Chapter Text
The library was a good idea, in theory. But after three days of research, Gus’s enthusiastic curiosity had faded to flipping listlessly through old texts and even Luz’s optimism had died to the occasional murmur of encouragement.
Hunter’s nights of nightmare-plagued sleep were catching up to him. The bags under his eyes had grown darker and he alternated between feeling on the verge of sleep and jolting into a hyper alert state. After staring at a page for several minutes without comprehending anything, Hunter shut his eyes and pressed his hands against them.
Why wasn’t he able to focus? These stupid memories kept coming back, making his hands tremble and his eyes burn. Why was he letting his mind drift there when he had sworn to himself that he would help the others find a way back? Some help he was. He had provided nothing of use since they’d arrived in the Human Realm.
“Hunter?” Willow whispered. The compassion in her voice was the only reason Hunter didn’t flinch as she startled him from his thoughts.
He dropped his hands and glanced at her.
She was looking at him with concern. “Do you want to take a break?”
“I don’t need a break.” He winced at his harsh tone.
It caused everyone to look up from their books.
Hunter lowered his voice and tried again, more gently—“I’m sorry, Captain. I’m fine.”
Willow’s eyes narrowed. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but Amity beat her to it—
“That’s it!” Amity’s excitement drew all their attention.
She pointed at the metal box in front of her. What was it Luz had called it? A computer.
Amity tapped the screen, which showed a scan of an old newspaper. “That’s him, right? The human you were researching in the Boiling Isles?”
Luz nodded. She zoomed in on the article and read aloud, “Missing: Philip and Caleb Wittebane.”
Blood rushed in Hunter’s ears. Not this again. He knew it was only a matter of time before they learned more about Philip, but he still wasn’t ready to talk about it.
Luz continued to describe how the two brothers were last seen going into the woods before a terrible storm. It mentioned a small search party and a reward for anyone who had information.
All Hunter could think about was Belos. It was unnerving that the emperor of the Boiling Isles — the man he had believed for years to be the most powerful witch — was a mere human.
And he had a brother. A brother named Caleb. In all the time Hunter had known Belos, he had never heard the emperor mention a brother. Except, right before Belos died, hadn't he shouted something that sounded an awful lot like “Caleb.” Why?
“That’s it?” Gus asked.
Hunter realized Luz had stopped reading and was clicking away from the text, to a sketch of the brothers.
“That’s him!” Amity said excitedly. “I knew that statue looked familiar. It is of Philip.”
Luz glanced up sheepishly. “Well, yeah, but we can look through the next few newspapers and see if they have anything more to add.”
“Now we know who the other statue is,” Willow said thoughtfully. “If both brothers went missing, do we think Caleb came to the Boiling Isles too?”
She looked pointedly at Hunter, as if he might have the answer.
His face burned and he looked away. He had a feeling Caleb had made it to the Boiling Isles—or at least, his bones had. If Hunter’s newly-forming theory was correct, and this was the person Hunter had been made to replace, Belos would have needed his bones to make the first Grimwalker.
The thought sickened him.
“Guys, there’s something I should tell you.” Luz’s lower lip quivered. She stood and began to pace. “—About Philip.”
The knots in Hunter’s stomach tightened. If Luz was about to say what he suspected she was about to say—that Philip was Belos—it was only a matter of time before the others pieced together what that made him.
He watched helplessly as Luz continued, “Lilith and I went back in time and we—we met Philip. He turned out to be a complete jerk. But still, we helped him. . .”
Hunter’s breath hitched. He had that overwhelming instinct to run again, but Luz looked at him with such a pleading expression that he nodded, consenting that he was okay with her continuing. After all, this was her part of the secret to share. If there was even the slightest chance it could help them get back home, he wouldn’t get in the way of that.
“And then, when Hunter and I got stuck in Belos’ mind—”
Hunter winced at the reminder.
“—I realized that Belos was Philip.”
Hunter’s blood ran cold as he waited for the others to react. He suspected shouts and gasps of disbelief or cries of outrage, but there was only silence as the others stared blankly.
“But, Philip is a human,” Amity said at last, her forehead wrinkling in confusion. “Belos is—was—a witch.”
“She’s telling the truth,” Hunter supplied. “Belos was human. He could only do magic by consuming palismen.”
That earned a collective gasp. Hunter clenched his fists at his sides, trying to hold back the guilt he felt at having helped Belos conduct such an awful task. He needed to be strong right now, he needed to focus.
“Or with glyphs,” Luz added. “Like me. I even showed him how to do one. God, how could I have been so stupid!”
You’re one to talk, Hunter thought bitterly. I’ve done way worse than that. How many witches have I mistakenly weakened? How many have I unknowingly led to their death?
Luz collapsed into a chair with a huff.
Amity took her hand. “You’re not stupid. You had no way of knowing who he was—what he would become. And when you learned the truth, you stood up to him, unlike half the Boiling Isles—including my own mother.”
“Yeah,” Gus agreed. “I’m sure if he hadn’t met you, he’d have figured out glyphs some other way.”
“You didn’t make him evil,” Willow added. “You just did what you thought was right. He could have just as easily turned out to have saved someone’s life with that glyph. It’s not your fault if he chose to use it for his own means.”
Luz looked at Hunter. With a start, he realized she was waiting to hear what he thought. If his pulse hadn't been pounding three times faster than usual, he would have laughed. Instead he hid his trembling hands behind his back. “I’d be a hypocrite if I didn’t forgive you. It’s not your fault.”
Luz’s face softened, a hint of a smile forming on her lips. “Aww! Thanks, you guys!”
Willow looked thoughtful. “When you met Philip, was Caleb there too?”
The knot in Hunter’s stomach tightened painfully as he waited for the answer.
Luz shook her head. “No. Philip didn’t mention him.”
Willow turned back to Hunter, frowning. “Belos called you his nephew, right? Was Caleb your father?”
Hunter’s mouth went dry. He didn’t have a father, but he would bet anything that Caleb was the one whose bones had been used to bring him to life.
This thought opened the floodgates of memories that he was barely keeping at bay. Flashes of Belos’ mindscape pressed in around him, mangled with the sickening splat of his death.
He barely registered someone—Gus?—attempting to change the subject.
The others began talking at once, but he could barely hear them. He couldn’t register what they were saying under the memory of Belos’ voice reminding him who and what he was — a stupid Grimwalker who had blindly followed Belos’ every order. His hands shook. His breathing quickened. The walls felt like they were closing in. He needed to get out of there, now.
Without a word, he turned towards the front door and slipped quietly away.
The breeze whipped his hair, cooling his burning cheeks. Despite bright street lights, he could barely see the sidewalk. All he could see was Belos looming over him, shouting at him, lashing towards him—
He moved out of the light, and sank onto a patch of grass, letting the darkness envelop him. He hugged his knees to his chest and tried to remind himself that Belos was dead—he couldn’t hurt him anymore. But the damage was done and it hurt. How could he have been so stupid? How had his entire existence been a lie and he never once thought to question it?
“Hunter?”
Hunter’s panic increased. That was Willow’s voice. He would recognize it anywhere. No, no, no—this was all wrong. She wasn’t supposed to see him like this. No one was supposed to see him like this. He took a deep breath and hoped against all odds that maybe she hadn’t seen him. But when he looked up, she was standing in the street light’s golden rays, her green eyes locked on his.
He tried to compose himself, but he was shaking too hard, breathing too fast, and the tears wouldn’t stop.
“I’m sorry,” he croaked.
Grass crunched under her boots as she moved towards him. “For what?”
He opened his mouth to reply, but all that came out was a sob. His shoulders trembled and he gestured towards himself, indicating he was apologizing for his current state—for being too weak to hold everything together. For the trouble he was causing her. For not being strong enough to answer her questions.
She took a seat directly in front of him and said gently, “There’s no need to apologize for crying. We all do it. It’s okay if you want to be alone, but I’d like to help, if you’ll let me?”
Hunter stared at her through his tears. She wasn’t upset? She wanted to help? How was someone else supposed to help him with this?
He took a deep breath, letting out yet another pathetic sounding sob. He shut his eyes, hating that he was like this.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Willow asked patiently.
Hunter couldn’t do anything but clench his fists tighter as the sobs continued to tear through him.
Willow gently patted his shoulder. “Just know that, if you ever do want to talk, I’m here for you. We all are.”
With a reassuring nod, she started to stand.
Hunter reached out. He wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was because listening to her kept Belos’ voice at bay. Maybe it was because now that she was here, watching him fall apart without judgment, he didn’t want to be alone again. All he knew was that right now, he wanted her to stay.
So he reached out and took her hand.
Willow blinked, clearly surprised, but closed her hand around his gloved fingers and returned to her seat in the grass.
Hunter tried to talk, tried to thank her, but the sobbing continued. He wasn’t even sure what he was crying over. Being a grimwalker? Finding out his life was a lie? Being stranded in the Human Realm? Belos trying to kill him? Belos dying in front of him? The Collector tearing his whole world apart?
The stress of all the above?
He leaned towards Willow and she wrapped her arms around him, holding him protectively as he cried into her shoulder. She was so warm, so patient, so safe. He was lucky to have a friend like her.
When at last the tears lessened and his breathing slowed, he said softly, “I-I want to talk. I just—“ he pressed himself closer against her. I don’t want to lose you. I don’t want you to hate me.
“You can tell me anything,” Willow said softly. “I won’t judge you.”
Hunter shut his eyes and took a deep shaky breath. “I’m not a witch. I’m a—a grimwalker.”
He dug his gloved hands into Willow’s back, clinging to her, fearing she would shove him away at any moment. But she continued to hold him, continued to be patient.
“I’m not sure I’m familiar with the term.”
Hunter grimaced. He sat up, forcing himself to meet her gaze. “It’s—it’s when someone uses magic in an attempt to copy someone. Someone dead.”
Willow frowned, but didn’t push Hunter away. “So, you’re a copy of someone?”
Hunter nodded.
“Do you have their memories?”
Hunter shook his head. “I don’t even know who it was. But Belos said he—that I looked the most like him. This Caleb guy is sounding like a pretty good suspect.”
Willow took his hands. “So, it’s kind of like you’re a much younger twin?”
Hunter laughed a brief deep laugh that eased the last of his tension. Willow was taking this so lightly, he couldn’t believe he’d been afraid to tell her for so long. He suddenly felt lighter, happier. The ground felt studier and each breath ached less. “I guess so.”
Willow tentatively reached her thumb towards Hunter’s face. “May I?”
Hunter wasn’t sure what she was asking permission for, but he trusted her, so he nodded.
Her thumb warmed his cheek as she wiped away the tears. “Was learning about Caleb what upset you?”
Hunter shook his head. “I’ve been—stressed—for a while now. Ever since we got here, I keep replaying things in my head. Seeing things. Feeling things. It’s just—a lot.”
Now that he had started talking to Willow, he didn’t want to stop. Every word he spoke made him feel lighter, steadied his breathing. And every time Willow brushed her thumb against his face his heart warmed and his strength increased. He could do this. He could tell her everything. And maybe he could even learn to feel good again.
“Grimwalker things?” Willow asked.
Hunter shook his head. “About Belos, mostly. I-I’m glad he’s gone but—I can’t stop seeing him die. I hate that he died. And I hate that I hate that he died. He was bad, why do I care?”
“Oh, Hunter.” Willow pulled him back into a hug. “You’re allowed to have complicated feelings about Belos. As horrible as he was, he was your family.”
Hunter winced at the thought. “Yeah. I just—I wish things could have been different, you know? I wish we could have talked. It probably wouldn’t have done any good. But if we’d been able to suppress his magic—if he had gone to prison—then, maybe—maybe I could understand why he did what he did.”
Willow leaned back on her hands and nodded slowly. “That makes sense. You want answers. I wish you could have gotten more. But, even if Belos had walked you step by step through his reasoning, I don’t think you would understand. You don’t think like him.”
Hunter nodded. She was right. But—
“I helped him though. I helped him do terrible things. I even gave him palismen—“ Hunter shut his eyes and pounded his fist against the ground. “How could I have been so stupid?”
Willow gently cupped a hand over his fist. “You aren’t stupid. You were trusting. Belos worked hard to isolate you and fill you with lies, and you still found out the truth. You’re really smart, Hunter.”
Hunter stared at her. “You really think so?”
Her smile felt like sunlight against his aching heart. “I know so. For someone who was restricted from learning anything about wild magic, you sure know a lot about it.”
Hunter blushed.
“And Gus says you saw straight through an illusion of me in seconds.”
His blush depended.
“You helped defend Hexside that day. Without you, we would probably all have ended up with coven sigils. And who knows what would have happened if that were the case? I suppose I should thank you.”
Hunter shook his head. “There’s a lot more I have to thank you for, Captain. You’ve saved me countless times.”
Was Willow blushing? Surely not. She tucked her hair behind her ears and sat up. “Despite everything that’s happened, I’m glad we’re both safe now.”
Hunter nodded. “Me too.”
Willow took his hand. “Are you ready to go back inside?”
Hunter looked up at the star-splattered sky. “If it’s okay with you, I’d like to stay here a little longer. With you.”
Willow moved closer until their sides pressed against each other. “I’d love to.”
Hunter shut his eyes. For the first time in a long time, he felt nothing but peace.