Doll Strings

20: Return Home

As fairy waits out of broken lantern. Flame extinguished and darkness drawing near. A voice calls out. One he had longed to hear.
"Everyone has a light in their life. One they'd do anything to protect."
Soul trapped in darkness opens his eyes. A single ember, prevents the fire's demise.
Ember shoots down the path of the smoke. Giving life once more, and stopping darkness's provoke.

3rd person POV:

Liu Xiao's smirk shifts to anger as the castle starts to rumble.

Xiao:"I see. Now it all makes sense. "

Elsewhere, Hickory the mouse feels the room shaking. He looks up to his horror. The sand in the hourglasses is vibrating and eroding the glass and ceiling away.  The hands of clocks burst from their glass homes and shoot up with the sand. Not knowing what to do. He runs around in panic before hiding in a hole in the wall.

"Eep!"

Meanwhile,  Cheng doesn't realize that he's starting to sink into the floor of the tower. Face as red as a tomato and an expression of confusion written all over his face. Muttering to himself with a tired tone of voice.

Cheng:"I'm sooo confused. I thought with fairytales... and true loves kiss... but we're not-"

A pale hand emerges from the sand cloud and pats cheng's head. Followed by a soft and carring tone of a voice he knows all too well.

Lu:"Idiot."

Cheng is back in the moment and sees that Lu has transformed. His normal outfit of a white t shirt, tie, and shorts, now accompanied with fairy wing made up of sands of many colors. Twinkling with an ever changing rainbow shimmer. Joints of the wings are made up of clock hands. With every motion of them comes the tick of a clock.

Cheng:"L..Lu Guang?"

Lu picks Cheng up into his arms and lifts up off the ground.

Lu:"Let's go home."

Cheng looks down at Liu Xiao with a glare.

Cheng:"How?"

Liu draws out needles and threads from his fingers. Eyes locked on Lu.

Liu:"You're not going anywhere."

Lu meets his gaze and smiles while looking down on him.

Lu:"Relax, He's of no concern."

Liu smirks and goes to send out his threads.

Liu:"We'll just see about tha-"

*TICK!...... TOCK!.*

Both wings flap and Liu is unable to move. Fear grows as he feels his power fading away.

Liu:^Wh-What the hell!?^

Now frozen in time. Liu looks as the children that were once dolls walk in with scissors on hand. One approaches and cuts one of his fingers. Revealing that the puppet master is nothing put a puppet himself. Made of yarn, the children get their revenge.

Cheng:"Well, that's terrifying."

Lu:"Sometimes when you seek freedom. You become someone else's puppet. Even if you think you're in control. There's always somebody else pulling the strings."

Cheng:"Yeah, about that. Why didn't you tell me?"

Lu's eyes are covered by a shadow of regret. Unable to look Cheng in the eyes.

Lu:"Well, you see..."

Cheng grabs Lu's face to force eye contact. Seeing those blue eyes dull. Cheng speaks from his heart.