Chapter Text
"Know him?" Vic patted Tco, who was illuminated by the lights, and a picture materialized in his hand, held before his face.
A pure white stick figure, wearing a long, ash-white trench coat with flaming patterns creeping along its edges. And the most eye-catching, the most striking feature.
A cursor for a face.
Tco glanced at the photo in his hand. He knew him. How could he not? This was their lofty creator. But when he thought of his reconciliation with Him, and the changes He had undergone in recent years...
He gave the cursor in the picture a casual, dismissive look, shook his head, then looked up at Vic and said, "Don't know him."
*Lie.*
Vic said nothing, put the picture away, and began to circle Tco. Tco's body slowly straightened up.
Vic pulled the rope taut. Tco, powerless to resist, was tied to the back of the chair. Vic took the picture out again, his face expressionless, though his actions were slightly rushed. He subconsciously patted the photo in his hand.
"Where is He?"
The only response was the chair squealing and wailing from Tco's struggles. Vic kicked Tco. The chair was pulled back by the force of the motion.
The kick was strong enough to send him crashing into the wall, but the ropes binding him prevented it. A feeling of suffocation washed over him; his neck was choked raw, and the urge to vomit sat heavily in his throat, ready to burst forth.
He was yanked back.
Vic crouched down, displaying the picture once more. Tco could only express his fury with his eyes.
"Tell me. He. Where is He?"
His voice was low, cold, as if devoid of any emotion. Tco responded by lunging forward, headbutting him. Vic staggered back a few steps but didn't fall. Tco, however, fell to the ground from the momentum.
Vic's face remained impassive, but his furrowed brow showed his displeasure with Tco's lack of cooperation.
Third time's the charm. Vic loosened the ropes. Two subordinates entered, carrying a case containing the device he needed.
He grabbed Tco's head. The device hummed to life prematurely. Vic roughly forced it onto him, buckling it tight. Tco felt a slight pain before being shoved backwards again by the force.
A light screen appeared, countless copies of Vic flickering on the display. Vic waved his hand, a test or a command.
"Begin."
`memory_scanner.exe`
`<<REW`
The memories began to rewind. Vic raised his hand, first selecting a random point to represent the device's accuracy.
"Back."
"Further back."
The Agent complied. The scenes flowed backwards until they found the one he wanted. The one where he had once sought affection, craved love. And now, what he loathed, wanting to make Him suffer his revenge. To find the figure of the Creator.
To find the figure of Cursor.
`SIGNAL LOST`
The screen turned gray, noise flooding in. Vic immediately looked at Tco, who was desperately smashing his head against the floor. Vic helpfully "adjusted" his position, ending Tco's attempted escape.
Vic forcibly held his head in the correct position and issued his command, his instruction cold and emotionless.
"Continue."
Memories of Tsc surfaced, unleashing his power in a state of rage, wreaking havoc in that moment.
Vic turned and saw this very moment. He stared, incredulous. The Agent paused the playback. Tsc was just being locked in a cage. Vic glanced at it and looked away.
*The Chosen One.*
*The Dark Lord.*
*The Second Coming.*
Vic gritted his teeth at these names, jealous of the power they displayed. His hands involuntarily clenched into fists. He knew exactly who to direct this anger at.
This was His unique love for them. Vic refused to believe the so-called Creator had treated these sticks well after his own creation. One was imprisoned for years, one was born to be used, and the last was nearly deleted. But at least... He had put thought into their names.
*Victim.*
His name.
The name alone showed he was never loved by the Creator from birth, destined only for deletion.
Vic's emotions, facing deletion, had never been more intense.
He begged for the Creator's attention, pleaded for His love.
`Delete.`
`No.`
*Futile.*
The memories continued to rewind, finally freezing on an image of the Cursor.
Vic stared intently at the stick figure on the screen, his gaze burning, before finally turning away, shifting his focus to Yellow, the key to summoning the Creator.
The wanted poster was issued. The Agent prepared to call Vic to leave.
"Continue playing."
"Sir?" The Agent looked up, confused, but seeing Vic's fervent gaze fixed on the image of Him, he asked no further questions.
*Cursor.* His Creator. Manifested in that moment.
In a flash of light, Cursor coalesced into a physical form.
At first, He simply dragged the cursor across the screen with a surprising casualness, helping Tco repel Tdl.
*'He... is here.'*
Tco looked at Cursor's figure, his mind in turmoil.
The cursor slammed Tdl against the cliff face again and again. After tracing a graceful arc, it threw him into the sky, coordinating with Tco to land a hit.
*'Still so merciless.'*
The black hollowhead kicked Tdl in the abdomen mid-air. As Tdl was about to hit the sea surface, Cursor took control again, sending him flying back up.
*'If I admit my desire is still to receive His care...'*
*'No, it won't happen. How could He possibly...'*
Tco landed a few punches on his body, then pounced on Tdl again, only to be thrown aside. The latter was caught by the cursor. Tco used this to leverage his flame ability to fly towards the red hollowhead, but realized mid-fight what had just happened.
*'...He might have really changed.'*
Tco threw Tdl directly towards the apex of the cursor's path. Their coordination was perfectly **in sync**, without a single misstep. // (默契)
*'Has He really changed?'*
Tdl dove upwards, his dark red blade piercing Tco's body once, then twice. They fought until they were both bloody.
Blood darkened their coats and black shirts.
*'Do I desire for Him to change?'*
The cursor attempted to stop Tdl's assault, only to be slashed twice. The marks disappeared almost instantly. Tco and Tdl fell into the sea, one after the other.
*'Why do I care so much about this?'*
Tdl immediately spotted the expressionless Tco and rushed over, attempting to strike him. The black hollowhead didn't react at all, just stared at the approaching Tdl. He was waiting for something.
He was waiting for Cursor to truly prove He had changed.
*'At least, show me, Creator.'*
Just as Tdl was about to succeed, the cursor appeared just in time to block the blow.
Tco instinctively raised his arms to protect himself, but his eyes held an unmistakable hint of a smile. He tried to smirk mockingly through the cursor at Tdl on the other side. Once the cursor took Tdl away, Tco was startled by his own thoughts. He **stared blankly** in the sea for a long moment before surfacing, glancing at Cursor with a flicker of something complex he himself couldn't understand, before rejoining the battle. // (呆滞)
*'Do I... love Him? Love Cursor? Or the person behind the screen?'*
Cursor watched the battle, His gaze constantly on Tco, pulling the black hollowhead to safety at the first sign of danger, while also dodging attacks from the red hollowhead.
*'The one who gave me life, named me, gave me power. Yet also committed grave "sins."'*
Tdl shattered the rocks hurled at him and chose to summon his pet spiders.
*'My thoughts are too chaotic. Can I love Him despite all this?'*
Cursor stood beside Tco, watching the red spiders. He was the first to lose patience and launch an attack. Seeing this, Tdl spread his hands, sneering at the cursor surrounded by spiders and getting closer—just a little more. Just a little more.
*'Perhaps the core programming of every hollow stick figure is the Creator.'*
Just a little more and He would reach him.
"What a pity, oh great Creator. Hope you admit your defeat this time."
*'Because no matter how chaotic, how intolerable...'*
"Killing one's creator is an excellent plan. Oh, don't be angry, I'm only talking about the **hypocritical** facade you showed us. After all, I've never seen the real you." // (虚伪)
The cursor was dragged underwater but immediately reacted, bursting back to the surface. Affected by the spiders, the cursor began to lose control. Tco broke through the encirclement, unleashing his flame ability to its **limit**, trying to drive away these pets of the red hollowhead. // (极限)
*'In the end, I can't help but crave it.'*
"I just *'love'* you so much! Creator!!"
*'Because once He's gone...'*
Caught off guard, he had just kicked away a few annoying spiders when Tdl suddenly appeared and attacked him, slamming him against the rock face of the cliff.
*'...it feels empty inside.'*
"These years without seeing you, I've felt so hollow, like I've lost my soul!!"
*'And in that emptiness...'*
"Great Creator, it's time for you to exit the stage."
*'...they go mad for it.'*
Tdl only felt the exhilarating thrill of battle. Gazing at the cursor being devoured and the figure gradually fading away, Tdl automatically assigned Him an arrogant label. The Creator's expression was blank, even at this moment retaining an aura of sacred inviolability.
*'He won't die.'*
*'So we hunt and kill with abandon.'*
Tdl focused his attention on Tco. The spiders swarmed. Tdl resisted desperately.
*'Otherwise, Tdl wouldn't be able to bring himself to do it.'*
*'Otherwise, how could I have brought myself to do it?'*
Vic watched the image of the Creator with something like **obsession**. // (痴迷)
What did his years of hatred amount to?
He helped Tco in his fight against Tdl.
He blocked Tdl's fatal blow aimed at Tco.
He caught Tco when he fell.
And in the end, He was still eliminated by Tdl and his pets.
But every stick figure knew He hadn't truly died.
Had He reformed? Vic didn't care.
The power displayed by Tsc shocked and envious him, but he had no interest in watching Tsc beat up Tdl. He ordered his subordinate to fast-forward. Then, that figure appeared again.
Tco and He shared a silent look. Though not a word was spoken, one could feel the reconciliation between them.
He appeared again, holding Tsc in his arms.
As the four colors hugged Tsc, Tco felt respect for this junior. He was surprised to learn Tsc remembered nothing. Cursor looked at Tco again.
`[New Text Box]`
`[Tdl is dead?]`
Tco nodded in response. He could sense Cursor pausing, probably surprised that his creation could die like that.
`[Is there anything you want to say to me?]`
Tco shook his head.
`[Well, this is really disappointing.]`
`[It doesn't matter, I have something to say to you anyway.]`
`[I'm sorry.]`
Tco stared blankly at the text box, opening his mouth as if to say something but not knowing what.
`[I'm taking the children away.]`
Cursor typed **rapidly**. After Tco finished reading, He selected all, deleted, and typed again. // (飞快)
`[I'm glad to see you again. You are always welcome here if you like. As long as you don't destroy my computer >:)]`
Tco looked puzzled at Cursor. Before he could speak, He continued "talking."
`[If you want to know why]`
`[I think it's cool how you protect me :P]`
`[see you again✌︎( ᐛ )]`
Though His face was expressionless, the little emoticons created a sense of incongruity that Tco found strange. Tsc and the four colors waved goodbye to him. Tco stood alone on the spot.
*'Perhaps..... I'm becoming like Tsc....?'*
"Sir, you're getting too engrossed," Agent Shan reminded cautiously.
*'Why? Why can they have it, but I can't?!'*
*'My birth was not blessed by god.'*
Vic slowly straightened his sleeves. His rare grey shirt and tie, with a black jacket casually draped over his shoulders, gave him a uniquely imposing air. His hatred for Cursor grew deeper, as did his jealousy of The Second Coming and the others.
A twisted psychology of conquest, possession, and even destruction swelled silently within Victim's heart.
It's fine. Vic would help the Creator meet them in person.
This plan had been in preparation for many years.
This is something I've be
en preparing for years.
I hope you will like it.
And don't you dare avoid this *special treatment* meant just for you. // (待遇)
I will finally catch you, Creator. Cursor. My spiritual pillar.
Or—
—Alan Becker.
To the Creator.
Victim