AUTHOR'S NOTE: So, things are finally slowing down, both in the story and in the production of the story. I started school today, June 23rd, and I am going to have my hands full, I'll speak more on that in the notes at the end. Further, the story is not over. I have great plans for this story and I think that they have some real potential, so I would like to clarify some things, namely, the significance of the last chapter. It was huge for the story, and that is important to note. Everything changed. Literally, everything changed. The title of the story fits better now than ever and I think that the implications of the last chapter will become known either by the end of this chapter or the next. If the story were a show, the last chapter would be the end of a season, and this would be the next, only this one is vastly more dark, similar to the layout of the actual show. To put it candidly, this is where shit is gonna start getting real, of course, that is, after we take some time to consider…
The Aftermath:
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The night of the collapse was one full of peace for none besides those who fought the most. The members of the "Owl Crew," as Luz had called them, had spent the night in recovery. Of course, they had made their setting more pleasant, first taking the liberty of having Belos's body removed from the Noceda house, which the crew had deemed would be best done discreetly, avoiding the general public, mostly witches, from discovering his status.
They weren't sure how people would process it all, and these were the worst of circumstances as well. There was not only a new species of man that descended upon New Haven, which they weren't even sure that everyone knew about but there was carnage as well, which people would surely associate with the arrival of the new species. In fairness, there was both correlation and causation, but it wasn't the witches' fault either, they had simply been innocent among the chaos, just as the humans were. Unfortunately, humans were the majority species, and they lost the most, even going by percentage.
The witches had largely survived, entirely due to their magical ability, and they tried to help everyone they could, but not everyone would see it that way.
It was a witch that started it all, and it was a human that ended it, or half-human, by her standards, not that they even knew what Luz had done, but if they did, it could have made things even worse.
To put it simply, the aftermath was terrible and it was the worst of times for a new species to introduce themselves, especially when they were a threat to humans.
Apart from all of the chaos, that night were those of the Owl Crew, even if they spent the whole night sleepless, imagining what would come when morning came.
For Luz, there was a peace that night, a peace that she hadn't known in full since before she knew Belos. For the rest of the nightly inhabitants of the Noceda house, there was a severe lack thereof. Peace was foreign among the adults, Camila, Eda, and Lilith, laying with their eyes wide open the entirety of the night. Mysteriously, Amity had managed to find a way to stay with the crew that night, mostly because the Blight Manor was in shambles, and it was up to each of the children to find a place to sleep that night.
Willow and Gus had left to search for their families, the Owl Crew would not hear from them the rest of the night, a good or a bad sign depending on how they looked at it.
In the center of the room and the same place in the minds of everyone that knew of what happened that day, was Luz. She slept with Amity close, claiming that she felt safer that way, that had made Amity blush, but she was grateful and obligatory to do that for her crush, which she was afraid she had outed herself to that day. Luz slept easily, without struggle in the slightest. She had slain her demons and she felt more at peace than ever, especially with everybody she loved so close and her having more power than she could have ever imagined.
She killed Belos, the Emperor of the Boiling Isles. A human, a freak, a loser, a hero. Not even Azura had been so successful. All was right for Luz, in her situation at least. Of course, she was still terribly guilty about what happened after the Titan's body fell over New Haven, but a part of her was glad. She felt selfish for being so happy, or at least she thought she was. Everyone deserved to be happy, she knew that she lived by it for so long, but she had trouble accepting it once she had finally become happy. For now, it could wait until morning, as she snuggled into her sleeping bag with her Amity so close by. She could have a moment of peace, at least for one night.
…
Luz wasn't even sure she dreamed that night, but when she opened her eyes, everything was bright. It was so blinding at first. She could have sworn that she had looked straight at the sun, but there was no way that was possible, she was in the middle of her bedroom in a sleeping bag after all. When she opened her eyes again, she was more in control of her senses. She noticed that Eda had left her bed, which she had offered up since Luz didn't need much comfort to fall asleep.
The house was full that morning, but the two people to get any sleep were also the last to leave their sleeping areas. Luz and Amity remained on the floor in that bedroom for several hours after everyone else was up and moving.
When Luz did finally open her eyes, Amity was awake as well but remained at Luz's side per the night before's request, which Luz appreciated more than she could put into words. Amity looked tired, so she hadn't slept much, or very well at all, but she had slept more than anyone else in the house. She had a lot less to worry about than them, her siblings had told her that her family was alright, her relationship with Luz was growing every moment they spent together, and she was more or less at peace with everything that had happened the day before. Other people… well, they had a lot more to worry about. When Luz finally finished her morning stretch and yawned to her heart's content, she rose from the floor and helped Amity as well. She grabbed an oversized hoodie, looked back at Amity, and grabbed a second one, handing it to her.
Amity looked at the clothing item with a bewildered expression, but upon seeing Luz put her otter-themed hoodie on, Amity's eyes dilated as she saw how cute she looked. Hoping to replicate that cuteness onto herself, she frantically threw the conveniently purple, cat-themed hoodie on.
Her green hair looked messy underneath the hood, which only enhanced the look in Luz's opinion. Seeing Luz smile at her new outfit, Amity blushed a bit but found herself more happy than nervous.
Luz stretched once more and made for the door, but Amity grabbed her wrist before she could grab the door handle.
Luz looked back at Amity with a confused expression, posing the question "Umm, what's up Amity?"
Amity tripped on her words for a moment, but finally got out "Ban- Bandages. I need to change your bandages."
Although confused at Amity's stuttering, Luz complied with a smile, sitting herself down on her bed and waiting for Amity to come back to her with the medical supplies that sat on Luz's dresser.
Amity held a washcloth in one hand and a bottle of peroxide in the other. Before she went to bed the night before, she had requested that Camila teach her how to tend to wounds for… helping survivors of course. Camila wasn't stupid, she knew why she wanted to learn this skill so suddenly, and she smiled back at the girl, beginning her instructions.
Amity was glad to learn this, it was so simple, yet so effective, or at least that was what Camila explained. Surely, healing magic would be better for this, but Amity would be embarrassed to admit that she was terrible at pretty much all forms of magic besides abominations. She took after her father in that plight.
For now, she would ignore her general uselessness at other magic tracks and be glad that she was in the human realm because they just had so many tools that excused Amity from needing the magic she was so terrible with.
With a wet rag in her left hand, Amity used her right to slowly peel off the wrappings around Luz's forehead that Amity had applied the day before. To Amity's dismay, the wound looked terrible. She wished that she knew to clean the wound before because Luz would be far better off, even if she claimed that it didn't even hurt, Amity vowed to ensure that no permanent damage would befall Luz Noceda's face. It was a vow that she took very seriously.
Amity took some initiative, starting to rub the peroxide-covered cloth over Luz's forehead. Dried blood made things harder, and so did the fact that this very clearly hurt Luz, even if she tried to bite her lip to hide the pain from Amity, she could tell that this stung. It had to be done though, so Titan would it ever be.
Amity doubled down on her efforts, scrubbing harder. Luz let out a yelp in sudden pain, which she quickly hid again. Amity felt terrible for having to hurt Luz in order to help Luz, but she knew that she would be thanked in the long run, plus, she had a vow to uphold.
Hoping to distract the girl, she spoke to her, remarking "So, you're a princess."
Luz gasped. She hadn't thought of that at all. Before Amity could enjoy the cuteness of her surprised face, she bit back down on her lip when she felt the sting again.
She let out a pained "Mhmm" under her breath. Amity smiled at the girl.
"The weirdest one there ever was…" Amity added.
Amity stopped scrubbing her forehead for a second, setting down the rag.
In the fleeting moment, Luz spoke back, "I'm taking that as a compliment you know."
Amity giggled at the girl, grabbing a second, drier cloth. She walked back up to Luz and lightly dabbed the area around the wound, just as she had been taught.
"You know, you're pretty good at this," Luz commented.
Amity continued working but smiled deeply at the compliment. She reached into the first aid kit by her side and pulled out some fresh bandages.
"I had a great teacher," Amity explained.
Although she didn't quite know what the girl meant, Luz smiled at the calm moment. Before she knew it, Amity had wrapped another bandage around her head. She did a much better job this time, and Luz would be lying if she said that she didn't enjoy that moment at least a little bit.
When Luz got down from the bed, she winced.
Sore, Luz determined. It wasn't typical for Luz to fight so much in one day, let alone using magic, which she still had to deal with later. She was just glad that things weren't going the same way as last time Luz had access to so much magic. Being in Eda's body terrified her into being glad that she didn't have magic at the time, but now she would be lying to say that she wasn't at least a little bit excited to test things out.
When Amity closed the first aid kit and placed it back on Luz's dresser, the two exited the room and walked into the main room of the house with hoods over their heads. The peace that Amity and Luz had experienced was just that. The Owl Crew sat around in various positions around the house, exhausted. Eda and Camila sat on the living room sofa, watching the news.
"...sources say that the catastrophe was initiated by witchcraft, but there is of course no proof of this. The New Haven Police Department warns people to stay inside, tend to their loved ones, and ignore such heinous suggestions from clearly delusional people..."
Luz looked at Amity, who wore an annoyed expression. Amity looked back at Luz and whispered, "Are all of the other humans that rude?"
Luz wore an apologetic expression, even if Amity's frustration wasn't in any way aimed at Luz, she felt partly responsible for her species' behavior.
"Well, to be fair, you tried to get Bump to slice me open the first time we met. Maybe they can get used to the idea of witches like you got used to having me around. I just- Give them a chance," Luz suggested.
The two looked back to the television.
"... I am Alex Hirsch and this is New Haven News Nine, we will see you again after this commercial break."
From where they stood, Luz and Amity could see the two matriarchs conversating on the couch, likely about what the news had said before they came out of their room.
Not wanting to impose, the two made their way to the kitchen, per Luz's lead.
Luz opened the refrigerator and pulled out various ingredients, including cheese, eggs, butter, and some bread on the countertop.
Amity stood idle as Luz prepared the stove and put a pan on one of the stovetops. As Luz prepared whatever breakfast she was making, Amity looked around at everyone in the house. It felt strange to be there, especially with Lilith and the twins' apparent absence, but if she felt out of place before the collapse, that was the least of her concerns now. Where would she go? Would her parents make her leave the house? What would all the witches do? What happened to Hexside? Was Bump even alive? Were the rest of the students even alive?
Amity's panic was interrupted by Luz, who had apparently been staring at her.
"Are you okay Amity?" Luz asked innocently.
Amity took a deep breath and focused. As much as she wanted to throw on some fake smile and say "Yes," she just couldn't. Her body wouldn't let her betray her own feelings this time.
"I- I don't know," Amity started.
Luz's concern was evident.
Amity continued, "I'm just so worried… you know, about everything."
Luz straightened and prepared to give Amity a response, "Well- Yeah, me too. We have to- We need to just have faith that everything will be okay. There's just nothing we can really do."
The answer that Luz gave Amity wasn't as reassuring as she had hoped, but it was honest, and it showed Amity that she wasn't alone in her worry. Even if that wasn't enough to totally subside her worries, it helped a lot.
"You're right," Amity admitted. Luz gave a faint smile and turned around to tend to breakfast.
The next few hours would go by rather smoothly, as the group survived the morning with a surprisingly pleasant tenor. Amity had silently wallowed in the corner, unbenownst to Luz, obviously, Eda and Camila couldn't stop talking even if another apocalypse level event were to happen, and the rest of the group had managed to chill out.
All was well.
After things had gone so wrong, for so long, all was well. Those few moments of pleasantness were just that. They were what they were and didn't aspire to be anything more; nobody needed them to be more. Everyone was at peace for those few passing hours.
Of course, knowing the luck of the group, this couldn't stand. There was always something, someone rather, who, no matter what, seemed to need to tear this group down. Whether it was Belos or Lilith, or even the Golden Guard, there was no peace that could last.
This time, it was the latter. The Golden Guard had been busy that night, not feeling the need to rest. Belos, his father, he had set something up. This was a new playing field. Obviously, things hadn't gone to plan, not in the slightest, but his father's death couldn't be for nothing. He had to make something of it.
"Hunter!" Shouted a clearly rattled Kikimora, who had appeared the night before a few hours after the coven leaders. She had taken quite the beating, but she had somehow managed to survive, despite the… escalation of everything, but even Hunter couldn't overlook the circumstances of her survival. When he made to ask, he spotted the answer without needing to pose the question. Her hands, oh her hands. They were covered, filthy with the dried, crimson blood of whoever had crossed her path. Clearly, without much doubt, this was not the same Kikimora that he knew.
Hunter took a deep breath in, facing the demon. She hadn't even washed her hands, she was standing there, so casually, waiting for her new leader's attention. It sent shivers even down his spine.
"I told you not to call me that." Hunter spat back at her, but she didn't falter even an inch.
Kikimora, although smaller in stature, stood confident, staring into his eyes.
She spoke again, asking "That is your name, isn't it?"
Hunter paused.
"Yes, it's my name, but you didn't call my father 'Philip', did you? It's disrespectful." Hunter explained.
Kikimora didn't hide her eye roll, rather than continuing the current, meaningless conversation, she got to the point, "Fine. Emperor Wittebane, I rounded up as many of the coven members as I could find, but these humans- I'm telling you, we need to deal with them."
Hunter paced, contemplating the news. It was great that so many of his coven members remained not only in good health, but loyal to the throne throughout it all, even with such extreme circumstances.
"In time," Hunter absentmindedly announced.
"But-" Kikmora attempted to argue.
"In. Time." Hunter's voice rang with more confidence than it had in some time.
Despite his dismissal of Kikimora's suggestions, he knew that the humans were a large problem. It was for that same reason that he wasn't quite sure how to handle it all.
"Round them up, it's time that we got things back under control." The young Wittebane descendant commanded.
Kikimora silently nodded, although she was frustrated with his lack of urgency.
Once all of his troops were rounded up, Hunter stood proud in the relatively crowded room, despite how large it was.
"Witches, Demons, and anything in between, it is time that we come together," Hunter announced, catching the attention of the crowd. They stood silent, awaiting a command from their new leader.
Hunter was surprised at how obedient they were, even to him, someone who had been among them for so long. He assumed things would have been harder, his father had held the throne for so long, he just couldn't believe how quickly it was all coming together.
He continued, "My father brought us to this new realm with the greatest of intents," he paused for a moment, perhaps lapsing in confidence for a moment before continuing to speak about his only recently deceased father, "But he failed."
The crowd was silent before, but now you could hear a pin drop. The ranks watched with confused feelings, whether it was pride, anger, or something else, they didn't know how to feel about the blunt statement.
Hunter was not deterred, "It is too early for us to rise again. I've put a lot of thought into it all and it just doesn't seem like the most opportune time to try to take this place again. We must rebuild, strengthen, and redefine what it means to be in the Emperor's Coven. I, Hunter Wittebane, son of Philip Wittebane, heir to the throne of the Boiling Isles, decree that we will not give up. We are too close, we have worked too hard, and we have sacrificed too much."
Hunter finally paused to take a breath. The crowd stood in anticipation for whatever Hunter would say next.
"We. Will. Rise. Again."
The coven members exploded in prideful cheer, Hunter's confidence was higher than ever, it was time to begin the construction of his new Empire. His father was gone, he would have to accept that, regardless, in this new world, with a lack of meaning or direction, Hunter felt that there was no other option. He had to do this. The man he knew, his father, that wasn't the man that had fallen to Luz Noceda, that was a twisted dead man. His father knew what had to happen, the Titan had spoken to him, it was time that he tried to do the same.
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It was dusk by now and things were looking even better. They had gotten word from Willow and Gus that Bump and the students of various different witch schools had coalesced, and there was a planned meeting in the forest. The group had packed up and was ready to go, nobody volunteering to stay behind. Ultimately, before they put it up to straws, Willow finally took the liberty of watching the house.
Once out the door, the group opted to walk instead of taking the Palismen, sparing them from travel for once.
The walk wasn't unpleasant. Amity and Luz led the group, several yards ahead, going on and on about Azura, laughing as they went.
Camila, even with Eda talking her ear off still, watched with adoration. Even if she worried that things might go wrong, she would be lying if she said she wasn't happy for her daughter at the moment. She hadn't had a friend like that in years and to see her so happy, was a blessing.
Gus stood at the back of the group, with Lillith several feet ahead of him.
He was by far the least happy of the group. The way that things appeared to him, he had lost everything. His best friend betrayed him, Luz and Amity were drifting off together, and still, he hadn't heard a thing from his parents. He didn't even know if his father was alive. Surely he wouldn't be so lucky, right? Everything else was going wrong, why not add another thing.
No, he needed to keep hope, at least on his parents being alright. He dropped his gaze to the ground and huffed. His mind was plagued with these invasive thoughts, worries that he had been immune to back on the Isles. In fact, if they were still there, he would be raving about wanting to be in the Human Realm, but here he was, in that very place, sadder than he could remember being.
Lilith spotted the boy looking so disheartened and felt her heart skip a beat. She wasn't used to being the person to do it, but she slowed down a bit. She reached his side and gave him a moment in case he wanted to say something first, but he must not have even noticed her presence, because he didn't show any sign otherwise.
Finally, Lilith managed to get a word out, "Augustus?"
Gus stopped for a moment. Sure, it was his name, but nobody called him that, let alone Lilith. He took a moment but eventually ran back to the side of Lilith and threw on a faked smile.
"My friends call me Gus." He said, through a very fake tone.
Lilith wasn't dense, she knew he was lying, better than most actually. She knew how he was feeling, definitely better than most. Being lonely is terrible. Nobody deserved it, except herself, she determined, but certainly not a child. She needed to help, in any way she could.
So she would.
"Would you call Willow a friend?" She asked in a calming voice.
Even the faked smile of Gus' failed him, as his shoulders drooped and he let his real emotions show.
"I figured. You know, it can't be all bad." Lilith assured.
Gus was set off.
"CAN'T BE ALL BAD? MY PARENTS ARE DEAD-" Gus exploded.
"Augustus?" A voice called from ahead of him in the forest.
Gus turned, facing the voice. Everyone was staring at him, but not just the members of the revamped Owl House, there were more people. The aforementioned house members cleared a path and Gus stared directly into a group surrounding a campfire in the forest, but the thing that was most surprising wasn't the group of teenagers, but his father, standing behind the fire.
Gus looked back at Lilith with teary and apologetic eyes. Lilith was shook, but tried not to show it, as she knew how it felt to be on the other end of the explosion. Gus looked back at his father and fell to his knees.
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"Come on, talk to me." Hunter pled as he held one palm against the brain of the Titan.
Hours had passed since he had started trying, but he hadn't given up yet, even if his mental state was deteriorating with each passing second.
"I demand you to show me what I need to do!"
He waited several seconds, but there was nothing, not even a peek. He knew that his father communicated with the Titan for a long time and he knew that his filthy sister had too, so why, "WHY WON'T YOU SHOW ME?!" He shouted.
He fell to his knees while keeping his hand on the brain.
Suddenly, his eyes rolled back in his head and he started seeing things.
It was a moment so fresh on his mind that he needed no explanation of where he was. He knew. His father lay on the floor, dying. Luz stood over him, he walked over to get a closer look at the newly revealed face of his father, hoping for any sign that he would get up and continue fighting but found none.
As he lay there, directly to Luz, only to Luz, he felt anger. He clenched his fist and screamed in his head. He cried to be released from this moment but the Titan wouldn't spare him. As he stood there watching it all unfold again, he his emotions losing stability. He clenched his fists even tighter and the memory deviated from reality.
Luz vanished into dust, all of the surroundings of the place were gone, replaced with black. Everything was gone, except for that dying man. He turned directly to face Hunter and said those words again. Those damned words.
"I love you…"
Hunter saw only red as he screamed, sprinting at the man. Once he reached him, he couldn't hold back, and he didn't want to. He wailed on the man, punching him over and over.
Left, right, left, right, left, right. There was a rhythm of punches and he wouldn't stop. He was literally seeing red now, as his father's face was turning red, covered with his own blood. Hunter couldn't contain his rage. He kept striking him over and over. He wouldn't die. He died so willingly for Luz but he wouldn't even afford that favor to him. It was cruel. It was the man's fault.
Hunter wouldn't see it any other way. He kept striking, left right over and over again until he couldn't recognize the face that he was beating anymore. Eventually, he had closed his eyes and collapsed onto the man's chest, sobbing uncontrollably.
"You were so WEAK!" Hunter screamed at the man, beaten to a pulp but still breathing.
"WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS?!" Hunter pled, returning to sobbing into his chest.
When Hunter lifted himself, he was back in the world that he was more familiar with, with neither hand on the brain and the room totally devoid of light. Hunter grabbed his mechanical staff with one hand and lit the area. What he saw was horrifying. With a red tint coming from the staff, he was able to see his hands, completely lathered in blood, his own to be specific. He had been punching the hard ground that whole time, there were bloody spots all around the area in front of him for proof, but worst of all, his hands.
When he looked at his hands, he saw more red than white and his knuckles were absolutely worn to the bone. He had gone so far. His hands were shaking, they throbbed in pain as the adrenaline swiftly left him. He clenched his fist hard and screamed.
He sat there for a while, on both knees, staring at the brain, at his hands, and at the stars. Finally, one last time, with all hope gone and his body ravaged by his own rage, Hunter reached out again. He barely made contact with the brain, but he didn't need much more than that.
As his eyes rolled back, he muttered only one word, through ragged breathed and pained coughs.
"Finally"
He fell to the ground and embraced the will of the Titan.
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AUTHOR'S NOTES: Yeah, so, it's been a while. Sorry about that. I knew it would be hard to find time, but damn, and it's only going to get worse. I should have done a better job keeping you updated on this, but I just couldn't. I was just too fatigued after football and just- Yeah you get the point, I suck. I have practice Monday thru Saturday now and until the end of December, it will probably stay that way. I will do a better job of finding time and I hope that the next chapter comes out sooner than this one did.
Okay, so that had to be said, but as for the chapter: It's clearly not over. I know that this installment is kind of all over the place, but I needed it to be, just this once I promise. I know myself, I know that if I didn't get this going, I would have to make you guys wait even longer, so I wanted to plant the seeds now so I can make every chapter after this one much more exciting. I already have plans for how to proceed from here and I'm excited to execute them. Anyway, I have to get back to schoolwork, so I hope to see you guys again soon and please feel free to message me on Ao3, , Insta ( lumitylucas), or Twitter ( lucashauthor) and I will respond as soon as I see it. So, if there's any questions, complaints, feedback, or other, please feel free to contact me.
Sorry for the hiatus and I will do better at finding time, I promise.
