"Here… it's yours."

The Emperor of the Boiling Isles felt his heart clench in excitement as he reached out and took hold of the briefcase the young girl, Luz, was holding out to him. It was as big as you'd expect a briefcase to be, just as heavy and apart from the large golden eye decorating one side, there was nothing to suggest that it was anything special. But to Belos, it was more precious than everything in his empire combined.

"The Titan will be pleased."

As much as it looked like he wasn't going to need that lie anymore, fifty years had taught Belos to be prepared for anything. If, somehow, this pretender escaped with the portal, he didn't want her spreading any rumours. As unlikely as they were to be believed, Belos would still need the complete and utter loyalty of his Coven in case this improvisation didn't work out.

As he pulled the gateway from the girl's grip, the entirety of Belos' aching, throbbing and decaying body seemed to fill with new energy that seemed to come from nowhere. And just for a moment, the constant headache that ensured he never went an hour without needing to rest pulled away like fading fog.

The quiver that ran up Belos' body was hidden by his robes and mask, but it was there – hidden, but there.

In his grip was the key to a world where you didn't need to summon a barrier every time it rained; where the ground you walked on didn't belong to a giant rotting corpse; where you could look at a rainbow and not get turned inside out.

The human was moving, her back already turned towards him as she approached the platform that would take her up to where the Owl Lady, Lilith and that little demon were about to be petrified. She was slumped over in defeat, walking with urgency but without enthusiasm. For a moment, Belos felt a stab of pity for the young girl… but then he pushed it aside.

She had the portal all this time, she could've gone back home any time she wanted. She wants to stay here, that's no fault of mine.

"Go on then," the Emperor tapped his staff on the ground, prompting a red light to shine from his staff and the platform to start rising as giant roots pushed it up towards the round hole in the ceiling. "Go be a hero." He added, bitterness slipping into his voice.

Yes, go spend the next fifty years trying to do something good, and when you're dying and alone, you'll see how pointless it all was.

Youthful optimism… Belos still remember what that felt like.

She'll learn in time, maybe it'll be too late, maybe not. It wouldn't be his problem.

Then, as if she had heard his thoughts, the human started speaking.

"I may have lost…" she began, turning around. There was no defeat in her eyes, only determination that her whole body shared. "But so have you!" And with that, she slammed the Owl Lady's staff down, prompting its eyes to glow a brilliant gold!

What…

Belos understood too late, his head twisted towards the briefcase in his grip as flames erupted all over it! With a cry of alarm, he dropped the object and sprang away. The wood burning as the case fell to the ground, by the time it landed, there was only the golden eye left, staring up at the ceiling, cracks running all over its surface, daring the powers that be to finish the job. Smoke rose from the still-burning flames gnawing at it.

Belos stared at the eye in shock, in horror, in disbelief. It was gone… the portal was gone. He had held the key in his hands and now it was gone!

No…

As the shock slowly faded, rage like Belos had never known took its place! Gritting his cracked teeth as he trembled with fury, he raised his head and glared at Luz as the platform carried her ever higher. She glared back, unflinching, until the smoke hid her.

Belos had been so close… he had been so close! And now all he had was an eye… a cracked eye on fire!

And it was all. Luz's. Fault!

I'm going to… gah!

As he moved to fire a blast of energy that would have brought the platform and its soon-to-be-dead rider crashing to the ground, Belos felt his body roar in pain and his headache started pounding harder than ever before! He stumbled, falling to his knees and letting his staff clatter to the floor beside him.

No! Not now!

Gasping, like he was trying not to vomit, he reached inside his robe with a shaking hand and pulled out a Palisman, a turtle. Ignoring the burning desire to just curl up on the ground and ignore everything, he ripped the head off and poured the glowing green essence into his eyes.

As soon as he did, the headache lessened, and the pain faded enough that the Emperor was able to push himself back onto his feet and pick up his staff.

He also picked up the smouldering eye. Rubbing his finger across the surface, feeling the cracks, he gazed at it, and then glanced at the rest of the portal's remains. It might have been destroyed but he could still use it.

The Day of Unity was still going ahead after all, it seemed.

Stowing the eye in his robes, Belos glared up at the ceiling, at the hole that Luz had fled through.

Run all you like, Luz, but don't think you're safe. When I catch you, you're going to learn what a real human Witch can do!