The sound of shattering glass cuts off any words Zoru would have spoken as Akai deals one last devastating blow to the Puppeteer’s beloved automaton. The puppet is driven back, pushed through the shattered edge of the reality Zoru had forged around them. As soon as she is through, however, the jagged edges seal themselves once more, cutting her off from them, and leaving Relius alone with the ridiculously powerful fox and his weapon.
“I simply did as I have always said I would, Relius.”
“I took hold of my own fate, and tore it asunder. I will choose the path I walk, and no one else will tell me where my destiny lies. Not you, not the Gods, not anyone.” Gore-covered hands reach out, clasping on either side of the masked man’s head, talons digging into the flesh. “Now…as enjoyable as this has been, I did come here for a reason. Killing you will simply be an enjoyable side-benefit of this trip.” His fingers sink deeper into his enemy’s flesh as he begins to use his control over time to rip the memories from the puppeteer’s mind. He discards the memories he doesn’t need, taking only the knowledge relating to the Azure Grimoire, and to Hazama. After all, the snake would be his next target. Everywhere he goes in Relius’ mind, he leaves only echoes of memories in his wake, faint recollections of horrible misdeeds. He leaves enough that Relius will know why he is being killed, and by who. He leaves enough for the Puppeteer to know regret and possibly even remorse before the end.
And above all else, he leaves enough so that the man will know fear.
She had escaped. That’s all that mattered. Ignis would go on, the data with her, along with the catalyst. He knew he would die here, he had planned it from the start. The nature of the Kyuubi’s power was far from planned however. That did not mean the plan had failed. The plan was not ye-
The plan was gone. Every detail of the plan had vanished as though it was passing dream. His associates, gone, his reasoning, gone, what he had planned to accomplish here, gone, all callously tossed away like a children’s toy. What did he have left? He had his deeds, he had the Kyuubi. But it suddenly did not make sense any longer. Why was he killing him? For these dark deeds that he couldn’t have possibly committed? No self-respecting human could have done this. It couldn’t have been him! It had to be a trick!
“Stop this! Please! I know how it must seem, but it can’t be! I would not have done this! Not to my family!” He pleaded, though he knew that it was futile.
(Source: everything-is-a-tool)
I noticed that a few more people have followed this blog after a while. I’m sorry to say, you’re probably better off looking elsewhere, as I’m about to kill the Puppeteer off for a good long while. It’s not unlikely that he’ll be back eventually, but it won’t be anytime soon.
“…!” He stepped as his machinations slowly fell to pieces, a multitude of expressions crossing his features. “Control over time?!” This was not called for. This form of power was unprecedented, unpredicted, even by him. “What in the world have you done to yourself?!” Any sense of calm demeanor had been abandoned, shock and confusion replacing it How could things have gone this wrong in the timeline?! It made no sense. None! Could he have been too lax in his tempering of this tool?! No, that couldn’t be pos-
A wound. A true wound. An odd sensation, an undesirable feeling of utter weakness, sparks of some lost memory shooting through his mind like a storm. Was this pain? Was this what he felt? How long had it been since he felt that, since he had TRULY understood what it meant to be hurt? He…He couldn’t understand it. It didn’t have a meaning, ti didn’t have a purpose. It was simply there, to announce the savage loss of everything he would soon have to suffer through. He stepped back, the pain still fresh in his mind. An urgency replaced it, his mind racked with thoughts of how completely unreal this situation had become. The boy was to become stronger yes. The boy was to kill him yes.
To say he was surprised at how simply Ignis had been defeated was a bit of understatement. In a way, it was distressing watching his beloved weapon being so humbly trounced, but in another, it was pleasing seeing his adversary had grown so strong. It proved that his earlier beliefs of the Kyuubi had been the right choice for the job all along. It was a bittersweet victory, obviously, but he didn’t hold a single regret toward that end as he watched the automaton futilely try to combat the enemy construct, but it was simply overwhelming in its power. If it was stronger than a Nox Nyctores, than there was no doubt in his mind about what would soon come next.
The masked man only smiled, his movements fluid and lithe as he swung his arm forward, wordlessly sending Ignis to strike at the new threat, claws outstretched to begin her assault. It wouldn’t take much for them to fall, and he was aware of it. If the weapon was as powerful as he suspected it was, it would probably damage Ignis quite significantly. However, due to her own make, and her existence as a Nox Nyctores, destroying her was nigh impossible. At least, that was the idea. If he had to perish at the hands of such a foe, at the very least, Ignis would survive. The Puppeteer however, made no moves to begin an assault. It simply wasn’t him to throw the first blow, but to seek the opportunity to strike.
“I’m afraid you’ve come to the point, Zoru, in which your words no longer have any meaning, any value. The point where all things truly mean nothing. We all must fade away one day, prisoners to our own fate, and, this day, Zoru Gabriell, is when I willingly prepare to face mine.” With a snap of his fingers, his beloved automaton appeared behind him. His intentions were obvious. “Come now. If your words are to be true, prove them. Let us have one last fight before fate decides which one of us must die.”
“What have you done?”
Teeth gritted in rage, an unusual expression for the puppeteer by far. What curse had occurred? This reversal or time and space, how could it have occurred? Was it the Kyuubi, damning him with some abominable spell? The girl and her spirit? None of the answers seemed to fit, if for the simple fact that those two would at least ANNOUNCE what they had done. A hand reached up to his face, fingers tracing over the mask in some attempt to find solace in the confusion of the situation before them. 
“So, this is most likely some selfless act of idiocy to save some doomed family member from their fated demise. You haven’t changed an iota, Zoru.” He chuckled to himself, shoulders rising in a shrug, before turning away, cape billowing behind him as he lifted a hand to his chin as though thinking over whether or not he really cared to cooperate. The answer had already been foreseen however, and, simply put, predictable. “Such a technique was created by my hands, and will only be performed by my hands. Do what you wish, but such a secret will not be shared with the likes of you.” He turned back, a smile appearing on his face. “Apropos to nothing, what of the 5th unit?”