A familiar roof, a still weird feeling bed, and no memory of what happened to be. Oh god… they forced me to drink alcohol! Damn you… uh… who do I blame? I'll just blame Speedy. Damn you Speedy! I sat up in bed and looked to my right, where I would neatly put my maid dress. Wait… that's not my maid dress, that's a shackled bunny girl. Oh, I'm back in the void… that's what that skeleton called it, right? I should listen to what people say more. I wonder if I can head pat the bunny girl. I probably shouldn't. She looks like she wants to bite me. I'll just go say hi to Marigold and that skeleton fellow. To the door!

I walked into the room to see the same scene from before. An omnipotent ball of energy in the shape of a little girl and a skeleton in a black robe sitting at a table, although this time they have tea and cookies and seem to be talking. Speaking of Marigold, she's no longer just a smooth humanoid shape, she's managed to form a dress for herself. It's so adorable… a shame it's the same shade of blue as the rest of her body. The skeleton, on the other hand… still a skeleton. Which makes me wonder, how did he drink the tea last time? 

"Ah, lassy, yaar awake. Come, take a seat. We have much ta discuss." Marigold snapped her fingers, creating an extra chair for me to sit on. Ooh… it looks exactly like the one I had in my room. Such a fangirl. 

"Hello Mari, how's it going?" She gave me a thumbs up. She's even formed fingers! She's really growing into her powers. "And… uh… skeleton dude, how about you?"

"I be the God of Death from yaar world. How do ya forget such a fact?"

"Umm… I don't really care about the Gods? Am I going to get smited?"

"Haha… fair enough, lassy. As for the smiting, if I were such a petty God, I'd have ya smited for calling me a skeleton."

"Oh, thanks. I don't really like the sound of being smited. Anyways, why am I here? Have a tea party with Mari? I'd gladly do that." I looked at Marigold to see her nodding her head and clapping her hands to materialise a cup in front of me.

"As much as I'd love to have ya around for a cuppa tea, ya are here for a little task I want the little lass to go on."

"What is it?"

"As a test of abilities, I'll be having her face off against a puppeteer of some sort. The kind of scum that uses the masses, ya hear?"

"I understand. What's that have to do with me?"

"I want the little lass to beat the puppeteer to a pulp, but not the puppets. As extra insurance, I'll be having ya be one of the puppets."

"Wouldn't that be bad for me if she fails?

"Haha… not just ya. I reckon if she accidentally kills ya, we'll say goodbye to our universe, the creator's universe, and maybe some collateral universes. I reckon that'd equal to 0.3% of the multiverse."

"That doesn't sound that bad. It's only 0.3%, after all."

"It's roughly 12 trillion lives lost."

"That's a big number I cannot comprehend."

"Just know that if she fails, lassy, there's nothing to worry about afterwards. Since we'll all be gone."

"Huh. Okay, I'll do it."

"I expected ya to be scared."

"My teacher told me I wouldn't know fear even if it were in front of me."

"I can see. I'll send ya to the puppeteer, then as soon as he has ya under control, I'll send in the little lass." This whole control thing… I'm actually kind of excited. I love new experiences. "By the way, lassy, the puppeteer is a Sacred Power holder. I'll be giving the little lass extra points if she manages to subdue him while keeping the eyes intact for ya, but if she fails that, I'll have ya come here to look at his soul, ya hear?"

"I do! Now send me away, skeleton dude! Also, good luck Mari!" I waved goodbye to Marigold, who waved back. She's such a ball of energy… literally. 

I've ended up in some weird castle… feels familiar. So do the random servants I've run into. I do have to say, whoever the puppeteer is, they sure have set up a nice place. I especially like the paintings of random important-looking people on the walls. Ooh… that's one I remember. That's the Queen. Aww… she looks as beautiful as the day she was killed twice in one day. I remember it like it was yesterday… I don't remember when it was. 3 months? 2 years? 5 days ago? Eh, whatever. You know what, I'll just ask the nearby maid.

"Hey maid that looks like someone I knew. Her name was Elaine. There's a puppeteer around here, any idea where he is?"

The maid, who was carrying a tray, looked at me to respond before dropping the tray as if she were looking at a ghost. "T-the crazy maid? But you died in the Chaos… no, no. This must be a test by the master. The master is in the throne room down the hall."

"Thanks! Have a good day!" I ran down the hall, leaving behind the maid who was now cleaning up her mess. Man, she really looked like Elaine. 

I found a grand door that had 'Throne' written on it. It must be the throne room. Time to kick down the door! "Here's Madeleine! I'm here to be a puppet!" I found a good-looking shirtless man sitting on the throne, covered from head to toe in woman, no guard to be seen around. "Woah… am I interrupting something?"

"You… you seem familiar. Did you work for Rio Verdeux?"

"Who the hell is that?"

"Hmm… I must be thinking things." He rubbed his chin, looking at me. Ooh… his eyes, I can feel them going up and down. I hope he looks at my shoes. They're new, but no one has pointed that out yet. "Serviceable. I'll make you a puppet."

He stood up and stretched out his arms towards me. I could see some chains come out of his fingers, wrapping around my neck, arms and legs. Kinky. The chains grabbed me firmly before suddenly breaking. Did it fail? "Good, you're now mine." Oh, I guess it didn't fail. Kind of weird the chains broke, but theatrics, I guess. "Come to my side. I wish to have some fun." This must be the part where I listen. To his side, I go! 

Before I could reach his side, Marigold suddenly appeared and threw a pillow at me, making me instantly fall asleep. No! My puppet time!

Ah! The cake was about to eat me! Oh, wait… that was a dream. I looked around the throne room to see a weird mishmash of violent havoc and a cute sleepover. On one half, there were guards dressed in armour littered all over the walls and floor, held down by giant teddy bears, while on the half I was on, maids and ordinary women were hugging soft pillows and snoozing peacefully, with the reason standing firmly in the middle, next to the skeleton dude and the puppeteer being held down by a stuffed dragon. Aww… it looks precisely like May! I want it!

"The little lass passed her test wonderfully. As for you, lassy, I didn't expect the control to not work, but then again, even the other High Gods have no idea about that Sacred Power of yours. Now, we've got the perpetrator here, so have a look at his eyes, then I'll send you off back to your pals." I walked over to them and then looked at the man in the dragon's teeth.

I guess that whole ordeal is over. I waved goodbye to Mari a second time, who waved back before falling asleep, then waking up back in my bed. Oh bed, I missed you! A few seconds later, a plush Mayfield appeared on my bed. Thanks, Mari and skeleton dude! His name is Necro, right?

Character profile: Lor Pupa

Sacred power: Control

Number of crowns owned: Zero, but would like to own one.

Description: The new dictator of Hamblin. A former miner who got tired of his endless days of working hard and getting nothing. He, alongside the rest of Hamblin, thought things would get better when the revolution succeeded in assassinating Rio Verdeux, but her death led to a domino effect of terrible events, leaving Hamblin as the shitshow it always was. The nobles exiled to Hamblin tried to rise up to gain control, Rio's father tried to takeover, claiming her property was his, the commoners of the revolution looted the treasury, leaving Hamblin with no funds, and some monsters from beyond the edge came over to feast on the chaos that was happening. This all changed when Lor was approached by a shady figure and given an orb that entered his soul, giving him Control. He took control of the monsters, killing all the nobles and looters and letting him take Hamblin for himself. He lost it all due to an omnipotent ball of energy in the shape of a little girl in a dress. Just like his predecessor, Rio, he died twice.

Chapter namesake: Under My Control from Kirby's Return To Dreamland.