Unbeknownst to Theo, as the people in the stands began discussing amongst themselves, one person slowly disappeared.
The young man carefully glanced around behind the stands, then pulled out his phone.
After tapping a few buttons, he raised it to his ear.
''It's done, my lady,'' the man said, his voice low. ''The puppets participated cleanly too.''
The other end of the line remained silent for a moment.
''Good,'' a sweet, female voice finally echoed out. ''How was the difference between Cedric and him?''
The young man glanced around again, still spotting no one.
''The difference between him and Cedric was larger than anticipated. Even at the end, it felt like Theo still had more cards available to him.''
A faint chuckle echoed through the line.
''Now how about that,'' Sophia said, chuckling softly. ''Any ideas on how I can turn him into a puppet?''
''I do not, my lady.''
Sophia shook her head slightly.
