Chapter Twenty-Seven: Divide
Mattias brought it. He darted around the group in quick flashes, confusing them before attacking. Eda was the only one fast enough to react in time, blocking his attempted strike. Even then, the shockwave blew the other three back. Lilith grabbed hold of Luz and Amity's collars to keep them from flying off of the ice pillar.
Strands of abomination goo shot out in all directions, doubling back to dig into the ice. Extending from Mattias' back, they pulled him down towards Eda. He didn't bother flirting with her anymore, now fully out for blood. She warped back, launching a fireball in his direction.
The strands acted like spider legs, lifting him over the attack and scuttling towards his opponent. He released a torrent of purple flame across the icy surface, with Eda launching into the air to evade. After blocking the attack, Lilith flew after Mattias, who had chased after her sister.
For the moment, Luz and Amity were entirely transfixed with the spectacle above them. The sky was illuminated with flashes of yellow, blue, and purple as the three witches fought with as much ferocity as they could muster. They were moving so fast, it was hard to make out where everyone was, let alone who was winning. It wasn't until she heard the exertion of a familiar voice that Luz was pulled out of her trance.
"King!" she gasped, hurrying to the edge of the ice, where the demon had managed to pull himself up the pillar. "Are you alright?"
He was very winded, but unhurt. "This is…amazing! I can't believe you did all of this yourself! I bet even Eda would've had trouble creating a giant pillar of ice this big!"
Luz chuckled, pulling King into a hug. "Oh, I wouldn't go that far!" That said, she swelled a bit at the complement. She had done some crazy stuff since coming to the Isles, but this pillar was in a completely different league where size was concerned. "Speaking of which, what are we gonna do now? We have to do something to help!"
"Right now, I think those two have it covered," said Amity. The fight that was more of a large-scale weather event continued raging overhead. "We should probably be focusing on how we're going to get down."
"What? But we can't just leave Eda to do this on her own!" said Luz. She looked worriedly at the violent flashes in the sky. "Something about this doesn't feel right…"
King tapped her on the leg. "Luz, nothing about this is right. It's alright if you're scared of Mattias, but there's no way he can beat Eda and Lilith together!"
"What? Scared? Who said I was scared of Mattias?" Luz said, much too quickly. She fished in her pockets to try and find the right glyph. "I'm just concerned for Eda, is all. You remember what happened the last time she fought Mattias, right?"
"She won?" said Amity.
"No! Well, sort of, but only because we were there to help her! Her curse flared up, and she couldn't fight back, a-and…"
Amity placed a comforting hand on Luz's back. "And you're worried she'll go through that again, aren't you?" The girl nodded. "Well…I am too. I don't know Eda as well as you do, but Lilith has been my teacher since I was young. She doesn't have a curse to deal with, but that doesn't mean she's invincible. But whenever I start to worry that she's in over her head, I just remember that she's the head of the Emperor's Coven! She's smart, and strong, and powerful, and she can handle just about anything the Boiling Isles can throw at her. If Eda is anything like her sister…"
"...Then I've got nothing to worry about," said Luz. "I know, I know, but it's like how a parent always worries about their child. Even if I know Eda will be alright, I'm still gonna be concerned." Her metaphor brought a thought to her mind she hadn't seen in some time, concern crossing her face. "Like how my mom will probably be super worried about me…" She sighed, wishing summer didn't have to end.
"Wait, I'm confused," King said. "Are you saying you're like Eda's mom now?"
Despite herself, Luz chuckled at the comparison. "No, King! If anything, it's more like the other way around. Now c'mon, there has to be something we can do."
The battle above moved closer to the ground, or more accurately the top of the pillar. Lilith was thrown down onto the ice, halting her movement with her staff just before the edge. "You two–er, three have to get out of here! It isn't safe!" she shouted, before dashing back into the fray. Eda was in the process of freeing herself from Mattias' purple tendrils, her sister following up with a fireball once she succeeded.
"She's right–we'd only get in the way." Amity looked over the side, securing the end of a rope of purple goo to the edge of the ice. "We're going to have to climb down."
"Climb down!? Girl, are you nuts!?" exclaimed King.
"I agree! Even though I have full confidence that Eda and Lilith can handle themselves, I cannot in good conscience leave without doing anything to help!"
With a seeming mixture of exasperation and concern, Amity tried to urge her closer. "I know you're worried, but it's a matter of trust! You have to trust that they can do this. You'd want someone to trust you, wouldn't you?"
Luz thought about this for a moment. "I guess I would…but I'd still be glad they wanted to help me regardless. Even if I would rather they stayed safe."
"And I would rather you stayed safe." Amity met Luz's eyes. There was such a warmness in her gaze, a worry and fondness Luz hadn't seen since…pretty much ever. Not in real life, anyway, at least not towards her.
She couldn't think of anything to say. All she could do was force out a stammered "y-you do?" she asked.
Amity nodded, smiling. "Of course I do. Luz, you're probably the best thing that's ever happened to me. From the first moment I saw you, I knew that…okay, maybe not the first moment." The two of them laughed. "But my point is that I was lost until you showed up. You reminded me of who I used to be. And you helped me to be that person again. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I…I care about you, Luz."
"Me too," Luz said quietly. "And I really mean that. Even though we got off to a rocky start, like you said, now you're one of my best friends. I-I'm really glad you came into my life." With that, she didn't have anything else to say. So she didn't: the two of them just shared a held gaze, their faces growing closer and closer to meeting.
This touching moment was interrupted by a loud crash as someone, or rather something, impacted violently into the ice. The ground beneath them became unstable, and the two of them gripped onto each other to avoid falling. King clung to Luz's leg. In a crater in the pillar's center, surrounded by chunks of ice, Eda rose to her feet. "No worries…I'll take more than that to–"
Another body followed the first, as Mattias rammed into Eda at speed, further shattering the ice. Luz and Amity fell from each others' arms, reaching for the other as the former lost her footing. Just before Luz could fall towards the ground below, she felt some abomination goo wrap itself around her wrist. Amity and King held onto the other end of the rope, trying to pull her back up. "Hang on, Luz!" Amity said.
Mattias and Eda faced off, the latter looking a bit ragged. "What's the matter, Eda?" Mattias asked with a sadistic chuckle. "Seems like your body can't keep up with you in your old age. No, that can't be it…must be something else wearing on you. Some old injury, perhaps? Or maybe something a bit stronger? Something like…a curse."
"Curse or no curse, I'm still fit enough to beat you black and blue before noon!" said Eda. She collected all of the broken ice bits together into a ball, hurling them at her foe. Mattias exploded the projectile before it could reach him, lunging at her through the steam. She didn't move out of the way, even smirking as he was about to grab her. Lilith blindsided him moments before he reached her, grinding him against the ice. "So's she, by the way."
Their fight continued as Luz was pulled back up to relative safety. "Thanks–but what exactly are we gonna do? There's not exactly an easy way down!"
"Then we'll just have to take a hard way down!" said King. "But not falling. That isn't what I meant. Something different. Obviously." He coughed. "We could try carving stairs into the ice. Or Amity, could you make a parachute out of abomination stuff?" She didn't seem impressed by this suggestion.
Flails of abomination slime flew all over the place as Mattias tried to take on both Eda and Lilith at once. The sisters darted out of the way of his attacks, working together to keep him in place. Synchronized as they were, they easily stayed out of his way, joining their power into a joint fireball that knocked him back, dissolving his abominations.
Catching himself, Mattias caught a glimpse of the trio trying to work out a way off of the pillar. Before returning into battle, he raised his arm, summoning his legions to him. He dodged to the side of another fireball, hurling himself back into the fray.
"Okay, so, you can't just make a giant abomination," said King. "But what's to stop you from making a sort-of-big abomination, and just having it catch us after we jump off?"
"Because that's way too far down!" said Amity. "I don't know if you noticed, but…" She trailed off after looking down at the field. "Um, Luz? I think we have other problems."
Luz looked over the side as well. "Why? What's…Oh." Dozens upon dozens of abominations were crawling up from the pool at the bottom, no doubt to rejoin with their master. "Okay, change of plans: we have to stop those things from reaching Mattias!"
"Oh, okay, yeah, I can do that," said King. "But, uh, how are we supposed to do that?"
Luz then threw a lightning glyph off the edge: the resulting shock destroyed a portion of the approaching constructs. "Same way we always do these things! You can use your new little King shout! Amity, got any of that Dominance Dust left?"
She opened the pouch, but there was none left. "All out. Good thing I don't need it!" While she didn't have enough slime left to form a full abomination, Amity did create a pair of arms extending from her back. She pounded her fist into her palm, the other pair doing the same.
Mattias snarled as he went after Eda and Lilith, but was unable to go all-out thanks to a similar lack of goo. That said, the magic provided to him by his mask made him formidable enough to stand on his own even without abominations. He might have been even stronger than when he was covered in power glyphs. "Why are you helping her, anyway?" he asked Eda. "You know what she did, don't you!?"
"I do, but that's neither here nor there," Eda said, fighting beside her sister as though there was no bad blood between them. "Thing is, that's a family matter. How 'bout you let us sort that out ourselves, once we're finished with you!" The sisters acted as one, releasing a jet of flame each that coalesced into one, washing over Mattias.
Having blocked some of it with his abomination-wings, Mattias sent out two razor-tipped tendrils to try and skewer the sisters. They darted out of the way into the sky, but his strands followed after them in pursuit. In another flash of fire, bits of slime rained down from above before they raced towards him again.
"Sister, his mask!" called Lilith. "It's the source of his power, we need to destroy it!"
Eda warped away from a swipe, launching a blast of fire in retaliation. "Yeah, I pieced that together!" she said. Actually doing that was much more complicated, as Mattias was more protective of his mask than his fellows had been.
Meanwhile, Luz hurled glyphs down on the abominations below, trying to prevent them from reaching the top. It wasn't easy, as the ice was starting to become slippery. "Eep! You holding up okay there?" She caught herself before she tumbled over the edge.
Amity hung over the edge with her abomination arms: one held the ice, the other held King, who shouted at the approaching abominations. "You okay up there, Luz?" she asked.
"Yeah, never better!" Luz dropped an explosion glyph down on them, blowing a bunch into goo. Of course, this also blew a sizable chunk out of the ice in the process. "Okay, maybe not the explosive ones." She threw a lightning glyph instead, which worked much better, arcing between several abominations.
The fight between sisters and their nemesis continued on. Mattias surrounded himself with a tornado of fire, keeping them at a distance. "What happens after you stop me, huh?" He shot explosion spells at any movement he saw beyond his wall of flame. "Eda, you're just going to keep running for the rest of your life? Lily, you really think Belos will take you back after what you did? I'm the only hope either of you have!"
"You're nobody's hope!" Lilith broke through the barrier, striking him with her staff. Mattias blocked her attack, but he was unprepared for Eda to come at him as well. He couldn't block her, taking a staff to the face. He fell back, and the tornado dissipated.
Holding the spot he was struck, Mattias simply shook it off. "Only a matter of time before you get tired," he muttered. "I can outlast you both. All I have to do to win is…no, no!" He felt something on his mask: a crack. It was slight, but more stress would make it grow in no time at all. "No! I'm not going down like this!"
Eda snickered. "Hate to break it to ya, but you don't have much of a choice!" She and Lilith both enveloped their fists in flame, throwing a joint punch towards him. In response, he threw up a wall of abomination goo, separating the two and keeping him safe.
"Thanks to the Inquisition, I am the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles!" Strands of abomination slithered across Mattias' skin, working their way up to his head. They formed a brace around his face, sealing the crack like concrete. "And I'll be damned if I let either of you take it away from me!" Forming the rest into a pair of gauntlets, Mattias sprinted towards them.
The sisters countered his blows, trading back some of their own with their staffs. Mattias swung wildly, his attacks clumsy but unrelenting. But just as it seemed precision was gone from his repertoire, he surprised Lilith with a kick to the shin, dropping her to a knee. With her down, he distracted Eda with a handful of slime, knocking her back with a flame-enhanced punch.
Lilith leapt on him from behind, grabbing onto his mask and trying to yank it off. As he resisted, more of the goop solidified, further cementing it to his face. "Now Eda!" she shouted. Eda struck him with an overhead swing, knocking him to the ground.
He was back up in no time–his mask was now in pieces, barely held together by the slime covering his face. Strands of it trailed down his neck and shoulders, looking like sickly veins. "Not good enough!" He tried to wrap Eda in a cocoon of the slime, blocking when Lilith tried to strike him, and blowing her back with a flame blast. "Never good enough! Story of your life!"
A bright glow shone through the cocoon, before it exploded in a fiery boom. "Hate to break it to you, but I'm just fine!" Eda charged up another blast, blowing Mattias away before he could retaliate. However, just as she did, she doubled over, panting. Lilith was by her side in moments.
"Edalyn, are you feeling alright?" she asked. As she helped her sister up, the two of them noticed something that gave them both pause: a cluster of feathers was emerging from Eda's wrist. They were small, but their presence could prove disastrous for the fight. "Oh no…your curse. Are you…?"
With a small laugh, she brushed away her sister's hands. "'S fine. I've dealt with worse than this. Just need to be sure to go and see Kade when this is all over. Get some more potions. We can do that, yeah?"
Distracted, neither of them noticed Mattias was back up until he was prepared to attack. "Yes, we can certainly–" Lilith quickly threw up a barrier to block the purple blaze that would have washed over them. She was preparing a counterstrike when a bolt of lightning shot through the fire, piercing through the shield and striking her. She was thrown back by the shock, flying off of the pillar.
"Lily!" Before Eda could act, she was struck hard on the back of the head. Not hard enough to knock her unconscious, but hard enough to send her head spinning and force her to her knees. When she got her bearings again, she could make out Mattias looming over her.
Beneath that self-satisfied smirk, she could tell his hatred hadn't abated in the slightest. "Well, now, what have we here?" He reached out, grabbing hold of the key around her neck and yanking it free. She tried to stop him, but felt abomination cuffs around her wrists. "This is how you go gallivanting into the human realm, isn't it? How that little pet of yours got here. How disappointing that such a powerful artifact ended up in your irresponsible hands. What have you been using it for? Gathering junk? Collecting trinkets to sell?" He examined the key, staring into the eye symbol. "Just imagine what it could be used for in the hands of a visionary like me."
"I would imagine, but I'd rather not throw up in my mouth!" Eda said. Mattias brought his staff down atop her head again. This strike earned the attention of Luz, who, realizing the situation her mentor was in, couldn't stand idly by anymore.
The three of them had been keeping the approaching abominations at bay, preventing Mattias from gaining more power. "Eda, no!" But there was no time for that now, not when Eda was in danger. Luz sprinted from her post, fire glyph in hand. She ran towards Mattias, getting ready to throw it once she got close. But before she could, he seemed to have noticed her. Without even a glance, he pointed at her.
Luz gasped in pain as a sharpened tendril pierced through her shoulder.
Now, not only did Eda cry out, but so did Amity and King. Luz grabbed hold of her wound, dropping the glyph as pain shot through her entire arm. Mattias lifted her into the air, as though a sick display to his opponents. "I want you to take this all in," he said, grabbing Eda's head and forcing her to watch as she tried to break free. "As I tear this little one's arms and legs off, one at a time, I want you to know this is all on you. All her pain and suffering is your fault. This was all completely avoidable."
Before Mattias could act on his threat, a powerful roar accompanied by a blast of magic blew him back, dissipating his tendrils. King stood firm, and Amity ran forward to catch Luz. Once free, Eda unleashed a wave of flame, accompanied by the cry of an owl, blowing Mattias away.
Amity moved Luz's shirt out of the way to dress the wound. "Luz? Luz, can you hear me?"
"Y-yeah, loud and clear," she said, then coughed. "Just a flesh wound. Don't worry, I've had worse–I'm tough!" She was surprisingly chipper for someone who had just been stabbed. Amity noted that if anyone would be, it was Luz.
She smiled, relieved it wasn't anything worse. "I'm no healer, but this should prevent it from getting infected." She slathered some abomination goo over both sides of the wound, which quickly hardened. "Luckily it went clean through, he didn't hit anything important."
"What, I'm not important?" She and Amity both laughed. "No, but seriously, it's not too bad. We'll just stop by the healing room in a bit." Amity helped her to her feet, and King worriedly climbed up onto her shoulder–her good one, thankfully–nuzzling her cheek.
Eda fought like a cornered beast, driving Mattias into a proverbial corner. Her body continued changing to match her mental state, with her fingers sharpening into claws and her eyes becoming blank. The more power she expended, the more her owl form took over. Mattias seemed to know this, focusing all his efforts on defending. He aimed to let her tire herself out, then go in for the kill.
However, he wasn't prepared for an attack from behind. Lilith darted in, crashing into him before releasing a blast of ice. She was fighting mad as well, using the time he was stunned to grab him by the collar and slam him against the pillar. "I've put up with you for long enough! It's long past time we ended you for good!" Her fist wreathed in flame, she threw punch after punch into his face, cracking the ice behind him.
Something caught her fist before she could land another one–a hand from an abomination extended from Mattias' form. He laughed, more arms and tendrils appearing beside it. "You two are just impossible to reason with." Before they could react, both sisters were victim to a blast of abomination goo. The abominations climbing up the pillar had reached their creator, giving him access to their raw material. "I really hoped you would see the error of your ways before we were finished here. But I guess I'll just have to finish it."
The pair freed themselves from the slime binding them, both darting away from the approaching tendrils. Mattias carried himself up to the top of the pillar, dripping with goo. So desperate was he to hold onto his power that it completely covered him, even slithering under his skin. He looked positively inhuman–or the demon equivalent. Abomination tentacles ending in sharpened blades slashed through the air, coming close to hitting anybody in range.
"Luz, get down!" Amity stepped in front of Luz, forming her abominations into a shield. The blades occasionally crashed into the barrier, which only held strong thanks to her experience with the substance. Just in case it should be breached, and Mattias should go after them again, Luz readied a glyph with her good hand.
Mattias was on the offensive now, chasing down the two witches. "Come here, little gnats!" he snarled, enjoying the chase. His voice had become distorted with all the unnatural power he had absorbed. The two of them tried to fire back, but he had formed armor around himself as well.
Eda and Lilith took cover on the other side of the pillar. "Are you alright? How is your curse?" the latter asked. Eda looked down at her arm: the feathers continued to spread. Her magic wasn't affected just yet, but it was only a matter of time.
"We need to stop this guy fast," she said. "Not just that, but we need to get my portal door back! If he uses it to go to the human realm…"
Lilith didn't need to be reminded of what he could and would do with that power. And he wasn't the only one. "I'll do my best. But… Sister, are you sure you still want that power?"
Confused, Eda looked at her like she misheard her. "Of course I do. I wouldn't have access to the human world otherwise. What kind of a question is that?"
"Others seek the power to travel between realms," Lilith said. "As long as you are the only one with a means to do so, I can't imagine that you or your young protege will be safe."
Eda scoffed. "What, you don't mean Koschei, right? He's just an old story Dad told us to scare us when we were little! And even if he was real, he'd be long dead by now."
Her sister placed a hand on her shoulder. "Perhaps, but that key is more trouble than it is worth. For her safety, I truly think you should consider–"
A blade pierced through the ice, cleaving it diagonally from top to bottom. Eda pulled Lilith out of the way before they both shared this fate. Mattias appeared from above. "Oh dear, I hope I'm not interrupting any heartfelt messages! Unless you're sharing last words, then by all means, share away!"
The chunk of ice began to slide out of place with a loud cracking sound. Amity stumbled, falling along with her shield. "This doesn't look too good!" noted Luz. She grabbed hold of King as he started to fall, and Amity grabbed onto her as she did the same. "Hold on!"
"You hold on too!" Amity extended a long abomination arm, which grabbed hold of the relatively stable top. The large chunk fell out from beneath them, leaving them hanging on for dear life. The chunk hit the ground with a tremendous crash, breaking into pieces upon impact.
On what was left of the top, Mattias did battle with Eda and Lilith. That is, until the former saw the situation Luz and the others were in. "Hang on, kids!" she called, hurrying over. But she wouldn't make it far, as Mattias slammed her into the ice with a giant arm. The impact was enough to dislodge Amity's grip, sending them all falling down.
Thinking quickly, Amity summoned more abomination slime to herself, forming it into a clawed gauntlet. The claws dug into the ice, halting her fall. Luz grabbed hold…with her bad arm. Pain jolted through the limb, forcing her to let go. "Luz!" Amity cried, reaching out, but not in time to keep her from falling.
In the brief moment of panic as the ground approached, King knew what he had to do. Maneuvering himself beneath Luz, he took a deep breath, and unleashed a mighty roar. The shockwave slowed Luz's descent in time for Amity to rejoin her. Multiple strands of abomination goo extended from her back and onto the ice…but the pillar was becoming unstable. The strands detached, and they were back to square one.
But Luz was ready. Having readied one just moments ago, she hurled a plant glyph at the ground just beneath them. In that spot, a giant flower sprouted up from the dirt, providing the perfect cushion to their fall. All three of them landed harmlessly among its petals, before being gently placed down into the grass. "Whoo," Luz said breathlessly. "That, uh, that was pretty tense for a moment there."
Seeing that the trio had lived, Mattias grunted in anger. He then moved to take this anger out on the Clawthornes, unleashing twin jets of flame from his palms. Both of them put up shields, but Eda's didn't last long. Lilith was forced to come to her rescue, covering them both.
"This isn't looking good," Eda said. "I don't have that much power left. If we're gonna stop this guy, it's gotta be soon."
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" asked Lilith.
In surprise, Eda looked up at her sister. "You don't mean…the Twin Meteor Impact, do you?"
With a grin, Lilith winked. "Twin Meteor Impact!" She held out a hand, helping her sister to her feet.
When Mattias finally ran out of fire, their shield dissipated. "Y'know, you're a bit tougher than I remember," he said. "Both of you. But it's not enough. See, you can fight me all you want, but you can't protect those kids at the same time. Sooner or later, it's gonna be curtains for one of you–and where will that leave the other?"
"You're not even gonna get that chance!" said Eda. She fought through the curse, drawing on every last drop of magic she had within her. Lilith did the same, and both sisters glowed with power. Flames licked across their forms as they gripped tightly to their staffs. "I'm putting you down, right here, right now!" Just as Mattias tried to grab them, the sisters shot up into the sky like a pair of rockets.
Down on the ground, Amity tried to get Luz to a safe distance. But the human stared upwards, enthralled at the incoming display of power. Like a beacon, the two-colored fireballs ascended further and further into the air. "Woah…" she said breathlessly.
"Cowards! Come back and fight!" Mattias impotently fired blasts of purple flame into the sky, but it was obvious they were out of his reach. His power high had begun to tire him out, his mutilated body clearly showing the effects of his attempts to cling to it. He raised himself up on abomination tendrils, shooting fire jets every which way.
Up in the clouds, the Clawthornes slowed to a stop. They simply hovered there for a moment, taking in the silence. But they both knew that with everything at stake, there was no time to relax. "Are you sure you can do this, Edalyn?" asked Lilith. "I hesitate to imagine what this curse will do to you…"
"I told ya, I'm fine!" she said, grinning through the discomfort. "'Sides, we have to do this. For our kids, right? Luz for me, and the little Blight for you, yeah?"
Lilith smiled. "Yes. For Luz and Amity."
"And King," Eda added. "And a little bit for us, too. Let's finish this clown."
Determined, the sisters locked hands. Their descent began slowly, before they once again became wreathed in fire. Like two flaming comets, streaks of yellow and blue intertwined as they raced towards their target.
Mattias saw them coming, but rather than try to get out of their way, he stood his ground. Letting out a bellow of rage, he sent everything he had towards the incoming pair. Giant tentacles of abomination goo sped up to block them, but at their speed, it was likely to accomplish very little.
Amity knew exactly what was about to happen. "Get down!" she cried, shoving Luz to the ground, making sure she didn't land on her injured shoulder. She placed herself in front of her, hoping to block the impact in time.
"Twin…"
"Meteor…"
"IMPACT!"
Sure enough, the twin meteors tore through Mattias' defenses, just as easily as they tore through Mattias himself. The two of them slammed into the ice pillar with the force of their attack's namesake, shattering it into pieces with an earthshaking explosion, causing frozen chunks to rain down across the field. To many, this might have been just as frightening as it was impressive to witness. But to Luz, it was the most anime thing she had ever seen. She was transfixed, with stars in her eyes, as Amity enveloped the three of them in an abomination shield.
As the pillar had already been quite damaged during the fight, most of the chunks weren't much bigger than a person. There weren't very many of them, either, as most of the ice had been melted by the strike. Much of the debris raining down might as well have been actual rain. Once the coast was clear, Luz, Amity, and King peered out from cover to examine the damages.
The grudgby field was, to nobody's shock, in need of some serious maintenance. The grass was all torn up, not to mention absolutely covered in hunks of ice and abomination slime. There was a huge crater right in the middle, which all three of them immediately raced towards.
"Eda! Eda!" The two sisters lay at the bottom of the crater, seemingly uninjured but also unmoving. Luz, King, and Amity slid down to the bottom to help in any way they could. "Are you okay? Please tell me you're okay!"
To the human girl's relief, Eda stirred right away. "Mm… 'S that you, Luz?" she asked groggily, sitting up. "Did we win?"
Luz couldn't help but laugh in relief that her mentor was okay. "Yes, yes, you won! You beat him, Eda! You beat Mattias!" She all but threw herself around her, not caring about the twinge of pain in her shoulder. "Everyone's safe. Thanks to you."
"Aww…well, what can I say, I was just doin' my part!" she said, returning her student's embrace. King was happy to see her as well, squeezing his way in between the two and nuzzling her. "I missed you too, buddy!"
"Miss Clawthorne, you're okay too, right?" Despite being just as concerned for her mentor as Luz, Amity maintained a respectful and professional air about her as she helped Lilith to her feet.
"Yes, Amity, I'm just fine," she assured her. "Doubly so now that we finally showed that rat who's boss!" She pumped her fist, unable to resist celebrating finally being rid of Mattias.
Eda chuckled, raising an arm in triumph as well. "'Bout time! He won't be bothering us anytime soon, that's for sure!" Both sisters shared a moment of glee, before the reality of their situation returned. They looked away from one another.
Noticing something was up, Luz asked "Hey, what's that for? We won, didn't we? This should be a happy moment!"
"Not exactly," said Eda. "It's… Look, kid, it's been a rough few days, alright? I'll tell you later; right now, I need some elixir and a good lie-down."
Noticing Eda's curse was beginning to take effect, Luz sprang into action. "Oh, you aren't kidding! C'mon, let's get you to Kade, he should be able to whip something up!"
"Hopefully, he's already started on a fresh batch," Lilith said, helping first Amity and then Eda out of the crater. Just as they were about to set off, a sudden thought came to her. "Oh! Edalyn, the portal! I'm sorry, I didn't realize… It must've been destroyed during…"
She grinned, holding out a key. "Don't you worry about it! I managed to snag it just as we crashed into 'im." She clicked the eye, causing it to expand into its briefcase form. "Luz'll still be able to go home when she's ready."
Luz looked around, from Eda's motherly smile to King's worried expression, from Amity's shy grin to Lilith's stoic face. "I…I definitely do want to go home at some point. I want to see my mother again, tell her how much I love her…but I don't want to leave all of you guys! And Willow, and Gus, and Hooty…this place is just as much a home to me as my actual home is."
"One of the upsides of having a door," Eda said. "As long as I have this, you can come and go whenever you–"
Nobody had heard him approach. Nobody was any the wiser as his staff careened through the air, knocking the briefcase out of Eda's hand with the precision of a javelin. It had happened so fast, everyone was more confused than outright startled. Eda was the first to turn to face him.
"Hello, Edalyn. Company." Nodding politely at the party, Shrike made his way across the field. He looked far too frail to have thrown his staff with such force, and yet there he was. "And Lilith, what a surprise! Emperor Belos is looking for you, did you know? Something about going rogue?"
All five of them were instantly on guard, preparing their magic. All except Eda, whose spell circle dissipated the moment it was drawn. "You," Lilith hissed. "This was all your doing, wasn't it?"
Shrike laughed dismissively. "You give me far too much credit, Lilith! I may have had a hand in directing Mattias' little off-the-books excursion, I assure you having him attack a school was nowhere near part of my plan! In fact, it's for the best you and your sister managed to destroy him! Thank you for that, by the way."
"You set us up!" yelled Eda. "You're why Lilith came to me in the first place! All of this was part of your plan, wasn't it? What exactly were you trying to accomplish?"
"Who, me? Why, nothing at all," he said. He began to pace around the field, putting everyone on guard. "You see, unlike certain other parties who shall remain nameless, I have nothing but loyalty to my master. My only goals are to assure that the Emperor's Coven functions at an optimal level. And if, say, certain parties in positions of leadership happened to be unfit for their duties…what else would you expect me to do?"
Luz stepped to the front of the group. "I don't care what your goal is, I won't let you hurt Eda! Or Amity! Or King! I don't know Lilith as well, but I'll even protect her too!"
"I appreciate the sentiment," she said.
Shrike eyed the human with his empty sockets. "Such bravery for such a small creature. But no, I've no intention to harm anyone. "You–" He pointed at Eda. "-are wanted by the Emperor, you–" He pointed at Lilith. "-are in big trouble, and as for you…" He pointed at Luz. "Belos is aware of the danger your kind poses to the tranquility of the Isles. Effective immediately…Luz the Human, you are hereby exiled back to the human realm."
"You don't have that kind of authority!" yelled Amity. "You don't get to decide who can live on the Boiling Isles!"
"How very astute of you," he said. "I certainly don't have that authority. Emperor Belos, on the other hand, most certainly does. If you truly don't believe me, feel free to take it up with him in person." He gestured upward. It was only now that everyone saw the armada of airships approaching Bonesborough. Belos was minutes away, and he was bringing an entire army with him.
Even if only for a moment, the sight of this was enough to give Luz pause. "Eda…what do we do now?" she asked.
In truth, Eda really didn't know. There was no force on the entire Isles that could fight back against that kind of might. She could have given it her all, but with her curse, she wasn't sure she could take on even one covensman. "Same plan as before, kiddo," she said. "We get me some elixir, and we come back swingin'. Right now, though, we gotta fall back and regroup."
"Wait, you mean we run away?" asked Luz. "We can't run away! If we don't fight them, who will?"
"Luz, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but we can't win this one!" said King. He tugged on her leg, trying to get her to run. "I've seen what this guy can do, and if he has backup, we don't have a chance!"
Lilith looked to Eda. "I might be able to buy you some time. Can you get them all to safety?"
She nodded. "You better believe it!"
Reassured that they would be safe, especially Amity, Lilith approached Shrike. "You've always been a bit of an egotist, Shrike. You may have managed to play Mattias like a fiddle. You might've even tricked me once or twice." She summoned her staff, tapping it on the ground to summon a burst of flame. "But do you really think you're a match for me in combat?"
"Yes," he said simply. He held out his hand, his staff flying back into his grasp. Leaning on it, his slouch vanished as he stood up to his full height. His cape of leaves likewise dissolved, scattering to the wind. "I've always been fond of you, Lilith. And I doubt Belos will be pleased with me if I beat you into the ground. So don't make me do that."
Lilith gestured for the others to run, which they did, reluctantly in Luz's case. "I won't make you do anything, old friend. But if you want to get to them, well, I don't suppose you have much of a choice, do you?"
Quick as a flash, Shrike darted to the side, catching Lilith off-guard with a blast of flame. While she was distracted, he zipped in, knocking her down with his staff. The end wreathed in flame, he pointed it at her. "No, I suppose I don't."
Before the four of them ducked into cover, Eda picked up the fallen briefcase, only to discover all was not well. "Oh, that doesn't look good," she said, seeing that the front was badly cracked thanks to Shrike's staff. More than that, the cracks ran down the sides, and almost to the back. With no time to waste, she hurried into the nearby locker room.
Suddenly, as she ran, Eda felt a sharp pain run down her back. She cried out, falling to her hands and knees. "Eda! What's wrong? Are you hurt?" Luz ran to her side to help her up, but she shuddered at her touch.
"N-not…feeling too hot…" Feathers sprouted from Eda's arms, and her spine cracked as she was forced into a hunched position. "Graaah… Kid, I don't think that–"
Luz wasn't having it, trying to pull Eda up. "Whatever you don't think, we can deal with that later!" Despite her best efforts, Eda couldn't stand up for long, falling back down whenever she took a step. "Amity, help!"
Amity put Eda's other arm around her shoulders, but the result was mostly the same. Eda struggled to keep her eyes open–they flicked back and forth between their normal yellow and blank gray. "Luz, I don't think she's doing so well. You've dealt with this before, right?"
"Yeah, but not like this!" she said. The two of them set her down on a bench nearby. "The Emperor's Coven is right on our doorstep! She's pretty fierce in owl beast form, but nowhere near as powerful! I…we might have to fend them off while she recovers."
The young witch responded with a look of worry. "You're…you're suggesting we take on the entire Emperor's Coven by ourselves? Luz, you've come a long way since I met you, but this is beyond us! It's like Eda said, we might need to make a run for it."
But Luz didn't want to hear it. "No!" she suddenly shouted. "I can't give up on Eda! We've come so far, I'm not gonna abandon her!"
"And I'm not saying you will!" said Amity, taking a hold of Luz's hands. "But you can't win every battle! Sometimes, the only way to win is to step back and regroup. You're hurt, Eda doesn't have her magic, there's too many bad guys…this isn't a fight we can win, Luz."
Meanwhile, King peered through the window at the battle going on. Lilith was giving it her all, but Shrike was running circles around her, quite literally. The airships were almost upon them, with some of them landing at the edges of Bonesborough. "If we're gonna do something, can we do it now? Lilith's losing out there!"
"What!?" Amity couldn't believe that her mentor could lose to anyone, but she quickly stifled her surprise. "He's right. Come on, Luz, I'll hide you in my bedroom for the time being. We'll try and make sure my parents don't find you, and…"
"No." Sounding like she was in pain, Eda got to her feet. "He'll keep hunting you. As long as you're still on the Isles, he'll never stop hunting you. You need…you have to go home." Somberly, she looked towards the broken briefcase.
Luz could feel her heart sink. "No. No, no, Eda, no! I'm not leaving any of you! I can't just abandon–"
Eda reached out, placing a hand on her cheek. "I know. You're not leaving us forever, though, right? I know you, Luz. Someway, somehow, you'll find a way back here. And me, Willow, Gus, Amity–we'll all be waiting here for you." She fought back a snarl as her owl form further took over. "No, no, I'm okay."
King scampered over to Luz. "If she's leaving, so am I! Luz is the best thing to ever come into my life, and I'm not letting her out of it!"
Petting him, Luz looked over at Amity. "Thanks, King, but I'm not going anywhere. Right, Amity?"
Expecting her to be adamant that she stay, Amity instead looked conflicted. "Luz…I agree with King. You're the best thing to ever come into my life, too. And as much as I want you to stay, with every fiber of my being…you can't. If you stay, none of us can protect you from Belos."
"I can protect mysel–"
"No you can't!" shouted Amity, tears in her eyes. "I know you think you're some kind of invincible super-witch, but you're not! You're just a human who learned magic as a fluke!" Upon seeing Luz's hurt expression at this, her anger immediately softened. "I…I didn't mean it like that. But this is…this is too much for you to handle, Luz. It's too much for all of us to handle."
Once again, Eda doubled over, letting out a screech. She coughed, dragging herself back to consciousness. "If we're gonna do anything, we have to do it now!" She activated the door, despite its damage. As it extended to its full size, the cracks only worsened, but the portal held. "Please, Luz. I know this hurts…but it's the only way."
For a moment, Luz stared into the portal. On the one hand, she would be going home. She could finally see her Mami again. But on the other… She looked back at Amity. This was just as much of a home to her as Gravesfield ever was, probably even more. "Are you sure this is okay?" she asked.
"Luz, I'm going to miss you," said Amity, stepping closer. "But not as much as I'd miss you if Belos caught you. Especially if I knew there was a way around it. This is that way. Besides, this isn't goodbye forever, right? You're gonna find your way back to us."
Just hearing how much Amity believed in her made her smile. "You know it." They both found that they were holding each other's hands. Neither wanted to let go. But knowing time was of the essence, they forced themselves to. Silently, King stood beside Luz, and both of them stood in front of the portal. "Okay. I'm ready."
Eda handed something to Luz: her staff. "Owlbert will protect you," she said. "It's not like I'll be needing him in this state." Her palisman detached from the staff, giving her one last nuzzle before he departed. "I'll miss you, little nugget! I'll miss all of you…" King gave her a hug as well.
"Hey, Luz?" Luz turned around, expecting Amity to have one last thing to say. And while she did, she wasn't expecting it to be in the form of a hug. More than that, she wasn't expecting Amity's lips to meet her own. But most of all, she was surprised that she found herself eagerly returning both. The moment the kiss began, everything suddenly made sense. Amity loved her. And she loved Amity, and even worlds apart, nothing would keep her from returning to her side.
For a brief second, Luz just floated in place. "I…wow. Okay then," she said dreamily. Months ago, even weeks ago, the act of the two of them kissing would have left the both of them a blushing, flustered mess. But not today. Not when this was real.
"Now it's a promise," Amity said. She pulled Luz into another hug. "Now you have to come back. And I don't care if it takes a few days, or years, even a whole lifetime. However long it takes, I'll be waiting for you."
Luz hugged her harder than she had hugged pretty much anyone in her life. "Years? Amity, when I find a way back here, I'll be all over it before lunchtime!" The two broke apart, bittersweet, and Luz headed for the portal. They looked into each other's eyes for what seemed like forever.
Eda smiled. "I always had a hunch," she whispered. "Alright kiddos, last train to the human realm's leaving the station! All aboard!" Even struggling to retain her ability of speech, she was able to retain her sense of humor.
Taking a deep breath, Luz prepared herself. "Tell the others…tell them I'll be back. Willow, Gus, the twins, Viney, Tia, Hooty…I'll miss them all. But I'll be thinking of them the whole time I'm gone. Tell them that, okay?" Her hands were shaking as she stared through the precipice. Just beyond that veil was the human realm–somewhere she never felt she belonged, but somewhere she needed to go.
"I'll see you again soon, Luz Noceda."
As Amity uttered these words, Luz stepped through the portal. She held tightly to Eda's staff, and King was right on her heels. Amity blinked back a tear as the portal vanished, folding back up into a briefcase. "You might wanna get outta here, kid," Eda said, her voice distorted. "This won't be pretty."
Nodding, Amity hurried away, silently praying that everything would be alright. She cast one last glance at the portal. Remembering their kiss, she knew it would be. If anyone could bounce back from this, it was Luz. As she ran to find the others, she knew deep in her heart of hearts that everything would be okay.
Outside, the largest of the airships touched down in the grudgby field. A ramp extended down from its side, a single figure descending down to the grass. Emperor Belos surveyed his surroundings. "Release her."
Shrike, holding Lilith in a chokehold, let her fall to the ground. "Of course, your majesty." He walked closer. "It seems the situation with Mattias has been resolved, ironically thanks in large part to Eda herself. She and the human have already made their getaway, I suspect that–" He was silenced as Belos held up a hand.
"She's still here," said Belos. At his side, the Golden Guard appeared. "Secure the surrounding area. Make sure every last one of the Inquisitors are accounted for." Silently, Hunter nodded, setting off to do just that. "And as for you, dear Lilith…"
She looked up at him–not quite a glare, but not exactly pleased. "She's my sister. I wasn't about to just abandon her," she said.
"That didn't seem to be your thought all those years ago," he said. She looked down in shame. "Now then, I will deal with you later. My other one needs me more now." He set off towards the locker rooms, somehow knowing her exact location.
He opened the door, searching for just a moment before he found her. Her transformation was complete, with a giant winged beast staring back at him…but her eyes were mismatched. One was gray, the other yellow. With her last bit of consciousness, she held out something in her claw–the portal door–before crushing it to splinters. One last act of spite.
"No! Why!?" he shouted. Belos drove his fist against the wall in anger, before taking a moment to calm himself. "No. No, this won't do. Not when I've finally found you." The portal door momentarily forgotten, he instead took in Eda's new form. "Look at what she's done to you… Even after all these years, I still can't believe that's you…"
Owl beast Eda hunched her back, letting out a low growl. Strangely, despite being face to face with Emperor Belos himself, she didn't think to attack, or even to flee. She didn't even seem angry, more of a quiet irritation at seeing him. This was also something he picked up on.
Belos took a moment to look around, making sure they were alone. "Alright. It's just you and me. Nobody else. Not even Belos." He reached a gloved hand up to his face, slowly removing his mask. And as he set it aside, Eda was not surprised at all to see his face.
Rumors had circulated for decades as to what Belos looked like under his mask. Some said he was a monster, the likes of which the Isles had never seen. Some said he was a cyborg, holding his broken body together with his machines. Some still said that he was a human, having mutilated his ears to pass as a witch. But the face that looked back at Eda was so…ordinary. He was quite old, having been aged both by years and by stress. Old enough to be a grandfather. The only thing that stood out was a sizable scar over his left eye. His hair had long since faded to gray, save for a small dusting of bright orange around the sides. The exact same orange Eda's had once been.
"I've been waiting for this day for so long." One could almost feel emotion in his voice. Almost as though the hardened despot was holding back tears. He removed a glove, reaching out a hand. Although she didn't appreciate it, Eda didn't resist as he placed it on her cheek, stroking beside her ear. "The day I could finally see my baby girl again." He closed his eyes, resting his forehead against hers. Despite herself, she closed her eyes as well.
Hearing someone coming, Belos quickly put his mask back on. A covensman entered the room. "My Emperor, we managed to find the faculty! No casualties, but we haven't been able to find Mattias yet."
"Very good. Keep them all together, and distribute medical aid. I wish to speak with Heironymous about this debacle." Saluting, the covensman left. Belos returned his attention to Eda, who was reluctant to meet his gaze. "As for you…let's see what we can do about that curse of yours." He placed a comforting (in intention) hand on her side. "It's the least I could do after we have been apart for so long, dear daughter."
Eda snorted. But even in her monstrous form, she didn't see much of an option. Knowing that at least Luz was safe, she followed him out to the airship to return to the palace. But before they left, he cast one last glance at the broken remnants of the portal door.
"Someone clean that up, and bring it back with us," he told a covensman. "The day of unity may be approaching…but perhaps it is time we thought bigger." The covensman following these orders, father and daughter headed for the ship, the future unknown. Unknown, that is, aside from what Belos had planned for it.
No, not Belos. That was just a moniker. Abraham. Abraham Clawthorne.
"I'll see you again, Luz Noceda."
Something about hearing this made Luz almost tear up. But she held her tears inside as she stepped through the portal. To keep herself from thinking what she was leaving, she tried to focus on what she was going back to. Her mother, for one, but there was also all the shows she had missed while on the Isles, not to mention all kinds of celebrity gossip! Oh, and King would get to see the human realm for the first time, too! Sure this couldn't be all bad–
Expecting her foot to step down on the decaying wood floor of the old shack, Luz was thrown, almost literally, as she stepped on nothing. She suddenly found herself hurtling towards the ground, the portal having appeared in midair. "Woah! Okay Luz, stay calm, stay calm!"
"What about me!? Am I supposed to stay calm too!?" King had stepped through at the same time, and was in a similar boat. He flailed his arms and legs, hoping to catch onto something before he hit the ground. Luz was able to grab him, but who would grab her?
Luckily, she had brought Owlbert with her. The palisman extended his wings, swooping up just before they made a rough landing. Unfortunately, their momentum still carried them on, tumbling to a stop, but they were much less injured than they otherwise would have been.
Luz stood up, brushing bits of grass and dirt out of her hair. "Wasn't expecting that!" She looked around. They were in a forest, but it was much different than the one she knew. And she had been exploring the forests near her home since she was little, so if she didn't recognize this place, they were definitely lost. "King, I don't think we're in Connecticut."
"Is this what happened when you came to the Demon Realm for the first time?" asked King. "How'd you even get up there? I didn't think humans could fly." The two looked up to see the portal they had emerged from, suspended in the air above the trees. It wasn't in any sort of doorframe, and the cracks in the briefcase seemed to extend into the sky itself beside it. And then, slowly, it faded into nothing. There was truly no way back now.
Luz sighed deeply, before collecting herself. She had King by her side to help her find her way, and with Owlbert, she should still be able to cast some spells. She had her magic, and she had her companions: this was just another adventure among many. "No, last time the portal was a bit closer to the ground. And it was attached to a building. I think when Shrike damaged it, he must've thrown us off course somehow."
King then hopped up onto her shoulders. "Then maybe if we find that building, we can make our own portal!" he said. "If it works one way, maybe it works the other, right?"
"It's worth a shot!" said Luz. Staff in hand, she set out into the mysterious forest. "Don't worry, everyone–I'm coming back for you!"
With the recent betrayal of Mattias, Belos had much to consider. First and foremost was preparing the Day of Unity, but a part of him still couldn't shake the feeling that Luz Noceda would return one day. He had seen the damage humans could do firsthand, and as harmless as she seemed, he wasn't about to dismiss this threat. And what better way to keep tabs on her than to keep an eye on one of her closest friends?
"By now, I am sure you are well aware of your daughter's talents," he said, absently pacing by a window in his throne room. "I understand my associate visited you not long ago to discuss this very fact?"
"Indeed, and we were quite pleased to hear Amity had such an opportunity before her!" said Odalia. She and her husband stood before the Emperor, alongside their daughter, the only one who really did not want to be there. Nevertheless, she remained silent.
Not only that, but Shrike was also present. He simply waited in the shadows, silently watching everyone like a predator waiting to strike. Even when he wasn't looking directly at her, his presence made Amity uncomfortable.
Belos continued. "Now, seeing as it will be some time until the repairs to Hexside are completed, I propose that Amity's schooling continue under a different teacher. Of course, seeing as how Miss Clawthorne is…no longer available for this purpose, I see no better candidate for the position as Amity's mentor than High Inquisitor Shrike."
He stepped forward, offering a small bow to the Blights. "It would be my honor to instruct young Miss Blight in the ways of magic. And of course, our lessons will count as credit towards one day joining the Emperor's Coven. Perhaps she would even be interested in joining the Inquisiorius Magicus? We are recently down a member, after all."
Before Amity could speak up, Alador did instead. "That would be wonderful! I can't tell you how much it means to us, helping our little girl achieve her lifelong dream!" He ruffled Amity's hair.
"Yes, well, I believe in rewarding loyalty," said Belos. "I do hope you will take me up on my offer. My Coven could always use more members." He sat down on his throne.
"Well, Amity?" said Odalia. "This is everything you've ever wanted! What do you say?" Although it sounded like a question, anyone familiar with the Blights knew that this was a veiled order. The two of them watched their daughter intently, as Shrike hovered over her, waiting for her reply.
Amity was far from naive. She knew that this was only a ploy so Belos could keep tabs on Luz. Even if it hadn't been, her desire to join the Emperor's Coven, which had indeed been her childhood dream, had all but dried up. She wanted nothing to do with it, especially now that she knew people like Mattias and Shrike were involved. But unfortunately, she had no choice. This wasn't a battle she could win.
She held out a hand, forcing a smile as she took Shrike's. "Of course I will," she said. "I look forward to making you proud!"
"I am excited to work with you as well, Amity," said Shrike. "Indeed, I believe you will become one of the Emperor's Coven's best and brightest recruits. And proud indeed I will be once that day comes, young Miss Blight. Proud indeed I will be."
"Yeesh. This is gonna take forever to clean up."
The unfortunate janitor took in the carnage left by Mattias' last stand. The grudgby field was ruined: not only was the turf completely torn up, but chunks of stubborn ice were still scattered around, not to mention the copious amounts of abomination goop. He sighed as he got his mop ready, dreading the two hours cleanup would likely take.
"Why've I gotta do this by hand, anyway?" he mumbled. "You got people who specialize in this stuff, why can't they just draw a circle and make it all gloop away! Ah, whatever…" As he mopped up the slime, he didn't notice that some of it seemed to be vibrating slightly.
A small puddle of the stuff, no larger than a small bit of rainwater on the sidewalk, completely escaped his notice. Its vibration slowly turned into a slither, pulling itself along the ground. It gradually collected more and more substance as it went, until it became big enough to draw his attention.
"What in the…?" He leaned down to inspect the bit of slime, which was seemingly trying to raise itself up. "Huh, this one's still got some life left in it." He reached to prod it with the end of his mop, which is when it jolted to life.
Letting out a shout of fear, the janitor stumbled back as a hand reached up from the puddle. Or rather, the puddle itself formed into a hand, slender and bony. Much to his horror, more of the slime coalesced into this one, shambling towards him as it gained a humanoid shape.
"Stay back! Get away!" He had seen plenty of abominations before, but not like this. Nothing like this. The being formed a head, three beady yellow eyes staring back at him as it groaned. It seemed to be trying to form words. "For the love of Titan, leave me alone!" He swung his mop as a makeshift weapon, but it had little effect.
The abomination, which truly lived up to its name, pulled itself on top of him. "Wraaauugh!" it groaned, bits of slime dripping down onto the man's face. "Wheeeere? Where am!?"
The janitor managed to slide out from underneath it, crawling away. "No! Please! I'm too young!" He held his hands over his head, shuddering.
More of the abomination began to take form. He was finally able to stand up, his arms and legs fully formed. A pair of what seemed to be pointed ears extended from the top of his head. His three eyes stared down at his hands in horror, almost letting out a cry of abject terror.
But something happened. In his panic, one of his hands shifted into a pointed blade. The sight of this seemed to intrigue him, looking over the weapon. He turned it back into a hand, before splitting his arms into six of them. Each of his hands then formed into more weapons, causing him to smile.
Numerous tendrils extended from his back. Far from being horrified by his new form, Mattias laughed. He threw his head back to the sky and laughed, a chilling sound that would haunt the janitor until the day he died. He was not finished with the Clawthornes or their pet human yet–and this time, nothing would stop him from getting his revenge.
AN: Whoooooo! We finally made it to the end! This has been such a long time coming, and I'd like to thank you all for sticking with me on this journey! I've been really excited about this finale for a while now, so I'm so glad I'm able to share it with you all! And that goes for this story as a whole, as well. I'm pretty proud of this one, all thing's considered. Here's hoping the last installment of the trilogy will live up to its predecessors!
All that said, I hope you enjoyed this story! I'll see you next time in A Tale of Earth and Isles!
