WARNING: Rated T for mentions of death, light gore, and disturbing themes around possessive behavior.

EDIT 04/23/2020: In order to clarify some later themes, I have made some minor changes. This was originally a oneshot, but I ended up running with it to make a story. So, just making it a little cleaner. ALSO, all chapters are optimized with mobile reading. This means that it might look a bit odd on computer. Sorry.

Each chapter has a warning (like above) and a rating. This is because this story gets GRAPHIC. If you are uncomfortable with certain topics regarding torture, genocide, severe obsession, or related themes, I do have those warnings in front of each chapter. Please take them seriously.

Italicized Sentence: The Batter thinking to himself/Text from the Visor

Italicized Word: Emphasis

Italics Underlined: Mental Breakdown

Bolded Words: Heavy emphasis

Bolded Words behind "::" : Game Text

It was done.

All he had to do now was pull the switch. He had to turn it all off, start the world over. That was his mission, the reason he had been guided through his task so efficiently. Sharp nails idly clicked together as he mused, nicking his palms.

Guided… Yes, his little puppeteer was quite adept at combat. At purification. Oblivious to his machinations, only doing what was needed to complete the assignment. Yes, his little puppeteer had been easily manipulated. Did that make him the puppeteer, and his Player the puppet? It was of no matter.

His task was complete.

Tapping his foot against his fallen bat, he paused. Now, where was his precious perfect little puppeteer? The Batter could not recall. He had not seen her since he had smashed annihilated gored the cat with his claws and bat. How could he have been so lax in her safety?

It was everything. Everything everything everyeverythingeverything

Turning around, he could see her sitting so nicely against the wall, clutching the cat's limp corpse what was left. Striding over, he could see her shoulders shaking in delicious sobs. It brought pain to his chest. His pure little puppeteer, his infallible Player, was hurting. Had that cat, the Judge, hurt her during the battle? Lifting her, he searched her skin for injuries. There were none, but he still cradled her smaller form to his body. Little smudges of black stained her skin from the cuts on his palms.

A wracking sob against his chest. "Batter…" He pulled her tighter against him, willing his Player to speak. What had her so distraught? "Batter, are we doing what's right? We've caused so much pain, done so much wrong. Is this worth it?" He locked his arms, like bands of steel, closing his eyes.

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

The smallest of frowns flit across his face. It was odd, but he could barely remember a time before his task. Faint wisps of memory, sounds flasHES, but nothing solid. Odd, but it did not matter to him much. Life was nothing before his Player was assigned to help him with his task, to help him fix it all. His perfect puppeteer.

"Yes," a deep breath, "it will all be worth it." Standing up, he carried her over to the switch. He felt his skin begin to strain, tearing with wet rips. His limbs crack as he grew taller, arms lengthening, fingers growing into points. His face stretches to fit his changing face, teeth clicking as the points come in. A grin grew upon his muzzle, as black blood dripped down his teeth. He had nothing left to hide anymore, it was all over and done with. His four eyes glanced down at his puppeteer, slightly worried; she still cried, though it was softer now.

Resolve burned like her skin did against his own in his chest as he grasped the switch. Her work, her suffering, it was all for this moment. This was the culmination of all of their hard work, all of it soon to be worth it. He locked eyes with his Player, who looked up at him with teary eyes. There was no fear, no disgust. No, his Player was always so accepting of his actions, no matter how gruesome they were. No matter how many times he had eaten the flesh raw, is teeth and bat stained such a beautiful red with blood. No matter how many times he had killed and killed and killed and killed and killedandkilledandkilledandkilled and ate and ate and ate and ateateateateateate, she did not judge his actions. She had only accepted, his perfect puppeteer.

Now, he had to leave her.

Or she would be leaving him. Whichever turned out to be correct. His mission was done, she would have no reason to stay and him… well, after the switch was flipped, there would be nothing all gone, so qUIet from this world left. Including him.

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

The switch is now OFF.

And the Batter remembered.

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

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

She never got to leave him, he never had to leave her. It just kept repeating over and over and over again. He never remembered until the quest was done, but that made it all the sweeter. It was a reset of everything, back to the beginning of their story. Because that is what it was, their story. It had nothing to do with the rest of the world; the Elsen, Dedan, Enoch, Japhet, the Queen, Hugo, Valerie, Judge, Zacharie, the Spectres.

None of them mattered.

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

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

"Will you restart?" He spun, stained red eyes piercing the darkness to find the familiar voice.

"Will you finally let us all go?" The Batter's snout grew a terrible grin.

"Now, Zacharie, you know better than to ask." He straightened, the Batter towering over Zacharie, whose empty eyes stared from his mask. He had known the Batter would answer as he always did, but he still had hope. Hope that one day, one gloriously beautiful day, he would stop the loop.

"Restart our story."

::Your name is (), correct?

::Welcome then, ().

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

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

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

::Zone 0 is his first destination. Good luck.

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

The florid yellow ground under his feet was surprisingly firm, as he stood motionless, waiting. It was only a few moments before a burst of light and sound had it been so quiet appeared at his side. Turning, he was surprised to see a small woman looking back at him with large eyes. His surprise was soon overtaken by his awe; he could see the purity pouring out of her skin, brushing against his soiled skin, making his hold on his disguise ripple faintly.

Something hot filled his chest. Joy. He did not understand. Was it because she was the embodiment of what he was to do, or was it that her arrival heralded the completion of his quest, when it finally ended? Neither rung true, but he knew; this little Player held the fate of this world in her tiny hands. He had to ensure her safety and health, for his mission, for this world…and oddly, for himself.

But not really, because that did not make sense.

EDIT 04/22/2020: Okay, so after a long time, I have finally come back and begun to update this story. Before I can post new chapters however, I need to edit the previous ones for the GLARING mistakes that I can see. This is being crossposted on AO3 as well, same title and username. Holy crow guys I have literally tried to format and upload this 10 times now. Fingers crossed. FF is really fighting me on this.