Chapter Text
Nobody is really sure why we dream. Some hypothesize that it is so we can solve problems in the waking world while we sleep. Others suggest that dreaming is a pivotal part of our mental, emotional, and physical health. One of the most believed theories though is that dreams hold secret messages, ones we could subconsciously repress while awake. This theory is the reason so many people say that dreams have meanings. Something chased you in your dream? You’re running away from your problems in real life. You were falling? Maybe you should rethink your life choices. Frogs??? YoU’rE pReGnAnT??? No matter what most people would interpret from it, you just couldn’t seem to put your finger on the figure from your dreams.
At least once a month (usually more) since you were very small, the same person would appear in your dreams. You’d fall asleep, begin to dream, and then he would show up. Who was he? You weren’t sure, and as far as you were concerned, you’d never find out. Because every time you got close to him, he’d simply run. In a very strange way, the two of you had almost grown up together. You had gone from tiny tots to teens with each other. And in all the years you had spent with him, not once had you seen his face. Never. Tonight's dream was no exception.
This rendition took place in the woods. The forest surrounding you was hauntingly familiar, but never could you recall being there before. The memory of it scratched in the back of your mind like it was trying to claw out of your head. Pines stretched in every direction as far as the eye could see. They stood there, dark and foreboding against the gray clouds. The trees taunted you as they loomed above. They knew where they were. They could see every wrong turn you made. The blizzard didn’t make navigation easier. With every glance you’d cast over your shoulder, your footprints would be gone, poured over by the white powder. You’re only sense of direction was him.
He was always several feet ahead of you, despite your legs being longer than his. His stature was slightly shorter than your own (congrats bestie, you’re tall now because), possibly because he appeared to be tiredly slumped over. He only wore white. White billowy shirt, white dress pants, even a pair of white heeled boots! His hair was a similar shade, an ashy blond, combed back out of his face and away from his torn, pointy, pale pink ears. The only part of his ill-fitted ensemble that wasn’t exceedingly pale was a flashy gold mask clasped onto his face. It almost resembled a familiar, yet slightly annoying, owl that you knew.
Every time you slowed, he’d turn around and glare at you. It was almost like he was mocking you. You can’t catch me? But I’m right here! Just take a few more steps! I dare you… He’d never said a word, but that’s always what it felt like. When you did, you’d get so close, so damn close you could feel the heat radiating off him. You’d reach toward his face, and then in the blink of an eye he’d be several feet ahead again. It was a twisted, hellish game you had played nearly every night this month.
This was the fifth time he’d stopped. He was waiting for you again. Waiting for you to get close so he could speed ahead and leave you behind. Casting a hateful gaze over him, you watched his shiver deepen. You almost felt sorry for him. He seemed so small under your angry glare. But he’s the reason you’re in this mess, he deserved it. Right?
“You aren’t… you’re not gonna run away this time.” You hissed through gritted teeth. Your words came out in white puffs. He didn’t respond. With one foot in front of the other, you began the trudge toward him again. One step… then another… again… again! He stood still, his only movement being his small frame quivering from the frigid conditions. Another step brought you closer to him. Closer than before. Closer than ever. You could see puffs of air floating out of his mask’s eye slit. You could feel his body heat radiating out of him. He didn’t dare move his legs at all. He just stood there, hugging himself pitifully. He was cold and exhausted, just like you.
Looking down towards him, you raised your trembling hand once more. And to your surprise, you actually made contact with him. You had grabbed his mask… HOLY SHIT YOU GRABBED HIS MASK! He froze, not even a singular shiver left him. He was just as surprised as you. This has never happened before. He’s never let you get THIS close! He gazed up at you. Even without his eyes, this look said everything. With your other hand, you reached towards the back of his head and unclasped the mask. He did nothing to stop you. He simply guided your other hand back to the front of the mask. Slowly, delicately, you began to remove it from his face. You were still shaking, but for a completely different reason now.
This was actually happening. You were going to see his face! But why exactly did you want to see his face again? Was he someone you knew? Was he an angel? A blessing? Why were you so fixated on seeing his face? There was nothing really to become of it, other than to see the face of who you’d been following all these nights. But what would happen after this though? Part of you feared he’d never show up again after you saw his face. That he’d forever be gone, leaving you to wander alone in dreamland for the rest of your life. What if he never came back after this? What would you do? You were about to find out.
The mask’s straps slithered away from his ears as it glided away from him. It was now just hovering in front of his face. He was behind that mask, waiting for you to lower it. It was weird to think that his barren face was actually just behind this sheet of gold. Maybe he was plain, or maybe just the opposite. Maybe his face was very interesting. Either way, nothing could stop you as you slowly lowered the mask to reveal-
SLAP!!!!!!!!!!
You jolted awake quickly, sending the weight that was on your chest barreling away from you with a high-pitched squeak. With a yank, you grabbed your attacker by the wrist and promptly pinned their arm behind their back before rolling out of bed. In a mighty push, you shoved them against the wall. As you pinned up the person, you could feel an ache rumble through your body.
“Owwww! Okay I might have deserved that, but sheesh!” Your assailant whined. You recognized that voice. You finally let your eyes adjust to the new day. There was the human, the one you had smooshed against the wall.
“Luz? What the hell, man? You scared the shit outta me!” You exclaimed as you backed away from her and released her from your grip. She rubbed at her wrist with a pout before looking up at you with big ole’ eyes.
“I’m sorry! It’s just that when we yelled for breakfast you didn’t come down, and so Eda decided to let you sleep in and she’d make breakfast for us, and I don’t mean to be rude buuuuuut-”
“Eda is a terrible cook, you can say it.”
“Yeah, she really is! How’d you even learn how to cook?”
“I’m just naturally talented at everything~✨"
“So true bestie! Anyways, what she made came out pretty inedible so King and I just waited for her to leave before deciding to see if you were awake. When we saw you were still asleep we thought ‘hey! Shouldn’t they be awake by now?’ So we decided to wake you up. At first we tried being gentle but after the twelth time we called your name and you didn’t wake up we got worried! We tried shaking you, banging pots and pans, but eventually we just resorted to-”
“To the ole’ slap method!” King interrupted as he scurried towards the two of you. Francois was being strangled in the crook of his arm as he elucidated.
“You should have seen the look on your face! It was priceless! And the way you immediately sprung into battle! How would you like to join my army?” The charming little demon offered. He handed you a card with a crudely, ehem- I mean, wonderfully drawn picture of himself and a plethora of familiar stuffed animals behind him. On the back, the words “King’s Army” were scribbled in red crayon. With a chuckle you pocketed the card. You patted his head playfully.
“Thanks King, but I’m afraid I’ve already made prior arrangements with another body of battle. We can be allies though! How's-about-it?” You removed your hand from atop his head to offer a shake. He took it greedily and hopped up and down while he shook it.
“Deal! Now can we eat? I absolutely CANNOT command an army on an empty stomach!” Luz nodded vigorously at King’s statement. Almost as if on cue, your stomach growled.
Silence…
“LAST ONE DOWN THERE HAS TO DO THE DISHES!” You shouted as you hobbled sprightly out of your bedroom. You could hear the other two fussing about how it was “no fair” and shoving each other out of the way from behind you. Hopping onto the stair banister, you slid down to the first story, hastily regaining your footing as you landed on the floor and semi-limped toward the kitchen. THUD THUD THWACK followed after you as you dove through the kitchen door.
“OOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! First place! Chew on that!” You called out the door. Luz and King came barreling out of the hallway towards the kitchen. Unfortunately for Luz, she ended up skidding on the rug and face planting onto the floor. You could hardly stifle your laughter. King used this to try and get ahead, but he didn’t move fast enough. Luz shot her arm out from beneath her and grabbed King’s little ankle. He fell to the floor with a squeal and sent Francois tumbling out of his hands. Luz climbed onto her hands and knees and crawled towards the door, quickly standing as she zipped across the living room. She giggled deviously, but quickly cut off as she saw King sniffling on the floor. And like a doting fool, she zipped back towards him.
“King! Did I hurt you? I’m so sorry!” She spilled as she handed Francois back to King. He continued sniffling as he reached for the stuffed toy. You had lived with the Clawthorne clan on and off for years. You knew King long enough to know this trick. In a moment of heartbreaking betrayal, King took Francois, threw him in Luz’s face and scuttered into the kitchen.
“Hurray! Victory is mine!” He exclaimed as he threw his little arms up in sweet success. Luz still sat on the living room floor, her face an expression of grief.
“Why King? Why?” She exhaled shakily. The small demon crossed his arms behind his back and chuckled evilly.
“All is fair in love and war, sweet Luz!” He explained. “You should know I’m too short to reach the sink, cleaning the dishes would be too much for widdle me! If anything, think of this as doing me a favor. I know how much you care about your friends being comfortable, isn’t this what you wouldn’t have wanted? You should be grateful I let you lose, otherwise you’d feel- HEY!”
Picking King up by his underarms, you carried him to the kitchen table.
“King, stop trying to gaslight Luz and get ready for breakfast.” You ordered. Luz slumped into the kitchen dejectedly and sat next to him. You opened the pantry and checked what ingredients were left. There was flour, sugar, salt, a few questionable powders, etc. The situation in the fridge was more promising. There was a carton of griffin eggs, a gallon of unicorn milk, a unicorn milk substitute since SOMEBODY had to be lactose intolerant, some crab apple claws, and… a carton of goreberries? Must be for a spell or something. There was also a pound of hippogriff bacon and a pack of apple blood, of course.
“Okay guys! How would we feel about…. Crab apple flapjacks with bacon and eggs?” You suggested to your hungry audience. The two went from glaring at each other to whooping and hollering in a matter of seconds. Luz shot up from her chair.
“Can you teach me how to cook? I don’t want a repeat of this morning’s burnt cereal incident if you decide to sleep in again.” She pleaded with folded hands.
“I don’t see why not?” You shrugged.
“Yes! I get to learn cooking magic!”
“Luz, there’s nothing really magical about cooking food unless you put actual magical ingredients in it. If I were making a potion or a batch of everlove cookies that would be a different story, but this is just normal food.”
“... So can we make this food a bit magical?”
“Hell yeah.”
Luz pumped her fist into the air and let out an enthusiastic “yes” as you grabbed a large bowl. King scrambled onto the counter next to the two of you. He retrieved one of the measuring cups from the cabinet while Luz gathered a few ingredients from the fridge. With the loop of your finger, several objects began floating out of the pantry.
“So (y/n), why’d you sleep in today?” King asked as he stirred powered fairy wings into the fake milk.
“Eda said that you had it rough last night, what happened?” Luz pried. Last night? You scratched your chin as you tried to remember the events that took place.
Last night… ohhhhhhhhhhhh last night!
“It really wasn’t that big of a deal, there was just a curse episode… and then I took a pretty bad fall… and then there was the Emperor’s Coven… and of course there was the library but you already knew about that… Anyways it really was nothing huge!” You tried to brush it off, but these two were clearly invested now.
“No way! You gotta spill the beans now!” King commanded while he pushed over an empty can that once held beans. Luz hopped from leg to leg and squealed excitedly.
“Story time! Story time! Story time!” They chanted in unison, joined by the family house demon, who had managed to creep in without anyone noticing. Hooty was smiling along, but you could tell he didn’t have a thought behind those eyes. Those dark, dark eyes.
“Alright! But you guys gotta cook and listen at the same time, which will be harder for some of you than others.” You glanced over at Hooty while you spoke. He leaned over to Luz’s ear.
“They’re talking about you!” He whispered rather obliviously. You rolled your eyes as you grabbed a measuring cup. While measuring out the flour, you began to explain the events that had transpired that prior evening…
Last Night, around 12:00 a.m.
“Eda, where do you want this… whatever this is?” You questioned as you held up another strange human contraption. Many of the Night Market buyers would marvel at these exotic objects, asking how they worked and what they did. To you and Eda though, they were just profitable junk. If you advertised it well enough, people would buy it no matter how shitty and useless it seemed. Eda whipped around to look at the object you held, her image in the crystal ball blurring for a moment. You held it up so she could see the table. She stroked her imaginary beard before pointing at an empty spot on the pop-up table.
“Right there!” She crowed with a grin. You nodded, placed the crystal ball back on the table, and skulked over to the stand, the object was getting increasingly heavy as you held it. With a lift and a scoot, you managed to put the odd collectible in the proper place. You stood back and observed the stand. It wasn’t on fire! That was good! You held up a thumbs up towards Eda and walked behind the table. Her grin softened to a sad smile as she took a step closer to her own crystal ball. She somehow always knew when you were about to leave.
“I know that this is the cauldron calling the pot a bowl… but please don’t get into any trouble.” The look in her eyes as she spoke was a knowing, almost nostalgic gleam. “I know that this means a lot to you, but remember! Being who we are in the times we live in is dangerous. The Emperor’s Coven doesn’t care that you’re 16, they will arrest you.”
“Eda, I could break out of the Conformitorium in my sleep. You know that!” You tried to ease her worry with facts, but she pressed on.
“I know, I know, but sooner or later they may decide that the Conformitorium is too good for you!”
“Listen Eda, I’ll be fi-”
“That’s exactly what I said when I left home.”
Eda’s arms crossed tightly. Her shoulders tensed as she gripped her arms intensely.
“And now… now I’m selling garbage at the Night Market and stealing shit so that there’s food on the table. And there’s no guarantee that that meal or that hug wasn’t the last I’ll ever share with you guys, because everyday one of us is out on the streets practically begging to be arrested!” Eda’s hair seemed a bit ruffled. You couldn’t help but notice a small feather poking out of her chest. This was another aspect of life that made things harder on you guys. The curse took extra money out of your pockets, food off your plates, fun out of your days.
Without thinking you reached up to touch your ears. It was a habit of yours when you were anxious. Your left ear was long, pointed, and downturned, uncommon but not especially odd. The other, however, only had a third of its original length left. She’d never said anything about it, but from the way Eda frowned as you felt along where the rest of the ear should be, you knew that she knew what happened to it. It had been like that for as long as you could remember. There wasn’t a single photograph you’d seen of yourself without it torn. You must have been very young when it happened. Your parents may even have still been alive when it happened. (Aha, dead parents trope, lets goooooooo)
A sigh filtered out of you as you ran your fingers through your hair. Silence hung like a thick fog between the two of you for what felt like an eternity. For a second you thought she had hung up, until you heard the shrill cry of one of the bat babies come from her end.
“I do the things I do for you guys. So that you all can live the lives you deserve one day. You’ve done so much for me, Eda. For all of us! I’m just determined to repay you for it. Besides, you know I can’t just up and leave now. That’s not how being a Phantom works.” Your hand tangled out of your hair gently as you shoved it down towards your pocket.
From your pocket emerged Mortis, your palisman. Eda had helped you carve him when you were about Luz’s age. He was modeled after a comet moth, with a radiant silver and onyx color scheme, gold accents popping here and there. His antennae unfurled as he awoke and chimed a sweet “good evening” in his own little palismen language. He craned himself out into staff form, the actual stick part being a bit windy and awkward to sit on.
You threw Mortis out to hover in wait for you and kneeled to look the elder witch in the eyes. You smiled at her with a bit of pity. Her visage was an unreadable shade of emotion. You couldn’t quite tell if she was frightened, glum, or ready to ground you for all eternity. Maybe it was none of those, maybe it was all three, you sure as hell weren’t gonna ask! Nevertheless, her downtrod display was replaced with a small melancholy grin. Her hair calmed and the single feather fell to the ground.
“Ah, little ghost… You remind me so much of myself from when I was your age, and it kinda scares me.” She reminisced. “Go out there, be careful, and kick some ass!” Her tone was gentle as she let you go. Your smile widened and you hopped onto Mortis. With a small spark of light, you were off into the night, saying goodbye to Eda on the crystal ball before you were out of sight. (wow somebody get Dr. Suess on the phone)
The conversation was one that you had before. Every time you went out with the Phantoms, she was always nagging you to be careful. It was always “(y/n), don’t you dare come back in a body bag” or “remember to put your uniform on so they can’t identify you!” It was nice that she was concerned and didn’t want you making the same mistakes she did, but sometimes it felt like she just wanted you to stop. You completely understood why she would want that though. You came from a criminal crowd, and whether intentionally or not, you had always been an accessory to crime, but being in a gang? That was a whole nother grudby field. Every single time you went out with the Phantoms you risked your life. Like Eda had said, you never could be quite sure when a meal was your last. You learned that the hard way after Pippin’s accident.
Pippin was by all means a low ranking member of the gang. Most of the time he just went out and fetched things for some of the higher ranking members, but one day he decided he wanted to be a big man. The Poltergeist was looking for volunteers to go on a smuggling mission, delivering stolen goods to the citizens of Olde Bonesborough. The usual suspects raised their hands. All of them had been on missions before. All of them except for Pippin, who was shakily raising his hand with knees locked to stop them from trembling. You remembered praying to the Titan that he wouldn’t get picked. Unfortunately, you weren’t on the Titan’s good side.
That night you took Pippin out for a meal, trying to convince him that he should just stay back and let the older members of the gang take care of it. He was only 14 and built scrawny. This could be dangerous for a kid like him. Scratch that, this was definitely dangerous for a kid like him. Maybe that’s why Pippin wanted to go. To prove himself and to his elders that he could be a real man. That he had strength hidden somewhere in his boney frame. So he went anyway.
The next evening, the Emperor’s Coven ambushed the Phantoms while they were carrying out the mission. Someone must have tipped them off. No matter how they got the information, they used it damn well. Several Phantoms were injured, having to hobble off into the night, while a few others were arrested, but Pippin… he was not so fortunate. A coven scout had him cornered. As the scout got closer, Pippin kept making more empty threats while trying to make his voice sound deeper than it was. Like he wasn’t about to cry. He raised a quivering hand and hastily made a shotty circle. You watched the scout raise their staff back and in an instant you knew what was going to happen. You dashed towards the two of them, only to be tackled to the ground by another member of the Emperor’s Coven. She held you down, your mask slushing in the mud as you watched the scene unfold.
A ball of magic fired off towards the scout. The scout threw their staff back behind their head before slamming it forward. The glowing orb bounced off the staff with a ginormous crack. The scout was sending more energy toward Pippin than he had sent to them. He didn’t even have time to react. Pippin was sent flying back into a brick wall. His mask shattered as he hit the building. His limp body slumped onto the ground lazily. His once vibrant eyes had gone dull. The color drained from his face and pooled out of his mouth, nose, and other various cuts. He didn’t move. He didn’t blink. He didn’t breathe.
Pippin was dead.
When the gang was reunited afterwards, they said Pippin had made a noble sacrifice. That what he had done was honorable.
Bull. Shit.
Pippin died because nobody gave a damn about what happened to him. Not his parents. Not himself. Not even the people he thought were his friends. Pippin died because nobody gave a singular fuck about him. You could feel your blood boiling just thinking about that day. It was the day you decided that you were gonna make a change, whether the world liked it or not. That’s when you really started to get involved in the gang. That’s where this flight was taking you now.
You had two options to get to your destination. Option A; walk through the sketchy back alleys, stay in the shadows, and creep through abandoned buildings. Option B however was a hell of a lot easier, being that it was just to fly there. The sky was more barren and had less hiding spots, but casting an artificial cloud was surprisingly easy. It wasn’t worth the energy to walk.
The Night Market wasn’t very far at all from homebase. Olde Bonesborough was a breeding ground for illegal activities. The Emperor’s Coven had stopped bothering to send scouts out there though. Not because they didn’t suspect anything, but because they didn’t think there was anything of worth in that hellhole. They didn’t even think the people were worth much. There was no reason for them to be here. There was nothing to save.
You eased down into the street. The cloud around you slowly dissipated to reveal not (y/n), but rather Specter Soltare. There was nobody out in the streets, seeing as how it was past midnight and the bad side of town. That’s how you recognized the other Phantoms creeping out of the alleyways, trickling out of the shade, crawling out of windows. Each of them wore an identical black jacket with a dusty baby blue trim sewn around the hood and lapel. Most of them had added some custom themes to their jackets, a few adding radical patches or pins to give it a more personal touch. A mask sharing the likeness of a ghost sat over their faces. And while their masks were all the same mold, a few had opted to paint over theirs. Some had patterns all over, others had a single splotch, while a few talented showoffs had turned their masks into pure artwork. As a Specter, that wasn’t really something you got to do, which was a bummer, but hey! You actually got to choose a unique mold for your mask! Only two other people in the whole gang could do that!
Your mask was odd. It was modeled in masquerade fashion. It had ghostly eyeholes, but was decorated with ornate markings of silver and gold against the pale ice blue. In your opinion, it added a good amount of pop to the eerie color scheme
The streets became even more slummy as you all went deeper into the eastside. There were more abandoned buildings in this area, each one with a story lost to time hidden inside of ‘em. You couldn’t help but wonder how many families had been raised in these forgotten homes. How many of those families had been forgotten themselves before one of them could make their mark on the world? The answer was too many. You’d admit, this side of town gave you the creeps, but less in a scary way and more in a depressing “this could be you one day” type of way. And it only got more depressing as you approached the Grave.
The Grave was appropriately named, seeing as how it was an actual grave. Well, it was more of a memorial statue. One dedicated to somebody whose name had long since been worn out of the stone. The only word left was “Wit.” You assumed he was well known for being clever when he was alive. The statue itself portrayed a man, probably in his mid or late twenties, holding his hands out in a praying fashion. Most of his features had been withered away over the years. The only characteristics that he still possessed were a hooked nose, longish hair, and a pair of melancholy eyes. That was the one thing about him that never changed. Eda said that when she was growing up, he had a few more discernible features, but his expression was the same. He’s always looked miserable, which inspired the alias everyone gave him; “Woeful Wit.”
Over time his memorial became a sort of mass shrine to those lost on this side of town. The community was very tight-knit, so whenever somebody lost a family member, everyone else did too. Pictures were grouped together at the base of the statue, along with candles, flowers, and what were assumed to be sentimental items. The photos depicted dozens of people. Some were pictures of old people doing old people things like sitting in rocking chairs, playing flipwart, or just plain old doing nothing. There were pictures of younger people, parents propped up next to letters from their children that they’d never get to read. The ones that hurt the most to see though, were the kids.
Out of all the frames under Woeful Wit, children made up most of them. Teens, middle schoolers, even young kids. They had more gifts than any of the other pictures. Favorite drinks, candy, skateboards, books, clothing, toys, stuffed animals, and more crowded around the youngins. You hated to say it, but you recognized a few of them. There was Carter, a kid who was working real hard to get his family out of this dump when he was killed by a rogue abomination. He was 13 with a bright future ahead of him. Then there was Reicher, 16. He was serious when he said he’d rather die than join a coven. His mask was propped up next to his picture. Pippin sat next to a cheap soda and a single piece of his shattered mask. Dahlia, Pippin’s sister, was right by his side, a stuffed animal and box of crayons to keep her entertained. She was only four when she fell to her curse. It was comforting to know that even though they’re gone, they’re gone together.
You gazed up at Woeful Wit. His mournful stare sent shivers down your spine. You pried your eyes away from him as you walked around to the back of the base. There were significantly less pictures on this side. You lifted Mortis gently and tapped against the stone three times. Everything paused for a moment. Even the Phantoms didn’t move.
TUNK! TUNK! TUNK!
The stone sunk away to reveal a dimly lit staircase. Mortis’s staff poofed away as you tucked him into your coat. With a deep breath you plunged into the dim. Dozens of footfalls rang out after you as the other Phantoms filed down. Another set of tunks boomed in the stairway. The entrance had closed.
“I swear to Titan, if one of you falls again I will beat your ass.” You promised them with a distorted, crunchy voice. A feature built into the masks. It may have sounded harsh, but if one person went down, so did everyone in front of them.
“You hear that KYLE!” A familiar refrain called out from behind you. A chorus of chuckles and snickers filled the air.
“That was one time, AND I APOLOGIZED.” Another voice clarified, only to be met with more laughter. Oh Kyle. He’s never gonna live that down. Thankfully the incident didn’t repeat before you stepped into the common area known as “the boneyard.”
Almost all of the couches in the boneyard had been taken, but this didn’t stop several members from dogpiling onto them. Two of the more competitive Phantoms were seated at the flipwart table, engaged in an intense game. One of them was actually trying to play and come up with a strategy, while the other just kept stealing all the little frogs and knitting them tiny sweaters. Several small groups were having a hexes hold’em tournament. So far, it looked like Pepper was gonna come out on top. She gave you a brief wave as you passed by before snapping back to attention. Some people were sparring and training together. You had to step around a few stray teeth while walking by. A few of the newer members were looking at some of the pictures on the wall. You strode towards them and stood silently behind as they conversated.
“I’m pretty sure this was the original gang of Phantoms. Look, there’s Poltergeist Pluto!” The person creeped onto their tiptoes and pointed out a rather muscular woman.
“That was before the mask system was established, it was a wonder they all didn’t get arrested!” The other chimed. You took a step in between them, to which they both flinched.
“Actually, most of them were. That’s why the mask system was established in the first place.” You corrected the boy. “This picture is actually only of a third of the gang at the time. The rest were incarcerated and waiting out their sentences in the Conformitorium.”
“Huh, I always wondered why there were so few people in this picture.” The first one spoke up. “How’d you know that Specter Soltare?”
“In order to qualify to be a Specter you gotta know the gang’s history. Their mistakes are what fuel our successes. They showed us what we needed to improve on. From the masks, to the uniforms, even to the base! If we knew nothing about them we’d still be making the same mistakes they did.”
The two looked at each other and the same idea must have popped into their heads, because when they turned back to you, they had a plotting shine to their eyes.
“Say, would you mind giving us lessons on the gang’s history sometime?”
“Yes I would mind. I’m a very busy person.”
“But-”
“Byeeeeeeeeee!”
With that you walked off towards the coffin. The whole HQ (and the whole gang for that matter) had a strong theme of death. No place was ever just the bunkroom or the library, it was always something like “the tomb'' or “the chamber of forbidden knowledge.” That second one may not have been super deathly, but it sure was dramatic as hell. That’s what you thought anyways. You had Poltergeist Stitch to thank for all those names.
You stopped in front of the door to the coffin. Glancing down at your apparel, you made sure your shirt was tucked in and you didn’t have any stains anywhere. After concealing some dried… red dye on your pants, you raised your hand to knock. Before your hand ever made contact with the door, it flung open, revealing Conduit Smelt.
Conduit Smelt was three years your senior, though he looked much older. Not physically, but it was more something in his eyes that painted him to be experienced. He wasn’t short, but by no means was he very tall. A few burn marks were splotched here and there across his sandy beige skin. his ink black hair fell just to his shoulders. A pair of almond shaped vermillion eyes sat behind a thin curtain of loose bangs. Smelt was a rugged guy who wasn’t afraid of confrontation, which is probably why the Poltergeist chose him to be her Specter when she was a Conduit.
Conduit Smelt stepped aside the door, queuing for you to come in. You shuffled inside with worms chewing at your belly. The door closed behind you and Smelt walked over to Poltergeist Rhodie’s desk. No matter how long the two of you had known each other, it always made you nervous when she called you into her office.
A few months prior, about two moons after you became Specter, you had asked the Poltergeist for some time off. A rather unpleasant development had made itself prevalent in your life and Eda wanted you to take it easy for a bit to process it. Poltergeist Rhodie agreed, with the arrangement that the two of you would send the occasional plan back and forth. Both of you were still trying to adjust to your new ranks when you took your three month leave. In all reality, it felt like you were still a brand new Specter. You’d been back for a month already, but missions had been scarce in that time. Most of the manpower was going towards the jailbreak operation, a haul you had planned in your absence with the help of the other members of the big three. This was the first meeting of the operation that you were attending in person! Maybe that’s why you felt so nervous.
The head ghost spun around in her chair with a scroll in hand. Her unique mask laid on the table, opting to wear a pair of glasses instead. She kept pouring over the scroll, periodically writing some notes and then going back to reading. It took Conduit Smelt kicking her chair for her to look up.
“Oh right, the matter of the evening.” She reminded herself as she rolled up the scroll. Poltergeist Rhodie creaked open a drawer and placed the scroll and notes inside before looking back at you.
“You can remove your mask, (y/n). This is a safe place! And it’s not like we don’t know what you look like without it.” She stated. You weren’t quite sure if you were comfortable with doing that. Nevertheless you removed your mask and placed it on the table between her’s and Smelt’s.
“What did you need me for Polterg-” She cut you off.
“Cas, you can still call me Cas.”
“I know, but it feels so rude being so casual with the higher ranks!”
“(Y/n), you ARE a higher rank now, you get that privilege.” Smelt, or rather Jenner, elaborated with a small smile. “Besides, we’ve known each other before we were high ranks.”
You dipped your head towards him, acknowledging his words. You were 13 when you joined the Phantoms. Jenner had seen you all spunky and anxious for a fight, and while you possessed some natural talent it needed desperately to be polished. He took you under his wing and guided you in your training. That’s when he introduced you to Cas, the 20 year old Specter. Being a Specter at such a young age was a tremendous honor, and she held the title of youngest Specter for about a year until the accident. In three years the gang lost two Poltergeists. When the first died, Cas became the Conduit and made Jenner her Specter. Then when the second dropped off the face of the earth, the two moved up ranks and you were chosen as Jenner’s Specter. It was weird to think how much all of you had grown in such a short span of time.
“Just think (y/n), you’re probably gonna be a Poltergeist someday!” Cas proclaimed proudly.
“Oh titan, don’t remind me. I’d probably crumble under all the pressure.”
“Nonsense. You’re a very capable witch. Now, the reason I summoned the Phantoms.” Cas leaned forward as she got down to business. Instinctually, so did you and Jagger.
“Our mole in the EC delivered some pretty damning info that could blow our entire jailbreak operation. It turns out that there’s a new warden at the Conformitorium. We know nothing about them; if they’ve changed the positions or rotations of the guards, how long they’ve made the shifts, for all we know, the Conformitorium could be on a different planet now!” Cas stood up and trodden over to the seemingly ancient chalkboard hanging on the wall.
“What about our mole? Can’t he just stroll into the Conformitorium, pretend to inspect it, and collect reconnaissance for us?” You suggested. Jenner rolled next to you in Cas’s chair.
“Negatory. He says that his superiors are swarming him with assignments. And even if he had the space to do that, he’s not exactly the best fit to inspect a prison. The warden might find it suspicious.” He elaborated.
“Which is why we’re thinking about sending someone undercover.” Cas shared. “Kyle managed to get his hands on a scout uniform.”
“How did-”
“He doesn’t wanna talk about it.”
“Fair enough, continue.”
“The plan is to have somebody pose as one of the guards and sneak into the prison. Once inside, they’ll locate the warden’s office, snoop around a bit, and plant a few bugs. After that, all they have to do is sneak out and we can resume work on the operation.” She drew a diagram of the plan as she spoke. A swift turn left her to face you two.
“All we have to do is decide who to send. Any ideas?” She queried the two of you. The room was quiet for a moment.
“I think our best bet is one of the commandos. I could see Blue weaseling his way in and out of there in under two hours.” You suggested. The other two nodded, but you could tell they would need further convincing.
“I agree on the commandos bit, but I’m not so sure about Blue.” Jenner countered, his voice taking on a callous tone as he hissed the last word. “He’s very sly, but he’s also a bit chatty. If he gets swept up talking to a guard or one of his friends in the cells, he could get discovered.”
“Though if he talked to somebody, he could possibly dig up some information. Blue is a charmer after all. I have never once seen him pay for his own meal. He somehow always eats on the house! It’s bullshit that he can get away with that, but it’s bullshit that can work in our favor.” You argued.
Jenner stared at you with narrowed eyes. He pushed himself out of his chair and glowered down at you maliciously. You did the same, looking him dead in the eyes. He opened his mouth to challenge you but was stopped before he could utter a single word.
“Blue it is.” Cas decided for the three of you. Both of you whipped your heads towards her, you with a grin and Jenner with a sneer.
“Cas, we cannot send Blue! He’ll fail!” He snarled, trying to keep as calm as he could. Cas quirked a brow at him.
“Excuse me? That was not a suggestion from Cas, but an order from your Poltergeist.” Her jaw seemed tense as she illuminated the situation. “The Specter has made several good points for Blue’s case. He’s a very good fit for this assignment. Plus… you can’t say you don’t have a bit of a bias against him.”
The Poltergeist’s final words caught Jenner a bit off guard. His face was lit up with burning surprise. He faltered back a smidge before his face returned to grimace.
“My apologies, Poltergeist.” He muttered with a bow. He shot an angry glimpse towards you and straightened up.
It wasn’t uncommon for the two of you to butt heads every now and then. Mostly because you went out of your way to annoy him. It’s like you had a sixth sense for whenever he was doing something he found important. In a flash you’d be by his side, tripping him, tackling him, sabotaging his feeble flirting attempts. To you it was hilarious, but according to him it was “immature” and “a waste of energy.” Always him and his energy. Energy drinks, energy spells, energetic little brats that wouldn’t leave him alone. He was particularly fond of lightning as well. Pure energy in a single bolt. It was one of his favorite things. It was the reason he was called Smelt.
“Alright you two, stop giving each other the stank eye and lets go tell the phantoms about the change of plans.” Cas commanded as she strutted over to her desk while removing her glasses. Her hand gingerly lifted her mask to her face. Hers was particularly badass. It was an amalgamation of different pieces of masks she had accumulated over the years, molded into what looked like a skull wearing a three pronged crown. Smelt's was also cool, but nowhere near as intimidating as Cas's. His was actually a defect. While it was being made, the mask got so hot it started to melt. By the time it was cooled, it looked like a molten mess. The mask makers were going to throw it away, but Jenner actually like it even more than his original design. He grabbed his melting veil with unnecessary force and shoved it on. He poofed from his workout clothes into his uniform with a concealment stone while the Poltergeist shimmied on her coat. You maneuvered around the duo before plucking your mask up from the table. A golden face danced in your memory as you gazed into its empty eyes.
“(Y/n!) Are you gonna make out with it or are you gonna put it on?” Conduit Smelt teased as he stood in the doorway waiting. You must have been staring for longer than you thought.
“Yeah, yeah, shut up!” You snapped back at him as you popped your mask into place. In a few bounds, you were trailing Poltergeist Rhodie in V formation with Smelt walking beside you. As the three of you glided out of the hall, the voices in the Boneyard went silent nearly all at once. Poltergeist Rhodie made herself comfortable in the center of the room.
“Attention Phantoms!” There wasn’t a single part of the base her voice didn’t reach. “It irks me to deliver such unfortunate news. In recent developments, we have found out that there is a new warden guarding over the Conformitorium. This unfortunately means we’re going to have to push back on the jailbreak.”
The Boneyard broke out in disappointed groans and a few prouder boos. The volume increased until the head ghost raised her hand. Silence.
“This is a precaution we must take for your safety. I know you all want to bring your friends home, but we can’t just march in there blind! We need knowledge. That is why we have decided to send in a spy to collect data.”
Several hands shot up immediately. A chorus of ME's echoed around the halls. Poltergeist Rhodie’s velvety chuckle sang before she raised her hand. Once more, a hush came to the crowd.
“I appreciate your enthusiasm, but we’ve already chosen who’s going to carry out the task. Phantom Blue, report to the coffin for a dossier on the assignment. The rest of you will be returning to your usual shifts. Dismissed!”
The crowd hastily dissipated out of the Boneyard, a few sticking around to finish their games and conversations. A small posse of ghosts crowded around a single phantom. The congratulatory pats and shoves, not to mention the deep navy streak across his mask, outed him as Blue. You sauntered over to the crew and Blue threw his arms open as you approached.
“It was you wasn’t it?” He cried gleefully as he went in for an embrace. You ducked out of his path before he could reach, sending him stumbling before hopping back around.
“You convinced Poltergeist Rhodie to send me! I know that Smelty would never after all the shit that went down, but you- AHGHAGDJA! THANK YOUU!”
“Eh, you just seemed the best fit for the job.” You shrugged. Pepper with her peppered mask skipped next to Blue.
“So did you consider anyone else?” She interrogated. Her sycophant smile was audible. You nodded.
“Yeah, we actually thought of sending Salt, but she was booked.” You grinned from ear to ear. Not that anyone could see it. Pepper’s demeanor fell with a pouty hmph. She nimbly sent her foot flying towards yours, though her tiny frame provided only a short sting rather than a whirl of pain. You lifted your leg, knocking her off her balance. With a tiny shove, she was on her rear.
“Alright guys, scram. Blue’s got shit to do, and some of you have to patrol. That’s an order! ” The command barked out of your lips. The ghosts raised their hands in a salute.
“Yes Specter Soltare!” They responded with a few giggles trailing after. Pepper hopped up off the floor, dusted herself off, and disappeared with the rest of her task force into another hallway. Meanwhile, Blue was high-tailing it over to the coffin, giving you two thumbs up as he skipped backwards. You watched as he spun around excitedly, only to smack straight into a wall. You started to rethink your choice…
Eh, he’ll be fine! You told yourself. The walk back up Woeful Wit’s stairway seemed longer to your tired body. You hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before. Or the night before that. Or even the one before that. It had been a busy week at the Owl House. Hell, it had been busy ever since Luz arrived. Maybe “hectic” was the right word. She seemed to spark chaos wherever she went, maybe that’s why Eda, King, and Hooty loved her so much. Even Albert was starting to warm up to her!
Luz was great and you could totally see why everyone adored her, but in all honesty, you felt a small twinge of jealousy towards her. She was so curious about everything, no matter how mundane. This whole world was so new to her, so unpredictable, so wonderful! It reminded Eda of when you went to live with her. According to Eda, you were a very intrigued young mind. Most children were, but not as much as you. You’d finally broken out of your small world, and emerged into a fantastic new domain! That’s exactly how Luz must have felt now. And Eda, she must have been feeling a huge wave of nostalgia. On more than one occasion, you’d heard her accidentally refer to Luz by your name. That’s part of why you decided to leave again.
Eda was used to you coming and going. Ever since you joined the Phantoms, you never stayed in one place terribly long, for her safety and yours. But this time it was different. You weren’t leaving to wait for the heat to die down, or because you wanted to travel for a bit, you were leaving because you felt… Replaced wasn’t quite correct, but you couldn’t think of another that fit. Most of the time, you wouldn’t tell anyone you were leaving. Just leave a note somewhere in your room, and return when you feel like it. It was weird to think that tomorrow Luz and King would be asking where you were and Eda would have to tell them you ran off again. They’d have to suffer through Eda’s cooking until you decided to return. Maybe when you did come back, they’d try and give you a monster hug. Make it aware how much your presence had been missed. At least you hoped so.
You stared up at Woeful Wit as you emerged from the base. Even with his back towards you, he still looked miserable. A wretched fog had rolled in, painting him mysteriously beautiful in the moonlight. It sent a familiar tremble through your body.
Mortis wriggled out of your inner pocket and in a bellish dialect said hullo.
“Hey bud, what’d ya say if we head over to Ed and Em’s house?” You suggested to the bug. He chimed back contently. Edric and Emira Blight were two of your closest friends. You often had slept over there on odd nights, much to their parents’ disdain. Though usually the elder Blights never found out. “Illegal slumbies,” Ed had dubbed them. Mortis was about to staff up before you gently pet the top of his head.
“No thanks buddy, I’d rather walk. It’d give me a bit more time to think about everything going on.” The palisman curled up back into your pocket at these words. The night air rattled your bones a bit, and you drew your coat closer to yourself. It was already technically fall, but only recently was the weather starting to declare it.
The stars sat sweetly amongst the moon, begging for your company. The lights beckoned you to come hither, their lovely glow paled by the fog. Instinctually, you began approaching an abandoned building’s fire escape. Stairs, stairs, stairs. This night seemed to be full of them. As you climbed, you tried to rationalize with yourself.
You’d be more visible on the rooftop. Something could see you, or worse, some one. But the stars… you wanted to see them… you needed to see them. Something inside you was just pulling you towards them, and it was trying to mute rational thought, to which it only partially succeeded.
You hopped from rooftop to rooftop and gazed up at the heavens periodically. You almost considered flying up towards them, but you knew that you’d already told Mortis he could rest. The mist got mistier and the stars grew brighter as the night passed by. All that was left of you was a silhouette against the evening glow. At least nobody would be able to tell who you were.
All of Bonesborough seemed to be asleep. It was around 1:30 a.m. after all. A few night owls still had their lamps on, including one lamp sitting in a window at Blight Manor. You were not nearly as concerned with Blight Manor though as you were the stars. They still sat there, getting brighter every minute. How you wished you could reach up and pluck one from the stars, for a moment you tried.
You raised your hand toward the sky, grasping for a certain star. It was the red star of the constellation Orion. According to Luz, one such constellation existed in her world as well, but that wasn’t important right now. All that mattered was getting that star.
The world felt lighter as you reached higher. As the star got closer the floatier you felt. It was like you were ascending into space.
What a lovely thing, a star. You thought. To think that you’re out there somewhere, all on your own. Here I am, all on my own. I don’t understand why you and I should be so far apart. After all, we have a lot in common. So very much in common. Maybe we could be friends. Maybe, if I could just reach you…
You violently snapped your head out of the clouds, literally. Surrounding you was a small cirrus. It was absolutely chilling, especially now that the cloud vapor had dampened your clothes. You looked at your hand. Part of the glove had been singed away around the index finger, a small yellow glow draining out of it. Then you looked down at your feet. Sure enough, you were floating high, high above Bonesborough.
“Dammit, not again!” You cursed. As soon as the last word left your mouth, gravity started to check in again. At first it was gradual, but then in a sudden drain of energy, you began plunging down towards Bonesborough. What remained of your glove blew off and away, leaving your bare hand to rummage through your coat anxiously.
“MORTIS!! IF YOU DO NOT WAKE UP WE ARE GOING TO FUCKING DIE!!!” You screamed as the earth got closer. Mortis dug out of your coat and staffed out. Stress. It’s one hell of a motivator! Gripping onto the staff with a deathly hold, guaranteed to give you splinters, your speed started to decline. However it was not declining fast enough. You plunged into a tight alleyway, barely having enough time to conjure something to cushion your fall. While it did cushion the blow, the springy cloud produced sent you skidding down the alley, leaving scars in the unpaved soil (and on you) until you finally slammed rather painfully onto an old, decrepit sofa that had been made damp from the heavy fog.
“Ouch.” You could only wheeze out the word, seeing as how the wind had been thoroughly knocked out of you. Casting a glance at your body, you noted that several cuts were protruding out of your torn clothing. Miraculously nothing appeared to be broken though. For a few minutes you just laid there in silence. In this time you reminded yourself of your curse medication, which you had gone almost a week without taking.
Your curse was not like Eda’s. Arguably it was a transformation curse, but not in the way hers was. Eda said that it was a generational curse, that you had been born with it, much like one of your parents. It made traveling under sunlight deathly. That’s why you had to take the medication. Though you doubted their ability, for even while on the meds your doctor had forbidden you from being in the sun too long. The pills would only keep you from disintegrating too quickly. That and they also helped to keep the floating at bay, but being in the sun for even five minutes could be harmful. The night stars had less power over you. They were much further away, but tonight proved that they still did damage. You couldn’t just stop taking your meds. Tomorrow I’ll start taking them again . You promised yourself. You prepared to get up, propping yourself up on your elbows.
CRRRACK! POP! SNAP!
You were standing again, hands straightening your spine manually. The way you rolled your shoulders almost felt therapeutic. Your legs wobbled under you. Thankfully you had Mortis to use as a crutch. He adjusted his wings to almost fold around your arms and synthesized a suggestion.
“No thanks buddy. Blight Manor isn’t that far away, I can still walk there.” You didn’t wanna inconvenience him with flying you there, even though you almost just died. The fact that he still wanted to help was so sweet. He was such a good boy in that way. You made a note to give him extra treats when you got to Blight Manor.
“Alright mate, lets go!” You rang as you began to limp down the alley.
“And where would you be going at this hour?” You stopped dead in your tracks.
Normally Bonesborough was vacant at this time of night, you had seen it yourself during your little tumble. But that voice. It turned your observation on its head. In a way it almost sounded familiar. Confident, cracked, cunning. That in and of itself was enough to awaken some suspicion. Even if you didn’t somehow know that voice, it still meant something. An awful truth.
Somebody else was there. Your eyes narrowed, searching for the other person. The thick fog didn’t make it easier. Finally, your eyes froze on their silhouette at the mouth of the alley. They stood at probably 5’8 or 5’9, and their figure was hidden by what you presumed to be a cloak. The only other thing you could make out about them was a staff they held off to their side. The palisman was oddly shaped, but who were you to judge?
“To my friends’ house, they’re expecting me.” You declared back broadly. Saying someone was expecting you was proven to drastically decrease the chances of getting kidnapped. (remember that, dear readers)
“And why’s that?” Their chipped voice sent echoes down the alley. They stepped closer. You stepped back.
“I was on my way home, but then I had an accident, in case you hadn’t noticed, and their house is much closer.”
“Oho! I saw your ‘accident.’ Heard it too. I’m surprised you didn’t wake all of Bonesborough with your racket.” The stranger chuckled. A low growl rumbled in your throat.
“If you need medical attention or a ride there, I’d be more than happy to escort you to either!” They took another step forward. Another step back for you. Their staff let out a dull red glow. Your stomach dropped. A mugger, kidnapper, even murderer you could deal with, but this.
This was one of the emperor’s scouts. Someone protected by law, not by the silent rules of the Bonesborough backroads.
“No thanks, I’m not keen on traveling with strangers that lurk in alleyways.” You retorted. The scout exhaled a loud pfft.
“There’s no need to be afraid of me.” Their stature puffed proudly as they spoke. The glow of their staff grew brighter as they brought it down to a small badge clasping their hood together. You could just barely see what it was illuminating. A triangle with wings. “I’m with the Emperor’s Coven.”
The words ran before you could realize what you were saying.
“Then I’m definitely not going with you.” Damn you, (y/n.)
Their frame tensed.
“Oh? Why not…?”
“... I haven’t had very many pleasant experiences with you guys.”
The silhouette loosened up and got into a more threatening stance. A smart hmm escaped them.
“Well then, if you refuse to go with me because I’m in the Emperor’s Coven, and you're lurking around in the back alleys at 2:33 in the morning, I have more than enough reason to arrest you based on suspicious activity.” They explained. You brought your right foot behind you and leaned forward, holding Mortis in two hands.
“I’d like to see you try.” You teased. Welp, now you'd done it. Injured, alone, nobody knew where you were, and you were about to brawl with a coven scout. Might as well call Eda and tell her to put up your picture at the Grave right now! That’s what you’d think if you were a pussy. But fortunately, you’d gone through years of training, as well as grown up under the baddest bitch on the Boiling Isles!
In other words, this bitch was getting put down.
“Fine.” The scout snapped. “In the name of Emperor Belos you are under arrest! I won’t resort to force if you don’t resist!”
It was their final warning to you. The last olive branch they were willing to extend. It was your chance to just give up and leave without anymore wounds. But you weren’t raised to just back down. Not to mention you were fairly confident you could take them.
In a fight that is.
Getcha head out the gutter, you filthy animal, I see you >:[
Now it was just the waiting game, to see who would make the first move. A breeze jostled the rubbish. A dog barked somewhere in the distance. Neither of you moved. A squeal drew your attention for a millisecond, and you looked away.
Idiot!
DASH!
JUMP!
WHACK!!!
You had just gotten boxed in the crook of your knee. You hit the floor in a painful slam, barely leaving you enough time to roll away from the staff swinging towards your head. Once on your back, you returned the favor and wrapped your foot around the back of their leg. Bringing your leg back towards you, they fell to the ground. Their staff fell out of their hand. They tried to pick themselves off their stomach and grab it, but you worked too swiftly. With the swing of your hips, you were on your knees again. You hastily thrust your left knee onto the scout’s back, meeting their stomach with the floor once more. You could hear their labored breathing. In a violent seize, your hand met their wrist, pinning it firmly to the ground.
Their other hand shot up, and as you went to clasp onto their other wrist, they clasped yours first. They hauled your upper body down towards their shoulders. In a rather painful moment, they threw their head back. Their skull collided with where your nose would be on your mask. You could hear your mask crack and felt it in the bridge of your nose. It caught you more than off guard, and you stupidly loosened your advantage on them. Your hand pinning them to the ground sprang towards your face. In record time they grabbed their staff and managed to push you off their back and onto your own; they were on top of you, a leg on either side of your hips, your coat grasped in their hands. They lifted you up by the collar, their mask now terrifyingly close to yours. So close you could smell the metallic aroma wafting from it.
It was in this brief pause of conflict, you finally managed to get a good look at your attacker. You wished you hadn’t. The world moved at a snail’s pace. In your logic you knew that this shouldn’t have been possible. The scout’s mask was abnormal. It wasn’t the usual crow-looking one, but a rather flat one.
A flashy one.
A gold one.
A single slit for vision. In the depth their eyes were just barely visible, indistinguishable in hue. You didn’t need to see your face to know how it paled. Dear gods, you realized. He’s real.
He’s real and he’s trying to arrest me.
In a way, it almost felt like getting betrayed by a friend. You had dreamed about him your entire life, and now? Now he was trying to beat the shit out of you! But how could he have been real? How would your brain have known about his existence for so long? You couldn’t recall meeting him before whilst awake. As far as you knew, this was the first time. How the hell could he have infiltrated my dreams?! You asked yourself internally. No. No time for thoughts! He was still trying to arrest you! SNAP OUT OF IT!
“You know, if anyone looked out their window right now and saw us they might get the wrong idea~❤” You flirted absent-mindedly. He was about to arrest you and that’s what you said? (Y/n), you dog! Eda would be so proud!
He went rigid. You could practically hear the wheels turning in his head. You could smell the smoke from ‘em! He tensed again. Ah, he finally got it!
“Ugh! You little-” BAM! You headbutted him in the nose before he could finish. PAYBACK FOOL! A quick hand to the side of his face helped you to shove him off.
The two of you bolted onto your feet, staffs in hand. He arced to face you and brought his staff back. You barely lifted Mortis high enough to block the blow before it crashed. Your legs translated from bent to upright, which sent his staff reeling. His posture said surprised. He probably didn’t expect you to be taller than him. In his moment of shock, you threw your staff towards his side, landing a nasty blow to his ribs before you leaped back. His hand grasped his ribs as he doubled over.
“You bitch!” He exhaled laboriously.
“ I’M the bitch?! You attacked me first!” You accused through gritted teeth as you pointed towards the crack in your mask. Mortis glowed with magical rage. He’s such an empath, you guys 😚🙄.
You teleported down the alley a ways. There was much more distance between you both, meaning that staffs and spells were becoming all the more useful. A burst of red lightning shot towards you, crackling as it sliced through the air. You threw up a shield almost a moment too late. The lightning struck it angrily, sending a roll of thunder into the alley. A smokey scent filled the air and smoke thickened the mist. Out of the corner of your mask, you could see the faux fur on your coat sizzling out.
Did this bitch really just vandalize the drip? You jabbed your staff in his direction, a coil of rope beaming out to snake around him. It managed to squeeze around one of his ankles, cutting through the fabric of his heeled boots. (HA! short.) You could feel phantom rope burn. He exclaimed painfully and raised his staff, only to thrust it down against the thick cable. The robe burst away in a tiny cloud.
“So you’re one of the Bonesborough Phantoms! Why am I not surprised?” He quipped. You were about to quip back, when you had an idea. Those were rare for you! You made a small circle behind your back.
“‘Not surprised?’ The look on your face says different!” You grinned as you held up his mask. An illusion. You weren’t especially good at them, but you’d seen that mask enough times you could conjure it with two hands tied behind your back. You could hear him gasp from your side of the alleyway. His hands shot up towards his face, giving you the perfect opportunity to send another spell his way. With the agile circling of your arm, a scorching ball of (f/c) flames spun towards him. Dreamboy hit the dirt, his cape catching alight. Payback. Again.
Normally you’d stay and wallop a bit more, but you were tired and this was your chance to run. You clambered on top of your staff and sailed low to the ground. Whistling past tight corners you sped away. Judging by the less-than-subtle nyoom coming from behind you, he must have decided to pursue.
Great! Just what am I supposed to do now? You whooshed into the next street. Ed and Em’s was out of the question, they’d get in trouble with the Emperor’s Coven, or worse, their mom! Another sharp turn led you down another alleyway which emerged into Silver Street. Wait a second, the library wasn’t far away. If you could manage to speed up and out of his sight, you could hide in the library until he went away! Then you could go to blight Manor, process the fact that this mother fucker was real, and pass out! Yup, that was the strat.
You lowered your body closer to the staff, accelerating your speed. The wind blew your hood back and your hair away from your face. Skidding down the next street, you prepared to burst through the library doors, but to your surprise, they were already open! Just a small bit, but still open nonetheless. You were a few seconds ahead of him, if you were slick enough you could slide in without him noticing. You adjusted the angle off your staff to shoot for the gap between the doors. You could hear his wind shear echoing across the empty town. The doors were only a few yards away now! You could taste freedom on your tongue! The cry of his staff filled the square. He might as well have been breathing down your neck. Rotating yourself sideways with a split second to spare, you flung like a bat outta hell into the library! Mortis went from staff to moth, causing you to roll across the cold tiles. You brought your foot out behind you and your alternate knee in front of you, slowing your skid. Hastening to close the doors, you bound forward with all the might your legs had left. Hands out, you silently, yet firmly, secured the doors.
Not a moment after the doors fastened, the whistle of your pursuer shattered the air and rattled the windows. Rumble rumble rumble… silence. The atmosphere was stale. There was no more sound outside, no more air stabbing against your exposed wounds.
He was gone.
You pressed your back against the doors and slid to the floor. The breath you didn’t realize you were holding burst out as you shook exhaustedly. Your middle finger and thumb met at the gem on your bracelet. Chink! Back to your normal clothes! The tunic with its deep v-neck allowed your body to breathe. Your belt laid astrew, causing the band your trousers to hang somewhat loosely around your waist. Both of your ankle high budapesters had become untied in the fray. Wiley hair framed your face messily, swaying back and forth as you slowly panted. A bead of sweat slipped past your brows and closed eyes. To put it simply, you put the “hot” in “hot mess.” (cause you a 10/10 bestie, don’t forget it or I’ll beat you up.)
“This night can’t get worse…” You exhaled.
“(Y/n)?” You stood corrected.
Your eyes slammed open with what you imagined must have been a shattering stare. Standing before you were four familiar figures. The first, the one who had called your name, was Amity Blight. You didn’t know her as well as Ed or Em, but you did know that she was a bit of a mean girl. She worked at the library so you weren’t totally surprised she was here. The next two were her older siblings, the ones you had been trying to reach for the better part of the night. The two stared at you with conflicting expressions. Emira looked confused, while Edric looked concerned. However, both of them still looked flawless per usual. They must have escorted Amity here for some reason, either that or they did something stupid and Amity was here to bust their collective ass. The final figure though was the one that shocked you the most.
“Luz?! What the hell are you doing here this late at night?” You pushed yourself up off the floor and strode towards her.
“What are YOU doing he-”
“I asked you first. Explain. Now.” You commanded with furrowed brows. Luz looked up at you with shimmering eyes, before looking down ashamedly. She fiddled with her hands as her posture worsened. She inhaled a large breath.
“Edric and Emira invited me here earlier to see some really cool magic so I came, and then all the books started coming to life, including Amity’s diary which I accidentally ended up reading- or hearing? Whatever! But then Amity came and she got mad at me, then a story book character came to life (he’s usually nice but Edric and Emira drew in his book and made him evil by mistake) and started chasing Amity and I around the library, and we almost got turned into a book, but then we erased Otabin’s drawings and he was nice again! Then we heard something slam into the library and Mortis came flying over to us and dragged us to you, you asked me what happened, then I told you everything and- just please don’t be mad at me!” Luz blabbered all in one breath. She inhaled deeply again with hands on her knees.
You placed a hand on Luz’s shoulder. Slowly, your head creaked towards Edric and Emira. Your eyes reflected fire and brimstone. Theirs’ reflected guilt and fear.
“The twins put you in this situation?” You asked her, though the statement itself was more directed towards them.
“Well, yeah– but they didn’t know he’d try and hurt us!” Luz jumped to defend them.
You pinched the bridge of your (probably broken) nose betwixt two fingers, and immediately regretted as a sharp pain stabbed in, tightly shutting your eyes. A deep breath. Your eyelids loosened, but still remained closed. Gently throwing your head back, you twiddled with your ears before your hands migrated north to your scalp. They combed sweetly, tiredly, through your unruly hair. One hand dropped to rest on your hip as you brought your head up again, the other hand resting on the nape of your neck. You could feel the piano starlight shining on you through the windows. Finally, your eyes opened once more, gazing at Ed and Em disappointedly. You watched as they shriveled back from your stare.
“Luz, grab your shit. We’re going home.” Your voice was soft, but still commendable. Your eyes shifted from the older Blights to the youngest.
“Amity, I advise you do the same. I can take you home if needed.” Eyes were on the elder Blights again. “But you two have a lot of cleaning to do.”
You gestured to the mounds of littered pages across the library. There was a tug on your sleeve. You looked over. Luz.
“(Y/n), I know you’re mad at Edric and Emira, but… this was my fault too. I should help clean it up.” She muttered as her sad eyes glistened. Footfalls quietly crawled near.
“I wanna stay too! This is my job after all, I’d feel guilty just leaving it like this.” Amity stepped forward. You were going to object, but looking at the two of them, all the emotion trapped in their eyes, you could tell. They wanted to do this. Maybe it was something they needed to do.
Another exhausted sigh exasperated out of you, and you agreed. Luz smiled at you earnestly, along with Amity, who’s twinkle was more timid. You beamed poorly back. Mortis flew from his perch on Amity’s shoulder over to yours and cooed.
“Yeah bud, I’m okay.” You scratched his chin as you reassured him.
“Are you though? Like really?” Edric began. “You’re kinda bleeding through your shirt right now.” Emira finished.
Eyes widening just a bit, you looked down. Sure enough, there were several splotches of crimson across your shirt. A few small ones pooled into larger patches on your sleeves, while two solitary stains hung on your abdomen. Parts of your shirt clung to your body. The sensation was cold and warm at the same time. You knew in reality you weren’t bleeding that much, that is was just how the blood spread. Despite this knowledge, you still felt lightheaded just looking at it.
You stuck one bloodied leg out. The one still beneath you straightened as you got onto your tippiest tippy toes. In a graceful pirouette, a golden circle manifested around you. Your leg that was once hoisted in the air lowered to the ground behind its counterpart. Luz looked on with awe at such a radiant display. She watched attentively as you raised your leg again- and stomped at the floor as hard as you could!
The golden circle shook and began its spiral around your body. Everywhere its light touched on your body tingled under the skin. It’s what you imagined sunlight felt like. The healing energy filled you from top to bottom, sealing the injuries you’d sustained in your fall/fight. The light dispersed as it reached your soles and crown. You casted your eyes to Luz once more. She was gaping at you.
“That. Was. Awesome!” She was ecstatic! Her eyes had quickly gone from dull to dazzled just by a simple spell! Well, not simple, but not incredibly difficult. It was one of your favorite things about Luz. Easily impressed. The corners of your mouth lifted slightly towards her. You ruffled her hair in a way that made you feel old.
“Alright, all of you get to work! Ed! Em! Don’t slack off. Don’t goof around. Do. Work.” Your finger jabbed at the two of them. Ed threw his hands up defensively.
“We will! Don’t worry!” He promised.
“And Luz will get home safely?” Fingers tapping on your hip as you questioned.
“Of course! We’ve learned our lesson!” Emira butted in. Your arms folded across a now bloodless tunic. You swayed towards the duo, your genuine smile running coy, eyes narrowing with intent.
“Don’t forget you two, we’ve made an arrangement for next month! And if you put Luz in danger again…” You threw the line out. They bit at the same time. Bumbling mumbling ensued.
“We won't!
“You don’t have to worry (y/n)-”
“-Luz is safe with us!”
“We swear!” The twins synced. You scanned them for any crossed fingers or lying tells. Just as you hoped, they were clean. You took one of each of their hands in yours and ran your thumbs over their knuckles.
“That’s what I like to hear!” You beamed at them. Emira smiled back with radiance while Edric stood there looking at you with cartoonish eyes. You uncupped your hands from around theirs and rolled your shoulders. Mortis whimmed as you did so.
“Nah, bud. I can still walk home.” His antennae fell.
“Walk home? This late at night? Are you asking to get kidnapped?” Emira objected.
“Well, I can’t really fly because-” You thought of the scout. Had he seen Mortis? Did he know what your staff looked like? It wasn’t a risk you could take. “Well I’ll explain later, but I can’t fly right now!” You plead your case. Emira shook her head, Edric and Luz mirroring her after seeing her disapproval.
“Oh no! We weren’t gonna have you fly home by yourself either! We’ll call Eda to pick you up, but you are not walking back all the way to the Owl House after the state we just saw you in! What even happened?” You grimaced at the expression. Should you tell them? You didn’t really wanna freak out the younger kids with your little war story.
“I… I’ll tell you about it tomorrow.” You doubted you actually would. Tomorrow would be a home day for sure, and they didn’t usually visit you, you visited them. Emira held up a finger to silence you as she pulled a small scroll from her pocket. Penstagram. She was gonna slide into Eda’s DMs on Penstagram at 3:15 in the morning so that you could get a ride home after getting your ass handed to you by the boy from your dreams. Dear Titan, what a life you lived…