Chapter originally published on 18/09/2022

Chapter revision 1.01 (31/10/2022): minor fixes.


Amity and Hunter deal with being stuck in a new world and discuss what to do next.


William stood there, arms spread out like he was giving some grand speech. He had just dropped the big news to the poor witch before him, who was left completely speechless. Her eyes had widened so much William feared they were going to pop out of her skull.

He lowered his arms and looked at Amity with rising concern. She seemed completely unresponsive.

"Uhm…"

Finally, a sign of life from the witch. A tense smile, followed by a nervous chuckle.

"You're joking, right?" She spoke with uncertainty in her voice.

He was about to reply, but Amity stopped him. "No, no, I get it. We're in another region of the Demon Realm. That must be how you call our world here," she speculated. William couldn't help but notice how she was straining to sound confident.

"Or maybe you were just trying to crack a joke to cheer me up," she guessed. Her façade started to crumble under the serious look William gave her.

"Because there's no such thing as a 'Titan Realm', right?" She put her arms around herself, as if trying to shield herself from the incoming hard truth. "R-right?"

He shook his head. "Unfortunately for you, it does exist."

The weak smile she was sporting a few moments ago evaporated. She had to bit her lips to stop them from quivering. She bowed her head and shut her eyes, trying in vain to stop the tears forming in the corner of her orbs. As if the mood wasn't already disheartening, the light coming from outside dwindled, the faint sound of thunder audible in the distance.

"No…" Amity whispered through clenched teeth.

"Kid?" he went to put a hand on Amity's shoulder to comfort her…

"No!"

…but she swatted it away.

She rose from the bed, anger dominating her features. "You're lying to me!"

"I'm not–" William never finished his sentence, for Amity swiftly conjured an abomination that entrapped him against the side of the room. In the impact with the wooden wall, he dropped the portal key.

"What are you doing!?" He cried in surprise.

She never dignified him of a response. Instead, she put on her boots as fast as she could, retrieved the key on the floor and ran away from the room.

"Stop!" He shouted as he struggled against the purple sludge. From the adjacent room, another door was heard opening.

All William could do was sigh loudly and shake his head.

"That's why I hate dealing with people…" He grumbled to himself.


Amity let her abomination deal with William while she left the bedroom. She scanned briefly the new room in search of the main door, not bothering to register in her mind any other detail. Once she found her target, she dashed to the door and opened it, revealing the outside world.

She ran.

It didn't matter in what direction, she just needed to put as much distance from William as possible. She couldn't listen anymore to the ravings of that witch… demon… whatever he called himself. She had been stupid to trust him; it was clear to her now that he was just trying to deceive her.

Amity kept running, clenching her teeth for the increasing pain coming from her abdomen. She was following a dirt road leading to what, if her sight didn't betray her, Amity assumed was a small village. She had to be quick, though; a glance at the sky revealed to her dark clouds coming in rapidly, followed by thunder. The last thing Amity wanted was to be cooked alive by the hot rain.

That distraction proved to be her undoing, for she didn't notice a small pothole ahead of her. That small oddity on the road surface, coupled with her speed, caused Amity to lose her balance. She put her arms in front of her face as she fell ruinously to the ground and rolled over for a few meters, until her body settled supine on the road.

Amity was sprawled on the ground, moaning in pain. Her hands were scratched by the contact with the dirt, the bruise on her abdomen aching more than ever. Her eyes reopened slowly, taking in the sky now dominated by grey clouds laden with rain.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she spotted droplets of water starting to fall around her. She put a hand in front of her face, closed her eyes and braced herself for the incoming boiling drops on her skin.

But they never came.

Instead, the nerves on her palm registered a cold sensation. She slowly opened her eyes once again and pulled herself up into a sitting position using her arms.

Soon, rain became more intense, but none of the drops were scalding Amity's skin. She brought one of her hands out in front of her, staring stupefied at the cold water accumulating in the palm of her hand.

Amity stood like that for some time, transfixed by the implications of such a simple meteorological phenomenon. She was so lost in her own world that she didn't notice William had caught up with her.

"Do you still think this is the Demon Realm, witch?" He asked sarcastically, not trying to hide his annoyance.

The only response he received was a faint sob.

William approached Amity and crouched next to her. Raindrops were sliding down her face, mixed with tears. Her lips were sealed shut, but not enough to prevent faint sobs to escape from her mouth. Her hair and clothes were starting to get humid from the rain. Overall, she looked quite miserable.

William sighed, no longer finding the will to further scold the poor girl in front of him.

"Come on, let's go back inside. You'll catch a cold if you stay here," he proposed, offering a hand to Amity.

Amity turned her head to the side to look at William's hand. After a few moments of hesitation, she timidly grabbed his hand, allowing him to help her up.

The two went back to the house without uttering a word, the only sounds accompanying them being their footsteps on the damp earth and the falling rain.


Once they reached their destination, William opened the door and let a soaked and downcast Amity in first.

While William closed the door, she took the chance to get a better look at the room.

It was slightly bigger than the bedroom, roughly consisting of half the building. Just like the bedroom, it didn't contain much furnishing. On her left were a small table and a few chairs, along with the doors to the bedroom and another room. On her right were a mannequin with a leather armor and a cloak, and next to it a chest. Continuing along the right wall, there were wooden cabinets, shelves and a window, while in the corner was a stone fireplace complete with pots and wooden logs waiting to be used.

On the wall in front of her were another window, and right below it an old couch. Lying down on it, Amity spotted none other than the Golden Guard, sleeping with a cloth on his forehead. His red cardinal palisman was perched on top of the backrest, guarding his master.

She gave Hunter a long stare, before being guided to the fireplace by William.

"It's past noon, I'm going to cook something. You should sit by the fire to dry yourself." he offered as he went to pick up one of the chairs from the table.

He settled the chair near the fireplace and gently invited Amity to sit down. "I'd give you a change of clothes, but…" He trailed off.

"It's fine," she muttered, her voice devoid of energy.

It was clear to William she wasn't 'fine', but he didn't press any further. He opened one of the cabinets and took out a small ampoule filled with a light green liquid. He pulled the cap off the ampoule and then handed it to Amity.

"Here, take a sip. It's a healing potion, it'll soothe the pain."

Amity silently took the ampoule and drank a small portion of the liquid. It tasted quite bitter, but at least it felt like the ache was immediately fading.

Once she was done drinking, William took the potion back and started working on their meal.

While he was cooking, Amity lost herself in thoughts. Not in a million years could Amity have imagined being in such a situation, and she was having a hard time accepting that it had really happened to her. Being transported to the opposite side of the world would've been one thing; it would've taken some time to get back home, yes, but it wouldn't have been so bad. Being sent to the Human Realm would've been more problematic, but at least Luz and the others were working on a new portal; since there was some Titan's Blood left in the lake, she could've simply waited for her girlfriend to come to her rescue. But this…

A whole new world, one nobody was aware of.

When William revealed it to her, she immediately refused to accept it. It was an absurd claim, after all. Who could've believed such a thing?

But then came the wild demon; that excluded the Human Realm.

And then came the cold rain; that excluded the Demon Realm too.

In that moment, the weight of her new reality fell on Amity, crushing her. How was she going to find a way to get home? Did Luz and her friends even have an idea of where she had gone?

Amity got distracted from her brooding by the faint moans coming from the blonde witch lying on the couch. Sweat was visible on his skin, and his face sometimes twitched into a grimace. Whatever dream he was having, it didn't seem to be pleasant.

Amity unconsciously clenched her fists as she scowled at him. He was the reason she was stuck there. It was all his fault.

"Here."

Amity was brought back to reality by William, who was handing her a bowl with a spoon.

"I'm running low on supplies, but at least there was something left for some soup."

Amity eyed the steaming bowl suspiciously, but accepted it anyway. Not wanting to disrespect her host, she began to eat the soup. Fortunately, it wasn't half bad, whatever it was made of.

"Thank you. You don't have to do all this."

"It's nothing, really. I know it must be a difficult time for you," he smiled, before glowering at her, "although, next time, I'd rather you don't pin me on the wall."

A faint blush came on her cheeks. "Y-yeah, sorry about that," she awkwardly apologized, too ashamed to look at him in the eyes. Which is what she did anyways after remembering something. "How did you free yourself anyway?"

"I have my ways," William casually replied without going into details. He retrieved a chair from the table to sit in front of the fireplace, between Amity and the couch, taking some soup for himself in the process. The two consumed their meal in silence, enjoying the warmth of the fireplace and the rhythmic sound of the rain on the roof.

William gave a glance at Amity. She was staring dejectedly at the dancing flames.

"So…" He began, gaining Amity's attention, "how do you feel?"

She looked down, crestfallen. "I feel… lost," she nervously ran her thumbs on the edge of the empty bowl in her lap. "I feel like I'm in some kind of nightmare, but it's all real," she sighed, "and I don't know what to do."

He nodded in understanding. "I think I know that feeling."

She glanced at him. "You do?"

"The circumstances were different, but in a way, yes. When your world decides to turn upside down all of a sudden and you're caught off guard?" He gazed at the fire in remembrance. "Yes, I've been there."

She looked down for a moment, mulling over William's words, before refocusing on him. "And how have you dealt with that?"

"To be honest, I'm not the most qualified individual to give you advice on that," he admitted, scratching the back of his head. "But I think you already know someone that can give you an example."

Amity blinked in confusion, not picking up his hint.

"That human girl you told me about earlier. She's in a similar predicament to yours, isn't she?"

Amity's eyes widened, as if she started to understand where he was getting at.

"I mean, from what I've understood, she's stuck in a different world from hers, just like you now," he recalled.

"Yes, that's true," Amity nodded. In a way, she was in a similar situation of her girlfriend. She couldn't help but wonder if Luz felt the same after the portal door was destroyed during her confrontation with the emperor.

"Did it stop her from looking for a way back, though?" Asked William.

"No, it didn't," she responded, smiling fondly. "Knowing her, now that she thinks I'm in the Human Realm, she'll work twice as hard to bring me home," she looked away, putting a hand on her cheek to hide a small blush.

William arched an eyebrow at Amity's reaction. "She must care a lot about you."

Her face flushed. "Y-yes, she's... very important to me."

A knowing smile crept briefly on William's face. "Then, if she would go to such lengths for you, maybe you should return the favor and get down to work too, don't you think?"

Amity looked at William with a resolute expression, gone was the glumness and dejection of before. He was right. If she really wanted to be part of Luz's future, then she just couldn't accept defeat at the first hurdle that presented itself between them. The Luz she knew never let herself be crushed by what the world had thrown at her, but she always fought back.

That's the girl Amity had learned to like.

Maybe even love?

Amity got up from the chair, facing William. "You're right. I should–agh!" Her fervor was abruptly interrupted by the now usual pain in her abdomen. Seriously, it was starting to get annoying.

"Whatever you want to do, I'm afraid it has to wait at least tomorrow," he chuckled.

"You said that healing potion would've resolved everything." She grumbled.

"Well, the scratches and cuts on your skin are gone," he pointed out, before donning a cheeky smile. "It's not my fault you keep moving around like a spring."

Amity wanted to reply, but she knew he was right. She sat on the chair, crossed her arms and pouted, much to his amusement.

After a brief chuckle, much to Amity's further annoyance, William glanced at the boy on his couch.

"What are you going to do with him?" He asked to Amity, frowning.

"What about him?" She replied bitterly.

"You're planning on leaving him here, aren't you?" He accused.

Amity didn't like where this was going. "He's the reason we're here. Abandoning him is the least I would do to him right now," she snarled.

"Amity," William called to her with a serious tone, "I understand your animosity towards him. Titans, I'd probably want to ditch him too if I was in your shoes, or worse," he admitted, "but if you really want to return to the Demon Realm, you'll need all the help you can get."

Amity couldn't believe what she was hearing. "He's nothing but trouble!" She shouted angrily. "The only thing he wants is my key, he'd betray me again at the first chance he gets."

"N-no…"

William and Amity's attention was drawn by murmurs coming from Hunter. He was fidgeting and twitching, as if he was fighting something in his nightmares. His face was twisted into a grimace, making quiet but desperate pleads to whatever he was facing.

"Please… I-I'm sorry..."

William stared at him with a neutral expression, before facing Amity again. "Why don't we listen to what he has to say on the matter, huh?" He proposed.

"Fine," Amity scowled, clearly not happy with his idea.


Hunter was running. All around him there was darkness. The only audible noises were his footsteps and his labored breaths. On his face, only unbridled fear could be found.

"Hunter…"

A voice was heard in the void, whispering his name. He increased his pace.

"Hunter." The voice called for him again, this time with a more authoritative tone.

He knew whose voice it was, so he picked up his pace even more, panicking.

"Hunter!"

The voice screamed from every direction, startling Hunter so much that he tripped over his own foot. He fell face down, sliding on the ground until he came to a complete stop. He rolled on his back, groaning in pain for the fall. When he used his elbows to lift himself up, he saw his pursuer slowly approaching him.

"You have failed me, Hunter."

"Emperor Belos…"

"Not only you disobeyed me, but you also failed to bring me the Titan's Blood," he glowered, his face hidden in his usual horned mask.

Hunter dragged himself backwards with his elbows, trying in vain to put more distance between him and his displeased superior.

"M-my liege, I c-can explain–" Hunter stammered in panic.

"After everything I've done for you, this is how you repay me?" Belos asked contemptuously.

Hunter gave up crawling. "I-I'm sorry…" He pleaded, tears now flowing abundantly from his eyes.

When Belos reached Hunter, his body started dripping a viscous, greenish substance.

"You're a disappointment," he declared with finality. Hunter watched in horror as the emperor's body twisted and contorted into a monstrous humanoid being. He looked like a very tall skeleton covered in black and green sludge and glowing bluish eyes. His head was reduced to a skull with white flowing hair, horns similar to the ones from his mask and glowing blue eyes. "And there is no place in the Titan's plan for a useless witch like you."

Hunter yelped as Belos grabbed him firmly by his arms and torso, bringing the panicking teen at the level of his skeletal face.

"Uncle! Please!" He implored in despair.

"Goodbye, Golden Guard. Your services are no longer needed."

Belos opened his mouth, causing Hunter to scream. He sank his teeth into his nephew's head, tearing his face apart in a bloody mess.


Hunter woke up just like he had finished dreaming: screaming in pure, unadulterated terror.

William had to restrain him, for he was flailing his limbs around as if to defend himself from an invisible enemy.

"Hey! Calm down! It's ov–" He never finished the sentence, for a stray punch from Hunter hit him in the jaw, causing him to stumble backwards.

Seeing as Williams was having some difficulties, Amity drew a circle with her finger, summoning an abomination that captured Hunter. He fell on the floor, ensnared by the purple slime.

"Thank you, Amity," said Williams, holding his jaw with his hand as if to check if it was still in its place. "Blondie packs a punch."

'Blondie' was currently trying to wriggle his way out of the abomination, a frightened look still present on his face.

William crouched in front of Hunter. "Calm down, whatever was trying to kill you in your dream is not here," he assured him. He gave a quick glance at Amity, before turning back to him. "Unless you were dreaming about her. In that case, I'm sorry for you." He whispered to him.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," he quickly replied to Amity.

"W-what's going on? Where am I? What is this place?" He asked rapidly while looking around in fear.

"Slow down, Blondie. I've got answer for all those questions, if you're willing to listen", William said as he helped Hunter sit on the couch. The red cardinal palisman, who had flown away startled by Hunter's awakening, resettled back on the backrest next to his master.

The next minutes were spent with William explaining to Hunter his current situation under Amity's watchful eye. Just like with the young Blight, Hunter refused to immediately believe in the existence of a third world beside the Human and Demonic Realms. Fed up with his stubbornness, Amity decided to take matters into her own hands by shoving Hunter out of the house, under the still falling rain. He remained there, motionless, knees deep in the mud, head tilted backwards, mouth slightly agape. He stared astonished at the grey clouds and the cold rain pouring down on him.

That did the trick.

And so, the three sat silently near the fireplace facing each other. Or rather, in Hunter's case, staring at the floor.

William's eyes switched between his two otherworldly guests. Amity was sitting on her chair with her arms crossed, glaring daggers at Hunter, while said blonde witch sat on the couch, abomination still wrapped around his legs, torso and arms, looking completely broken.

William harrumphed, gaining at least Amity's attention. "So, now that the whole 'we are in a new world' thing has been dealt with, I suppose you can move on to the 'find a way home' one."

"Maybe the solution it's closer than we thought," she said, bringing out the key. "We could use the blood contained into the key to create a portal."

"That's it? If it was that simple, then why were you acting all sad and desperate before?" William noted.

"I wasn't thinking straight, okay? It's been a very hectic day," Amity huffed. "Can you really blame me? Wouldn't you be confused too if you were thrown into a new world?"

"All right, fair enough," William conceded, holding up his hands in surrender. "Do you even know how to build a portal, though?" He countered.

"There's no need to. All we have to do is take the blood in the key and mix it with water," she explained. "In our world, things would leak to the Human Realm and vice versa thanks to spontaneous portals. It'd be the same."

William didn't seem that convinced by Amity's plan. "I don't know, Amity. Are you really sure it would work?" He eyed her with a skeptical look. "It's just… it sounds too good to be true."

"Why wouldn't it be? It's the same principle that brought us here."

"No…"

William and Amity turned to Hunter, who was shaking his still bent head slightly.

"Good to see you're still with us, Blondie," jested William.

"What do you mean 'no'?" Amity, on the other hand, wasn't in the mood for jokes.

Hunter raised his head and looked at her in a dispirited way. "I mean it's not that easy, Blight."

"And why is that?"

"In Eclipse Lake, there was no water and a portal opened anyway."

Amity gritted her teeth. "That's because you hit the blood with one of your spells. You somehow made it go haywire, sending us here instead of the Human Realm."

Her accusation riled Hunter, waking him up from his numbness. "Oh, so now it's my fault?"

"Of course it is!" She snarled at him.

"Think of it as you like, Blight, but you're missing my point," he retorted flippantly. "If you can go to different worlds depending on what you mix Titans' Blood with, who's to say blending it with water here would open a portal to the Demon Realm?"

"Why wouldn't it open? It's always worked like that." Amity argued.

"Because we are not in the Demon Realm!" He exclaimed in frustration. "We don't know how Titan's Blood behaves here. Who's to say it wouldn't bring us to a fourth world that nobody is aware of?"

While William mulled over Hunter's arguments, Amity was having none of it. "You're just making things up."

Hunter sighed. "Think about it. All we've ever known is that if you mix Titan's Blood with water, a portal opens in the Demon Realm to the Human Realm, without a proof of the contrary," he elaborated. "But after… today? Or was it yesterday? Anyways, I don't know about you, but after what happened at Eclipse Lake, we clearly don't know how Titan's Blood really works."

William seemed deep in thought and was absently nodding at Hunter's words. Amity, on the other hand, looked like she was starting to have doubts about her plan, but refused to admit it. "Who cares? Those are just conjectures," Amity scoffed. "We won't know until we try."

"Free to not believe me, Blight. But consider this," Hunter rebutted, "Even if by miracle a portal leaded us to the Demon Realm, there'd still be another issue."

"What issue?" Asked William, genuinely curious.

Hunter turned to him. "In our world, the ocean is made up of boiling water," he then addressed Amity. "Natural portals are unpredictable. There's a high chance one would open in the middle of the ocean, or even underwater. You can guess the rest."

Amity opened her mouth to reply, but closed it immediately, clenching her jaw in frustration. As much she despised him, he actually made a good point: when the portal swallowed her, she appeared in the middle of the sky. Had there been the Boiling Sea instead of that forest, she would've died.

"His arguments sound reasonable," muttered William.

"Don't tell me you agree with him?" Amity turned to him, incredulous.

"Amity, we don't know enough about all this blood stuff, I certainly don't," he argued, "maybe it's like he said and you two would die for nothing."

Amity slumped on her chair, sighing in defeat. "Then we'll have to build a portal."

Hunter snorted in derision. "Good luck with that, Blight."

That was it, Amity had enough of him. She bared her teeth in fury and jumped to her feet, making a clenching gesture with his hand. The abomination wrapped around Hunter's body tightened its grip. He yelped as his lungs and limbs were slowly being crushed. The palisman, who had been silent so far, took off in fright from the backrest.

"That's enough, let him go." William ordered, as the blonde witch was desperately trying to breath.

Amity didn't oblige immediately, enjoying the moment a little more.

"Amity, let him go. Now."

She eventually loosened her hold on Hunter, ordering her abomination to return to its earlier state.

Hunter slumped on his side in fit of cough. William got up from his chair to help him return to a sitting position.

"I'd try not to antagonize her too much, if I were you," he recommended, "there's no telling she'd listen to me again."

"It… doesn't matter." Hunter uttered between labored breaths. "I'm… already… dead."

William was taken aback a bit by such a statement. "What do you mean?"

"I failed him… again." He was breathing normally now. "Emperor Belos doesn't take failures back with him. I'm no longer useful to him."

William frowned. Whoever this ruler of the witches was, he sounded like a very strict and unforgiving character. He wondered how such a young witch had been appointed what, according to Amity's tale, was basically that sovereign's right-hand man. He had an idea about it, though.

William addressed both witches with a hard stare. "Acting like this will get you nowhere, kids," he scolded them, "and to be completely honest, all your bickering is starting to piss me off."

Amity sat down on the chair with her arms crossed and head bowed, sulking. Hunter stayed silent, opting to just lower his gaze to the ground.

William sighed, softening his features. "Look, I understand there's bad blood between you two, but can you at least try to put your dispute aside for a while?"

Amity raised her head to look indignantly at him. "Are you saying I should forgive him? Just like that?"

"No, obviously. It's not my place to ask you that." William replied wearily, pinching the bridge of his nose. "It's like I said before, you'll need each other if you want to go back to the Demon Realm."

Amity frowned, fed up with all his get-along nonsense. "You keep saying that, but you still haven't explained why."

"Because, between you three and those that can help you go back to your home, there's half a continent that wants you dead."

Silence descended into the house at that statement. Amity looked surprised, while Hunter, despite not showing it blatantly, seemed more confused than anything.

She was the first to speak. "Are you talking about wild demons? Like the one in the forest?"

William shook his head. "Those are another problem, and not what I'm referring to," he said, sitting on his chair. As he did that, he rubbed his right hand with the other. A subtle gesture, but one that didn't go unnoticed by Hunter. "Let's just say that many people in the West don't think highly of you witches and demons."

An uneasy feeling crossed Amity. She remembered how William acted and replied when she asked him if he was a demon. Just what did the people of this world have against them? Now that she thought about it, how did these… titanids know about them?

She was about to ask more question about that, but Hunter had anticipated her.

"Wait a second!" he exclaimed. "There're witches here?"

"Well, yes, that's why I've recognized your kind," William deadpanned. "You people from the Demon Realm have been living in this world for nearly five centuries."

As if today hadn't been already full of novelties, these new revelations threw Amity and Hunter for a loop. To think that not only a new world existed, but that an entire civilization of witches and demons thrived in it. But then again, that just raised more questions, along with many others. Anticipating the incoming flood of inquiries from the two flabbergasted witches, William immediately halted them with a gesture.

"Hold on, I know you have a lot of questions. Just let me explain, okay?"

The two witches nodded expectantly, eager to know more about this world.

William looked at Amity. "Remember when I asked you what you three were doing so far away from the Hand?"

She nodded.

"Well, The Hand is the colloquial name of Lone Hand Islands, an archipelago of volcanic isles off the western shores of Vesperia, the continent we're currently on," William explained, "that's where most of the 'castaways' of the Demon Realm live."

"An entire archipelago of wild witches and demons?" Hunter mulled over this new information, looking pensive. Amity simply listened in silence, wanting to learn more of these demonic castaways, as William called them.

"I don't remember all the details, but from what I've learned from their account of the events, back in the Demon Realm they were an isolated community of scholars of the magical arts," William told them. "One day, an experiment failed catastrophically, transporting the entire island where they lived on into our world. It appeared in a flash of light next to some uninhabited oblong islands in the middle of the ocean. The resulting new archipelago had the shape of a four-fingered hand, hence its current name."

"Sounds like how we name the regions of the Boiling Isles," commented Amity.

"I think I've read of this one…"

William and Amity turned their attention to Hunter, who had just muttered those words under his breath.

"You have?" Inquired a surprised William.

Hunter gasped, surprised that he had actually been overheard. He recollected himself and cleared his voice. "It was an old manuscript on the history of the Savage Ages. There was a passage about the unexplained disappearance of an entire island that supposedly happened more than five centuries ago."

"Interesting, it does match the timing," commented William. He made a mental note to ask these two in the future about all this "wild magic" stuff.

Amity narrowed her eyes at Hunter in surprise and suspicion. "Since when an official of the Emperor's Coven is so interested in learning about wild magic?"

"I, uhm, have to know the enemy?" He came up with an explanation on the fly, showing a sheepish smile.

She raised an eyebrow at his justification, but ultimately decided to accept it. She turned back to William. "You were saying?"

He briefly narrowed his eyes at Hunter. I definitely have to ask them about that, he thought. He then nodded at Amity, resuming his story. "Apparently, their experiment involved the creation of a magical contraption that allowed dimensional travel. In other words, a portal."

"A portal?" Amity's eyes widened.

"Exactly. It took some time for the people of the Hand to reorganize and come in contact with the mainland. Some of those witches and demons settled in Vesperia, while others travelled the world in search of the only substance capable of powering the portal." He gave a knowing look at Amity. "I think you know what I'm talking about."

She brought a hand on her chest, where the key was resting under her shirt. "Titan's Blood."

William nodded. "Unfortunately, their search nev–" He was about to continue when Hunter interrupted him.

"Hold on a second!" He blurted out. "You mean there're even titans here?! Titan Realm wasn't just a name?"

In all the mental breakdown that followed the revelation of the existence of this world, Amity forgot about that specific detail. It was time to have answers. "It's true? Titans are still alive here?" Amity asked in awe. Back in the Demon Realm, titans were revered and respected as the source of life and magic. In a way, they were seen as gods. Well, dead gods, technically.

William's eye twitched in annoyance at being interrupted. "As I was trying to say," he continued with a forced smile, "their search for Titan's Blood ended up being a failure. Unfortunately, all the titans have long since died. Most of their carcasses have completely decomposed and what remains of their blood dried up centuries ago."

"Oh…" muttered Amity, dejected.

"Just like in our world," Hunter said lowering his head. He then perked up. "But to think that titans aren't an exclusive of the Demon Realm… this is an incredible discovery! It could change everything we know about them!" He exclaimed in excitement, before adopting a more subdued expression. "If they never found the blood, then…"

"Yup, they never managed to find a way to make the portal work." He then locked eyes with Amity. "Until you came here."

Amity, who was still holding the key through the fabric of her sweater, gasped in realization.

"Right now, your key is probably the single most valuable item in this world," William said gravely, "it could be, well, the key to go back to the Demon Realm, not only for the three of you, but for all the witches and demons that have been stuck here for centuries."

Amity gulped, feeling like a heavy burden had been placed on her shoulders. Apparently, not only was her return to the Demon Realm at stake, but also that of an entire civilization of her demonic compatriots too.

Hunter too was plagued by inner turmoil, but for different reasons. From what William was proposing, to return to the Demon Realm he would've to deal with wild witches and demons, enemies of the Emperor's Coven. To be honest, he didn't really have a reason to go back to Belos: if he were to return to him, he would be punished for disobeying his orders and failing to bring Titan's Blood to him.

A plan began to form in Hunter's mind. He would play along for the time being, helping the Blight girl reach this "Hand". Once there, he would steal the key and use the portal for himself, leaving her and the wild witches behind. If not possible, then he would just steal it once they reached the Demon Realm. If that were the case, he could put a positive spin on the apparition of an entire island of wild witches. He could sell them in the eyes of the emperor as lost souls ready to be saved by the light of the Titan; perhaps among them were talented individuals who could prove to be great additions to the ranks of the Covens; they could even turn out to be an opportunity rather than a threat to the Titan's plan.

In any case, he would come back to Belos with the precious Titan's Blood. Perhaps, that would placate his wrath.

He mentally smirked, maybe not all was lost for him. But there was a major problem with his plan. The young Blight's involvement with that human girl and the Owl Lady meant she wasn't on his side, nor the Emperor's Coven's. But maybe this "William" could still be convinced of the good of his cause. He needed an ally, or at least someone that wasn't against him; otherwise, his plan would be nearly impossible to implement. He had to play this carefully.

"I… wow…" Amity was at a loss of words. "I could never have imagined that things were like this," she pulled out the key and gave it an intense stare, "to think the lives of so many people depend on this simple object."

William gave her a sympathetic nod. "Perhaps you were destined to come here, or maybe it was simply a random occurrence. In any case, your unfortunate situation may prove to be a chance to rescue your people."

Amity exhaled a dry chuckle, surprising William.

"What's so funny?" He sounded confused by her reaction.

"Sorry, it's all so weird." She shook her head. "You make it sound like I'm some kind of savior, like the Good Witch Azura."

"Who's this 'Azula'?" He wondered. He looked at Hunter, only to receive a shrug from him.

"She's the protagonist of my favorite book series," she explained briefly, before going back on topic. "William, if that's the case, then I must reach these Lone Hand Islands. It's the best opportunity to return to the Demon Realm, for me and all the witches and demons who wish to return home," she stated, determined. However, her enthusiasm immediately faded when she realized an important detail. "Though, I don't know the way."

William was about to clear up Amity's doubts, when Hunter interrupted him. Again.

"For me? What about me?" He asked, peeved. "Are you going to leave me here?"

She frowned. "After the mess you've put us in, it's the least you deserve."

"You can't do that!"

"I can, and I will." She replied, glaring at him. "You left me to face that wild demon alone, remember?"

"But I came back to help you!" He shouted. He cast a quick pleading glance at William before focusing on Amity again. "You heard him, you'll need my help if you want to reach these islands."

"Why do you even want to come?" She narrowed her eyes. "Didn't you just say there was no point for you to return to Belos?"

Hunter hesitated for a moment. "I… I changed my mind. I'm sure he'll understand once I explain what happened," he reasoned, trying to sound confident. "I mean, who could he put in my place as head of the Coven? Kikimora? Steve?"

Before the argument descended into chaos, William cleared his voice, drawing attention back to him.

"Amity, I don't want to intrude between you two or take decisions in your stead, but I firmly believe it's in your common interest to cooperate for now," he reiterated his appeal to the two witches. "The way to the islands is long and perilous and right after arriving here you almost died facing a demon. What do you hope to accomplish by wandering alone in a hostile world?"

Amity bit her tongue to keep from replying harshly at William. What was he implying? That she wasn't able to take care of herself, like some damsel in distress? And yet, he was right. They weren't exactly in the best conditions back then, sure, but that Psyger came very close to kill both her and Hunter. Who knew what other dangerous creatures roamed these lands. Not to mention the alleged hostility the locals have against witches and demons. Speaking of which…

"You may be right, but I can't trust him," she rebutted. "By the way, you still haven't explained why your people don't like us witches. What have we done to you titanids?"

William didn't respond immediately, choosing to stare blankly at Amity.

His silence worried Amity, prompting her to insist. "Do you hate us, William?"

At that accusation, his lips twitched briefly, but other than that, he kept a neutral expression. Feeling the worried gazes of the two witches upon him, he finally spoke.

"No, Amity. I don't hate your kind," he replied, shaking his head, "but many do in the west."

"But why?" This time, it was Hunter who asked.

William turned his gaze to the blond witch. "I'm sure you know about the Giraffes, don't you?"

"The Giraffes?" Hunter was thrown off. "Everybody knows about them in the Demon Realm, but what do they have to do with this?"

"We banished them to the Human Realm around a millennia ago," Amity added, not sure where he was going with that.

"Kids, they never reached the Human Realm," William replied gravely, "they were sent here."

"What!?" The two witches shouted at this new revelation.

"No! It cannot be!" Hunter was the first to recompose enough to articulate a sentence, albeit still alarmed and incredulous. "The witches of old banished those monsters to the Human Realm, you're lying!"

"I wish I was lying, Blondie," William scoffed, crossing his arms and legs. "Many wish it didn't happen, trust me."

"I can't believe it…" Amity muttered, bowing her head in dread. The Giraffes were an infamous race of beast demons, indistinguishable from those of Earth. They were so feared by the other inhabitants of the Demon Realm, the memory of them was still alive to this day.

"Since their appearance, they've brought nothing but death and destruction to the people of Aurosia and Meridia, the other continents of our world," William continued, "it's only when they finally reached Vesperia that they were stopped for good."

"Please, tell me they aren't still around," begged a visibly distraught Hunter.

"At a great cost, the nations of the west managed to kill them all," said William solemnly, much to the relief of the two witches.

"Thank the Titan," exhaled Amity, "the last thing we needed was to deal with them."

"As the Giraffes ravaged our lands, more and more people came to know about them, the world they came from, and the people that sent them here," William went on, "many blamed the witches from the Demon Realm for casting on our land such calamity, a resentment that survived among generations to the present days."

"But it must've been an error, I'm sure they didn't do it on purpose," Amity said, trying to defend her fellow witches of the past, "those that came after the Giraffes surely explained that to your people, right?"

"Oh, they did. Or at least, they tried," William shrugged, "unfortunately, they weren't very successful."

This was a lot to take in for Amity and Hunter. Apparently, not only had the titanids been aware of the existence of the Demon Realm for quite some time, but, because of a stupid mistake, they hated its people. Everything was clearer now. William's advice to collaborate didn't come out of nowhere. Given their past experiences with the Demon Realm, people here were most likely going to be less than friendly to them, if not downright hostile.

As the two teenage witches mulled over the implications of this new revelation, William gave a quick glance to one of the windows, noticing the rain had stopped to fall.

"Well, I'm afraid our history lessons have to wait for a while," he said, raising from his chair and walking to the chest.

"You're leaving?" Asked Amity.

"I've still some errands to run in the nearby village. I've already postponed them to take care of you two." He took out a bag from the chest. "As they say, 'The plate doesn't fill by itself', you know?"

"Wait! You're going to leave me alone with her?" A panicked Hunter asked, mindful of the earlier incident with Amity.

"You're not alone, you have your palisman with you," he replied nonchalantly while slipping his cloak over his shoulders. "Besides, I'm sure young Lady Blight won't be so rude to shed blood in her host's house," he said, looking at her sharply.

Amity crossed her arms, aware of what William was referring to. "Who did you take me for? I wasn't going to kill him," she said, sounding slightly offended. William didn't seem convinced.

"There will be neither violence nor murder in my house, unless I'm the one to dispense them. Understood?" He narrowed his eyes at Amity, while gripping the hilt of his sword.

Amity turned her head away from William, pouting. "Fine, I promise I won't do anything to him," she grumbled.

"Good," William nodded, satisfied. He then eyed Hunter, "the same thing goes for you too, Blondie. Try not to cause trouble or get yourself killed while I'm away."

"It's not like I can do much right now," Hunter muttered, referring to the abominations wrapped around his limbs.

"I'll be back in the evening," William announced. "If you need to clean yourselves, the bathroom's there," he said, pointing to the door next to the one leading to the bedroom.

Amity and Hunter glanced awkwardly at each other, before looking at their host again. William transferred some objects from the chest to the bag, before shouldering the latter.

"William, is it safe for us to be here?" Amity asked with uneasiness. Given how she'd become aware of the reputation of witches here, she was worried of the reaction of the locals to their presence. "What if someone comes here and see us? I don't want to put you in trouble."

William gave her a small smile. "There's no need to worry. As long as you stay inside, you'll be safe," he said while opening the door. "I'm not going to keep you locked up in my house forever. It's just that today it'd be too complicated to let you roam freely in the village."

He was about to leave, when he turned around. "Oh, and don't touch anything in my absence," he gave one last warning, glaring at the two teenage witches and making an "I see you" gesture with his free hand. "I'm serious. If something is out of place, I'll know it."

Eventually, William closed the door, leaving Amity, Hunter and his palisman alone in the house.

They remained quiet for some time, unsure of what do or say, trying to look around the room without making eye contact.

"So..." Hunter was the first to break the silence. "What now?"

Amity slumped on her chair, looking tired. "There seems to be a lot going on in this world."

"Yeah, tell me about it," he agreed. "Do you really believe that William is telling us the truth? You know, about the titans, the giraffes and the rest?"

"There's no cold rain in the Demon Realm, you felt it yourself on your skin," Amity said, recalling the part when she pushed him out of the house and into the still pouring rain. "I don't think he'd have any reason to lie about those things. Eventually, we'd have found out by ourselves."

The two witches went back into ignoring each other. The silence didn't last long, though, once again broken by Hunter. "You're really going to leave me here?"

Amity sighed. "Hunter, was it?" He nodded. "How do you expect me to trust you? I tried to reach out to you back at Eclipse Lake and you repaid me by trying to steal the key. You left me fight that demon alone and only came back because somehow your palisman convinced you to do so," she recalled, progressively increasing her tone.

Hunter frowned. "Look, about the demon, I'm sorry, okay?" He sounded sincere, or at least, he tried to. "As for the key, I had to. I didn't come to the Knee to make friends, but to find the Titan's Blood."

"Is pleasing Belos really that important to you?"

"I'm the Golden Guard, Blight. It's my duty to serve the emperor," he replied with pride, "not that someone like you would understand."

Amity narrowed her eyes at his jibe. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I heard things about you. Youngest member of the Blight family, top student at Hexside School, a paved road to the Emperor's Coven," he recalled. "Imagine my surprise when I spot you aiding a wanted wild witch with her pet demon and getting in the way of an official coven expedition."

"If you're trying to blame me for helping someone in need, then you're wasting your time," Amity rebutted, referring to Luz and her mission to build a new portal. "As for wanting to join the Emperor's Coven…" She hesitated for a moment, trying to find the right words. "It's not my goal anymore."

Hunter arched an eyebrow, not looking impressed. "It's all because of that human, isn't it?"

"Maybe," she remained vague, looking away from the blond witch, "and even if it were, it'd be none of your business."

"I don't get it," Hunter shook his head, "why would you throw away everything to mingle with the enemies of the emperor? Just for a crush on a human?"

"Watch it, Golden Guard," she warned, glaring at him, "you don't know what you're talking about."

"Whatever," he snorted irreverently, turning his head away.

Amity rolled her eyes, irritated by Hunter's antics. "You're so annoying."

"You better get used to it, Blight, because you'll need my help to get back home."

"And how are you supposed to be helpful?"

"First, I have a palisman and you don't," he said, pointing to said magical being with a movement of his head. He was perched on the mantel of the fireplace, sleeping.

"And second, if what William said is true, this world is hostile to witches. We should stick together if we want to survive."

Amity scoffed. "Like the Demon Realm isn't full of things that want to kill us too."

"True, but those are mostly nothing more that animals," he countered, "here, even common people may be against us."

Amity frowned at his words. Deep down, and as much as she hated it, she knew he was right. And yet, she couldn't shake away the feeling it was just a ruse to put his hands on the key. It's not like she could make him promise not to steal the key, right?

Amity's eyes widened. An idea came to her mind, one that would solve part of her problems. She smirked at Hunter.

"Uhm, why are you looking at me like that?" Hunter was taken aback by Amity's sudden change of attitude.

"You know what? You're right," she said, raising from her chair, "we should help each other if we want to go home."

Hunter exhaled a sigh of relief. "I'm glad that–"

"And what better way to seal our new collaboration than an oath?" She announced, placing herself in front of Hunter and drawing a magic circle.

"What are you–" Hunter gasped, realizing what she was trying to do. "No."

"Swear it," she ordered. Gone was the smugness in her features, replace by resoluteness. "Swear to me you won't try to steal the key," she offered her hand at Hunter, placing it inside the circle.

"I'm not doing an everlasting oath for that. Forget it!"

"Then you can forget the Demon Realm," she narrowed her eyes, "I could 'accidentally' vanish when you need me the most while facing a wild demon, or I could simply get rid of you and call it an 'accident'."

Hunter gave a nervous chuckle. "You're bluffing, aren't you? You wouldn't actually do that, right?"

Contrary to his claims, Amity's fierce look didn't seem to leave space to doubts about her threats. "Try me, Golden Guard."

Hunter gulped, gritted his teeth and glared back at her. He wasn't going to be pushed around like that. "You can't force me to accept everything you want without something in return, that's not how an everlasting oath works," he argued.

"That's fair, I suppose", she conceded, "what do you want?"

He gave her a smirk. "If we reach the portal, we'll have to go through it together."

Amity gasped, before glaring at him. "You slithering little…"

"It's only fair, don't you think?" He said mockingly, interrupting her. "You don't want me around you and your key, clearly, but I have to be sure you won't try to get rid of me until we reach the Demon Realm."

Amity bared her teeth at him in anger. "And why should I accept this?"

"You don't have to, but then you'd be on your own, all alone without anyone else willing or obliged to help you," he smirked again. "Your choice, Blight."

The two stared intensely at each other: Amity with a scowl, Hunter with an air of smug contentment.

Eventually, Amity closed her eyes and grunted in displeasure. She snapped her fingers, releasing Hunter from the hold of her abomination.

Finally free, Hunter stretched his limbs and stood up. "I guess we have a deal, then."

"I won't try to intentionally hurt you or keep you here, and you won't try to steal my key," she stated, "if one of us breaks these conditions, they won't be able to go through the portal to the Demon Realm."

Hunter smug demeanor subsided at her new terms. "These aren't my terms."

"Take it or leave it. You won't get a better deal from me," she said staring harshly at him in the eyes. She offered him a hand, putting it in the middle of the magic circle.

Hunter frowned and looked at the waiting hand in thought. After some moments, he looked up and grudgingly grabbed her hand, shaking it.

So focused on staring angrily at each other, they failed to notice the magic circle around their handshake flickering and turning scarlet red for a fleeting moment, before returning to its normally light purple color.

"The oath is sealed," announced Amity. "This is a truce for a common goal, our return home, nothing more," she added sourly. "Don't expect this to change anything between us. To me, you're still an untrustworthy jerk."

"Duly noted," he deadpanned, refusing to be troubled by her insults.

Eventually, they broke the handshake.

"What do we do now?" Asked Hunter, crossing his arms.

Amity sat down again in the chair by the fireplace, crossing her legs. "Today we rest, just like William said."

"Shouldn't we start to–" He was interrupted by a rumbling coming from his stomach.

"Aww, the little baby is hungry?" Amity mocked him with a teasing smirk, "William has made some soup, it should still be warm."

This time, Hunter's face blushed and scrunched up in irritation at her taunt. "Didn't he say to not touch anything?"

"I'm sure he won't mind, he cooked it to be eaten, after all," she waved her hand, as if to dismiss his concerns.

Grumbling, Hunter made his way to the fireplace and filled a bowl for himself.

The two spent the rest of the day relaxing and trying to ignore each other. Hunter took advantage of all that free time to bond with his palisman and exercise in "talking" with him. In their chats, the palisman revealed his real name: Flapjack. Meanwhile, Amity spent most of the time looking absent-mindedly at the embers of the fireplace, mulling over all the revelations of today, worrying about the possible dangers they'll have to face in the future, thinking about her friends, her siblings and, obviously, Luz.

When the sun was about to set, William returned home. He was glad to hear the two witches had decided to call a truce and hadn't killed each other in the meantime. He announced that tomorrow he would take the two to the nearby village to procure supplies for their travel. For the occasion, he brought home some spare clothes for the two witches.

Eventually, night fell on the house. It was decided that Amity would take the bed, Hunter would rest on the couch, while William would sleep at the table on one of the chairs. She wanted to decline the offer, but William insisted, revealing that it wouldn't be the first time he had fallen asleep there. Hunter wanted to complain about Amity getting the bed instead of him, but William promptly shut him up, arguing that "a young lady should have some privacy". He didn't fully understand that reasoning, but eventually gave up, much to Amity's amusement.


In the middle of the night, William woke with a start. After his vision adjusted to the faint moonlight passing through the shutters, he quickly scanned the room, only finding Hunter sleeping on the couch together with his palisman.

Seeing that nothing seemed out of place, he rested his head on his folded arms on the table and closed his eyelids, so that he could go back to sleep.

"You're really pathetic, you know that?"

Or so he hoped. Gods damn it.

Raising his head and looking to his right, William saw a familiar face. It was himself, or at least someone that looked exactly like him. He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, looking at William with contempt.

William audibly sighed, like it wasn't the first time this had happened. "What do you want?" They both spoke in another language.

"Have you decided to become a babysitter for witches? I thought you despised them."

"It's all water under the bridge, I've already told you that." William frowned, not in the mood for that discussion at that hour of the night. "Besides, it's the right thing to do."

"iT's ThE rIgHt ThInG tO dO" Not-William repeated in a mocking voice, before retching. "All this gratuitous virtuousness makes me sick."

"If you need to throw up, at least do it in the bathroom," William replied impassively, pointing to the second door on his left.

"Spare your jokes. You can lie to those pointy-eared bastards, but not to me," Not-William said. "You're planning to go with them, aren't you?"

"I'm… thinking about it."

Not-William shook his head in disbelief. "You do realize it's basically a suicide mission, right?"

"This could be the only chance for witches and demons to go back to their home," William reasoned, not even bothering to look at his doppelganger, "they'll need all the help they can get to reach the Hand."

"Nice excuses you've come up with," sarcasm dripped from Not-William's words. He let his arms fall to his sides and walked to William. "As if you actually care about them. You're just doing it for yourself."

"Even if it was the case, as long as everyone's happy with it, does it really matter?"

"Of all the stupid shit you could've come up with, this one beats them all," Not-William stopped behind his original self, towering over him, "unless this is all part of another attempt to get rid of me."

William remained silent.

"Ah, so that's how it is," Not-William sneered. "Those vermin that came here centuries ago have always failed. Why should those still in the Demon Realm be able to free you from my presence?"

William didn't reply, refusing to look at his double.

"Well, I've got bad news for you, partner. It's not going to happen," Not-William boasted.

William grumbled, feeling too tired for this. "Can I go back to sleep now, or I'll have to listen to more of your nonsense?"

Their arguing was interrupted by Hunter mumbling in his sleep. William eyed him cautiously and sighed in relief, glad that he didn't wake him up.

"There's one thing I don't understand, though."

This time, William turned his head to look out of the corner of his eye at his doppelganger.

"Let's say we follow your stupid plan. Why should you accompany them?" Not-William asked, looking genuinely perplexed.

"They're lost and alone in this world, away from home and family. They'd need someone to guide them around here," William replied.

Not-William rolled his eyes. "This sentimentality of yours will be the end of us," Not-William tutted, shaking his head. "We both know there's only one thing you need from them, and it's not their company."

"I'm not going to leave them behind," William declared tensely, straightening his head.

"But you're willing to leave behind your world, your people, and what's left of your family," Not-William accused. He put both hands on William's shoulders and leaned on him "Is she worth less than these wretched witches?" He whispered in his ear.

"She…" He hesitated. Sweat was now running down on his face. "She doesn't need me."

Not-William tightened the grip on his original's shoulders. "Just like you don't need those two brats," he said maliciously.

William gulped, looking more jittery by the seconds. Not-William reached across the table, pulling an object to him. "Here, I'll make things easier for you."

Not-William placed in his original self's hand a dagger. William didn't oppose resistance, as if in some sort of trance. Not-William brought once again his mouth near William's ear.

"It won't be difficult. She's asleep in your bed. She won't hear it coming," he whispered gleefully.

"By the time she notices the blade stuck in her throat, it will be too late," he grinned maniacally, while William's lips trembled.

"As she drowns in her own blood, she won't be able to ask for help." William's grip on the dagger tightened.

"And after she expires, all you'll have to do is take the key for yourself."

At that, William's eyes widened and his lips slowly turned upwards into a deranged smile.

Not-William straightened up and stepped back, looking satisfied. "I'll leave the rest to you."

William quietly stood up and wobbled to the bedroom, blade in hand. Once he was sure Hunter and Flapjack weren't awake, he gently opened the door and slid inside the bedroom. He then closed the door and reached the bed's side.

William stood there, looking at Amity. She was asleep, quietly muttering random words with her mouth. Probably dreaming. She must've felt hot under the blanket, for she had moved it away in her sleep, exposing her shoulder. Her head was resting on a pillow and turned to the left, while her neck was covered only by her black turtleneck.

A good posture to receive a dagger in the throat.

The hand holding the blade started to tremble, while a strained expression flashed on William's face. That hesitancy lasted only a few seconds, though. His lips curled again into a cruel smile, while his eyes oozed bloodlust.

William raised the dagger, ready to drive it into Amity's neck.

"Lucia…"

He froze.

Luz's name, albeit incorrectly slurred by Amity, seemed to work like a switch, bringing William back from the murderous trance he had fallen into.

He blinked and shook his head, as if to dissipate the fog in his mind. He looked at the still asleep Amity and then at the hand holding the dagger over her head. He swiftly pulled back his arm and backed away from the bed, horrified at what he was about to do.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, all while hearing a voice chuckle in the back of his mind.

Ashamed, he silently turned on his heels and headed for the door. He was about to exit the room, when he heard his name.

"William?"

He froze in place, mentally cursing for being discovered. Then, he turned around while hiding the blade behind his back. Amity was barely awake, looking at William in confusion.

"Sorry, I thought I heard something strange," he lied, "forgive me for waking you up."

Despite her drowsiness, Amity perceived the nervousness in his voice, like he was hiding something.

"Is everything alright?" She asked, scratching one of her eyes.

"Yes, go back to sleep," he replied with finality, sliding outside the room and closing the door in a swift motion.

Amity frowned at the door, perplexed by William's behavior. There wasn't much light in the room, but she was quite sure she had seen him holding something in his hand. Eventually, she went back to sleep.

Back in the main room, William was with his back and his head against the door he had just closed. Eyes shut and jaw clenched, he was squeezing the trembling hand that still held the dagger with the other.

Get a hold of yourself.

After calming down, William returned to the table. He slumped on his chair, laid the dagger on the table and run a hand over his face. He gave a look at the corner where his doppelganger had been standing moments before, finding it empty.

He was about to rest his head on the table and go back to sleep, only to find Flapjack standing on it and staring at him. He nearly jumped out of his skin, startled by the sudden appearance of the magical bird.

"It's just you…" he exhaled, calming down. He had already made enough mess, the last thing he wanted was to wake up Hunter too.

"Can't sleep, huh?"

The palisman cocked his head to the side, emitting a faint chirp of confirmation.

William gave a quick look at Hunter, who was tossing and turning on the couch, before refocusing on Flapjack. He gave him a sad smile, followed by a small caress with his finger on his head.

"Me too, Little Red. Me too."


Author's Notes

This chapter took longer than I hoped for. It took so long that the TOH Crew had time to announce the date of the first special episode of Season Three.

I hope all this exposition and talking didn't make the chapter too bloated or heavy, but I figured Amity and Hunter needed to know at least the basics of what they will face in the Titan Realm and establish a truce.

As I stated in the summary, this story is an AU. The bit about the Giraffes is a testament to that. As far as I remember, it was never explicitly stated in the show when or how their banishment occurred, so I was able to play with it a bit for the sake of this fic.

I wasn't sure about putting this last scene with William here, but then I figured it might not work well as the opening of the next chapter.

I made a small update to the previous chapter. Nothing too invasive, just small fixes here and there.

I'm not sure if I'll have to change the rating to "Mature" because the Belos scene. I don't think it's anything too detailed, though.

A thank you to those who decided to read, follow or like this story.

Until next time.