Chapter Text
Leopold, with his one good eye, examined Kenneth McCormick's hands, nails, mouth, and eyes for evidence that would indicate whether Kenneth Johns was still in possession of his body.
He wasn't.
After that, he stepped back a few steps, sighing, to check the other swordsmen's wounds, gently sliding the bandages off Kyle's arms, though his wounds could have been worse if the brunette had hit him. He had disappeared from the battlefield and the immediate vicinity of the temple the moment Damien Thorn began to disintegrate after laying Pip to rest. The burial had proceeded completely normally, and Damien's remains had completely disappeared.
The swordsmen's wounds would heal quickly, given how minor they were compared to what could have been. Leopold's inner concern was fully present in Kenneth Johns's appearance in the middle of the fight. There was also widespread concern that Kenneth had been freed from Cartman's clutches solely because of what appeared to be a pure, no-nonsense deal.
“Kenny Johns made me swear that I wouldn't try to kill Cartman; and Cartman promised me that he would turn Karen back into a human if the McCormicks abandoned our demon-hunting heritage and moved into the territory without weapons. For good.” Kenny explained after Leopold Stotch checked and confirmed that Johns wasn't present. “I didn't even think about the insult to our heritage or how our ancestors would punish us for making a deal like this... The most important thing to me is Karen…” She took his hand and smiled a little.
"I'm not going to be mad at you, Kenny," Kevin said. "I'm okay with that deal too, but I don't trust Cartman to make Karen human again."
“It would mean the deal he made with Johns and the one to lay down his weapons with Cartman would be broken. Therefore, we could take revenge for breaking the deal.”
“Eric Theodore Cartman himself said he would keep the deal by showing up…” Wendy said with calmness in her voice.
Kyle whispered, arms crossed. “The fight will continue without you” He looked at the three brothers.
“It was thoughtful of Cartman to tell them to confine themselves to the territory without weapons…” Leopold sighed heavily. “I hope they come to pay us a visit sometime…” he whispered, smiling a little.
This is how the McCormicks went from being a family of swordsmen hunting demons to a humble peasant and artisan family living on a plain away from weapons, a peaceful territory surrounded by wisteria where demons would have to think twice before entering, as the burns they would inflict on their skin could be fatal. They began living in a humble house near the forest, on the edge of the wisteria. The back windows looked out onto the immense darkness of the forest, the desolation of the dead wisteria, and beyond, the old, charred house of Christophe… Ze Mole…
The night they abandoned their weapons and used them to decorate the walls of the living room of the house, Cartman made an appearance in the clearing where the remains of the De Lorne house remained... There he took the brunette's hand, palm up and with a light scratch, he rotated the hand so that now it was face down, Karen lost strength, she lost the shine in her eyes, her fangs, her sharp eyes, her claws... and when she removed her hand from the brunette's palm, the wound was healed.
"I've done my part," he whispered, putting his hands in his pants pockets. "I hope you do your part too."
Kenny nodded.
“Tell Johns I'll see him in the next life… I'll disappear from the face of the earth for a few hundred years… I'll find a new defense, a new hiding place, and some entertainment for another two hundred years…”
"Without contact, you can't get into my mind?" McCormick raised an eyebrow.
“No. But knowing that I was able to see Johns again… That's enough for me…” He turned on his heels and raised a hand in farewell as he walked deeper into the woods.
Kevin, Kenny, and Karen returned to the house, relieved, calm, confident that their lives were now fine… But still with one important question whose answer had yet to come, or perhaps would come in due time…
But for now…
They had nothing else to do but go to sleep and rest, and then begin the monotony of a new day at dawn... Having a new life as artisans, living a relaxed and peaceful life...
THE END