I don't own Disney's The Owl House. I do, however own the Main OC and any other OC's that will appear in the story. Hope you all enjoy my story on this lovely show.
Chapter Seventeen
Having falling asleep, both Danielle and Rune appear at the Crossroads. Rune takes in the surrounding area. Letting go of Danielle's hand, Rune floats closer to Aster's prison and peers inside.
"Aster…" said Rune, seeing Aster's body floating in the middle of the prison. "You were telling the truth. Thank you!"
"You're welcome. Although…" said Danielle, staring at Rune. "Why do you look the same here like back when I saw you in the library?"
"What do you mean? This is normal for an out…" said Rune, before seeing what Danielle meant and saw how Danielle was here. "That's odd. I should be able to see you like back at the library."
"Aster thought it was strange too," said Danielle, before being barreled into a hug by Aster. "Hehehe, hey Aster."
"So glad you're back," said Aster, not aware of Rune yet. "So, what game do you want to play today?"
"Actually, I have some news today," said Danielle, twirling Aster around to face Rune. "And a certain someone who has been searching for you."
"Rune…?" said Aster, staring at Rune. "Ah right, today's that meteor shower."
"Aster… I'm so… glad…" said Rune, getting teary eyed and crying. "Waaaaahaaaahaaaaa!"
"And here's the waterworks," said Aster, being drenched by Rune's tears. "I'm not questioning how you're able to do it while like this."
"Rune has been searching for you for a long time," said Danielle, looking at Aster.
"Why?" asked Aster, staring at Rune. "Our families only know each other by association. And the fact that Lord Eriol would teach both of us together on occasions."
"I didn't like hearing that you were sealed," said Rune, sniffling. "I wanted to keep learning alongside you."
"We're associates," said Aster, remembering his grandfather's lessons. "Nothing more, nothing less."
"But…" said Rune, griping the hem of his shirt.
"Were you getting tired of Nova bullying you while I was sealed?" asked Aster, eyeing Rune. "Or wanting him to bully me instead of you."
"What…? No," replied Rune, staring at Aster. "Neither one of us liked being bullied by him. Why would you think that?"
"Okay, enough," said Danielle, placing her hands on top of Aster and Rune heads. "No fighting."
"Okay," replied Aster and Rune, pouting a little.
"Aster, Rune really seems to care for you," said Danielle, looking at Aster. "Why else would he search hundreds of years for you?"
"I just thought…" said Aster, looking away. "That he was like everyone else back home. He has a family that loves and cares for him. While my family is strict and uptight except for mother."
"Just because my family doesn't show it like your family does, doesn't mean mine doesn't," said Rune, getting teary eyed. "I gained my great-great-great grandfather's ability and I have a hard time controlling it. I have just as much pressure on me to be much like he was and to live up to my family's reputation."
"I didn't know," said Aster, looking at Rune.
"I thought I found someone similar to me when I saw you," said Rune, sniffling. "I thought we could get along and… Waaahaaaa!"
"Okay, okay," said Aster, staring at Rune. "I never know what to do when you're like this."
"Alright now," said Danielle, pulling Rune into a hug and rubbing his back. "Let it out."
"Danielle…" said Aster, seeing the display before him and getting slightly jealous.
"Come on," said Danielle, pulling Aster into the hug as well. "I have two arms."
"Yay!" shouted Aster, hugging Danielle back. "I just love your hugs. They're almost like my mother's hugs."
"Lady Mira…" thought Rune, thinking before looking at Aster. "Um…"
"Oh, that's right," said Danielle, thinking back to a certain out of body. "I had a unique out of body recently."
"Really," said Aster, staring at Danielle. "Where'd you go?"
"Apparently your realm," replied Danielle, remembering meeting Mira. "I met your mamma that night. She's really beautiful."
"You met mother?" said Aster, wondering how his mother was. "How-how is she? Is mother, okay? Is mother…"
"Whoa, slow down," said Danielle, rubbing the top of Aster's head. "Mira looked fine to me but…"
"But what?" asked Aster, staring at Danielle. "Tell me!"
"It looked like she was encased in some crystal-like substance," said Danielle, remembering the crystal structure.
"Wha…" said Aster, wide eyed and stunned.
"It's true Aster," said Rune, remembering that day. "She was devastated when she found out that you were sealed. Lady Mira's magic went berserk that no one could get near her before being encased in the crystal."
"Could the crystal be Mira's magic?" asked Danielle, looking at Rune.
"Possibly," said Rune, thinking about it.
"Aster," said Danielle, staring at Aster. "Are you okay?"
"I-I miss her," squeaked Aster, clinging to Danielle. "I miss mother!"
"Oh Aster," thought Danielle, thinking about her mamma. "I wonder how mamma is doing?"
"I want out of this place! I want to see mother again. I miss hearing mother. I miss mother's hugs. I miss mother's cooking," said Aster, thinking about his mother. "I miss everything about mother. Motherrrrrr!"
"It's going to be okay," said Danielle, pulling Aster into a hug. "I'll get you out of here, I promise."
"Aster," thought Rune, seeing how devastated Aster was before looking at the prison.
"Feeling a little better after letting it all out," asked Danielle, stroking the side of Aster's cheek.
"A little," replied Aster, sniffling. "When you see my mother again, let her know I'm okay, please."
"Okay," said Danielle, leaning her forehead against Aster's forehead. "I will."
"Was that the only news you had?" asked Aster, staring at Danielle.
"I have some more," said Danielle, looking at Aster. "But before I get to that one, I wanted to talk about the cupcake I promised ya."
"You're not backing out of it, are you?" asked Aster, looking at Danielle. "You promised."
"And I will keep that promise," said Danielle, rubbing the top of Aster's head. "I just want to make sure you don't have any food allergies first. I don't want you having an allergic reaction like Luz did the first few days on the isles."
"Oh," said Aster, before smiling. "No, I don't have any food allergies."
"That's good," said Danielle, smiling. "Now I can go through the recipes I know and figure out which one to make."
"How many cupcakes do you know?" asked Aster, tilting his head.
"Quite a bit," said Danielle, smiling. "I may have a bit of a sweet tooth."
"You should see all the new dishes that have been created since you were sealed," said Rune, floating near Aster. "You'll gonna love them all when you get out."
"As long as there are no sun mangos in them," said Aster, cringing. "I am not a fan of that fruit. Or any foods that is made in my house besides mother. Everything is just so bland."
"Gotcha," said Danielle, looking at Aster. "No mangos. And it will have flavor."
"So, what's the other news?" asked Aster, staring at Danielle.
"I'm not one hundred percent sure," said Danielle, thinking about King. "But there may be a chance I found the last titan."
"Really!?" asked Aster, grabbing Danielle's hands and spinning around. "If you did, I can finally get out of here earlier than the Day of Unity."
"Day of Unity?" thought Danielle, wondering what that was.
"Do you know the titan's name?" asked Rune, staring down in a certain area of the place. "I can search those cubes down there."
"Huh?" said Danielle, confused.
"I've read about this place before," said Rune, staring at Danielle. "As long as you know the person's name and location, you can interact with them from the cube. You can talk and listen to one another much like a communication device."
"Really?" said Danielle, thinking about her family. "That's great!"
"You miss your family too," said Rune, staring at Danielle. "Don't you."
"Yeah, I do," said Danielle, sighing before staring at Aster and Rune. "But this comes first. King, Boiling Isles, Owl House."
"On it," said Rune, floating down straight towards the cubes.
"Think this will work," asked Aster, staring at Danielle.
"I hope it does. I followed the details you gave me," said Danielle, watching Rune go from one cube to the next. "And now that we know what those cubes do, you can confirm it. If I got it wrong, I'll continue my search."
"Okay," said Aster, looking at Danielle.
"Found it," said Rune, grabbing a cube and bringing it their way. "This one flashed somewhat. It looked like someone was peeking into someone else's room."
"Okay, let's see," said Danielle, staring at the cube alongside Aster and Rune.
The room that they saw was actually Danielle's room. Their image was projected from the moonlight streaming into the room.
"That's me," said Danielle, staring at herself. "Oh, is that how I really sleep?"
"Your feet are uncovered," said Rune, shaking his head. "Aren't you cold?"
"No," replied Danielle, lightly scratching her cheek. "I get hot pretty easily."
"Up here," said Aster, hiding closer to the ceiling near the door. "We can watch whoever is peeking on you."
Joining Aster, Danielle and Rune stay quiet and watch as someone is peeking back into the room. Slowly the person walks into the room on tippytoes. Turns out, it was King. Aster is stunned the moment he saw King, giddy with delight.
"It's a titan!" thought Aster, looking as King tiptoed close to Danielle's bed. "It's really a titan!"
"Why is he sneaking into your room?" asked Rune, whispering to Danielle.
"I don't know," said Danielle, watching King before feeling a sneeze. "Achoo!"
"Weh!" said King, seeing Danielle's body sneeze at the same time as Danielle, before seeing a set of white energy-based cat ears appear on her head. "Hahahaha!"
"You sneeze just like Aster," said Rune, giggling. "Like a kitten."
"Oh, come on," said Danielle, seeing King laugh before getting into a pouncing position while wagging his tail. "What is he thinking?"
"He's so cute," said Aster, watching King before seeing him playfully nipping Danielle's cat ears.
"Looks like those ears appeared here as well," said Rune, flicking the cat ears on Danielle's head and noticing a fuzzy tail as well. "And a tail too as well."
"Che imbarazzo," said Danielle, before feeling actual sensations from King playing with the cat ears on her body. "Oh mio…"
"What's wrong?" asked Aster, staring at Danielle.
"I can feel King playing with the cat ears," said Danielle, placing her hands over the cat ears. "Ooooh, I do not like."
"Alright, that's out of my system," said King, no longer playing with Danielle's cat ears.
"Grazie al cielo," said Danielle, Aster and Rune containing their giggles before Danielle booped their noses. "Haha, just wait until it's your turn."
"Toy," said King, reaching out for the grim rabite.
"King, seriously," said Danielle, facepalming.
"Weh!" said King, being pulled into a cuddle by Danielle's body. "I should have seen this coming."
"Ah right," said Danielle, confusing Aster and Rune. "I was told I'm a sleep cuddler."
"Looks more like a hug," said Aster, seeing King trying to wiggle out of the cuddle.
"I'm not getting out of here," said King, sighing before resigning to his fate. "Might as well get comfy."
"Alright, why not head back for now?" said Danielle, looking at Aster and Rune.
"Okay," replied Aster and Rune, before appearing back at the crossroads alongside Danielle.
"So, Aster," said Danielle, looking at Aster. "Is King a titan?"
"Yes, he is," said Aster, grabbing Danielle's hands and spinning around. "You actually found him. I'm so happy! You're the best!"
"That's great," said Danielle, blushing while rubbing the top of Aster's head. "Now comes the tricky part."
"What do you mean?" asked Aster, staring at Danielle.
"How to get King to you," said Danielle, staring at Aster. "That and explaining to King that he is a titan somehow."
"He doesn't know he's a titan," said Aster, staring at Danielle. "How come?"
"I can think of two things," said Danielle, pointing two fingers up. "One: Amnesia. Something may have happened to King when he was much younger. And two: he must have been born after all the other titans were gone leaving him with no one to tell him who he was."
"The latter sounds more like it," said Rune, thinking back to the war. "The titan you're on right now was the last one standing during the war."
"Getting into the emperor's castle won't be easy either," said Danielle, looking at Aster.
"You're right," said Aster, pondering on that thought. "You've only been in the area where Philip keeps the tablet at."
"Is that the only tablet?" asked Danielle, staring at Aster.
"There is another one but…" said Aster, staring in a different area near his prison. "It's split in half. If it could be fixed, I could leave from that one."
"I can look up how to fix it when I get back home," said Rune, smiling. "I wonder which book has what we need."
"Where's this other tablet?" asked Danielle, staring at Aster.
"The other side of the world," replied Aster, only to see Danielle go pale. "Are you okay?"
"I'm… uh, not good with heights," said Danielle, sighing. "I'm working on it though, I can conjure wings on my back with light magic but can only go so long before exhaustion sets in."
"Mmmm," said Aster, tilting his head in thought. "You're right, this part is tricky."
"What about taking King's blood?" asked Rune, staring at Danielle. "In case you can't get King to come with you."
"I'd rather not resort to hurting King just to get his blood," said Danielle, rubbing her arm. "I don't like seeing people hurt."
"Oh," said Rune, rubbing the back of his head. "You're really kind."
"Now what?" said Danielle, wondering what to do. "I really want to get you out of here."
"We'll figure it out," said Aster, grabbing Danielle's hands. "You've already got this far."
"You're right," said Danielle, smiling and gently rubbing Aster's hand. "We'll figure this out."
"Hey, Aster," said Rune, gaining Aster's attention. "What's this Day of Unity you talked about?"
"This was before I met Danielle and met Philip during the Deadwardian Era," replied Aster, remembering when he met Philip. "He said he'd be my friend and play games with me. He mentioned a specific game needed a certain spell but couldn't quite place it. I figured out the spell he needed and taught it to him."
"What kind of spell?" asked Danielle, looking at Aster.
"A draining spell," replied Aster, not noticing Danielle and Rune go pale. "Though I don't understand why Philip told others they'd be one with the titan. What do you think he meant by that? Be one with the titan."
"Aster," said Rune, staring at Aster. "Which draining spell did you give him? Cause not all of them are pleasant."
"I don't know," said Aster, thinking back when reading it. "Saiph took the book away when I was reading it."
"Saiph?" said Danielle, looking at Aster.
"My oldest brother," said Aster, sighing.
"This is not good," said Rune, scratching the back of his head. "Add in the fact that Scarlet Eyes nestled within you, it could be…"
"My eyes are azure. Azure! I have my mother's eyes!" shouted Aster, glaring at Rune angrily, his eyes flashing scarlet. "Azure, azure, azure, azure, azure!"
"Aster, calm down please," said Danielle, pulling Aster into a hug. "I don't like seeing you like this."
"Huh… what just…" said Aster, gasping before looking at Danielle. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean for you to see me like that!"
"It's okay, it's okay," said Danielle, holding Aster tight while rubbing the back of his head.
"I really do have azure eyes!" said Aster, staring at Danielle. "You believe me, don't you?"
"I do believe you," replied Danielle, staring at Aster. "I really do. I really don't understand this Scarlet Eyes thing."
"It's an ancient being that targets our kind," said Rune, looking at Danielle.
"Mira did mention that," said Danielle, remembering what Mira said.
"Mother mentioned it to you?" said Aster, looking at Danielle. "Why?"
"I really don't know," replied Danielle, looking at Aster.
"I have more of my mother's features," said Aster, going weightless in Danielle's arms. "The only thing that doesn't is my nose and half my skin tone, those I gained from father."
"Half your skin tone?" said Danielle, not understanding what was said.
"Our race has a two-toned complexion," said Rune, explaining it to Danielle. "You saw Lady Mira's complexion, her ivory skin and light blue skin."
"I… uh…" said Danielle, lightly scratching her cheek. "Thought they were tattoos."
"Those aren't tattoos," said Aster, giggling a little. "That was her actual complexion. I have the same light blue skin."
"How it turns out is always different," said Rune, pointing at his skin. "Much like a snowflake. Though for identical twins the pattern is reversed."
"That actually sounds…" said Danielle, slightly giggling. "Kinda neat."
"Is the prophecy finally to end this time?" thought Rune, thinking about what's going on while looking at Danielle and Aster. "If so, then Aster is the one that Light and Dark will be fighting over cause of Scarlet Eyes being within him. But who did Dark sway to his side and become a part of? Who did Light incarnate as this time?"
"Rune…" said Danielle, gaining Rune's attention. "Is everything okay?"
"There's a lot of unanswered questions floating about that I don't know the answers to right now," replied Rune, taking a thinking pose. "It should be nearing daybreak right now. We should be getting back Danielle."
"I am feeling my silver chord tugging me back to my body," said Danielle, Rune grabbing her hand. "We'll play next time, okay Aster."
"Yeah, next time…" said Aster, voice low as Danielle was slowly going back to her body. "Wait… don' go! I don't want you to leave just yet!"
"Aster…" said Danielle, Aster barreling into her and clinging to her.
"Please don't!" shouted Aster, not wanting to let Danielle go. "I don't want to be alone."
"Aster," said Rune, staring at Aster and grabbing his hand. "She's being called back. You can't stop her from going back to her body."
"But…" said Aster, only for Danielle's silver cord to tug harder, pulling Aster along with them. "Whoa!"
Screaming as Danielle's silver cord tugged harder, Danielle and Rune slammed hard back into their bodies while Aster ended up going glittery during the slam, a small creature twirling in the air before slamming on top of Danielle.
"Yes, freedom!" shouted King, running out of the room.
"Ow, that hurt," said Danielle, waking up and seeing the little creature on top of her. "Oooh, così carino!"
The little creature that was on top of her was a young small white fox. The tips of its ears and its paws were a light blue. Its white tail went wispy the closer it got to its tip with a sparkly design. The left side of its face was a light blue that eclipses the left side of its face, giving the right side the appearance of a crescent moon shape and three small, dark blue stars on its left cheek. It had azure eyes and a dark blue nose.
"Eda never mentioned this little cutie," said Danielle, picking the little fox up and giving it nose kisses. "Sei così carino. Sì lo sei, sì lo sei."
"Uh, Danielle, it's me," said the little fox, Aster's voice being heard while Rune was silently laughing on the floor. "It's not funny Rune."
"Oh mio!" said Danielle, blushing. "I am so sorry Aster. I didn't know."
"How did this happen?" asked Aster, looking at his new form. "I've never heard of anything like this."
"Now that I think of it," thought Rune, thinking when they were being pulled back and seeing a symbol flash on Danielle's forehead for a split second. "I know I saw that symbol somewhere before but it disappeared so fast."
"I really don't know what happened," said Danielle, staring at Aster. "But think of it like this. You're no longer confined to being just in the emperor's castle now. If this is a common occurrence, we may have figured a temporarily solution for going out and about. I don't know about distance though."
"You're right," said Aster, wagging his tail. "I can see more of the isles and see how much has changed. And we can play more."
"Exactly… oh," said Danielle, grabbing her bag that was nearby and looking for something. "Remember when I mentioned those video games."
"Yeah," said Aster, walking closer to the bag. "This is the bag you said was unique. How so?"
"Well, the first day I tried to reach for something it was like I wasn't feeling the bag. I lifted it over my head and well…" said Danielle, remembering the event. "It slipped and covered me completely. Turns out the inside of my bag is one big starry landscape."
"Wait, what?" said Rune, grabbing the bag and stuffing his head in and seeing what she meant. "Whoa! It's like an infinite sea of stars!"
"Let me see!" said Aster, peeking his head in. "This is so cool. It's like that technique back home."
"Okay, you two," said Danielle, gaining Aster and Rune attention. "I think that's enough."
"Huh…what's this?" asked Aster, a small star on the tip of his nose before it turned into a medium sized box with questions mark.
"I think you got your first game console," said Danielle, recognizing the box.
"Game console?" said Aster, looking at the box.
"I got this same box as well," said Danielle, pointing at the picture of the console. "See this device right here, this is a game console, a handheld one to be exact. And since this is the same one I got, it's limited edition."
"Oh, I know what limited edition means," said Aster, wagging his tail. "It means only a certain amount were made."
"Exactly," said Danielle, pushing the box closer to Aster. "Since this is now yours, you can open it."
"Really, awesome," said Aster, using his claws to cut the tape holding it closed before lifting the top off. "What's with all this other stuff?"
"Well, this limited edition came with four games and a game link cable," said Danielle, grabbing the stuff. "This is the basic little guide that usually comes with game consoles."
"Wow, my first game console," said Aster, before thinking of the one Danielle mentioned before. "How is this different from the one you mentioned before?"
"Well… this is a handheld meaning you can take it wherever you go," said Danielle, holding the handheld console. "The one I mentioned is more for when you're home and played on a bigger screen. I'll have to search another time for that and see if I can get it to work here."
"I bet you can," said Aster, eyeing his new game console. "How can I play with you?"
"Not all games have it where they're multiplayer," said Danielle, pushing a game box towards Aster and grabbing the game link cable. "This one does though. The link cable right here can connect two consoles up and you can trade or battle the other player. I actually have all four of these games you got."
"This is actually interesting," said Rune, looking at Aster's game console. "You mortals come up with some weird stuff but this is actually neat."
"Let's see," said Danielle, grabbing a star in the bag before revealing her old game console. "Here we go. This is the one I got, a clear dark blue one called midnight blue. You got the clear dark purple color called midnight purple. As the years went on, technology advanced and newer consoles and games were made. This is the oldest one I got for the handhelds, the Gameboy color."
"Ooh, I can't wait to play them," said Aster, moving his front paws about.
"I really hope you like these two," said Danielle, pointing at two games specifically.
"Why do you think I wouldn't?" asked Aster, tilting his head.
"Well…" said Danielle, searching around in her bag and grabbing a book. "This here is a strategy guide that helps throughout a player's gameplay should they need help with their games. This picture right here is…"
"Prison!" said Aster, startled at the picture and glaring at it.
"This is what meant," said Danielle, sighing and rubbing Aster's back. "The pokéball looks very much like your prison, I didn't think you would like it."
"What do these…" asked Aster, staring at the picture. "Pokéballs do actually?"
"The aspect of this series of games is capturing these creatures called Pokémon with various pokéballs," said Danielle, explaining the best she can. "Battle them, train them, trade them, and become champion while battling the eight gyms and gaining their badges while also dealing with an evil organization."
"Which one did you start with?" asked Rune, staring between the two games.
"Pokémon Yellow," replied Danielle, before pointing at the other pokemon game. "Pokémon Crystal was my second favorite in the series when they added animation to the pokémon. That… and I got my favorite shiny."
"Shiny?" said Aster, confused.
"A pokémon of a different color and harder to find," said Danielle, pointing at the titular pokémon of the series. "This here is Pikachu in its original color, its shiny color leans more to the orange side."
"I get it," said Rune, staring at the various pokémon in the guide. "Which was your favorite shiny?"
"Cyndaquil. Oh, those purple flames were really cool," replied Danielle, looking at Aster and Rune.
"I'll give it a shot," said Aster, still not liking the pokéballs. "I may not like those pokéballs but I'll still try and play it."
For the little remainder of early morning, Danielle explained as best she could about the various things about the game consoles and the games that came with them. Rune had to bid goodbye and promised he'd find the answers they needed. Standing and stretching, Danielle prepares for the day. Heading downstairs, Danielle lets Aster ride on her shoulder. Entering the kitchen, Danielle notices everyone else was already awake.
"¡Buenos días!" said Luz, cracking an egg into a skillet. "Hope you don't mind me cooking breakfast this morning. Thought I could give you a break."
"That's okay. Everyone I'd like you to meet…" said Danielle, only to see a shadow hover over her. "Eda…?"
"¡Cuidado!" shouted Luz, running towards Danielle.
The moment that Eda saw Aster on Danielle's shoulder, the curse acted up and the Owl Beast came out. Shrieking and raising its claws, the Owl Beast slashes at not only Danielle but Luz as well when she tied to push Danielle away. The girls scream as the Owl Beast's claw tear at their flesh before being slammed into the kitchen wall. King screams out the girls names while Aster ends up disappearing back at the crossroads after impacting against the kitchen wall.
"Noooo! No no no-no-no!" shouted Aster, more concerned for Danielle then reappearing back at his prison. "Danielle!"