I laid peacefully asleep in my room, the soft moonlight filtering through my window casting a gentle glow across my features. I was in the midst of a vivid dream, a rare moment of respite amidst the chaos and that had become our life.
Suddenly, mu tranquility was shattered as the door to my room was kicked open with a resounding crash. Startled, I bolted upright, my heart racing as I saw Dakota standing in the doorway, his expression urgent and filled with worry.
"Wanda, you need to get up! You don't have much time!" Dakota exclaimed, his voice urgent as he rushed into the room and got into my face.
Confusion washed over me as I tried to process the sudden intrusion. "Dakota, what's going on? Why are you here?" I asked, my mind still clouded with sleep.
"There's no time to explain, Wanda!" Dakota replied, his eyes wide with concern. "Your brother is in trouble. He's going to be manipulated by an advanced AI, and you need to stop him before it's too late!" He said as he shook me by my shoulders to wake me up.
My eyes widened in alarm at the mention of my brother, Pietro. Without another word, Dakota reached into his chest and pulled out his scythe, its blade pulsing with an otherworldly energy. With a swift motion, he sliced through the air, opening a brilliant rift in reality.
"We need to go, Wanda. The Avengers are waiting for us!" Dakota said, his voice urgent as he gestured toward the shimmering tear in space.
My mind raced as I tried to process the gravity of the situation. Without hesitation, I nodded, my determination flaring to life. I quickly got up and began to get dressed, my movements swift and purposeful.
As I readied myself, Dakota stood by, his eyes filled with unwavering resolve. "You can do this, Wanda. You can save your brother and stop Ultron!" He said, his voice unwavering.
With a final glance around my room, I took a deep breath, steeling myself for the challenge ahead. I strode toward the rift, my heart filled with determination and the unyielding desire to protect those I held dear.
Stepping through the shimmering gateway, we emerged from the rift, and found ourselves in a lavishly furnished living room where the Avengers were gathered. The room was alive with the remnants of a recent celebration, and the team was engaged in a lighthearted attempt to lift Thor's enchanted hammer, Mjolnir.
There's a loud screeching noise, like a microphone feedback, causing everyone to cover their ears. We let our hands down as it fades, and Tony pulls out his device. We all looked at one of Tony's Iron Legion suits, heavily damaged.
"Worthy... No, how could you be worthy? You're all killers." The robot said as he looked at us. "Though... you are a new one." He said, pointing at Dakota, who put his scythe back inside his body.
"Stark?" Steve asked as he stood next to me. "Dakota." He greeted, who nodded his head as he looked on at the machine.
"JARVIS?" Tony called out, but didn't get a respond.
"I'm sorry, I was asleep. Or... I was a-dream?" The robot asked as I looked at the others to find out what was going on.
"Reboot, Legionnaire OS, we got a buggy suit." Tony ordered, with me looking at Dakota, where I could see cracks forming on his face before they faded back slowly.
"There was a terrible noise... and I was tangled in... in... strings. I had to kill the other guy. He was a good guy." He said, with Dakota making a fist.
"You killed someone?" Steve asked as he narrowed his eyes at the machine.
"Wouldn't have been my first call. But, down in the real world we're faced with ugly choices." It added whole making a guesser with it missing hand.
"Who sent you?" Thor asked as he stood next to Dakota, hammer in hand.
It replays a recording of Tony's voice, with us looking at him. "I see a suit of armor around the world." Tony's voice ended, with us knowing that it was caused by him.
"Ultron!" Banner said in shock.
"In the flesh. Or, no, not yet. Not this... chrysalis. But I'm ready. I'm on a mission." Ultron said as I looked back at him.
"What mission?" Natasha asked as she raised an eyebrow at it.
"Peace in our time." Ultron called out as the walls explode, and several Iron Legion bots barge into the room. They begin attacking the team, who all go on the defensive and fight back, where Rhodey gets knocked through a window.
"Rhodey!" Hill called out as I watched as Dakota was tackled out side of the building.
Knowing how bad it would be if Banner got mad, I rushed over to the bar with him to defend him against the shots that came his way. Seeing Natasha hop over, I moved another bit away and made it crash into another, destroying them.
"Sorry!" Banner called out, with me looking over the bar as I protected them.
"Don't turn green!" Natasha and I ordered as the fight ensured.
"I won't!" Bruce reinsured as Dakota crashed next to me, holding the head to one of the Iron Legions.
"Did I ever tell you that I wanted to build a robot as a kid?" Dakota asked as he tossed it over the bar and picked up a glass and drank from it, followed by it getting shot. "Just wasn't smart enough to do it." He said as he tossed the broken bottle at a flying robot and we watched it crash into a pillar, this one held the Scepter.
"Come!" Natasha said as she pulled banner to his feet and looked on at the fight.
The Avengers, while they are fighting back, are mostly trying to avoid getting hit as they were not in their combat uniforms. "Stark!" Steve called out as Tony Stark was attacking one of the Iron Legion bots with a fondue fork.
"We are here to help." It called out as Dakota sat down on the bar and picked up a bottle and drank from it.
"One sec, one sec I got this!" Tony said, with Dakota spitting at the robot as it flew by, with it crashing into the ground not far from us.
"We are here to help." A half-destroyed Iron Legion bot said as it uses its thrusters to hold itself aloft, advancing on Dr. Helen Cho. "We are here to help... Is unsafe. Please back away." It said as I used my telepathy to push it away from her. Steve ended up grabbing it and throws it away for Thor to hit with his hammer.
"Thor!" Steve called out as they now stood next to each other.
"Hey, Clint, grab the shield!" Dakota called out, where we watched as Clint jumped over the couch, picked up the shield and tossed it to Steve.
"Cap!" Clint called out, with Steve catching it and slams the robot over him before using his shield to dismember the last Iron Legion bot's head.
"That was dramatic!" Ultron said as we all looked at him. "I'm sorry, I know you mean well. You just didn't think it through." He said as he stepped forward. "You want to protect the world, but you don't want it to change. How is humanity saved if it's not allowed to...evolve?" Ultron asked as he picks up one of the dismembered Iron Legion bots. "With these? These puppets?" He asked as he crushes the Iron Legion bot's head "There's only one path to peace: The Avengers' extinction." He said, where Thor throws his hammer and destroys Ultron's body. "I had strings, but now I'm free. There are no strings on me, no strings on me." He sang before he went silent.
"He uploaded his consciousness." Dakota said, with me looking at him.
"You said he was going to manipulate my brother!" I said, where he looked at me.
"That is taking place now!" He said, shocking me as we walked over to the others, with Banner and Natasha following us.
"Sorry, who is this?" Stark questioned as he pointed at Dakota.
"Dakota, a Death God." Steve introduced, with everyone looking at him. "We've met once." He said, with everyone turning to face me.
"We're sort of dating." I said while shrugging my shoulders. "Anyways, he sees the past, present and future, and told me about what was going to happen, and rushed me over here as fast as he could." I said as I looked at Dakota.
"How do we know if he speaks the truth? About being a God of Death?" Thor asked as he pointed his hammer at Dakota, who crossed his arms.
"I was human once, then one morning I woke up a mutant." he said as he walked up to Thor. "The Touch of Death was my power, and unfortunately for me, I learned about that with my family." He said as he grabbed the hammer, shocking us as it formed cracks and broke. "I tried to kill myself, but I just keep coming back! Even when I was abandoned, tortured, I kept coming back! Even in my death, I came back! Facing Death herself, I proved too much for her! And I came back!" He said as he snapped his fingers and we watched as Thor's hammer repaired itself self. "I showed you your hammers fate, would you like to see yours?" He questioned as he reached out to touch his face, where Thor backed away from him.
"Enough of that!" I said as I pulled him away. "Let's find out more on this Ultron." I said as we started walking away, leaving a shocked Thor behind.
Later
"All our work is gone. Ultron cleared out, used the internet as an escape hatch." Banner said as he looked around the lab.
"Ultron." Steve said as he had his arms crossed.
"He's been in everything. Files, surveillance. Probably knows more about us than we know about each other." Natasha said as she kept her eyes on Dakota, who was looking back at her as he knew she didn't trust him.
"He's in your files, he's in the internet. What if he decides to access something a little more exciting?" Rhodes asked, looking at Hill.
"Nuclear codes." She said, knowing what he was getting at.
"Nuclear codes. Look, we need to make some calls, assuming we still can." Rhodes said with a nod.
"Nukes? He said he wanted us dead." Natasha said as she looked at them.
"He didn't say dead. He said extinct." Steve corrected.
"He also said he killed somebody." Clint said, looking at me.
"If he did, then they didn't come through me. They weren't a living breathing thing." Dakota informed as he looked at the others.
"But there wasn't anyone else in the building." Jill said as she looked at Dakota.
"Yes there was." Tony said as he bring up the now-destroyed 3D image of JARVIS' consciousness.
"This is insane." Banner said as he looked on in shock.
"JARVIS was the first line of defense. He would've shut Ultron down, it makes sense." Steve said, with Dakota shaking his head.
"That isn't complete, it's missing some components." He said as he walked over and started moving his hands around, with pieces of JARVIS being moved out of the way. "His core is missing." Dakota said as they got closer to him to see what he had done.
"How did you see that?" Stark asked as he looked at Dakota.
"My eyes see everything. JARVIS is still in the fight, just away from us." Dakota answered as he walked over to me and leaned up against the wall.
"Ultron could've assimilated Jarvis. This isn't strategy, this is...rage." Banner said as he looked at the mess that was made.
Thor barges in and grabs hold of Stark by his throat, holding him up. "Woah, woah, woah! It's going around!" Clint said as he held his hands up to stop them.
"Come on. Use your words, buddy!" Stark said as he placed his hands on Thors arm, trying to get through to him.
"I have more than enough words to describe you, Stark." Thor said out of anger.
"Thor! The Legionnaire." Steve said, where Thor lets go of Stark.
"Trail went cold about a hundred miles out but it's headed north, and it has the scepter. Now we have to retrieve it, again." Thor said as he looked at the rest of us.
"And so begins the Age of Ultron." Dakota said as he shook his head.
"I don't understand. You built this program. Why is it trying to kill us?" Helen Cho asked as she looked at Banner and Stark.
Stark starts laughing, Banner subtly shakes his head at him to get him to stop. "You think this is funny?" Thor questioned as he got in his face.
"No. It's probably not, right? Is this very terrible? Is it so... is it so... it is. It's so terrible." Stark said as he tried to control himself.
"This could've been avoided if you hadn't played with something you don't understand." I said, speaking up for the first time.
"No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It is funny. It's a hoot that you don't get why we need this." Stark said as he looked away from us.
"Tony, maybe this might not be the time to--"
"Really?! That's it? You just roll over, show your belly, every time somebody snarls." Stark interrupted Banner, with me seeing Dakota narrow his eyes at Stark.
"Only when I've created a murder bot." Banner admitted, with Dakota making a fist. I took his hand in mine, trying to calm him down.
"We didn't. We weren't even close. Were we close to an interface?" Stark questioned Banner.
"Well, you did something right. And you did it right here. The Avengers were supposed to be different than SHIELD." Steve said, trying to point out to Stark that they were supposed to be better.
"Anybody remember when I carried a nuke through a wormhole?" Stark questioned as he looked at us.
"Where you got your first look at the Mad Titans Ship." Dakota said, with everyone looking at him.
"When we saved New York?" Stark asked, with Dakota nodding.
"Leader of the Chitari or whatever they are called." Dakota added, with Thor scuffing at that.
"Supposed to be an all seeing God." He said sarcastically.
"A hostile alien army came charging through a hole in space. We're standing three hundred feet below it. We're the Avengers. We can bust arms dealers all the live long day, but, that up there? That's... that's the end game. How were you guys planning on beating that?" Stark said as he pointed up at the ceiling.
"Together." Steve said as he stepped up.
"We'll lose." Tony said as he crossed his arms.
"Then we'll do that together, too." Steve said, where Stark looks at him for a moment before turning away. "Thor's right. Ultron's calling us out. And I'd like to find him before he's ready for us. The world's a big place. Let's start making it smaller." Steve said as he looked at us. "Can you tell us where?" He asked, with me looking at Dakota.
He shook his head, shocking me. "As much as I want to, I can't interfere in your affairs more than I already have." He said as he shoved his hand, the one I wasn't holding. It was cracked, dying by the looks of it. "If interfere more than Inhave, my body will break away and Die, and because I died this was, there wouldn't be a milky way left." He said, stepping away from me. "I have to get back to the End of the universe to heal my cracks." He said as he pulled out his scythe from his body and slashed in front of him, opening a rift to a dark world. "When your business is done, and I will know, I will come get you, Wanda." He said, with me nodding as I understood what he was going through.
He chose Luz to be the one who acts for him when he can't, and because she was too weak to deal with Ultron at the moment, he chose me to help deal with him. I was not aware that his interference with mortal lives could cause damage to his body the way he had informed.
The next day, Dakota's POV
Stepping through the rift, I walked into the kitchen, where Luz sleeps with her head atop a pile of books while snoring. "Beans!" Eda said in shock at my sudden appearance, with me giving her the apple blood she was looking for not too long ago. Luz jolts up, cries out and falls backwards. "Thanks for the apple blood." Eda said as she kicks the fridge door close and turns around to face Luz. "Still no luck?" She asked, looking at me as she started to drink her apple blood.
"None. And I was up all night. I read every tome, book, notepad, and tea leaf." Luz said as she shows Eda a cup, with the tea leaf forming into a shrugging person. "But nothing explains how to make a portal to the Human Realm." She said, with me looking to the side. I have been keeping the fact that I could take her back a secret. I told her that much like me, she could not step through my rift, even made it so.
I did feel bad that I was lying to her... to all of them. But I needed her here, to help Eda and King. Luz has a lot to do, and the people here need a hero. I was going to make sure that Luz was that hero, even at the cost of my body.
"I wish I could help ya, kid. My door was already pretty old when I found it." Eda said as she looked at me. "Any idea on where the door came from, great seer?" She asked sarcastically.
"King's Father." I said, shocking her.
"What!?" They both yelled as they dropped their things.
"Before you ask, he cannot make another door. The material to do so was already used up to make the first door." I said as I held a hand up to stop them from asking their question.
From somewhere, Lilith starts screaming. We ran to the living room, just in time to see Lilith beginning to turn into her beast form. "Help... me." Lilith begged as she laid on the ground, holding a hand out towards us.
Eda rushed over and takes out a bottle of elixir from beneath a pillow on the couch. She then runs towards Lilith. "Calm down, just calm down." Eda said as she feeds Lilith the elixir. "The curse acts stronger when you're stressed." Eda explained as I knelt down and helped Lilith to her feet, where we watched Lilith's feathers disappear.
"That was... horrible. How have you managed all these years?" Lilith asked as she sat down on the couch, looking at her sister.
"Well, it's been hard." Eda said with a small smile. "But since we split the curse, at least the elixirs are working again." She said with a small chuckle.
"That's a relief." Lilith said as she looked down, where Lilith notices her left hand was gone. She screamed in shock, where Eda bends down and pick up Lilith's hand.
"Oh, yeah, sorry. Side effect of the curse. It's actually fun once in a while." Eda said as she sets the hand back in place. "Now don't worry. I've stashed elixirs all over the house." Eda said as she reveals hidden elixirs under the couch seat, behind a flower pot and pulls one out of Luz's hood. I took two out from book shelf and stored them into my cloak. "Whenever you start feeling feathery, just help yourself to one of these bad boys." Eda said with a wink.
"I had no idea this is what I did to you. I am so, so sorry." Lilith said with regret.
"Eh, at least I got company now." Eda said as she hands Lilith a bottle of elixir. "And you got me if you need anything." Eda said as she pats Lilith's shoulder and walks outside. Lilith then lies down on the couch, and notices a few bottle of elixirs taped to the ceiling.
"Get ready for a surprise." I said, with them both looking at me, where there was a scream from outside. We ran outside to help Eda as a sudden strong gust of wind starts blowing, forcing Eda and Luz to shut their eyes and shield their faces as a bird flying and a tornado was making its way towards us.
"Magic bird tornado?" Luz said in surprise.
The tornado stops, and a woman lands in front of us. The bird lands back on her staff, turning into a palisman.
"Hello, little witchlet." She said as her staff vanishes, then runs forward with open arms. "Come here!" She said as Eda stopped her with one hand.
"Gwendolyn." Eda said in distaste.
"Are we still on that? I'm your mother. Call me Mom!" Gwendolyn said, with me feeling hurt. I knew she was coming and who she was, but seeing Eda acting this way towards her own mother in person hurt. I would give anything to speak with my mother again, let alone see her.
"Mom?!" Luz and Lilith yelled, with Lilith coming out the door.
"It is so good to see you again!" Gwendolyn said as she squeezes Eda's face with both hands. "How are you feeling? Are you eating well? I heard all about the Petrification Ceremony. Trust me, I have a lot of strong words for that Belos." She said with a sinister expression on her face.
Lilith jumps onto Eda's back and stands in front of her. "Mother! Mother, you know, I was there too!" Lilith said with a smile.
"Oh, hello to you too, sweet flea." Gwendolyn said as she reached out and touches Lilith's hair. "Still dyeing your hair, I see. Well, it's very sleek. Now give me a moment with Edalyn, dear. It's important." She requested, where Lilith looks surprised, then becomes sad and backs off. I placed a hand on her back, rubbing circles around to make her feel better. I knew the longing for your mother's affection all too well. "That's right! Today, I am about to complete a 30-year mission!"
"Oh, no." Eda said with an annoyed expression.
"Your mother has finally succeeded!" Gwendolyn said with a smile.
"Here it comes." Eda said as she pinches her eyebrows.
"Today, I shall be curing your curse! Gwendolyn said as she spins her staff and jabs it into the ground.
"No, thanks." Eda said while digging into her ear.
"What?!" Liz and Lilith yelled out in shock, with me smiling as I knew that there was no fixing it.
"I said, "No, thanks." I got my elixir system. I'm good." Eda said as she looked at everyone while placing her hands on her hips.
"But... But who knows what they put in those nasty concoctions?" Gwendolyn said as she didn't trust the potions.
"Actually, we do." Eda said as she wrapped her arm around my shoulders. "Meet Dakota, my regular potion maker and potions apprentice!" Eda said, shocking them as I waved at them. He knows the elixir inside and out, and was the one who stockpiled the house up full of them, saved me the money!" Eda said with a wink, with me rolling my eyes. "And... [Grabs Gwendolyn's staff.] would you look at the time? Eda said as she took Gwendolyn's staff and makes her sit on it. "I got a lot to do today. So sad to see you go. Okay, bye!" Eda said as she slaps Gwendolyn's staff at the rear and sends her flying away before she dusts off her hands. "Moms. Am I right?" Eda said as she turned to face Luz and Lilith, who looked at Eda with completely shocked expression on their faces.
"I haven't seen Mother in forever! And she was handing you a cure on a silver platter!" Lilith yelled out in frustration.
"There is no cure." I said, with Eda nodding. "I searched through time for one, and I only found the creator, who was also turned into a creature because of it." I informed, with them looking down.
"I'd kill to see my mom right now, and you just launch yours into the sky?!" Luz said as she held her hands out to their mother.
"Oh, listen, she comes around every year, toting a new cure for my curse." Eda said as she starts walking into the house. "But they never work, and never will. So, I am done getting my hopes up." Eda said with a false smile as she walked inside.
"Mother visits Edalyn... regularly?" Lilith said in disbelief as she followed Eda into the house.
Luz looks to her left, where Gwendolyn lands, then walks away with sad expression. "Go to her." I said, with Liz looking up at me with a shocked expression. "You will learn something valuable." I said with a wink, where Luz makes a pitiful sound before running off. "I wonder how long it will take Wanda to saber her brother?" I wondered as I walked inside myself.
Later
"Isn't it amazing, Francois? If Eda's mom can just pop up, who says my dad can't?" King said while looking out the window. "Better get my hugging arms ready." King said while stretching his arms.
"Ha!" Lilith said, annoyed while eating ice cream on the couch. "Yeah, good luck with all that dad stuff." She said, taking a bite. "Sometimes it doesn't matter how dutiful you are or successful you are, parents just won't give you the time of day." She added as she waved her spoon around.
"Don't listen to her, Francois. My dad won't be like that." King said as he looked at his puppet, with me shaking my head as his father wouldn't show up.
"Right. Your mysterious father, who didn't even stick around to watch you hatch." Lilith said, with me shooting her a glare.
"Keep your pity to yourself, Witch." I said with venom in my voice. "His father gave everything he had to ensure that he would have a future. You who sit here and willow away in your self pity don't deserve to speak ill on those you don't know." I said as I crossed my arms. "Look at you, the once proud Lilith, head of a coven, now weaker than a human, living on your sister couch. You deserve what you got for the actions you took." I said, narrowing my eyes at her.
"Right, like a monster like you has any right to lecture me!?" Lilith said sarcastically, with me shaking my head.
"I'm not lecturing you, I'm stating the facts!" I said as I moved to stand in front of her. "All of this could have been avoided if you left me alone that night." I said as I sat down on the table in front of her. "Well... slightly. Everything is pretty much the same, but it's been going off course for a while now. I have been trying to make sure that it follows the right timeline or all of reality will be untethered... like strings." I said as they looked confused. "Theoretical physics is another form of magic that people don't understand." I said, knowing that they wouldn't understand Science. "Anyways, the point is, get up, be a grown up and do something about it!" I said, watching as she slowly ate some more ice cream. "God you're useless." I said while facepalming.
Later
Lilith, King, and I were lying on the couch. Lilith took one end of the couch, I took the other with King laying on me. "How do you get a parent's attention?" King asked, and I shrugged as I could not answer him.
"Heck if I know. Mother wasn't even at my Coven Initiation." Lilith said before she takes another bite of her ice cream.
"At least you know what she looks like." King said as he sat up. "All I have is an old wall carving. What if that's just graffiti?" He asked, with he holding my hand to the side and creating an illusion of his father.
"There, that's him." I said, with King getting off and running up to the illusion. "Take in as much detail as you can, because this is the only time you will see him like this." I said as I sat up, watching as King turned to face me. "You will see him again, but not for a long time, and not how you expect it to happen." I said as I looked down at the floor.
"Are you his mother? Because that is an awful lot of judgment." Lilith said, with me looking at her. "Who is to say that he can't go out to find him now? Who's to say that he isn't dead already?" Lilith said, sounding like she was drunk.
"This stinks." King said, disappointed as he throws away the ice cream container on his head. "If my dad doesn't care about me, why should I care about him? King said as he dropped his toy. "Well, I'm not going to him. He's gonna have to come to me!" He said, with me shaking my head as he didn't know how close he was to his father.
"And I am sick of being overlooked. From now on I... I have no mother! And I... I'd say that to her face!" Lilith said, with me picking King and his toy up and backing away from Lilith as she was getting riled up.
"What's wrong?" King asked as he looked at me.
"Isn't that taking it a bit too far?" Hoody asked as he opened the door.
A bunch of feathers pop out of her face, with Kings eyes widening as I set him outside. Hooty slowly retreats away, closing the door on me and Lilith as she lets out a howl. Lilith as a Beast resembles almost all of Eda's characteristics in her cursed form. She wasn't an owl beast, but a Raven Beast, with black hair, large, crooked fangs, a longer neck, black claws, her ears having small ridges with no hair growing out from them and was much larger than the Owl Beast.
I approached Lilith as she finished her transformation into her Raven Beast. Her eyes blazed with an otherworldly fire, and her feathers bristled with wild energy. I knew the danger of approaching her in this state, yet I extended a calming hand.
"Lilith." I spoke softly. "I understand your turmoil, but you mustn't succumb to this rage." I said as Lilith's cawing filled the air, a haunting symphony of anger and sorrow. I continued to reach out to her, hoping my presence was a soothing contrast to the chaos around us. But Lilith, lost in her frenzy, could not heed my words.
As I drew closer, attempting to quell her storm, the Raven Beast lashed out with ferocity. Feathers clashed, and shadows danced as I skillfully evaded her strikes, refusing to harm her.
Despite my efforts, I found myself unable to calm Lilith. Instead, I focused on defending myself and the house without causing her harm, knowing that beneath her tumultuous exterior lay a soul tormented by pain. I continued to dodge her attacks, moving her claws away from the walls and furniture. I led her upstairs and into Eda's room. Taking out the potion from my hood, I knew the others were long gone. I jumped out the window, with me growing wings. I flew there, with me watching her flying out the window as well, knocking me out of the air and flying past me.
Getting up, King ran over to me while Hooty extended his head. "Are you ok!?" King asked as he hugged my leg, with me nodding as I looked at the direction Lilith flew.
"She needs her mother's love." I said as I looked at the potions in my hand, before kneeling down and grabbing King, putting him on my back. "Hooty, clear the living room, they may need to rest after this mess!" I said as I placed a hand on Hootys head. "King, let's go! Luz will need us!" I said, taking off into the woods.
Later
Hearing a roar, I ran through some bushes and saw Eda had also changed into her Owl Beast form. I stepped between her and the others as she takes a step closer towards them.
Dakota, King?! Luz said in shock as I held a hand out to Eda.
"So Lilith was feeling stressed and, uh... So, uh... uh... uh..." King said, unable to speak as he didn't know what to say.
"Lilith turned into the Raven Beast!" I said as a large shadow flies past us from above. We all look up, and Luz and Eda's mother gasp. Lilith in her Raven Beast form turns around and lands in front of us, revealing herself to be much larger than Eda's Owl Beast.
"She turned into that thing!" King yelled while pointing at her.
"Sweet flea?" Gwendolyn said in shock at her daughter's appearance.
Lilith lets out a loud roar that shook the area around us. Eda roars in return and rushes towards her, with Lilith rushing towards Eda as well. Lilith then snatches Eda and flies off with her, while Luz, King and Gwendolyn look on in total disbelief. Luz picks up the Eda's staff and rides atop it, ready to take off.
"That... was my little sweet flea? That means she's also..." Gwendolyn said in disbelief.
"Cursed! Yes!" I said as I turned to face her. "I have the elixirs, now we have to catch up before they kill each other." I said as I let King climb on with Luz.
"We have to help them." Luz said as she held her hand out to her. "Will you come with me?" She asked as I grew my wings.
"This... This must be part of the process, right?" Gwendolyn said, hesitant to take her hand.
"I can see you still need a little time." Luz said as she retracted her hand, closing her eyes. "Alright, Owlbert. Let's fly!" Luz said as she opened her eyes, and took off.
"Trust in Luz, return to Wortlop, and discover the truth! Only then will your eyes finally be open." I said as I took flight. "There is no cure, only acceptance." I said as I took. Off after Luz and King.
Later
Flying past Luz, I but a barrier around me. Flying between Eda and Lilith, they both crashed into the barrier, getting bounced back. "Sorry to intrude, but I can't have you hurting the people of Bonesborough." I said as I watched them fly around me.
Lilith came at me first, and I held my hand out to her. A red and black arm reached out and caught her, before sending her to the ground. Eda was next and she sent me flying at a building, but I stoped at the last second. Holding my hand out to her, the same red and black energy flew towards Eda, knocking her away and into a building as well.
"Eda!" Luz called out as she flew towards Eda, flying just in front of her. "Eda, it's me!" Luz said as she held the potion in hand. "Take it!" Luz yelled as she opened the potion and tried to feed it to her, but Eda knocked it away, spilling it on the ground. "No!" Luz said as she reached for the other one, but she was knocked out of the air by Eda, who flew at me. The potion crashed into the ground, no longer of any use.
"Get to the potion maker!" I ordered her as Eda jumped onto my barrier. She slashed at it over and over again, even bitting it. "Eda, I lied." I said as she continued her attack. "I can separate you and the Owl Beast, but you need the Owl Beast." I said as Lilith attacked me, with me turning to face her as she pushed against the other side of the barrier. "You on the other hand, I can remove!" I said as I blasted Lilith with a red black energy, watching as she flew away and glowed white.
Lilith, now in her normal state, crashed into a roof, while a demonic raven landed next to her. I watched as Luz flew over and overlooked her, looking at me with wide eyes. I knew she wanted to ask me to remove the curse from Eda, and I couldn't do it. What I could do, was put on a show.
Eda let out a roar as she attacked me, where I turned to face her. She "sent me flying" through three building, with me flying up. Only to get hit by Eda again and send me flying back down. Correcting myself, I flew back up and crashed into Eda, sending her back. I fired the "same" attack that I used on Lilith at Eda, with her glowing black. She screamed as we watched as she slowly tore through the back of the owl beast, before getting absorbed back into it and landing next to Lilith.
Flying down, I looked at the shocked expression on Luz's face as she looked up at me. "I can't separate them, they have been together for far too long." I said as Luz gave a small smile as she looked at Eda. "They bonded, unlike Lilith and her Raven Beast." I said, looking and watching as the Raven Beast burned away into nothingness.
"Will they be alright?" Gwendolyn asked as she rushed over to us, looking at her daughters.
"They will... While Lilith is cured of the curse, she is the weakest. Lots of rest will do her good." I said as I looked at Eda. "Eda on the other hand is forever bonded with the Owl Beast, separating them will end her life." I lied, shocking them. "Go ahead and say your peace, they need it." I said as I looked at Gwendolyn, who nodded.
"My beautiful daughters, I failed you." Gwendolyn said regretfully as she walked up to her daughters. Eda turns towards Gwendolyn, snarls and tries to get up, but failed. "Edalyn? You're in there, aren't you?" She asked as she placed a hand on her daughter's hair, with me walking over and doing the same.
I found myself walking in the darkness of her mind, with me seeing Eda running away from the Owl Beast. "Kid, run!?" Eda yelled at me as she reached out her hand. I walked past her, shocking her as she came to a stop and looked back. I held my hand out to the Owl beast, watching as it came to a sudden stop, with its head resting on my hand.
"I should've listened to you. I know now why you pushed me away." We heard Gwendolyn, with me petting the owl beast as it relaxed, calmed even.
"Uh, Mom?" Eda called out, with me turning to face her as she looked around.
"I made you think your curse was something to be ashamed of." Gwendolyn said as I looked back at the owl beast, watching as it laid down while I pet it. "Whether we want it or not, it's a part of you. And I love every part of you." She added as Eda walked over and placed a hand on it, where a light flashes in between her hand and the beast. The Owl Beast screeches, gradually shrinking. It eventually becomes small, where I knelt down and let it crawl into my lap to lay down.
"Mom, I can hear you. And you..." Eda said as she looked down at the Owl Beast. "It's my turn to drive." Eda said as she reached out for it again, with me getting pushed out of her mind.
"I'm so sorry." Gwendolyn said as she placed their foreheads together.
"Mom?" Eda said, with me smiling as I backed away.
Gwendolyn opens her eyes to find Eda staring back at her, her eyes already revert back to normal. "Witchlet!" Gwendolyn said as she hugged Eda.
"I believe someone else needs your love." I told, looking at Lilith, who was slowly coming to.
"Lilith..." Gwendolyn said as she walks over and kneels down in front of her, laying her head onto her lap. "You were always so self-sufficient." Gwendolyn said as she caresses Lilith's cheek, calming her down as she relaxed into her mother's lap. "But I didn't give you the attention you deserved." She said regretfully.
Upon hearing that, Lilith started sobbing. Gwendolyn shushes and embraces her, caressing her head.
"Here!" Luz said as she walked over and handed me the elixir, where I fed Eda. We watched as she turned back to normal, looking at her mother in a new light.
"I take it Lilly already got her elixir?" Eda asked, with me looking at her.
"Actually I separated her and the Raven Beast." I said, shocking Eda. "I can't do the same to you, you've been bonded with each other for so long that it almost killed you." I said as I looked at Lilith. "Her magic sack is burned up, it became the Raven Beast. She will no longer be able to use magic." I said as I searched her future, and saw what was to come of her. The future was still the same, and that was all that mattered.
"Dang kid, you've gotten stronger." Eda said as she hit my shoulder lightly, before wrapping her arm around my neck and giving me a noogie, making me smile at her antics. "You three should talk." I said as I walked over to Luz and King. "Come on, we're going home!" I said as I started to fly us back to the owl house to give them their privacy.
Later
Sitting outside, I leaned my head against a tree, watching Eda and her mother talk, connecting for the first time in years. It made me miss my mother. Looking down at my arm, I saw cracks forming around it, traveling up to my forearm. I interfered with their fight, just because I didn't want any harm to come to them.
Looking back at them, I watched as Eda jokingly punched Gwendolyn in the arm, both sharing a laugh. I wanted that so bad. My mother to come back so that I can tell her about my life, and what I've done with it. That wasn't going to happen.
Not with my mother anyways.
I looked down at the registration form in my hands. I had filled it out, and was just waiting for the right moment to show it to Eda. Then the scary part would happen. Would she turn me away, or would she accept me as her own. I could not see my own future as it was removed from time the moment that I died.
Seeing Lilith kick the door open, I stood up and approached them, folding the sheet of paper as I approached them. "Mom! I'm ready!" Lilith yelled as she carried a bindle on her shoulder, with me putting the paper in my cloak. "Well, we were talking and I've decided to go home with Mother and make up for lost time." Lilith said as she walked over to her mother, giving her a smile as I walked past them and stood next to Eda, King, Luz and Hooty, who were all surprised at this announcement.
"What?"
"Lily?"
"You lived here?"
"What?!"
"Edalyn, Lilith told me how she gave you the curse. I am so, so sorry to you both, to have this secret weighing you down." Gwendolyn said as she took her daughter's hands. "I wish I knew sooner." She said regretfully.
"There's still a lot to be learned about your curse, but... it'll be nice to spend some time home and reconnect with Dad." Lilith said as Eda looks away after hearing the last part.
"We'll be away for a while, but we will have plenty of elixirs stocked up for our return!" Gwendolyn said as she smiled at her daughters.
"No! Lulu, you can't!" Hooty yelled as he extended towards Lilith, who touches Hooty's cheek.
"Hootsifer, I have to. But don't worry, we can be penpals." Lilith said as she turns around and leaves.
"But I can't hold a pen!" Hooty yelled out as he cried even more.
"I'll write for you." I said as I petted his neck.
Luz, Dakota, if it weren't for you I might still be wrapped up in Wortlop's lies. So here's what I should've told you from the start." Gwendolyn said as she bends over towards Luz. "You're not the only human to have lived in Bonesborough." She said, making me smile as the truth would soon reveal itself. "There's a rare substance called Titan's blood. It is extremely powerful and sometimes causes leaks between our realms. Plants, animals... And you guys have a lot of garbage, by the way. But humans are rare. My great-grandmother told me about a human who once lived here. But one day he just vanished. Rumor has it he left something in the library, and if you can find out more about him-"
"Maybe I could find out how he got here!" Luz said with hope of returning home.
"Exactly." Gwendolyn said with a wink, before standing up and looking at me. "I don't know exactly what you are, but I can tell that you were human at one point in time." She said, making me smile.
"Sadly, I am no longer Human, but Death." I said as I placed my hands in front of me. "I await your return." I said with a wink, getting a smile from her as she started walking away with Lilith, where they both look back and smile before flying away together on their staffs.
"Well, I'll be on the couch for the next twenty-four hours." Lilith said with a yawn as she walked inside. "Goodnight." She called back as she closed the door.
"No, wait! I call couch." King called back as he ran inside, leaving me with Luz.
"I'll be home soon, Mom." Luz said as she looked up at the night sky.
"Did you know that Eda is part human?" I asked, shocking her. "One of her ancestors are one of the two who traveled over to this world." I said with a smile. "He lived his life the best he could here... His brother on the other hand, grew jealous and angry at him for marrying a Witch, and killed him out of anger." I said, seeing the shocked expression on her face. "If he looked upstairs, he would have found their child, and would have killed her as well." I said as I walked inside. " Good thing he got distracted by a ghost!" I said with a wink.