Hunter AU: Takes place after the defeat of Emperor Belos or something...
I tried to give him He/They pronouns, but please correct me if I misuse them. Also, Hunter redemption arc pog??
(Note: This may be a little out of character, and badly written, so read with caution!)
Hot, steady stream of tears flowed down his flushed cheeks, a smile clearly evident. They reached to wipe the stream with a gloved hand, but ultimately failed as more poured like a late rainy night. They stared at their newfound family with a warm smile that they couldn't stuff down. The shock didn't subside when he decided to bask in the moment, but that didn't matter. He finally had a family, and a proper one at that.
It was finally time for them to leave their past behind. To leave the murky water and walk on his own. To forget about the horrid abuse and flashbacks and panic attacks. No more scars or words that dug into his bruised heart. No more reminders of failures that he himself endured.
And they couldn't be happier. Their heart bloomed at the thought that they found their people. A family that would accept him—even if he made the tiniest mistakes. A family that loved him to an extent.
They took one last look at the thick stack of paper and huffed a laugh.
"Well, kid? Would you like to be an official Clawthorne?"
"And join the Bad Girl Coven?!" The brunette exclaimed in an excited tone, looking from the notepad that laid on the wooden floor boards up at his clouded eyes. She gave him a goofy grin before drawing a glyph on the sheet of note. It glowed when she tapped it, and the sheet crumbled and morphed into a small ball of light. She handed it to him and he held his free hand out.
He took a moment to rethink the events of the past few months. Just after their escape from the castle, the changing of sides, and the defeat of Emperor Belos, he was a soldier. A soldier who was blind with an only goal; please the one that saved him from a life of misery. A soldier who wore garments of gold and an ivory white cloak with a facade of a personality. Their eyes used to hold bags of late night training and scouting and aiding. His smile used to be reserved but undesired. And His heart used to hold heavy histories of guilt. But he was anew—he felt as if he were reborn. He felt happier. He felt stronger. And they felt as if he were finally himself—Hunter. And never again the Golden Guard. Just Hunter Clawtorne.
They sniffled for a second, scanning each and every face. "Of course, yeah," He said as his voice wavered the slightest.
The room erupted in delighted cheering (with an annoying chanting of 'hoot' from the house demon), everyone piling in a group hug.
"Welcome to the family. Now bow before me," Said King with a semi-serious tone once everyone parted. He cracked a smile, his cheeks still stained with dried tears.
"Okay, your highness," And they did so, bowing before their presumed shorter brother. Then they shared playful glances, going their separate ways.
He stood there, watching as Eda bragged to her floating scroll, most likely calling her sister, Lilith. And then the house demon, Hooty, raced from his spot at the open door once he heard the name Lilith was mentioned.
Then his eyes trailed to the stack of papers, which were now signed, and his heart fluttered.
"So how are you feeling, newly adopted older brother of mine?" Said a voice to his side. He crossed his arms with a small smile, not needing to meet the eyes of the voice to know who's there.
"I don't know. It feels new, I guess. I'm sorta new to this whole 'family' ordeal." They looked at her with gleaming eyes. "But I have a feeling you'll lead me through it. All of you will."
She rested her arm on his shoulder, eyes lidded and lips curved into a wide, wholesome smile. "You know it, brother of mine."
With his eyes closed into crescents, he released a sincere and bubbly laugh; one that wasn't so foreign anymore. Luz soon joined in, her laughs oh so infectious. Once they finished their handful of fits, they hummed simultaneously.
But before Hunter could say that they wanted to go watch more episodes of the human show Amphibia, Luz butted in.
"By the way, Eda said you're coming to school with me."
"What?!"
✧༝┉┉┉┉┉˚*❋ ❋ ❋*˚┉┉┉┉┉༝✧
They stood in front of the stairway, feeling a mix of terrified and excited. He clasped his hands together, pressing his lips in a straight line.
"Yeah, nope! No, I can't do this!" He exclaimed once he whirled around with his heel.
"Uh, no, you're going in there."
"But—Luz! The students, what if they hate me? What if I don't do well in school? What if I get bullied?!" Hunter argued.
"Hunter, they're not gonna hate you. Besides, the war was months ago. Maybe they've forgotten you were on Belos's side?" She attempted to reassure him with a shrug of her shoulders.
He shook his head slowly, hooking a finger under the neck of his dark grey sweater. Though they thought they looked quite nice in Hexside's uniform, that did nothing to ease their anxiety of the student's reactions. He just had to do it, he guessed.
"A-Alright. I trust you, Luz."
"Awesome!" She squealed, jumping forward to interlock their arms.
"So, do you know what track you're going to be joining?" Luz asked as she led them inside the school.
"I'm guessing Potions. It's the track with the least magic, so I guess it's a solid deal," They answered as they drew a magic circle in the air. Nothing happened, which was expected due to his lack of magic inheritance.
"Right, sorry."
"No, it's okay. Used to it," He assured her with a smile.
They continued down the halls and into Principal Bump's office. During the middle of their walk, they released the hold on each other after way too many questions relating to if they were a couple or not. Hunter obviously ignored them with a tight face, while Luz cleared out the confusion. They entered the office, the principal himself waiting to greet them at the door.
"Good day, Hunter Clawthorne. Luz, you are dismissed," He sat Hunter down on a seat while he shooed off Luz to her class.
"Hello, Principal Bump," They confidently acknowledged his presence. The aforementioned principal sat down on the opposite side of the desk, nodding politely at the greeting.
"So Hunter, you will be attending Hexside School of Magic and Demonics, yes?" He started reading a sheet of paper.
"That is correct,"
"What are your magical capabilities?"
He stiffened on his seat. "Uhm, Pardon?"
"Your capabilities revolving magic, do you have any?" Bump repeated, his eyes scanning their expression. Then his eyes returned to the paper, and when it did, his eyebrows raised questioningly. He met the awkward gaze that belonged to Hunter, humming.
"Do you know any magic, including or excluding actual spells?" The principal corrected himself.
"Y-Yes!" Hunter exclaimed, clearing his throat immediately after. "I can do basic glyphs, like the human, Luz," He insisted.
"Good," Bump nodded, changing the subject. "What track or tracks are you interested in taking?"
"Potions, sir," He earned a nod and another humm, a very brief response to Hunter's liking. Their eyes landed on their hands, scarred and scratching a small, fading bruise on his left wrist.
"Hunter, could you stand for a second?" And stand, Hunter did. But not before he accidentally tripped, causing him to stumble and chuckle sheepishly. His cheeks had a light hue due to embarrassment as he stood straight.
With a circular motion, Principal Bump turned the light grey of Hunter's uniform into a glowing yellow. Hunter stood in awe, his lips parted in surprise. They looked at Bump, receiving a small smile.
"You are dismissed, Hunter. Please enjoy your day and Hexside School. I'll be finishing up your file,"
"Okay," He said. "Enjoy your day, too, Principal Bump."
And with that, he left the office with excitement building in him. He scurried with quick feet, already knowing the place thanks to his former occupation. But when Hunter thought things were going as planned, he suddenly got quite the surprise.
He stumbled upon someone.