WARNING: Rated T for mentions of death and disturbing themes.

It was done. It was almost over; all he had to do now was pull the switch. He had to turn it all off, start the world over. That was his mission, the reason he had been guided through his task so efficiently.

Guided... Yes, his little puppeteer was quite adept at combat, at purification. Oblivious to it all, only doing what was needed to complete the assignment. Yes, his little puppeteer had been quite easy to manipulate. Did that make him the puppet or the puppet master? Hm, it was of no matter; his task was complete.

Hand over the switch, he paused. Where was his precious little puppeteer? The Batter had not seen her since he had smashed the cat with his claws and bat. How could be have been so lax in her safety? It was everything. Turning around, he spied her sitting against the wall, holding the cat's limp corpse.

Striding over to her, he could see her shoulders shaking in silent sobs. It brought a pain to his chest; his pure little puppeteer, his infallible Player, was hurting. Had the cat, the Judge, hurt her during his battle? Rushing over, he picked her up, searching over her skin for injuries. There were none, but he still cradled her small form to his body.

A wracking sob. "Batter..." He pulled her tighter to him, silently willing his Player to speak. What had her so distraught? "Batter... Are we doing what's right? We've done so much bad, is it really all worth it?" He locked his arms, closing his eyes.

Yes, they were doing bad things, but for all the right reasons. The world had stagnated, had become filled with sin and fear; it was his duty as the Batter to fix it. It always had been, he had been told this since he had been created.

This brought the smallest of frowns to his face. It was odd, but he could barely remember a time before his task. Faint wisps of memory, sounds and flashes sight, but nothing truly solid. Odd, but it did not matter to him much. Life was nothing before his Player was assigned to help him with his task, to help him fix it all.

"Yes, it will all be worth it." Standing up, he carried her over to the switch. He felt himself begin to shift, his body growing taller, arms growing longer, fingers growing sharper. His face elongating, stretching to fit his pointed teeth. He had nothing left to hide anymore, it was all over and done with. His four eyes glanced down at his puppeteer, slightly worried; she still hadn't stopped crying, it was just softer now.

Resolve hardened, the Batter grabbed the switch. Her work, her suffering, it was all for this moment. This was the culmination of all of their hard work, all of it soon to be worth it. He stared down at his Player, who looked up at him with teary eyes. There was no hint of fear, no disgust at his form. No, his Player was always so accepting of his actions, no matter how gruesome they were. No matter how many times he had eaten the flesh raw, his teeth and bat stained red with blood. No matter how many times he had killed and killed and ate and ate, she did not judge his actions. She only accepted, his little puppeteer.

And now he would be leaving her. Or she would be leaving him, which ever turned out to be correct. His mission was done, she would have no reason to stay and he... Well, after the switch was flipped, there would be nothing from this world left. Including him.

He didn't want to leave her, and he wouldn't let her leave him, but he had to finish his task. He had been assigned this quest, with her, and she was counting on him to finish it. To make it all stop, and so he would. For his Player.

The switch is now OFF.

And the Batter remembered.

He remembered it all, all of the times they had gone through this same script. All the times the Player had cried over the corpse of the Judge, how many times she had pitied Valerie, how many times he had killed the Queen. Oh, how he remembered.

He remembered all the screams, hundreds and hundreds of screams from the same Elsens, killed over and over and over in the exact same way again and again. Him meeting her again and again and again, each time feeling awe and joy and pure emotions and oh... It was fantastic. Because the Batter knew, in that moment.

She never got to leave him, he never had to leave her. It all just kept repeating over and over and over again. He never remembered until the quest was done, but that made it all the more sweet. It was a reset of everything, back to the beginning of their story. Because that's what it really was, their story. It had nothing to do with the rest of the world; the Elsens, Dedan, Enoch, Japhet, the Queen, Hugo, Valarie, Judge, Zacharie, the Specters, none of them mattered.

It was all about him, meeting her over and over and over and over and over again. Him, doing his task, with her there over and over and over and over and over again. Her leading him through everything over and over and over and over and over again. It was perfect, over and over and over and over and over again, every single time it happened. She was there, every single time, never changing. Always accepting him and his actions.

He could stop the cycle, let her go, let the world take its course after resetting the world. He never would, it would mean never seeing her again, her smiles, her tears, her purity. He could never let that all go, the one bright thing in all of his existences.

"Will you restart?" He spun around, eyes piercing the darkness to find the familiar voice. "Will you finally let us all go?" The Batter's snout grew into a terrible grin.

"Zacharie, you know better than to ask. " Standing tall, the Batter towered over Zacharie, whose eyes saddened behind his mask. He had known the Batter would answer as he always did, but he hoped that one day, one gloriously beautiful day, he would stop the loop.

"Restart the story."

Your name is (), correct?

Welcome then, ().

The Batter waited, patiently, as light bloomed around him. He was being transported to Zone 0, to meet his Player. This being, who would lead and assist him to his goal was of the utmost importance. Without them, he would not be able to fully complete his mission. He had to keep them safe as they drew him through to the end, and only then would he be able to purify the world fully.

This being is known as The Batter. You have been assigned to assist him.

The Batter has a very important mission, be sure he accomplishes it.

Zone 0 is his first destination. Good luck.

For more information, find the one called "The Judge".

The yellow ground under his feet was surprisingly firm, as he waited. It was only a few moments, before a burst of light and sound appeared at his side. Turning, he was surprised to see a small woman, looking at him with large eyes. His surprise was soon over taken by his awe; he could see the pureness pouring out of her skin, brushing against his impure skin, making his hold on his disguise ripple faintly.

Joy soon filled him, for reasons he did not fully understand. Was it because she was the embodiment of what he had set out to do, or was it that her arrival heralded the completion of his quest, when it finally ended? He was uncertain, but he knew; this little Player held the fate of this world in her little hands. He had to ensure her safety and health, for his mission, for this world... And oddly enough, for himself.

But not really, because that didn't make sense.

Okay, so I got caught by OFF, and had this little fic pop up in my mind. Helpfully, I might add, because it kick-started my ideas for other stories I have going right now. Anyway, leave a review on what you thought. It makes me happy to know your opinions.