In memory of Carl Weathers...

All characters from Disney and other properties are owned by their respectful owners. The OCs made here are written entirely for the story. Enjoy this fic.

Chapter 131: Hollow Mind At Last

Years Ago…

On the balcony of the Emperor's Castle, the original Golden Guard stood alone. He had removed his mask and looked down at it, seeing his reflection. In his reflection, he could see the face… of William Clawthorne. He gripped the mask tightly as he gave a stern look.

"My mind is clearer now," he sang. "At last… all too well, I can see where we all… soon will be."

He marched back inside and walked through the castle. "If you strip away the witch from the man, you will see… where we all… soon will be."

"Belos!" he suddenly shouted while looking up at the stained-glass portrait of Belos. "You've started to believe, the things they say of you, you really do believe, your talk of Titan's true!" he sang while raising his hand up to the portrait.

"And all the good you've done, will soon get swept away. You've begun to matter more than the things you say!" He marched down the hall, passing by portraits of many of Belos's accomplishments. He found his brother, who was being surrounded by many of his followers, including Kiki, Flora, Lilith, Sham, and the Coven Heads.

"Listen Belos, I don't like what I see," he declared with a glare. "All I ask is that you listen to me." He stepped forward to his brother, but stopped himself. "And remember, I've been your right hand man all along…!" He saw his brother spotting him, giving him a smile and wave.

But William saw that behind that smile was something twisted.

"You have set them all on fire!" he sang while keeping his distance. "They think they've found the new messiah… and they'll hurt you when they find they're wrong," he declared while seeing Terra patting Belos's back…

"I remember when this whole thing began… no talk of Titan, you were just a witch-man. And believe me, my admiration for you hasn't died." He remembered back in their childhood, back when they were taken in by their found family. "But every word you say today, gets twisted around some other way… and they'll hurt you if they know you've lied!"

He then thought back to their old lives. "Oh Philip, your true name, should have stayed a great unknown, like our father carving wood, he'd have made good! Palisman, and glyph magic, would have suited Philip best, he'd have caused nobody harm, no one alarm!"

"Listen, Belos, do you care for your race? Don't you see we must halt in our pace? We are officiated! Have you forgotten how to put down we are?" William sang while feeling distraught about the previous Grimwalkers they created. "I am frightened by the crowd! For we are getting much too loud! And they'll crush us if we go too far… if they go too far!"

Surrounding Belos and clapping up were Lilith, Kikimora, Darius, Delara, Sham, and other various coven members, all clapping around their Emperor. Scooter Crane was shown playing an instrumental organ. Terra was shown throwing petals of flowers all over Belos, who accepted being worshiped. Who liked being worshiped. All William could do was glare.

"Listen Belos, with the warning I give," William sang as he pointed up. "Please remember that I want us to live! But it's sad to see, our chances weaken with every hour…" He wiped his own tears, still affected by Artemis's death. "All your followers are blind, too much Titan on their minds! It was beautiful, but now it's sour. Yes, it's all gone sour~!"

"Ooohohohoh~!" Williams sang while seeing Belos entering the throne room. "Listen, Philip, to the warning I give! Please, remember that I want us to live! Come on, come on, he won't listen to me. Come on, he won't listen to me~!" he sang while seeing the throne room door close.

William had to get through to his brother… or die trying.

At the Saltstar household, everyone had settled in for the night. But inside the house, a shadow passed by a shrine of Delara Saltstar, which included a portrait of her surrounded by incense.

All of the Saltstars were asleep. Simon was laying on his bed snoring, while in her room Beck rested peacefully. In another room, Tom was sound asleep. But the shadow passed all of their bedrooms, instead heading straight to Boscha's room.

Boscha was sound asleep while on her bed. When she felt someone reaching out to her, shaking her arm, Boscha groaned in her sleep.

"Huh… what?" Boscha asked as she looked down and saw a shadow on the floor. She looked alarmed as she saw the shadow rising up in the air. "Holy…" she backed away, before recognizing the shadow's shape. The shadow pointed down before it disappeared.

Now awake, Boscha walked downstairs and headed to the living room. There, she spotted Amity waiting for Boscha as her shadow retreated to her. "Amity? What… what are you doing here?" she asked in a whisper. "If my uncle was here, he'd thought you were an intruder."

"Boscha," Amity responded while getting up. "I'm sorry for waking you up in the middle of the night, but I need your help."

"What happened?" Boscha asked her in concern, seeing Amity's distraught look.

"It's Luz," Amity responded. Her face was covered in dried tears. "Something happened to her…"

Amity returned to the Owl House, bringing Boscha with her. Once they entered, Boscha saw Luz laying on the couch, with Dr. Bride having Luz hooked on some wires to a machine. Atticus was staying by Luz's side, refusing to move.

"Boscha, you made it," Eda said, seeing the triclops girl.

"Boscha! So glad to see my former patient again," Dr. Bride said, waving to her. "Remember me?"

"I do," Boscha replied before turning to Eda. "After Amity told me Luz was in trouble, I came as fast as I could," Boscha responded, seeing that Lilith and Hunter were also there. "Lilith, Hunter, you guys are here too?"

"Eda invited me," Hunter answered.

"I came back here with Luz, Amity, and King after an expedition we took to look into King's possible family on the other side of the world," Lilith said, which confused Boscha.

"Wait, King's family?" Boscha asked.

"I'll help bring you up to speed on everything that happened," Hunter said as he gave an explanation to Boscha…

After a quick recap, the triclops witch's jaw dropped.

"King is a WHAT?!" Boscha exclaimed in shock, feeling existential. "K-King… he… the Isles is…?!"

"Yeah, King is the true son of the Boiling Isles," Hunter confirmed.

"Didn't we joke about this before while we were in the Underworld?" Boscha asked him.

"I know, it's… I'm still freaked out as well," Hunter told her.

"When we came back, Luz drank some apple blood from a crate that was given to Eda because she wanted to try some for her own, and then she fell into this," Amity said while looking at Luz in distraught. "The apple blood had to have been poisoned and now it's as if she's under some kind of sleep spell."

"This is far different from any sleep spell I've seen or read about," Eda admitted with a worried look. "Sleep spells are very easy to break usually, but when Luz sipped that apple blood… her body became cold."

"We tried to wake her up, even called out for Maya," King said while looking at Luz in concern. "But neither of them are waking up…"

"It's like she's fallen into a death-like sleep," Dr. Bride indicated while checking her readings. "As if she is both alive and not. Her body's cold, but she's not under cardiac arrest, and her brain waves are still active. But it seems like her body is under a deep hypnosis."

Boscha looked over at Luz, seeing that her body was still like a statue. She also noticed the mockingbird Palisman. "What's with the bird with her?"

"That's Atticus, Luz's Palisman that she made," Amity explained. "Luz introduced him to us at the Clawthorne reunion."

"Atticus… that's a really nice name for him," Boscha said, nodding. "But… why do you guys need my help?"

"Well, in order to figure out what's wrong with Luz, we need to get inside her head," Eda explained.

"I did the same thing to get inside Hunter's head when he wouldn't wake up from his coma," Lilith said. "Unfortunately, since me and Eda don't have magic anymore, we will need some help preparing the spell."

"And that's where you come in," Amity noted. "Because you are someone we know we can trust, and that we want to involve as few witches as possible. Plus, you're the best potionist I know."

Boscha now saw the situation and she gave a determined look. "I'm gonna need some ingredients…"

Shortly afterward, Boscha was preparing the spell with her potions equipment. She had Amity help prepare the spell by drawing on the floor. These spell circles were made with one big circle with four circles in a compass direction, with another circle in the middle.

"Alright, gonna need a power source to teleport into the mindscape," Boscha said while turning to King. "King, spit in this," she told him, holding up a tube.

"My spit?" King asked her.

"Yeah, your Titan genes should give us a boost. So either your spit or blood could do the trick," Boscha told him as she let King spit in the flask. She turned to the others. "Now, I need a volunteer to enter Luz's mindscape with me. We can't send too many witches in, especially when Luz is in a vulnerable state. Too dangerous."

"I'll go," Amity said as she raised her hand up. "Luz once went into my mind to save me, so now, I want to return the favor."

Boscha nodded before turning to Eda, Lilith, and King. "I trust you three to get us out of there when we are ready. There are two potions. One to get in and one to get out." She then noticed a book on the floor. It was a book familiar to her… the 'War on Witchcraft' book by Gabriel Gates. She walked over and picked it up.

"You still have this?" Boscha asked Amity

"Oh, that? Yeah, apparently Hooty ate it and basically barfed it out," Amity explained while noticing Boscha looking anxious. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just… it does bring back… unpleasant memories," Boscha responded while Amity understood what she meant. Boscha turned to the first page and noticed something written on it.

'In dedication to my beloved sister, Mary.'

"Mary?" Boscha asked in confusion. "I never noticed this name before."

"Yeah, Ghost told me about her once," Amity admitted. "She was Gabriel Gates's sister, apparently. Though, she doesn't know what happened to her."

"Neither does Flapjack," Hunter responded. "According to him, Mary didn't come back with her brother when Gabriel came to the Isles a second time."

Once King handed Boscha the flask of his spit, she poured a purple liquid substance from another bottle and plugged a cork on the tube. She placed it down on the center of the circle.

"Alright, once this thing is smashed, me and Amity will be transported into Luz's mind. Just one stomp and we're in," Boscha responded. She held up a walkie-talkie. "We will use this to stay in touch. Everyone but Amity, step back from the circle."

Everyone took a step back, with Amity and Boscha remaining in the circle. Hunter was stepping back… until Hooty launched himself behind him.

"Oh come on! I'm always missing out on all of your adventures and now I get to miss out on this one too!" Hooty cried out.

"Gah!" Hunter screamed while falling forward, pushing Amity off from the circle.

"Hey!" Amity shouted while on the floor.

"Sorry, Amity," Hunter said as he got up while the circle started glowing around him and Boscha. "What the… why is it glowing?!"

"Um…" Boscha said as she pointed at his shirt, which had the spilled substance.

"Oh you gotta be kidding me-!" Hunter shouted as the circle engulfed both him and Boscha.

"GAAH!" they screamed as a light traveled around and went into Luz's ear.

"Hunter!" Lilith shouted as she and Flapjack were forced to see Hunter enter Luz's mind.

"GAAAH!" Hunter shouted while waking up, finding himself in a blank, white void. "Where… where am I? Boscha?" He looked around for her.

"Over here," Boscha said as Hunter turned around to see her. "This place… we must be in Luz's inner mind," she said as suddenly, at a rapid-fire speed, rows of bookshelves sprung out around the two, the shelves full of many, many rows of comic books. All around them, the place was being converted into a comic book shop, complete with comic print dots on the roof and floor, with the walls having the Kirby-crackle all around. "And her inner mind's a comic store."

"Make sense, she does have a big comic collection, from here and the Human Realm," Hunter responded before they heard buzzing sounds.

"Boscha? Boscha, are you there!"

Boscha brought out a walkie-talkie and answered. "Right here, Amity. Me and Hunter are inside Luz's head."

"Glad that you two are alright, even if we didn't plan on having Hunter join you," Amity responded.

"Sorry about that! Hoot-hoot!" Hooty apologized.

"We'll just have to make another circle to bring you two back," Lilith said.

"That's going to take too much time to do, since we will have to make two more potions to try this again," Boscha pointed out. "Not to mention that we don't want to go in and out of Luz's head too many times, since that could hurt her. So Hunter will just have to help me find the Inner Luz, or whatever's causing Luz's condition."

"Very well," Lilith responded. "You two be careful and… um, Hunter, Flapjack wishes to speak with you," she said while chirping noises can be heard.

"Flapjack!" Hunter shouted as he grabbed the walkie-talkie. "Flapjack! Listen, I'm here. I'm alright, don't worry about me," he assured his Palisman, who chirped at him back.

"So you two will find the Inner Luz," Lilith told them.

"And we'll have the return spell ready," Amity declared.

"Just don't lose the walkie-talkie, it's our only connection to you," Eda said.

"And try not to die!" Dr. Bride's voice was heard.

"Got it. Over and out," Boscha declared.

"Wait!" Hunter shouted as he grabbed the walkie-talkie again. "Flapjack, listen, I'll be out soon. Stay safe and keep everyone on guard," he said while Flapjack chirped at him back. "And… I love you. Over and out," he whispered back before turning it off. He turned and saw Boscha smiling at him. "What?"

"Oh, nothing," Boscha said while looking around. "Okay, how are we going to find the Inner Luz in here?"

"We should start with these comics," Hunter suggested. "Just like with the lockers in Gavin's mindscape, these comics should hold Luz's memories. The Inner Luz could be in any of them."

Boscha nodded and looked around, picking up a comic. "Family photo… think she'd be in this? Looks pleasant enough."

"Let's find out," Hunter replied as Boscha opened the comic and they traveled into the memory…

"Alright, Luz, King, are you two ready?" Eda asked while wearing a flashy eighties sweater.

"We are!" Luz replied while wearing the same sweater as Eda. She was also grabbing King. "I had trouble getting King to wear his."

"Weh! It's so puffy!" King cried out while struggling, Luz having to hold him.

"Come on, King! It's a fun, family photo of us!" Luz replied while getting King to the spot with Eda as Luz sat on a chair with King raised up. They were behind a space-like background.

"You think that's her?" Boscha asked Hunter as they watched.

"No, that Luz isn't the Inner-self or else she'd noticed us, and I see no signs of the Inner Luz around," Hunter replied as they looked around, avoiding Hooty who was coming up with the camera.

"Alright! Smile for the birdy! Which is Hooty!" Hooty declared as he snapped a photo.

Once the two were out, Boscha looked at the end of the comic, which showed a picture of Eda, Luz, and King with Hooty transparently appearing in the background.

"Well, a pleasant memory, but not where the Inner Luz is," Boscha determined.

"Let's try another one," Hunter replied as they went through the comics, looking around through the memories. He picked up one. "'Graffiti Ice'?" he asked. Upon opening it, he and Boscha were transported into the comic's memories.

Eda and Luz were up at the Knee, where Luz was shown spray painting the ruins.

"This is nice work you've done, Luz," Eda commented while looking at her graffiti art.

"Thanks, mom," said the young Luz, age eleven, as she kept spray painting the ruins.

"Wait, she's the one who's been spray painting the ruins?!" Boscha asked in shock.

"Yeah… I heard she's been doing that a lot," Hunter responded.

Once they were out, they continued their search until they found another comic.

"'Pioneer Day'?" Boscha asked, looking at the cover of a burning man.

When she opened it, they flashed into the memory…

In the center of Gravity Falls, a crowd of humans stared up at what appeared to be a wooden effigy of the town's supposed founder, Nathaniel Northwest. For some reason, everyone in Gravity Falls is dressed up like their pioneers. Above the effigy was a banner that read 'Pioneer Day.'

"This… is my first time seeing other humans," Hunter said, noting all the humans having round ears like Luz.

"This must be Gravity Falls," Boscha replied while looking around, seeing the effigy.

"Gravity Falls? Oh yeah, Luz's step-brother lives here," Hunter realized while looking around. "This is the Human Realm? I never thought this place would look so… Deadwardian," he said, noticing how everyone was dressed like settlers.

"It's beautiful," America Guy said, his eyes shining as he looked up at the effigy.

"It really does bring you tears of joy," Durland said as he wrapped his arm around Blubs. "A statue of our founder."

Preston stepped up as he cleared his throat. "Well, whoever made this to honor my great ancestor and the founder of this town, Nathaniel Northwest, should also be honored and celebrated this Pioneer Day."

"Yes, now who's the maker of this effigy?" Priscilla asked while looking around. "Come on up and show yourselves!"

"That would be me!"

Everyone turned and looked shocked to see Luz, age thirteen, next to the effigy while holding up a torch.

"You?! You built this?!" Preston asked in shock.

"Yup, so I can do this!" Luz declared while throwing the torch on the effigy, burning the town's founder in a blaze of fire.

This made everyone in town gasp as Durland ended up fainting in Blubs's arms, a woman screamed in horror, Toby Determined looked horrified while on the verge of tears, and a child covered his mother's eyes.

Boscha and Hunter, however, didn't look surprised that Luz would do this.

"Luz is a menace in both worlds," Boscha commented.

"Yeah, something tells me she doesn't have the best rep here," Hunter agreed.

"Have you no shame, Luz Clawthorne?!" one townsfolk asked.

"Officers, arrest this menace!" Preston ordered.

"Welp, time for my leave!" Luz shouted while running away and jumping onto a horse, smacking it on the rear. "Hi ho, Silver!" she declared while fleeing on the horse as the police chased after her.

Watching her go was Stan Pines, who was just laughing. "Man, this Pioneer Day turned out to be great after all."

"And I thought the rabbit incident on Coven Day was bad," Hunter said as he and Boscha entered the memory.

"I mean, it still is," Boscha replied before she noticed another issue and picked it up. "Larry Coppers…?"

"I was chosen to be most likely to become part of the Emperor's Coven, you know," Larry Coppers told Luz with a flirtatious tone while Luz was busy polishing her bat. "I am a pretty big deal, especially since they call the chosen one and all that. You know, I've never seen a human around here before, you must be a rare creature…"

In front of them were Boscha and Hunter, who looked appalled by this guy.

"How can Luz let this guy talk to her like that?" Boscha asked.

"She won't," Hunter said while glaring at Larry, spotting Luz's bat before it became Brucy.

"Uh-huh, say, can you be still for a second?" Luz asked him. "And close your eyes."

Larry Coppers closed his eyes, facing Luz with a smile. "Oh I think I know where this is going."

"Yup." Luz then swung the bat towards Larry's face, hitting him in the glasses.

"AAAH!" he cried out as the glasses broke, the glass stabbing into his face. "You! You just hit a guy with glasses!" he shouted at her.

"Don't you be fucking talk to me like that again, jackass!" Luz shouted as she grabbed the broken glasses and hit him with them before she started to maniacally laugh at him. "Yahahahahahaha! Yeah…"

Soon the memory shifted and Luz was tying up Larry Coppers to a large makeshift rocket.

"Get me off of this thing!" Larry demanded, glaring at her.

"Let this be a lesson that if I'm not interested, stay the fuck in your lane!" Luz declared while pressing the button, causing the makeshift rocket to fly off to the sky.

"You'll pay for this, Luz Clawthorne!" Larry Coppers declared while he was launched away…

"Man, wait until I tell the Detention Trackers about this," Luz commented.

Hunter and Boscha just exchanged baffled looks with each other.

"Okay, these memories are obviously not where the Inner Luz is," Hunter said.

"I mean, I'd probably do the same if that Coppers creep flirted with me like that," Boscha said. "Look, maybe we should find some memories of her with her friends and family."

"Yeah, those are most likely where we'll find the Inner Luz," Hunter said as they went through the bookshelves, going through different genres. "Comedies, family dramas, action…" He then spotted one issue with her and Hunter. "Hey, I think I remember this one," he said while Boscha looked over as he opened the comic…

A young Luz watched as the young Hunter ate a banana for the first time.

"So, what do you think?" Luz asked him as she watched him chew.

"This… is pretty good," Hunter responded after a swallow. "How is it that no one in the Isles has this?"

"Maybe someday I can start a banana trade in the Boiling Isles," Luz suggested. "If I get enough people hooked, I could make a fortune on shipping bananas here from the Human Realm." She then grabbed something from her backpack. "Oh, I also got you this," she said as she brought out a DVD box and DVD player as she handed both to Hunter.

He looks at the DVD box. "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers… what's a morphin?" Hunter asked.

"Well, I figured with all the movies I've traded, ya, you'd like this as well," Luz replied. "Just give it like, five episodes, and you're hooked. There's like, dozens of series of this franchise."

"Dozens?" Hunter asked. "This is a big hit in your realm."

"Better than those Captain Covens comics you read," Luz said.

"No way!" Hunter argued, although both of them were laughing.

"Huh, you two do seem like you were good friends back then," Boscha commented as she and Hunter watched.

"Yeah, we were," Hunter replied while noticing the DVD box. "I remembered her giving me that, and I will admit that I was hooked on it… though, I think Head Witch Graye also saw it and it gave him the inspiration for B.I.G."

"This series is a big hit, and its original source, Super Sentai, is heavily popular in the Eastern parts of the Human Realm," Luz explained. "I can probably try to find you the Sentai version as well."

"Alright, I'll check this out and see how good it is," Hunter declared.

"Was it good?" Boscha asked him.

"Oh man, it really is," Hunter responded, looking excited over it. "The episodes can be formulaic, but I can't help but get invested in the storylines, including the Space season and what came after. Of course, the Sentai based off of it didn't involve space much…" He paused, watching the younger version of himself and Luz with a sad smile. "I… I miss being that close with Luz," he admitted, looking down. He self-consciously rubbed his artificial arm, frowning.

After they finished watching that memory, they continued looking through the memories until Boscha found another from the drama section. "Oh… this."

"What's that?" Hunter asked, looking at the comic.

"I um… I don't think we should go in there…" Boscha respond.

"Come on, Boscha, Inner Luz could be in any of these. What's wrong with this one?" Hunter asked her, while Boscha looked anxious…

"Oh look, the Owl Human is selling more of her lame stuff," said the past Boscha with her usual arrogant look.

"Well good luncheon to you too, Bitchca," Luz replied, crossing her arms. "Are you here to buy something or just standing there desperate for attention?"

"Actually, I just wanted to make a quick Penstagram." Boscha snapped a photo with her Smart Scroll, flashing Luz. She started typing. "Hashtag: humans can bite it. And what is all of this, some junk you found in the trash? You got it from that creepy old hag of yours?"

"Oh…" Hunter replied with a wince, while Boscha just turned away, having cringed upon seeing her former self. "I forgot you two didn't always like each other that much…"

"Yeah, and that I wasn't the most pleasant witch," Boscha responded. "But this might be the worst part..."

"Why would I want your perfume? So I don't smell bad like you?" Boscha said while Luz held the pepper spray towards her.

"It's just that this perfume is very popular in the human world, but if you are too scared…"

Boscha grabbed the spray. "I'm not afraid of anything. Besides, I can try a free sample," she said as she sprayed the front of her face and then she felt a stinging sensation when it got into her eyes. "AAAAAAAAHHH! MY EYES! WHY ARE THEY BURNING!?"

As they watched, Hunter winced while Boscha stayed turned around, already knowing how this was going to play out.

"AHHH IT HURTS EVEN MORE! WHY IS IT SO STICKY!?" Boscha shouted, feeling sticky after getting splashed by soda.

"It's called soda,"

"YOU BITCH!"

Hunter once more before he turned to Boscha. "Okay, I don't think Inner Luz is here."

"Yeah, we should go," Boscha responded as the two headed out of the memory.

"AAAAAAAAHHHH! WHY DO EYES HAVE TO BE SO SENSITIVE!?"

Once they were out, Hunter and Boscha stood there in silence, Hunter looking over to her.

"I see why you didn't want to look in there," Hunter responded awkwardly. "I know you two didn't get along in the past, but damn… I didn't think it was that bad. I forgot how extreme Luz could get sometimes…"

"This isn't about what Luz did to me," Boscha pointed out while looking uncomfortable. "It's about me."

"What?" he asked her.

"You saw how I acted back there," Boscha said while looking down at herself. "'Humans can bite it'? Calling her mother a creepy old hag? I was a racist bitch back then. Just the way I was acting… is one of my biggest regrets, especially since my behavior did end up almost getting Luz and her mother killed. Titan's crack, I could've ended up like my mom, someone who peaks at high school and spends her adulthood absolutely miserable at everyone for succeeding more than you." She gave a sigh. "You know, remembering back, I never asked Luz who this.. Ten Shin is."

"Ten Shin?" Hunter asked her.

"Yeah, someone she called me once, but I don't think that matters anymore," she responded.

"I think I've heard of that character before," Hunter admitted. "He's a character from this 'Dragon Claw Z' anime that Eda has. Like you, he also has three eyes. He was some kind of monk and was enemies with the main character, practically rivals. But… they ended up being friends and great allies."

"Huh… I guess the insult became a compliment then," Boscha replied. "But still, even before Luz enrolled into Hexside, I wasn't a really good witch. I was clingy, mean, and didn't think about anyone or anything outside my own personal bubble. But then that bubble popped when Luz came. And it popped again when I was suspended. It popped when I realized that I was the problem." She looked down at the comic, reflecting on it. "I've lost friends, made new ones, made peace with my old friends, and befriended my former enemies. My former mother, Nicole, used to have such a huge influence on me, but now I've broken free from her influence and I learned what kind of witch I want to be."

Hunter nodded. "Yeah, I think I get that," he said. His story wasn't exactly the same as hers, but he still understood where she was coming from.

"Hunter…"

Hunter's eyes widened when he heard that voice. That deep, sickening voice. He looked around. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Boscha asked him before they heard the sound of a child's laughter. "What the…?"

"Hello there," said a kid that suddenly appeared behind them.

"Gah!" they both shouted, spooked at seeing the kid there.

"What the… is that…?" Boscha asked when she got a better look at the kid.

"Me?" Hunter asked, seeing that the boy resembled him as he smiled at them.

"What's a younger version of you doing here?" Boscha asked. "Outside of the memory comics? And what's with the trenchcoat?" she asked, pointing at the outfit he was wearing.

"Hello there, I'm Caleb," he said as he waved to them.

"Caleb… as in, William's son and… Belos's nephew," Hunter realized. "But… Luz and Lilith never mentioned meeting him before… not during their adventure in the Time Pools."

"Then… why is he here?" Boscha asked him. "In Luz's memories?"

"Sometimes strong emotions create manifestations of themselves in the mindscape… but Luz shouldn't have seen or met him…" Hunter said before he and Boscha started to hear Caleb cackling a laugh. An unhinged, creepy laugh.

"Hehehehehe, kahahahahaha!" Caleb laughed as his eyes widened. His now glowing… red eyes.

Burning eyes.

Hunter's eyes widened at this. "That… that's not Caleb…" he said, backing away from him.

"You're not supposed to be here…" 'Caleb' sing-sang to them as suddenly claws emerged from his mouth, ripping the jaws open as antlers came out from the eye sockets. Once the face was completely torn away, Caleb's body knelt down. Clawing its way free of Caleb was a dark, oozing creature with burnt-flesh skin. It stretched out its spider-like legs.

"What the fuck?!" Boscha cried out as she and Hunter backed away, the shelves around them falling over as the creature came out from Caleb's body, shredding it into pieces. And the body grew until it was towering over them. Its face looked familiar to Hunter… and he was horrified.

The horrifying abomination wasn't humanoid at all. It resembled more of a deer with a crooked body and long limbs, a tail made of torn flesh. Its whole body was either burnt or oozing. Its bleached-skin face roared while appearing all over its body were eyes and screaming mouths. His body was now covered in deformed faces that screamed in agonizing pain, warning the two.

"RUN!"

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

"THE HORNED KING WILL DEVOUR YOU ALL!"

Hunter's pupils shrank when he heard that name and he felt Boscha grab his hand. "Come on!"she shouted while the two ran away, the Horned King giving an unsettling roar before it crawled after them.

The two ran as fast as they can, but the Horned King was on their tails. The screams still echoed in their ears, disturbing and frightening them. They managed to quickly turn a corner, the Horned King unable to turn in time and instead sliding past them. Frantically looking around for an escape route, Boscha noticed that one shelf had been knocked away, revealing a dark abyss.

"What do you think is in there?" Boscha asked as they stood before it.

Hunter could hear the Horned King nearby. "I guess Luz's intrusive thoughts, but we have no choice but to jump!"

Boscha nodded at Hunter and together the two jumped into the abyss, falling into the darkness…

Centuries ago…

Philip and William Clawthorne, as they were known back then, were trapped in a collapsed temple. The two were buried alive, their bodies bruised and broken. They were dying.

Philip has never felt so helpless in his life. He couldn't believe that this was the end of his story. That his efforts to save the Boiling Isles would end like this. He looked over to his brother, who was still conscious but also dying. And he was dying because of him.

"Philip…"

Hearing his name, Philip looked up and saw a humanoid figure in front of him. A figure draped in a red cloak, with a bleached skull for a head with deer antlers coming out of it and burning eyes.

The Horned King.

"You… it's you," Philip spoke with a raspy voice. "Please… please save me."

The Horned King looked down on Philip, not responding at first. "I will agree to save you… if you make a pact with me and agree to become my servant. Agree to help me secure my freedom."

Philip gave a pleading look at the Horned King and without hesitation he replied. "I will help you."

"Good," the Horned King responded as he reached down to Philip's stuck out hand. He grabbed it and the pact was made Dark circles wrapped around them as Philip could feel the Horned King surging into him. His eyes glowed. "With my presence and power placed into you, Philip, you will be kept alive… but you will also share my unsatisfiable hunger."

Philip felt the power of the Horned King. He looked over to his brother, his face desperate. "Please… can you… save my brother?"

"William… unlike you, he ignored my call," the Horned King pointed out.

"But I don't want to lose my brother!" Philip argued. "Please, I've lost so much… I don't want to lose him too…"

"P-Philip?" William asked as he overheard the conversation. He looked up and when he saw the Horned King, his eyes widened. "You…"

"M-Make a pact with him, and I promise he will help you!" Philip declared while turning to his brother. "William… William, I need you to listen… if you want to live, for both of us to live, then make a pact with him!"

"With… him?" William asked, while looking at the Horned King and his burning eyes.

"Just say you'll agree, William!" Phillip ordered.

William was still unsure, but he saw how desperate his brother was, so he nodded. "I… I agree."

"Good," spoke the Horned King as he also shared his power with William. "I promise you both that you will all be freed… eventually. But first, you two must get a taste of what it is like to be me… trapped in the bowels of the Titan… with a hunger I can never satiate," he told the brothers before fading away.

"What just… happened?" William asked his brother.

"We're going to keep living, William," Philip responded as he coughed. "We'll be out… eventually…"

In another time, in old Latissa, there was a castle. Inside the castle, a party was thrown for all the rich and royalty of the Boiling Isles, all of it hosted by a Prince Prosperous while the witches and demons of Latissa continued dying from the Red Death outside the castle walls.

"Feast and party for all!" shouted Prince Prosperous, a witch who wore a masquerade mask while donning velvet royal garb. A royal he was, wearing a gemstone crown and all. He watched his guests dancing and feasting to their delight. "Don't mind the Red Death, we are safe from it within this castle!"

The guests indulged themselves in the festivities. One was dressed as a jester and danced around along with a trio of exotic female dancers. The bards were playing their music, while one masked witch played around with torches, juggling them even.

At the food table, the royals were eating more food than most Latissans would see in their lifetime. This included a roast griffin. One madam poured a drink into her hefty husband's mouth from a skull. A servant passed a plate of fruit to one royal, who took a single bite before throwing the rest to the floor.

In another part of the castle, the rich were at tables gambling around, playing Hexum Hold'em and other card games. They were also rolling dice, exchanging their money and jewels to one another, and making bets on pixie fights. Truly, they had given in to their vices.

Prince Prosperous was dancing elegantly with a duchess. They twirled around as they locked eyes with each other. Everything in this party was going well…

Until a red cloak masked figure walked into the party.

Many of the guests took notice of the red cloak figure walking past them. The guests suddenly gasped as some choked. Many of them looked at their fingers… and saw blood. Blood coming from their fingers and their faces as they began to cough violently.

This earned the attention of Prosperous, whose guest screamed as she pointed at the red cloaked figure in the castle. The figure wore a mask, its eyes landing on the prince. The prince noticed that behind the cloak figure were dozens of his friends, who had fallen ill… and were dying.

"What in the name of…?" Prince Prosperous walked over to the intruder. "Who are you?"

The figure said nothing, instead lifting one of its hands up.

The prince looked around to see that everyone else had fallen ill, including his dancing partner. "No… stop!" he shouted, but the figure just walked away from him. "Oh no… the Red Death!" he shouted, turning to the hooded figure and bringing out a sword. He yelled while charging towards the figure.

But the figure turned back to Prosperous with its hand raised, causing the prince to stop. His sword fell to the ground, its blade bloody. But it was not from the blood of his enemy… it was his blood. The prince felt his face, gasping in horror as he felt how bloody it was. He looked up to the figure and with his remaining strength, went up to it and pulled off the mask… revealing nothing behind it. Just an empty robe which immediately fell to the ground.

Prosperous gasped in horror as he realized who the figure was. It was the Red Death itself. And with that, Prosperous dropped to the ground, dead.

The castle, once filled with life and merriment, was now filled with corpses. Everyone was dead… except for one, who was seated at the table, taking a bite out of a griffin leg and drinking apple flood from a chalice.

Vanz Ator offered a toast to the Red Death. A toast to the Horned King.

Years later, Vanz Ator had hired some witches to scourge through a collapsed temple.

"This was an ancient temple for a forgotten deity," Vanz told them as he clasped his hands together. "Well then, let's look to find anything of value."

And so, Vanz and the witches excavated the ruins of the temple. One witch used his magic to move some rocks. He then noticed something. "Hey, there's something in between the cracks here," he declared, while getting a closer look… only to be pulled into the cracks. "AAAAAHH!"

"Hey, what's…" another witch said as he witnessed her co-worker getting sucked into the crack. They heard him scream in pain and agony, along with the crunching of bones. The other witches went to try to rescue him, but it was too late, as he was sucked out of sight and squeezed through the crack, blood spraying on the other witches.

"What in the Titan's breath…?!" one witch asked as Vanz kept his distance. He noticed something glowing from the blood-stained crack…

"RAAAH!" screamed out a greenish, abominable skeleton with horns and glowing blue eyes as it emerged from the crack.

"GAAH!" the witches screamed as they backed away while two monstrosities rose up from the debris. One that came out was grayish-green with gray hair. Skeletal at worst. The other was more grayish-yellow with piercing red eyes. His dirty blond hair remained intact, but his body looked quite ghoulish. The two monsters looked down at the witches, who were all frozen in place…

"Devour."

The creatures opened their mouths.

"Devour!"

While the other witches were frozen in place, Vanz was able to move and he made his quick exit, the vampire leaving his employees to the monstrosities. The witches then fell one by one, having their souls taken away from them… while they rotted into corpses.

"DEVOUR!"

As the witches all crumbled into bones, the two creatures started to take new forms and resemble their human selves once more.

"We're… full and flesh again," William said in shock, though his shock quickly turned into horror as he realized what he had done.

"Yes… we are," Philip responded while looking at his own hands. After centuries of rotting away and existing as nothing more than a corpse, he was flesh and bone once again…

"AAAAH!"

Boscha and Hunter screamed as they fell into the dark abyss. Before they hit the bottom, Hunter pulled out some plant glyphs and tapped on them, creating a bush to help break their fall. The two bounced off from the bush and hit the ground.

Boscha groaned, hearing a buzzing sound in her ear. "Hunter… are you alright?"

"Still in… one piece," Hunter responded as he and Boscha got up. "What about you?"

"I'm fine, but," she said as she held up the walkie-talkie, which had been damaged from the fall and was the source of the buzzing noise. "We can't communicate with the others now."

"Crap," Hunter responded while looking around. "Um… where are we?"

Boscha looked around, her eyes widening when she saw that they were in… a decaying forest. The ground was made of sand and crushed bones and the dying trees looked like they were absorbing rotting corpses into their roots. In addition to having portraits on them, the trees had faces in them that seemed to be staring at the two teens. The leaves that fell resembled skin. But what was worse was what they were stepping on. When they looked down, they saw pieces… pieces of dead Palismen.

"What the FUCK?!" Boscha exclaimed she and Hunter back away. "Why would, in this realm, Luz's mind be like this?!"

"This isn't like her intrusive or morbid thoughts…" Hunter responded, looking around until he saw the portraits…

"Is this like her nightmare room? The cause of her being under a sleep spell?!" Boscha asked while creeped out about the whole place.

"No…" Hunter said in quiet shock. "We're not in Luz's mind anymore…"

Boscha turned to see Hunter pointing at the portrait by the flesh trees. Her eyes widened in shock as well. "No… fucking… way…"

It was a portrait of Belos.

"The Emperor?!" Boscha shouted as she took a few steps back. "What… why is he here? Why are we in Belos's mind?! How is he connected to Luz's mind?!" She turned to Hunter. "How is this possible?!"

"I don't know," Hunter responded while looking confused. "I've read a lot about mindscapes, but I've never read about anything like this!" He looked around, his eyes widening in realization. "I think… I think this is where the Horned King must've come from."

"That would at least explain that," Boscha responded while looking disturbed. "So… now what? What do we do about this?"

"Psst! Hey!"

The two heard a voice and began looking around. "Who's there?" Boscha asked.

"Over here!"

The two turned and saw a hand sticking out behind a tree. The two looked at each other before they began to walk over, remaining on the defensive.

"Who are you? Are you… Inner Luz?" Boscha asked warily.

"No, it's me," she said as she stuck her head out, causing Hunter and Boscha's eyes to widen.

"Luz…?" Boscha asked.

"Maya," the Luz lookalike responded. Though she did resemble Luz, her hair was red with orange pincer-like pigtails, and her eyes were red with dark irises. Her body was covered in some kind of orange shell-armor with her claw-like hands and she had black pants with orange grieves with claws. Sticking out of her arms were angular spikes. "I thought if I turned into something more comfortable, you two wouldn't panic like Luz did when she first saw my more… buff form."

"Just… what happened?" Hunter asked her. "What happened with you and Luz?"

"I don't completely know, but once Luz drank that apple blood, I ended up in the mindscape," Maya explained to them. "I then encountered the Horned King, who started hunting for me. I've ended up here because I think the Horned King would expect me to hide in Luz's mindscape, not Belos's." She looked around, getting the creeps. "Though this place is giving me real discomfort…"

"Well, now that we've found you, we'll protect you from the Horned King," Boscha reassured her.

Maya looked up to Boscha, a bit surprised, but when she saw that Boscha was being sincere, she gave her a nod. However, when she glanced at Hunter, they both quickly looked away, the awkwardness between them being evident. Hunter self-consciously rubbed his artificial arm. But before this awkwardness could go any further though, they heard a familiar, unnatural screech…

"It's him!" Hunter shouted, realizing that the Horned King must have followed them.

"Come on!" Boscha shouted while pulling Maya as Hunter followed suit. They stopped in front of a portrait. "In here!"

"Um, are you sure?" Hunter asked, sounding a bit unsure.

"No other choice, come on!" Boscha shouted as she grabbed him, pulling both him and Maya into the portrait to hide from the Horned King.

The trio entered the memory and saw that they were in old Bonesborough, the three looking around.

"Where… are we?" Boscha asked.

Hunter looked around. "One of Belos's memories… this must be…"

"Before his rule," Maya said while looking at the townspeople. "The Savage Ages."

Hunter looked around at the townspeople and their clothing, as well as the advertisements about joining cults. "The Cult War era…"

"Ya hear that he talks to the Titan?" asked a male townsperson.

"The Titan? But it's dead," the female townsperson replied with an accent.

"Fellow citizens!" spoke up Belos, whose long hair was exposed behind his mask as he held a makeshift staff. "We are born into chaos. Our lives anger the Titan! My own family has been hurt by the darkness of wild magic!" As he spoke, his past version of his artificial magic staff had sparks and smoke coming out from it, obscuring everything around him. Once he twirled his staff, it cleared the smoke, revealing nine different colored lights shining around him. "I've been shown the healing light, it shines in nine hues!"

Maya snarled at him. "This is where his lies start…" she said while Hunter looked nervously at her.

"People are really eating that up…" Boscha replied while seeing the many townspeople in awe of Belo and his tricks.

Suddenly there was an explosion on the stage where Belos was.

"The Wild Witches! They have found me, run!" Belos shouted as everyone scattered.

The memory changed to Belos in an alleyway with the previous Golden Guard.

"What was that?!" Belos scolded him. "You could've had me killed from that blast, William!"

"Sorry, brother," William responded, keeping his head low. "It wasn't meant to hurt you, I swear."

Belos sighed. "It's alright, it did its job of scaring the townsfolk," Belos said. "We should head to the next town."

"What about the extra explosives?" William asked him, pointing at the crate of explosives.

"We'll just have to blame it on the lycans," Belos suggested.

William nodded as he turned to look at the explosives, igniting them with his fire spell and leaving them to go off before he followed Belos into the building.

Hunter watched this with a mix of shock and realization, Boscha looked appalled, but Maya just glared at what they're doing. Boscha backed away until she stumbled upon a bag. When she saw its contents, it gave her an idea.

"Those snakes," Maya growled in anger as they emerged from the painting.

"That was messed up, what Belos and your predecessor did," Boscha responded while turning to Hunter. "Hunter? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm just…" Hunter looked down, feeling sick to the stomach after seeing what his uncle and William did. "This is… I know that Belos has done a lot of horrible things, but seeing it in full context…"

Boscha gave a sympathetic look before she noticed black screaming tendrils creeping out of the portrait behind them. "He found us!"

"Quick, in here!" Maya shouted as she pointed to a painting before she jumped in, Boscha and Hunter following suit.

Now they were up at the top of the Knee and they were not alone. A group of nine witches and demons stood in front of Belos and William. Behind them was a burning city that would later be the ruins up on the Knee.

Hunter noticed Boscha taking a loose rope from a witch woman. "What are you doing?"

"Planning," Boscha responded while they looked up at the memory.

"Look at what wild magic has done to your city!" Belos shouted as he pointed at the burning city behind him. "Now imagine what it's doing to you! A city can rise from the ashes, but a soul…" He shook his head slowly and sadly, making the crowd uneasy and unsure as they murmured to themselves. "I can make your magic pure again, as the Titan intended."

William, in his Golden Guard outfit, held up his glove and from one of his fingers was a yellow glow on the tip. It was a sigil branding glove, an earlier version of it. The crowd of nine held up their arms as William used his finger to brand a coven sigil onto each of them, each sigil representing the nine covens."

"Welcome… to your new covens!" Belos declared.

One witch smiled, seeing her oracle sigil brand on her wrist. But then suddenly, lines started to spread out from it, causing her to scream and groan as it spread throughout her body. She was in pain and panicked as her eyes glowed. In fact, it was not just them, but the other eight witches and demons were experiencing the same effect.

"What's happening to them?" Boscha asked, looking around in alarm.

"The sigil branding shouldn't have done that… right?" Hunter asked, also alarmed.

The nine witches fell to the ground, dropping their staffs. They laid there in the snow, completely motionless.

William went over and knelt down to check the female witch's pulse before he turned and looked up to Belos. "She's… dead," he said while looking at the others. "They're all… dead."

Belos looked down, letting out a sigh. "Another failure," he said while turning to William. "Then we still have work to do to perfect the sigils. Grab the Palismen."

William collected the staffs and offered one to Belos, who immediately grabbed the Palismen, crushing it before feeding it off.

Maya looked pissed at this, tears stinging her eyes as she turned away. Boscha noticed this and patted her shoulder. "Hey, we don't have to stick around for this," she told her.

"I… thanks, Boscha," Maya responded as the two began to walk away. Hunter was about to follow them, but he glanced back.

William was looking down at the Palisman in his hand. Unlike his brother, William was… hesitating.

"I… I shouldn't…" William responded while looking down in guilt.

"I know how you feel, William, but we need to feed," Belos reminded him. "Remember what we're fighting for…"

In the mindscape, the trio was in complete silence as they walked around. They glanced around at the other portraits, seeing some of Belos's memories.

Maya saw one portrait of Belos facing off against what appeared to be a humanoid dragon, blowing flames at Belos who dispersed them. Behind the dragon was another dragon that fled from being killed…

Boscha looked around and saw some other paintings. One had Belos being surrounded by werecats, bowing before him. The werecats looked as if they had given their devotion to him. Another painting had him facing off against a large werewolf. The werewolf itself was covered in scars. While Boscha didn't recognize the wolf, Donna or the Brookes would immediately recognize him as… Lupe.

As Hunter looked at the portraits, he paused in front of a specific one. Boscha and Maya both took notice of him staring at the painting. It was a painting… of a bloody knife.

"Hunter?" Boscha asked him in concern as she saw him walking up to it. "What are you doing?"

"That portrait…" he said as he pointed up to it. "I need to see this," he said before he entered.

"Hunter, wait!" Boscha shouted, but Hunter was already going in…

Hunter entered the memory and saw that he was in the throne room. It was dark, but he spotted his uncle standing there with his back turned and his mask off.

"I can hear you." Belos declared.

Hunter gave a slight panic before hearing another voice.

"I know you can," spoke the Horned King, who emerged while in his humanoid look. Hunter once again gave a slight panic before realizing that this Horned King was a memory. Not the one chasing him, Boscha, and Maya. "To you, who stray so far from home. To me, who's trapped beneath these bones. We'll harvest together, me and you, when you paint the land in nine bright hues…"

"What can I do for you, oh dark one?" Belos asked him sarcastically.

"It's about your brother, William," the Horned King responded, Belos giving him a stoic look.

"What about him?" he asked him.

"I believe that he'll compromise our plans," the Horned King responded. "I have seen his reluctance, his hesitation. I doubt he'll go through with it when the Day of Unity comes. I fear that he will try to stop us, that he will undermine us even before then…"

"I don't believe that," Belos said confidently. "I trust my brother, and he would never do anything to betray me."

But the Horned King just scoffed at him. "Your brother has always lacked your commitment, your dedication. He is not willing to do what needs to be done like you are. He never was."

"He will be," Belos told him.

"Listen here, my dear Emperor," the Horned King said while getting up into Belos's face. "There will be a time where you have to make a choice… and if you make the wrong one, our deal is off."

"Brother!" someone shouted

Belos heard his brother calling out to him. Turning around, he saw William, without his Golden Guard mask, coming into the throne room. When he glanced back, the Horned King was gone.

"We need to talk," William said.

"Is something the matter?" Belos asked.

"I… I think we should reconsider the plan, brother." William suggested as he looked at his brother. "This whole thing… do we really need to do this? Committing genocide to save the Isles? There has to be another way around this." He looked down in guilt and shame. "We've already spilled so much blood… why should we spill more?"

Belos sighed. "We've had this conversation before, William. And everytime, you agree that this is necessary. I know you aren't always happy with what we do, but I do take your feelings into consideration. I even make the occasional concession. With the werecats, you suggested we grant them sanctuary rather than wipe them out entirely, so I gave them the Torsa Villa, just as you wanted."

"I know, and I'm still thankful that you did that," William responded. "But… I can't do this anymore. And I mean it this time. Now that we're this far into the plan, I can see where it ends… and I don't like it."

"William…" Belos tried to reach out to his brother, but William backed away.

"I've already made so many compromises and I hate myself for it," William revealed as his hands shook. "Sometimes… sometimes I wish that you had just let me die in that temple!"

Belos's eyes widened as he glared at William in anger. "You want to die? After I saved your life?!" he questioned him. "Can't you see that I'm doing this for us? For our home? For your family?!"

"I don't think my family would want this, Philip," William told him. "I only went along for so long to protect you and save you if you ever lost yourself… and I'm seeing that now…"

"I am not lost!" Belos dismissed while turning around. "You're always worried over nothing. Nevertheless, you'll get over this like you always do."

"I did believe in what you said at first, you know," William pointed out. "That what we're doing was for the Isles, for our family. But now… I'm starting to think you're only doing this for yourself. This isn't about saving lives anymore, this is for revenge." As he said this, Belos paused. "And even if the plan succeeds, this won't bring you peace or happiness. It'll only make our pain worse." He gave his brother a concerned look. "Can't you see, Belos? With the system we've built, we can change the Isles for the better. We can actually help people. Neither of us have to go through the Day of Unity, and maybe we can find a way out of our deal as well."

Hunter watched this in silence, looking at William and seeing him decide to go against Belos's plan. A part of him felt proud of his predecessor, but another part of him felt… worried. Worried about how this could play out.

Belos turned to his brother. His face seemed almost… considerate. "Always looking out for me," he said as he smiled and walked up to William. Belos then raised his arms up, going to embrace William in a hug. "My dear brother…" he said as William hugged him back.

"I knew you'd come around, Phili-" William didn't finish as he felt a sharp stabbing pain in his stomach. He looked down and saw the dagger buried in his body. He looked up at his brother, his face etched with shock, pain… and regret.

"I'm sorry, brother," Belos told him, his face neutral. "But sacrifices have to be made. You may not be willing to make those sacrifices, but I am…"

Belos kept stabbing his brother over and over. William coughed out blood and fell to the ground, Belos continuing to stab him while the Horned King hovered behind Belos, witnessing the Emperor killing his brother. William's arms and legs twitched and spasmed… before they stopped moving entirely.

Once the task was done, Belos closed his eyes. "He's dead."

"You did what you had to do," the Horned King said. "He was a liability…"

Belos stood back up, looking at his own reflection with the blood-soaked knife. For a brief moment, a trace of regret flickered in those eyes. Then his gaze hardened.

All Hunter can do is just back away from the scene, looking distraught…

"Hey, you're back," Boscha said when she spotted Hunter coming out of the portrait. She saw his distraught look. "What happened?"

"My uncle… betrayed his brother," Hunter responded, shaken from what he learned.

"Oh… I'm sorry, Hunter," Boscha responded.

"William… he was trying to talk him out of something horrible… I think my uncle is planning a genocide," Hunter said.

"Well, that's not surprising," Maya said while crossing her arms.

"If he is, that should be something we should tell the others about-" Boscha then noticed another portrait in the distance. Her eyes widened and she began walking towards that portrait, confusing both Maya and Hunter and prompting them to follow her.

"Boscha, what are you…" Hunter said before he noticed the portrait she was in front of. He looked surprised to see it, especially here.

"Who's… that?" Maya asked, seeing the woman on the portrait laying in bed, her hands folded to her chest as her eyes shut.

"That's Delara Saltstar," Hunter explained. "She was a former Oracle Head…"

"My aunt," Boscha responded softly, her curiosity piqued as she entered the memory. Hunter and Maya looked at each other awkwardly before following Boscha in the memory…

They found themselves in the throne room, where they saw Osran Pawculus kneeling before Belos.

"Osran?" Hunter asked, recognizing the current Oracle Head.

"What brings the Oracle Aide here before me?" Belos asked him.

"I bring with me information that is dire for you to hear," Osran spoke to him. "About my Head Witch, Delara. She has been plotting behind your back, spewing treasonous and blasphemous talk. She even claims that the Titan has spoken to her, and that you're a fraud."

Boscha and Hunter looked at each other in surprise, wondering if what Osran was saying was true.

"That is why I came to you with this information, because I believe you should know who doesn't have your best interests in mind… and who does," he declared.

"Hmm, that is quite the accusation, Osran," Belos responded while twiddling his fingers. "Are you hoping that if I do something about this, you will be able to succeed her?"

"Well… I wouldn't mind a higher position than my current one, and I would gladly accept a promotion," Osran replied. "But I do believe that what my coven head has been saying is dangerous, and that makes her… unfit for her current position."

Belos looked down at Osran, his face hidden behind his mask and unreadable. "Thank you for the information, Osran. You are dismissed."

As Osran left, Boscha, Hunter, and Maya followed him out of the throne room. Boscha glared at his back, shocked and appalled.

"My aunt… talking to the Titan?" Boscha asked. "And he sold her out just to take her place…" Her fists tightened. "Osran, you bastard… he was a family friend!"

Then the memory started to blur, shifting over to the Healing Coven

"What's happening?" Maya asked.

"We're in the Healing Coven now," Hunter responded, seeing that they were now in Delara's room, spotting the former Oracle Head in her bed.

"I remembered this," Boscha responded, seeing her aunt in bed. "Aunt Delara suddenly collapsed and was rushed into the Healing Coven… where she died of the Red Death. But… why are we here?" she asked, her fears sinking in…

As they watched, something dripped from the ceiling. Delara shifted and turned in her bed, not as alone as she seemed.

"Hello, Delara."

Delara's eyes widened when she heard that voice. She recognized it at once.

"B-Belos…" Delara spoke while looking around, unable to find the source of the voice.

"I have been informed that you were going to betray me, that you believe the Titan speaks to you instead of me," the disembodied voice of Belos told her. "And that makes you dangerous. Perhaps… more dangerous than anyone else."

Delara couldn't speak. Instead, she was having trouble breathing…

"It is sad, really. That things have to end like this," Belos said. "I do like you, Delara. Really, your selflessness has helped a lot of witches over the years… but I just can't afford to keep you alive…"

Boscha gasped when she heard this.

"Would you like to meet who I've been actually talking to?"

Then, something slithered onto her cot. It went straight to Delara and into her mouth. This caused her to gag and Delara started to spasm and bleed profusely from her eyes, ears, nose, mouth… and her skin.

Symptoms of the Red Death.

"Devour…"

The trio watched in horror as they saw Delara bleeding out and spasm while hearing the Horned King's voice. Maya looked completely freaked out about this, witnessing someone being devoured… by him.

"Devour!"

Delara wanted to scream, but she wasn't able to. Instead, she was helpless as she felt something inside her… and it was feeding on her soul.

"DEVOUR!"

As blood oozed from her mouth, the last thing she would hear was Belos speaking to her. "You will bring joy to the Horned King… when he sees the light leaving your eyes," he said as the light in her eyes finally left and her body stopped moving. It had gone still.

The sound of the flatline alarmed the healers as they rushed into the room. They saw Delara's state, but there was no sign of Belos ever being here.

But the trio now knew…

"No… no he… Aunt Delara!" Boscha shouted as she fell on her knees and started to cry. Hunter and Maya knelt over to her, attempting to comfort her after what she had just witnessed. Boscha just bawled, crying while Hunter hugged her out.

"I'm sorry, Boscha," Hunter apologized, while feeling disgusted by what his uncle did. "I had no idea…"

"She… she didn't deserved this!" Boscha cried. "Aunt Delara… she was the kindest witch I ever knew."

Maya had a sad expression as she looked at Boscha, then over at the dead body of Boscha's aunt. "She… must've been a great witch."

Boscha sniffed. "She had the most patience, even with me while I acted like a brat," she said while wiping away her tears. "She had three kids, so that probably helped. I think the last time I saw her… was my tenth birthday." She wiped her tears as she explained. "I remember Nicole arguing with her over a present my brother wanted to give to me. He was living with the Saltstars at the time, but the argument ended with Nicole driving Aunt Delara and Uncle Sam away." Her body was still shaking. "Shortly after this, she collapsed and…" She cried again, unable to hold herself together. "Belos… Belos will fucking pay for this!" she shouted in anger.

Hunter and Maya helped Boscha up. "Come on, let's get out of here," he said as they went to the exit through the painting on the wall…

Once they exited out of the portrait, the trio heard moaning sounds.

"Oooooh…"

"What was… that?" Hunter asked.

"I don't know," Maya admitted. "I haven't heard this before..."

"You think it's…?" Boscha asked as the trio heard the moaning sound again.

They decided to cautiously follow the sound, silently traveling the landscape until they saw a shadow looming. The groaning noises continued, so the three walked over to the shadow. When they came to the source of the shadow and the groans… they gasped.

"Oooooh…" groaned someone in chains made of flesh. Laying on the ground was this yellow, triangular creature with one eye. But parts of him looked like they had been eaten, exposing flesh and bone, while his one eye was red and dripping blood. The prisoner was… Bill Cipher.

"What… the hell?" Boscha asked while Maya narrowed her eyes at him.

"Who… who are you?" Hunter asked.

"Belos's conscience… what does it look-cough! Couch!" he coughed blood through his black iris, disturbing the three.

"Wait a minute!" Maya shouted as she pointed to him. "I recognize you! You're Bill Cipher!"

Back at the Owl House, everyone was starting to panic.

"Okay, this is bad," Eda said while marching back and forth. "This is really, really bad…"

"They haven't responded in a while now," Lilith said while Amity and Amicus stayed by Luz's side.

"You think something happened to them?" Amity asked in a worried tone.

"Not even the brainwaves modulator could pick up their brainwaves," Dr. Bride said while looking at the crystal ball monitor.

"Alright, that's it," Eda said as she stopped marching. "I'm calling it, I'm gonna pull them out of there."

"But what about Luz?" King asked her.

"We'll just have to do a do over or find another way to help her," Eda said before Hooty popped up.

"Um, Eda, there's a creepy old lady standing on the edge of the woods outside," Hooty informed her.

"Creepy old lady?" Eda asked him. "Someone I know? I thought Prim moved..."

"Um, see for yourself," Hooty said as he opened the door for Eda, who walked out and spotted an old hag wearing a black cloak…

It was Grimhilde.

"Well, this is frank…" Grimhilde said when she spotted Eda.

"Wait a minute," Eda said as she narrowed her eye at Grimhilde when she got a closer look at her. "I know you… you were at Vanz Ator's shop!"

"Wow, you do have a good memory," Grimhilde responded. "Now tell me… how did you enjoy the gift I left for you?"

"Gift…" Eda's eye widened, remembering the apple blood crate. "You… IT WAS YOU!" She dashed towards Grimhilde and delivered a punch to her face, knocking her down. "There is a lot more where that came from, you old bitch!"

Grimhilde got up, feeling her face. "Yes, I believe that is fair. Though to be honest, I had no intention for your daughter to be the one who drank the apple blood. My target was you."

"Me…" Eda said as she glared at her. "Why target me?"

"Well, the outcome is still the same," Grimhilde explained after getting up and dusting herself off. "I know how to break the curse. I don't have the cure with me though, so even if you roughen me up for it, you wouldn't find anything. I will only tell you how to break the curse… in exchange for the portal door and key that you have."

Eda looked alarmed and tried to deny this. "W-What portal door and key? I um… I don't have anything like it. Lost them a long time ago."

"Hmm, well that's a shame for your daughter then," Grimhilde said, seeing Eda tense up. "Guess she'll have to sleep for a very long time…"

"…What do you even need it for?" Eda asked her.

"I need it to help a friend," Grimhilde admitted, which made Eda raise a brow.

"A friend? If you need it for a friend, you could've just asked without poisoning Luz," Eda told her.

"Perhaps, but I just preferred to have leverage," Grimhilde admitted. "Especially since my friend isn't a friend of yours. And this way, you know that no matter what my reason for needing the portal is, Luz's life is more important." She pointed to Eda, who looked conflicted. "I'll give you some time to think about my offer."

Eda gave a final glare at the old witch. She snarled at her, before turning around to march back to the house.

When she got back in, she made an announcement. "Everyone… I got some news…"

Back in the mindscape, Boscha had been brought up to speed on who Bill Cipher was.

"So this guy is this manipulative demon that tricked Luz's stepbrother, Dipper, and then Luz?" Boscha asked as Maya nodded.

"He also destroyed Mewni," Hunter revealed, making Boscha's eyes widen.

"What?!" Boscha asked before glaring at Bill. "You! You're the one who destroyed Tom's home! You're the reason why he could never see his family again!"

"Cry me a river," Bill said before getting kicked in the eye. "Ow! Ow you stupid little-!"

"There's more where that came from," Hunter told Bill as he glared at him. "How did you even come here? Are you in league with Belos and the Horned King?"

"Me and Luz never heard anything from you since that night she made a deal with you," Maya pointed out. "How did you end up in Belo's mindscape?"

"Well, that day when I got Lizard-Bat to make a deal with me, I started to look through her head," Bill explained. "However, I didn't expect the Inner-Self of tall, dark and warlock in here. And that's when I ended up meeting the Horned King…" He coughed some more, spewing blood. "That demon deer thing tried to eat me! And unluckily for me, I could regenerate, which the Horned King realized. So I was kept here as a snack for the Horned King to feed on." He looked up at the trio. "Look, please free me of my prison! I can give you anything! Riches, stock, crypto, secrets of the universe!"

"Yeah, no way," Boscha told him. "Like we're dumb enough to let you out."

"After what you've done, you deserved to be imprisoned here," Hunter told him.

"So you'll just have to rot in Belos's head," Maya said, the three turning around to leave Bill to his fate.

"W-Wait! Come back! I… don't leave me alone again…"

As they continued to look around, Hunter paused as he spotted another portrait. "Guys," he said, diverting their attention to the portrait…

It was a depiction of Belos meeting Luz in her first winged-form, with the Golden Guard and a trapped Eda there.

"This is…" Boscha said in surprise.

"Luz's first meeting with Belos, which I was present for," Hunter explained. "Do you think…?"

"Let's take a look," Maya said as the trio entered the portrait.

Once they went inside, they saw the events play out from their perspective, although Hunter felt a bit awkward watching his past self stand nearby.

"You threw the key… in the Forest of Fears?" Belos asked Luz after hearing what she did.

"I was angry that I was going to be sent away, okay?" Luz said while looking at her mom's shocked expression. "I was really upset and I… I wasn't thinking straight…"

"Luz…" Eda said sadly while Belos rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"I believe you," he admitted. "And that's unfortunate. Because of that and if you don't accept my offer of membership, I am afraid that I will be out of patience and you two will leave me no choice…" He reluctantly put his mask back on. "…but to have you publicly executed."

"What?!" Luz said in shock, but before she could do anything Belos gestured to her with his staff and zapped her with something to calm her down.

"If you do not serve the Titan, then you are against the Titan," Belos told them. "And for the greater good of all, an example must be made…"

As they watched this, Boscha and Maya looked confused.

"That's… odd in using his staff like that," Maya commented.

"Yeah," Boscha agreed. "Couldn't he use a sleep spell?"

"Hunter."

The trio were surprised to hear another voice and Hunter turned to see who it was. He, Boscha, and Maya were shocked to see someone in the portrait memory with them… the Inner Belos, who resembled the adult Belos without his mask out.

"Why are you here…?" the Inner Belos asked in confusion as he confronted them. His gaze shifted to Boscha and Maya. "And who are they…?"

Hunter froze in place, while Boscha and Maya's eyes widened as Boscha grabbed Hunter.

"Run!" she shouted as the three made a run for it, fleeing from the Emperor.

"Wait!" Inner Belos shouted as he raised his hand up, causing the memory to suddenly warp around them.

Boscha, Hunter and Maya kept running through the halls of the castle, even as the floor suddenly bent upwards, causing the three to run upwards. The upward floor then split into three versions as the reality around them starts to warp and twist. It was like seeing a kaleidoscope vision, as the trio saw reflections of themselves.

"He's trying to confuse us!" Maya shouted.

"Whatever you do, don't let go!" Boscha shouted as they kept running with Hunter.

The halls now changed into a different hall, which included the balcony of the castle. They almost ran right off as they looked down, seeing the spiky moat beneath them.

"What else happened after that?" Boscha asked Hunter. "Where else did Belos go?"

"I…" Hunter tried to think, but then he realized something. "Follow me," he said as they ran back.

They jumped out of the portrait memory, the Inner Belos showing up behind them and seeing them run.

"Wait!" he cried out as he saw them running into another portrait, forcing him to follow them.

As they ran, Hunter looked around and saw Belos meeting with the Greater Basilisk.

"Not here," Hunter said as the memory froze up. They turned to see Inner Belos tailing them.

"Come on, let's jump out!" Boscha shouted as they jumped to another memory.

The trio ended up in another memory in the castle, where they saw Belos meeting up with Steve.

"Wait, human friends? Glowing hair?!" Belos asked as he turned to Steve after their talk in the morning.

"Not this one!" Hunter shouted as the room started to twist around. Despite this, the trio managed to escape the painting.

The trio ran through a Coven Head meeting room as the room twisted around. Boscha shot a fire spell behind them before Hunter took her away to another portrait.

"We're close!" Hunter declared while running down through the halls of the Conformatorium as it split into a spiral. A past Kikimora was walking until she got split in half of the hallway.

"GAAAH!" Kiki shouted while warping around…

"AAAAAH!"

The trio ended up falling onto a platform after making it through another portrait. As they fell down, they saw themselves in front of a crowd of witches and demons.

"Where are we now?" Maya asked, looking around.

"Wait a minute… this is…?!" Boscha asked as she realized where they were at.

"The petrification ceremony," Hunter confirmed.

"Boscha?! Hunter?!"

The trio looked behind them and saw a cage. In the past, that cage would've had Eda, Lilith, and King in there. But instead, inside the cage was the chained up winged form of… Luz. Or at least, the Inner Luz.

"Luz!" they shouted, seeing her in the cage.

"Guys! Get me out of here!" the Inner Luz cried while taking Luz's present day form.

"I got you, Luz," Maya declared as her pincers grabbed the bars of the cage, shattering them. Boscha and Hunter went to grab Luz, helping to unchain her.

"Are you alright, Luz?" Hunter asked her.

"Other than being in a coma right now, I'm fine," Luz responded, now free. "The Inner Belos grabbed me shortly after I fell into the coma, locked me up here, leaving my mindscape undefended. Thank Titan you guys came to rescue me. Although I will admit, I was expecting Amity…"

"Well, Amity meant to come along with me to save you, but Hunter came instead by accident," Boscha said as everyone turned to Hunter.

"I, um, wanted to help you too, Luz. Even if we're not on completely good terms," Hunter admitted, a bit awkwardly. "Wait, are you the real Luz or the Inner Luz?"

"Right now, I'd say those are interchangeable," the Inner Luz told them. "Best not to think about it too hard."

Hunter nodded, remembering when Lilith went into his head and how the Inner Hunter's memories of the whole thing were also his memories. How Gavin was able to remember the broad strokes from when they were in his mindscape.

Suddenly, the crowd in front of them became a blur.

"He's coming! Hurry!" Maya shouted as the four ran out to jump into the painting on a pillar.

Once they got out, the four were now back in the mindscape.

"That… was close," Maya said.

"Yeah, but we're not out of the woods yet," Luz responded before looking around Belos's mindscape. "Um, I guess metaphorically and literally speaking."

Suddenly, they heard a screeching roar that made the small hairs of their necks stand up.

"Crap, is that-!?" Hunter shouted before the Horned King popped in front of them from the ground.

"AAAAAH!" the four screamed as they saw the unholy abominable creature crawling toward them.

"DEVOUR!" the Horned King shouted as he was about to attack them with his spider-like tendrils…

"STOP!"

Until someone emerged from the ground in front of the Horned King. The Horned King stopped in his tracks, he and the four kids watching the goop materialize into the Inner Belos, who had his hands up as he placed himself between Horned King and the children.

"Please… give me a chance to speak with them," Belos told the Horned King, giving him a pleading look.

The Horned King snarled at Belos, but still backed away from them. "Very well…"

"Thank you," Belos responded before he turned to the four. He looked at Hunter specifically. "Hunter… what are you doing here? In fact, I haven't seen you since you left the castle on your day off…"

Hunter looked at his uncle, his emotions mixed at the moment. But he managed to muster up an answer. "I came here to save Luz. But… what the heck's going on here?" he asked him. "Why does Luz's mindscape bridge into yours?"

Belos was about to answer, but someone cut him off.

"It was the staff, right?"

Everyone turned to Boscha, who gave Belos a glare. "When you first met Luz, you used your staff to zap something in her mind. It wasn't just to calm her down, no, it was a spell. Some kind of forbidden art that allowed you to create a connection between both your minds."

"Creating a backdoor into Luz's mind… that you could use for your own benefits!" Maya realized while glaring at Belos.

"You… you zapped a doorway that would let you get into my head?!" Luz shouted at Belos accusingly. "This is beyond being a creep, Belos, this is borderline perversion!"

"Why would you do this?" Hunter asked him. "Why to Luz of all people?"

Belos sighed before he started to explain. "I have made a deal with the Horned King long ago. That deal was my curse, and it has taken a toll on me." He showed his hand, which melted into something similar to Abominations. "I am in need of a new body. A body that won't begin to fall apart when I use too much magic and haven't fed. But any other body would just burn out quickly. No… the only sufficient vessel strong enough for me would be a body like mine… a body like Luz's."

Hunter's eyes widened in realization, while Luz, Boscha and Maya were just as shocked. "What…?"

"The fuck?!" Luz shouted, now beyond creeped out.

Belos turned to Luz as he continued. "Your Titan form has not been corrupted by the Horned King like mine has, Luz. But that was just a back-up plan and I hope that it won't become necessary. After all, I don't like doing this to family…"

This made Luz look disgusted at him. "Family?" she scoffed at him. "You dare call yourself family? You think that you're family after everything you've done?! You are not family!"

"Luz…" Belos tried to reason with her, but Boscha couldn't keep it in anymore, her anger getting greater every second she had to look at his face.

"You motherfucker!" Boscha shouted at him, tears streaming from her eyes as she glared at Belos "My aunt didn't die of the Red Death, you were the one who killed her!" she shouted at him, her tone overflowing with anger and hatred. "You took away my aunt Delara! How could you do something so despicable! You're just as bad as Snapdragon!"

Belos was taken aback by this, although he tried to remain calm. "Please, let me explain…"

"Explain what? How you're the biggest sleazebag in the Boiling Isles?!" Luz accused.

"I'm trying to save the Boiling Isles from disaster!" Belos claimed.

"Oh yeah, the self-fulling prophecy," Hunter said while glaring at his uncle in disgust. "What if what you're doing is just leading the Isles to disaster? Because you're the one who created the very threat that you're now trying to prevent!"

"Yeah, and look how that turned out, bringing witch hunters into the realm," Luz said with a snarl.

"…I know," Belos admitted, surprising them. "I already know that I've fulfilled that prophecy. That my intention to unite the worlds could very well lead to the end of the Isles. I realized long ago that the Gates family were the enemy that would bring ruin to the Boiling Isles…"

Hunter then had to ask. "What was it that I saw about the sigils in one of your memories? Back at the Knee. I saw those sigils… killed those witches. How does that protect the Isles?!"

Belos tried to explain. "On the Day of Unity, I have promised to free the Horned King using those sigils. The only way for the Horned King to escape his prison created by the Titan is with magic from the Titan. That is what those sigils are for. On the Day of Unity, those sigils will drain the witches of their magic, and that will give the Horned King enough power to break free of his prison. However, the sigils won't kill anyone and there will be those unaffected by the draining spell… those that I know I can trust with their magic. Of course, most of the Isles will still be left magicless, but they won't need magic anymore… they only need me."

"And there it is, your Messiah-complex," Luz muttered. "So tell us, what will stop the Horned King from just killing everything in the Demon Realm, huh?"

"Why do you think I needed the portal?" Belos asked her in a calm, almost casual tone. "I'm going to send the Horned King to the Human Realm."

The four were all quietly shocked by this. For a moment, none of them spoke. Finally, Luz did.

"WHAT?!" she screamed as she looked at Belos in disgust. "You want to send the Horned King to the Human Realm?!"

"How could you do this, Belos?!" Hunter demanded to know. "The genocide William was talking about… that was to the Humans?!"

Belos remained calm in spite of their screaming. "It only solves two problems the Boiling Isles have. The Horned King, who has long been a problem for the Isles. Ever since he was imprisoned here by the Titan, he has been corrupting and influencing the Isles from his prison. Grometheus, basilisks, the Red Death, the Forest of Fear, the Inner Demon, were-fever… all his doing, all products of his rage toward the Titan for his imprisonment. He feeds on the Isles, feeds on us, uses plagues like the Red Death to claim our souls. We need to get rid of the Horned King… and he needs a place where he can feed and devour to his heart's content. As for the Humans, well, they will always be a threat to our world as long as at least one of them is alive. They can't be trusted, because there will always be a Gabriel Gates amongst them." He turned to Luz. "And I know that you have seen what humans are really like, Luz. Their hatred, the bigotry, the violence, all of their natural evil… sending the Horned King to the Human Realm will eliminate both the problem of the Horned King and the Humans. That way, they can't destroy the Isles if we wipe them out first!"

"Wipe them out?" Luz shouted while glaring at him in anger. "Why the fuck would you do that?! Not all humans are evil!" she argued with him, surprising Belos.

"You're… against this?" Belos asked her. "I thought you'd reject your humanity…"

"Being human is as big of a part as being a witch is," Luz told him off.

"Even though what you know about the Gates family and what they're capable of?" Belos pointed out. "Especially considering that they've destroyed worlds before… like Mewni."

Boscha was shocked by this. "What?!"

"Yes, it was them that unleashed destruction upon that world, as one of their survivors confirmed to me," Belos declared while turning to Luz. "If you could just reconsider this, Luz…"

"No, I am not going along with your racist agenda," Luz declared. "I still can't believe what you're proposing. You want to wipe out humanity? News flash, but I have family that are also humans and they would be killed as well! And by the way, we're also humans too, or did you forget that… Philip?"

Belos sighed, obviously disappointed. "You know, I do have you to thank," he said. "For my new new name, I mean. You were the one who called me Belos when we first met, all those years ago. Philip, after all, was a name given to me by humans. But I am not human. And neither are you. We do not belong to their filth," he declared in a self-righteous way. "They are not 'our kind'. Witchkind is! And I'll do anything to protect witchkind from the evils of humanity!"

Silence fell as Luz gave Belos a glare. "Evil…? No, it's you that is evil," she told him off. "Everything you try to justify just proves how much of a monster you really are! Inside and out. You are nothing but a blind, murderous tyrant and the biggest hypocrite I've ever met. And if you think I'm going to side with you and your plans for genocide after learning about everything you've done that hasn't involved my family, my friends, or any of the rest of my loved ones… you're also the biggest, craziest, most egotistical, hypocritical mother-fucking idiot I've ever met!" she shouted at him, telling Belos as it was. "And for one thing: you never deserved the Clawthorne name!"

And at that, Belos's calm face suddenly twisted into anger. "Maybe it's you who doesn't deserve the Clawthorne name!" Belos screamed at her, surprising her and Hunter. "Because I'm doing this for my family! For my Adam! I am going to make those humans pay for what they did to me!"

Luz narrowed her eyes at him. "Well you've convinced me of one thing, that what this whole thing you're doing isn't about saving the world… it's about revenge," Luz told him. "Everything you're doing isn't out of love, this whole thing is about your hatred. If Adam were alive, he'd be disappointed in what you've become."

Belos tried to calm himself, tightening his fists. "It's unfortunate that you think like that," he said while turning to Hunter. "Do you agree with her, Hunter?"

Hunter wasn't able to answer, just glaring at his uncle before turning. "Run!" he shouted as he and the three girls ran into mindscape.

Belos watched them leave while the Horned King hovered above his shoulder. The Emperor sighed. "You can devour the Palisman and the Saltstar girl who knows too much… but leave Luz and Hunter alive."

Back at the Owl House, Eda discussed with the others about Grimhilde.

"I don't like this, Eda," Lilith said while looking down. "The whole point in protecting your kids is to send them to the Human Realm so Belos won't reach them. Giving away the portal key and door will only endanger them more. Not to mention that we still don't know what happened to Boscha and Hunter, who are still trapped in Luz's head."

"I know, there has to be a way out of this," Eda responded.

"I say we give her the key and door so we can help Luz," Amity suggested while hugging Luz's head on her lap. "I know it's not favorable, but we can't leave Luz like this."

"But they're our only way to send Luz to Camila," King pointed out, while Maurice nodded in agreement.

"Why not just get the drop on her?" Dr. Bride suggested as everyone turned to her. "I mean, why can't we get the info about how to cure Luz, and then take the portal door and key back? We trade with her, let the old crone tell us what we need to know, and then snatch the key and door away from her before she can escape."

"That would kill two griffins with one stone," Amity replied while Acorn nodded.

"And if she does know, we do need that information," Eda replied while staring at her daughter, who was still in her deep sleep.

Soon, Eda came outside and saw Grimhilde still standing at the edge of the woods. She walked over, carrying both the portal key and the portal door.

"Ah, have you decided yet?" Grimhilde asked her.

"I got the key right here," Eda told her, holding it up. "Once I give this to you, you tell me how to help my daughter."

"Oh, I knew you'd come around," Grimhilde replied before her eyes narrowed. "But first, let me see if it works. Is it the real thing? You better not set me up with a fake, or a booby trap."

Eda sighed as she handed Grimhilde the key and the portal door. "See for yourself."

Grimhilde raised an eyebrow as she looked at the portal key. After tapping on the eye, a ding was heard. The door folded up on itself and opened, revealing a bright, rainbow light that showed the entrance to the Human Realm.

"It is real…" Grimhilde said, smiling as she tapped on the key to fold the door back. She grabbed the door's handle as she looked to Eda. "You've held up your end of the bargain, so I shall fulfill mine."

"And that is…?" Eda asked.

"True love's kiss," Grimhilde revealed.

"Wait, really?!" Eda asked her in shock. "It's that simple?"

"Of course, dear," Grimhilde said with a smile. "Where I'm from, curses like that can be undone very easily. Sometimes with a kiss, or with a lesson learned."

Eda raised an eyebrow. "So if I get Amity to kiss Luz to break the curse…?"

"If that is her girlfriend, then yes it will work," Grimhilde said, nodding.

"Huh… well, that is quite simple enough," Eda responded. "Well, I better go tell Amity then," she said as she walked back to the Owl House.

Grimhilde watched her go before turning around to walk back into the forest. However, once Eda saw the old hag turn her back, she ran towards Grimhilde from behind as she jumped up in the air to tackle Grimhilde. "Yaaaah!"

WHACK!

Only for Eda to get punched by a purple fist that came out of nowhere. She crashed to the ground, while coming out of the Owl House were Lilith, King, Amity, and Dr. Bride. All shocked to see who punched Eda before she could grab Grimhilde.

"Ah crap…" Amity and King muttered, not happy to see who it was.

"Greetings, Owl Family!" shouted Captain Hook, who was controlling the Abomatron, the same one that Arthur and Destiny handed to him. "And greetings to you, little Fae girl!"

Lilith turned to Amity. "Amity, Dr. Bride, keep Luz and everyone in there safe. We'll deal with them," she said while changing into her harpy form.

"Yeah," Eda responded while also changing into her harpy form as King stand next to her. "Time to tango these guys to get back the door!"

"And the key!" King added.

"If it's a fight you want? It's a fight you'll get!" Hook declared while firing at them, only for Hooty to launch himself to punch the Abomatron's face. "Gah!"

"Leave this house alone! Hoot!" Hooty shouted as Eda and Lilith launched themselves to tackle Hook, who swatted and fired at them while Lilith unleashed her static charge and King used his 'Weh' at him.

As Dr. Bride went back inside, Amity turned to her shadow. "Sam! Grab the portal door and key!"

"On it!" Sam responded while flying toward Grimhilde, who was trying to get away while Hook was distracting them.

Sam saw her holding the portal door and went to get it. But as Sam came closer to grabbing Grimhilde… she was immediately swatted away by another shadow.

"Hehehe, I figured that Fae girl would pull something like this, just as Hook warned me about," Grimhilde said while turning around, her eyes glowing green as her hands burst with waves of green and purple magic. "Good thing I learned a few tricks from a Shadow Man…" she said while hanging from her neck was the shrunken head of Dr. Facilier…

Back in Belos's mind, the four kept running as they returned to a spot they had already been before. There, they met…

"Bill?!" Luz exclaimed, shocked to see him again, and in chains.

"Lizard-Bat…" Bill coughed while he was regenerating. "Please… free me! You guys are running from the deer demon, right? Free me and I can help fight against him!"

"And then what? You'll be free and try to destroy the Isles?" Hunter accused, but Luz spoke up.

"He can't unless someone makes a deal with him," Luz said, while looking at Bill. "I know this isn't the most favorable suggestion, but I think we could use him right now."

"What?!" Boscha, Hunter, and Maya asked in disbelief.

"It's not like we have a choice," Luz replied while turning to Bill with a glare.

The Horned King sniffed around as he looked for his prey through the forest of memories.

"Hey, you bozo!"

The Horned King turned to see Boscha, who mocked him with her hands at the side of her head. "Bet you can't eat me with those wormy toes on your hooves!" She stuck her tongue out, before dashing away.

The Horned King screeched as he chased after Boscha. She in turn ran as she shot a fire spell down at the target circle. As she hid behind a tree, the Horned King ran past as he went toward the flame. He dispersed the flame with his hooves, but saw no Boscha in sight.

But before he could turn around, Boscha set off the trap she had set up. Using a lightning glyph, Boscha charged up the rope, triggering her trap circle that the Horned King was now standing in and setting off a chain of potion explosions.

"AAAAHH!" The Horned King screeched as the explosions went off while the rope tightened around the oozing deity, wrapping around him and electrocuting him.

"That rope's covered with lightning glyphs that Luz and Hunter showed me how to use," Boscha taunted him before she went to regroup with her friends.

"Boscha!"

Boscha paused, hearing her name called by a familiar voice. "What…?" she asked as she turned around looking back at the Horned King. She then noticed a face coming out from his body, a face that she instantly recognized. "No…"

"Boscha!" Delara's voice called for her as her face appeared from the Horned King's mass. "AAAH!"

"Save yourself!" cried out William's face as he showed up from the mass of the body.

"Free me!" screamed the face of Terra Snapdragon.

"Danger! Danger! Run! Save yourself!" cried out the faces of Palismen.

Boscha stared in horror, listening to their screams and looking at their faces, but especially her aunt's. Her eyes were wide, her pupils small, as she froze in place, unable to move.

As she stood there, frozen in fear, the Horned King took the opportunity to free himself by disappearing into the ground.

"Dear, dear Boscha," the Horned King spoke, Boscha still unable to move as he stalked behind her. "Your aunt's soul belongs to me… just as your soul soon will…"

Boscha now felt like a deer frozen in the middle of the road as the Horned King's face got very close to her, his maw widening… before he got blasted away from the triclops witch.

The Horned King roared and looked up to see his attacker.

"YAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I'm back, bitches!" declared Bill Cipher, now in his full, top hat and triangle form. "Hey, Pinkie! You can get out now! I'm finally gonna deal with antlers!" he declared while Boscha managed to shake herself out of it and run out.

"Ahh… my snack," the Horned King said, almost in amusement.

"Yeah and I'll show you what this snack can do!" Bill Cipher declared while expanding his body as it turned crimson red as his eye. His hands burst into flames, which he shot at the Horned King.

The Horned King, however, stretched himself around and widened his maw to fire red flames at Bill. He got hit by the blast, but Bill then split off into mini-duplicates of himself. They each flew around the Horned King, zapping and blasting him. To the Horned King, it felt more like mosquito bites and he used the ooze from his mass to grab each Bill to suck him inside of his body.

However, this proved to be a mistake, as this allowed Bill to expand and explode out of the Horned King's body. "Hyahaha! You gotta do better than that, Oozy!" he declared as the Horned King then reformed himself to launch at Bill, who warped away from the spot. When the Horned King readjusted himself, he got punched in the face by Bill's fist that came out of nowhere, knocking him to a tree.

"So you like party tricks, eh?" Bill shouted as he suddenly glitched while the mindscape around him and the Horned King shifted and warped around as the Horned King stretched out to try to devour him. But Bill snapped his fingers and teleported away before reappearing behind him and summoning large hands from the branches of the trees. The hands grabbed hold of the Horned King, who glared at Bill, his eyes burning with hatred, before Bill had the hands to stretch out the monster and smash him. And then, he started to play accordion music from the Horned King's body, turning him into an accordion. The music it played were the sounds of screams from the souls. "Yeah! Now that's music!"

However, the accordion melted from Bill's hands and absorbed itself into the ground. Bill looked around, keeping his eye out for the Horned King. However, emerging from the portrait behind him, was the Horned King opening his jaws at the unsuspecting Bill… who teleported away just as he closed his chomps. A large pan then hit him on the head.

"Whoo, feeling dizzy, my deer?" Bill asked before he slammed the Horned King's face with the frying pan. This flattened the Horned King's face, but he just scoffed and shrugged it off, sending out his tendrils towards Bill, wrapping at his arms and legs as he slammed him to the ground. "Gah!" he shouted before the Horned King then used his tendrils to tear Bill apart, leaving nothing but an eyeball.

"Pest," the Horned King declared as the eyeball floated up in the air.

"Oh yeah, wise guy?" Bill asked as he regenerated himself as bones and muscle tissue were shown. He glitched some more, now black with anger. "Now you've really, really made me angry!" he declared, enlarging himself and growing bigger than the Horned King. His eye then sends out a blast towards him, sending the Horned King back to the ground.

While the battle was going on, the others had to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. "Come on! We don't want to stick around and get involved in this reality-warping fight!" Luz declared. However, as they ran, Belos emerged from the ground in front of Hunter.

"Hunter, stop!" Belos shouted as Hunter came to a screeching halt.

"Get away from him!" Boscha shouted as she was about to draw a spell, but fleshy vines wrapped around her arm, pulling her to the ground.

"Boscha!" Luz and Maya shouted as they rushed to free her. Unfortunately, they got tangled up in the fleshy vines as well.

Hunter looked at them struggling. "S-stop this!" he shouted, turning to Belos. "Let them go!"

"Hunter, please! Just… just come back to my side!" Belos pleaded with him. "I promise that we can still save the Isles together! Just… please, believe in me…" But Hunter just looked down at the ground, backing away from his uncle. "Hunter… please, you can trust me. I would never, ever hurt you."

"No," Hunter said while looking up at his uncle. "I can't believe a word of what you're saying. Not after what I saw you did to your own brother!"

Belos froze, shocked that Hunter knew. "Please… allow me to explain-"

"I'm not hearing your excuses!" Hunter screamed at him. "Not after all the witches you've hurt! Not after you killed Delara, robbing her family of a mother that wanted to change the Isles for the better. Not after you deprived Gus of his father and placed him under the supervision of that psychopath Terra. Not after you lied to Luz and killed captured rebels behind her back. Not after you used me to spy on Luz and her family while reprimanding Lilith for doing the same with Amity. Not after you were willing to let Lilith be petrified or become a pariah, even though she's family too." He snarled at him and continued to rant. "And you've been lying to me! Lying to everyone! You've made everyone do these horrible things to each other and to the Isles, all because it was the 'Titan's Will', but none of it was real! Because this whole time you've been talking to the Horned King, not the Titan!" Tears streamed from his eyes. "You know what? They were right about you all along… you are a creep." Despite his tears, he glared at his uncle. "And I know about the Grimwalkers," he revealed.

"What?!" Belos shouted with a shocked look.

"Yeah, I learned about it a while ago," Hunter admitted. "I know about Artemis. I know she was a Grimwalker. And I know I am one as well." He looked Belos in the eyes. "And I just gotta ask now… why? Why did you make me? And please, tell me the truth."

Luz, Maya, and Boscha stopped struggling after hearing Hunter ask Belos that. Belos looked hard at Hunter and after a moment he gave a sigh.

"Abel has told me this day would come," Belos said to himself before he looked at Hunter. "I started making Grimwalkers because I wanted to bring my loved ones back. I started out making a Grimwalker of Adam, then more of my brother's wife and kids. But… none of them lasted long," he said while looking over a portrait, depicting him making the first Grimwalkers that soon crumbled, which Hunter noticed.

Then the portrait shifted to another painting, one depicting Artemis's creation. "Then came Artemis, a Grimwalker of my sister, Marilyn. She lasted longer than the others… but eventually, she died too," he declared as the painting melted in a horrific manner. "The pain of that loss was so great, that William had me promise to never make another Grimwalker. And up to a point, I kept my promise… until William died."

Hunter just shot a glare at him before Belos continued. "After that, I became desperate to have my family back, so desperate I tried to make another Grimwalker. But I couldn't bring back William, his curse had made that impossible. The closest I could get was recreating his son, Caleb," he said as he looked at the portrait of Caleb, Belos's late nephew from long ago. "But this time, I wanted it to be perfect. I wanted to make sure I did it right… and I found the problem of my process."

"Problem?" Hunter asked him. "You mean… what was causing the deterioration."

Belos nodded. "You see, Hunter, the earlier Grimwalkers relied on samples that were too old, since Evelyn, Caleb, and Marilyn had all been dead for centuries," he explained. "It was why they kept rotting away, because they came from old samples. What I had been missing… was the blood of a living descendant or relative. A fresh sample." Another portrait came from the ground. "And I couldn't use anything from myself, or William, since our blood was too corrupted. In fact, I did give my blood to one of my old Coven Heads, in hopes that he could make it something viable and use it to travel between worlds… but that experiment failed."

The portrait showed Belos handing his blood sample to the old Potion Head, Staggertarius, which shifted into a disaster of an exploding portal.

"But then, I realized that Caleb was the son of William and Evelyn, who had several surviving children. That meant a descendant of those children would have the blood of both William and Evelyn running through their veins, and fortunately for me… I had a descendant of my brother working in the Emperor's Coven," he said as he brought up another picture frame from the ground, which showed Hunter a memory from long ago… of memory of a young Lilith at the Healing Coven.

"So what is the purpose of this mandatory blood test, Head Witch Mercilest?" Lilith asked while sitting on a cot while the long neck, bug-eyed demon witch in a black and blue garb held up a needle.

"It is important that you take this blood test, Lilith. We need to make sure that you're not carrying any diseases or plagues," the previous Head Witch, Mercilest, said in a calm manner. "The Emperor just wishes for you to be in good health, especially if you wish to succeed Vina."

Hunter's eyes widened and he took a step back. He was shocked, as was the other three.

"W-Wait… does that mean… Lilith is technically my… mom?" Hunter asked, running his hands through his hair. "Or blood donor or source…"

Belos didn't give him an answer as he stepped forward. "I love you, Hunter," he told him. "While I initially created you to be a replacement for the family that I have lost, I recognize you now as your own witch and I want nothing more than for you to be at my side during the Day of Unity. Even after everything, that is still my dream…"

He extended his hand to Hunter, who looked at his uncle, seeing the pleading in his eyes. Belos was practically begging for him to stay. This made Hunter stay silent for a moment… before slamming a glyph to the ground, creating an ice block to separate himself from Belos.

"No!" Belos shouted as Hunter went to free his friends. "Hunter! Stop!" he shouted, but the ice grew spikes, preventing Belos from going after him. "Hunter!"

"Let's get out of here!" Hunter shouted as he, Luz, Boscha, and Maya kept running.

As for Bill, the Horned King had gotten the upper hand against the demon. The Horned King smacked a large hand towards Bill, slamming him to the ground. He roared at Bill before Bill phased down through the ground. And then phased back up somewhere else. He stretched large arms towards the Horned King, attempting to grab him. But the Horned King just melted around the arms and tried to drain Bill. The triangle deity disappeared and then reappeared again, but the Horned King expected this and grabbed him with a tendril.

"Yow!" Bill shouted as he was then slammed against a tree and then slammed back to the ground. He was then thrown into a portrait of Belos on his birthday, set up by Kikimora and Lilith, both witches glaring at each other. Bill came out from the portrait with a party hat on.

"Alright! Time to bring you down!" Bill shouted as he pointed his fingers at the Horned King, shooting red beams of light towards him. It evaporated parts of the Horned King's body… but the Horned King immediately regenerated and lunged at Bill, grabbing him and pinning him to the ground.

"Oof!" Bill shouted before he looked up at the Horned King and looked into his burning eyes.

Then the Horned King did something that Bill didn't expect him to do.

The Horned King laughed.

"Bill Cipher," the Horned King said as he looked down at his prey. "Sixty degrees that come in threes. Watches from within birch trees. Saw his own dimension burn. Misses home and can't return. Says he's happy. He's a liar. Blame the arson for the fire."

As he let out another laugh, Bill's large eye widened. He realized that he was not going to win this fight and if it continued any longer, he would likely get captured again. Not wanting to become a snack again, Bill panicked and managed to teleport himself away before the Horned King could feast on him.

"Well, I should get going," Bill declared while holding up his cane, trying to brush off what just happened. "I'd rather not stick around for a fight I would lose!" he shouted before snapping his fingers, causing a door to pop up. He flew through the door. "Later, nerds!" he called out as the door closed before the Horned King could grab a hold of him again.

The Horned King screeched as he roamed through the mindscape, spotting the runaway kids. As she ran, Luz looked back… and saw his burning eyes.

Once their eyes locked, Luz froze… and started seeing a vision…

In the Human Realm, specifically Gravity Falls, the skies had turned red. Rising from the portal door was the Horned King himself, now in his most bestial form. He laughed as he sprouted tendrils around.

"Now… time to feed!" the Horned King declared. "Feed my endless hunger!"

The people of Gravity Falls screamed as they ran away from the bestial demon, but the Horned King used his tendrils to grab the citizens. It grabbed Toby Determined, Lazy Susan, and the couple Rosanna and Reginald, throwing them all into his mouth, eating them with his bleached skinned jaws.

The Horned King consumed everything in his path. Those that tried to fight back, ended up getting consumed as well.

"Nooo!" Abigail screams as she was consumed.

"Mom!" Clara cried out in tears, trying to reach out to her while Masha pulled her to safety.

Camila tried to protect Clara, Masha, Dipper, Gus, and Perry as she stood with a bat. The Horned King spotted them, his shadow looming over them. Camila's glasses shone, but as the Horned King swept over her and the kids, only Camila's glasses remained…

The Horned King now towered over Gravity Falls, having consumed every soul in the town. But Gravity Falls was just the beginning. He began to move on to the rest of the Human Realm, which would soon meet the same fate as Gravity Falls…

"Luz!" Maya shouted, snapping Luz out of the vision as she was dragged away. "Come on! Don't just stand there! Let's fly out!"

"Right," Luz said as she sprouted her wings, going to grab Hunter while Maya also sprouted her wings and grabbed Boscha. They flew up into the dark abyss while the Horned King followed them up.

"We gotta find an open door somewhere!" Boscha shouted.

Hunter looked down and screamed. He could no longer see the forest of memories. Instead, he could see the Horned King. "Fly faster!"

"RAAAAAHHH!" the Horned King screeched as he reached out to them.

"Up there!" Boscha shouted as she pointed up at a rectangular doorway with light shining through it.

"We just gotta fly faster!" Luz shouted as she and Maya flew up faster while the now massive Horned King stretched out its head to try to devour them, his monstrous jaws expanding as if to swallow them whole.

"There's no way we'll make it…" Maya said, starting to feel tired.

"Don't give up!"

Maya heard the voice coming from the Horned King's mass and it was soon joined by more voices, all shouting at the heroes.

"Get out!"

"Get away from him!"

"Fly faster!"

"Don't give up, Boscha!" Delara cried out.

Boscha, hearing Delara's voice, teared up as she held onto Maya. "Maya, keep flying!"

"Don't stop!" William shouted from the mass.

"Save yourselves!" the Palismen all cried out.

Hunter looked up to Luz. "Luz, don't stop flying!" he shouted.

Luz and Maya kept flying as they got close to the door. The Horned King was still rising up to try to consume them, snapping his jaws at the boots. But they flew through the door just in time, re-entering Luz's mindscape. The Horned King was about to follow them, but the Inner Luz managed to shut the door in his face.

"RAAAAAH!"

As the Horned King screamed on the other side of the door, the Inner Luz quickly used a spell to meld the door shut, sealing the doorway so that neither the Horned King or Inner Belos could get through.

"Will that hold him off?" Hunter asked her.

"For now," Luz responded as she turned to the three. "Is everyone alright?"

"No," Boscha replied as she and Maya fell to the floor, looking tired and distraught. "All those witches… Aunt Delara…"

"William…" Hunter said as they looked down.

"And those Palismen…" Maya said while tears leaked from her eyes.

Luz looked down at them, seeing their exhaustion and their distraught. She then sat down with them, feeling the same. For a moment, none of them moved…

Lilith was hit back to the ground along with King, who rolled over. Eda still flew around Hook while he tried to keep blasting her with his purple beams.

"You think you're the first flyer I had to deal with?!" Hook shouted as he tried to take down Eda.

"Well, you are the first mecha-driving pirate I've dealt with!" Eda responded as she threw out ice glyphs that turned into ice spikes. As they hit the armor, Hook shielded himself from them with a bubble shield popping up around his head. Eda then threw a plant glyph that sprouted out a web of vines to try to trap Hook, only for him to cut it through with the Abominable knives formed from the hands.

"You gotta do better than that!" Hook declared.

Meanwhile, Sam tried to get to Grimhilde, but she ended up getting blasted by the vodou magic and shadows attacking her. Grimhilde kept shooting her magical blasts at Sam while King went on to assist as he used his scream.

"WEH!" King screamed as his sonic scream knocked Grimhilde down. However, she still held the door and key. Lilith tried to fly over to grab her, but was then blasted by Hook.

"I believe a tactical retreat is in order, Grimhilde," Hook declared as he prepared his jets.

"Indeed, Hook. We got what we wanted," Grimhilde responded as the shadows swirled around her while she sank into the ground with the portal and key. "Ta-ta for now…"

Eda flew down to Grimhilde. "Hold it right there!" she shouted as she and Sam tried to reach out to her. But unfortunately, Grimhilde disappeared through the shadows and Eda just hit the ground. "Shit!"

"So long, witches!" Hook declared before leaving as well, flying away.

"Come back here!" Lilith shouted at Hook, looking up at him in anger while flipping him off. "Gaah!"

"Geez, Lulu, did you learn that from Luz?" Hooty asked while recovering from the battle.

"I guess I did…" Lilith responded while Eda got up.

Amity came out of the Owl House, having seen Hook and Grimhilde leave while Sam retreated to her. "Sorry, Amity, I failed…"

"Don't beat yourself up about it, Sam," Amity responded. "Because we're not giving up. Follow Hook and find out where they are going. We can still get the portal door and key from them."

"I'm on it. Thank you for the encouragement, Amity," Sam responded as she flew up in the air to follow Hook.

"Don't worry, everyone, Sam will find them," Amity told them as Eda, Lilith, and King retreated to the house. "So did you find out how to help Luz, Eda?"

"Yeah, and it's quite simple and it involves you," Eda responded.

"Me?" Amity asked in confusion.

"Simply put, you must wake up Luz with a true love's kiss," Eda answered, which surprised Amity. "While me and Lily prepare a return for Boscha and Hunter, you wake Luz up."

Amity gave a nod, turning to her sleepy girlfriend. "Alright, Luz, time for you to wake up…"

Back in Luz's mindscape, the Horned King continued to bang on the sealed door, trying to get in. The four backed away, thinking about the situation at hand.

"Are you sure this will really keep them from coming in?" Hunter asked.

"I don't know," the Inner Luz admitted. "And there may be other ways for Belos and the Horned King to access my mind as well. Although now that I am aware of their intrusion, I won't be caught off guard again."

"Why did the Inner Belos even take you?" Hunter asked.

"Because the Horned King wanted me," Maya revealed, causing everyone to turn to her. "A while ago…" She glanced at Hunter and his arm before they both looked away from each other. "The Horned King tried to devour my soul, but Luz stopped him. When we fell into our coma, the Inner Belos had the chance to overpower the Inner Luz and drag her into his mindscape, giving the Horned King free reign of Luz's now unprotected mindscape, allowing him to hunt for me."

Boscha looked concerned about this. "Wait, is it even safe for you to remain here, Maya?"

"Maybe Dr. Bride can help get you out of Luz's mind, Maya," Hunter suggested.

"No, I'll stay," Maya told them while standing next to the Inner Luz. "To tell you the truth, I've grown accustomed to Luz's mind since I came here. Even though there are risks right now, I am not leaving the Inner Luz behind, especially when she needs me more than ever," she declared while turning to her "You have a Palisman out there waiting for you, so I'll be your guard dog in here to keep you safe from them."

The Inner Luz smiled at Maya. "Thanks, Maya. For what it's worth, you're a great mindscape roommate."

It was then the two noticed Boscha and Hunter having a bright light shining around them.

"What's happening?" Hunter asked.

"Looks like we're being teleported back!" Boscha responded as the two were engulfed in a flash of light…

Luz's eyes shot open as Amity kissed her. Luz moaned as Amity opened her eyes, seeing Luz awake as she gasped.

"Luz!" Amity exclaimed while Boscha and Hunter were also out.

"Amity!" Luz shouted as she sat up. "Oh thank Titan, I'm glad to see you!" she cried as she embraced her girlfriend.

"Luz, Luz are you alright? Take deep breaths," Eda said while rushing over to her daughter. Atticus landed on Luz's shoulder, chirping at her.

Lilith walked up to Boscha and Hunter. "Are you two alright?" she asked, noticing them looking freaked out and shaken.

"They're in shock," Dr. Bride realized. "You two look like you've been through a lot."

"Yeah, so does Luz," Hooty noted, seeing Luz just as freaked out and shaken.

"Luz… what happened?" Amity asked while Luz looked at everyone, trying to calm herself.

"I remember… everything," Luz said while her hands trembled.

Luz, Boscha, and Maya brought everyone up to speed on what they learned, Hunter remaining silent for the most part while the three witches were given warm blankets and hot cocoa. Atticus, Hogarth, and Flapjack comforted each of them as well.

"This… this is a lot to take in," Eda said. To say she and everyone else were shocked was an understatement to say the least

"Belos… he killed Delara…" Lilith said in shock and horror. Amity was disturbed as well, being familiar with Delara.

"Boscha, I'm so sorry for what happened to her," Amity told her while tears appeared in Boscha's eyes.

"Don't be… it's Belos and Osran that needs to pay for what they've done," Boscha said while Acorn helped stir her cocoa. "But now we know that he's targeting humankind."

"That's why he needed the portal door… so he can commit mass genocide in the Human Realm," Eda said while finding this whole thing disturbing as hell. "And the part about him wanting to take over Luz's body… that piece of shit is not going anywhere near my daughter."

"This is a dire situation indeed," Dr. Bride responded in concern. "The Emperor cannot acquire Luz and the key. But the former can still happen at any time. This is only a setback for him…"

Alarmed by this, Eda spoke up. "So a change of plans is in order. Right now, the Owl House isn't safe anymore. Pretty soon, Belos will send his goons here to take Luz away… and potentially kill us all for her and King."

Everyone looked at each other before they unanimously agreed.

Lilith turned to Hunter. "Hunter, are you okay? You've been silent since you came out…"

Hunter looked over Lilith, remembering what he had learned. He glanced at Boscha and Luz, who looked at him but stayed silent. He wasn't ready to tell her. Not yet. But he did have something to say.

"I'm with you guys," Hunter reaffirmed. "After everything I've learned about what Belos is planning, I cannot stand by his side anymore. He has to be stopped. I'll make sure he won't get you guys, especially you, Luz."

Luz looked over at Hunter, giving him a reassuring smile. "Glad you're with us, Hunter."

"And obviously, I am with you guys too," Boscha said, raising her hand. "Honestly, down there I was mainly focused on my anger toward Belos for what he did to my aunt, but I did manage to catch the rest about Belos being a Clawthorne and all that." She turned to Luz. "So the rumors are true then?"

Luz nodded. "Yeah, they are," she admitted while looking down. "I guess we forgot to tell you about that before now."

"Well, I know now," Boscha said. "Although if I've learned anything, it is that you can choose who your family is. And that guy… yeah, he is not your family."

"But where do we go?" King asked. "We need to find a safe place to be away from Belos."

"Well, as soon as I get that portal door and key back, I'm sending all of you kids to the Human Realm," Eda explained. She turned to Amity, Boscha, and Hunter. "All of you kids."

"Yeah, that does sound like the safest option," Amity replied.

"Wait, what about our families?" Boscha asked worriedly. "Won't Belos be going after them as well?"

"You're right, we can take them with us," Lilith said as they began formulating a plan.

Amity then looked over to Luz, seeing her face. "Hey Luz, want to be alone for a second?"

Luz looked up to Amity and nodded. "Yeah,"

The two headed to another room, where it could just be the two of them.

"So Luz, what is on your mind?" Amity asked her.

"A lot. And apparently there is a lot inside my mind too. But… I'm scared, Ams," Luz responded while rubbing her own arms. "When I looked into the Horned King's eyes, I saw a vision. A vision of Gravity Falls and everyone I know and care about getting devoured by the Horned King. Belos wants to kill them all. Not just the Gates family and Department A. Everyone. Not to mention that Belos can take over my head, at any time, at any moment." She rustled her hair. "I'm scared and stressed and overwhelmed…"

"Shh, I know," Amity said as she went to hug Luz, patting her back. "Luz, you're not the only one who's scared about all of this. I'm scared too, and we were all scared the moment you passed out. Which is why we handed the portal to that old witch," she said, looking down in guilt. "It seemed like a good idea at the time, but now I'm scared that there will be consequences. Because without the portal, you may be trapped here in the Demon Realm if we can't get it back from her… I'm so sorry…"

"Hey, I'm not holding it up against you, Ams," Luz replied as she kissed her on the cheek. "And hey, we'll get through this. Together…"

Amity looked up at her and nodded. "Yeah… we'll get through this together."

Amity and Luz were not the only ones who needed to be alone. Lilith had also pulled Eda aside, knowing that she needed a moment.

"Hey Eda," Lilith said, trying to reassure her. "Hey, you know that you made the right choice, right? Luz's safety was important and we will get the portal door and key back. That old hag and pirate won't know what'll hit them…" She then heard Eda sniffing and crying. "Oh, oh Eda, are you alright?" she asked her younger sister.

"Lily… it's so unfair!" Eda said in her crying tone. "This is so much bigger than I ever imagined. I thought that I was doing right by Luz, raising her and caring for her. But all I did was get her wrapped up in this thing with Belos and… and it's Angelica all over again!" She sniffed. "I promised Camila and Abigail that I'd protect her, but I don't know if I can do that anymore, not with Belos planning on taking over her mind! And now with the realization that King's a Titan… fuck, she and King are my kids, Lily. They're too young to be dealing with this shit."

This caused Lilith to give Eda a hug, comforting her. "Don't worry, Eda. We'll get the portal door and key and send them all to the Human Realm. We still have until the end of the week. We'll keep them safe," she said while Eda hugged her back.

It was just then that Sam showed up in the Owl House, the shadow getting the attention of Luz and Amity.

"Sam! Did you find them?" Amity asked.

"Yes, they aren't far," Sam confirmed. "But we must hurry."

The witches, minus Dr. Bride (who had gone back to her clinic), tracked down where Grimhilde was. The party consisted of Luz, Amity, Eda, King, Lilith, Boscha, and Hunter, Acorn and Hooty having stayed at the Owl House to protect it and watch Kay. They followed Sam to a forest clearing as they looked for the two thieves that took the portal and key.

"Over there, by that light," Eda said as she pointed to a fire nearby.

"Come on, let's get the door and key back," Hunter whispered as they made their move.

Grimhilde and Hook were surrounded by elaborate spell circles decorated by candles. The portal door was at the center of the circle while Grimhilde placed various ingredients either around the portal or in the different circles.

"And now, for the final touch," Grimhilde declared as she held a torch to the circle.

The witches looked alarmed, realizing what she was about to do. They charged at Grimhilde. "Stop!"

But it was too late. Before they could do anything, Grimhilde set the portal door aflame.

"NOOO!" Luz, Eda, Amity, and the others all shouted as they saw the portal door being destroyed by the flames before their eyes.

"You're too late, witches!" Grimhilde cackled as she held up the key. "Bloody Mary!" she screamed as she raised the key up in the air. "Bloody Mary…!"

"What is she doing?!" Boscha asked in shock.

"Don't tell me she's…!" Eda looked panicked as she saw the flames rising faster.

"Stop her!" Luz shouted as she charged in…

"BLOODY MARY!" Grimhilde screamed as she threw the key into the flames, which caused an explosion that got everyone knocked back, including Grimhilde and Hook.

Once the explosion dispersed, someone rose from the flames, pulling herself out of the ashes of the destroyed portal and key. Coming out of the flames was a crooked-looking woman with shards of glass embedded in her skin. She had unnaturally bent limbs. She also had long black hair and glowing red eyes.

She was Bloody Mary.

Grimhilde and Hook looked up to Bloody Mary, immediately bowing to her.

"Bloody Mary… I have freed you, just as you asked," Grimhilde told her.

"Grimhilde," Bloody Mary said as she stepped out of the flames and toward her servant. She lowered her hand, touching Grimhilde's chin and lifting it up. "Look me in the eyes."

The cloaked hag did just that, looking at Bloody Mary in the eyes. Grimhilde saw her reflection in those eyes, staring back at her. But when she blinked… she saw that her reflection had changed. Instead of resembling a hag, she had been brought back to her former beauty. She saw her serene, icily pale face with green eyes, chest-length black hair, and red lips with her pink blush cheeks. She has also regained her slender figure, her black cloak replaced with a black gown with black arm sleeves.

"It… it's me," Grimhilde said, feeling her own face. Tears appeared in her eyes. "At last… I am beautiful again!"

"By the Dutchman…" Hook said in shock.

"My, you look lovely, Grimhilde," Facilier said to her.

Grimhilde laughed. "I'm back! I'm back to my old self!" she declared joyfully.

As this happened, the witches recovered from the blast. Ghost shook his head while noticing Grimhilde dancing around and thanking Bloody Mary. "Thank you, Mary! Thank you for restoring my beauty!"

"You fulfilled your end of the bargain, so I held up mine," Bloody Mary responded.

Upon hearing her voice, Ghost immediately became alarmed. "On no… nononononono!" she shouted as she backed away, Amity looked over at her Palisman.

"Ghost? What… what's wrong?" Amity asked, looking concerned for her.

"That voice… I know that voice!" Ghost declared as she told Amity.

The Fae girl's eyes widened in shock. "WHAT?!" she shouted, which brought the attention of the others.

"Amity?" Luz asked her. "What are you freaking out for?" Luz then noticed Bloody Mary standing nearby, recognizing her. "Oh shit!"

"Guys," Amity said as she pointed to Bloody Mary. "Ghost told me she knows this woman. Bloody Mary… is Mary Gates… Gabriel Gates's sister," she revealed, shocking everyone.

"WHAT?!" Boscha, Lilith, and Hunter exclaimed in shock.

"Gabriel's sister?!" Eda, Luz and King exclaimed.

Bloody Mary then turned around to notice the witches. "So… you know my brother?" she asked with a smile. "Well, then you should know what happens next… AAAAIIIEEEEEEE!" she screamed as blood poured out from the shards in her body as she became more monstrous, more hideous, her hair raised up in the air. Her eyes burst into chalk-glowing red light as her glass-claws extended. And in her monstrous form, she lunged at the witches.

Perhaps Belos was not the only thing they had to worry about…

Finally, we've landed in Hollow Mind as you all were waiting for…

A lot of this of what has happened was planned out by the time "Hollow Mind" first premiered, and we were discussed how to adapt it into Luz Clawthorne. By then, we had already figured out Belo's motivations, which were ironically the opposite of his canon version's.

While LC Belos is different than canon Belos in many ways, he is still very similar to canon Belos in others. Such as both are still evil, motivated by racism, plan to commit genocide, and are glory hounds wanting to be the heroes of their own stories. In Belos's case, he actually wants to replace the Titan as the 'god' of the Isles.

For Boscha and Hunter, we've decided that they would be the ones who go into Luz's head. Even before we had them actually interact in Luz Clawthorne. So really, their friendship has been building up to this chapter. In fact, a lot of things has been built up to this chapter,

The beginning flashback song that William sings is a rendition cover of "Heaven On Their Mind" from Jesus Christ Superstar, which in context of that scene takes place in the week before William's death.

The dialogue of Luz calling out Belos for being the hypocritical piece of garbage he is was suggested by Crash X Fusion when Hollow Mind first aired. They didn't know Belo's true plan or motivation at the time, but that dialogue still worked perfectly with what we had planned. So we didn't really need to change anything about it.

In regards to Delara, when Darius was in a purgatory-like state and had to escape from the Horned King, he heard two voices. One of them being William's, and one of them was a woman's. That woman was Delara.

And I know that some of you guys were expecting Emily to appear in the chapter… but we decided she didn't need to be there. But don't worry, we'll make it up to you all in the next chapter…

Reviews:

Crosshot: Well if you like to see that, I can provide for ya(by commission fee, need to pay the bills).

The Great Fossil King: We might, depends on how far and beyond we go with Book 3.

Shuffollower: You are very way off on the apple blood thing. Why would Raine endangered Eda to be sent to the mindscape, as she doesn't have her magic? Of course it would be her enemies. And thanks for the comment on the Anne pic.

Matteso585: 1) No spoilers. 2) No spoilers. 3) PMed you before, and that is not the case. 4) Yeah, a bridge to Belos' mindscape.

Franco Almiron: Well, it's more like the Horde, but nice comparing them to MAWS's Kryptonian military.

Spantidem7: 1) Maybe. 2) The Lich. 3) Terra isn't a stepmother to anyone at all. As for Sunny, we've decided to make her life a play on to many fairy tale heroines with evil stepmothers and sisters by giving her an actual healthy relationship with her stepmom and sisters. 4) Maybe. 5) Because it's intentional. 6) Hmm, yeah. 7) He won't have much to do in the story, just make guest appearances whenever Julia summons him for a bit. 8) Well, they do care about her well being.

Krypton Writes: Great that you've caught up reading.

Ultimate-drax: Thanks for the review.

Alamout: 1) Maybe vaguely. 2) Titans lay eggs, remember? 3) No spoilers. 4) I mean, they had some link with him in Canon. 5) Yes. 6) That's a broad question.