya herself is quite an accessory!" She happily commented. Nodding, the boy agreed that getting something from her must be useful.

Remembering something important, the girl went to speak.

"Oh! I forgot to introduce myself. I am Eugénie from the Workshop Union. I know my way around weapons of all kinds. I'm sure Mistress Midoriya would agree! If any of your weapons need work, bring them to me" She finished, the last few sentences being spoken with pride in her voice.

Thanking her, he went to leave for Elysion Boulevard but had a few questions about certain items and what he would find in the garden outside. He started with his first question and asked about the Stargazer.

"A Stargazer is a survival device used by the Stalkers. It powers itself by accumulating and absorbing Ergo spores in the air. The Stalkers installed Stargazers all across the city. Once they're recovered, we can put them to use," She explained.

Understanding the importance of the Stargazers, the boy made sure to come across as many as he could find to increase his chances in the city. Going ahead with his last question, he asked Eugénie about training.

"If you want to test your skills or try new techniques, head for the garden. The Stalkers captured a puppet to use for training." She said.

The boy's face had a small look of concern as to why a captured puppet was a good idea, although he tried to keep his face as blank as possible. Unfortunately, it seems his effort wasn't good enough as Eugénie caught the look on his face.

"Don't look at me like that - everyone hates puppets. I know whose side you're on," She finished with a tone of finality. Crossing her arms as well to make sure the point was understood.

Deciding it was best to leave that particular topic alone, the boy thanked her again and left her to work on the weapon she was inspecting. Looking over to his right, he noticed a cat was cleaning itself with its paw. Looking at Eugénie, she looked over her shoulder and spotted the cat as well. Giving him a nod, she allowed him to step around the table she was working on and head to greet the cat. Walking close to it, it didn't react to him as it was still cleaning itself. Reaching his right hand to pet it, the cat finished its bath and looked at the hand approaching it. To the boy's slight shock, the cat hissed at him, warning him to keep his distance. Seeing that he wouldn't be able to pet it, he made his way out of the small work area and walked toward the center of the hotel. Before he left, he saw a small note next to where the cat was sitting. It read-

I organized this place according to the rules, so don't touch anything. - Eugénie

Heading back to the center of the hotel near the Stargazer, he made sure everything he had was ready to be used at any time. Now the greatest question remained for him to know the answer to.

…

Where was Elysion Boulevard?

He heard it being talked about over and over again but had no idea where it was. He wasn't even quite sure where the area to go to was. Looking to his left, he saw Momo giving him a deadpan stare. Probably knowing what was going through his mind. Or maybe she already knew. While his face was still mostly blank, he had the decency to look slightly sheepish. Momo simply lifted her arm and pointed across from him. Looking to his right, he saw a grand wooden staircase leading to separate ways to reach the top floors, but in front of the stairs was an exit to the outside. Most likely leading to where he needed to go.

Looking back at her, he gave her a small smile of appreciation. Although, it has an artificial look to it. Momo saw it and smiled back, seeing that the boy was, in a way, trying to be human. Readying himself, the boy nodded to her and began his walk to the stairs. Ascending them, he walked out of the exit to the hotel and saw a small plaza with a fountain. In front of the fountain, was a set of elegant iron gates. Walking past the plaza, he reached the gates and made sure his holstered weapon was ready. Opening the gate with his left arm, he stepped into the cold streets to find the one who had answers to this nightmare.

"HÈRÈ WÈ GÖ!" Uravity whispered excitedly.

[MUSIC END]

- Scene Break -

Walking out of one of the entrances to the hotel, the boy noticed the rain had stopped. Unholstering his rapier with a flick, he made his way out of the small area he was in littered with several corpses. Walking across a small bridge, he made his way out of a doorless exit that stood in front of the hotel. Walking forward, he stepped out onto a street lined both sides with high buildings and shops and large shop signs with gothic architecture. Up above was an overhead train system with a train that was hanging motionless just above a small bridge going across horizontally from the street. Slowly walking across the street and taking in the sight, he jumped slightly as the train above began to teeter forward, a rabbit-masked individual was seen above it bowing. Just before it fell off, the person leaped forward in a somersault and fired a wire onto the building, swung upward, and disappeared over the rooftop. The boy saw the train falling towards him and braced himself to jump back, but its fall stopped and was now suspended by several cables and had its light system beaming into his face. The boy had to cover his eyes slightly but continued forward as the train no longer threatened to cut off his path.

Uravity spoke up at this time, although her voice threw him slightly off guard at the change it had seemingly gone through without him noticing.

"Hey, let's be more careful!" She warned.

Her voice was more fluid and lost its monotone and robotic edge. His surprise was ignored by her as she continued to talk.

"Ugh. The Black Rabbit Brotherhood! I hate these guys. But don't be alarmed. My name is Uravity. We will talk later. When it's safe!" She told him in a reassuring tone before going quiet.

Accepting the answer for now, he looked forward and noted some parts on the ground several feet ahead of him. A Stargazer. Quickly walking to them, they began to swirl and assemble themselves into the device, ready to be used. Seeing that there weren't any puppets or the Black Rabbit Brotherhood near him, for now, the boy supposed it was safe enough to talk with Uravity. Walking up to it, Uravity's voice chimed to life again.

"I'm Uravity, your friendly puppet guide. Or friendly guide puppet? One of those. I'm also a friend of Momo's. Last time I woke up, Momo was there – because she woke me up. But I'm sure there are still other memories there…" She said, contemplating for several seconds as a cricket-like chirping was heard from her.

Quickly gathering her thoughts, she continued.

"Sorry. Must be the shock. Bear with me, and I'll do my best to guide you!" She finished with a slightly cheerful tone. Her voice going quiet again.

The boy nodded and let her take the time she needed to sort her memories. Noting the bend to the right of the Stargazer, was another street he would need to cross. Although, there were several puppets he spotted that were going to give him trouble. Not deterred, he walked away from the Stargazer and began his trek to Elysion Boulevard. Seeing a puppet standing a few feet away from him, he decided to test the [Puppet String]. Aiming his arm at the puppet, he fired the harpoon, the contraption letting out a hiss of air as it shot the harpoon with a wire attached. The harpoon closed the distance and impaled itself into the puppet's chest. With a thrust of his arm back, the puppet was yanked across the pavement with considerable strength and stopped several inches from the boy. As it was getting up from being dragged, the boy stabbed it to death without remorse. Seeing that it was dead, he looked at his left arm with slight appreciation.

'This will be useful, as long as the enemy can be killed in several blows'

While it can drag enemies to him, he had to be sure they could die in several or preferably a single blow. He doubted the stronger enemies he would face could be taken down that easily. Maybe he can talk to Eugénie about upgrades?

Filing that thought away, the boy continued his walk and killed some puppets near an abandoned carriage. Looking to his left, he saw an entrance leading to another street. Walking through the doorless gate and to the other street, he heard Uravity speak again.

"Elysion Boulevard was a regular "rich people row". You wanted fancy boutiques and shops? No place better." She commented, though there was a hint of envy in her voice. Why was she jealous of them? Uravity however, didn't see the look on his face and continued.

"But that was long ago. Before the Puppet Frenzy…" She trailed off, going quiet suddenly.

'What was it like to walk here with people before this all happened?'

Continuing his walk, he stopped at an intersection of the Elysion Boulevard. Looking to his left, past an abandoned carriage, he saw another locking mechanism on a gate. Knowing that way would be locked, he looked ahead and saw a barricaded gate. Again, he wasn't going to be able to go that way, and decided to take the path to his right, seeing as it wasn't barricaded. Standing at the edge of the next street he needed to walk through, he spied a chest at the end. Maybe there might be something useful in it. Walking towards it, a puppet dog began walking out of its cover behind several wooden boxes and immediately noticed him. Barking, it alerted several other puppets around it to his presence. Readying himself, he charged and began taking them down one by one.

After several minutes, the fight was over and he was free to continue forward. However, he thrust out his arm and used a [Pulse Cell] to heal a bite wound he had on his leg. It had managed to bite him and hold him in place nearly long enough for a puppet to get close and swing its weapon at him. But it accidentally hit the dog and caused it enough damage for it to let go and give the boy a chance to retaliate. Unfortunate, but he hoped it wouldn't happen again.

'Stupid dog'

Walking in front of the chest, he knelt down and with his left arm, broke the lock that shut the case tight. Opening it, he saw a part labeled 'LADA F150 Frame' and picked it up. Inspecting it for a moment, he wondered what he could do with it before Uravity helpfully chimed in.

"Parts like those can increase the amount of damage you take before dying. Using them will help a lot with the kinds of fights that you get into" She said, though her last sentence had a bit of amusement in her tone.

Shaking his head slightly, he decided it was better to make sure he could stay in the fight for longer than what he imagined. Might as well use everything he can find, right? Reaching under his uniform to reach his chest, he felt a panel slide open as his fingers brushed it. Bringing his hand closer into the entrance, he felt for a specific part his body was using and immediately ripped it out. With the part in his right hand, he pulled his hand out of the panel, brought the piece from under his blazer, and quickly threw it away into the chest. The new piece he had in his left hand was then transferred to his right and he went to put the frame into the place he had ripped the old one from. Snapping it into place and tightening it, he felt his body grow just the slightest bit more durable. Removing his hand from the panel, it shut immediately. He was a bit confused as to why it closed so fast, then again, it was the opening that was protecting his clockwork heart, and the part he ripped out was several centimeters next to it.

Not caring, he brought his hand out into the open and noticed some oil on his fingers. Shaking it off, the boy turned around and headed to the small set of stairs that led to a higher level of the street. Uravity though, thought it best to bring up what he did.

"Well that wasn't interesting and gross to see," She said, a small cricket chirp being accompanied with it.

The boy merely let out a small shrug as he climbed the stairs and noticed that his path was blocked again. Not being deterred, he looked for a way to escape. Uravity let out a small giggle at his shrug, now amused.

"So you really plan on doing that in front of me again? Now I thank every god that exists that I don't have a body, I would be gagging nonstop from you switching parts" She playfully said. The boy thought it over for a moment, which made Uravity let out a laugh.

"Hahahaha! Well, nice to know you have my best interests in mind!" She said, as her laugh died down. Which was the moment the boy looked to his right and saw a ladder in an alleyway that led up to the roof. Walking past a spotlight on the ground that was pointing upwards at a shop sign, the boy began his climb up. Reaching the top, he looked around for a bit and spotted some posters directly beneath a lamp to his right. Looking them over, they depicted a woman with pink dreadlocks framing her face, steampunk goggles resting on top of her head, and a workshop gown that was unbuttoned at the top to show off her cleavage. She was pointing directly at whoever was looking at the poster with a wink and a near-manic grin. The words below her read 'YOU ARE THE NEXT HATSU-'. Unfortunately, the next word was torn along with the corner of the poster.

"Oh, she looks pretty. So do you- Oh? Taking a good look at her, are you~?" Uravity teased, as she noticed the boy study the poster for a long moment, longer than usual as for most posters he didn't stop and even look at it. Shaking his head, the boy noticed a bend around the roof with several wooden planks to allow him to walk and went to turn the corner.

"Oh come on, don't be shy, you can tell me what you're thinking~ It's better than to not admit– WHOA!"

As the boy turned the corner, he nearly didn't see the puppet waiting for him. It whirled its arm back and was about to bash him before he brought up his saber and blocked the hit. Now aware, the boy looked to his left and saw a puppet aiming its pistol at him and firing at him. Dodging back just enough to not fall off the edge, the bullet lodged itself into the roof of the building. Working quickly, the boy stabbed the puppet in front of him to death and quickly took slight cover behind a sign next to him. Getting an idea, the boy waited for the puppet across from the roof to reload. Hearing a slight struggle to reload, the boy got up from his cover, aimed the [Puppet String], and fired. The harpoon-tipped wire made contact with the puppet and he yanked his arm back, causing the puppet to be yanked across the rooftops towards the boy. Unfortunately for the puppet, it began to fall to the side of the building the boy was on and soon slammed into it with great force. The wire disconnected from the puppet and it soon began its fall to the pavement of the street.

Looking over the edge, he saw the puppet not moving and lying still. Moving across the rooftop, he moved across to the next rooftop thanks to a metal bridge top connecting the roofs. Looking over to his left, he noted a button that released a metal-extending ladder. Walking across the roof towards it, he slammed his left hand into the button that kept the ladder from dropping. Seeing it drop, he went about his way across the rooftop looking for another exit. On the last roof he needed to get to, he saw an open door into a building, and seeing as there was a large billboard that provided him a way to cross, he made his way to the entrance. As he was finished crossing, a puppet wielding a bloody axe full of nails at the wooden base, walked out. The puppet was dressed as the rest of the puppets he fought, only it had a top hat and it had a white butler tuxedo.

Seeing the boy, the puppet ran towards him and whirled its arm holding the axe back, preparing to cut him in two. Dodging to the side, the boy thrust his weapon into its back several times before being forced to jump back to avoid the low swing of the axe to him. Growing slightly tired of the fight and needing to hurry, the boy used another of the [Electric Blitz Abrasive] and electrified his rapier. With the weapon electrified, he rushed the puppet and stabbed the puppet several times causing surges of blue lightning to course through its body. The puppet's movements began to slow as the lightning continued to surge. Not wasting a second, the boy dispatched it in a final strike and walked towards the entrance. He didn't give the puppet a look back as it fell dead on the rooftop. Heading inside the building, he saw how luxurious it would look if it wasn't for the slight mess it was in. Seeing a staircase ahead, he walked up to the next floor and found several puppets. The boy made quick work of each one and saw an open window with metal beams running from the window to the other side of the building roof.

A problem he came across was a puppet wielding a wire chimney brush directly at the end of the beams. Not waiting for another second, the boy fired the [Puppet String] and yanked the puppet towards him. A mistake the puppet made was resisting the pull and attempting to use its heels as it was dragged across the makeshift bridge. A bump on the bridge causes it to slip to the side and slam into the building wall, falling to its death. Walking across the bridge the boy noted the street below him and decided to investigate it for anything useful. Seeing a ladder on his way to the last section of the makeshift bridge, he climbed down the ladder. Keeping his legs and left arm on the ladder, the boy quickly slid down it with ease. Jumping off, he looked past the carriage next to the building and went ahead to find anything useful. Apart from slaying a puppet that tried to sneak up on him, he found nothing worthwhile. Well, except for another locked gate that connected to the intersection where he initially walked in. Heading back up the ladder, he continued on his way across the various building roofs.

After climbing another ladder, he continued his walk across the roof. Rounding a corner of the roof building, he spotted another puppet and quickly ran behind it to finish it. After dropping dead, the boy continued his walk, stopping for a moment as something struck him and released a surge of lightning all over his body. It lasted for a moment but it made the boy fall to one knee while kneeling he looked around to find where the object came from until he heard strange noises coming from up above. Looking up he saw a puppet with a [Throwing Cell] in its hand on the rooftop across from where he was kneeling. The puppet reared its hand back to throw the item in its hand. Getting up quickly, the boy ran across the rooftops to get to the puppet that was being a nuisance, ignoring several enemies but finishing off any that stood in his way. Running into a building that had ladders leading up to the roof, the boy quickly got rid of several puppets that attempted to stop. Not stopping, he climbed up the ladders and managed to reach the top of the roof. Dashing towards the puppet, he quickly got rid of it before noticing another and making short work.

Wondering how he was going to get down as he didn't properly get a good look at routes, Uravity spoke up to help.

"There's a big hole right in front of you, might be worth investigating for a way down" She helpfully said, small cricket chirps being heard as well. Nodding, he walked over to the hole and looked down. He saw a wooden plank that ran across the second floor, he jumped down to it and landed with a soft thud. Looking down again, he saw he was directly above a puppet holding a wire chimney brush. Jumping down, the boy stabbed it to death in a single strike as he came down next to it. Sharpening his weapon on the [Grindor, he looked to his right and saw another puppet, only this time its size was bigger than a normal puppet, it had thick arms made to deliver devastating punches. Other features it had were a tied jacket on its back, a brown vest, striped blue pants with a belt, and a bucket hat on its head. Seeing that it also had a large wheel on its back, the boy knew the fight he was getting into would be more demanding.

Running across a small bridge towards it, the boy threw a couple of [Throwing Cell]'s to weaken it, if only for a couple of seconds. The objects connected with the large puppet and its movements began to slow, more so as it turned around to face the one that was attacking it. Making his move, the puppet was stabbed several times and even staggered slightly which gave the boy time to perform a heavy attack. The attack was enough to stun the puppet and bring it to a knee, the boy took the chance to stab it several times and cause more damage to it. Getting up, the puppet made no warning as it leaped into the air with its arms up, ready to smash the boy into the ground. Dodging to the side, the boy continued his relentless assault and with several more attacks, the puppet was destroyed and broke into several pieces.

Flicking the oil off his blade, he made to leave before remembering another chest that was right next to the battle that had taken place. Moving closer to it, he knelt and broke the lock, allowing him to open it. Inside was an intricate amulet. Although to him it was nothing special, Uravity said the opposite.

"Using an amulet like that can give you special benefits. This one will make sure your parts last long enough to get in one last swing of your weapon" She explained.

Not understanding how an amulet is capable of doing that, he nonetheless took it. While he could wear it on his right hand, it would be better to have it somewhere the enemies he faces can't reach and destroy. Looking to his left hand, he looked for a compartment that could store the amulet and quickly found one. A panel opened further down his wrist, he saw he would only be able to place two in the arm…for now. Placing it inside and the panel sliding shut, he felt the parts inside him become stronger and more durable. These amulets will definitely be helpful.

Looking to his left he saw another set of metal beams leading into a room, and inside the room were parts lying on the ground. Another Stargazer. Walking across the bridge and into the room, the parts swirled and assembled themselves into a Stargazer. Now that he had another way of transporting, he looked over the room for a moment and found that it was another luxurious room.

To the left of the entrance to the room, stood another merchant, although his presence here was suspicious. Walking over to the merchant, he quickly greeted the boy.

"Why hello! I didn't know anyone was alive out here," The merchant said. Before continuing to explain, he noted the slightly suspicious look on the boy's face and quickly went to clear any misunderstanding.

"I know what you're thinking, but I'm not a burglar. I'm just crashing in an abandoned house for a while."

Understanding dawned on the boy's face and while still curious, he knew the man wouldn't do this intentionally. The merchant grew calmer as he saw the words calm down the boy's worries. He knew the boy was still cautious and added another piece to calm the situation.

"Don't worry. I won't cause any trouble. We survivors need to look out for each other."

Nodding, the boy was calmer and walked his way back to where the Stargazer was, he noted an electrified elevator door to the right of the room the merchant was in. Continuing, he arrived next to the device and he saw something odd.

Seeing a note on a desk near the bed, the boy picked it up and read it.

'My Louise and Charlotte, my treasure.

I can't hear anything.

I think the streets are already dead. Nothing but silence.

I assume that I too will become just another petrified corpse soon,

I still remember.

The sound of your singing voice and the sight of Charlotte looking at picture books.

I miss all of it.

The best thing I did when I was alive was send you and Charlotte to the cathedral for shelter.

I wish this nightmare was all over.

If only you and the kid could come back. But I guess now it's impossible.

I love you, Louise.

I pray that you're safe there.'

…

'May you find peace, wherever you are'

With the note in his hand, the boy clasped both hands together and gave a small bow in respect. This man had a family…and he never got to see them one last time before he passed. Maybe…no, it was probably too late for the man to survive, he hadn't even found his corpse. He's gone. A wave of sadness hit the boy and he felt his heart beat slightly faster. It was…melancholic to know he wasn't able to do anything to help the dead man. He almost wished time could turn back to keep the family safe and happy, but he knew that was only wishful thinking. Pocketing the note, the boy moved to an open balcony on the opposite side of the room. Outside, the boy checked his surroundings and noted several puppets below on the street. Looking to his right, he saw a possible route to get down onto the street.

Moving across a wooden board placed across the gap between buildings, he engaged several puppets that kept particular guard of the balcony and rooftops. Moving past them as soon as they were dealt with, he continued across the rooftop of the building he walked on. Making a turn, he saw a possible way to cross to the other side of another building. Nearing the metal platform, Uravity started giving off a pulsing red light, and shimmering into existence out of nowhere was an ethereal red butterfly. Surprised, the boy let it flap away. It was beautiful in a way, it wasn't like anything he had seen so far. Before it could get too far, Uravity spoke.

"Wait, I can sense something…strange," She said before, somehow, noticing the butterfly. "Jeepers! Is that a…butterfly?"

Nodding, the boy continued keeping watch on the butterfly as it flew in circles and flew near him at one point. Uravity, however, noted something strange about it.

"Why is the Ergo reacting like that? If you want to check it out, I can take point." She finished.

While she lacked a body to do that, he did understand that the pulse that was let off from her could help in seeing any more butterflies that appeared. Nodding, he slashed his weapon at the butterfly. After a single stab from his weapon, the butterfly immediately began flapping its wings faster, flying across a metal platform to the other building away from him. Giving chase, the boy reached the other side and quickly slew the butterfly, its body fading from this realm as it dropped an item. Pocketing it for later, the boy noted a hole in the wall that was large enough for him to pass through and into another room. Walking in, he noticed a sign on a door off its hinges next to a fireplace. Walking next to it, he saw a notice on it and read it.

WARNING!

PETRIFICATION DISEASE QUARANTINE ZONE. NO TRESPASSERS.

EVERYONE IS A PATIENT OR A LUNATIC.

DO NOT SPEAK TO THEM.

Walking out of the room after reading it, he heard soft cries from a woman. Looking over the railing, the boy saw a window that was partially opened with the silhouette of a woman projected on thin white curtains. Concerned, the boy went down a ladder placed just below him to ask the lady if she was ok. Sliding down the ladder, he looked for a way to get up and saw another ladder placed near a balcony directly next to the woman's window. Walking to the ladder, he stopped as the sound of footsteps was heard. Looking over to the entrance to the area he was in, the same large puppet he had faced to open the train station doors began walking in. Not wanting to waste time, the boy quickly rushed to the puppet and began his attack.

Several minutes later, the puppet was dead. Returning to the ladder, the boy quickly climbed it and stood several inches from the woman's window. As he walked closer, the boy asked the woman if she was alright. The woman, hearing his footsteps, greeted him.

"Oh…It must be your first time in the Petrification Disease quarantine zone," She said. " For most people, this is their last stop. You are a good Samaritan for coming all the way here."

The boy heard soft sniffles in her voice, not to mention her voice sounded hoarse, almost as if she had cried out loud for so long she nearly lost her voice.

"Kind one…may I ask you a favor?" The woman said, breaking him from that train of thought.

Slightly curious, the boy listened.

"My family took my baby from me and sent me here. They said it was for my own good, but it was heartless all the same," She explained. "A baby must be with its mother. Please go to Krat City Hall and bring me my baby". The woman finished, her voice tired but pleaded with him to help.

I'll find her / Refuse

While he could refuse the woman and be on his way, he still felt some semblance of responsibility to help. It was faint but he felt that he used to protect someone…or someone's from a threat. Who or what, he couldn't remember, but even still, he couldn't let this mother suffer from not being with her child. Making up his mind, he let the Weeping Woman know of his decision.

[I'll find her]

Crying, the woman thanked the boy for accepting her plea.

"Thank you so much, kind one. I can finally see my sweet Elena's face again".

Before the boy hurried off, the woman warned him about her condition.

"Please hurry! Hard scales are spreading across my eyes…before I lose my sight…Please…"

Nodding, the boy climbed down the ladder and made his way out of the quarantine zone. As he left the building and into the street, Uravity spoke up.

"She said the baby was at city hall. Should we check it out?" She asked.

The boy nodded, clear in his goal of what he needed to do to help.

"I hope everybody's safe," She said, her tone having cautious optimism.

'Me too'

On the street, the boy dispatched several puppets that stood in his way which had a dog and two puppets wielding swords. That was new. Before he moved onto the gate at the far end of the street, he noted an area one of the puppets barged through held an elevator that would lead him up to where the merchant was staying. Walking over to the interior of it, the boy noted that the light was red on a device that held a lever. Smashing his left hand into the button beneath it caused the elevator to rumble to life and turn the light green. Lifting the lever, the doors closed and the elevator began ascending. Several seconds later, the elevator reached the floor and opened its doors. Walking out, the boy made his way to the merchant and asked to buy several items.

Nodding, the merchant opened his bag and let the boy look at his wares. Before the boy could get any idea, the merchant quickly informed him.

"For your information, I didn't steal this," He said.

Nodding, the boy bought as much as he could and went on his way as soon as he was done purchasing. Pulling the lever up again, the elevator descended to the ground floor. Walking out, the boy brought out a [Legion Magazine] he had purchased and inserted it into a groove in between the joint of the steel arm. The arm let out a hiss as the magazine's polymer filling gave the Legion arm he had more firing pressure to the wire. With that done, the boy walked towards the gate he saw at the end of the street. Walking up to it, he looked at the lockpad and simply unlocked the gate with little issue.

As the gate opened, the boy was confused that he hadn't found Midoriya on Elysion Boulevard. Maybe he'll find her near city hall? She has to be somewhere nearby.

Walking past the open gate, the boy looked ahead and noted a bridge going directly across from him. Several carriages were broken and had dead animals and citizens of the city. But looking up, the boy was slightly surprised that a dead puppet was suspended with chains and wires beneath the arch of the entrance to the bridge. Its head was missing and a large sign was nailed to its waist, the message read:

ALL PUPPETS WILL BE DESTROYED

Walking forward undeterred, he went past an intact carriage and noted a figure near the end of the bridge banging their hand against a carriage door. From this distance, he noted the person had a large [Bone-Cutting Sawblade] holstered on his back, tattered grey and beige combat clothes that had seen constant battle, and a…donkey mask. Was he mad? Walking closer, he heard the clear voice belonging to a man shouting at someone inside.

"Come out, Midoriya! You've got a lot to answer for!"

'Is she in there?'

Walking slightly faster, the boy got several feet near the man and listened to him.

"You know what caused the Puppet Frenzy, don't you? You're their maker - practically their mother!"

Wait, does Midoriya know what caused this? Maybe there can finally be some answers as to why this has happened to begin with. The boy continued listening but had his guard up in case anything happened.

"You and the Alchemists scheming together. TELL ME THE TRUTH!" The Mad Donkey roared. Looking to his left, the madman finally noticed the boy standing near him.

"What's your problem? I'm here for the old woman. Get lost!" He said, his tone making it clear he was in no mood to entertain whatever the boy had to say.

The boy went to argue but was cut off when the man made a strange remark.

"Wait…I know you. Or more like I know what you are"

'What?'

"I don't like this, pal. Get ready!" Uravity quickly warned the boy.

"You're the devil's puppet!" The man finished. The boy went to try and calm the man down but from his body language and tone, there wasn't going to be any attempt to talk him out of this. Getting ready to fight, the boy gripped his rapier firmly and prepared himself. Just as the man walked several steps away from the carriage, he gripped the handle of his weapon with a single hand and unholstered it. Bringing it quickly out into the open, the weapon produced a loud whoosh, it must have weighed several pounds for the man to even unholster it without any issue. Holding the weapon outward, the man finished with a savage declaration.

"You can't sneak past me! Die!"

[PLAY: LIES OF P OST - Mad Donkey]

Gripping the weapon with both hands, the man lifted it into the air and swung down with all his might to cleave the boy in two. Dodging to the side, the boy thrust his rapier several times into the madman and was slightly surprised when he barely reacted to getting hit. Getting a good grip on his weapon, the Mad Donkey performed a sweep with his weapon to catch the boy off guard. Seeing that the weapon was coming towards him, the boy raised his rapier and managed to perform a successful guard which produced a loud clang. Returning the favor, the boy reared his arm back and performed several thrusts that caused more damage to the man. Not deterred by this, the madman began raving at the boy as he swept his weapon several times.

"I'll kill you both, then string you up on the bridge!" He shouted.

'He's the one that hung that puppet?'

The boy was brought out of this thought when a strike slashed his midsection and several more to his chest and knees. Jumping back to put some distance, the boy quickly used a [PULSE CELL] to recover. However, the man quickly began closing the gap just as he finished and began swinging his weapon downward to try and cleave him again. Not giving him a chance to finish the attack, the boy thrusted his rapier several times at the man again, strange blue arcs of energy following the blade, before pulling it back slightly and thrusting again with more force. The impact caused the man to stagger and be left stunned, trying to recover from the barrage of attacks he endured in succession.

"You used [Fable Arts]!" Uravity exclaimed with joy.

The boy looked at the lamp and gave a small glare, causing her to let out a nervous chuckle. If he listened more closely, it almost sounded like she had a hand behind her head, awkwardly scratching it.

"R-right. Fighting now, explanations later" She quickly said.

Quickly turning his attention back to the fight, the boy rushed before the man and rammed his rapier into the man before quickly taking it out. The action caused the man to fall back, but through sheer force of will and insanity, got back up and continued to fight. What he said next left the boy confused.

"Are you a dream? Or a nightmare? Stop showing up already!" He said.

'What? We've never met before. So why-'

"PAL!" Uravity shouted.

Focusing back on the fight, the boy was glad for the warning as he nearly missed the downward swing of the Mad Donkey's weapon. Jumping backward, the boy fired the [Puppet String], embedding itself into the man's flesh, and yanked his arm back, bringing the man closer to him. While it didn't kill the man, it did the job of stunning him from the sudden force of being pulled and allowed the boy a small window of opportunity to attack the man with several thrusts to his body. The man must have been nearing death as his swings became more savage and unpredictable, it was also causing the man to begin ranting and raving more.

"You and that woman aren't walking away from this until I get answers! I want answers! I NEED ANSWERS! ANSWERS ANSWERS ANSWERS…" He trailed off, though without stopping his attacks.

The man was losing his mind and if Midoriya was in the carriage, he needed to put the man out of his misery. Waiting for another downward swing, the boy saw his chance as the man swung down with savage strength. Dodging toward the man's back, the boy quickly turned around before the man could do the same and plunged his rapier into his back before gripping the handle with his other hand and brutally ripping it out. The Mad Donkey fell to one knee, his right hand holding himself up from falling as he looked at his bloody left hand.

[MUSIC END]

"I demanded the truth…now I feel bad for my comrades," He spoke his final words. His arm gave out from under him and the man collapsed on the ground of the bridge. As the man finally died, the door to the carriage opened slowly. As the door finished opening, a hand in a thick black glove bearing a gold ring, clasped the frame of the carriage. The person inside held onto a black canotier with a single green feather with their right gloved hand. Stepping down the small steps of the carriage, the person was revealed to be a woman of about five feet three inches. She wore a green dress with a high collar and black sharp-nosed shoes with slightly sloped heels. Underneath the canotier was straight emerald green hair that flowed down both of the woman's shoulders. Her face, even at her age, was still beautiful and had a certain charm to it with emerald green eyes that were very similar to a certain someone.

As she finally stepped down from the carriage, the boy paid no attention to her as he focused on the blood on his right hand. Turning it over, the boy seemed to be in a trance as he closely examined the blood of the life he took. Uravity began to be worried for her friend.

"Pal? You ok?" She cautiously asked.

The woman looked over to the boy and examined him, monitoring him for anything hostile. Although she was fairly certain who it was, she wanted to make sure it was the face she remembered so well.

As the boy slowly looked up to look at the woman, he heard whispers calling to him. They sounded familiar, although distant. He slowly blinked as he tried to make sense of them.

"Wake up"

"Son"

Finally getting a good look at the boy's face, the woman gave a small soft smile. Her next words held a warmth to them but also something…calculating.

"Finally, we meet."

"Son."

- Lies of I -

AAN (Amateur Author's Note): Hello hello, and thank you for visiting and reading the first chapter of the fic. Any reviews, or criticisms (constructive ones), are appreciated. I'm mostly writing this fic out of pure curiosity and my need for Lies of P fics since there aren't any (that I've seen) on this site. Maybe this is the first one, maybe not. Either way, I'm happy you (the reader) took the chance to give this fic a shot and see what you think. This is my first time writing so my writing process will be a bit slow. Thanks for reading and I hope to see you for the next chapter!

AN (Additional Note): So if you noticed so far, the story mirrors almost exactly to the game. That's mostly because I want to stay faithful to the game. So for many of the events and dialogue, I'm not gonna cut any corners, for the most part. Again, thanks for reading, and hope to see you for the next chapter soon!