Lusciniam rarely got many visitors these days.

They spent most of their time simply doing their duty, protecting and purifying the source of magic. From time to time they would get visits from Astro, which they always enjoyed. The boy reminded them so much of his mother, in both appearance and curiosity, the ladder of which had led him to their hidden temple. Other than him, they were very much used to solitude.

But when they sensed a surge of magic coming from the Butterfly castle… they got the feeling they were about to see some very familiar faces. And they were right.

"Hello Lusciniam. Long time no see."

The willowy figure slowly turned around and was greeted with the sight of two faces they never thought they'd ever see again. Argus and Python walked towards them, glancing around the place curiously. "Well, this place certainly has fallen into disarray," Argus said before turning back towards Lus. "How have you been holding up."

Lusciniam blinked for a few moments, unsure of whether or not they were hallucinating the figures before them. Eventually they decided they weren't, and stepped forward to meet them. "Argus, Python. You're here… you're alive," they said. They had felt a number of familiar presences earlier, but they hadn't been completely sure.

Python nodded towards them. "It's good to see you're still alive and seemingly fine as well. With how much time has passed and how much everything seems to have changed, I was concerned the mewmans may have found their way to you," he said.

"Hardly anyone has been to this place since you all were… obviously not killed. Or perhaps so? I'm… I'm not sure how you're here right now. Were you revived somehow? Resurrected?" They asked. They knew about such dark magic, but this felt different than the others. They didn't have the aura of the undead around them.

Argus let out a yawn. "We were sealed away. But it seems that whatever method they used to do it finally wore off, and so we're back," he explained.

Lusciniam hummed. "So, everyone is back? Branch and Kyu and-?"

"All of the others as well, yes," Python said nodding. "And as much as I would like to spend time catching up with you, I'm sorry to say we're here to ask something of you. We… we can't find Kitsune," he said, frowning. "Please, have you heard anything about him over the years? Anything at all?"

They looked at him sympathetically. "I'm sorry. The last I heard of him was that he was captured by the commission. After you and Kyu went to rescue him and fell… nobody knows what happened after that," they said. Python grit his teeth, and Argus sighed. "If it's worth anything, I've never heard his voice…"

Python and Argus both looked back up towards them. They knew that Lus was able to hear the cries of the dead. Even those who died long ago. The fact that they hadn't heard Kistune's had to mean something, didn't it? "That means he must still be alive," Python said. "Still sealed away maybe? Or in another dimension?"

"It's hard to say," Argus said, shrugging her shoulders. They had to have done something if I can't see him. But I'm fairly sure we can convince them to tell us."

"The souls," Python said nodding. He had kept them for a reason. Even if the Commission had slipped away during their scuffle, they had a bargaining chip that they wouldn't dare ignore. The souls of the Queen and her court. Not to mention the deity and demon they'd captured as well.

Lus looked at them both confused. "The souls? What souls? What did you all do?"

Python grunted. "What we should have done all those years ago. Begin taking care of the mewman infestation, starting from the top," he said.

"You didn't…" Lus said, shaking their head.

"I most certainly did."

"You must return those souls!"

Python narrowed his eyes. "I'm not obliged to return anything, least of all to the Commission or those of the Butterfly family," he said sternly.

"You don't understand," Lus said, stepping towards him. "Times have changed far more than you have realized. There's a semblance of peace in mewni now. Typhon and Star have established a fragile understanding, and-"

"I'm sorry, but what?" Python asked, shaking his head. "Did you say my brother and the Queen came to some sort of agreement? He's still dealing with them? Still trying to negotiate after everything that happened?" he asked glaring.

Lus looked at him wearily. "It's more complicated than that…"

"Explain it to me then."

It wasn't as if he didn't have time.

Hody growled and balled his fist up as he looked at the mirror. He had been calling his parents for over an hour, and still hadn't gotten any response. Usually he would have just assumed they were still in their meeting, but… that massive spike in magic he felt didn't sit right with him. It was bigger than anything he'd sensed before, even the Calamities.

He felt like… something had happened. Something bad. "Still no answer?" Hody looked over his shoulder towards his sister, who looked rather concerned. She had felt the magic earlier as well, and while she didn't like to assume the worst, the fact that her mother and father still weren't answering worried her.

Even if they were still in the meeting, surely one of them would have excused themselves just to let them know they were fine by now. But they hadn't gotten anything.

The prince grunted. "No, nothing… I'm going to go up to the surface and see what's going on," he said as he turned towards the door.

Maria walked after him. "Hody, I know you're worried, but do you really think leaving right now is a good idea? If something is holding them up there someone needs to be present to make sure that-"

"You can hold things down fine until we get back," Hody said as he grabbed his trident from its place on the weapons rack. "I just need to get up there and check things for myself. If there is some kind of trouble, I'll deal with it and bring them back. It shouldn't take long."

Maria didn't look all convinced however. "Look, if you insist on going maybe… maybe you should at least wait a bit until I call Astro. That magical power was nothing to scoff at, you might need-"

"I don't need his help," Hody said, rolling his eyes. "And if he was here like he should be in the first place you wouldn't have to call him. Besides, on the off chance I actually need help, the rest of their so-called warriors should be at their post at least."

"Plus I'll have his back."

Maria looked over towards Topaz, who had been leaning against the wall and watching the prince try and fail to contact his parents. Her being in the castle was honestly nothing unusual these days. Especially with her brother being her official escort. Hody scowled towards her. "No, I want you to stay here and look after Maria in case something happens," he said.

Both Topaz and Maria looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Hody, I don't need anyone to look after me. You just said I could handle things myself. Besides, if you're going to go then you need some backup," Maria argued.

Hody sighed. "For god's sake, could the two of you for once not-"

Topaz held her hand up. "Let's stop you right there big boy. You never win an argument against either of us. You really want to try your hand at both?" the fire nymph asked.

He opened his mouth to respond, but then all three of them felt the ground rumble. All three turned their heads towards the direction of the noise. "What in the hell was that?" Hody muttered. It sounded like it had come from the east gate of the kingdom. They then began heading a series of loud noise, followed by smaller tremors.

It definitely was coming from the east gate… and it was getting closer. At a shockingly alarming speed. Hody cursed under his breath. He could feel a magic coming headed their way. No, two of them. And they were powerful. Were there actually enemies who'd made it into the kingdom? And so suddenly and easily too?

He rushed out of the room and began heading down towards the courtyard. He had no idea what was going on, but something was headed towards the castle, and he needed to be there to intercept it. "Maria, tell the rest of the guard to assemble at the courtyard!"

She didn't really have any time to argue since he'd left so quickly, but Topaz rushed right after him. "What the hell do you think is going on out there?" Topaz asked. There was no way he didn't feel the magical power either.

"I have no idea! But whatever it is more than likely to come for a fight!" He couldn't help but think that this somehow had something to do with his parents. If it didn't, it was one hell of a coincidence for it to happen while they were away.

They made it to the courtyard, Where they heard a loud thundering noise on the other side. The guards look like they were barely able to stay on their feet when the ground shook violently, and they heard a loud crashing noise against the gates of the castle. Hody turned towards one of the guards. "What's going on out there?"

"I don't know sir. I'm trying to get into contact with the guards outside but… nobody's responding," he said before reaching for his weapon. "Brace yourselves, I think-"

Another round of thundering noises went off, each one accompanied by another large dent in the castle gates. Then, both doors were knocked right off their hinges. Everyone ducked as they flew across the courtyard, knocking over the statue and fountain in the back of it. Two figures stood before where the doors once were.

"Huh, over two thousand years and somehow it's even easier to get in here than it was before," Scylla said as she looked around. The guards outside hadn't even been able to slow her down. In the past she would have to at least break a sweat to get to the castle. Let alone knock down the doors.

"Well, with you around I don't imagine they had anyone keeping them on edge and crapping their pants every two minutes," Gadfly said chuckling. He had simply hung back and let Scylla do her thing. He knew she needed to get this out of her system.

Hody raised an eyebrow. "Who in the hell are these two?" he asked before stepping forward towards them. The guards all moved in to surround them, but before they could, Scyalla made a move.

With a flick of her hand, she formed a whip of water in her hand and swung it. It extended out across the entire courtyard. Hody and Topaz both just barely managed to duck the attack, but the rest of the guards weren't so lucky. The whip caught them all, hitting and slamming them into the wall on the side.

Hody stood back up and growled as Scylla disposed of the water whip and then began making her way forward. "Oh look at that. Looks like there's a few of you that don't have rocks for feet after all," she said, placing a hand on her hip. She then looked towards Topaz. "A fire nymph? What the hell are you doing down here?"

Was she a servant or something? She wouldn't put it past the snobby ass waterfolk to recruit monsters as their servants, but they would have had to go a long way to snatch someone from their tribe up.

Topaz didn't get the chance to answer however, as Hody lifted his trident and pointed it at her threateningly. "Alright you, I have no idea who you are, or what you want, but you're going to regret trespassing on my-"

Scylla cut him off. "Look, I'm only here for the royal family. So why don't you go fetch them and I might just let you live when I'm done," she said.

Hody grit his teeth. "Is that right? Well, unfortunately for you, you've found them. I am prince Hody Kelpbottom, and unless you have a very good reason for causing ruckus in my home and invading my castle, I'm about to make you regret you were ever born."

Scylla stared at him for a moment, and then smirked. "Wow, are you serious?" she asked amused. "You actually came out here? How dumb are you?"

"Excuse me?" Hody asked.

She began cracking her knuckles. "Gadfly, hang back. I never got the chance to beat up on the royal line before," she said. She'd tried god knows how many times before, but couldn't quite make it. But now, it was pretty much being handed to her on a silver platter. "I'm gonna knock all of this idiot's teeth out."

Gadfly shrugged her shoulders. "Sure, it's all you." He knew just how much she wanted this. Who was he to take it away from her.

Hody looked towards Topaz. "Hang back and keep an eye on the other one until the rest of the guards get here," he said. Topaz nodded, standing by, preparing to leapt in case the other one made a move. Scylla raised an eyebrow. Was she supposed to be his bodyguard or something?

The prince began making his way forward to meet her, spinning his weapon around in his hand. He might not have known who this was, but he could tell she was strong. He wasn't going to let his guard down. Scylla crossed her arms, not even bothering to put up a guard. "Out of sheer curiosity, do you even know who I am?" she asked.

"Why would I…"

Gadfly snickered. "This is going to be amazing."

Scylla smiled. This was honestly fine by her. If he had known he probably wouldn't have shown his face out here. "No reason I guess. Anyway, hope you put up a better fight than mommy and daddy did," she said smugly.

Hody's eyes went wide, and behind him Topaz gasped. "What?" he asked before glaring. "What did you say?!" Scylla suddenly leapt at him, and Hody barely had time to react as she swung at his face. He leaned back, just barely able to avoid the blow. He tried to move back so he could get some distance, but then felt a blow to his stomach.

He grunted as he was sent rolling back. He went a few feet before rolling back up to his feet and stumbling back. He glared at her as he tightened his grip on his trident, and then… fell down to one knee. "Seriously?" Topaz muttered. The chick was obviously fast, but for her to bring Hody to his knees, she had to be packing some real power.

Hody took a few moments to catch his breath. Just how in the hell was she that much stronger than she looked? Was it some ability like Breeze's? "I hope you're not done yet your highness. I know you royals tend to have glass jaws, but going down with one punch is sad even by your standards," Scylla mocked.

"What did you say about my parents!" Hody demanded. "What did you do with them?!"

"Nothing compared to what I'm gonna do to you…" She rushed at him again, and Hody quickly rose up and stabbed at her with Sear Spike. Scylla twisted her body, narrowly avoiding it, and then swung at him. Once again, he managed to dodge the first punch, only to be nailed by a second.

To his credit, he had at least managed to get his arm up and to guard himself, but it still sent him sliding back, and it hurt like hell. He winced and then looked back up towards her. She was clearly a Waterfolk, but… how had he never heard of her before. Whether she was a civilian or a rebel, someone of her strength should have been someone of note. "Who are you?" he asked, in a mix of confusion and anger.

Scylla reached up and rubbed her chin. She didn't know whether to tell him or not. It wouldn't really manner if she did since she was going to kill him anyway. But if he did know her name… the look on his face would be priceless. She turned her head slightly, reaching up and tapping one of her earrings. "Recognize these?"

For a moment Hody just looked confused, but then a look came across his face. Those looked familiar. He had definitely seen them somewhere before. In a book he thought… Yes, a lesson from his mother. About the… "No, that's impossible," he said. "They're fakes! Replicas! There's no possible way you could be-!"

Scylla clapped her hands. "You got it, your highness! Man, am I glad I got here before word spread! The look on your stupid face is just too good!"

Topaz looked over at Hody. "Hey, who is this chick?" she asked. She was totally lost here. Was she an old flame of his or something?

Hody growled. "Those earrings… ones just like those were stolen from the royal family by the most infamous enemy of our people during Typhon's time, by a monster known as Scylla the Drought," he said. Topaz looked even more confused. In Typhon's time? "But she has to be lying! They were killed, over two thousand years ago!"

Scylla held her arms out. "And yet, here I am."

"Liar!"

Scylla clicked her tongue. "Really? Because the king and queen didn't have such a hard time believing me. But I guess after what happened to them, they didn't have much of a choice," she said. "You are their son right? I mean you're the prince, and the resemblance is pretty uncanny. Especially the teeth. Old mother dearest had a nasty pair of choppers just like that. Didn't really help her thought."

"You bitch!"

Hody rushed in towards her. He didn't care if she was telling the truth or not. He didn't care if those were the real heirlooms or not. Right now the only thing that mattered was shutting her up and finding out if his mother and father were okay. Scylla's smile grew, and she readied herself. "That's the spirit…"

Hody lunged at her with his trident, sending a barrage of stabbing thrust. But Scylla dodged each and every one. "C'mon, is that the best you've got?" Scylla asked mockingly. "How are you going to avenge your folks and get these back if that's the best you can throw at me?"

"Shut up!" Hody aimed Sea Spike at her, and the jewel inside of it began to glow before it fired out a beam towards her. Scylla raised two of her arms, blocking the beam. She was pushed back a few feet, and Hody smirked as he stepped forward, trying to press the attack.

But instead of being pushed further back, Scylla stepped forward. She kept moving, and Hody looked shocked as she steadily closed the distance between them. Once she was close enough, she reached up and grabbed Sea Spike, and Hody stopped the beam as she pointed it upwards. "So that is all you've got, huh?" she asked.

She raised her fist and got ready to swing, but before she could, something flew right by her head. Both she and Hody looked over and saw a number of guards rushing towards them, weapons raised and ready for battle.

"Protect the prince!"

"Quickly, surround the intruders!"

"Charge!"

Scylla looked annoyed. "How many of you guys are there?" she asked as she casually swatted away an arrow aimed at her face. "Gadfly!"

Gadfly smiled as he crouched down and got ready to charge. "Finally, I was getting so freaking tired of waiting!" Topaz saw him about to make a move, and got ready to intercept him. But when he moved… all she saw was a flicker, then he was gone. She felt a gust of wind go by her.

"Gah!"

Topaz looked back and saw one of the guard's hitting the ground. Gadfly pulled his foot back, chuckling as he moved again. Topaz once again lost track of him, but then heard another yell, and another guard fell. "Shit, what the hell?" Was he teleporting? He was moving so fast she couldn't get a beat on him.

The guards were all looking around, confused and panicked. None of them could tell what was happening. They all seemed to just be dropping to the ground one after another. A few of them just tried to keep running to help Hody, but they didn't get very far before they were taken down as well.

Scylla watched as Gadfly continued dropping them one after another. While she was looking away, Hody took the chance and gathered an orb of water from the ground nearby around his fist. He drew his fist back, increasing the density around the water as much as he could before swinging. The blow landed right on the side of her head, and Hody prepared to follow up with another.

But before he could, Scylla swung upwards, hitting up right in the jaw. Hody flew back, landing hard on his back as Scylla huffed. "Not bad for a cheap shot…"

Hody's vision blurred for a moment, and for a moment he thought he was about to black out. He managed to stay conscious, but his head was ringing. What in the hell was this? How could she have shaken that blow off so easily? Her skin would have had to be more than twice as tough as his to be able to recover from that so easily.

He didn't have much time to think about it though, as Scylla was already standing over him. He tried to get up, but she reached out and grabbed him by the throat. She lifted him up and then brought another of her fist back. "Any last words, you highness?"

"You… what are you?"

"Better."

She got ready to swing, and Topaz made her move. To hell with what he'd said, Hody needed help. And she was so focused on him right now, this was the best chance she was going to get. She used her magical ability, Flicker, and disappearing into thin air before suddenly reappearing right beside her.

Star Inferno was already whizzing through the air and right towards Scylla's head, and the titan turned around just as it was inches away from her face.

Then, Topaz felt something strike her in the stomach, sending her flying back. She hit the ground and slid, as Gadfly hovered next to Scylla, pulling his tail back from where he had struck her. "You really shouldn't be sticking your nose in this fireball," he said shaking his head.

Scylla looked confused. Had she just… had she just tried to save him? Why? What was going on here? Topaz groaned and pushed herself up to her feet. How in the hell had she managed to cut her off that quickly. Even if he had an ability like hers, he couldn't have timed it that perfectly.

Scylla popped her knuckles and turned back towards Hody. "Well, I don't know what the hell that's about, but you're still dead…"

"No!"

Topaz got ready to use Flicker again, but suddenly felt something wrap around her throat. She gasped and reached up, trying to pry his tail from around her neck. "Relax fireball, we're not here for you. Just the fishfolk," he said crossing his arms. "So settle down and enjoy the show."

Scylla swung her fist, and Hody braced himself for the blow. But suddenly, a figure slid in front of him.

Maria raised her arm, and a loud pop echoed through the air when Scylla's fist made contact with her. Maria winced in pain, and Scylla looked shocked at the new face. Hody's eyes went wide as he saw his baby sister's arm go limp. But rather than yell out or clutch the injured limb, she glared.

"Siren's Screech!"

She focused, sending a point blank sonar right at Scylla's head. The titan went wide eyed, and she stumbled back, looking dazed. She dropped Hody as she did, and the prince grabbed Maria, who looked dazed herself from the recoil of her attack, and gripped his trident. He used all the strength he could muster and stabbed at her, a thin but dense layer of water around the prongs of the trident.

The weapon ripped into her shoulder, piercing through her and severing all three arms on the left side of her body. She fell back, and Hody panted as he watched her hit the ground. "That's what happens when you fuck with the Kelpbottom's…"

A/N: Python and Argus are about to be filled in on some of the things they missed in mewni! How are they going to react to what they hear? And Scylla and Gadfly make their appearance in the Waterfolk kingdom! Hody looked like he was in deep trouble, but Maria comes in for the save! Will the Kelpbottom siblings impromptu tag team be enough to put her down?!