Caelin wished that the puppet had succeeded in killing Theo. Otherwise, she didn’t know how she’d explain to Lilac why he was soon going to join the list of the missing. 

Resisting the urge to behead him on the spot, Caelin practiced her anger control techniques learned during her mandatory sessions with Dr. Grey. “I’m sorry I must’ve misheard, but did you just call me ‘ugly’?”

“It’s difficult enough being ugly,” Theo remarked, “but you’re hard of hearing too? A shame, really.”

That was it. She was going to kill him.

“I got it!” Caelin gasped, clapping her hands together. “You must be the evil spirit from the puppet, now possessing poor Theo’s body after he destroyed your wooden vessel. Don’t worry, I’ll save you, Theo!” 

She lunged forward, aiming a punch at Theo’s face without holding back.

Theo caught her fist, but failed to avoid the knee to his abdomen. He groaned, hunching over and clutching his stomach in pain. “What in Celestial tribulations is your knee made out of? Metal?”

“Bones, cartilage, tendons, and the tears of my enemies,” Caelin quipped. “Now, go back to whatever ninth realm you crawled out of, thank you very much. Although he’s rude, I do need my Theo back.”

“Although you’re being so kind, I will not be doing that,” Theo said mockingly. “I worked quite hard to ‘crawl out of that ninth realm’. It’s been at least a week since I last took control.” He flexed his shoulders. “Wow he’s been tense recently.”

Caelin frowned. “So…you actually are an evil spirit?” It’d only been an excuse to punch him.

“No.” Theo looked at Caelin like she was foolish for even suggesting it. “You can consider me as another part of…” He gestured towards himself. “In the past, we had a fairly equal share of the body, but recently, as the ‘original’, he’s been restricting my time at the front. Honestly, he’s so needy… Or maybe it’s because of that ship I sank the last time I was out?” He waved his hand dismissively. “It’s a mental thing.”

“Wow, that sounds so wonderful,” Caelin said sarcastically. “Now give me my teammate back, Evil Theo. We’ve already wasted too much time, and we need to finish this mission.”

“You know, ‘Evil Theo,’ I like that,” Theo said thoughtfully. “Just consider me as your teammate as well. He and I do share the same body, afterall.”

“But you’re annoying,” Caelin complained. “I don’t want to work with you.”

“The feeling’s mutual, Ugly.” Theo turned and kicked the house’s door down. “Now, let’s get this over with.”

“I’d rather work with the evil spirit,” Caelin muttered bitterly under her breath as she followed him inside.

The interior of Mayor Hadden’s house was decorated like a tacky gothic castle. Suits of armor and stone figurines were scattered around the foyer, and a red rug stretched up the wooden staircase, lining each step. Through the large glass windows, moonlight streamed past the maroon curtains and scattered across the checkered floor. Gas lanterns ignited to life as they entered, illuminating the way for the intruders.

“Someone’s been expecting us,” Caelin remarked, observing the bluish glow of the illuminated path. 

“Good,” Theo said, unconcerned. “Saves us time from having to search for them ourselves.”

Together, they started up the stairs. Each step creaked as they walked, echoing throughout the house. 

Caelin stared at the eerie decor around them. “This mansion is a lot larger on the inside than what you’d expect looking at the exterior. How much do you think it costs to decorate and furnish everything?”

Theo ignored her.

“8,000 agens? 3 aurii?”

“Why would you more than triple the price with your second guess?” Theo couldn’t resist asking. 

Caelin shrugged. “I haven’t been outside in eight years. How should I know how much everything’s worth now?”

Reaching the top of the stairs, Caelin suddenly stopped before one of the stone figurines. She observed the gargoyle’s twisted expression, its sharp teeth pulled back in a snarl. Caelin waved at Theo, getting his attention. She pointed at the statue.

“What? Have you discovered something?” Theo asked, walking over to her.

“I think whoever’s behind all this has met you before,” Caelin said solemnly.

Theo stared closely at the hideous gargoyle. “Why do you think that?”

“I mean why else would they have this here?” Caelin said, pointing at the statue’s grotesque face with a grave expression. “It’s the spitting image of you.”

Theo scoffed and walked away. 

Caelin grinned and caught up to him with a few skips in her steps. “Maybe you’re not as bad as I initially thought, Evil Theo. It’s pretty fun teasing you.”

“You’re awfully enjoying yourself despite the possibility that we’re about to confront a serial killer,” Theo remarked. 

“I suppose you could say that I’ve met worse.” Caelin frowned. “Hold on, what are you doing now?”

She watched Theo wrench a long steel sword from a suit of armor in the hallway. He tossed the sword between his hands, testing its weight before grasping it firmly in his right hand. There was a playful glint in his grey eyes as he appraised the blade. 

“I’m picking out a weapon,” Theo said. “You weren’t expecting me to fight with my bare hands now, were you?”

“Well of course not,” Caelin protested. “But don’t you have your Imperium? Isn’t that why Lilac recruited you? Because it’s supposedly super useful?”

“He prefers using our Imperium, while I…” Theo brandished the sword. “I prefer this.”

Caelin nodded slowly. “Right, so you’re less helpful than the other Theo.”

“No, I’m stronger than him. Hold on, why am I even arguing with you about this?” Theo pointed the tip of his sword towards a door lit by the path. “Let’s just go in and get this over with.”

“We could do that, but what’s the plan, Evil Theo?” Caelin said.

“It’s simple,” Theo said. “We interrogate him and then kill him.”

“That sounds like a fabulous plan, but Lilac wouldn’t approve of the killing part,” Caelin said. 

“Lilac is that purple woman who electrocuted us, right?” 

“That sounds like her.”

“And why do we care about her approval?” Irritated, Theo sighed and massaged his temple.

“Because this is obviously a test she’s constructed for us,” Caelin explained. “Why else would she assign the two new people to do this alone? She wants to see how we’ll do, and if it’s up to her standard, then maybe I’ll finally earn my freedom—and you won’t be fired. And I won’t have you risk my long-awaited freedom.”

“Fine.” Theo ran a hand through his hair to comb back the bangs that had begun falling to the front again. “We’ll interrogate, then capture him alive for Lilac to do whatever she pleases.”

Caelin grinned. “Sounds like a plan.” 

She went up to the door to push it open, but it didn’t budge. Caelin shrugged and backed away a couple of steps. Running forward to build momentum, Caelin kicked the door down. The hinges immediately separated from the doorframe, and the door fell onto a black rug with a heavy thump. 

A large crystal chandelier dangled from the ceiling above, dousing the room in a warm yellow. Like the ones in the hall, the gas wall lamps around the room lit up as Caelin and Theo entered, signaling the arrival of their destination. Maroon curtains covered the windows, preventing any natural light from entering the room. 

Jacob Hadden sat cross-legged on top of a dining table in the center of the room. Five hooded figures surrounded him, cloaked in different dark colors. Jacob glared at Caelin and Theo in annoyance. 

“That door was unlocked,” Jacob said seethingly. “You’re meant to pull it open, not push.”

“Oh no,” Caelin said, completely unapologetic. 

 Jacob stomped angrily on the table, and Caelin briefly thought he was about to throw a temper tantrum. 

“I don’t think you two realize the situation you’re in,” Jacob said. “You’re in my territory now, so we’ll play by my rules.”

“Look, kid, we don’t have time to play house with you,” Theo said. “Besides, don’t you think you’re a bit too old to be playing with dolls?”

“They’re not dolls!” Jacob roared with rage. His face turned visibly red, and the veins on the side of his neck bulged. “They’re my puppets, and now you can become a part of my collection too.” Standing up on the table, he pointed at Caelin and Theo. “Kill them!”

The five figures immediately jolted at his command and burst into action. Their movements were awkward and stiff as they approached Caelin and Theo, attempting to surround the pair. They had weapons instead of right hands: two had daggers, one a saw, another a club, and the last, a spear. 

Theo assumed a defensive stance, keeping his sword steadily pointed at the puppets. “You get the two on the left, and I’ll handle the three on the right.”

“Sounds good,” Caelin said. Flicking her wrist, a dark red sword with a black hilt appeared in her right hand. It hummed happily in her grip as if to express how much it had missed her. Caelin smiled. She’d forgotten the welcoming sensation of wielding her Imperium. 

The adrenaline rushed through her body and Caelin struck down the first puppet that lunged at her. Her blade effortlessly sliced through the wood, knocking the puppet onto its back from the impact. Caelin’s chest tightened, overwhelmed by the delight of real combat. It was nothing like those mundane practice sparring sessions with the AIKA Combat Division members. She had missed this thrill.

Caelin’s attack left an open gash in the puppet’s upper body. Its ochre cloak flew open, revealing a naked, male wooden body.

Caelin shook her head in disgust at the sight. “So it is a nudist cult after all.”

Seeing its comrade immobile on the ground, another puppet with a navy cloak charged towards her with an outstretched hand and dagger. Caelin thrust her blade forward, skewering the puppet through its chest. Doubling over, the puppet collapsed onto the ground like a pile of blocks. 

With her side complete, Caelin turned to see how Theo was faring. She watched Theo hack his sword through a puppet, splitting it in half at its chest. The two halves fell to the floor, joining the mound of two other wooden carcasses. Theo narrowed his eyes as the lower half of the puppet spasmed. The legs haphazardly attempted to kick at his face. Theo raised his sword and sliced open the left leg. A small, fist-sized red ball rolled out of the hollow limb. There were a series of thin red threads attaching the ball to the puppet frame. Theo crushed the ball with a stomp, grounding it into a fine powder. The puppet finally stilled.

 Unfortunately, the other wooden bodies beside his feet began to stir as well. 

“Watch your back,” Theo called out to Caelin. “You have to destroy this strange colored ball in order to completely stop them. It’s controlling them.”

Caelin looked at the puppet she had previously cut down and saw that they had begun to rise as well. She groaned. “Oh fae-locks. Why can’t anything be simple?”

The puppet with the navy cloak lunged at Caelin again. Dodging Caelin’s sword, her blade nicked the puppet’s garment and its hood slipped off. Long waves of red hair flowed into the air and a pair of striking green eyes stared with an empty gaze at Caelin.

Caelin’s eyes widened in shock. She recognized those features. 

Like pig’s blood and a pair of emeralds.