The Puppet’s Strings

Alpha's shadow stretched unnaturally long in the dim light of Shadow Garden's war room, its edges writhing like living smoke. The void-worm coiled around her spine, unseen, whispering directives only she could hear. "Break them," it hissed, its voice a needle in her mind. On the table before her lay blueprints of Midgar's leyline network—critical to Cid's plans. Her hand trembled as she marked a false weakness on the map. "Gamma," she called, her voice steady despite the rot spreading in her chest, "take Beta and Delta to this sector. Master Shadow's orders." Gamma tilted her head, silver mask glinting. "But Lady Alpha, that's near the royal vaults. Wouldn't that risk—" "Do you question Shadow?" Alpha snapped, the worm's influence sharpening her tone. Gamma flinched. "N-no, my lady."

In City Z, Saitama ambled down a neon-lit alley, a bag of discounted shrimp chips in hand. The air smelled wrong—metallic, acidic. A vending machine gurgled. He paused. "You better not eat my coins again," he warned, kicking it. The machine shrieked, its metal frame warping into jagged teeth, LED screen splitting into a void-black eye. "Oh come on," Saitama groaned as tendrils lashed out. He punched, reducing it to scrap—but the debris twitched, reassembling into a spider-like abomination. "Regenerating vending machine? Worst. Sale. Ever."

Cid hunched over his desk in Midgar Academy's empty library, Claire's laughter echoing from the courtyard below. His reflection in the window flickered—translucent, unstable. The price of I Am Atomic—Zero Point. He uncorked a vial of glowing crimson liquid—stolen dragon's blood—and drank. His veins burned, solidifying for now. A knock. Claire peered in, her smile bright but strained. "Brother! You've been hiding!" She held up a leather-bound journal. "I found this in your room. Is it… a play?" Cid's blood froze. The journal. Page after page detailing his "scripts"—including Claire's corruption. "Give. It. Back," he hissed, snatching it. Claire recoiled. "Cid… what's really going on?"

The void-worm pulsed. Alpha stood at Shadow Garden's ritual circle, its members chanting to stabilize the rifts. "The incantation requires a sacrifice," she announced. "Epsilon. Step forward." The room stilled. Epsilon hesitated. "Lady Alpha, Master Shadow never said—" "Are you loyal to Shadow or not?" Alpha's eyes flashed black. The circle flared. Epsilon screamed as her magic drained into the void.

Saitama's apartment rattled. His fridge lurched, spewing black ooze. "Not the eggs!" He punted it out the window, where it exploded mid-air. Below, citizens fled as toasters, streetlights, and bicycles twisted into screeching horrors. A news alert blared: "City Z under siege by possessed tech!" Saitama sighed. "Can't even grocery shop anymore."

Cid stalked the rooftops, tracking Claire. She'd fled to the city slums, the journal clutched to her chest. Idiot girl. He'd erase her memory, rewrite the script—until he froze. Claire sat with a ragged boy, reading the journal aloud. "…Phase 3: Allow Claire's corruption to bait the Void Eater's herald." The boy gasped. "Your brother's a monster!" Claire shook her head. "No… there's more. Look." She pointed to a margin note: "Contingency: If Claire dies, burn Midgar to ashes."

Alpha stood before the leyline breach, Gamma and Beta unconscious at her feet. The worm reveled. "Yes… weaken their defenses." She raised her dagger to sever the magic thread—

"Boo."

Cid's blade pressed to her throat. "Alpha. Or should I say… puppet?" His free hand glowed, Atomic energy targeting the worm. Alpha laughed—a guttural, alien sound. "Too late, Shadow. The Void Eater's already here."

The ground split. Nyxara erupted, reborn—her body a grotesque fusion of Alpha's form and void-energy, the worm now a crown of writhing spines. "Thank you, little Shadow," she purred. "Your lieutenant made the perfect vessel."

Saitama yawned through the chaos, punching a possessed bulldozer into orbit. His phone buzzed—a text from an unknown number: "Baldie. Rooftop. Now. Bring snacks."

Cid and Nyxara-Alpha clashed above Midgar, nuclear explosions lighting the night. "You've lost!" Nyxara crowed, tendrils piercing his chest. "Your scripts, your lies—all fuel for the Devourer!" Cid grinned bloodily. "Joke's on you. I planned your possession."

Saitama arrived, shrimp chips in hand. "You ordered takeout mid-battle?" Cid tossed him a glowing orb—the journal's hidden core. "Hit her with this. Hard." Saitama shrugged. "Sure. Normal Punch."

The orb shattered against Nyxara-Alpha, releasing Cid's true contingency—a memory spell. Alpha's consciousness surged, fighting the worm. "M-Master… kill me!" she screamed. Cid hesitated—a fatal flaw.

Nyxara seized control, impaling him. "Checkmate."

Saitama: "Nah. Serious Sideways Kick."

His foot connected. Nyxara-Alpha rocketed into the leyline breach, which detonated in a silent implosion.

Alpha survived, comatose. The worm? Gone. Claire confronted Cid in his lair, journal in hand. "All this… was I ever real to you?" Cid turned away. "You're the protagonist of your own story. Isn't that enough?"

In City Z, Saitama found his fridge replaced—by Shadow Garden, with a note: "For groceries. -Cid." He opened it. A void-rat popped out. "Sigh. Never trusting edgelords."