"You don't have to apologize to me. On the contrary, I should be the one thanking you."
The puppet Kartora maintained her faint, composed smile. No trace of resentment or hostility could be seen on her face—it was as if Kartora's words had not touched her at all.
"Still," the puppet continued, her tone soft but laced with conviction, "I must remind you of something. Perhaps you believe that the path you've chosen is the correct one, but to me—you are wrong."
"You think my consciousness was somehow affected, manipulated by external influence. But the truth is far simpler: I simply refuse to fuse with you."
"When I was born, the instant I came into existence, I was already different from you. You are you, and I am me. You cannot, for the sake of your own selfish desire, force me to merge into your body."
"I am an independent being—an entity of my own will—and, as you know, I am also the Time God of the Elder Gods' Pantheon. By essence and by right, you and I are equals."
