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Author's POV:
Flashback
A young Gus runs inside a classroom and sits down dejectedly. "You've done it again, Augustus. Why does this keep happening?"
He bangs his head accidentally on the desk behind him, and a book from above hits him. "Ow!"
His eyes turn blue. "Oh, no. No, no, not this!" Illusions of the two students who he encountered earlier escape from behind him and he projects a wide illusion of the forest as the two students approach him.
Orange-haired student illusion laughs. "Aww, the poor wittle baby got his feewings hurt!"
Dark-haired student illusion "Talent can't make up for gullibility." The two laugh at Gus, making him feel more dejected.
Just then, they hear another voice, attempting to communicate with Gus. "Um- Hello there!" An abomination waves slowly at Gus; its hand suddenly melts, revealing the bone of a finger.
Someone chuckles and reveals themselves from another desk; it turns out to be a younger Willow and younger Y/n.
"Sorry, I-I was trying to be funny, but, I just ended up being horrifying. I.. thought we was the only one that hid here." Willow said. Y/n grabs her shoulder.
"Uh, who's that?" "You might as well just do their homework now! Get it over with!" Gus covers his face. "Go away!" He yelled. "Are you talking to us?" Willow said confused as she turned to Y/n with a confused look.
"All of you!" Gus moves his hands up to his head in distress.
Willow smiles as she and Y/n push through the illusion and sit beside Gus. "Hey. Sometimes I get wrapped up in my own thoughts too. But my dads taught me a little trick to quiet the voices." She starts inhaling, her hands counting from 1 to four, and exhaling as her hands count back to 1.
Gus follows the second time, and after, his eyes turn normal again. The illusions start to disappear.
"Huh? No, no, I don't wanna go!" He yelled out. The dark-haired student scream as they disappear and the wide illusion disappears. The classroom returns to normal.
"I'm Willow." She offers her hand to him; he takes it. "Augustus." The two shake hands. "And this is Y/n," Willow said as she touched her cheek with her own Y/n blushed.
Flashback ending
~~~~~
In cafeteria. Amity shows Y/n, Willow, and Gus the messages from Luz on her game device.
"These are the last messages I got from Luz. She must've typed them quickly, because all I could decipher was, 'Learned a lot of bad stuff,' something, something, 'Day of Unity,' something, something, and, 'Don't scare him away'? I don't know what any of it means."
"What about all those hearts?" Gus asked. Amity quickly blushes, "Oh..." She chuckles. "Those are for me." (Y/n: 🤨😦)
"Me and Y/n went by and checked out the Owl House. It was crawling with Coven Scouts. I was thinking of capturing one for information, but..." Willow said.
"It's okay, Willow. They're tough. Not everyone can stand up to them." Amity said. Willow squints suspiciously. "But I didn't want to bring any more attention to Luz and Eda." "Oh!" Amity awkwardly said "Of course, yes. Smart move!"
From somewhere, the bell screams and rings. Amity picks up her food tray and walks off with a decent expression on her face, as Willow follows her with a dejected expression.
"Hey. You should say something." Gus said to Willow. "I'm fine.! We just started hanging out again, and, she needs time to get to know the new me."
"You mean the real you." Y/n winks at Willow. "Mm-hmm." She winks back and walks off.
As Willow walks off with Amity.
Gus has just scooped up his lunch when he hears rattling from the trash bin. Y/n
He turns around to look at it and out comes Flapjack with a half-eaten sandwich on his beak and chirps. Y/n and Gus gasps. "I remember you!" Gus yelled. Flapjack chirps, drops the sandwich, and runs off.
Gus pockets his lunch. Y/n and Gus summons their staff and ride on it.
"Wait, get back here!" Flapjack flies through the hallways as Gus follows him, and he eventually ends up in the paranoratorium, Hexside's closed theater. Upon landing, Gus and Y/n look around, armed with their staff.
Suddenly, someone comes up behind him, and he gasps. The figure steps forward. It's revealed to be Hunter, with a hood and looking rather disheveled. Y/n steps forward and protects Gus.
"What are you doing here, Golden Guard?" Gus asked. "Wouldn't you like to know." Hunter chuckles. "But rest assured, Y/n Gus, I-" A clattering sounds as Y/n and Gus look behind Hunter, confused.
Behind him, Gus spots a few packets of Hex Mix and a few books. Hunter instead attempts to hide it with his cape, embarrassed.
"We'll ask you one more time. What are you doing here, Hunter?" Y/n asked as P/n turned into the animal form and went on her shoulder.
Hunter doesn't speak until Flapjack flies across him and bites his singed hair, making his hood come off.
"Ow, ow, ow, ow! Okay, fine!" Hunter stares angrily at Flapjack as he perches himself on Hunter's shoulder.
"Truth is, my living situation has been compromised. Maybe. So I just need a place to crash. Temporarily! Hexside... was the only place I could think of." Hunter explained.
"Oh..Do you know where Luz is, by any chance?" Y/n asked. "She's... not with the Owl Lady?" Hunter said.
Just then, Bump's voice rings out from the speakers. "Students, please join me in the gym for an important announcement."
Gus summons his lunch bag and hands it to Hunter. "I'm not sure what you're going through, but that much Hex Mix can't be good for your stomach."
Hunter looks inside the bag to find an orange, an apple, and a sandwich. Gus runs off as Hunter looks at him.
~~~~~
Cut to inside the gym, where the students are gathered into a crowd as Gus and Y/n enter. "What's going on?" Viney asked. Above the stage are the illusion teacher, the hooded figure from earlier, and Bump.
"Uh, students, teachers, let me introduce the esteemed-" "Please, Principal Bump, I deserve no accolades." The hooded figure steps forward and takes off his hood. "Hello everyone, my name is Adrian Graye, Head Witch of the Illusionist Coven."
The students gasp and start muttering worriedly. "Unfortunately, I'm not here with good news. The Emperor's Coven has plans to stop multi-track studies, by inducting every Hexside student into a coven, before the Day of Unity." Adrian explained.
Everyone gasps in shock. Viney, Barcus, and Jerbo look at each other worriedly. "Mother Titan!" Mattholomule rips off his sleeves and crosses his arms grumpily.
"Don't worry. No one's magic is going to be sealed away. Head Witch Graye supports us, and has come to help." Principal Bump explained, that upon hearing this, Mattholomule takes back his sleeves, puts them on, and crosses his arms again, embarrassed.
A teacher then comes up to Edric and takes him by the shoulder. "Before any Coven Scouts come by, I'm going to make illusions of sigils on your wrists," Adrian explained. A hesitant Edric is led onto the stage. "They'll be temporary, and harmless."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait, wait, I just started the other tracks. Are you sure this is safe?" Edric exclaimed. "Don't worry, once a scout sees the fake sigil, they'll move on, and you can continue your studies in peace," Adrian explained.
Edric, still hesitant, rolls up his sleeve and shows his wrist. "Now hold still." Adrian draws a spell circle in the air and aims it towards Edric's wrist.
Gus gets suspicious of this, but then he sees illusion magic brandishing Adrian's hand. Gus realizes this is a trap. Gus gasps. "STOP!" Everyone looks at him. "Gus?" Y/n said.
"Don't trust him! He's hiding behind an illusion!" Gus draws a huge spell circle, and aims it towards the stage. The illusion dispels and Adrian is revealed to be a Scout Captain in disguise.
Edric fearfully shields his wrist as the illusion teacher and Bump step forward and protect him. The illusion teacher and the captain draw spell circles simultaneously, when suddenly, the real Adrian's voice can be heard.
"CUT!" The teacher and the Coven Scout call off their spell circles in surprise. "Just... just cut." From the bleachers in the gym, Coven Scouts start appearing, to the shock and disturbance of the students.
Some Coven Scouts also appear on stage too, a few handling the lights, and a few handling vocals. The real Adrian then appears, in a director's seat, in the middle of the stage.
Adrian is holding a cup of coffee and looks like he's about to laugh. "All right, couple of notes. Tom," He walks over to a Coven Scout. "that Adrian illusion was lacking a certain, hmm? You get me?" Tom shrugs in confusion.
"Severine! That was really... poor, work. You're on thin ice." Severine whimpers. "Captain," He walks over to the captain, who was pretending to be Adrian. "The read of your last line was just a little... mm."
"I don't know what that means." Adrian hands him the cup of coffee and winks. "You'll figure it out."
Adrian teleports beside Gus and grabs his arm. "And you. Well, you just ruined any chance we had of making this, something."
"You were gonna trick us into getting sigils!" Gus attempts to escape Adrian's tight grip unsuccessfully; a Coven Scout puts a Branding Glove on Adrian's arm.
"Uh, yeah. I work for Belos. Kind of my job. But let's make sure you." The sigil on his glove changes from Illusion to Abomination. "can never use your little illusion tricks again..." He sinisterly. "shall we?" Everyone gasps, horrified.
Gus attempts to escape Adrian's grip again as he slowly reaches for his wrist. Y/n who was about to intervene but Gus yelled out, "No, no, stay back! I said, stay... back!" The word "back" echoes, and his eyes glow blue again.
He projects yet another wide illusion, but this time, the illusion keeps shifting locations, confusing everyone.
Everyone starts running in different directions. Adrian looks at Gus, astonished. "How are you doing this?!" Gus attempts to escape his grip again.
Y/n used her stuff to hit him out the way. Hunter passes through the illusion and pushes Adrian out of the way, taking Gus and Y/n with him as they both disappear.
~~~~~
Gus's POV:
In a another place somewhere at the school, me, Hunter and Y/n are also running through the shifting illusion, when it finally steadies and they are seen somewhere in the streets of Bonesborough.
Suddenly, we bump into a wall, which actually turns out to be one of the lockers, and we fall to the ground.
Hunter groans. "Why are we here?" I stands up, and he becomes astonished. "Whoa, Gus. Wha- Is your eye okay?" Hunter asked as Y/n stand up.
One of my eyes is revealed to be blue, I rub my eyes in confusion and look again.
My blue eye can see through my illusions while the other cannot. "My spell, it's still active," I said.
Back To Author's POV:
Hunter stands up. "Well, you're a witch... unspell it." "No, I-I don't know how, I've never made one this big before," Gus exclaimed.
"Well, if we're still in Hexside," Hunter guides himself through the wall. "we should find a teacher."
Y/n and Gus follow him as the two walk off. "Maybe they'll know how to help," Hunter said. "Hunter, why'd you save me back there? From getting a sigil? Don't those guys work for you?" Gus asked.
"I owed you. For the food." Hunter said as they stopped at a staircase. "Are these real steps or illusion steps?" Hunter tries skipping over it, but immediately falls down the stairs, groaning. Gus looks horrified.
"Real steps." Hunter weakly said. Y/n and Gus walk down the stairs; guiding themself through the wall beside them.
"When we first met you were trying to trick us into joining a coven. And now you're helping us stay away from one... because of a.. sandwich?" Y/n asked.
Y/n stretched out their hand to help him up. Hunter lightly slaps her hand away as he walks away. "It was a good sandwich." "No sandwich is that good!" Gus shouted.
They follow Hunter, who still refuses to speak. "Come on, if we wanna find a way through this, we need to trust each other. What's going on with you?"
The two eventually stop walking. Hunter is about to say something until someone interrupts them. "I.."
"Hey! It's the kid!" Upon spotting two Coven Scouts in front of them, Hunter immediately summons his staff and attacks one of the scouts but gets intercepted when abomination goo, summoned by the other scout, takes his staff and traps his body in goo.
The scout attempts to take the staff, but it immediately transforms into Flapjack and flies around him, trying to distract him.
"Hunter!" Gus yells out as tries to run towards Hunter but is restrained by the other scout in vines. A Coven Scout approaches Hunter but stops upon recognizing him.
"Wait, aren't you the Golden Guard?" Coven Scout 1# yelled.
"Seriously? Dude, what the heck? We're on the same side!" Coven Scout 2# yelled. "Our deepest apologies, sir." Coven Scout 1# calls off the abomination goo, freeing Hunter.
"The Emperor sent out a search party for you, he's been worried sick." At the mention of Belos, Hunter immediately flinches and tries to hide it. Hunter Hesitantly. "You don't say..."
Flapjack immediately flies towards Gus and begins chipping his vines. Meanwhile, Gus and Y/n spot some leftover abomination goo in front of their feet.
"I'd be honored to escort you back to the castle, sir. I'm sure the Emperor would be thrilled to know you're okay. Say.. why aren't you in uniform?" Gus is then shown drawing a fire glyph using the abomination goo in front of his feet and upon finishing it, activates it.
Hunter is then shown looking nervous. "Uh, I-" Before he can finish, a wave of fire hits the Coven Scouts, making them fall down. Hunter is taken by surprise as the wave barely passes him.
Y/n uses the abomination goo leftover to make a chain the Coven Scouts down. "Follow me!" Gus yelled out before Runs off.
Hunter and Flapjack follow him. "I'm not all that good in abomination magic! So it will not hold them down for long!" Y/n yelled before following them a few seconds after.
The Coven Scouts chase after them as they run into a tangible wall, confusing the Coven Scouts.
Cuts to a two panting behind the door, and they are shown to be in Gus' room. Hunter starts panicking once more.
"Oh, Titan! He's looking for me! He'll know I'm here. I-I g-gotta run. I-I gotta hide! I g-" Hunter started to hyperventilate.
Y/n puts his hand on Hunter's shoulder, which makes Hunter stop hyperventilating and look up at him.
"Hey, It's okay try to breathe. Like this." Y/n repeats the technique that Willow showed her; she starts inhaling, counting from 1 to 4, and then exhales and counts back to 1.
He repeats as Hunter follows along, eventually calming down. "Did you run away from the Emperor's Coven?" Gus asked. Hunter nods. "Why?" Y/n asked.
Hunter opens his mouth to speak, reconsiders, glares at Y/n and Gus, then buries his face in his arms.
"Not too long ago, when I showed a little talent and started taking more advanced classes, it always felt like anyone who wanted to be my friend had an ulterior motive. Until I met Y/n and Willow. And, eventually Luz, and some others." Gus gets up and walks toward pictures of him with Luz, Y/n, Willow, and even Mattholomule.
"So yeah, not everybody's great, but not everybody's bad either, y'know? For what it's worth, you can trust me. I promise not to mess with you." Gus said.
Hunter scoffs. "That's not worth anything. Stop acting foolish." Y/n laughed, "Okay, tough guy. Let's keep moving then!" Gus walks through the wall, Hunter stands and Y/n turns back to Hunter, and gives him her full attention,
"Look, I know you've had the worst luck, but that doesn't mean that everyone out there is only looking to use you. Some of them, like Gus and the other, really are just looking to be your friend. And, even if you don't want to go all out and be close with everyone right off the bat, that's fine! Just don't give up on the possibility of finding people who you can actually trust." Y/n walks through the wall,
Hunter looks at Gus's pictures, then turns to leave.
~~~~~~
Cuts to Gus and Hunter as they run into the school hallway. "Is this...real?" Hunter asked Y/n. Y/n looks around the hallway.
Gus touches a water fountain and gets gum stuck on his hand; he groans in disgust. "Yes! Yeah, we made it through the illusion! High five!"
Hunter confusingly raises his hand to Gus, which he slaps, causing him to grunt.
'Willow' is seen walking through the halls and stops as she notices the boys. "Willow!" Y/n and Gus exclaimed. "You're okay!" Y/n yelled as she hugged her.
"Augustus! Y/n! I've been looking everywhere for you!" She notices Hunter. "Whoa, what is he doing here?" "Oh, don't worry. Willow, It's cool. He helped us escape from Graye." Y/n said.
Gus whispers. "I think he ran away from the Emperor's Coven. Also, he hasn't showered. In a while. Be nice." "Interesting. Anyway, let's find the others before these illusions get any more..." Willow squeals.
As Gus and Willow began to walk away. Y/n and Hunter look at her suspiciously. "Okay, let's get moving!" Gus exclaimed.
Hunter summons his staff and teleports in front of the two. Y/n moved the way from 'Willow' and glared at her.
"Who are you?" Y/n shouted. Gus stands in front of 'Willow'. "What are you doing? Willow's on our side!" Gus yelled. "That's not the captain!" Hunter shouted.
"You're scaring me, Hunter! Y/n!" 'Willow' squealed. "Have you ever seen her play Flyer Derby? There's no way she'd be afraid of us." Hunter explained. Gus starts to back away from her.
"Oh, again? Cut!" Adrian yelled. 'Willow' reveals that she is Severine in disguise. "Severine!" Severine squeaks in surprise. "You had your chance, and you blew it! Not that I'm surprised."
"But I-I followed all your notes," Severine said. "Well, he was still able to see through your shoddy performance. So maybe you should've figured out the note inside the note." Adrian explained. Severine walks away, whining. "And you, are making my job very difficult."
Y/n, Hunter, and Gus run away from Graye but are halted in their tracks by Belos. Hunter fearfully. "Belos..." Graye kicks Hunter and Y/n to the ground and grabs Gus by the arms.
He holds Hunter down with his foot and snaps his fingers to summon the two scouts casting Belos as an illusion. "I command you to stop!" Hunter shouted. The scouts stop advancing on him.
"Technically, he is our superior." "Well, right now he's just a runaway, and our dearest Emperor wants him back. So tie him up." The two pick up Hunter, who proceeds to kick the scout and headbutt the Captain.
Guard Captain groans. "Just put him-" "Out of his misery? Gotten!" He draws a spell circle.
"To sleep, dude! To sleep!"
"Oh, yeah. Right, right." He summons a flute and plays a tune that expels a gas. The gas causes Hunter to slowly close his eyes.
Y/n used all her strength to get out of his grip and turn around, only to see an illusion of him and the two scouts dragging Hunter away.
Y/n gasped, "Gus! Hunter!" She turned around swiftly and collected her staff from her back,
Without a second thought started attacking those two pesky scouts as her first move.
The scouts were taken aback and tried to retaliate against the surprise attack, but with Y/n's speed and agility she managed to evade every attack.
The scouts looked at each other and started planning their counterattack. Skara and Viney came running to help. After they finished fighting they went into the healing homeroom to heal Hunter.
~~~~~
Cut to the Healing Homeroom with Flapjack looking down on him, he is soon accompanied by Skara and Viney.
"He's waking up!" Y/n exclaimed. Hunter sits up and rubs his head in pain. He looks around the room and is surprised.
Barcus is licking a scar on one of his paws, while beside him is Jerbo, his leg being wrapped around with a gauze roll.
Bump is damping a wet cloth onto Mattholomule's arm. Emira is then shown summoning a spell circle and holding it up to a part of Edric's scraped head. Willow is then shown getting her arm healed by Cat.
After looking calm for a while, Hunter starts to get up. Hunter gasps. "T-This.. This is an illusion! Gus! Are you- ah!" He tries to stands up but falls to the floor and groans.
Y/n, Viney, and Skara help him up. "Whoa! It's okay. Try not to stand so fast." Viney said. "This isn't an illusion. You're in the Healing Homeroom." Skara exclaimed.
Bump approaches Hunter with a distrustful look on his face. "Well, Mr. Golden Guard." Hunter manages to stand up. "Hunter." Flapjack flies up to him and perches on his shoulder.
"We saw you being dragged around, and the flyer derby team was determined to save you." Hunter looks at Y/n, Skara, and Viney, surprised as the girls strike a pose.
"But I am not yet convinced of your innocence. Where have your scouts taken Augustus?" Principal Bump asked.
Everyone is now eyeing Hunter with suspicious and distrustful looks on their faces, except Viney and Skara.
"That's the Golden Guard? Emira whispers to Edric. "Dude looks sickly." Mattholomule pops out from behind Edric. "I could probably take him." Barcus barks and growls lowly which translates to: "He's not to be trusted."
"Wait! Hunter is not with them this time!" Y/n said. "Yeah! I-I swear! I was with Y/n and Gus the whole time. I was trying to get him to you!" Hunter tries to explain himself.
"Maybe we can trade him for Augustus. I'm sure the Emperor would want him back." Illusion teacher said. Hunter flinches at this.
Willow, exercising her arm which had just been healed. " He's not lying, me and Gus were showing me around," Y/n says. "Y-yeah and T-There was a sandwich, Y/n showed me this breathing thing."
Upon hearing about the breathing technique, Willow realizes he's not lying. "Please, you gotta believe me!" Hunter shouted as both he and Y/n looked desperate.
Willow puts a hand on his shoulder. "He's telling the truth." Willow smiles at Hunter, then steps forward and Y/n signs.
"And he can help us drive Head Witch Graye and his scouts out of the school." She looks at Hunter. "Y-Yes! Um, Graye said he'll be in the gym. But he will be guarded."
Amity stands up. "That won't be a problem. Willow can bust through anything." Willow smiles, now knowing Amity trusts her fully. "Yeah. But I'll need help."
Amity starts walking towards her but Mattholomule reaches her first. "Say no more, I'm on it." Willow eyes him, annoyed.
Principal Bump sighs. "Let's just come up with a plan." "Yes!" Skara starts clapping excitedly. "This is my favorite part!"
~~~~~~
Cut to the gym, a Guard Captain looks towards his left, and spots Principal Bump walking towards them. Guard Captain blocks the path. "Gym is off-limits. Graye's orders."
"Graye maybe Head Witch, but I'm still principal. It'd be wise to let me through." Guard Captain chuckles and aims his spear towards Bump. "Oh, yeah?" Principal Bump frewin comes out his head and aims it toward the guard captain. "Yeah."
Behind him, an illusion dispels. Y/n, Hunter, Willow, Amity, and a few other students then appear, with a few abomination and creatures, like Puddles. Upon seeing this, the Guard Captain immediately whistles and a few other Coven Scouts appear behind the battalion.
"Get 'em!"
The fight commences. A Coven Scout attacks first, but Bump blocks him with magic. Another Coven Scout appears and attempts to attack Hunter, but he simply teleports behind him and he shoves the Coven Scout off.
An abomination attempts to attack another Coven Scout, but he slashes it. Suddenly, Puddles lands on top of him, with Viney and Skara riding him.
"Yeah!" She attacks an incoming Coven Scout beside her, but a vine suddenly wraps Puddles' leg, causing both Skara and Viney to get thrown away. Emira immediately runs over and starts to heal Skara.
A Coven Scout attempts to attack them, but he is suddenly countered by an abomination summoned by Amity, who smiles at them; they smile back. She runs off, controlling the abomination. Behind her, Y/n, Edric, and Barcus carry a handful of potions which they throw at the Coven Scouts.
Jerbo is shown chasing after some Coven Scouts with his own abomination. Mattholomule is then showing defending himself, summoning walls that the incoming Coven Scouts hit.
Afterward, he blows away his spell circle and smirks proudly. Just then, the wall behind him cracks as an incoming Coven Scout attempts to attack him, but is suddenly trapped and raised by vines, summoned by Willow as she flings them. A Coven Scout attempts to attack beside her but Y/n runs behind him and throws him away.
A wave of energy summoned by the Guard Captain suddenly hits everyone, ending the battle. "Enough! I will NOT be cowed by a group of students!" A mix of abomination goo and vines suddenly hit his face; he is then trapped in a wall.
Willow and Amity step forward as they call off their summons. "Then how about just the two of us?" She and Amity pose together. "Nice one!"
Y/n and Hunter suddenly run in front of them and out of sight. Unbeknownst to everyone, the guard captain pulls out an Abomaton controller and presses a button on it.
Hunter kicks the door open to find the glowing orb, Adrian, and the two Coven Scouts lying on the floor in pain. Y/n gasped in horror.
Adrian groans. "Make it stop. Make it stop! I don't... like these memories..." He lies down to reveal a curled-up Gus.
Willow and Amity rush inside. "What's going on?" Amity asked. "Gus is trapped in his head! And the others are being affected too!" Willow said. The four suddenly hear loud thumping and turn around. Then reveals an Abomaton tearing his way inside the gym.
All the other students behind it are now trapped in abomination goo. The Guard Captain enters with the controller. Guard Captain laughs. "I needed a reason to play with one of these!" The Abomaton advances on the trio and starts revealing its weapons.
I really have to talk to my parents about this." Amity said as she and Willow summoned their palismen. "We'll hold them off. You two save Gus." "But- how?" Hunter asked as Y/n without a second thought ran towards him.
Hunter looks at Gus determinedly and runs towards the orb as Willow and Amity begin fighting the Abomaton. Hunter passes a groaning Adrian and sees Gus, his face buried in his knees.
Right after his staff morphs into Flapjack, he and Y/n touch the orb. Y/n got some flashbacks of some memories.
Hunter got Flashbacks to some of his memories inside Belos' mindscape. Y/n struggles to fight it and eventually does, pushing through the illusion and reaching Gus.
However, when Hunter touches his shoulder, the background immediately changes and shifts through various locations again. He then finds himself inside the forest, but turns around and spots Gus, inside the detention room, looking guilty.
"What's wrong with me? Why can't I learn?" "Gus!" Y/n yelled as she approached him only for the background to change into white. Y/n and Hunter turn around again, and find illusions of Bria, Gavin, and Angmar circling around Gus.
"I let myself get tricked... again." The whole illusion vanishes as the background changes into white once more. Hunter and Y/n turn around again to find Gus staring at himself in three mirrors. "Everyone thinks I'm the smart one. So why do I keep acting so dumb?"
"Gus, can you hear me!?" Hunter shouted. The illusion fades again. Hunter, seemingly lost, looks around and steps back. The background now changes to show Gu's room. The real Gus appears, burying his face in his knees.
"I can't even trust myself anymore." Gus cried. Hunter sits beside him. "It's... hard when you can't trust yourself. I spent my whole life believing I was doing something good for someone good... but it was a lie. And some part of me still wants to.. believe in that lie, just like you wanna believe you're dumb, or, whatever. But it's not true." An anguished Gus raises his head and looks at him.
"Yeah, Gus, I completely understand where you're coming from but It's natural to doubt yourselves from time to time, and I hope you know that you're one of the most talented witches I have ever met." Y/n added.
Y/n gave him a side hug. Gus quietly cried as he hugged her back. "I promise. I wouldn't mess with you. Uh, now, uh, how did that breathing thing go again? Y/n?" He starts inhaling deeply and whistling, which makes Y/n and Gus laugh.
Gus's blue eyes return back to normal, and the illusion finally fades completely. Y/n, Hunter, and Gus stand up and look around.
Willow, Amity, and a few other students manage to subdue the Abomaton. Willow and Amity look at each other and grin, then turn around and see Y/n, Gus, and Hunter.
"Gus! Y/n!" Willow exclaimed as runs towards them and hugged them. "Aww, I'm so glad you're okay!" "Me too." Hunter attempts to walk away sheepishly but is pulled into a hug by Y/n, Willow, and Gus, much to his embarrassment. "Thanks, Hunter."
Hunter blushing. "What is.. this?"
"Just go with it!"
~~~~~
Cut to outside the school. The Coven Scouts preapre to leave. Two of them are dragging a traumatized and whimpering Adrian inside the ship.
The Guard Captain looks back. "When Emperor Belos catches wind of this..."
"I'm sure he'll be thrilled to learn one of his captains was defeated... by a couple teenagers." Principal Bump proudly said. The captain groans, then sees Severine walking away. "Severine! Get on that ship or you'll be walking back to the castle!" He yelled out.
Severine has finally had enough. "You know what? It has been a rough year, and my self-esteem can only take so much! I quit!" She throws her mask to the floor, revealing her cat-like head, and walks away. "I'm going back to the Tiny Cat Coven!"
The whole school starts cheering and clapping as the ship finally leaves. Hunter and Gus watch it leave as they are approached by Willow and Amity. "I can't believe you took down a Coven Head," Amity said.
"Yeah. And I almost went down with him." Gus exclaimed. "Is Graye gonna be alright?" Hunter asked. "Uh..." Y/n shrugs. "probably?" Y/n, Gus, and Hunter chuckle.
"Hunter!" Skara yelled out. They turn around to see the students approaching Hunter. "What's going on at the castle?" Skara asked.
"Did you actually leave the Emperor's Coven?" Viney asked. "Have you ever sneezed with your mask on?" Edric asked. Barcus barks which translates to, "The people crave the truth."
Hunter looks hesitant at first, but then looks at Y/n and Gus; they smile. Hunter inhales deeply. "Everyone in the castle is traveling to the head for the Day of Unity. I... think I did... "Yes?" Hunter said as he answered everybody's questions.
"That's gross, man..."
"Listen. Emperor Belos has been lying to everyone. The Day of Unity isn't about the Titan or magic. It's much scarier than that." Hunter explained. Everyone has worried expressions on their faces upon hearing this.
Willow and Amity look at each other, then hold hands. "Sorry... there's a lot to explain." Principal Bump approaches Hunter. "Then you'd better get started." Y/n, Willow, Amity, and Gus looked at him worriedly.
~~~~~~
(☆Fun fact: Y/n had a little crush on Willow when they were younger 🤭)