Hey all! I'm back with chapter 3 of MoO! I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter, I had some fun writing it. And hopefully this chapter is just as enjoyable.

Also, just a little tidbit for this fanfic I should've elaborated more in the first chapter. I may introduce SOME characters from TOH a little earlier than they should have been just for the sake of the story. But I'll try my best to stick to the timeline in some way. And with that out of the way, let's get into the story!

"I knew my Leviathan would not fit through this portal, not at all. But it has achieved the impossible before. I feared for its well being as it was already twisted and aberrant from venturing through the seemingly endless abyss of space. But my curiosity was at its peak, and there was nothing that could take me out of it. I gave myself up to this curiosity. I moved the Leviathan closer, expecting…no, demanding that the portal grow to a size where it would fit my ship. It didn't. I grew impatient, angry. But just then, the mysterious voice that patrolled the portal talked to me once more. 'Please, help me, sir.' Then I asked, 'Why? Who are you?' It told me it's name was 'Collector'. Like me? I thought. They told me they had been trapped by beings called 'Titans', and that this portal was them beckoning me to help. 'Why would the great Emperor Calus help a mere child? One that won't even show their face nonetheless.' What I beheld after was stunning, to say the least, but not unlike anything I had seen before. I looked down to my feet to see a shadow circling my body. A playful thing, but it was the source of the voice. 'I think you should help me because I can give you anything you've ever wanted.' It told me. As an agent of my own joy and pleasure, I obliged." - Calus

Chapter 3: Out Of His Mind

Eda arrived back at the Owl House, carrying a bag of her elixir and was greeted by Hooty.

"Hey, Hooty, I'm back. Where is everybody? Luz and Lily are usually out here practicing their glyph magic. And I don't hear King screaming about ruling the Demon Realm." She said as she sat down her bag on the ground.

Hooty extended himself out of the door and got closer to Eda. "Well, I don't know. Buuut-"

"But what?" Eda was impatient and had interrupted Hooty.

"Buuuuuuut…they did say they were going back to that one island where we took King and Luz found that creepy statue thing Luz was talking about." He told Eda in his usual high pitched voice.

Eda gasped as she had completely forgotten about what she said to Luz about the statue. "Oh, Titan." She facepalmed. "And you didn't tell me Hooty?"

Hooty frowned. "You weren't even here for me to tell you."

"Yeah, I guess you're right about that." Eda responded while putting a finger on her lip.

"But hey, at least you know now!" Hooty said in a cheerful tone.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Eda summoned Owlbert. "I'll be back, Hooty. Watch the house for me will ya?"

"You got it! I will defend it with my life, Eda!" He tried to salute her but remembered he has no arms.

Eda extended her staff, got onto it and flew away in the direction of the unknown island.

Meanwhile, back in Calus's mind, the Loyalists and the kids were discussing what they should do once they get to the root of the infestation.

"You know, I've heard stories about this 'Egregore'. I wasn't there, but I know what it did to the Glykon Volatus and the Cabal on that ship. A legionary who escaped the onslaught told me what happened. Cabal pierced straight through the heart, Psions having their minds overwhelmed and their brains liquified. Hell, even those undead Fallen creatures were there, making the situation one hundred times worse." Eratl told her comrades.

"The Glykon? The old Red Legion carrier that supposedly got lost? I'm not one for the superficial, but the stuff that happened there is just a myth. Don't believe it. All that happened is a raiding party of Loyalists took out the crew of that ship. Although it is quite strange the way they went silent after they commandeered it." Gor'tuk responded, putting his Severi on his hips.

"Woah, okay. I feel like we're missing something here. Alright since his majesty back there didn't want to say anything to us. Does anyone care to explain what exactly this Egregore stuff is, who is Gahlran, what is a 'Kingdom of Sorrow' and where we even are?" Luz asked.

"Yeah, honestly my head really hurts from all this confusing stuff. I could go for some apple blood right about now." King added.

"Woah! King, I forgot you were even here." Gus said.

"My small size is both stealthy and intimidating, Gus."

"What is that creature? It is smaller than a newborn war beast." Gor'tuk commented.

"We'll tell you. After you answer our question. Maybe." Luz told the Gladiator.

Urlgor took a step forward, pushing Eratl and Gor'tuk out of the way. He walked up to the children, his footsteps sounded like thunder to them. He stopped close to them and knelt down to look at Luz.

"Your species asks a lot of questions, human. I- we can answer all of them on the way. But I'll tell you what you're getting into in the Kingdom of Sorrow, just so you all are ready for it. This 'kingdom' is where a crazed Cabal named Gahlran once resided after being overtaken by power. The Crown of Sorrow, it was called, hence the name. I oversaw a strike team to eliminate the threat but only a few of us made it out." Urlgor looked at Khuun and turned back around. "But the emperor employed these…damn near gods to neutralize Gahlran. And they did so. His crown has been bounced back and forth between locations, I heard, but it was never seen again ever since. But it was left in the underbelly of this ship for so long that the Egregore grew around it, and that's where the infestation started. It doesn't look like it here, in the mind, but in the real world, the Leviathan is much more like a dark garden of sorts." Urlgor stood back up.

"Okay…so...Gahlran, Crown of Sorrow and, ugh. You know what? Nevermind. We'll be asking way more questions when we get out of here." Luz told Urlgor.

"Of course, human. Now we move out." The Colossus responded.

They walked up the bone and gold covered stairs.

"Sooo. What are these bones?" Willow asked.

"Hive bones. Well, armor, not bones. It's from the chitin infused with their bodies." Khuun told the little Witch.

"Hive? Like a hive of fire bees?" Amity added to the question.

"No, Hive. That's their name." Khuun heard fast footsteps around him. "I have a feeling you'll get to see them soon."

"The Emperor told us what you all can do. Can you use your magic here and keep yourselves safe?" Urlgor asked the children.

They all tried to use their magic. It was working, but not as powerful as usual.

"Yeah, technically we're still on the Isles. But our magic seems weak here, like something is interfering with it." Amity told Urlgor. She tried to summon an Abomination but was unable to completely form one.

Gus tried to summon one of his illusions but it immediately poofed away. And Willow attempted to grow plants but was unable to, mostly due to the fact there was barely any fauna where they were.

"Use what you can. We will defend you. Human, demon thing. Stay close to us if you have no power to protect yourselves." Khuun said.

They continued walking and walked through the triangle shaped door and were met with a large dimly lit hallway. At the end was a large door.

"Behind that door is a lift we can take to the depths of the Menagerie. Once we're down there, we'll have to walk the rest of the way to the Kingdom of Sorrow. Let's just hope we don't encounter any hostiles on the way there." Urlgor explained.

"Ugh, another lift." Amity scoffed.

"Well, we'll get some time to catch up with our giant friends here at least." King added as he climbed onto Luz's shoulder.

"Here goes, you guys." Willow told her friends.

They all went up to the lift door as it opened and walked in. The door then closed behind them.

Lilith was busy taking notes about Calus and his endeavors.

"So, tell me again who it was that organized a coup against you. Was it Gon? Gorp? Gale?" Lilith asked Calus.

Calus's frustration was not visible, but was made audible through an annoyed sigh. "His name was Dominus Ghaul. I called him the Ghost Primus, due to the extraordinary bleached color of his skin, which was most unusual, yet intriguing. How wrong I was to take him under my wing."

"So, this Ghaul person betrayed you, why exactly?"

Lilith then heard a voice calling out the names of her, King and Luz.

"Wait, don't answer that question just yet. I think I hear someone calling my name."

"It would do you well to ask nicely next time." Calus replied.

"Lilith!? Lilith! Luz!? King!?"

As the voice got closer, Lilith could recognize it more and soon realized it was her sister, Eda.

She started to call out to her also. "Eda!? Edalyn! We're over here!"

Eda followed the sound of Lilith's voice and eventually found her.

Eda walked over to her sister, oblivious to the giant golden statue behind Lilith. "Oh, Lily, there you are. I was definitely looking all over for you and didn't just remember to come here to find you and Luz. Hey, where is the kid?" She then took notice of the statue and looked up at it. "Let me guess."

"Now before you say anything. Luz is perfectly fine within the mind of that ancient emperor from possibly another dimension." Lilith was a little nervous.

Eda raised an eyebrow. "Uh huh. So you're telling me you got my human and her friends to go in the mind of that guy, to do what exactly?"

"Well I wouldn't say I got them to do it. They insisted they do it themselves. I simply just wanted to observe. But I guess I should have probably done something about it." She said putting her hands together in a shy manner, tapping the tips of her fingers against each other.

At this point, Eda was a little frustrated, putting a hand on her hip. "Look Lily. The kid has been through worse, but treading through the mind of some alien emperor's mind isn't exactly her thing. Not to mention that it's not safe whatsoever."

"What a glorious reunion of sisters." Calus said.

Eda's eyes widened out of shock. "Did that statue just…" She pulled out her staff, getting into a defensive position in front of Lilith.

"Yes, Eda. But it's- he's friendly. He has no intentions to hurt us. I promise." She motioned her to put down the staff.

"Yes, Eda. Listen to your sister's words. I have no ill intentions towards this realm whatsoever. I in fact wish to shower it with gifts and affection once all of this is over." Calus said.

Eda put her staff back where it was, and got back into a neutral position. "Yeah, yeah. That's all fine and dandy, Mr. Deep Voice. But where's Luz? Is she okay? She better be okay! Or else things are gonna get rough for ya!" She said pointing a finger at the statue, squinting her eyes with an angry expression on her face.

"I assure you, the human and her friends are safe. They are being guarded by some of my best warriors. If any harm was to come their way, your human would simply have to ring the Bell of Conquests I gave her. Do not fret."

"You know what? I would feel way better about the things you just said if I knew who you were."

"I am Calus of the former Cabal Empire. I come from a dimension different from yours. I wound up here due to a…revelation of mine within a journey I was taking. I sought refuge here in hopes of me and my Loyalists finding a new home after we were exiled by traitors to the throne. But it seems that this realm is not fit for two emperors. Fortunately, revenge has taken its course, as the ones who betrayed me are dead and buried. Except for one." Calus explained to the confused witch.

"Well that's a compelling story. But tell me what my kid is doing in there, please?"

"If you insist. She is reestablishing a connection between my mind and my ship that is somewhere, here in this realm. If it interests you, I can open a connection between my mind and the real world so you may see what is happening."

"Yes, do that, please." Eda said in a worried but annoyed tone.

Calus then once again opened a link to his mind, showing Luz and her friends, and the Loyalists. "You can see and hear them. But they cannot see or hear you. If you are truly worried about their safety, then it is possible for me to transport you inside my mind."

"I think I'll pass. For now at least. But if things get out of hand I'm going in there." Eda looked at Lilith, visibly upset but nonetheless relieved that Luz was okay. She looked back at the link Calus made and watched them as they went forward.

Back in the mindscape, they had made significant progress in their journey to the Kingdom of Sorrow.

"How much longer do we have until we get there?" Gus asked.

"Yeah, my little legs are starting to give out on me with all this walking." King added.

"We do not have much longer until we arrive there. You must persist if you wish to be gone from this place." Khuun told the children.

"Yeah, whatever. But why can't we just hitch a ride on your backs or something?" Amity asked Khuun.

The Cabal all looked at each other, turning to one another. They all nodded to each other, except for Gor'tuk.

"If it will preserve your energy for later, then we will oblige." Said Urlgor. He put his hand down to let Amity on to it. He then placed her on his shoulder. The view from the shoulder of the colossal Cabal was high to say the least, but she wasn't scared of the height. He looked at the girl. "Your name, what is it? Calling you all by the name of your species seems impertinent."

"My name? Oh, it's Amity. Amity Blight."

"You have a swell name, Amity. I am Urlgor, the Beastmaster. But you may call me Urlgor. I am curious, what magic do you practice?"

"I do Abomination magic. They're these gooey creatures I can summon out of thin air. They can fight, do my bidding, or do anything I wish, really. It's cool I guess. I took it up because of my father."

"Interesting. Most Cabal follow in the footsteps of their mother and father and join the military. But some pursue other careers. The majority of Cabal consider avoiding service brings dishonor and shame upon your family. I do not believe this ideology, and neither does Calus. This is why I follow him."

"It's unfortunate that your people think that way. It's the exact same way my parents think. But at least me and you are like minded though, right?" Amity responded.

"Indeed, it is a favorable trait that we both share, Amity." Urlgor added.

Gor'tuk turned away from everyone else. "Oh no. I'm not letting any of 'em onto my back. What if they tamper with my jump pack? I'm fine with them on the ground. But with them so close to my equipment? I don't think so." Gor'tuk complained to his fellow Cabal.

Eratl turned to her Gladiator comrade. "Gor'tuk, do not be so brash. These Witches are here to help us, not sabotage us. Besides, it would do you well to make some new friends." She teased.

Willow looked up at him. "Yeah, Gor'tuk. I don't bite." She winked and pointed a finger gun at him.

The Gladiator reluctantly picked up Willow. He held her close to his face, which was covered by his helmet. "I guess I can trust you, Witch. But don't touch a thing. And what's your name? I can't and don't want to call you 'Witch' the entire time."

Willow raised her arms into the air with glee. "The name's Willow. I like working with plants back home. So obviously I'm a Witch that dabbles in plant magic. Which means I can command plants and flora around me. And you don't have to worry, I won't touch anything of yours." She said, waving her hand. "Maybe." She whispered to herself.

"Then perhaps you will be more useful on this mission than I previously thought, Willow." Gor'tuk responded while putting Willow onto his shoulder.

Eratl knelt down to grab Gus. "Looks like it's you and me, little one." She took him in his hand and held him up. "What's your name anyway?"

The boy's face lit up. "My name is Augustus. But you can just call me Gus. What's your name?"

"My name is Eratl. In my people's language that means 'unwavering and stalwart'. Some Cabal like me earn their names after proving themselves worthy of one, in battle, as strategists, or through whatever profession they are in. I earned mine by being a wall for my allies to stand and fight behind in battle."

"That's pretty cool. Us Witches get our names at birth. I don't think they have anything to do with how skilled we are at something. But hey, I could be seriously wrong. My parents just really liked the name Gus I guess."

"How intriguing, Gus. Perhaps you can tell me more of your people's culture when we are done."

Lastly, Khuun picked up Luz and King. "How come you are Human and the others are not?" Khuun asked.

"Well, technically I don't belong here. I fell into a portal door from the Human Realm into the Demon Realm. It didn't seem too complicated then. But now? Yeesh. It's way more complicated." The girl responded.

"Human Realm? You mean Earth? Do you know of the Last City and the Guardians that protect it?" Khuun asked.

Luz looked perplexed. "Guardians? Last City? What are ya talking about dude? There's plenty of cities on Earth. And I don't know anything about any Guardians. Unless you mean my mom. Then yeah. She's definitely a guardian to me."

The Centurion shook his head. "Nevermind it. What is your name, Human?"

"Well, my name is Luz Noceda. But just call me Luz. And this cute n' fuzzy little guy's name is King." Luz rubbed King's head.

"I am not cute! I am intimidating and scary! Weh!" King complained.

"Sooo, what's your name?"

"My name is Khuun. I am a Centurion of the emperor's Loyalists."

"Oooohhhh, a centurion like from Roman times? That's awesome!"

"I have read human texts before. Our ranks are much more similar to the ranks of these Roman soldiers than I have ever known."

"Cool, right?" She chuckled a bit.

"Yes human, cool."

"One more question. What's up with the wings on your back? Do they make you like, fly or something?" Luz asked.

"Yeah, yeah. And if they do make you fly, can you take us flying one day?" King asked.

"King, you've already flown high in the air multiple times". Luz responded

"Yeah, but it'd be cool to fly on this guy's back."

"Whatever, King." Luz looked back up at Khuun. "So?"

"The wings signify my status amongst my other Cabal. My current rank is Bracus. I am a newly appointed officer. And to answer your other question. No. The wings do not make me fly, Luz." Khuun was starting to grow fond of the girl, but was more focused on his mission.

"Now that the pleasantries are over. We must continue forth. The Kingdom of Sorrow is not too much farther." Urlgor said as he continued walking.

Soon, they reached a giant room with a giant gap in the middle. There was a platform higher up with a giant door at the top and seemed to be the final door to get to where they had to go. In between them and the platform, were a bunch of pistons and platforms that they could jump on to go further.

"So are you guys gonna be using those jump packs of yours to get us up there? If so, can you please be careful? I don't wanna end up being a splat on the floor down there." King told the Cabal.

"Worry not, we are trained to be precise with our jump packs. We'll be up there in no time." Khuun reassured King. "Cabal, ready your jump packs."

"Hold on tight." Gor'tuk told the children.

They all grabbed onto something while sitting on the Cabal.

"We'll go in pairs. Gor'tuk and Eratl first. Then me and Khuun." Urlgor commanded.

"Don't let go of me for anything, Willow. It can get bumpy." Gor'tuk took out his severi and jumped to the pistons ahead of him, Eratl and Gus followed close behind him and Willow. And with ease they made it to the upper platform. After them was Urlgor and Khuun with Amity, Luz and King. Urlgor made it up with no trouble, considering his size. Khuun also had little trouble, except on the final jump. The Centurion ended up slipping on his last jump and almost falling. This caused Luz to loosen her grip around him, she ended up falling, but luckily caught onto a wing of Khuun's armor. Khuun was able to recover from the slipping and regained his footing.

"A simple miscalculation". Khuun grabbed Luz and King from off his wing and placed them on the ground. "My apologies, Luz the Human. I had a lapse in judgment on that final jump."

Luz was visibly jittery and uneasy, dusting herself off. "Yeah, uh. It's okay, dude. I totally didn't think I was going to kick the bucket or anything, haha." She said nervously, putting her hand behind her head for a bit.

Urlgor placed down Amity, who ran over to Luz to check on her. "Luz! Are you okay? You aren't hurt are you?" She hugged her and then turned away, blushing.

Luz also turned away while blushing a little, but managed to answer. "Yeah, I-I'm fine."

Gor'tuk and Eratl placed also down Willow and Gus.

"Behind that door is the Kingdom of Sorrow. We establish the connection, and we're out." Gor'tuk said.

"It would have done us well to have the help of a Psion on this assignment." Eratl commented. "I have a feeling some of us don't know how to even establish an Egregore connection."

"Isn't Egregore some kind of fauna or plant?" Gus asked.

"Yes, the Egregore is a sort of fungus. But it is considered fauna." Urlgor responded

"Well, despite our powers being weaker here. Maybe our friend Willow can control it somehow." Gus suggested.

"Do you believe you can use your powers to control the fungus, Willow?" Urlgor asked.

"I'm not too sure if I'll be able to. But I can try." The plant Witch said.

They all turned around to see two giant statues of Cabal holding blades pointing at each other.

Willow pointed to the statues, noticing the blades on the statues are similar to Gor'tuk's blades. "Look, the blades are like yours. Are you related to those guys or something?" She asked.

"No. I'm nothing like them. They are clones of the greatest Cabal warriors. But there is no honor in being a great warrior from birth, without the trials and hardships of life. The Ceremonial Bathers are no siblings of mine, Willow." Gor'tuk told the young Witch.

"Well, I'm sorry, Gor'tuk. Let's move on, shall we guys?" Willow said. Everyone nodded in response to her question and continued up the stairs to the door.

Upon reaching the door, it opened, and behind it was a giant room filled with riches and giant pillars of sorts. Despite the golden riches all around, the room was gloomy and dull, in complete contrast of what it stood for. In the middle, down a mountain of gold was a giant infestation of the Egregore fungus, similar to how it surrounded Calus's statue in the real world.

"There it is. The Kingdom of Sorrow, the heart of the Egregore infestation." Khuun said. "Let's get down there and see what we can do."

They all entered the room and climbed down a giant pile of gold, passing a huge Calus head on the way down. Once they reached the bottom, they made sure to not go too close to the Egregore.

"If the Crown were here, it would have accelerated the infestation. But unfortunately, it was left on the Glykon. Or so we think." Urlgor said.

"Maybe if we can find a piece of the Crown somewhere on the ground, it'll make the connection stronger." Khuun responded.

In an instant, everyone got to searching for a piece of the Crown, even the kids who didn't even know what it looked like.

Suddenly, they all heard the sound of running, and blades clanging together.

"Gor'tuk?" Willow asked. Everyone had looked at the Gladiator, assuming it was him who made the noise.

"It wasn't me who made that noise." He responded.

Soon after, an armorless Cabal with glowing green runes painted on his body jumped out of the shadows. On his head was a helmet of some kind. He wielded two axe shaped blades, like the ones the statues outside wielded. He looked like a sort of primal Cabal with only loin-cloth on his lower body. By the other Cabal, he was instantly recognized, but not by the children.

"Who is that!? And why is he attacking!? Isn't he one of you guys!?" Luz asked, frightened.

"No, that's Gahlran, the Sorrow Bearer. He was killed but it seems the emperor had some trouble forgetting him." Urlgor explained. "You all need to hide! Now!"

The children all ran away, hiding behind a pile of gold, letting the Cabal face Gahlran.

Gahlran charged at Eratl, striking at her, but all of his hits were blocked by her shield. She managed to push him back with a bash of her shield, and got a few shots in on him.

A wounded Gahlran retreated back into the shadows and ambushed Gor'tuk. He leapt at the Gladiator and hit him in his arm, causing him to groan in pain, but nonetheless keeping his composure. Gor'tuk then struck back at Gahlran with both his blades, striking the Sorrow Bearer in his side, knocking him down. Gor'tuk put his blades to his face, telling him to yield, but Gahlran uttered words that sounded almost too real.

"The nightmares of the 'Golden King' are unyielding, but willing. I know nothing of Cabal life, but I know you are better than to follow a dethroned despot. Some of you know of his true motives, but are too blind to see through his act." Gahlran, on his back, turned to the children. "And to you Witches, children, you don't know what you are getting yourself into. Calus isn't who you think he is. Make your own fate." Gahlran didn't want Calus to succeed after what he did to him, but if he would be remembered as the one who helped bring him down, he would gladly lay down his arms and yield, even if it meant that the world of the Witches had to suffer from Calus's rule.

Gor'tuk looked to his allies. "I know we are better than to heed the words of a fading nightmare, let alone a failed experiment that is supposedly 'Cabal'." He turned back to Gahlran, looking down on him. "Know that your memory wouldn't have been a total waste, Gahlran." Gor'tuk then looked back at his allies, they all nodded at him. The Gladiator then stabbed Gahlran in the abdomen, causing the nightmare of him to dissipate into a red mist, only leaving behind the Crown that he once wore so long ago.

Khuun walked over and picked up the Crown. Gor'tuk looked over to him. "Do you really think Gahlran was on to something? That Calus would have intentions he considers grander than the vision of his Loyalists?" Gor'tuk asked his superior.

"I see no reason why he would. Calus is an honest man. We shouldn't worry over the words of a nightmare. He is dead and gone, Gor'tuk. Heed the words of the emperor, the past is nothing to look back on and angst about." Khuun told the Gladiator.

"You're right, we'll look forward to the future only." Gor'tuk responded.

The kids walked out of their cover and over to their protectors.

"So, that was the Gahlran Calus talked about before we left? I thought he would've been more…difficult to defeat." Luz said.

"Gahlran was never bred to be a warrior, despite inheriting the prowess of the greatest Cabal gladiators during his creation. He was destined to be nothing but a puppet since his birth. It is a shame he went mad when bearing the Crown of Sorrows." Urlgor explained.

"Good riddance, he caused us too much trouble during his temper tantrum down here." Eratl commented.

"He must've been pretty old then if his mind was taken over so easily." Willow added.

"Quite the opposite. Gahlran was only a few hours old before fleeing to the underbelly." Urlgor responded.

"Yikes. Guy went crazy right out the pod." Luz said.

"Yes, a shame. But Gahlran's origins aren't of concern now. We are so close to victory." Khuun said, walking over to a large blue, glowing spore in the Egregore. He placed the crown down near the spore, hoping it would connect with it, but nothing happened.

"Is anything supposed to be happening? What's going on?" Amity asked Khuun.

"The Egregore is directly connected to Egregore. Or at least it should be. It is the only way for us to establish a connection." He responded.

"Wait! Willow is a plant Witch, remember? What if she helped?" Gus suggested once more.

Willow stepped up to the spore, and took a deep breath. She briefly turned around. "Just beware, I'm not sure if this'll even work on account of our magic being weakened." She then turned back around and readied herself. She raised her hands in the air, trying to connect with the fungus, but failed. She put her hands down and breathed heavily for a little bit. "Guys. This is kinda hard. I can't connect with it at all. It's like it doesn't even recognize that I'm here."

"Egregore isn't an entity you can simply connect with. It needs a reason to become active, to communicate with those who speak out to it. Offer the fungus something, tell it what it wants to hear, what it wants to do. To spread and infest." Urlgor told the young Witch.

"Alright. I'll try it." She turned back towards the spore, taking another deep breath. She raised her hands again and closed her eyes, and started muttering words to the fungus under her breath. "Please connect with me, weird fungus thing. And I promise I'll help you grow and spread through this ship." She claimed to the Egregore.

She suddenly heard a voice, or several voices at once. "We are grateful for your usefulness. The emperor's trinket will help us thrive in this environment once more. We will become one with the emperor." The voice told Willow.

The little Witch's eyes started to fully glow blue, like the color of the spore. She was grasped by the tendrils of the Egregore and lifted up by her arms.

The Egregore started to grow. Vines inching closer to the Crown of Sorrow. As soon as they reached the Crown, it was picked up and held up high, out of the reach of anyone there. The eye holes in the Crown started to glow green, sprouting even more of the fungus from it. It grew so much it started to extend out of the door to enter the Kingdom of Sorrow. It started to grow so out of control that the vines and tendrils began to reach for the Cabal and Witches.

"It has Willow!" Gus yelled out.

"Luz!? Now would be a good time to use that bell!" King exclaimed.

"I know! But someone has to get Willow before I use it!" She responded.

Gor'tuk stepped up, unsheathing his blades. "I'll save her. Get to safety until we get to you!"

The Cabal all picked up the Witches to keep them safer and ran away from the pursuing tendrils.

Gor'tuk jumped closer to the Egregore, slicing his way through the endless tendrils and vines that surrounded him. He activated his jump pack to get to Willow faster. As he flew through the air, he saw a clear window to slice at the tendrils and took it. He sliced at them and watched as Willow fell to the ground. As they both dropped down, he caught Willow in his arms and rolled through the growing fungus. He ran towards Luz and the others with an unconscious Willow.

"I see you all have succeeded in your task. You all are glorious! Ring the bell and you will be teleported out of my mind!" Calus told them telepathically.

"Luz! Hurry!" King yelled as the Egregore grew closer.

"I'm trying, King! I'm trying!" She said in response.

She took out the hammer and bell then rang it exactly six times like instructed to.

"I hear you've rang the bell! But oh, the Egregore is so voracious after so many years!" Calus exclaimed jokingly. "How will you ever escape it?"

Suddenly, they all felt their bodies being pulled from the ground, and started to float into the air.

"This is really no time for joking, dude!" Luz yelled in an annoyed tone.

"Relax! Relax! I have you Titan-spawn." Calus said with a serious voice.

In a bright flash of white light, they were teleported back into the real world, along with the Loyalists.

After being teleported back, they all fell to the ground. Gor'tuk placed Willow on the ground next to the kids.

"Finally. So good to be back. Real world. Grass, trees, dirt." Luz said admiring the fauna around her, kissing the ground.

Eda and Lilith noticed the kids had returned and ran over to them.

"Luz! Kids! I was so worried for you guys!" Eda said, picking up Luz and hugging her tightly. "I'm also frustrated with you for going in that weirdo's mind without telling me." She said with a stern face.

"Oh, I'm sorry Eda. My curious and adventurous side just got the best of me." Luz said, hugging Eda back.

"You know, the caring side of me says what you did was super dangerous. But the wild side of me says what you pulled off was incredible." Eda told Luz, but with a bit of a smile, still stern.

"It won't happen again, Eda. I promise. But we were totally safe, we had these guys over here protecting us from any danger." She pointed to the towering Cabal. "And a little, small, tiny bit of help from the emperor." She added.

Eda walked over to the Cabal and looked up at them. "So, what's the deal with you guys? Are ya some kind of babysitters for your emperor?"

"No, we are elite soldiers of the emperor's Loyalist regime. We were chosen to be guardians for these children on their task." Urlgor said, stepping over to Eda. His footsteps making her slightly shake with each one taken.

"Well. Thanks, I uh, I appreciate you doing that." Eda said, looking down at the ground. She then turned to look at the other kids. She saw Willow laying on the ground, where unlike the other kids, she was unconscious. "Hey Luz, what's up with plant girl over there? Why's she still laying there?"

"Oh my Titan! Willow!" Luz ran over to Willow and went to her side. All the other kids ran to her side, and the Cabal watched.

"Oh no. I hope Willow is going to be okay." Amity said, covering her mouth.

Suddenly, Willow opened her eyes and coughed.

"Willow! You're okay!" Everyone yelled out as they hugged her.

"Of course I'm okay guys. I was just like, super tired after all that." Willow said, getting up.

"Well, it doesn't matter. We're still happy you're okay." Gus said.

"Yeah, and it's all thanks to our big buddies, especially Gor'tuk." Luz told Willow.

"Awww, really? Thanks, Gor'tuk!" She went over to the Gladiator and hugged his leg tightly.

"It's simply my duty as a warrior, Willow." Gor'tuk responded.

Behind them spoke a familiar voice, it was Calus. "I am certainly flattered that you

all took the time to help me. It is truly a miracle you all came to my help."

"You're welcome, your majesty." Luz said, taking a bow. "It was our pleasure. Despite almost kicking the bucket." She added, rising back up, with a slight frown.

"Yes, I apologize for such an inconvenience, Human. But worry not, for I shall offer you reparations for work well down." Calus responded.

Eda walked up to the statue. "What kind of 'reparations'?" She asked in air quotes.

"Riches, gifts, I will shower you with whatever you wish for. All as soon as I am…reborn. This, I guarantee." Calus said.

"And how do we know this isn't just an empty promise?" Amity asked skeptically.

"Emperor Calus always delivers. This, my Loyalists can verify." He assured Amity.

Urlgor walked forward. "Yes, the emperor is nothing short of benevolent. He will pay you your rightful reward."

"Thank you, Valus." Calus said in a joyful tone. "Now, I have enjoyed my time here with you all. It has been an honor. But we must now take our leave. There are things to be done, plans to be carried out. This is not the end of the Cabal presence in this realm."

Suddenly, a loud screeching noise could be heard overhead. Looking up, everyone could see a ship of some sort descending from the sky.

"Loyalists, your chariot has arrived. If everything has gone right. The Leviathan should be waiting for your arrival." Calus told his soldiers.

"But my lord, what about you? Surely you will not stay here?" Khuun asked.

"Of course not. The harvester is not only here for you, my friends." Calus responded.

The harvester descended closer to the ground and opened the doors on its sides. Out of the doors came four Cabal that jumped down to the ground near everyone else. Their armor was similar to that of Khuun's except it looked more advanced, the helmet was different and each sporting two circular plumes on their backs, as opposed to the wings that Khuun wore. Along with them were two Psions that differed from the ones that transported Luz and her friends into Calus's mind, wearing helmets and more traditional armor.

"Imperial Centurions? What are they doing here!?" Eratl asked surprisingly.

"Who knows? I doubt they'd even answer us if we asked." Gor'tuk responded, before seeing Willow walking up to the Imperial Centurions.

Willow began to walk next to the centurions and Psions. "Hey! I'm Willow! What's all your names?" She asked.

One of the centurions turned to Willow and grunted. He had no intentions of harming her but was trying to keep her away.

Willow took a step back, putting her hands in a surrendering motion. "Alright then. I see not all of you are as friendly." She turned to Gor'tuk. "Hey, what was wrong with those guys?"

"Those are the Imperial Centurions, they're like the royal guard for the emperor. They are not to be trifled with. It is best for you to simply leave them to their work." Gor'tuk told his little Witch friend.

"What are they doing anyway?" King asked.

The harvester landed and opened a ramp on the back of it. The centurions went up the ramp and started to cart out some type of technology.

"It looks like they're going to transmat the emperor out of here." Urlgor said.

"What does 'transmat' mean?" Luz asked.

"To put it in terms you all would understand. They will teleport him to the Leviathan. Assuming that's where they came from." The colossus responded. "It's easier to get him there this way."

The centurions then set up a sort of device around the statue of Calus. One of the centurions walked over to his Cabal comrades.

"You will take this harvester back to the Leviathan. We will be transported with the emperor. Your service to our cause will be commended in due time. We are Cabal, we eat the mountains, we drink the seas." The centurion placed a fist on his chest and walked back over to the statue. They nodded in response.

One of the Psions knelt down and pressed a button on the device. After this, an orange material appeared around the statue and the bodies of the Cabal standing near the device. In a few seconds, they disappeared into thin air, leaving behind only the device and some remnants of the egregore.

"They just…vanished. What even was any of that? What was this day? How did I get here? Oh I need a nice, really long nap after all of this." Gus said, putting his hands on his cheeks in shock.

"Yeah, I think we all need a long nap after this, Gus." Willow added.

Everyone turned to the towering Cabal next to them.

"So, this is goodbye, huh?" Luz asked.

"I suppose so. It was an honor serving the emperor's will with you all." Khuun told the kids. "Perhaps one day our paths will cross again."

"Yeah, maybe. Hopefully next time we won't almost die or anything." King said.

"The emperor is a celebratory person. He may throw a joyous party for all of your heroics this day." Gor'tuk explained.

"Now I'm wondering what it's like to party with a Cabal." Willow pondered, putting a finger on her chin.

"Loud and messy festivities." Gor'tuk responded.

"We must go now. Say your final farewells so that we can return to the Leviathan." Urlgor told his comrades.

Gus walked up to Eratl and put his fist out. "Fist bump?"

"What is a 'fist bump'?" She asked.

"It's a human thing. You take your fist and you bump it with the other person's fist. Like this." He took both his hands and demonstrated a fist bump for her.

"I see. Then let us commence this 'fist bump'." She took her fist and bumped it into Gus's, knocking him down on his back. "Apologies."

"I'm okay." He put a thumb in the air while on the ground.

Amity walked over to Urlgor. "We don't know much about each other. But I thought you were pretty cool back there." She told him.

"Even though you weren't able to prove yourself in the mind, I do believe that you'll be as fearless as a war beast." Urlgor responded.

"Thanks, I'll make sure to take that to heart." Amity told the colossus.

Willow simply waved at Gor'tuk, after already thanking him before. He nodded and waved back.

Luz looked up at Khuun. "I don't have much to say, but I think you'll make a good leader one day." She playfully punched his leg.

"Thank you, human. I am sure that one day I'll do what I was born to do. And to you, I think you will be a great warrior and survivor. It is what your species is best at." Khuun responded.

"Uh, thanks." She said awkwardly.

"I for one, will miss the the stories that Calus told during his time here." Lilith announced.

"I won't miss any of 'em." Eda added.

The Cabal then all turned around and boarded the ship, the ramp closing behind them. The engines on the ship fired up, taking off into the sky and boosting away into the atmosphere.

"And that's the end of that." Luz said, wiping her arm across her face. "Now let's all go home and get some well deserved sleep."

"You're right." King said, stretching his arms and yawning. "I can't wait to get back home and sleep for a whole week."

They all walked back to the beach where they left their staffs.

"Y'know, I'll kind of miss this island. All its weird, creepy mysteries it has." Gus said.

"Yeah, I won't miss it." Eda responded.

Lilith groaned. "Edalyn, we know you won't miss anything here."

They all got on their staffs.

"I'm just sayin' Lily." Eda said back as her and everyone else flew off back home.

Meanwhile, on the Leviathan. The statue of Calus was being carted through a lab. It was full of rows with tubes filled with some dark blue substance, through the substance, bodies of Cabal could be seen floating in them.

A Cabal almost the size of the statue walked alongside it. "Your majesty, I can assure you that your body has been prepared for your return."

"If it is nothing shy of being perfect, then I do not want it. I expect it to be pristine, primus." Calus responded.

"You will be quite impressed, my lord." The primus retorted.

The cart stopped at the end of the room in front of a tube larger than all the other ones.

"This is it, my lord." The primus said.

The blue liquid in the tube gradually lowered to reveal a large Cabal body. The body was dressed in purple and gold armor, the arms and legs exposed in typical Loyalist fashion. The arms and legs that were exposed were all decorated in golden, glistening jewelry. And to go with it, a helmet that covered his face, save for his eyes and mouth.

"I-it is…splendid. This shall be the renewed body of Emperor Calus!"

"Then by your will, it shall be yours, my lord." The primus said. "Psions! Commence transfer of the mind." The primus barked orders at a group of Psions.

The Psions immediately went to work, opening a lid at the top of the tube and connecting wires from the statue to the emperor's soon to be body. The wires were hooked up to a machine near the bottom of the tube.

"Turn on the machine so that I may feel grand once more." Emperor Calus demanded.

A psion flipped a switch on the machine, turning it on, making a loud buzzing noise and causing the wires to glow and spark with a green energy surrounding them. Then suddenly, it stopped. An eerie silence fell upon the room that was broken by the primus.

"Emperor? Are you there?" He asked with concern in his voice.

The eyes on the emperor's new body burst open abruptly. Moving his hands around, looking down at his new body. The door of the tube opened, allowing Calus to walk out.

A steam emitted from the now empty tube as Calus walked out. He examined his body, bewildered, impressed and at a loss for words.

"My lord. You are…splendid." One of the psions spoke out.

"At last! I am once more…glorious. What beauty!" Calus took a look around the lab, deep in the depths of the Leviathan. "If I had known that this is what awaited me. I wouldn't have waited for those tawdry witches to free me from my prison. This is truly a blessing from the gods themselves." Calus raised his arms in the air in joyous celebration. "I have become the pinnacle of Cabal evolution."

"You are truly glorious, my lord. What are your marching orders for the Loyalists?" The primus asked.

"Oh? As of now? I…wish to have more power. This new body is superb, but it could be so much more than that. It could be godly. And I cannot achieve this chasing and following voices." Calus looked at a chalice on a nearby table and grabbed it. "Your orders, my dear primus, are to find me a source of power, whether it be people, or anything close to the royal nectar I once sipped from. It will take time, of course. We may have to deceive them first, but that is what the Cabal are known for. I-WE are on the verge of greatness and godhood. And when we achieve this, I believe it will barely be the end of our time here. What is the saying? We are Cabal, we eat the mountains, we drink the seas." Calus laughed and walked away, his centurions following him, along with the primus.

Back at the Owl House, Luz was outside saying goodbye to her friends as they flew away.

"Man, what an adventure that was, huh?" Luz remarked to Lilith.

"Indeed, Luz. But…you don't think that's the end of our dealings with the Cabal?" She asked back.

"I have no idea, Lily. But if we do meet them again, hopefully we're on their ship celebrating or something." Luz responded.

Eda walked up behind them, putting her arms around them both. "I'm sure that we'll have nothing to worry about. How about we get to sleep, then in the morning we can practice some glyph spells, huh?" She turned them around and walked them back into the house.

Luz chuckled. "Alright, Eda."

And that's the end. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I tried to make it a bit longer but couldn't because of time constraints. But I got this out, and I worked hard on it. Stay tuned for chapter four and MoO. I'll see you all next time!

(To anyone who read this chapter before, I changed the end due to a dissatisfaction with how it turned out. I hope this didn't cause any problems)