𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜:
𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨 𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙗𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙨. 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙖𝙩 𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙠.
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"𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘵," 𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦, 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵.
Hunter glared over at his Uncle, Luz by his side as she stood closer to Georgia, trying to find a way to cut the vines off.
"This thing has been a thorn in my side for years," Belos walked towards the creature, Luz backing away with Hunter, pulling a glyph out of her pocket.
"All these weepy Palismen souls," He placed a hand on it. "Their voices constantly nagging me. Vile."
He grabbed a bird palisman's soul from the beast as the rest disintegrated away, the bird freezing in his grip.
"But without them, I wouldn't be able to do this," Belos grinned, raising his arm.
It transformed into goo, strangling the paliman's soul before crushing it, Hunter's eyes wide with horror. He flinched, seeing the palisman soul now gone, Belos sighing.
"I'm feeling a little better already," He walked towards Georgia, her eyes widening in horror and pain as her scars glowed brighter.
"Thank you, for distracting it," Belos smiled over at Hunter.
"What did you do to the other guards?" Hunter questioned in fear, his voice shaky. "To our family? It wasn't wild magic was it?"
Belos' smile vanished, an unimpressed look washing over him as he flicked Hunter's hair tuft, Hunter flinching as tears pricked the corners of his eyes.
"Pity," Belos sneered, putting a wicked smile on. "Out of all the Grimwalkers, you looked the most like him."
"...What?" Hunter asked in confusion and fear, his voice cracking.
The ground rumbled, Hunter, lifting his arms in surprise as his eyes darted to the ground, feeling his feet being encased.
Belos' fist was glowing a bright red, the crimson aura around him growing as Georgia's scars stung sharp, almost as though the scars had turned back into wounds.
She failed to notice her blood around the vines.
"Hunter!" Luz called out, looking back at Georgia for the last time in worry before taking her jacket off, tossing it as she held onto one sleeve, Hunter grabbing on the other.
The ground continued to pull the boy in, Hunter grunting as Luz began to panic, pulling the boy as hard as she could as she placed both her hands on the sleeve's fabric.
"No, no, no!" She exclaimed, her feet being dragged across the ground. "You're gonna be okay! You're gonna be okay! Just hang on! Just...!"
Hunter kept pulling on the other end, placing one hand in front of the other before the ground swallowed him up, Luz collapsing on her hands and knees, landing on the ground.
"I was really expecting him to last longer than the others," Belos sighed, walking towards Georgia.
She gave him the sharpest glare, seething as she lunged at him despite the restraints, tears in her eyes.
"GIVE HIM BACK!" She hissed, tears streaming down her cheeks. "YOU MONSTER! YOU VILE BEAST! YOU–"
She was cut off by a swipe at her throat, a sharp blade morphing back into Belos' fingers as he rubbed the blood between them together, taking in a deep breath, his eyes glowing a brilliant blue once more.
"Much better."
Her eyes were wide, a numb feeling filling her as she felt a liquid, her own blood, leaking down her throat. Slowly, she took in a shallow breath, eyes starting to glow.
Luz's eyes widened at the sight of her friend's body going limp, eyes still glowing.
Her body was going into a coping mechanism.
"No, no, no, Georgia!" Her eyes widened in horror and fear, she rushed over to the witch, Belos sighing in relief.
"I think she's provided my quota of sustenance for me," Belos sighs, walking elsewhere as Luz rummages through her pockets, trying to find a glyph that could save her friend.
"If you're planning on saving her, you should do it quickly," He hums. "But her reaction is most... intriguing."
"I'm gonna tell everyone about the day of Unity," Luz seethed, tears in her eyes at the thought of losing both her friends.
"That you've been lying about the Titan for years!"
"Yes," Belos frowned. "This has gone on longer than I'd have liked. But no one ever said being a witch hunter was easy."
"Witch... hunter?" Luz stared at Belos in disbelief. "So all this time people have been mindlessly helping a witch hunter?! How could they be tricked so easily?"
"I wouldn't be so judgemental if I were you," Belos smiled, pulling a portrait up from the ground with a wave of a finger.
Luz leapt back, the images from the tapestry playing out, the Latina watching in horror.
"His pretty little words should make pretty good kindling," Red Fang exclaimed, smirking.
"That doesn't belong to you."
Luz began hyperventilating, hearing her own voice as her eyebrows furrowed. She took a step back, slowly but surely in fear.
"No..." She said shakily in the horror of the realisation. "No, no, no!"
"Astounding!" Philip smiled, seeing a light glyph form in front of him.
More memories began to show, Belos watching with a smile as the teenager's horror grew, the realisation of who she was helping all along.
Philip winced, landing on the ground, gripping his knee in pain.
"It's okay!" Luz smiled. "We can help!"
Luz gripped the bannister, trying to hide from the Stonesleeper as Philip looked at the little, round, glass item.
"I know you wanna get home, but nothing is worth hurting people!" Luz hissed.
Philip swiped his hand across the glass, lighting up as projection appeared.
"I just need to live long enough to see this through," Philip smiled.
"No, no, no. You're Belos!" Luz glared in disbelief, swiping her hand before her, collapsing to her knees while grabbing her head, tears streaming down.
"You're just Belos!"
"Please," Belos approached the girl. "Do me a kindness and call me by my real name."
"I... can't," Luz frowned, her head lowering.
"You're... Philip Wittebane, aren't you?" Luz smiled.
"I can't believe I taught Philip something new!"
"I'll go talk to Philip!"
"Philip, why did you bring us here?"
Luz looked up at the Emperor with a frown, coming to accept that Belos was indeed telling the truth.
–––
Eda dropped a green solution into a conical flask, green smoke appearing from it as her eyes widened, leaning back to not get hit.
"Bones, dirt and muck!" Eda hissed, throwing the flask onto the floor as it shattered, tossing her book stand aside.
"I don't have time to fail!"
A knock on the door suddenly burst the tension, the two palismen, a demon and the Owl Lady looked at the door in surprise.
"Inopportune interruption, eh?" Hooty raised an eyebrow, his pink sunglasses then glinting with menace.
"I'll handle this."
He then backed up, King looking around anxiously as the book was in his hand, reading anything he could to save Luz.
"Eda," He frowned. "Tell me it's gonna be okay."
Eda frowned, picking up the book stand, not sure what to say.
"Eda!" Hooty smiled, calling out her name. "Special delivery from a secret admirer!"
Hooty raised his eyebrow, a bouquet of flowers in his mouth as he placed the flowers in a nearby vase filled with water, a tag dangling out.
"Hooty, that thing could be booby-trapped," Eda deadpanned. "Get it outta here!"
At that moment, the flowers began to glow, hovering slightly as Hooty gasped. Their petals began to fall, stems vanishing as yellow orbs fell into the water, a tag falling off as the potion in the vase bubbled.
Eda picked up the tag, squinting as she read the words written onto it, soon gasping as her eyes widened, Talon and Flapjack hovering nearby as King stood on the couch.
"It's the teleportation potion into the mindscape!" She smiled before frowning. "But who would..."
Eda peered out of the window, looking around to see who was there only to find the forest.
"Figure it out later!" King urged. "Now we can save Luz!"
"Hold up," Eda held a finger, reading the tag again. "It says it still needs a power source. And a big one."
King placed a hand on his chin before running off, grabbing Amity's torn glove before clambering back on the couch, handing it to Eda.
"Use this!" He offered.
"But that's the last of Luz's Titan Blood!" Eda frowned. "She needs it to get back home!"
"She'll never get home if she doesn't get back here!" King argued, Eda soon taking the glove, looking at it pensively.
Hopefully, Luz would forgive her for what she was going to do next.
–––
"Kid, you there?" Eda's voice called out through the walkie-talkie, Luz stumbling back. "We're getting you three out."
"It does feel good to hear another human say that name," Belos smiled, walking towards Luz as she backed away.
"I had to change it when Philip was run out of too many towns."
Not noticing the slope as she fell back into a hole, grunting.
"I told you once before, 'Luzura'," Belos walked around the girl as she stood up hastily.
"Perhaps," He morphed into his previous form. "We were destined to meet."
"A-And what about Hunter?" Luz glared. "What's a Grimwalker?"
Belos morphed back into his current form, humming with a frown.
"He's... a better version of an old friend," A smile grew. "But thanks to you, I'll have to make another one."
"She's not answering," Eda panicked. "Luz! Luz!"
"But why?" Luz frowned. "Why go through all this?"
"I'll do anything to save humanity from evil," Belos lifted the cracked Golden Guard mask, smiling.
"No," Luz shook her head.
"Luz," Eda called out. "We're gonna start the countdown! Are you ready?"
"You're evil," Luz hissed.
"Can't reason with crazy," Belos shrugged, his arm morphing into goo as it shifted into a blade, aimed at the Latina.
Luz's eyes were wide with horror as she braced herself. Suddenly, a wall of vines and ice appeared, the blade hitting it. Luz looked up at the blade, water dripping off of it as she looked up, spotting Hunter clinging onto the vines, Georgia in his arms, eyes glowing.
"Luz!" He called out, glyphs falling as he dropped down, Eda beginning the countdown.
"Five."
Luz picked up a glyph, Hunter grabbed the jacket as Georgia was over his shoulder. Luz slapped the fire symbol on the glyph, fire shooting out of it as they ran.
"Four."
The explosion hit the axe arm the two teens hopping out of the smoking circle as Belos winced, gripping onto his arm in pain.
"Three. Two."
Hunter stared at Belos with conflicted emotions, the two meeting eyes as they soon landed near the walkie-talkie, Luz grabbing the walkie as Hunter carefully landed beside her.
"Eda, now! Please, now!" Luz cried out.
A golden glow filled the area as the beams soon filled the Owl House, light leaking through the blinds.
The three teenagers were finally back.
Hooty and King instantly tried to near the group, Georgia unconscious on the ground, eyes finally shut. Luz and Hunter sitting on their knees, trying to process everything.
"Don't crowd them," Eda held them back. "Are you three okay?"
Eda questioned before noticing a small pool of blood gathering around Georgia's neck, gasping. She rushed forwards, gently holding the girl's head before looking over to King. Talon flew over to Georgia speedily, looking up at his creator in fear.
He chirped sadly, chirping again when he got no response.
"King, call up Kyle and Evelyn, Hooty get some bandages."
Luz watched all of them move quickly, a numbness to her as Hunter looked at Georgia in slight fear.
"Will she be okay, Eda?" Luz asked shakily.
"If we act fast enough, we can save her," Eda muttered worriedly, taking the bandage roll from Hooty. "What happened in there?"
None of them responded, Flapjack tapping Hunter's head to make sure he was okay. He only stared at his girlfriend numbly.
Suddenly, he gasped, realising the cold truth. Belos is coming for him.
"He knows," Hunter's eyes widened in horror. "He... He knows we were in there. I can't... I can't go back!"
"Kid, breathe," Eda frowned in concern, laying Georgia on the couch.
She held her hand out to Hunter. He looked at it before hyperventilating, standing up as he pulled the cape off, looking as though he was strangled, tears forming in his eyes.
He burst out the door of the Owl House, Luz soon running after him as his palisman followed.
"Hunter!" Luz held a hand out in sadness, frowning.
"What the heck happened in there?" King questioned, Eda following as the group stood outside, Hooty shutting the door.
"Luz, what did you see?" Eda frowned.
Luz's eyes were glossy as she looked back.
The truth had been revealed.