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This was it. The Day of Unity.
Raine squeezed their eyes shut for a moment and listened to themself breathe. This operation had to go perfectly, or the majority of the Boiling Isles may not survive.
The pressure hadn't fully sunk in until this moment. But now, the reality of the situation weighed on their mind and their headache swelled. Could they really handle this? Could the CATTs really stop Belos' plan?
Well. I have to try.
Raine scoured over their notes, double checking all the details had been written down. Once they were positive everything was ready, they started gathering everyone for the briefing.
Raine looked to the side at the sound of a familiar chuckle. Eda was talking to Luz and King at the edge of the room, and they felt themself wince involuntarily at the sight of her, painfully aware of everything they would have to ask her to do.
Their mind flashed back to the night they and Eda played their duet, in their old attempt to wipe out their former Coven Head enemies. Eda's curse was exactly what they all needed to stop the Draining Spell...but they were terrified of what it might cost. Of what they might lose.
Snapping back to reality, Raine realized they were staring at her as their mind was spiraling. They quickly composed themself as Darius brought the Owl Lady and her family over.
Time for the briefing. She's depending on you. Er...they all are, Raine amended in their mind. Surely their thoughts were still on their ex because of the task at hand, not for...any other reason.
"...Okay. We have twenty-four hours until the Day of Unity begins..."
Raine surveyed the group grimly as they all went over the plan, and they masked the fear on their face despite the turmoil within. I cannot falter now, after we're as close as we are.
"...can't stop the draining spell, but we can corrupt it. That's where the Owl Lady comes in," Darius was saying, gesturing to Eda.
Raine's breath caught in their throat. Already? Why couldn't they have had more time? They desperately wished there was another way.
"Huh?" Eda uttered, caught off guard. Raine almost smiled at the confusion on her face. The way her eyebrows lifted slightly, the way her multicolored eyes blinked.
Er...weren't there more important things for them to be thinking about?
Darius grumbled, his exasperation at the witch very clear. "The curse, Eda."
Raine watched her eyes widen as she realized what was being said. They pictured her simply walking away, and refusing this notion. They could find another way to stop Belos...in twenty-four hours...right?
"That's right, my curse warps magic!" Eda exclaimed. "Huh, did quite a number on you two if I remember correctly," she teased Eberwolf and Darius, to the latter's questionable objection.
Something squeezed Raine's heart and yanked it downwards, because of course Eda wouldn't walk away from this. There would be no stopping her, even if they tried. She was determined, strong-willed...and protective of the people she loved.
Then why can't I protect you? The cruelty of their reality caused Raine to nearly lose focus on the topic at hand—that is, until they were splattered with abomination goo from Darius' morbid demonstration of flesh-eating beetles.
Raine wiped the goo from their hair, irritable at the mess and their frustration. "If we must do this, the safest bet is to have Eda tap into the spell, by taking someone's place as Coven Head. My place." And now, it was too late. They held out their marked wrist. "Sigil and all."
The group's reaction was shock. The bard wanted to look away, they wanted to laugh and tell them it was all a joke, and here's the real plan—but it wouldn’t be true. Their mouth felt dry.
Darius shifted his weight and continued when Raine did not. "As Head Bard, you'll also be flanked by me and Eber, where we can keep an eye on the others."
To Raine's surprise, Lilith stood up abruptly, her face a mixture of hope and worry. "Why are we acting like Edalyn's the only one with a curse here?" Please, let me do this, as a—"
"No," Eda interrupted firmly. "You haven't had your curse that long, you don't know how it would react. But I do."
The Owl Lady stood up triumphantly and grinned. "And how can I say no to sticking it to Belos one final time? Not only that, but I've got the Raine Whispers watching out for me."
Raine smiled at her, choking their doubt underneath. If she was determined to do this...well, they just had to hope she would be okay.
After they oversaw the airship prepping, Raine stepped outside where Eda, Luz, and King were speaking. They all had to leave now if they were going to make it in time.
"Eda, let's get moving." Raine held the door open for them, and Eda walked by with King. Luz hesitated at the doorway, and grabbed Raine's sleeve.
She looked up at them, with such a serious expression that Raine was saddened to see on such a young face.
"Promise you'll protect her," the human said in a low voice, sending a slight chill down Raine's spine.
For a brief moment, they wondered what to say. Of course they wanted to protect Eda, but what could they say to her daughter? That she would be all right, no doubt? Their mission was a dangerous one, and Eda could...she may not…
She might die.
But then the moment passed. I refuse to let that happen.
Raine gave Luz a confident wink and a smile. "Promise."
Raine grunted, feeling every bruise and scrape on their body ache and sting.
They mentally beat themself up for not acting quickly enough, for getting captured, for ruining their entire plan. Even after Darius and Eberwolf tried to improvise, nothing could be done.
As the Draining Spell continued, suddenly Raine's wounds felt numb as they felt their magic, their life, start to fade away.
It wasn't so bad, only tiring, for a while. Then, the sigil on their wrist burned as if it'd been dipped into the Boiling Sea. Glowing veins snaked up their arm, filling Raine's blood with pure fire.
The raw energy in their bile sac sizzled as it started to leave their body. It was all Raine could do not to pass out from the pure shock and pain.
Their vision was slightly blurry despite wearing eyeglasses, but they could still see Eda through the haze. Her entire arm and shoulder were black and seemed close to dissipating into dust.
Raine, on their knees, felt something hot and powerful surge within, and they managed to drag themself closer to the Owl Lady.
They...they would not survive this. Their mission had failed, and the Day of Unity had succeeded.
But Eda...there was something Raine could do to help her, and they had to save her. For King, her adopted child, for the young human facing much turmoil...for Eda herself, who deserved to live and thrive after so much hardship.
But also for Raine, so that they knew the love of their life would live on when they did not.
Huh. They really did still love her, didn't they?
Raine reached Eda, who was clutching her arm and with anguish on her corrupted face.
"I promised..." Raine choked out, forcing the words through their lips. "...a special kid, I'd protect you."
They firmly took hold of Eda's wrist and pulled her forearm off her elbow joint. It separated easily, and already her tainted skin started to lighten.
Raine held up the disconnected arm and it disintegrated almost instantly. The sigil Eda had been burdened with...gone, into the winds.
Raine smiled tenderly at Eda, who just stared back with a mixture of lingering pain and shock.
Then, they felt their consciousness slip away, and they collapsed on her lap, with Eda tearfully pleading their name being the last thing they heard.
The sound of something large colliding with earth caused Raine to stir and slowly sit up.
Immediately, they realized: they were alive. Somehow, they had survived. And Eda was there too, safe and sound.
They placed their hand on Eda's arm, smiling at her with relief, an expression reflected on her face as well.
Their smile melted into worry and they held their hand up to Eda's other arm—the one now missing a hand. They had been forced to act quickly in the moment, and the action had saved her life from the curse and the spell, but…
Everything about that day had gone wrong. Raine never wanted it to play out how it did.
Their sorrow was interrupted as Eda looked upward, and Raine followed her gaze. There were floating rocks and debris, and what looked like colorful shooting stars raining onto the ground. The damage threatened to be catastrophic.
Up above, swirling ribbons of magic circled a tiny King, and a small floating child holding his hand. Surrounding them was some kind of castle being assembled in midair.
All around, not a great thing to wake up to after surviving a fatal spell.
Eda's face was stunned, and she turned to gaze at Raine again with a concerned but questioning look. Raine nodded to her solemnly, understanding the graveness of the situation.
Eda had to go save her children.
Her face dissolved into a grateful smile before she grinned and transformed into…
Oh. My. Titan.
The Owl Lady's scleras turned black, and her fingers lengthened into clawed talons. Large, gorgeous wings spread out from her back, and she held them up in preparation for flight. Her curse, except morphed into a form that she seemed in full control of.
Raine's eyes went round, and they could barely begin to comprehend what they were seeing. Eda...she was beautiful.
Raine was captivated, and they watched with awe as Eda flapped her wings and launched into the air.
No later than when she left, blue sparkling energy blasted over the entire Titan, and strange floating creatures began to swarm groups of citizens below them.
A giant blue star with a red eyeball floated up ominously over the Coven Heads on the platform. Raine braced themself apprehensively, still on the ground, as the star shot a beam of magic at Hettie Cutburn.
A few sharp scalpels materialized in her hand, but they scattered to the floor immediately as her body seemed to stiffen, and her appearance transformed into an elaborate, almost fake-looking version of herself, before she disappeared in a puff of smoke and ribbons.
The rest of the Coven Heads stared in shock for a moment, before quickly jumping into action.
A quick slice with an abomination blade knocked the blue star down to earth, and Darius smirked triumphantly. Then he backed up as several more colorful stars levitated up menacingly, and soon over half the Coven Heads had too disappeared with patterned apparel.
Something was very wrong. They had survived the spell, but now it seemed something much worse had begun.
Raine struggled to crawl to their feet, and quickly summoned their violin. They winced from the residual effects of the Draining Spell, beads of sweat forming on their forehead.
A blast of musical energy from their instrument arrived too late to save Eberwolf and Mason from being captured by the blue stars, and Raine realized they were the last person still standing on the platform.
Their notes were shaky and quiet as they attempted to keep the blue stars at bay, noting that only direct hits to their unnerving eyes did more than annoy them.
Raine tried to look around for Eda, to see if she was coming back—but the haze of childish constellations was too thick to see much, and they had no time for a focused look.
With a shout of exertion and a stroke of their bow, a surge of magic struck a star and broke it in half. The bard exhaled in relief, before yet again tensing when two more rose to take the fallen one's place.
It was at this moment that a faint screech reached Raine's ears. The sound was one they recognized as the Owlbeast, from the few times they'd heard it.
They whirl around wildly, looking for her. They spotted her distant silhouette, in the sky in front of that floating child. She seemed to be struggling, and transforming from a harpy into the full beast.
"Eda!" Raine called her name despite knowing she was too far to hear them, desperately wishing they were by her side to assist her.
They saw magic leap from the tiny person's fingertips, and Raine tried to run toward her.
They were forced to roll out of the way of a blue star's attack, then had to halt as they reached the edge of the platform they were on.
The Owlbeast began to fall quickly toward the ground with a pained screech, being attacked by the child's magic.
No. No. I have to get to her.
"EDA!" Raine screamed out, before feeling a blast from a star hit them from behind. They felt their limbs seize up, as if made of plastic or wood. They found themself unable to move, and they fell limp.
They frantically tried to yell Eda's name again, but they couldn't speak. They couldn't do anything as they saw the Owl Lady hit the ground, before their vision was swarmed with sparkles and they were gone.
"Hey, Raine..."
Raine heard Eda step out of her broken cage to where all the Coven Heads were lined up, limp and lifeless. They had to wait until she was within their limited peripheral vision before they could see her beautiful face.
Despite the hardships of the past few weeks, and the messy feathers, she was still as lovely as she was in their days on that snapdragon hill. Her hair was cropped, her sleeve was rolled up to cover her missing arm.
She smiled, her eyes showing exhaustion, but her iconic grin remained, her playful smirk.
"How was your day today, eh?" Eda moved beside Raine and idly struck a puppet-like pose, pretending to be like the others, who were trapped in the Collector's influence.
My day was the same as always, Raine thought, conversing mentally as if the conversation wasn't wholly one-sided. As if Eda could hear their voice again like they both so desperately wanted.
"Well, today Lilith made some elixir that didn't have any nasty side effects. Y'know the toad warts from before? Yeah, she finally worked it out. Thank King, I guess. Er, or the other Titan. King didn't actually help."
Eda paused awkwardly, and Raine was once again painfully aware of how much Eda had to talk, and how many long silences there were.
Eda broke out of her puppet pose with a quiet sigh. "I wish it could be like it used to be, sometimes." Her voice was soft, almost as if she were speaking a forbidden secret.
"Before the mess with Belos and the Collector and you...being trapped like this. Titan, Rainestorm, I just miss you ."
Eda...I miss you too. I promise you that as soon as I can, I am coming back to you.
Raine noticed Eda quickly swipe away a tear, and she took a few steps forward as a distraction—crossing the barrier line and setting off the alarm.
Eda, NO— Not again. What if she got hurt this time?
The Coven Heads, including Raine, all awoke as if programmed, and slid over to face Eda. They held out spell circles threateningly, with Raine in the lead about to attack.
Raine struggled again, but their fear was unnecessary. Eda was already backing behind the line again, smiling sadly.
"At least you moved," she murmured, as the Coven Heads drifted back into their places and resumed their statue-like states.
"Ah, I don't know why I keep doing these things, Raine..." Eda mused, her voice thick with emotion. "I guess pretending to be a puppet makes me feel...closer to you. And I'd rather you move to try and stop me than not move at all."
Oh, Eda... Raine wanted to hug her. To hold her, to hold her in their arms and whisper to her gentle comforts.
Instead, they simply stood there, with a neutral expression and extravagant clothing.
"Can you even hear me, Raine?" Eda moved up closer to their face, peering into their eyes.
"Lily says she doesn't know if you can...She was alone when she was a puppet, and she said her mind was foggy. Oh, it's horrible to think that you might be hurting in there."
She sighed. "Is it like my curse? Being trapped, maybe running away from some horrible beast? With no control over your body?"
She caressed Raine's cheek. "I hope it's not that bad. I hope you're doing much better than I've been having nightmares about..." Eda murmured, her hand moving up to touch their shiny hair. Raine melted at the touch.
Eda suddenly perked up, an almost foolish confidence flooding her face. "Well, Lily came back all right, didn't she? So you can too. You're the Raine Whispers, after all! Besides, we've got so much catching up to do."
Eda paced back and forth a little bit, continuing her speech as if attempting to convince herself it was true. "We missed out on too many years, Rainestorm. I lost you to the Coven, after I lost you to my curse—" She plucked a stray feather out of her hair.
"And the Draining Spell, and this whole puppet apocalypse—we've been through enough, y'know! We deserve to have a good long break after this, and a good big bottle of apple blood."
"What I'm trying to say is...we've been through a lot, but somehow we've always come back to each other. So just...come back to me one last time okay? One more time, and we can be okay. We could maybe be...together. Because I don't think I can lose you again! Can you even hear me, Raine? Please, I just want you to talk to me..."
The tears finally escaped her eyes, and the Owl Lady let out a quiet sob. She slid down to the floor, and Raine tried to move to catch her.
Raine suddenly felt a sense of firm purpose. After all this was over, after Eda managed to free them...if she did...Raine was going to finally embrace her.
They were going to help her stop Belos, they were going to stomp on that old emperor if they could.
Maybe...maybe they could help Eda repair the Owl House, and perhaps even live there someday.
All Raine knew is the second they could, they would hold her and never, ever let go again.
Eda's teardrops splashed on Raine's fancy shoes, and they felt a surge of clarity.
"Eda...Eda—"
A muffled version of the word came out.
Wait. Had they just spoken?
Eda went silent abruptly. "Wait. Did you just speak?"
Yes! I did! I can hear you, I'm here, Eda!
The moment was over. Raine's lips were cemented shut.
Still, their heart soared with relief when Eda looked up with confusion.
"Raine?" Eda's voice was quiet, but her eyes sparkled with hope. "Raine—Rainestorm, did you just say my name? Did you just talk?"
She waited, holding her breath. Raine called out to her in their mind several more times, but none of their speech came out. They were stuck again.
Eda squinted. "It wasn't my imagination, right? Please tell me you just spoke." Eda's face was filled with an excitement Raine hadn't seen in her in such a long time. They would have hugged her if not for their inability to move.
A distant voice that sounded perhaps like Lilith's rang out. No. Not yet. She has to leave already...?
Eda glanced toward the doorway, distracted only for an instant. "I don't know what I just heard. Maybe I'm sleep deprived...okay, I'm definitely sleep deprived. But Raine, whether or not you just spoke, I promise you I'm gonna be back soon and I'm gonna free you the moment I can. Even if it kills me."
Eda stood up and wiped her tears off her face. She stepped over to the exit, but paused for a moment to whisper one last thing to her loved one.
"I'm gonna free you, no matter what it takes. As long as you know I love you."
"BYYYYEEEEE!!"
Raine waved goodbye to the Collector, smiling widely.
After the child of the stars left, King began excitedly chattering about his immortal friend to his family.
"—And they said he could take me to see some of the worlds they've explored someday! When I'm larger, of course. I'll have so much magic of my own!"
At the mention of King's powers, Luz chimed in. "Yeah! Your glyph looks so cool! I can't wait to discover more about your magic."
King giggled and quickly drew some tiny spell circles. Then, making sure everyone was watching, he set them all alight with a "WEHH!"
Luz applauded enthusiastically. She glanced up and her focus shifted. "Oh! I have to talk to Hunter about all this before the party—Hey, Hunter!"
Raine looked in the direction she was waving, and saw the young adult talking quietly with Willow. Luz suddenly smiled mischievously.
"Well, guess he's too distracted by his girlfriend," Luz said in a teasing but affectionate tone.
Teasing seemed to be a common trait amongst siblings, as Raine knew from their childhood with Eda and Lilith.
Raine chuckled softly as Eda ruffled Luz's hair. "You're all such rascals, y'know...and you're getting so big now..." Raine could tell Eda was struggling not to tear up as Luz and King ran off to talk to Hunter.
"They're great kids," Raine agreed quietly, before slipping their hand into hers. "Shall we take a brief walk?"
The two of them began walking leisurely, following a faint path toward a scattered forested area.
After years of being reunited, Raine could still hardly believe they were both here, together, hand in hook.
"After you, my dear," Raine offered dramatically, as their feet reached a tiny stream.
Eda accepted their outstretched hand and stepped over the creek, before pulling them with her quickly. They almost tripped into the water!
"Edaaa! You nearly dropped me!" Laughter echoed in Raine's voice.
"Whaaat, of course not!" Eda pretended to be offended. "I'm far too good of a dancer for that."
To make her point, she swung Raine around in a graceful circle with the tip of her hook, guiding the two into a soft, lighthearted dance.
Eda dipped Raine nearly to the ground, then spun them up in a twirl. The maneuver accidentally pulled her hook out, leaving it in Raine's hand.
They laughed with each other as Raine helped her put the hook back on, before moving to sit together on a fallen tree.
After a moment of listening to a slight breeze ripple through branches, Raine took out their palismen and transformed them into their violin with a low whistle.
They lifted their bow and began to play Raine's Rhapsody, for nostalgia's sake. They almost immediately sank into the melody, closing their eyes.
The sound of their song led Eda to smile at Raine with pleasant surprise, and she listened silently with her eyes closed as well.
Glowing bard magic splashed over the world as the lovers swayed back and forth, and though their eyes were closed Raine could feel the sweet vibrations of everything around them contribute to the rhythm they had created.
After what felt like hours of bliss, but what was likely mere moments, the solo slid to a stop.
Eda and Raine's eyes opened almost simultaneously, and Raine noticed right away that she was starting to cry.
"Eda? Is something wrong?" Raine dismissed their violin and slid down the tree trunk, placing a hand on the Owl Lady's shoulder.
Eda leaned over to them and they held her, staying in that embrace for a while.
"Nothing," Eda whispered. "Absolutely nothing is wrong, Rainestorm. My King is growing stronger, my Luz is growing up, and my love for you is growing too."
She sat up and gazed into Raine's eyes. Raine gazed back, admiring her warm smile and her beautiful two-toned eyes.
"Thank you, Raine...for never giving up on me."
"My love for you never stopped growing," Raine responded, kissing her softly on the cheek. "I'm glad we found each other again."
They sat there, on that log, for several more precious minutes, simply holding each other (and crying, a little).
They spoke about their sweet family finding their passions, and their joy at the fact that coven sigils could now be removed, and maybe a few cheesy professions of love.
And when they got up to walk back and celebrate Luz together, they simply enjoyed each other's company, alone in the calmness of the night.