Eda and I had just finished cleaning her room, as was on her checklist. Looking at Eda as I sat on the side of her nest, she paced around before me. Luz needs a new coat." Eda said, where I stretched my arms.
"I already got that, so she will be fine." I said as she looked at me and then back at the list after making a check.
"Alright, King needs to be checked for fleas. Am I missing anything?" Eda said as she looked at her reflection. "Oh, you've changed, Owl Lady." She said as she takes a photo of her, Luz and Amity and looks at it. "It's worth it." She said with a smile.
"You're not the only one." I said, with her looking at me. "Out of all of us, he changed the most." I said as I looked at the window.
"And three, and four, and five, and six, and seven, and eight, and nine, and ten!" We heard Luz, gaining our attention.
"And weh, and weh, and weh, and weh, and weh, and weh, and weh, and weh!" We heard king, where we made our way over to the window and opened it, where we looked down and saw King and Luz doing pull ups on her staff. Dakota was down there as well, looking at a sheet of paper under the tree. The expression on his face said that he was really focused on it.
"Alright, King. What's the first thing you're going to do when you meet your dad?" Luz asked, with me looking from Dakota to her.
"And ten thousand! Well, once we're done training, I'm gonna move out of that closet, that's for sure. Then, I'm going to ugly cry. Hard!" King said, making me laugh at that.
"Have you told Eda about your decision to—?"
"Shh!" King interrupted, where we closed the window and ducked down as to not be seen. We were listening in on them after all.
"I—I'm not ready yet. I'm not sure how she'll react." King said, where Eda let out a sigh.
"Everyone's leaving, huh? Even King. I guess I'm not substitute for the real thing." Eda said, where I wrapped an arm around her. Eda opens her trunk to place the photo in. She puts the photo in her hair and picks up a cittern. "Welp, nothing like a good distraction." She said as she starts playing a song and everything around us started to float.
"Has your magic returned?" I asked, with her stopping and everything falls down.
"Oh, guess not. Stupid curse." Eda said in disappointment. She puts the cittern back in the trunk and returns to her list. I got up and walked around, not finding any trace of foreign magic. It was her magic, but her magic was gone.
Later
[Luz and King are standing on the edge of a cliff, Eda's staff in Luz's hand. They fall and fly over the water, maneuvering past several rocks then flying upward until the sun obscures them. Back with Eda, she's dressed for the day and moved to the living room with her scroll showing the news.]
Finishing cleaning the living room, I looked up at Eda as she walked in, dressed for the day and her scroll in hand, watching the news. "And we're back live at the emperor's castle! In light of Scooter Crane's retirement, today's ceremony will confirm Raine Whispers as the next head of the Bard Coven." I heard as Eda took a seat, with me sitting next to her as I didn't know who this Raine was.
"Do I have to be on camera?" The one known as Raine asked, sounding embarrassed.
"For Titan's sake, just say something." Another one said, annoyed with him.
Raine pulled down his hood, faced the camera and did his best to look confident. "Uh, I am honored to work with Emperor Belos in preparation for the Day of Uni-bee. Uh, I mean, Uni-ly! I mean, uh—oh no, this is going all wrong. Get me outta here!" He yelled, making me laugh as he messed up on live TV. He had ran off screen, clearly flustered.
"Just cut the feed." The one from before said as he crossed his arms.
"How are you supposed to be Head Bard with stage fright?" Eda said mockingly, though it sounded like she knew him.
The door opens; Luz, King and Dakota walked in, but Luz was holding a backpack at arm's length while the King was holding his stomach.
"I'm sorry, Luz!" King apologized, where I used my magic to take it from her to go to the wash room.
"It's okay, buddy." Luz said while she knelt down and rubbed his skull. "Hey Eda, got another backpack I can borrow? That one got a little thrown-up in." Luz asked as she looked up at us while Dakota sat on the other side of Eda.
"Closet." Eda said while jerking her thumb at it, where Luz hurries off.
"So why are you suddenly so interested in flying?" I asked, watching her go over to the closet.
"Did you give up on returning to the human realm? I mean, I suppose you can stay here a little longer." Eda said with a smile, one that was hidden.
"Oh, no. I'm still going home, but I keep running into some setbacks." Luz said, where Dakota looked at me.
"Hooty ate the echo mouse, so he is in time out." He said, where I looked at the door and saw Hooty's head was hanging out, his tongue sticking out and his eyes looked lifeless. Looking back at him, I saw him holding an orb in his hands. "Time out." He said with a smirk, with me knowing he had Hooty's soul in his hands.
"That's a bit extreme, don't you think?" I asked, with him spinning it around on his finger and then throwing it back at Hooty, who woke up screaming before passing out, snoring this time. "Is he... ok?" I asked, unsure how to feel about that.
"I was able to get the mouse back safely, but he needs to recover." Luz said while rubbing the back of her head.
"In the meantime, this weekend is the Gland Prix!" King said as he jumped onto the back of the couch, looking at us.
Luz showed us a pamphlet. "Hexside, Glandus, and St. Epiderm students race to win glory, honor, and—"
"Fame! Winners also get an interview with the Boiling Isles news! Do you realize what this means?" King said as he looked excited.
"We are going to enter the competition and get King on camera to send a message to his dad!" Luz said with a smile, where I saw Dakota look away as they said that.
"Oh, that's... great." Eda said, looking saddened by the news.
"But, uh... there's something I'd like to talk to you about first. You see, I think it's time for me to le—"
"Leave..." Eda finished as she looked at them. "The talkin' for later. If you want to win, there's no time for talk. You gotta go practice. Now!" Eda said with a smile.
"Wanna head back out while your tummy's empty?" Luz asked as she rubbed his head again.
"Okay!" King cheered as he followed them.
"Let's go!" Luz said, luging joyfully as she and King exit the house.
Eda's smile soon changes into a frown and she unhappily sighs. "I'm going out, I'll see you two later." Eda said, getting up and leaving.
Moving over to Dakota, I saw his frown. Placing a hand on his, he looked at me. "You okay?" I asked, where he pulled out a slip of paper from his pocket. He looked at it intensely before opening it. It was an adoption form, with his name on it. "What's that?" I asked, not sure what to make of it.
"I want to ask Eda to become my mother... officially." He said, shocking me. "But... being able to see the future, knowing the outcome that comes with this decision, leads to a darker path that doesn't end well." He said as he handed it to me. "Asking her to accept, means certain death for her in the end." He said, shocking me. "Not asking her, leads to our victory against Belos." He said, where I looked at him.
"Why not ask her after?" I asked, and his expression darkened. I knew that look, something bad was going to happen either way, and it was either Eda or him. "Dakota." I said as I completely turned to face him, making him do the same. "You have to tell me.. what happens?" I asked as I didn't want him to suffer anymore. He had already been through so much that it wasn't fair for him. His life was robbed of any future by me, by Belos.
"Everyone is safe of the Unity spell... We all go home, where we belong." He said, where I couldn't find a lie in his words. That sounded like a good thing, but there was more to it than that. There had to be.
"And Belos?" I asked the most important question, not knowing what happened to him was terrifying.
"It would be months before he is defeated for good." He said, with it sounding like a war was coming. "In the end... everyone gets their happy ever after." He said as he looked up at the ceiling.
"And what happens if you ask Eda?" I asked as I passed it back to him, where he takes it and looks it over once more.
"The Unity spell consumes her, and she takes the full front of it... killing her, and destroying her soul." He answered, shocking me at his words. "Luz gets struck was a huge wave of depression and becomes unable to defeat Belos, and he takes her life. King ends up becoming one with Belos, though it does take time for him to possess King in the end. He eventually kills you, and because of that... Eventually I get possessed as well, and Belos then consumes the Universe." He said, where I felt his pain. He has seen us die so many times and has held it in. He is making sure that we survive by following the road that he is building for us. If we stray from that path... then we are as good as dead.
"I don't want to hear anymore." I said as I leaned my head on his shoulder, holding his hand tightly. He was suffering with this curse and he couldn't break free from it. He was staying strong because he had to. He knew that if he broke, then we would too.
Later, Dakota's POV
In the dimly lit shadows between the realms of the living and the dead, I watched with a heavy heart as a group of mutants faced a brutal assault by human rights activists. The mutants, with their extraordinary abilities and unique genetic makeup, had long been the subjects of fear and prejudice among many humans. As a result, they often found themselves the targets of discrimination and violence.
If I was still alive, and never brought to the Isles, I too would have been apart of this conflict. A hero to the mutants, a false guardian to the humans. Mutants faced racism like no other, more so than how the Africans were enslaved. They brought the end of the world to kill off the Mutant race, and doomed their world, just because of their fear of the Mutant race. They captured and used them as they pleased. Killed for fun and entertainment purposes. They wanted them gone.
I observed the scene unfolding with a sense of profound sorrow. I could feel the anguish and despair emanating from the mutants as they struggled against their assailants, who brandished signs and shouted words of hatred and bigotry.
One mutant, a young woman with the power to control the elements, stood at the forefront, attempting to shield her fellow mutants from the onslaught. She summoned gusts of wind and torrents of rain in a desperate bid to halt the attackers, but her efforts were in vain. The activists, fueled by their fervent beliefs, continued their assault, driven by a misguided sense of righteousness.
I longed to intervene, to put an end to the senseless violence and offer solace to those caught in its wake. Yet, as the harbinger of the natural order, I was bound by a solemn code that forbade me from interfering in the affairs of the living to an extent. Though my empathy for the mutants ran deep, I could do nothing but observe, my presence a silent and somber witness to the tragedy unfolding before me.
As the confrontation reached its peak, a young mutant with metallic claws emerged from the melee, his expression a mixture of defiance and anguish. It was clear that he had no desire for conflict, but he had been forced into a position where he had to defend himself and his fellow mutants. I could sense the weight of the burden the young man carried, the heavy toll that such violence took on his spirit.
Suddenly, a piercing scream tore through the air as a blast of energy struck the ground, sending shockwaves rippling through the surrounding area. The mutants and activists alike turned to see a figure cloaked in darkness and wielding immense power. It was none other than Magneto, Wanda's father, a mutant with the ability to manipulate magnetic fields, and a formidable force to be reckoned with.
Magneto's eyes blazed with fury as he unleashed his powers, confronting the human rights activists with a forceful display of his abilities. I could feel the intensity of the conflict escalating, and I knew that the situation was reaching a critical juncture.
As the tumultuous clash unfolded, I stood vigil, my eyes filled with a deep sense of melancholy. I understood the complexities of the human heart, the fears and prejudices that often led to such tragedies. Though I could not directly intervene, I silently hoped that one day, understanding and compassion would prevail, and that mutants and humans could coexist in harmony.
Magneto, his powers crackling with raw energy, surveyed the scene with a mix of anger and sorrow. The human rights activists, now reeling from his display of force, had momentarily retreated, but the tension in the air was palpable. As he stood amidst the chaos, a tumultuous storm of emotions churned within him.
I observed the conflicted expression on Magneto's face, recognizing the weight of the burden that the mutant leader carried. Magneto, scarred by the horrors of his past, had long been an advocate for mutant supremacy, believing that the only path to safety and acceptance lay in wielding power that matched the oppression faced by mutants. It was this conviction that had led him to consider drastic measures in the pursuit of mutant liberation.
In the depths of my heart, I sensed the turmoil within Magneto as he contemplated his next move. The idea of creating Asteroid M, a floating sanctuary for mutants, had been gestating in Magneto's mind for some time. It was to be a place where mutants could live in peace, free from the persecution and prejudice of the outside world. Yet, I knew that such a bold and audacious endeavor would only serve to deepen the chasm between mutants and humans, potentially escalating the conflict to catastrophic proportions.
As Magneto clenched his fists, his eyes filled with a steely resolve, I felt a sense of profound sorrow. I understood the pain that had driven Magneto to this point, the scars of persecution and loss that had etched themselves into the very fabric of his being. But I also recognized the fateful significance of the choices that lay before him.
I longed to impart a message of empathy and understanding to Magneto, to offer guidance and solace in the face of such monumental decisions. But I remained bound by the immutable laws that governed his existence, unable to sway the course of events in the mortal realm.
As the tension in the air reached a fever pitch, Magneto's gaze hardened, and with a solemn determination, he made his decision. The die had been cast, and the fate of Asteroid M was set in motion. With a heavy heart, I watched as Magneto's grand vision took form, knowing that its ramifications would echo through the annals of history.
Opening my eyes, I watched as Wanda was meditating. She was in deep thought, and focusing on her powers. She did not need to know what her father had planned, she needed to focus for now, to become stronger for the battle to come.
The next day
Sitting on the ground, I watched as Luz and King were doing pushups using Eda's staff, though Hooty was doing the work for King as he had his tail in his mouth. Seeing Luz collapse, I looked at King.
"All right, King, the Gland Prix is the day after tomorrow. Are you ready?" Luz asked as she stood up, winded.
"I, uh, got the jitters." King admitted, looking nervous. "And I still haven't been able to talk to Eda." King said, with me reaching out and placing a hand on his head.
"Don't worry... She's just been busy this week." I said, knowing what she had been up to.
"You've always got Uncle Hooty's shoulder to lean on!" Hooty said as he leaned against King.
"You don't have any shoulders!" King yelled before running away.
"Lean on me!" King yelled as he gave chase.
Hearing the door open, we watched as Eda stepped out wearing a cloak. Getting up, I made my way over to Eda, where Luz flew past of the staff, getting to her first.
"Eda, King's still waiting to talk to you." Luz informed, where I knew Eda wasn't ready to talk to him.
"Uh, maybe later." Eda said, with me stopping in front of her. She stopped as well, with me pulling my scythe out. I cut the air beside me, with her looking at it and then me.
"Let's go." I said with her getting ready to say something but I stopped her by holding a hand up. "I know what is on your mind, and it's going to be ok." I said as I walked into the rift. "I know what you are doing, and I'm helping rather you like it or not." I said, getting a sigh from her as she walked into the rift. Luz made a motion to join, but Eda and I both stopped her as he held a hand out to her.
"Sorry Luz, but you have something to take care of first." Eda said with a smile.
"O-Okay. At the Gland Prix?" Luz asked, with me nodding and closing the rift.
"How long have you known?" Eda asked, looking at me.
"I always know when something is going on." I said as we walked towards the base of the Bards against the Throne, or AKA, the BATS. "I'm only the escape, not an active member." I informed, getting a smile from her.
"Of course you are." She said as she picked up the pace and wrapped her arm around my neck. "What does Wanda think of this?" She asked with a grin, where I looked away. She laughed at this, smacking me on the back over and over again as she did so.
Later
"BAT's, I present to you an ally unlike any other!" Eda announced, her eyes sparkling with uncharacteristic excitement as we walked into the base. "This is Dakota, he is also Death, and has offered us Aid!" Eda said as everyone else was looking at me with a dead expression in their eyes as she called me Death.
The other members of the BAT's exchanged uneasy glances, uncertain of how to react to my arrival. Raine Whispers, the group's bard, voice of reason, and leader, spoke up first. "Eda, are you certain this is wise?." Raine asked, unsure about me.
Amber nodded in agreement. "What could he possibly offer us in our fight against the throne?" She asked, looking the other way.
Katya eyed Death warily. "I don't trust him. What does he want in return?" She said, crossing her arms.
Derwin crossed his arms and frowned. "I don't like the feel of this one bit. We don't need his help. We can handle our raids just fine on our own." He said, narrowing his eyes.
Eda held up her hands to silence the growing murmurs of dissent. "I understand your concerns, but Dakota has assured me that he is not here to aid us in battle. He simply wishes to provide us with an escape, a means of slipping past the king's guards during our next raid."
I held a hand up. "I have no wish to interfere in your affairs. I merely offer you a way to escape undetected, should you choose to accept it." I offered as it was their choice not mine.
The BAT's remained skeptical, but they could not deny my offer. Eventually they all huddled together and had a discussion. After a bit, they looked at us and then went back to their discussion. "It is agreed." Raine said, where Eda shook me by my shoulders with a large grin on her face.
She pulled out a map and walked over to the table, with us doing the same. Stopping at the edge of the table, she unrolled it. "Homemade maps of every nook and cranny in the city." Eda said as she got a serious look on her face.
"Okay. Here's the situation. Emperor Belos wants every wild witch in a coven before the Day of Unity." Raine said as he crossed his arms.
"He's trying to steal as much magic as possible. We don't know why." Derwin said as he looked at us.
"Day of Unity is a spell, and it takes years to charge up, and to the scale he has charged it, it's planetary in reach." I said as I held my hand out, creating a fireball that showed Belos placing marks on witches hands. "In the early days, when the spell was just starting, it burned the witch from the inside out with their magic. This of course was not his result." I said as we watched the witch burn away. "His intention is to do this all at once, and kill all witches." I said as I showed an image of the future, showing the sky and the witches burning away.
"You see the future?" Raine asked, with me closing the fireball as it showed his terrified expression.
"Any future." I said as I looked away from them. "Anyways, there is more to Belos than he wants you to know. Never trust him." I warned, with them nodding, Eda looking upset with me.
"Can you show us what happens to us? I mean Luz and Wanda!" She said, with me nodding. I held my hand up, showing Luz back in the human world, but with Amity, Gus, Willow and Hunter. They all had terrified expressions on their faces, each of there were crying. Wanda came next and she was screaming towards the heavens, tears falling from her eyes. I then moved the image towards Raine, showing that he was a puppet amongst other's. Then Eda appeared in her owl beast form, as well as King, both angry and Eda had a missing arm. Finally, it showed me, and I was talking to Luz with a giant skeleton demon thing, with Luz hugging me before the flame was extinguished.
"That is all that I can show without it changing the future more than it has." I said as I made a fist and held it to my chest.
"Kid..." Eda said, with me looking at Raine.
He nodded his head and looked down at the map. "Right now, we're just focused on helping those Belos has captured. And the next raids take place here, here and here." Raine said as he points at three different locations on the map that have a circle with an X inside them.
"At the same time? What do we do?" Katya asked as she crossed her arms.
"Don't worry, kids. Mama's got a plan." Eda said as she placed a hand on her shoulder.
"You're not our mom!" Amber said, hurting me with her words as I would love to have Eda as my mother.
Later
Watching two coven scouts and one Guard captain escorting cloaked witches into a gold and white vehicle with the Emperor's Coven on it, I looked at Amber and held up three fingers and then pointing at them. Amber began to play her cittern, with the coven members falling asleep. She rushed in and proceeded to free them, with me opening a rift for them to get through town and out of the city all together with Eda's help.
Opening another rift, I stepped through and stood next to Derwin and Katya, with me grabbing them and tossing them through the rift before it closed. I walked on, with the guards ran past me to catch them. Opening a rift, I joined Eda in escorting the witches out. Once they saw me, they all came to a stop. We stood there for a few moments as we heard footsteps echoing through the tunnel before coven guards ran past us.
One stopped and looked at us, but then continued on with the others. Looking around the corner, we continued to run until we reached an opening that led outside. "How did he not see us?" One of them asked as she took off with the others, Eda standing next to me.
"You put up a barrier or an illusion?" Eda asked, crossing her arms.
"Both to be safe." I said as I opened a rift back to the base. "That's for you, the others are safe." I said as I looked off to the distance. "I have someone who is looking for me to deal with." I said as I opened another rift and walked through.
Later
Sitting on my throne, I leaned against one of my fists as I had my head propped up, a leg crossed over the other as I watched as a ship came into view. Soon that ship landed in the distance, and I could feel the power coming off of him. He would no doubt defeat Belos without any trouble.
After some time, I watched as a hulking figure made his was forward, his golden armor showing his importance, and his purple skin showing him heritage. Once he was me, his eyes narrowed at me. "You dare sit in her throne?" He questioned as he made a fist.
"You dare take that tone with the owner of this throne?" I questioned back, letting my power push him to his knees, seeing the shocked expression on his face. "That fits you better, Insect." I said with a grin.
"You are not Death... Who are you?" He questioned as he fought to stand up, and it was impressive to see as it was as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders. Seeing him stand up completely, I increased the weight, watching as he fell to both his hands and knees.
"If you are referring to the bag of bones, then she is dead, no, erased is the correct term to use." I said as I thought of how to say that Death was Dead but wasn't at the same time. "I absorbed her, and became Death, no, more than Death." I said as I looked down at him as he lifted his head to me.
"I will end you for what you have done!" He threatened, making me grin at his words. He continued to try to stand, an energy field building up around him. Once on his feet, he sent the energy at me, only for it to dissipate before it could hit me.
"That's it? Shame." I said as I held one finger up, building up energy in my own finger. "This is an attack." I said as I fired a small ball of red fire at his ship. It moved fast, passing him before he could blink. Seeing the energy hit the ship, a shockwave occurred soon after, destroying the ship and clearing the black clouds of space beyond my throne, showing the creatures of mass destruction that lied inside, their forms larger than any planet I had ever seen, even stars. They ate each other, and themselves. This made me grin as they were beings of endless Death.
The clouds soon formed once again, and I held a hand up, stopping his fist from hitting me. He then went on the attack, where I used only one hard to block his onslaught. Flicking his fist, I watched as he flew away and crashed into a pile of bones. He shot up and fired another blast, with me blowing it away with my breath.
"All the death and destruction that you caused, powered me." I informed, shocking him. "You created me, Mad Titan, Thanos." I said, where a red crystal appeared before me. He charged at me again and threw a fist once again, but the crystal blocked his attack for me. Energy blasts, his fists even debris were blocked, and it wore him down. "If you cannot get past this, then you have no right to challenge me!" I said as I threw a blue orb at him, with it consuming him and I watched as he vanished. "Come back when you are more than ready, Titan." I said as I vanished myself, returning home.
The next day
Standing next to Wanda, we stood next to Luz and King next to the starting line to the Gland Prix. Principal Bump was talking with the fellow principals of Glandus High and St. Epiderm High in the distance. Eda walked in the vicinity, looking for us. Luz, in her grudgby uniform, ran up and hug her.
"Eda! I'm so glad you made it!" Luz said with a smile as we walked over to them.
"I, uh, would really like to tell you something before the race starts." King said, where Eda knelt down and placed a hand on his head.
"Well, if it's so important, we can talk about it after the race... when you win, okay?" Eda reassured, where I looked away from them and at Wanda, who was interested in what he wanted to say.
"Uh, yeah, yeah. Okay." King said, where I knelt down and placed a hand on his skull, rubbing it.
"Go, it's time." I told them, we're Eda, Wanda and I walked over to the bleachers to watch the race.
"Welcome, everyone, to the Gland Prix!" Perry, Gus's father called out, with Gus conjuring the events name on the crystal ball they're standing in front of. "Contestants will fly down the right arm to the Cubital Valley. They use speed, cunning, and magic, to race to the checkpoint and back to the finish line! Winners get their names etched on the Cup of Ephemeral Glory!" He said while holding it up.
"All victory is fleeting." The cup of Ephemeral Glory said while groaning, where Wanda let out a shiver at the sight of it.
"And, an on-camera interview, seen by everyone watching across the Isles!" Perry said as he held his hand up. "On your marks, get set—" The Cup screams, and the racers took off.
"Go, baby, go!" The person next to Eda cheered, before looking at Eda. "Which one is yours? This is so exhilarating!" She asked before laughing, where a bird landed in Eda's hands.
"Raine?" Eda asked as she knew who it was.
"We got a tip about another raid. I know you're busy, but—"
"It's fine. We're on our way." I said as I stood up to leave, with Wanda grabbing my arm.
"What are you doing?" She asked, making me smile.
"Putting the odds in our favor." I said as I kissed her forehead and left with Eda.
Later
We stopped on a broken bridge in the middle of the forest, with me knowing it was a trap. "This should be the spot. Something isn't right." Raine said as he looked around.
"Because it is a trap." I said, with all of them looking at me. Katya, Amber and Derwin were suddenly waist deep in abomination goop. Eda and Raine ran off and hide as someone appears.
"That feels better." Darius said as he looked at me. "Looks like we missed a few, one being stupid to stay and fight." He said with a grin.
"Head Witches Eberwolf and Darius." I said as Eberwolf landing in front of me, before jumping to attack. I backhanded Eberwolf, sending them flying through the forest at a speed that shocked all that were present. "Don't worry, they're still alive, just on the verge of Death." I said with a grin as I kept my eyes on Darius.
"You knew that this was a trap, didn't you?" Darius asked as I gave a half hearted bow to him. Darius's eyes widened in fear as he recognized me. "The Monster!" He said while gritting his teeth, making me grin.
"Monster? No, Death!" I corrected as I was well past what I once was.
Darius clenched his fists, trying to muster his courage. "What do you want, Monster? Why help them?" He questioned, where I placed my hands behind my back.
"Oh, but Darius, I do this for you.. all of you. But for now... I have a proposition for you." I said, seeing the shock on his face. "You see, I have what you seek, and I will gladly give it to you... on one condition." I said as I held up a finger, where Darius gulped.
Darius narrowed his eyes, his jaw set with determination. "I won't bargain with you. Just give it to me and let me leave in peace." He said, holding his hand out to me.
My laughter echoed through the forest. "Oh, Darius, you misunderstand. The condition is not for you to fulfill, but for me. I want to play a little game with you. A game of wits and strength. If you can best me in a battle of wills, it's yours. But if I win... well, I will beat you into the ground." I said, losing my smile and looking him dead in the eyes, watching as he jumped back, but as soon as he landed on the ground, I was on him, his throat in my hand. "Ready?" I asked, tossing him aside.
I could hear Darius's heart race as he realized the gravity of the situation. He had no choice but to accept my challenge. Charging at him again, I watched as he moved to the side with his goop, with me keeping my eyes on him as I stood there. He then attacked me with it, where I smacked them around as they acted as tendrils. "I will prove you wrong, I am strong enough to end your miserable life!?" Darius yelled, with me yawning at him.
"You should know better than the others, about what it is like to take control over your life." I said with a grin as he send a wave of goop at me. Rolling my eyes, I moved out of the way and let him attack me. "You lack discipline, control, and worst of all... you're sloppy!" I said as Skeletal hands grew out of the ground and caught him, slamming him around for a bit until I pinned him against the tree.
Darius was huffing and puffing, doing his best to catch his breath after his loss. He looked up at me as I towered over him, grinning at him as I reached down and grabbed his coat, holding him up by it. "Go ahead... do it... Kill me, monster!?" He ordered, with me dropping him.
"Why would I kill a potential ally?" I asked as I placed my hands behind my back, shocking him. "I already know your intentions, so do the right thing." I said as I pointed into the forest, where a black substance was burning the forest away. "Go, you need him, for he is the key." I said, with him taking off as fast as he could. "The first army is assembled. Now, Wanda must put hers together." I said before leaving.
Later
"Luz of Hexside and Ukula of Glandus are barreling towards the finish line! And there you have it! Luz over Ukula!" Perry said, with me clapping my hands, with Wanda looking at me in surprise.
"When did you get back?" She asked as she clapped as well, with me looking at her.
"Just now." I said as I looked as Eda as she also clapped for joy.
"For fifth place." Perry added, where Eda stopped clapping and looked confused.
"Let's go." I said as we made our way over to Luz and King with Eda beating us there.
"Hey." Luz said in disappointment.
"You were flying like the dang wind. What happened?" Eda asked, confused.
"We were winning for a while, but—"
"King got sick and threw up." Wanda informed, with Eda getting the picture.
"And then we crashed." Luz said with a shiver.
"It's okay. I'll just throw my message into the garbage where it belongs." King said, where I gave Eda a light elbow.
"No, this isn't over." Eda said as she summons her scroll and starts recording.
"Eda, who's even gonna watch this?" King asked as he didn't want to do it.
"No one watches crystal balls anymore. It's all about streaming." Eda said, with me nodding my head in agreement.
"All right. Hi, Dad. If you're out there watching this, I uh, want to introduce myself. I like cheesy foods and conquering kingdoms. Though I haven't conquered any of my own yet. But maybe you have, and we can compare notes. I'd love to meet you. We could do parent kid stuff, toss a ball, burn some cookies, catch me going on weird websites or something. Also, I found a symbol in the tower I hatched in." King said as he held the symbol. "Maybe you can teach me to read it. I live with my favorite human and a cranky old witch."
"Hey!"
"But cranky or not, she's the one who raised me, which is why I am le...gally changing my name to King Clawthorne!" King said while laughing. "Surprise, Eda! Now we're connected for life, and there's nothing you can do about it!" King said while pointing at her. Wanda took my hand, knowing that I wanted to ask Eda the same thing but couldn't.
"Is that what you wanted to tell me this whole time?" Eda asked as she sniffs while grabbing the paper.
"And, if you sign here, it be official." Luz said while holding out a pen while Eda started to cry. "Eda, are you okay?" Luz asked, where eventually, Eda bursts out sobbing of joy. "Eda, if you keep doing that, I'm gonna cry too!" Luz said as she started crying as well. I hugged them both, with Wanda joining me, and then King. It was a happy moment for the family that I had made.