Author Note: I like how most of you made a complete 180 from hating Loreli to like…yeahhh she kinda has a point there (>_>);; haha I don’t remember if I said happy +8000 views but happy +8000 views♥. The Dolls are doubting their Demons and some of you are doubting your Demons as well, is that okay? Should you fear them because of someone else’s mistake? Let’s find out on this week’s PlayHouse: The Final Game m(_ _)m Do you want to play?
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“Hey Rea……”

A high pitched whine of distress resonated from Demon Jackson as he tried to reach for his Deity but she took a big stride away from him and stood with her girls.

The Dolls were so confused. Master Jaebeom did something so wicked, so horrible, just because he wanted Loreli all to himself. At first not because he loved her, but because she was beautiful, just a prize to be owned.

Soon he becomes scared of his own feelings as they evolve beyond his control. He becomes confused as well then he just discards her as if it were nothing. After everything he’s done to her, after everything they‘ve been through. How heartless can one be to just….forget?

What if along the road the Demons reached a similar situation? Afraid of the unknown so they just get rid of the problem without a second thought as he did. Just get rid of them and never look back?

Chrysalis chewed on her lower lip and faced the disheveled Grand Master. The Demon withered under her gaze as if a child being scolded by their parent.

“How…..how could you do something like that Master Jaebeom? I…we respected you…and thought of you so highly….”

Her voice was a horrified whisper of disbelief. So full of raw emotion and uneasiness all the Demons cowered slightly and they lowered their heads.

The Elder Demon shook his head and dropped his shoulders in defeat as even his own brothers backed away from him feeling ashamed.

“I…..I was a monster……”

Loreli leaned her head in her palm as she gazed down at the rift she was creating in between her opponent and her allies, always a good battle strategy. Her velvet voice mixed with the Demonic grumble accused him, adding more tension to the situation.

“You enjoyed it didn’t you? Killing my entire family? Having my siblings’ torsos crushed in between your jaws, my parents skin stuck in between your claws as you tore them apart? How about when you murdered everyone who knew about Namjoon? Did you enjoy attacking them without their knowledge? Pouncing on their backs when they were most vulnerable so they would have never saw it coming? I bet you felt so powerful Master Jaebeom. Neither human nor Demon is a match for you. The pride coursing through your veins as you destroyed one being after another I bet it was exhilarating wasn’t it?”

He said nothing and kept his gaze on the floor. Fed up with his silence Mari took a step forward with her hands to her chest and demanded an answer.

“Answer her! Did you enjoy it?!”

The girls’ hearts sank to their stomachs as he nodded weakly. Of course he enjoyed it. He was a Demon. It was in their nature to be destructive, to feel powerful, to feel unstoppable.

Mari looked up towards the rest of the Demons and furrowed her brows while pointing an accusing finger.

“And destroying those Rogue Dolls! Did you feel any remorse that they were humans!?”
“Princess that’s unfair you know those Rogues tried to kill us….”
“Answer the question Master! Do you all enjoy tearing weaker beings apart!? Do you enjoy being monsters!?”
“WE WERE ONLY TRYING TO PROTECT YOU ALL!”

They remembered that night they first witnessed their Master’s Demonic form as he crushed the Rogue’s head in his claw unmercifully. The sick pleasure the Demon had as it watched the blood pool on the floor and it was so proud of itself.

The way BamBam just ATE the Rogue Dolls like a starved man at a buffet in the maze. He ate humans just like them, completely un-phased by their screams and cries of pain and he felt so liberated.

Jackson’s whole existence revolved around being the most powerful Battler Demon. Having his Dolls destroy anyone else’s in the battle arena until there was nothing of them left.

Then that heart wrenching scene Talia and Rea remembered of Dolls releasing their last breath, their bodies annihilated from battle and the Puppeteers didn’t even care. They said they’d just have to replace them. Find a new one, a stronger one. Their lives meant so little to these monsters!

Jinyoung knew it wasn’t the time for his mouth but the words came out faster than his mind could process.

“If you all have forgotten, we are Demons. We are monsters. Straight from the fiery pits of Hell. Beings of darkness that thrive on destruction and are full of pride. You all had a choice to accept this life of servitude or not.”

Mark swallowed nervously as Chrysalis scrunched her eyebrows as she thought back to her first day in the manor. Her purple eyes met his monstrous blue ones questioningly.

“You…..you didn’t give me a choice did you Mark?”

Yes that’s right. He placed his seal on her before asking if she would rather return to the alleyway than stay with him.

She turned to the girls and cocked her head to the side.

“Did Mark ask you guys permission to make you his Dolls?”
“Yes, it‘s one of the Puppeteer rules.”
“Yup.”
“He was very polite about it.”
“-nods-”

“Was it before or after he marked you?”

She crossed her arms and looked down at the floor as all the girls replied “Before.” Loreli whistled for the girl’s attention and smiled sweetly.

“You are just like me Chrysalis. We weren’t given a choice. Now ask him what would he have done if you said no?”
“SHE IS NOTHING LIKE YOU!”

The girls backed away as the large Demon approached his Deity and she looked up at the large being with hurt eyes and he whimpered.

“Chrysalis…..”
“What if I had said no that day Mark? What would have happened?”

“He would have been forced to kill you”

Jaebeom coughed up more blood as he struggled to his feet with the others watching warily.

“With a seal you were technically a Doll already. If you chose not to be his Doll then he could not simply release you again nor did he have the right to trade you away. You would’ve had to been killed to release his soul from you. That’s why I made the rule that the Demon must have the human’s consent….so a life wouldn’t be wasted.”

“HAHAHAHA! SINCE WHEN DO YOU CARE ABOUT WASTING LIVES JAEBEOM!?”

Loreli cackled maniacally as she sent the Rogues to closely encircle the girls who didn‘t even flinch from being surrounded. They were so full of doubt and betrayal now, she could always use more Dolls.

Chrysalis’ eyes watered slightly and she shook her head. Mark could feel her upset feelings coursing through his veins and he just wanted to dig himself his own grave.

“Why didn’t I have a choice?”
“I…..”
“Don’t lie to me Mark.”

His eyes gazed at the floor, his body becoming heavy with guilt and he looked over at Jaebeom and sighed.

“Because…..you were so Pretty, Pretty. You have such beautiful eyes…..”

The Dolls gasped. Just like Jaebeom and Loreli.

“Would you have killed me if I said no?”
“Chrysalis I didn’t know you back then like I know you now!”
“So yes?”

Her voice cracked softly. She couldn’t imagine this being she had fallen in love with could be the death of her so easily and as he nodded she looked away in distain. She could see into his head. He would’ve enjoyed killing her at that time as well. She was just another human. Disposable and unimportant.

“That’s not true Master Mark and you know it”

Everyone looked over at the magical door and the girls gasped with tears in their eyes as a little Porcelain Doll dressed in a deep orange Lolita outfit with glass eyes and fiery hair addressed them with an impassive face.

“Miss Mona!?”

The Dolls tried to approach her but they gasped as the Rogues entrapped them and kept them in place. Loreli her teeth and raised a questioning brow at the uninvited guest.

“Didn’t I kill you already Marionette?”

Mona narrowed her gaze at Loreli then turned her attention towards her confused daughters and she waved a finger at them.

“Have I not taught you all that proper ladies always think rationally?”

Youngjae scratched his head confusedly as the little Doll continued to lecture them, her little feet bringing her to the group of massive beasts. He bent down and poked her curiously and he gulped nervously as she glared at him, her body faintly glowing.

“Sorry Lady Mona it’s just…..you were kinda dead?”

“-sigh- My body was destroyed, this is true but a body is nothing more than a vessel for the soul. I was born of Mark’s soul thus I should have returned to him once I was released but instead I fought to live again, to be reborn to be with you all again so my spirit wandered the depths of the distorted castle until I found the room where Master Jaebeom keeps his vessels and I inhabited one and here I am.”

“If their will is strong a spirit can be reborn again…..”

Jinyoung and Mari recited at the same time as they recalled a book that spoke of such things. The crystal Demon smiled over at her for being so knowledgeable and Mari felt herself soften from his proud gaze. He was proud of her.

Mona nodded in agreement then looked up at doubtful Chrysalis and her Master who was kneeling guiltily.

“Master Mark you were so naive back then. You and I both know that there would have been no way you could have destroyed Chrysalis that day. What was it you kept referring to it as? Ah! That’s right. You found her “intriguing.”

Demon Mark blushed and shook his head as he remembered those days of constantly trying to delude himself that he was just “intrigued” with Chrysalis when in actuality he found himself instantly attracted to her and he was curious about this foreign feeling.

He couldn’t risk her running away before he could get to know her better, that’s why she didn’t have a choice and he doesn‘t regret his decision.

“Chrysalis I asked him the moment he exited his room to fetch you clothing if he wanted me to dispose of you and the look he gave me…..oh my Master is a funny one sometimes.”

The Porcelain Doll faced the Grand Master and she called everyone’s attention to him.

“Was it not you who gave Mark the Deity book once hearing about his behavior and Chrysalis? Because you knew about this subject all too well and….”

“I never wanted anyone to make the same mistake as I did so I encouraged it. I encouraged the love between a Demon and a Human.”

Jaebeom smiled fondly at the memory of immature Mark huffing and puffing as he was given the Deity book. Karin struggled in the Rogue’s hold as she tried to voice her thoughts.

“But Master Jaebeom asked Chrysalis if she wanted to join his collection? Why would he want to take her away from Master if he already knew that Master was beginning to fall in love with her?”

“To make Master jealous! DUH! Master Jaebeom really pushed Master’s buttons about Chrysalis! I REMEMBER SEEING THAT FROM THE STAGE!”

Talia groaned in realization. That jealous look on her Master’s face as he took Chrysalis’ side to keep Jaebeom away from her. The Grand Master was fueling the flames of love.

Loreli furrowed her brows and she growled with drool dripping from her fangs. She was losing them!

“BUT! THE MASTER IS STILL A MONSTER! DID HE NOT ADMIT THAT HE ENJOYED KILLING MY FAMILY?! DID THEY NOT…..”

“Is the keyword here not “enjoyed”?”

Miss Mona retorted as a matter of factly and the Demons looked at the little Doll with rounded eyes.

She began to convey everything she had heard about the misunderstood Grand Master from the only person who knows him best, her best friend, his Marionette Victoria.

“Loreli you have been so blinded by your hatred, so consumed by your rage you did not allow time to heal your wounds. Things have changed. Master Jaebeom has changed and as idiotic as his actions were he is still wise and he has regretted and learned from his mistakes.

A Puppeteer must be approved by the Grand Master before they can begin with the practice he had created. If you are not worthy or responsible enough to take care of life such as a Doll why would he allow you to? Yes this makes humans sound like pets, animals, but we must not forget they are Demons and we can not judge them for this. It’s just who they are. Must we condemn poisonous animals because they have poison that can hurt us? It’s not their fault they were made that way.

When was the last time you heard of Master Jaebeom destroying a Doll because he grew bored of it? Rea was given to Master Mark because he didn’t want to kill her but he didn‘t want her as well anymore. Did he not give away many Dolls too so he could avoid killing them because he made them into what they were?

Did he not handicap the amount of Dolls a Demon could have? It had nothing to do with power as everyone thinks. It was so the Demon could learn to respect each Doll and in turn learn to cherish them. The Demon would learn to love them as beings and would want to collect them to help them, not to solely use them.”

She faced the Demons and pointed a finger at them with a motherly aura about her.

“You can’t say that you haven’t come to enjoy the company of these so called “feeble humans”? Jinyoung did you not enjoy talking literature with Mari? Did it not feel like she was just another friend or some sorts? Yugyeom you’re so blind to your love for Karin it’s absolutely precious. Jackson don’t you enjoy messing around with your Dolls as well? When not battling then you’d treat them out to a drink just like any other male friends? BamBam you enjoy anything created by humans especially the cellular phone and food! Youngjae do you not enjoy teaching your Dolls how to play for your orchestra and that feeling that you have when they smile at you gratefully for teaching them something new and beautiful? They share your interests just like any other friend and you bond over it just like with Talia.”

Thanks to Master Jaebeom and his creation of the Puppeteer society he has helped these old fashioned Demonic creatures to evolve and look past the status quo whether they realize it or not.

To not only feel sorry for the lower humans but to help them because that’s what decent beings do, they help those in need if it is in their power! Sure they’ll never be seen as equals, and it’s not like all Demons will be like this and accept humans, nor will they ever but all this progress was made because of you Loreli!”

Mona’s little body glowed, Chrysalis’ restoration of faith in Mark causing power to course through him thus empowering his soul to help her once again transform into the full sized human like Marionette she once was.

Her glassy eyes lit up blue activating her girls and the four Dolls smirked as they felt that familiar warmth of power envelope them and they broke out of the Rogues’ holds and returned to their Demons…..no….their friends.

Jackson and Mark lowered themselves excitedly to allow their Deities back on their necks and the group faced the true enemy at hand who was snarling in distain.

“WHAT KIND OF HUMANS ARE YOU!? HOW CAN YOU ABANDON YOUR OWN KIND!? HOW COULD YOU JUST FORGET EVERYTHING THAT THESE DEMONS DID!? HOW COULD YOU ALLOW OTHER HUMANS TO BE KILLED BY THEM!? TO GO THROUGH THE SAME EXPERIENCES WE HAD AS DOLLS!? TO FEEL THE PAIN WE HAVE!? TO SEE THE HORRORS WE‘VE SEEN!?”

Mari stood in between Jinyoung and Chanyeol and crossed her arms while pointing her nose in the air and she scoffed.

“As we said before the body is nothing but a vessel for a soul. These Rogues….their souls were eaten away by the Demonic soul in them and all you now control are their vessels. If they could speak of their own free will they would surely want us to release them from their suffering. To stop them from hurting anyone else!”

Talia and Youngjae took martial arts stances as the Demon replicated himself to even the odds.

“Yeah Mis-Witch! Demons, humans, animals, Mermaids….do they exist? Probably haha We’re all living creatures, we all have souls, we have our similarities and our differences. Demons are like us, making mistakes and growing from them. So they’re pig headed and full of themselves but at least now we understand that they’re evolving with our help as well! Master Jaebeom will be making even more rules to make being a Doll more fair to humans right Master?!”

“Of course Talia but I shall not forget that you just insulted us…..”

Karin held onto Yugyeom’s giant claw as he held her in his palm and she fought past her anxiety and glared threateningly at the evil Mistress making the maknae Demon grin proudly.

“We must not forget the good times we had because of Demons. If it weren’t for them we could be dead or worse, still living the lives we did before. Calling them Master, a life of servitude, personally I think it’s a small price to pay for them saving our lives. A thank you to them for giving us a second chance at life! I love my Master and his friends!”

Mark concentrated on Faun, a low grumble resonating from his throat. Calling out to her internally and putting more strength into activating her under the Mistress’ control.

“Come on Faun. Come back to me. I love you all and you know I always tell you this.“

Irina’s brows began to drip with sweat as she tried to keep the Demon out of the Doll’s head with her ability but it was no use, he was too strong.

The silver seal shattered on Faun’s neck and as her eyes began to glow blue she turned to Irina and shoved her over with incredible force and the sixth sister blurred back to her family.

“Sorry I’m late Master!”

She danced excitedly and hugged the Demon’s rugged forearm and he nudged her with his snout.

“Better late than never Darlin”

Faun turned to the Mistress and shook a fist at her annoyed and BamBam wanting to be a gentleman covered her exposed navel with his scaly tail.

“You give us humans a bad name! No! You’re not even human anymore! You have become that which you hated so passionately! You are a monster! You are even worse than them! Using the human Rogues to do your bidding! If you cared so much you wouldn’t have sent them into such a dire situation to begin with and instead you would have done everything to protect them!”

Loreli roared and commanded Namjoon to send his skeletal tail out like a saber and Chrysalis’ eyes glowed, her hand dancing in the air as she controlled Mark into smashing the on coming attack with his own mace like tail making the evil Demon screech in pain.

She petted Mark’s horn and smiled fondly at him.

“I remember Mark told me as a Puppeteer he found joy in controlling his Dolls and making them happy. He was always happiest when we were happy. He did everything he could to protect us, even forbidding me from leaving the house, because he loves us. I’m sorry I doubted you.  He is our Master and we are his Dolls and we must protect our Master thus is our Duty. And you Loreli, you must be disposed of for you are a threat to our Master!”

The Demons roared excitedly, pounding against the ground and blowing out steam as they prepared for battle. Chanyeol snarled and grew his spikes, doubling himself in size and the six activated Dolls looked at everyone and nodded as they spoke in unison.

“FINAL ROUND! LET’S PLAY!”
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Author Note: Please forgive me that this is significantly shorter than what I’ve been releasing recently (technically this is how short the chapters are supposed to be haha) but I’ve been feeling a bit out of it lately and I didn’t want to write the epic battle scene if I’m not 100% into it, you guys deserve better than that! haha So to make up for that at least we have Miss Mona back♥ Who freaked when she just showed up as a cute little Doll~ LORELI YOU’RE GOING DOWN NEXT WEEK! ON ANOTHER PLAYHOUSE: THE FINAL GAME m(_ _)m Are you ready to keep playing?