(10/20/23-minor story and grammar edits done.)
Dawn teleports back to their room and lands on the floor. She blinks confused when she hears her palisman whimpering.
Dawn looks up and gasps; Silbi lays on her bed sleeping while Lila holds an item over her to keep her so. Yulong's trapped in a cage and Muk-Muk is tied with duck tape and inside a jar.
"Get away from them, you creep!!" shouted Dawn as she pounced at the doll.
Lila drops the sleeping item, waking Silbi. Dawn clutches the doll tightly while Lila pulls on her hair and fights back. The witchling sits up and rubs her eyes tiredly before noticing her trapped friends.
"Bad dolly!" exclaimed Silbi and uses her magic to free Yulong.
Yulong dashes out and opens the toy chest. Dawn follows after her palisman and tosses Lila in the chest. They shut it tight and don't intend to ever open it again. Silbi builds a lock and chains around it.
"Oh, Yulong! Silbi! Are you guys alright?!" Dawn asks worriedly as she hugs her palisman before hugging Silbi, too. "How did you find me, Silbi?"
"Astral plane, mama!" answered Silbi. "I was gonna leave like you told me, but then I fell sleepy. So I travel with my mind and found you, mama!"
"Thank you, baby, but now we gotta skedaddle!"
Dawn carries Silbi, and grabs their bags, while Yulong is in staff form. Silbi uses her magic to bring Muk-Muk to her, hugs him, and shoves him in her bag. Dawn rushes to the balcony when suddenly a new wall builds itself and blocks the way. Shocked, Dawn gasps, and Silbi growls aggressively as they back away.
"You two are not going anywhere." Belos declares as his voice echoes their room.
Silbi uses her magic and blasts fire at the bricked wall. It breaks a hole but it repairs itself and uses red arms this time.
"Bad dada!!!" growled Silbi.
Dawn turns around and runs for the door when suddenly Belos appears in the middle of their room.
"Belos!" exclaimed Dawn and quickly backs away from him.
"Leaving so soon?" asked Belos sarcastically.
Silbi growls and uses abomination magic to attack Belos. However, he counters by using his staff to disintegrate the abominations.
"Stay away from us!" shouted Dawn as she aims her staff at him.
"Have you forgotten already, Dawn?" asked Belos and his staff glowed red.
Dawn's ring reacts to it and forces her to lower her staff. Yulong turns back and whimpers at his master. The ring forces Dawn to submit as she falls to her knees in pain.
"Mama!" exclaimed Silbi by her side. She glares at Belos and growls while her wolf ears and tail pop out.
She stands on fours before pouncing at Belos. He dodges her claws this time and avoids her magic before using those red hands to pin her down. Silbi flails around desperately and even tries to bite the hands.
"I haven't forgotten what you did in my mind, Silbi," said Belos as he sighed before turning back at Dawn. "I really didn't want to do this, but you two left me with no choice. Silbi will get her own room now and will be monitored daily."
Dawn growls, "I won't let you use Silbi, you witch-hunting jerk!"
"Try as you might, neither of you will escape this castle," said Belos coldly.
Belos then turns to Yulong and extends his grotesque arm to snatch him. Yulong is captured as he whimpers and struggles pitifully.
"No!!!" begged Dawn.
"Perhaps this will teach you all a lesson." Belos brings Yulong to him when a thundering growl comes from the witchling. A forceful one that pushes Belos back and removes Yulong from his grip.
"Grrr---Rrah---WEH!!!"
Belos growls and whirls around at Silbi. A ripped piece of those red arms was slapped at his face. He wipes it off and glares at the witchling furiously when he gasps. Silbi pants heavily while her wolf ears had fallen off; now replaced by a pair of bone-like horns.
Just like King's.
Dawn gasps with Yulong hiding behind her. "Silbi . . ?"
Silbi growls dangerously at Belos and tilts her head while glaring at him.
Belos is stunned by the witchling before him. "You're not half human . . ."
Silbi uses her magic and swiftly pounces at her fake father.
~~~
"Isn't she cute?" asked a woman's silvery voice.
"She . . . looks like you," said a man's deep voice.
Baby Silbi coos as she stares up at two blurry figures over her.
The woman's voice asked, "Is that bad?"
The man replies softly, "No. She's perfect. No one will suspect her."
Little Silbi felt a hand on her chubby cheek, one with bone-like claws and a dark, furry palm. Her little nose twitches and babbles happily at the owner and his warm hand.
The woman giggles, "Look. She knows her papa."
The man chuckles, "I'm glad."
Baby Silbi felt a bony surface press her soft forehead as she cooed. The man rubs his forehead against hers and smiles. "My little Silbeeni. The more you be yourself, the prouder I'll be, even when I'm gone."
"Goo . . ."
The man adds, "Even death won't separate us."
~~~
Silbi knocks the staff off Belos's hand and pushes him back with her roar. He slams into a wall while Dawn regains her will. Yulong changes into his staff form and Dawn wields him.
"Silbi!!" called Dawn. "Baby, come back to mama!"
Silbi turns her attention to Dawn when Belos extends his arm and snatches her. The little witch uses her booming voice again and swiftly frees herself. Belos lifts himself up from the destroyed wall and pants heavily.
He smirks with a chuckle with glowing blue eyes. "Looks like I'm not the only one here hiding secrets."
Silbi growls at Belos and uses both her arms to form one big circle. A blast of solid ice slams into Belos, who shields himself with fire magic.
Dawn wields her staff and casts a thousand vines at Belos. She then aims her staff at the red arms that sealed the balcony. Casting her abomination mantis, she orders it to chop down the red arms. The giant mantis slices away the arms while Dawn snatches Silbi and her bag.
Dawn rushes to the opening balcony when something stabs her ankle. She falls while protecting Silbi and turns back to see Lila. The creepy doll had escaped the toy chest and used Dawn's sewing scissors to stab her ankle.
"Stupid doll!!" shouted Dawn and kicked Lila away from them.
Dawn tries to sit up but winces from her injury. She clenches her teeth and picks up Silbi, carrying her to the balcony window. "We have to get out here!"
From behind Dawn, her mantis suddenly flew out, tossed, and fell off the balcony. Dawn swiftly whirls around and quickly aims her staff. Then she gasped loudly. Belos, now in his monstrous form, let out a terrifying roar.
"You're . . . not . . . going . . . anywhere!!!"
Belos charges at them while Dawn summons another abomination mantis. It blocks Belos's attack and forcefully pushes him back. Dawn limped out to the edge of the balcony and was about to get on Yulong and fly away.
However, yet again, Belos takes down Dawn's second mantis and tosses it out. The damaged mantis is tossed out, along with Yulong in the way.
"Yulong!!!" screamed Dawn as she leans over the edge and watch her palisman fall.
Belos walks toward Dawn, who faces him angrily while protectively holding Silbi close. Silbi growls and flails her little arms furiously. "I hate you!! I hate you!!"
Dawn shouts, "You won't get away with this, Belos!"
"So you say," replied Belos eerily. "You two . . . will never leave this castle!
At that moment, as Belos swung his arm to capture them, Dawn knew what to do.
I'm sorry, Silbi, thought Dawn in those few seconds.
It happened all too fast, at least for Silbi, who was suddenly tossed out. Silbi's eyes widen in shock as she falls from the balcony.
"NOO!!!" roared Belos.
Tearfully, Dawn shouts, "Never come back, Silbi! Yulong, take her away!!!"
Yulong zooms up, as fast as lightning, and catches Silbi. Belos captures Dawn with one arm and uses the other to reach for Silbi. However, Yulong flies away quickly and avoids Belos's reach.
Finally realizing the situation, Silbi gasps and reaches her little arms out. "No, Mama!! Mama!!!"
"It's okay, baby," said Dawn as she tried to smile at her adopted daughter.
Silbi cries loudly as Yulong takes her far away from the Emperor's Coven.
Belos watches in defeat before growling loudly and slamming his fists on the wall. Dawn was still in his grasp when Belos pulled her to his face. He chuckles in annoyance and irritation. "You . . . You've made me very angry, my dear."
"Good! You deserved it after all you've done!" exclaimed Dawn.
"Don't think you've won just yet," said Belos as he turns back to his normal form.
He releases Dawn and summons his staff back. "I still have you under my spell and will have the scouts hunt down Silbi before the Day of Unity."
Dawn grunts with her hand slightly near her stomach before forming a fist. "It'll be too late. You won't be able to find her in time. Perhaps Delia's work will forever be lost!"
Belos glares at Dawn before scouts come rushing in. The general bows in front of Belos and lowers her head. "My liege! Are you hurt?! We came as soon as possible!"
Belos walks past the general while giving his order. "Go and gather your best witches. Our dear, little Silbi has run away. It's gravely important that you find her alive."
"Yes, sir!" responded the general. "Um, pardon me, Emperor Belos, but what about the empress?"
Belos stops at the door. "Until the Day of Unity arrives, she is forbidden from stepping out of her room. Keep watch of her until I summon the Coven heads. And do repair this place."
"Understood, sir!"
"Wait! You stay away from Silbi, you . . ! You . . ." Dawn felt her eyelids heavy and started losing her focus.
"Empress Dawn!" The general catches Dawn, who had lost her balance and felt sleepy.
Belos smirks, "Looks like our empress's curse is coming back. I suppose it is that time. Stay with her until I fetch the Coven heads."
Belos exits the room and grips his staff tightly while Dawn closes her eyes unwillingly. Half the scouts start repairing the room and the other half went to find Silbi.
Meanwhile, Yulong takes Silbi far away and heads straight for the Owl House. Silbi hiccups and whimpers from her crying as she clings to the palisman.
"Mama . . . Mama . . ." whimpered Silbi.
Yulong glanced back at the witchling and frowns sadly. He decides to take her to Bat Queen first, at least, for the night.
~~~
Meanwhile, back at Silbi's old house where she used to live before the castle, a cloaked figure with mismatched horns enters. He sniffs the air and, instantly, knows no one is home. The house was abandoned for many months now yet every now and then someone would check in.
While no one lived here at the moment, the stranger could tell someone would come back every now and then.
He explores the house and looks around when he finds a picture frame. He reaches out his bark-like hand and picks it up: it was a picture of baby Silbi with her wild witch grandma. The stranger's beast-like eyes stare at the picture coldly before letting go. The frame breaks and he steps over the picture and broken glass.
"Where are you, halfling?" growled the young stranger.
He opens his hand and creates a light orb in his palm. This stranger sniffs around for fresh tracks but everywhere is cold. He groans irritably before smashing a table with an abomination-like arm.
"Where is she?!" roared the stranger annoyed and frustrated.
He rubs his temples before using plant magic to grow a small flower with an eyeball. He places the flower somewhere hidden, like how a security camera works.
"If she comes back, I'll know." The young stranger leaves the house and casts an illusion spell to turn invisible.