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The feeling of wrongness surrounded them as soon as they set foot on the Isles. It was nothing visible, the trees looked the same, the roads and the ruins were unchanged as well. But there was something in the air that spelled trouble, despite the stillness. The time for respite was over and no one knew this more than Hunter.
Belos was on the prowl and the aftermath of the Day of Unity was still a mystery. This was their mission now, the thing he had to focus on. The sooner they started to move the better as they had no time to dally around.
So he walked and walked through the bleak forests, clothes still damp and heart empty. Every little sound of a bird startled him and every little sign of red made him wish he could never see colour again. They had a mission, he could not be so feeble and keel over at those reminders. There would be time to mourn and it was not now when so much was at stake.
He let his guard down once and paid the price. One he is not willing to pay again.
So they walked and walked, the Owl House coming into view and all the damage done to the Isles. There was a terrible beauty to it, the soft colours and cheerful landscapes coupled with the destruction and change. Hunter paid no more mind to it. There was no need. Things would go back to normal once they succeed, they had to or all he had gone through would be for nothing.
All his anger and sorrow had to have a purpose after all and this was it. To finally free the Isles of everything that threatens them. Otherwise, he feared he would not be able to take much more than that. How did Belos ever contain all his anger for so long? How did he manage it? This was no way to live and Hunter knew the answer. He didn’t manage it, he lashed out and he didn’t live, he just went from one goal to the next. It was a terrible fate, one Hunter would rather not share but such thoughts did him no good as he paced, his friends’ palismen following him.
There was nothing any of them could do for him, not while Belos still lived and tethered him to his past both distant and near. Not the little palismen worried for their witches’ companion and not Willow and Gus who joined him, trying to slow his pace so they could talk. He appreciated it, he really did but he’d rather not talk of his feelings right now or the cracks will get bigger and he will spill over, never to be the same again.
Such things would come later when the world would not need him to be whole.
-
And he needed to be at his best to contain his emotions at seeing the puppets. Wretched play of bodies not in control of themselves and existing only for the amusement of someone else. This time it was a child, creating their own world that was simultaneously so colourful and devoid of colour.
Seeing the unnatural movement, the unwilling screams, and the empty, soulless eyes, he wondered if this is how he looked when Belos took control of his body. Had he been so ghastly to look at? Had his friends feared him? They had yet to talk about this but seeing the puppets, he felt he knew the answer already. Life just kept throwing reminders at him for what he had allowed to happen, for what kind of life he had lived. He had been a puppet long before his uncle had possessed him, long before the Collector even knew the meaning of freedom. And as he pulled Willow away from her puppeted dad, he was reminded once again.
All this did no good for his anxiety and anger, and even seeing Hexside being a beacon of resistance and survival, did nothing to alleviate his worries. How can he be comforted when he witnessed everyone’s parents and loved ones being used in this way? Hunter had hoped, for all those months, that a certain someone would be alright. He was strong enough, wasn’t he? Darius was one to always combat impossible odds, to never let failure bring him down but what was any of them before the power of a god. He had been told of rumors that the Coven Heads had been captured, someone had caught a glimpse of the arena platform in the chaos. The old anxiety of Darius being dead returned in full force and was now joined by the fear of him being a puppet.
Hunter could not stop his leg from bouncing as he sat separated from the others near the main hall. He could only think of loss as he missed the comfort of his palisman and the presence of the man who helped stitch some of his life back together. A sob was threatening to come out but a hand on his shoulder snapped him out of this stupor.
Amity approached him with a sad gaze and sat beside him. For a minute she said nothing, fiddling with the hem of her dress and looking down at her shoes. Hunter was unsure what this was about but at least wondering if she was feeling well prevented him from succumbing even further to his own morbid thoughts.
That didn't last long as Amity suddenly looked at him with glassy eyes and placed her hand on his shoulder again.
“I heard about the Coven Heads…about Darius. Hunter, I am-”
“You don’t need to say it, we will free them and things will go back to normal. We will manage.”
“I know, I don’t doubt our future success but it’s just that so much happened to you, in such a short time and you were sitting all alone here.”
“I am fine, seriously. And besides, it's not like I have it worse than the rest. Willow’s dad is also puppeted, the other is missing, and your dad too. And Gus’ and…and everyone really…”
At the mention of Alador, Amity folded on herself a little bit. It had been the wrong thing to say it seemed and he felt bad for not measuring his words, “Amity I shouldn’t have mentioned him, I-”
“It’s ok. Like you said, we don't have it worse than anyone else. I just…I just wish I knew what happened to him. No one has seen him and the twins don’t know either but he is capable, I believe that he is alright. And same goes for Darius. Even if…he is puppeted we will help them all, I am sure of it.”
It was the same mantra that Hunter repeated to himself over and over. That they will free everyone, that everything would be alright because they always pushed through, no matter the odds. It was comforting to know that he wasn’t the only one plagued by those thoughts. It seems Amity once again understood him in her own way and it made him feel less foolish at least. He let out a sigh, a calm one this time
“Thank you for this, for bringing me out of my head a bit. Who would have thought you would go soft on me Blight,” he let out a chuckle and gave her a small smile.
“Who would have thought, indeed. But don’t go spreading any rumors. The school may look like a garbage disposal right now but I’m still upholding my reputation,” Amity smiled in turn and elbowed him playfully.
“Of course, you are soft only for Luz as we all know but anyway…if it’s worth anything, I will make sure we find your dad too, ok?”
She gave him one last look but said nothing more as she placed her head on his shoulder. It was so different from how things were back at Eclipse Lake. Many things have changed for better and for worse but it was nice, this understanding. Hunter closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, letting but a single tear roll down on his cheek. He could allow himself this moment before they had to enter the eye of the storm.
-
The Collector’s castle was silent, too silent. For a playground of a child god, one would think it would be bursting with life and games but instead, it was swallowed by stillness. Their steps echoed through the halls, the lights were dimmed and the ceilings too high, covered in darkness. If not for the cheery colours, Hunter would think he was back at the castle on his way to the dreaded throne room.
There was still dread but of another kind. Of the fear of the unknown, of what they would find and what would greet them. Hunter had spent the hours before, preparing himself for one inevitable encounter. He could do it, he used to be a soldier and had faced so much worse. Encountering the puppeted body of someone he considered dear was nothing. It was nothing.
His hands started trembling at the thought, the ‘reassurance’ sounding hollow even without voicing it. Hunter knew he would break like a clay pot once he saw Darius. He just hoped he could pick up the pieces fast enough.
And he must have made a particular face because he felt hands slip into his own as Willow and Gus came near him. Their expressions were serious but both looked at him with gentleness. Hunter squeezed back, basking a bit in the warm comfort that chased away the coldness of the halls, even for a brief moment. Even if he couldn’t pick up all the pieces by himself, he was not alone now, they would help.
But any warmth he felt, quickly dissipated as they saw a row of puppets in the next hall. The Coven Heads, all in line, staring blankly at them with those same soulless eyes. It took every fiber of strength for him not to run to Darius immediately.
He clenched his teeth and let go of his friends’ hands as they all approached the row of witches before them. They were silent and unmoving, just staring. The closer he got, the more he saw of Darius, of how changed he looked. The verdant green eyes, so full of life that had gazed at him with kindness were gone and replaced with a blank stare.
The man did not react to his presence, not even when Hunter suddenly teleported to him despite the protests of his friends. Darius just stood completely still with a placid smile on his face. The more he looked at him, the more Hunter felt his seams were coming undone.
This was not Darius, this was not the man who would not bend his will to anyone, not even to Belos whose presence caused history itself to succumb to his whims. Hunter heard voices around him, his friends moving but everything was blurry save for the person in front of him. He wanted to scream and cry at him, to move, to wake up, just as he had done all those months ago during the Day of Unity. Why could they never reunite when both of them are well and themselves? Why was life so cruel to them both? Why?
He could not take it any longer and with desperation, he wrapped his arms around Darius’ waist. He was met with hard and cold wood, like embracing a tree. There was no comfort to be found in this hug, no one to return it, no one to pat his hair and tell him everything will be alright. It was an echo of a hug once given all those months ago and it made Hunter squeeze harder and harder until he felt a splinter lodge itself into his finger. He paid it no mind.
“Darius, please, wake up! You have to wake-”
Willow gently grabbed him by the shoulders, trying to coax him away to safety, “Hunter, I know it’s hard but you need to back off. Luz is about to cross behind the barrier and-”
Suddenly a red glow and the sound of a piercing alarm swallowed the room. Hunter felt Darius move and as he slowly looked up, he found a pair of red eyes staring back at him. He backed off immediately, his breathing picking up as Darius and the rest of the Coven Heads casted spell circles with threatening motions.
On instinct, he teleported further out of the way, grabbing Willow and Amity away from the fray, “What, why are they attacking now?! What happened?”
“Luz went into the enclosure to get Eda. We think she is in there but as soon as she crossed, they activated! Look out!”
A wall of rock suddenly sped up at them, Amity managing to block it at the last second. It was not the time for distractions as those were Coven Heads, the most skilled witches on the Isles. Hunter dreaded having to fight Darius with all his being but the man was not even himself, he won’t relent.
Hunter had no staff, no palisman, and no magic beyond the few glyphs Luz had given him. He gripped them tightly and as he teleported once again away from an attack, he cast a thick wall of vines between them and the Coven Heads.
There was no way raw power would be of use here no matter how skilled any of them were. They needed to be smart and strategic and in the half a minute it took for the adult witches to tear his barrier apart, he told Amity and Willow to attempt to restrain them while he and Gus distracted them with teleportation and illusions. It was the only way.
He proceeded to cast small spell glyphs, baiting and teleporting away, trying to catch their attention as Willow and Amity continued their efforts. It was hard to concentrate, his body was starting to ache from using so much of his newfound magic but he also found himself unable to tear his gaze away from Darius.
The man was robotic but relentless in his pursuit, his abomination magic a torrent against them. Hunter had always admired his strength, one that used to protect him, that felt like a shield against the evils of this world. But now? As he lifted his scythe against his friends, Hunter could not help but shout at him to stop, no matter how futile.
“Darius, stop! Please, I know you are in there! Wake up!” he pleaded, tears falling down his face.
The abomination witch was the last one left as Amity and Willow covered the rest in vines and abomination sludge. But despite their best efforts, he was too powerful, a true master of his craft even when not himself. And as he raised his scythe again, Hunter froze at the familiar gesture, one that was nothing more than a ruse all those months ago but now would hurt like nothing else in the world.
He could only close his eyes and take it. He has had worse before, by a person who had never even loved him.
But nothing came. No searing pain, no sounds of sludge against his face or smell of blood. He only heard the familiar shouts of his friend but it was like time itself had frozen. Hunter opened his eyes slowly, seeing Darius with his hand still raised but unmoving. Tremors were shaking his body, a sickly creaking as he struggled to move back only to be finally restrained by Willow and her vines.
Hunter could not get up, his legs felt nonexistent. The only thing that felt real was the cold and hard stone floor beneath him as he tried to catch his breath.
Darius had stopped. At the last moment, he had stopped and backed off. Hunter did not know what to make of this. Weren’t puppets supposed to be completely lifeless and under the Collector’s control? They could not think and certainly not resist and yet Darius in all his relentlessness had ceased his attack…for him.
Hunter felt himself starting to cry again while his friends surrounded him, checking him for injuries.
“Hunter! I am so sorry, I saw him threaten you but the rest were resisting and by the time I could react-”
“Willow,” he said as he kept a firm gaze on the man restrained before him, “He stopped. He resisted. We all saw him right? He-he resisted!”
“I…yes, he did. Could they even do that? I don’t…”
“I don’t know either but he did. He is still in there, he did not wish to harm me, “ with all the effort in the world he got up and slowly walked to Darius. The man was half-heartedly trying to get himself out of the vines, movements sluggish like the ones of a toy with no energy left in it. His eyes were still red and empty but now Hunter could see something in them, a spark. Darius was in there stuck and struggling, but still there enough to resist causing him harm.
“Hunter, I don't think it’s a good idea. It’s dangerous.”
“I know Gus but…it’s ok. He won’t do anything, I am sure of it now.”
Hunter kneeled near him, his eyes still firmly on this familiar face, and looked at him with admiration. He was right to think that Darius possessed an unmatched strength, to resist even the chains that a god put on him to bind him. To refuse to harm even when he had no other choice, even when his hand was forced to do so. In a strange way, Hunter felt love in that refusal and it made him tear up even more.
He heard the sounds of Luz approaching from behind the enclosure with someone else but at this moment he could only think of what had just transpired. So despite the vines, despite that Darius was still struggling and unaware, Hunter embraced him lightly, as much as he could.
“I will free you and come back, I promise. I know you are in there and if you can truly hear me, I will come back. Everything will be alright.”
He felt another hand on his shoulder, squeezing him lightly in reassurance. He turned his head back to see Amity, with a rueful smile on her face. Her eyes were beckoning him to go and despite his unwillingness, he gave Darius one last hug before he got up.
And as he was walking away, carresing the place on his hand where the splinter was, Hunter felt true hope for the first time in days.