Hope pinches the bridge of her nose; she hates complicated things. She adjusts her bandages and rubs a knot in her shoulder. He had two options, so why was she so vexed about his choice? It was obvious that the witch was mad about him not choosing her. The last thing he said before leaving stayed in her mind. Love me? How could he say that so casually? Hope almost believed him when he said it for the first time.
She wanted to run into his arms right then, if she were being completely honest with herself. Even the thought of it caused butterflies to flutter in her stomach. She struggled to recall a moment when someone had shown affection for her. She ruminates as visions of a lady go through her mind. Grace. the lone other person in her harrowing existence to display care for her.
Grace slipped through the witch's grasp despite her best efforts to hold onto her. Grace had been taken away from her. That pair of brown, suffering eyes peering into hers was something she would never forget. Was she worried that Ben might also be stolen from her? Hope cursed her overthinking mind. She will not accept his departure as the outcome they both desired. She will pursue Ben until she hears an acceptable explanation for why he didn't want to be a hero. Not just him, but Gwen as well. She could tell the redhead was straining under the weight of her responsibilities. If the darkness Gwen displayed was real, the fight from last night should have ended abruptly with Hope's demise. Hope is certain that the hatred Gwen manifested was a figment of the woman's extreme stress.
So I have an overwhelmed and anxious pair of super-powerful cousins to deal with. Great. How could this get any worse?
She'll bring them back. She had to. Hope closes her eyes while concentrating, and a gateway appears shortly after. Hope steadily crossed through the portal as it waited patiently.
Ben stares out over the huge, deserted metropolis. He was reminded of his own home by the city. He wonders where all the people went, and as he does, he is suddenly brought back to a long-ago civil war. Like most conflicts, the cause was a group of individuals who were unhappy with the way things were. Azmuth, who was considered by most to be the First Thinker, was challenged by some who thought Azmuth wasn't acting in the best interests of the planet and its future.
Being the heartless jerk that he is, Azmuth determined that expelling the group from their home planet was the most appropriate answer. Ben had to act as a mediator in an effort to defuse the situation. To put it mildly, it wasn't successful. Azmuth refused to pay attention to what the opposing side had to say. Violence broke out despite the presence of one of the most intelligent extraterrestrial races in several galaxies.
The subsequent battle left the mega-city in ruins. After the major fight, Azmuth rebuilt everything, but the majority of the locals sought refuge on neighboring worlds and never came back. What about the other side, then? Ben Tennyson, Azmuth's champion, annihilated them completely and thoroughly. Following that, even Azmuth's faithful advisors stepped aside and washed their hands clean of everything. The First Thinker quickly became the lone thinker.
"Intruder alert," a robotic voice calls over the intercom.
From his memories, Ben is interrupted, and he turns toward the office door. He puzzled over why anyone might be lurking in a world that appeared to be empty. Perhaps a band of pirates? Ben smirks to himself at the suggestion and cracks his knuckles in anticipation like an old-timey school bully.
"Wait," Azmuth orders sternly.
"Why?" Ben groans as he stops his movement.
"It seems that a good friend has come to visit."
In response to his mentor's enigmatic words, the man arches an eyebrow. A familiar witch with silver hair is waiting for Ben when he turns the knob and opens the door. His amazement at seeing the woman caused his eyes to widen. When he notices the bandages covering her arms and neck, a worried expression spreads across his face. Hope spots him gazing and smiles before stepping past him into the room.
"That cousin of yours is a tough cookie," she claims nonchalantly.
"Gwen did this?" Ben practically shouted.
"Calm down. She was only defending herself."
"That doesn't make it any better."
Hope takes a seat in the desk chair and sighs, "It's a long story."
"Miss Hope, it is very good to see you again."
Looking back to see Azmuth, the witch almost fell out of the chair. Hope looks up and smiles brightly at the familiar creature.
"Hello to you too," she said with a small laugh.
Ben marches up to the desk and says, "Nevermind that; I want to hear this story."
Ben is desperate to get back to Earth after hearing of his cousin's plight. He will never be able to forgive himself for leaving her behind. He was naive to believe that leaving would put things on hold. No. Someone else was just left to carry the weight, and that someone else turned out to be his beloved cousin. He put the people he cared about the most in danger, and then he left Gwen to clean up his mess. What sort of hero was he to do such a thing?
No. He'll be damned if he allows his cousin to turn out to be the asshole he turned out to be. Where was he while Gwen was experiencing the exact thing he had been preaching about? skulking around eating fucking chili fries in his former mentor's office.
Ben's fear was evidently growing, as Hope could tell. Even if they had ended things poorly, she assumed he would be worried about the redhead. When it comes to how protective they were of one another, they were more like siblings. Cousins is merely a title. Oh, the things she would do for someone like that. Although Hope thinks she's already encountered someone of that kind.
"Well, it seems you're needed elsewhere, young Tennyson," Azmuth says matter-of-factly. "I hope everything we talked about soaked into that sponge you call a brain."
Ben nods at the alien and turns to Hope, ready to leave.
"Listen, you have to promise that when we find Gwen, you'll let me take the both of you somewhere," Hope interjects.
Ben arches an eyebrow at the sudden request.
"You HAVE to promise," Hope doubles down sternly.
"I promise," Ben says.
In response, the witch grinned and turned to walk away. A whirling pink vortex materializes in front of them with a wave of her hand. Ben has a determined expression on his face as he stands next to her. He would be going back to Bellwood for the second time. Ben is less enthusiastic than he was the first time, but he is more driven to make things work. He felt afraid, if he was being completely honest. He was afraid of what his friends, Gwen, and the rest of the world would think of him.
As a firm, warm hand slipped into Hope's, it tightly squeezed her like a worried kid clings to his mother. She experienced a brief resurgence of those butterflies in her gut. Although the hand felt strange, she didn't object to it. The witch was aware that it would take some time for her to come to terms with her emotions. She was willing to wait, as these things take time. The couple begins their upcoming journey by leaping through the portal.
Ben can sense the scent of recently cut grass. His ears are filled with the whirring of passing vehicles and birds. When he looked around, he saw that they had arrived at Gwen's house and were now standing on her front lawn. As he noticed there were no automobiles in the driveway, Ben felt relieved. Seeing Uncle Frank and Auntie Natalie after all this time would be really awkward. Just now, if there was anyone he wanted to confront about his cowardice, it would be Gwen.
A blue sports car pulls into the driveway just as he starts to believe they are safe. He could see a blonde man driving the car. He looked him over and saw that it was Cooper. What was Cooper doing at Gwen's house? More importantly, why did Gwen just get out of his car? Gwen and Ben were locked in a wild west standoff as they exchanged blank looks.
Ben could hear the engine shut off in the background, but he was more focused on his cousin. Gwen moves around to the other side of the vehicle, not breaking eye contact with her cousin. Ben's eyes flutter toward the towering blonde now stalking him as he hears approaching footsteps. Cooper cocks his fist back and socks Tennyson in the mouth as hard as he can. Ben collapses to the ground like a sack of potatoes as the blood's metallic flavor swiftly takes over his mouth. He'll admit that Cooper had a good right hook.
Ben casts a bleary-eyed gaze up at the blonde, who is scowling over him. Ben would have likely done the same thing if the roles had been reversed, so he couldn't hold it against him for swinging. All of the discomfort in his jaw is justly due.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" Cooper spat with enough venom to kill an elephant.
Cooper gave him a disgusted expression, as though he were a dog covered in maggots. That was also richly deserved. What Ben wasn't expecting was for Gwen to push Cooper away from him.
"Don't touch him!" she scolds harshly.
"But Gwen-"
"He's MY cousin! You do NOT touch him."
As Cooper realizes that Gwen is being serious, he pulls back. The harsh look in her eyes caused him to avert his gaze to the ground. Once more glaring at Ben, he then scoffs and walks away. Ben shuffles to his feet, brushing the dirt off himself and holding his sore jaw. He nods his thanks at Gwen, who completely ignores his gratitude.
"Thank you-"
"Don't talk to me before I lose my mind," Gwen snaps promptly.
The redhead looked over at Hope. She advances quickly, just like Cooper did with Ben. With his arm placed in front of Hope in a protective manner, Tennyson draws closer to her.
"I won't let you hurt her again," Ben says calmly.
"It's alright, Ben, I understand why she's angry."
At this point, Hope and Gwen's faces were only a foot apart; Gwen's fierce expression paralleled Hope's placid one.
"I spare you, patch you up, and you bring HIM to my doorstep?" Gwen growls.
Ben interjects, "I was the one who wanted to come."
Gwen's eyes snap to Ben. She pokes a finger into his chest. "I thought I told you"- Gwen pushes the man back- "To stay quiet!"
"I wanted to see you," Ben continues.
Gwen's eyes soften for a moment before the fire in them returns. "What did I tell you the last time we met?"
Ben remembers the nasty remarks she made after their fight, but he won't let that stop him from expressing his thoughts.
"I heard what happened between you and Hope; she told me about how you were going to torture Forever Knights to get information," he explains. "This isn't like you."
Gwen growls, "There's no way you're going to lecture me after I begged on my knees for you to come home countless times before."
"Things were different then-"
Oh, that's rich!" Gwen laughs in his face. "It's not the same!" she mocks. "What a fucking joke!"
"It's not the same because I know you're not a weak-willed coward like me, because I know you do the right thing regardless of the deciding factors."
"I won't show you pity, Benjamin Tennyson."
"I want you to change and be better than me; that's all I ever wanted."
Gwen looks past Ben at Hope and asks, "Is this all you have, some cheesy soap opera gimmick?" she chides.
"Gwen, listen to me-"
"No, she's right," Hope interrupts. "We're way past arguing, so instead I have something to show the both of you."
"Why would I be interested after the previous gift?"
"Because it's the person you want to see the most right now."
Gwen's eyes widen before narrowing slowly. "And how would you know that?" She questions.
"Call it a hunch."
Hope needs access to her log cabin's cellar for this plan to be successful. Cooper offered to drive them there out of respect for Gwen. He drives off in the direction of their destination after they all cram into his car. Although no one objected to the silence, the automobile journey was awkward and quiet. Cooper comes to a halt in front of Hope's residence.
Hope exits the vehicle first, and approaches the wooden door to her cabin. In order to trigger the magic that kept the door locked, she tapped the knob three times. Everyone is invited inside, and the witch walks them past her living room and into the hallway leading to the bedrooms. She pauses in front of a wall and chants quietly to herself. The door-like wall moves out of position to reveal a dim stairwell.
Ben is not shocked that Hope created trapdoors throughout the house. Even the most bizarre occurrences no longer surprise him since the witch is so remarkable; instead, they only serve to heighten his regard for her. In addition, shifting a concealed wall is not the most absurd thing he has ever seen her do.
As they descend the steps and into the pitch blackness, Hope summons a tiny ember in her fingers to serve as light. Only a few feet at most, and that was being charitable, were illuminated by the little glow. It's still essentially black around the group. Cooper is the first to point it out.
"Are we saving on the light bill?" Cooper chirps. "How are we going to see anything in here with that spark?"
Hope ignores him as she guides them deeper into the musty cellar. Cooper's hand is encased in nanobots as they create the hand for his suit. He takes matters into his own hands and shines to his left with the light emanating from his repulsor. An aged, brown bookcase's surface is coated with a sticky, black ooze. Cooper shines his light on it to further examine the enigmatic thing. He shrieks in fear as he witnesses a bloodshot eye spring open and glance about before turning to face him. The creature makes a terrible noise, then skitters off into the blackness.
"What the fuck was that?" Cooper cries out.
"A Wiseg," she calmly states. "Shadows creatures that are irritated by light, hence the 'spark'."
Cooper retracts the nanobots into his bloodstream and thinks the less he knows, the better. Ben suppresses a chuckle as Gwen's smirk deepens. The creatures swimming in the shadows could be felt by the redhead. Also, she sensed the existence of strong magical artifacts, some of which had an aura that dated back thousands of years. As the books begged her to open them, offering riches and eternity, the weapons that contained petrified souls echoed the faint screams of the condemned. As soon as they entered the basement, she constructed a protective shield around them to prevent any evil thoughts from entering their heads. No wonder she kept this hidden. Talk about skeletons in the closet. Gwen will have to speak to Hope about possibly moving her magical arsenal to a pocket dimension.
"Are we there yet?" Cooper whines. "I feel like we've been walking for hours."
Ben didn't blame the blonde because it did seem like they had been wandering about for ages. The man's sore feet, which served as further evidence of how far they must have traveled, made him refuse to think it was only his imagination.
How do you think I feel? Gwen said to herself. This place is flawed in every way. This location was devoid of mana; in fact, the cursed relics sucked away all trace of magic. She needed to maintain a steady focus on the barrier to keep it from physically dissipating into nothingness. The cellar stealing mana from her very lifeforce didn't help matters either. And her feet hurt.
"That's because we have," Hope reassures. "Eight hours, to be exact."
"Eight fucking hours?" Cooper choked.
"Time and space move differently here due to the presence of the many cursed relics," Hope explains. "In fact, if it hadn't been for Gwen, your souls would have exploded and been consumed by the Wiseg as soon as you stepped foot in here."
"Exploded?" Ben arches an eyebrow.
"Consumed?" Cooper bleated.
"You're saying their lack of mana control would make them prey for the magical items and creatures?" Gwen hypothesized.
Hope flashes a smile. "Smart girl."
"Don't do that," Gwen retorted.
"Do what exactly?"
"Act as if I'm some amateur at magic," the redhead huffs. "I'm not a kid anymore."
"I never said you were."
"Aw hell no, you're saying these old books had enough energy to create a dimension on top of ours?" Cooper inquires sharply.
Hope waves her hand. "I don't really know the science behind it, but something like that."
"That's all she wrote for me," Cooper groused. "I have a couple things to do with Elena anyway."
"By all means, nobody is stopping you." Hope sighs, "Although you won't make it far without a protection barrier and a light source."
"Please, Lord, protect me from these demons," he prays under his breath.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you; they don't like the mention of other deities besides themselves."
Cooper thinks to himself in a low voice that he should have waited in the car rather than attending this horrorshow. He nervously nibbles his nails as he follows his friends through the tunnel. Ben, who has been quiet the entire ride, has been considering what he will say to Gwen. She had to be willing to listen to something, but for the time being, she was not interested in hearing him out. Nevertheless, he was also aware of another thing: the way Hope's hand felt as it curled around his. He didn't anticipate them being as supple as if he were grasping marshmallows. With just a slight difference in size, her hand slipped into his flawlessly. It felt right at the time but was undeserved. When he touched her, a joy that was unmatched in its intensity erupted within him.
Hope stopped, raised her hand, and motioned for everyone to follow suit. They had come to a door made of dark brass. The surface of the door was etched with illegible symbols and lettering. A podium with an unidentifiable monstrous skull on top is visible nearby. When inspected more closely, a fountain-like mechanism with a funnel in the middle was visible beneath the skull.
Hope approaches the device and pokes her finger along the sharp tooth of the skull. A steady stream of blood then pours into the bowl and swirls down the funnel. The moment the blood enters the gadget, a brilliant red light bursts into the pitch-black chamber. The blood then follows the trail of the lines, which are now discernible on the floor, up to the doors. The once-brass doors, now tainted with red, start to spill the thick red liquid from the top like a waterfall. The door creaks open as they fill each corner, revealing a larger, more disproportionate area inside.
Ben didn't believe this nightmare could possibly grow any scarier. He despises being proven wrong. If this didn't scream Evil Dead—evil books, shadow creatures, and blood-operated doors—he didn't know what did. How does Hope manage to get any sleep in this awful house? He assumes it's like a baby. His eyes enlarge as he notices the cubic room that the doors have revealed; the space must be at least 100 feet by 100 feet. Just glancing up at the ceiling caused his head to spin due to its height. Large tendrils of red goo coated the walls, leading to a pile of red viscera in the center of the room, as if the space weren't already horrifying enough.
Ben claims to be able to make out distorted faces peering back at him in the blood and gore. His skin crawled at the horrid noises that came from the mystical thing. He now regrets entering this hostile environment. It made his head ache; his skull is crawling with worms, and his mind is screaming at him to take them out. They were tearing at his brain, he could feel it. He must peel the flesh from his body in order to get rid of them. Scratch, scratch, scratch, scratch. Prior to his hands grabbing his face, Hope gives him a sharp slap.
"Do not listen to the voices!"
Cooper's eyes were staring up at the ceiling in blankness as Gwen did the same to him. They couldn't stay here for very long because the men are going crazy from the cursed atmosphere and lack of protection against magical elements. The demonic power is reaching them despite her magical barrier being up, via their five senses.
"Whatever it is you've got to do, do it now!" Gwen yells at the other sorceress.
As Hope pours mana into the ball of viscera, a burst of red light illumines the dark room, and numerous symbols glow along the wall. Hope's silver hair floats about her like she's in zero gravity, her eyes glowing a vivid shade of pink. Her arms feel as though they are being submerged in buckets of shattered glass. It is now obvious that doing this after casting an absolute spell is foolish.
"What do you think I'm doing?" she chokes out.
Cooper's pupils gradually dilate as foam starts to seep from his mouth. Gwen has now given up on maintaining her own barrier in favor of Cooper and Ben's. Thousands of voices are simultaneously wanting to be heard, but she ignores the burning pain that shoots through her skull. Cooper's name is repeatedly yelled by the redhead to keep him bound to their world.
Ben collapses to his knees from mental stress. To drown out the noises, he slams his hands over his ears. Blood trickled from his nose as tears streamed down his face. Ben collapses to the ground, writhing. His entire body had the sensation of being on fire. The man had never before felt this kind of suffering.
"Hurry!" Gwen glowers.
"I am!"
There was not much time left for Ben and Cooper. Gwen's alternatives are limited. Only enough energy is being saved by her to teleport them away if necessary. The magic user is so weak that she hardly has enough balance to stand. She hasn't transported them out yet solely because she believes Hope has something significant to show them. Her vision is beginning to become blurry. It was either now or never.
"Hope…"
"I GOT IT!"
In front of the group, a whirling red vortex appears. Gwen holds Cooper and Ben in a bubble before launching them through the portal as a last-ditch effort. Gwen loses her footing and falls forward, but Hope grabs her hand and dives through the vortex. As the gateway closes behind them, the two witches collapse to the ground, flat on their faces. While Gwen gently raises her head to look for Ben and Cooper, Hope rolls onto her back to allow air to enter her lungs. The blonde is curled into a ball, and her cousin is breathing heavily on his hands and knees.
"You guys owe me big time," Cooper groans.
When Gwen and Hope gradually stand up to take in their surroundings, they can feel their strength slowly regaining. Cooper sits up, disgusted by the drool on his shirt. Ben tries to stand up, but his wobbly legs give way, causing him to collapse to his knees once more. Gwen could see that they were in another void; however, this one had gray sand covering the ground and a little breeze.
The absence of the previous voices is the first thing Gwen observes. Also, she detects a seemingly unending number of lifeless and dull auras in this new environment. Neither did she sense any animosity coming from them. Although there is little to no mana flowing through this area, it wasn't continually draining her mana either. Gwen places a hand on the shoulder of Hope, who is breathing heavily. She wills some of her mana into the witch. Hope slaps her hand away, but Gwen replaces it instantly.
Hope glares at her through tired eyes and growls, "Worry about yourself."
"Not- a chance," Gwen breathes.
Cooper stands to his feet, combs a hand through his hair, and tries to peer through the fog. Nothing as far as the eye could see; he's getting really tired of this darkness.
"Where are we?" he asks.
"The land between life and death, aka the spirit realm," Hope discloses.
"So, limbo?" Cooper breathes.
"It doesn't have the same parameters as limbo, considering this isn't a place where lost souls go," Hope explains. "This is where all souls go."
"So Heaven and Hell aren't real?"
"What we're seeing isn't what they're seeing; think of this as a mirror for us to communicate."
"So, what are we doing here?" Ben inquires. He isn't understanding what all of this means for them.
Hearing the name of their destination causes Gwen to remain silent for a variety of reasons. The most important reason is that she is conscious of the implications of entering such a realm; she didn't know much, but she had studied enough ancient books to be aware of this realm. The second reason for her silence is that she knows exactly where Hope is taking this, and she isn't prepared for any of it. Does Hope consider this to be therapy?
Hope's hands glow a vibrant shade of pink as she brings forth more mana. "Show me Kevin Levin," she chants ominously.
Gwen's heart dropped into the pit of her stomach. She thought she was going to vomit. Her eyes enlarge as the light breeze of the spirit domain intensifies into a strong wind that is whirling sand in their direction. In front of them, a mini-twister the size of a human emerges; the wind manifests itself as a recognizable corporeal form before calming down. A face shouts out as it appears in the swirling air.
"Gwen?"
Gwen's hand clamps over her mouth as the voice confirms her theory.
"Gwen, is that you?" Kevin stammers again.
Ben opens his mouth in disbelief. Kevin is there—not Ultimate Kevin or the monster he killed three years ago, but regular Kevin. He attempts to talk, but no words come from his mouth. He can only stare in astonishment.
"It's me, Kevin," Gwen croaks.
She doesn't recall moving forward, but all of a sudden, she is in front of the vaporous Kevin.
"Oh Gwen…"
It had been so long since she had heard his voice that tears filled her eyes. Gwen didn't mind that Kevin's touch was cold and cutting like a kitchen knife when he reached up to brush away her tears. It's worth it to feel him touch her again.
"Big girls don't cry," he says calmly.
Gwen chuckles before more tears fall from her eyes. "I-I miss you," she stutters.
"I miss you too."
She sobs quietly in his chest, allowing him to embrace her for the first time in what felt like an eternity. It took her a while to realize that this wasn't a dream she was going to wake up from. She's in Kevin's arms once more, just as if she were back in her 16-year-old body. She wanted to stay here forever.
Ben tries to hold back his emotions while gazing blankly at his shoes, but gravity is against him. Only a few feet away, the man he so brutally killed was hugging his cousin. He keeps seeing images of their previous experiences. He wishes that things had turned out differently.
"Don't act like I don't see you back there, hero."
Ben's entire body froze before slowly lifting his head to look at Kevin.
"Is that how you greet an old friend?"
Friend? Hero? He was neither of those things. How could someone directly affected by his poor decisions say such a foolish thing?
"Kevin, I-"
"Forget it," he interrupts. "It's in the past, and I'm going to punch you if you give me some sappy apology." "You did what you had to do, right?" He continued. "Even if it wasn't what you wanted to do, that's cool with me."
Ben stood there with tear-stained cheeks, listening intently to Kevin.
Kevin rolls his eyes. "You're such a crybaby."
Ben quickly wipes his face and laughs, "Whatever, asshole."
"And just so you know, I would have done the same thing, dickhead," Kevin jokes back.
Gwen feels the man fading away around her as the wind starts up once again. Despite her frantic attempts to grab him, Kevin simply slips between her fingers like smoke.
"No, don't go!" she cries.
Ben watches as the wind carries his best friend away.
"Look out for each other," he says. "And stay away from my girl or I'll pound ya," he shouts finally, referring to Cooper.
Gwen stares up, watching her first love vanish into thin air.
"I'm sorry, they can't stay for long," Hope apologizes.
"Thank you," Gwen says with a sniffle.
"Don't thank me yet," she advises. "Show me, Max Tennyson."
The cousins turn to the wind that forms into their dead grandfather. A bright smile is the first thing they see from the man.
"Grandpa!" Gwen exclaims as she runs into his arms.
"Oh, Gwendolyn!" he laughs. "Look at how much you've grown."
Happy tears fall down Gwen's face as she feels her grandfather's arms wrap around her.
"Are you going to leave your old man hanging?" Max calls out to Ben.
Ben rushes into his grandpa's arm without a second thought. Tears are continuously flowing down his cheeks. He didn't deserve it, but he wanted this reality so badly.
"Grandpa- I-I'm sorry!" Ben sobs into his chest.
"Shh," he hums. "That's quite alright; I already forgave you, but isn't it high time you forgave yourself?"
"I can't!" Ben cries. "I don't deserve to be standing here, you do."
"Hey now, what's all that quitter talk?" Max chimes in. "The Ben Ten I knew would never say something like that; he would pick himself up and dust himself off."
A smile grew on Cooper's face upon seeing old man Tennyson. He's the one who mentored him and all the other junior Plumbers. It's good to see him again. At that moment, Cooper feels a whisper tickle his ear.
"Cooper…"
He glances around, confused, but sees nothing. I hope they were right about him dodging the crazy bullet.
"Cooper, honey,"
The blonde freezes in his tracks. Only one person could have that voice and those mannerisms—his mother.
"Mom," he murmurs back.
The voice recurs, this time coming from a greater distance. Hope restrains Cooper by placing a hand on his shoulder as he turns to follow the calling voice.
"Don't. I don't know who you're hearing but it's not them."
The voice calls for him to go to her once more. Hope's hold on the man's shoulder becomes more firm.
"I hear my name too, but we call them, not the other way around."
Cooper unwinds and turns around. He hears the voice fading into the wind.
"I love you kids so much," Max smiles.
"I love you too," they simultaneously say.
"No matter what happens, both of you have to stick together, okay?" he lectures.
Ben and Gwen nod in agreement.
"Gwen, don't work so hard," he tells the redhead. "And Ben, stop slacking and help your cousin out, eh?"
The cousins were similar to two children learning from Santa Claus how to avoid being put on the naughty list.
Max sighs with a laugh, "Remember that I'll always be proud of both of you."
Time is running short as the wind starts to kick up once more. Max offers his grandchildren a bright smile while stroking their hair. The smile that never leaves the man's face follows him as he lifts into the sky and escapes their grasp.
"You two are the best things to ever happen to me."
Hope falls to her knees in exhaustion. Gwen immediately rushes over to tend to her, and Ben looks equally concerned.
"We have to go," she murmurs. "He's coming."
"Who?" Cooper inquires.
At that moment, a large gust of wind comes to pass, swirling into a massive, disembodied skull similar to the one on the podium. The monstrous creature stares down at them with hollow eyes. Ben's hand levitates towards his watch, and Cooper's armor begins to cover his body. Gwen is attempting to pull Hope to her feet.
"You do not belong here," the skull bellows. "Go and never return."
The group is engulfed in a burst of white light. Gwen notices a voice whispering in her ear just before they are transferred away.
"Beware the second coming."
"Grandma?" she questions, confused.
The group was once again in Hope's log cabin after the light had faded. The door-turned-wall slammed shut with such power that the entire house shook.
"Beware the second coming," she repeats under her breath.
Ben's shouts jolt her back into reality, and she looks down at Hope, who is in spasms. Gwen maintains her posture while placing her fingers in Hope's mouth to prevent the witch from biting her tongue. Her body fills with mana when she returns to the living world, and she casts several healing spells on Hope right away. As each spell gets stronger, Hope's body starts to slow down and eventually stop. When Gwen notices that Hope's chest is beating regularly, she sighs with relief as she looks at her comatose figure.
As Cooper realizes Hope is fine, he huffs and flops to the floor. Ben and Gwen exchange a glance that can only indicate that they'll be chatting a lot later. He assists his cousin in picking up Hope and carrying her inside Hope's bedroom to place her on the bed. Cooper's snores reverberate down the hallway, and Gwen giggles.
"Stay with her, please," Ben requests. "I'll take the couch."
Gwen gives an appreciative nod before sinking into the chair next to the window. Ben is seated on the couch with his head in his hands. They all had a lot of thinking to do. Yet in the middle of his musings, sleep overtakes him, as it does with all exhausted creatures.
Author's Note: S/O to the people who told me my shit was fucked, thank you. Please enjoy this updated chapter! And sorry for the delay.