Blood is Thicker Than Potions/ Old Blood
AN:
So, uh… this one got away from me. I don't know how I ended up writing this behemoth of a fic, but here we are. (And I realize 10k words doesn't sound like that much, but I don't think I've ever written something beyond 4k words before, at least in a single chapter). To be honest, there are parts that I'm not entirely happy with, but eventually I got to a point where it just wasn't fun to write any more, so I just tried to finish it as fast as possible. IMO, this is particularly noticeable in the first part, which was ironically one of the last ones finished.
Oh, And in case it wasn't obvious, this is a sequel to my previous fic, One Trip Prevents Another. Technically you don't need to read it to understand what's going on here, but it does provide some context.
Lilith tapped her foot impatiently. Eda should have gotten her message by now. The little demon was important to her, right? Was all that planning for nothing? And if it was for nothing, then… well, Belos made it clear this was her last chance.
Her worries proved for naught, as Eda appeared in a flash of gold light, wearing her signature red dress and a bandolier of various potions strung on her chest. She glared at her sister. "Where is he?"
"Right here." Lilith pointed forward with her staff, and a large bubble shot out of the entrance behind her. Tumbling around in said bubble was King, who immediately noticed his caretaker.
"Eda!" he cried. "I'm sorry, it just happened so fast, and I-"
"Don't worry King," Eda said to him. "I'll take care of it!" Her glare turned back to Lilith. "So what, you couldn't get me so went after some kid on a slayground instead? And here I thought even you could go so low."
"I-it was the only way to get you to listen!" Lilith defended.
"No," Eda responded. "What it was was the best way to piss me off!" She shot at her sister like a rocket.
Lilith hastily threw up a shield, which her sister rebounded off of. "If you would just hear me out-"
"I'll start listening when you have something new to say!" Eda launched a series of fireballs.
Lilith countered with fireballs of her own, intercepting all but the few that wouldn't hit her. "Why won't you let me help you? If you would just give up this wild magic nonsense and let him heal you-" she stopped talking in order to dash backwards as her sister plummeted down like a meteor.
"How many times do we have to go over this?" Eda stood up. "I'm not gonna let your oh-so-precious Emperor control my life!
"And you know what, you always looked down on my wild magic!" Eda stepped to the side, just barely dodging Lilith's blast. "But, say what you will about it," she spun a circle with her foot, causing a small wall to erupt from the ground in front of her as Lilith fired another blast, "and I know you have plenty to say about it…" the blast hit the wall and shattered it. As the smoke cleared, Eda could be seen holding a vial of purple liquid with orange streaks in each hand. "…but it has its advantages."
She smashed the two bottles on the ground. From them erupted a wave of abomination matter, surging towards Lilith. Correction, flaming abomination goo. The coven head widened her eyes and slammed her staff down. The goo was blasted back by the resultant shockwave. It seemed like it was about to go for a second attempt, but it then slowed and whatever semblance of form it had melted away. "Since when can you do that?" Lilith cried in shock.
"Oh, this old bird's still got plenty of new tricks," Eda replied confidently. "For example…" She threw out another potion, this one contained in two thin tubes taped together. They shattered, releasing a cloud of smoke.
The cloud was so thick and sudden that Lilith had no time to cover her mouth. It seemed to have no effect though, aside from the coughing smoke commonly causes. With a wave of her staff she created a fierce gust of wind which instantly dissipated the cloud.
Glass shattered once more directly behind her, but she only had time to turn around before abomination slime pooled at her feet, and from that pool shot two thick ropes, which latched on to her wrists and pulled down. The pull was strong, but seemed to weaken after just a moment. However, Lilith couldn't take advantage of that fact before the entire mass quite literally froze in place.
Spinning a small circle with her finger, Lilith created a jet of flame in an attempt to melt her icy manacles. But she wasn't quick enough, as Eda immediately capitalized on the moment and rammed into her at full speed, sending her flying. On the bright side, at least she was free again.
As she flew, a blue glow formed around her, slowing her down before depositing her softly on the ground. "Is that why you're just throwing your life away? Why you're perfectly willing to just turn into that thing for all time?"
Eda narrowed her eyes. "I'm handling it."
"For how much longer? It's been getting worse, hasn't it?" Eda remained silent. "You've been needing more and more elixir to keep it back, how much longer until it's completely useless?"
"How di-" Eda took a step back. "Have you been spy- oh what am I saying, of course you've been."
"Eda?" King called from behind her, "What's she mean, 'been getting worse'?"
"It's nothing King!" Eda turned around to say that, which quickly proved to be a mistake as Lilith flashed up to her and knocked her back with a swing of her staff.
Eda didn't let her backwards slide slow her down for long, hopping to her feet immediately after coming to a stop. Seeing her sister charge up another blast from her staff she summoned a barrier around herself, causing the beam to spread over it. "Why do you even care? I've let you live your life! Why can't you just let me live mine?"
"BECAUSE I GAVE IT TO YOU!" Lilith screamed.
Eda raised an eyebrow. What did she mean by…
Her eyes narrowed. From the gasp King made behind her, it sounded like he'd reached the same conclusion.
Realizing what exactly she had just blurted out, Lilith stammered "Which is why I want to help you, please just let me fi-" And suddenly Eda was in front of her, delivering a magically charged haymaker straight to her face.
Unable to react in time, Lilith was flung backwards, only for Eda to blink behind her and sent her sprawling forward again by using her staff as a bat.
Pulling herself up once more, Lilith was just barely able to get a shield up as Eda hit her with yet another blast. "Eda please, your curse…" she begged.
"Yeah, you'd know all about that, wouldn't you?" Eda continued her attack, heedless to the feathers sprouting from her skin or the blackness pooling in her eyes.
Unable to get a chance to retaliate, Lilith was forced to remain defensive, forming barrier after barrier, but still being pushed back all the same. And that's when she made a fatal mistake.
For the frozen patch of abomination goo was still there, a fact she remembered only when her foot made contact with the slippery concoction. Her legs fell out from under her, sending her crashing down on her back. Gazing up, she found herself staring into her sister's eyes, of which the small amount not filled with darkness was filled with righteous fury instead. "Eda…" she coughed out. "Please…
"Don't worry." Eda pointed her staff down at her as it crackled with energy. "Unlike you, I'll make it quick."
Lilith's eyes darted around desperately, before settling on King, who was bashing his bubble against a spike-like protrusion on the wall, which might have done something if he weren't so light. She glared back at Eda. "Not quick enough." And with a flick of her wrist the bubble moved away from the bridge and over the large spike-moat…
And then disappeared.
"KING!" Eda dashed over to the edge, catching the demon in a golden glow. "Don't worry, I've got you!"
"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Lilith said coldly from behind her. Suddenly she felt the drain of her spell increase, requiring even more effort to keep him airborne. Normally this would be trivial for a witch like her, but her current state rendered it a losing battle.
"I'm sorry Eda," said Lilith, not sounding sorry at all, "But you leave me no choice!" Lilith increased the force pushing King down. Her sister was clearly on her last legs, just a little more, then… well it was for her own good, she'd see that in the end.
Eda's spell flickered. She could feel the scratching at the metaphorical door getting louder. "King…"
King looked up, letting out a whimper when he saw Eda's almost completely black eyes. "Eda…"
"Look, I don't think I'm going to be coming back from this one, so I'm going to need you to listen to me, okay?"
"No, no, don't say stuff like that, we, we can-"
"Sorry kid… not this time…"
"B-bu-"
"LISTEN!" Eda snapped, and the force holding him up flickered. "I've got a snail stash under the rug in the living room, there should be enough to keep you going for a few months at least." By this point only a tiny speck of color remained in her eyes. "And when you get home tell them… tell them I'm so proud of them… and that I'm sorry…" Feathers sprouted from her skin. "And make sure to keep Hooty out of our experiments! We don't want a repeat of last time!"
King couldn't help but get a soft chuckle at the memory before snapping back to reality.
"Goodbye King," Eda said. She then let out a scream of pain, and the magic holding King up flickered. The last thing he saw before plummeting was feathers erupting from her body.
Owlbert transformed out of staff form and dived after him. However, the fall lasted for mere moments before he was surrounded by a bubble once more. The bubble slowly rose and was intercepted by Owlbert, who pecked at it furiously. Unfortunately, much like King's efforts earlier, his attempts were fruitless, and he abandoned his efforts shortly before the bubble reached the bridge, soaring off to safety.
As King rose to Lilith's eye level, she gave him a regretful look. Aside her floated another, much larger bubble with the owl beast's massive bulk crammed inside. But her look was immediately masked behind her stony facade once more. She then turned and strode into the castle, both Eda's and King's bubbles floating behind her. As the gate closed behind them, she spoke. "I realize you'll probably never forgive me for this… But for what it's worth, I am sorry."
She could practically feel the glare King focused on her backside. "You're right, I won't"
"That's fine. After Belos cures her, we won't need to see each other ever again."
King scoffed. "You still believe he'll actually help?" He then muttered "Dumbass," under his breath.
"He has too." Lilith's grip tightened on her staff. "He has too."
Some time (and childish antics) later, and the moment Lilith was waiting for had finally arrived. Kikimora announced the entrance of the Emperor as normal and Lilith took a knee, also as normal. What wasn't normal was the Owl Beast busting out of her bubble and attacking on sight.
"Yeah, get 'em!" King cried.
Unfortunately Belos simply disappeared and reappeared behind her, before throwing her aside and binding her with his magic. His staff glowed with red energy, as did the Owl Beast's eyes.
Eda shook her head in an attempt to clear it. Taking in her surroundings, her face fell. "Oh."
"Milord," Lilith said, "I apologize for my sister's behavior."
"'Apologize?'" Belos asked, turning to his servant. "Whatever for? You are not the one responsible for your sister's actions." As much as Lilith wanted to correct him on that, she knew better than to interrupt. "If anything, you should be proud of what you've accomplished. For today, your quest comes to an end, and the infamous Owl Lady shall be a threat no more."
Wait, no, that didn't sound right. Lilith looked up. "You mean once she's been cured, right?" Belos remained silent. "But my lord, you promised you would cure her."
Belos sighed. "The deal was that I would cure her if you convinced her to join my coven. Something which you have consistently failed to do, albeit through no fault of your own."
Eda rolled her eyes. "Gee, if only someone told you this would happen. Multiple times."
Ignoring her, Belos continued. "If I were to cure her, she would simply continue her self-destructive lifestyle, endangering countless innocents in the process. And the Titan was very clear that would not be acceptable.
"No, she has chosen the path of Wild Magic, and now must pay the price." Belos gazed upon Lilith. "I trust you understand?"
"…Yes, your highness." Lilith dejectedly rose to her feet and slowly walked to the exit.
"Lilith" Belos called from behind her. Lilith turned around to face him once more. "I know what you're thinking, and you're wrong… This is not your fault-"
"Bullshit! *cough*" Eda fake coughed from her shackles.
Belos ignored her and continued "-It's hers… Yes, you may have been the one to put her in this position in the first place…" Lilith looked down in shame. "…But you have also spent these last thirty years in an attempt to correct your mistake."
"Total crap! *cough*" Eda cleared her throat. "Sorry, I don't know what's going on. I just seem t-" her sardonic remarks were cut off when Belos turned and pointed his staff at her, causing a band of red energy to wrap around her mouth. "*mumph!*"
"As I was saying…" Belos turned back around, "…you have offered your hand in aid several times… And yet every time, without fail, Eda chose not to take it." Eda mumbled something incomprehensible behind him. "And now, she must face the consequences of her actions… Her actions," he emphasized, "not yours."
"I…" Lilith took a deep breath and looked him in the eye, "…understand, your highness."
"Good…" He let out a sigh. "I know this must be… stressful for you." To his credit, he did sound genuinely remorseful. Or maybe he was just a good actor. Lilith didn't know what to think anymore. "So I suggest you take some time off."
Lilith said "… Thank you, your highness…" knowing full well what he meant by "suggest." She averted her gaze once more. "Will that be all?"
"Yes, you're dismissed." Lilith turned and walked away. As she left, Belos added "Oh, and take her pet with you. He's served his purpose." He made a small waving motion from King's bubble to Lilith, causing it to zip to her side.
She spared it a glance before continuing out of the room, with it floating behind her. It was only when the heavy doors fully closed behind her that she finally let the tears flow.
Meanwhile, back in the throne-room, Belos turned to Kikimora. "Leave us," he commanded.
Kikimora nervously glanced to the captive owl-beast, then back to the emperor. After a moment's hesitation she bowed. "Yes, my lord."
As she and the coven scouts filed out of the room Belos turned to the prisoner. "Now then…" and with a swipe of his staff the gag was removed. "…Eda the Owl Lady… To tell the truth, I've been looking forward to this meeting for a long time…"
"Sorry, no autographs today!" Eda said cheerfully with a smirk on her face. "I seem to have misplaced my thumbs!" She held up one of her forepaws for emphasis.
Eda couldn't see his face, but she imagined the emperor held an unamused look on it. "Hilarious."
"Oh, well if you think that's funny, just wait, I've got loads more material to work with!"
Belos let out an exasperated sigh. "I should have expected this, given your reputation-"
"Yes, you really should have!"
"-but must you really waste both our time with these asinine wisecracks?"
"Whoa, look who's busting out the fancy words!" Eda waved her former hands in mock-excitement. "But to answer your question, I really don't have anything better to do with my time and if it's anything like the rest of you, yours isn't worth much in the first place, so…"
Belos crossed his arms. ". . ."
Eda sighed. "Well you're no fun… Fine, what do you want?"
"To make a deal."
Eda raised a skeptical eyebrow. "A deal? Funny, I seam to recall you saying you in no uncertain terms that you weren't going to cure me? Or did you think I forgot? I'm not that old!"
"Oh, I wasn't offering a cure per se… And you've made it abundantly clear that you have no interest in joining any coven-"
"Well at least someone here gets it!" Belos groaned once more, and Eda held in a giggle. This was fun! Shame her first time insulting the emperor to his face was also going to be her last…
Belos continued, trying (and mostly failing) to keep his impatience from showing "-But perhaps there is something else we can do for each other…"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, time out." Eda made a stop motion. "Slow down a bit! I mean, I'm flattered, but at least buy a girl dinner first, ya know?"
It seemed to take Belos a moment to get what she was implying, because he was silent for a few seconds before letting out a huff that sounded almost disgusted. Eda would have felt insulted had it come from anyone else. "As if I would want anything to do with you like that!"
"Wait, so that gag wasn't some kind of kink-thing?" Eda cut in before he could continue. "Coulda fooled me. But you're not really my type anyway. A bit too… tyrant-y for my tastes." Belos seethed in anger, which just made Eda smile even wider. This was almost worth it.
"…Anyway," Belos gritted out, just barely keeping a lid on his temper, "I won't be curing you… But I can offer you the next best thing."
"Which is?" Eda figured she should know what she was not agreeing to before saying no.
Belos took a deep breath to calm himself "This spell I cast on you, the one separating your mind from the beast's… It is only temporary at the moment…"
Eda had a feeling she knew where this was going. "Let me guess, you can make it permanent?"
"Correct."
"And why would you do that? I thought all wild witches being petrified was "the Titan's will" or some shit?"
Belos gazed up to the Titan's heart and went silent. For a brief second, there was nothing to be heard except the soft *thump-thump* it created. Looking back at Eda he proclaimed "You would do well not to insult the Titan… And while that is true, you have already been striped of all magic, and trapped in this bestial form. The Titan believes this punishment enough, provided you cooperate…"
"Yeah, yeah, cut to the chase." Eda was tired of his grandstanding. "What do you want?"
"The portal."
Eda eyed him suspiciously. "The what?"
"The portal to the Human Realm," Belos elaborated, as if he needed any clarification. "It is of no use to you anymore; your new size makes traversing it impossible." Eda didn't respond, so Belos continued his spiel. "If you give it to me, I will preserve your mind, and leave you free to do… whatever it is owls do. Or don't, and you'll be petrified and I'll just take it anyways.
". . ."
"Sanity… or petrifaction. The choice is yours."
"Well, that's quite the generous offer," Eda said in a tone that clearly indicated she thought the opposite, "But I'm afraid I don't even have a portal to offer."
Belos' skeptical gaze was visible even through his mask. "Really?" he asked in a bored tone.
"Nope!" Eda proclaimed, popping the p.
"Then where do you rather all those human 'treasures' you're so proud of?"
"Trash slugs," Eda said simply.
"…And they give you enough to sell on a regular basis?"
"Well yeah, have you seen the size of those things?"
Belos sighed in disappointment. "…To be honest, I expected this, but it didn't hurt to try… Ah well, so be it." He turned around and walked away. "It will be easy enough to find once you've been petrified." As the door opened he sent one last look her way. "Enjoy your new existence as a statue." And with that he was gone, leaving Eda alone with her thoughts.
"Heh." She smirked. "Good luck with that." She knew full well the portal was useless without the key. The key which was currently stored in her hair. Her hair which would soon be petrified with the rest of her body. She chuckled. Having the last laugh, even as a statue… Truly, she wouldn't have it any other way.
Maybe she should actually pull it out right at the end, just to rub it in…
Nah, not worth the risk.
Meanwhile, Lilith continued to escort King through the castle. However, the demon noticed something was off. "Uh… didn't your oh-so-precious Emperor sayyou supposed to be taking me out? Because I seem to remember the door being that way." He pointed in the opposite direction they were moving.
Lilith's only response was to let out yet another sob.
At that point King snapped. "WOULD YOU SHUT UP?" he screamed. "Yes, you ruined Eda's life, but you've had thirty years to fix it! And what have you done in that time? Nothing! Zip! Nada!" He lowered his voice as his rant wrapped up. "You lost the right to feel sorry for yourself a long time ago…" And then he muttered "Leave that to people she was actually important too."
Lilith didn't respond as she arrived at her destination, flinging open the door to her personal quarters and marching over to the box she had been saving for a special occasion. King watched as she withdrew a large bottle of high-proof apple blood. "What, are you going to celebrate finishing the job now?"
"No," Lilith spoke for the first time since her encounter with the Emperor. "I'm trying to forget the fact that I'm a terrible sister." She punctuated her claim by yanking the cork off and taking a large swig straight from the bottle.
That response did not please King at all. "Oh, you're just now figuring that out?"
"YEP!" Lilith proclaimed loudly. "Right when it's too late, after I've missed EVERY chance to fix ANYTHING… do I finally realize it!" She collapsed into the chair by her desk. "And all it took was to kidnap an innocent kid and condemn her to a fate worse than death…" She slammed the bottle on the table and hunched over.
"Hey, Ma'am?" Lilith looked over to see the masked face of a coven scout leaned in front of the door. "I heard yelling and… I'm sorry, but are you drunk?"
"No, but I'm trying to fix that!"
King looked at the scout. "She's just coming to the realization that she's a horrible person whose bad decisions and refusal to accept them led to her own sister being petrified," he said matter-of-factually.
Lilith laughed. "EXACTLY!" She leaned back and started chugging, but the scout rushed in and gently pulled the bottle away from her lips before she could get much of it. She glared at him for the interruption. "What do you want, Steve?"
Steve guided her hand down. "I want to talk."
Lilith let out a sad chuckle. "Talk about what? That I'm a shortsighted idiot? That I never even tried to listen to her? That I'm such a failure I had to curse my own sister to win some stupid contest? And, not only was doing so completely pointless, but I couldn't even do that right?"
"…" Steve closed the door and, seeing that the only chair was occupied, sat down on the bed. "I think it would help if you told me everything."
"Why?" Lilith looked down into the apple blood. "It won't change anything."
"I…" Steve hesitated. "I just want to know the full story… Please."
". . ." Lilith leaned back in her chair, this time with the bottle held below her and almost loosely enough to drop. Had it been anyone else who asked that, she would have flat-out refused… But Steve was one of the few people she could actually call a friend. And King was probably the closest thing Eda had to a real family now, so he at least deserved the truth too. And so, after several moments of deliberation, she groaned out "Fine."
And so she told him everything that happened that fateful night. How she attempted to seal Eda's magic for the day, only to watch in horror as her sister turned into… that.And how everything she did since that day was in what she now saw was a terribly misguided attempt to fix it.
"Isn't it hilarious? Everything I've done, every line I crossed… I knew he was having me do horrible things, but kept telling myself that it would all be worth it when Eda was cured… But that was just a convenient lie I told myself." There was some part of her that knew saying stuff like that about the Emperor, to a member of the Emperor's Coven, whilst in the Emperor's castle, was a bad idea. But she couldn't bring herself to care anymore. "And it didn't even matter in the end, because he wouldn't lift a finger to help her!
"And you want to know the worst part? It's so Titan-damned obvious! Of course the Emperor wouldn't help her if she didn't join a coven." She took a swig. "And I should have known she never would. She's too stubborn once she sets her mind to something." She laughed. "I guess we have something in common after all."
There was a moment of silence before Steve said "I see… So now what?"
"Now, I finish this bottle and try to forget my entire life."
". . ." Steve took off his mask. "Ma'am… have I ever told you about my brother?"
Lilith looked back at him. "Yeah, you mentioned him a couple times. What about him?"
"Well…" Steve hesitated, trying to find the best way to put this. "He was one of the kids caught up in the… incident a while back. He managed to make a full recovery in the end, but… Well for a while, we didn't know if he'd make it. And knowing there was nothing I could do about it…" Steve forced the lump in. "It was hard."
Lilith scoffed. "Don't try to pretend it's the same thing. It's not even close."
"No, it isn't," he admitted. "But that day I promised myself that I'd do anything to protect him… No matter the cost."
Lilith groaned. "Yes, you're a much better brother than I was a sister, I know!"
Steve paused. "…Maybe… But when I say anything, I mean anything." Lilith raised an eyebrow as Steve changed the subject. "You know, I'm actually one of the scouts assigned to guard the Owl Lady… My shift starts just a few hours before the ceremony does, in fact."
Lilith slowly placed the bottle on her desk. "…Where are you going with this?"
Steve ignored her. "The funny thing is, no one told me not to listen to your orders. So even if, hypothetically, you were taken off the case… well, it's not my fault I would have no way of knowing that."
"Steve?" Lilith said in a dangerous voice.
"So really, as your subordinate, I would have no choice to follow whatever orders you give me. I mean, it's not like I have any way of knowing what your intentions are."
"Steve!" Lilith bolted up and leaned towards him. "What are you saying?" she hissed
"I'm not saying anything," Steve claimed. "In fact, we're not even having this conversation… that said…" he replaced his mask. "What are your orders, Ma'am?"
Lilith bit her lip. ". . ." She collapsed back into her chair. "Nothing… return to your duties… I have… business to attend to."
"…Yes Ma'am." As Steve opened the door, he had one last thing to say. You were right though, this isn't the same thing; you might still have a chance."
And with that he stepped through the door, but Lilith stopped him one last time. "Steve?" Steve turned back. "Thank you. You made this a lot easier for me."
Beneath his mask, Steve smiled. "Any time Ma'am."
As the door closed behind the scout, King made himself know once more. "Well, that was a touching story… So now what?"
"'Now what?'" Lilith gave a wry smile, returning her bottle to its place. "You say that as if I have a choice."
Deep in the confomitorium, Eda tapped her claws impatiently. "Ya know, if they're going to petrify me, the least they could do is not keep me waiting." Darkness clouded her sclera, and the Owl Beast let out a fierce growl. Eda groaned and the whites of her eyes returned (though not completely). "Oh please, you think I like this any more than you do? But if we're both going to die, at least let us do it with some dignity."
Her attention was draw to a rattling coming from the wall. Specifically a small grate on the wall, which eventually popped open, and from which a small owl flew out. Said owl flew up to the Owl Beast, hooting as it skillfully dodged the large swipes directed at it. Hearing the familiar hoots, Eda shook her head, regaining herself one more. "Owlbert? What are you doing here?"
"Hoot."
"No, you shouldn't be here! If the emperor finds you, then…" Actually, she didn't know what would happen if the emperor finds him, but it couldn't be good.
"Hoot!" Owlbert landed on the platform and examined where the chain was linked to it.
Eda sighed. "There's nothing you can do for me now. I'm sorry, but this is where my luck runs out."
"Hoo?"
"I don't know, maybe the Bat Queen? I hear she takes stray palismen."
"Hoooot." Owlbert perched himself on her head
Eda chuckled. Sometimes there was just no arguing with this bird. "Fine. You can keep me company. Just… promise you'll leave before it actually happens."
"Hoot."
"Heh. Good enough."
Some time later, Steve was waiting. He had started his shift about two hours ago, give or take, but he still hadn't seen anyone aside from the odd coven scout passing by. There was still some time before the ceremony, but he couldn't help but wonder if Lilith would go through with it.
Those doubts ended when she rounded the corner, head held high. Behind her was a still-bubbled King, still glaring at her in rage. She came to a stop in front of Steve. "I wish to interrogate the prisoner."
Steve smiled behind his mask. "Yes Ma'am." He unlocked the door and escorted them in.
Inside, Eda was still talking to Owlbert. She was actually glad he was here, talking to him seemed to keep the beast at bay somewhat. She didn't know if it was because of him or just talking to someone, but she also didn't care.
But the conversation stopped once the door opened, with the palisman quickly hiding behind her large body. Rage filled her body when she saw who entered, and the Beast made itself known in her mind once more. She held it off though. For now.
Lilith turned to the scout with them. "Leave us."
The scout saluted. "Yes, Ma'am!"
Once he left and closed the door behind him, Lilith's composure collapsed. Likewise, King's apparent anger (and the bubble he was in) vanished. "Eda…" Her breath became shaky. "I'm sorry…"
"Oh. 'Sorry.'" Letting the Beast out to do its thing suddenly became a lot more tempting. "Now you're sorry?"
Lilith couldn't meet her gaze. "No, this… this isn't what I wanted."
Eda scoffed. "Really? Then why did you even do it in the first place?"
"…It was only supposed to be for a day…" Lilith replied meekly.
"Oh, you only meant to curse me for a day. That makes everything better."
Lilith didn't respond verbally, instead moving up to her sister and crouching down to examine her chains.
Eda was very surprised at this brazen move. "You know, I can't tell if you're being brave or stupid."
"Maybe both." Lilith cast a spell circle and focused a small beam of magic on the chains, to no effect
"And give me one good reason why I shouldn't just gut you where you stand!" Eda demanded, flourishing her claws for emphasis.
". . ." Lilith refocused on the shackles.
"Because she's trying to help," King defended, though his heart didn't seem to be in it.
Eda snorted. "'Help?' Like she's been spending three decades 'helping?'"
King glared at the penitent witch. "…Better late then never," he grumbled.
Lilith growled in frustration as her latest attempt failed. "Why won't this WORK!?" she punched the ground in frustration.
Because Belos enchanted this thing himself," Eda said in a bored tone. "I've been his number one target for years, you think he'd take any chances on someone doing exactly what you're trying to do now?"
"No. No, there has to be something!" Lilith started thinking. If the chain couldn't be broken then… no, the platform was made of the same material so it'd have the same enchantments. And it wrapped around her neck so, even if she was desperate enough, it's not like… Wait, didn't some of the scouts say something about that?
"Is it true you know a spell that lets you… you know," Lilith made a gesture as if taking off an invisible helmet.
Eda let out a humorless laugh. "You think I didn't try that?" She squeezed her head between he paws and pulled, to no avail. "Apparently I can't do that when I'm like this." And then she grumbled "Because of course the one part of the curse I actually enjoy is completely useless here."
"Th-then there has to be another way!" Lilith sounded like she was on the verge of crying again. Actually scratch that, she was crying again. And this time King felt like he was moments away from joining in.
"I wish there was Lily. I wish there was." Eda sighed, both because of the situation and her own feelings. It pained her to see her sister like this. It really shouldn't, given all the shit she was responsible for, but… well, sisterly instincts are hard to ignore sometimes.
"No, there has to be something I can do to fix this!"
Eda averted her gaze. "There's nothing you can do for me. But if you really want to fix things…" She closed her eyes. "Then take care of the kids for me. Just… keep them safe. It's not like I can any more."
"I can't just leave you!"
Eda turned away. "…And say you somehow manage to free me…" she said after a moment of silence. "What then?"
That stopped Lilith's dead in her tracks. She… honestly hadn't thought about that. "Then… we run go somewhere Belos won't lo-"
"It's too late for me anyways." Eda stared at her paws. "I can still feel the beast trying to break free, and I don't know how long I can hold it back… And if I have to choose between that and petrification…" she slowly lowered herself into a resting position and let out a light chuckle. "Well, it's basically the same result for me… but at least this way I won't hurt anyone."
"No, I… I…" Lilith wiped the tears from her eyes. "…I'm sorry."
"If you're really sorry, do what I said; keep my f-" Eda turned to look at King and Owlbert, who seemed to be trying to comfort each other. "Keep them away from Belos."
"It's far too late for that, I'm afraid." Everyone present paled at the sound of that familiar voice. As one, they turned their heads to the far end of the room, where they saw two pillars (and it might have just been the darkness, but they were pretty sure said pillars were not there a few seconds ago.) light up with a deep red flame above them. And between these pillars was a throne, upon which sat the Emperor himself.
Belos clicked his tongue and slowly shook his head. "Oh Lilith, Lilith, Lilith… I wish I could say I was surprised at this… I had hoped reason would win out over whatever misplaced sympathy you felt for your sister, but… Well…" He let out a slow sigh. "Let's just say that it's been quite some time since I was this disappointed at being proven right."
"…'Misplaced?'" Lilith rose to her feet, glaring at her former master with fire in her eyes. "If anything was 'misplaced,' it was my loyalty to you. For thirty years, you claimed that you would cure Eda of her curse. And for thirty years I believed you. Pledged my life to you! And yet you never intended to hold up your side of the bargain in the first place!
"On the contrary, I would have gladly given Eda the cure she needed…" Eda scoffed at that, and Belos extended his hand at her. "After all, she is one of the most skilled witches of her generation, and to let that go to waste is a shame…" He sighed disappointedly. "However, she refused to abandon her wild ways, rebuffing not only me, but the will of the Titan Himself!" His extended hand clenched into a fist. "And such a slight against Him is unforgivable… But you, on the other hand…
"You have served His will loyally and effectively for quite some time now. Furthermore, you are clearly not in the right state of mind right now. And, considering the situation you find yourself in, that is not something you can be blamed for. With this in mind, I can not find it in me to punish you to the extent I would normally do so for one who has attempted what you have… if you surrender now."
Eda groaned. "You know, I'm getting rather tired of hearing you spout shit like this!"
Belos didn't even spare her a glance. "Regardless, if you stand down now, I assure you, the consequences will be greatly lessened."
Lilith summoned her staff. "'Lessened' you say… Please, I'm well aware there is only one punishment for aiding a wild witch."
Belos raised a finger. "Ah, but you have not helped her yet, have you?"
"No…" Lilith clenched her fists.
And in a flash of light, she was just inches away from Belos. "SO I GUESS I SHOULD FIX THAT!"
She swung her staff with more force than ever before, but was frozen mid-movement by red energy. Belos sighed in disappointment. "So be it." And with a flick of his wrist, Lilith was sent catapulting backwards.
But before she hit the ground she disappeared in a flash of light. Said light streaked behind Belos and reformed into Lilith swinging her staff once more, but the Emperor's form rippled like water and seemed to glide across the ground. Lilith passed through the space he once occupied and didn't waste any time on recovery, allowing her staff to take flight and pull her along with it.
Circling Belos, she set up several spell circles on a time delay. As soon as she completed the loop they fired off as one. Oddly enough Belos was seemingly content to let this happen. But once the blasts triggered a massive worm-like creature rose from around him, almost like it was consuming him. The monster reared back and lunged at Lilith, who just barely dodged but was thrown from her staff by the suddenness.
Pulling herself up and seeing Belos slowly approaching, Lilith fired several spells in quick secession. But a thick tendril sprouted from the floor, bending itself in a way that blocked every shot she sent. Glancing upwards she sent one more spell, but this time aimed at the ceiling. This blast created a large hole in the ceiling, through which the night sky could be seen. But more importantly, it also created a downpour of stone directly above the Emperor.
Looking up, Belos simply raised his staff and the rubble was bathed in red and came to a stop. Without looking, he pointed his hand at Lilith and flicked two of his fingers skywards. A tall wall of meat-like substance rose from the ground, easily blocking the spell Lilith cast in hopes of capitalizing on his distraction. "Nice try," he said, and the wall fell down, smothering Lilith.
She struggled against it fruitlessly for a few moments before it tightened around her, shrinking until it covered only her and none of the floor. It then shrank further, until it became little more than ropes binding her to the floor.
"Well, that was fun." The ruble above Belos fell, forming a perfect circle around him, and he walked up to Lilith's prone form. "Though quite frankly, I expected more from the head of my coven."
Lilith didn't even bother responding. She just closed her eyes and prepared for the inevitable.
But the inevitable never came. "…Although… my offer is still open, you know." Lilith slowly open her eyes back up, seeing him looking over to Eda expectantly.
"I… I…" Eda took a deep breath. "I can't give you what I don't have."
"Is that you're final answer?" Eda's response was to look away from Lilith in shame. "Very well then." He pointed at Lilith, then flicked his finger in Eda's direction. As he did so, Lilith was pulled from her bindings and flung towards her sister, coming to a crashing halt right beside her on the platform. "I had planned for only one petrification today, but I suppose there's always room for one more statue." On the floor behind him Lilith's palisman came to life and flew to its masters aid. But Belos simply caught it has it flew by.
Lilith looked up to her sister. "So. This is how it ends?"
Eda sighed. "Looks like."
"I really am foolish, aren't I?"
"I won't deny that."
Lilith laughed, but a sharp pain came from her side as she did so. As she clutched her side, a look of realization came to her face.
Belos raised his staff as Lilith placed a hand on her sister's paw and muttered something. A blinding flash erupted, and the Emperor shielded his eyes. And when he lowered his eyes, he was shocked to see the Owl Lady standing there.
Lady, not Beast.
"Wha- how?"
Eda stared at her hands with her newly heterochromatic eyes and flexed her fingers. "Well…" She grinned. "How about that?"
Lilith shakily pulled herself up, suddenly a lot less battered than before. "Heh… I can't believe that actually worked…"
"Well, it did." Eda said, tracing a large spell circle in the air. "So how about we show Emperor Blows here what we Clawthornes can really do!"
The circle shattered almost immediately, and her face fell. "Apparently not much." Lilith experimentally tried to cast a small spell, with the same results.
Belos straightened up, recovering from his shock. "I know not what manner of magic this is, but I assure you it will not help."
"Oh Yeah?" Eda retorted. Her eyes flicked around the room, and she smiled. "Well up yours!"
Lilith facepalmed. "Really?"
"Really," Eda said confidently, and then in a whisper added "Trust me."
Meanwhile, Belos probably had a flat look on his face. "…How creative." His staff glowed. "Now, we all know this can only end one way, even if you had magic, so I suggest you two save us all some time and surrender."
Eda called Owlbert to her hand. "We may not have magic…" she twirled him in her hand, "…but there is one… actually, two things we can do that you can't!"
Belos sighed. "Which are?"
Eda smirked. "Stall," she said simply. "And count to three."
"WEH!" King made his presence known as he leaped over Belos from behind, yanking his cape over his head as he did so. The sudden and unexpected action caused him to release his hold on Lilith's palisman, who flew to their master.
At the sound of Eda's whistle, Owlbert did the same from the vent he hid in. "Let's go!" she cried, holding out her hand. Owlbert transformed into his staff form in midair and she grabbed it, allowing the momentum to carry her away and right past Belos, making sure to scoop up King on the way. Not wasting a moment, Lilith followed suit.
As the escapees flew up through the hole Lilith had blasted through earlier, Eda pulled out another smoke potion from her hair and uncorked it, allowing the thick smoke to trail in their wake.
Belos yanked his cape off his head and glared at the slowly dissipating smoke trail, which made it impossible for him to get a clear shot. Stewing in anger, he momentarily lost control of his form and slammed a massive sludge fist into the nearest wall. Yes, he knew letting Lilith come down here was a risk, but how was he supposed to know she had some form of wild magic that would bring Eda back to normal? "Fine," he growled, reforming his arm. "The hard way it is then."
A short while later, the escaping group touched down at the Owl House. Eda looked up at the aforementioned building. "Welp. Here we ar-"
"OH MY TITAN I'M SO GLAD TO SEE YOU!" Eda's owl… worm… thing (Lilith was pretty sure his name was Hooty) burst out of his cubby and wrapped around both Eda and King, squeezing them together in what he probably thought was a hug but more resembled a loa constrictor.
"Gah, Hooty!" Eda gasped. "Can't… breath!"
Lilith smiled fondly at the scene of the two trying to free themselves from the third. But the her grin quickly turned upside-down and she looked away from what she had thrown aside.
Then she heard the door creak open and a soft voice said "Eda?" She looked back and saw a (somehow familiar) head of purple hair sticking out. "Is- is that really you?"
Eda finished pulling off the last of Hooty's coils. "Hey kid."
The unknown witch came out and embraced Eda. "I'm sorry, I wanted to- I couldn't…"
"Hey, it's okay." Eda patted her on the back. "You did the right thing. And it all turned out fine anyways, okay?"
Lilith cleared her throat. "So I assume this is that 'mysterious apprentice' you've been seen around with?" The purple-haired witch pulled off Eda, and Lilith managed to get a good look at her for the first time without a hood and- wait a second.
"Hey, Lilith…"
"AMITY? You're…" Alive? Safe? There were a lot of things Lilith wanted to say, so she settled on "What are you doing here? Your parents have been worried sick!"
Amity scoffed. "Sure they have…" she muttered.
Eda was the one who actually answered the question. "Long story short, I helped the kid here out through a rough patch a few weeks ago and she's been returning the favor." She looked back at Amity and King. "Actually, could you give us a moment?" Amity nodded, grabbed King, and went back inside.
The two sisters stood there for a moment before Eda was brave enough to speak first. "So… now what?"
"Who knows?" Lilith looked to the sky. "I guess I go to the other side of the Isles, try to start a life there…" She spared one last sorrowful glance at her sister before turning back to her palisman. "I'm sorry," she whispered for what felt like the hundredth time today.
Eda was silent a moment before making an exasperated groan. "Dammit Lily, get in here!" she ordered, walking back to her house. It's not like she had Eda's forgiveness, but after what she just did… maybe she should at least get the chance to earn it.
Lilith seemed to have a mental argument with herself before following her sister in. Seeing Eda take a seat, she followed suit. A long period of silence followed, neither of the two knowing what to say. Amity and King weren't present, probably being upstairs.
Eda was once more the first to break the silence. "He's going to be after both of us now."
"Yeah."
"He probably won't leave us alone this time."
"No." Lilith grimaced. "He's been getting desperate. I don't know why, but he's been putting a lot more pressure on everyone about you." After all, that was why she had hatched the whole kidnapping plan in the first place. Side note, she'd have to find a way to make up for that with King later.
"He wants my portal door."
"Por- please tell me those rumors aren't actually true." Eda's lack of answer was answer enough. Lilith sighed. "Which means no matter where we go, he'll come after us until he gets it." A thought occurred to her, but she immediately dismissed it. Even if they presented it to him as a peace offering, he probably wouldn't be satisfied after the embarrassment they gave him. Not that Eda would allow that in the first place. Instead, she leaned down and buried her head in her hands, letting out a muffled cry of "Fuck!"
". . ." Eda slowly looked at her. "What did you just say?"
Lilith looked up in confusion. "…That he'll follow us where ever we go?"
"No, you said 'fuck.'"
"…So?"
Eda pointed at her with both hands and chanted in a sing-song voice "You said fu~ck, you said fu~ck, Perfect Prissy Lily said fu~"
"EDA! Lilith cried, cheeks red. "Not now!"
"Well excuse me for trying to lighten the mood."
Lilith clenched her fists. "Don't you get it? Not only did we humiliate him – in public – but we have an extremely rare object that he desperately wants!" Okay, so that last bit was mostly conjecture on her part, but considering how much harder he was pushing for Eda's capture lately… "Right now, he's probably gathering every single scout he can for the sole reason of bringing us down! You thought my raids were bad?"
"No, not really."
"THAT WAS RHETORICAL!" She took a deep breath. "Hooty may be surprisingly effective, but do you really think he can take the entire coven? And even if he could, what then? We stay locked up in here for the rest of our lives?" Eda didn't have a response for that. "We're dead. We're dead and it's all my fault! …Again…"
A deafening silence fell once more. Eda gazed out the window. "The entire Emperor's coven you say?"
Lilith whispered out a soft "Yup."
Eda stood up. "Then I guess we better get ready."
"For what, our deaths?"
"Well, if Belos wants to come get us…" Eda gave a dangerous grin. "Then I'd like to see him try."
The Emperor's Coven gathered around the house, taking positions in the woods surrounding it. Much like Lilith had predicted, there were far more than she had brought on any of her raids. In fact, it was probably not much of an exaggeration to say that it was the largest wild witch raid since the early days of Belos' reign. Out of this large assortment of coven members, many of them (mainly those who were part of the previous attempted raids) were visibly nervous.
Of course, this hesitation did not go unnoticed by the others, such as one whose gold (and ironically owl-shaped) mask made him stand out from the crowd. "What's wrong?" asked the Golden Guard to the nearest scout.
"Well…" The scout hesitated. "It's just that… whenever we tried this before, it… well, it didn't go well."
The Guard stared at the house of their quarry. "Maybe, but this time will he different," he proclaimed confidently. "We've brought every scout and guard we could spare. Plus, the Emperor said her magic is greatly weakened, possibly even gone entirely! Even with He- former Head Witch Lilith on her side, she won't be getting out of this one!"
"I know, but it's not them I'm worried about," the scout clarified.
"Then who? That little pet of hers?"
"No, her owl… tube…" The scout seemed to struggle with a description before giving up and settling for "house demon, she has a house demon!" He shuddered. "That thing's fucking terrifying."
The Golden Guard cocked his head. "First of all, language." If the scout's expression could be seen it would probably be saying "Really?" "Second of all, what house demon?"
The scout raised a finger before seemingly realizing something. "That's weird…" He began wandering around slightly, looking at the ground as if expecting something to pop out of it at any moment. "Normally he would have attacked by now…"
Both of them suddenly felt a menacing presence behind them, and they whirled around to see a figure towering over them.
"If you have time for idle chitchat," said the man leading the raid, "then you have enough time to do your jobs!"
The Golden Guard gulped. "Yes, Un- I mean, Your Highness!" he stammered. He then turned back and pointed his staff at the house. "ADVANCE!" he commanded.
The assembled members did so, spells primed and ready for any retaliation. Arriving at the front door (which had organs in it?), the Golden Guard wasted no time in kicking it in. The scouts rushed in from behind him. "Secure the house!" he commanded.
The scouts complied, proceeding deeper in. "Clear!"
"Clear!"
"Clear!"
One by one the scouts reported, each confirmation deepening the Guard's sinking feeling. Said feeling did not improve one bit when Belos himself entered behind him. "Well?" he asked expectantly.
The Guard was saved from answering himself one one of the scouts came up and saluted. "Sir! We've searched the entire house, but no one's here. They were recently though, seems like they grabbed whatever supplies they could and ran."
Belos inhaled sharply. "They knew we were coming."
The Golden Guard shrugged. "I mean to be fair, it's not that hard a deduction to make." Glowing blue eyes snapped to him and he winced. "I-I mean… sorry, Sire."
Belos held his glare but for a moment before spinning around and walking out the door. As he passed through he punched the frame in frustration, leaving a large crack in his wake.
The Golden Guard followed behind him shortly. "Shall I call for the airships? They might not have gone far, we can still find th-"
"No need," Belos interrupted. "I already know where they went."
"Well, here we are," Eda said. She set the large sack she was carrying down, where it joined a pair of suitcases.
"Yeah…" Lilith replied. On her back was Hooty's portable birdhouse, with its occupant eagerly scanning the ground for bugs. "Are we really going to be able to live like this?"
"Well, we'll still have to make supply runs." Eda opened the bag, revealing a large amount of glowing yellow bottles. "But we should have enough elixir here to last us a couple weeks at least before we need to grab more."
"And how are we going to do that? I highly doubt my replacement will be as forgiving as I to guards who just ignore you."
"Well fortunately we have someone here who they don't know!" Eda nudged Amity before something occurred to her. "They don't know her, right?"
Lilith shook her head. "I doubt it. None of the reports described her face, only an 'unknown hooded figure.'"
"Well then, there you go. We wait a few weeks for the heat to die down, then she goes through and makes a pickup for us." Eda thought for a moment. "Could probably snag us a couple of concealment stones, too…" she mused.
"Okay, but what are we going to do? Just live out here like hermits?" Although honestly, that sounded doable, though obviously not preferable.
"What we do is live like me. Lie, cheat, steal…" Eda gave a small shrug. "Preferably only from people who deserve it, mind you."
Lilith chuckled. "From coven head to common criminal in a day… How the mighty have fallen."
Eda scoffed. "Please. We're the most powerful witches in the realm. We're anything but common!"
Lilith gave her an unamused look. "Only one of us has any magic,and we're the only witches in the realm."
"Which automatically makes us the most powerful." Eda gave a cheeky grin. "Speaking of which, how does it feel to be the most powerful among your peers again, Boots?"
Amity looked away. "Please, Eda. Not even as a joke."
Lilith rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She had better things to do than argue her sister's technically-correct logic. Namely… "I'm going to bed." She turned around and stepped past the pile of whatever belongings they could fit through what was recently a door to another realm but was now just a regular doorway, and then stepped through said door.
"Yeah, good call." Eda followed suit. "Come on kids."
"Coming!" Before entering the old shack, King took one last glance at the world outside. "Tomorrow," he vowed softly, "my reign begins anew!" Eda gave a small grin. Glad to see this sudden shift in circumstance hadn't changed him one bit.
Walking through the decrepit house and making sure not to trip over debris (side note; first order of business tomorrow was clean-up, no questions about that), Lilith began her quest to find a suitable area to set up a sleeping bag. Eda followed, dumping her bags in the living room to unpack later.
As they passed through, no one noticed the small camera in the corner of the ceiling gazing down at them.
Belos stormed into his throne room. It wasn't supposed to like this. The Owl Lady was supposed to either hand over the portal or leave it defenseless, not take it where it was impossible to follow! And now, she had just ruined over three hundred years of planning in a matter of hours! He clenched his fist; he had made several mistakes over the course of his life, but not finishing off the rest of that damned bloodline when he had the chance was proving to be the biggest by far.
But he wouldn't allow this to stop him. He had put in far too much effort to even consider that. No, the Day of Unity would continue as planned. As willing as he was to wait for the next opportunity, by the time the conditions were right once more his curse would have overcome him; it happened now or not at all. And yet…
Was there even a point? Without the portal, there would be no one to continue his work. And without someone to continue his work, then victory would be meaningless. Yes, a vast majority of the evil plaguing this land would be no more, but some would remain. And as long as there was even a sliver left, it would simply grow and grow until it reached even greater strengths. No, in order for victory to last, he would need others to take up his sword… except that was impossible without the door!
"Uncle…"
Belos whirled around and faced the only other occupant of the room. Said occupant was offering up a palisman, which was quickly snatched out of his hand, cracked open like an egg, and had its essence consumed. Belos sighed, his head momentarily clearing once more. "Thank you, Hunter." Hunter gave a small bow, and Belos collapsed into his throne. "This is a grave setback," he admitted, removing his mask.
Hunter, acknowledging the unsaid invitation, did the same. "I understand that, Uncle." He swallowed. "F-forgive me for asking, but does this mean the Day of Unity-"
"No!" Belos snapped, before taking a deep breath. "No," he said in a much softer tone, "the Day of Unity shall continue." After all, this realm took everything from him. Even if it wouldn't last, he would have his revenge.
…But that didn't mean he was giving up. "Our objective is unchanged, right now our highest priority is the capture of the Owl Lady."
Hunter raised an eyebrow. "But…"
"She won't be able to hide in the human realm forever." He gave Hunter a look that implied he shouldn't have to say something so obvious. "Sooner or later, she'll have to return to replenish her supplies. When that time comes, we shall apprehend her."
"Shall we increase the bounty again?"
"No, with it being as high as it is now a few more snails won't make a difference. However, I want the word spread that anyone who sees her or her sister and does not report it is to be treated as an accomplice. Perhaps that will convince the public to treat her as the menace she is," he mused. "And it should go without saying, but put out a bounty on Lilith as well."
"Of course, Uncle." Hunter stood. "Will that be all?"
"Not quite." Belos leaned forward. "You see, Lilith's betrayal has left the Coven in a… difficult position. If we do not find a replacement immediately… well, I don't think I need to spell it out."
"Yes sire, should I compile a list of recommendations?"
"That will not be necessary…" Belos smiled. "Congratulations or your promotion, Head Witch Hunter." The soft chuckle he let out went unheard.
"M-me?" Hunter stepped back in shock. "Are… are you sure, sire?"
"Why not? After all, during your short tenure as Golden Guard your skill has been proven several times over… and, unlike a certain someone, you would never betray me, would you, Hunter?"
"N-no, of course not!"
Belos continued as if he had said nothing. "Of course, if you don't believe you can handle the responsibility…"
"That's not what I meant!" Hunter protested. "I'm just surprised, that's all." He took a knee once more. "But I would be honored to accept this position."
"Then it's settled." Belos stood and approached his nephew, placing his hand on his shoulder. "I expect great things from you, Hunter." He gazed up at the Titan's heart. "We both do… Now, leave us!" The Emperor walked back to his throne and replaced his mask. "I must confer with the Titan about these events; inform the guards that I am not to be disturbed!"
"At once, sire!"
Hunter left the room, leaving Belos alone with his thoughts. While it was true that the Owl Lady would have to return sooner or later, the problem was that there was no way to know when. And even if they did manage to capture her again he had no doubt – now that she knew what he wanted – she would likely destroy the portal as soon as it looked like she might be in danger, just to spite him. No, as much as he hated to admit it, there was now a very real chance he would never see that cursed object again. But… perhaps there was another way…
Perhaps… Perhaps it was time for him to take another look at his old notes.
AN:
Coven Scout: "Sir, why are you having us install this throne in the middle of the holding area?"
Belos: "Because when Lilith comes to rescue her sister I'll be able to just suddenly appear sitting there all menacing-like, and it will be awesome."
CS: "I just feel like it's a waste of resources, that's all."
B: ". . ."
CS: [gets petrified]
So yeah, the thing I felt most guilty about Luz not coming anyway, here's my half-assed excuse for why Eda isn't full Owl Beast. Now I just need a way to stop the Day of Unity. Preferably with Vee was involved in a major way, because I feel she deserves some payback.
Though to be honest, this one is probably a bit too close to how it went in canon for my tastes (really the only meaningful change is the ending when you get down to it). Hopefully I managed to change enough to make it not boring. And hopefully their escape from Belos wasn't too easy.
Oh, and speaking of the ending, shout-out to The Guards of Gravesfield by Not_A_Cop over on AO3, which also involves Eda and the Owl Household moving to Earth to escape Belos. Now, normally this wouldn't be enough for me to make a mention of it, considering just how different the circumstances are, but I actually came across that fic by chance only a few days after coming up with a basic outline for this one, so naturally I took it as a sign from the Titan to get started writing. (Brain: Yeah, and it only took you a week to start it and [checks calendar] five months to finish.) (Me: Yeah, well… Shut up!)
But yeah, parts of this chapter were really tough to write. Mainly the fight scenes, because it felt like I was just regurgitating canon despite my attempts to shake things up. On the other hand, I had way too much fun writing Eda's exchange with Belos.
That said, this should not have taken as long to finish as it did. Fortunately, the next installment should be much shorter, so the wait should be much quicker… is what I'd like to say, but I kinda burned myself out on this one, so I may take a break for a bit. It will be coming though (… eventually… probably).
***This chapter contains bonus content. You can find it on my profile***