@Lila Renn ....
Lila... It's so boring here...
No one to plaaaaay wiiiiiithhhhhhh
The King laughed, sending echoes throughout the house and shock waves across skin.
He knew what he was. All the songs, all the thoughts, it all led, eventually, to him. It all led to him. Every road, every path. Always he was there in the end. ALWAYS.
And Lila, the creator's friend, had sent him another puppet, another hollow shell that he would break open and fill with himself.
He started a song with a chorus of laughter.
I̷'̶v̵e̴ ̸b̸e̸e̷n̷ ̸t̶r̸y̴i̷n̶g̸ ̵f̵o̴r̸ ̵s̶o̶ ̶l̴o̸n̵g̶
̵T̷o̸ ̸s̵i̵n̶g̴ ̵y̵o̷u̸ ̶t̴h̷e̶ ̵r̵i̷g̷h̵t̶ ̶s̸o̸n̷g̴
̵T̶o̷ ̶s̵h̵o̶w̵ ̷y̴o̷u̷ ̶s̵o̵m̴e̴t̷h̵i̸n̷g̷ ̸d̶i̵f̶f̸e̶r̶e̸n̶t̵ ̶e̸v̶e̴r̶y̷ ̶d̶a̷y̵.̸
̷S̵o̷ ̷y̴o̶u̷'̷l̵l̸ ̴h̴e̸a̸r̵ ̶w̵h̴a̷t̸ ̷I̶ ̷h̸a̴v̴e̸ ̶t̴o̸ ̸s̵a̴y̶-̸ ̶
̴T̸h̵e̵ ̵p̷u̶z̴z̵l̵e̴ ̷p̸i̶e̵c̴e̷s̵
̶
̷A̶n̷d̵ ̸n̶o̸w̶ ̴w̴e̴'̸r̶e̷ ̶h̶e̵r̵e̷ ̴a̷t̶ ̷a̵ ̷s̶t̸a̵n̵d̸s̵t̶i̷l̴l̴
̷I̸ ̴w̸o̴n̴d̴e̴r̵ ̵i̸f̶ ̴y̵o̴u̷ ̷f̶e̵e̸l̸
̸t̷h̷e̶ ̸k̷i̴n̴d̸ ̶o̵f̸ ̸p̶a̶i̸n̷ ̵t̵h̸a̶t̵ ̷r̸i̵p̶s̶ ̶y̵o̷u̶r̴ ̴i̴n̶s̴i̸d̶e̶s̸ ̸o̵u̵t̸
̵T̷h̶a̵t̸'̷s̴ ̴s̶o̶m̸e̶t̸h̶i̷n̴g̷ ̴I̸ ̴k̷n̸o̶w̸ ̶a̴l̴l̵ ̷a̶b̴o̸u̷t̸
̸S̵h̵o̸c̴k̷i̴n̷g̷,̸ ̵a̶i̵n̷'̸t̶ ̶i̶t̴?̸
He dashed, almost teleporting - right in the puppet's face.
He smiled.
D̴o̸ ̸y̸o̴u̴ ̵u̶n̸d̴e̵r̶s̴t̷a̵n̸d̷,̸ ̵L̷i̵l̶a̸?̵ ̸
̴T̸h̶e̸y̶ ̶a̷l̶l̴ ̷h̴a̵v̷e̴ ̵s̷t̸r̸i̶n̵g̵s̷,̸ ̵b̸u̴t̸ ̶I̸,̸ ̵
̸
̶I̴'̵v̸e̴ ̵g̶o̵t̴ ̶n̵o̵ ̷s̷t̶r̶i̸n̷g̸s̴ ̷o̴n̶ ̴m̷e̴.̶.̶.̶.̸
̸
̴H̸a̵h̶a̷h̴a̵.̶.̸.̴
̶A̷n̵d̶ ̴m̵a̸y̶b̴e̸ ̵y̷o̸u̸ ̸d̶o̷n̴'̶t̶,̶ ̷w̵i̷l̵l̸ ̸n̷e̶v̴e̵r̸ ̵u̴n̶d̸e̵r̶s̷t̴a̶n̴d̶.̸ ̶
̴
̷'̶J̶u̶s̴t̴ ̵t̷h̵i̶n̷k̷i̵n̸g̴'̴ he said mockingly, walking around the frozen puppet who could not move, save for its master's will. Pathetic.
W̸e̷l̴l̶,̵ ̶m̵a̴y̶b̴e̵ ̴n̸o̷t̷ ̸J̷U̴S̵T̴ ̶t̵h̴i̸n̶k̶i̶n̵g̶.̷.̸.̵
T̶h̷e̵y̷'̸r̴e̷ ̸a̸l̶l̸ ̷h̸i̵n̴t̶s̵!̸ ̸E̵v̴e̴r̴y̶ ̸p̸a̷t̵h̴ ̴l̵e̴a̴d̵s̵ ̸b̸a̷c̷k̵ ̶t̶o̴ ̴m̵e̸!̴ ̵M̴e̵ ̸a̸n̵d̷ ̷m̶y̷ ̶k̷i̶n̷d̷.̶ ̸T̴h̷e̵ ̸A̶n̵g̶e̵l̵,̷ ̸e̸v̸e̴n̵ ̶t̷h̷a̴t̸ ̷p̵a̵t̷h̵e̵t̵i̵c̷ ̷c̷a̸r̷e̷t̴a̴k̶e̶r̸.̷ ̴A̴l̶l̸ ̶a̸ ̸w̴e̶b̶,̷ ̷a̴l̷l̷ ̷i̴n̴t̴e̵r̷c̴o̴n̴n̷e̵c̵t̴e̷d̸.̷.̸.̶ ̴
Į̶̨̬̮͚̖̜͉̖̦̲̩̪̩̗̼͙̭̜͉͔̳̼̮̩̣̘̪̖̾͗̽̿́͑͊͑̒͋̎̇̂́̐̆̇͛̍͒̂̽̀̓́͒͒̈͐͆̓̚͘͜͜͝ͅͅV̷̤̯̩̣̼͖̰͚̪̗̘͎̆̋̎̽͗̚̕̚E̸̡̮̮̳͚̓̈̋̑͊͋̋̋̍͌̈́͑̒̈́͆͋̈̌͗̒̍̐̈́͘͠ ̸̧̨̧̝̳̫̳͓̣̘̘͚̪̘̱̲̞͉͙̉͆̕ͅG̵̢̨̧̨͎̞̘̱̤͕̭͈͍̩̼͕̠̫̳̫̣͖̜̟̘͊̄͒̀̈͂͒̓̄̈͘͜͝ͅỎ̴̟̹̪͔̦͎̫̭͇̰̲̞͚̜̻̹̹̫̠̺̱̺͑̃̔̇̆̅̔͗̈́̏͋̂͒̓̈́͗̓̆̉̄̽̀̕͝͝T̷̠̥̑̇́̈́̍͋ ̷̢̧̛͖̺͖́̍̑͋̿͊̎̔̍͛̾̔͋͑͒̔̇̎̄̍̈́̇́͂̎̄̈́̋͘̚͜͠͝N̵̡͓͕̼̪̮̼̺̯̜̖̠͔̙͔̗̅̐̈́̍̔̎̐̃͑̎́̓̀͛̒͜͠ͅO̸̢̨̘͔̱̙͔̰͎͈̯̱̦̦̮̹̼͋̾̿̅̐͆̍͌̊̕͜ ̶̨͓͓̙̳̞̪̣̳̬̪͕̻̉͛͌̿̅͑͂̓͋̐̓̓͐͗̀̒͂̿̅̊̍͋͌̔͂̕͠͠͝ͅS̴̰̼͎͚͚̓̊̽̈͒̂̐́̋̀̊̎͂̈̄͗͆͋̅͗̎͐̐̕̕͘̕̚͝͠T̵̨͚̭̻̝̪̜̻͉̗̼̫͎̓͆͊̋̀͋͐̋͌̒̐̅̚͝ͅR̷̘͓̹̘̪̰͈͍̹̔͘I̶̡̢͚͙̝̳͉̹̹̯̜͎̞͙̮̭͓͎̽́̏̒̿̅̀̋͌̂̈́̀͑͗͗͊̽́̾̌͊͝N̶̢̨̠͍̖̜̩̩͖̥͈͍̗͕̟̯̖̩͙̪͇̬͈̫͛̈́̾̎̅͂̈̽̈̀͗͒̃̋̒̋̑̕͜ͅG̷̻̖̜̝̦͍̬̱̹̫̥̟̬͇̩̻̻̫̼̗̩͚̘̜̮̉͌̋͌͊̏͜͜͝ͅS̴̨͚̦͔̥͉͈̰̮̹̲͚̟̫͊̓͐̊̅͛̔̑̒͋̀̈́̅́́̓́̾̊͆͐̔̕̚̚͝͝ ̵̡̘̲̮̬̝̳̘̝̀̑̅Ǫ̸͉̰̙̠͔̝̬̰͍͔͚͍̞̰̱͚̗̪̼̞̯͔̒̏͌̈́̑͌͛̒̎̅̓͐́͂͊̎͊͆̌̀̇̀̌̍̆̉͆̕͘͜͠N̴̞̩̮̩͖̖̫̗͓̗̈́̐̆̾̍͗̎̊̃͠ ̵̧͕̦̝͇̫̞͉̳͉̯̘̹͈̹͕̜̟̠̿͗̒̓̏͋ͅM̴̨̡̳̝͔̰̺̱̲̮̈̿́͐͛̐̏͐̿̿Ḛ̷̙̝̣͇͓̱̮̰̪̩͖̙̜̦̙̜̬͓͙̮̟̼̠̣͉̪͖͙̠̮̎̊͋͊̈́̈̆̔͌͐̾̿̑̎́̽̚̚͘͝͝͝͝͝
Y̸o̶u̷ ̷s̸e̷e̴,̴ ̴I̷ ̴c̶u̶t̵ ̶t̷h̴e̶m̸ ̵o̷f̵f̵.̶ ̷I̴t̸ ̷h̸u̸r̸t̷ ̶f̴o̴r̴ ̸a̵ ̵m̶o̵m̸e̷n̸t̵.̵ ̵B̶u̶t̷ ̵j̶u̴s̵t̴ ̵f̶o̴r̴ ̵a̴ ̸m̸o̷m̶e̸n̵t̸.̵ ̵A̵n̵d̵ ̵I̵'̵l̷l̶ ̵d̶o̶ ̷t̴h̷e̴ ̸s̴a̸m̴e̸ ̶t̴o̴ ̶y̵o̸u̷,̷ ̵b̸e̷f̶o̷r̴e̴ ̷l̴o̴n̵g̴.̶ ̷I̷t̴'̵l̷l̶ ̵h̵u̴r̷t̵ ̷f̶o̸r̸ ̶a̷ ̸m̸o̴m̷e̶n̸t̵.̸.̷.̶
̸
The Man smiled at him, suddenly centimeters from his face.
̶
̶B̷u̴t̷ ̶j̵u̶s̴t̴ ̴f̵o̵r̸ ̶a̴ ̶m̴o̸m̵e̵n̵t̶.̴