AN: warning for minor character death.
Growing up Hunter hadn't always been pessimistic. In fact his childlike innocence and positive outlook on the dangerous realm he lived in was stronger than the average child raised in the Boiling Isles. Call him open-minded, but instead of viewing elements of the Demon Realm many would describe as horrid or troubling he would find intriguing. Even at the young age of ten something a scout would tell him was bad often made him wonder why it was such. So he read, and in turn he learned. Instead of thinking "slitherbeasts are naturally violent creatures" he pondered "were coven scouts scouring The Knee for Titan's blood ruining its natural habitat?" to which he would share with whatever scout was tasked with being his handler. Often times they told him he was too young to be thinking so critically, but he didn't care. He'd brought up the issue to his uncle anyway. Surely his own family would believe him?
"I did not ask for your opinion on the matter, Hunter. In fact, if you have time to read up on something as trivial as slitherbeast behavior and interrupt my very busy schedule, then perhaps you should begin your Emperor's Coven training early. The sooner you become a scout the sooner your voice might hold more sway."
The sooner you may actually be of some use, went without saying.
The next few years had been filled with armor fittings and combat drills under the guise that he was a small demon underneath his golden mask and cowl. Only a choice few coven scouts, such as Captain and Steve, knew Hunter and the Golden Guard were one in the same. That meant they were some of the few forced to watch as the child in Hunter began to be snuffed out, a loyal coven official almost taking the boy's place entirely. Still, he persevered.
On the night he journeyed to Eclipse Lake, on the other hand, he'd lost it. He'd lost the favor of his uncle. He'd lost hope in the Titan's plan. Worst of all, he'd lost the will to live.
Right now, magenta eyes unable to tear themselves away from those of the Titan's, Hunter felt like he'd lost all over again.
This is it, he thought. We're dead.
An unhinged laugh gurgled up from the Titan's throat. Then he began leisurely walking around them. As it moved Hunter noticed that while it kept the same rough silhouette of Belos' cursed form it walked upright rather than on all fours. It also seemed to exude magic.
"You are correct. I am—" an unintelligible string of sounds left it in a rush, its arms stretching out on either side of it in a grand gesture. "The one and only."
"Your voice," Luz suddenly said. Her companions looked at her like she was crazy as she took a half-step forward. "It sounds familiar..." She trailed off, though after a few seconds her face scrunched up. "Are you the one who spoke to me the first time I went through the incomplete portal?"
"Oh? And here I was under the impression you hadn't heard me," it seemed to grin. "Yes, human, I remember. You are Luz Noceda, and you speak of the area betwixt realms. I must say it was an impressive feat of you to manage finding it not once but twice. The only other soul to have done so was Belos himself."
Luz didn't know how to react to that. "Uh, thank you?"
"There's no need for that, child. I know what lengths desperate creatures go through to achieve what they desire. You were lost in another world armed with only paper to protect yourself," it drawled, tone pitying as the pitch of its voice fluctuated between high and low. "How tragic. Had you not been such a bother Belos might've allowed you a safe passage back to the human realm; unfortunately, after your little stunt with the fire glyphs shattered the portal he quickly changed his tune. Now it appears you shall perish along with the rest of the creatures who chose to make a home of my corpse."
She shuddered, a wince on her face. "It does sound pretty wrong when you say it out loud like that, but you have to admit it was your magic that created life on the Boiling Isles long before any witches claimed the land for themselves."
"Careful," it warned with a tsk tsk tsk. At the same time it waved a hand, and from behind them they heard a gasp of pain. Hunter whipped his head around just in time to notice an ebony glow surrounding a struggling Eda. Apparently she hadn't been knocked out by his first strike like they'd thought. "One more accusation like that and I'll make sure your mentor suffers horribly instead of giving her a quick, painless death."
"Don't you touch her!" King shouted, his voice cracking despite how hard he tried to reign in his terror. Hunter commended him for his bravery; the Titan was giving off a pressure that, at least for Hunter, made it hard to find the will to speak.
The Titan turned its attention to King. After a moment it snickered, a long hum escaping it before it spoke.
"Interesting. To think I'd nearly forgotten how puny infantile stonesleepers were before undergoing hibernation."
"Hey, he's not an infant!" Luz defended.
"Yeah! I'm eight and a half."
The Titan's response was freezing the small demon in a chunk of ice, much to Hunter and Luz's dismay.
"King!" Their shouts alerted Eda to what happened, but even with the combined might of the owl beast the Titan's telekinesis was too strong.
It was toying with them.
"I grow tired of reminding insignificant creatures such as yourselves of your place," it said, stalking closer. "I felled droves of demons and witches in my prime; when I take back the rest of my magic I will do so once more. With no other titans to challenge me I will truly be the most powerful force in the Demon Realm!"
Luz had the audacity to roll her eyes at its confident declaration.
"Yeah, I don't think so. The other titans might be gone and giants scarce but everyone in the realm knows you were defeated. A stonesleeper cut off your head," she pointed out. "When Chief gets here you're done for."
Its toxic green eyes flashed in anger at her statement. Hunter grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the way on pure instinct alone, which proved to save her when a split second later a lightning strike smoked the ground where she'd just been standing.
"Whoa," she breathed, clutching her staff tightly. "That was close. Nice save, Hunter."
"Don't 'nice save' me! Are you crazy? You can't just backtalk a literal—"
"Watch out!"
Hunter didn't think about where he wanted to go. He reacted. Teleporting to the other side of the room, Eda's shout saved both Luz and Hunter from being hit with a plume of fire.
It seemed like the Titan was finally done playing around.
"You children think you can stand against me?" It roared, commanding a sea of earthen spike racing out of the ground and ceiling as if to impale its targets. Luckily in its anger it was sloppy. It forgot for a split second that Hunter could teleport, so as soon as Luz and Hunter evaded the attack she slapped an invisibility glyph on each of them while Hunter slapped a combined fire and ice glyph to fill the room with fog.
"You keep him distracted while I thaw out King?" Luz whispered.
Hunter nodded. "Sounds like a plan to me."
With that they hopped on their staffs and split up. Hunter flew towards Eda while teleporting around the room like he was a glitching character in a videogame. He aimed bursts of searing energy at the Titan as he blinked in and out of space while Luz silently approached the ice keeping King frozen solid and attempted to melt the ice with a fire glyph.
And then the effects of their glyphs all stopped at once.
"Neat tricks," the Titan commended as the young witches became visible once again. Its eyes narrowed at Luz specifically, but Hunter knew it was keeping tabs on him from its periphery. "But I'm afraid you've overlooked something. Those runes of yours. Where do they pull their magic from, hmm?"
Hunter cursed. How could they have overlooked such a trivial detail? Glyphs pulled natural magic from the land, the land which was currently awake and alive and currently trying to kill them!
"It seems the Grimwalker figured it out. For the ignorant human I'll put it in simpler terms. If I choose to cut off the connection between your glyph and myself, then those so-called glyphs of yours are reduced to drawings on scrap paper."
Luz met its taunting laughter with a glare. "Oh yeah? Good thing I don't need glyphs to cast magic anymore then!"
The next instant was filled with bright dancing flames and scorching heat as a volley of fireballs, lightning bolts, and streams of acid sailed towards the Titan. Hunter joined in the assault too, though he was also working his way over to where Eda had finally been released from the Titan's telekinesis. Not that the harpy woman was back on her feet just yet. No, instead of fighting she yanked on the remaining ice encasing King and began using her own fire magic to free him.
There was only one problem. When the smoke cleared from the shear magnitude of their spells the Titan was seemingly unharmed.
"This isn't good," Hunter stated loud enough so his allies could hear him. "It's like it's made of the same magic-insulating material inside its veins."
"Physical attacks it is then."
"Eda, no! In that sludge form it can probably contort itself around your claws and spikes. That and Belos might be under there," he whispered.
"The child is right," it said haughtily. "Emperor Belos remains aware yet unable to act much like I was for the past thousands of years. Face it. You don't stand a chance against me!"
King, having just been freed from his icy prison, coughed weakly before glaring at the Titan.
"Maybe we don't, but my dad does."
He opened his mouth and screamed. The sonic wail passed harmlessly over the monster across from him, but that didn't matter. What mattered was the answering wail which King knew meant son. A second longer wail revealed what they'd all been waiting for.
Chief, now the size of the Titan making up the Boiling Isles itself, had arrived.
Finally, Hunter thought. It's about time to end this.
But plans never went that smoothly for them. Instead of looking worried at the arrival of a full-grown stonesleeper the Titan borrowing Belos' body seemed elated.
"Now this is perfect. The fool showed up with her," it cackled. "How very foolish of him. With her power I'll be able to heal the damage done to me by time. Before I leave though... Kiki, dear, you can stop hiding now."
From the passageway they'd used to enter the portal room the small house demon stumbled forward, startled.
"Great Titan!" She greeted, her voice shrill. The Titan beckoned her over with a lazy tilt of its head.
"If it isn't my most loyal follower. You've been eager to meet me for some time, or so Belos has told me through my connection with him over the past several years. He's said many good things about you. You'd slay a newborn selkidomus to earn my praise, wouldn't you?"
"I would, I would! Anything you asked of me I would do in a heartbeat."
The Titan's eyes seemed to twinkle at that. "Excellent. Come closer then," he instructed affectionately. "You have earned an honor reserved only for the most dedicated of followers."
When she was close enough for him to reach out an arm and grab her he did. Hunter closed his eyes just after he watched the Titan open its maw wide, and when he opened them a second later Kikimora was gone.
Eda swore, Luz and King threw up, and Hunter almost passed out on the spot. The sound of bones snapping as well as the strange slurping sound the muddy sludge substance made would be forever imbedded in his mind.
"I'll be back for you lot after I've claimed my prize," it promised. It then melted into the ground, a massive series of quakes shaking the castle. Had Hunter been standing instead of hovering on his broom he would've been knocked to the floor.
"Uh, guys?" Luz flew over to her mentor and Hunter with King clutched in her arms. Both of their faces were tinged green. A few yards away Lilith groaned as she regained consciousness. "Did it just eat her?"
Hunter nodded numbly. "It did."
King put a paw over his mouth to hold back a second wave of vomit. Luz didn't look like she was fairing any better.
"Okay. Second question; who's power was it referring to?"
Eda shook her head as she helped her sister stand. Hooty remained unconscious.
"Doesn't matter. We need to get outside to see what's going on for ourselves. Hunter, do you—"
"Way ahead of you."
He closed his eyes, letting Rascal guide his movements. A few seconds later a portal opened up on the tallest battlement of the castle. "Let's go."
All across the Boiling Isles something strange was happening. A substance which appeared to have the consistency of mud but looked very much like muscle tissue began to wrap around and almost engulf the buildings and people populating the isles. The witches and demons inside their homes simply passed out from magical exhaustion as their magic was drawn upon like they were living batteries. Those outside who tried to fight back found themselves petrified in the ominous fleshy goo. Only those inside or stationed just outside the emperor's castle were spared from such a fate, though it wasn't a blessing in the slightest. No, those still conscious like the current and former residents of the Owl House were forced to watch the Titan, or rather the mass they called the Boiling Isles, rise out of the boiling sea.
Eda cursed, flying a few yards away from the now inverted castle. Lilith followed suit while Luz hovered in the air with King held to her chest like his life depended on it. Hunter, a sudden bout of worry making him feel sick to his stomach, turned his attention to the outcrop outside the castle Jean, Emira, and Edric had been stationed. When he saw them using restraining spells to keep them from falling off the section of rock they were on he felt his worries abate a little.
Then Lilith spoke, making his anxieties ramp right back up.
"Is it me or is Chief wielding a staff?"
Now Hunter's attention fell on the massive form flying in the air just above the boiling sea. It was unmistakably Chief. He was a bit shorter than the titan, but what he lacked in height he more than doubled in terms of muscle mass. The Titan was standing, sure, but much of its body was still deteriorated. Chief on the other hand was in perfect shape save for the tip of his right horn. Instead of ending in a point the shape was eerily similar to that of King's island. If the Owl House remained situated in said horn Hunter couldn't tell.
As for the staff he wielded, Luz and Eda recognized the palisman topper immediately.
"It's the Bat Queen!" The younger shouted, her eyes tearing up. "She found someone to bond with after thousands of years. I'm going to cry!"
King sniffled. "You're already crying."
"As happy as I am for her," Eda broke in, "we're toast if the Titan gets its hands on her. With the amount of magic she possesses it would be unstoppable."
Hunter frowned. "But Chief is surely stronger, isn't he? All he needs to do is stab its heart and it's dead."
"He needs a clear shot to do that though," Lilith stated. "With so many people in the castle the death toll would be well over hundreds. Not to mention our allies are still inside."
"We need to tell everyone to evacuate." Eda agreed. She turned to Luz, King, and Hunter with fire in her eyes. "I want you three to get as far away from here as possible. King, when I give you the signal tell your father he has a clear shot, okay?"
"Got it!"
Eda then turned to Lily with a shit-eating grin. "What do you say about turning this into a competition? The one who evacuates the most wins."
Lilith rolled her eyes. "Seriously, sister? How childish. I can retrieve Hootsifer and rescue more people than you even if I gave you a head start."
"Head start you say?"
With that Eda took off, Lilith taking chase a second later. When they were gone Hunter gripped his staff tightly.
"We'd better get going," he said. "It's only a matter of time until—"
An ear-splitting boom covered up his words, nearly sending both himself and Luz flying off their staffs. When they'd righted themselves they realized Chief and the Titan were no longer posturing.
The fight had begun.
"Fly you fool!"
"I am," Hunter shouted back in between gulps of air. Flying away from the castle was proving to be difficult since the landmass, or rather, the Titan it was attached to was moving.
"Well fly faster!"
"I'm trying! Excuse me if I'm a bit tired after casting a complex, magic-draining spell. Also I'm still sore from, you know, being impaled like ten minutes ago!"
Luz gave him a pointed look over her shoulder as he finally managed to catch up to her.
"First of all, I was quoting a popular film trilogy and book from the human realm. Secondly, we'll work through your trauma after Chief kills the Titan. Third, are you—"
"Luz!"
King's warning had her instinctively pulling up on her staff. She shot upward with Hunter on her tail as the left shoulder of the Titan swung way to close for comfort. Even so the sheer air force from its movement sent the two witches spiraling sideways; the only thing keeping them from falling off their staffs and plummeting thousands of meters into the boiling sea were the vines they'd haphazardly used to tie themselves to their staffs.
Other witches, demons, and flying beasts who'd taken to the sky to avoid being used as fuel for the Titan weren't so lucky. Despite Chief pulling his punches to minimize damage to the Boiling Isles inhabitants those too close to the Titan didn't have that luxury. If a few people were knocked out of the air or forced into the sea by gusts of wind created by moving limbs, well, there wasn't much anyone could do to stop it. Some casualties of innocents were unstoppable.
"Are you okay?" Hunter asked once he'd reoriented himself. He watched as Chief flew backwards to avoid getting hit by a claw strike.
Luz nodded. "I'm good. King?"
"I don't have anything left to throw up, so yeah I guess I'm fine. How are we supposed to get away from the fight keeps coming towards us?"
"We fly higher," Hunter suggested. "As high as we can without getting light-headed, I mean."
The human pondered their options. "You don't have enough magic to teleport us super far away, do you?"
"I do thanks to the galderstone, but the problem isn't with how much magic I have. I might be able to do a few spurts of short distances if I tried. If I opened another portal?" He shook his head. "I'd probably pass out. My body can't take me using that much magic in such a short period of time."
She frowned. "That's rough, buddy. Let's go with your plan then."
"I can't think of anything better," King said. "I just hope Eda and the others are alright."
"Let go of me!" Darius fumed, his once lively, bubbling purple abomination hair placid. "First you steal my abomination form technique, and now that I'm powerless you won't even allow me to die in peace."
Amity nearly slapped him. Instead she did something more fitting of a lady of her standard.
She gripped him by his collar and screamed in his face.
"I am trying to save your life, you pretentious jerk!"
"You should really be thanking her," Professor Bump added as he followed Amity on his staff. "I personally would have left you behind to fend for yourself. Luckily for you my star student is far kinder than I."
Some distance behind them Willow commanded a walking pitcher plant containing a very annoyed looking Maia within it.
"You do realize if you'd captured anyone else like this the plant's digestive liquids would have slowly drained them of their magic along with eroding their flesh away?" They questioned, free only from above their shoulders.
Willow, her eyes still glowing a bright green, smiled pleasantly. With a tap of her finger the flower atop Maia's head went from wilted to full bloom once more.
"I would've used vines on anyone else. You? Even without magic you seem like you'd be crafty enough to escape them. Besides," she said nonchalantly, "I made sure the plant's acidity was at its lowest. The most you'll feel if you're in too long is a rash. Poison ivy is way worse."
Bringing up the rear only a short distance away were Raine and Gwendolyn. From atop a trio of rat-worm beasts Gwendolyn commanded, Raine continued to lull Eberwolf to sleep with a melody from their violin. The rat-worms carried them safely even as the ever-moving castle turned itself ninety degrees or dipped suddenly.
"Has Eda checked her scroll?" Raine asked.
Gwendolyn shook her head. "There's still no response from her or Lilith. I'm beginning to grow worried; if our intuition is correct and the Titan has awakened do you think…?"
Raine's breath hitched, and a moment later they closed their eyes.
Then, from a ways down the hallway, a familiar voice caused their eyes to snap back open.
"Found ya!"
Eda rounded the corner, a grin lighting up her face at the sight of her friends and family.
"Thanks for the assist, dad."
Gemlö gave Matty a pat on the shoulder. "It was no problem. I only wished I'd gotten here sooner, but it took a while for your friend's illusion to find me. As it was I barely managed to show up at the end to restrain Blair; Augustus had her beaten by the time I arrived. Who'd have known an army of giraffes was such an effective and terrifying force to be reckoned with?"
Gus grinned from the back of one of said giraffes.
"You can just call me Gus, master illusionist extraordinaire."
Matty rolled his eyes from the giraffe he rode on alongside his father.
"Yeah, I don't think so. I'll be having nightmares about the stampede for weeks."
"Dude, I thought we mentioned we wouldn't speak of that ever again?"
Before Matty could respond his attention shifted to the figure flying down the hall. Lilith, along with Hooty strapped to her back, appeared with a few dozen coven scouts on her heels. Captain and Steve could be spotted among them.
"There you guys are! Get in the owl," she instructed.
Gus, Matty, and Gemlö exchanged concerned looks.
"Um, excuse me?" Gus spoke up. "I think I'll stick to my giraffe."
Matty shivered. "What he said."
"There's no time," Lilith stressed. "As you've probably felt the castle is moving. The Titan has awoken, and our only hope of defeating it is if we can make sure Chief has a clear shot to its heart, which is in the center of the castle. In other words we need to leave now. Paeon, Viney, Jerbo, and Barcus are already accounted for. That being said get in the dang owl."
Thousands of meters in the air Chief swung his staff, the Bat Queen's eyes flashing a blinding white as he attempted to freeze the Titan's foot in place. There was no good way to fight something that was home to countless innocents. He didn't want to harm the witches and demons living on the Titan, but if he continued to only dodge and aim for its skull the Titan would wind up extinguishing more lives with its wild movements alone.
"Son!" He roared with a sonic wail. "Is the castle empty?"
A short "not yet" was his answer.
The Titan laughed, each rhythmical contraction of its diaphragm causing a rush of air as strong as a tornado to exit its mouth.
"I remember you," it said. "Your father failed to kill me once. What makes you think you'll be strong enough to finish the job?"
"You are weak."
"Weak, you say? How is this for weak?"
Chief watched as several fissures opened up along the Titan's body. To his horror a hundred or so stag beetle-like creatures the color of mud and the size of the owl beast began pouring out from the holes in its flesh. Immediately ninety percent of them took flight toward him while the other dozen or so appeared to swarm the castle. One, however, split from the group and began flying upward towards its creator's skull instead.
"If either of us is weak it is you," it went on to gloat. It tore its frozen limb from the ice encasing it and took a step forward while its opposite arm reeled back in preparation for a right hook. "You're the one holding back!"
The stonesleeper was forced to take the hit as he found his vision blocked by a cloud of flying insects. Only his instincts kept him upright, his free arm itching to grab the receding appendage. What stopped him was the destruction and death it would cause to those living on that section of the Titan.
"Disgusting. Your caring heart will be your downfall."
"No," Chief huffed back while swiping at the bugs swarming too close to his face. "Your greed will be yours."
He gave his mighty wings a flap, rising several more hundred meters into the air. Raising his staff he swung it like a bat against its exposed skull. While the beginnings of flesh and muscle filled the structure the outside of it remained brittle bone, meaning that the resounding crack of it splintering was the result of such a strong hit.
The Titan howled in agony as the impact sent pieces of bone piercing its still-regenerating brain.
"You'll pay dearly for that, stonesleeper. Perhaps instead of decapitating you just as your father did to me I will make you suffer first. It must hurt to have your wings torn off."
Chief squared his shoulders. "I'd like to see you try."
Hunter, Luz, and King were just clearing the Titan's clavicle when they heard buzzing.
"Uh, guys? What the heck is that thing?" King yelled, pointing a paw at the large stag beetle monster zooming towards them. Drops of mud flew from its wings as it flapped them at an inhuman pace.
"Don't know," Luz answered, "but I'm guessing since it came out of the Titan like the other creatures it's not friendly."
It shrieked at them as if agreeing with her. Then it turned towards Hunter, its horns rearing down as if to knock him off his staff.
I did not survive a fight with the emperor and the Titan to be killed by this thing, he thought as pulled out a plant glyph from his pocket. Before the beetle could get its horns around him it was stopped by a flurry of vines stopping it in its tracks. They wrapped around it making it unable to move its wings, and soon enough it began to fall. Ha! Take that, bug.
Unfortunately defeating it wouldn't be that simple. It only fell a dozen meters before its form contorted into a more liquid consistency, squeezing past the vines binding it and reforming in the air.
"Let me try!"
Reading King's mind, Luz flew towards the beetle while the small demon opened his mouth. A rainbow-colored sonic wail seemed to stun the creature for a few seconds, but after wildly shaking its head it went straight for Hunter again.
"Watch out!" Luz shouted.
Hunter cursed his luck. What had he done to this bug to piss it off? He'd never seen anything like it before today. Though, if he squinted, the creature kind of reminded him of Belos' cursed form.
Wait a minute. Why did this one break from the rest of its kind to attack me? Unless it wasn't planning on knocking me off my staff, which it can't very well do because of all the vines. I wonder…
Testing his theory, Hunter waited until the very last second to retaliate against it. He ignored Luz and King's warnings even as it picked up speed. To his surprise, however, it stopped barely an inch away from his face. It was from the miniscule distance between them Hunter finally saw it; a dark green scar which blended in with the rest of its body cut across the creature's face.
Hope sparked in his chest.
"Belos?"
The creature shook its head, blinked, and instead of beady black eyes Hunter saw blue.
"Belos?"
The word registered in Philip's mind as both correct and incorrect. Belos was one of the many names given to him by the Titan, sure, but he didn't feel like an emperor anymore. Philip, on the other hand, was the name remembered being called when he was still human. And right now? He felt so small, so powerless, and very much human.
Who said that? He wondered, a hive mind of ominous whispers making it hard to think. Shaking his head, he opened his eyes and finally saw the figure his instincts had told him to locate. When had his brother gotten so young? His pointed ears as well as the scars on his chin and over his eye were new too.
"John," he rasped. It was hard due to the sludge-filled vocal cords he was being forced to use; they were not built to be used for speaking.
The young boy frowned, his ears flattening slightly.
"You're wrong. My name is Hunter."
"Hunter," Philip echoed. A series of images in his head accompanied the name. In an instant he remembered everything, from Hunter's creation to the moment he disposed of him earlier in the night. "Ah. I remember now. But…"
"But?"
It took him a moment to find the words. "How are you alive?"
Hunter's previously bewildered expression instantly turned hostile. "How am I alive? Why are you a beetle? Heck, why do you even care? You were the one who killed me in the first place!"
"Hunter—"
"No! You don't get to come crawling, flying, whatever it is bugs do back and act like you didn't rip my heart out in cold blood. It's not fair." Tears welled up in the boy's eyes while he lectured the man turned monster. "I thought maybe, just maybe, that somewhere deep down there was a part of you who loved me. But I was wrong. You did to me what you did to John centuries ago, which means with or without the Titan's influence you're a monster. And now," he said with a healthy dose of venom as he gestured at Philip's new body, "you look like one too."
The last comment stung, but Philip knew the boy only spoke the truth. He was a monster, wasn't he?
"I didn't want to hurt you," he eventually ground out.
Hunter's response was a frustrated scream.
"You're a liar. You'd been hurting me and others around you for years before the devastation you caused today. Innocent witches and demons petrified, coven scouts getting hurt without a second thought— countless innocents are dying right now because of you!" He exclaimed, fire filling his magenta eyes. Far below hundreds of souls perished as they fell into the darkness of the night before drowning in the boiling sea.
Philip bowed his head. "This isn't what I wanted."
Hunter was speechless. Not what he wanted after all these years?
Luz, on the other hand, puffed out her cheeks from where she and King hovered on standby. She opened her mouth to say something scathing, but instead she took a deep breath before speaking in a far more leveled tone than she'd been planning to.
"What did you want, Philip?"
I only wanted to get back to the human realm. The Titan promised it would help me in exchange for doing its bidding, but no matter how many tasks I completed I was never any closer. It wasn't until I became Belos that I began to hope once more. Finally I would be able to go home.
But I was lied to. The portal wasn't just for me. Once the Titan conquers this realm it will feast on humans next, and the inhabitants of other realms after that. I was the fool all along.
He told this much to the trio, who listened intently as he forced out the words out at a slow, choppy pace. Once he was finished Hunter turned away looking both relieved yet more frustrated than ever.
"I knew the Titan was the puppeteer all along," he said. "But that doesn't mean you're going to get away with everything you did. At the least you're going to pay for shooting John and hurting Rascal.
"I understand. It was my own arrogance that gave it influence over me. I was finally beginning to see the beauty and wonder this realm had to offer when I allowed it to sink its claws into my mind. As much as it whispered to me it couldn't have controlled me as such if not for my own hatred of witches and demons. My brother would be ashamed."
Surprising everyone, Rascal morphed from a staff to his bird form. Hunter flailed in the air for a few seconds before Luz managed to catch him.
"Rascal!" Hunter shouted. "What are you doing?"
He chirped a quick "translate" at his witch before flying up to Philip's monstrous bug form. After a few seconds of staring he finally let out a long series of tweets.
"I will only say this once, Philip, so listen closely. You are a bad person, and I do not like you," he repeated Luz's own words to the Golden Guard from months prior. "Unfortunately, you might be the key to stopping those other bug creatures from hurting my witch's friends and family."
After Hunter relayed the message Philip blinked owlishly.
"How?"
"You share a connection with the Titan as well as its hive mind of creations. Use your will to protect the human realm to overpower its will with your own."
"But I'm just a human. I can't—"
"You can try. Do it for your brother," Rascal snapped. "It won't earn any forgiveness from me, and doing it certainly won't redeem you in any way, but every life you save inside that castle is a life John would've saved. And if you atone, well, perhaps Hunter might finally have a reason to be proud of you."
Hunter averted his eyes as he repeated Rascal's words. Luz pivoted her upper body so she could squeeze his hand, and King put a paw on his arm in solidarity. What seemed like minutes but could only have been seconds passed until the monstrosity that was Philip finally released a sigh-like wheeze of air.
"I suppose I understand the Titan's riddle now. 'Only one way to atone' indeed." He flew backwards a few feet before meeting the magenta eyes he'd ordered to be kept hidden underneath a mask for far too long. "Goodbye, Hunter."
Without another word he took off towards the Titan's skull, ignoring Hunter's shouts for him to explain what he meant. There was no time for that though. If Philip was going to save any lives he needed to stop the swarm immediately.
I've spent centuries with you inside my head, he thought angrily, his mind clearer than ever. You've been whispering to me nonstop. Build grimwalkers, you said. Create a religion worshipping you, you commanded. I ordered the enslavement of those who did not wish to conform to our rules. Even worse, I petrified those who slighted us to make examples to those who mocked you. Belos wasn't just me. It was both of us.
He had to maneuver himself in the air to avoid getting blown away by any air currents, but once he was close enough to one of the eyeholes in the Titan's skull he flew inside.
I'm not the only fool between us though. Our bond was anything if one-sided. Maybe I wasn't able to complete my part of the deal, but you planned to go back on your part from the beginning.
The Titan physically froze as it felt a presence press against its psyche.
What do you think you're doing, Wittebane?
You know exactly what I'm doing. We're one in the same now, or have you forgotten?
Don't. You. Dare.
What are you going to do? Kill me?
Before the Titan could respond a shard of ice as big as the stonesleeper's bicep crashed into the side of its temple. With a roar of pain louder than thunder one of its horns snapped off at the base. It hurtled towards the sea and landed in the boiling water with a definitive plop.
Philip took advantage of the distraction. He pulled upon the Titan's power of creation and willed the bug monsters it had made to swarm their master instead of attacking Chief. Those roaming the castle he ordered to fly themselves outside and into the boiling sea. They obeyed like the mindless drones they were.
The Titan was beyond furious.
That's it! It's time for you to join your brother in death.
Philip braced himself, but he did not fight back. He'd lived far longer than any human ever should. He knew deep down he was overdue to stand trial before his God.
The Titan is wrong. Where I'm going I will not be able to see you, brother.
Hunter, Luz, and King watched with wide eyes as the stag beetle monsters began to attack the Titan rather than Chief. Barely thirty seconds later Luz's scroll went off. Eda's Bad Girl Coven Penstagram filled the screen.
"King," Luz instructed. "The castle is empty."
The demon nodded, opening his mouth to alert his father. As soon as the message was passed on the trio watched Chief's body language change. He angled himself slightly, dropped a hundred or so feet in the air, and raised his staff to conjure up a spear made of ice, vines, and geodes into his hand. He gave one final scream King roughly translated as "perish". Then the spear was being shoved upwards into the Titan's chest cavity, or rather straight through the emperor's castle where its heart beat.
There was a moment when the jade glows that made up its pupils flickered. A second later it went still.
Hunter held his breath, wrapping his arms around Luz and King worriedly just in case something went wrong. Not that he could teleport them far if he needed to; he was still too exhausted.
"Is it dead?" Luz asked.
King chewed on his claws anxiously. "I can't tell. My dad didn't miss, did he?"
Chief did not miss. After a few long seconds of stretched out silence he pulled the spear out of the Titan, and immediately its dying wail shook the sea. From where the trio was flying they could see a dark, viscous bluish-violet liquid begin to pour out of the openings of the castle.
Oh no, Hunter thought as his brain registered what exactly it was.
"Luz," he said while watching the liquid fill the moat around the castle as Chief gently laid the dying Titan onto its back. The stonesleeper was doing a good job trying to make sure it assumed roughly the same position it had been in before rising. "Luz, that's Titan's blood."
She turned to him confused before her jaw dropped.
"Wow. That's… a lot. I guess this means I'll have a way back to the human realm since there's no way Belos' portal survived that attack."
"That's true," he admitted, "but that much Titan blood is going to give life to so many more demons. Moreover, the line between our realms is going to be as thin as it was since before the beginning of the island's creation. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but—"
"Look out!"
Luz, still carrying both King and Hunter since Rascal was still in his bird form, shot sideways at King's shout to avoid whatever was coming towards them. She moved just enough out of the way to avoid being rammed by… one of the Titan's beetle monsters? No. It was hard to see in the darkness, but after quickly conjuring some orbs of light they could see something was different about it. It was more similar in shape to Belos' cursed form but with stag-like horns and leathery wings.
Holding a hand out for his staff, Hunter charged up an energy bolt when he realized something else strange about the creature. It was three times the size as the bug monsters had been, and instead of black beady eyes there was jade.
Oh shit! That's—
The voice of the Titan cut his thoughts short.
"I applaud your efforts to vanquish me," it boomed. "And in a way you lot of miscreants succeeded. My body, which I worked thousands of years to reanimate, is thoroughly irreparable. Bravo.
"However," it spread out its wings for show, "my pawn still has its uses. Before I'm slain, I'm going to make sure the human who ruined everything never gets to see the human realm again."
Luz pointed at herself. "Me? What did I do?"
The Titan bared its teeth. "You gave Eda the Owl Lady a reason to stop being the deadbeat she was. You turned Lilith, and then Hunter, against the emperor. Your kind heart helped band together witches and demons to rebel against me. You, Luz the human, ruined everything!"
What happened next was so fast Hunter couldn't explain it if he tried. All he knew was that after the Titan let out a breath of noxious gas it gave a mighty flap of its wings before shooting towards them like a bullet. The two horns on its head were aimed straight at Luz, who wasn't reacting in time.
"Can you promise me one thing though, Hunter?" Camila's voice echoed in his mind.
"Of course."
"Please make sure my baby stays safe. She can get a bit carried away sometimes, especially when she's emotional, but you seem more level-headed."
"You will see her again, in person. I promise."
That's right. He'd promised to protect her.
I could try to teleport, but if I pass out Luz would have to worry about carrying me while also avoiding being pursued by the Titan. That's if I got us far away to begin with. What do I do? What do I do?
In a split second an idea popped into his head. He closed his eyes, tossing his staff in the air above his head moments before impact.
"Body swap!"
One week later.
Hundreds of witches and demons waited anxiously outside the castle. While some hovered in the air on their staffs even more were forced to cram themselves onto the metal drawbridge in order to be close enough to hear the speakers. Others found spots to wait on the rocky outcrops nearby. Those who couldn't physically make it to the castle watched either from home on their crystal balls or elsewhere via the Penstagram live stream the BATs were running. Regardless of the chosen method it was safe to say no one in their right mind was missing this.
"Citizens of the Boiling Isles," Lilith addressed from atop the front center battlement of the castle. An enchanted microphone floated in front of her glowing blue as she spoke, broadcasting her voice so everyone around could hear. "I am Lilith Clawthorne. It is my honor to speak to you today in regards to the changes brought about due to the circumstances of last week's event, which the board of historians has decided to refer to as 'The Revival' going forward."
She took a deep breath, the speech she'd written the day prior flashing in her mind's eye.
"As you all know seven long days have passed since that dreadful night. For many it doesn't seem like much time has passed. The successful resurrection and subsequent death of the Titan, despite it only having been awake for fifteen minutes at most, caused damage of catastrophic proportions never before recorded. Countless homes were destroyed and even more lives were lost. Before I continue let us take a moment to pay our respects to those who are no longer with us."
Other than the faint sound of the wind there was absolute silence. Witches and demons alike bowed their heads, the thoughts of their lost loved ones or ruined homes weighing heavily on their minds. Lilith hadn't been exaggerating; the destruction the Titan had left in its wake was immeasurable.
Sections of Bonesborough and Latissa were in shambles, Cuticle Valley was now Great Cuticle Lake, and on the Titan's hands and arms were long ravines where the land was simply leveled. Countless witches and demons perished that day. Dozens were regarded as missing, their families not wanting to lose hope that they might still be alive. Many more were injured. There was also the sheer number of witches who were experiencing issues when harnessing their magic.
"For those who remain," she went on after a roughly a dozen seconds had passed, "I would like to share with you the answers I know many of you have been waiting patiently to hear. Please bear with me as I attempt to put the rumors to rest. First and foremost, it is with a heavy heart I must confirm that Emperor Belos is indeed dead."
There was some clamor at the news, though it seemed most who'd gathered already assumed as much. Word of the emperor's involvement in the calamity had spread far thanks to the coven scouts, so Lilith's words were more of a confirmation than anything.
"Like many of you may have heard his plan for the Day of Unity was less about unity between our realm and the human realm and more about exacting the heinous wishes of the Titan. It is only because of Chief, the great stonesleeper who vanquished the resurrected Titan, that its plan to use our magic as fuel to conquer other realms was foiled. Chief, if you wouldn't mind."
Chin raised high, the now shrunken stonesleeper stepped up next to Lilith before bowing humbly. At the mere sight of him the crowd showered him with thunderous applause. And why wouldn't they? After bringing the Titan down and saving their home Chief had used his magic to shrink back down to a more helpful size and began using what magic he had left to heal those badly injured while the Titan was reanimated. The days leading up to the public address he'd spent cleaning up with several of the groups working on returning the isles back to normal. As far as any random citizen thought he was a saint among demon kind. He was strong, chivalrous, reliable, and kind. Not a single demon or witch would've been opposed to him becoming the new emperor with how popular he was, and King couldn't have been more proud.
"Thank you, Lilith, but I'm afraid I'm not the only one whose actions should be recognized. Saving the Boiling Isles was a group effort."
Smiling warmly, the stonesleeper went on to recount the help he'd received from his allies. Between him and Lilith the courageous actions of those involved in the coup against Belos became public knowledge. Those acknowledged were asked to step forward in recognition of their efforts though a few witches and demons (and a certain human) were noticeably missing.
Unfortunately, talking about the heroes of the isles was the perfect segue to address those whose intentions had been less than savory.
"As for those who assisted late Emperor Belos in raising the Titan," she continued, hands clasped in front of her, "I am afraid to share that several coven heads have been detained for their actions against the isles. Those you do not see here today, with the exception of the deceased heads of the Oracle Coven and Emperor's Coven, have been stripped of their ranks and will be awaiting public trial in the coming weeks. Raine Whispers will read you the replacements as follows."
Sweating nervously, Raine stepped forward and took the microphone from Lilith. With an awkward chuckle they looked out over crowd and tried to keep calm.
"The new head witch of the Abomination Coven shall be none other than Hexside's own principal, Hieronymus Bump. In the same fashion the principals of Glandus and St. Epiderm will fulfill the positions of the Plant Coven and Healing Coven head witches respectively. For the Beast Keeping Coven long-standing member Gwendolyn Clawthorne will be stepping up. The replacement for the Potions Coven will be Lilith Clawthorne, and for the Oracle Coven is Blight Industries' own Odalia Blight.
"And to replace the now disbanded Emperor's Coven," they went on, Eda's hand in theirs, "the newly formed Wild Magic Coven's head witch, Edalyn Clawthorne, will take over Kikimora's role for any witch who uses or wished to learn more than one type of magic."
"Or for the weirdos who don't want to join a specific coven," she tacked on in typical Eda fashion.
"No more Emperor's Coven?"
"Are they not appointing a new emperor?"
"I thought the emperor had family who'd take over if he kicked the bucket."
"I heard the Golden Guard was his son, but he died during the attack last week."
"Really? I heard he was the emperor's nephew and helped defeat the Titan by swapping bodies with it."
"No way. Body swapping with that monster? There's no way anyone would have enough magic to do that let alone survive! Besides, I could have sworn I overheard a coven scout say Belos had a clone who went rogue."
"A clone? That's crazy."
Lilith cleared her throat, gaining everyone's attention once more.
"On the topic of covens, due to the concern over previous coven branding methods and in light of the role they played in raising the Titan it has been decided that coven brands will no longer be required. Instead of sealing away magic any marks you wish to receive to tie you to a coven will be more of a tattoo.
"Furthermore, this leads me to address the findings a few talented healers have found in regards to the issues some witches have been facing with their magic. I know many of you who were once members of a coven have been unable to cast spells since the Revival. I am relieved to share with you that the effects of the Titan's magic draining from that night are likely temporary."
Cheers broke the quietness of the evening in an instant.
"Members of the Healing Coven worked tirelessly over the past few days to figure out how magic bile sacs were negatively affected by what the Titan did. The damage they found isn't permanent, thankfully, and many who were unable to cast spells just after the Revival are already finding it easier and easier to harness their magic again. For anyone out there still suffering from not being able to control your magic please be patient. Evidence points that your magic will return in time.
"Speaking of magic, I would like to bring up the obvious observation that magic levels across the isles have skyrocketed. Due to the Titan having been revived its blood once again sits stagnant beneath us. Or," she pointed at the dark blue substance filling the moat around the castle, "just within our reach. Because of this new life has already sprung from the isles. Everyone should be advised to notify the new head witch of the Beast Keeping Coven when any undocumented species are spotted so we can add them to our demonology records. Thank you."
There were some murmurs from the crowd at that. Some new creatures had already been spotted since the Titan had been repositioned. For example, across a new section of land along the left leg where it had once been below sea level there was now a large strip of desert. The land teamed with terrifying spike-laden fauna as well as violet-colored worms which hunted anything that made too much noise from underneath the sand. In Great Cuticle Lake long-necked serpents roamed freely, and in Forearm Forest several new species of birds and insects filled the trees.
Lilith took a step back, and after deep breath Eda took her place at the microphone.
"Good evening weirdos. It's me, Eda the Owl Lady. I know you're all probably wondering why we're taking turns talking instead of letting Chief, the slayer of the Titan, have the spotlight. I'm sure everyone would be happy if he were to replace Belos as the emperor. Sorry to burst your bubble," she said, somewhat unforgiving, "but that's not going to happen. Long story short is that the ten coven heads along with Chief here had a long, long conversation about what we should do now that Belos is gone, but after hours of debate everyone in attendance reached a compromise. Instead of electing a new emperor we've decided to change from a monarchy to a democracy."
From the crowd Tiny Nose shouted with joy.
"Finally!" She exclaimed. "My dreams of freedom are now a reality!"
Eda flashed her a thumbs up. "You got that right. For those of you who don't know what a democracy is, it means the laws across the Boiling Isles will now more or less be decided by you, the residents. No more arbitrary rules decided upon by one person alone. Instead we'll have a council of elected witches and demons to oversee the process every other year once we get a timeline down. Until then the— Lilith, what was strange name you came up with for the council to be called again?"
"Concilium Decennary," she stated loudly.
"What she said. It's fancy talk meaning Council of Ten, ten because of the ten covens."
"Excuse me!" The familiar voice of Steve cried out from the crowd. "So you guys are the ones we bring requests to then?"
"Yep. From there depending on the topic of the request we'll formulate ways for everyone to vote on said issues."
Principal Bump stepped forward then, reaching a hand out for the microphone.
"Sorry for the interruption, but I wanted to address the long withstanding request for students to be able to take classes of any and all tracks should they wish to. It is my pleasure to announce all three schools, Hexside, Glandus, and St. Epiderm, will be changing our curricula in order to allow multi-track options," he explained with obvious pride. Just behind him the other two principals nodded in agreement.
Eda had to stop herself from hugging the man.
"Thanks, Bumpy-poo," she whispered instead.
He rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything in response. He settled on handing her back the microphone only for Lilith to take it back.
Much of the crowd was talking loudly at this point. Between the changes in how the isles would be ruled, the leniency of the coven system, and the flexibility of magic tracks at school it seemed many were overwhelmed by the sheer amount of change. It was for this very reason the covens hadn't been dissolved altogether. The plan to slowly phase out the coven systems over time just made more sense. Covens were all some people knew, so despite the fact many wanted such a stifling system gone a slower, more careful approach had been decided on.
"I know this all seems confusing," Lilith resumed. "Change can be incredibly hard for anyone, let alone an entire nation like our own, but I am confident we will persevere. We will recover like a phoenix rising from its own ashes."
She passed on the microphone to Odalia and Gemlö, who would go into more detail about the recovery efforts around the isles. While they were talking about the abominations' roles in cleanup she tapped on Eda's shoulder.
"Excuse me, but where in the world are the kids? They were supposed to be up here to be recognized like the rest of us."
Eda smiled fondly. "You know how badly Hunter wanted to experience human rain, right? Luz might have let it slip there was a storm in the forecast today."
Lilith rolled her eyes half-heartedly. "Don't tell me…"
Hunter never used to consider himself a reckless individual. Even before he became the Golden Guard he was the type of person to think things through before he acted. Sure he was more likely to make spontaneous decisions when he was desperate, but overall unless he was in the heat of battle he usually gave his actions a healthy amount of thought. Take his latest stunt for example. Why else would he have used the last dredges of his energy to swap bodies with the Titan of all creatures if he hadn't thought things through?
Okay, so maybe that was a little bit of a stretch. He could be reckless even in his right mind, like when he took a dip in the boiling sea to test a theory. Mid-fight though the idea to body swap with the Titan had seemed like the best course of action. Not only did it save Luz and King from getting thrown into the boiling sea, or worse, impaled, but it also stopped the Titan from attacking them after the fact. Upon casting the spell he'd known his body would pass out from exhaustion with the Titan's consciousness trapped inside it. In turn Hunter might've been forced to endure Belos' cursed form, but it was a small price to pay all things considered. Hacking up sludge for half an hour while the Clawthornes prepared a way to contain the Titan had been well worth it in the end.
Still, his past recklessness didn't explain why he thought it was a reasonable decision to climb up the tallest tree in Gravesfield just to experience human realm rain for the first time. He could have just stayed on the ground like the others had earlier, and yet…
"There you are! You should come inside before you catch a cold. Also, no offense, you look like an edgy anime protagonist sitting up there in the rain all by yourself."
The scarred witch used an arm to wipe away the water from his face. It didn't help much considering his skin was wet and his clothes were soaked through, but he was able to peer through the pelting rain enough to see Luz hovering in the air on her staff with a small ball of light in her palm and a flimsy umbrella in her other hand.
Flicking an ear, he regarded her with a raised eyebrow.
"I don't know what an anime is, but if anyone's a protagonist it's you. Also, no offense, but should you really be flying around when any human who walks by could see you?"
"Says the witch sitting in the tallest tree in the neighborhood during a severe thunderstorm. No human would be out here long enough to see me at this height anyway. Did you teleport all the way up here?"
"No. For your information I climbed up here without using magic."
"Why?"
Hunter fought back a blush. "Rascal said something about it being dangerous, so he took refused to help me and took a nap instead."
Luz rolled her eyes, flinching when an arc of lightning flashed somewhere nearby. "He's right you know. Human rain might not boil but getting struck by lightning can stop your heart in an instant."
"Good thing I don't have one," he joked. When Luz slapped him on the arm a moment later he could only laugh. "What? Too soon?"
"You, my friend, are a brat. Anyway, hop on my staff so we can get going. I've only been out here for a minute and I'm already cold. You must be freezing."
He shrugged, but complied with her wishes. As she carefully flew them closer to the ground and back in the direction of her house he watched as a few vehicles humans called "cars" drove around below them. Why they were powered by the liquid remains of ancient dinosaurs and plant matter instead of large animals he still didn't understand. Surely there were creatures that could pull the contraptions around like in the Demon Realm?
Suddenly a strange tingling sensation in his nose interrupted his train of thought. Seconds later he sneezed three times in a row, a quick "bless you" leaving Luz each time.
"Dude, you'd better not be getting sick. Eda and Raine will make me shovel trash slug guts for an entire day if you die because you got some human cold that witch immune systems can't fight off."
"I'll be fine," he shot back. He repressed the shivers threatening to wrack his form.
"Okay, but when we get back I'm making you take a shower and change into something warm before you join us in watching the documentaries we have queued up. Gus has been waiting to watch the one on giraffes and other animals of the human realm since we got the portal open."
"He really wants to bring the giraffes back to the Demon Realm, doesn't he?"
"Hunter, I promise when we go to the zoo next week you'll see that giraffes are not as freaky as you've been led to believe. I know Eda said something about them having flaming manes in the Boiling Isles, but I swear the weirdest thing they do here is fight with their necks."
He shuddered despite himself.
"Whatever you say, I guess. You are the expert on all things human, human."
"Exactly! Anyway, after the animal one Willow wants to watch one on plants, and after that I promised Ed and Em we'd watch one on current beauty trends across the world. I think Emira is trying to find a new look that'll impress Viney."
"And Ed?"
Luz giggled, flashing a knowing smile over her shoulder as they landed outside her house.
"I dunno, buddy, who do you think Ed would be trying to impress?"
Blushing a bright red, Hunter clambered of the staff with an embarrassed "shut up" before hurrying inside. The moment he and Luz closed the door behind them he was caught off guard by Camila rushing to him and wrapping at towel around him.
"You silly boy! I know my daughter warned you about not staying out in the rain for too long."
"Sorry, Miss Camila." He bowed head in apology as he wrapped the towel more tightly around his shoulders. "I sort of got lost in thought. I promise it won't happen again."
The woman ruffled his hair, a soft smile replacing her more worried features.
"It's okay dear. Why don't you head upstairs and shower off really quick? Luz can loan you one of her oversized sweatshirts and sweatpants to wear until your clothes can dry off. Then you can have a nice steaming mug of hot chocolate like the others."
Hunter tilted his head curiously.
"Hot chocolate?"
"I taught my amazing girlfriend how to make it from scratch," Luz beamed. "You'll love it, I promise."
"Are you sure? I thought Eda said she'd tried it once and she described it as 'hot brown bean juice that tastes like the bitterness in our souls' or something like that."
"Oh, she was talking about coffee. Hot chocolate is made from cocoa beans which are very different from coffee beans of the soybeans in the Boiling Isles has," she explained. "I swear it will taste nothing like plants. It's like coffee but instead of being bitter it's super sweet! Trust me."
He nodded, suddenly far more excited about drinking hot bean juice than he had been before. The human realm was really something.
Later that night, once the rain had slowed to a drizzle, two figures made their way to the center of Gravesfield.
"Are you sure it's okay for me to be out here?" The taller figure asked, voice raspy from old age and exhaustion.
The smaller shrugged. "Probably not, but since you can't very well break out of your own cell I'm sure Eda knows you're here with me. She trusts me to handle you in the off chance you do try something. Not that I think you would," he stated quickly in reference to the other's poor health and lack of magic. "But, well, you know how it is."
A deep sigh escaped the older man. "I do. Thank you for bringing me here, Hunter. It's nice to know the nights here are still quiet."
Hunter said nothing. Things between him and Philip were still strained, though he had to admit the man was trying. He told Hunter and Rascal stories of John during the brief visits Hunter was allowed. When he wasn't coughing up sludge or sleeping his fatigue away he wrote all he remembered from the past few centuries in case any of his knowledge proved to be helpful. Between the detailed notes of his interactions with the Titan, his own magical research, and his perspective of historical events Lilith hoped it would prove useful to the historians and Bonesborough Library.
It wasn't much in terms of punishment, but it was something. Eda would have liked to put him to work around town if his body wasn't in such bad shape; however, after being separated from the Titan thanks to a trick curtesy of Chief he was basically a sick seventy-something year-old man.
"You're too kind," Rascal chirped from underneath his witch's hood.
Hunter rolled his eyes. Usually between the two of them the palisman was nicer, though he supposed if anyone could keep a grudge it was a creature formed from magic and wood.
"It's not like I'm going to forgive him," he whispered back to Philip couldn't hear. "I just thought it would be cruel considering how bad his health is to keep him from seeing his brother's statue. John never got a grave but it's the closest thing to it."
"Too kind," he repeated. "Just like him."
Something about how Rascal said it made Hunter's heart swell with pride.
A few minutes later they arrived at the monument. There was no one outside considering the time and weather, but Hunter eyed the Gravesfield Historical Society distrustfully anyway. Vee had warned him about Jacob and his incorrect assumptions about the Demon Realm. He'd made sure to bring a few invisibility glyphs just in case.
"It's breathtaking," Philip said. He used a hand to block out the glare from a streetlight as he gazed at the statues with dull blue eyes. After a moment he dropped it, and Hunter's ear twitched as he picked up on the sound of the older man's breath hitching.
Hunter pointedly looked away. He did not want to intrude on a man mourning the death of his brother.
One month later.
"Thanks, I hate it."
Luz crossed her arms defiantly. Hunter's Hexside uniform was the same as hers, darn it! So why was he staring at it with a lip curled in disgust?
"What's wrong with it?"
He held an arm up while his other hand pointed at his multi-shaded leggings. "It's too… colorful. Can't I wear regular clothes instead?"
"You could always join my army of darkness instead," King suggested. Meanwhile Eda laughed at the pouting witch, a comforting hand patting his shoulder.
"My offer is still on the table. If school ends up not being your cup of tea Mama Eda will be here to give you a far better, less conventional education," she winked.
Raine cleared their throat from where they stood on Hunter's other side. "But maybe give school, and the uniform, a chance?"
Hunter nodded dutifully. "I will."
"Good, because it's time for the Hexside train!" Hooty sang as he wormed his way underneath Luz and Hunter so they were riding on his... back? Neck? "Chugga-chugga, hoot!"
"Bye everyone! I'll make sure Hunter doesn't get detention on his first day like I did!" Luz called as the two students were pulled outside the house.
Looking horrified at the mere notion of getting in trouble, Hunter opened his mouth to ask what exactly she did to get thrown into detention when he remembered something. He scrambled off of Hooty saying he'd fly to school with Rascal before running back inside the Owl House. When he entered he found Eda, Raine, and King cleaning up the kitchen table.
"Kid?" Eda asked, eyes wide with concern. "Don't tell me you got cold feet alr—"
She was cut off by probably the strongest hug Hunter had ever given her.
"Luz told me you convinced Principal Bump to put me in some of the same classes as Ed, Em, and Luz and her friends. Thank you."
"Don't sweat it, kid. I hope you have a great first day." She ruffled his hair a bit as he pulled away. "Don't do anything I would do."
He chuckled a bit at that. "Got it. See you after school... mom."
Then he was gone, Raine and King having to comfort Eda as she burst into happy tears.
"Did he call me what I think he just called me?"
"Well he usually calls you 'old hag', so..." King trailed off.
Raine shook their head fondly. "It's about time. He changed his last name to Clawthorne two weeks ago."
Eda just wailed louder.
Hunter's future was looking bright.
