It was early in the morning that Amity arrived at the cafe on the edge of Bonesborough. She absent-mindedly ate a muffin bit by bit while she waited.
She wouldn't have to wait long, however, as Hunter came down the street, followed by a middle-aged witch with receding green hair. The pair walked up to Amity's table and greeted her.
"Blight– Amity." Hunter said, correcting himself on the proper address of Amity. "I'm glad you could meet us today. I think we've got a lot to talk about."
"Indeed, Hunter." The other witch said as they took a seat at the table. "But first, introductions. My name is Raine Whispers, former Head Witch of the Bard Coven and current leader of the CATTs!"
They held out a hand in friendship, which Amity shook. "Amity Blight. I… don't have any fancy titles, unfortunately." Amity said with a sad smile. "Also, 'cats'?"
Hunter sighed. "Technically, that is what the rebellion is called; it's short for 'Covens Against the Throne'. Darius… isn't a fan. And it's not exactly a public name."
"You should have seen the look on his face when I told him!" Raine said, snorting with laughter at the memory. They coughed and sat up, returning to a serious expression. "But fun stories about the rebellion will have to wait. I believe we need to talk about our mutual 'friend'."
"The Collector." Amity said, putting her muffin down and getting serious as well.
"Hunter told us what happened after he got trapped in the In-Between Realm, so I think we can thank you for rescuing him–"
"Even if you did get me trapped there in the first place." Hunter said without malice.
"The point is, Miss Blight, that you seem to have had the most experience with the Collector outside of Hunter." Raine leaned forward onto the table as they continued. "Can you tell us what happened on the Day of Unity from your perspective?"
Amity looked down at her muffin at the mention of that day. Hunter looked back and forth between Raine and Amity, noticing Amity stifle a sniffle.
Hunter pulled Flapjack from his pocket and whispered something to him. The palismen gave a little salute with his wing, then hopped onto the table in front of Amity. With a tweet and a waggle of his tail feathers, he began to dance around on the tabletop in a way that always cheered up Hunter when he was stuck thinking about the past.
Amity looked up from the muffin to watch Flapjack's little dance. She mustered a smile and a chuckle.
Satisfied with his work, Flapjack finished his dance and gave a little bow before fluttering back up to Hunter's shoulder. Hunter gave his palismen a congratulatory scratch on the head for his good work.
Amity took a deep breath.
"Alright." She said with a nod. "I don't know what happened before Luz came to rescue me from my house, but after we convinced my dad about what was going on with the draining spell and chased off my mom, we took one of the Emperor's Coven airships and flew to the Head."
"Who all was there with you?" Raine asked.
"Luz, me, Willow, Gus, Eda, my dad, and King." Amity said counting off each member of the team on her fingers. "Also a guy named Steve? I'm still not sure who that was."
"Oh, Steve was there? We really should have asked him what happened that day." Hunter said, surprised.
"You know him?" Amity asked.
"He's a well-regarded member of the Rebellion, actually." Raine clarified. "But you were recounting the events of the Day of Unity?"
"Everyone I mentioned, plus my dad, took the airship to the Head. We… didn't really have a plan besides try and interrupt the spell. We had my dad's abomiton remote, which helped take out some of the abomitons guarding the site, but…"
"By the time you got there, it was too late." Raine said sadly. "We tried our own plan to interrupt the draining spell, but Belos saw right through us. When we attempted to enact it, we were stopped by our fellow Head Witches. And then the spell began, regardless."
"What about Hunter, what was he doing in all this?" Amity asked with a raised brow.
"I was… backup." Hunter said with some space between his words, as if he were carefully considering his words. "In case anything went wrong, I was planted among the Coven scouts. I was supposed to be right there to help Darius and Raine, but…"
"The other scouts caught him just as our plan began." Raine said, finishing Hunter's explanation. "Belos knew he was there the whole time. We don't know how, but in any case, we all ended up incapacitated. Which is where our intel stops."
Amity nodded. "My dad was incapacitated by the spell as well. The rest of us tried to break through, but we lost the abomiton remote. We tried to fight past the remaining abomitons, but once Eda got hit…" Amity looked away. "We retreated to the Owl House. And… he followed us."
"The Collector." Raine said. Not asking, merely stating the obvious fact.
"We tried to help Eda and hold together the house as the Isles started to shatter. And Luz– the Collector said something to her, convinced her to give up her body." Hunter and Raine could see tears starting to well up in the corners of Amity's eyes as she tried to continue. "An-and by the time I realized–"
"Amity…" Raine said softly. "I think you've told us enough. Thank you."
Amity was having trouble keeping the tears from flowing once more. Raine turned to Hunter.
"Hunter, do you think you could take this intel back to camp? Inform Darius, Eberwolf, Hettie, and Vitimir of these developments."
"Of course." Hunter said. He and Flapjack both saluted their leader, then turned to leave. "Take care of yourself, Amity." He said over his shoulder as he jogged off towards the rebellion's camp.
"Y-you should go too." Amity said as she tried to hold back her emotions. "I'll be fine."
"Now what kind of witch would I be if I let a young witch suffer when I could have helped?" Raine said. Their smile was warm and comforting, like a hot drink while on the Knee.
They gently helped Amity stand up, even as her knees wobbled. "A walk would do us both some good, don't you think?" They said. "The weather is excellent today, perfect for a walk."
Amity looked up at Raine in awe. She hadn't felt such warmth and comfort since Eda. She nodded, wiping a tear from her eye.
Amity made sure to finish off her muffin at Raine's recommendation. "You feel better with a full stomach!" they had said.
The pair walked off, touring the streets of Bonesborough. Amity took in the little sights she had missed these past weeks cooped up in the Owl House, while Raine rambled on about their experience with various shops.
Every now and then, Amity would ask a question about a particular shop and Raine would answer in vibrant detail. Every time, Amity would brighten a little more as she got a better look at the world she lived in.
Such a good look, in fact, that she noticed something out of place in the crowd. Among the conventionally dressed citizens of Bonesborough was a figure in a starry bluish-purple cloak that swayed to and fro. Their hood was down, letting Amity notice the shaggy white hair that was kept loose.
She felt her throat hitch and eyes widen at the sight.
Raine stopped to look back at Amity, who had stopped in the middle of the street, staring intently at something ahead. Her chest was moving up and down quickly, a potential sign of panic.
"Amity? Are you alright?" Raine asked softly, but directly.
Amity didn't look at Raine, choosing instead to look directly at what she had spotted. "It's them. The Collector."
Raine looked over and spotted the out-of-place cloak. They were about to warn Amity not to run off, but by the time they looked back, she had already bolted off into the crowd after the Collector.
"Amity, wait!" Raine shouted as they began to run after the young witch.
Amity quickly made her way through the crowd, following the Collector as they turned into an alleyway. She could hear Raine yelling after her, but as she followed the Collector, Raine's voice faded. Her focus narrowed, blocking out everything around her.
The only things that mattered to Amity right now were catching the Collector and making them pay.
"Collector!" Amity shouted as she finally caught up to the Collector.
They stopped in their tracks in the alley with a small hop. Slowly, they turned around to face Amity. His face had a smirk plastered across it while he held his hands behind his back innocently.
"Hello!" The Collector said. "Do you want to join in on the game? We're gonna start–"
"Shut up, you two-toned freak. Give me back my girlfriend." Amity was trying to keep a level head and failing spectacularly. Her eyes were practically bloodshot as she stared the Collector down.
The Collector's smirk twitched at Amity's interruption.
"Hunter told me all about you not being able to hurt Luz's friends. And as Luz's girlfriend , I think I'm at the top of whatever list you have." Amity summoned her staff with a flourish and pointed it at the Collector. "Now, let my girlfriend go. "
The Collector let their smirk drop to a neutral smile. Still smug, but somewhat displeased by the current events.
"You know, I really thought I wouldn't have to hear any more of these 'give Luz her body back' speeches." The Collector said. "But that Grimwalker really had to go and blab to everyone about it. I mean, I told Lilith too and she hasn't said a thing!"
They paused and thought for a moment. "Or maybe that's because she's out on the seas?" They waved off the errant thought. "Whatever! The point is she knows how to keep a secret!"
Amity's eyes narrowed. She pulled a handful of fire glyphs from her pocket and readied them while keeping her staff level with the Collector.
They saw her movements and reacted in kind, dropping into a battle-ready stance. Though they were just going to play dodge-magic, since they couldn't actually harm Amity.
Amity tossed her staff into the air and the Collector followed it as it spun around under the control of Amity's palismen. Ghost spun and spun the staff, letting off a gentle sparkly glow that sufficiently distracted the Collector.
Amity slapped her hands together, activating the trio of fire glyphs in tandem. When she pulled her hands apart, a large fireball had formed between them. She wound back her arms as she jumped into the air, then pitched the fireball directly at the distracted Collector.
As he watched Ghost's performance, their idle hands began to poke and drag the air, leaving behind points that looked like stars connected by golden strands of light. Once the constellation was complete, they pushed it forward with his other hand, directly into the path of the fireball.
As the fireball passed through the constellation, it lost all power and dissipated. Amity looked surprised as she began to fall.
Amity grabbed onto her staff mid-jump and urged Ghost to fly towards the Collector.
The Collector shook himself out of their entertainment-induced stupor just in time to see Amity flying towards them foot-first. He dodged to the side, tumbling over into a cartwheel and landing in a low position on the ground.
Amity, having missed her kick, landed safely on the ground, then pulled out another glyph paper. She slapped it on the ground, sending a spike of ice shooting towards the Collector, which they dodged with practiced ease.
"Gah! Stop dodging!" Amity shouted out of frustration.
She decided to take the Hunter method of combat, gripping her staff with both hands and charging forward. She swung wildly, trying to hit or at least contain the Collector.
"Aw, but aren't we playing Dodge-Spell? I think I'm doing pretty well. Oh, and, by the way, you're so much slower than that Grimwalker." The Collector said with a giggle as they effortlessly dodged each of Amity's untrained attacks.
Incensed by the Collector's taunt, Amity increased the speed of her attacks, but this just made her even less accurate.
Seeing an opportunity for a way out of this fight, the Collector stepped to the side as Amity swung to the other side. They stuck out their leg directly in Amity's path, her rage blinding her to his new location.
And down she went, smacking onto the cobblestones with a thud and a sharp exhale as her lungs emptied.
The Collector crouched over Amity's prone body. After a moment of looking, he poked her back to make sure he hadn't accidentally killed her. She reacted with attempted violence, rolling over and trying to scratch at the Collector's face.
They jumped back with a concerned look. "Sheesh. Some thanks I get for taking the time to play with you."
Amity tried to get back up, straining her limbs, but she couldn't seem to stand back up. Her onslaught had drained just a little too much out of her. So she collapsed onto her back onto the cobblestones to catch her breath.
She looked up at the Collector with contempt, more than she had ever felt in her entire life. Even after those times that Ed and Em stole her stuff. Even after her mom said she'd get rid of Luz and replace her with someone 'appropriate'.
Those could not compare to the unbridled rage that filled Amity to the tips of her ears in this moment.
"Hey, you ok? Your whole face is red." The Collector said nonchalantly. They almost looked concerned.
It looked a lot like Luz's concerned face.
Instantly, Amity felt her rage disappear, replaced by shame. From far away and in the heat of a fight, she hadn't had to contend with the fact that the Collector was, ultimately, possessing her girlfriend. Which meant that some of Luz's mannerisms and expressions were bound to overlap with theirs
And Amity couldn't fight Luz again.
Not when she'd already lost her.
Amity sighed as she rested her head on the cobbles. She closed her eyes in order to recenter herself; she was reminded of Willow's trademark relaxation breathing.
In, 2, 3, 4. Out, 2, 3, 4.
She opened her eyes to see the Collector cautiously crouched over her once more, his face buried in his arms. Their eyes were Luz's eyes, filtered through the aesthetic of the Collector; her hazel eyes replaced by his scarlet.
"Hey, do you wanna play something else?" The Collector said, almost at the level of a whisper. He clearly didn't want to be on the receiving end of Amity's feline fury again. "You can pick this time."
"How do I free Luz?" Amity turned her head to the Collector and asked directly and clearly.
The Collector sighed. "Ugh. That's not a game. But, fiiine." They settled into a slightly more comfortable crouching position.
"You don't." They said, simple and plain. "She's not going anywhere until I let her. And she still hasn't learned her lesson about tricking me, so she's not leaving for a while. "
"Oh." Amity said. She struggled to raise the rage that had been boiling in her just a moment ago, but it fell as fast as it could futilely rise.
"Alright, my turn!" The Collector tried to pep themself back up and get back into his game-playing mood. "So, according to what I heard, you're some kind of abomination magic prodigy, right? So why have you only been using those glyphs? It's been bugging me for a while."
Amity stared at the sky in silence for several seconds after they asked.
Slowly, she began to speak. "On the Day of Unity… I failed Luz. My magic wasn't good enough to stop the abomitons, my dad almost died… and then I couldn't do anything when Luz got possessed."
The Collector inched away slightly at the mention of that last particular event. Meanwhile, Amity continued.
"I had… a lot of time to think after that. I want to feel close to Luz, even while we're so far apart. So I started studying her glyphs, trying to master them. I thought maybe she'd be impressed when she got back. And then 'when' became 'if'. I started to spiral into myself. But Eda… she got me out of that, turned the 'if' back into 'when'. Even if she was just doing it to make me feel better, I hadn't been that happy in weeks. And I started to improve on Luz's glyph research. Then you showed up."
Amity let out a deep sigh from her core. It was full of her lost hopes and quickly disappeared into the wind.
"It doesn't matter now. I can't beat you. I know that now. And I think I'll just give up now."
The Collector cocked their head to the side, a conflicted look on his face as he considered Amity's words. But soon he was nodding, not completely satisfied with his conclusion, but certain it was the best course of action. If only to keep one of his potential playmates from going away.
His eyes closed and their head lolled forward. But it was only for a moment, as their head slowly raised back up. Hazel eyes blinked open and looked around, eventually ending on Amity.
Tears welled up in those eyes and the nose sniffled a bit. A hand lept to the mouth to keep it from crying out.
"Amity…" Luz said, her voice full of regret, sadness, and, above all, love.
Amity tilted her head over to look at the crying Collector, not fully registering who was in control of the body right now.
Luz collapsed to her knees and wrapped her arms around Amity, feeling her girlfriend's heartbeat for the first time in so long. Her breathing was steady, slightly quickening at Luz's touch.
It was so good to feel things that felt real.
"Amity… Amity! Amity!" Luz said, each time with more urgency and disbelief.
Amity's expression grew confused. It couldn't really be…
Luz laughed through her tears. "Te extrañé so much, sweet potato!"
Amity's eyes widened in surprise. She could feel her heartbeat quicken in her chest. Her mouth was moving, but the word wouldn't come out. Her hands desperately searched for something to hold.
"Luz!" Amity finally blurted out with a mixture of surprise and joy. Her hands found their way to each other on the other side of Luz, while the idle searching they had been doing had accidentally triggered a plant glyph in her pocket. Through the cracks in the cobbles, lilies began to spring up until the pair was surrounded by a veritable field of white flowers.
They both had stupid grins on their faces as they looked into each other's eyes.
Luz chuckled and tried to avert her eyes, for fear that her guilt would spill out over Amity, but her efforts failed. "Amity, listen, I'm–"
Amity pulled Luz in closer and cut her off with a kiss. They both closed their eyes and took in the moment, the only thing they felt then was each other's quickening heartbeats. Once they were satisfied, they pulled apart, but still held each other close.
"Woah, crikey!" Luz said as she floated in place on her cloud, her eyes barely registering the buildings around them.
Amity snickered, holding a hand up to her mouth to keep it from launching into a full-bodied laugh. "Are you going to say that every time we kiss?"
"Probably…" Luz said as she leaned her head forward to touch her forehead to Amity's. "Definitely if you sneak attack me like that."
They shared a laugh that gradually petered out into simultaneous sighs of contentment.
"Amity–" Luz started, but she was cut off this time by a shake of her girlfriend's head.
"I don't want to hear any self-pity from you." Amity nestled her head onto Luz's shoulder, next to her neck. "Assuming this isn't a trick by the Collector, I just want to enjoy this moment as long as possible."
Luz let her head rest on Amity's. "Ok, sweet potato…" she said with a sigh.
They sat together for what felt like hours, but in reality it was only a few minutes. But that was more than enough for the pair, separated for so long. Each took a seat on the lily-riddled cobbles, close enough to touch, but far enough apart to make it clear it was time to be serious.
They had a lot to discuss, and Amity began.
"How are you even here? The Collector said he wouldn't let you go. Is this just an illusion?" She reached over and pinched Luz's yellow cheek.
"Ow ow ow!" Luz exclaimed. Amity backed off, holding her hand up apologetically while Luz rubbed her cheek.
"I'm not really sure, to be honest." Luz said. "One second I was drifting in that place, the next you were on the TV there, and then…"
"And then you were here."
"Maybe the Collector felt pity for you?" Luz asked. "You, uh, you were pretty pathetic, laying on the ground."
Amity felt her ears burn in embarrassment. "Maybe they did… but that doesn't make any sense. He was so ready to torment me, I thought."
"Well, they're pretty childish. How did you feel when your friends got sad when you were a kid?"
Amity thought to the time Willow tripped over a root and skinned her knee while they were playing. Willow tried so hard not to cry that she avoided Amity as much as possible.
"I tried to make them feel better." Amity said. "At least, until my parents told me to stop doing that."
"Ha! Every time you talk about your parents, they get a little bit worse."
"Yeah… at least my dad is trying to be better now." Amity buried her face in her knees as she thought about her family. "At least, last I saw him he was." Her voice was muffled and she wasn't talking above a whisper, so her words flew right past Luz.
"By the way, Amity…" Luz said slyly as she scooted over to Amity's side. "When did you start wearing my clothes? They look good on you!"
"Oh, yeah, that." Amity said. She tried to put on a smile, but it was very forced. "I've actually been staying at the Owl House the last few weeks. Ever since that day. And, well, I kinda stopped taking good care of myself for a while there."
Luz raised an eyebrow.
"B-but I'm doing fine now!" Amity was quick to clarify, though whether or not Luz believed her was a different story. "What about you? Hunter said you were in some kind of room?"
"Yeah, it's really weird. Especially since it doesn't feel like I'm moving when I move. More like, everything else is moving around me? And there's a TV–they're like crystal balls, I think I told you about that–and it plays random stuff, mostly my memories, I think."
"That sounds very strange." Amity leaned back onto her hands.
"It is!" Luz said, holding her head in her hands. "I stopped thinking about it, but now it's gonna be all I can think about!"
"In any case," Amity said as she stood up, "we should find Eda. She'll be so excited that you're back! Did you know she stopped calling me Boots? Luz?"
Luz had slumped over and wasn't responding. After a moment, she leaned back and stretched out her arms, letting out a little "Gnnnnh!" as she did. Satisfied with her readiness, she jumped up with a backflip, surprising Amity.
She took a deep breath, her eyes snapping open on the exhale, revealing pure scarlet irises.
"Well, that was fun!" the Collector said with a smirk. "But it is my body now! It wouldn't be fair if I wasn't in control!"
"No!" Amity shouted, feeling her anger build back up. "I just got her back, you can't take her away again! I won't let you!"
Amity conjured and brandished her staff at the Collector, who held his hands up in mock surrender. "Tell you what. I'll let you two hang out again sometime! As long as you promise to play with me again!"
"What?" Amity's eyes narrowed.
"Agree to a playdate with me and I'll make sure you and your 'sweet potato' get to have a date!" Their raised arms shifted into a small shrug. "You two are pretty cute together, but if I don't get anything out of it, why would I just let you hang out? So… deal?" They stuck out one hand with pinky out, while the other hand hid behind their back.
Amity eyed the outstretched hand with suspicion. She knew making a deal with the Collector was foolish, but if it was the only way to see Luz again…
"Fine, I'll take your deal, Collector." Amity matched their pinky with her own.
With a joyous smile, the Collector bounced their pinkies, then let Amity go. He backed up into an adjoining alley, waving goodbye and saying "Thanks! I'll let you know when we're gonna have our playdate!" As they waved, the area shifted and the alley they had backed into disappeared beneath a vision of Hexside lockers.
Amity looked around in surprise, but centered herself. She may have made a deal with a horrible contractor, but her first priority was finding Raine again–they were probably worried sick. And, if she could, maybe she could figure out how the Collector made such a large illusion.
It was remarkably similar to the one from that time at Hexside…
Amity trudged through the illusionary walls into a small park that she wasn't entirely certain was real or not. After the last turn had been through a family's dining room that had morphed into a replica of a Hexside classroom, she was being extra careful not to take any more wrong turns. She peeked through every change in scenery and tested everything with her foot before taking a step.
She sighed with relief to feel the ground here was real. "I guess this is one of the few real spaces in this labyrinth."
This place was rather secluded, so there wasn't much to see. A few benches, a small playground, Gus passed out on the ground–
"Gus!?" Amity exclaimed, having spotted the barely conscious witch laying on the ground. She rushed over and crouched beside him, touching a hand to his wrist to feel his pulse.
It was very high, as far as Amity could tell. Based on her own experiences, he was in the midst of a panic attack. Just like during the battle at Hexside. Which would explain the labyrinth.
"What should I do?" Amity waffled back and forth between moving and not moving Gus. "If only Eda were here, she'd know what to do."
Amity sighed and decided she couldn't just leave him here on the ground. Maybe there was a potion-maker nearby that could help? There was that one glyph combo, but it seemed a bit risky, seeing as how she hadn't tested it yet…
She picked up Gus, carrying him on her back as she made her way through to the next illusionary area. She continued to take her precautions as she did, gradually making her way to what looked and felt like the main road, but she couldn't be entirely certain.
She shifted her carry of Gus slightly to better distribute his weight, then looked about. Where was Raine? She might have run off without them, but–
"Hey!" the voice of another teen called out. Amity glanced over to notice the orange-maned girl wearing a Hexside Potions Track uniform. She didn't recognize her, until she connected the dots and remembered some of Eda's stories about her time at Hexside, causing her to double take.
"Eda?"
"Hey, wait! You can't go in there! My Uncle doesn't want any visitors!" a muffled voice said on the other side of the door to Belos' throne room.
The Emperor sat on his throne, awaiting the inevitable interruption of his time. He knew Hunter couldn't stop them from barging in. It was almost comical how little faith they seemed to have in their Emperor these days.
"Wait!" Hunter shouted in desperation as the doors swung open and the loyal Head Witches strode into the throne room.
Adrian, the Head Witch of the Illusion Coven, led the pack. His trademark swaggering pride always made Philip gag, even more than witches already did.
Mason, the Head Witch of the Construction Coven, plodded along. He was still recovering from his recent encounter with the Collector and was walking with a slight limp.
Terra, the Head Witch of the Plant Coven, filed in after Mason. Her resolve had been shaken by the Day of Unity, true, but her continued loyalty was an encouraging sign.
Osran, the Head Witch of the Oracle Coven, was second to last into the room. Evading Oracle magic was always tricky, but Osran was ever the loyal soul who would never peek into the Emperor's innermost thoughts. He knew better than to.
Finally, there was the recently reinstated Kikimora. Not technically a Head Witch, she nonetheless stood as the most loyal member of the Emperor's Coven, to the point that she had been allowed to resume her old position. Though she seemed a hair more nervous than before.
"Emperor!" Hunter said with a bow. "I'm sorry for the intrusion, they insisted on seeing you today. I couldn't stop them… a-again."
"Thank you Golden Guard." Belos said. Hunter flinched, even across the room he feared the Emperor's hand. "You are dismissed. I will call for you when I require your assistance."
Hunter slipped out of the room, the door shuddering closed behind him. Belos knew he was just waiting outside. He did this every time. The insatiable need for validation for a Grimwalker was simultaneously endearing and annoying to Philip.
"Head Witches…" Belos said, slowly enunciating every word to emphasize his annoyance with their insistent interruptions of his time. "I did not summon you. Is there news to report?"
"Ha! Get a load of this guy." Adrian said, putting his hands on his hips and shaking his head. "We all know what you look like under that mask, why hide it? Too worried you look ugl-eeh!" Adrian recoiled from a jab to his back by Mason, who just sighed at Adrian's recent need to belittle everyone he spoke with, even their Emperor.
"Please, ignore that imbecile, Emperor Belos." Terra said as she knelt before Belos. The others quickly followed her lead and also knelt. A sign of deference, good. "We merely wished to ask what your plans are. The rebellion grows in strength every day as more and more witches reject your authority."
"Even some of our closest aides have abandoned us, my lord." Osran said. "You told us to prepare ourselves for war, but we have spent the last weeks chasing a child who somehow still eludes us."
"Not to critique your work, Emperor," Adrian said, "but this is all pretty pitiful. If you want, I can offer some notes–"
"Silence." Belos said plainly, with authority. Adrian shut his mouth and kept his eyes pointed firmly at the floor.
Belos rose from his throne, steadying himself with his staff. He began to pace around the Head Witches as he spoke.
"As you know, the Day of Unity was ruined by that self-same child you speak of in such a derogatory manner. The ritual, which would have united us all with the Titan, was corrupted by their actions, turning the spell from a glorious moment of triumph of the Coven System over Wild Magic into a horribly destructive event that has scarred our land and its people."
"And you would dare ask me why I have you chasing after this child ? Our plan is simple: we will perform the ritual again. But as long as they remain free, they are a threat to every witch and demon on the Isles. We cannot allow that human to run wild and threaten the new Day of Unity."
The Head Witches looked at each other in surprise. Finally, Terra spoke up. "Perform the Day of Unity ritual… again? How could we possibly do that, Emperor?"
"I concur." Osran concurred. "According to even the most generous star charts, the next total eclipse will not occur for another twenty years at the least!"
"And what of the rebels, my lord." Adrian was being much more agreeable now. "We can't exactly expect them to all just show up at the ritual site in the proper places, can we?"
"All excellent questions." Belos said sincerely. He returned to his throne before continuing. "If there will be no natural eclipse for decades, then we need only to create our own eclipse. And the spell can be tweaked in order to allow us to harness the power of the rebels no matter where they are on the Isles. They and their traitorous followers may join us in unity with the Titan, but this is an acceptable cost to succeed in our mission to eradicate Wild Magic."
"An artificial eclipse, my Emperor?" Osran said, trying not to scoff at the idea. "Even the most skilled illusionist could not produce a false moon so real that the seas would believe the trick!"
Adrian glanced daggers at Osran and retorted "Actually, oracle, I believe that I am exactly the witch to look to for such a task!"
"Oh, certainly. Let's trust the witch who lost to a toddler to do something this important." Terra said, her words dripping with sarcasm. She and Adrian shared a baleful look between themselves.
"Worry not, Head Witches." Belos said. He held out a hand, palm down, to indicate that his words would calm their worries. "The Titan has blessed me with the spell we require. All we need is a handful of ingredients, which you shall gather for me. The Golden Guard will deliver your orders later this evening."
Belos sighed and brought his arm back to rest on his throne. "We are so close to eradicating Wild Magic and uniting the people of the Isles with the Titan, Head Witches. In addition to your assignments, you must redouble your efforts to rid the Isles of that human nuisance. As long as she remains alive, the ritual is still in danger of being corrupted."
The four Head Witches and Kikimora bowed their heads. As one, they said "It will be done, Emperor Belos."
"Now then…" Belos said. He raised his hand to bid them rise and they did. "Leave me."
The Head Witches filed out of the room, the last one shutting the door with a heavy thud. Belos noted that Kikimora looked nervous as she had left; no matter, her loyalty could be bought more easily than any other Coven leader.
Once all the Head Witches had left, Philip removed his mask and let himself relax somewhat. His mission was supposed to be over, so having to put on the stern but benevolent Emperor act was beginning to grate on his nerves. He rested his chin in his palm and closed his eyes while imagining the suffering of the Head Witches during the new Day of Unity–the Day of Reunity, if you will. He chuckled at the thought.
This state did not last long, however, as the throne room door creaked open and shut. It was time to put the benevolent lie back into action.
"Hunter." Belos gently turned his head to look at the approaching Grimwalker. His cloak was still slightly too long and dragged across the floor, despite having been sent to the imperial tailor several times over.
"Emperor Belos." The Grimwalker knelt like the other witches, bowing his head in respect.
"Please, Hunter, we are family. I am your uncle." Belos gestured with one hand for the Grimwalker to rise. "Surely, when we are alone, even if you approach me with serious matters, you can drop the formal address?"
"Very well uh-Uncle."
"Good. Now then, what troubles you, my nephew?" Belos leaned forward in his throne as he spoke. He wasn't actually interested in the Grimwalker's troubles, but loyalty from a Grimwalker demanded attention to their issues.
"I-I was wondering, if, maybe, possibly, I could leave the castle some time?" Hunter kept his gaze fixed firmly at his feet as he spoke.
Belos heaved a sigh before standing up from his throne. He walked over to Hunter, making sure to maintain his kindly uncle face as he placed a firm hand on the Grimwalker's shoulder.
"I'm afraid you are too important, Hunter, to both me and the Titan. There are all kinds of dangers in the world and you need to stay safe."
"But Uncle! I'm the youngest Golden Guard–" Hunter looked up at Belos to plead with him, but was silenced by a single look from Belos' stern gaze.
"Why don't you tell him why you really don't want him to leave the castle?"
That voice. Again.
Belos kept his gaze fixed on Hunter, attempting not to acknowledge the apparition that continued to haunt his every waking moment. The only sign he noticed it was the twitch in his eye.
"I do not want to hear any more of this wanting to leave the castle, Hunter."
"Oh, absolutely, Uncle! I love to follow your orders, just like the dozens of my predecessors you threw into the pit!" Caleb said, drowning out Hunter's shorter, more remorseful speech.
Belos removed his hand from Hunter's shoulder. Hunter bowed and left the room to return to his normal duties.
"Caleb." Philip turned once the door was closed, his arm morphing into a scythe. This time he would be rid of this specter, no matter what.
"Oh, so you can acknowledge me without flying into a rage, brother?" Caleb said from his flippant seat on Belos' throne. He was seated sideways, legs over the armrest, while he looked at Philip with a smug grin on his face. "How many times will this make? Thirty-seven? I think we're starting to approach the number of Grimwalkers you've 'disposed' of. So many 'me's, so little care."
"I will continue to destroy you until I am rid of you, specter!" Philip spat at the apparition. "No matter how many times I have to kill you, I will do it over and over and over again. Your betrayal makes this a simple task."
"My betrayal, of course." Caleb shook his head sadly. "I betrayed you, or at least I betrayed our father. You were the one who insisted on extending your own suffering and fear. If you had just accepted–"
"NO! I listened to your honeyed words once, and all it got me was trapped in a land of everything man fears! I put a stop to your treachery! But you. Will. Not. Die. Are you so proud to have abandoned your humanity?" Philip stalked towards the throne, his scythe-arm twitching for action but cruelly denied by Philip's need to interrogate his lost brother.
"And what of humanity, brother?" Caleb shifted to a normal sitting position, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. "Can you really call yourself human? After consuming so many palismen, losing your true form?"
"Shut up!" Philip shouted. As he lost control of his emotions, his body began to shift and bulge. His anger wanted to be free, to rend Caleb again and again and again...
"And what about the human, Luz?" Philip stopped in his tracks. "What are your plans for her?"
"I-I…" Philip stumbled over the words, as his body shifting intensified. "She is a human, manipulated by dark forces. If I could just show her the evil in all witches' hearts–"
"And yet, you called for her death, not capture. During your meeting with the Head Witches."
"I… Her body is surely safe." Philip lied to himself as easily as he lied to others. "The Collector merely borrowed her likeness."
"And what if you kill her–the only human you've known for over three hundred years?"
"If she sides with the witches…" Philip had fully lost control of his form and he had completely reverted to his inhuman form. He wasn't looking at anything, just staring into the middle distance with a blank gaze. "She will become an acceptable casualty. We must do all we can to protect humanity, including rooting out those that sympathize with evil and making them repent, either in this life or the next."
Caleb had a pitying expression on his face as he looked at Philip. "When you cannot comprehend something, you return to the dogma of our childhood with a terrifying ease. I wish my words could reach you, but…"
Caleb stood up and pushed off the ground to drift through the air. As he raised in altitude, his form gradually faded away. He kept his pitying expression as he disappeared without a word, leaving Philip alone again.
Almost unconsciously, Philip shifted his form again, but instead of the kind, elderly Emperor, he took the form of his younger self. Whether an accident or merely his mindset affecting his abilities, he didn't notice or care.
He trudged across the room to his throne and propped himself up on it. His eyes weren't focused on anything in particular. Indeed it was hard for even him to tell whether he was cognizant of his surroundings at this moment.
So there he sat, a broken boy on a throne. Alone, once more.
Amid the scriptures and rules that ran through his mind was a single question:
"Is it my fault?"