Hey, everyone! Sorry for the long gap between chapters, I moved into a new apartment recently, which messed with my schedule. It didn't help that this chapter is one of the longest I've ever written, either. However, it's a hell of a ride, and I hope that it was worth the wait!
CONTENT NOTICE: This chapter contains violence with fantasy magic, bloodshed, physical violence, allusions to child abuse and brainwashing.
"THE LAST GRIMWALKER"
CHAPTER FOUR: INFILTRATION
Hunter was a teenager, and Darius knew it. That meant sooner or later, he'd rebel against authority and get himself in trouble. It was surprising he'd gone so long without breaking any rules, but that could be attested to his draconian upbringing. Darius was by no means an austere guardian, but he was entrusted to care for his ward, and that required discipline.
"Care to tell me where you were?"
"W-with my friends." Hunter anxiously replied.
"In the Human Realm? Because Eber told me you made quite a scene at Club Cauldron."
"It was a different group of friends. You wouldn't know them." The scar-faced boy twiddled his thumbs, his eyes darting around the bedroom—looking everywhere but at his guardian. Darius sighed in frustration, and reached into a box sitting on the bed. He pulled out a hand-carved crimson mask, eliciting a gasp from Hunter. The boy went dead silent, and rapidly tapped his foot against the floor. The Scarlet Sentinel had been caught red-handed.
"Care to tell me what this is?" Darius inquired, to no response. An hour past Hunter's curfew, Darius's worries got the best of him, and he probed into Hunter's bedroom. It was there he stumbled upon the Sentinel raiments, and discovered his ward's hidden double life. Needless to say, he didn't approve of such death-defying exploits.
"I had a gut feeling that vigilante was you, but I didn't think you'd be brash enough! Going out alone and diving into danger is a recipe for disaster! You're not the Golden Guard anymore, so stop acting like it!"
"SHUT UP!"
Clearly, Darius had hit a nerve. Hunter had gone from anxious and afraid to full-on furious, and for a truly personal reason. "It's always Golden Guard this, Golden Guard that. Well, I'm not the Guard anymore, and I'm not your mentor. He's gone." He ranted, much to his guardian's shock. Alas, he wasn't finished venting his pent-up frustration.
"And if you care about me so much, why didn't you save me from the Emperor's Coven? I suffered under Belos for all those years, and you could've stopped it! So, why didn't you? Huh?"
Darius was at a loss of words. How could he answer a question like that? Hunter may have been in a better place, but that didn't change his ugly past. He couldn't have undone the scathing insults. The brutal beatings. The nights when Hunter felt he had no right to live. The guilt of letting such atrocities happen to a child ate away at his conscience, and caused him many sleepless nights.
"I...I—" Darius stammered softly, when Hunter abruptly approached him, causing him to flinch. However, all he did was swipe the Scarlet Sentinel mask from his hands, and take the box the rest of the outfit was in. Then he mounted his magic staff, and took off out the open window.
"Hunter, wait!"
Too late. The former Golden Guard was well on his way to Titan-knows-where, alone and angry to boot. Darius felt absolutely awful. He knew being Hunter's guardian meant they'd have their arguments, but he never thought they'd get that bad. Tears welling in his eyes, the former coven head buried his head in his hands, and shivered from the biting chill of guilt...
A sordid search for seclusion took Hunter to a place he considered his "safe space;" the Paranoratorium of Hexside Academy. While on the run from the Emperor, he took shelter in the closed-off theater, where he survived off of Hex Mix and nearby water fountains. Now, he had returned in the dead of night for some much-needed solitude.
Hunter knelt down behind the stage curtains, and curled up against the cold, hard wood. As he sighed somberly, Waffles perched on his shoulder and tweeted softly to try and lift his spirits.
"Not now, Waffles." The dejected boy muttered, as he shut his eyes. However, the blue jay continued to poke and prod at him with her beak, until he could take it no more.
"Waffles, STOP!"
That was the first time he'd ever raised his voice at his fledgling palisman. Clearly, she wasn't used to it, as she jolted back in surprise, then shamefully hid behind her wings. Hunter immediately regretted his outburst.
"Sorry, didn't mean to yell." He quietly spoke, his tone tinged with remorse. "I just need to be alone..." As Hunter laid back down and shut his eyes, Waffles despondently lowered her head, and nestled up in Hunter's bunched-up battle wear. While she was able to doze off with ease, the same couldn't be said for her master.
Hunter wasn't asleep, but he wasn't exactly conscious, either. It was a state of "half-sleep," as he called it, where his eyes were shut and his muscles were still, yet his brain was working overtime. It thought about the ongoing mystery of the missing witches. The fun Willow and the others were having with Luz in Gravesfield. And of course, it constantly replayed that awful argument with Darius. His semi-conscious haze was only cleared by the sudden sound of a distant scream.
Hunter jolted awake and hurriedly exited stage right, with Waffles frantically following him. He summoned an orb of light to illuminate the pitch black hallway, and held it in his hand as he sprinted towards the source of the shout. He only stopped in his tracks when he saw another light in the almost empty hallway. To his surprise, Matt Tholomule was reading a book to Celine while sitting slumped against a locker, a flashlight held below his face for ominous effect.
"Palistrom sap oozed from gashes in the creature's flesh as it lurched towards the frightened crowd. A galdorstone peeked out from beneath its grave-robbed ribs. It had no fear, no mercy and no remorse."
"-Wha?" Hunter groggily mumbled, causing Celine to yelp in fright. He winced when he noticed the title of the book Matt was holding; it was "Legends of Grimwalkers," the same book he saw in Viney's hideout.
Fantastical tales of artificial witches dated all the way back to antiquity. For example, the tome Matt read from was over three hundred years old. On the other hand, the latest was the infamously ribald romance novel "My Lover, the Grimwalker."
"Hey, Hunter. I was just reading a scary grimwalker story. Celine's terrified of 'em."
"I am not!" The moon demon quickly refuted.
"Was that you screaming?" Hunter inquired.
"No! That was—" Celine was cut off by yet another shout—one full of frustrated fury. "Viney. She's interrogating Boscha in detention."
"The classroom, not the horrible monster pit." added Matt. Hunter then hurriedly headed for said classroom, his palisman still trailing him. Celine, on the other hand, was shuddering, her spine chilled by her friend's frightening yarns. Matt, of course, reveled in messing with his one-time date.
"You know, there's a famous grimwalker in the Human Realm. His name is Franklin Slide..."
The Detention Track classroom was where Hexside's biggest troublemakers were locked away, as punishment for their crimes. Yet surprisingly, this was the first time Boscha had been there. After all, being captain of the grudgby team offered plenty of perks, including favor from the faculty. But Boscha was a student of Hexside no longer, and her captor wasn't a teacher, but a furious student with a score to settle.
Alas, Boscha was hardly fazed by Viney's attempt to interrogate her, hence the healer's frustrated demeanor. Although she was bound to her chair with fortified rope, the former head of New Hexside was arrogant as always.
"Talk, damn it! Or I swear to Titan, I'll—"
"You'll what, Griffin-Girl? I'm a big deal at Glandus, and you're a delinquent. Lay a finger on me, and you'll be stuck here for the rest of your life." Boscha boasted. It was astonishing how good she was at getting under people's skin. "Besides, you're a healer. What are you gonna do, give me a shot?"
Before Viney could think up a retort to her haughty prisoner, a flash of golden light zipped into the room, startling both girls. Looming over Boscha was Hunter, a scowl on his scarred face.
"Well, if it isn't Tall, Blond and Ugly. Shouldn't you be kissing up to Half-a-Witch Will—ACK!" Before Boscha could finish, Hunter seized her by the throat and slammed her head against the wall. As she sputtered, he drew his sword, and rested its edge against her forehead, right above her blackened upper eye.
"I know who you are, Boscha Riegel. You used to make my friends' lives miserable. If you don't tell me what you know, I'll make yours even worse. And when I'm done, Viney'll heal you up so I can do it all over again. Until you talk...or until you break. Whichever comes first."
"OKAY!" Boscha choked out. Hunter let go of her throat and sheathed his blade, as the once-brazen bully desperately gasped for air. Viney was shocked by Hunter's brutal interrogation tactics, yet not surprised. He may have left the mantle of the Golden Guard behind, but that didn't mean he forgot his training.
"Tell me everything." Hunter snarled, his arms crossed. Boscha sighed deeply, and let loose her hidden secrets.
"I got the 'good stuff' from a group called the Eternal Coven. They're like, a secret society, or something. They wanted me to join them, but I've got better things to do."
"Where's their base?"
"At the edge of the Swampy Toes."
"She's not lying." Viney confirmed, as she unrolled a map of the Boiling Isles. The chart was studded with a series of yellow dots, one of which was in the forest they fought the masked witches in. Bordering the Titan's dexter phalanges was a symbol of a sideways number eight inside a hexagon, with a bee-tipped staff striking through it. "I found this map on her, but she wouldn't tell me what it meant."
"One more thing." Hunter spoke. "Your 'secret ingredient.' What is it?"
"I don't know, but they paid me to add it to the Venom. That's all I know, I swear!"
Hunter said nothing, yet his thoughts spoke a thousand words. As horrible as Boscha was, her information was invaluable. Now the enemy had not only a name, but whereabouts, as well. All he needed to do was find a way there, but that was easier said than done. Airships never went to the Toes, and reaching them on foot was impossible. And of course, there was no way he'd let Waffles anywhere near the Eternal Coven's stronghold. With land and air travel out of the question, the only way there was by sea.
Hunter carefully studied Boscha's map, and quickly noticed something Viney did not. He was well-versed in cartography, as was required of the Emperor's Coven's top brass. Thus, he paid close attention to the symbols beneath the dots on the coastlines. They were runic numerals denoting the times the Coven's ships would arrive and depart, and it just so happened one was due to leave Bonesborough just before dawn.
Just then, Hunter's scroll buzzed in his pocket. He quickly checked it, only to see a litany of missed messages and calls from Darius. He solemnly put the device away without even reading any of them. Family may matter, but right now, his mission mattered more.
"You're gonna let me go now, right?" Boscha asked, to which Hunter responded simply by leaving the room.
"RIGHT?"
As he walked out of the detention classroom, Waffles, who watched the whole thing from her perch atop a school bell, descended towards her master, and tweeted excitedly. However, Hunter knew exactly what that meant, and by now, he was sick of it.
"Stay put, Waffles. I mean it."
With his final warning spoken, Hunter continued heading back to the Paranoratorium to don his crime-fighting gear. In doing so, he passed the Beast Keeping Homeroom, which was chock full of tanks, pens, and terrariums for the track's many class pets. But since school was out, the only creature there was Boscha's crab palisman Maya, who was imprisoned in a glass terrarium.
However, the only one guarding Maya was Puddles, who was sleeping soundly on the floor. This gave her the freedom to plan a breakout. She repeatedly struck the glass with her pincers, and it cracked and splintered until it gave way, opening a hole big enough for the crustacean to crawl out of. Now free from her enclosure, she crawled out of the classroom, and continued scuttling down the hall, inching closer to her incarcerated owner...
As a sliver of sunlight peeked out from the horizon's edge, a small steamship drifted out from Bonesborough Harbor, and took to the high seas. As most of the crew toiled on deck, the captain headed down to the cargo bay, past wooden casks of liquid. Little did she know she was being watched.
Concealed behind barrels in the ship's shadowy hold was the stealthy Scarlet Sentinel. Like a predator on the prowl, he kept his eyes on his foe, patiently awaiting the right time to strike. Just as he was about to pounce on his prey, a certain wood-carved blue jay fluttered into the cargo space. Looks like Hunter wasn't the only stowaway on this ship.
Hunter gasped, and frowned under his mask. This was the second time Waffles disobeyed his orders and followed him into the treacherous maw of danger. What's more, she immediately recognized the captain's uniform as that of a "bad guy," and swooped down to peck at her with her beak.
"Ah! What the hell?" Before the captain could strike back at the bird, Hunter teleported out of his hiding place and slammed her head against the wall, knocking her out cold. As she slumped to the floor, Waffles happily chirped at her master, grateful for the save. Obviously, Hunter didn't feel the same way.
"What are you doing here?" He whispered loudly. "I told you to stay at Hexside!" As Hunter frustratedly tapped his foot, Waffles inquisitively inspected the unconscious captain, and used her beak to pull a scroll out of her pocket. Then, she gestured at Hunter, who picked it up out of morbid curiosity. Displayed on the screen was a most important message:
"This subject extraction will be the last. The testing phase is over. Return to base and await further instruction."
- Vitimir
"I KNEW it!" Hunter exclaimed.
Of course Vitimir was behind it all. Shortly after Belos's defeat, he, Terra and Graye attempted to seize the throne, but they were deterred from doing so by Eberwolf and Darius. But while the latter two Coven Heads were imprisoned for their egregious crimes, Vitimir came out of the Bonesborough Trials relatively unscathed. Although he was deposed from his position as head of the Potions Coven, he was able to keep his lucrative corporation. But apparently, a sky-high net worth wasn't enough; he had to have more.
Hunter stashed the captain's scroll in one of his pockets, and headed deeper into the cargo hold. Contained in the space were common mariner's fare; ration boxes, maintenance tools and crates of coal to fuel the engine. There was an abundance of brewing equipment stashed there as well, but that made sense considering their leader. At the stern of the ship, Hunter discovered the coven's most appaling cargo; captured civilians!
Behind bars were half a dozen witches and demons of various shapes, sizes and ages. However, what they all had in common was dead silence, along with dark violet veins on their faces. Even stranger, they were nonreactive, even when Hunter snapped his fingers in their faces. It was like they were in some kind of trance. Without even looking at him, one of them muttered aloud:
"One mind for all time..."
Hunter was astonished. The missing people and the Titan's Venom were all minute pieces of a bigger plan, with Vitimir at the heart of it. The ex-Golden Guard had no idea what his sinister colleague was planning, but he knew it spelled trouble for all the Isles. Before he could investigate further, a voice shouted out from atop the deck.
"AVAST! INTRUDERS INCOMING!"
Hunter sprinted across the cargo hold and ran up the stairs to see what was the matter. He looked to the skies, and saw Boscha flying towards the ship on her staff, with Viney, Matt and Celine in hot pursuit of her. The rising sun illuminated the witches, blowing any chance of concealment.
"FIRE!"
The Eternal Coven witches cast fireballs into the air, and they narrowly flew past the advancing teens. For Hunter, things had gone completely awry. It wasn't bad enough for Waffles to be in danger; now his friends (and Boscha) were headed for it, too! To save them from a deadly fate, he had to act fast.
And fast he was! Hunter dashed across the deck like a shooting star, and took out three of the sailors with precise kicks and jabs. Two more of them drew their sabers and charged towards the Sentinel. Hunter responded by brandishing his own blade, and clashed against the swordsmen. Although he was outnumbered, his opponents were sloppy amateurs, and he took them down with ease.
However, the battle took a turn for the worse when music began to play. Hunter involuntarily froze; behind him was a bard strumming a guitar. The musician used his instrument to control the vigilante's movements, and made him walk the plank. Just as Hunter was about to plunge into the boiling sea, Waffles swooped down and scratched the sailor with her talons, breaking his focus. This gave Hunter the chance to teleport across the deck and cold-cock the bard with the pommel of his sword.
Just as the last foe fell, Boscha landed on the deck of the steamship, only to find the Scarlet Sentinel staring her down. She immediately turned tail and tried to flee, but Hunter summoned a pillar of ice that blocked her path. Boscha ran right into the solid column, and fell over backwards. Before she could get up, Viney arrived with her companions, and tied Boscha up for the third time in a row.
The Hexside trio were all awestruck by the mysterious masked vigilante. Celine knew greatly of the Sentinel's exploits, as he was the reason many criminals showed up to her mother's court. Matt heard all about his older brother's brief encounter with the warrior, which was widely believed to be the hero's first sighting. As for Viney, she had the honor of fighting alongside him.
"It's you!" Matt exclaimed. The Sentinel spoke nothing in return. He stood still as an oak; the only moving part of him was his cloak, which waved rapidly in the maritime wind. Suddenly, Waffles perched on the vigilante's shoulder, and used her beak to unmask him, revealing his familiar face to his surprised allies. The trio gasped, whilst all poor Hunter could utter was a frightened, high-pitched squeak.
"So, you're the Scarlet Sentinel, huh? I should've known."
Unlike Darius, Viney didn't seem angry about Hunter's alter-ego. Instead, she sounded impressed. After all, he did save her life back at the Night Market. Still, the boy said nothing in return; he simply watched the roaring waves slam against the ship's steely hull. With his identity compromised, the Sentinel was in no mood to speak.
"Wait, so you took down Kikimora?" asked Boscha, who was tied to one of the steamer's smokestacks.
"Good times..." Hunter said to himself contently. However, his tone took a stern turn as he turned towards Viney and Celine. "You guys shouldn't be here, it's too dangerous! The Eternal Coven's run by Vitimir."
"Vitimir, eh?" Matt piped, as he climbed out of the cargo hold. He had just locked the last of the unconscious sailors in the brig, in a cell separate from the entranced civilians. "Well, we've kicked a Coven Head's butt before. I look forward to doing it again."
"Gus took down Graye, not you." Hunter corrected. "Also, Vitimir's way stronger. The Potions Coven is fiercely competitive."
"Then why are you working alone?" Celine inquired. "Don't your friends ever help you?"
"They don't know. If they did, it could put them in grave danger. Besides, they've already done so much for the Isles. They deserve to rest."
"And you don't?" Viney retorted. Hunter fell silent for a moment, then sighed deeply.
"When I was the Golden Guard, I thought I was protecting the Isles, but the only person I really helped was Belos. By wearing this mask, I'm making up for all my mistakes." As Hunter wistfully scrutinized his beaked battle mask, his allies gave knowing looks at each other. It was clear they all had the same idea.
"You're a lone wolf." Celine remarked, her mention of the majestic beasts catching the vigilante's attention. "What you need is a pack."
"And you've got one, whether you like it or not." added Viney. Even Waffles cheerfully chirped at her master, and nodded her head in agreement.
Hunter was about to refute them yet again, when he realized something. Twice now the terribly persistent trio had tracked him down, and in doing so, put themselves in grave danger. Now, they knew the whereabouts of the Eternal Coven's headquarters. If he left again, they'd follow him into Vitimir's lair, and never return. As insane as it seemed, taking them with him was the safest option.
"Fine. But we do things my way. Got it?"
"Aye-aye, Captain." Matt replied, as he sardonically saluted the ex-Golden Guard. With Waffles perched on his shoulder, Hunter approached the ship's steering wheel. The commandeered steamer was very similar to the ship he owned in the Emperor's Coven, which he knew how to steer in case the helmsman was incapacitated. With his hands on the helm and his eyes on the sea, the Scarlet Sentinel stoutly set sail for the Swampy Toes...
The teens spent hours adrift on the open ocean, their cadaverous homeland still visible on the horizon. Celine bided her time by practicing her spellcasting form. She whirled her appropriated artificial staff around, thrust it at imaginary enemies, and fired bolts of blood-red energy into the air.
Every now and then, Hunter would take his eyes off the sea, and watch the determined demon perform her drills. While his staff was no doubt a powerful weapon, Celine was only scratching the surface of its potential.
"Nice moves." Viney complimented from up in the crow's nest. She knew a spell that could enhance her vision, making her the perfect lookout. "You know, your staff looks weirdly familiar."
"It used to be mine. How'd you get a hold of it?" Hunter spoke. Truth be told, he had no clue how a Hexside student got ahold of his supposed birthright, and with so many other mysteries to solve, he had nary the chance to ask. But on the high seas, there was nothing but time.
"I found it on the shore of a creek near my house."
That checked out. The last time Hunter saw that accursed thing, Kikimora was trying to get her grubby little grippers on it. He threw it in the river, but of course, it had to end up somewhere.
"Why'd you take it?" The vigilante queried. However, Celine's anxious expression made him realize he was coming off rather interrogative, so he quickly changed his tone. "I'm not mad, it's just...don't you have a staff of your own?"
"I'm not really good with palismen. I didn't bond with any the Bat Queen brought, and Mom's one kinda hates me." The oracle sheepishly admitted. "Guess that's why we came dead last in the Gland Prix."
"I'm sorry."
"Who cares? This new staff is super powerful, and I'm gonna use it to save my mom!"
"Wow, you really love her." Hunter noted.
"Of course I do, she's all I got! My dad, uh, passed away before I was born."
"Consider yourself lucky."
Hunter's offhand remark caused an awkward silence to fill the deck. It was only broken when Celine decided to ask the boy a curious question.
"Oh, one more thing! Is it true you and Willow are dating?"
The grimwalker's cheeks turned as red as his outfit. "Wha? N-no! Willow and I are just friends."
"It's an advanced friendship." Viney retorted with a wink, causing Celine to giggle. On the other hand, poor Hunter blushed even harder.
"I don't feel that way about Willow. I've got no reason to." He thought to himself. "Even though she's athletic and brave and pretty and sweet, and she's got such a way with plants—" His eyes widened as the realization hit him like a runaway ratworm.
"Oh my Titan..."
Titan's Venom is a lucrative trade. If a dealer played their cards right, those illicit brews could earn them plenty of fortunes and friends, both of which Boscha couldn't get enough of. Of course, if said dealer was caught, they'd end up in prison; or in Boscha's case, tied to a steaming smokestack on a sweltering sunny morning.
"Ugh, this bites! I wanna go home, damn it!" Boscha complained. Matt, who was levitating great hunks of coal into the engine, simply scoffed.
"Well, it's your fault we're in this mess. That's called karma."
"Can it, Tholomule. You've got no idea what I've been through. I used to be queen of Hexside, but after Little Miss Round-Ears came back, everyone dropped me like an outdated scroll. I thought Glandus would love me, but turns out being the only one with a coven brand makes me the odd one out. The only reason I fit in is 'cause I can make Titan's Venom. And if all that crap wasn't enough, my parents are getting divorced."
"So?" Hunter grimly replied, earning the athlete's ire.
"What do you mean 'so?' My life is a garbage fire!"
"That doesn't excuse what you've done. You're still a horrible person."
"Ha! You're one to talk! You were the Emperor's right-hand-man." Boscha sneered, poking the proverbial bear. Hunter firmly gripped the handles of the helm wheel, and glared daggers at his captive.
"The water below us is scalding hot, and I'm this close to throwing you overboard." He scowled fiercely at Boscha, but his cold-blooded anger turned to disgust when he caught a whiff of a malodorous miasma. Sickened, he gagged and coughed, and the others followed soon after. To allay the stench, Hunter quickly donned the odor-dulling nasal strip Viney gave him.
A torrid fog rose from the bubbling waters surrounding the ship, and lush, warm-hued foliage was barely visible past the haze. A colossal quintet of curved, bony outcroppings jutted out from the murky estuary.
"Where are we?!" Celine wondered.
"The Swampy Toes. It's where they stationed troublemakers in the Emperor's Coven."
"He's right. Steve went there once, and came back smelling like a dead trash slug." Matt added.
"Land ho!" exclaimed Viney, whose mystically-enhanced vision pierced through the fog. Hunter reached for a spyglass, and used it to see what his lookout saw. Past the Titan's phalanges was a fortress built on a raised platform fixed to the seafloor. The archaic stronghold was made of dark stone bricks, and boasted a mighty tower.
However, the citadel's most striking feature stood in front of the gates. It was a stone statue of the late Emperor Belos, although the head was missing; it appeared to be blown off its body. Fastened to the colossus's chest was a plaque that read as follows:
"FALSE RULER, FALSE PROPHET, FALSE WITCH"
Hunter stood tall at the stern of the ship, his friends and their palismen gathered around him. Boscha, of course, was still restrained, although her position was altered so she was facing the vessel's impromptu captain.
"Alright, here's the plan. Viney, you and Boscha will infiltrate the fortress by asking to join the Coven. Boscha's already worked with them, so they should trust her." He explained, to the shock of both girls.
"Hold on. You want me to work with her?"
"What's in it for me?" Boscha spat.
"I won't tell the principal of Glandus you're a Venom dealer." Hunter retorted, shutting her up. "While the guards are distracted, I'll sneak in through a window with Matt and Celine. Once we take out the hostiles, you'll rescue your loved ones. I'll deal with Vitimir."
Waffles then warbled inquisitively, and looked up at Hunter with her sweet, soulful eyes.
"Fine, you can join me. But be careful!" He warned, causing the overjoyed palisman to excitedly flap her wings and trill. While it was nice to see Hunter finally let Waffles help him, Viney understood his overprotectiveness. While she never dared ask what exactly went down in the Human Realm, she knew one thing; Hunter came back, but Flapjack didn't.
"But what if someone sees us sneaking in?" Celine worriedly inquired, causing Matt to grin confidently.
"I've got that covered..."
"Matty, are you sure this spell will work?"
"Yeah, Tibbles used it all the time."
"That doesn't fill me with confidence..." Celine hesitantly replied. Matt cast a circle around himself, Celine and Hunter, and activated said spell, shrinking the three witches to the size of houseflies.
"I don't know what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn't that." Hunter remarked. The boys' palismen, who were also shrunk by Matt's spell, converted to staff form, and the minuscule witches took off into the air, causing Boscha to snicker to herself.
"Stick to the plan, Riegel." Viney ordered, as she fiddled with one of Matt's concealment stones. She used the magical crystal to turn her brown, ponytailed hair into an emerald-tinted pixie cut. "And don't even think about running off again."
Using their staves, the girls glided towards the gates of the Eternal Coven's offshore fortress. As soon as they landed, a pair of guards pointed spell circles their way.
"Halt! State your business!"
"We want to join your coven." Viney spoke, the words staining her mouth with a bitter taste. One of the guards took out a crow phone, and spoke to an unknown contact. Then, the citadel's gates opened. Standing in the doorway was a bald, bearded and bespectacled witch. He wore a bright yellow tunic with a hood and goggles, and in his hand was a staff with a tarantula palisman.
"New recruits, eh? Wonderful. I promise our coven is the best you'll ever join..."
As the Eternal Coven agent led the two girls into the fortress's hallowed halls, the shrunken members of the ragtag team flew into the compound through an open window. Hunter, Matt and Celine flew above the heads of several uniformed witches, who were none the wiser to their stealthy intrusion, except for a particularly sharp-sighted one.
"Close the window, you're letting in bugs!" He shouted. However, a demon with even keener vision realized the intruders were no mere insects.
"Those aren't bugs...they're tiny trespassers!" The hostile witch cast a lightning spell, and its targets frantically scrambled out of the way, The bolt whizzed past the tiny trio; Had it hit them, they would've been fried on contact. Now that the jig was up, Matt patted his cheeks to undo the spell, reverting the students to regular size.
"SEIZE THEM!"
A quartet of Coven Soldiers charged towards the teens, who were ready to rumble. Hunter teleported behind a pair of witches and slammed their heads together, landing the first blow.
The other two fired bolts of energy at Celine, but she deflected them with her staff. One of the soldiers lunged at her, but she fired a red, fist-shaped energy construct at his gut, incapacitating him. Then, she used the artificial armament to lift the other witch in the air, and slammed her up against a wall.
One of the goons made a run for it, but before he could alert his allies, he ran into a stone pillar that abruptly protruded from the ground, knocking him out. Matt, who had casted the construction spell, then piled up the unconscious enemies, and disguised them with an illusion of a mundane stack of crates. Then, he dusted off his hands and grinned with satisfaction.
"You're on your own from here on out. Watch each other's backs." Hunter stated. The masked warrior then turned tail, and ran down the hall.
"Good luck!" Celine exclaimed. Once their leader was out of sight, the two teenage witches went the other way, and delved deeper into the dark den of evil...
Hunter stealthily crept through the halls of the Eternal Coven's stronghold, his dark attire blending in with his dimly-lit surroundings. The fortress used to belong to the Emperor's Coven; henceforth, the former Imperial knew his way around. He came across an unusually tall pair of doors. The doorframe appeared to be hastily extended—to accommodate a certain apothecary's height, no doubt.
Behind closed doors, Vitimir was cooking up something sinister in his personal laboratory. The dingy, disorganized lab boasted all sorts of high-end chemistry equipment, some of which were the alchemist's own designs. The shelves were home to the rarest reagents in the known world. Some ingredients were extremely dangerous, some were from beyond the Isles, and a particular few were abstract. Vitimir mused to himself as he mixed various materials into his cast iron cauldron.
"The sound of a whisper, the thoughts of a scholar, the pheromones of queens and drones. With powder from a dreadcrab shell, and a thunderbolt to mix it well..."
Vitimir drew a large spell circle with his finger, causing murky gray rain clouds to appear in his lab. The rumbling of the cumulonimbi sent chills down Hunter's spine as he spectated from the shadows. Just as lightning was about to strike, the alchemist's spell circle suddenly dissipated, and the clouds cleared out. The former Coven Head clutched his chest and broke into a coughing fit, noxious green gas seeping from his gaiter mask. He continued to hack and wheeze, when the doors were suddenly flung wide open.
"Master Vitimir! Are you alright?" cried one of the apothecary's aides.
"I'm fine." He snarled bitterly. "Have the brewers finish this batch, and make sure they stick to the recipe. No experiments!"
"Yes, sir." As the assistant wheeled the cauldron out of the lab and into the hall, Vitimir took a deep breath, and closed his eyes for a moment. Once he opened them again, he noticed something peculiar in the reflection of his glassware.
The chemist quickly reached for a volatile potion, and lobbed it at the intruder with great force. Hunter teleported out of the way, and the potion struck the wall, its corrosive contents dissolving the masonry. Hunter froze, and his towering ex-colleague glared at him with disdain.
"The Scarlet Sentinel. I take it you've come to bring me in. But be warned, it is you who is in danger." Vitimir pulled down his mask and breathed caustic gas Hunter's way, but the warrior teleported behind him, and threw a punch. However, the demon blocked his strike, and the ones that followed it. Then, he delivered a sweeping kick with his long, talon-tipped legs, sending him to the floor.
To eliminate his opponent, Vitimir drew a dagger from a scabbard on his thigh, and thrust it towards the Sentinel's heart. Hunter blocked it with his own blade, kicked his foe in the face, and sprang back to his feet. Hunter swung his sword at the former Coven Head, but he dodged and weaved out of the way with his long, lanky limbs.
Vitimir produced one of his many secret weapons from the box on his back; it was a bottle containing a bone-white vapor. He threw it at Hunter, and it burst into a haze that blinded the boy. In a panic, Hunter thrashed around whilst swinging his weapon wildly. Vitimir took advantage of his enemy's sightless stupor and swung his dagger towards the vigilante's head. While it didn't cut flesh, it split his mask apart, revealing the face of the Scarlet Sentinel.
"You again?!"
Unlike the rest of their ragtag team, Viney and Boscha were neither on the run or in the heat of battle. If anything, the Eternal Coven rolled out the welcome mat for them. The pair of infiltrators were being led through the Coven's fortress on a tour guided by the bald-headed chemist.
Currently, they were overlooking a room brimming with captive fire bees. Through a glass window, the girls could see millions of the pyrokinetic insects swarming around in one big enclosure. The walls, ceiling and floor were wreathed in a living mantle of blazing red bugs; the only people inside were a few beast keepers in specialized protective suits. The workers sedated the bees with a gaseous spray, and cast spells on them.
"What are they doing to them?" Viney asked, a hint of accusation in her voice. After all, she adored animals; anyone who hurt them was her sworn enemy.
"Nothing harmful. We're simply extracting their pheromones." The glasses-wearing guide answered.
Boscha glanced around at the countless swathes of captive pollinators, until she spotted something strange in the corner of her eyes. At the edge of the room was an unusual creature; it seemed to be a gremlin, albeit one with features belonging to a fire bee. Wings, feelers, extra legs—the whole package.
"What is that?!" Boscha exclaimed, on the verge of retching.
"One of my superior's experiments...I think. The less we know, the better." The chaperone replied as he quickly turned around, and gestured for his guests to follow. "Oh! Where are my manners? My name is Senber. And you are?"
"Violet." answered Viney, careful to keep her identity secret. On the contrary, her begrudging partner was happy to use her real name.
"And I'm Boscha." She enthusiastically introduced herself, causing Senber to stop in his tracks.
"Boscha Riegel?" The chemist queried, to which she nodded affirmatively. "I worked with your parents in the Potions Coven. They're wonderful witches, and I'm sure you are, too. The Eternal Coven is the perfect place for you."
"I thought so, but my friend here disagrees." Boscha retorted, causing Senber and his ilk to turn their gaze towards Viney. Now, all eyes were on her. She wasn't afraid, however; She simply crossed her arms and stood her ground.
"What? It kinda sounds like the Emperor's Coven."
"You wound us! We're nothing like that rotten regime. For one, our leader doesn't eat people's palismen." Senber explained. "Second, you can study any type of magic—even wild magic! After all, we have plenty of resources."
As Senber spoke, he gestured to the next part of the tour; a sizable library chock-full of books. Boscha immediately made a break for the nearest tome, which was a compendium of esoteric potions. Despite her athletic focus, she was also an avid reader. Among her favorites were "Ruler's Reach" and "My Lover, the Grimwalker." She seized the codex for herself and continued walking with the throng.
"Sweet! Not to brag, but I study all the tracks at Glandus."
"Copycat." Viney thought to herself. While she was a staunch advocate for and pioneer of multi-track studies, she knew Boscha was more interested in grudgby than any serious studies; it was probably a ploy to emulate a certain human she envied. And with all the Coven's supposed perks, there was a good chance Boscha could end up switching sides. To dissuade her, Viney diverted her bitter ire towards Senber.
"What about our friends and families? What happens to them?"
"They'll be part of it, too! Anyone can join the Coven, and soon, everyone will."
At this point, the girls came across a room that held the Eternal Coven's ugliest secret. In what was once the citadel's great hall were dozens of witches and demons clad in the Coven's colors. Many of them were pouring cauldrons of deep purple liquid into a round golden bottle, a large funnel sticking out its neck. What's more, they were all citizens that went missing as of late; among them were Jerbo and Barcus! Needless to say, Viney was aghast at what she was seeing.
"Dear Titan..."
Matt and Celine hurried up the tower stairs, the Eternal Coven's soldiers hot on their heels. To slow their pursuers down, Matt erected stone pillars behind him, but the enemies shattered each one of them with ease.
"Are you SURE this is where your mom is?"
"The spirits can't be wrong!" Celine replied.
"They better not be!"
The teens reached the top of the tower, only to find that the door was locked. Luckily, Matt had a workaround in the form of his palisman. Schnoz wrapped his trunk around the doorknob, and yanked the door clear off its hinges. They then stormed into the room, where they found Justice Lunelai Crescentine sitting at a desk, a masked Coven soldier looming over her.
"MOM!"
"Celine?!"
The soldier guarding Justice Crescentine charged towards the duo, but Celine summoned a spirit that struck at his face, sending him reeling. The trio of pursuing witches entered the fray and fired bolts of magic at the teens, but Matt created a magic wall to block their blasts.
"Don't worry, Mom, we've got this!"
The Hexside students continued skirmishing with their opponents, eager to punish them for their kidnapping crimes. Matt shrank himself to the size of an ant to evade one of the soldiers' attacks, then reverted to his normal stature and punched them with his stone-covered fist. He smirked haughtily and turned tail to knock the next foe's lights out, only to freeze when he saw his unmasked visage.
"Steve?"
Lo and behold, Matt's older brother, a hero of the Isles, stood before him in the Eternal Coven's garb. His expression was completely stoic, with deep purple veins that branched across his face. He drew a luminous circle with his index finger, and aimed it straight at his sibling's heart.
"Bro, what are you doing?!" Matt cried out. As he quivered with dread, the other soldiers were breaking down Celine's defenses. Try as she might to fend them off, she was caught off guard when one of them pried her crystal ball from her grasp. The other prepared to cast a lethal spell to put her down, in front of her mother, no less.
"STAND DOWN!"
With Lunelai's resounding shout, the soldiers—including Steve—ceased immediately and stood at attention. Needless to say, their victims were bewildered.
"Wha—what's going on?!" Celine sputtered, thousands of thoughts racing through her head at once. "W-why did they listen to you?!" Her mother sighed deeply, and looked her dead in her eye.
"Because this is my coven..."
When Hunter's vision returned, he was greeted by the frightful sight of Vitimir standing over him. He steadied his swords and prepared to fight, only for the Head Witch to hold up his hands.
"Sheathe your sword, boy! We both want what's best for the Isles. Together, we can make it happen!"
"What are you talking about?" Hunter didn't let his guard down one bit. With the exception of the CATs, he trusted the Coven Heads as far as he could throw them; even back when he was their superior.
"Belos promised us paradise, but instead he gave us a catastrophe. Which the Collector turned to chaos. Things were better under the Empire! Its only problem was its Emperor. But now, a new ruler will rise from its ashes..."
"Of course you still want the throne." Hunter growled, sickened by the alchemist's insatiable lust for power.
"And I'll have it, with the power of Eternaline. See, it's easy to make a potion that robs one of their sight or strength, but their volition is the hardest to suppress. I only perfected my concoction very recently. When Belos—or should I say, Philip—showed his true colors, it made me realize the purpose of such a potion; to protect the Isles from tyrants like him, by uniting all minds as one."
"And what then?"
"We invade the Human Realm, and wage war on those witch-hunting wretches. They nearly killed us all! We have to strike before they do it again."
"You're a monster." Hunter was revolted by his enemy's heinous endgame. Having been to Gravesfield, he knew it was nothing like it was in the Wittebanes' day. Vitimir's war would only slaughter innocent people to settle a grudge.
"Spoken like a true witch hunter. You're the same old tool, without its wielder."
Enraged, Hunter dashed towards Vitimir and thrust his blade towards him, but the blackguard caught him by the arm and threw him into a wall. While the Sentinel was down, Vitimir popped open a flask of VitiCo brand "LocoPotion" and poured it down his putrid gullet. The brew caused his pupils to shrink, and his muscles twitched and flexed. He clenched his fists tightly, and shot his foe a ferocious glare.
"I never got the chance to kill the Emperor. Guess you'll have to do..."
"That shiny golden bottle is the Eternal Vessel, a relic that once belonged to Belos. Because of its infinite capacity, there's enough Eternaline inside to fill Lake Lacuna!"
Viney paid no attention to Senber's incessant explanation; she was preoccupied with the tragic fate of her long-lost friends. Viney tried to get Barcus's attention, but he was dead set on helping pour the Eternaline cauldron into the fathomless relic. She reached her hand out to her Detention Track pal, only for him to snap at her and growl rancorously.
As for Jerbo, he and a slew of other civilians were blindly obeying the commands of their drill instructor. His skin was pale, his eyes bloodshot, and his hands trembled constantly; all symptoms of frequent Venom usage. What wasn't a symptom was the faint violet tint of his facial veins. In fact, all the Coven's thralls had those distinct marks on their weary visages.
On the instructor's order, Jerbo cast a spell, summoning thorny tendrils that ripped a human-shaped dummy to pieces. The other militia members followed suit with their own spells, annihilating the rest of the targets. Their violent actions were carried out coldly, with neither haste nor remorse. This wasn't mere magic practice; it was preparation for a coming war.
Boscha wasn't faring any better. She recognized many of the brainwashed thralls as her Venom-loving customers. Among them were Amelia and Cat, two of the only Hexside friends she still had after switching schools.
"Cat! Amelia!" Boscha rushed over to her friends in thralldom, and snapped her fingers to signal their attention. Alas, they acted as if she wasn't even there. "Why aren't you listening to me?!"
The pair of indoctrinated girls turned towards their former team captain in an almost robotic way, and monotonously droned the same words in total unison:
"One mind for all time."
A deep pit formed in Boscha's stomach when she heard that mantra of madness. Yet again, her closest pals had been robbed of their autonomy, and this time, she was to blame. As grief and guilt began to overwhelm her, Senber continued to speak.
"You girls have a place in the ranks of our coven. All you need to do is drink up." On that cue, a pair of Coven Soldiers offered vials of Eternaline to the girls. "The true Day of Unity is upon us. By tonight, we will all be bound under one mind for all time."
The soldiers and thralls repeated the Coven's slogan, sending shivers down Boscha's spine. She was sickened with remorse, and quivering with terror. Presented to her was a simple yet dangerously difficult dilemma; Join or die. Before she could choose, Senber was struck in the chest with a bolt of magic, courtesy of Viney.
Using fist-shaped energy constructs, the healer shoved through the Coven's ranks until she reached Jerbo. "Come on! We gotta go now!" She cried, only for her friend to coat his fist in abomination matter, and hit her with a punch that knocked her across the room. As the bite of betrayal tore through her heartstrings, Senber sneered with disdain.
"It's futile, child! He's under our control. If you are wise, you will be, too."
A pair of thralls were about to seize Viney, when Boscha threw her Eternaline vile in the air and cast a fireball at it. The ensuing chemical reaction caused a burst of smoke that filled up the room, causing everyone to cough.
"RUN!" Boscha cried. Viney didn't need to be told twice. The girls dashed out the room with Coven Soldiers hot on their trail, leaving their brainwashed buddies behind. While they harbored naught but enmity for one another, at last they had something in common; A shared enemy...
"You're their leader?!"
Celine was in a state of total disbelief. She feared the Eternal Coven may have captured her mother, or even got her hooked on Titan's Venom, but the newly-exposed truth was leagues worse than her worries. It was a nightmare come true; Lunelai Crescentine, a Justice renowned for upholding the law, was the head of the coven undermining it. All she could utter was a mere one-word question:
"Why?"
Lunelai rose from her desk, and began to elucidate. "Under the Emperor, our society was split by contention. Coven versus wild; weak versus strong. Even without him, conflict continues to divide us. I've seen visions of a bleak and harrowing future. If nothing is done, our home will be a wasteland, ravaged by a war beyond comprehension."
Both teens were at a loss of words. While Matt was shocked that such a respected magistrate could found such a loathsome faction, Celine realized things were starting to make sense. After all, her mother was never the same after the Day of Unity. Sometimes, she'd see Lunelai consulting her crystal ball in the dead of night. Whenever she asked her mom about it, she'd brush it off as "oracle's work." The truth, of course, was far more malevolent.
"But if we were all united under a single mind, the Isles would be an eternal utopia. I never thought such harmony could be achieved, until I met Vitimir. His plan to lace Titan's Venom with Eternaline was pure genius! If it straightened out the dregs of society, surely it would work on everyone else."
"You're going to conquer the Isles?"
"I'm going to save them. I'm doing this all for you, Celine."
"This isn't right!" Matt shouted, causing the Coven Soldiers, including his brainwashed brother, to point spell circles at him and his friend. As a defensive measure, Celine summoned her artificial staff, causing her mother to become mortified. Upon seeing Lunelai's aghast expression, the young oracle relented.
"Where did you get that?" The judge asked, palpable tension in her tone.
"I...I"
"Do you know what that is?!" Lunelai ripped the staff from her daughter's hands with her telekinesis, and smashed its highly advanced head to pieces. She dropped what remained on the floor, and glared at her devastated daughter. "It's the staff of the man who killed your father."
"W-wha?"
"I'm disappointed in you, Celine. Thankfully, you'll never let me down again."
The soldiers seized Celine and Matt, as their leader pulled out a pair of vials brimming with Eternaline serum. The teens thrashed and struggled to break free, but their captors' grip was too tight to escape from. Just as the justiciar was about to inoculate them, the tower was hit by a fireball, blowing a huge hole in one of the walls.
When the dust settled, it revealed who but Viney and Boscha, who rode atop the former's trusty griffin. While the soldiers were distracted, Matt took Celine by the sleeve and ran up to Puddles. They mounted the winged beast, and took off into the air.
"We gotta get outta here!" Matt exclaimed.
"Not without Hunter!" replied Viney.
"Well, where is he?"
Fighting for his life.
Hunter dashed around the laboratory with staff in hand, narrowly avoiding the volatile brews Vitimir lobbed his way. Once he was close enough, he threw a punch at the former Coven Head's face, only for him to block it and retaliate with a lightning-fast strike of his own, catching the vigilante off guard. Hunter kept kicking and punching, but the demon's chemically enhanced reflexes were too fast; not a single hit landed. Vitimir then seized him by the collar, and threw him across the room.
"LocoPotion! With this elixir flowing through my veins, you never stood a chance."
Hunter grit his teeth, and swung his staff at his foe, letting fly a volley of amber-hued bolts. Again, Vitimir evaded them all; not even his comically tall hat was scathed. What it did hit, however, was a barrel with a foreboding label; "WARNING: EXPLOSIVE"
"You IDIOT."
The ensuing blast blew both combatants out of the study, and towards the boiling waters below. Hunter saved himself by mounting his flying staff, whilst Vitimir thrust his dagger and talon-tipped toes against the stone wall, slowing his descent to a screeching halt. The chemist then clenched his teeth on the blade, and scaled back up the citadel wall until he reached the rooftop.
However, he was in for a bitter surprise; Hunter had beaten him there. He began to cast a spell with his staff, but the alchemist reacted quickly by unleashing his toxic breath on him. Hunter eluded the caustic gas by teleporting away, and leapt out from another direction. He hit the Head Witch with an arcing wave of energy, knocking him back.
Vitimir dug his clawed feet into the stone rooftop, anchoring himself. At this moment he realized just how formidable of a foe the former Golden Guard was. Bringing him down required the use of a sinister secret weapon.
The wicked apothecary reached into his back-box, and took from it a slew of esoteric ingredients. Using expert-level potions magic, Vitimir merged the ingredients together on the fly, whilst dodging the spells Hunter casted. The end result was a dark, viscous mixture that appeared to be alive. He took out his dagger, and dipped its blade in his dreadful concoction.
Hunter zipped towards Vitimir and swung his sword with fury. The potioneer dodged his strike—along with the consecutive ones—with little effort. However, Hunter teleported behind him, and by the time he turned around, it was too late.
At long last, Hunter landed a slash on the Head Witch's leg, causing him to yell in agony. The crimson-clad warrior then charged into his foe, knocking him down. In a last-ditch effort to take out the Sentinel, Vitimir drew a spell circle, only for it to fizzle out, triggering another coughing fit. As the needle-nosed ne'er-do-well clutched his chest and wheezed, Hunter couldn't help but see a sliver of himself in his pitiful opponent.
"You...can't do magic?"
"I don't NEED it!"
Vitimir let loose his vitriolic breath, and Hunter shielded himself with his witch's wool cloak. Strong as the fibers were against magic, the acidic gas ate through them like a flock of demon moths. Just as the vile vapors subsided, Vitimir lunged at Hunter, and stabbed him in the abdomen with his poisoned dagger.
Hunter didn't scream, however; he couldn't. He only clenched his teeth, and gasped desperately for air. Although it wasn't his first time being stabbed, it felt different—worse—than all the other times. His heart rate spiked tremendously, and a sense of impending doom overwhelmed the boy. As he fell to his knees, Vitimir scoffed, his yellow eyes piercing into the Scarlet Sentinel's soul.
"But without it, you're nothing." He snarled, as he ripped the staff from Hunter's quivering grasp. Without pity or remorse, he threw the staff off the edge of the roof, and it fell towards the scalding-hot sea.
"WAFFLES!"
With a blood-curdling scream, Hunter jumped off the roof, and plummeted after his imperiled palisman. He mustered the remainder of his waning strength to teleport one last time, closing the distance between him and his familiar. He plucked Waffles out of freefall and held her close to his chest, as the world around him faded to black. Just as he was about to meet his boiling demise, he was seized in the talons of a certain teammate's griffin.
As Viney and her allies airlifted their unconscious leader out of enemy territory, Vitimir watched his fleeing foes with disdain, an arrogant scowl clear on his demonic visage.
"Fly away, Golden Guard. You're as good as dead..."
The teens found shelter in a cave hidden deep in the hot, humid swamps of the Titan's Toes. As soon as they made landfall, they laid Hunter on a stone table hastily erected by Matt, and Viney examined his injuries. Not only was he wounded; he was also in a state of unconscious delirium.
"What did they do to him?!" Matt worriedly wondered. Indeed, it was a heart-rending sight; even Boscha was appalled by what became of her captor. As Viney began to heal the damage wrought upon her friend, she took charge of the rest of the team.
"We need help. Celine, call the Owl House!"
"I'm on it!" As the oracle booted up her crystal ball, a chaotic commotion unfolded in the cavernous refuge. Their war with the Eternal Coven was far from finished, and the life of their leader was hanging in the balance...
Hunter woke up in a place unknown to him, yet strangely familiar; it was the abandoned ruins of a once-mighty castle. A lush, verdant forest full of life stood proud where the stone walls and ceiling once stood. Through the canopy, he could see thousands of stars shining in the night sky. Woven into the trunks of each and every tree was a unique picture frame depicting scenes from the past few days. At that moment, he realized exactly where he was.
"Hello, Hunter..."
That voice. Hunter could recognize that sickening sound anywhere, and it was one he thought he'd never hear again. Shivers ran down the boy's spine, as a puddle of coal-black slime seeped out of the ground, and began to take on a humanoid shape.
"It's been a long time since I last set foot in your mind. You've fallen so far from grace since then."
As the tarry creature shambled towards Hunter, his anxiety grew harsher by the second. His hands were trembling, his stomach tightened, and his heart beat faster and harder than ever.
"But your soul can yet be saved, for once again, I am in control."
The monster had fully metamorphosed from an amorphous blob to a form far worse. It had become a elderly man clad in the regalia of royalty, with pale, wrinkled skin, long, ash-blond hair, and pointed ears carved into shape with a blade. His most recognizable feature, however, was a streak of necrotic flesh that ran across his face like the mark of Cain.
This was no ordinary man. He was the bane of the Boiling Isles. The tyrant that almost exterminated an entire race because of his delusions. The ruthless devil that made Hunter's life a living Hell. Lo and behold, the living specter of Emperor Belos...