Luz watched in horror as her daughter, Luisa was being sucked into a massive portal. She grabbed Luisa by the arm and tried desperately to draw her out but the pull of the portal was too strong. She could feel her grip on Luisa's wrist slipping as the portal was about to swallow them. Luz looked into her daughter's eyes and saw fear there.
"Mamá?" Luisa said before
Being enveloped in a blinding light. When Luz opened her eyes she saw that her daughter was gone.
"Luisa!" Luz cried out as she rose from the bed. She looked around and saw the usual darkness of her bedroom, the only light coming into the room was from the full moon outside.
"Luz?"
Luz looked down to see her fiancé, Amity Blight rubbing her eyes and getting up.
"You had the nightmare again, Didn't you?" Amity asked in a concerned voice.
Luz looked away for a moment, not wanting Amity to see her like this.
"Luz, don't turn away," Amity said as she got out of bed and sat next to Luz on her side.
Luz wiped away her tears.
"I'm-sorry, Amity. You shouldn't see me like this." Luz said while trying to suppress more tears.
"You shouldn't feel bad about showing your feelings… I'm actually kind of glad you are. After all, it's not healthy to hold in your feelings."
A small smile began to form on Luz's face but that smile faded away again.
"I just wish she was here. I hate worrying about What's happening to her right now, wherever she and the others are."
Amity rubbed Luz's back as the two embraced.
"Is everything alright?"
The two looked to the Doorway and Saw Pep standing in the doorway.
"Everything is fine, Pep. Luz just had a nightmare, that's all." Amity said calmly.
"We didn't wake you, Did we?" Luz asked.
"N-no, I was already awake"
Luz wiped away another tear and then got out of bed, Amity followed close behind.
Luz bent down and looked Pep in the eyes. "Why were you awake?"
Pep looked away for a moment then looked back at Luz and Amity.
"I couldn't sleep, I shouldn't sleep, I don't deserve to after what happened to Luisa and the others!"
Now Pep was the one crying.
Amity was about to comfort him but Luz beat her to it. She wiped away Pep's tears and smiled at the boy.
"Pep, you have nothing to feel guilty about. You are just as much a victim as My daughter and her friends. We don't know why you were teleported into the mountains but the others weren't…but we're going to find them and find Kikimora and after that, we'll all take her down together.
Luz looked over at Amity.
"All of us."
"What…what'll happen to me after we find her."
"You'll be right there with us then and after." Luz then messed up Pep's Hair.
"I always wanted a son and Luisa always wanted a Big brother, Amity and I have already put in for the paperwork."
"You'll legally be our son in a matter of months, even though you're practically our son now." Amity said.
The two women then hugged there adopted son. Pep embraced them both. In that moment he felt a small pang of guilt,he wasn't the real Pep, his actual name was Felipe. Kikimora had created him alongside the real Pep and Philip, they were all clones of the original Philip Wittebane but unlike Pep and Philip he was the only one as fare as he knew that was still alive. Kikimora had instructed him to keep an eye on Luz and Amity, even though he was only supposed to spy on them, he had to admit they had been more caring and loving towards him then Kikimora ever had been.
As the three separated Amity noticed an odd look on luz's face.
"Everything ok?" Amity asked.
"Ya…i just, part of me wonders wherever the kids are what they're doing at this very moment."
(Elsewhere)
The real Pep slowly opened his eyes and looked up at the high ceiling of his bedroom. The walls of the Room itself was covered in with beautiful paintings and shining trinkets.
"Ready for your special day, young lord?"
Pep looked down and his eyes went wide, beside his bed with a tray holding a small pitcher of orange juice and a plate of bacon, eggs, and toast was Kikimora, her face was normal now, not horribly burned like it usually was.
" Best be quick with your breakfast, my Lord. Your father wishes you to be at the demonstration."
Pep ignored her and began to devour the food served to him. He'd never eaten so much ever in his life. Kikimora never fed him this well before, all his life all she'd ever given him was a lumpy tasteless paste that she said was better food for grimwalkers…Pep stopped eating when he remembered that's what he was, not a witch, not a Human but both and neither, and a little bit of something else in there, too.
Kikimora grabbed him by his fancy Pajamas and quickly cast a Changing spell on him.
Pep came out of his thoughts and was horrified to see he was wearing a smaller version of emperor Belos's royal clothes. Pep was horrified and tried immediately to take the new clothes off stopped when he heard a very cultured voice speak.
"Ah there's my beautiful boy."
In the mirror Pep was terrified to see his Father, Emperor Belos looking back at there shared reflection.
"Your going to make me very proud today,son." Belos said as placed his gloved hand on Pep's shoulder.
Belos then lead Pep out of the room and onto a balcony. Below them were crowds of cheering human men and women cheering : Burn them, Burn the heathens! Surprisingly they weren't what pep was staring at it was the tall wooden stakes lined up with 6 children tied to them. The 6 were Luisa, Luz's Daughter, Erich, Willow's son, Uriel, The collector's young son, Penelope, Boscha's daughter, Lithie, Steve's daughter, and Mary's adopted son, Roland, these six were the closest thing to friends he had ever known, they had taken him in as there friend even knowing what he truly was, and where he came from.
Belos handed him a flaming torch and pointed to the trail of gunpowder that led all the way to the stakes.
" Light the flame, Pep. Send these Heathens to hell where they belong."
Pep looked back at the stakes to see his friends looked at him with defeat in there eyes..All except Luisa, her eyes only showed heart break, heart break that he, the boy she had begun to see as a brother would betray her and there friends like this.
Pep watched as her head went down in defeat, she had truly given up on him.
"Don't just stand there, Light the fire! Belos barked.
Pep turned around, hot tears running down his cheeks .
"Please don't make me, I..I can't do this, not to them."
Belos smiled.
"Why, my dear boy, you already have."
Pep looked down and noticed that he had dropped the torch onto the trail of gun powder, the flames quickly follow the trail of explosive dust until the entire piles of steaks and burst into flames!
The crowd cheered even louder than before, and sang out: Death to Witches, Burn the heathens!"
Pep ignore their chant and only heard the pain filled screams of his friends as they burned alive!
"No!" Pep yelled before collapsing to the ground! He didn't want I look but he couldn't take his eyes away from the flames.
"Pep, look at me!" Luisa screamed from the the flames.
Pep's eyes widened as he watched her talk.
"I want to to watch what you've done to us,Your Friend! Watch how we suffer for trusting you!"
Luisa stopped talking as the flames grew stronger.
"I…I'm sorry." Pep struggled to say before he finally looked away cried violently into his hands.
"I'm so sorry."
"You shouldn't be, you did wonderful, son. In fact I have another gift for you."
Pep looked around and saw a massive shard of glass next to him, he grabbed it and was about to stab his father with it but just as he got up he dropped it when he saw what Belos was holding, his Palisman, String-Bean.
"Go on, Son. Partake of this creature's power."
Belos then broke String-Bean in two!
"No!"
Pep opened his eyes and saw he was in a regular bedroom with everyone else. Relief showered over him for a moment before someone threw a pillow at him! He looked over to see it was Lithie who had thrown it.
"Pep, I don't care what ever kind of dream or Nightmare you had, don't wake me up again." Lithie said before Turing around and falling back asleep.
Pep sighed then got off the inflatable mattress. His Palisman, String-Bean noticed Pep getting up and immediately flew over and wrapped herself around her Witch's shoulders.
After years of hibernation in her egg, String-Bean had changed more to resemble a Female king Cobra, her snake body had grown longer and the ball at the end of the tail was now red.
Pep smiled as he saw String-Bean wrap herself around his shoulders.
"Hey girl, you can't sleep either?"
String-Bean replied with a hiss.
Pep then rubbed the cobra changer under her chin the way she liked.
Pep walked out into the porch and looked out at the beautiful starry night sky. Back when he lived underneath Hexside he would only ever see the stars when Kikimora sent him out to fetch food, since the Academy was inside the city so he wouldn't get to see much but a few stars at night but here the stars were so numerous and beautiful…everything here was.
"And I thought I was the only one with insomnia."
Luisa came down from the roof and hung upside down by her feet.
Anyone else would've been shocked by this but Pep had gotten used Luisa's antics by now.
"May I be so bold to ask why your hanging upside down from the roof?" Pep asked.
"I'm trying to attract Fruit bats, I want to see if my beast keeping magic works here in the human realm."
"First of all, you are aware that fruit bats don't live in the United States or anywhere else in north or South America, right?"
Luisa looked away.
" know it all." Luisa muttered.
"And the second thing, aren't you from here? Wouldn't you know that your magic works here."
"I'm not from here, Pep. I was born and raised in New Bonesborough. I've been here to visit my grandma and grandpa and Aunti vee but after my dad died we started coming here less and less till eventually my mom and I just communicate with my grandparents and family through inter-dimensional zoom calls."
"Well then aren't you a little scared to be stuck here?"
Luisa flipped down but instead of landing on her feet, she landed clumsily on her face!
Pep immediately pulled her up.
"You ok?"
Luisa rubbed her head.
"Ya I'm fine,nothing a little bit of Uriel's Healing magic won't cure. To answer your next question, a little bit but also I'm exited, I haven't been here for so many years, Pep. Seeing everything now is so exhilarating, Don't you think so?!"
Pep was a tab surprised by her answer but smiled.
"In a way, yes it is…but it's probably just because this is the longest amount of time I've spent above ground, not having someone yell at you for the smallest infraction."
Luisa noticed the sad look on Pep's face and placed a hand on his shoulder.
" Ya know,Pep you don't have to keep all those memories locked up. You can talk to us about it, it's not healthy to keep everything locked away."
Pep looked away from her as he remembered the nightmare he had had. He couldn't get the image of Luisa's body burning at the steak. He gently removed Luisa's hand from his shoulder.
"Thanks Isa but I'm not ready to let it out, not yet anyway..I'm Afraid your friends won't be as excepting of me, as you are with the things I've done."
"Pep, that's not…wait did you just call me isa?"
Pep noticed Luisa's face changing into a smug smile.
"Ya, why do you care?"
"Cuz only my friends call me Isa so by that logic you and I are friends."
Memories of the nightmare came back again, Luisa burning alive at the stake shouting at him for betraying his friends.
"No,We're not friends! We're allies united because we share a common foe,That's it!"
Pep then turned around walked back into the house. String-Bean wanted to give her witch a bite on the ear for being so mean to Luz's daughter but she didn't since any bite from her would be extremely lethal because of her Acid like venom.
"Hiss!"
Pep didn't answer but unwrapped String-Bean from his shoulders and put her back with the other sleeping Palisman.
String-Bean looked sadly at her witch partner as he tossed and turned in his sleep. She wished she could help him, she hadn't known Pep long but before she even hatched from her egg she knew he was meant to be her witch, there was something deep inside that he was keeping hidden, she just had to find it.
(Outside the Universe, Hall of the archivists)
Philip looked at the Sleeping body of Hunter as he floated in a suspended animation tank along with his second Palisman, Naan the Whooping crane. He stepped closer to the tank and looked at his uncle. It still boggled him that his father, Belos had continuously created, clones of his deceased, older brother, Caleb only to kill them when they eventually betrayed him and they all betrayed him eventually because they were too sympathetic to the magic users just like the original Caleb. Hunter was no different. That being said unlike the other clones of Caleb, he actually succeeded in surviving long enough to see his creator killed. That was why Kikimora had cloned him and Pep from Belos's DNA in order to avoid that mettlesome sympathy but even then there were still complications. Pep who only partly resembled the original Philip had been born with bright orange hair, Heterochromia so his right eye was green but the other was Brown as well as a gap in his front teeth…just like there traitorous uncle. while Philip had been born a perfect replica of his young father but unfortunately he had not only inherited his father's resemblance,but as well as his curse. Most of his life he's always been sick barely able to walk a few steps but pep have been born with no genetic defects, and was surprisingly quite healthy.
He hit the tank with his first! Why when he had wanted to continue their fathers legacy was he born with the same defects while his twin brother who didn't look like there father or want anything to do with him get to be born healthy! Then that sympathy had reared its ugly head up again and his brother had betrayed him and joined luz's daughter Luisa against him, his own brother. He looked up again at the tank.
"What is it, Uncle? Why are the true visionaries in our family cursed while the traitors are given health and victory!?"
"I've often wondered that as well."
Philip turned around and saw the oldest and only surviving member of the archivists, Mammon. Mammon appeared differently to each person that looked upon him, to Philip he appeared as an 8 ft 11 in man dressed in fine silken robes, his hair was long yet translucent. Philip noticed the hateful look Mammon gave Hunter in the tank. Years ago when Philip had been young, Mammon had tried to eradicate the demon realm once, and for all, in order to prevent the witches and demons from crossing over into other worlds, like they had with the Human Relm but just as Mammon had been close to wiping out all the witches and demons Hunter had struck the demigod with a bomb that disfigured his hand and nearly killed him and it's very person who crested that bomb was none other than his younger brother, Leviathan or as everyone else knew him better as the collector. Mammon thought this is he looked at his disfigure hand.
" I figured you would have freed your uncle by now."
"Why would I do that?"
"For information, obviously. Who would know your enemy better than her own father? Hunter knows Luisa, though him you could learn her weakness."
"I don't need him for that besides he's been stuck here since she was four years old, all he'd know is what her favorite color is and what cartoons she likes to watch….however my uncle's Palismsn may prove useful."
Mammon smiled and showed interest. He bent down so his head and was nearly close to Philip's right ear.
"Oh how so?"
"Much like her mother, Luisa didn't receive a Palisman at Hexside academy, what if we sent Naan hear to be Luisa's palisman, as her witches daughter I'm sure Naan will be drawn to her. We'll cast a spell on the crane so whatever she sees, we see and know the perfect time to strike."
"Using her own father's palisman to spy on her and her friends? Pep that's horribly wicked…I'm very proud of you.
(Gravesfield Historical Society, Connecticut, USA, Human Realm)
Masha got out there keys and opened the front doors of the museum. Roland, Lithie, Erich and Uriel followed her in as she turned on the lights.
"Why did you bring us here, Masha?" Lithie asked as she and the others looked around the museum.
"I thought it would be cool to show you kids what I do for a living not to mention I thought it would be good to give Vee and Pep some privacy for there illusions training."
"I wonder why Penelope didn't come? She'd love to see all this old Human stuff." Erich said as he looked at an old old book titled American cookery. He gripped the book only slightly tighter and it burst into dust!
Erich looked around and pushed the dust under the table then joined everyone else. He noticed Uriel was looking closely at one old painting in particular. The woman in the painting was extremely pale and wore a lavander colored dress, on her shoulder was an Opossum. Uriel looked over at Masha.
"Masha, who's this in the painting?" Uriel asked before taking a sip of the cola flavored slushy Masha had bought him and the others.
"Oh that's The lady of the creek. Legend has it some time after the revolutionary war another witch found her way here to GravesField before moving on to Massachusetts. Her name was Phoebe, she quickly made herself famous throughout New England for her magical ability as well as her unique genius. She's credited by some as to helping put a stop to Shays' Rebellion in 1787 but her greatest achievement was creating The Bridgewater Triangle, an area of about 200 square miles (520 km2) within southeastern Massachusetts."
"What did she do there?" Roland asked.
Masha smiled wickedly, they were glad to finally have the kids attention.
"It's an area claimed to be a site of alleged paranormal phenomena, ranging from UFOs to poltergeists, and other spectral phenomena, various bigfoot-like sightings, giant snakes and thunderbirds. If the stories are correct then Phoebe opened up a massive portal unleashing into our world several other new kind of monsters, snakes or interdimensional travelers into the triangle and they would devour or take away mortals stupid have to wander in."
"What happened to her?" Lithie asked.
" Shortly after she used her magic to help put down Shays' Rebellion, one of the survivors of the uprising found her and tried to kill her in her sleep. Phoebe was able to fight off her attacker but unfortunately her wounds were too severe, she died trying to make her way back here, some say it was because she was trying to summon a portal back home others say it was to say goodbye to her lover who still lived here but she never made it and now her spirit haunts this very town where she first ever crossed over, every October residents of the town, leave her certain offerings in the woods before nightfall, in order to appease her vengeful spirit."
" people really believe leaving food for ghost in the woods is going to somehow make her not want to haunt them?" Erich said.
Masha shrugged.
"I honestly doubt it, not a lot of people are as open minded with the supernatural as I am. Nowadays people I think, mostly just leave food in the woods out of tradition more than anything else plus teenagers on Hallowen love hide out for a few hours, and then come back and say they were kidnapped by the ghost of Phoebe."
"Do you believe in her?" Uriel asked.
"You better believe I do, my twin brother, Harold and a couple of his friends went into the woods on Halloween night, one year to try and leave offerings for Phoebe, He's the only one that ever came back. The cops kept thinking it was just a prank gone wrong and that his friends got lost in the woods but I know my brother saw the real thing that night, he was never the same person."
The four noticed the sad look on Masha's face after she finished her sentence.
"Ugh anyway, follow me kids, I want to show you where we keep all the shrunken heads."
Erich, Roland and Lithie followed Masha into another room, while Uriel stayed near the painting, not taking his eyes off of it. As he looked closer and closer he noticed the woman in the painting looked straight at him, she smiled then spoke:It has been a long time since I have sensed someone this powerful..especially in this Realm, you'll do for now."
A violet light burst from the painting and over took Uriel. The light faded and Uriel began to slowly pick himself up.
Roland walked in and noticed the little guy beginning to pick himself up then strangely noticed an Opossum sniffing around him.
"Uriel, you ok?"
Uriel turned around and Roland noticed the boy now had bright Blue burning flames coming from his eyes.
"Uriel isn't here now but I'll be happy to help you in anyway I can." The voice of an elderly woman said though Uriel's mouth before his hand opened up and the Opossum transformed into a Palisman staff and a blast of purple lighting shot out from the staff.
(Vee& Masha's residents)
Luisa gently carved out the beak, now that she was done with that she could start on the wings. She has finished watching and constantly re-watched her father's old palismsn carving videos to make sure she did everything perfectly... and she would also watch them when she wasn't carving just to hear his voice and see him, she had been very young when he died, and as much as she hated this, over the years memories of his face, came harder and harder to remember that's why she treasured these videos of him to keep the memory of her father alive. She held up her nearly finished palisman up to the sunlight. When it was finished, it would resemble a beautiful Bluejay, she originally wanted to make a cardinal but as she went on she decided to make a little change here a little change there then she thought she had ruined it, but when she continues to watch her dad's videos, he would talk about how when carving a palisman's maker will inadvertently carve out what they truly want compared to what they thought they wanted. She gently put it down and examine it and it was perfect. Luisa then reached behind her desk and pulled out a nearly finished North American river otter Palisman. Her Papa had left two chunks of plastron wood. Since She and Uriel are the only ones without Palisman, she made his alongside her own. She then felt a buzzing in her pocket and pulled out her phone and saw Penelope had texted her: Come outside."
Luisa looked outside and saw Pep was about to begin his illusion training with her aunt Vee. She had to see this, after all maybe he would do good enough with aunt Vee so afterwards he would open up more...no, she knew he wouldn't but maybe they could at least make up after there fight last night.
She stepped outside and saw her best friend, Penelope wormwood sitting on a chair made from roots and vines, obviously her best friend had used her plant magic to make a seat by her self. As Penelope saw Luisa coming by she made a circle in the air and another chair made from roots and vines popped up right beside hers. Just as Luisa sat down, Penelope whispered conspiratorially
"you've gotten here just in time,Your aunt Vee and Pep are about to start." Penelope's palisman, Gus's former Palisman,Emmiline Bailey Marcostimo whispered something into her Witch's ear. Penelope smiled then grabbed a cockroach out of the grass and help it out for her Palisman who joyfully eat insect. Luisa smiled at her best friend's joy, Penelope had always been so kind and sweet unlike her mother, Boscha. She was glad to see Penelope had received a kind hearted Palisman.
"Now let's begin,Pep." Vee said.
Pep bowed before her making Vee slightly uncomfortable.
"Uh Pep, you don't have to bow."
Pep immediately shot up and said:S-sorry, madame Vee."
"You don't have to call me Madame Vee either, just call me Auntie Vee or something like that just not Madame, it sounds too fancy."
"O-ok...Auntie Vee." Pep struggled to say, being raised by Kikimora for his whole childhood, Pep hadn't known any other way to be besides formal.
As they began Luisa noticed how enthralled Penelope was by Pep's skill with magic. He'd only been practicing with Vee for a few weeks now but already he was showing great progress in his illusions. She then noticed Penelope blushing as she watched the two battle, a big smile appeared on Luisa's face.
"Penelope, do you have a crush on Pep?"
Her best friend's cheeks turned as red as a tomato.
"What?! Of course not."
Luisa smiled.
"You sure? Because your Face is really giving off I have a crush vibes right now."
Penelope turned away from her friend but looked back at Pep and Vee, the teacher and student were both fighting with there Palisman staffs."
Luisa noticed the heartfelt look Penelope was giving Pep as he and Vee fought.
"He's so gallant, isn't he ? Just like the Gentleman Heroes in old timey movies."
Pep knocked Vee's Palisman staff out of her hands and held String-Bean against her throat! Pep gave his teacher a smug smile.
"I beat you pretty easily Mada-I mean Auntie Vee. Maybe I don't need an illusions teacher after all."
Vee smiled.
"Pep you have shown remarkable improvement but I think you forgotten one of the most important weapons an illusionist has."
Pep looked confused at his teacher.
"What?"
" misdirection! Joe now!"
Vee's Palisman took his form as a Bactrian camel and chomped on Pep's hair and lightly pulled him back. Vee was about to explain something, but stopped when String-Bean turned into her king cobra form and shot her acidic poison and Joe! Pep pulled the camel's head down, so he avoided the poison! As soon as joe let go of Pep the King Cobra changed wrapped herself around Pep's shoulders and hissed at everyone around them.
"String-Bean, what's going on with yo-"
Pep stopped talking when they all heard a loud Explosion coming from the the center of town! Vee, Pep, Luisa and Penelope all looked at see a massive dark green mushroom cloud that slowly formed into a massive skull that looked down at the town malevolently. The four were unaware that as they watched the explosion they were being watched by a Whooping crane atop the backward tree.
To be continued
