Carroll City is filled with unique people.

There are those who can summon a storm, there are those who can transform into dragons, or breathe fire. There are a few who have vampire blood running through their veins.

And then, there are those who have been "repurposed", their bodies held together with stitches and black magic, their souls bound to a vessel of flesh that does not age, and assigned a new role for them to play.

Welcome back to this collection. I am your host, "The Curious", and today's tale talks about the idea of a puppet obtaining a soul of its own. What would be their reaction? What would it be like for them to walk and talk without strings holding them down? And what repercussions will this lead to?

For this, I think it'll be best if the resident marionette master tells this tale. Ready to take the stage, Grand Lorde Guignol?

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Guignol: Why do we have such a fascination with dolls, puppets and the like?

Is it the way we can play with them, the way we can make them be whoever we want them to be? The way we project parts of ourselves into them?

For me, I have such a fascination because they happened to be my family. Many children would say that their stuffed teddies and dollies are 'friends', but my puppets are my family. Without them, I wouldn't be the person I am today.

"What would happen if someone happen to take them away from you?" you ask.

Well, this is the tale as to that particular scenario. While that was pretty important as it was, it was the motivation that was what made me change my mind.

And, let me tell you, the story behind the motivation is one that even I didn't see coming.

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2nd Curiosity

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Karakuri Circus

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The last thing the girl remembers is her big brother screaming her name before everything went black.

Her eyes shoot open and she sits up, hand over her heart. The girl takes a deep breath as she looks at her surroundings. She is in a hospital room, with its pristine white walls and white bedsheets that hurt her eyes as if she is staring at the sun.

"Serenity!"

Serenity suddenly finds herself wrapped in the arms of her mother. She can feel the older woman's tears soaking her hospital gown and those gentle hands pat her head.

"I almost lost you," Serenity's mother hiccups. "Oh Serenity…."

Serenity returns the hug as an important question appears in her mind.

"Mom, where is he?" Serenity asks her mother. "Where's big brother?"

"Big brother…" Her mother begins, bottom lip trembling. "He's...he's waiting outside."

As she says this, the door to the room opens, and Serenity gasps at who she sees.

"Big brother…" she whispers, tears in her eyes.

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"The art of a puppeteer is to bring life into lifeless dolls. Under the puppeteer's master control, the puppets leap, dance and sing about, bringing joy into people's lives.

"Whatever the puppeteer commands, the puppet shall obey. It is what they are made for; they will not object a direct order from their master. No matter the command, the puppet follows.

"However, what most people don't know is that a puppet is capable of coming to life without its master's command if it relates to unfinished business between the two. They will not stop until their order is finished, and the puppet's reward for this loyalty is to have their soul reborn into another vessel, perhaps a human one or a newer version of their older puppet body, so they can have another chance in being with their beloved master.

"This tale is no exception.

"Once in the faraway kingdom of Mateel, there lived a magnificent puppeteer who could make a crowd smile from ear to ear through the use of his three puppets. The puppets were so life-like in the way they moved, the way they talked, the way they could evoke so many emotions with their eyes.

"The puppeteer loved these puppets as if they were his family. He wouldn't trade them for the world. He would rather die than be separated from them.

"Alas, that turned out to be his fate.

"For you see, my dear listeners, the princess of the kingdom had fallen in love with the puppeteer. She wanted him to be her prince forever after, but the puppeteer refused. His life was with his puppets, not in a castle playing dress-up for a haughty, spoiled brat like her.

"But the princess was always known to get her way, and if she couldn't get her way then she'd make sure he wouldn't either.

"In the dead of night, the princess hired a mercenary to kidnap the puppeteer and his puppets and lock them in the dungeon. There, the princess gave him an ultimatum: at sunrise, he could either accept her hand in marriage or face execution.

"The puppeteer asked the princess to give him the entire night to think it over. The princess agreed, stating that it would be her only act of mercy on him.

"When she left, the puppeteer went to his puppets and hugged them tight. Tears fell down his face as he said his good-byes.

"'I wanted to live the rest of my days with you, my precious family,' he told them, patting their heads like he always did before going to bed. 'This is only a good-bye for now. Maybe, one day, we will see each other again. Please, wait for me until then.'

"When sunrise came, the princess asked the puppeteer for his decision. The puppeteer calmly replied that he would rather die than marry her. The princess, enraged with his answer, dragged the puppeteer to the executioner's room, commanding her servants to carry the puppets with them. 'I am not that heartless,' she boasted. 'I will at least give you the time to say your farewells before I turn them into firewood!'

"The puppeteer had his hands tied behind his back and his head pressed down upon a tree stump. With a smile on his face, he looked at his puppets one last time.

"'Farewell,' he said. 'We will be together once more.'

"And then, off went his head."

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Trip Deckard takes the time to pause as he stares into the eyes at the children who are looking in horror at the kind puppeteer having his head cut off. This, and the rest of the scenes he has narrated for the prologue, is presented through a white sheet and a bright light where shadows play out an executioner with a sharp axe chopping off the puppeteer's head.

Through the eyeholes of his mask, Trip, aka 'The Curious', watches the children sniffle and cry for the sweet, innocent puppeteer, knowing that his words have touched their imaginations just as Yvonne's skills in puppetry will help bring the tale to life.

And on a fine day such as this at the Wonderland Marionette Theatre in Bandersnatch Park, where the Youth Master Duelist Brigade - YMD for short, named after the founders of the group, Yvonne, May and Dawn - are hosting a puppet show in order to raise funds to help open the You Show Duel School, it feels like nothing crazy or absurd could happen.

However, as Trip feels the wind stir, he can sense that something strange and sinister is about to occur. Deep within his bones, a story is about to be told.

A little girl in the front raises her hand. "That can't be the end of the story, can it? What about the puppets?"

From beneath his stone-like mask, Trip smiles. He is amazed that no one makes comments on how off or uncanny his mask is (as every member of his family who has taken the role as 'The Curious' sports a different mask to differentiate themselves like a set of fingerprints). "Ah yes, the puppets. I almost forgot about those little ones. Well…" He clears his throat.

"The princess gloated at her victory. The puppeteer was no more, and soon his puppets would become nothing more than firewood that would warm her feet. This is the punishment for those who dare to say 'no' to her.

"'Guards!' she commanded. 'Take those disgusting things away! I want them to burn!'

"But just as the guards were about to take the puppets into their hands, the puppets...began to move.

"It was slow at first. Just a twitch of a finger, or a foot. Then, their heads snapped to the side, their eyes fluttered open, and soon, they were slowly standing up, staring at their surroundings while everyone looked at them in surprise and horror.

"'W...what?!' The princess screamed. 'How are you moving? Your master lays dead at my feet! Who is pulling your strings?!'

"One of the puppets tilted their heads at the princess before answering with this:

"'No one pulls our strings. We move on our own accord.'

"The princess was too shocked for words. But then, she swiftly told her guards to destroy the puppets. The guards, bless their hearts, did their best…

"And seconds later, the puppets had swiftly killed them, leaving the princess alone.

"'No, you are nothing more than playthings!' She screamed, brandishing the executioner's axe that killed their master. 'Stay away from me! Stay away -'

"Seconds later, she too, was dead.

"The puppets then approached their dead master, trying to wake him up as best as they could. They tried attaching his head back to his body, just like they had seen him do it to them in his shows. But he did not stir. They shook him awake, but still nothing.

"'Master is...gone?' asked one of the puppets.

"'No,' said the second one. 'He is on a trip somewhere. And we have to find him. That's why we're alive.'

"'But where could he have gone?' said the third one.

"The puppets thought hard about this, but in the end they could not think of an answer.

"'He said that we will be together again,' the first puppet remembered. 'We shall go out and search for him so we will be reunited.'

"The others nodded their heads and left the dungeon, covering their bodies in cloaks so people did not stare at their strange wooden appearance. Underneath dawn's early light, they begin to leave the kingdom that was considered their only home, preparing themselves for the long journey ahead.

"On their way out of the kingdom, the three bumped into a small girl selling flowers. The girl, who never missed any of the puppeteer's shows and thus knew who these 'people' were, looked in confusion.

"'Where are you going?' she asked them.

"'We are on a journey,' one puppet answered. 'To find our master.'

"'Where did he go?'

"'We do not know,' the second puppet said honestly. 'That's why we are off to find them.'

"'Will you come back to the kingdom when you find him?'

"'We will,' said the third puppet. 'But now, we must wander. Over the hills, across the rivers, into the wide world. And we will not rest until we reunite with our master.'

"'Be safe,' said the little girl, and she handed each of them a pale yellow rose. 'For good luck.'

"The puppets nodded their heads then walked off, onto their long, perilous journey, and into the unknown. And it is said that the puppets travel, to this day, searching for their beloved master, performing the stories that have been engraved in their memories to the masses, fulfilling their master's wish to make people smile.

"Until the day comes when they are in their master's loving arms once more, they shall wander. Until they see their master's face, every night they shall dream of the days that he showered them with all of his love and praise.

"And perhaps, they are coming to you right now, with wide smiles on their faces and a myriad of stories they want you to hear…"

As Trip finishes his narration, he begins to whistle a haunting melody. A gentle breeze picks up, carrying the tune to the audience, whose eyes are now fully glued to the stage and the show that is about to begin.

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"Okay," says Dawn, peeking from behind the curtain. "Trip has just finished the prologue. Now we can start preparing for the first act!"

"Finally," Max says, placing some paper cut-outs taped to sticks into a box. "How does Yvonne do all of this by herself?"

"We should ask her after this is over," says Brendan, turning off the large flashlight by his side. "Now, where is she?"

"Guys, we've got bad news!"

This comes from May, wearing a bright pink and white ruffled dress that is highly unusual for the vampire princess. In her hands is a matching pink and white lacy parasol.

"What's going on?" asks Dawn. "Where's Yvonne? Where are the puppets?"

"Yvonne's panicking," May answers, out of breath. "Her puppets have gone missing!"

"What?" Max whispers.

"That's impossible!" says Brendan. "There's no way those four could wander off so easily. They're like chicks following their mother and they know how important this play is."

"That's what I thought too," says Yvonne, dressed in a puppeteer outfit consisting of a long charcoal colored coat, a slate long-sleeved blouse, ebony breeches and matching leather boots. Topping her head is a snow white top hat with three black vertical stripes and covering her hands are leather gloves the color of dried blood. Her eyes are covered with a black eye mask with gold rings to make them look like they're glowing, thin lines of black, grey and gold face paint trickle down her cheeks like tears and her lips are covered in black lipstick, making her resemble a deadly puppeteer who wishes to enact vengeance from beyond the grave. "I stepped out of the changing room and saw my puppets had vanished. Then, Specter handed me this."

She shows the items in her hand: a White Magical Hat Duel Monsters card and a business card that depicts a black and white circus tent with red ribbon and gold strings.

"What is this?" asks May, taking the second card and flipping it back and forth.

"That's what we've tried to decipher," says Specter, approaching the group alongside Ryoken. "Well, as soon as Yvonne stops panicking."

"I'm not panicking!" Yvonne exclaims, grabbing Specter's shoulders and shaking him. "I'm absolutely not panicking! My puppets can't be gone, they're just...they're probably playing hide-and-seek...yeah, that's it."

"If they are, it's a really mean-spirited one," Takeru notes, poking his head from behind the portable changing room.

"Maybe they decided to play with Tango because you took your sweet time getting dressed," Yusaku suggests, reading through the script.

"They were guarding me while I was getting dressed!" Yvonne screams, pushing Specter to the side. She advances towards Yusaku, only stopped by Max and Brendan blocking her path.

"Whatever happened to those four, we have to do something, and fast," says May, taking a look at Trip answering questions given to him from the audience. From behind the curtain, various members of the YMD Brigade clothed in black are swiftly moving props into place. "I don't know how long Trip can keep our audience distracted."

Yvonne flings a glowing string from her finger towards the card in May's hand. She then yanks the card back into her hand, the image of the circus tent transforming into fancy black calligraphy with borders of playing card suits outlined in silver.

"What the?" Yvonne asks, taking a good look at the card. "It's...an invitation."

"To where?" asks Brendan.

"Toadstool Outdoor Theatre," Yvonne answers. "But that's impossible; there are no shows playing there right now."

"Maybe not right now, but perhaps it'll start when you arrive?" Max suggests, looking at the wording, trying to find a secret message encoded in it.

"Who knows?" says Yvonne, pocketing the card before removing her top hat. She sticks her hand into it, pulls out her Duel Disk then straps it onto her arm before placing her hat back on. "But whatever is out there, if I want to get my beloved puppets back then I'm gonna need to face this madman and show him that no one makes a fool out of Grand Lorde Guignol."

"Then it's settled," says May with a nod of her head. "Brendan and Max will go with Yvonne to find the puppets while Dawn and I take care of the show."

"But where are we going to find replacement actors at this moment?" asks Max. "No one else knows the script like Yvonne does! And she's the main antagonist of this tale."

"We could just have someone dress up in black to imitate her until we return," Brendan suggests. "All that's left is who will be our main character…"

"Ryoken-san can take the role!" says Dawn, pointing at a flustered Ryoken. "He and nii-chan roleplay as the reincarnated puppeteer while I practiced my lines. He can be our 'reincarnated puppeteer' for today!"

"W...wait a second! I didn't sign up for this!" he exclaims, all while Brendan and Max chuckle to themselves. It is rare for Ryoken to be placed in situations such as these.

"Come on, come on, come on!" says Dawn, taking him to the changing room. She grabs Takeru's arm and practically hurls him into Specter's arms before pushing Ryoken inside. "Just a change in wardrobe and you're good to go. I mean, you already got that K-pop look on you!"

Dawn tosses Ryoken some clothes then zips the changing room shut all while giving her friends a thumbs up.

"That's good and all, but we still need the three puppets," Yvonne notes. Then, her eyes light up as she stares at Yusaku, Takeru and Specter, her black lips cracked into a sinister grin. "Three puppets…"

It is at this moment that May wishes she has a camera to see the looks on Specter, Takeru and Yusaku's faces as it dawns on them just what Yvonne plans on doing.

"Oh no," says Takeru, taking a step back. "We...we said we would help out in make-up and costumes. We aren't actors!"

"No, you're not," Yvonne smirks as glowing blue strings coil around her arms. "For this afternoon, you're puppets!"

She thrust her hands out as the blue strings wrap around the three, quickly cocooning them before they can even utter, "Grand Guignol". Yvonne takes a deep breath, eyes glowing blue beneath her mask as she raises her hands into the air and chants.

"Though I know I should be wary,

Still I conjure something scary,

Magic powers I let loose,

And a trio of puppets I shall produce!"

The glowing blue threads flash once, twice, three times before they are absorbed into the bodies of their victims. Yvonne's smile grows big as the light fades and in the place of Takeru, Specter and Yusaku are wooden puppets in their likeness, eyes wide with mischief and not a single blemish on their skin. Their joints are wooden balls and each of them are dressed in bright and colorful costumes that practically scream "puppetesque". Finally, faint blue lines are wrapped around their arms, completing the puppet look.

"...Where did you learn how to do that?" asks Brendan both fascinated and terrified at Yvonne's handiwork.

"Found an old book of puppetry at the library a while back," Yvonne answers. "I've always wanted to use it and now's a good time as ever."

"That's so cool…" Max whispers, poking Takeru's arm before giggling. "It's like something from The Uncle Howee Show!"

"Exactly! All right then," says Yvonne, clasping her hands as she gives the newly fashioned 'puppets' some pats on the head. "Your roles for today is to act as the puppets for the show. Trip is gonna be narrating the story so he'll help you with your cues. Other than that, break some legs everyone!"

"I am going to kill you for this," Spectre mutters, noticing his new attire, frowning at the green and violet hues of his outfit. Takeru has placed his hands over his mouth in horror after seeing his white and red jester costume while Yusaku just blinks and stares at the backs of his hands before looking at his black and yellow diamond pants and white blouse with a lavender ruffled collar.

"That's exactly what I want to hear!" Yvonne squeals, wrapping the three in a big hug. "And I can't wait for uploads of the show to be posted on the You Show Duel website!"

"While I'm amazed at you able to transform people into puppets, is this...going to be permanent?" asks May, noticing Takeru on the verge of tears.

"It should last until sunset," says Yvonne. "I've practice this spell with some stray cats and birds that passed my way, and it's lasted a few hours or so."

"Next you're gonna say that you dissect innocent puppies once in a blue moon," Brendan mutters.

"Of course I don't, that's absolutely absurd!" Yvonne exclaims. "I practiced my puppetry on a few plushies, but I draw the line in reviving animal corpses. Ever seen Pet Sematary?"

"...Yes."

"Exactly. Now, let's get going. We need to meet up with this great thief in about ten minutes according to the invitation."

"All right!" Max exclaims, pumping his fists. "We're gonna be detectives!"

"Call us if anything happens," says Yvonne to Dawn, just as Ryoken has stepped out of the changing booth, now wearing a grey blouse, olive green vest, black tie, black pants and tattered black cloak. "After all, the show must go on!"

"In position, everyone," says May, noticing Trip making a motion of closing a book in his hands. "Trip just gave the signal. It's time to play the music, it's time to light the lights!"

"It's time to get things started for a show of great delight," Yvonne finishes as she pulls out her trusty switchblade from the pocket of her coat.

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The curtain rises as Trip takes a glance at the stage. Instead of one of Yvonne's puppets, the role of the 'resurrected puppeteer' is taken by Ryoken, who is sitting in a chair and reading a book called The Cursed Puppets (which conveniently has the entire script within its covers).

Raising an eyebrow but not making any comment on the change of actors, Trip begins to narrate once again.

"Sitting in the living room is our protagonist. Let us call him 'Blake' for this telling," he recites, his voice soft, breathy and dream-like as if this situation is like him reading the news bulletin at school. "The story that I have told you happens to be Blake's favorite bedtime story, told time and time again by his mother - bless her dear soul - before she departed to the afterlife a few years ago. For some odd reason, Blake always felt pity for these puppets and hoped that somehow they would reunite with their beloved master.

"Little did he know that it was going to happen very very soon."

"Blake! Where are you?"

Dawn's voice causes Ryoken to snap the book shut as she appears on stage, wearing a pink dress with a white collar, her hair tied up into a ponytail. Ryoken shares a quick glance with her, noticing how she's exposing the stitches on her wrists, but says nothing else until Dawn places her hands on his shoulders.

"There you are, big brother!" she says. "Aren't you excited for tonight's show?"

"I don't understand why I'm even attending this with you...Fiona," Ryoken mutters, almost forgetting the name for Dawn's character. "I'm too old for puppet shows."

"But this isn't just any puppet show," Dawn says with a giggle. "The actors themselves are the puppets! They perform so many amazing feats without any special effects and their stories can make even a statue shed a tear! Besides, you used to love puppet shows when you were younger."

"When I was younger…"

"Come on," Dawn pleads. "Just one night. Please? For me?"

"No matter what Blake did, he could never resist how his sister showed off her sparkling blue eyes."

"Fine, fine," Ryoken sighs, standing up. "Only for you."

"Hooray! Let's hurry! The show's gonna start soon!"

The lights turn off as Dawn and Ryoken leave the stage, and the group of kuroko move the furniture off to the side, leaving the stage empty once more. The two actors approach the front of the audience, taking their seats as the lights shine on a large banner on stage reading, "Mourguet Puppet Show of Mysteries, Magic and Mayhem". Trip chuckles as he knows what is to come.

"The show is starting!" Dawn cheers, tugging on Ryoken's arm, imagining that she is actually about to see a real show with her brother by her side. Ryoken just rolls his eyes as a drumroll is heard in the background. Then, a voice booms throughout the theater.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" it echoes, causing the children to gasp and whisper in excitement. "Boys and girls of all ages, thank you for coming to our show! So, please put your hands together for your performers!"

Smoke fills the theater before a spotlight shines upon three individuals. Dawn smiles at her older brother in the center of the stage while the expression on Ryoken's face is a blend of "This is interesting" and "Oh my gosh, what did Yvonne do to them?!"

The children cheer at the puppets in their costumes, all while the puppets do their best to not try to strangle someone for the mess they have gotten themselves into.

"Welcome to our show, everyone!" Takeru cheers. "We hope you're ready!"

"What show do we do first?" asks Yusaku, feeling like his body is on auto-pilot as it goes through the motions from Yvonne's script. That's right. Before Yvonne, Brendan and Max left, Yvonne basically imprinted the script into his head, along with Takeru and Specter's.

"Before we do a show, we must figure out what roles we have to play!" Specter shouts, feeling a tic form underneath his eye as he thinks about how he's going to have fun torturing Yvonne after this is done.

"I know!" says Takeru, hopping on one foot. "Why don't we play the role as traveling puppets in search of our master?"

"Great idea!" Yusaku adds. "Except, there's one problem. If we are playing puppets, we need a puppet master."

"That's easy then!" says Specter, snapping his fingers. "Maybe we'll have someone from the audience be our puppeteer. So? Who would like to help us perform today?"

Various members of the audience, including Dawn, immediately shoot a hand in the air, clamoring for one of the puppets to bring them on stage. Trip chuckles at how awkward it is for members of the Kougami family to be performing. He can also hear the other members of the YMD Brigade giggling to themselves as Specter, Takeru and Yusaku pretend to look for someone to take the stage.

When Trip returns his eyes back to the audience, he pauses. At the very back, there are three individuals that, for some odd reason, look...off.

Of course, it would be easier if he can remove his mask to have a better look, but he cannot. A downside to his role as 'The Curious' means that once he places the mask on, he is bound to his role as the narrator until the story reaches its end. Horror stories of previous members of his family not abiding with this role has been drilled into his head, to the point that he can sometimes envision the facial scars that his ancestors obtained when they did not fulfill their roles.

Still, he makes a mental note to take a better look at them once Intermission starts. At the very least, he'd like to know their names.

"Come on, Blake!" says Dawn, lifting Ryoken out of his seat and dragging him onto the stage. "You're an expert puppeteer. Why don't you go and join them?"

"W...wait!" Ryoken stammers, forgetting just how strong Dawn can be with her augmented strength. "No one told me about this!"

The children laugh at how flustered the white-haired teen looks; even Trip can't help but snicker as Ryoken is pushed onto the stage in front of the puppets. There is an awkward pause as Ryoken looks at Takeru, Specter and Yusaku as puppets and wondering how much it would cost to slice Yvonne's hands off for what she caused.

"As the puppets stared at Blake, a thought came into their minds," Trip narrates. "Blake was a dead ringer for their beloved master!

"But did he have the skills of the brilliant puppeteer? Did Blake remember their names? Or how he could use those strings to move them about? They had to find out; they needed to know if he truly was their master reborn."

"So," says Takeru, inspecting Ryoken up and down. "Dear sir, do you have any skill with puppetry?"

"Um, a little," Ryoken answers. "So, what do I have to do?"

"It's simple," says Yusaku, extending his arm out. "Just follow our lead. We'll guide you through our routines."

"When Blake looked down at the puppet's arms, he noticed that there were strings attached to them. In fact, there were similar strings on the other puppets too.

"Perhaps it was just part of their costumes? After all, this seemed to be a human puppet show, so of course the performers would go the extra mile to convince the audience that they are actually puppets instead of humans who dress up like puppets.

"Seeing that he has no choice in the matter, Blake sighed, let the strings curl around his fingers and the show to begin."

Ryoken watches the strange blue threads tie themselves to his fingers before he is lurched onto the side. Dawn crosses her fingers; Yvonne is the only one who is capable of manipulating these strings, and she didn't have enough time to mentally describe the motions Ryoken must perform alongside these puppets.

Yet despite her doubts, Dawn sighs in relief as Ryoken easily maneuvers and glides around the stage as if he has been a puppeteer all his life. Yusaku, Takeru and Specter move and leap about the stage as if they have trained for this very moment, captivating the audience even though they have no idea that the actors were casted at the last minute.

And after a few minutes of pretending that he is a puppeteer, Ryoken sighs in relief when the blue strings release themselves from his fingers. He never knew that puppeteer work could be so difficult.

"Thank you for your cooperation," says Yusaku, shaking Ryoken's hand. "Please give him a round of applause!"

The audience cheers as Ryoken and Dawn leave the stage and the curtains begin to descend, the puppets on stage smiling to one another as they observe the 'siblings' depart for the evening.

"At that moment," says Trip, bringing the audience to turn their wide-eyed gaze towards him. "The three puppets were thinking the same thing.

"They had reunited with their master at long last."

And as the audience gasps in surprise, the three figures Trip took notice of earlier say nothing.

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"Look, there it is!"

Max points to the Toadstool Outdoor Theater that is right in front of them. It is a large amphitheatre, its entrance decorated with clay mushrooms colored red with pretty white spots that look tempting to eat. There is no one in the audience…

Yet Max, Brendan and Yvonne can plainly see that the theater is decorated as if a circus suddenly dropped out of the sky, its decorations strewn about and tilted at an angle. There is a tightrope, a circular platform, numerous spotlights shining on the stage, and the sounds of haunting calliope music fills the air.

"I'll be completely honest here," says Brendan. "But whoever wanted to lure you in is not going to half-ass this production, Yvonne."

"Whoever did this is gonna find out that I'm not gonna half-ass how I killed them!" Yvonne snarls, brandishing her knife, gripping into the handle with the design of a black spider on a grey background. "Let's go."

At the entrance to the theater, a young boy wielding a scythe with its blade curved like a heart stands guard. He wears a puppet outfit colored red, black and white and he wears a white eye mask with a large red heart in the center. But even without the clothes and mask, Yvonne would recognize the puppet's red and green hair from a mile away.

"Yuya!" she exclaims, noticing the blank look in her puppet's crimson eyes. "W...what happened to you? What's going - "

"Hurry, hurry!" Puppet Yuya shouts, taking no heed to Yvonne's concern. In fact, when he sees Yvonne, he just brings his hand out and says, "Ticket, please."

Yvonne stays silent, unsure whether to feel upset, horrified or just plain furious. She wordlessly hands the White Magical Hat card and invitation to Puppet Yuya who tilts his head at the cards then at Yvonne.

"Say, Yuya," says Max. "Don't you remember us?"

Puppet Yuya doesn't reply before he leads Max Brendan and Yvonne into the theater. There is no one seated at the audience, even though it is painfully clear that the stage is ready to host a show. The next few seconds has them walk to the front row seats with Puppet Yuya ushering the three to sit in the center.

"I don't like the looks of this," Brendan mutters as he seats himself down.

Yvonne places a hand on Puppet Yuya's shoulder and blinks. She can see faint gold lines wrapped around his arms, legs and neck.

"What the…"

Puppet Yuya snaps his head and pushes Yvonne into her seat. Before the puppeteer can speak up, Puppet Yuya points the tip of his scythe at her throat.

"Please enjoy the show!" He says cheerfully, heavily contrasting how he has his big sister figure about to have her head chopped off.

He then walks towards the stage as a drum roll plays. Yvonne grits her teeth as the spotlights focus on the center.

On stage is an adorable Fluffal Lion, opening his mouth to unleash a mighty roar to assert himself as the king of the jungle. It prowls around the stage, waiting for someone to fight.

"I am not liking this," Yvonne mutters, hand gripping into the switchblade so tight that her knuckles turn white underneath her gloves. "What have they done to…"

"Back, back I say!" Puppet Yuri shouts, approaching the stage with a buckler in one hand and his trusty urumi in another. He wears a purple and magenta colored outfit, and he wears a similar eye mask like his brother, only with a club instead of a heart as the mark. "Back!"

Fluffal Lion whacks the seven whip-like blades of the urumi before he leaps. He performs a somersault as he transforms into a savage white bipedal lion bisected vertically with a yellow sawblade in-between. It lunges at Puppet Yuri, who proceeds to strike again and again at this wretched beast.

"Get away! Shoo!"

Puppet Yuto and Puppet Yugo are thrown on stage - the former fighting a Frightfur Wolf while dressed in grey and lavender, a mask with a spade covering his eyes, and the latter using his scythe to prevent himself from being eaten by a Frightfur Saber-Tooth, his eyes covered with a mask that has a red diamond in the center. Puppet Yuya giggles, but no one in the audience finds it funny.

"If this was something Yvonne threw together, I'd be amazed," Max brings up. "But as it stands…"

The Frightfur monsters knock their opponents down before they jump into the air and collide with one another. They are covered by a large cloud of smoke before it descends with a loud thud. Instead of three individual monsters, there is now a Frightfur Chimera ready to destroy anything in its path.

"Are you enjoying the show?" Puppet Yuya asks the crowd. But when he speaks his voice is deeper, sinister, downright sadistic in its tone. Yvonne clenches her teeth, seeing a golden glow around Puppet Yuya's eyes.

That does it. She doesn't want to see anymore of this show.

The puppets on stage rise to their feet as they each stare at one of three heads of this behemoth. Frightfur Chimera roars and lunges at their prey. Puppet Yuto unleashes a few thrusts with his spear, Puppet Yugo swipes at his target with his scythe and Puppet Yuri shields himself with his buckler before leaving scratches on the face of his enemy.

"Do not worry folks," Puppet Yuya announces. "As you can perfectly see, our performers are trained professionals! No harm will be done onto…"

He never gets to finish as blue strings are fired at Frightfur Chimera. The puppets watch as the monster is cocooned in soft blue light. This comes from Yvonne walking to the stage, eyes glowing blue beneath her black mask, her wrists covered in blue threads.

"You are going down," Yvonne spits out.

The Chimera roars and throws its heads back, but Yvonne is on the move. Using the momentum, she leaps into the sky and uses the knife in her hand to cut the threads on her left wrist free. Using both hands, she flings another blue thread into a spotlight to swing her away towards the three headed monstrosity before leaping onto its head in the middle.

Most girls her age would have been terrified, frightened, screaming in panic.

But when Yvonne is in Grand Lorde Guignol mode, all of her fear is channeled into focus. And the focus right now is to destroy this son of a bitch before it mauled her puppets.

The middle head of the chimera bucks and thrashes about, but Guignol is firm as she stabs her knife deep into its cranium, once, twice, three times, all while spewing a particular nasty phrase in French which, thankfully, her puppets are brainwashed so they would never get to understand what it meant.

"Va te faire foutre!" Yvonne curses, stabbing the head one last time before she is thrown off, sent flying into the air as she brings her hands downward, her strings unfurling until they gather into a large orb that blooms like a large flower. The blue strings formation catches their master with a soft "oomph" before shrinking into threads that wrap around her wrists.

The chimera collapses onto its side after unleashing one more roar as the puppets stand back. The theater shakes slightly as Yvonne rises to her feet, knife in hand as she sees the glowing gold bands around her four puppets. Brendan and Max gulp, expecting a demon to rise from Yvonne's shadow with blackened wings and crimson eyes ready to devour their very souls.

"That's it," Yvonne snarls. "It's time for Grand Lorde Guignol to take the stage. Show yourself right now, you coward! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

"I'm glad you never asked."

Yvonne turns to the side, just as a male figure walks on stage, at least a head and a half taller than the puppeteer herself, wearing an outfit similar to hers. A long black cloak and grey shirt, black pants, and equally matching black gloves. His blond hair shines as bright as the gold strings that wrap around the puppets, his brown eyes also unleashing a bright gold sheen. Strapped to his right arm is a Duel Disk styled after a gear.

"I've heard many things about you, Yvonne Maxa," The man begins, his voice rich like honey and milk. "No, I shouldn't be calling you that...should I, Grand Lorde Guignol?"

At this, Yvonne closes her eyes and sighs. No, she is not Yvonne right now...she is Grand Lorde Guignol, the brilliant marionette master...and that son of a whore is going to pay.

Guignol turns around and points her knife at the stranger. "You heard a lot, but have you actually seen me in action? Let me tell you, what you saw me perform is small to the feats I've accomplished."

The man chuckles as he claps his hands, and so do Guignol's puppets. "Oh yes, yes, yes...that's why I brought you here to me today. I want to see what you are capable of when you have to unleash your full potential."

Guignol clicks her teeth. "And you had to put my puppets in danger? Take them away when I had an important show going on today?"

The man smirks, lips curled into a sinister grin that wouldn't be out of place on Guignol's face. "How else was I going to get your attention?"

Guignol curls her hands into a fist as she activates her Duel Disk. "So you got me here, fine. What do you want next? My autograph? In case you didn't notice, I have a show to perform and I need my loves with me."

"Oh sure," says the rival puppeteer. "But, I can't let you go...not just yet."

Guignol looks around as her Puppets approach her, eyes empty as they point their weapons, ready to strike. This is bad. She has never actually fought against her puppets before and even if she has, it was just for practice.

"Oh, what's wrong?" The man purrs, raising an eyebrow. "Don't have the heart to attack them?"

Guignol grits her teeth as she notices the glowing golden strings. This is a color that she has never seen before - well, to be fair, she's the only one in Carroll City that she knows who can manifest these strings - and something about them makes her feel uncomfortable. She has never read any legend of a puppeteer using gold colors to distinguish themselves before.

"She may not, but we will!"

The puppeteer watches Brendan and Max rise from their seats, raising an eyebrow but looking interested at what is to be seen.

"Those puppets are important to her!" Max states, briefly flashing his fangs. "If you want her so badly, go after her one on one!"

"We'll take care of them," says Brendan. "Kick this guy's ass for us, Guignol!"

"If you hurt one hair on their heads I will cut you into tiny pieces, stuff them into your casket and then dump your remains into the Vale of Tears," Guignol threatens with a nod of her head.

"Go after them," The male puppeteer commands the puppets, pointing at Brendan and Max. "I want to fight this man-to-man."

The Puppets nod their heads as they leap off of the stage and charge into battle. Brendan and Max leap into battle, black vampire wings forming on their backs and their eyes glowing crimson as they fight. As this goes on, Guignol pockets her knife before drawing her cards.

"So, stranger," she says. "Got a name?"

"I do," is the answer. "My full name is Joseph Wheeler, but you can call me 'Joey' as a sign of how much I respect you."

"How nice," Guignol observes. "But enough talk, jerk! Have at thee!"

"By the pricking of the thumbs, something wicked this way comes!" Joey shouts, raising his voice to the sky. "Let's duel!"

(Guignol: 8000) - - - - - - - (Joey: 8000)

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"That was amazing! I knew you had it in you, Blake!"

"Blake rolled his eyes as Fiona kept babbling on and on and on about the show, arms moving about in undulating motions that mimicked the movement of puppets when they perform on stage. Deep down, he was trying to make sense as to what happened. How did he instinctively know what to do in regards to moving the marionettes around? Why did all of this feel so familiar?

"Being a person of logic, Blake tried to formulate theories in his head - "

"What does that mean?" A child interrupts, raising their hand into the air.

Trip just rolls his eyes. "It means that Blake was thinking really hard. Now please, let there be no more questions until the Intermission, okay?"

The child nods their head before Trip looks back at his notes.

"Being a person of logic, Blake tried to formulate theories in his head as to why puppeteer work came so naturally to him, as if he was born and raised into becoming a puppeteer all his life. Sure he remembered how he hosted puppet shows as a boy, but that was a lifetime ago, when he was young, innocent and believed in his mother's words about moving puppets.

"So, why were they alive now? And, why did he feel like he knew them somewhere before?

"His thoughts were interrupted by someone knocking at the door. Fiona went to open it and then…"

"Ahhhhh!"

Dawn shouts upon seeing the puppets on the other side. She then races towards Ryoken and shakes him.

"Blake, look outside!" she exclaims. "It's the puppets from the show!"

Ryoken sits up from the sofa and approaches the door, seeing the three puppets on the other side with bright smiles on their faces (although he can tell that none of them want to be on stage at the moment)

"You!" he asks. "What are you doing here?"

"We wanted to stay with you, Master," Specter answers, all while Dawn resists the urge to laugh.

"M...master?" Ryoken stammers out. "No, you must be mistaken. I'm...I'm not…"

"You are!" Takeru exclaims, grasping Ryoken's hands. "After all these years...Master, we are finally reunited."

"...Reunited?"

"Blake's eyes widened. This...this was just like that story of the cursed puppets. But...no, that was just a story. These people can't be walking, talking puppets.

"And even if the story was real, there would be no possible way for these puppets to even be alive.

"But here is proof that these puppets are here, right in front of him."

"Eh?" asks Dawn, looking back and forth in shock. "You think my brother is your master?"

"We don't think, we know," says Specter. "The way he used those strings in our performance just proves it."

"Only one person is capable of bringing such magic into that performance," Yusaku sighs. "Master…"

Ryoken frowns, pulling his hands away from Takeru. "First off, my name is Blake. And second of all, I am not your master."

"Stop denying it!" says Takeru. "Please, master. Let us stay with you in your humble abode. Tell us your wonderous stories, let us perform to everyone in the town once again…"

"Blake honestly had no idea what to say," Trip states, pointing out something so obvious. "But, something told him that it would be wrong to just turn them away. Say that they were the puppets who have been on their own for maybe a hundred, maybe two hundred, years. Surely it would be all right to house them for a day...or two.

"And besides. What could possibly go wrong?"

Ryoken sighs. "Fine," he says. "You can stay here."

"Really?" asks Dawn. "You're letting them stay?"

"Under one condition," says Ryoken, raising a finger at the puppets. "That they don't call me their 'Master'."

"But you are our master," Yusaku states, looking confused (and, in Ryoken and Dawn's mind absolutely adorable with his shiny green eyes and that tilt of his head).

Ryoken sighs. This would take a while.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Ladies first," says Joey, bowing to his opponent.

"You'll regret this act of chivalry," says Guignol, drawing a card. "I place one card face-down and play a monster face-down, too. That's it."

"That's an opening move?" Joey asks, seeing the two face-down cards in front of Guignol. "Well, we're gonna have ourselves an interesting time then."

"What do you mean by that?"

Joey chuckles as he draws his card. "It's time for a change a scenery...I play the Field Spell Karakuri Showdown Castle!"

The circus setting on the stage soon transforms into the exterior of a Japanese temple at night with a full moon shining down on them.

"Wait, Karakuri?!" asks Guignol. "You're not playing a Frightfur deck?!"

"Why would you think that I would play something like...ohhh…." Joey's mouth forms a large 'O'. "You thought that because I showed off those evil Frightfurs, I'd surprise you with a similar deck like that, right?"

If it wasn't for the makeup, Guignol's cheeks would have been red from embarrassment. "Um, yeah…"

Joey just bursts into mad laughter.

"Rule number one in magic, sweetheart," he says. "It's all about deception. But this monster won't be fooling anyone. I summon Tin Goldfish in Defense Mode!"

A small little metal fish painted in vibrant colors appears. (2000 DEF)

"And when Tin Goldfish is summoned, I get to Special Summon a monster whose Level is 4 or less. So come take the stage Karakuri Muso mdl 818 'Haipa'!"

Rising onto the field is a machine type monster made out of wood, resembling a monk of some kind, given the red beads around his neck. It has a square head with a single red eye staring at Yvonne. In its hands is a large spear with a head of a cross and on the monster's 'skirt' are three kanji characters that relate to the numbers of its name, '818'. (2100 ATK)

"That's a mouthful," Guignol notes.

"Next, I play Iron Draw!" Joey continues. "Since I only have two Machine-type monsters on the field, I get to draw two more cards."

A Spell Card of a large robotic hand reaching out for two glowing cards appears. Then, Joey makes two draws, giving him a hand of four cards.

"Now Haipa, destroy that face-down monster!"

Haipa charges towards its target, spear ready. The card flips, revealing some strange skeletal serpent with purple segments and equally purple lines controlling it like a marionette. (1000 DEF)

"That was Shaddoll Squamata you flipped over," says Yvonne. "And when it's flipped, I get to destroy a monster on the field!"

Shaddoll Squamata hisses before it wraps its body around Haipa, constricting it until the Karakuri monster is destroyed.

Joey frowns as he sees that his only defense is Tin Goldfish. "I end my turn there."

"Good choice," says Guignol, drawing a card. "First, I activate my face-down card, Shaddoll Core!"

Her face-down card flips over, revealing a strange glowing grey orb protected by a multitude of dragon heads that seemed to be made out of wood. Then, the image from the card appears in place of the card. (1450 ATK)

"When this card is played, it's treated as both a Trap and a monster. Plus, if I should use it for a Fusion Summon for a 'Shaddoll' monster that lists an attribute, this core acts as a substitute!

"So let me show you right now. I play El Shaddoll Fusion and fuse Shaddoll Core and Shaddoll Squamata together!"

A Quick-play card appears, depicting a girl with green hair in a ponytail and wearing a black dress uprooting a tree while various monsters look in fear. Then, both Shaddoll monsters swirl together in a mess of black, ivory and purple.

"Shadow serpent fused with a darkened core. Let the darkness entangle you and create a new body right there and now! Fusion Summon! El Shaddoll Anoyatyllis!

A myriad of purple strings rise from the ground before a female figure emerges with skin and hair the color of snow. She wears a purple dress with long pink sleeves like the fins of a fish. Wrapped around her wrists are a bundle of purple threads. (2700 ATK)

"El Shaddoll Anoyatyllis' special ability should make it easy for me to get your field empty because she prevents Special Summons from the hand or graveyard by Spell and Trap Cards." Guignol explains, loving the way Joey squirms at what she is planning.

"And since Shaddoll Core and Shaddoll Squamata were sent to the graveyard by card effect, I can activate these unique effects. Shaddoll Core allows me to take a 'Shaddoll' Spell or Trap card in the graveyard back to my hand and Shaddoll Squamata lets me send a 'Shaddoll' monster from my deck to my hand. The Spell I choose is El Shaddoll Fusion and the monster I choose to set is Shaddoll Falco, whose graveyard effect allows me to summon it onto the field face-down!"

Guignol takes a card into her hand while a face-down monster materializes to the right of Anoyatyllis.

"I place one monster face-down before attacking. Go, El Shaddoll Anoyatyllis!"

A face-down monster appears to the left of Anoyatyllis before the Fusion monster lets out a battle cry as the strings attached to her strike Tin Goldfish, transforming the little toy into scrap metal.

"And I end my turn there," says Guignol. "Let's see what's up for Act 2."

Joey draws his card before he grins, baring his teeth. "First, I play Karakuri Anatomy!"

A Spell Card appears, depicting a large scroll with schematics written in red ink.

"Whenever the battle position of a 'Karakuri' monster is changed, I can place a 'Karakuri Counter' on it. Once I have two counters, I can offer this card up to draw two cards.

"Next, I play Karakuri Komachi mdl 224 'Ninishi' in Defense Mode."

Rising onto the field is a wooden geisha dressed in a green kimono decorated with pink cherry blossoms. On her wooden face are three green 'eyes'. (1900 DEF)

"The effect of 'Ninishi' allows me to summon another 'Karakuri' monster once per turn. And I choose to summon Karakuri Bushi mdl 6318 'Muzanichiha'!"

Leaping onto the field next to the geisha is a footsoldier of a karakuri with a dome-like straw hat obscuring its face (if it has one). He brandishes his sword at Yvonne's monsters, ready to protect the fair beauty with his life. (1800 ATK)

"Ninishi is a Tuner and Muzanichiha is the right level for me to Synchro Summon! Let's go!"

The two wooden animatronics rise into the air as if wires are attached to their limbs, with Ninishi transforming into three rings and Muzanichiha shrinking into four stars. Guignol doesn't need to be a genius to know what is to come.

(*3 + *4 = *7)

"Wooden dolls of a fair geisha and swift swordsman, wind your gears and take my enemy by surprise! Synchro Summon! Level 7! Karakuri Shogun mdl 00 'Burei'!"

The monster drops onto the field, wearing black samurai armor and a helmet with a crescent on top. Draped over its shoulders is a red tattered cape, and he wields a red and gold fan in his right hand. (2600 ATK)

"When Burei is Synchro Summoned, I can Special Summon another 'Karakuri' monster from my deck onto the field. And the monster I choose is Karakuri Ninja mdl 919 'Kuick'!"

Burei raises his left hand as another Karakuri monster appears. Like its name says, it is styled after a ninja, wearing a lavender robe and wielding two knives in its hands. (1700 ATK)

"And once per turn, Burei can change the position of one monster on the field. And I choose to flip your Shaddoll Falco face up!"

Burei points his fan at one of Guignol's face-down cards, revealing the corrupted bird with the purple gems in its wings. (600 ATK)

"And by doing so, I can Set a 'Shaddoll' monster from my graveyard face-down," says Guignol, showing Shaddoll Squamata to Joey before placing it face-down.

"That won't save you from my attack," Joey points out. "Kuick, attack her face-down monster that isn't Shaddoll Squamata!"

Kuick runs towards the card before hurling his weapon at it. The card flips to reveal a doberman with purple and bone-colored parts. (900 DEF)

"That was Shaddoll Hound," says Guignol. "And when he's flipped, I can take a 'Shaddoll' card from my graveyard to my hand."

Shaddoll Core pops out from her graveyard, which Guignol takes to make a hand of five. Joey doesn't care though.

"When my Karakuri Ninja successfully destroys a monster in battle," he states. "I can Special Summon a 'Karakuri' monster in my graveyard whose level is 4 or lower. So I choose to bring back Karakuri Komachi 'Ninishi'!"

The wooden geisha in her green kimono appears once again before kneeling on stage. (1900 DEF)

"You're next, Burei. Attack Shaddoll Falco!"

Burei raises his fan into the air before bringing it down, unleashing a strong gust of wind that causes Shaddoll Falco to fly off stage.

(Guignol: 6000) - - - - - - - (Joey: 8000)

"I end my turn with two cards face-down," says Joey, his hand reduced to nothing as he plays his last two cards. "Surprise me, Grand Lorde Guignol!"

Guignol says nothing as she draws her card. "First, I Flip-Summon Shaddoll Squamata."

The strange serpent appears once again, hissing at the enemy. (1800 ATK)

"And when Shaddoll Squamata is flipped face-up, I destroy a monster on the field. And, I'm not trying to be sexist or anything, but I clearly don't need anymore stage presence from that geisha of yours."

Shaddoll Squamata zips across the field before swallowing Ninishi whole. It then slithers back to Guignol's side of the field.

"Then, I summon Armageddon Knight in Attack Mode."

Rising onto the field is a knight in brown armor covered in rust with black hair. He wears a pair of goggles with white frames and covering his mouth is a long red scarf. In his right hand he wields a saber. (1400 ATK)

"Armageddon Knight's effect lets me send a DARK monster from my deck to the graveyard. I send Shaddoll Hedgehog to the grave, so I can activate its effect and take a 'Shaddoll' monster from my deck to my hand.

The image of a black and purple hedgehog appears before Guignol takes a new monster to her hand.

"And why stop there? I play El Shaddoll Fusion once more, fusing Shaddoll Squamata and Armageddon Knight to unleash one of my more practical Shaddoll Fusion monsters!"

Guignol slaps El Shaddoll Fusion onto her Duel Disk as both DARK monsters are sucked into it. Then, a blast of dark energy forms on the field as Guignol clasps her hands in prayer.

"Shadow serpent fused with a soul of shifting shadows. Let the darkness entangle you and create a new body right there and now! Fusion Summon! El Shaddoll Winda!"

Landing onto the stage is the same green haired girl with the black dress from the El Shaddoll Fusion card, aided by a strange black and purple dragon with a cat-like face. In the girl's hands is a staff with a strange purple gem topping it. (2200 ATK)

"El Shaddoll Winda's effect! Both of us are limited to one Special Summon per turn. Plus, Winda has more than enough attack points to behead your ninja!"

Both Shaddoll Fusions nod their heads, but Joey just stays silent.

"Go El Shaddoll Anoyatyllis! Attack Burei!"

Anoyatyllis raises her hands into the air as the purple strands lash out at the Synchro Monster. But Joey smirks.

"I activate my Trap Card, Zero Gravity! This card shifts the battle positions on the field, so everyone goes into Defense Mode!"

As the Trap Card reveals two people floating in space, all four monsters drop to one knee as a glowing gear appears above Joey's Karakuri Anatomy card.

"And that's not all. I activate my other face-down card, Karakuri Trick House!"

His other card flips, revealing a Trap Card that shows a room filled with spikes on the ceiling, large gears on the side and a set of stairs that leads to a darkened room.

"When the battle position of a 'Karakuri' monster is changed, I get to destroy one card on the field. And the card I choose is your watery Shaddoll maiden!"

Joey's Trap Card glows just as El Shaddoll Anoyatyllis falls into a trap door that forms beneath her feet. She does not scream, but that does not make the situation with Guignol any better, not even when Anoyatyllis's effect allows her to take El Shaddoll Fusion back to her hand.

Not good... Guignol thinks, seeing how El Shaddoll Winda stands, or rather kneels, alone against Joey's two monsters. She then looks at the cards in her hand. This better work…

"I end my turn by playing three cards face-down," she says. "Do your worst, you pathetic excuse for a human being!"

At this, Joey's eyes briefly stop glowing, revealing a pair of amber eyes. Then, Joey growls as the golden threads pulse with a powerful light that causes Guignol to close her eyes momentarily.

"You have no idea of the suffering I have gone through, little girl," he hisses, drawing his card. "And you have no idea of the suffering I am going to inflict today."

"Just make your move," Guignol growls.

"I will. First, I play my newly drawn Karakuri Cash Cache and select Burei on the field. Then, I can take a Level 4 or lower 'Karakuri' monster from my deck to my hand, although I must change the battle position of Burei by doing so."

Joey slaps his Spell Card on the field, depicting a white storehouse with gears in the side and a 'Karakuri' monster - Karakuri Merchant mdl 177 "Inashichi" - inside, counting money. Burei rises onto both feet (2600 ATK) as Joey takes a new card into his hand. Meanwhile, a second glowing gear floats around Karakuri Anatomy.

"And with that, I can offer up Karakuri Anatomy to make two more draws. I wonder what surprises will be in store today?"

Guignol stays quiet as Karakuri Anatomy fades away and Joey makes two more draws, giving him a total of three cards in his hand. When he looks at what he has drawn, he can't help but unleash a loud, raucous laugh that would send shivers down any normal person's spine.

"This is perfect!" he shouts. "I'm gonna enjoy watching you fall into despair with this! First, I summing Karakuri Watchdog mdl 313 'Saizan'."

With a loud bark, a large hound constructed just like his fellow Karakuri monsters appears with two large cannons constructed out of barrels mounted on its sides and three glowing eyes. It snaps at Guignol, baring his teeth at the girl. (600 ATK)

"Then I Tune both my Level 4 Karakuri Ninja and Watchdog together!"

The animatronic hound lets out a howl before it turns into three rings while 'Kuick' turns into four stars, preparing the stage for another Synchro Summon.

(*4 + *4 = *8)

"Wooden dolls of the stealthy ninja and loyal watchdog, wind your gears and unleash the full might of the Karakuris! Synchro Summon! Level 8! Karakuri Steel Shogun mdl 00X 'Bureido'!"

Another samurai appears, wielding two katanas in hits hands. Its body is made of black armor jutted with spikes and he wears a red robe over it. Its helmet has longer curved horns than that of "Burei", making him look similar to that of a demon. (2800 ATK)

"Normally, I'm allowed to Special Summon a 'Karakuri' monster from my deck when Bureido is Synchro Summoned," says Joey. "But El Shaddoll Winda allows only one Special Summon per turn.

"So I'm just gonna go to Plan B! I play Guard Penalty! On the turn I play this card, I choose one monster I control. If its battle position changes, I get to draw two cards. And the monster I choose is Karakuri Samurai Burei!"

A Quick-play Spell Card appears depicting a boxing match. The referee of said match is being used as a shield by a boxer with blue gloves, protecting himself from his red-gloved opponent.

"Not bad," Guignol observes. "Except that if you're gonna try to attack me, I'm not gonna lose a lot of lifepoints."

"Well it's a good thing I drew this too! I activate Karakuri Gold Dust!"

He plays another card, depicting a brown sack surrounded by glittering gold dust.

"I need at least two 'Karakuri' monsters in attack mode to pull this off. First, one of them goes to Defense Mode, and then the other one gains the attack of the one that decided to take a knee."

A Quick-Play Spell Card appears, showing off a bag of shimmering gold dust. Then, a bag of this dust sprinkles itself onto the head of Bureido.

And because Burei goes into Defense Mode, Guard Penalty's effect will kick in and he draws two more cards! Guignol thinks, eyes wide.

"Yes," Joey purrs, seeing Burei drop to Defense Mode. (1900 DEF) He then draws two cards as he watches Bureido's attack rise to 5400. "Oh and when the position of a 'Karakuri' monster changes while 'Bureido' is on the field - and if said monster stays face-up when this happens - I get to draw another card!

"And remember, Burei can change the battle position of a monster once per turn, so I'll bring him back to battle mode once again!

As Joey draws another card, Burei rises onto his feet once again, fan ready. (2600 ATK)

"And now I attack! Go Burei, attack El Shaddoll Winda!"

Burei raises his arms into the air before bringing them down, a large gust of wind flying towards his target.

"You're forgetting something," says Guignol. "El Shaddoll Winda is in Defense Mode!"

"Not for long!" says Joey. "I activate the effect of Karakuri Showdown Castle. When a 'Karakuri' monster goes into battle with one of your monsters, I'm allowed to change the battle position of the target."

"Wait, that means…"

El Shaddoll Winda rises to her feet, looking just as surprised as Guignol. (2200 ATK) The surprise is short-lived when the gust of wind from Burei's fan slices her in half.

(Guignol: 5600) - - - - - - - (Joey: 8000)

"You're next, Bureido! Attack directly!"

Bureido charges towards Guignol, raising his swords into the air and performs two diagonal slashes that makes Guignol scream as her lifepoints drop and she drops to her knees.

(Guignol: 200) - - - - - - - (Joey: 8000)

Guignol gasps for breath, feeling that last attack knock the wind right out of her. Even training under members of her mom's former gang wasn't this painful (and this is after said mom told said gang members to not pull their punches!)

"When El Shaddoll Winda is sent to the graveyard, I get a 'Shaddoll' Spell or Trap card back into my hand." she states. "But since I don't have any of those right now, I'll activate Miracle's Wake to bring El Shaddoll Winda back."

A Trap Card of light peeking through dark storm clouds appears. Then, Guignol watches as El Shaddoll Winda returns to the field, no worse for the wear. (2200 ATK)

"What are you getting from this?" Guignol snarls, struggling to her feet. "Why lure me out here? Why take my puppets? Why? WHY?!"

At this, Joey grins and it is then that Guignol notices something off about his face. It doesn't...look human.

In fact, if Guignol has to make a guess...Joey reminds her of her puppets in that he looks human.

So...does this mean...

"Finally figured it out, hmm?" Joey chuckles. "Took you long enough, Guignol."

"You're a puppet," Guignol whispers. "But how? How are you moving? Who is your puppet master?"

"I am my own puppet master," Joey answers, gold tears falling down his face as he says this. "Once upon a time, I was a grand master of puppetry and would use my puppets to tell magnificent stories. And then, my life was taken away and my soul left to wander for years without rest in order to find my family again."

"You sound like someone from a story," Guignol notes.

"Not just any story," Joey comments. "It's a story most puppeteers know well. Without it, there is no reason, no purpose to fulfill a life of puppetry."

"What are you talking about?!" Guignol shouts. First, this person has the audacity to kidnap and brainwash her puppets, challenges her to a duel with these annoying Karakuri monsters and then starts confusing her with this strange spiel of a story while she has important things to tend to?

At seeing the look of frustration on his opponent's face, Joey sighs as he wipes away the tears falling down his face.

"Tell me…" he begins. "Have you ever heard of the Court of Strings?"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Brendan and Max race across the many layered steps of the audience, ducking and dodging attacks from the puppets and their weapons. Yvonne trained them well, and both of us vampires are unsure whether that is a good thing or not.

"What do we do?" asks Max, standing back-to-back with Brendan. "We can't hurt them or else Yvonne will have our heads!"

"We have to do something or else these guys will have our heads!" Brendan exclaims, ducking a swipe of Puppet Yugo's scythe. "Wait, do you see those?"

"See what?" asks Max, stepping to the side just as Puppet Yuto thrusted his spear at the boy.

"Those strings! Look at them!"

Max looks at Puppet Yuto and Yuya and gasps. Wrapped around the puppets' limbs are threads the color of the sun.

"Whoever this guy is, he uses the same type of magic like Yvonne does!" says Brendan. "Maybe if we cut those strings, they'll go back to normal!"

"Easy for you to say," says Max. "These guys are tough!"

"But we're tougher," Brendan boasts, summoning a naginata from thin air, its tip wreathed in crimson flames. "Come on!"

Max nods his head as he raises hand into the air. A black and white magic wand appears, the tip of the wand unleashing a shower of gold sparks. With a wave of the wand, more sparks strike Puppet Yuto across the face, causing him to stumble back before Max tackles him onto the ground, tearing at the strings with his hands, only for the strings to latch onto his hands and immobilizing him.

Brendan thrusts his naginata at Puppet Yugo, swiping at the strings with the flames of his weapon. But for every two strings he swipes, three more take its place. He also has to dodge Puppet Yuri's attacks from the urumi, knowing that the whip-like blades of the weapon are capable of leaving powerful scratches that could lead to massive blood-loss.

"It's not working!" says Max, his wand unleashing a small ball of fire that burns the strings before he steps back from Puppet Yuya about to slice his neck. "They'll just keep attacking us until we exhaust ourselves."

"Then that's what we'll do," says Brendan. "Max, stay close. And on my count…"

Max steps back until his back is pressed against Brendan's. Brendan narrows his eyes as he sees the four puppets about to strike. The second that he sees their hands raised into the air...

"Ready...and...duck!"

Brendan and Max duck at the same time, just as the puppets attack each other, golden strings tangled in their weapons. In the confusion, Brendan raises his naginata into the air, the flames burning through the strings until they disintegrate into ash.

The puppets then collapse to their sides, and so do Brendan and Max.

"We did it," says Brendan, sighing in relief. "They're free."

"Ow…" Puppet Yuya groans, rubbing his head as he sits up. "What happened?"

"You just had a bad dream," says Brendan in the best imitation of Yvonne's soft voice that he can muster. Max also begins to comfort the other puppets who look in confusion as they remove the masks on their faces. "It's going to be okay."

"Where's Yvonne?" asks Puppet Yuto. "Where are we?"

"Why are we in these costumes?" asks Puppet Yuri, staring at his outfit.

"You...sort of...went and played hide-and-seek," Max explains. "But don't worry, we're going to take you back so you can perform for everyone today."

"Why is Yvonne dueling?" asks Puppet Yugo, pointing to the stage. "And who is that?"

"That's my brother."

The six jump and turn around, seeing a girl appear in front of them, with auburn hair that falls to her shoulders and wearing a bright pink blouse, jean skirt with navy blue leggings and white sneakers. She fingers the hem of her skirt shyly.

"Your brother?" asks Brendan, staring at the girl. "Wait, who are you?"

The girl places a hand over her heart. "It's a long story, but you can call me Serenity. Serenity Wheeler. I know you have lots of questions, but I have to explain something that will help clear things up.

"My brother and I have heard that you were performing a play based on the old story of The Cursed Puppets, correct?"

"It was mostly Yvonne's idea," says Brendan. "She wrote and edited and directed the entire thing."

"I can tell," says Serenity, taking a glance at the female puppeteer in her black coat and white top hat. "But there's another side of the story, one that leads to what has happened to my older brother's...predicament."

"What do you mean?" asks Max. "What other side?"

Serenity bows her head. "Most puppeteers and supernatural enthusiasts know about the story of the master puppeteer who died and his puppets who traverse the world to reunite with him...but what they don't know is that there is another story.

"And that story talks about what happened to the kingdom of Mateel after the puppets left to wander the Earth."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Intermission comes way too soon.

The second Ryoken is backstage, he sits in a chair, exhausted. He doesn't know what's worse: either performing in front of an audience or performing with Yusaku, Takeru and Specter looking like puppets. He has no idea what Yvonne was thinking at the time; why couldn't she just use some makeup to give them a puppet-like look? It wasn't like anyone in the audience was going to comment that they weren't actually real life puppets.

And, maybe it's just him right now, but something doesn't seem right about those three. Their gaze looks so distant.

Perhaps they're getting into their roles? It looks like they are also feeling exhausted from having instructions and dialogue filled into their minds and then acted out as if they were animatronics. Of course, Yvonne means well in that it is only to make it easier for Takeru, Specter and Yusaku to successfully perform on stage, but the idea of her manipulating them and making them mindless puppets is too much.

And at that thought, he considers if his 'therapy' on Yusaku is just as hypocritical as what Yvonne did. Ryoken only uses his hypnosis to heal, to comfort, to protect. He would never go as far as making anyone a mindless slave. Dawn herself, while still a bit uncomfortable with how Yusaku would easily fall into a trance at the drop of a hat, understood that it was to help him recover from the Lost Incident. And both Specter and Takeru benefited from a 'therapy' session every now and then, but aside from that...

Ryoken shakes his head. He's thinking about this too much.

Back on stage, Trip moves his mask so that it covers the right side of his face. There, he can get a better look at that mysterious trio that he sensed earlier. They are all men in their early 20s, and each of them, for some very odd reason, have bracelets on their left wrist that had a name written on them, like a tag.

Raising an eyebrow as to why men like these would even wear their names like that, Trip begins to look at them individually.

The first one had shoulder-length blue hair that looks like the person didn't seem to bother brushing it with somewhat glassy looking indigo eyes. He wears a white and blue jacket with bright yellow trim, a blue shirt with a white stripe, blue jeans and a pair of blue and white sneakers. On his wrist, the tag reads, "Bruno."

The second one has short black hair with one part sticking out like a feather and equally black eyes. He wears a black jacket with a blue shirt underneath, black and grey pants and black hiking boots. Around his neck is a poofy cyan scarf styled to look like clouds. On his wrist, the nametag reads "Alain."

The last one has dark brown hair that spikes at the end, covered in a blue hat with a black ribbon and calm blue eyes. He wears a matching blue suit with black notch lapels, buttons and pockets. Underneath the suit is a black shirt with a strange golden symbol covering the heart and he also wears brown dress pants and black dress shoes. His nametag reads, "Riley."

Trip narrows his eyes; they look human enough, but something about them is making his skin crawl. It's the same feeling he has when a story is to be told and there is a huge story in regards to these three.

He would personally go and ask them himself, but approaching them would cause serious trouble. There is an aura around him that seems so familiar...if only he knew where it came from.

Trip looks down at his watch; the second act starts soon. He pulls out his phone and takes a photo of the puppets before sending it to Yvonne's phone. Then, he slips his mask over his face without a sound as he makes his way to the podium, preparing himself for the next part of this tragic tale.

In fact, everyone backstage is so busy with preparations for the second act, that they don't pay attention to the thin golden lines of light that descend onto the puppets…

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"After the puppets left, the king whose daughter desired the hand of the puppeteer fell into despair."

"His daughter, his little ray of sunshine, was gone, her life snuffed out by three measly puppets. Nevermind the fact that it was she who caused the puppeteer's death, that it was she who could not understand that the puppeteer did not love her and would never accept her in his life. That if she had just accepted his wishes, then she would still be alive trying to ruin another innocent man's life for her own amusement, as if these people are toys that were to be played with until they got too old or broke and she decided to toss them aside for something bright and new.

"King Leo, for nobody knew his real name but everyone always knew that he wore a silver medal that looked a lion's head, so everyone agreed to call him that for easy remembering, swiftly decreed that all toys of any kind - puppets, dolls, soldiers, stuffed animals - were to be confiscated and burned in the town square as if doing so would prevent the kingdom from falling into a hundred years of solitude. Children cried as their beloved companions, some handed down from their parents or even made by their parents with whatever they could scrounge up, were taken away by soldiers who did not want to do this but had no choice but to do so. The advisor to the king, an old man with hair like spider silk and eyes set upon a skull-like face, set everything on fire all while grinning at what he would do next.

"The common peasants did their best to rebel against the unfairness of it all, secretly saving squares of cloth, chunks of wood, sheared wool from sheep, to create makeshift toys for their children. But it seemed as if the king could detect the laugh of a child from a mile away, and any child found playing with anything that even looked like a toy, was taken away by that same advisor that was quickly named 'The Child Snatcher'.

"Where these children were taken, well, nobody knew for sure.

"What people did know was that when the children returned, they were no longer themselves. They didn't smile or laugh or played like regular children did. In fact, they acted more like...puppets.

"One of the children who had avoided a fate such as this was the flower girl. She had told no one about what she had seen, for good reason. Yet the more and more gloom she saw, enough that not even her flowers could lift someone's spirits up, the more that image of those puppets festered in her mind like a flower about to push itself out of the Earth to greet the sun for the first time.

"And so, when the girl went out to pick flowers, she began to imagine a story in her head - one that would end happily ever after. She saved up her money from every flower she sold to buy firewood and thread. She begged for old rags and blankets that no one needed anymore. She collected leather scraps, quill pens, wax and pots of ink from book binders when their backs were turned.

"She would make a show, even if it killed her.

"However, despite her efforts in covering her tracks, it didn't take long for townsfolk to spread rumors about the girl's daily rounds. Why was she interested with cloths and wood and thread? What good would it do to stand out like that?

"Then, mob mentality took place over pathos. She is a witch. She is going to use these items to curse us. We cannot let it happen.

"So when it came at long last for the girl to enter the market square with her little puppets and makeshift stage, she barely even spoke the phrase 'Once upon a time' before her hard work was torn to shreds and trampled on by kids who were once just like her before the Child Snatcher unleashed his black magic on them and soldiers who hardened their hearts by order of the King, and she was captured and taken to him to explain her actions.

"The little flower girl was forced to explain herself. Why was she making puppets? Did she not understand that it was against the law? Did she want to encounter the Child Snatcher?

The flower girl with tears streaming down her eyes that could water a patch of flowers told him everything. She made puppets because she wanted to make people happy. She wanted to create a story where the puppets found their master once again. That this was all inspired by the memory of her encountering the puppets that killed his daughter, who would not return until they were reunited with their master. She told the king that she gave them each a flower for good luck, and then watched as they left the kingdom, presumably forever.

"And after she had finished her confession, the king came to this conclusion. She was free to go...to the afterlife.

"The King could not let anyone who made contact with the puppets to be kept alive; he could not have anyone with puppets be allowed to roam free. Think of the chaos! The tragedy! The horror of puppets coming alive to wreak havoc! He declared that this little girl, who spent her days gathering nosegays and arranging them into bouquets and wreaths to chase away the Prince of Plague or the Princess of Consumption from whisking healthy children away to their kingdoms of death, was a witch and must be burned at stake.

"You can probably guess what happened next.

"A humongous spectacle was made for this scapegoat, the source of all their misery and loss of their children's happiness and joy. If she died, they all agreed, then things would go back to the way they were. The kingdom would be happy and complacent once this witch was sacrificed in honor of the late Princess Ray - that is what the king and his council agreed upon.

"No one came to help this poor little girl. Everyone came to watch her burn.

"The little flower girl said nothing as she was tied to a post and kindling was placed under her feet. It was because she decided to make this puppet show that she was going to die. If she had just kept the encounter with her and the puppets secret, then she would not have to go through this torture. She would have been able to grow up and perhaps fall in love and have a son or daughter and tell them after tucking them into bed all of the magnificent tales that once brought happiness and joy throughout the kingdom before a heartless and selfish lion king in mourning took that all away because his grief and despair was more important than the combined happiness of his subjects.

"And as she lifted her head to the sky, the flower girl wept for someone, whether they be a god or demon, saint or monster...she prayed that someone would help her get revenge, to bring back the puppet shows like geese returning from migrations in the south, to cleanse the kingdom with relentless fire just as heartless and cruel and unforgiving as King Leo before washing it away with a merciful rain, to see that the puppets would reunite with their master, to pass down the puppeteer's stories and traditions before they would be forgotten forever by this ignorant king and his corrupt council who made children grow up to be heartless soldiers instead of relishing in their youth.

"And, to her surprise, someone heeded her call.

"The girl saw, or perhaps hallucinated, a woman with skin as white as ivory, who wore a beautiful dress as bright as a rainbow sun and a long train of flowers that could only have bloomed from a garden of dreams that she would never ever tend to. Her long flowing blood-red hair was decorated with crow feathers and topped with a crown carved out of an antler that looked like two crescent moons, and she wore necklaces with thread made from poison ivy, strung with beads made out of glass and painted to look like eyes.

"'Little blossom,' this woman said, only to her. 'I have come to take you to my home, and you will bathe in water filled with rose petals and eat bread with butter and jam for breakfast, dine on roast potatoes and beef and hot leek soup for supper, and drink milk with fresh cream every single day. You will water my garden and tell your stories to the flowers and to the birds who will scatter your tales into the seven winds and sing tales underneath the light of a blue moon. Will you join me?'

"How could this girl say no? This place the woman described was a thousand times better than a kingdom whose people watched her burn.

"'However,' the woman continued. 'I am going to need a name. Speak up now.'

"With the flames already burning her feet, the girl quickly whispered one word. But to her, this word had a thousand different meanings, none of them that people could use to control or manipulate her if they should choose to do so.

"And after that, she passed on, with no one to remember that she once sold flowers to a kingdom who needed happiness more than anything."

"The seasons passed. The moon turned full at least ten dozen times, maybe eleven. In any case, time cast its spell that made the Mateel kingdom forget about the dead princess, the executed puppeteer, the wandering puppets, the flower girl accused of being a witch.

"Even though children could play with toys again, puppet shows were still forbidden. Not a single troupe of puppeteers was allowed to perform in that kingdom and anyone who tried was quickly made an example of by being hung, their bodies splayed out like the puppets they cared for.

"Things were quiet, until a group of children wandered deep into the forest and found a peculiar site.

"They found a magnificent little house the color of fresh butter, with smoke puffing out from the chimney, with flowers growing in the gardens whose names they could not nor would ever know. The birds liked to fly and tweet sweet songs, the winds laughed and carried the songs towards the mountains, and the garden...oh the garden was filled with so many types of plants! Cabbage heads that could give birth to a baby at any minute, bright red potatoes that could be mistaken for rubies, leafy green spinach that could make even the pickiest child crave for a bite, onions that could make any soul weep when sliced, bunches of leeks perfect for soup...it was more than enough food that the children had ever seen in their entire lives, enough to host lavish feasts at the castle for a year!

"But who could own such a house and garden? And would they mind if they carried some of these crops home for their families? Surely they wouldn't…

"The children entered the garden, all of them tempted to pull out veggies or pluck berries just for a taste...but just as they were about to do so, they heard a voice from inside the house.

"'Who dares to trespass into my home without permission?' they asked.

"The children attempted to flee, but the owner of the house emerged just before they could even turn around. The person was...something else. Smooth skin the color of ivory, a dress with a hundred colors, red hair with black feathers woven into it, a crown carved from antlers...she looked just like a princess!

"'Please don't be mad!' A young girl cried. 'We only wanted to bring some of these crops home to our families! We don't have nearly enough to eat!'

"'And if I were to give you my crops, what is to say that you desire more and more until I end up with nothing for my own?' The strange woman asked. 'How do I know that I can entrust my crops with you?'

"'What would it take for you to believe us?' asked a boy whose shirt was two sizes too big.

"The woman thought about this for a while, before it came to her.

"'Would you come and visit me once a week to tend to my garden, to feed my birds and to help me with my chores? Would you help gather wood for my fire, to draw water from the well, to clean and sweep and mend and cook whatever it is I ask of you? In return, I shall reward you all with enough crops to fill your bellies for an entire month and perhaps tell you some stories that you will never hear anywhere else.'

"That was a sensible deal. Do some chores and get rewarded. And the idea of stories was very tempting.

"'What do we call you then?' asked a boy.

"The woman smiled. 'When you are here with me, you may call me by my real name of Lady Belladonna. But when you mention me in your homes, I am simply to be known as the Puppet Queen.'"

"Hold on a minute!"

Serenity takes in a deep breath of air as Brendan shakes his head. For the past few minutes, he, Max and the Puppet Yus have listened to her yarn and all of its long and winding threads. Brendan feels his head spin from trying to keep up, but Max and the puppets have their eyes wide with curiosity, begging Serenity to continue.

"Okay, what are you trying to say?" says Brendan. "How does all of this relate to our situation?"

Serenity sighs, slightly annoyed. "I'm getting there; you cannot rush a good story. Just one more act and you will know all that I know."

"Joy…"

Serenity ignores Brendan's sarcasm as she clears her throat. "And so, the children fulfilled their end of the deal to Lady Belladonna. They would come to the forest once a week to help with her chores. Pulling weeds, planting seeds, harvesting crops, gather firewood and water, help her cook soups and bake bread and mend anything that happened to be broken. In return, Lady Belladonna would entertain her helpers with stories from her youth, when puppets would come to life and make stories that would make anyone smile. She showed them her collection of puppets who danced and sang on her command, and the children laughed and cheered in reply.

"The parents became suspicious when their children came home after their work was done, carrying bushels of potatoes, onions, leeks, cabbages, carrots, apples in their arms. They feasted on warm loaves of bread topped with sugar and covered in clotted cream, to the point that they could not and would not stomach regular bread which was hard as rocks and just as tasty.

"Where did they obtain such bounties? And what were they doing in the forest?

"But every time these adults asked, the children answered with, 'The Puppet Queen, of course. We help tend her garden and she tells us stories in return. She is absolutely wonderful!'

"Word spread through the kingdom like a plague. These children always smiled like they had some sort of secret game played between them, and other parents - upon seeing how industrious and prosperous this group had become - forced their good-for-nothing children to find the Puppet Queen and demand her to give them crops too. Lady Belladonna did not mind in the slightest; the more the merrier.

"And so, children would freely enter her garden and did everything that she asked and for and more. They milked cows and gathered eggs from chickens. They collected vegetables and dried herbs or soaked them in oil. They gathered flowers to make beautiful bouquets and wreaths. They learned to write and read and make their own stories. They learned to sing songs that would make a mountain blush.

"But as time went on, the adults noticed something...off about these children.

"Not only were they doing their work around the house so well that there would eventually be nothing for them to do, but now there were rumors that this woman was a witch who enchanted the children into becoming puppets that would soon give way to a mass killing spree or the like.

"And after what happened the last time, no one wanted to deal with that horror.

"These fears became apparent after the children did not return home one night. Soldiers were asked to enter the forest and look for someone called a 'Puppet Queen' so that she could be brought to justice for her crimes. Ten soldiers on horseback raced into the forest, but they could find no sign of a Puppet Queen or her house or her garden.

"Instead, they found two peculiar things.

"The first was a little girl who could plait flowers into crowns and wreaths. When asked who she was, all she could say was 'Secret'. In fact, that was what she said to anything the soldiers asked her.

"The second peculiar thing was that she had a life-size puppet that resembled King Leo's daughter. No one could forget her face - as the king had a large portrait of her in the castle - and she looked as if she did not age a day. She was so beautiful that looking at her was like being shot in the heart with an arrow.

"The girl and the puppet were soon taken to King Leo himself, to see what he could make of it. If there was anyone who could figure out this problem, it was him.

"However, the King paid no attention to the lost children. All that he cared about was that his daughter had returned to him in some fashion. His little ray of sunshine had returned; nothing else mattered to him.

"Alas, a king who only focuses on his desires only ends up destroying everyone in the end.

"As parents wailed over the disappearance of their little ones, King Leo had the little girl - Secret, due to how she only whispered that word - try to make his puppet daughter come to life. It had to be like the old legends stated; puppets came to life to fulfill some unfinished business. So surely this puppet could come alive to avenge her death on the puppets that killed her, correct?"

"Secret did not answer. Well, not verbally. She could read and write though. So she wrote down that she would need the cooperation of the king if he wanted the puppet princess to truly become his daughter again. Secret would need access to the King's library, to the royal tomb that held his real daughter's body, and the secret dungeon that belonged to the Child Snatcher. In return for her service, Secret was to be paid in half of the gold in the Treasury.

"The king swiftly agreed to these terms. He would give up anything for his daughter.

"But this did not bode well for everyone else. Parents still wailed for their children to return, but search parties into the forest ended with nothing. Soldiers were upset that they were not being paid for their services since the king was too busy spending it all on his daughter. Worse, soldiers would be caught fighting over her affection, even though all she would do was just move her head with a look someone has when half asleep whenever these soldiers confessed their love to her with roses and a song. Many of them died for her affections, which overall amounted to the same amount of compassion one gave to a sack of potatoes. She saw no worth in these heartless boys who acted like men, all grown up and their hearts hard as rocks. It didn't take long before men killed each other for even a single smile on her face.

"Even the Child Snatcher found all of this suspicious. This little girl showed no emotion, looking and acting more like a doll than anything else. But she was the only one who knew how to activate the puppet princess, so she stayed. The Child Snatcher grew furious; what did the king see in this little pest in the first place?

"The answer came after twelve more moons passed.

"Secret had finally found the spell that would let the soul of the dead princess become absorbed into the new body. She demonstrated it with great skill, a silver orb of light entering the heart of the puppet and making her walk, talk and, most importantly, shed tears of joy at being alive once more.

"But alas, that spell took the life out of poor little Secret. She died, and no one cared that she did.

"The king threw a celebration for the return of his daughter, something that not everyone in the kingdom was happy about. After all, why was King Leo the only one to gain happiness for his child's return? Where were their children? Why could he not give an iota of empathy for them compared to the unconditional love he had for his own flesh and blood?

"This proved to be the final straw. The peasants were off to revolt.

"But that was not on the king's mind. He had his soldiers - or at least, what remained after they had massacred each other in the name of love - to take care of any Uprising, and in the meantime, he had his servants prepare the banquet for an elaborate feast. The dining table was to be polished along with the silver, the meats to be cured and roasted, the cheese and wine that were aged in the cellar to be brought out, the breads to be baked. All the dishes were to be covered in as much spice as possible, all goblets were to be filled with wine. Everything had to be perfect.

"The princess was to wear a fine dress with roses both the color of a full moon, a crown of silver upon her dainty head. Yes, she was to be as spoilt as she was in her previous body, but for some reason she withdrew to the silent form of the lifeless puppet as the days to the feast drew nearer and nearer. Perhaps she was nervous; after all, the peasants were not happy and she did send an innocent man to death which culminated to the situation at hand. Perhaps she felt remorseful?

"Whatever she felt, no one knew until the very last minute.

"Finally, the day came. Kings, queens, dukes, duchesses, lords and ladies from other kingdoms arrived to see the newly resurrected princess. The princess said nothing even as King Leo toasted to how the Mateel Kingdom would flourish.

"But who are we kidding? After everyone toasted and sipped wine from their goblets, the uprising began.

"I won't bore you with such details…"

"Thank you!" says Brendan.

Serenity sighs. "But peasants and royalty did not clash well. King Leo grabbed his puppet of a princess's hand and decided to escape using one of the hidden passageways that would take them into the forest. However, the king seemed out of breath. Perhaps from all of the running? The panicking? The fact that he was getting on in age?

"No, it was because he was poisoned.

"Oh, don't be too surprised. For you see, unbeknownst to the king, many of his servants were sick and tired of the cruelty the king gave and were given suggestions by a mysterious woman with blood-red hair to change the menu to make it much more...deadly. Flowers that were once used to bring happiness and peace were used for the opposite. For death, for murder, for vengeance.

"Every single food in the feast was poisoned. Everything from the meats to the fish to the desserts...no one knew. How could anyone know? The spices were unlike anything these wealthy folk would not see coming. It was designed to take effect after the feast was over, as they all traveled home for a good night's rest. That and it also activated when one heartbeat was as fast as a deer chased by hunters.

"The peasants, who had no idea what had happened, celebrated by feasting on the food that was left behind. Soon enough, the castle was filled with all sorts of corpses and those who managed to escape were swiftly killed off by young figures with eyes glowing gold, doll-like bodies covered in darkness.

"Shadow puppets you might say.

"The Child Snatcher also tried to escape with his experiments on turning people into puppets through a use of parasites. Instead, he ended up dying in his own laboratory by a fire, just like the little girl who was burned at stake.

"But the King would not see this. Instead, he would collapse onto the ground as the puppet princess smiled and whispered, 'My revenge is now complete.'

"'Who are you?' The king wheezed out with what was left of his life.

"The puppet princess stayed silent before she smiled and said one word…

"'Secret'.

"But that wasn't enough. Secret began to hurl at least 12 dozen moons of hurt and anger at the king for his actions, because it was all of his fault that his kingdom was left to burn.

"'Once, a little flower girl encountered a trio of puppets who only wanted to find their master,' she began, the voice of a little girl resonating in a body that would never be hers. 'Instead, she witnessed her home fall into melancholy by a king whose heart loved his daughter but did nothing to reign her in. The flower girl only wanted to do something to lift people's spirits; instead, she was tossed aside to burn like she was nothing more than a piece of firewood.

"'Were it not for the Puppet Queen, the flower girl would have died for a hopeless cause. Instead, she has become the daughter of Lady Belladonna, and has spent these last collection of moons plotting out revenge, taking away the children that you sent into despair to be forever young and happy in Lady Belladonna's arms. And that spell that I casted? It wasn't to revive your daughter. Rather, it was to transfer my soul into this new body, the body I would have obtained if I was allowed to perform my puppet show in peace.

"'And as the daughter of Lady Belladonna the Puppet Queen, I cast this curse on you.

"'For your selfishness, you will see your daughter die in front of your eyes. But no matter what you do, you will never resurrect her. Your selfish antics will cause suffering to everyone else, and in the end, you shall die alone with no one to love you as much as you loved your little ray of sunshine. Your words for complacency will lull innocent lambs into slaughter and in the end you will carry the weight of a thousand souls on your back and shall have no rest for a cause that, in the end, shall be deemed worthless.'

"And as he laid dying, the last thing King Leo saw was the puppet of his daughter giving him a cold smile, just like how the one made of flesh and blood smiled at the master puppeteer after his head was chopped off.

"How poetic. The king ruined an entire kingdom and accused a girl of being a witch all because of his feelings towards his daughter. And now that very same girl ruined his legacy by using said feelings for a mere shadow of his daughter.

"Secret watched the old fool die before looking at her new body. It would need some changes, but she would soon have the body she would have obtained if she were not burned at stake all those years ago.

"And the first thing she would change was the color of her hair, to match the pale yellow hues of the roses she gave to those puppets all those years ago."

...

"The Mateel Kingdom was gone. The king who sought to stamp out happiness, the Child Snatcher, the soldiers, the adults...all of them were dead, their names forgotten, but their sins remembered by the demons who tortured them in their boiling pots.

"Lady Belladonna the Puppet Queen smiled as she and her newly fashioned puppets entered the kingdom and danced and sang amongst the fallen bodies. There would be a need for strong, untiring workers to help rebuild the kingdom to her liking.

"These people could no longer be considered human. Not anymore. Now they were nothing more than puppets who needed new roles, new parts to play, new...purposes.

"Lady Belladonna and her puppets, who were all once children who helped with her chores, their memories of their past lives erased like paper turned to ash, set to work. They had to clean up the town, fill it with the laughter and cheer of children, ask the wind to carry their message to all four corners of the world and across the seven seas, plant flowers of all types to bring beauty and death if they asked for it. Houses were to be cleaned, hearths to be lit, and everything else to be sorted out for the foreseeable future.

"And last, the castle and all its treasure would be used to build an institution for puppetry, where the stories of the puppeteer could be preserved, and where new puppets could be made then delivered to children who were in need of companionship. This would become a refuge for puppeteers to pass down their techniques from one generation to another, and would create a guild like no other that had been built nor has been built since.

"It was to be known as the 'Court of Strings'."

...

Brendan and Max stay silent as Serenity finally finishes her tale. The puppets applaud her, however.

"That was just like how Yvonne tells her stories!" Puppet Yuya cheers. "You're amazing, Serenity!"

Serenity gives the puppets a tiny smile. "Thank you. I really appreciate that."

"That king was so mean," Puppet Yuri pouts. "I'd never ever want to meet up with someone like him."

"But wait," says Puppet Yugo, tilting his head. "How does this relate to Yvonne and her opponent right now?"

"And how does that relate to you?" asks Puppet Yuto, staring at Serenity. "Unless…"

Serenity shakes her head. "My brother and I are descendants of one of the oldest families of puppeteers that serve Lady Belladonna," she explains. "We help teach puppet magic for those who have heard the Song of the Strings in their hearts and to collect any and all lost or discarded puppets so that they can be given new purposes for children in need of companionship.

"And, more importantly, we are also tasked in our never-ending sojourns to search for the soul of the master puppeteer so that he can finally achieve the peace he has sought for in the arms of his beloved puppets."

"You know you could have just told us that from the very beginning," Brendan observes. "Why go on such a long spiel?"

Serenity frowns. "Because each and every part of that story holds significance. If I were to remove even a single detail out, it would be like...like having the puzzle of a portrait but you're missing a piece and said piece is the one that reveals the face of said portrait. You know that portrait reveals something but without the face, you can't truly know what the portrait is until you find said piece."

"How did you know that you were a puppeteer?" Max asks, slightly curious.

"That was due to our father," Serenity answers. "He was an alcoholic, a compulsive gambler, an abusive husband. He did what he wanted, spent all our money to pay off debts, slapped us and pulled our hair so that we had no choice but to cut it short. And that's not counting the times he threatened to set us on fire.

"My mother had the gift of puppetry, but she never used it for fear of her husband beating her up more than usual, or thinking that Joey and I were also freaks and unleashing punishments on us for being so 'different'. She should have used her powers, for magic of any kind that is suppressed ends up growing wild and savage like a tiger who hasn't eaten in weeks. When it finally cut loose, it caused an explosion that burned our house down, knocked me unconscious, and took both father and big brother into the arms of Death himself.

"It was only after I recovered that my mother finally made use of her talent; she would train me into the art of puppetry and then 'repurposed' big brother and father into her very liking. Father was now a kind gentleman who never drank or gambled or beat his wife or children. And big brother…"

"He became the same one who kidnapped Yvonne's puppets." Max finishes, staring at the blond haired teenage boy with the Karakuri monsters.

"Well, yes, but there's more to it than that," says Serenity, the look in her amber eyes making her so tired of it all.

"What do you mean by that?" asks Brendan. "And is this going to lead into another ten minute story?" That last question is said with a bit of irritation.

"No, I already fulfilled my role as storyteller for today," says Serenity. Brendan sighs in relief. "And what I mean is that my brother...well, it seemed as Lady Belladonna decreed that he was to be the reincarnation of the master puppeteer."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"You're what?!"

Joey nods his head. Guignol shakes her head in disbelief and horror.

"That's not possible…" she gasps. "You can't be the master puppeteer of the Cursed Puppets tale. You of all people…"

"I am," Joey states solemnly. "In a former life, I was Jonathan Blake, a skilled puppeteer who once brought happiness to everyone with his puppets. But then, that princess came and had me killed because I did not show any signs of affection towards her. I found myself awoken after the 'me' that was Joey Wheeler died many years ago. When I was repurposed into this puppet body you see before you, I gained the memories of my life as Jonathan Blake and felt it in my heart. That I was brought here to reunite with my puppets.

"I feel it. Their presence is in this city. But I have spent years searching and never finding them, observing puppeteers who had an iota of the talents I had with puppets to see if they would be initiated into the Court of Strings. None had that gift...until you came along, of course."

"And the Court of Strings?" Guignol repeats. "That can't exist. It's a myth told in children's puppet shows as a scam to keep the art of puppetry alive, making children offer blood, sweat and tears for a make-believe guild that they will never see and will forever be mocked at for believing it! It's not real!"

Joey tilts his head. "How would you know for certain?"

Guignol bows her head, a memory of three teenagers wearing black with white skulls on their outfits leering over her appearing in her mind. "Because once when I was a little girl still mourning over the death of her older brother and her puppets had recently come alive, I was praised by a couple of teens in black outfits with skulls on their shirts who invited me into their little club, the Court of Strings. What they really wanted to do was pawn my puppets and threatened to chop my fingers off if I refused.

"My puppets made quick work out of them, and I vowed that I would never foolishly believe that the Court of the Strings existed because if it did exist, it wouldn't have introduced me to a trio of jerks who only saw the value of my puppets in the money that they make if they were to be sold to a collector or the like."

"I assume that those three were once aspiring puppeteers who believed in the Court of Strings, but they just didn't have the talent for puppetry and lashed out on you for having the potential to obtain what they could never achieve," Joey theorizes.

"I'll never know, seeing as they ended up like the skulls on their shirts," Guignol notes. "The last thing I needed were more jerks to take advantage over my depressed state while I tried to move on from my brother's death."

"...My sincere condolences to him," Joey states in a solemn tone. "I hope he has found some semblance of peace."

"You and I both." Guignol hastily wipes a tear that falls down from her eye before adding, "But don't think I'm gonna let you use my brother's death to coerce me to working with you or whatever. After what you caused by brainwashing my puppets, it's safe to say that I'm never letting them within a five-foot radius of you."

Joey snickers before he raises his head to the sky and laughs. This laugh sends chills down Guignol's spine.

"What the hell is so funny?" she asks.

Joey sighs as he shakes his head. When he grins, his teeth glow the same golden color as the shine in his eyes, his tears and his strings.

"Your puppets are safe," he says. "But what about the ones performing today at the Marionette Theater?"

"What puppets? I don't have any puppets performing right n-"

At this, Guignol places a hand to her mouth, eyes wide in alarm.

"My spell…" she whispers, remembering how she transformed Takeru, Yusaku and Specter into puppets. "You're going to…"

"Yes," Joey hisses. "I can sense the souls of puppets all across the city and was lucky to find out that you just recently fashioned three individuals into beautiful puppets. And while we've been dueling, I have let my threads reach out towards them, letting them slowly fall under my control just like I how I brought your little ones to the stage here."

"Then this whole duel, the Karakuris...they've been nothing more than a distraction?"

"Remember what I said earlier?" Joey chuckles. "The most important rule about magic is deception. And if I cannot reunite with my puppets, then I will take yours instead."

"You can't do that!" Yvonne exclaims. "Takeru, Yusaku and Specter are not your playthings! They have lives. They have people who like them to be human!"

"Then why oh why would you go as far as to turn them into puppets?"

At this, Guignol pauses. "What do you mean?"

"Wouldn't it have been logical to just dress those three up as puppets instead of transforming them into puppets for one day?" Joey chuckles. "Guignol, what you don't want to admit is that you just love being to pull one's strings, to control a person just like you can guide marionettes on stage for your shows. Think about it; if you could control people, then you could make them do whatever you want. You would be able to stop people with evil in their hearts from hurting others. You could've been able to save your brother if you had that ability."

"..."

"Your brother died because of someone else's wickedness, didn't he?" Joey asks softly. "If you had that type of power, you would be able to stop evil from spreading. You'd have your brother back, wouldn't you?"

"It would be nice…" Guignol admits. "Having that power to transform that bastard Viren before he caused the accident that caused Xavier to be sent into a coma would have been sweet. But…"

She looks towards the audience and sees Brendan, Max and her puppets staring back at her. A small smile forms on her face as she sees her puppets waving at her and cheering her on. A part of Guignol has wondered what would have happened if Xavier wasn't sent into his coma. Would that have prevented her from meeting these puppets? From learning how to fight with a knife all while dressing up as a puppeteer? From having a life with these four little sweethearts filling the void in her heart, giving her a new purpose after her brother's passing?

If Xavier was alive, she'd be a normal girl who would go to school and...well, she never thought about what would have happened if things went the way that they were supposed to. Xavier would have become a Turbo Duelist, yes, but her? She'd have no direction…

But with Xavier's death, her life has meaning. Now she had a purpose; to prevent the horrors that affected her and her mother from happening to other people. To kill off people who would stoop so low in order to hurt others for their own sadistic desires. And if it weren't for these skills in killing and murdering, Dawn would have been repurposed as...well, she doesn't want to even think about that trafficking case.

Guignol takes a deep breath as she stares at Joey, feeling sorry for him and the traumas that he has gone through. However...

"Just because I transformed Yusaku, Takeru and Specter into puppets doesn't mean I'm a complete sadist," she says. "And that is the major difference between you and me right now. You have the memories of someone who suffered long ago, but that doesn't give you the right to to use other people as dolls for your amusement and happiness!" Guignol snarls. "I suffered too, but I channel the experience into something that benefits others. What you're doing is lashing out at the world and holding temper tantrums and taking things that don't belong to you. Talk about being selfish."

"Selfish?" Joey snarls. "I deserve to be happy and in the arms of my puppets! I will be reunited and those who will try to stop me with die! You can't stop me, Guignol!"

"I can and I will! I draw!"

Nearly tearing the card out of the deck, Guignol looks at what she's drawn. She only has one chance at this.

"I flip my face-down card, Shaddoll Core!"

The card flips and the strange seven-headed dragon statue with the dark crystal appears once again. (1450 ATK)

"And then, I'm playing El Shaddoll Fusion for the last time, fusing Shaddoll Core and El Shaddoll Winda to unleash my signature monster! Stage on, you two!"

El Shaddoll Fusion appears once more as El Shaddoll Winda and Shaddoll Core levitate in the air before spinning round and round until they become one pinpoint of darkness.

"Resurrected priestess fused with a darkened core! Let the darkness entangle you and create a new body right there and now! Fusion Summon! Take the stage, El Shaddoll Construct!"

Emerging from the darkness is a statue of a woman with alabaster skin and a strange lavender dress with golden orbs. From her back are hundreds of violet threads of light, the source of all of the threads that corrupted the other Shaddoll monsters. (2800 ATK)

"You know what Shaddoll Core does, so I don't have to say it," says Guignol, not even looking when she takes El Shaddoll Fusion to her hand again. "When El Shaddoll Construct is summoned, I can send a 'Shaddoll' monster from my deck to the graveyard. And the one I choose is Shaddoll Beast so I can draw a card in my hand."

Shaddoll Construct raises her hands into the air as the card for Shaddoll Beast briefly appears before fading away. Then, Guignol looks at her deck.

This is it...she thinks to herself. If there's any real-life benevolent ruler of puppets out there...please, I need help. Yes, I 'fashioned' Specter, Takeru and Yusaku into puppets, but to bring smiles on people's faces, not to cause any harm. And only for one afternoon! If I ever decide to fashion a person into a puppet, it's only to make them happy, not for my own happiness.

Please, just let me draw something good….

And, maybe, just maybe...for the poor souls of Jonathan Blake and Joey Wheeler...please let me help give them rest.

Taking a deep breath, Guignol draws her card and slowly brings it toward her eyes. She gasps.

My most powerful card! She thinks. Thank you, mighty ruler of Puppets!

"It's time for the grand finale!" Guignol shouts. "I play the Spell Card Super Polymerization!"

She plays her card, depicting a strange black nebula and lightning bolts striking the center of the card. A dark wind begins to blow as Guignol grins. Although her teeth aren't gold, Joey can tell that Grand Lorde Guignol means business.

"This card is a very unique form of Polymerization that allows me to use a monster that you control as Fusion Material for the cost of one card in my hand So I discard El Shaddoll Fusion to fuse Shaddoll Dragon and your Steel Samurai Karakuri Bureido to bring out a force that will knock you off of your feet!"

"What?!" Joey gasps.

"You heard me!" Guignol shouts. "Let's see how you like it when someone decides to use someone you care about into a puppet!"

A large hurricane forms on the field as Shaddoll Fusion and Steel Samurai Karakuri "Bureido" rise into the air. Then, the theater shakes as Guignol stares at Joey, her eyes glowing bright blue.

"Shadow dragon fused with a soul of quaking earth! Let the darkness entangle you and create a new body right there and now! Fusion Summon! Take the stage, El Shaddoll Shekhinaga!"

Then, the new figure descends into the field. At first, she looks similar to Shaddoll Construct, but it now wears white with the purple strings that are on her back binding her to four strange massive white/black spikes that pierce the ground without care. The expression on the new monster's face is passive just like the one on El Shaddoll Construct's. (2600 ATK)

"Since Shaddoll Dragon was sent to the graveyard by card effect, I get to destroy a Spell or Trap Card on the field. And I choose that face-down card of yours."

The spectral form of Shaddoll Dragon appears, unleashing a blast of purple fire that incinerates the card.

"Foolish waste of an effect," says Joey, shaking his head. "I activate my face-down card right now. Go Runaway Karakuri!"

His card flips, revealing Karakuri Merchant mdl 177 "Inashichi" with glowing red eyes and firing a wooden gun in his left hand as multiple flares fly about.

"This card increases the attack of one 'Karakuri' monster on the field by 1000 and negates their effect this turn. You don't need to be a genius to see where this goes."

Burei glows as its attack raise from 2600 to 3600.

"Good thing you revealed it," says Guignol. "But now it's time to fight! Go El Shaddoll Construct! Attack Burei!"

"Are you that much of a fool?" Joey exclaims. "Your monster is too weak!"

Guignol grins. "I activate my face-down card, Battle Fusion! When my Fusion Monster goes into a battle with one of your monsters, I can increase its attack equal to that of the targeted monster. So thanks for using that card of yours on Burei because that's another thousand reasons to kick your ass!"

Another of Guignol's cards flips over, showing two fighters fighting in a mountainous area one of them being a sword wielder wearing a purple tunic and teal cape, and the other one wearing a violet cloak and red scarf while channeling lightning in his hands. Then, El Shaddoll Construct glows with a pure white light before her stats rise. (2800 -) 6400 ATK) She then flies across the field and delivers a powerful punch through Karakuri Samurai 'Burei', enough to split him in half.

(Guignol: 200) - - - - - - - (Joey: 5200)

"You're next, El Shaddoll Shekhinaga! Attack directly!"

El Shaddoll Shekhinaga crawls towards her target with those four long spires of hers. She raises two into the air and they pummel Joey into the theater. Once, twice, three times before she returns. Joey still stands, panting for breath as his lifepoints drop once again.

(Guignol: 200) - - - - - - - (Joey: 2600)

"I end this with one card face-down," says Guignol, slipping one more card into her Duel Disk. "And it's curtain call for you soon, Joey...Jonathan...whatever you're gonna call yourself in the future!"

Joey grits his teeth as he draws his card. "First, I play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy my Karakuri Showdown Castle."

The tornado blows the Japanese castle up into the sky, the scenery now the strange circus show once again.

"And when Karakuri Showdown Castle is destroyed, I get to Special Summon a Level 4 or higher 'Karakuri' monster from my graveyard onto the field. And I choose Steel Samurai mdl 00X 'Bureido'!"

"Do you always have to state their entire name?" Guignol questions, seeing the Level 8 Synchro rise onto the field.

"Do you have a card that will defend you from my attack?" Joey retorts.

He points to El Shaddoll Shekhinaga and the samurai charges forward, swords ready to slice the monster's head clean off.

"Actually, I do," Guignol answers. "I activate my face-down card, Magic Cylinder!"

Her face-down card lifts, revealing two magenta cylinders with arrows painted on the side. Two large cylinders emerge from the card, with one sucking Steel Samurai Bureido inside with a loud slurping noise.

"What goes around comes around," says Guignol. "Take this!"

Joey says nothing as the other cylinder launches the Synchro monster towards him, the Karakuri monster bringing his swords down on his master and dropping his lifepoints to zero.

(Guignol: 200) - - - - - - - (Joey: 0)

Joey lies on stage, the golden threads losing their glow as more and more of those strange golden tears fall down his face. He chuckles, a low, sad sound in his throat as the monsters fade away. Guignol pants for breath. That was too close.

"She did it!" her puppets cheer. "She beat the evil puppeteer!"

Serenity says nothing, and neither do Brendan nor Max. On stage, Guignol approaches Joey, noticing the golden tears that trickle down his face as he continues his mournful laugh.

"I just wanted to see them again," he murmurs. "Why...why do you have to prolong my suffering, Lady Belladonna?"

Guignol stays silent as she stretches her hand out. Her blue threads float towards the golden ones that shield their master from this girl. She shakes her head, beckoning the gold threads to trust her. Reluctantly, these threads slowly tie themselves around the blue threads as she pulls Joey into a sitting position.

"You know," Guignol begins. "If you wanted to find your puppets so badly or wanted an audience with me, you could've just asked."

Joey laughs again, a humorless empty laugh. The tears continue to fall as people approach the stage.

"What happened back there?" asks Brendan. "What was his plan?"

"It's a long story," Guignol answers, noticing the grimace on Brendan's face. "But let's just say that we have to get back to Marionette Theater right now."

"Yeah, we know," says Max, comforting Guignol's puppets. "Your big show and all."

"It's more than that," says Guignol, watching Serenity approach her brother and hug him tight. Her heart breaks at this; it reminds her too much of the dreams she had of Xavier waking up from his coma and her hugging him. "He's casted a spell on Takeru, Yusaku and Specter; they're going to become mindless puppets and start attacking everyone."

"Gee, why does that sound familiar?" Brendan snarks, only for Guignol to shoot him a glare.

"Joey…" Serenity murmurs, wiping the tears that continue to fall down her brother's face. "Are you...going to be all right?"

"Of course I'm all right!" Joey laughs. "I'm so happy! Can't you tell by the smile on my face?" He lets out another laugh that transforms into a choking sob as he wraps his arms around his sister tight. "I just want to see them again...my puppets…"

"I know you do," Serenity whispers.

"Bruno. Alain. Riley…" Joey hiccups. "I...I need to see them soon. Please…"

As this goes on, Guignol (no, she can call herself 'Yvonne' now. The danger is over, she doesn't need to be a serious puppeteer right now) looks at her phone and raises an eyebrow at the message given to her from Trip.

TheCuriousDeckard: Yvonne. I've got my eye on some strange individuals at the show. You're the expert on puppetry so…

Yvonne opens the photo and her eyes widen when she sees the nametags. These...these can't be….

"What is it?" asks Puppet Yuya, on tiptoe to see the image on Yvonne's phone. "Are those puppets?"

"They are," Yvonne answers. She then turns to Joey. "Hey, Wheeler. Blake...I need your help with something."

"What do you want now?" Joey hisses.

"Three things," Yvonne answers, raising three fingers in the air. "First, I need you to help undo that puppetry spell that you placed on my 'fashioned puppets'.

"Second, I'd like you to at least stay for the climatic end to my show. Just to cheer you up after you got your butt whooped by yours truly.

"And third…"

Yvonne approaches Joey, showing him the photo on her phone. His eyes widen and he drops Yvonne's phone onto the ground when he sees those names.

"They...they're…" He can hardly get the words out.

Yvonne smiles. "Looks like you'll get a chance to truly reunite with your puppets after all."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"You WHAT?!"

Ryoken looks in horror as he shakes his head. No, this couldn't be happening. Not only are these puppets in his bedroom, eyes like eager puppies as they cheerfully explained how they were involved in a recent slaughter fest in the city, but they seemed to expect him to be grateful for this act of kindness.

"You killed someone?!" he exclaims.

"No, I didn't kill anyone," Specter admits.

"Thank goodness," Ryoken sighs.

Specter then pats Takeru's shoulder. "Takeru was the one who did it."

"With this!" Takeru cheers, brandishing a prop machete. "It was so easy to do. Just raise it over my head and then…"

"Stop right there!" Ryoken shouts. "I...I can't believe you did that. Why?"

"Because we are here to protect you, Master," Yusaku answers, bringing his hand out. "Please, we only want you to be - "

"I'M NOT YOUR MASTER!" Ryoken snarls, body trembling. He whacks Yusaku's hand away (silently apologizing to his boyfriend for the rough treatment) before he starts pacing. "I'm not a master puppeteer, I will never be your master and I never want to see you again!" His voice drops into a soft hiss that is so unlike Ryoken. "Leave me. Right. Now."

"This wasn't supposed to happen," Trip narrates, his voice calm despite the looks of anguish on the faces of the "puppets". "They were supposed to protect their master. They were supposed to be reunited with their master. This can't happen...for a master to reject their puppets is to signal their deaths."

The children gasp as Yusaku places a hand on his heart, stumbling forward. Takeru and Specter also collapse as if they are puppets whose strings have been cut off.

But backstage, everyone notices that something isn't right.

"Something's wrong," May says, looking at the script. "They're...they're supposed to sadly depart and then they start to rot."

"Maybe they're just trying to remember their lines?" Dawn suggests, noticing a faint golden glow in her brother's eyes. "Um, May?"

"Yeah?"

"Yvonne's puppet magic is blue, right?"

"Uh-huh…"

"Then, if that's not Yvonne...then what was that just now?"

"I have no idea," May hisses, noticing Ryoken on stage also looking worried and unsure what to do. "We have to keep the play rolling until Yvonne returns."

"I'll salvage this," Dawn says, approaching the stage. "Blake, what's going on?"

"I... I don't know," Ryoken answers and it is the real Ryoken stating this. "I just told them to leave and then…"

"Wait," says Dawn, rolling her brother onto her back. She winces upon seeing the glassy stare in Yusaku's eyes...it reminds her too much of his 'therapy' sessions with Ryoken. "Didn't mom used to tell us that the only way for a puppet to die is if their master rejects them?"

"That's only a story!" Ryoken snaps, noticing the equally blank gazes in Takeru and Specter's eyes. Something is wrong. "It's not real. Puppets don't just come to life like that!"

"Then you explain what just happened!" Dawn shouts, unbuttoning her brother's shirt. She winces upon noticing that his chest looks similar to wood or whatever it is that puppets are made out of (plastic? silicone?) She pretends to notice a black spot on his brother's chest, right over his heart. "Oh no…"

"W...what is it?" asks Ryoken, taking a momentary glance at Trip who is flipping through his script to see what to narrate next.

"They're...they're…"

And then, a pair of arms lunge towards Dawn's neck causing the girl to scream in surprise.

The children, and some adults, gasp when Yusaku stands up, lifting Dawn into the air, arms ready to squeeze the air out of his sister's throat. Dawn grips onto Yusaku's wrists, absolutely glad that repurposement means that she has a high pain tolerance, hoping to pull him away and figure out what's going on.

"Big brother…" Dawn gasps out, although whether she's talking about Ryoken or Yusaku is unclear. "Help me…"

"Fiona!" Ryoken exclaims before turning to Yusaku. "What are you doing? Let her go this instant!"

But Yusaku refuses, his calm face replaced with an angry snarl as he continues to squeeze the life out of his sister. Tears fall down Dawn's face as she reaches out to her brother, absolutely scared. This is her biggest fear out of all fears she has; that despite Ryoken's honest attempts to give Yusaku 'therapy', that it would eventually cause him to transform into a mindless drone who would not remember her.

"S..stop her!" Ryoken states to Takeru and Specter. "Please, save my sister!"

"But neither puppets respond." Trip states, trying to keep the play moving.

"Wake up!" says Ryoken, shaking Specter. "Please. I'm your master, right? Do something!"

Slowly, Specter wakes up, and it is then that Ryoken notices the strange golden strings tied to Specter's hands. Ryoken steps back, fear in his eyes as he notices that things are not going as planned.

The golden threads weave their magic onto Takeru and Yusaku too. Yusaku releasing his grip on Dawn and letting her collapse to the ground once he knows that she is unconscious. Ryoken looks around, trying to find a weapon to save himself, but the only thing he can see is that prop machete in Takeru's hands…

Which, if Ryoken did not dodge at the last second, would have sliced his head clean off.

Dawn struggles to catch her breath as she also notices a golden glow surrounding the puppets. She looks all around, trying to find the source of this puppet magic, but she sees nothing.

"Why are you doing this?" Dawn asks Yusaku. "What are you doing?!"

But when Yusaku turns to answer her, his voice is so hollow. Empty. Like a mindless drone.

"We wish to reunite with our master," he answers. "And we shall. You will not stop us! NO ONE WILL!"

He attempts to throw a punch at Dawn, but she grabs his hand and starts squeezing it. She silently apologizes before punching her brother across the head, knocking him onto the ground.

Ryoken dodges a punch from Specter but is then kicked in the stomach by Takeru. As he rises, he feels Takeru place the now real machete against his throat.

"What...what happened to you?" Ryoken gasps.

"Our master, our true master, calls for us," Takeru answers, his voice empty. "Can you not hear it? The Song of the Strings that every puppet hears when they become alive, so that they can be in the arms of their beloved master once more?"

"What are you talking about?" Ryoken questions, looking at Dawn for answers, but Dawn is currently pounding a fist into her brother's chest as if it is a strange form of CPR.

"He approaches soon," Specter sighs, a sadistic smile on his face. "Our beloved master."

"The puppets weren't making sense anymore." Trip explains to the audience, no longer looking at the script. "What master? Wasn't Blake their master? Wasn't he the one that was supposed to control them?"

Ryoken feels helpless as Specter slams him onto the floor, pinning his wrists. Takeru smiles, machete ready to slice his hands clean off.

"You deserve this," Takeru hisses. "We served you, we wanted nothing more than to be with you. But you rejected us. You hated us. You must pay. You must PAY!"

Ryoken's eyes widen with fear. This isn't how this was going to go. This isn't how it's supposed to go!

And in the audience, people whisper to themselves. The ones named Bruno, Alain and Riley stare in confusion, but they take notice of those glowing gold threads surrounding the puppets on stage.

"Say goodbye to those fingers of yours!" Takeru cackles, bringing the machete down on Ryoken's hands…

But just as the machete is about to go for the first chop, a blue thread of light wraps around his arm just one inch short of Ryoken losing his thumb.

"What?!" Takeru roars, looking around. "Who is out there?"

"That would be me."

The audience turns to see Yvonne approach the stage, her fellow puppets by her side. She aims her pointer finger at Takeru, a blue thread coiled around it like a ring.

"Who are you?" Takeru spits, green eyes flickering with gold.

Yvonne smirks. "I am the Grand Lorde Guignol, and I was called upon by the Puppet Queen herself to free you from the spell that has been placed upon you."

Dawn doesn't know whether to look relieved at seeing Yvonne all right or confused at how she's going off script. Since when was there such thing as a 'Puppet Queen' in the play?

Yvonne stares at the audience. "Do not be alarmed, everyone. These poor souls are really humans hit with a curse to make them believe that they are the cursed puppets of old. But with your help, I will be able to free them at long last."

Yvonne's puppets take their positions in front of the audience, weapons ready to protect the innocent viewers of what is to happen. Yvonne takes this time to bring her hands out and wrap Takeru, Specter and Yusaku in her blue strings once again.

Backstage, May turns to see Brendan, Max and Serenity rush towards her.

"Max, Brendan! What's going on?" she asks. "And who's the new girl?"

"I'm Serenity," Serenity answers. "And you might want to get everyone to step back for this."

"What?"

"Do as the girl says before she starts explaining a yawning yarn at you," Brendan hisses to May. "Trust me."

May just nods her head as she approaches the other students who have all gathered to watch Yvonne finish the story, sharing soda and potato chips with one another.

Back on stage, Yvonne closes her eyes and feels the might of her puppet magic flow out of her body and into these people. Yes, she did have fun teasing and joking on how she turned them into puppets, but she knows how important these people are to Dawn and she is not going to make her unhappy after everything else that she did prior to Dawn's life being cut short by suicide bomber.

Takeru tries to charge towards Yvonne with his machete, but Yvonne pulls the thread that is wrapped around his arm, causing him to drop onto the floor. Specter notices his fallen ally and snaps his head towards Yvonne, giving Ryoken enough time to close his eyes before shouting,

"STORM ACCESS!"

A large storm blows across the stage, hurling Specter to the side as Ryoken stands up. The wind begins to howl as Yvonne's threads wrap around Specter. Dawn braces herself as she pins Yusaku onto the stage, seeing the blue threads immobilize him and overpowering the golden threads that were the cause of his strange state.

"No!" Yusaku shouts, struggling to escape. "We...will reunite...with our master!"

"You have no master," Yvonne proclaims. "May these memories trouble you no more!"

Thunder booms and lightning flashes in the sky as the threads swallow their prey whole. Then, Yvonne crosses her arms over her chest as her puppets brace themselves and rain begins to pour down.

"Though I know I should be wary,

Still I conjured something scary,

Dark magic that has been set free,

Begone from these mortals three!"

A faint blue glow appears on stage, growing brighter with each passing second until everyone on stage, backstage and in the audience turns their gaze away. Only Yvonne stares into the light, praying that this spell will help undo the damage that she caused.

Seconds pass as the lights dim down. The threads retreat into Yvonne's arms as she pants, body leaning forward. Ryoken props her up as he stays still, slowly watching the threads unravel to reveal…

"Yusaku…" Dawn whispers, seeing her brother unconscious. He still wears the puppet outfit from Yvonne's first spell, but he looks human. She places two fingers on his neck and her eyes widen when she feels a pulse. "Yusaku!"

Yusaku's eyes widen when he feels his sister wrap him in a tight hug, gasping for breath as he feels like Dawn will break him in half any minute. Takeru and Specter also begin to awaken, Takeru dropping the machete in his hands in horror, wondering just how he got it in the first place.

"W...what did you just do?" Ryoken asks, staring in disbelief. He honestly has no idea what is going on anymore.

"Do not worry, Blake," says Yvonne, with the same calm tone that she carries when she performs her puppet shows. "You are safe now. This was all caused by the spirit of the real master puppeteer who has wandered this world for so long that his heart became twisted like knots in a tangled ball of string."

"What are you saying?"

Yvonne sighs. "I shall call upon the spirit of the master puppeteer right now. Jonathan Blake, reveal thyself! As a servant of the great and mighty Puppet Queen, I ask you to come forth!"

Thunder and lightning boom once more, temporarily shutting off the lights on stage. Seconds later, a new figure appears on stage.

"You rang?" asks Joey, his eyes glowing gold and so do his teeth. Children shriek in horror while Yvonne stares at the three puppets at the back. This is their only shot in making this worthwhile.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" Yvonne questions, pulling out her trusty switchblade from a pocket. "To cause so much trouble by transferring the memories of your beloved puppets onto these souls? Why? Do you not realize that your puppets have been here all along?"

"What do you mean by that, Guignol?" Joey hisses, golden strings lashing out across the stage. Dawn pulls Yusaku by her side as Joey paces back and forth. Takeru, Specter and Ryoken stay silent. "I have searched for centuries, hoping to find my family again. But as time passed, my hope began to fade. And as I saw puppeteers being with their beloved puppets, I grew angry. Why couldn't I have my puppets back? Why did I have to die all those years ago? Why?"

Joey drops to his knees. "Bruno. Alain. Riley. I just want you back. Please...please come back to me…"

There is silence as Yvonne crosses the fingers on her right hand. She can feel her heart pound against her chest, not wanting to look on stage as if she is Orpheus resisting the urge to look to see if Eurydice is right behind him.

This has to work...this has to work...

"Master…"

Yvonne and Joey look across the stage as those three puppets approach, their eyes brimming with tears. Yvonne's Puppets prepare their weapons but Yvonne raises a hand into the air. "Stand down," she states without saying a word.

Joey lifts his gaze as the memories of his past life, Jonathan Blake, flash through his mind. Of course he would remember these faces. The faces of his puppets that he created, crafted, fashioned, performed with...a lifetime of memories appeared before him before he found himself in the loving embrace of his wonderful puppets.

"You're here…" he whispers, golden threads gently wrapping themselves around the puppets. "After all these years."

"We searched far and wide for you, Master," Bruno begins, wiping one of Joey's tears away. "We promised we would find you again."

"We made sure to make people happy with our stories," Alain whispers, patting Joey's head. "We told them all of your stories, not a single one forgotten. We could never forget you."

"And now, we are reunited at long last," Riley states, snuggling into Joey's embrace. "Forgive us for taking this long…"

"It's okay," Joey sobs. "Please don't leave me again, please don't…"

Nothing else is said as the puppeteer continues to cry, wanting to savor this moment for as long as he can. Yvonne smiles. If she can never be with her brother again, then at the very least she'll make others happy. It would have been what Xavier wanted in the end.

"How lovely," Dawn whispers, tears in her eyes. Then, she blinks. "Wait...what's going on…why are their faces…"

Joey looks up and his face morphs into one of horror. No...not now...not now of all times!

"You're...you're breaking apart," Joey says, about to lose his voice. "Not now...not when we finally reunited!"

It is true. Cracks form across the hands and faces of these puppets, their bodies glowing as if bathed in moonlight. Joey grips onto Bruno's shoulders, but they crumble in his hands like wet clay. Serenity can't bear to look and hides her face with her hands, tears trickling down her cheeks.

"No, please don't go…" Joey pleads. "We promised each other...we promised!"

"It's okay," Bruno whispers. He sounds so tired now. "We deserve to rest after such a long journey."

"But know this, master…" says Alain, wiping two more tears with his thumbs. "Lady Belladonna, our beloved Puppet Queen, will bring us into her loving arms and give us brand new bodies. That way, we will be able to be with you for real."

"So wait for us a little while longer," says Riley. "We'll be back soon. And remember this…"

"Remember what?" asks Joey.

The three puppets smile as they step back, giving one last smile to their master as their legs, torsos and arms crumble and disintegrate into dust.

"We love you!"

And as the storm clouds fade away into a shining moon and glittering stars, the souls of the cursed puppets fly into the sky, causing everyone to look in surprise as Joey grasps onto what is left of his puppets, holding them to his chest as a smile adorns his face.

"I'll wait for you," he promises. "And send my regards to Lady Belladonna. Please…"

Then, there is nothing but silence as everyone on stage tries to guess who would be the first to speak. Trip tries to say something, but instead, he just closes the binder that holds his script shut and stares at Yvonne. This has never happened before with his ancestors in regards to storytelling.

"What just happened?" he asks. It is the only thing he can say towards this sort of situation.

Yvonne replies with tears falling down her face and a small laugh before it bursts into a very loud cackle that would not be out of place for her as Grand Lorde Guignol. Then, the laughter makes way into sobs as she drops to her knees, feeling anguish, happiness and sorrow at everything that has happened.

Once she is calm enough, Yvonne just turns to Trip and says, "It's a long story." She slowly rises to her feet, shifting her gaze to the audience and smiles. "And if you will permit me, I would like to share it all with you."

And backstage, Brendan can only whisper, "OH COME ON!" while May whacks him across the head.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Once upon a time, there was a magnificent puppeteer and his three puppets.

"The four were a happy little family, spreading joy to people with their puppet shows. They wished they could be like this forever, but Fate had other plans.

"A spoiled princess wanted the puppeteer to be her husband, but he refused. And for that, he was killed. With his death, his faithful puppets came to life in search for him. For years they traveled the world, spreading the joy that they once had with their master, and when they slept, they thought of being his arms once more.

"But time was cruel to the master puppeteer. He was reborn in another body and that soul was conflicted with his new life and the memories of a puppeteer who only wanted his family back. He searched for years, trying to find his puppets and when all hope seemed lost, he decided on a dastardly and sinister plan.

"'If I am unable to find my puppets, then I shall have to fashion them instead!'

"With that thought in his mind, the master puppeteer began to work on finding the most perfect individuals to recreate his family. And he would not stop until he got his way. "

Yvonne sighs as she recites the quick summation to her shadow puppet show to a curious crowd. The makeshift stage is set in a beautiful garden filled with flowers of all sorts, set inside the Night Garden Foster Home. She sighs as she looks at Brendan and Max setting the shadow puppets down and begin preparing for the first act.

A week after the unexpected end to the play in Bandersnatch Park, which was uploaded online and onto the You Show Duel website, there were demands for another show. This time, it would take place in the Night Garden, as requested by its owner Lady Shirobara, for all of the children to gaze and gasp at.

Lady Shirobara herself sits in the back, a bright look in her eye as she is 'guarded' by her sons. They would never want to miss out on a lovely story like this.

"This brings back fond memories," Shirobara sighs, gently ruffling Mokuba's hair. "I used to host puppet shows when I was a younger girl."

"Really now?" asks Mokuba, curiosity in his amethyst eyes. "Why did you never perform any for Seto and I?"

"Because," Shirobara looks fondly at the stage. She sees Joey decked out in a black coat and pants with a matching mask covering his face on stage. She sees Serenity standing next to Yvonne, ready to narrate the next part of the tale. Seated in front of the audience are Ryoken, Yusaku, Takeru and Specter (who are glad that they aren't going to be called up for another performance so soon). "I didn't feel like I could ever top the performance I did so long ago against that wretched King Leo. And also because my pursuits were more of the earthen variety."

"Such a shame. I always did want to know how your story about the cursed puppets was supposed to go."

Both Kaiba brothers turn and blink. Standing behind them is a woman that looks similar to that of their dear mother except twenty years older. Her blood-red hair has crow feathers woven into it, her rainbow colored dress ends with a train of numerous flowers that could only come in one's dreams. Adorning her head is a crown made out of deer antlers.

Shirobara smiles before she wraps her arms around this mysterious woman. "Hello, mother," she whispers.

"M...mother?!" Mokuba gasps, but not so loud so that the audience doesn't hear.

The red-haired woman smiles before she releases herself from Shirobara's embrace and places a kiss on Mokuba's forehead. "Yes, dear Moonlight Dragon. I am Lady Belladonna, the Puppet Queen. How nice to finally meet you at long last."

Lady Belladonna then turns her gaze to Seto and smiles. "Oh my. That body of yours…."

Seto just blushes. "Mother fashioned it for me."

"I bet she did," Lady Belladonna coos, placing a kiss on the CEO's cheek. "That is the thing with repurposement; eventually the old body fades away and must be placed into a new vessel. But making new vessels does not come easy."

"I suppose you came to bring new children into the Night Garden?" asks Shirobara, knowing the look in her mother's eye.

Lady Belladonna nods her head and turns around. "Come little ones, don't be shy."

Three boys shyly enter the garden, looking around in curiosity as most children do, each of them carrying a pale yellow rose in their hands. Shirobara gasps. She knew those faces, once upon a time. That was when she was a little girl selling flowers and wishing three puppets the best of luck in finding their beloved master.

"Those can't be…" she whispers. "Are they?"

Lady Belladonna nods her head. "The Cursed Puppets, but now given another chance to be with their master." She chuckles at the three little ones looking at the stage with glee. "Come on. Why don't you give my daughter your names?"

The boy with the large blue hat approaches Shirobara and takes her hand. "I'm Riley."

The boy with the cyan scarf bows. "I'm Alain."

"I'm Bruno!" says the boy with blue hair and blue and white jacket.

Shirobara smiles before she kneels down and wraps her arms around the three boys. "Welcome home," she whispers, tears falling down her face.

Bruno lifts his head and gasps. "Look! It's him! It's him!"

On stage, Yvonne, Serenity and Joey look up and see three little boys race toward them. Yvonne's puppets prepare their weapons at the intruders, but Yvonne places a hand in the air to stop them.

"Hello little ones," says Yvonne. But she already knows who these three are. "What are you all doing here?"

Riley giggles as he approaches the stage. He then hands Joey the yellow rose. "For you...Master."

At this innocent gesture, Joey takes the rose into his hand. Bruno and Alain follow suit and Joey takes their roses before holding them to his heart.

"You're back…" he whispers. "You're really back…."

Tears fall down his face as he wraps the boys in a hug, all while Serenity cries tears of joy and Yvonne smiles. When she looks out into the crowd, her eyes spot Lady Belladonna waving towards her.

"Me?" she says out loud, much to her surprise.

"Yes, you," says Lady Belladonna, approaching the stage. The audience stares at this woman with her pale skin, her bare feet walking across the grass without a sound. "I have heard all about you, Yvonne Maxa. Or should I say...Grand Lorde Guignol. You have done impressive feats for someone so new to the world of puppets."

"She's the best!" Puppet Yuya squeals, staring at this strange lady.

Lady Belladonna chuckles. "I know. After all, I didn't send you and your brothers to her without reason."

At this, Puppet Yuya and his brothers cheer and hug the Puppet Queen all while Yvonne looks in bewilderment. All she knew about her puppets was that one day they just appeared in her bedroom with a note sugned by her grandfather to take care of them. Never in her wildest dreams would she have learned that they were gifted to her by the Puppet Queen herself via her grandfather!

"I also heard how you helped the soul of Jonathan Blake finally find peace after all these years," Lady Belladonna continues, lifting her gaze at Yvonne. "And for that, you have my eternal gratitude."

"It was nothing," says Yvonne. "I mean, he did deserve to be reunited with his puppets in the end."

"Which is why I am here. Yvonne Maxa, I wish for you to become an apprentice in the Court of Strings."

"What?!" Serenity gasps, along with Brendan and Max. May and Dawn look in confusion, and Brendan can only mutter "Long story" as Lady Belladonna continues.

"One so skilled with puppetry and one with a heart who has suffered through loss yet still uses it to bring happiness to others...that is you." Lady Belladonna lifts her hand towards Yvonne and red threads reach out. "I sense great potential in you, Lorde Guignol. Join me, and spread your stories across the four winds. Let the birds sing these tales in their flights. Let the moon shine down on those who perform their plays in the dead of night. Let flowers bloom and scatter their petals into the far corners of the Earth, inscribed with the words of your great tales."

Yvonne looks at the hand and those red threads. She recalls the last time someone asked her to join the Court of Strings and how it ended with those assholes dead after they revealed their true intent of chopping her hands off.

But now? After everything that happened to her? Learning that the Court of Strings existed, that she helped the soul of the master puppeteer of legend find peace - along with kicking his ass in a duel - and now granted an invitation by the Puppet Queen herself?

How could the Grand Lorde Guignol turn down an offer like this?

Yvonne raises her hand and blue threads curl into the air before approaching the red threads of Lady Belladonna. The threads then tie themselves into a knot that shines with a faint light before a mark appears on the palm of Yvonne's right hand: a cross with four black strings dangling down before the ends of the strings form a four pointed star at the bottom.

"Use this to make people happy when you fashion them," says Lady Belladonna. "I'm sure you'll know which ones deserve happy endings."

Yvonne smiles as she curls her hands over the mark and places said hand over her heart.

"Thank you," she says. "I can't wait to see who I fashion into a puppet next."

Dawn can only laugh upon seeing the squeamish looks on Specter, Yusaku and Ryoken's faces. Takeru, in the meantime, looks ready to take a machete and chop Yvonne's hands clean off.

Lady Belladonna chuckles before she turns to the three boys on stage. "Come now, why don't we take our seats and let these nice actors perform their show?"

"Okay!" The three cheer as they give Joey one last hug before following Lady Belladonna to some chairs in the back. Joey smiles as he slips the yellow roses into the pocket of his coat. Serenity does the same (the smile, not putting roses into a coat).

"Now then," she begins. "Is anyone ready to hear how the story truly begins?"

Many children in the audience shout a large "Yes" in reply. As Serenity begins to tell the tale, she doesn't notice Trip leaning against a rose-covered wall, staring at an item in his hands. It is the storybook prop of The Cursed Puppets from Yvonne's play and it is currently open to the very last page. He points at the last two paragraphs and reads them to himself.

"And thus it is said that the puppeteer and his puppets traverse through darkness and mirrors, ready to spread their wondrous tales across the known worlds. Should you ever encounter them, sit down, open your mind and listen...because it just might be your ticket to enter the Court of Strings and receive the blessing of the Puppet Queen herself.

"Go forth. Lady Belladonna waits for an audience to entertain once more."

Trip nods his head as he closes the book shut with a light 'thump'. Then, he slips the book into his satchel and walks off, just as Serenity begins to narrate.

"Our tale begins not with the master puppeteer, but with a young boy who would soon find himself on a journey," she begins. "But little did he know that his journey would lead him to the most unlikely of circumstances…"


"I Understood That Reference!"

The title of this story comes from the manga "Karakuri Circus" by Kazuhiro Fujima.

"It's time to play the music…" This is the opening line to "The Muppet Show" theme

The three puppets - Bruno, Alain, Riley - all come from different sources. Bruno is from 'Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds", Alain is from the "Pokemon XY" anime and Riley is from the Pokémon Diamond/Pearl games (although he also appeared in the anime)

Bandersnatch Park is based off of Central Park in New York, which boasts an Outdoor Theater and Marionette Theater too. (Fun fact: there's a bronze statue of Alice in Wonderland in the real Central Park)

"Though I know I should be wary" this comes from the Beetlejuice animated series. Lydia Deetz would chant this to summon the titular Beetlejuice.

Jonathan Blake is the name of the Creepypasta Puppeteer, with descriptions of him crying golden ectoplasm.

The story was inspired by a - now deleted - Wattpad story called "Showtime!" in which the reincarnated puppeteer was Yuto and the three puppets were Yuya, Yugo and Yuri.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Guignol: Puppets are used to bring joy onto people's faces and to be reunited with someone who knows them like they would know themselves. For there is nothing happier than a puppet who is with their master, bringing joy and happiness to people for only a short time.

So the next time you see a brilliant puppetshow, look close...perhaps you can see a twinkle in a puppet's eye as they come to life, hoping to bring you into the Court of Strings and have tea with the Puppet Queen herself.

The Curious: And with that, the tale of Grand Lorde Guignol's journey with the Cursed Puppets has come to the end. Now, it is time to delve into a land of the pyramids in this interesting tale. Are you ready, Willow?

Willow: Museums are an interesting way to spend the afternoon, looking at artifacts from the past and wondering if they could just come to life and tell you such fang-tastic stories!

Next time: There's an Egypt exhibit that's come to Carroll City and I'm excited to see if mummies can come to life if given the right spell. The curator's grandson strikes my fancy, and perhaps also the fancy of that mummy that is an important piece to this strange puzzle.

So it looks like I have my work cut out for me when "The Night of the Mummy" arrives! Let's see where this goes!