chapter 6: Chaos ensues: Mewni murders

- WHO GOES THERE?!

A distorted voice echoed in the Butterfly castle's remains. Belos looked around for the source and witnessed a barefoot human woman with long purple hair, dressed in feminine-looking attire.

Her presence did not bother him. In fact, she could probably be of use to him. So, the witch hunter put his friendly face on and addressed the woman.

- I do not intent to be a bother, Miss. Just a harmless passenger from another dimension, looking for shelter.

- Who are you?- Mina responded aggressively.- What are you doing here?

- My name is Philip Wittebane and I got trapped in this dimension, while trying to run away from those horrible witches from the Demon realm.

- Witches?- Mina raised an eyebrow confused.- What witches?

- It was awful!- Belos claimed.- They tried to vanquish me, and just when I was about to get rid of them, the reptilian beast from the tapestry interfered.

- You mean Toffee of Septarsis?!- Mina's mood changed from offensive to curious.- Tell me more!

Next morning started as a regular day in Septarsis.

Toffee was taking a shower, and just when he reached for the hair shampoo, somebody gave it to him.

- Thanks!- he said, before realizing that Hooty had found his way into the bathroom.

- You're welcome!- the house demon smiled gullibly.

SPLASH!

Right into Hooty's eyes!

- AGHHH! Shampoo in the eyes!

Everyone went to the kitchen to have breakfast. Lilith was telling her sister everything that happened last night, but she was the most excited about one particular detail, which Toffee revealed to her.

- He's a historian! Like me!

- That's great, Lily! Sounds like you've found another nerd to be nerding with.

- Har-har!- Lilith replied sarcastically.- Joking aside- her tone changed to a more serious one.- did you and the others find anything yesterday?

- Bad news is we didn't find Belos anywhere in the forest.- Eda answered.- Good news is we know he is not nearby. How about you and Toffee?

- So far, only ideas and no plan. At least, we are coming up with something.

- Good morning, hoot-hoot!

- Hootcifer!- Lilith greeted Hooty, then she saw the soap in his eyes.- What happened to you?- she took a hanky to wipe the substance off.

- This bird worm better learn something from this!- Toffee entered the room.- Miss Clawthorne! Can I have a word with you? In private.

- You told me last night that you used to work for Belos. Is that correct?- Toffee asked.

- Yes.- Lilith nodded.- But, I swear, I am not his ally, if that's what you want to know.

- Just tell me all about it. All details.

Lilith gulped. She never wanted for things to reach a point, wherein she must tell him about the most shameful moments in her life. Why was he so insistent anyway? Was he starting to lose trust in her?

- Uhm, sir!- she spoke sheepishly.- What does this have to do with anything?

- We had a deal, Miss Clawthorne.- the septarian replied casually.- My answers in exchange for yours.

Lilith's heart was beating twice as fast. Telling him about her years in the Emperor's coven meant telling him about the curse she put on Eda. And if she tells him that, he would never trust her again.

- I-I can't!- Lilith responded sternly.- This is not information we need for stopping Belos.

- Remember last night?- Toffee said.- The instance in the restaurant? You were insistent on making up to me. I am giving you this opportunity now.

He caught her there! He just had to use that card! Lilith never managed to prepare herself how to react in such occasions. She both despised and admired him, at the moment.

However, he had a good point about the fact that they've made a deal and that she did owe him for last night. Plus, he was their most valuable ally on Mewni, so she couldn't risk losing his trust.

Though, this did not change the fact that she was about to reveal some personal details to a total stranger.

- Okay.- the witch took a deep breath.

It's not like Toffee was proud of himself for the discomfort he caused her, but he needed some proof that she was trustworthy. Besides, it was the least she could do after humiliating him in public last night.

- It happened when Eda and I were still teenagers.- Lilith began, keeping her head lowered to avoid eye contact with Toffee.- We both worked hard to be accepted in the Emperor's coven. We thought we could help him make the Boiling isles a better place. Only one spot was vacant, and the night prior to the initiation, I found a spell, which could reduce my sister's powers. I thought it would last only a day. When the duel began, Eda immediately gave up. "I refuse to battle my sister!", she declared. As she was leaving, the curse took over her body, transforming her into a beast. She lived with that curse for the following 30 years. I left the coven and took half of the curse to make it easier for her.- she raised her head.- I swear, I never meant to hurt anyone, especially my sister! But I'll understand if you don't want to work with me anymore.

Toffee got lost in thoughts. He hadn't lost his trust in Lilith, not even in the slightest. He was just thinking of a proper response. After all, he had no right to judge her. He has done things far worse than that.

Also, there was something in her, which made him feel that she was completely sincere. If she really used to be a part of Belos' posse, perhaps he could take advantage of her knowledge. The whole story, only made her all the more useful of an ally.

- It's okay, Miss!- Toffee finally spoke.

Lilith was both surprised and relieved at the same time. She gave him a smile.

- Thank you!- Lilith thanked him for the understanding, but the feeling of embarrassment was still there.

- Now! I did promise to tell you more about Mewni's history, right?- Toffee continued, much to Lilith's delight.

It's been days, since Luz and her friends have left the Boiling isles.

When the days became weeks, they were starting to get frustrated, due to their lack of progress in finding and stopping Belos. They've searched every single village, asking the locals if they have seen a witch hunter from Earth, but with no success.

Star reached the decision to introduce the visitors to her parents. She thought that Moon could probably give them some kind of advice. Also, Moon's village was the last remaining place, they haven't search yet.

Moon poured the strangers some tea. She sat down and listened to their problem with all her attention.

- I see.- said Moon.- He is a human from Earth.- and then she recalled.- You know, children! There was actually a man with strange scars on his face, who arrived here a few days ago. He claimed, he was hiding from the "witches", but back then I had no idea what he meant.

- Was he Belos?- Amity asked.- It must have been him.

- He said his name was Philip Wittebane.- Moon answered.

- Luz- Amity whispered to her girlfriend.- Isn't that Belos' old name?

- I'm afraid so!- Luz nodded and turned to Star.- That's our guy, Star!

At first, Star could not understand what Luz just told her, but once the blonde girl realized what that meant, her eyes got much wider and she gasped heavily.

- Mom!- Star raised her voice.- Where did that Philip guy go?

- He's still here, actually!- the blue-haired woman gave them her answer.

The gang all replied all at once.

- WHAAAAAT?!

- So, Philip.- an wood carver turned to the said Philip.- How are you feeling these days? Seems like those "witches" you told us about still haven't found you.

- And I am grateful, that God has kept me safe for such a long time!- Belos replied, but then he got distracted by someone yelling.

- BELOS!

The now shocked man turned around only to find himself face to face with his old enemy Luz Noceda and her witch friends. This time, however, they were accompanied by two more additions to their clique. One was a girl, who seemed to be the same age as Luz, with long blonde hair, big blue eyes, wearing a green dress with pink boots, and a scar on her right shoulder. It was odd, but that girl was identical to the girl from the tapestry, with the hair colour and the heart-shaped cheekmarks being the only differences. Beside the blonde girl, there was a boy with dark skin, a mole on his face, brown hair, brown eyes, wearing a red hoodie. Both teenagers had regular round ears, instead of long pointy ones, which suggested a lack of witch ancestry.

- Hello, Luz!- Belos spoke.- Good to see another human again after all these long weeks! I see you have befriended some of the locals.

- Enough, Belos!- Luz shouted at him.- If you don't surrender right now, we'll take you down!

The scene attracted a lot of unwanted attention from the villagers. They were wondering what could have possibly caused this strange conflict.

- What's going on?- a man called.- What are you up to again, Star Butterfly?

- Why are you kids attacking this poor innocent man?

- "Innocent"?!- Hunter could not believe his ears.- He's not! He's Belos!

- He's a witch hunter.- Gus joined.- A human from Earth.

- It doesn't matter!- a woman yelled.- At least, he's not one of those filthy lizards Star hangs out with.

- They are septarians.- Star corrected her angrily.- Not lizards.

- So sorry!- a teenage boy said sarcastically.- We didn't mean to insult your so-called "friends".

- Especially the lawyer!

- Lawyer?- Star replied confused.

- I think they mean Toffee.- Marco clarified.

Star frowned and sighed heavily.

- How many times do I have to tell you all? Toffee is not a threat anymore!

- "Anymore"?- Amity quoted in confusion, looking at Star.

Seeing where things were going to, Marco thought that maybe it was better to leave the village immediately. He whispered to his blonde friend.

- Uhm, Star! I think we should leave. Now!

- I can't believe you are on that wicked creature's side! He almost killed you!

The villagers accused Star, but she was not giving up either.

- Don't you understand?! Toffee's not the bad guy here.- the blonde teen pointed at Belos accusingly.- HE is!

- Nonsense! Toffee's a monster. A monster cannot be trusted!

- Especially that monster!

- And you let him LIVE?! So why should we believe anything you say?

- Monsters are just like us!- Star defended herself.- How many of you have actually met a monster in real life? Or even a septarian?

- We don't need to! Monsters are vicious and dangerous! And septarians are the worst of them all!

- I have actually seen those beings.- another mewman called. Star recognized him as one of the actors from that play.- They are HUGE! With jaws, which can crush your skull with minimal effort.

- That doesn't make them evil!- Marco commented.- It's just the way they look.

- Do not talk to us about who is evil and who is not!- the man gently pushed Belos, signaling him to go somewhere else.- Come on, Philip! Let's get you out of here!

Belos briefly looked at Star and Luz, giving them an arrogant smirk, before he left with the other villager.

Star could only watch. Feeling completely helpless. Betrayed, even. She was clenching her fists and was so angry she could punch something.

The night was as awkward as can be. Toffee cooked cream of broccoli soup with croutons for dinner. Everybody was eating silently, but even from far away you could tell how intensive the atmosphere was. Masaru was sitting on his father's lap, who was feeding him some mashed broccoli.

- How was school, Razzles?- Toffee began a conversation with his daughter.

- Okay!- the girl answered quietly.

Toffee did not believe her. She hasn't eaten anything yet, which was a sign something was troubling her. Otherwise, she would have finished her soup already.

After dinner, everybody went to their rooms. Luz couldn't sleep, due to what happened at the mewman village earlier. What were those people talking about? Why did they mistrust Toffee so much? What has he done? She slowly turned her head to Amity's sleeping bag, which was right next to hers. She saw that her girlfriend also had trouble falling asleep.

With the baby in his hands, Toffee went to check on Razzles in her bedroom. When he opened the door, he saw that his daughter was still awake.

- You can't fall asleep, dear?- he asked gently.

Razzles shook her head, thus confirming her father's suspicions. Toffee sat on the bed, facing his daugther and holding his son closely.

- Is something bothering you?- the father asked again.

- I'm fine!- was the girl's simple reply.

- Razzles! I know something's going on. Just tell me what it is! Is it something at school?

Razzles sheepishly shook her head in denial.

- No...- she spoke.- it's not that. It's...everything else.

Toffee raised an eyebrow, silently demanding for an explanation.

- Those strangers. Those..witches. Ever since they've arrived you've been helping them with their problem...to defeat that villain. Why? Isn't the war already over?

- Razzles! This is something different.

Was it though? After Star and the others returned from Moon's village, they told Toffee everything they had discovered there, namely the fact that Belos was using the village as a hiding place and deceiving the locals that he was on their side. And the worst part was that they believed him. Not that Toffee was surprised or anything!

Not that this was some kind of an obstacle. Just one enemy more. It wasn't like Toffee had a lot of mewman friends, anyway. Or even monster friends. With everything he has done throughout his career as a general, he had found himself in an international conflict with at least 3 countries.

In fact, Toffee was planning a meeting tomorrow at the Monster temple, featuring not only Eclipsa and Globgor, but the rulers from all countries on Mewni.

- Is there something I can do to help?

- Stay here!- Toffee gently pushed her down. Then he grabbed the bedsheet and draped it on his daughter's small body.- Where you are safe. And do not even think about following me!

- But...- the septarian girl was about to protest before her father placed his fingers on the surface of her snout, signaling her to desist.

- Belos is not like the others.- Toffee explained.- Once he finds out what both of you mean to me- he patted Masaru's head.- he'll use you against me, turning you both into weapons. That's why he must not know that you two even exist!

- He can't get to Septarsis. Right?

- He'll have to make it pass my cold, lifeless, rotting corpse, however this will never happen.

Razzles still looked rather unsure, so Toffee decided to comfort her.

- You know! This reminds me of a song. One of my personal favourites.

- Dad...

Toffee began, anyway.

Winter is here again, oh Lord
Haven't been home in a year or more
I hope she holds on a little longer
Sent a letter on a long summer day
Made of silver, not of clay
Ooh, I've been runnin' down this dusty road

They both sang.

Ooh, the wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
I don't know where I'll be tomorrow
Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'

Toffee continued.

I've been trying to make it home
Got to make it before too long
Ooh, I can't take this very much longer, no
I'm stranded in the sleet and rain
Don't think I'm ever gonna make it home again
The morning sun is risin'
It's kissin' the day

Both of them.

Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'

Their noses touched.

Don't know where I'll be tomorrow
Ooh, the wheel in the sky keeps turnin'
Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'

They didn't know, that Lilith had witnessed the whole thing. She was passing through the corridor, when she heard Toffee's beautiful singing and the desire to hear more got the best of her.

However, she knew she mustn't get caught spying on them, so she got away from the door as quickly as possible.

- Leave this whole debacle to me!- Toffee said, as he was patting Razzles' head.- This is nothing you should worry about.

- Okay!- the girl sighed in exasperation.

- If you want to, you can sleep in my bedroom tonight.- Toffee offered.

- No!- Razzles answered quickly.- I'll be fine! Don't worry!- Razzles closed her eyes.- Night, dad!

Toffee kissed her on the cheek.

- Good night, hunny! I love you!

- Love you too!

Toffee was awaken in the middle of the night by the cries of his infant son. He got up and took Masaru from the baby bed. Holding his child close to his chest, he was whispering to him.

- Shh! Shh! It's okay, son! Daddy's here.

Masaru's distress reminded the father of all the times, when someone has tried to hurt his children. When the marauders attacked Razzles. When Jerome tried to attack her when she was a baby, or when he gave Masaru his first epileptic seizure.

Toffee was not going to let Belos be the next one. Never!

Next morning, after Toffee took Razzles to school and Masaru to Mrs. Marigold's house, he went to the Monster temple in the Butterfly kingdom, as planned.

At the castle in Septarsis, Star was using her All-seeing eye spell to check on the mewman village and also to look for updates on what Belos was planning. So far, everything seemed normal. The witch hunter was just doing the laundry and occasionally exchanging a word or two with the neighbours.

- Look at him!- Eda commented.- Pretending to be all normal, when he's anything but.

- Speaking of which.- Luz remembered yesterday's incident and turned to Star.- Star, what's the deal with Toffee? Why is he so hated by mewmans?

Star's entire face reddened from the awkwardness. What could she tell her? The truth? Or would it be too much?

Everybody were waiting in anticipation, heavily focused on what the blonde girl could potentially reveal to them about their host. Lilith was probably the most excited of them all.

- Uhm...- Star began hesitantly.- Well...that's...kind of a...long story.- she gulped and spoke.- You see...

Was it a blessing or inconvenience, Star couldn't tell. But a sudden ruckus from the corridors broke the silence. Marco opened the door to see what was going on.

- Hey!- the human boy caught the attention of the random septarian running towards the exit.- What's going on?

The militsioner gave him his horrifying answer.

- Someone reported to the militia on a double murder.

WHAAT?!

The song Razzles and Toffee were singing was Wheel in the sky by Journey.