Belos stood in front of Hunter as he looked down at him. He was wearing his golden mask and robes. "Hunter..." he said. "I see that you have completed your mission, successfully, this time. Good job." Hunter looked up at him with disbelief.
"Is that really all you have to say?" he asked.
"Is there something wrong?" Belos asked.
"I'll tell you what's wrong," Hunter got up and walked over to the table, picking up the book and tossed it down. The book landed on the floor, right at Belo's feet. "What is this? Why does this book have an image that looks like me on it!?"
"Hunter, come with me to the throne room and I'll explain everything," Belos said. "Just the two of us." He tried to reach out to Hunter, but Hunter pulled away from him.
"Why should I believe anything you say? You've been lying to me my entire life?!" Hunter shouted, angrily.
"Hunter..."
"No! This time you are going to listen to me! I trusted you! I looked up to you!" Hunter yelled. "I gave everything for you! How could you do this to me!?"
"ENOUGH!" Belos roared out loudly. Hunter went silent. Fear began to slowly rise throughout his entire body as he saw Belos began to inch closer to him, Hunter backed up slowly with each step. He had to get away. Away from this place. Away from him.
"You dare raise your voice to me, boy!" Belos snapped. "I gave everything to you and this is how you repay me, with disloyalty?" Hunter turned his head away from him. Belos gripped Hunter's cheeks with his hand, making him look at him. "You want answers so badly, I'll give them to you." He released Hunter, who stepped away from him, but backed into the table behind him.
"You weren't born, Hunter, but created. Your purpose is to be a vessel, as a new body for me. Just as the Titan had planned."
"You crazy if you think that I'm going to let that happen," Hunter narrowed his eyes, angrily glaring up at him. "Just because you claim that it is the "Titan's will." Belos turned his head then he let out a dark chuckle and laughed.
"Oh? And where do you think that you will go? You have no one to turn to. You have no friends, no family..." he asked. "Eventually, you will come back to me."
"My liege, I have returned," Kikimora interrupted as she walked down the stairs, but stopped when she saw Belos and Hunter. She narrowed her eyes, glaring viciously at Hunter before turning to Belos. "And I have some good news as well that I think that you will be very happy to-"
"This is not a good time, Kiki," Belos cut her off, not even looking at her. Kikimora's eyes widen and let out a growl.
"It's not fair!" she shrieked. "Why does the golden guard get special treatment!? I've done everything just as much as he did! I have brought you more of the Galderstones that you needed!" She dropped them down on the floor in front of her. Belos glanced down at the stones, then to her. "I've never asked you to do so in the first place." Kikimora stepped back away from him, a little stunned by his response before she made a wicked evil smile.
"Well, did you know how he got one in the first place?" she asked. "The golden guard's being lying to you the entire time. He's being holding a palisman from you!" Hunter's eyes widen in horror. He could feel Lil rascal, shaking underneath his cloak. Belos quickly snapped his head back towards Hunter.
"You say that I've being lying?" Belos chuckled. "Should I say the same for you?" Hunter moved away from him but, couldn't go anywhere as he was stuck in a corner.
"Give it to me, now, Hunter" Belos demanded, holding his hand out towards Hunter. Hunter shook his head, his hands were starting to shake. Fear and panic began to pulse through his entire body.
"No..." Hunter stammered, nervously, as he looked directly into Belo's eyes.
"I don't believe I've heard you right. No?" Belos asked. "You have the one thing that can help me, but decide to keep it for yourself, as a pet."
"Lil rascal is more than a pet! He chose me!" Hunter shouted at him. "He is my friend."
"Hunter, that thing is made of wild magic," Belos replied, coldly. "It is dangerous. Now, I am giving you one last chance to hand it over. One..."
"Uncle, it's not dangerous as you think!" Hunter insisted.
"Two," Belos continued, counting. He summoned a staff out of thin air, red magic started to glow at the tip of the staff then pointed it at Hunter.
"Please, don't do this..." Hunter cried. "I don't want to fight you!" Strangely, Hunter saw Belos hesitate for a moment, before he gripped his staff tightly in his hand. A blast of magic fired from the staff heading straight at Hunter.
Suddenly, everyone heard a small chirp and Lil rascal flew out from Hunter's cloak, deflecting the blast of magic. Everyone stood in silence in shock to see the palisman, also surprised to see that it deflected the magic as well.
"WHAT?!" Belos blue eyes widen from behind his mask, in shock, seeing the little red cardinal bird. "It can't be..."
"I'll help my liege!" Kikimora shouted. Lil rascal quickly turned to Hunter, chirping urgently.
"Hunter, we must leave now!" Hunter shook his head, breaking out of his shock. Lil rascal had saved him again! He quickly grabbed Lil rascal as he turned into a staff and took off, teleporting in a flash of yellow light. He appeared near Kikimora as she blocked the only exit out of the basement.
Belos watched as Hunter left, while Kikimora tried to shoot him down. Hunter tried to dodge some of her blast, when one stray shot hit him in the back. Hunter grunted in pain, as he felt as searing burn from his back.
"Get back here, traitor!" Kikimora shrieked.
"Hunter, are you alright?!" Hunter heard Lil rascal chirp frantically. He tried to fight off the pain as tried to maneuver the palisman. Hunter glanced back at Belos one more time, seeing that he still hadn't moved from his spot. Why isn't he attacking? Hunter brushed off the thought, and made several yellow blasts of magic firing at Kikimora. The blasts went out of control as they bounced around the room. A blast knocked Kikimora right off of her feet, knocking her down. Hunter flew past her, heading straight towards the stairs to leave the basement.
"We're getting out of here, Orion," Hunter told the red cardinal.
The two flew up the stairs, passing through the invisible wall, which startled two guards in the hallway as well, as they came through.
"Stop him!" Kikimora screeched to the guards, ordering them to capture Hunter. Hunter managed to dodge some of their spells casted at him, zipping down the hall on Lil rascal. Up ahead, Hunter saw that he was coming to a dead end hallway with several tinted colored windows. He crashed through a tinted glass window of Belos with a giant titan hand behind him, shattering it. He had managed to escape!
"You are all useless! Every single one of you!" Kikimora shouted, furiously berating the guards. "You let him escape!"
"Kikimora, let him go for now," Belos told her as he walked up the stairs, approaching her, stopping her. "It is what the titan had planned. He will come back."
It was dead in the middle of the night, as Hunter flew in the starry moonlit sky. He gripped the key hanging around his neck. He can't believe that he did that. His uncle must be completely furious with him right now. He was still in shock about the whole situation, trying process of it all. What can he do now? He had no where else to go. Where else could be go? No one would want a powerless witch. Hunter grunted in pain as he felt a sharp piercing sting on his back where Kikimora hit him with a spell. Soon, Hunter saw that his vision was getting blurry every time that He blinked, trying to stay awake. He was tired and exhausted. He can feel blood running down his back, from the wound, staining through his cloak.
He had to get help.
He heard Lil rascal chirping frantically, worried.
"Hunter, you've got to stay awake. We're almost there."
Hunter groaned as he tried to keep his eyes open. He can feel the last of his strength draining from his body. Lil rascal began to lower down as he declined. Hunter vision went dark after that. He fell off of Lil rascal and collapsed onto the ground on his back, in front of a tall house. It surrounded in a dense forest, with a huge window with a eye design, a broken tower, sitting near the edge of the cliff.
Hunter heard Lil rascal chirping frantically, panicked. Hunter heard a strange sound of an owl hooting and more voices as they approached him then he passed out.
"The golden guard?!" Luz shouted. "Why is he here?!"
Azara stepped over to him narrowed her eyes as she frowned, seeing the grass underneath of Hunter stained with red. Lil rascal landed on her shoulder urging her, chirping desperately. She bent down and gently turned Hunter over on his side. She gasped when she saw the burn wound on his back. The others cringed as they saw it as well.
"We have to help him!" She turned to the them.
"Bring him inside," Eda told Azara and Luz and the two girls lifted Hunter up, King and John following behind them, carrying Hunter inside of the owl house.