Boiling Gems (The Owl House x Steven Universe)

Summary: Run through the trauma walls!

Flapjack looked around the cafeteria. On the one hand, Hunter was finally away from the bad influence of Belos. On the other … he was being hunted down as his mind was in the worst possible place right now. Seriously, that bastard Philip made a GRIMWALKER out of Caleb!? One the one hand, that did explain why his connection to Hunter got so strong so fast, but on the other, seriously, that was just messed up on so many levels. And Hunter wasn't even the first one!

Flapjack paused, contemplating the fact they kept using on one hand metaphors when they didn't have hands. Weird, had he been away from his fellow Palisman for that long? 

Flapjack shook his head. This wasn't the time to think about it. Hunter had nowhere to go, so the only place he could think of that was safe and could keep him hidden was Hexide. Probably not the safest place, but no one had found him so far within the last day. Of course, the kid needed something to eat, and he was pretty sure Hunter was going to get a stomach virus from eating out of the garbage constantly.

Hey, maybe if he tried to find friends again, it would work this time! All Flapjack needed was to find someone not liable to kill him the moment they laid eyes on him … the abomination girl and three eyed one were out of the picture, along with the musician. That just left that girl Hunter liked, and the illusionist …

No, the girl was good for forceful motivation, but didn't give a calming attitude … at least when not enraged, which Flapjack had never not seen her in, so the illusionist was the safest bet. Now to get his attention in a subtle, and tactically inclined manner. "OW! Who threw a wrench at me!?" 

"Chirp." Hm, maybe Hunter's subtly, as in, none at all, was starting to rub off on him. "Chip." He flew in closer and pecked at the boy's head.

"What the-Flapjack?" And now they had their attention.

"Chirp." They snatched the boy's bag, flying into the hall.

"Hey, come back here! If this is another one of Hunter's recruitment plans, then tell him I'm not interested!" Right, Hunter hadn't exactly cleared the air with any of them since the flyer derby incident, except for his occasional texts with the plant girl.

Please, please let this work! They moved to the curtain, dropping the sandwich. "Chirp." And flew inside of it. Flapjack made his way over to Hunter, resting on a perch the boy made. "Chirp." Such a kind soul.

"Wait, a friend?" The boy asked. "But we're supposed to be laying low!"

"Chirp." That didn't matter if he was going to run himself into the ground living in garbage. That and he spent way too much time alone.

"And who the heck am I supposed to trust!?" He questioned.

"Hunter?" The illusionist questioned, moving inside.

Hunter was silent for a moment. "So … you found the next part of my plan to-" Really not the best time to pull off the tough guy act, kid. You are a wreck.

"Have you been living here?" The illusionist wasn't buying it in the slightest, a look of concern on their face.

"...It's temporary." Hunter relented. "Let's just say … I don't feel comfortable at the castle anymore."

The child stared at the boy for a moment, before pulling out his sandwich, and apple, and some ghoul juice, placing them forward. "Here, take this."

Hunter gazed at the objects with suspicion. "... What's the catch?"

"Uh … I don't want you to go hungry because you look like a complete mess?" The illusionist responded. "You know … having sympathy for someone, like normal people do?"

"Normal … people …" Hunter began to look dazed, before shaking his head. Great, a trigger, just what Flapjack needed. "Thanks."

"No problem." The kid nodded. "Seriously, what happened? Does this have anything to do with why Luz and Lucci are not here today?"

"I'd … rather not talk about it." He winced. "Just know you probably won't see them around Hexide soon."

"... Okay." The illusionist nodded, walking away. "I'll bring you some food tomorrow. See you then, Hunter."

There was silence for a moment. "Chirp." Was Flapjack right, or was he right?

"..Quiet you."

========================================================================

"So in conclusion, the Emperor is a genocidal maniac, Lucci and Luz are overseas, and now we need to kill Belos before the day of Unity or else everyone is going to die a horrible and gruesome death." Boscha so wanted to blab that everything was Luz's fault to begin with, but Lucci still cared for the human, so she'd do her this one favor. Besides, the girl looked traumatized as it was already. Be pointless to kick a dead snorse.

Besides, half a witch's silent horror was a nice consolation prize. "What … the hell?"

"....Just….whaaa…." Amity looked lost on what to think.

"Okay, I knew we were on the 'Belos and the covens are evil' angle … I just sort of assumed there wasn't a legitimate justification for it." And goops seemed to accept it at face value.

"... They went … into BELOS'S HEAD!?" Half a witch exclaimed.

The entire cafeteria stopped, staring at their table in confusion. "Would you like to tell the world where Lucci lives now while you're at it?" Boscha asked. "Because it's not like they're on the run or anything."

"Sorry, it's … just … this is bigger than anything we could've expected." Amity rubbed her head. "We just barely survived the Rainbow Devil's assault, and now we're being told in less than a week the entire isles is going to blow up."

"Not to mention every witch with a sigil is going to be drained to death before that even happens." Boscha noted. "My Mom's are considering the cost of chopping off their own arms." That was a stressful moment. "Lucci and Luz got word that they might be able to rustle up extra muscle, but until then, it's up to us to plan to get that bastard before he gets to us."

"Yep, make a plan to take on the entire Coven System or everyone we know and love dies." Half a witch chuckled. "We can do this, we can do this-"

"Willow." Goops held her hand. "Breath." 

"Right." Half a witch breathed in, closing her fingers in her hand, and breathing out, reopening her hand. "Sorry, just didn't expect us to jump into hyper crazy territory so fast. I mean, Lucci always talked about beating the emperor … now we have to do it or else we're all gonners."

"Actually, that raises a concern of mine." Amity put a hand to her chin. "If this guy destroyed his own body by devouring souls and the Rainbow Devil … is Belos even killable at this point? I feel it would be like trying to kill an abomination that can reform from parts."

"The human told me his body is basically like one giant rotting tree, so maybe if we beat him into a puddle, throw acid on him, and dump the remains into the boiling sea, we might have a chance." Boscha suggested. "Maybe even trap him in a bubble of abomination goo and make him fight an army of veggie Lucci's. They're are plenty of options here."

"Even ignoring the one man army of Belos, there's still the Coven Heads." Half a witch pointed out. "Not to mention the Abomatron army."

"The what now?" Amity asked.

"Hunter told me about it." Half a witch explained. "Since the Coven Scouts are so low on numbers, Belos overruled that court case from Lucci and ordered mass production."

"Great, as if those things aren't enough of a pain to deal with." Amity groaned. "Okay, after school, I'm burning down the factory … wow … I never thought I'd say that." The girl smiled. "It actually makes me kind of excited right now."

"Who knew Lucci was right?" Goops asked. "So what do we do for now?"

"Stay low, get anyone we can." Boscha said. "We don't need the Emperor knocking down our doors."

CRASH

Multiple Coven Scouts crashed through the windows. "Nobody move!"

"Wow, you've picked up the group trait of calling out horrible events at inconvenient times." Goops brought up. 

"Damn it, that means she's going to stick around." Half a witch slammed her head against the table.

"None of the Clawthornes are here!" Amity shouted.

"We're not here for them." A scout came in. "By decree of the Emperor himself, every student of every school is to be branded with a sigil, effective immediately."

"WHAT!?" The whole cafeteria shouted.

========================================================================

Bump stared at the man in front of him. "What can I do for you … Adrian?"

The Coven Head sighed. "I come bringing terrible news." He replied. "The Emperor made a declaration recently in tandem with the upcoming day of unity."

"And that is …"

"All witches who are old enough to attend school must be branded with a sigil."

"That…that is very troubling." Especially since multitracking had become so popular with the students. For once kids were eager to learn. "Although I am questioning exactly why you're warning me about this."

"Because I think the children deserve more time to think about their answer." He responded. "I'd rather not have the next generation be as tasteless with their illusions as the current one." Now that was at least a little bit believable. "So I want to help."

"You … want to help us?" He asked. "After you fought my students not too long ago during the Rainbow devil assault?" Bump raised his eyebrow.

"Bygones be bygones, I am not one to hold a grudge." The man bowed. "I only did that due to the bigger threat at the time. Here I'm willing to hide the students with illusionary sigils." He showed off his arm, which displayed a Construction sigil, which poofed into a Plant one, and then into an Illusion sigil. "The Emperor Coven comes by, looks it over, and goes on their way."

Bump thought it over for a second. There was a chance that this was a genuine helping hand, that Adrian was in fact being benevolent. "You know, under normal circumstances, I would've accepted your help right away…." He stood up, and armed his palisman. "But the last time I trusted a coven head with the safety of my students, both of them infected them with a deadly virus and nearly killed all of them. I don't buy your story for a second, Gray."

Adrian glared. "You people have no sense of theatricality." The illusion coven head groaned. "I had the perfect plan and everything to trick you all into getting sigils, with multiple mirrors and actors following along with my script! It would've been my best work yet." Ha, called it. "Then I guess it's time for plan B."

"Oh, and what would that be?"

"Brute force." They snapped their finger … as a pink barrier covered the school. "Manticore Menace Abomatrons … quite the lovely little incentive."

Bump blasted a strike forward, which went right through the illusion, revealing two Coven Scouts. "If you value your lives … run." He warned.

"Believe me, I hate this too, they're running us coven scouts into the ground with this mess." The first scout groaned. "But we're dead if we don't comply. This is our only option."

"Then you chose the wrong side."

========================================================================

Willow immediately created a barrier of vines the moment the man explained their real goal. "Amity, exit, now!"

The girl responded by shoving a wave of abomination goo at the remaining scouts, blasting open the door. "Everyone, scatter!"

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Matt called out from the back of the room, running with Celine in his hand … only for something pink to block the doorway. "What the…"

A blue poof, a smoke appeared, showing off Adrian Gray. "Like I just got done telling your inane principal, we've been armed with abominations upgraded by the Manticore Menace's blood. We have the entire school surrounded and enclosed."

"I really need to burn that factory to ash." Amity grumbled.

"No one is leaving until every witch here is covered with a sigil-honey, don't even think about throwing that potion. Trust me when I say you'll regret it more than me." He said to Boscha.

"Like I'm backing down from an illusionist!" She shouted, pulling back her arm … before it was chopped off. "AAAAGGHH!"

"See, I don't mess around, I'm playing dirty." The man poofed himself over to Boscha. "And unless you want to lose any more limbs, you'll brand the other arm.."

"Hold up!" Gus shouted, waving his fingers as he sent forward a magic circle at Boscha, showing her not chopped off arm. "It's just an illusion! He's just tricking your brain into feeling pain that isn't there!

"Oh, it seems we have a smart Alec." Willow sent forth vines, piecing the man … before his body poofed.

"How was he not this threatening back when we were fighting the other Coven Heads?" Willow asked.

"That was when I had to share the spotlight." Adrian's voice echoed in the cafeteria as his shadow spread everywhere, confusing everyone into not knowing where he was. "When the stage was full of miscreants and scene stealers. I perform better as a solo act."

There was a poof next to Gus. "But for now, let's get off the heckler." He held up a coven gauntlet. "How about Abominations, those seem like a nice alternative."

"No, no, you can't do this!" Gus shouted.

"Oh don't be such a baby. You'll be in one of the most successive covens around, and you won't be able to undo my illusions. Win win all around."

"Gus!" Willow tried to grab him, only for an invisible guard to be in the way.

"No, don't do this, don't do this!" Gus's eyes began to glow blue. "You can't do this to us!" Blue energy started to come off him.

"Oh no." Willow's eyes widened, realizing what was about to happen. "Guys, huddle close and stick together!"

"What, why!?" Boscha shouted.

"You can't … do this!" Blue lights enveloped the area, quickly changing the world into a kaleidoscope of images, as one after the other, people became lost within the massive illusion.

"... Since when could he do that?!" Amity shouted.

"He did the same thing before with Vitimir!" Boscha yelled as light began to flash over them constantly. "Except it was more small and self constrained!"

"This happens everytime Gus gets too overwhelmed! He starts projecting illusions of his own memories and insecurities!" Willow explained as the illusion kept spreading. "But it's never been this big before. Guess Gray pushed him to the breaking point!"

"Who cares, how do we get out of here!?" Boscha yelled.

"Don't know.." The images kept changing, from the school, to Gus's house, to the outside. "It keeps shifting! I don't know what we're going to encounte-"

She saw Hunter run through the illusion, snatching Gus. "Come on!" He shouted, before vanishing.

"Was that the Golden Guard!?" Amity shouted in rage.

"It could've just been an illusion!" Willow said. Her own thoughts on Hunter were complicated to say the least.

Hunter's image came out again, reaching out his hand. "Come on, I don't know when another shift is going to come! I got a place we can hide!"

"Why should we trust you!?" Amity shouted.

"Because Belos wants me dead too!" Hunter yelled. "I'm in the exact same boat as all over you!"

"Technically right, I can vouch!" Boscha shouted. "Now where-" The images finally stopped flashing … inside of the carnival. "Huh, why would Goops have an image of this place?"

"First time we ran into Vitimir. He was torturing Crystal Devils. Very traumatizing." Willow answered. "We need to find Gus. He's probably freaking out right now with nobody near him."

"That's how I've been for the past two days." Hunter raised his hand. 

"What are you even doing here Hunter?" Willow asked.

"Oh, that thing I said about them being in Belos's mind, he was there too. Saw the whole genocidal maniac plan and ran out of the house screaming." Boscha answered.

"Must suck learning your uncle is a villain right?" Amity glared.

"Yeah … my uncle …" The boy shook. "Come on, Gus has to be around here somewhere." He began walking, only to hit solid air. "Okay … this way." He walked forward, only to trip over air. "... Someone else lead the way please. I've only been to this school once."

"This is going to suck without Gus to see through the illusion." Willow grunted.

"Hold on, my eyes are stronger than yours." Boscha went over to one of the carnivals stands, and felt the empty air, looking like she was placing her hand on something solid. "Okay, we're in the north side of the school, in the second hallway."

"How?!" Amity asked. "We were in the cafeteria and it was boxed in. We got hit with illusions, not teleportation."

"Illusions mess with different senses, some even that you don't even think about." Hunter explained. "Best guess, our sense of direction got warped, and it made the abominations blocking the place do the same. So everyone's lost."

"Wait, if our sense of direction is warped, does that mean we'll get lost walking in a straight line?" Willow asked. "How are we supposed to move around school?"

"..." Hunter turned to them with a nervous look. "... How good would you say your luck of blindly walking forward is?"

"...We're going to die here, aren't we?" Amity asked.

========================================================================

Serverene groaned. "Come … back." She grunted, clutching her side as she tried to chase after some kids. Damn you demanding physical labor! "Agggh, this is pointless! WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME STEVE!?" Ever since the Rainbow Devil assault, the dork hadn't been seen since. At first she was glad she didn't have that annoying voice constantly trying to think existentially…until she realized that he was the only thing that made this job semi-tolerable.

Turns out without having that one someone to talk to during her shift … she had nothing. No help, no excitement … no ability to just ignore the problems in her life. And other scouts all grouped up without her, making Severene have to pull her own weight without assistance. Something that as many would attest to when their internals were destroyed, didn't work out well.

"Why titan … why did this happen to me?" She groaned. Severene wasn't an ambitious person, she just wanted a comfortable life. She didn't need luxury or power. The most she ever wanted out of life was owning her own tiny cat cafe. What small and insane section of her brain decided working for the Emperor was something she wanted? Or was that society forcing her into a corner she didn't like, shaping a round peg to fit a square hole…damn it, without Steve she was asking existential questions to herself!

"Okay, are these real stares, or illusion stairs?" She heard, before the sound of pain rang out. "Real! They're real!" Severene watched as a familiar boy landed at her feet. "Ow … definitely real …"

"Golden Guard?" She asked.

"Ah, coven scout!" A glasses kid raised her hands and put up vines.

"Wait, hold back a little, I know her!" The Guard put up his hands. "Hey Severine."

"Dude, why are you with them?" She asked. "We're on the same side. The Emperor's been worried sick."

"Ah … not really…" The gapped tooth kid responded. "I've … gone rouge. It's a long story, you'd probably wouldn't believe me."

She stared at him for a moment, before groaning. "Of course, the entire coven's falling apart the moment the end's getting near." Why did she expect anything else? "I hate this, I hate this, I hate my life…" She slumped on a nearby wall … which was another illusion that she fell through. "I HATE EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE!"

"That's how I am on most days." The three eyed girl raised her hand. "Dealing with annoying people…"

"Horrible bosses…."

"Friends that leave you behind…"

"Friends that stab you in the back on a whim…"

"People you want to murder …"

"Animals you want to murder …"

"Then you run into someone that you think you want to bury in the ground and get rid of, but then…"

"...But then you realize you can't see life without them." Severine continued. "They're the only people who make life interesting."

"They're the only thing keeping you from giving up on it all." This three eyed girl was really getting her.

"Is Boscha redeeming someone?" The Blight asked the glasses girl.

"She sadly is becoming part of the group."

"You mean she wasn't before?" The golden guard asked. "I just assumed that you were all best friends from how much you threatened each other all the time."

"See, this is what I deal with." The three eyed girl stated.

"Hey, I spent a good few months dealing with the Golden Boy." Severene stated. "You wouldn't believe how quickly his voice becomes grating."

"No, I believe it. He tries to kill my boyfriend, so I know fully well." 

"Right here!"

"See, instantly annoying." Severine laughed, and coughed up some blood. "Aggh, see. I can't even laugh without it hurting me. My life sucks."

"I know life would suck if I couldn't laugh at my enemies' pain." The girl nodded. "Say, I have this." The girl held a pink vial. "Boyfriend's also a healer. Probably help that internal damage you have going on."

"Thanks …" She took it. "Have a nice day kids … I'm not in the condition to chase you anyway." She stated, trudging away. More kindness from strangers than her own Coven. "Little trick to navigating with a warped sense of direction. Always go in the opposite direction you want to go. Trust me, Adrian pulls this crap on us far too often."

"Thanks. We should meet up sometime when you're not trying to kill us." The girl nodded. "Come on losers, we gotta get moving asap."

"Since when were you this nice?" The Blight asked as they ran.

"It's only to people that I can emotionally connect to at a fundamental level."

========================================================================

Adrian stared down the small child. "I must say … you are almost as big of an annoyance as the Manticore." He spoke, looking at the area. "Glander stones …. I've been meaning to gift those to Belos." 

"You're not going to get your hands on them." The child defended as he kept moving.

"You must be truly talented if you've managed to recreate such a detailed illusion of a memory.." He growled. "And I'd be willing to let you keep your capabilities … if you tell me where these stones can be found."

" What ?"

"Child, don't be an ignorant fool. Unlike everyone else in the Emperor's coven, I know how to be reasonable." Everyone just had to listen and obey everything right down to the letter. "You're going to be given a sigil by the end of the day, and I'm going to get the information out of you. It's simply your choice if you want to keep your skills and sanity or not."

"Big talk about sanity when none of you people are close to sane." He argued back. "Do you even know what the draining spell is going to do?!"

"It'll give us paradise." By killing all the weaklings. "Now, if the next sentence isn't the location." He pulled out his magical tool. "I will pull the information from your skull."

The child looked contemplative for a second. " I've been through crystal devils, basilisks, and other coven heads far more impressive than you." The brat looked him in the eye. " Do your worst."

"Very well." He grabbed the child's shoulder, pulling out the magnifying glass. "Time to see what makes you tick." And began forcing memories to the surface.

"What- what are you doing!?"

"Forcing every fear and repressed memory in your little psyche out into the surface." He coldly explained as he began searching through his head. "Wow … you are one sad, lonely little boy." Adrian chuckled. "Only friends with rejects."

"Get out!"

"Alright, enough." He squeezed tighter. "Where are the Glander Stones?" They had to be here somewhere.

" I said get out!" The boy clenched his head as his eyes began glowing even brighter. "Getoutgetoutgetoutgetoutgeyoutgetout…..!"

"I'm not doing anything.." Adrian replied as the illusion around them broke down. "Huh, guess that gets rid of one obstacle, but I still.."

"Getoutgetoutgetougetot!" The boy replied faster as the light began to shine over the boy, encapsulating the man.

Adiren wasn't going to back down to some no good- " Again!"

He froze, hearing a voice he never expected to hear once more. "... Father?"

"Your performance was lousy!" The man shouted. "Do it again, and do it well this time! Make me believe it!"

"What…no, no, this is just an illusion." Adrian shook himself. "I do the same trick to hundreds of other people daily. This won't get to me."

"And here's an award for best performer of the year." Men walked through Adrian, as if he wasn't there. "To Tomes Gray! Anyone you'd like to thank?"

"My brother, he made an excellent stepping stool."

"You were a two bit hack that stole every opportunity I had!" He yelled, slapping his mouth shut as he did. "What am I doing? I'm beyond this!"

"Deer, I know you're struggling, but this is too much." Another, warmer voice spoke. "You know I can't keep supporting a failure. Please, step it up."

"Mother, I'm not a failure; I'm the head of a coven!" He yelled. "All your sacrifices were worth it, I'm a somebody now!"

"A somebody who still can't act." His father shoved him back onto the stage. "Move faster, don't be so sluggish Adrian!"

"It's all talent, you have it or you don't." Tome gave off that narcissistic grin.

" Whatever, why am I listening to you morons?! You're nobodies! Whenever they hear the name Gray, they think of me, not any of you!"

"Why I'm your mother's arch nemesis!" Another Adrian shouted.

"The physical manifestation of all her vices?" The manticore replied.

"Does it really seem like they think about you?" Mother asked. "I know you're a failure, but you could still do better. Not winning against a single child?"

"It was two children!"

"How it's that any less pathetic?" His father laughed. 

"It's worse than that. He lost against a little white triangle." Tomes cackled. "Completely useless as it fried his little talentless ass."

He tried to speak, but his mouth wouldn't move. "Let's whip you into shape." His father pulled on strings as his body moved, dancing to the melody. Please stop, please stop. Adrian followed the strings against his will, dancing faster and faster. Let him stop. His flesh couldn't keep up with the speed, tearing off as the bone was made to crescendo. Let him stop. "One day, you may be worth the effort I put into you." Make it end!

========================================================================

Hunter ran forward, through the halls. The labyrinth was gone, which meant that something happened to Gus. "I don't like this." The Captain shared his concern. "Gus must be going through something mentally straining if he's still in the cafeteria.

"You mean like a Coven Head with a habit of brutal interrogation?" Hunter questioned.

"How brutal are we talking?" The Blight asked.

"I was once on the under end for mental defense training, I wasn't able to see colors for a good week." Not to mention the vertigo. "Fortunately Gray's not a one on one fighter, so as long as someone takes out the scouts and abomatrons guarding him, the rest of us should be able to ambush him."

"I'll take those out." The purple haired girl cracked her knuckles. "I'll call it a warm up."

"Well she's just as scary and confident as she was back during eclipse lake." Hunter chuckled. "Ah, no hard feelings for that?"

"I'm going to hit you in the back of the head when you least expect it. Then we'll call it even." The blight told him, using her magic to the roaming abomatrons explode, using it's goo to drown the nearest scout.

"Can we just focus on taking out the Coven Head?" The three-eyed girl that Willow constantly referred to as 'a bitch' in the texts, questioned as she kicked open the door. "I don't feel like losing agaiiii …." She trailed off. "Ahh.."

She pointed to the center of the room, where there was a big orb of blue light circling the area, the area where Adrian Gray was now clutching his head and trembling like a scared child. "LET ME DIE! LET ME DIE!" He screamed, banging his head against the ground.

"... Since when was Goops boyfriend material?" The three-eyed girl asked. "Not that I'd ever leave Lucci but … damn."

"Get horny later, we got to get Gus out of his own head!" The captain shouted. "We're just going to have to face the trauma head on and hole for the best."

"Trauma huh.." Hunter thought about those words for a second. "I just got out of the emperors head. If anyone can get in and out of there unscathed, it's me!"

"Chirp." This was a very stupid decision.

"Probably … but it's mine to make." He'd finally make a good decision for once. "You two help Blight and the rest of the school get rid of the remaining intruders. I'll help Gus."

"We're coming back once we're done." Captain spoke, walking to a Scout Captain. "Hey, buddy! Let me tell you something about attacking Hexide!" She began strangling the man without even using magic. "Tougher than you have tried, and they all failed because we kicked their asses!"

"Wow.." She was so amazing and strong. "Okay then…" He looked at the glowing orb, where he could hear the whispers of doubt and insecurity echo in the air. 

Just a clone. You were a toy. Nobody truly loves you. Every action was a mistake.

He let them talk, and took a step forward into the massive orb of illusions. He had been ridiculed all his life.

"It hurts me so much to see you fail."

Ridiculed for being a failure.

"What good is a powerless witch anyways?"

Ridiculed for being half a witch.

"Why should we let you go to ruin our lives again!?"

Ridiculed for being a villain.

"I'm done trying to reason with you. Let's just end this!"

Ridiculed for just existing. He has dealt with this level of pain all his life. He already felt worthless, unworthy, and unneeded. He thought he had to fight to earn that right..

But it was thanks to the boldness of the captain, and the understanding of Gus that he finally got it…worth didn't have to be fought for…it was free to give…but only to the right people.

"Gus!" He shouted. "Gus, can you hear me!?"

"I messed up, I mess up, I keep messing up, I shouldn't bother trying anymore.."

"No, you're wrong! Adrian is down! You beat him! You beat a coven head all by yourself." He shook the boy. "You won, you saved the school Gus!"

" Nice words..the words everyone uses so I feel better."

"I'm not using words, I'm using facts! His body is right over there!" He pointed to the head. "We're not in danger anymore!"

" We're always in danger. Something awful is always happening, and I'm always the dead weight dragging everyone behind." Gus kept putting himself down. "And now I can't even control the little magic I have, I can't trust myself!"

"Gus, I know what that's like too! I've blindly followed Belos for years thinking he was good! I trusted my own judgment when it was obvious to everyone else, and I had to face the horrible reality, harshly!" Hunter exclaimed. "I can't trust myself for anything, but I can trust that you're an amazing witch. One that's smart, talented, and kind enough to care about someone like me, even when I really, really don't deserve it."

The light show seemed to calm down just a tad, as the boy looked up at him with tears in his eyes, but otherwise didn't say anything.

"I know how hard it is, to constantly tell yourself one thing and to believe it so much it becomes a part of who you are." Hunter got on his knees. "Like how you keep telling yourself your a screw up, or how I tell myself I'm useless if I don't serve and give my life to Belos. Sometimes it's just easier to believe that lie…but that's all it is." He nodded. "The truth is that you have friends that know how talented you are, and will always be there to remind you when you forget." Hunter took in a deep breath. "I know I will…or at least try, given how many of your friends want to beat me up."

Gus continued to stare at him, before snorting. "If it's any consolation, everyone tried to kill Luz and Lucci for most of their time here."

"That's not actually surprising. The human can be much and the devi-and Clawthorne is a Clawthorne." He corrected himself.

The barrier dissipated as the whispered in Hunter's head went back to the deep dark parts in his mind. Hopefully they would stay there for the foreseeable future. "Thanks Hunter, I really needed that."

"I was just paying back for the sandwich, don't look into it." Hunter smirked.

"Sure you were." Gus playfully rolled his eyes. "No sandwich is that good."

"I've been eating garbage for two days, Believe when I say it was." He countered. "So should we hurry back and help the others?"

"How the heck did you kick out my spleen!?"

"Be glad I didn't knock your head off, I've hit grudgby balls harder than you!"

"Take my advice and give them a minute." Gus explained.

========================================================================

Belfry smiled as he listened to his girlfriend play. "A crescendo of chaos and destruction!" She shouted with that lovely voice of hers, sending several of the coven scouts back. "Hahahaha! Yeah! Finally getting back into the chaotic groove! Feels like I haven't joined in as much in the l chaos lately."

"Didn't we just help the clawthorne's fight off the coven heads and the rainbow devil?" Matt complained as he shielded himself with some rocky pillars.

"Yeah, but she's talking small scale stuff. Not the big events where everyone gathered together to lend a hand in a massive cascade of fandom rejoicement." The green haired teammate of Skara explained as she shot a thorny ball at the scouts.

"I would've preferred to have stayed a background character in all honesty." The moon girl groaned as she sent a purple beam into another scout, knocking him unconscious. "Matt, pack whatever you need to bring. Tomorrow we're heading to the bunker."

"Yeah, I'll make sure we have what we need." The boy nodded. "Although I'm surprised we're dealing with the abomatrons so easily. Aren't those things supposed to tackle the A team of Hexide or something?"

"My parents built them; and I'm a top abomination student." Amity turned to them and as she melted one into an puddle.

"You were in my definition of A team." Matt deadpanned. "Pretty much anyone who hangs around Clawthornes on the regular is ungodly talented."

"We're not talented because we hang around them, though facing the constant danger does help." Willow threw a dozen more scouts out the windows. "We're strong and talented on our own merits."

"You may be strong, but that's all." A captain spoke. "We still have numbers on our side."

"And we have family." Belfry smiled. "I started to bring them to school when the teacher said it was fine."

"Oh, I'm so scared ." They sarcastically said. "What are you going to do now? Sic your mommy on me and get her to bite my ankles?"

"Actually yes, though she'll probably take your entire leg with it.

"Crrrc." The man slowly turned to see Mama growling at him.

"… When did Belfry become the scary student?" Cat asked.

"The moment we realized he was raised by crystal devils." Boscha replied dryly as they snapped another guard's arm. "Alright you emperor punks. Leave now or we'll turn you to ground cockatrice to feed to a whole crystal devil family."

"I did not sign up for this!" A man shouted.

"You signed up to fight for the emperor or die!" The captain shouted back.

"No, we signed up to serve the empire, not to be mindless lap dogs that risk their lives for the stupidest reasons!" A coven scout with cat ears attacked the captain from behind. "Face it, we're a joke! We constantly lose to children, our numbers are dwindling and we're being replaced by goo robots!" An Abomatron looked at the scout. "Yes you, feel ashamed!" The creature pouted.

"I knew she was a kindred spirit. She calls out the snorseshit as it comes." Boscha smirked. 

"Severine, if you don't want this to be reported, you will.."

"And you don't treat me with respect! No one in this stinkin system does! Not when I do my job, not even when my organs were damaged! The only bit of kindness I had was from a random kid, who also healed my injuries when she didn't have to! So you know what, I quit!" She took off her helmet, slamming it to the ground. "I'm gonna go join the tiny cat coven!"

The captain growled. "Abomatrons, make sure she doesn't-"

"Let the girl live her life!" Boscha shouted, throwing a green vile at the man's face, melting the helmet.

"Aaaaaaghhjhj!"

"Mama, bite." Belfy asked.

"CrOooo!" She viciously crunched his body, screaming with sonic waves as the man was knocked out.

"Thanks for the save, Mama." Belfry scratched the girl behind the ears.

"Ccrrr." Aww, Mama always gave the best hugs.

"Alright, screw this crap, I'm getting out of here!" One of the scouts exclaimed as he began running towards the door.

"Me two!"

"No paradise is worth this!"

One by one, the scouts began to pack up before starting their blimp . "Hey!" They turned to see some blond kid lifting a body. "You forgot this! …. Captain, mind tossing him, I can't make the distance."

"With pleasure." Willow smiled, grabbing the body with one arm, and throwing it right on board. "Hexide 1. Coven heads, 0."

"How bad are they when it only takes one of us to beat a coven head?" Amity laughed.

"Kinda lost control doing so, but get what you mean." Gus arrived, nodding, holding up something in his hand. "And I got a little souvenir from it, so more pros than cons today."

"I'm glad your all safe." They turned as Bump made his way over. "I was busy dealing with the Abomatrons in the back … talk about mass production." He mumbled.

"I cannot apologize enough for that." Amity sighed. "I promise the moment I have the time, I'm burning down the factory."

"Normally I'm against reinforcing arson, but I believe that's going to be the least of the exceptions I'm going to be making this week."

"You might not have a week." The blonde kid spoke up. "My name is Hunter, and I used to be the Golden Guard. Belos's plans for the day of unity are much more deadly and sinister than he's let on."

"How can we trust you, you tried to kill us plenty!?" Skara shouted in anger.

"We can vouch, Lucci and Luz jumped into Belos's head and saw the same thing." Willow answered.

"And this is something I would never say in a million years, but Half a witch is right." Boscha spoke up. Multiple students gasped in horror. "I know, it's that terrible."

"The day of unity isn't about uniting with the titan or destroying wild magic. It's about killing every witch on the isles." The golden guard explained. "Right now the coven heads are heading towards the skull to prepare their part of the draining spell. Everyone with a sigil is going to be drained of their magic, before it's fired back at us as a massive bomb."

Bump stared at the Golden Guard, and the nodding children, before turning to the Oracle teacher. "Remind me why I pay you?"

"I'm the only Oracle that works on a teacher's salary." They shrugged. "You're lucky you have that much."

"So what's the play now?" Willow asked. "Celine, I know you said stopping the apocalypse was pointless, but is there anything we can do?

"If the entire school fights then everyone dies … most of the time Bump is killed by Cutburn and Snapdragon in increasingly brutal manners." She shivered.

"…Good to know…" Their principal shuddered.

"Please, give us something." Amity begged.

"….it's still pointless to stop it, but the closest you guys come to stopping it is when you work with Darius and Ebberwolf."

"Darius, what does he have to do with anything?" The golden guard asked.

"He's the leader of the resistance."

"… what?" Everyone tilted their heads.

"Okay, if I die and everyone else lives, she's taking my place." Bump muttered.