Magnificently Malcontent

Chapter 4

Thanks to the soundproofing spell Marvin used, Anti couldn't hear anything that took place in the hallway, but he didn't care. He still knew what was happening. It was all according to plan. Anti wandered around Marvin's room. To say that it was chaotic was putting it lightly, which was saying something coming from him. There were books and loose parchment littering the floor. Decks of cards of all sorts were on every surface. Equipment from the magician's past 'performances' were on the walls or put in the corners. Candles were tossed about haphazardly from Marvin's latest project.

The glitch laughed to himself quietly. Marvin's project. A noble idea in theory. Fix the glitch to protect his family. Unfortunately for the little magician, it meant prolonged exposure to Anti. Marvin lasted longer than Anti had thought he would, but they all break eventually. Marvin was so close to his breaking point that Anti could almost taste it. All it took was a few tug of the strings.

Anti looked down and nudged a stray book on the floor with his foot. It was one of the first books Marvin had looked in for answers. The old binding and worn pages were deceiving, though. It contained no secrets and few answers. It contained only lighter magic. Anti scoffed, thinking back to how naive Marvin had been in the beginning. He was careful to keep away from anything that his brothers would deem dangerous, besides Anti. One pull of the string. Why don't you try something a little more advanced, a little darker. Of course Marvin was resistant at first, as all of his puppets are in the beginning, but as Anti started introducing a bit of his static, the idea didn't seem so bad anymore. They won't find out anyway.

Once Marvin had started searching in his forbidden books, Anti pulled another string. JJ had walked in on Marvin doing his research one day. Run. He won't understand. Marvin did as he told without a second thought. That was when Anti realized just how good of a puppet he had found. After Marvin had made his way back to his room, Anti pulled again. Be careful, magician. You don't know what they'll do if they find out. Marvin's anxiety had always been a selling point for Anti. It was something he had worked hard to keep from his family but couldn't keep hidden from Anti. A little more static pushed anxiety to the point of paranoia. It was music to Anti's ears.

Marvin had listened more and more each day. His project turned into an obsession. Anti's ideas were put into practice. Unfortunately, his loyalty to his brothers kept anything further from happening. Marvin wouldn't do anything that he saw as a move against them. He wouldn't give in to the strings. Anti had almost thought nothing could get Marvin to that point until his outburst today. Static is so much easier to hide behind a carefully crafted wave of frustration, exhaustion, and anxiety. One more pull.

Anti looked at the door and caused his static to ring at an all time high in Marvin's head. Once it hit its peak, Anti tried something he had been practicing for months. He infused a glitch into his static. Anti only had to wait a minute to see the results of his experiment. Marvin slammed the door behind him and sunk to the floor. He sobbed and threw his mask at the opposite wall. Anti glitched out of the way to avoid it.

He took two confident strides over to Marvin and lifter his chin up. Marvin's red-rimmed eyes looked into toxic green ones yet again. One last tug at his worn-down strings. " I tried to warn you, little one ," the glitch put as much sympathy into his voice as he could muster, " They were never going to understand ." He moved his hand to the magician's cheek and felt him lean into the touch as more tears fell silently. Anti had finally broke him. " I understand. It's too much to handle now. Just let me take over. I can fix everything ." Marvin hesitated to answer, and Anti had to work hard to keep from yanking him by the hair. Anti could see the war happening within Marvin's head, but it wasn't one that Marvin would win. He nodded.

" Very good, little magician, very good ." Anti stepped backward as little red strings appeared from his fingertips. They attached to Marvin's wrists, ankles, and around his neck. As the strings pulled taut, his eyes went blank. The bright blue that usually shone underneath a spotlight, dulled to a steel gray. " Now let's put your skills to some real use, puppet ."