So, I was informed that in some countries archive of our own is blocked :c...
So I decided to post up the rest of the story here, but bit by bit.
Chapter 10
"There you go. You're so brave, little one," Camila said as she cradled a small dog in her arms as she administered a vaccine. The dog slightly tensed up at the sharp jab but relaxed by Camila's gentle touch.
The dog's owner couldn't help but smile at the way Camila handled her beloved pet with such tender care.
Work was moving slower than usual for Luz's mother. With only a few visits on the schedule for the day, she found herself wishing for a distraction from the conversation she had with Philip earlier in the morning.
As she settled in for lunch, she pulled her meal out of the microwave and sat at the table set up in their makeshift break room.
"Breakfast for lunch, huh?" Jimmy, her coworker, chuckled as he sat across from her. He pulled out a chicken salad wrap, and a container filled with grapes. "Though I guess someone couldn't hold themselves back." He noticed the half-eaten pancake on the plate.
"It's a long story," Camila sighed as she began eating Philip's leftovers.
She was planning to eat it before heading to work and make herself something else for lunch, but she didn't want to eat too much for breakfast before drinking enough coffee for the day.
Both ate quietly for a moment before Camila decided she had to talk to someone about Philip.
"I need your advice on something, Jimmy," Camila began, making Jimmy look up with curiosity.
"Hmm?" he asked as he was munching on grapes.
"I have a friend who has an uncle," she began. "He's very old… and… is currently staying with my friend and her family. My friend has an adopted teenager, who is biracial. And… well…" She sighed as she didn't know how to sugarcoat the next part, so she just decided to be direct with her words. "He's racist towards her."
"Damn, I can already imagine what that teen has to go through by having to put up with someone like him," Jimmy said, shaking his head in disbelief.
"He grew up in a very… old… terrible way of thinking, surrounded by people who hated, well, different races unless it's their own," Camila went on to explain the situation. "He's set in his ways and genuinely believes he's right, that he thinks she's like evil somehow."
"And I'm assuming your friend doesn't want to kick him… out…?" Jimmy asked.
"It's… complicated…" Camila went with. "And my friend is trying to figure out to… I don't know…"
"Make him not racist?"
Camila nodded. "Is it foolish for my friend to think she might change him?" Camila asked. "To have hope he can realize he is wrong and at least not look at the girl as…" she couldn't say the next part, but the words played in her head.
'As someone he believes he must destroy…'
"Well, I have so many questions about the whole situation, but I probably won't get them unless I'm talking to your friend," Jimmy said, as he leaned back and crossed his arms, deep in thought. "But I guess for now… I guess I can start with this. You know the saying about old dogs can't learn new tricks?"
"Yeah?" Camila asked, confused.
"Well, it's bullshit," Jimmy declared. "Some old dogs can learn new tricks, and that applies to humans too, no matter how old they are."
Camila said nothing, letting Jimmy go on.
"You said he grew up surrounded by people that thought other races were evil? So, I guess my first question for your friend would be if he ever was around other people from different racial backgrounds."
"He has… For a long time," Camila revealed.
Jimmy eyed her while he took a bite of his chicken wrap, as if studying her. "Well, let me be more specific. Has he actually spent time with them? Like actually getting to know them? Just because you're around different sorts of people doesn't mean you're actually around them. You get me?"
"Hum…"
"Let me use myself as an example," Jimmy said. "I used to hang out with people from my hometown who had similar backgrounds as me, until I went to college. In my first year there, I had classes with students from different countries. However, we only communicated for class assignments or study groups. We never made an effort to get to know each other. I had no idea what they liked or disliked, what their aspirations were, and I wasn't interested in learning about their cultures or trying their home-cooked meals during study sessions."
"I would have totally wanted to try their home-cooked meals…" Camila mumbled.
Jimmy chuckled at Camila's response. "Yeah, I know you would," he said. "But I was content with what I was familiar with and I was afraid to step out of my comfort zone. I used to think that foods with a lot of spices were gross. But then, my second year of college came. One girl from Japan was very social and she would drag me along to various clubs and parties. She introduced me to Japanese food and Anime, and before I knew it, I was trying different ethnic foods and exploring new countries with her. I made amazing friends from all over the world, and I still keep in touch with them. Now, I love to travel and immerse myself in different cultures. It took just one person who took the time to get to know me and show me the beauty of the world. She taught me that just because something or someone is different, it doesn't mean I should be afraid of it or them."
Camila was left to ponder if Philip had ever had a friend in the Boiling Isles or was he entirely alone all those 400 years… Constantly alone with his disturbed thoughts.
"That's why I always tell people to try to have different sorts of friends, from different backgrounds, different mindsets. They keep you open minded. Maybe your friend's uncle will change his opinions if he spends some good quality time with the family, and of course, by getting to know your friend's kid. Or maybe not… if he's not a good man," Jimmy shrugged.
Not a good man…
Or, in better terms, evil…
But… was Philip actually evil… or just misguided…?
Camila looked down at her pancakes and recalled how Philip didn't want her wasting the food away. He seemed to have preferred to eat it, even though it tasted like ash to him.
At that moment, he did look like there was some sort of good side in him… for not wanting to waste food like that.
But… Camila didn't like the idea of having the kids spending time with him alone, especially after everything he has done to them and their race…
"Honestly, if I were your friend, I would be extremely careful having her kid around her uncle," Jimmy said in a serious tone, making Camila look up. "Just like I said, some people can change, but others… can't. People who have hatred towards others because they are different can be very dangerous… Especially those who refuse to admit they are wrong…"
As Hunter lay on his sleeping bag, he couldn't help turning to his friend Gus, who was engrossed in a book, and asked, "What was he like…?"
Gus looked at Hunter with confusion before he guessed who Hunter was referring to. He put his book down on his lap and met Hunter's gaze.
"Well," the younger boy said. "I don't know… I only saw pieces of him. He seemed nice, I guess. Looked like he was a very great brother, like he was very protective and patient."
Hunter hummed, wishing he could know more about Caleb, even though…
'Out of all the Grimwalkers, you look the most like him,' Belos' words echoed in his mind, making Hunter feel a twinge in his chest.
'Why do you care?' Hunter mentally asked himself. 'You're just some… copy of someone who was probably better than you…'
"But I still think you're more of a badass," Gus admitted with amusement. "Cause I don't think Caleb could fight as awesome as you."
Hunter felt a small flush make its way across his cheeks at the compliment. He looked away, which made Gus smile at the boy's humility.
Gus had to admit, he was noticing that Hunter was more talkative the past two days, which… was confusing in some way after the recent events. The boy would have thought his friend would close off himself more, especially now that Philip was staying with them.
Maybe Hunter felt he had to stay vigilant now that their enemy was so close…
"We should probably start getting ready." Gus heard Hunter say and he agreed as he got up from the couch.
While the boys began to prepare for their 'mission', the girls upstairs were finishing up with their hair.
"Ready to spend time with Mr. Grouchy Pants?" Willow asked Amity with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.
Amity chuckled at the nickname Willow decided to give Belos, but still sighed after she finished brushing her own hair.
"I wish Luz was here, but then again… I have a feeling she and Belos would just antagonize each other the whole time."
"Yeah, I can see that happen," Willow agreed.
"It's just bizarre that he's even staying here, to be honest with you," Amity added, furrowing her brows.
"Believe me, we're all feeling that way," Willow said, securing the end of her braided hair.
"What with everything that's happened and now he's just here… last night was just… I don't even know what to think of it," Amity turned to Willow. "Do you think he was just putting on a show like Luz said? Luz and Hunter mentioned that he was really good at playing the victim."
"I'm not really sure," Willow admitted. "What do you think?"
"I used to look up to him and then the truth about his intentions came out, and then last night happened," Amity shook her head in disbelief. "It's a lot. I just don't know what to believe in anymore when it comes to him, especially since this morning he acted like nothing happened."
"I don't blame you for feeling that way," Willow said in understanding.
"I will say this, I for sure have no respect towards him anymore," Amity scoffed. "Well, let's hope everything goes smoothly today and find that Titan's blood," she said as both girls made their way out of the room. They noticed the bathroom door down the hall was open, and Belos' wet clothes were hanging from the curtain rod.
"Those clothes aren't going to dry any time soon," Amity noted to Willow. "And yes, I very much hate him, but I refuse to be around him if he's going to wear… those terrible drags that Camila lent him," she shuddered at the image of Belos wearing the wrongly fitted attire Camila lent him.
"Well, I got an idea," Willow said with an amused smile.
In the living room, Philip finally finished calculating everything, designing the portal, and writing a list of the materials they needed to make it. The only issue was that almost half the materials were native to the Boiling Isles, and he needed to find human alternatives….
"Here." Belos heard a voice say nearby.
He tried to hold back a sigh of annoyance as he looked up to see the two witch girls standing by him. Then he realized the stack of clothes the purple-haired one was holding.
Belos scowled, got up, and snatched the clothes from her grasp.
"What do you think you're doing?" he sneered.
Amity rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. "If you're going to be going out, you could at least look presentable," she retorted as Belos noticed his clothes were dry. "I'm not a big fan of your fashion choices, but it's better than what you're wearing right now. Now, please go change," she waved him off.
Belos shot her a disdainful look. He held back from saying anything since he couldn't trust himself. He had agreed to Camila's request not to antagonize the witches, and even though he was pretty good at not keeping his promises with witches, he did want to respect Camila a bit since she was human.
"Now, hurry, we have to leave soon," Willow said.
Belos kept his jaw clenched as he marched upstairs to change.
Amity and Willow looked at one another with amusement before heading to the kitchen to gather some snacks for the afternoon.
When Belos returned - dressed up with the same clothes he had left to the Boiling Isles with and back - the girls were out waiting in the living room. Willow noticed that his long hair may get in the way of his face.
"Let me help you with that," Willow said. She closed one eye as she honed her focus, reaching out with a finger and magically pulled Belo's hair back before tying it with a scrunchy - she had in her pocket - to hold it together.
Belos stepped back, as if that would do anything to keep the girls from using more magic on him.
"Alright, enough," He growled, lips pulled back to reveal the sharp teeth. "I'm not some doll for you to toy with."
"Hey, we're only trying to help," Amity scoffed.
"I didn't request for your assistance," Belos stated coldly.
"What's going on here?" Hunter asked right away when he burst into the room with Gus in tow. The blond immediately shot daggers at the man.
"Oh, it's nothing," Willow assured the boy. "Just that, Mr. Grouchy pants here doesn't know how to say thank you when someone does something nice for him," she said, making Amity cover her own mouth as she tried to stifle her laughter.
Belos eyed the girls with half-lidded eyes, deciding it was better not to continue with their childish play. He could tell they didn't look at him as the emperor any longer. Nor were they taking him seriously, which was a mistake for them...
No matter. They had a mission to accomplish. So, for now, he was going to play nice…
He went over to the coffee table and picked up the stacks of paper before handing them over to Hunter. Unlike the others, the boy would kind of understand what he had written.
"I finished calculating everything," Belos revealed. "It's all written down, especially the list of materials we need to build the portal."
Hunter skimmed through the pages till he found the list that Belos was referring to.
"We're going to need to find human alternatives for some," Belos informed them.
"Hopefully we can," Gus said.
"We will," Belos simply said with a hint of confidence.
"Well, come on guys, let's go before we miss the bus," Willow said after she checked the time on the watch on her wrist, one that Camila had given her.
"Wait, guys, ears," Gus said as he and Hunter pulled down their beanies to cover their ears. Amity and Willow made sure their own hid behind their hair.
"And of course, let's not forget this," Gus said and with a flick of his wrist, Gus cast a spell illuminated Belos for a moment and hid the traces of the curse to the naked eye. His ears also looked rounded.
Belos gazed down at his hands, still feeling the weight of the green substance from the curse, but for now, they looked normal.
Despite the great skill required to maintain an illusion of someone else for a long period, Belos remained unimpressed as he continued to have his bored expression on his face.
Gus tried not to let the lack of reaction from Belos get to him.
"I can only hold the illusion for 2 hours, so let's try not to be out too long," Gus said.
The group walked out of the house and immediately Belos was struck by the changes in the neighborhood surrounding them.
Right… this was the first time he was going to see the human world after being gone for so long…
He noticed right away the homes looked like the ones back in the 1600s, yet slightly different.
Truth be told, he was looking forward to seeing Gravesfield again. Despite the passage of centuries, it was a place where he felt like he belonged among his fellow humans. But… there was a nagging feeling that told him he didn't deserve to be back… since he didn't complete his mission yet.
He hoped the feeling would vanish, especially since he still had the chance to complete his mission.
He trailed behind the children as they walked down the sidewalk, but he abruptly came to a halt when something large passed by.
Belos stared in disbelief as his mind tried to comprehend what he was seeing.
Gus, noticing Belos had stopped walking, also noted Belo's bewilderment.
"That's a car," Gus said, making Belos look at him with complete confusion written on his face. "It's like a carriage, but it uses a spark-ignited combustion engine to run," Gus said with enthusiasm, especially at the fact he was teaching Belos something new. "It uses fuel. I learned that on the internet."
Belos' brow furrowed. "Not run by magic?" he asked.
"Nope. Humans invented so many things since you were gone," Gus said with a grin. "And just wait until you ride the bus. It's amazing."
They continued to walk down until they arrived at the corner of the street.
A bigger carriage pulled up and stopped beside them. The door swung open.
Amity walked in first so she could pay the bus driver for the five of them.
"Come on, Philip," Gus encouraged as he walked into the carriage.
Philip hesitantly followed, feeling a wave of anxiety wash over him. He had always avoided using any sort of carriages in the Boiling Isles, but since humans made this 'bus' and no magic was being used, he kind of felt better about going in.
Hunter and Willow entered after him, finding only one passenger was sitting there, with their eyes closed, as if resting.
"Let's sit back there," Amity suggested, gesturing to the end of the bus where it had five seats in the row. Philip sat at the far-left end, with Gus plopping down on his right.
The bus jolted into motion, which made Philip's body stiffen in response, but soon relaxed as he saw how smoothly it glided along the road.
As he watched through the window to see how the scenery changed, he grew more curious about how these carriages worked. He had the urge to take one, pull it apart, and put it back together, to see how it functioned.
The group sat on the bus quietly for a while. The teenagers didn't know what to say, especially since Belos was sitting by them.
"You mentioned you learned about how this… car works… from the internet?" Philip was the one to break the ice, as he asked Gus, unable to resist his fascination with human technology.
Gus blinked up at him before eyes light up with excitement. "Yeah, it's kind of like what we have back home, only it's way cooler since it has so much information," he explained. "I don't know how humans came up with it, but it's amazing. People can upload information, videos, even books. It took so many people and technology to invent it and it took over several decades."
"Several decades?" Philip raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"Yeah, it's still 'new' I guess, but we for sure haven't made something that amazing back at home, which would be so cool to have. We only have our 'internet' to send messages and for our Penstagram."
"I think you can find all the books humans have ever invented on the internet," Amity said with a sigh of awe. "Though, I guess I still prefer going in person to the library, but still, it's cool there are endless of books I can read if I want online."
"There are so many documentaries about many things there as well," Willow added with a smile. "And many movies as well."
"And instructional videos on how to do things!" Hunter chimed in, eager to share his enthusiasm. But as soon as Hunter remembered who he was speaking to, his excitement faded, and his smile disappeared.
As if… his 'uncle' would care what he had to say…
The kids felt the shift in Hunter and joined in his silence while Philip observed the kids before casting his gaze back to the window, feigning indifference to the exuberant excitement the young ones had. And ignoring the fact he had engaged with them as well.
To be honest, though, he felt some sense of pride that the witches were in complete awe of what his fellow humans had created.
Of course, humans would be far superior to witches when it came to inventing things.
Heck… many of the things back at home that dealt with technology that used magic were invented by him, after all.
But yeah, he was truly fascinated by the fact humans have created something like the internet without magic.
"Is it possible to learn how they invented the internet on… this internet?" Philip couldn't help but ask.
"I think so." Gus took a moment to respond. He was debating if he should offer to show Philip the world of the internet when he was cut off by Amity's voice.
"This is our stop," Amity said when the bus stopped.
Philip stood up after the kids walked up to the exit. He followed them, ignoring the strange pit of his stomach that hit him before he finally stepped out of the bus.
"Well, here we are, in town square," Amity said.
Philip surveyed his surroundings. He couldn't help but feel a strange sense of detachment from the unfamiliar buildings that surrounded him.
He read a sign that pointed the direction to Old Gravesfield.
"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Gus asked, noticing Philip's silence. The boy wasn't sure if it was a good or bad thing that Philip was back 'home'.
Philip didn't respond as his attention was drawn to a familiar statue in the center of the square. He approached it, hands clasped behind his back, and gazed at it in silence.
'You were supposed to bring him back…' the voice hissed.
Right…
He was supposed to bring his brother back so he could have seen the statue he had requested for their honor…
Yet…
The kids observed Philip. They had previously seen the statue a while ago and Luz pointed out the names carved in the bottom, revealing one of them to be Belos. Everyone was confused who Caleb was and simply imagined, based on Caleb's last name, he was some sort of relative. Though now they knew the morbid truth… Reminding them to not get too comfortable with while they were out in their mission.
Then, they saw Philip pull away from his statue and walked towards another one of a man with a weird looking hat.
Philip's eyes narrowed up at it, as if he wasn't happy to see it.
Gus approached the statue that looked familiar to him…
He looked down at the name that was carved at the bottom.
Alexander Baxter…
The Alexander that Philip used to look up to as a child, but then was one of the…
Gus noticed Philip's right hand tightened around his left wrist.
A 16-year-old Philip was struggling to write a story he was making up one late evening, outside behind a tree, with his right hand. He was writing about himself, on a faraway journey to find some lost treasure.
He always wrote some sort of short stories about himself, far away from Gravesfield, having an adventure, or… looking for his lost brother that was taken away by some evil witch.
Even though he should probably be heading back home for dinner with the Minister soon, he couldn't help himself as he just wanted to feel, for a moment, having a different life than he had now. A better life at that…
Philip stopped writing as his right hand was cramping up and ignoring the reminder in his head not to give in a certain urge, yet… he disobeyed and took the penknife on his left hand and continued to write, far faster and the words now were more legible.
He was swept away in his own adventure that he was writing that he didn't hear the footsteps coming close to him.
"How many times, boy, did I tell you not to use that wretched hand!" Philip's body grew cold as he froze, and violently flinched when his left wrist was grabbed and yanked up. "We warned you, didn't we?!"
Young Philip tried to pull away from the bigger man, already tears forming in his eyes as he cried out.
"Please, no! I promise I won't use it again!" he begged as he was forced to the ground on his stomach. Alexander kept him there by digging a knee to his back, while having a good grip on the boy's wrist. "Please, no, I promise! I promise!" Philip sobbed to the ground but stopped physically struggling since there was no way he could fight the large man.
"Don't worry boy, I'll make sure you won't be tempted by that sinful behavior again," the man hissed before he snapped Philip's wrist, making the young man let out a blood-curdling scream.
Philip shut his eyes and took a deep breath, as he stopped the memory from going further.
Even now, he still felt as though his left wrist throbbed from the multiple fractures it had dealt with…
Philip felt the powerful urge to kick down the statue and shatter it into pieces.
"So, where did you hide the Titan's blood?" Philip heard Amity ask.
Philip pulled away from the statue and immediately caught the sight of a familiar building, and the one he was seeking for.
"There," Philip simply responded.
The teens glanced at the building Philip was staring at.
"The Gravesfield Historical Society Museum?" Gus asked with confusion.
"That's where… that jerk works," Willow reminded others with a hint of bitterness.
"Good thing Vee isn't here," Amity said. "I wouldn't want to make her go inside after what he did to her."
"Alright… what's the plan?" Hunter asked, looking around the group for answers, only to see Philip pull away and walk into the building without a word to them.
"He really needs to improve his communication skills," Amity grunted out.
Philip entered the building.
After so many years, now he was back at the place that made him into a man, a man of God.
He expected to feel comfort that he was back, yet… he felt…
Empty…
The lack of emotions confused him. Wasn't he supposed to feel glad he was back?
'Why would you be glad?' the voice hissed. 'You failed your mission.'
Philip was jolted out of his thoughts by a man's groaning as he stepped out of a room.
"Damn it, I forgot to put the closed sign," the man complained before he blinked when he spotted Philip. He glanced at the older man from head to toe. "Whoa…" he let out before he quickly made his way to Philip. "You made a really cool outfit. Looks almost like it's from the 1600s, though the ones I've made are way better," Jacob boasted with arrogance.
Philip stared at him, slowly processing what Jacob said.
He wasn't expecting to talk to another human male just yet and already he felt there was a huge disconnect between one another.
"But aren't you like too old to be cosplaying?" Jacob asked with a hint of skepticism, making Philip raise an eyebrow, not understanding the reference. "And, hmm, so weird…" He leaned a bit too close for Philip's comfort. "You look awfully familiar…"
Philip narrowed his eyes at him, fighting the urge to just shove him aside for invading his personal space, but relaxed when Jacob leaned back.
Before Philip began to sweet talk the man to get what he wanted from the house, the door behind him opened and in came the four teenagers.
"No, no!" Jacob pulled away from Philip and waved his hands at the kids. "The museum is currently closed."
"Oh, we're sorry," Amity began as she tried to think of something on the spot before she smoothly shifted to a role of a concerned relative. "We were looking for our great uncle…" she lingered as she spotted a bunch of artifacts from possibly the days of Philip was from. "He's obsessed with things relating to… witch hunters?"
Philip frowned at the girl referring to him as their great uncle.
"Great uncle?" Jacob raised an eyebrow, taking a closer look at the teens, who looked nothing alike. Though one boy bore a slight resemblance to the old man. "Eww kid, you need to learn how to make look scars more realistic," Jacob pointed at Hunter's face. "I've seen better make up skills from youtube videos," he scoffed.
Hunter quickly hid his cheek, slightly ashamed of his scar.
Willow glared at the man.
"Hey, take that back!" she began. "And for your information, that's a real scar."
"Pshh, as if," Philip grunted, crossing his arms on his chest with amusement. "You can't trick me. I'm a professional when it comes to spotting the truth!"
Philip took the growing scuffle as his cue to slip away and delve deeper into the museum, with Gus following him.
Philip came to a stop in front of various artifacts displayed in the room and published works/information hanging on the walls. He thought it was strange to see old weapons behind glass for display for all to see.
The room, once used for town meetings, was now a historical exhibit…
The emptiness once again returned to his chest, and he wasn't sure why he was feeling it right now.
He saw Gus was reading an article from one of the walls but then ignored him as he turned to a hallway, then to a door. He opened it to find the room filled with boxes and other random stuff.
The room looked like nothing when he stayed there… and he felt nothing for it, which was again, strange.
Without hesitation, he pushed aside a pile of boxes and made his way to the left corner. He knelt and, with a sharp punch, he broke through the floor.
Gus flipped on the light switch, illuminating the small room, recognizing the room as Philip's form back in the day. He was quiet when he watched Philip tearing at the floorboards, flinging them aside, as he searched what he'd come for.
But…
All Philip could see was… dirt …
He began to dig.
"What the heck are you guys doing?!" Jacob's voice rang out, filled with annoyance.
"I-" Gus tried to explain but was shoved aside.
"Nope, I don't want to hear it. I'm calling the cops!" Jacob announced before he yelped when Philip had come at him and grabbed him by the collar, pulling him close.
"There was a box underneath those floorboards," Philip said coldly. "Where is it?"
"I don't know what you're talking about, man," Jacob stammered as he tried pulling away from Philip but realized quickly the old man was unnaturally strong. "I don't own this place. I just work here!"
Philip glared at him before he looked down at the wooden floor.
It had been 400 years… and the floorboards looked maybe about 10 years old…
Philip let out an annoyed growl before throwing Jacob to the side and then just walked out of the room.
"You're crazy, old man!" Jacob cried out in anger. "And I take it back. That is the worst costume I've ever seen in my life!"
As Philip made his way out of the museum, he tried to assure himself that maybe there might be some Titan's blood left deep in the forest. All he had to do was look for it.
"We should probably leave in case he was serious about calling the cops," Gus pointed out to the group as they were now standing outside of the building.
"So, I guess we're going to have to find Titan's blood somewhere else," Willow said.
"Maybe we'll have some luck somewhere outside of the village?" Hunter suggested.
Philip pulled away from the group before his eyes widened to two young women who passed by him, dressed in minimal clothing. Both had very tiny shorts and bra looking tops.
The two girls noticed his stunned expression and giggled, especially when he quickly found himself flushing and looking away.
The kids looked at Philip with confusion, not entirely sure what they had just witnessed.
Did they actually see… Belos look flustered?
"I need some of that coffee to think. Let's go to the cafe over there and sit down for a bit," Amity decided before they headed to the cafe across from the town square.
But Philip's attention was drawn elsewhere. He took in the sights of the people around him and was shocked by what he saw. Women wearing pants, some so revealing, and men in strange garments as well. He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw two men kissing on a bench, out in the open!
No…
'You're too late…' the voice hissed.
Philip felt his heart racing. He felt sick as he saw the people with unnatural colored hair. How there were many different skin tones blended in the community, and not just white skinned. The clothes everyone wore were nothing to what his people used to wear.
He realized the surrounding humans looked like… the witches in the Boiling Isles.
Philip glanced back with wide eyes at the two men who were sharing a kiss, who hadn't realized they had an audience.
'The witches and demons have tainted them all…' the voice echoed in his mind.
No…
There was no way he was late.
But then again, he had been gone for 400 years…
'400 years too late…'
"Hum, Philip, are you okay?" Gus asked, approaching him cautiously. The kids noticed Philip was just standing there with a completely lost expression.
Then something snapped inside Philip as he made his way to the two men, eyes locked on them as anger flared within him. He stopped right in front of them.
"You disgusting creatures!" he snapped. "You should be burned to death!"
"Oh… no," Gus let out with wide eyes. His friends were frozen in shock as well at the words that came out from Philip.
One of the men, John, pulled away from his partner and looked up at Philip with confusion.
"Excuse me?" the man asked.
Philip pointed a finger at them. "You're an affront to the Lord and stain upon this world!" he continued like a madman.
Gus finally found the strength to try and intervene, but Philip's outburst had already drawn the attention of the others in the square. A young woman approached them, her face filled with annoyance.
"Hey, what's going on here?" she asked, ready to defend the two men.
Gus and Amity jumped in, each grabbing one of Philip's arms, trying to yank him back.
"We're sooooo sorry!" Gus began quickly. "My great uncle, he's just very confused!"
"Yeah, he's been watching too many documentaries about witch hunters, and loves playing like some of those characters. He gets a little too into them sometimes," Amity tried explaining with a nervous laugh, still trying to steer the man away from the growing group around them.
Willow joined in and grasped the back of Philip's jacket and was pulling with all her might too.
"Come on, Uncle, let's go get you that hot cocoa you love so much," she said, trying to diffuse the situation with a friendly smile. "With lots of mint, just the way you like it."
Together, the three teens managed to lead Philip away, even though he was still in a daze, trying to make sense of the strange scene before him. People who had joined in the scene were casting judgmental glances his way, instead of towards the two abominations.
"What a jerk." He heard a woman say to one of the guys. She didn't believe the kids when they told them what they had just witnessed was just an act. "Who would want to play out one of those terrible witch hunters?"
Terrible…. witch hunters…?
"Okay, you're going to sit right there, and not act crazy," Amity instructed, forcing Philip to sit in one seat beside one table that was set up outside of the Cafe.
"That was bad…" Willow said in a hush voice.
"Philip, you can't say that stuff," Gus lectured in a serious tone.
Philip glared at him.
"I know humans had different opinions about certain things, but that changed," Gus added. "And, over all, what you just did was not cool."
"Yeah, you really don't want to be a jerk like that," Willow suggested.
"A jerk?" Philip scoffed.
"Yeah, Belos, hating on people who love each other is being a jerk," Amity said with a firm tone.
"It's Philip, and that's not love," Philip sneered. "That is a perversion of the natural order, a corruption of the holy union between a man and a woman."
"Holy…?" Amity blinked, confused.
"Let's get something to drink," Willow suggested to change the subject, since she had a feeling they would not get through with Belos at the moment. "What do you want, Mr. Grouchy Pants, coffee or tea?"
"I don't drink." Philip growled at her.
"There isn't alcohol in any of the drinks." Amity rolled her eyes, misinterpreting his words.
Philip gave her a sharp look as a response.
"Alright, be that way, nothing for you," Amity said before she asked Gus and Hunter if they wanted anything from the cafeteria. The boys didn't want anything, so Amity and Willow just walked in, leaving the boys alone with Philip.
"They're still looking at us…" Gus muttered to Hunter.
Philip looked up. The boy was right, there were still people from a far looking in their direction, with judgmental looks.
'See…? They've all been brainwashed now,' the voice chuckled in Philip's mind. 'You were too late…'
Philip's hands turned into fists on the table, doing his best to ignore the heartbeat that once again was racing against his chest.
He couldn't comprehend how people were okay with two men kissing. Did humans really give in to the witches' terrible influences?
Were there not any witch hunters around to stop the sinful spread?
'Your mission was to save us from sin,' the voice hissed.
Philip closed his eyes, trying to stop the voice from pounding in his head.
'You failed us…'
Philip tried to steady his breathing.
"This is why I didn't think it was a good idea to bring him out here…" Gus whispered to Hunter while they watched Philip quietly struggle before them. "I don't think… well… things are too different from how it was back in the day, and it was going to be too much for him."
"But I don't get it," Hunter said. "It's different, yet the place reminds me of the Boiling Isles."
"I think that's the problem…" Gus said.
Hunter fell silent at Gus' words before he turned back to Belos, who seemed to have finally calmed down his breathing.
The girls returned with their drinks, and the group settled in a hushed silence, waiting for the humans to lose interest in them, which eventually they did. People went back to their own journeys, leaving the five of them alone.
With the silence, Philip finally opened his eyes as he tried to gather his scattered thoughts. He straightened himself up before he caught sight of a familiar tall structure behind one building from the corner of his eye. He rose to his feet, and without a second thought, he set off from the kids.
"Wait, you're not going anywhere!" Amity cried out, but Philip paid her no mind as he crossed the street without looking either side. Luckily for him, no car was coming down the road. "He's worse than a child!" Amity groaned. Both girls finished their drinks and threw the cups away so the group could run after Philip. Eventually, they caught up to him as he was standing right in front of a building.
The doors were wide open, and there was a young pastor at the end of the aisle, talking to an elderly woman.
Philip stared at the church, as it looked almost the same as before.
He expected to finally feel some comfort that he was near something familiar, yet he felt extremely nauseous for some reason the longer he spent looking at the building.
"What is that?" Willow wondered out loud, looking up at the stunning architecture of the church.
"I'm not really sure," Gus said, though he recognized it based on some of Philip's memories.
Amity tried to enter the building, but someone abruptly yanked her back.
"Hey, don't touch her!" Hunter snapped at Belos, making Amity realize who had pulled her back by her arm.
Belos instantly released her.
"You can't go inside." His words were as steady as his cold look he was giving her.
"Oh?" Amity crossed her arms over her chest. "Why not?"
Belos said nothing to them for a moment before he answered.
"You'll burn to death if you do," he said, making the kids stare at him, with total confusion and slightly disturbed by his words.
"Wait, what?" Willow let out.
"But… there's people inside," Amity pointed out, gesturing to the handful of individuals she could see inside the church, sitting on the benches.
"Yes, but that's because they are not witches…" Belos stated, trying to ignore the fact that he could have just let the kids go inside and die. He wasn't sure why he had just stopped the girl from going in. "If you vile creatures go inside, you will burn to death."
"That… I'm so confused," Amity said, shaking her head as if she was trying to understand the logic of the situation. "I'll burn cause… I'm a witch?"
"Yeah… I have a hard time believing that," Willow said as she approached the entrance. "This building looks like an ordinary building to me."
Amity joined her. "If it's really going to burn us, then why would you stop us from going inside? You hate witches, so wouldn't you be happy if we died?" she pointed out.
Belos narrowed his eyes on her.
"If one of you were to die, the rest of you would want my head," he stated coldly.
"He has a point…" Gus said.
Amity rolled her eyes and without a word, she walked into the building, leaving Philip frozen.
He felt his heart stop, and then his mind went blank when he saw the Blight girl walk down the aisle before she stopped halfway before looking around the interior of the building with curious eyes.
"Not gonna lie. I was worried for a moment there." Hunter let out a nervous laugh before he and Willow walked in together, and just like Amity, nothing happened to them. Even the pastor looked up at them and gave them a welcoming smile.
"Do you want to go in…?" Gus asked Philip, with hesitation as he saw the way Philip just stared at the others who were inside.
Philip couldn't… how were those witches able to just… walk… like that… how?
The voice in his head was dead silent for a moment, as he continued to stare.
Even many years have passed and so much have changed, the church was still a sacred place. No witch nor demon should be able to enter the holy grounds.
At least, that's what the Minister and other people chosen by God told him for years.
He saw Amity approach one of the paintings on the side of the walls while Gus decided to walk in as well. He too was not lit up on fire.
He took one step without realizing it.
'You'll burn if you step one foot in,' the voice hissed now, making him stop for a moment.
But then he took another, hesitant, step.
'You can't go inside…'
Tension mounted in his throat as he took another step and then another.
'You're not welcomed!' the voice screamed now. 'You're a monster that has failed to save us!'
Then the voice stopped in his head.
"Philip…?"
He wasn't sure who called him as he just stood there, firmly rooted in the entrance of the church. He slowly looked down at his hands.
There were no flames burning his flesh away…
He was…
Fine…
He wasn't…
Burning…
'Philip, you have to listen to me. Everything they told you is a lie,' a voice from an unwanted memory replayed in his mind.
He heard someone say something nearby, but he couldn't make out the words…
'They aren't what you think they are!'
All the noise around him sounded so muffled…
'Please, Philip, I know it's hard to understand, but you have to believe me.'
Everything around him seemed so smudged together…
'Trust me, please…'
Everything felt so far…
'You know deep inside they're wrong!'
Philip didn't know what was happening…
'This isn't you! I know you!'
Especially as he couldn't hear or see anything.
'Why?!' Another voice screamed in pure agony. 'He was your brother!'
He just felt himself drifting away…
His body wasn't feeling so good...
"Philip!" The shout jolted him back to reality, to find himself out on the street, and a carriage hurtling towards him.
He froze, imagining the vehicle larger than it was.
Then all the sudden something dashed and yanked his arm hard along with them, sending them both flying across the street. Philip shut his eyes in pain when his shoulder made contact on the hard pavement.
"Oh, my Titan, Hunter!" Willow cried out in alarm. "Are you guys, okay?"
Philip's eyes shot open and looked up to find Hunter lying beside him, and the others running over to them, all with concerned eyes.
Hunter was panting, overwhelmed with adrenaline from what had just happened. He glanced at Belos who was looking at him, like a lost child. He felt his chest clench badly, even though he didn't want it to.
"What happened?" Amity asked right away as she had been so busy looking at the artwork painted on the walls of the church before she saw Gus had run out with Hunter.
"I don't know, he just ran off, and stopped," Gus tried to explain frantically.
"What the hell!" they heard the driver scream as he walked out of his car. "You guys have a death wish or something?!"
"Caleb…" Hunter froze when he heard Belos let out with hesitation. Then Belos grabbed one of his arms tightly, with a shaky grip. "I… I don't know what's… happening…" Belos' voice was silent, his eyes wide, but glazed over. "I don't… understand…why…" he trailed off as his eyes now had a faraway look to them.
Hunter felt his chest twist hard to see the state his 'uncle' was in and for a moment, forgot about his resentment towards him. All he thought right now was to take action to protect.
"Don't… don't worry, you're going to be okay," Hunter assured him, resting a hand on Belos' arm to comfort him before looking at the others. "We need to get him out of here," he said. "Help me get him up."
Willow helped Hunter pull Belos up to his feet from the other side. Amity and Gus apologized to the guy in the SUV and assured others who approached the scene that everything was fine. Both Willow and Hunter held onto Belos' arms as they led him away.
Hunter tried to ignore the struggle he was having in his mind.
A part of him was telling him not to trust Belos, that he was just pulling an act, but… he could see that maybe there was something wrong with his 'uncle'. Far worse than the curse that was eating him up and it was just getting worse from what he could see.
The image of Philip just walking to the road and just standing there was just so hard to ignore. It made him question why the man would do such a thing.
Obviously, there was no way the car would have killed Belos, but just the thought of him getting hurt, especially by the way he is right now made him feel sick.
So, the group did their best to pull Belos away from the prying eyes, hoping they could go back home soon before things just got worse.
Little did they know, there were some who were watching them, even though they were not physically there themselves…
The rest of the story is in archive of our own under the name Nisroc Chico : ), incase anyone wants to read the rest. I will be posting up the rest of the story, but in a timely manner
You guys can leave a review/comment here if you guys can't in archive of our own : o, otherwise, i prefer archive of our own so i can respond to them :)