Work Text:
Rebuilding after the destruction that happened to the Isles would take a while. Hunter knew that. The moment with Darius was nice after everything that had happened. But it didn’t take long before the other had to get started with helping the island. He promised to see Hunter later though.
Hunter wanted to help as well of course, but he was tired. Darius said he needed to take a moment to rest. But Hunter wasn’t really sure where to go. He found himself going toward the former emperor’s castle, not knowing where else to go. He doubted he’d be staying there anymore, but he didn’t know where Darius lived. He didn’t blame the other for being distracted. There were plenty of places around him where people were reuniting. Everyone seemed so happy.
Not that he wasn’t glad everything was over. Heck, with what everyone went through, the celebrating was warranted. But well, he had a lot of things he was feeling. And Hunter had never been good at dealing with his feelings. Just shoving them aside for proper obedience. He hadn’t been to the castle since learning the truth about Belos. At least, not where he would usually go. Not since it was ‘safe’, and not alone.
Darius could always contact him if he needed to. There was practically no one around, which was weird. There were usually always guards around the castle. They must all be helping. Hunter thought he saw some taking their masks off on his way over. Everyone was too distracted catching up with each other to pay him any mind.
He made his way up to where his old room was. The room he had grown up in. He stood in the doorway for a moment. It was so strange how everything looked the same in his room. When everything had changed. He had stayed at Hexside and then Camila’s place. He was back to not knowing what to expect for where he would sleep tonight.
The others would probably find it weird that he chose to come back here of all places. But it was familiar. And for once the danger wasn’t here. He just needed to go somewhere to breathe. To think. What did his life look like now?
He had gone directly to helping his friends out after leaving his position as golden guard. Would he become a student at Hexside now? What did that even look like? Who would register him to go there? Did Darius even like him? He just didn’t know.
He sat at the edge of his bed and sighed. Then he flopped back on his bed.
His eyes followed a slight shift in light. It was subtle enough to go unnoticed, but Hunter was used to taking in everything around him. He had to be when he was raised by as cruel a man as the emperor. Maybe this place wasn’t as abandoned and safe as he thought. Hunter sat up again and tensed. His hands instinctively gripped for the staff that was no longer there, which made him wince.
“Who’s there?” He demanded. “Show yourself.”
For a moment there was nothing. And then a twist in the light again.
“I should have known you would take notice.” A faded figure appeared, with an unfortunately familiar face.
Hunter yelled and fell off the bed.
The figure raised his hands slowly and took a step back.
“My apologies, I did not mean to frighten you. I mean you no harm.” And that sentiment would have gone over better if Hunter’s room wasn’t small. The figure faded partially into his wall.
Hunter started to breathe rapidly.
“Y-you!” He pointed and tried to scoot away more.
“You’re Caleb, aren’t you!? The one Belos created his golden guard grim walkers after.” After a second he added,
“The one who I’m a copy of.”
Caleb sat to Hunter’s level, strangely enough, and then nodded.
“I am.”
“Why are you here?”
Caleb sighed and looked away for a moment.
“I and the other grim walkers haunted Belos. Now that he’s gone, I felt responsible for you in a way.”
Hunter blinked.
“Responsible for me? Why? You don’t even know me! Shouldn’t you like hate my existence or something? That my being is against the memory of your life.”
Caleb looked at him sadly.
“No. You cannot help your existence even if I were mad about any of those things. And I hate what Belos made of you. You are just a child.”
Hunter huffed and sat up a bit again, while still on the floor.
“I’m not a child, I’m a teenager.”
Caleb hmmed. “Yes, but you are still young. And my brother took away a true childhood from you.”
Hunter looked away.
“Why do you care? And why do you feel responsible for me?”
“I am troubled by a lot of my brother’s heinous actions. Such a thing is how I died in the first place.”
Hunter winced at that.
“And in a way, I suppose you are family,” Caleb continued.
Hunter gawked at him. “What?” His voice croaked.
Caleb sighed and stood up slowly. Hunter watched him warily as he held out a hand to help Hunter up.
“Uh, wouldn’t my hand go through or something?”
In response Caleb held up a solid apple in his other hand before setting it down again. Hunter hmmed but cautiously took the proffered hand. Surprisingly, it was solid enough to help him up his feet.
“You should eat something,” Caleb said. He held out a bowl of snacks, including the apple he had just shown him.
“I need to concentrate to hold something solid like this.” He set the bowl on Hunter’s bedside dresser.
Hunter grabbed a small loaf of bread from the bowl and watched the ghost as he took a bite.
“So, why are you here now?” Hunter asked. Caleb shifted in place.
“I wanted to see how you were doing after everything. I’ve seen that you’ve gone through a lot.”
Hunter narrowed his eyes.
“How would you know that?”
“I see things as a spirit.”
“So what? Along with my paranoia about Belos, I had a literal spirit stalking me as well?”
“No! I wouldn’t say I was haunting you. I was haunting Belos. He’s the one that wronged me. I just wanted to watch over you for a bit.”
Hunter blinks. “Well, I can’t say I really understand that.”
“I know,” said Caleb. “I expected as much after how Philip, I mean Belos, treated you.”
“Where did you even get this food anyways?” Hunter asked.
“There was still food in the castle. It hasn’t been empty long.”
“Yeah but it still seems fresh,” Hunter said.
Caleb shrugged.
“Hm.”
“Do you really need to watch me eat?”
“Uh, sorry.” Caleb glanced away but he was still in the room.
“I’m not sure how you expected watching over to me to be a comfort when I never knew you,” Hunter said.
“I suppose in a way it was for my sake. Also, I wasn’t going to show myself so explicitly to you. But I didn’t want to distress you either when you noticed me.”
“Who said I- whatever. You don’t think that’s kinda creepy?”
“That is the nature of spirits watching the living at times, no?”
Hunter glanced away. “What about palisman? Do their spirits stick around too?”
“Ah, I should have expected you would ask that.”
“Well?”
Caleb tilted his head in thought. “It’s possible, but a bit different with their spirits.”
“What do you mean!?” Hunter asked.
“I don’t quite understand it myself. Not all spirits appear to those they knew in life, for either one. And for some, it can depend where in the grieving process the living person is.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“That he might not if he thinks it will keep you from moving on and going on with your life.”
Hunter glared at him. “You don’t know that. And it’s not like I haven’t done anything since losing him.”
“You’re right, I don’t. And that’s true. I’m sorry for upsetting you. I was just trying to help you understand.”
Hunter huffed.
Caleb continued, “If it’s of any consolation, fallen palisman do often look after their former witches.”
“I just don’t get to see him,” Hunter grumbled, “Instead, I see a ghost whose very appearance reminds me of the messed up way I came into being.”
“I’m sorry if my presence makes you uncomfortable. But I think you have done a good job of becoming more than what you were made to be.”
Hunter laughed humorlessly, “Yeah right. I’ve barely made decisions on my own or found anything for myself outside of Belos’ shadow.”
“But you have. The frame of when does not matter. It shows immeasurable strength to break out from his cage and do what you’ve done. And you’re still going. You still have a whole life ahead of you, Hunter. I am so glad you have the options now to live the life you want. I’m so proud of all that you’ve already done as yourself.”
Hunter stared back at the ghost in surprise. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever heard anyone say they were proud of him before.
“I don’t have to appear to you if you don’t want to. I wouldn’t force an unwanted communication.”
Caleb turned.
“Wait!” Hunter cried.
Caleb paused and turned back to Hunter.
“Where will you be? Or, what will it look like if you stick around? I uh don’t know a lot about ghosts like this.”
Caleb paused. “I’m not sure to what extent I can follow you. As I was attached to a person, well former person before. When he died, I reappeared near where I died.”
“So you don’t think you can just follow me?” Hunter asked.
Caleb blinked. “I thought you didn’t want that.”
Hunter shifted. “Well, I uh I don’t know. I don’t want you to always be there, but I guess I’m not entirely opposed to being looked after by a spirit. My feelings are all over the place about this.”
“That’s ok. It’s a lot to take in, I get it.”
“I don’t suppose you could communicate with Flapjack for me?” Hunter asked.
Caleb hmmed. “I’m not sure.”
Hunter sighed. “It was worth a shot.”
“Hunter?”
Hunter looked over to his raven phone. Then he looked back to where Caleb was, except the ghost was no longer there. Hunter went to check around for the ghost, but Darius kept calling for him on the raven phone.
That was probably not the end of things.
So Hunter just got out his raven phone and picked up.