The Emperor Strikes Back

Between Past and Present

It was late on Sunday morning as Luz, Hunter, and Vee prepared to leave for the human realm as they stood by the old portal. With them were Eda, King, Amity, Willow, and Gus as they prepared to see them off as Eda cradled King in her arm. He had healed since Vee drained some of his magic, but he still felt a little bit weak and needed to recover more.

Amity hugged Luz before they caressed each other's faces as Luz lovingly said, "Don't worry. We won't be gone long. We have just enough Titan Blood to get there and back. After we warn my mom we'll come back to the Boiling Isles and get to work."

Amity smiled as she trusted Luz and said, "And we'll find out what Belos and Zul are planning and stop them."

They hugged lovingly, meanwhile Willow smiled at Hunter and said, "Hurry on back, I don't want you to miss out on all the fun."

Hunter smiled awkwardly as he blushed and said, "It wouldn't be as much fun without you."

Gus smiled at Vee as he happily said, "If you learn any more about the human realm be sure to tell me."

Vee smiled with her eyes shut as she bragged, "Okay, but I'm already an expert on the human realm, so I'm not sure I'll learn much else."

They both smiled at each other with amused expressions as they high-fived each other, then they looked at Luz as she walked to Eda and King.

Eda showed a bit of concern as she said, "You kids be careful."

She smiled at them as she sincerely said, "It's okay Eda. There's nothing in the human realm we can't handle. We'll be right back."

King looked a bit disappointed as he said, "How come I can't come with you?"

Luz placed her hand on his skull as she soothed, "Sorry buddy. You need to stay here and get your strength back. But we'll tell mom you said 'hi'."

She smiled as she kissed King's skull and he shut his eyes happily, then Luz joined Hunter and Vee as they used a vial of Titan Blood to open the portal.

Luz smiled and waved at the others as she said, "Byeee!"

She, Hunter, and Vee went through the portal before it closed while the others watched with small smiles before leaving. Unbeknownst to them, Belos and Zul were spying on them as they lurked in the shadows of the forest nearby.

Belos smiled evilly at Zul as he said, "You were right Zul."

She smiled proudly as she said, "I told you. While she goes to tell her mom about everything, she won't be able to stop us from taking King."

Belos then pointed at Zul with an evil grin before staring at the old portal as he said, "You get Terra, Dottie, and Roselle and capture King. I will make sure Luz and her friends don't return early to spoil our fun."

Belos then disappeared while Zul smiled evilly before sitting on her staff and flying away, following Belos' orders. Later in the human realm, Luz flew home on Stringbean while Hunter rode with her and Vee flew beside them. They landed in front of her house when no one was watching as Vee changed to her human disguise and they walked to the door.

Luz knocked on the door and Camila answered and happily said, "Luz!"

Luz hugged her as she said, "Hola mama!"

They stopped hugging and Camila smiled at Hunter and Vee as she said, "Hello Vee, Hunter. Didn't expect to see you two here."

Hunter showed a bit of regret as he said, "There's been a lot of things going on that we didn't expect."

Camila was confused as she said, "What do you mean?"

Vee glanced over her shoulder before pushing everyone inside while she said, "Let's talk inside."

Hunter closed the door and made sure no one was watching, then Camila was concerned as she asked, "Kids, what's going on? Is everything okay?"

Luz showed an uneasy expression as she said, "Mom, there's something we need to tell you."

While they began talking Belos' spirit appeared in the room, but he was invisible as he quietly snuck up behind them. He reached into Luz's pocket without anyone noticing and pulled out a vial of Titan Blood and pulled it away from her. He made his way toward an open window without being noticed and poured half of the Titan Blood out of the window before putting the cork back on. He quietly put the vial back in Luz's pocket without anyone noticing him, then he flew out through a wall and turned visible as he smiled evilly and looked back over his shoulder.

Meanwhile in the demon realm

Zul was hiding in the forest in front of the Owl House with Terra, Dottie, and Roselle as they spied on the house and watched Hooty. Hooty was staring out into the forest but had not seen Zul and the older witches yet, but he had noticed a bug crawling on the ground.

Hooty smiled as he stretched his body out of the door and happily exclaimed, "Oh yay! A bug!"

He then slammed his head into the ground and tunneled underground like a worm before his head poked out of the ground near the bug.

He ate the bug and swallowed it before happily saying, "Gooey yet satisfying."

Zul cringed in disgust while Terra narrowed her eyes and said, "We need to get past that horrid house demon to get the Titan inside."

Roselle and Dottie had their eyes narrowed as Roselle seriously said, "Dottie and I can keep him busy while you break in and grab the baby."

Zul raised her hand to stop them as they looked at her as she smiled deviously and said, "I have a better idea. Instead of going in to get King, let's get King to come out for us."

The old ladies were surprised as Terra asked, "How do you propose we do that?"

Zul smiled evilly at them as she said, "I have a plan."

Back in the human realm

Luz, Hunter, and Vee had finished telling Camila everything that had happened to them and everything they had learned.

Camila was very concerned as she said, "So Belos is a ghost and has somehow made an evil clone of Luz?!"

Luz nodded as she said, "Yep, and she's the one who's been framing me for crimes on the Boiling Isles."

Vee had her hands together as she nervously said, "And now they have the Galderstones, which they can use to boost the power of any spell they cast."

Camila was very worried as she said, "Okay, this is bad. Maybe you kids should stay here for a while, wait for things to settle down in the demon realm."

Luz shook her head as she said, "Mama, I can't do that. Belos and Zul are planning something for the Boiling Isles. I can't just hide and do nothing while my friends are in trouble! I have to help them!"

Camila was very worried as she put her hands together and said, "I know Luz, but how can you help them? How do you beat a ghost?!"

Hunter curved his finger against his chin in thought as he said, "Well, with the help of another Oracle we could imprison Belos' spirit and lock him away for eternity."

Luz smiled as she raised her fist in the air and said, "Yeah! Fight fire with fire!"

Vee had her two fingertips together as she nervously said, "But we still don't know who else is helping them or what they need the Galdestrones for."

Camila was still nervous as she said, "No, but we know it can't be good."

Luz spoke urgently as she said, "And that's why we have to go back. Mom, I can't just stand by and let Belos hurt people. And I definitely can't let Zul go around making me look like a bad guy."

Camila understood as she softly sighed in exasperation and said, "I'll call the school and tell them you'll be out for the week."

Luz smiled lovingly as she hugged her and said, "Gracias mama!"

Vee smiled as she joined the hug as Camila smiled and hugged both of them, Hunter watched with a touched smile as he glanced around reluctantly. Camila noticed him and grabbed Hunter's arm and pulled him to them as she hugged him too, he was surprised but then smiled warmly.

They separated and Camila wiped away a small tear as she smiled at Luz and said, "Okay, just be careful."

Luz smiled as she sincerely said, "I will mama."

Odalia smiled as she glanced at the others as she said, "And you all promise to look after her."

On Luz's shoulder, Stringbean chirped happily while saluting Camila with her tail then Vee smiled and said, "We will."

Hunter smiled as he pointed at Luz and said, "Yeah, she's one of us."

Camila smiled proudly at Luz as she said, "I'm proud of you mija."

She smiled as Stringbean changed to her staff form and she and the others went outside before flying back to the flooded cemetery. As they flew over the water Vee smiled as she changed her wings back into arms and splashed into the water. She happily swam in her natural form, almost looking like a mermaid, while Luz and Hunter landed on the little island where the portal was. Stringbean changed into her natural form and laid on Luz's shoulder while Luz reached into her pocket and pulled out the vial of Titan Blood.

When she saw it, she was startled as she said, "What the…?"

Hunter curiously looked at her as he asked, "What's wrong?"

Luz showed him the vial as she said, "I could've sworn there was more blood in here."

When Hunter saw it his eyes widened in shock as he snatched the vial out of her hand and stared at it in shock.

He angrily looked at Luz as he said, "Luz this only half of the Titan Blood!"

Luz raised her hands as she defensively said, "Hey! I didn't know! It must've leaked out somehow!"

Vee swam out of the water and slithered toward them as she asked, "What's going on?"

Hunter turned to Vee before glaring at Luz as he angrily said, "Luz lost some of the Titan Blood, now we only have half the amount we usually use!"

Vee pointed her finger at the vial as she asked, "Can we still use it to get back to the demon realm?"

Hunter's anger turned into uncertainty as he said, "I don't know! This is only half of the usual amount."

Luz took the vial from Hunter as she said, "Well, there's only one way to find out."

Hunter was shocked as he waved his hands out and cautiously said, "What?! No way Luz! We have no idea what will happen!"

Luz held the vial as she sincerely said, "It's all we've got Hunter. We have to try."

Stringbean chirped in agreement as Hunter looked at Vee, who nodded, then Hunter surrendered and said, "Fine!"

Luz looked down at Stringbean and held the vial close to her as she said, "Stringbean…"

Stringbean then wrapped her body around the vial and flew up toward the symbol on the top of the arch and threw the vial at it. The vial shattered and the Titan Blood splattered on the symbol; then the space between the arch glowed as the portal formed.

Stringbean flew down and landed on Luz's shoulder as they all stared at the portal while Luz said, "It looks the same as all the other times."

Hunter reluctantly said, "Okay, let's do this."

They all passed through the portal, and shortly after it closed and then Belos' spirit appeared as he stared at the arch with a twisted smile.

He kept smiling as he stared at where the portal once opened and said to himself, "That takes care of them. Now to check on my apprentice."

Luz, Stringbean, Hunter, and Vee appeared in their destination, but instead of returning to the demon realm they appeared in the In Between Realm. They all had their eyes shut as they rose to the surface of the mysterious black liquid and opened their eyes to see everything while they got up. They all gasped in shock as they looked at the floating cubes, the walls, and the liquid "ceiling" high above them.

Hunter panicked a bit as he angrily said, "I knew this was a bad idea!"

Vee looked around as she nervously said, "Where are we?"

Luz stared in amazement as she said, "The Space In Between."

Meanwhile at the Owl House

Eda, Raine, and Lilith were in the kitchen as they all watched King sitting in his highchair as he ate his lunch. The three of them smiled as they watched the young Titan happily eat a sandwich before finishing it and starting on a cupcake. He stuffed the cupcake in his mouth as he made chomping sounds as he ate like an animal and enjoyed it a lot.

He finished the cupcake, prompting Eda to lift him out of the highchair and say, "Looks like you're back to your old self kid."

King looked at her and the others as he said, "Yeah, I think I've finally recovered completely from Vee draining my magic."

Lilith smiled as she said, "At least Vee only drained a little bit so that she wouldn't hurt you too badly."

Eda agreed but showed a reluctant expression as she held King and said, "Yeah but King still doesn't have a whole lot of magic in him, so let's not do it again."

The others agreed when suddenly Hooty stretched in and happily said, "Hoot hoot! Eda Raine, Lulu, some sweet old ladies are here to talk to you all."

The three of them looked at each other in confusion before Eda put King down on the table and walked out with Raine and Lilith. They followed Hooty as he pulled himself back into the front door and left King alone in the kitchen as he watched them. Eda, Raine, and Lilith walked through the living room and stood in the doorway as Eda gasped when she saw Roselle and Dottie standing in front of them with big grins.

Roselle smiled and waved as she politely said, "Hello dearies."

Eda glared at them as she held the doorsill and fiercely said, "You! I remember you two! You're those ladies who tried to hold me against my will when I was in King's body!"

Raine was somewhat confused as they looked at Lilith, who whispered, "Long story."

They both kept smiling politely as Roselle kindly said, "Since Belos' defeat we've been running our own babysitting service, and we were hoping we could babysit your precious little one."

Eda, Raine, and Lilith all glared at the two old ladies protectively as Eda fiercely said, "Sorry old bags! Not falling for it!"

Meanwhile, King was still in the kitchen when the backdoor suddenly opened as King said, "Weh?"

He saw no one outside the door but noticed a shadow on the ground, with a shape that looked somewhat familiar.

He then heard Luz's voice happily coo, "King…"

King was surprised as he stepped toward the back door and said, "Luz?"

He stared at the shadow as she raised her hand near her mouth and sweetly said, "Yes King. I'm back, and I have a surprise to dough you."

King shut his eyes as he hurried out and happily said, "Yes! Bread pun!"

He happily ran out and turned to his left where the shadow was coming from but stopped as he looked up and saw Zul smiling down at him deviously.

He noticed the differences between her and Luz as he nervously said, "You're not Luz!"

Zul smiled evilly as she said, "Nope, I'm better!"

King backed up into Terra who smiled down at him while creating a green ring of light with her right finger. She then made long leafy vines stretch out of the ground and wrap around King like a cocoon, leaving only his head visible. King desperately struggled but could not break free as the vines restrained him while Terra picked him up and held him with a twisted smile.

King looked at Zul as she showed an amused smile and punned, "Sorry buddy. You're toast."

Terra kept smiling as she held him like a baby and said, "Don't be afraid little seed. You're in safe hands now."

King then shouted, "Weh!"

He emitted his sonic blast from his mouth but Terra dodged it as she kept holding him in her arms, wrapped up in her vines.

King then desperately screamed, "Eda!"

In the living room, Eda and the others turned as they heard King's scream while Roselle and Dottie smiled evilly.

Eda and Raine started running toward the back while Eda yelled, "King!"

Lilith started running after them until Dottie growled and jumped her and pinned her to the ground while Roselle pulled out sharpened needles.

They stopped when Hooty fiercely yelled, "Don't you touch my Lulu!"

He then stretched out of the door and wrapped himself around Roselle and Dottie like a snake and restrained them both.

Lilith got up and smiled as she said, "Thank you Hootsifer."

Eda and Raine made it out the backdoor when they saw Terra holding King, still wrapped in her vines as she smiled back at them evilly.

Raine stared in shock as they yelled, "Terra!"

Terra smiled at Raine before looking at Eda as she wickedly said, "Hello again sprout, I see you decided to put down roots with your old flame. How touching."

Lilith joined them while Eda changed to her harpy form and glared daggers at Terra as she said, "Get your vines off my kid!"

Terra slyly smiled down at King before looking back at Eda while she said, "Mother of a Titan. I have to say, I'm very jealous."

They all gasped in shock as Raine asked, "How do you know that?"

Zul stepped out from behind Terra and smiled as she waved at them and said, "Hey Eda."

Eda then glared at her as she said, "Bad Luz!"

Zul glared at Eda before smiling and patting King's skull as she said, "It's Zul, and we'll be taking King. Don't worry we'll take care of him."

Eda bared her claws as she said, "I don't think so! I'm taking you both out and taking King back!"

Zul smiled sadistically as she joked, "Singlehandedly?"

Eda then angrily flew at Zul and slashed her claws at her but Zul teleported out of the way in a red flash with her staff. She then held her staff out and fired a red beam of magic at Eda, but she dodged it as she flapped her wings and flew in the air. While they fought Terra smiled evilly as she stared at Raine and Lilith, who both glared daggers at her.

Lilith then furiously ran at Terra as she demanded, "Stay away from my nephew!"

Terra cradled King in her left arm as she made a green ring of light with her right finger and made roots burst out of the ground and ensnare Lilith. Raine then stood in front of Lilith and put their fingers in their mouth as they whistled and magically sent out soundwaves toward Terra. Terra blocked it with a big leaf before waving her finger as she made big leaves restrain Raine and gag their mouth shut.

Terra smiled evilly as she gloated, "Not as powerful without your violin, are you?"

Raine looked discouraged when they all turned to watch Eda continue to fight Zul as they both flew around in the air. Zul used her staff to fly before shooting a small red beam of energy from her finger, hitting Eda and making her cry in pain.

They both hovered in the air as Zul sadistically said, "What's wrong Eda? Not as powerful as you used to be? Curse bugging you again?"

Eda glared at Zul as she furiously said, "I see what you're doing, and it's working!"

She then flew at Zul and slashed her claws at her, but Zul dodged them before waving her finger telekinetically slamming Eda against the wall of the side of the tower.

Eda glared at Zul, who glared back at her as she said, "You may have been the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles, but you were the worst teacher."

She then fired a red blast of magic from her staff and hit Eda and sent her falling down near Eda and Lilith before she reverted to her normal form.

Eda groaned as she got on her knees while Zul landed in front of her and spitefully said, "If you were a better mentor, maybe Luz wouldn't have gotten in trouble so much."

Lilith glared at Zul as she angrily said, "Don't you dare talk about my sister like that!"

Zul glared at Lilith as she said, "Hey, I'm not the one who cursed her. You wanted to be like Belos, I think you got your wish."

Lilith showed shame and guilt while Eda angrily demanded, "Cut it with the mind games and just give us King!"

Terra joined her as she held King in her arms, smiling tauntingly as she said, "Sorry Eda, we need him for something special. Don't worry, we need him alive for it."

Eda got up and angrily ran toward them while Terra made a green ring of light with her right finger, causing a giant Venus flytrap to rise out of the ground and eat her and Zul before going underground. Two roots also came out of the ground in front of the Owl House and took Roselle and Dottie from Hooty and dragged them underground. Hooty was shocked as he moved his head out the back door and stared in shock at Lilith, Eda, and Raine as they looked back at her.

Eda was extremely worried as she looked at everyone and exclaimed, "Things just got a whole lot worse!"

Meanwhile in the In Between Realm

Hunter and Vee looked at Luz as Hunter asked, "The Space In Between?"

Luz nodded as she glanced around and replied, "Yeah, it's a realm in between the human and demon realms, and maybe between some other worlds too. I've been here before."

Vee's eyes widened in realization as she pointed at Luz and asked, "Was that when you first talked to me in the human realm and helped Camila save me from Jacob?"

Luz nodded and smiled as she added, "Yeah, it's also where I met King's dad."

Hunter was amazed as he glanced around and said, "This is where you met the Titan?"

Luz nodded and looked down at the liquid they were standing in as she explained, "Yeah, when Belos almost killed me he saved me and this is where he gave me the powers to stop him. He'd been stuck here since he dragged the Collector down here and gave his life so that I could save everyone else's. We'll be fine as long as we don't go under without a portal."

Eda and Hunter looked down at the liquid as Vee said, "Good to know."

Hunter then shook it off as he folded his arms and seriously said, "Okay, this is cool but how do we get out of here?"

Luz looked around at some of the floating cubes as she said, "We can contact Eda and King and get them to open the portal from the demon realm so we can get out."

They started walking around together as Vee curiously asked, "Okay, how do we talk to them?"

Luz looked at some of the cubes as she said, "These cubes can be used to watch people in the human and demon realms. It's how the Titan knew who I was. He'd been watching me and new I was friends with King, that's why he liked me."

Hunter became fascinated as he curiously said, "So we can use these to watch anyone?"

Luz and Vee looked at him as Luz said, "I think so. Why?"

Hunter had his eyes wide open in wonder as he said, "What if we could use them to find out what Belos is planning?"

They gasped in shock at the thought before looking at each other as Vee said, "Do you think?"

Hunter looked somewhat desperate as he cupped his mouth and said, "We need to try! Belos?! Belos?!"

No cubes showed Belos and Hunter looked disappointed when Vee comfortingly said, "Maybe there's nothing reflective near him. When Luz spoke to me from hear she appeared in mirrors and stuff."

Hunter understood as he frowned and looked down, then Luz joined them and suggested, "Or maybe we should use his real name."

Vee and Hunter were surprised when Luz cupped her mouth and shouted, "Philip Wittebane?!"

Just then, a cube rose out of the water in front of them and they gathered around it as they held it and then a blinding light flashed. Luz, Stringbean, Hunter, and Vee appeared in a small village in a forest and they were covered in a golden glow as they looked around.

Hunter was confused as he asked, "What happened? Where are we?"

Vee looked around and recognized some parts of the village as she said, "I think we're in Gravesfield."

They noticed people walking by in old clothes, and none of them noticed them as Luz said, "But everything looks so old and I don't think anyone can see us."

They were all startled as they heard one man say, "Who are you children?"

They looked at a man who appeared to be looking at them, but suddenly two boys passed through Hunter and Luz's body. One of them appeared to be twelve while the other looked to be six, the older boy looked like Hunter and appeared to be wearing Belos's old blue jacket. The younger boy Luz recognized from Belos' mindscape despite that he was not wearing the mask.

The boys were holding hands as the older one said, "My name is Caleb Wittebane and this is my brother Philip. We've lost our parents and are looking for a new home."

Luz, Vee, and Hunter gasped in shock as they stared and watched as the man walked to them and said, "Welcome to Gravesfield."

Luz, Hunter, and Vee were speechless as everything changed around them as things changed around them and they were back in the Space In Between.

Vee looked at Luz and Hunter in shock as she said, "I think we just saw the past! When Philip and Caleb first arrived in Gravesfield in 1613."

Luz nodded and expressed wonder as she said, "Yeah, and now that I think of it, the Titan did use one cube to show me past events between me and King."

Hunter shook it off as he stubbornly said, "Interesting, but we still need to get out of here."

Luz stopped Hunter as she placed her hand on his shoulder and said, "Hunter wait! Maybe we should watch more. This could be our chance to learn the whole story of what happened between Philip and Caleb. We could find out what happened to Philip and learn more about Caleb."

Vee smiled in wonder as she agreed, "Yeah, and we might learn something that could help us stop Belos now!"

Hunter looked tempted but uncertain until Luz smiled and said, "And maybe we could learn how to make a new Portal Door!"

Hunter gave into his temptation as he said, "Okay, but let's try and be quick."

The girls nodded in agreement before Hunter reluctantly said, "Caleb Wittebane?"

A cube appeared in front of them and they all grabbed it as they appeared in the past, glowing golden as they watched Caleb and Philip in a house. Philip smiled as he watched his older brother carving wooden masks while Vee glanced around at the house they were in.

Vee looked at the others as she said, "I think this is the abandoned house the old Portal Door opened up at."

Luz looked out the window and recognized part of the forest before looking at the boys as she said, "I think you're right. This must've been where they grew up. That's why the old Portal Door always opened up here."

They watched as Caleb finished carving and said, "There! Finished!"

He carved two wooden masks and handed one to Philip, it looked like the mask he wore in his mindscape when he tricked Luz and Hunter. He put it on while Luz watched and showed a nervous expression, meanwhile Caleb put on another mask that resembled the Golden Guard's mask.

Philip threw his arms out as he happily exclaimed, "Yes! Let all witches see these masks and fear the Brothers Wittebane!"

Caleb took his mask off as he smiled and playfully said, "Yes, no witch will ever escape from us."

Hunter kept watching as he deadpanned, "Well, that explains the masks."

Luz glanced around as she curiously said to herself, "I wonder if we can fast forward a little."

Just then everything changed around them and they were out in the woods as they saw Caleb and Philip joining a mob of witch hunters.

Vee smiled at Luz and Hunter as she said, "It's like watching a movie."

Caleb and Philip both carried long sticks as they joined the mob as a man exclaimed, "Come boys, we have witches to hunt!"

Philip happily left with the mob as they started searching while Caleb stayed behind and said to himself, "For the witches' sake, I hope we don't find any."

He then walked off and joined the mob, unaware he was being watched by someone hiding in the shadows of the forest behind him.

Luz pointed at the mysterious person as she asked, "Who's that?"

They watched the person disappear into the forest, then everything changed as they skipped ahead as Hunter said, "I guess we'll have to wait and see."

They reappeared in the forest and saw Philip and Caleb playing together and they both looked approximately two years older. Philip now looked about eight while Caleb appeared to be the same age as Luz, and she and the others watched the brothers playing together. Philip was wearing his mask as he held a rope in his hand with a loop while Caleb wore a small torn cloak on his shoulders and a hat like a witch's.

Philip pulled the rope as it tightened around Caleb's ankle, then Philip playfully said, "I have captured you vial witch! You are no match for Philip Wittebane, witch hunter general!"

Caleb playfully held his arms up as he said, "No please! Spare me Philip!"

Philip then held up a wooden sword as he said, "There is no mercy for witches!"

He gently poked Caleb in the chest with it while Luz watched and sadly said, "If only they knew where that would lead."

Vee and Hunter showed similar expressions as Philip happily took his mask off and said, "I win again."

Caleb smiled as he playfully said, "You always win."

Philip smiled as he said, "I am the greatest witch hunter to ever live! No witch will escape me!"

Luz, Vee, Hunter, and Stringbean kept watching as Caleb said, "You go on home, I'll meet you there later."

Philip smiled as he agreed and said, "Alright, don't take too long."

He then ran off to the house while Caleb watched him and frowned as he walked out of the woods and headed to town. He walked through town by himself while Luz, Vee, and Hunter followed him as he looked down at the ground in thought.

He kept looking down as he said to himself, "Witch hunters, they think themselves righteous but they're just persecutors. Most of those 'witches' they hunted were just people who were different. I wish we could just be ourselves instead of having to be what this town wants us to be."

Luz empathized as she said, "I know how you feel."

Caleb suddenly looked up as he heard a girl's voice say, "Hey, you got any snails?"

Caleb looked to see a girl his age wearing a long red hooded cloak talking to a man, who said, "You're a strange girl."

He then walked away from her and the girl looked in Caleb's direction as he got a good look at her face as he recognized her. She had very pail skin, golden eyes, and bright red hair, though most of it was covered by the hood of her cloak. She wore a long dark red dress with long sleeves and she had fingernails that looked manicured.

Caleb walked to the girl as he pointed at her and said, "I know you. You're that mysterious girl who goes around town looking for strange things."

The girl smiled as she said, "Yeah, that's me. I'm not a witch hunter like most of you."

This made Caleb smile as he said, "You're not from here, are you?"

The girl glanced to the side as she said, "No, my family and I live in a cabin in the woods, I just like to come by sometimes and look for adventure."

Caleb kept smiling as he held his hand out toward her and said, "I'm Caleb."

The girl shook his hand as she smiled and said, "I know, I've seen you around here. My name's Evelyn."

Luz, Vee, and Hunter gasped in shock as they kept watching as Caleb happily said, "I've never met anyone like you."

Evelyn smiled cockily as she said, "Oh, I'm sure of that."

Caleb smiled as he curiously asked, "So what do your parents do?"

Evelyn glanced to the side as she said, "They're um… wood carvers."

Caleb smiled with interest as he said, "Really? So am I."

Evelyn became interest as she said, "You are?"

Caleb showed a slightly sad expression as she said, "Yes, I'm trying to take care of my younger brother and I need a way to make money, so I carve wood for a living."

Evelyn placed her hand on his shoulder as she honestly said, "If you have a talent you should use it any way you can."

Caleb smiled at her when she got an idea and said, "Come with me, I know a place where you can find some good wood."

She then ran off and Caleb followed her into the woods while Luz, Hunter, and Vee followed them; sometime later they were at a fallen tree. Evelyn helped Caleb harvest some wood from it and the others watched as they assembled small short logs in a small pile.

Evelyn smiled at Caleb with her hands on her hips as she said, "Here. This all the wood you'll need for carving, or kindling. Whichever you want."

Caleb smiled happily at Evelyn as he said, "This is wonderful! Thank you Evelyn! You're amazing!"

Evelyn blushed briefly before she said, "You're welcome."

Caleb smiled as he picked up a few pieces of wood and said, "With these I could carve some amazing figurines or masks."

Evelyn then became curious as she asked, "Why do you stay around here? You're not like the other villagers. You're more reasonable."

Caleb showed an unhappy expression as he said, "I don't approve of their witch hunting obsessions, but I have to take care of my brother. We have nowhere else to go, he wants to be a witch hunter but I only chose to be one so the town would accept us."

Evelyn sympathized before smiling as she said, "You know, where I'm from you can be what you want without anyone judging you. It doesn't matter what others think of you as long as you stay true to yourself."

Caleb smiled at her before picking up the wood as he said, "That sounds very nice. I would like to see it someday. But now I should get back to my brother. I hope to see you again soon. Goodbye Evelyn."

He turned and walked away while she smiled and waved to him as she said, "Goodbye Caleb."

Luz, Hunter, and Vee watched as Luz thought and said, "You know, Evelyn kind of reminds me of Eda."

Vee placed her finger on her chin as she curiously said, "Yeah, I wonder how Caleb found out she was a witch."

Everything changed around them and showed a scene that looked to be approximately two years later as they saw Caleb and Philip join a mob of witch hunters.

Philip had his mask and a pitch fork while Caleb carried a lit torch when the leader said, "Boys, there is a witch in the forest! We saw her flying over the trees on some kind of living staff!"

Philip was shocked as he said, "Horrible!"

Caleb was curious as he asked, "What does this witch look like?"

The leader honestly said, "We do not know. We haven't gotten a good look at her. But we know she landed somewhere in the forest and we're going to find her and kill her!"

The mob agreed as they raised their torches and weapons, then Philip put his mask on and yelled, "Kill the witch!"

Caleb reluctantly joined the mob as they traveled through the woods and searched for the witch while Luz, Vee, and Hunter watched them.

After a while the mob came to an area where trails split up and the leader said, "We should split up and search the forest. If you find the witch, kill her."

They split up as Caleb and Evelyn followed one trail and then they heard a sound, prompting Philip to say, "What was that?!"

He held his torch as he looked around but Caleb looked up in a tree to see an owl as he said, "It's just an owl. Nothing to be afraid of."

They both looked up to see a small brown owl looking down at them before it flew away, then they heard a voice say, "There you are."

They followed the sound of the voice as they quietly creeped through the forest and found the owl on a rock near Evelyn. She was facing away from the boys as she put the owl on her staff as it turned to wood, Luz and the others gasped as they knew what was happening.

Philip stared at Evelyn as he whispered, "That must be the witch, let's get her."

Caleb put his hand on Philip's chest to stop him as he stared at Evelyn from behind as he grew increasingly curious.

Evelyn looked in a small bag as she said to herself, "Now that you're back we can use the Titan Blood and go home."

Caleb's eyes widened as he recognized her voice and said, "Evelyn?"

She jumped when he heard her voice and turned to face Caleb as she nervously said, "Caleb! What are you doing here?"

Caleb came out of hiding as he walked toward her and calmly said, "We're looking for a witch the villagers saw. Was it you?"

Evelyn nervously stuttered as she said, "Uh… N-n-no! What makes you think that?!"

Caleb pointed at the Owl on her staff as he said, "That owl turned into wood."

The Owl came to life on her staff and spread its wings as it looked at them, then Evelyn, and Philip yelled, "She's a witch! Get her!"

Caleb put his hand on his brother's chest to stop him as he said, "Philip!"

Suddenly a bear came and roared threateningly as Caleb and Philip screamed and fell on their backs as it stood up and slashed its claws. Evelyn immediately stepped in front of the boys and stared at the bear with her eyes glowing orange as she held her left hand out. The bear suddenly calmed down and stood on all fours as it stared at Evelyn and turned around and walked away.

Caleb and Philip got back on their feet as they stared at Evelyn, who turned around and confessed, "Okay, you got me. I'm a witch."

She held her left palm up and created a small purple flame in it while Caleb smiled and walked toward her as he said, "Amazing."

Philip took his mask off as he stared at them with worry and fear while Evelyn closed her fist and made the fire go out.

She curiously pointed at Philip and asked, "Is that your brother?"

Caleb smiled as he held his left arm out toward Philip and said, "Yes, this is Philip."

Philip stared at Evelyn as he said, "You're a witch."

Evelyn looked a bit annoyed as she sassily said, "Yes, we've established that."

Philip glared at her while Caleb said, "Evelyn, I have so many questions."

Evelyn smiled bashfully as she pulled her hood back to reveal her pointed ears while she said, "Well, remember when you said you'd never met anyone like me? Well you were right."

Philip was shocked as he pointed at her and said, "She's a monster!"

Evelyn looked offended as she glared at him before smiling proudly as she said, "I'm not a monster! I'm Evelyn. I come from the demon realm. And this is my Palisman Owlfred."

Philip was shocked as he said, "Demon realm?!"

Caleb was curious as he stared at Owlfred and said, "Palisman?"

Evelyn smiled proudly as she took Owlfred off her staff and said, "I carved him with my parents from the branch of an ancient tree. We're bonded for life and I'd attack anyone who'd hurt him!"

Caleb smiled in wonder as he said, "Amazing!"

Philip took Caleb's hand and pulled on him as he fearfully said, "Caleb, we have to get the others and tell them we found the evil witch!"

Caleb pulled his hand away from Philip and sternly said, "Philip, Evelyn just saved us from that bear, we can't let the villagers kill her."

Evelyn looked at Philip as she defensively said, "Besides, I'm a witch but I'm not evil. I wouldn't hurt either of you unless you attacked me."

Luz held her palms as she said, "See?! Completely reasonable!"

Philip eyed Evelyn suspiciously as he asked, "Why are you here?"

Evelyn smiled as she answered, "My family has been using a portal to come here for generations. I've been coming here looking for rare treasures to trade in my world. My parents don't like me coming here because you humans want to kill witches, but I'm not afraid."

Caleb smiled as he stared at Evelyn in amazement as he said, "Evelyn, you are the most amazing person I've ever met."

Evelyn looked away with a smile as she blushed while Luz smiled in delight as she sighed at the sparks she could see between the two. Suddenly they all heard overlapping talking and realized the mob was heading their way as they showed alarmed expressions.

Caleb looked at Evelyn as he urgently said, "They're coming! You have to get out of here! We'll keep them distracted!"

Philip was shocked while Evelyn smiled gratefully and said, "Thank you Caleb."

She got on her staff and flew away, just in time, as the mob came to where they were and looked down at Caleb and Philip.

The leader then asked, "Caleb, Philip, did you find the witch?"

Caleb held his palms up as he explained, "Yes but she got away. She flew off and we don't know where she went and we don't know who she was."

The leader looked frustrated before ordering the mob to head back to the village while Caleb followed and Philip looked very reluctant. The scene skipped ahead to the next day as Luz, Vee, and Hunter watched Caleb and Philip talking in their house.

Philip looked up at Caleb as he said, "I can't believe you let her go and didn't tell the others!"

Caleb looked down at his brother as he said, "How could I help them kill her?! She saved our lives! And she's amazing!"

Philip held his hand out to his side as he said, "She's a witch! She comes from a realm of demons! She performs dark magic! She's evil!"

Caleb held his hands out as he argued, "She's not evil, she's just different."

Suddenly they heard someone knocking on the front door, which they answered as Evelyn walked in and pulled her hood down.

Caleb smiled as he happily said, "Evelyn! What are you doing here?"

Evelyn smiled as she happily said, "I just wanted to thank you for helping me last night."

Caleb smiled like a gentleman as he said, "It's the least we can do after you saved our lives."

They kept smiling at each other while Philip scowled and folded his arms, something Luz, Hunter, and Vee noticed.

Evelyn then reached into a pocket for something as she said, "I got you a little present for helping me."

She pulled out a red cardinal, which Hunter recognized as he stared at it with an emotional expression while it flew out of her hand.

Caleb held his hands as the cardinal landed in his palm as he stared at it in wonder while Evelyn said, "It's a Palisman. I carved him for you. He's your new friend for life, like me and Owlfred, and with him you can do magic too."

Caleb smiled in wonder while Philip stared in shock as the cardinal turned into a long staff in Caleb's hands.

Caleb smiled happily as he said, "I'll call you Flapjack."

Hunter became emotional as Luz and Vee sympathized and both put their hands on his shoulders to comfort him.

Caleb smiled at Evelyn with gratitude and joy as he said, "Thank you Evelyn. This is the greatest gift I've ever been given! Could you teach me how to use him?"

Evelyn smiled happily as she said, "Sure, I'll stop by here everyday and teach you everything I know about magic."

Caleb was so happy as he said, "Wonderful! I'd love to hear more about your home."

Evelyn smiled at him before she teasingly rubbed Philip's head and said, "I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. See you around Phil."

She left while he glared at her while brushing his hair, not liking her as he watched her leave out the door.

When she was gone Caleb happily said, "She's amazing."

Philip looked at Caleb as he suspiciously said, "I don't trust her."

Caleb spoke sincerely as he said, "I trust her, and you trust me don't you."

Philip spoke honestly as he held his hands up and then pointed at the door saying, "Of course, but I think she's trying to mislead you. I think we should warn the village."

Caleb kneeled before his brother and put his hand on his shoulder as he sincerely said, "Philip, I know this is hard for you to accept, but Evelyn being a witch does not make her bad. You need to have faith. Promise me you will never tell anyone about her."

Caleb looked at him with pleading eyes and Philip reluctantly said, "Okay Caleb. I promise."

Hunter, Vee, Luz, and Stringbean glared at him as Luz hatefully said, "Probably the first of his many lies."

The three of them used cubes to watch more videos of the past between Philip, Caleb, and Evelyn as the three of them grew older. They watched as Evelyn taught Caleb how to fly on Flapjack and how to use him to do magic, which made Caleb so happy while Hunter clutched his heart sadly. Flapjack also traveled around Gravesfield as he sat on Caleb's shoulder and told the villagers that he was his pet bird. He made sure no one knew what Flapjack really was and Evelyn would sometimes visit the village, hiding her ears to keep her nature as a witch secret. Evelyn would also tell Caleb about the demon realm, the Titan, the bile sac on the heart, and the Boiling Isles. Caleb was amazed by what the demon realm sounded like while Philip thought it sounded terrifying and horrible as he did not like Evelyn. At some point Evelyn showed them the portal arch in the cemetery, which Luz, Vee, and Hunter recognized. She also told Caleb about Titan's Blood and how she used it to open the portal to her world and showed him about stashes she had around Gravesfield and rebuses she used to find them.

Caleb and Evelyn eventually entered a romantic relationship, which made Luz sigh the first time she saw them kiss. Philip did not approve of Caleb's relationship with Evelyn as he retained his dislike of her, while Evelyn did not favor him so much either. Philip also did not like Flapjack, despite how friendly he acted toward his owner's younger brother and Caleb's affection for him. Over the years Philip's desire to be a witch hunter grew as did his resentment of Evelyn as he took Gravesfield's teachings to heart. Philip also became jealous of Evelyn as Caleb spent more and more time with her than he did with his brother and Philip became more distrustful of Evelyn. Caleb would sneak away from Gravesfield and meet Evelyn in the forest where they would do magic together and enjoy each other's company. Evelyn would create orbs of light on dark nights and show them to Caleb while Philip would spy on them with hatred and jealousy.

After a while Luz and the others stopped watching as they were surrounded by cubes when Luz said, "I think see why Philip hated Evleyn so much, he was jealous of his brother's love for her."

Vee agreed but showed curiosity as she said, "Yeah, but what drove them apart?"

One cube rose out of the water in front of them as they all grabbed it and then appeared in the flashback. They were in the forest as they saw Caleb and Evelyn lying on the ground smiling up at the stars, unaware that Philip was watching them from the bushes. It had been approximately ten years since Evelyn gave Caleb Flapjack as Caleb and Evelyn were approximately twenty-six years old while Philip was approximately twenty. Philip had grown a long ponytail and was wearing his brother's old blue jacket while Caleb looked mostly the same and Evelyn's hair grew slightly longer.

They kept looking up at the stars as Caleb smiled lovingly at Evelyn and said, "Does the night sky look as beautiful in your world."

Evelyn smiled fondly as she said, "Kind of, the Boiling Isles looks scary, ugly, and stinky but if you look at it from a different perspective it's beautiful, just like your world."

Caleb smiled as he said, "The demon realm sounds amazing, I hope to see it someday."

Evelyn smiled a she sat up and took Caleb's hand as she said, "Caleb, I've been thinking, why don't you come with me to the Boiling Isles. You don't need this place, why stay here where you're not happy when you could come with me and learn more about magic?"

Caleb smiled as he lovingly said, "I'd love to Evleyn."

Philip heard everything as his jaw dropped and then he gritted his teeth before silently running off into the woods while Luz and the others watched.

They looked back at Caleb and Evelyn as Caleb sincerely said, "But I can't leave Philip, he's my brother. I'd love to come live on the Boiling Isles someday, but Philip needs me here."

Evelyn was disappointed but smiled lovingly as they kissed passionately while Luz, Hunter, and Vee watched and Luz shed tears of joy.

Vee showed an uneasy expression as she said, "This is going to end badly."

Everything changed to where they were in Gravesfield in front of the town hall as Philip stood on a stage in front of a mob of villagers.

He held his hands up as he exclaimed, "People of Gravesfield, I have urgent news to tell all of you! There is a witch here! The mysterious girl named Evelyn! She is an evil witch from another world, and she is manipulating my brother Caleb to lure him to his doom! I know where to find her! She has been using a secret code to hide magical liquids to open a portal to her world and she has hidden them around Gravesfield! We must save Caleb and destroy this vile temptress!"

The mob yelled in anger and rage as they held torches and weapons and agreed before Phillip led them into the forest while Luz, Hunter, Vee, and Stringbean watched with fear. Sometime later, Evelyn grabbed a secret stash of Titan's Blood when the mob found her and attacked her. They all jumped her and tied her to a large stake while locking Owlfred in a cage before the mob took her back to town. Caleb was at his house, looking for his brother with Flapjack when suddenly they heard the mob and saw the people outside. They were horrified to see Evelyn tied to a stake on a pyre and she could not move her hands as she desperately struggled. Flapjack immediately changed to his staff form as Caleb flew out while the town leader stood in front of Evelyn with a lit torch.

Evelyn stared at him in fear as she pleaded, "Look, I am a witch, there I said it, but I'm not bad! You don't have to do this!"

The leader glared at Evelyn before turning to the townsfolk as he said, "Silence heathen! This witch will now face judgement for her vile evil!"

The crowd roared while Philip watched from the back with an evil grin when the leader threw the torch down and lit the pyre. Evelyn was about to be burned when Caleb flew by on his staff and fired yellow blasts of magic at Townhall, setting it on fire. He then freed Owlfred from his cage and cut Evelyn free before pulling her off the burning pyres just in time.

Evelyn smiled lovingly as she said, "Caleb you saved me!"

She hugged him happily but then the townsfolk started angrily yelling things while Owlfred changed to his staff form.

Caleb looked scared as he faced Evelyn and said, "We have to get out of here!"

She nodded in agreement before they both flew off on their staffs and the leader angrily said, "Caleb is a traitor! He helped Evelyn escape!"

They all looked at Philip as he furiously said, "No! That witch is corrupting his pure soul! We must save him! Come! I know where they are going!"

He put on his wooden mask and lead the mob as they all raised their torches and weapons while Philip pulled out a jagged dagger. Luz, Stringbean, Vee, and Hunter all watched with sad expressions as they knew what was going to happen.

Hunter then said, "I know where this is going."

Everything around them changed as they appeared on the hill in the cemetery where the portal arch was.

Caleb and Evelyn landed on the hill as Evelyn pulled out a vial of Titan's Blood and said, "We'd better hurry."

Caleb turned away from her and glanced around as he took a sad look at the forest around the cemetery, for what would be his last time.

Luz sadly watched as she said, "Since everyone thought he was a traitor for saving Evelyn, he had no choice but to leave the human realm forever."

Hunter and Vee nodded while Evelyn took Caleb's hand and stared him in the face heartfeltly while he nodded back at her. Evelyn then threw the vial of Titan's Blood at the symbol on top of the arch and broke it as the blood splattered on it and opened the portal, while one drop hit the ground and started flowing downward. They were about to go through the portal when they heard the villagers shouting and they turned around to see the mob approaching the edge of the cemetery.

They would arrive in seconds as Caleb urgently said, "We can't let them follow us to the demon realm!"

Evelyn narrowed her eyes as she held her fingers out and made a giant blue circle of light, then she magically made a small raincloud form over them. Raine poured nonstop at a rapid pace and flooded the graveyard while Luz watched in awe and wonder as the water level rose higher.

Vee and Hunter were amazed as Vee said, "So that's how the graveyard got flooded."

The hill where the portal was became a small island and the mob stopped when they saw this and watched the rain stop as the clouds started to clear. They could see Caleb and Evelyn on the island as Evelyn walked through the portal while Caleb sadly looked at everything.

He held his staff in his hand as he sadly said, "Goodbye Gravesfield. Goodbye Philip."

Across the small lake Philip watched Caleb disappear through the portal as he angrily yelled, "Caleb!"

He then jumped into the water and started swimming across the flooded graveyard while the leader yelled, "Philip don't!"

He did not listen as he swam with all his strength and made it halfway across while the Titan's Blood on the ground of the island flowed down and touched the water. The lake started glowing yellow as the townsfolk cried and screamed in fear before Philip sank under, almost drowning.

The water stopped glowing and the portal closed while Luz said, "Whoa!"

Suddenly they moved down through the floor and seemingly passed through the Space In Between as Philip sank and entered it. He surfaced but then flew up as he reached the other side and sank in the liquid there while Luz and the others watched. He then surfaced in a lake of Titan's Blood underground as he coughed and swam to the shore before taking his mask off and breathing heavily.

He then glanced around and asked, "Where am I?"

Hunter recognized the place as he said, "Eclipse Lake!"

Luz was amazed as she stared at the lake of Titan's Blood and said, "So that's how he got to the demon realm."

Belos then put his mask in his coat and pulled out his journal as he walked out and eventually made his way outside. He was shocked to see the skull of the Titan in the demon realm as he was on the Knee and looked around to see the giant corpse.

He was shocked as he said, "This is the Boiling Isles."

Luz looked at Hunter and Vee as she said, "So Caleb and Evelyn made it through the portal and flooded the graveyard so the mob couldn't follow."

Hunter raised his finger as he said, "And a drop of the Titan Blood spilled into the water, creating a link between realms that sent Philip to Eclipse Lake."

Vee nodded as she added, "Far away from Caleb and Evelyn."

They all looked at Philip as he stared at the Boiling Isles and furiously said to himself, "Caleb, my brother, I promise that I will find you and save you from that horrid witch, and together we shall cleanse this entire realm of all of its evil!"

Luz, Hunter, and Vee all glared at Philip from behind as they knew it was his hatred and obsession that would lead him to becoming the monster he is.

Meanwhile in the demon realm

It was nighttime as Zul, Terra, Roselle, and Dottie brought King to the Archives as they walked into the castle.

King looked nervous as he saw their allies when Bill came and maniacally said, "The last Titan! Once I destroy you, I'll finally be a Titan Slayer!"

Zul pointed her staff at him and hit him with a small red blast of magic and knocked him down as she said, "Not yet Bill."

Terra held King like a baby as she said, "Yes, we still need this little bundle of joy alive."

They kept walking while Bill angrily muttered to himself and kicked a small piece of rubble and Zul and the others brought King to the top of the stairs.

Odalia was waiting with an evil grin as she said, "Hello King. Welcome back."

King had a nervous look in his eyes, then Belos' spirit appeared as he smiled evilly down at King, who shook in fear.

Belos was pleased as he smiled at Zul and said, "Good work Zul."

Zul smiled at him as she said, "Thanks dad."

King was frightened by them when Belos smiled evilly at him before pointing at the ladies as he said, "Don't worry King. We won't hurt you. We need you to make our dreams come true. You three, take him to the Owl Lady's former cell. Make sure he doesn't escape and that he has everything he needs. We need him in top health for the Amplifying Spell."

Terra cradled King as she smiled sinisterly and said, "Come along seed. Let's find a nice little pot to plant you in."

She walked away with King while Roselle and Dottie followed her, and when they left Zul said, "People can be so blind."

Belos smiled evilly as he turned to Zul and said, "Yes but with everyone preparing for the Amplifying Spell and Luz out of the way, you and I have much work to do."

Back in the In Between Realm

Luz, Vee, and Hunter were still using cubes to watch flashbacks from Philip's past as they watched some about his life after coming to the Boiling Isles. He spent years searching for Caleb, but also searching for a way to kill all the witches and demons on the Boiling Isles. He faced many struggles on his searches and made many enemies as he lied and cheated people, while also collecting books and ancient texts about magic. He explored much of the Boiling Isles but he found no sign of Caleb and his prejudice towards witches and demons lead him to be kicked out of some places. He faced many dangers, struggles, and obstacles during his time on the Boiling Isles and all his suffering made him bitter toward the demon realm. He tried to find a way to do magic without the aid of a Palisman, because he hated everything about the Boiling Isles. This lead to him discovering glyphs, which Luz knew the Titan was trying to keep hidden from Philip to delay him. He discovered the plant, ice, and fire glyphs after much struggling in his first year on the Boiling Isles, and a few years later he learned how to combine them.

He also discovered ancient texts about combining glyphs and how they could possibly make him immortal and more powerful. Luz, Hunter, and Vee cringed when he used his knife to carve glyphs into his skin, resulting in his monstrous infliction where he needed to feed off of Palismen. He also occasionally had outbursts where his skin would turn dark green and his eyes would glow blue as he became a monster. The three watched the horrible things he did with disdain as they saw he was becoming the Belos they all knew and hated. Over the years he also grew the large beard he had when Luz and Lilith went back in time and met him, and they saw him develop his hideout in the cave in the Titan's skull. He also started working on trying to construct a portal back to the human realm, but he did not make much luck. He only knew that he needed Titan's Blood, and he knew where to get it, but he didn't know how he was going to get it. Luz was both confused and disappointed that he made no progress in creating the Portal Door, and as the years passed his hatred for the demon realm grew.

One afternoon Philip was walking after being attacked by a Griffin as he angrily complained, "Vile beast! Everything in this cursed realm a savage beast!"

Luz, Vee, and Hunter watched him as Vee bitterly said, "The only savage beast on the Boiling Isles is him!"

Luz agreed but showed confusion as she folded her arms and said, "Yeah, but I still can't believe he hasn't made progress on the Portal Door yet."

Hunter shrugged his shoulders as he guessed, "Maybe something else happened first."

They were all startled as they suddenly heard a familiar voice laughing and Philip said, "I know that laugh. Caleb?!"

They all turned and looked up a hill as they heard Caleb's voice say, "Good one Evelyn."

Hearing that name made Philip glare in rage as he said, "Evelyn?"

At the top of the hill he saw Caleb and Evelyn walking together as they held hands and smiled lovingly at each other. Philip gasped as he saw Evelyn with a large belly, indicating that she was pregnant as she and Caleb looked at the forest around them.

Luz put her hands together as she happily said, "Aww! They're having a little witch baby!"

Philip was consumed with rage as they started walking down the hill while he changed to his monstrous form and ran to the top of the hill. He raised his arms over his head as he roared viciously while Caleb and Evelyn looked up at him in shock.

Flapjack then came and changed to his staff form while Caleb held him and protected Evelyn as he said, "Stay back you monster!"

Philip stopped and stared at Caleb in his monstrous form as he said, "Caleb? Brother?"

Caleb was baffled but then examined Philip before recognizing him and saying, "Philip?"

Evelyn was very confused as Flapjack changed and perched on her shoulder while Caleb happily hugged Philip.

Philip breathed heavily as he changed back to his human form and Caleb pulled back, and Philip said, "Brother! It is you!"

They happily hugged before pulling apart as Caleb happily said, "I can't believe you're here! I thought I'd never see you again! What are you doing here?"

Philip smiled happily as he said, "The night you and Evelyn fled through the portal I tried to follow you but almost drowned in the cemetery, I was transported to a strange lake on the Knee and I've been searching for you ever since."

Caleb put his arm around Evelyn while stared at Philip suspiciously and said, "Well, welcome to the Boiling Isles. Long time no see Phil."

Philip smiled politely as he glanced at her belly as he said, "Hello Evelyn. I don't mean to be rude but it looks like you've gained weight since I last saw you."

She placed her hand on her belly as she said, "I'm pregnant!"

Caleb smiled as he happily held Evelyn and said, "That's right Philip! We're married and expecting our first child!"

Philip repressed his rage as he smiled and said, "That's wonderful. So Evelyn, you are now a Wittebane?"

Evelyn smiled proudly as she looked at Caleb and said, "No, actually Caleb took my last name."

Caleb nodded while Philip repressed his anger and said, "I see some things have changed."

Evelyn stared at him suspiciously and pointed her finger while she said, "Yeah, look at you. A couple moments ago you looked like some kind of monster."

Caleb then became curious as he said, "Yes Philip, what happened there?"

Philip then feigned honesty as he said, "Oh it's a tragic story! In my searches for you I met these horrible sorcerers who cursed me with a terrible sickness. I have these outbursts where I turn into a horrible monster and threaten anyone around me, but I have discovered a remedy for it. I have been taking elixirs to help suppress it and keep me human."

Caleb smiled as he said, "Well that's good to hear. Come with us, we'd like to have you over for dinner."

Evelyn was wary while Luz and the others showed uneasy expressions, and later they were at Caleb and Evelyn's house. It was large and it was in the location where the old portal was as a stone wall went around the perimeter of the house with a gate at the front, where the portal would open.

Caleb smiled lovingly at his brother while he said, "It's so good to have you back brother.

Philip ate dinner with them before he finished and said, "It is good to be back Caleb, if you don't mind I do have a favor to ask you."

Evelyn suspiciously glared at him as she said, "What?"

Philip smiled as he stood and explained, "I've been trying to work on creating a new portal to the human realm. A better one so we may return."

Evelyn smiled at the thought as she said, "You want to go back to your world?"

Caleb stood up and smiled as he said, "Absolutely Philip we'd be happy to help you!"

He was pleased as he said, "Splendid."

Luz, Vee, Stringbean, and Hunter watched several more flashbacks showing events over the next two months. Philip had talked Caleb and Evelyn into helping him collect things for the Portal Door and Evelyn's knowledge of the original portal helped him. They went back to Eclipse Lake where Philip secretly tried to kill Evelyn by making a cave collapse with fool's blood. However, Caleb managed to save Evleyn, which irritated Philip though he managed to hide his hatred and rage. Evelyn grew suspicious of Philip and tried to warn Caleb, though he did not listen to her as he trusted his brother. Evelyn shared an idea she had as they made a fake eye that looked like that of the Titan and she revealed she had two large Galderstone fragments. When they started working on the Portal Door Philip helped but Caleb and Evelyn did more work when he was away. Evelyn grew more and more pregnant and was almost ready to pop when they finished working on the Portal Door. They tested it out as Caleb stepped through the Portal Door to find himself just outside his old house in Gravesfield before he ran back in.

Seeing this Luz was surprised as she commented, "Caleb and Evelyn made the Portal Door?! Philip helped but he hardly did anything!"

Hunter commented, "Guess Eda was right."

Then they watched a flashback showing Philip in his cave just as he finished feeding off of a Palisman and regained his strength.

He then took his jagged dagger and angrily said, "Finally! Tonight is the night I finally free my brother from that horrid sorceress! She stole my brother from me, assimilated him into her vile witch clan, and used him to create an unholy hybrid! Well tonight I stop the madness!"

The scene skipped ahead to Caleb and Evelyn's house with the Portal Door folded and leaning against the wall.

Evelyn had her hand on her belly as she warily said, "I don't know about this Caleb. Ever since Philip showed up we've had nothing but trouble. I'm starting to think he's up to something."

Caleb was surprised as he said, "Why would you way that? I know we've had a lot of misfortune since he returned but what makes you think he's plotting something?"

Evelyn showed suspicion as she said, "Philip's never liked me. I know he's acting nice to me now but I think he's just trying to trick us. Plus, I'm not sure but I think he's the reason the villagers tried to kill me years ago."

Caleb did not agree as he said, "No, he wouldn't do that. The day you gave me Flapjack he promised he would never tell them about you. I know he has his flaws but he's changed since he came here."

Evelyn caressed her swollen belly as she said, "Maybe, but has he changed for the better? I'm just worried, especially since the baby will be coming any day now."

Caleb hugged her and sincerely said, "Don't worry Evelyn. I would never let anything happen to you or our child. I promise, as long as I live nothing will hurt you."

She smiled at him when suddenly they heard a knock on the door and Caleb answered and let Philip into the house. The three of them talked while Philip hid his jagged dagger behind his back while Luz and the others watched in fear, knowing this would end badly. When Caleb left the room and Evelyn had her back turned Philip pulled out his dagger and prepared to stab Evelyn from behind. Her and Caleb's Palismen saw what was happening and loudly chirped to alert their owners and Caleb saw Philip with the dagger while Evelyn turned around. She prepared to use magic against him but he angrily stretched his arm out as it turned green and he punched her in the face and knocked her out.

She was unconscious when Caleb fearfully asked, "Philip! What are you doing?!"

He furiously looked at Caleb before turning down to Evelyn as he said, "What I failed to do five years ago!"

Seeing Evelyn was right, Caleb ran to save her while Flapjack flew to him and became his staff form while Philip pulled out five fire glyphs. He prepared to slam them down on Evelyn when Caleb flew by and grabbed her and flew out the window with Owlfred following him. Philip then mistakenly slammed the fire glyphs on the floor, resulting in an explosion that destroyed the house behind Caleb and Evelyn. Caleb landed and gently set Evelyn down on the ground, she was unconscious but alive as Owlfred stood beside her.

Caleb desperately looked down at her as he begged, "Evelyn you were right! Wake up! Please!"

Philip then emerged from what was left of the house as it burned behind him and marched toward them with his jagged dagger.

He spoke coldly as he said, "Stand aside brother. I must protect you and humanity and slay this witch."

Caleb turned around and held his staff out as he glared and said, "I won't let you hurt her."

Angered by his loyalty to the witch, Philip furiously said, "She turned you against me!"

Caleb glared at his brother as he said, "You did that on your own!"

Philip lowered his arms as he glared at Caleb with his eyes glowing blue and said, "She won't take you from me!"

Caleb held his ground as he seriously said, "Your hatred and obsession have done that already! You've let your anger consume you and now you've become a monster yourself!"

Philip glared at Caleb as he said, "Don't lecture me brother! I know what I must do! I will kill every witch in this realm to save humanity as a hero."

Caleb was shocked by his delusions as he said, "As a hero?"

Philip continued to glare at him as he said, "Don't make me do this."

Caleb glanced at Evelyn as he said, "Philip, Evelyn is my wife, my family, and so is our child. I will do what I have to to protect them."

Philip glared as he yelled, "So be it!"

He ran at Caleb and swung his dagger at him while Caleb blocked it with his staff, and they did this several times while the fire burned behind them. Hunter, Luz, Vee, and Stringbean watched with tense expressions as they couldn't stop watching even though they knew how this would end. At one point Philip swung his dagger at the end Caleb's staff and hit Flapjack's left eye, scarring his face and blinding him.

He turned into his bird form and chirped in pain while Caleb caught him and said, "Flapjack!"

Everyone else was horrified as they saw the scar that Flapjack had when he was alive while Hunter held his heart. Philip then made a run toward Evelyn but Caleb stopped him as he stood in his way and pulled out his carving knife.

Philip glared at him while Caleb courageously said, "I've failed you Philip. I'm sorry."

Philip angrily yelled, "Caleb, Evelyn is evil!"

Caleb did not budge as he exclaimed, "I see that witch hunters are evil!"

Philip then furiously yelled, "Then you're lost!"

Philip ran at him and tried to attack him with his dagger but Caleb blocked it with his knife and they had sort of a small sword fight with their blades. Philip managed to get Caleb away from Evelyn while Caleb desperately tried to get his brother to stop, but Philip would not listen.

Finally Philip knocked the knife out of Caleb's hand and said, "It's over Caleb! I'll finish her!"

Caleb stared at Evelyn before looking at his brother a she said, "I won't let you hurt her!"

Philip was furious as he stubbornly said, "You can't stop me!"

He turned and ran to Evelyn with his dagger while Caleb ran to intercept him and stood in front of her with his arms out to shield her. Luz, Vee, and Hunter all closed their eyes when Philip stabbed Caleb and knocked him to the ground as Caleb covered his chest, fatally wounded.

Philip was shocked as he looked down at his brother, in a mixture of anger and despair he yelled, "We are witch hunters! We were supposed to kill witches not save them! Save humanity, not doom it! You betrayed yourself!"

Caleb looked up at his brother in despair as he said, "You were my brother Philip! I loved you!"

Philip was then consumed by rage as he yelled in fury when he was hit by a magical yellow blast and he saw Evelyn standing up on the other side of Caleb.

She furiously glared at Philip with her right finger out as she yelled, "Get away from him!"

Philip ran away while Evelyn ran after him and made a yellow ring of light with her finger and shot a yellow blast of magic at him. When he was gone she kneeled down beside Caleb and held up his head as he looked up at her while she started crying.

He then handed her Flapjack and said, "Take him to the Bat Queen. I love you all."

He placed his hand on Evelyn's belly and felt their baby inside her and smiled as he took one final breath and died. Evelyn cried while Owlfred and Flapjack consoled her and Luz and Vee couldn't help but cry as well, while Hunter tried not to cry but couldn't help it.

Later at Philip's lair, Luz and the others watched as he furiously paced the floor before pulling out a book as he said, "Caleb you fool! It was supposed to be us together forever. Us against the demon realm! You threw it away! We could've been the witch hunting Wittebane brothers! Maybe we still can."

The book's title mentioned Grimwalkers, prompting Hunter to say, "Well, the rest is history."

Vee held her palms up as she curiously said, "But what happened to Evelyn?"

The scene changed around them to show Evelyn giving birth to a baby witch boy who had her eyes and red hair.

She cradled the baby in her arms as she lovingly said, "Well, your father picked a great boy's name, so you are Galen Clawthorne."

Luz, Vee, and Hunter all stared with their eyes wide open as they gasped in shock, then their surrounding changed as they appeared to be back in the Space In Between.

The cubes floated away from them as Luz and Vee looked Hunter, who angrily said, "Well that was a huge waste of time! We didn't learn anything!"

Luz pointed at Hunter as she said, "Yes we did. Hunter, you're a Clawthorne."

Hunter was shocked and confused as he said, "What?"

Vee agreed as she pointed at Hunter and said, "She's right. Caleb and Evelyn were the Clawthorne's ancestors. And since you're Caleb's clone, that means you're related to Eda, Lilith, and Dell."

Hunter was speechless as Luz said, "Hunter, they're your family."

Realizing they were right, Hunter glanced around in thought before brushing it off as he said, "Let's just get out of here already! We've seen enough, now let's get back to the Boiling Isles!"

Luz looked around before looking up at the "ceiling" when her eyes widened as she suddenly she heard a soft indistinct muttering. It was as if it spoke to her as she got an idea and looked up at the liquid above them and all the cubes floating around.

She looked at Stringbean on her shoulder and said, "Stringbean, staff."

Stringbean changed into her staff form and Luz sat on her as she looked at Hunter and Vee and said, "Vee, Hunter, grab me."

Hunter and Vee were confused as they got on her staff and held onto her, then Luz took flight and flew up toward the top, which became the bottom. She flew down toward the liquid that would lead to the demon realm, flying so fast dark purple energy surged over her, Hunter, and Vee.

As they flew toward the liquid Vee nervously said, "Luz, are you sure about this!"

Hunter became worried as he said, "Yeah, you said if we go under without a portal we'll die!"

Luz glanced over her shoulder as she shouted, "Trust me!"

They held on for their lives and closed their eyes as they splashed into the liquid and when they splashed in Luz's eyes glowed bright yellow. In the demon realm, they suddenly emerged from the portal and flew through the air as Vee and Hunter looked around.

They flew high in the air as Vee happily said, "We made it!"

Hunter was amazed as he looked at Luz and said, "Luz, how did you do that?"

Luz smiled at them as she shrugged and honestly said, "I don't know. I just thought I heard something and it was like I felt something telling me to do it."

Vee was puzzled while Hunter thought hard then, Luz saw the Owl House and said, "There it is. Come on let's go."

Darius and Eberwolf were with Lilith, Raine, and Eda in the living room when Hooty opened the door to let the three teens in.

They flew in and landed as Luz smiled and said, "Hey everyone, sorry we're late. We got into some trouble, so what's up?"

Everyone looked at them nervously as Hunter curiously asked, "Darius, what are you doing here?"

Vee became concerned as she asked, "What's going on?"

Luz noticed someone missing as she asked, "Where's King?"

Eda walked to Luz with despair as she held her shoulder and said, "Kid, we have a problem."

Author's note: I feel like I might've made this chapter too long, but I really wanted to have them learn Belos' backstory along with Caleb and Evelyn. I based this chapter partially off both "Yesterday's Lie" and "Hollow Mind". A lot has happened and things are really bad now. Please review.