Despite this shared purpose, they too had different sentiments. Some, or almost all the people that had come to Eula, the only witch doctor they could gain access to, have been filled with doubts and uncertainties. They came to the cabin not because they wanted to go, nor did they trust the witch doctor residing inside.

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They came because they had no other choice.

Some—the minorities—came because they trusted Eula's skills and apt.i.tude. Her master never failed them. She was a woman of great compa.s.sion and had a pure heart—someone who was keen and eager as well as dedicated to healing. Faustina wanted to be like her. To have both compa.s.sion and be able at the same time.

"People have diffr'nt origins, eh?" Eula says one night she was tucking Faustina to bed.

"Origins?"

"Yes, champ," Eula exclaims, stroking Faustina's hair. "They all had different roots. Some were raised in fam'lies that are broken, some with fam'lies who had strong principles, some with fam'lies filled with loose ends,"

Faustina stared intently, as she stared at her master's eyes drifting to somewhere—staring vacantly, mind lost in thought.

"So if you don't understand a person, Faustina," says Eula. "Remember not everybody had the same origins as you are."

**

"I know someone that can be used against me," Faustina says to Ezekiel. "I don't need to explain, do I?"

"You don't," Ezekiel says, his amethyst eyes filled with fascination. "I trust you."

Faustina nodded and set off to go back.

Ezekiel held her wrist, making her turn her head back.

"Be careful," Ezekiel says, giving his witchlight to her. "take this with you."

"What about you?" Faustina asks.

"I'll call for help," he exclaims. "I know they are searching for us now. I'll lead them here."

"You have no light," Faustina says. "How can you go back?"

"Trust me, too," Ezekiel smiles. "Now go. The cloaked man would not be able to handle a maddened marionette."

**

"Dammit, Abe," Owen cursed under his breath as he held his bleeding shoulder. The marionette was now fuming mad, the magic circle almost spewing out flames. Owen had heard one of The Faction members—one of the Brotherhood—had dealings with a marionette. But they were usually in a malevolent state, after their seemingly happy face. When at this phase, they may develop keener instincts and would crawl instead of walking, as attacks would seem double. At rare stances, they would violently rampage, let out cries accompanied by a screaming face. Defeating the marionette would be futile if done by an outside party (with the exception of clairvoyants and people close to its captive).

But Owen wasn't close to Faustina—not in any way. He was clearly at a disadvantage. Faustina was the duke's hidden daughter, and his only interaction through the duke was because of his…

Owen brushed off the thought and continued to parry the attacks with a magical barrier. Not like those in Magierstadt spells, but a custom spell of The Faction transferred to a material s.h.i.+eld. He narrowed his eyes as he sees the marionette howling as its attacks get robust. It was now clawing the s.h.i.+eld he made and was getting aggressive. The only way to defeat it now would be to destroy its essence.

Where was Abe when you needed him?! He was this kid's guard. He could have an idea whose essence it belonged to.

Owen gritted his teeth and was thinking of other alternatives. He was running out of options. He couldn't attack the G.o.d-forsaken puppet, it will only replicate his attack and would return it twofold. His s.h.i.+eld could get destroyed and he could do nothing but flee—which would endanger the people above.

"Marionette!" A voice calls. Owen's eyes widened as the marionette's attack seem to lessen, halting upon hearing the call. He pushed his s.h.i.+eld and had the puppet stumbling backward, but it did not lose its balance.

"What are you doing, kid?!" Owen yells, "Get back! It's dangerous here!"

"You want me, right?" Faustina says, her eyes fixed to the marionette. "You want to take me, right? Then don't hurt him."

"Don't be an idiot! Puppets in a violent rampage wouldn't listen to anyone—not even their captive!"

"Listen to me," Faustina says, almost tentatively. She was raising her hands, gesturing the marionette to calm down. "You want me to go to the magic circle, right?"

The marionette howled, yet it did not attack.

"Did he treat you well?" Faustina asks. "He didn't hurt you, didn't he?"

The marionette tilted its head, confused with Faustina's words. It seemed to calm down, but its mouth was still stretched into a scream, the gap was all hollow and pitch-black inside.

"You must have been lonely."

"Kid…" Owen murmurs, seeing Faustina slowly walking towards the marionette, only a few steps away from the magic circle.

"I know you don't want to do this. I know you're lonely out there. I know it's painful to be alone. But believe me… I feel lonely too. I feel like that too. I… I felt alone too, just like you.

"When you were taken… I… I felt like I had something to do. I didn't know what exactly what I needed to do, so I obeyed people—I obeyed and thought that they knew better than me." Faustina says and then reached to hold the marionette's hand.

"I'm sorry, for everything you felt," Faustina squeezed and trapped both of the marionette's hand to her grasp. "Believe me… I was told things that let me down. They told me I was no one important… I was nothing. And I believe them. I believed their words. I was no one. I was given a task for their benefit and I didn't have any choice but to succ.u.mb blindly. I had to believe I am doing this for a purpose. I realized I had no choice but to move forward, even if I had many questions."

"Believe in me. I still don't know anything now... but believe me."

Faustina embraced the puppet, "believe in me, Eula."

The marionette's magic circle slowly dimmed and grew vaguer still until it glowed and glimmered—its screaming face gradually disappearing. Owen stared at the girl who was shedding tears with the puppet on her arms. As Owen blinked, he saw light—light in the shape of a hand—caressing the crying girl's back.

The warm light disappeared, as the marionette vanished to nothingness, leaving the girl kneeling holding something in entrapped in her hand, as she embraced the thin air.