The day of the recital was upon them, the plus ones were invited to the Emperor's palace. Willow and her fathers' brought her to the recital, she wore her Grom Night dress, as it was the fanciest thing she owned. Being invited to the Emperor's Palace, even as a plus one, she needed to be dressed in her finest. It was a little nerve wracking for her fathers, Gilbert was a bit of a worrywart compared to his husband, and all the while Willow remained calm. At least on the outside, on the inside she was just as nervous and excited.
She really didn't know why Skara would invite her to something like this, she was honored, don't get her wrong. But something like this seemed more like Amity's cup of tea rather than hers. The other guests waited at the draw bridge to the palace, and once most of them had arrived the bridge extended out from the castle until it connected with the other side.
At the front of the bridge was the leader of the Bard Coven, Scooter Crane, and beside him was the Emperor's Coven Head, Lilith Clawthorne.
"Welcome, all of you, for this wonderful recital put on by the Bard Coven. We hope today's performance will lift your spirits," said Scooter.
"The reception area has been set up to receive you all, so you can mingle with the performers before rehearsal starts," said Lilith. "Now please, everyone on the bridge so that we may enter."
The attendees assembled on the bridge, and once everyone was on the drawbridge retracted itself. Willow looked up in awe at the giant castle, this was the first she had ever been here, and the first time she'd been to a recital like this, ever. She kept her back straight and shoulders squared, trying to maintain good posture and not slouch, since she was invited as Skara's plus one, Willow didn't want to embarrass her in front of these important witches.
Once the drawbridge was brought back, Lilith and Scooter led the group to the reception hall, it wasn't the Grand Music Hall, but it was still a massive area. Tables were lined up with fancy food and drinks, both types for the adults and types for the younger attendees. The participants in the recital were already mingling amongst themselves, the parents of the participants were busy hobnobbing with each other, more than likely trying to network with other parents.
Willow's fathers stuck close to her, this wasn't the typical crowd they usually hung around, so they were a little intimidated, and a bit afraid for their daughter. Some of these witches were wealthy nobles, and if there was anything they knew about their type, they liked to mess with witches on the lower end of the economic spectrum.
"Willow!"
The Plant witch turned towards the familiar voice and blinked when she saw Skara approaching them. The Bard witch was wearing a black tuxedo, with a crimson shirt underneath, and white bowtie just for some contrast. Skara had her hair in its typical ponytail, but something was different about her, she seemed confident, professional even. And was it getting hot? Willow was starting to feel a little warm.
"H-Hey, Skara." Why did I stutter?
Skara stopped before Willow and her parents, she took a moment to appreciate the dress that Willow was wearing and blushed a little. "You look cute, Willow."
*Ba-dump*
Why did my heart flutter just now, thought Willow.
Skara noticed Willow's parents and gave a polite bow to her fathers. "Mr. and Mr. Park, thank you for allowing Willow to come to the recital."
"Thank you for the invitation, we're happy to see Willow having fun with her friends, and this is a change of pace for us," said Gilbert a little nervous.
Skara smiled at the bearded man and said, "You don't have to worry much, today's all about cheering everyone up! So, just have fun!"
Adrian Park shifted his glance between Skara and Willow, while Gilbert was more concerned about their daughter in this setting, Adrian could see something else. "Honey, why don't we let Willow and Skara talk in private, while we go see how the other half eat!"
"B-But, shouldn't we–!"
"Come along, Gil," Adrian urged as he pulled his husband along towards the buffet table.
Now Willow was alone with Skara, and she was even more nervous now. She didn't understand why, she'd been around Skara a lot more recently, so there was no reason to be nervous around her. Was there? Was this nervousness due to Skara's past as one of Boscha's groupies or was there another reason?
"You know…" Skara spoke, breaking the silence. "I think this is the first time it's been just us since I joined up with you guys."
"You're right it is…sorry, I don't know why, but I'm nervous," said Willow. "It's stupid, I don't even know why! I mean, it's just you, and it's just me."
Skara's mood lifted a bit when she heard that. "Guess I'm in the same boat, I know we've hung out before, but it just feels different, right?"
Willow nodded in response.
Skara rubbed the back of her head for a moment before extending her hand towards Willow. "Want me to show you around the hall? There's some great artwork that looks kinda cool, or whatever…?"
Willow smiled and placed her hand into Skara's, that fluttering feeling returned, but this time around, Willow didn't mind it as much. "I'd like that."
Skara's eyes widened with joy as she started to lead Willow, hand-in-hand, around the hall and showed off some of the artwork, all the while they chatted about a few frivolous things, but even still, it felt different, a good different.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the participants and their guests, a sinister plot was about to be hatched. Scooter Crane moved like a wraith, unseen and unheard as he made his way to the instruments. He drew a spell circle and began incanting a spell, the spell circle itself turned an ominous black and purple color before the disguised Phantom waved his hand over all the assembled instruments. For a moment they all glowed with the same two-toned aura, but a couple of seconds later, the aura disappeared.
"Everything is in place."
"Okay, Eda, show me what you got," said Luz.
"I thought you'd never ask!"
Eda drew two spell circles in the air, and with a flourish, she waved them around and, in a flash, she summoned forth her first line of Kamen Rider Witch products. The coffee table had an assortment of figurines, some were of the Phantoms that Luz had defeated recently, and others were of Witch herself and her four elemental Styles. On the other side were the transformation play items, which consisted of a replica of the WizarDriver, and the rings that Luz wielded.
"So, what d'ya think?" Eda asked.
Luz and Gus inspected the play-acting items first, aside from action figures, these would be the keystone of their Witch merchandise, and it needed to be scrutinized with a detailed eye. "Okay, so first of all, the ring loops are all one size, is it enchanted to expand?" Luz asked.
"Nope," said Eda.
"Hmm, not good, I've seen some of those products from magazines, and they usually have a gap in the ring loop," said Gus.
"Right, that's because it's made of plastic, and can easily expand to fit the fingers of certain ages," said Luz.
Gus picked up the fake WizarDriver and tried to switch the Hand Author back and forth but had no luck in doing so. "Eda, does this thing move at all?"
"Why does it need to move? It's just for looks," the Owl Lady replied.
Luz shook her head. "Uh-uh, it has to move. It needs to be as accurate as possible to my Driver. Does it at least make sounds when you place the rings over the Hand Author?"
Gus managed to slip one of the rings onto his finger and held his hand over the Hand Author. Nothing happened. "Nope."
"Again, what's the big deal? Don't kids usually make those kinds of noises anyway? Why does it need to make noise?" Eda asked.
Luz slammed her hand on the table, startling King, Eda, and Gus. "It's quality! If you make it as close to the show as possible, with all the sounds and lights, then that person can feel as if they're becoming that hero!"
Eda sighed as she crossed her arms. "Well, I'm not a toymaker, but if you want sounds, then how are we going to do that? I'm not making those sounds."
Luz thought for a moment before the proverbial light bulb went off in her head. "Nobody has to! I'll just transform, and you can guys can copy the sounds my Driver and rings make!"
"Direct from the source, authentic sound effects! I love it!" Gus exclaimed.
"And we can charge extra for the 'authentic' part! Hot dang!" Eda made another spell circle and summoned a few of crystals. "All you have to do is infuse these with a little magic and they'll start recording any sound that's played, or conversation, for as long as you want."
"Awesome! It'll probably be better to do each sound with one crystal, and then label it," Luz suggested.
Eda had some magic flow into the crystal and readied. Luz slipped the Driver On ring over her right middle finger and placed her hand over the Hand Author buckle.
[Driver On, Please.]
The Driver appeared and Eda quickly cut of the magic to the crystal. Eda tapped the crystal, and it replayed the sound perfectly. She then handed it to King who wrote down what it was and set it to the side.
"Next," said King.
Luz shifted the Hand Author back and forth, making sure the crystal got the sound. Once that was done, she made it shift to the left-hand side.
[Shabadoobi touch to henshin! Shabadoobi touch to henshin!]
The Latina quietly mouthed the word "Henshin" under her breath before she placed her Light Style ring over the buckle.
[Light, Please.]
[HI~KA~RI!]
A flash of light went off inside the Owl House, when it faded, Luz had become Kamen Rider Witch. "How was that?"
Eda replayed the sounds and gave a thumbs up.
"Oh man, this is so cool! Should we do the other rings next?!" Gus asked.
"I–"
{Live from the Emperor's Castle, we bring you a performance conducted by the Bard Coven.}
"Oh, the recital's on!" Luz sat on the couch and Gus quickly did the same.
"What, right now?" Eda looked at the two kids and saw that they weren't going to do much until this was over. "Ugh, fine, guess we can break for this thing." Eda moved to the armchair and plopped herself there while King joined Luz and Gus on the couch.
The crystal ball showed the Grand Music Hall of the castle, a stage was set up for the Bard witches, along with their designated instruments. The musicians began to walk onto the stage, Luz spotted Skara and smiled under her helmet. Once the musicians were assembled on stage and at their seats, the conductor made his way up next. The conductor looked nervous and fidgety, Luz felt sorry for the poor them, they looked like they didn't want to be there, but also like they did?
"You're kidding me…" Eda spoke.
"What was that?" Luz asked.
"Oh, nothing, sorry. I thought I saw someone I recognized." Heh, been a while since I've seen you, Raine.
The performers were doing their final checks of their instruments and doing some scales to make sure they were tuned properly. Before the recital could fully begin, Raine turned around and spoke through the microphone.
{B-Before we start, Master Crane would like to say a few w-words.}
Scooter Crane calmly walked onto the stage and took the microphone from his protégé.
{Good day to all those upon the Boiling Isles. First, I would like to thank his majesty, Emperor Belos, for granting us this opportunity to perform for you, the citizens of our island. And, I would also like to say…how foolish you all are.}
"What?"
"What?"
"What?"
"What?"
"Hoot!" Hooty wormed in and asked, "What are we watching?"
Scooter Crane snapped his fingers, and as soon as he did, the musicians began to play, their faces showed that they were struggling to stop, but their bodies weren't obeying their commands. As soon as the notes were played, a shroud of shadows spread throughout the hall and, shockingly, inside the Owl House as well. Eda made to turn off the crystal ball, but it was too late, once the shadows spread into the house its effects became immediate. Eda froze up as she felt an intense sense of fear and despair grip her, but she wasn't the only one, Gus felt the same paralyzing fear and despair, along with King, and even Hooty. The only one who wasn't affected was Luz, or rather, Kamen Rider Witch. Her Light Style ring was glowing, as if acting as a charm to protect her against the negative effects of the dark spell.
"What's going on?!"
{For those of you wondering how and why this is happening, the answer is remarkably simple. I am not one of you…}
A flash of green light was emitted from Scooter Crane's body, the cape and mask flew off his body, and what was revealed was the Phantom that was hiding in plain sight. This creature stood about ten feet tall and looked like a satyr, its lower half had dark green fur, the thighs and shins guarded by silver armor with images of trees and musical motifs. The upper half was humanoid, it had lean muscle, and a silver chest plate with the same forest molds. His forearms were clad in silver bracers, and in his right hand was a wooden pan flute. The Phantom had a shaggy mane of hair, with two long goat horns protruding from his head, and bright green eyes that were piercing.
{I am Pan, and I welcome you to the Despair Recital. When the final note is played, those of you who are Gates will usher in new Phantoms into this world. For the rest of you, well, enjoy wallowing in hopelessness.}
Pan jumped off the stage and disappeared, leaving the musicians who were cursed to keep playing.
"Oh no, no, I-I have to stop this! Eda, Gus!" Witch knelt next to her collapsed friends and asked, "Which direction is the castle in?!"
Eda managed to muster up the will to point her in the right direction. Witch didn't waste any time, she threw open the door and quickly changed.
[Ice, Please.]
[Kkkkkkori~! Kkkkkkori~!]
[Ride, Please.]
A flash of blue light went off and Witch took off into the air on her Witch Speeder, the speed boosting power of her Ice Style allowed her vehicle travel twice as fast as it normally would in her other forms. She only had until the song ended, she only hoped it was a long song, otherwise there was going to be a mass Phantom breakout.
"I'll make, and I'll put a stop this this!"
Pan skipped merrily through the halls of the Emperor's castle. Many of the Coven Scouts were incapacitated due to curse that Pan had placed on the instruments and were currently curled up into balls on the floor. As much as he disliked these frail creatures, he had to admit, their magic was interesting. Mixing music and magic together, Pan thought only he could do such a thing, but it seemed that these witches could do it as well, and they've come up with inventive ways to allow it to spread out through the environment. Which was how he cursed the instruments, now they would play the full song, and by the end the Gates of the island will turn into Phantoms. But that would be in a few minutes, for now, he's about to kill two birds with one stone.
While everyone was incapacitated, the Phantom was free to roam through the castle and find out what Emperor Belos was planning. As he did, Pan found a couple of Coven Scouts, and surprisingly, Lilith Clawthorne, who were still standing, they weakly raised their spears staffs, prepared to fight off the monster.
"S-Stop right there! In the name of the Emperor!" Lilith ordered.
"How quaint, and ultimately futile."
"Whatever you're planning, you won't get away with it! I-It's the height of foolishness to attack the Emperor's stronghold!"
Pan smiled as he said, "I guess we'll see which of us is the foolish one before this day is over."
Pan brought up his flute and began playing some notes. The moment he did the air began to resonate to the tune of his music, swirls of magical energy began to appear in the air, flowers, grass, and vines began to form along the walls and ceiling. Those same energy swirls began moving through the air, making the sound visible, and once they did, that energy snapped at the two scouts, lashing at them like a pair of whips. The Coven Scouts were sent flying into the air as the vines that grew from the walls struck as well, wrapping them up and slamming them into the walls before releasing their unconscious bodies.
Lilith tried to draw a spell circle, but the effects of the cursed song was affecting her magic. The moment she drew the circle it became corroded and fell apart. "W-What?!"
"Never underestimate the power of a Phantom," said Pan.
The satyr of a Phantom played some notes and created a concussive blast of magical energy that struck Lilith, throwing her into the air before she came back down. Lilith tried to get back up, but that attack was enough to keep her down as she slumped back onto the floor. Pan nodded at his handywork and began walking along the hallway. Pan needed to find out what Emperor Belos' true plans were before they posed a threat to the Phantoms. Personally, he doubted there was anything these mortal witches could do to hinder or stop their plans, but it never hurt to be sure, plus, if Emperor Belos' plan was to bring hope to the Boiling Isles, then destroying those plans would sink them all into total despair. If his music plan didn't work then this would be a good secondary way, in all honesty that curse was just a distraction anyway.
Pan entered the throne room of the Emperor, figuring if there was any hidden plans or schemes it would be good to start there. The Phantom kicked open the doors and strolled right in, above the throne was a beating heart, incased in metal bans and tubes that led directly to the beating organ. Pan wondered about that heart, the few times he was in the throne room he pondered if that was the heart of the Titan itself or simply a complex piece of machinery.
"Wouldn't surprise me if it is the corpse's heart, everything else on this island is made from its body," said Pan.
Suddenly, a blast of red magical energy was hurled straight at Pan. The satyr Phantom jumped into the air, dodging the blast as it struck the floor and exploded. Pan landed on the opposite side and glanced towards the right, spotting none other than Emperor Belos himself.
"Seems you're not as affected as the rest of your subjects," said Pan.
"It'll take more than some curse to keep me down, creature," said Belos.
"Hmm, we'll see."
Pan began playing his flute and the throne room was immediately covered in a flora. Belos' eyes glowed bright blue as he whipped out his mechanical staff. The lord of the isles slammed the butt of his staff against the floor, sending a wave of magical energy coursing through it, that same wave struck against the flora that Pan was creating. The energies of Pan fought against Belos' energy, one half of the room was covered in Pan's greenery while the other half was covered in red light, both pushing against each other for dominance. Pan shifted the notes of his flute and manipulated the sound waves in the air, sending them flying towards Belos as blades.
Belos swiped the air with his free left hand, conjuring a shield that managed to take the brunt of Pan's attack, but the satyr Phantom was not giving up. He played a few more notes and made the greenery lash out with thorny vines. Belos countered by transmuting the floor into a dozen stone vipers that met the vines halfway, entangling themselves and biting on the vines to prevent them from getting any further. While this may impress the witches of the Boiling Isles, Pan was not. It was apparent now more than before that Belos was affected by the curse that was spreading out, this witch was just stronger than the others, which made sense, but ultimately it was nothing compared to a Phantom.
"I grow tired of this, dear Emperor, allow me to show you the difference in our powers."
Pan inhaled deeply, and then released a loud bleating sound. The power of this attack crashed through the throne room, cracking the walls and ceiling, and destroying his own greenery. The sound attack was visible as the airwaves were being distorted by a green shimmering aura, that same wave struck Belos' red mana wave and consumed it like a tsunami. The Emperor of the Boiling Isles was sent flying until he crashed into his own throne, breaking it apart before rolling onto the floor. Belos tried to get back up, but something had come over him, and strong sense of panic like he had not felt before, a panic that was telling him to get out of there and run away.
"What…What did you do to me?!" Belos demanded.
"That was my Panic Attack. It induces uncontrollable panic in my opponents, so much so that they can't help but want to run away. No matter how brave or fearless a person may be, when hit by this, you will run. If I were to hit you with another blast, well, you just might lose your mind from uncontrollable fear."
Pan inhaled as he prepared to use his Panic Attack again, but Belos quickly enveloped himself in a shroud of magical energy and got away.
"Now then, where does an Emperor hide their secrets?"
Pan looked around and his eyes were suddenly drawn to the space at the back of the throne. The satyr Phantom jumped from where he was, clearing several feet in one leap and landing behind the throne. Pan found a passageway that led downwards, he followed the stairs until he managed to get to the bottom, and there he found something. A large, empty room stood before Pan, there were several pieces of machinery neatly placed around the room, a construction project that had yet to get underway.
"Well, lookie here, what could you be up to?" Pan looked around and saw another, smaller room. When he tried to open the door, a violent shock was all he got in return. "Of course, a protection spell, that just makes me more curious."
Pan used his flute to strike the door with multiple concussive waves of magical energy. Each one made the protection spell activate, but with each attack, cracks formed on the barrier spell. The spell released arcs of red lightning that tried to attack Pan, but Pan managed to counter each of the lightning strikes with his own magic. The satyr Phantom played a high note and from it produced a powerful blast of magical energy that took on the form of a ram's head, the blast charged straight for the barrier and shattered it into pieces.
"I doubt that's the only defense you have, so let's head right in."
Pan opened the door and closed it behind him, a moment later several explosion-like boom sounds could be heard coming from the room.
Skara could see what was happening, but she couldn't stop it. Her hands and the rest of her body was not listening to her commands. This music that was being played, it was evil, it was hurting everyone, it was hurting Willow. Willow! Skara looked out into the crowd, her eyes zeroing in on Willow as she saw her crush making her way towards the stage. Wait, how is she moving through this?! Willow climbed onto the stage, but before she could do anything the music increased its volume and released a wave of energy that knocked the Plant witch off the stage.
WILLOW!
"Don't worry, Skara, I'll help you!" Willow vowed.
The green-eyed witch drew two spell circles and slammed her palms to the ground. Dozens of vines rose from the floor and shot towards the conductor and musicians. However, just like before, her attempt to free them was met with resistance, the cursed song struck back by sending waves of dark magical energy, slicing up the vines to shreds. Willow wasn't going to give up, tried again and again, but each time the cursed song attacked the vines, preventing them from doing a thing.
"I won't give up! I'll save you Skara!" Willow declared.
Willow…she's trying to save me…I can't…I can't just do nothing! I need to help! I have to help!
Skara concentrated, she had to resist this dark magic, she had to break free from it. Suddenly, Skara felt a warmth inside her, it felt familiar and yet strange. Skara concentrated on that warmth and allowed it to fill her body, and soon after her entire body was glowing a bright red color. The harp in her hand received the same aura, and with a pluck of the strings, Skara ushered in a different note that was out of sync with the others. This allowed Skara to break free of the darkness that shrouded her, allowing the young Bard witch to finally move.
"I DID IT!" Skara exclaimed victoriously. "Now I can–!"
The cursed song did not seem to like that she was no longer a part of the orchestra as the dark energy surrounded Skara and immediately ejected her from the stage, throwing her several feet into the air. Skara screamed when this happened, but thankfully, Willow acted quickly and summoned forth a huge flower to act as a cushion for Skara. The Bard witch made a safe landing on the giant flower, prompting Willow to hurry to her side.
"Skara, are you alright?!" Willow asked.
"I-I am, thanks for the comfy flower," said Skara.
Willow reached out and helped Skara off the flower, the Bard witch stumbled forward a bit, prompting Willow to catch Skara in her arms. The two witches stared into each other's eyes for a moment before blushing and separating.
"T-Thanks, again," said Skara.
"N-No, problem," Willow replied. "N-Now how are we going to help them?"
"I don't know…every time you tried to free me or stop it, the song attacked back…" Skara tried to think, but she didn't have much time. The song was going to reach its finale soon, and if that happened then people would turn into Phantoms.
Suddenly the ceiling was blasted through and from it descended Kamen Rider Witch, having switched to her Light Style form before entering. She flipped in the air a few times before landing in a vacant spot away from the rest of the audience, Skara and Willow saw her and immediately rushed towards the hero.
"Are you two alright?!" Witch asked.
"We are, but we have to stop them from ending the song," said Skara.
"I'll take care of it."
"Wait, there's a curse that's stops anyone from interrupting the song, I tried to stop it, but it wouldn't let me," said Willow.
Witch looked at the stage and then back to Skara. "Wait, if that's true, then how were you able to get free, Skara? And, Willow, why haven't you succumbed to the curse?"
"For me, I just felt this warmth inside me, and when I focused on it, it allowed me to break the curse's hold," Willow explained.
"Same here, and when I did, the curse threw me off the stage."
La Lechuza…do you think this has something to do with what I did? Freeing them from their Phantoms?
"A possibility, and an interesting one at that. However, you can ponder that later."
Witch nodded and hurried to the front of the stage, the curse was already building up its defenses to stop her, but the hero of hope readied to end this curse. She swapped out her Ride ring with the Flash ring and activated it.
[Flash, Please.]
A bright light shined from the ring as the purifying light bathed over the darkness in the room. Witch could feel the curse fighting back, and for a moment she thought she was winning the battle, but at the last second, the cursed song released a wave of dark energy that countered the Flash ring, hurling Witch backwards. The hero managed to correct herself midair and landed back on the ground safely.
"That's not good, my Flash ring's not having any effect," said Witch.
"If that young one was able to break free…Very well then, we will fight fire with fire. Go to Skara, it's time to make a new ring."
Witch didn't question her Inner Phantom's thinking as she ran back to Skara and Willow. "Skara, I need your help."
"Me?!"
[Connect, Please.]
Witch reached into her magic portal and produced a magic stone in her hand. "Skara, this magic is musical in nature, and you were able to break it somehow. If we combine our magics, I think we can save everyone."
Skara wasn't sure, she looked to Willow and the Plant witch nodded that it was okay. She knew Willow would not steer her wrong, so the olive-skinned witch replied, "Let's do it!"
Witch placed the stone in Skara's hand and closed her two hands around Skara's closed fist. Red magical energy and yellow magical energy gathered around their hands, the stone inside began to morph, and with a bright flash of the two lights, a new ring was forged. When Skara opened her right hand, the stone had become a ring, the crystal was red in color, and had the image of a harp on it, the symbol of the Bard witches.
"We…We made this?!" Skara asked in astonishment.
Witch grabbed the ring and inspected it. "We did, now it's time to rock!" Witch took out the Fire Style ring and Illusion ring and activated them.
[Fire, Please]
[Hi~HI~HIIII~!]
[Illusion, Please.]
After its activation, Witch changed into her Fire Style form, the Illusion ring glowed bright blue and summoned three Witch constructs. Once that was done, Witch switched out the Illusion ring for her newest ring.
[Lupachi Magic Touch Go! Lupachi Magic Touch Go!]
[Bard, Please.]
A red glow emanated from the ring, it then released five streams of light, three of them went to the copies and created constructs of a drum set, a bass guitar, a synthesizer, and the fourth stream went to the original Witch, creating an electric guitar. The last stream of light created a microphone, and it appeared before Willow and Skara.
"A cursed song needs to be defeated by a magic song," said Witch. "Skara, Willow, I need your help on this one, Rider Girls!"
Willow blushed when she remembered their band name. "I-I don't know…we don't have a magic song for something like this!"
Skara took Willow's hand and gave her a confident stare. "Music is magic, Willow! So long as we sing with our hearts, that power will come through! And I think it's a perfect time to debut that one song we were working on!"
"N-Now?" Willow looked back to the cursed musicians and the darkness shrouding everything. To her fathers who were suffering and to the many others outside of the palace who were in the same predicament. The Plant witch steeled her nerves and said, "Let's do it!"
"Alright, girls, it's showtime!"
Skara went to the mic, with Willow standing next to her. Both witches glanced at each other before taking ahold of the mic together, and with that, Witch started to play the music. Since she was a Rider Girl, she had an idea of what song Skara was planning to sing.
I hope this works 'cause I don't know how to play any of these instruments.
Witch raised her right hand and as if she had always known how to, she strummed the guitar strings, her hands automatically went into the proper position as she started to play. It wasn't just her though, the Witch constructs also seemed to be getting magical assistance with how to play their different instruments. It seemed the Bard ring didn't need her to be a musician to use it properly, it granted Witch the knowledge and skill to use it.
"I walk alone, it doesn't matter for how long
I'll keep going, wherever these footprints will lead me I believe it's destiny~"
Yellow and gold light started to pulsate from the group, washing over the dark shadows that had fallen over the room. The cursed song fought back, throwing out blasts of dark energy in tandem with the rising volume of musicians' instruments.
"An endless road, but I know that you're strong and bold
Somewhere out there waiting for me with a smile that shines like gold
There you will…"
Time to turn up to eleven!
Witch struck a chord on her guitar and released a powerful wave of their magic to counter the blast.
"Be The One! Be The One! All right!
I don't wanna give it up, fighting for tomorrow~!"
The energy of the curse started to take on the form of a ram, while their counter spell took on the form a giant owl. The two constructs battled it out in the air, with the owl construct slashing at the ram with its talons, while the ram struck back with its horns. Skara and Willow continued to hold each other's hand as they sung, gaining strength from one another as a warmth filled their bodies once again, along with a different kind of warmth.
"Be The Light! Be The Light All right!
Love is strong and it'll always find a way~!"
The owl construct's eyes shined bright and then released a blast of magic that struck the ram construct. The ram construct began to crack and then shattered apart, once this was done, the owl construct flew at the band and wiped away the curse that held them, ending the cursed song.
"Reaching out your hand, just take it closer to your heart
Never lose the fire, and hold on to what you believe
Be The One! Be The Light!
Message from my heart, I'll send it to you~!"
The owl construct then flew upwards, passing through the castle and spreading its wings wide as a wave of yellow and red magic was cast out through the island, banishing the dark shadows of the cursed song, and stopping any potential Gates from becoming Phantoms.
Pan narrowed his gaze as he looked over the tomes and papers of Belos' making. All this detail, all this planning, it was uncanny, and it was troublesome to say the least.
"So, this is what he has planned for this 'Day of Unity'. Clever mortal, very clever, but you will not succeed. Lady Tiamat will see to that," said Pan. The satyr Phantom's ears perked up when he heard silence, his song had stopped. "Can't be, unless…Witch. Seems she's more adapt than I anticipated. No matter, I have what I need."
Pan exited the room and was about to head towards the stairs but was stopped by a giant wall of stone that blocked his path. The Phantom turned around and spotted Emperor Belos moving towards him.
"The cursed song may be gone, but even so, you're still no match for me," said Pan.
"I hate to admit it, but you're right, and it's a bit troublesome to expand so much magic to deal with you. So, I'll send you to someone who can!" Belos retorted as he thrust his staff forward.
A beam of red light shot at Pan's feet and created a scarlet portal beneath him. Pan barely had a second to process this before he was swallowed by the portal and ejected from the underground facility.
"I'm counting on you, little false witch."
Witch's constructs all began to fade away, leaving just herself, Skara and Willow. The hero noticed how Willow and Skara were still holding hands throughout that performance, and how the two of them were blushing and smiling at each other.
"It…It worked; we stopped the song!" Willow exclaimed.
Skara hugged Willow fiercely as she said, "I told you, music is magic!"
Willow blushed hard, but still managed to return the hug. "You did."
Just then, a portal opened high in the air and deposited Pan in an empty area of the Grand Music Hall. The audience and freed musicians all started to run when they saw the monster, with the Coven Scouts providing cover for their escape. Witch put herself between Willow and Skara and the Phantom, making sure that she was the only thing it saw.
Pan got up off the ground and growled indignantly, "Damn you, Belos! You cowardly mortal!" That's when Pan realized he was no longer in the underground facility, but now staring down Witch. "Oh perfect…"
"It's over Pan, your plan has failed!" Witch declared.
"Heh, oh hero, you have no idea how wrong you are!"
Pan inhaled deeply, readying to use his Panic Attack.
[Bard, Please.]
Witch summoned forth another guitar and strummed the instrument just as Pan released his attack. The two sound-based attacks clashed in the air and nullified each other. Pan was confused by this and used Panic Attack again, but Witch countered a second time with another strumming of the guitar. Pan decided to forgo this and started to play his flute, at the same time Witch played her guitar. The greenery was stymied by the power of the Bard ring and the magic boosting power of Fire Style.
Witch struck a powerful chord and fired off a flaming wave of energy that hit Pan several times, causing sparks to fly off his body from each successive hit. With one more chord, Witch sent out a stronger wave that shattered Pan's flute, effectively disarming the Phantom. When it was over, the satyr Phantom was weakened, and Witch used this chance to end this fight.
"The finale!"
[VERY NICE! KICK STRIKE! FABULOUS!]
Witch's right foot was set ablaze, at the same time, so was her guitar. The hero of hope dashed towards the Phantom and struck him a few times across the chest. More sparks flew from his body before Witch hit him with a rising strike, sending Pan flailing into the air. Witch jumped straight up and over him, she spun in the air, building up momentum for her final attack, Witch let momentum take her downward as she delivered her flying roundhouse to his midsection.
Pan looked up and directly into Witch's visor, despite this being his end, the Phantom smiled at her. "You have no idea what your so-called 'Emperor' has in store for this island…hero…"
With those final words, Witch followed through with her attack, cutting Pan in half with her kick. Soon after her kick slashed him in half, Pan's two halves exploded in the air as she landed on the floor in a classic superhero pose. Witch looked up to where she had destroyed the Phantom, his last words repeating in her head.
What did he mean by that…?
With the reveal that Scooter Crane was a Phantom, Raine Whispers was made interim head of the Bard Coven until such time he was made the true head of the Bard Coven, after an investigation to make sure that Pan had not done anything else to the Bard Coven itself. The recital was, unfortunately, cancelled as many of the attendees were not exactly in the happiest of moods to play.
Willow and Skara had met up over the weekend to discuss what happened at the recital. Both witch teens were sitting at the edge of the water fountain in the middle of the town, silence hung between them for a bit, and the occasional blush whenever they made eye contact.
A deep sigh came from Willow as she glanced toward Skara. "I think we…we should just be honest about this. Skara…do you like me?"
Skara fidgeted in place, she really didn't want to do this so soon, but she owed Willow that much. "I…I do…"
"How long?" Willow asked.
"For a while…I just never knew how to say anything to you. And then I was hanging around with Boscha, so that made me look like a total witch."
"Is that why you wanted to be part of our group?"
Skara nodded. "I wanted to try and get you to see me differently. I know I've participated in a lot of crummy stuff that Boscha has done to you, but I was hoping that if you saw the real me, and not the me who hung out with her, then you might start to like me. Then that Phantom showed up and nearly ruined everything, but in a way, it was thanks to that thing we were able to get a fresh start. I wanted to earn your trust, so that when I eventually said how I felt about you, you would know I was serious. But, again, Phantoms."
Willow wasn't sure how to process this, she had had crushes before, but this was the first time she was the one being crushed on. And Willow would be lying if she said that she didn't feel anything during her time at the recital, Phantom shenanigans notwithstanding.
"I wanted you to see that I'm different, that I can be someone you can trust. You don't have to say you like me back, but I guess having you know is better than me keeping it a secret forever," said Skara. Skara flinched when she felt a hand wrap around her right hand. The silver haired witch looked down and saw that Willow had entangled her hand into Skara's. "W-Willow?"
"I don't want to be like that, I know someone who's in that same boat, and I don't want to put that on you. And…I did feel something when we were together at the castle…so…I think we should, you know, see where this goes, or whatever," said Willow with a smile.
Skara's felt so happy to hear those words, she didn't know what she should do in this moment. "W-Willow I'm… you're…I don't know what I should do right now! Um…s-should we…kiss?"
Willow's blush intensified. "Um…I-I wouldn't be opposed to it."
Skara and Willow scooted closer to each other, and closer, and closer, and closer until their shoulders were practically brushing up against each other. Their hands were still entangled, but now they were resting on either one of their thighs. The silver haired witch and blue-gray haired witch brought their faces closer to each other, their eyes slowly closing as their lips brushed the others ever so slightly in a chaste kiss.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
Willow and Skara parted and yelped in shock when they heard the loud squeeing sound. They then noticed that the squee belonged to Luz, who was staring at the new couple with her eyes sparkling with joy. Amity was standing on her left and Gus on her right, both had their jaws drop when they saw the two girls kiss, even if it was a little one.
"You two are a couple, you're a couple!" Luz exclaimed.
Amity picked up her jaw and smiled at both her friends, giving them a nod of approval.
"G-Guys, what are you all doing here?" Willow asked.
"Oh, it's the weekend and–"
"Henshin!"
Suddenly a demon child and a couple of others were running around, one of them had a WizarDriver,
[Shabadoobi touch to henshin! Shabadoobi touch to henshin!]
[Light, Please.]
[HI~KA~RI!]
The WizarDriver made sounds and flashed lights, and some additional sounds to indicate the transformation was over. Although, the child didn't transform at all.
"I'm Kamen Rider Witch," the demon child proclaimed.
Skara looked at the kids as they ran by and asked Luz, "How…?"
"Oh yeah! Come and see," said Luz.
The newly minted couple followed their friends to Eda's human wares stall and found that the Owl Lady had switched her merchandise up and was now selling Kamen Rider Witch related items, recreations of the WizarDriver and rings were on full display and at different prices, there were even bigger versions for the older kids and adults, or as Luz coined them, "Complete Selection Modification" models, which seemed more detailed and had crisper sounds.
Eda was taking orders and raking in the snails, overall, the Owl Lady looked like she was in hog heaven, so many snails, so many suckers. "LUZ, GET THE REST OF THE HALF-PINTS OVER HERE, I NEED HELP! I'LL CUT YOU ALL IN ON THE DOUGH!"
"Uh, I really don't need any–"
"C'mon, Amity!" Luz exclaimed as she took the Blight girl's hand and started whisking her away.
"But I'd be happy to help!" Amity added quickly.
Gus rushed after the two girls, while Skara and Willow hung back a little.
"Wanna help out Ms. Clawthorne?" Willow asked.
"Is it always this chaotic?" Skara asked.
"Heh-heh, yes."
Skara smiled and held Willow's hand again. "Then I guess it's going to be fun being girlfriends with you."
Willow giggled and pulled Skara along to the stall. Luz, Eda, and all of them felt as if these happy times were going to last for a while, but what neither of them knew, was what Eda didn't want them to see. She was wearing a scarf around her neck, and that scarf hid an unfortunate truth, an ill omen for the Owl Lady.
Back at the castle, Emperor Belos was seated upon his throne. His right hand was balled into a fist as he slammed it against the armrest, sending a surge of magical energy through it that cracked the armrest and the floor below it. Lilith was there, along with Kikimora, the two witches kneeling before the Emperor at the foot of the throne.
"A Phantom masqueraded as one of our own and made a fool of us in my own house," said Belos.
"We're currently rechecking all the current heads of each of the Covens, we will make sure that this was the only spy among us," Kikimora assured.
Belos knew that the Phantom must've seen what he had planned, but the real question was, did he get it to his superiors? If the Phantom did, then the Day of Unity was in jeopardy. Belos would need to accelerate his plans, Phantoms or no Phantoms.
"Lilith Clawthorne, I want you to bring your sister to me," Belos ordered.
That threw off both Kikimora and Lilith.
"Forgive me for asking, your grace, but you ordered me to forgo the capture of my sister to focus on the elimination of the Phantoms."
Belos stood straight up, eyes glowing blue as he glared down at the head of his coven. "And now I am rescinding that order! You came to me to rid your sister of her curse, and I have promised to make that happen, but before that I need her join my Coven! So, you will go out and capture the Owl Lady and bring her to me, am I clear?!"
Lilith nervously gulped and lowered her head. "It will be done, Emperor Belos."