Chapter 26
"Yes, they did it!" Jacob exclaimed, his voice brimming with enthusiasm. He and his cousin, Jason, have been watching intently on the live monitor that was coming from one of the men's helmets. The armored men had closed in on Philip and the two children, but then, in an instant, the kids vanished into thin air.
Although the group had failed to kill any of the children and seize one of their staffs, they got their hands on their primary target - exactly what Elizabeth wanted.
Jacob and Jason sat side by side inside a concealed van, joined by a third person, who relayed instructions to their comrades via a microphone. The van was discreetly parked on a forested road, blending within the shadows, while other vans remained hidden across the area.
While Jacob reveled in their apparent victory, Jason couldn't shake off a nagging sense of unease about their situation.
Like… what was the reason they were brought along on such a mission…?
Elizabeth had made it abundantly clear that she was desperate to lay her hands on this Philip creature, who was powerful, so she needed all the most trained men to help her out. Including him and Jacob, who possessed no valuable skills to offer to the organization, seemed strange. Jason had witnessed firsthand how the organization had callously sent trained fighters to their deaths just to test the creature out. So… if the organization didn't hesitate to sacrifice skilled henchmen who could have contributed to other missions significantly, why would they keep Jason and Jacob around…?
"Jacob, I need to talk to you privately, outside," Jason said, rising from his seat. Jacob paused mid-cheer, furrowing his brow as he turned to face his cousin.
"What?"
"I said I want to have a private conversation with you outside," Jason reiterated firmly.
"No way!" Jacob protested. "I'm not missing out on what's about to happen!" He glued his eyes to the monitor with unwavering eagerness.
Growing impatient, Jason gripped Jacob's arm tightly. "I'm dead serious, Jacob," he said, with annoyance seeping into his voice. Ignoring Jacob's futile attempts to break free, Jason began dragging his cousin towards the van's exit.
The third person inside the van ignored them, remaining focused on their own task as Jason and Jacob stepped out and closed the van doors behind them.
Immediately, a chill breeze swept through the air, but Jason paid it no mind as he pulled his cousin a short distance away from the van, venturing deeper into the forest.
"What's your problem!?" Jacob snapped irritably once Jason released his grip.
"Jacob, please tell me you aren't this stupid," Jason responded with exasperation.
"Hey! I'm not stupid!" Jacob argued defensively, clearly offended by shooting a glare at his cousin.
"Well, you could have fooled me," Jason retorted, crossing his arms on his chest. "Honestly, do you not see how fucked up everything is right now?"
"What do you mean?" Jacob inquired, raising an eyebrow.
Jason ran a hand down his face, feeling as though he were speaking to a child. "This organization, they're hunting children-"
"Witches," Jacob grunted, interrupting with a condescending voice filled with pride. "And you call me stupid? Ha, can't even tell the difference between children and witches"."
"They're children, Jacob," Jason said with his tone growing serious. "Magical children, and these people literally just tried blasting them to death."
"And…?" Jacob's nonchalant response caught Jason off guard.
Jason narrowed his eyes at his cousin. "Seriously…?"
"What?" Jacob shrugged, oblivious to the gravity of the situation.
Jason heaved a frustrated sigh. Clearly, either Jacob lacked any sense of empathy towards children, or the man was too much of an idiot to think things through. Which prompted Jason to take a different approach if he wanted them to get as far as they could from the organization.
"Look, don't you find it strange that we're here without actually contributing to their mission?" Jason asked.
"Says you. Unlike you, my dear cousin, I'm actually important," Jacob scoffed, which received him a deadpan stare from Jacob. "I'm serious, I'm very important," he insisted. "I possess extensive knowledge about demons and witches, and I'm here to help them if they require my expertise on how to eliminate them."
Jason rubbed the corner of his eyes, sensing that reasoning with Jacob might be an uphill battle.
"Jacob... I hate to break it to you, but you're nothing more than a laughingstock to them," Jason stated bluntly.
"Of course, you would say that. You've always been jealous of me."
"Are you kidding me?" Jason scoffed. "Why on earth would I be jealous of you?"
"Because I'm the smart one, unlike you and all our cousins," Jacob boasted arrogantly.
"You're nowhere near as intelligent as you think, Jacob. You're literally a joke to the family."
"Excuse me, who turned out to be right about demons and witches being real?" Jacob challenged.
Jason opened his mouth to respond, but paused, his words caught in his throat. A smug grin crept across Jacob's face.
"That's what I thought," Jacob hummed triumphantly. "All of you thought I was crazy, and yet here we are, assisting those who hunt these monsters to protect humanity. And you can't handle the fact these amazing people have accepted me as part of their group."
"Part of the group, you say. Then you must know what those armored vans carried, right?"
Jacob blinked in confusion. "What armored vans?"
"The grey ones, Jacob… the ones that violently shook before we were forced into our own van," Jason clarified, growing increasingly frustrated.
Jacob rubbed his chin, as if struggling to recall the details. "Oh… right… Hm… maybe they had bears inside, ready to battle the witches!"
Jason stared at Jacob in disbelief. "Oh, my god… you're going to get us killed," he whispered in shock. He knew his cousin was very naïve, but he didn't think he was that dangerously oblivious. "I need to get out of here," Jason began to pace, feeling trapped. He couldn't just leave, could he? He knew too much now. The moment he had encountered that creature on the road, he had become a liability to the organization.
Now he thought about his fellow partners. He hadn't been able to contact them since the organization confiscated his phone. He got the urge to hijack one of the vans and check on his partners at their homes, but… unfortunately, he was merely an average cop, not a super-agent like those he was stuck with.
"Can I leave now?" Jacob asked with an air of boredom. "I really don't want to miss anything in case something happens."
This was precisely why everyone in the family couldn't stand Jacob. He was naïve, desperate for attention, and didn't seem to care about putting himself or anyone else in danger, especially if it was for the sake of gaining fame.
Jason was on the verge of snapping at Jacob and tempted to run off and leave him behind, but he couldn't just leave Jacob behind. He was family, after all, even though he was so annoying…
Also, after thinking things through, Jason knew they couldn't just escape. The organization had their identities on record, and no matter where they went, they would be found. Getting a new identity, moving to a different country, starting a whole new life seemed like the only way out.
But… It was easier said than done.
Jacob, growing impatient, decided to return to the van without waiting any longer for his cousin. Jason stood alone in the forest, lost in his own thoughts, and slowly getting the daunting feeling that, honestly, there was no way out for the two of them…
Hunter sank to his knees the moment he stopped teleporting himself and Gus as far away from the danger as possible. Both boys were trying to catch their breath, their hearts pounding in their chests.
Gus's racing heart was due to a mixture of relief for narrowly escaping death and panic over leaving Belos in the clutches of those unknown people. Meanwhile, Hunter's mind raced, contemplating their next move.
Hunter was debating if he should continue escaping with Gus and get out of Gravesfield. Or should he go back and try to rescue Belos?
Hunter's teeth clenched as the mental image of Elizabeth petting Belos as if he were a mere pet burned in his mind. He tried to convince himself that he shouldn't care, since he was done with him, yet…
'My precious beast,' the woman's words echoed in Hunter's mind. Disgust swelled in him at the way she spoke to Belos as if he were a mindless creature. As if… he belonged to her.
And for a moment, the boy asked himself how dare she speak to Belos in such a demeaning manner? Who did she think she was to treat him as some sort of possession?
And that's what that group viewed Philip as. As something they can own…
The boy turned to Gus, noticing how the boy was trembling a bit, which prompted him to grasp his shoulders gently.
"Are you okay?" Hunter asked, genuine concern lacing his voice. His gaze was fixed on Gus's face, marked with cuts and smudges of dirt.
Gus took slow, deep breaths in an attempt to steady himself before meeting Hunter's worried gaze. "We have to go back," he let out, his mind flooded with the memory of that woman and her behavior towards Philip.
"I know," Hunter replied, surprising Gus. He had expected to argue with his friend about saving Philp, but he should have known Hunter wasn't the type to abandon someone in need.
Gus rose to his feet alongside Hunter once he got his bearings down, but his friend kept a firm grip on his shoulders and gave him a serious look.
"You stay here," Hunter instructed, causing Gus to look at him with confusion. "I'm going back for him."
Gus's eyes widened. "Are you crazy?" he exclaimed, shocked that his friend would even entertain such idea. Hunter couldn't just teleport Philip away since the man was currently held captive with magic. Hunter would need to fight off Philip's captors while simultaneously trying to liberate him. "You can't take all of them alone! I know you're strong, Hunter, but there are too many of them, and their weapons somehow prevented Philip from healing. Who knows what would happen if you got shot by one of them. And that guy with that magical wand… I'm pretty sure he knows how to use magic very well with it."
"We don't have any other choice," Hunter argued. "We have no clue where the others are, so we can't get their help, and I refuse to put you in any more danger."
Gus couldn't deny his fear in their current situation. Philip was in his beast form, which would make it difficult to extract him without possible resistance. After all, he was very unpredictable in that form. Furthermore, if they reappeared at the scene, they would most likely be met with immediate gunfire if they didn't vanish in seconds.
The woman also posed a threat, especially as they didn't know what she could do…
But Gus was adamant. He wouldn't allow Hunter to face this alone.
Then, a spark of an idea ignited him. "There might be a way I can help," Gus said to his friend, his voice tinged with uncertainty though. "But… I'm not entirely sure if I can pull it off."
"What is it?" Hunter asked.
"Do you remember when Adrian, the head of the illusion coven, tried to brand me with a sigil at school, and I lost control of my magic, placing the whole school in an illusion?" Hunter nodded in recollection. "Well, maybe I can try to do something similar," Gus suggested, reaching into his shirt to pull out the magic amplifier that he used as a necklace. "Or… I can put them all under their worst nightmares, like I did with that head coven and his goons."
"Both… are complex spells to pull off, though, aren't they?" Hunter replied quietly. He had seen Gus pull them off, but he seemed to have only been able to do that if he was pushed into an emotional state.
Gus nodded. "Yes, they are, but maybe I can do it."
"What if you can't?" Hunter challenged. "Gus, I'm sorry, but we can't risk it. I can't let you get hurt or worse. These people want us dead. You've seen it."
Gus clenched his hand tightly around the magic amplifier, contemplating his next move.
He had only been able to utilize the powerful illusion spells back at school and hadn't attempted to use them since then. Well, he did use weaker versions of it on Philip, but… something within him stirred – a pull or a feeling that was telling him that he could do it…
He ignored Hunter's frown. Probably his friend could tell that he wasn't going to change his mind.
And he was right.
He wasn't going to just stand around and do nothing. Especially as he recalled how the woman gripped Philip's hair harshly.
Oh… how that image made anger rise within him, and a sense of determination surge.
Gus lifted his gaze to meet Hunter's eyes. "I can do it."
"Gus…" Hunter began, his voice laced with hesitation.
"You guys fought and defeated those monsters," Gus interjected. "I didn't do anything, so let me help right now."
Hunter's gaze fell to the ground as he felt torn between his desire to protect Gus, whom he considered as a younger brother, and his willingness to risk himself for Belos, despite not fully understanding why. He couldn't bear the thought of dragging someone else's life into danger.
"Hunter, please," Gus pleaded, his tone serious as he stepped closer to his friend. "I can do this. I know I can. I can't let you go alone." Gus grasped Hunter's arm, ensuring that Hunter wouldn't teleport without him. "Let me help…"
Hunter had the urge to pull away from the younger boy's grip, but Gus's determined eyes held him down, making him reconsider his plan to get Belos back.
6-year-old Elizabeth found herself being scolded by her nanny in a room after being discovered dissecting a dead bird in the backyard.
"A young lady should not be doing something so disgusting, Elizabeth," her nanny said, exasperated. "How many times do I have to tell you cannot do something like that?"
"I don't understand why it's an issue," Elizabeth grumbled, unimpressed by the nanny's reprimand. "I just want to see what's inside it. And I didn't kill it this time, I swear. It was already dead."
The nanny pinched the corner of her eyes and shook her head, expressing her concern about the consequences she might face if Elizabeth's parents were to find out. "And look at your beautiful dress, it's such a mess and your parents are going to be here any minute."
Elizabeth glanced down at her light-yellow frizzled dress, attempting to wipe off the dirt and smudges.
Her nanny turned her attention to a young teenager who was standing silently in the doorway. "And you, Rafael, you're supposed to be keeping her out of trouble," the nanny scolded him.
Rafael, uninterested, simply crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway, offering no response.
"Don't you think you can get away with anything just because you're my son, Rafael."
Suddenly, a commotion arose, catching Elizabeth's attention. Seizing the opportunity, she swiftly jumped off the chair and managed to evade her nanny's grasp. Rafael merely stepped aside to let her pass. Elizabeth dashed out of the room and down the hallway.
Her heart quickened with anticipation as she pushed open the ornately carved double doors and stepped into the grand hall. The hall, bathed in the soft glow of candelabras suspended from high ceilings, illuminated the intricate paintings of countless angels on the walls. Her gaze swept the room. She beheld a group of men, distinguished and grave, and clad in somber black cassocks with white clerical collars. Standing in the center, they talked among themselves.
Elizabeth ignored them before rushing to a large window, peering out to see a grand carriage being pulled by four horses. Many men surrounded the carriage, brandishing certain weapons.
"Oh, my dear, what have you gotten yourself into?" a woman with long blonde hair approached Elizabeth with a sigh, disapproving of her daughter's disheveled dress.
Her mother donned a burgundy dress, the color accentuating her porcelain complexion. Her auburn hair cascaded in loose waves, held back by an intricately braided headdress adorned with glistening gemstones.
Elizabeth, unable to contain her excitement, asked eagerly, "Is that the monster? Can I see it now?"
Her mother frowned.
"How many times do I have to tell you, Elizabeth, that is not how you greet your mother," the woman scolded the girl.
Meanwhile, her father walked over with a grin, embracing Elizabeth in a hug.
"There you are, my little angel," he said playfully.
Elizabeth allowed her father to hold her, oblivious to her mother's disapproving gaze at her lack of reciprocation.
"Dad, I want to see it now," Elizabeth insisted, ignoring her mother's expression.
"Not yet, my little angel," her father responded, gently pulling her away. "We need to ensure it's secure, so it doesn't escape."
Elizabeth pouted, then with dread, she noticed a man with dark brown hair approaching them, accompanied by a younger man wearing glasses and a woman in a hooded cloak. The woman lowered her hood, revealing pointy ears, and a black ferret-like creature with green eyes that stared at Elizabeth. The man with dark brown hair wore a white cross on his chest, but unlike the others in the room, he didn't don a robe; he wore a dark navy tailcoat adorned with golden buttons, accentuated his broad shoulders and elongated his emasculated frame.
"Elizabeth," the man addressed her calmly. "Shouldn't you be in bed?"
"I want to see the monster," Elizabeth stubbornly insisted, which caused a frown to appear on the man's face. He turned to her father.
"I promised her she could see it," her father replied with a chuckle.
"I don't think that's wise," the man responded.
"Why not?" Elizabeth retorted, annoyed by his objection.
The man looked down at her. "Because it's for your own good."
Elizabeth's mouth twisted in disapproval at his explanation. "I'm not going to be scared…"
"That's not what I'm worried about," the man said, fixing her with a knowing gaze she couldn't decipher, "especially since you own such… exotic pets, yourself. But this is adult business, my child, and children should not involve themselves in adult matters."
Elizabeth glared at him, her annoyance palpable.
"I'm sorry, my little angel," her father apologized, realizing he wouldn't be able to argue against other man's decision, which only further aggravated Elizabeth. "Maybe next time when you're older and when we catch another one."
Elizabeth felt the urge to kick her father's knee in frustration.
"Silas, perhaps we can make an exception here," the young man with glasses interjected, attempting to persuade Silas, the man with dark brown hair. "Kids these days are built differently, after all."
"The answer is no," Silas firmly declared as he turned and walked away, putting an end to the discussion.
The woman with pointy ears offered Elizabeth an apologetic smile before she followed Silas, and the young man with glasses rolled his eyes before joining them. Elizabeth continued to glare after Silas. She then shifted her gaze toward her father.
"You promised," she said dryly.
"I'm sorry, I truly am, Elizabeth, but I can't go against Silas' decision, you know that," her father explained, attempting to justify his failure to keep his word to her. As the others left, Elizabeth found herself alone with Rafael in the hallway.
Of course, Silas would get in the way. But unlike her father, she wasn't going to do what he says…
She waited for everyone to leave the hall before she and Rafael made their way to her father's study room, which housed a secret door leading to a hidden passage. They traversed the passageway until it led them to a small door.
Rafael opened it before both crawled out of the hidden passage, finding themselves in a large, dark room. A room that had once been used for hosting illegal fights, where people would come to place bets and indulge in alcohol-fueled revelry, or so she had heard. Her father had hosted such events for years before she was born and got into a new sort of hobby after he had come across 'interesting' people that could use magic.
Numerous seats were scattered around the room, but the men in the group had gathered towards the center, where something huge was chained down, surrounded by a circle made up of candles and crosses.
Elizabeth's eyes widened, not out of fear, but out of fascination the moment her eyes caught of what everyone was surrounding. Slowly, she approached, using the chairs as cover to remain hidden, even though no one in the group was looking in her direction. Rafael positioned himself near the door, ready in case they had to escape. But at the moment, he stood frozen, his gaze fixed on the sight that captivated Elizabeth.
Finally, Elizabeth settled behind a chair that provided concealment while allowing her to observe the massive creature struggling against its restraints. It was enormous and eerily thin, with a human-like appearance and some animal attributes: half of its body was covered in fur, horns resembling antlers protruded from its head, and its face was a grotesque combination of flesh and bone. The creature also looked like it was decaying by the way blood oozed in certain places from its body.
The creature screeched at the men surrounded it, causing fear to ripple through their souls.
Yet, the fear from the men only made Elizabeth draw closer. As she stared at it, she couldn't help but feel the power it had to cause people around it to be so afraid and the floor to crack from its struggle.
Oh… she yearned to possess it, to make it her own.
The tiger and the bear her father had gifted her were nothing compared to what lay before her. She relished in the fear displayed by the men from the church, savoring the tense atmosphere as the beast continued to fight to break free.
To her… it was the most beautiful thing she had ever laid eyes on…
It was so… so…
"Beautiful…" Elizabeth cooed, her eyes glimmered with a greedy light as she continued to gaze at Philip, her desire evident. "But, we definitely need to get rid of this mess," she said as she yanked his beard. "But other than that, I do like you exactly how you are," she said with amusement. "You look so… adorable."
Philips thoughts were hard to grasp at first, but recognition slowly dawned on him. Then memories of Masha and her embraced flooded his mind.
Desperation surged within Philip as he longed to escape Elizabeth's piercing stare and return to Masha. He struggled to pull away, longing to break free. For some reason he couldn't get his body to contort itself so he could escape. The tendrils of vines seemed to tighten their grip when he moved. He emitted a growl of frustration, but it only seemed to amuse Elizabeth further.
"I guess we also need to make some adjustments with that attitude of yours," she said. "I am not fond of disobedience from anyone…"
Tilting her head to the side, she studied his eyes, the blue orbs floating in his black sockets.
"My name is Elizabeth," she said to the creature, making his ears twitch. "And you have no idea how long I've waited to have something like you…" Her voice resonated with an air of longing. With a grip released from his chin, Elizabeth began running her fingers along his face, exerting gentle pressure against his 'skin' to explore its texture, making Philip slightly shiver. "Ever since my father brought a demon sort of monster to our home when I was a child, I wanted one of my own."
Her touch grew bolder; her fingers explored his cheek before tracing the unnatural contours of his horns and the areas around the multiple eyes that glowed across his body, sending more waves of discomfort and revulsion coursing through Philip. He couldn't help but feel violated by the way her fingers seemed to leave a lingering mark, as if branding him, her eyes shining with demented adoration.
The pull in his head came back, threatening to shatter the control he had over his thoughts again.
"I've waited decades to come to this point…" Her gaze shifted momentarily to his injured left shoulder, which oozed a dark substance. "You poor thing," she said as she caressed his face. "Don't you worry, I'll make it feel all better." She finally withdrew her hands from him, slid on one of her gauntlets she'd been carrying on her person, and placed it gently on his injured shoulder. He tensed at her touch. "Shh, it's okay, I got you," she assured soothingly. Countless glyphs materialized around her gauntlet, emitting a soft glow as they worked their healing magic on his wounded shoulder. Philip felt momentary relaxation wash over him.
"See?" she said with amusement. "I'm here to make sure not only you don't hurt anyone, but also to not let anything bad happen to you." Her hand reached underneath his body to press on his chest, remembering the damage that Mason had dealt him in that area.
For a moment, Philip lowered his guard, even though his instincts urged him to flee, reminding him of the danger he was in.
But…
The wounds were gone, he didn't hurt as much anymore, and for some reason… her hands running through his hair didn't seem so bad now… though it seemed he was having a harder time processing a coherent thought…
"There, there, all better now," she whispered, her fingers now massaging his scalp. "I can make all the pain go away; you don't have to worry about anything else ever again… No more hurt, no more letting that guilt eat you up. I can liberate you from all those intrusive thoughts, I can promise you that. I can give you what you want…"
His blue orbs vanished for a moment, and he let himself completely relax under her touch.
Her promises sounded so…
Suddenly, there was a big flash of yellow, making Philip's blue orbs come back to spot Hunter and Gus teleporting back to the area. The younger boy's eyes flashed blue and before anyone could blast at them, a big wave shot from him, entrancing the men in their worst nightmares. Their eyes glowed blue and widened in horror, and they grabbed on to their heads before they screamed.
Rafael stumbled back and shut his eyes, trying to take deep breaths, he clutched his head as he tried to stop the terrible visions that plagued his mind just like Mason.
"You did it," Hunter let out in awe as he watched many fall to their knees and others panic.
Gus held on to his amplifier tightly and slowly he made his right eye turn back to normal so he could continue to keep everyone under his torturous spell while observing what was happening around him.
"These children are becoming a thorn in my side..." The two boys froze when they heard the woman mumble under her breath. She slowly rose to her feet and turned to face them with a cold look to her eyes. There was no trace of the blue glow, indicating that she'd been put under Gus's spell.
"What the heck…?" Hunter let out.
Gus stared at her in shock. He had made sure everyone was hit by his spell except for Philip. There was no way the woman had resisted his spell, unless she had some sort of spell on her that prevented her from getting affected by it.
Or… it was something else…
Hunter immediately stepped in front of Gus, glaring at the woman who somehow was able to avoid getting flooded by her own nightmares.
Elizabeth surveyed the scene around them, taking in how everyone seemed to be stuck in their own heads. She imagined they were seeing things that haunted them due to their horrified expressions painted on their faces.
She noticed Rafael was now on his knees too, teeth clenched hard, hands pressed on his head, as if trying to break free from the spell. She redirected her attention back to the boys before letting out a chuckle.
"I guess I underestimated you, witch children," she said with an utter calmness to her voice.
"Who are you guys?" Hunter demanded while Gus gripped his staff tighter, his eyes lingering briefly at Philip who met his gaze. The boy noticed his eyes had a faint blue glow to them compared to when he was able to get through to him earlier.
The vines around Philip did loosen up, but he continued to lay there as if he was in some sort of trance.
"What a rude boy," Elizabeth commented. "Is that how you talk to a beautiful lady such as myself?"
The end of Hunter's staff glowed yellow as he continued to glare at her, pointing it at her threateningly, but then powerful gusts of wind struck the boys' hands painfully, causing them to lose their grip on their staffs. With a mix of shock and disbelief, both watched as their staffs soared across the field, landing far out of their reach before vines manifested around them and wrapped around their bodies tightly, immobilizing them.
Their staff quickly turned back into their true forms, but they were also ensnared by vines before they could try to get back to Hunter and Gus.
The boys whipped their heads in Rafael's direction, who was still on his knees, but now held a fierce gaze, and the wand in his hand was glowing a bright dark green. His eyes were glowing only slightly blue, indicating that he wasn't completely under the spell anymore.
"H-How is that possible?" Gus stuttered.
"I take it back," Elizabeth said, amused to the boys' shocked reactions. "I didn't underestimate you two after all…" She then made the gauntlet glow with multiple fire glyphs.
Hunter and Gus panicked and began to struggle against her holds.
Hunter was filled with self-loathing for letting them get caught off guard so easily. He had to get them out of this situation now!
"Wait!" Gus let out, wincing in pain as the vines just tightened around his body. "Hold on, let's first talk about this!"
"Sorry, I don't enjoy talking to brats," Elizabeth murmured as she approached them. The thought of gripping Hunter's face and just frying it slipped into her mind.
Hunter struggled violently, his heart pounded frantically in his chest, and his muscles strained against the grip that dug into his flesh, causing sharp stabs of pain. Panic surged through his veins from the sadistic look that Elizabeth was giving him. His wide, desperate eyes landed on Gus, who was struggling to keep the spell active while at the same time trying not to hyperventilate.
Although the younger boy's emotional toll was helping his spell grow stronger, it didn't help their situation as long as the woman and the guy with the wand were not affected, especially now that Rafael's eyes were no longer glowing.
Hunter writhed and twisted, but each movement only seemed to tighten the vine's grip, constricting his chest, and limiting his breaths.
Stupid! He should have never endangered Gus like this. He should have thought of a better plan. Or better yet, he shouldn't have thought about coming back for Belos.
But damn it… How could he have let his guard down like that? He was so foolishly overconfident. Tears gathered in his eyes from frustration as his heart pounded louder in his ears, his breaths coming in ragged gasps, his fear drowning out the desperation calls from Gus.
This had to be a nightmare… He begged it all to be a nightmare and for him to wake up soon. He then shut his eyes, a mix of anger and sadness welling up within him when Elizabeth reached her hand towards his face.
Why was he so stupid?!
A resounding thud suddenly echoed in his ears, followed by the sound of a body hitting the ground with a sickening thump.
He stood there, trying to control his frantic heart, waiting for the agonizing pain that would come from being burned alive, but he felt no pain other than the pressure from the vines. Confusion etched across Hunter's face as he opened his eyes, finding Belos standing before him in his cursed form, his blue orbs glowing brightly as he stared down at him.
Time seemed to freeze as Hunter took in the sight of the creature. Then his ears picked up a groan of pain, making him slowly look to the side to see Elizabeth lying on the ground, struggling to roll on her back.
"Philip!" Hunter heard Gus yell with overwhelming relief. Philip grew claws from his fingertips and slashed both boys free from their restraints. Hunter then glanced at Rafael, who had run to check on Elizabeth.
Rafael knelt next to her with an unreadable expression, noticing the blood seeping from the side of her head. While they were preoccupied, Philip took this moment to quickly free the palismen as well.
"Hunter, we need to get out of here now!" Gus shook his friend, who was just standing there, staring at Philip in shock. "Hunter!"
Meanwhile, Elizabeth was doing her best to heal the wound of her head. Her eyes squinted at Rafael; her vision blotted with black dots.
"Don't let them get away," she hissed.
Rafael gave her a curt nod and stood up. He then began to wave the wand around, making the ground under Philip and the boys' feet quiver and groan.
"Hunter, snap out of it!" Gus yelled at his friend and at the same time Flapjack chirped at him loudly in his face too, wings flapping frantically. Philip slowly approaching him as if not to scare him.
The moment Hunter caught sight of his partner, he came back to himself and gripped Flapjack, who turned into a staff. He then grabbed Gus, who had taken hold of Belos, before teleporting them out of the area just when the ground rose in jagged spires around them and had tried to ensnare and bury them alive within its clutches.
"NO!" Elizabeth screamed as her 'beast' vanished before her.
Just as before, Hunter teleported the three of them away from their previous location, travelling miles in an instant. This left him slightly winded, though not solely from the strain of the teleportation itself, but rather what was plaguing his mind. He released Gus, deliberately avoiding the gaze of the beast that stood by them.
Belos had done it again. Just when he felt he was going to die, Belos had come just in time to save him.
But why….?
Why would the man do such a thing, especially twice in a single day?
While Hunter was trying to make sense of the man's inconsistent actions, Gus's left eye continued to glow blue as he kept the spell active for as long as he could.
Philip, on the other hand, felt the urge to grab one of the palismans. He began to back away from the boys, his hands on his head as he grappled with himself. Sensing the man's struggle, Gus focused on him.
"It's okay, Philip, we're okay," he said in a hushed tone, hesitantly reaching out to place a comforting hand on Philip's arm and gently pat him. Unlike Elizabeth's touch, his didn't feel so wrong. Gradually, Gus felt the man relax. "See?" the boy smiled up at the man. "We're safe."
In Philip's eyes, the boy appeared unharmed, yet he couldn't ignore the subtle tremor coursing through Gus's hand, a sign that the boy was still shaken up from what he had just gone through.
Overwhelmed with guilt, Philip's chest tightened as he blamed himself for the boys putting themselves in danger to come back to rescue him.
Philip felt pain as his body began to contort a bit, but Gus kept his hand on him, not daring to let him go.
"Just take deep breaths, Philip," Gus said to him just like he had done before. Philip could still feel the guilt, but at the same time the boy's presence was like an anchor he needed to slowly gather himself, and bit by bit, his body began to shrink, the green and brown substance began to pull away from view.
Eventually, he found himself on his knees, hands still gripping his head while his body changed. But his body stopped morphing, leaving him with the horns he usually had, the left side of his face and both of his arms covered with the "cursed" substance. This time though, the right eye of his matched the left one, both now blue orbs glowing within the black sockets and fangs that stick out along his teeth.
At least the other eyes on his body were gone.
Gus waited for Philip to continue to change back completely to his human form, but he saw the green, brown mud like ooze stabilize.
As he saw Philip finally release his head and look down at himself with an unreadable expression, Gus couldn't help but feel a bit worried that there was a possibility in the future Philip wouldn't be able to change back from his beast form…
The boy also couldn't help but notice countless of scars on the man's naked torso. The 'curse' slightly covering half of it.
Philip would have wished he was back to his human looking self, but he didn't want to waste any more time on himself as he had to think about getting the kids to safety.
When the boys had returned to him, he honestly couldn't believe it.
In some strange way, his mind came back to himself, and at first, he panicked, but the fact they put themselves in that situation for him was… Well, he wasn't sure how to describe the feeling he had. It was a strange warm feeling that blossomed within him, but at the same time, there was a profound sadness… In some way though, both feelings made him come back to himself, prompting him to save the boys just in time.
When he witnessed Elizabeth's menacing advance toward them, restrained and defenseless, an intense surge of protective fury coursed through his core.
The terrified expressions on Hunter and Gus's faces as they struggled against the vines that held them in place made him utterly sick.
'But you have caused many to feel the same way before you took their lives…' the dark voice hissed, making guilt slither its way to his core again.
His gaze fell on Hunter, at the boy who he hurt so much. The boy was avoiding eye contact with him, looking frustrated.
"Okay, Philip, I really need you to try your best to answer something for me," Gus said to the man whose gaze remained fixed on Hunter. "Where is Luz and the others? Where did you send them?"
Philip shifted his attention momentarily towards Gus, processing the boy's words before managing to form a response. "The… church…" he struggled to articulate, his focus drawn back to Hunter, who steadfastly refused to meet his gaze.
Gus was confused by Philip's response at first, but then he recalled the one time they went to old Gravesfield with Philip.
"The one you didn't want us going in?" the boy asked.
Philip nodded.
Hunter set aside the conflicts that ate him up, knowing they couldn't waste any time while they were still in danger, and got on his staff. He flew up past the tall trees and tried to pinpoint the town's location.
In the Boiling Isles, Hunter would have easily discerned his location and charted a direct course. However, his limited excursions in Gravesfield had left him unfamiliar with the land around them. That was for sure a grave mistake on his part.
He teleported sporadically, navigating the area until he finally caught sight of the river. After a few more teleports, he spotted the familiar road that Camila had driven several times with them – the very path leading to Luz's house. He returned to Gus and Belos, who patiently awaited his return.
"Come on," Hunter urged, grasping Gus's arm firmly. His aversion touching Belos remained, prompting Gus to take a hold on the man's arm. In an instant, they were whisked away, emerging on the outskirts of the forest, their eyes fixated on the sight of old Gravesfield.
"Teleport… inside," Philip said to Hunter, as he didn't want Elizabeth nor anyone that worked for her to spot them running inside the church. He wanted to take the boys back to the tunnel, but he didn't want to leave any traces behind or risk of encountering anyone else in the forest. "We… must stay hidden…"
"Can you teleport us inside the church?" Gus asked Hunter, as he had never seen the boy teleport to a location without a clear visual.
"I… am not sure, to be honest," Hunter admitted with a frown, debating if he should try. Maybe he could do it based on the vague memory he had of the chapel… "But I'll try," he decided.
Drawing a deep breath, Hunter tightened his grip on his staff, the uppermost portion emitting a yellow glow. He closed his eyes, doing his best to focus as he recalled the way the church looked inside so he could take them there. Gus held onto his shoulder while maintaining contact with Philip's arm.
The younger boy hoped Hunter could pull off getting them inside the church so they could reunite with their friends. He desperately hoped Vee was okay and that they could get her the help that she needed while they were all safe from those armored men and the blonde woman…
"Here goes nothing…" Hunter said to himself before he activated the spell.
Gus's grip on Hunter and Philip tightened up, as if his life depended on it, as everything flashed yellow before their surroundings cleared up and…
"Oh, my Titan, I'm so glad you guys are okay!" the boys heard Willow say with the most relieved tone they ever heard in their lives. They realized they had teleported in the middle of the aisles of the chapel. Willow ran over to them with a grin, grabbing both the boys' hands tightly, making sure her mind wasn't playing tricks on her. Hunter, still dazed from everything that had happened, still couldn't help but feel a small blush run across his cheeks until she let them go.
"I'm going to tell the others," said a relieved Amity, who was standing by two other adults that the boys had never seen before, before she ran down the hallway.
"You guys really had me worried there," Willow said to them.
Gus rubbed the back of his head. His left eye finally stopped glowing blue, ceasing the control on his spell.
"Sorry, Willow," he said. "We would have come back sooner if we could.:
Father Francis and Sister Margaret were staring at Philip with mixed expressions. The man had moved his face to the side after catching sight of them.
"Hunter, Gus!" Luz ran to them, with Camila, Masha, and Amity right behind her.
Masha stopped midway, noticing Philip's current state. Like Father Francis and Sister Lilian, they couldn't help but take in the scars that littered his torso. They approached Philip with caution, not wanting to overwhelm him as they also noticed both of his eyes were now glowing blue orbs.
Camila pulled the two boys into a tight hug.
"You two better never run off like that ever again, do you hear me?" she said with tears welling up in her eyes. "Nunca más. I can't even imagine what I would do if anything bad happened to you two. I don't think I could live with myself if you guys got hurt, or even worse." She pulled away from them as she scolded them like she was their mother, a mother both boys didn't have, one that they wished they had. Seeing how worried she was for them made their heart swell and their eyes tear up as the emotions they were holding back, especially from their traumatic encounter with Elizabeth and her men, came flooding back to them.
"Oh Dios, que te pasó, Gus?" Camila gasped as she grabbed the younger boy's face, noticing the scraps he had gotten from being attacked by Rafael. "Please don't tell me it was Philip who-"
"Some humans attacked us out of nowhere," Hunter said.
Luz frowned at the news, wondering if the humans Hunter was referring to were the same ones that Masha had told them about that had tried attacking them in the church earlier.
"Sorry for worrying you guys, but I couldn't just leave Philip behind like that," Gus said with a sad smile.
Camila wiped her eyes before looking at Philip, who was standing few feet from the boys, avoiding eye contact with everyone in the room.
She had the urge to yell at him for having run off like that, since that led the boys to chase after him, but the fact that he had helped them against those two monsters kept her from throwing her frustrations on him, especially now that the boys were back safe.
"Vee, where is she?" Hunter asked after noticing their friend was no where in sight. "Is she okay?"
"She's okay," Luz said, offering them a small smile. "Sister Lilian healed her. Right now, she's just resting in one of the rooms." Little did anyone know that Philip was relieved to hear of Vee's state.
"Sister Lilian?" Hunter repeated in confusion.
"She's a nun with a palisman," Luz revealed with excitement. "Supposedly, there are humans that also use palismen on Earth, but Sister Lilian's palisman takes the shape of a wand."
Hunter and Gus wondered if the wand that they were attacked with back in the forest was a palisman…
"We were attacked by a group of humans that can use magic," Hunter revealed to the rest of the group. "Gus had placed majority of them under a spell, so we have some time before they gather themselves and come looking for us here. So, we need to leave Gravesfield before it's too late."
"Or we can tend to your wounds first," the boys heard a woman say as she approached them with a smile. She was younger than the other adults in the room.
"We don't have time for that," Hunter argued. "We need to get out of Gravesfield and hide somewhere safe before those men find us here."
"It's okay, Hunter," Willow said. "Sister Lilian, here, told us as long as she's inside here with us, the others can't attack us."
Hunter's brows knotted together in befuddlement. "Why won't they attack us here…?"
"I can answer all your questions while I heal you," she said, motioning the boys to follow her.
Hunter looked at her with suspicion, but noticing how his friends seemed so calm made him kind of drop his hostility he had towards the stranger while Gus glanced at Philip for a moment, noticing Masha gazing at the man.
They hadn't said anything yet to Philip since he had made his blue orbs vanish. They imagined he was trying to gather himself, so they didn't want to disturb him.
But they were glad to see him back with Gus and Hunter.
They were extremely worried when Amity told them how he had lost control and had run off before Gus and Hunter chased after him.
Truth be told, they had the urge to go after him too, but… they knew that would have been foolish since there were dangerous men out there and they had no way to defend themselves against them.
Also, they were worried for Vee and were in the room with Camila and Luz, watching over her resting form. She did look better, especially when Sister Lilian had given her some magic to absorb from a magical artifact she had when Vee had woken up for a moment.
"I'll be back," Gus told Masha before he followed Sister Lilian. They imagined they were going to talk to them about what had happened with Philip to end up looking more like a beast. "Come on, Hunter."
The older boy scanned the room, the same one that Philip didn't want them coming in that other day because they were witches. He had so many questions for Sister Lilian. At the same time, he had so many for Belos, but there was no way he was going to ask him anything. He refused to talk to him.
Yes, he risked his life to save him from those other humans, but, again, it really meant nothing.
He had only saved him because it was the right thing to do.
That was all it was…
He took a deep breath, getting his mind to focus on what was currently more important, making a mental list of questions he was going to ask Sister Lilian and at the same time plan how they could get out of Gravesfield without being detected.
"Hunter…" The boy felt his body grow cold when he heard the voice, the one he didn't want to hear ever again, suddenly say behind him.
No…
There was nothing the man had to say to him that Hunter wanted to hear.
But clearly, the man wanted his attention since he used the same tone he would back in Boiling Isles after he had hurt him...
He panicked, prompting his legs began to move, to follow Sister Lilian, to get as far away as he could from him…but life was never so kind to him, for in that moment, the man uttered words the boy never imagined would escape from his mouth.
"I'm sorry…"
Just a heads up, i post this story first in archive of our own and i also include awesome fan art done by readers as well there starting in chapter 15 I think (since that's when I started getting them) : ).
Peeps also engage in archive of our own more or in in tumblr. if you want to follow me in tumblr and ask questions you can do so. u can find me as chiconisroc in tumbrl and nisrocchico in archive of our own
or if you want you can leave a comment in this website too : ) or pm me