"Hooty, you're on cookie duty. No sleeping nettles this time though. Got it?"
"Got it, hoot hoot!" The owl demon extended his long body into the kitchen without delay. Eda didn't even wince when she heard the telltale sounds of cabinets being flung open and plastic bowls clattering to the ground. There was a reason she'd stopped using glass bowls after Hooty's first attempt at cooking so many years ago.
"King, you're his assistant."
The smaller demon groaned. "Why do I have to help him? He made them just fine by himself before."
"He did, and I have yet to figure out how he stirred the dough without having arms."
King shivered. "On second thought, you make a good point." With that he ran after Hooty with the demand of being able to lick the bowl clean.
Once the demons were in the kitchen Eda gestured to Luz and Amity. "You two! Grab my cookbooks. We're going to make a feast worthy of heroes."
Luz's arms shot up into the air. "Finally! This will be just like the heroes feast Azura and her allies had in book five," she gushed. Amity rolled her eyes fondly before leading her excitable girlfriend over to the side of the room where the books were kept.
Having been deserted by everyone else Hunter pointed at himself with a small frown. "What about me?"
Eda winked at him. "You have the most important job of them all. You're going to invite every single island resident over for dinner tonight."
"Ah, I see. One last tactical meeting before we head out in the morning."
"No, silly! It'll boost morale. Lilith went back to my mom's to help throw a similar shindig for the Beast Keepers Against the Throne, and Raine is throwing one for their group as well. When you're done with the invites you can come back here and help the girls and I cook. I'm thinking we'll mass produce some fairy pot pies and a few bowls of spaghetti and eyeballs. Oh, and maybe we can bust out the old rotten candy machine Hooty found in the basement too. There's nothing quite like having your teeth fall out from corrosive amounts of sugar right before a big mission!"
"Yeah, I think I'll pass. I'm already down one tooth; I don't need to lose any more." He held his hand out for Rascal, who transformed into his staff form. "Be back soon."
There was a flash of yellow and then he was gone.
"More for me then," she shrugged. She was halfway across the room about to ask Luz and Amity if they found the right recipe when the crystal ball began flashing urgently. Changing course she tapped on it only to be met with the tearstained face of Amber.
Immediately Eda's heart sank.
"They took Raine!" The bard wailed, lower lip quivering.
"Who? I mean, know it was the Emperor's Coven, but who specifically caught them?"
"Darius and Eberwolf and a ton of coven scouts! They captured Katya and Derwin too. They covered for me so I could get away with the crystal ball so I could tell you, and now I'm all alone in an alley. The guards are still searching for me."
Eda cursed. "If they're still after you then you should drop the call and try to get to my mom's house. Do you remember where it is? I showed you on a map once."
"I do," she sniffled. "What about the attack tomorrow though? Without Raine and the others we're down most of the distraction team. We won't—"
"Amber, sweetie, take a deep breath for me. There you go." She coached the girl before sighing. "Right now you need to focus on staying safe. Raine wouldn't want you to get caught, would they?"
"No…"
"Right. We might have to move the attack up, but you need to regroup with the others first. Before I let you go though do you know how they found the safe house?"
"I have no idea! Coven guards have been checking almost every house in Bonesborough for the past week, but Raine was smart and used their connections to move the safe houses to homes which had already been checked."
"Already been checked?" At this point Luz and Amity were at Eda's side, both of their expressions ones of shock and despair. "Farts! The houses the scouts went through were probably being scryed on after the fact."
"What?"
"Don't worry about it right now. Get to my mom's place, okay? I'll alert the others. Call me when you make it there, got it?"
Amber nodded shakily. "O-okay."
The call dropped, and the moment it did Eda's façade crumbled. With tears welling up in her eyes at the fact she'd lost Raine again she withheld a scream in favor of summoning her staff.
"Girls, start making calls to your friends. The twins, Willow, Gus, the Hexside troublemakers, Principal Bump, and my mom and Lilith; tell them all what happened and that we're moving the mission up to tonight. We've still got numbers on our side even without Raine and the BATs. We—"
An explosion which broke the front door (and Hooty) off its hinges rocked the room. Amity covered her and Luz with a protective abomination goo shell out of instinct, and Eda settled for shielding her eyes with an arm. When the smoke cleared a tall, slender form stood in the doorway. Between the didactyl feet, gangly arms, long nose, and rounded top hat it was easy to recognize the demon standing before them.
The head witch of the Potions Coven, Blair Struthio, sniffed the air before breaking out into a delighted grin. "Are those sugar cookies I smell? I adore those, you know."
Before Eda could respond with a fireball to the face Luz screamed as a giant vine burst through the window closest to her. She didn't have time to draw a glyph or reach for her staff before it had wrapped around her and Amity. Azura flew to her witch's side and began pecking at the offending thing while Ghost attempted to scratch at it, but there was hardly an effect. With their arms pinned to their sides there was no way to draw a circle or reach their staffs either.
"Let them go!" Eda shouted, drawing a circle in the air. A spike made of earth rushed at the vines with the intention of cutting the girls free only for a potion to come into contact with it. The moment the potion hit the spike it crumbled away to dust.
Blair tilted her head back and clasped her hands together petulantly. "It's rude to attack your guests, Eda the Owl Lady. My colleague and I were only hoping to ask you a quick question."
"Oh yeah? And what is that?"
A new voice answered her, and to Eda's horror it came from the staircase leading down from the second story. Maia le Fay, Plant Coven's head witch, must have used their vines to burst through one of the windows on the balcony.
"Belos sent us here to retrieve one person and one person only. Anyone else will merely be a consolation gift," they drawled. The pink rafflesia bud on their head moved as they swiveled their head to look around the room. After a moment they frowned. "What a shame. He doesn't seem to be here either."
He? Eda felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise. Oh no.
Hunter had no way of preparing for the chaos that awaited him when he teleported into the forest. He'd been expecting to casually fly from each rebel's humble abode, which was very different from what actually ended up happening. Not that it was his fault. How was he supposed to anticipate the island was crawling with coven scouts?
How did they find us?
The question came and left his mind in an instant as he was forced on the offensive. At the sight of rebel wild witches and demons fighting against the emperor's forces he knew it wasn't long before Eda found out. He knew she could take care of herself though. The others? It would do to have a strong witch helping them. Between him and their own large numbers he was confident they could beat the coven scouts into submission. With the plant glyphs many of them were well versed in capturing the enemy would be a piece of cake. And that would have been the case if not for one slight issue; there were more than just two coven heads on the island.
"Run!" A group of wild witches screamed as spell circle burst forth from the darkness of the woods. The witches who were too slow and ended up caught in the spell slumped to the ground fast asleep. Hunter barely had enough time to suck in a breath and turn himself invisible before a semi-familiar figure appeared from the darkness of the forest brush.
The head witch of the Healing Coven, the most talented physician across the Boiling Isles, paused for only a moment before raising a hand directly at Hunter. After all being invisible meant nothing to someone who didn't rely on vision to begin with.
"It seems I missed one," she regarded.
Hunter barely had enough time to teleport out of the way before bandages burst from her hand. They wrapped themselves around a tree instead, making her frown as she turned her head at her target's new position on the opposite side of the clearing.
"Teleportation magic, hmm? Two can play at that game."
Once she'd drawn her bandages back into her hand she began to draw a circle with the intention of teleporting to her target. Unfortunately for her Hunter wasn't going to give her the chance.
"Sorry, Paeon, but I don't have time to play games with you."
"Golden Guard? Perfect. You're the one—"
Whatever she was saying was lost to him as he teleported a few hundred feet upward until he was above the canopy of the trees. He got on his staff and prepared to fly back towards the Owl House while helping those he noticed on the way when his eye caught something in the distance. The blood drained from his face when he saw a hand dragon of all things ramming itself against the ruins Chief was currently hibernating in.
I don't understand. How did they find the island? How do they know Chief is in there? We were so careful. It doesn't make any sense!
Cursing, Hunter traveled towards the ruins at top speed, teleporting when he could. When he was close enough he blasted Kikimora's pet with lightning. Catching it off guard, his spell hit its wings head on. It screeched in pain and anger at being hit, but Hunter couldn't afford to go easy on it. He struck it again. And again. It grew angrier with each hit; however, it soon lost the steam to fight back. In the span of a minute Hunter had forced the creature to crash-land into the treetops below.
Now where is its rider?
He flew downwards to the entrance of the ruins and activated another invisibility glyph. As he held his breath he floated in silently praying no one had made it past Jean-Luc.
Sadly, his prayers went unanswered. He'd barely made it to the throne room when he saw the still-twitching form of King's artificial guardian. How did he know? The little ribbon King had tied onto him for "good luck" was tattered and dirty, but it still remained.
Losing his concentration, Hunter turned visible just in time to hear a loud explosion coming from above.
No.
His gut clenched as he willed himself to teleport directly upwards into the room he knew Chief was in. The moment he materialized in the chamber he saw red.
Standing just shy of the center of the room was Kikimora. She looked like she'd aged a few years since the last time he fought her. A series of small scars marred her face, and her strange hand-hair was missing a few locks making it appear uneven, but other than that she seemed well. Not that she'd remain that way for long. Hunter wouldn't let her leave the ruins alive.
"Kikimora," he growled, Rascal's magic practically charging the air around him. "What. Did. You. Do?"
She laughed. The claws of her right hand smoked from the residual magic she'd used to turn the statue that had once been Chief into a pile of rubble at her feet.
"Me? It was you who led us here in the first place."
"What are you—"
"You knew we could scry on the stonesleeper because we had his DNA. Tell me, Golden Failure, did you really think the man who made you didn't have some of your own DNA lying around in case you defected?"
Hunter lowered his staff, his mouth going slack in horror. This attack was his fault?
"I see you finally understand. He's been watching you on and off from the moment that meddlesome human and the Owl Lady took you away from the castle. It did work out in our favor though," she smirked. "I was finally able to get revenge on the creature who scarred Emperor Belos all those years ago, and it's all thanks to you."
She's right, Hunter thought numbly. The hand curled around his staff was clenched so tightly his knuckles were white. It's my fault. King's father is gone and I'm the one that led her to him! But I didn't kill him. She did.
"Don't look so sad," Kikimora said. "At least his death was painless. Belos would have just made him suffer needlessly; I practically did him a favor. Perhaps you should be thanking me, hmm?"
His face hardened. "I'll kill you," he vowed. And at that moment he meant it.
There was no time for her to respond with a sarcastic comment. Before he'd even finished his statement he blurred into a flash of yellow only to reappear directly behind her. He'd beaten her once, so as far as he was concerned he could do it again. With rage and sorrow fueling him and weeks' worth of intense training under his belt he was far stronger than he had been last time. She was also at a disadvantage. Belos obviously needed him alive for whatever the Titan wanted of him, but after the stunt she'd pulled Hunter had no qualms with taking her down once and for all.
With a battle cry he commanded an earthen fist to rise up from the ground underneath her. She managed to jump off of it in time to avoid getting crushed by a second one he sent hurtling down from above, but Hunter wasn't going to give her time to think. The moment she was back on her feet he was there. He hurled a series of lightning bolts at her and teleported while they were still flying through air. Between him and his lightning bolts she was flanked.
Gotcha.
He raised his staff, a warbling mass of energy appearing on the end of it. Just as he swung the now curved arc of energy at her two giant ethereal hands sprouted from the ground and clasped themselves around her. They absorbed both of his hits before poofing away in a haze of purple smoke.
"You're not the only one who's been training," she grinned when he growled in frustration at her new defensive spell. "After the emperor stripped me of my rank I knew I'd grown complacent. I—"
Her words were cut off by Hunter teleporting over and over again around her in an overwhelming display of magical power. Each blink of an eye he was elsewhere in the room, a bolt of energy flying at Kikimora with each flash of yellow.
"I don't," blast, "have time," blast, "to listen to your nagging!" Explosion. "You're dead!"
When he finally managed to get a clean hit on Kikimora he used the precious time he had to draw a spell circle using his staff. While the demon was pushing herself back to her feet he stuck his staff through the portal and aimed a bolt right at the back of her head.
It made contact, a cry of pain leaving her lips.
"Curse you!" She screamed, blood seeping out of her hair. Her eyes glowed in rage as her clawed hands pulsed with magic. She sent twin blasts of fire back at him through the portal he'd made, but that was all part of his plan. The moment they entered the portal they popped out of the one he's conjured directly behind her causing her to hit herself with her own attack.
She fell forward onto her face just as he teleported in front of her.
"Any last words?" He asked, the tip of his staff crackling with energy barely an inch away from her battered face.
An impressed chuckle fell from her lips along with a few drops of blood.
"To think you of all people would be the one to kill me. I can't say I saw this coming, but I suppose it will make the Titan happy."
His eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"
"Nothing, nothing. It's just that if I couldn't best you after all the chances the Titan gave me then I deserve this. There's also the matter of Belos having waited for this day. Once you kill me you'll be headed down the path he'd always planned for you," she giggled. "He mentioned his brother was a weak fool, but I suppose despite being his clone you turned out more like Belos than you realized."
Suddenly Uno's words from a few days prior echoed in his mind.
"You were the Golden Guard all along? I can't believe I trusted you to train me, or ate meals with you like we were friends. Allies? Ha! You're just as bad as Belos. I bet you're secretly working for him too."
"I am not! I'm nothing like him."
"Yes you are you liar. I heard rumors about you from the coven guards. You're not only related to Belos; you captured palismen for him for years for him to destroy! You've also killed peaceful demons for him like some lapdog. And Warden Wrath called me the monster," Uno had scoffed before tensing his muscles to lunge. "You're like a mini-Belos. All you do is take lives from others, but not anymore. Without your magic you're nothing!"
The next moments in his memory were filled with heart-wrenching agony as his magic was being sucked from his body. If it hadn't been for Lilith it might have been the end of the line for him.
I've never actually killed anything bigger than a fairy or a giant spider, he gulped as the realization struck him. It can't be that hard, right? Kikimora is evil. She deserves it.
His brain told him to teleport them just above the boiling sea. She would burn to death so quickly she'd barely have time to suffer, and if she did try to retaliate he could just drag her down into the water with him. He would be safe for as long as it took for her to perish. That would be easier than putting a bolt of magic through her head, right?
As if sensing his indecision Kikimora began laughing.
"Really now? After all I've done to you and your friends you still can't bring yourself to end my life? How pathetic."
"Shut up!"
"Or what? You'll kill me?" She mocked. "For a second there I truly thought you could, but now that I have a better look at you all I see is a child pretending to be an adult. You can't kill me after all, can you? What a shame."
He let the magic gathered around him disperse. With a shout of rage he pulled his staff back, intending to knock her out while he fought the internal battle between his heart and his head, but just as it was about to come into contact with her head a flash of white light enveloped him.
A sleep spell? No. No!
Hunter swayed, his vision tunneling fast. He only had seconds to turn his staff back into Rascal's cardinal form and sent a desperate request through their bond.
Fly away. Find Eda.
His palisman's response was lost to him. Consciousness fading, his body fell onto an unceremonious heap on the floor.
Rascal, knowing he would only be destroyed if he gave Kikimora the chance, did as his witch told him. With a sad chirp he dove past the two demons before they could capture him. The last thing he wanted to do was leave Hunter behind; however, he knew his best chance at saving him was getting help.
Kikimora stood up with a satisfied hum, dusting herself off while Paeon crouched down to pick up Hunter's body.
"Good job," the smaller demon praised. "The emperor will be pleased." She snapped her fingers in order to activate Hunter's coven brand's binding spell. When it didn't work she tried again, her eyes narrowing when she realized her binding spell wasn't working. "Well well well. I'd heard rumors of witches freeing themselves from their brands, but this confirms it. I suppose I'll just need to use other means of keeping him complacent before he wakes."
"I can keep him asleep with sleeping spells if you'd like," the Healing Coven's head witch offered.
Kikimora shook her head. "That won't be necessary. We have a few days until the Day of Unity, so you should focus on helping the other coven heads capture the remaining witches who've turned against the emperor. Besides," a hint of glee entered her voice. "I know the perfect way to keep him from ever meddling with my plans again."
Eda, King, and a concussed Hooty had managed to free Luz and Amity partway through their fight with the Plant and Potions head witches. It was annoying considering Maia was good at playing keep away using their ever regenerating vines, and Blair's potions were as dangerous as they were infuriating, but when a third coven head joined the fray even Eda had to admit the odds were heavily stacked against them.
"Kids, I want you to get behind me." She instructed as Paeon stepped in between the other two coven heads. A barrier spell was on the tip of her staff when she thought she overheard the words "it's time to leave" come from the newcomer's mouth.
The sinking feeling in her chest only got worse.
"Well," Blair said after Paeon delivered whatever message she'd been sent to deliver, "as fun as this has been it seems we've kept you occupied long enough. You may want to check on those cookies; I believe I smell them beginning to burn."
In a flash of blue light the trio disappeared.
"Where did they go?" Luz shouted, her staff clutched tightly in her hands. At her side Amity frowned.
"She said they were looking for 'him'. Did they mean Chief? Uno?"
Her answer was in the form of a small red cardinal flying through a hole in the Owl House. He chirped frantically, and after a few seconds Owlbert unscrewed himself from Eda's staff so they could communicate. Once the message was relayed to his owner what little color was on her face drained.
"No. Rascal, please tell me you're lying."
The palisman trilled a song of sorrow. Owlbert didn't even bother translating; Eda understood immediately.
"Um, Eda?" Luz asked. "Where's Hunter?"
"I know you're awake, brat. You have to be in order for me to carry out the procedure."
Hunter's eyes snapped open. He attempted to thrash against the spectral hands restraining him to the cot he lying on, but his body felt sluggish. When he noticed the head witch of the Healing Coven as well as Faldwin the Fateweaver standing by as well he stopped fighting. Without or without his palisman there was no way he was getting away from two head witches and Kikimora.
Instead he glared at the demon using her magic to keep him in place.
"What procedure?" He spat.
"Oh, nothing major. It's so simple even children at Hexside perform it for fun. Tell me, have you heard of the process of extracting a person's memories using oracle magic?"
A fresh wave of fear swept over Hunter. Of course he knew about it— he'd read about all the ways it could go wrong before he was even the Golden Guard.
Kikimora smiled, a sick feeling of pleasure blooming as she relished in her prisoner's discomfort. "So you have heard about it. Excellent! It is quite a simple spell all things considered. The challenging part isn't even extracting the memories; it's keeping them safe. After all memories are so very fragile," she stated while grabbing a pair of glowing tweezers from Faldwin's hand. "All it takes is a little spark and poof!"
Then she approached the cot. Hunter tried to squirm away from her but all he could do was tilt his head slightly. Not even that was successful when another spectral hand appeared, digging into his hair and yanking his head back in place against the thin mattress.
"No struggling," she chastised. "It'll only make it hurt more."
"Stop!" His eyes widened further as he felt the tweezers enter his ear. He turned his gaze on Faldwin, instincts telling him to scream at the man for help, but something told him if the Oracle Coven head could've helped he already would have. Instead he tried pleading to the healer frowning at the scene before her. "Please! You're a healer; the emperor, Kikimora, the Titan— they're all evil! They're going to destroy the Boiling Isles and everyone who lives on it. You have to believe me!"
"He's lying," Kikimora waved off as the first memory was pulled from Hunter's head. "Traitors will justify themselves with whatever they must to validate their behavior. It's truly sad."
The small demon held up the picture before Hunter, who was forced to watch as she conjured a small orb of fire inches away from it. On the picture he could see himself drawing light glyphs with Luz while Rascal, King, Gus, and Willow cheered him on.
A shout was ripped from him a second before the picture went up in flames. "No! You can't mess with my head like this!"
"You poor, ignorant brat. Haven't you figured it out yet?" She asked as the memory began to burn, making Hunter sweat from the heat he was now experiencing as well. "This isn't the first time I've had to do this. However, this is the first time I don't have to hold back. In the past I was sure to be careful so you could still be useful to the emperor, but now that your usefulness is about to expire? You'll be lucky to remember your name."
Eda, King, Luz, and Amity stood before the shattered statue in the ruins with tears in their eyes. King had already been crying at the sight of Jean-Luc's broken form on the way up, but now he was trembling as he looked upon the stone that used to make up his father's body.
"This has to be fake. Like the one on the beach," he said. He turned his small maw so he could look at Eda over his shoulder. "It is, isn't it?"
She closed her eyes and said nothing. Both of them had been present when Chief's fur-covered body slowly turned to shiny, marbled stone; lying to her surrogate son wouldn't do either of them any good.
Minutes passed. King sobbed in mourning, Luz and Amity holding onto each other so they didn't completely lose it like him. It was only after he cried himself out that he raised his head, a loud "weh" echoing throughout the chamber in the form of a sonic wave.
"King," Luz started, stepping forward. Eda stopped her with a gentle tap on her shoulder. She could feel the violent, almost demonic anger exuding from King in tandem with his anguish.
"Give him some time to let it out. He'll come to us when he's ready."
So they waited. They waited while their beloved demon howled in grief, several more minutes passing as he worked through the stages with them standing nearby in support. After what felt like hours he stood back up with the last of his sniffles dying out.
"Who did this?"
The girls winced, turning to Eda who seemed to be debating if she should tell him the truth or not.
"Rascal said it was Kikimora," she ultimately replied. "Apparently the emperor knew where the island was from watching Hunter the day we flew back to the isles to rescue Raine and Amity. Belos played us all, King. I'm sorry."
He shook his head, his paws curling into fists. Another sonic wave left him as he let out another cry only for him to freeze. His magic sent the pile of rocks that used to be his father flying across the room when he noticed something. The tower was shaking.
"Do you guys feel that?"
Amity knelt on the ground so she could place her hand on the stone floor. "It's a titan-twitch. It's a small one, but it's unmistakable."
Luz's eyebrows shot up into her hairline. "You mean an earthquake? I thought Eda said the Boiling Isles doesn't have weather, only plagues."
"A titan-twitch is what we in the Boiling Isles call what happens when the body of the titan twitches a bit. It sends shockwaves across the land," Eda explained. "We haven't had one in years. It's strange."
"Wait a minute. We're not on the titan though. We're on an island," Amity pointed out.
At this Eda smacked herself in the forehead. "How could I have overlooked that? You're right, Mittens. It can't be a titan-twitch because we aren't on the isles. But if it's not that then what—"
King cut her off with another sonic scream. This time instead of shouting "weh" he said "dad", and to everyone's shock the ground shook in response. With tears of joy springing to the small demon's eyes he turned to his friends with a wobbly smile.
"Guys, he's okay! He wasn't in the statue at all."
The trio of witches was extremely confused.
"Come again?" Eda asked, inspecting what was left of the statue once more. It was then she realized there was a lot less stone than there should have been if Chief had been fully turned to stone. It almost seemed like the statue had been more of a shell of stone rather than a solid structure. "If he wasn't in there then where is he?"
Another small rumble beneath their feet was her answer.
Deep in the confines of the emperor's castle Raine Whispers paced around their cell anxiously. Their hands were tied behind their back tightly in order to prevent them from drawing even the tiniest spell circle. In the center of the cell across from them a reddish ebony cocoon sat. Obviously someone important had angered either Belos or Kikimora to the point of having their coven brand activated, but from the outline alone Raine couldn't tell who it was.
Some cells down Gwendolyn Clawthorne, Hieronymus Bump, and the rest of the BATs were tied up in similar fashion. Their palismen were nowhere to be seen since they had either fled on the command of their witch or were currently being kept in a vault to be consumed by Belos.
Well, all but one often overlooked palisman.
"Frewin," Principal Bump instructed once the head of the Construction Coven was gone. The dwarf-sized witch had been tasked with keeping them from escaping, but he obviously hadn't done his homework if he'd allowed a prisoner to keep his palisman. "Can you get the bindings off?"
The imp pulled away from Bump, crawling down his witch's arm until he poked at the ropes with a tiny finger. Both the palisman and the ropes glowed briefly for a moment only for nothing to happen. With a frustrated whine Frewin tried to pull the ropes off by force, but he quickly tired out.
"It's okay, my friend. It was worth a try."
From the next cell over Gwendolyn clicked her tongue. "Not to worry, Hieronymus. My daughters and Hawksley will be here in no time to break us out. Lilith knows the castle like the back of her hand, and both of my daughters can take on a single coven head on their own."
Raine chuckled at her confidence from their cell across the way. "I can't speak for Lily, but Eda is the strongest witch I know."
Before anyone could say anything in response there was a metallic screeching from down the hall. Frewin quickly scrambled into Principal Bump's clothing before Paeon walked into the circular room holding the hand of a familiar-looking witch.
Raine could feel their nervous smile fade away.
"Hunter?"
The young boy cocked his head like a lost puppy as he was led to the cell next to Raine's. Paeon dropped his hand in favor of pulling the cell door open, and after a quick "go on" Hunter walked into the cell of his own accord. From their own cells Katya and Derwin gaped as the former Golden Guard turned back around to face the Healing Coven's head witch with wide eyes.
"Whoa," he stated in awe as he looked around his cell. "Is this my bedroom?"
Paeon remained silent, turning away from Hunter with a pained look on the lower half of her face. She didn't seem too concerned about tying his hands up like the rest of them. Instead she began walking out of the room when Raine's shout stopped her.
"Hey!"
The demon turned her unseeing gaze on them with a sneer. "What do you want, traitor? Mealtime won't be until nightfall."
Raine pointed at where Hunter was babbling about the bars of his cell looking like licorice. Only a quick "sweetie, don't eat that" by Gwendolyn made him stop from taking a bite out of the cold, dirty metal.
"What did you do to him?" They demanded.
"I don't understand your question."
"Hunter is a good, smart kid, and that is not how he usually behaves."
The healer huffed indignantly. "I didn't do anything to the boy. He did it to himself when he betrayed the emperor."
"Stop talking in circles with me. What happened to him, Paeon?"
"If you must know Kiki turned most his memories into ash. He was causing too much trouble, so this is how she wished to keep him in line."
"She did what? He's sixteen!" Raine argued, pure rage filling them at the information. "How could you watch as she did that to a child? I thought you were a healer, and yet you stood by as Kiki hurt him. That's—"
Her fist slamming into their cell door made them fall silent.
"I was there to make sure he didn't get hurt," she defended herself. "Kiki is cruel when it comes to him, so I took precautions to ensure the procedure was painless."
"So? You still let her rip his memories from his head and burn them. No one deserves that, Paeon. You know as well as I do that it's regarded in texts as a form of torture rather than punishment. What's next? Is Kikimora going to come down here and rip my memories away too?"
"If you don't behave she might," the head witch threatened. Then she was gone, having teleported away in a flash of blue.
Sighing, Raine stuck their face as close to the bars as they could in order to catch a glimpse of Hunter. The boy was now seated on the floor with his legs splayed out in front of him childishly. He poked at his fake eye with a hum of confusion.
"I think one of my light bulbs went out," he said sadly. It was then he turned and noticed Raine staring at him with a series of emotions running across their face. "Oh. The nice bull didn't say I had a roommate. Why is your hair green?"
"Hunter?"
He giggled. "Who's Hunter?"
From across the room Katya and Derwin met Raine's eyes worriedly.
"You're Hunter," they said patiently. When they spoke it was with forced enthusiasm. "And I'm Raine. How are you feeling?"
"Raine. Like boiling rain," he smiled goofily. "Are you my dad?"
They blushed at that. "No, but I am your friend."
Hunter's eyes widened. "I have friends? Cool!" Then his attention shifted to the other people in the cells across from him. "Are you guys my friends too?" When he got nothing but affirmatives for the sake of playing along he pushed himself onto his feet excitedly, nearly falling over at one point like he forgot how to balance. "Wow. I don't remember ever having friends. The only person I remember clearly is uncle, but the mean lady said I'm not allowed to see him until the big day. Do you think she means my birthday?"
No one answered, unsure how to respond, but he took it in stride. Instead of getting upset or asking again he closed his eyes and laughed, a hand coming to rest over his heart. He glowed a light blue color for a split second before something strange happened.
There was then a flash of yellow light and suddenly Hunter was standing in Raine's cell.
Principal Bump's jaw went slack. "Did he just teleport without drawing a circle or using a palisman? I thought only coven heads were capable of doing that."
"As did I. I also could have sworn my sweet flea mentioned he didn't have a magic bile sac. Unless…" Gwendolyn gasped loudly. "Of course! It's his heart. He's using the magic within the galderstone to cast without thinking in a way similar to how magically imbued beasts do."
Raine listened to this as Hunter walked over to them with arms splayed wide like he wanted to give them a hug. When he noticed the bard's hands were tied he frowned, reaching out his hand pointing a single finger at the ropes. An arc of magical energy cut their ropes clear off without as much as a scratch on their hands.
"That's better!" He exclaimed, practically jumping into Raine's arms. They returned the gesture with a small tear in their eye.
Even with most of his memories gone he's still such a little genius through and through. I've got to help him, they thought.
Pulling away, Raine smiled at Hunter before ruffling his hair. The boy leaned into the touch in the same way he had in the safe house all those weeks ago.
"Hey, Hunter?"
Magenta eyes blinked owlishly.
"Yes?"
"I think all of your other friends want hugs too."
The Owl House crew was hard at work helping the remaining wild witches and demons tie up the last of the abandoned coven scouts when Lilith called.
"Hoot hoot, Lulu is on the CB. She says the rescue mission is off!" Hooty hollered, getting Eda's attention. Said witch practically threw the unconscious coven scout she'd been levitating across the beach in favor of running over to the house demon. He trailed after her as she passed through the doorway and picked up the crystal ball.
"You better have a good explanation for this." Eda said, warding off the feathers sprouting on her skin with an elixir.
Lilith smiled despite her sibling's tone. "Hello to you too, sister. It's as dear Hootsifer said. The rescue mission and overall attack we were planning for dawn is being postponed."
"On whose orders?"
"Mother's and Raine's. They're no longer imprisoned."
"What?" Eda gaped openly before closing her mouth, a self-assured look passing over her face in an instant. "I mean— I knew they'd be able to break out on their own."
"Sure you did."
"Oh can it, know-it-all. Tell me what happened. Why didn't one of them call me directly to inform me they broke out? Aren't they with you?"
Now the raven-haired witch winced. "No, they're not. They've taken refuge at the Bonesborough Library. The master librarian there and the principal of Hexside are old friends; he's also not very happy with one of his star employees not being able to work because of the bounty that was put on her head. Anyway, as for why you weren't called directly they told me they'd be a little preoccupied with a rather… delicate situation."
"Did someone get hurt?"
"Yes and no," she answered honestly. "Raine has some bumps and bruises from keeping the BATs safe, but no one besides Hunter suffered any long-lasting injuries. Not to imply he's in pain, because he's not, he's just not himself at the moment."
"Explain."
"It appears after Kikimora captured him and found out she was unable to subdue him using the coven brand she resorted to erasing his memories using oracle magic."
A fireball the size of the owl beast was flung out of the hole in the Owl House with a shout of rage. From the distance cries of "watch out" and "holy Titan" could be heard.
"That little witch!" Eda raged. "When I get my hands on her I'll—"
Lilith cleared her throat loudly. "As much as I share the same sentiment please try to calm down, Edalyn. He should make a full recovery once Raine is done repairing the damaged memories. Remember that mother was the one who showed us how to perform the mind-delving spell in the first place."
"I remember. She used on me back in the day to subdue the owl beast, but it didn't work."
"Exactly. She knows what she's doing. We can trust her and Raine to help him, can't we?"
She sighed, taking a step back to sit down on the couch wearily. "I trust mom to send them inside his head okay, but I'm afraid to find out what memories of his that rotten demon destroyed. That kid's been through so much in such a short amount of time. It's not fair, Lily. What if he can't bounce back from this?"
"Hunter is a strong boy; he'll be alright. For now you should focus on evacuating the island. Once the emperor's forces are gathered they might attack again in response to their prisoner's breaking out only hours after being captured. I marked some safe locations on a map and sent them to your scroll to lie low at until we're all ready to stage a counterattack."
Eda nodded. "Sounds good, sis. I'll send a message to mom's scroll letting her know you gave me a call and that I expect visual confirmation that Hunter is okay once he's back to his old self. Before I go," she paused, "did mom or Raine tell you how they escaped? I thought Belos could scry on Hunter as much as he wanted too. Are they safe at the library when Hunter might be on a constant watch?"
"They should be. One of the prisoners helped fool the guards into letting them walk right out of the castle as well as kept Hunter in his own little illusory field to make sure Belos couldn't track him."
"Seriously? No!" She groaned, realization sinking in. "You're telling me that showy excuse for a coven head—"
"—actually helped you out of the goodness of my own heart?" Jean laughed, a hand on his hip. "Think again! You let me out of that awful cocoon, and I repaid the favor by escorting your little group to your destination safely. Once you've fixed the ex-Golden Guard here I'll be on my way."
Principal Bump raised an eyebrow at the illusionist. "Where will you go? The emperor's forces, including your fellow coven heads, are likely already searching for you as we speak."
"Are you trying to insult my abilities? I'm an illusionist, old man. I can be anyone or anything with my magic. No one will be able to find me unless I allow them to."
Gwendolyn hummed from where she sat on the floor next to the couch Hunter was sprawled across. The boy's face was lax as he rested, Raine running around his head fixing memories one by one. "If that's true then how were you captured while spying on the emperor?"
The abomination-user coughed into his hand. "My thoughts exactly."
Jean crossed his arms, a dark scowl passing over him.
"If you must know," he admitted like a child being forced to tell a secret, "it appears there were some wards in the emperor's castle not even someone of my magical caliber could sense. I must have tripped one while sneaking into the portal room. It was all over once he knew I was there; Kikimora made short work of me with that detestable coven brand."
"Well you don't have to worry about it anymore," Principal Bump reminded. "We made sure to deactivate the brand with a glyph as soon as Raine got you out of that cocoon."
There was silence for a moment before Jean replied. When he did his voice was soft, and the scowl on his face had faded.
"Thank you."
Gwendolyn waved a hand. "It was no problem, dear. I've long since tired of the emperor's nasty tricks and the harsh manipulative practices I've heard he's been using on some of his higher-ups. And as for that vile little demon who hurt this child and you? If my daughter doesn't finish her off I gladly will," she smiled pleasantly before showcasing a scarred bicep. "I didn't get all of these from just fighting demons and monsters. A member of the Beast Keeper Coven understands the circle of life, and death is a necessary part of it. It cannot be avoided. I'll be glad to teach Belos and Kikimora that lesson."
The glamour over Jean's face wavered for a second, revealing a large burn scar that covered over half of his face. That's what he'd been gifted for trying to trap Kikimora in an illusion.
"Perhaps," he said as his eyes drifted to the young witch snoring away peacefully, "I will stick around a little bit longer. As long as my illusions remain in place your group is safe to plot without the Emperor's Coven breaking down any doors."
Principal Bump and Gwendolyn gave each other a knowing look. Jean flushed at the observation, causing him to storm away after a final shout of: "Just until I can witness the emperor's and Kiki's demise, obviously! It's not like I find any of you particularly endearing. Disgusting!"
"Hey, Eda?"
The witch in question was in the middle of grabbing Hooty's portable birdhouse contraption from her room when Luz knocked on the door.
"Come on in, squirt. Is everyone ready to go?"
"Yes, but there's a coven scout who wants to speak to you."
Eda turned around, heterochromatic eyes meeting brown.
"I thought my orders were to knock them all out with a sleep spell or by force. There's nothing I want to hear from them."
"I think you should hear him out. Amity didn't knock him out because he was one of the ones who surrendered. Can you please talk to him? He practically begged us to get you."
"It could be a trap."
"I don't think it is. Please, Eda?"
"Ugh, fine. But if he ends up attacking me I will not be held accountable for any icicles I may or may not shoot through his stupid bird mask."
"Violent, but fair enough I guess."
A minute later Luz walked her outside to the front of the Owl House where Amity stood watch over a short, masked coven scout. He currently had his arms bound at his side by abomination goo, yet he didn't seem to mind. The moment he caught sight of Eda, however, he began to shift from one leg to another nervously.
"Um, excuse me, Eda the Owl Lady? Do you have a second to talk?"
She raised an eyebrow before gesturing to the pile of snoring coven scouts on the beach some ways away. "I believe the question is am I willing to let you have a second to talk, but sure. Go for it."
He nodded, fingers digging into his cloak as he steeled himself. "I, uh, well." A deep breath later and the stutter was mostly gone. "My name is Steve. I've been a coven scout for a few years. I, um, knew Miss Lilith and the Golden Guard. They were kind to me."
"Look, buddy, it's been a long, stressful day. Your point?"
"I was getting there! It's just… I know you don't trust us, but most of the scouts here didn't choose to be part of this mission. We're people underneath these masks. We didn't want to come here and be 'distractions'; Kikimora ordered us to. Captain was against the whole thing. She's the one who let you guys go when you broke Raine Whispers out of the emperor's prison," he added helpfully. "A-anyway, what I'm saying is when you attack the castle you might want to go easy on some of the guards. A lot of us, including Captain, are tired of Emperor Belos treating us like we're disposable. We might not directly help you, but a lot of us won't stop you either."
Eda twirled her staff thoughtfully. "I thought I overheard some of the rebels saying today's raid was far too easy to fight off. No witches, demons, or palismen were captured or hurt all that much either."
Steve breathed a sigh of relief. "See?"
"This does not mean I'm just going to let you all go. If I do decide to do that it will be after the other rebels and I are far, far away from here. I'll still have to put you down for a nap."
"I understand. I just wanted to let you know we're not all bad. And those who are still loyal to Belos will be pretty upset to learn we were left here after the target was captured. Speaking of the Golden Guard— I mean, Hunter," he amended quickly. "You should probably rescue him as soon as possible. Captain overheard Kikimora talking to some of the coven heads about needing him alive for some reason. The term 'sacrifice' has been floating around, so…" He trailed off with a whimper as feathers began to sprout on Eda's forearms.
"What did you just say?"
He pulled at his arms as if he wanted to put his hands up in the air in surrender but couldn't.
"C-Captain thinks Hunter might be some sort of sacrifice to the Titan? I don't really know much about it, sorry! I might have some useful information though."
"Such as?"
"Well, uh, the Construction Coven's head witch was tasked with arresting Hexside's principal and Gwendolyn Clawthorne for helping hide wild witches at the same time of his attack. He should be the one guarding the prisoners underneath the castle as well since he was the one who fixed it up after Kikimora and the Abomatons destroyed it."
"Tell me what you know about him," Eda said. "He's the only one I haven't had the good fortune of meeting. Is he like the crazies that attacked my house and stole my kid?"
Steve shook his head. "From the few encounters I've had with him he seems like a nice guy. His name is Gemlö Ironfist. He, uh, has a son who's a coven scout like me. We'd had a few patrol shifts together in the past."
"That's sweet, but I need more than that. Give me strengths and weaknesses."
"Strengths? Um, he's good at building and repairing things. I know that sounds obvious but the former leader of the Construction Coven focused more on coming up with ways to boost magical power; Gemlö didn't like that. Well, he used to, but not anymore at least."
She frowned. "What do you mean? Did he used to be a power-hungry jerk or something?"
"Kind of. You see, he has a second, younger son who used to go to Glandus High. Apparently it's survival of the fittest there, and since his youngest isn't as strong as his dad or brother he got bullied a lot. At one point it got to be too much, I guess. Gemlö realized the way he viewed magic was all wrong. He moved from Latissa to Bonesborough had his son transferred to Hexside to continue on the construction track there."
"Huh," Luz pondered. "That sounds a lot like a certain bratty kid I know at Hexside. I wonder…"
"Wonder what?" Amity asked.
The human shook her head while pulling out her scroll. "I think we might have one less coven head we'll need to fight. If what Steve's saying is true and my hunch is correct there's someone at Hexside who might be able to talk this Gemlö guy into helping us, or at least not fight us."
Before anyone else could question her further Gus' face appeared on her scroll.
"Luz? Are you okay?" He shouted while pacing around his room. "Willow and I have been lying low like you told us to, but with Principal Bump gone the school is crawling with guards. We went home early just to avoid the attention."
"Sorry, Gus. I promise things will go back to normal soon. Hey, you're friends with Mattholomule, aren't you?"
The illusionist nodded. "Sure am! Matty and I patched things up while fortifying the Looking Glass Ruins' defenses. Why?"
"Excellent! Can you add him to the call? I have some important questions to ask him."
Raine knew from the moment they entered Hunter's mind it had been a wise decision to send them in alone.
On one half of the mindscape stood neat, uniform doors similar in design to those that lined the interior of the emperor's castle. There were several memories on display that covered the doors in vivid color, which from what Gwendolyn explained meant they were intact. The same couldn't be said for the other half of the mindscape. Not only was there a jagged, foot-wide chasm separating the two halves of Hunter's inner sanctum, but instead of castle hallways and doors bookshelves stood in their place. The memories which bloomed on the ends of said bookshelves were in grayscale meaning those were the ones Kikimora had targeted more heavily.
"This doesn't make any sense," they stated aloud if only to fill the stifling silence. Then they began to make their way over to the bookshelves to get a better look at the desolated memories there. "Gwen told me a person's inner self is supposed to reflect who they are as a person. To have one spliced together like this can't be healthy."
"Healthy? Me?" A familiar voice scoffed at the mere idea. "That's hilarious, really. Next you'll be saying I'm mentally stable."
If Raine screamed it was because they hadn't anticipated the Golden Guard standing directly behind them.
"Oh my Titan," they clutched their chest while backing away from the now snickering teenager. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
The boy in full Emperor's Coven attire shrugged his shoulders, his expression hidden beneath the mask. "I'd say I'm sorry, Raine Whispers, but honestly you really should've expected this. You're the one poking around in my head after all," he pointed out. "Why are you here anyway? All anyone ever does is damage these memories. Coming here to do that isn't every smart; you can do it just as well from outside his brain where I wouldn't be able to put up a fight."
"I'm not here to cause any harm. I'm here to fix the memories Kikimora destroyed."
He laughed before realizing Raine wasn't joking. "Oh, you're serious? I'll have you know she's been destroying his memories for years. It'll take you a long time to repair them when you barely know anything about him."
"But you do. You're the keeper of his memories, aren't you, Hunter?"
"You're half right. By the way, I prefer to be called Golden Guard. Hunter is the 'me' standing behind you."
At that Raine whipped around to see a much younger version of Hunter hiding behind a bookshelf. A small, frightened scream escaped the boy before he shrunk in on himself, wrapping his arms around his head and hunching over like he was going to be blasted.
Immediately Raine dropped to the ground, resting on their knees while putting their hands up for Hunter to see.
"Hey," they cooed, "it's okay! Do you remember me? It's Raine. We're friends."
"Uncle said I'm not allowed to have friends!" Hunter shouted back, voice trembling. "G-go away!"
The Golden Guard sighed. "He's always like this. Skittish, or whatever. Maybe you can play him a song that can get him to calm him down."
Raine smiled. "I can do that."
To prove their point they conjured up their violin and began to play a short, happy tune. The area around them took on a beautiful sunset orange sheen as music began to fill the air. The Golden Guard felt some tension leave his shoulders while he listened to the music, and after a minute two magenta eyes peaked out from behind scrawny arms in order to get a better look at the bard.
"Whoa," Hunter breathed, awestruck by the display. "So pretty."
The Golden Guard hummed as Raine finished the song. "I guess it is. Hey, Hunter, why don't you come over here? Raine says they're going to fix all the memories the mean demon lady burned away."
Now Hunter was gaping like a fish. "Really? They can do that?"
"I can," Raine answered. "Do you want to help me?"
He glanced at the Golden Guard as if looking for assurance. When the gold-clad figure nodded ever so slightly Hunter's eyes lit up once more, and the next thing Raine knew was that they were getting led by the hand towards a bookshelf some distance away.
"Fix this one," Hunter requested, pointing at a ripped picture that showed a teenage version of himself playing with Rascal. It looked fairly recent like most of the memories on this half of the mindscape.
Raine did as they were told with a determined nod. All it took was clearing off Hunter's sleeping bag, which gave him room to sit on it while he threw seeds up into the air for Rascal to catch.
"You don't even need to eat," Hunter stated in the memory. His words held nothing but fondness. It made Raine as well as the smaller keeper of the boy's memories beam at the sight.
Once that one was fixed they were brought to another faded picture. This time it was of him eating what appeared to be fried orbs with Edric Blight. A quick fix of the stand that sold them was all Raine needed to do for the memory to play out as it meant to.
"I've never been able to just go out and enjoy the day like this," they overheard Hunter say. "I would've gotten in trouble for slacking off."
Edric swung an arm around him good-naturedly, but Raine could see the slight blush on the scarred witch's face. "Slacking off? It's called relaxing, buddy. It's good for your health."
"I, uh, don't have great track record for taking care of myself either."
"Well then you chose the right guy to be friends with. I'm practically the king of self-care," he gestured to himself and winked. "I can teach you how to relax and give you some tips on how to take care of yourself better."
Hunter frowned. "What do you want in exchange?"
"Nothing!"
"I don't believe you. If you don't tell me what you want I'll just have to give you a gift of some sort instead."
"Hunter, the only present I want from you is your presence."
Hunter cringed. "That was a terrible play on words, but…"
"But?" Edric pressed.
"I suppose you're better company than books." He paused, ears turning red. "G-get it? Because books are made of paper, and paper is 'tear-able'. Oh Titan I knew if I had to explain it wouldn't be worth it. I should've just kept my mouth… shut?"
The sound of Edric's booming laughter stopped Hunter short. After a moment a smile broke out across his face, and soon enough they were both exchanging bad puns.
Once the memory was fixed Raine turned to mini-Hunter inquisitively.
"Hunter?"
"Yeah?"
"How many memories are there for us to fix?"
A childish, prolonged "hmm" was their answer. After several seconds Hunter held up both hands.
"At least this many," he declared. "Other me has some that need fixed too, but he won't let me see them."
"He won't?"
"No. I can't cross over the scary gap in the middle of the room he made. Maybe it's a good thing though? Ever since he made it I started getting more and more happy memories, but he doesn't let me hang out with him any more either. I... I miss him, Raine. Do you think he's doing this because I'm annoying? Uncle says I can get on peoples' nerves."
They put a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder. "You're not annoying, Hunter. I'm sure he's just trying to protect you. C'mon," they said while pointing to the memory of when Hunter activated a glyph for the first time. "Let's fix that one next, okay?"
"Okay!"
"So," Raine stated once they'd fixed all the memories on one half of the mindscape. It had taken a long time, but all things considered it went far smoother with the help of inner Hunter. "I assume I found only pleasant memories because you're hiding the rest over there," they gestured to the castle doors. "Is that right?"
The Golden Guard sighed. He sent off the younger version of himself to play in some of the fixed memories, and once he was alone with Raine he motioned for the bard to follow him. Together they stepped over the crack separating the positive memories in the library to the ones displayed on the castle side of the mindscape.
"Before I show you these memories I have one question for you, Raine Whispers. Are you sure you want your Hunter back?"
They frowned. "Of course I do. We all do. Why would you ask me that?"
"Because if you leave now without fixing what's left to fix Hunter will be happy. You saw him out there," he stressed. "Without any trauma to remember he's like a carefree child; do you really want to bring back all his insecurities? His fears? His failures? He'd still remember and love you all just the same. It's a win-win."
Raine shook their head. "It's not though. Hunter won't be Hunter if he remains without a third of his memories, especially when I'm sure a lot of them have to do with Belos. Our collection of experiences, the good and bad, are what make us who we are as people. As much as it filled my heart with joy to see him smile like an innocent child he's not a child anymore. We all have to grow up someday." They paused, eyes growing somber. "I know Hunter grew up at a far younger age than he should have, but the negative memories you're hiding from him are a vital part of him. They're just as if not more important in defining his character than the positive ones Kikimora chose to destroy. Do you understand?"
With a defeated noise the Golden Guard took off his mask. The familiar scar on his cheek stood out seeing as the younger version of himself had been without it. "I suppose you make a good point. Fine. I'll help you fix the rest of his memories, but keep in mind some of the ones you're going to witness are ones that were destroyed long before you even met Hunter. When you're done he's going to know more than he ever did about himself. He'll be a little... different."
"I understand."
"Do you?"
"I do. You're worried about him, I know that, but when he wakes up he'll have friends like myself there to help him. You have my word."
The Golden Guard rolled his eyes, but Raine could see the corner of his lip twitch up as he fought back a smile of gratitude.
"Whatever. Let's get going," he said as he swung his leg over a monochrome image. It was so burnt Raine had no idea what they were looking at. "Brace yourself. You're about to learn where that scar on his face really came from."
The throne room was dark much like the rest of the castle. Only the artificial red glow of Hunter's staff illuminated the path up to where his uncle sat, the steady pitter-patter of boiling rain outside the castle echoing through the halls covering up the sound of the Titan's heartbeat.
"Uncle?" The twelve year-old's voice was timid. "A guard told me you called for me."
"I did."
When he didn't continue Hunter shifted anxiously. Minutes which felt like hours passed until the emperor's form finally moved. The moment he stood up and began walking towards him Hunter straightened his spine, his chin tilting upwards obediently.
"Tell me, child," his uncle's voice filled the room as he came to a stop just a few steps before him, "is what Kiki told me true?"
"What are you referring to?"
A low growl sounded from underneath Belos' horned mask.
"You just arrived and I'm already beginning to lose my patience. Did you or did you not cause an explosion in the library due to a mishap caused by your incessant research on wild magic? And take off your mask. I want to see your face in case you attempt to lie to me."
Hunter did as he was told, fingers trembling all the while.
"I'm sorry, uncle. I found passages in a book which alluded to a type of wild magic that anyone, even a powerless witch like me, could use to cast spells. The fire rune was the first one I copied into my notes. When I accidentally touched it to erase a mistake the piece of paper I drew it on did something weird."
"Did it now?"
"Yes. It folded in on itself and became a giant fireball! " The excitement in his voice faded as soon as it had arrived. "It, uh, exploded shortly after."
"Oh Hunter," the elder witch's words dripped with disappointment. "How many times do I have to tell you not to mess around with wild magic? It killed your parents, our family. It's why I need magic to keep my curse at bay. What will it take to get you drop this foolish endeavor you seem to have?"
"I just want to help you. Please. Wild magic is dangerous; I get that, but what if it's the key to curing you of your curse?"
"This curse is not one you can cure. It can only be managed. If you continue to mess around with those runes all you will wind up doing is hurting yourself and those around you. Stick to using the staff we made together. Unless, of course, you don't want it anymore."
Hunter shook his head frantically. "I didn't say that! I love my artificial staff. It's just…" He hesitated.
"Go on."
"I'm pretty sure wild magic is the only way to help you because it hurt you."
"Really now?" The emperor took another step forward, causing the younger witch to flinch. "And what makes you say that?"
"Because I," he gulped, his eyes darting to the shadows seeming to dance on the floor and wall behind his uncle. "I..."
A gloved hand grabbed his chin forcefully.
"Speak, boy."
"I figured out all wild magic ultimately comes from the Titan!" He answered quickly despite his fear. "If that's true, then it's safe to say your outbursts might be triggered by your frequent communing with the Titan. I don't want to sound unfaithful to the Titan or anything, but what if its the real reason you're—"
A white-hot pain on his cheek forced him to stop talking. He could feel something hot and sticky begin to run down his face, a feeling which pulled a whimper from him as Belos withdrew his hand. His instincts shouted for him to beg for forgiveness, but there was no time for that. One moment his uncle was standing stock-still and the next his body had contorted into that a monster. Now in his cursed form Belos howled as he flew into a violent rage with gangly limbs made of sludge.
"You don't need to see the rest," the Golden Guard said while pulling Raine out of the memory. "He got a lot more scars that night than just the one on his face."
Raine looked like they were going to be sick. "That's horrible. Where did he think he got them if this memory was suppressed?"
"Routine mission accidents. When Hunter told Eda that's where they came from he thought he was telling the truth, but he didn't know the full story. Anyway, this was the first time Belos ordered Kikimora to mess with his head," he explained. "He needed to make him forget about the runes, which were likely similar to the glyphs the human discovered, as well as the outburst that might have made his nephew anything other than loyal to him."
"He's a monster," the bard said grimly.
"He is. And now Hunter will finally know too. He'll learn about the first two times he realized he wasn't the emperor's nephew, resulting in confrontations that ended with him having his memories erased. He'll learn about the time he casted magic without a staff on accident only for Belos to knock him unconscious. He'll learn he discovered his true Grimwalker nature once before only for that to be purged from his mind as well. His failed palismen-capturing mission, his fight with Amity at Eclipse Lake— it'll come rushing back all at once. Are you absolutely sure you want him to remember this?" He prompted once more, his stoic demeanor cracking to become almost hysterical. "You'll have to dig a literal grave for him to recall that memory. Do you really want him to remember that?"
"Hunter," Raine tried. But the boy wasn't really listening.
"I told you not to call me that," he snapped. "The other me is Hunter; I'm just the Golden Guard!"
"But you're both Hunter."
"That's not true! I have to be different from him."
"Why?"
"Because once I acknowledge we're the same he won't be able to compartmentalize the guilt and shame for everything he's ever done wrong! It's the only thing keeping him from completely losing it," he said brokenly, tears gathering in his eyes. "And I know it's not healthy but neither is not being able to sleep because he's so used to working overtime or because the nightmares are too real. I pushed most of the positive memories to the new, redeemed Hunter's mindscape for that reason."
Before the teenager could stop them Raine enveloped him in a warm hug.
"What the heck? Unhand me! I'm not some dumb kid who—"
"Hunter," Raine said more forcefully this time, making the boy still. "Please listen to me. You're not helping anyone by pretending to be the Golden Guard. That was just a title you had. The younger version of you over there? He misses you."
"He said that?"
They nodded, pulling away so they could meet his eyes. "He did. I know you think you're protecting him, but the truth is you're just hurting each other in the long run."
A few seconds passed where neither of them spoke. Finally the teenager heaved a great sigh, a look of acceptance passing over his face.
"I guess I've been putting this off for long enough. Don't blame me if he comes out of this needing therapy though," he said.
Without another word he stepped around the bard and walked over to the chasm. He raised a hand to his chest, a sky blue glow bathing him as well as the area around him. Raine closed their eyes just in time to avoid being blinded as the entire mindscape disappeared in a flash of light. When they opened them both the castle and bookshelves were gone; instead all that remained was a single room Raine recognized from one of the memories they'd fixed.
"I know it doesn't look like much, but it's home."
Raine didn't startle this time. They merely looked down and to the side to see a new version of Hunter standing next to them, though this time he wasn't young or in uniform. He now looked more or less identical to the one sleeping peacefully on the couch in the real world.
"You okay?" They asked.
Hunter met their gaze, then smiled.
"For the first time in a long time I think I am. Are you still up for helping me fix the rest of the memories?"
Raine smiled back. "It'd be my honor."
Some hours later, Hunter woke up.
