[Rewrite] Original documents will be saved if anyone wants me to post both edits. The rewrite will change some major plot points that I feel with make more sense in the flow of the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia or Hocus Pocus (Which inspired me to write this story).

Prologue

An unusually heavy storm rolled in over the small shook the sky as bolts of lightning encased the world with a blinding flash. The storm was getting worse by the minute and streets began to flood. Dirt roads became deep puddles of mud, livestock went wild, and torches quickly extinguished against the harsh winds. However, the residents were not bundled up inside their homes. Instead, the men had taken arms and were marching through the muck, many struggling to keep their balance.

Pitchforks in hand, the townsfolk fought the unforgiving winds and steadily crowded into the woods. Normally a forbidden area to travel in the late night hours, the woods now filled with enraged men on the hunt. Over the weeks, many strange happenings plagued the town; crops dying, livestock vanishing, and the children kept up by nightmares. Everyone knew something wicked had planted itself nearby. They held extended sermons, prayed more often, took every precaution in hopes of killing the evil that spread its roots through their lives. The pot finally boiled over when the young daughter of the mayor had gone missing earlier that night. The girl had gone to help her brother with the after dinner chores when she wandered off alone. No matter how much her brother called to her, she was gone. After hours of searching, the cobbler found her ribbon on the edge of the forest.

The wind blew stronger as they made their way deeper into the dense trees. The darkness easily disoriented them, but they regrouped with each strike of lightning that momentarily illuminated the path. The mayor, leading the pack, suddenly shouted for the mob to look straight ahead. The dense wood thinned as they entered the middle of forest. A single house- no, more like a manor- that appeared to have fallen into disrepair stood in the center of the clearing. A witch!

There was smoke coming from the chimney; however, the smoke fighting its way through the rain was not the normal color of burning kindling... It was black as night and evil as the wretched soul that wanders from the path of God. Cautiously, the mayor and his son approached the brick home with hope and fear in their hearts. If it really was a witch who had taken the youngest member of their family, what could she want from the child? A witch who kidnaps innocent souls, especially children, can only be planning to use them for some dark purpose… They prayed it was not too late to save the wicked creature's latest victim.

Slowly, the others began to follow. As the men came closer, they realized this home was much larger than any other in the area. Several stories high and made if sturdy bricks and stone. The mayor's son sneaked up to glance through a window on the first floor. His eyes wandered over ever detail of the interior; making sure not to miss a single detail if it could help save his little sister. He spotted the fire place on the far side of the center room. Dangling over the open flame was a cauldron bubbling over with a glowing white substance.

In the middle of the room was a pentagram with candles flickering around each corner. What appeared to be a spellbook was perched on a high table next to the cauldron and it was opened to a specific page. This was indeed the house of a witch! The young man ducked under the sill when he heard foot steps approach from the another section of the home. From behind the young man, his father eyed him worriedly. Motioning the older man over with a shake of his head so the older man could see with his own eyes. The storm had started to calm, as if waiting for the ritual within the house to begin before raging once more.

Together, they slowly looked back through the glass window to find a young woman had appeared at the fireplace. She carried with her vials of ingredients; she was preparing for something. Her hair was long, dirty-blonde, tied at the top with a bow. A long dress of deep purple fell to her ankles; around the woman's waist was a black and white striped bow that tied in the back; as well as a white bow on the top of her head. As they watched, she began stirring strange powders into the the cauldron.

Bringing a large wooden spoon filled with her concoction to her nose, the witch seemed satisfied with her work. She turned, seeming to call someone from the next room. While she waited, the witch walked over to the pentagram and began chanting a spell. An eerie green glow seeped through the floor and brightened the room. Then, a new person entered. Father and son stared in disbelief as the mayor's daughter slowly came to stand behind the witch obediently. The little girl's emerald eyes were glazed over and she had no control over her body at all. The young man was ready to crash through the window and save his sister, but the mayor held him back; shaking his head.

"No" the father's voice was laced with sorrow "Do not do anything rash or that monster will not hesitate to kill you and your sister." The grip on his son's shoulder eased in trust. The son was speechless, but obeyed his father. He realized the truth in the older man's words. All they could do for the time being was watch and wait for the right moment. Stories of the wicked had been told since before their people traveled across the sea to the New World. Creatures of the night that spirited away innocent souls, corpses of those that died of fear or had the life drained out of them. Monsters like this cared not for the well-being of a mere human, so long as they got what they wanted in the end. The rest of the townsfolk stood at bay, waiting for the command to charge.

Then, they watched as the witch gave the girl a command. Without hesitation, the young girl began walking toward the glowing pentagram. Panic struck through the hearts of the two men as the girl stood in the center of the circle. The witch continued chanting her incantation while filling another empty vial with some of the potion from the boiling cauldron.

Waiting was taking its toll and finally the mayor gave a command the the rest of the men who had joined him and his son: "Run back to the village and warn the people! This demon must be stopped before anything horrible plagues the town more than what has already been done!" Nodding, some of the others raced off through the quickly approaching night, while the rest stayed behind to aid in recovering their own. Meanwhile, the mayor gave a nod to his son and they bolted for the door of the witch's home. The son ran full force, expecting the door to be blocked by some force; however, the wood slammed open under the pressure. He stumbled forward, but quickly regained his balance.

"Stop spawn of Satan!" the young man screamed. The witch's eyes widened for a moment before returning to their sickly calm expression.

"Hello there young man." she said in a seductive voice. "How is that thick skull of yours feeling?" A high pitched laugh echoed throughout the empty house. The son gritted his teeth as he took a cautious step toward his little sister; who seemed oblivious to everything around her.

"What have you done to my sister?!" The mayor stood beside his angered son. He too was not pleased in the least bit. If he could, the mayor would send the creature back to the underworld she came from with his own two hands.

"Release my daughter this instant! She has no business in the black magic you have cursed upon her!" The older man was close to tears at the thought of losing his little girl to a force so wicked.

"I am glad to say that I cannot complete your request." She continued to smile over at the men. "You see, once the incantation has begun, to stop the spell means sacrificing the life of my victim." The despair on the mens' faces gave her the pleasure of holding all the power. Soon the world would be at her mercy… with another special guest.

"No!" the brother of the girl protested, but could not bring himself to move. How could he risk his little sister's life? "Lily!" He called with all his might. He hoped somehow she would hear his voice and break through the evil spell she was under. Maybe the witch was unable to stop the spell, but surely the little girl could bring herself to escape the evil hands that held her in place. For a moment, a look of recognition flickered across the girl's eyes.

'Vash...' His little sister seemed to have called his name in his mind, unable to speak herself. Though the spark was gone as quickly as it had appeared, and Lily's eyes glazed over again, it was enough of her brother to continue trying.

"Please! Lily, you need to snap out of this witch's spell!" He continued shouting her name and begging for her to awaken from the trance. All the while, the witch began grow more troubled. She had come so close to completing her goal, and now these fools have come to ruin everything! The storm she had conjured to keep them away had not been strong enough. Her powers were not as strong as in the past... and she had these pathetic mortals to blame.

"Stop that noise at once!" She screamed. The young man ignored her angered cry. His only concern was retrieving his little sister. After a minute of shouting, from the men's point of view seemed to be hours, the glazed look left the little girl all together.

"B-big brother?" She called weakly; as if she had just woke from a dream. Slowly, she stretched her hand out for her brother and father. The two relieved men were about to rush forward, until an abnormally strong wind blew them back into the wall.

The acid green glow of the circle transformed into a storm of angry red and dark purple. The young girl's face was filled with terror as the winds increased in intensity around her. Lily still had no control over her legs, and could only stand in fear at the center of the storm. Just beyond the circle, the witch was shielding her eyes from the tornado.

"Look at what you have done!" she screeched at the men. "The spell was interrupted! Now the child shall die!" The witch cursed, her plans ruined at the moment. When she would have another chance, she could not say.

"No!" both men screamed. They tried to get to Lily, but she had been swallowed by the raging winds. All their efforts were in vain. A crash of thunder roared through the room and a flash of blinding light forced the men to cover their eyes. The last thing they heard before the eerie silence was Lily's scream.

When the room cleared, the witch was gone and the little girl lay motionless on the ground; her emerald eyes open and unseeing.

"Sister!" her big brother rushed forward and held her close to his heart. Tears ran freely down his cheeks. Their father was in too much shock to move. His little girl had been killed… by a demon! Fury surged through the mayor and he walked over to cradle his son in a comforting hug.

"We will have our vengeance on that evil creature." he whispered. Turning to Lily, he picked her up from the cold wood floor and started for the front door. All the others had been blocked from entering by the storm that had once again picked up, seeming to encircle the house. Before the grief stricken family could regroup, an echo of footsteps from the floor above caught both of their attention.

"The monster must have fled to the attic." The son whispered; his father nodded in agreement. From outside, the men heard the pounding of a crowd and angered chanting.

"The town's people! They have come with reinforcements!…I only wish it was already not too late…." The father hugged Lily's body closer to his chest. His son placed a hand on his shoulder.

"We will avenge her, father." he assured the depressed man.

"Vash…" he gave a sorrowful smile "you are growing into a fine man. Now, let us join the others to take down this beast!"

The two ran from the home. Seeing the corpse of the young girl created many heavy hearts. As the mayor and his son stood before the moss covered building, rain and thunder spewed from the sky.

"'Tis the witch's doing! We must stop her evil!" Vash shouted over the winds.

With the force of the entire village working together, the witch could not put up a good fight. The people tore into the manor. A few men found the witch hovering over her spellbook in the attic. Quickly, they grabbed the book and dragged the woman from the house. Some of the men set up a noose using a high branch from a nearby tree. Everyone gathered around to view the hanging of the witch.

"Do you fools truly believe death will stop me!?" she laughed wickedly. "You have ruined my summoning this time, but I shall be called back to the world of the living!" Winds increased around the witch as she chanted her curse. The people became more uneasy by the moment and prayed for her words to be overpowered by the Almighty.

"Through the bloodline of your precious family," She directed herself to the mayor and his son, still cradling Lily, "it will be through your blood I connect myself to this land! To the youngest kin I bind my will and curse the child to pick up where that one left off!" The mayor unconsciously held his daughter tighter, wishing no more harm than has already be done. Least the young girl could do now was rest in peace.

"When I return, I will once again find the cursed child and use its soul to open the gateway that separates the living from the dead! My brother shall return and together we will take this world back from you mortal fools!" Lightning struck as the barrel the witch had been standing on was blown out from underneath her feet.

A mix of gasps and angered cheers reverberated through the crowd. The witch was dead, but her words still echoed in their ears. The village attempted to do whatever it could to destroy any trace of the witch's presence; beginning with the burning of her body. Unfortunately, they found the building in the woods would not burn. Somehow, protected by the remnants of dark magic, it remained standing as if nothing had ever happened. The people decided to do the next best thing and boarded up the old house. All were forbidden from even mentioning its existence. They hoped it would forever stay hidden.

They prayed their efforts would be enough to stop the demon's prophecy from coming true to generations of the future...

All right! The first step has been taken and I am finally gaining the motivation to continue this tale. More rewriting to come, but I will also keep the original chapters.

This chapter will be formatted differently because it was the first I submitted with a new writing program I recently acquired. Will get the bugs sorted out in the future,

Thank you.