Month Four: Puppeteer

"A... what? English for the poor girl, Sky," Ren pleaded, avoiding the mess of blood and guts on the floor.

"Duplicated Strand-Being. Somebody is a puppeteer for the thieves' leader. This isn't a city-syndicate, but rather a worldwide phenomenon. I can probably trace the control back to Finlis Vega, but I have a feeling this is bigger than we think," Sky confessed to Ren. She was still lost in confusion, asking Sky to explain.

"When I first asked him for the key, he swallowed it and manipulated its presence within his mouth. He had no fear of death like he was disposable, but it wasn't like a cult that he was a part of. He had a key that memorized our locks and warped into the shape of them, right?" Sky asked, making sure Ren was still mentally available for more information.

"A worldwide power like the Thief Syndicate would want access to the houses in all cities. You send in agents to those cities, but then you have to worry about those agents and their lives and leaking information. You know how you don't have to worry about that? You make them puppets, emotionless, and manipulative. The thing that confirmed it is he had strand manipulation, but never put his body back together," Sky told Ren.

"But what if it was a lapse in his powers?" She returned the question, and he shook his head.

"There is no path that you can take in which strand manipulation doesn't bring you to healing your own body, even on accident. To manipulate strands you must push them through your body, and it heals you as a secondary result of whatever you're trying to do from the get-go. It's part of why I can heal so well: they're constantly flowing through my body. All Strand-Beings need that speed," Sky explained to Ren. She was thoroughly impressed with how intelligent Sky had become.

During his whole rage on the beach, he never thought about things in any specific way and only thought about killing and keeping his friends safe. Now, Sky was able to deduce a strategy from an enemy as the fight continued and even proved it during the fight to make sure he was right before taking a life. His self-control was far more developed than it was before, and maybe even more than any Arkian at that point.

"So impressive... so, because it was that duplicated thing, you're saying that he really wasn't alive and that there could be many more facilities like that all over cities on Earth? How do we prevent such a thing from happening in the future?" Ren asked Sky. He wasn't exactly sure how to prevent such an occurrence from happening once more, but he thought that eliminating the source of the problem was the best bet.

"The plan is to take out Finlis Vega if he interferes again. Otherwise, I'll have to leave him be. The thieves are shut down without their main puppet, I imagine they'll disperse, or better yet, leave the city completely. It's my job to keep this domain safe, and I don't plan on going out to fight anymore," Sky explained to Ren. He obviously figured that she wanted to know why he wouldn't go out and find Finlis and kill him himself, so he preemptively clarified to dodge any confusion.

"You've really changed... It's so interesting, being able to see you now as the leader of such a prominent city, and you're doing all you can to help the people. They even hated us when we first arrived, yet you still take care of them so well..." Ren said. She smiled, knowing her future was secure with Sky in the lead.

"Well, I'm going to get back to my house now, I've had enough action for the night. I'll see you around, alright? Tell Lia to bring Shiro by as well, Ellios is missing the big guy," Ren said. She slapped Sky on the arm and saluted him playfully while turning back to the lighted streets of Alicas.

Sky made an effort to push dirt back into Illya's grave while remaining silent. He didn't mention anything in front of Ren to avoid any ideas from her, but it was still strange the puppet was digging up her grave. If Finlis Vega was in control of that puppet, there shouldn't have been a reason for him to dig up Illya's grave. Sky was skeptical and remained worried as he pushed the dirt back into the grave.

He got up and walked back to the lit city streets. The houses were almost all now floating in the sky, with the exception of Carl's, who was watching over Sky the entire time, and Dani's, because Sky and Dani lived together.

Sky had looming thoughts of Finlis Vega on the horizon. Although Sky was absolutely certain the man wouldn't stand a chance against him, it made him uneasy that a new threat wasn't so obsessed with power, but control.

Control of the Strand Entities that he created with their own wills, pushing those same Entities into cities to form their own Syndicates, and remaining hidden was no easy task, and borderline impossible for the time being in Sky's eyes. He couldn't create life with his Strands, and hearing an opponent, smarter than Orion, with more influence than Quake, and with stronger Strand control than Sky, Finlis remained an opponent stronger than anything he had ever experienced.

Yet, Sky didn't have the motivation to go out and find him. Sky wanted to defend his city, and no longer cared about saving the world, just Alicas. He thought himself to be selfish, but something told him that if he were to spread himself too thin and search for danger, it would be his end.

Sky walked over to his house as Dani waited for him at the front door, smiling while Sky explained the story of the night to her.

"I know if he causes trouble, you'll handle it. So! I made dinner!" Dani shouted out.