FIGHTFIGHTFIGHTFIGHT

Y/n's p.o.v

We've reached a dead end.
The light of the glyphs seemed as strong as ever, but all that was in front of us was grim water.

Danger! Deep water
I read the sign.

My heart skipped a beat as I crawled down to listen to the water.
No...
He can't be down there... right?
We or he just went the wrong way.

Turning my ear away from my water, I noticed something in the foggy water. In the light of the moon, I saw Evelyn.
I jerked back in surprise.

"Did you see something?"
Luz asked.

To my relief, it was just a reflection. Of me. Oh DAMN IT my hair style makes me look like her.

I am NOT her.
I am not a witch hundreds of years ago.
I am Y/n L/n, strong, smart, resourceful and an awesome girlfriend.

"Hunter! Hun! Where are you?"
I called out as the fog started to clear away.

"There!"
Luz pointed at a figure standing in a small island in front of us. A cemetery.
Very creepy.
It means that the titan's blood is somewhere there.

...why didn't Hunter answer, though?

Luz quickly drew a different glyph and created an ice bridge for us to cross.

"Are you okay? Did you see Belos?"
Luz asked him. He was facing away from us. I looked down.
The map was half-buried in the sand, completely torn apart.

Hunter... you are not acting like yourself recently...

"Oh, no. Just my imagination playing tricks again. Why don't you find the Titan Blood while I find my palisman?"
Hunter sounded off and distant.

He never calls Flapjack by it's species.

"The little guy got... spooked off."

Luz didn't seem to notice anything wrong.
Maybe I am just imagining things.
It was all very stressful recently, of course Hunter's acting a bit strange.

"Good idea. All this Belos talk has me on edge. But I hate to ruin Amity's surprise.
I really appreciate that everyone wanted to do this. You guys are great friends."
Luz sighed as she started to look between the graves.

I smiled at how appreciative she was.
I kneeled down, helping in the search.
I thought of starting to dig, perhaps it's buried somewhere.

"Have you found the blood yet?"
Hunter asked impatiently.
When I think about it, it doesn't seem like he made any moves in the attempt to find Flapjack. Not even the bird he cares so much about.

Something's definitely wrong.

"I'm on it. I just have to-"

"FLAPJACK!"
I exclaimed, cutting Luz off. I gently took the shivering bird into my arms.
"What happened? Why do you look so scared?"

"Luz. Didn't you use an ice glyph to get here? Your magic is working."

Both of us were stunned in shock.

That was not Hunter.
Two horns pierced their way through his head and his hands were a goo-ey mess.
His eyes were glowing blue.

T-That... MONSTER!
THAT MONSTER POSSED MY HUN!

I felt a mix of fear and anger inside of me.
I felt as if I failed to protect Hunter.

I think I just heard our friends calling out our names, looking for us. I wanted to shout for help, let them find us and bring Belos down. But fear silenced my voice.

"I saw you. Glyphs do work here."

I could hear Hunter's voice slightly echoing behind Belos's.
He is still in there. I can't imagine how scared he is right now.

"You... You survived."
Luz managed to choke out.

"I did. Thanks again for all the help, Luz."
H-Help? What's he talking about??
"But I don't need you anymore."

"LUZ!"
I shouted when Belos attacked her.
His hand dug into the ground, finding the vial of the blue liquid we were looking for. He smiled. Using Hunter's face.
It threw my insides into confusion.

"Ah, there you are."
The monster noticed me with a look of hatred and triumph.
It was so hard for me to look at Hunter and know that it isn't him.

I tried to attack, but I was so scared to hurt my Hunter. I didn't want to cause him any pain.

I tried to trip him a few times.
Or maybe a hit on the head that will knock him out? Maybe then Hunter will wake up instead...

"You're not even trying right now. What, afraid you'll hurt him?"

The monster mocked.

Luz joined, too. Also hesitant.
It was a villain we couldn't afford to hurt.
She attempted to trap him somehow, corner him, but he was too strong.

"See, this is why you're so useful, Luz. You're so desperate to help people, you even helped me meet The Collector."

"Nonesense! Luz would never!"
I defended.
"Stop trying to manipulate young witches and bring Hunter back!"

Belos chuckled as Luz looked distraught.

"I-I'm sorry, I... I didn't mean to! I thought I was doing something good..."
She admitted.

"You did do something good. I thought this one was another lost cause. Because of you, we can finish our work as witch-hunters, starting with THEM!"

To our horror, we turned around to see our friends being attacked.

No... they are fine. They are very capable.
Powerful... magical...
Exhausted.
We don't know how long we can hold him off. Especially since we can't hurt him...

"We've got to make him snap out of it!"
Luz insisted, throwing herself around the monster for a tight hug.
"I know you can hear me, Hunter.
Fight him off!"

It didn't seem to effect him much.
He threw her in the air as if she was nothing. Amity managed to catch her girlfriend using her magic.

Only I was left in front of...
Of...
He grinned at me.
"Remember your role, Y/n.
You were created to help me in the witch hunting efforts."

Fear...
This damn fear...
Fear didn't stop me from a lot of things, but... Belos? I can't face him.
Maybe a part of me is still obedient to him.

"Join me... Under my command, you'll be able to spend as long as you'd like with HIM.
...if not, it would be a shame if something were to happen to his pretty little face..."
A sharp claw inched closer to his face.

"NO! NO! PLEASE!"
I cried out, collapsing to the ground in front of him.

I can't help Belos!
But... Hunter...

"Hun, please, snap out of this!"
I begged, warm tears going down my face.
"Remember this? And these?"
I pulled out the necklace Hunter gifted me and the orange leaves we collected together, as well as our matching wolf shirt.

"I am here, I am right here! Please come back..."

"How pitiful."
He rolled his eyes.
"Useless. This is why you ended up in the streets."
These words coming out of his mouth... even if not truly his...
it was heartbreaking.

What else can I do to bring him back...?
Is all hope lost...?

Between my blurry vision, I saw my friends still trying to recover and Belos looking at the titan blood vial.

Flapjack flew in, trying to peck his head.
The monster grabbed him before any of us could recover.

"That's right. You wouldn't want me harming your precious palisman, would you? Oh, but then again, I don't care what you want. Goodbye, Evelyn."

We all froze in horror when Flapjack was mutilated.

"FLAPJACK!"
I screamed like I never did.
Luz caught the injured palisman, that was leaking magic.

It did something.
I saw it.
Hunter was there for a split second, gasping his way out before being lost again behind glowing blue eyes.

This might be my last chance to do this...

Before he could react, I grabbed him by the collar of the beautiful shirt and pressed our lips together.

I didn't even know if it was helping. Or if I am doing this right. Belos was struggling, but I kept us in place with all my might.

I felt sharp pain as the claws dug into me, pushing me away.

This is for nothing, then...
I am going to die.
I can't believe Belos is my first kiss-

"Y-Y/n...?"
A softer voice chimed. The claws let me go, all smeared with blood.

"H-Hunter..."
I wiped the tears away from my face.

My body was in pain, though I didn't care.

"You-URGGGG!"

"Come on, Hunter! Fight it!"
I insisted.

"N-No! I'm not letting this happen!"
Belos took over and kicked me to the ground. I made a terrible impact with a gravestone.

I don't know which hurt more- my heart or my body.

But there was a fight. Belos was struggling to keep control.

"Y-You know what I'd like, Belos?"
Hunter groaned out, shaking in physical pain and frustration.

"I'd like to leave the Emperor's Coven and never step foot in that throne room again. I'd like to study wild magic, and learn how to carve palismen.
I'd like to attend Hexide as a regular student and play flyer derby with my friends. I want to take my girlfriend to a proper date and live peacefully forever.
But most of all, I'd like to make sure YOU NEVER HURT ANYONE AGAIN!"

He threw the vial away into the water.

"NO!!"
Belos took control and jumped after it into the dark water.

"HUNTER!"
I managed to stand up and run over to the lake. I wasn't in any shape to jump in to save him.
I started weeping over the silent water.

Gone too soon...

"MOVE!"
Camila ordered, jumping in.

"Y/n, are you alright-?"
Vee started after she noticed all the wounds caused to me. Five deep wounds in each side of my body from these wretched claws.

"N-Not now!"
I stared into the water.

Please be okay, please be okay...

Camila gasped her way out from the water, carrying him with her.
We all crowded around him. His eyes were closed. Willow held his head steady.

Suddenly, he let out a terrible scream.
Hunter was released from Belos's curse, that reformed nearby.

"CALEB! You would stab me in the back?!"

"You did it to him first."
Luz scoffed.

"STAY BACK!"
I warned.

Belos backed away to the stone gate.
He smashed the vial of titan's blood to the top of it and a portal was formed.

"This is for the good of your souls. You'll thank me later."
He backed away, leaving us speechless.

I can't believe we let him go.

"That's the Belos you've been fighting this whole time?!"
Camila was horrified.

"Y/n, how are you even standing straight?"
Gus exclaimed in worried disbelief, looking at my bleeding sides.

"I barely feel it,"
I lied.

"Guys, Hunter isn't moving..."
Willow worried in her attempts to wake him up.

"WHAT? Nononono I can't lose him!"
I bursted in tears.

"Vee, call an ambulance."
Camila ordered, and she rushed to do so.

"Do human doctors know about possession?"
I cried out.

"Or Grimwalkers?"
Luz added, revealing Hunter's secret.

"Possession?!"
Camila gasped.

"Grimwalkers?!"
Willow was horrified.

Gus kept himself cool and tried to comfort us. Amity hid her face in Luz's arms.

"We should still call a doctor."
Camila insisted.

"I'm not getting cell reception..."
Vee said the worst.

"What do we do?"
Amity, like all of us, felt lost.

I collapsed by Hunter's side and hugged his lifeless body as close to me as possible.
This can't be true...
This can't be real...
This can't be happening...

A quiet, familiar chirp was heared.
Hurt Flapjack climbed out of Luz's side bag and jumped over to Hunter, leaving a trail of glowing liquid behind it.

As the palisman made it's way, it brushed by my right side, and then reached closer to Hunter's face.

Flap rested on Hunter by my side.
I let go and put my hand in Hunter's cold one when I noticed something happening.

The air felt warm as Flapjack glowed.
I couldn't speak when the beloved bird slowly dissolved and disappeared into glowing orbs in the sky.

I looked at Hunter, his scars seemed to somewhat heal. My right side felt strangely warm. The dug wounds also healed, leaving a light mark.

I gasped in hope when I noticed a squeeze in my hand and Hunter's eyes slowly fluttered open.

"H-Hey, guys. Is everyone else okay?"

"Actually, Flapjack..."
Gus prepared to deliver the news.

"D-Don't. Don't... I already know..."
He held a hand to his heart.

I gave him a quick hug.
"I thought I lost you..."
I mumbled.

"Sit up slowly, baby. Are you in pain anywhere?"

Camila quietly asked.

"I'm okay."
Hunter replied with grief in his voice and stood up, wrapping his arms around me again. He let go of our hug, noticing my blood on his hands.

"Oops, that happened."
I excused it.

I tore away pieces of my huntress costume shirt, now revealing my Hunter's matching wolf shirt. I wrapped it around my left arm and body, where Belos's claws dug into me earlier.

"I-I'm sorry..."

"It's not your fault, Hun."
I reassured him.
"Your eyes are brown now."
I pointed out.

Hunter reached to where his heart was again. Flapjack never truly left him.

"Your right one turned brown."
He mentioned.

...or me.

"Um, Luz. What did Belos mean when he said you helped him meet The Collector?
I mean, that was a lie, right?"
Amity asked.
Luz bit her lip, looking away in shame.

"No, it was true. If it weren't for me, the Day of Unity would have never happened. There was this time pool, and I met him.
I met him when he was still just Philip, and I taught him the light spell.
I introduced him to The Collector.
I set everything in motion.
I'm sorry, everyone."
Luz apologised.

"Why did you keep all that a secret?"
Amity mumbled.

"I was scared...
I thought you'd hate me for it. Which is why I've made a decision. I think it'd be in everyone's best interest if I-"

"Took your mama to the Demon Realm!"
Camila exclaimed, cutting her daughter off.

"WHAT?!"
Luz was shocked.

"I couldn't hate you, Luz. The fact that you still stand up for us means enough to me."
Amity hugged her girlfriend.

"Mija, now that I've seen what you're up against, there is no way I'm letting you go back there alone. It is our duty to help your friends get back to their families."
Camila insisted.

"B-But..."
Luz was still beating herself over that mistake.

Hunter, that I refused to let go of his hand, made us approach Luz.

"You were tricked. That's what Belos does. He tricks people."

I nodded, agreeing with his words.

"But if it weren't you, it would have been someone else, and then there'd be no one left to fight back.
So let's do that. Let's fight back. Please? For Flapjack?"

"For Flapjack."
Luz repeated.

Hunter let go of my hand, seeming hesitant about something.
"Say... Y/n... Bun..."

He looked at the ground shyly.

"I am under the impression that... uh...
I think we... um..."
He was too flustered to finish his sentence, but I knew what he was referring to the moment his fingers hovered above his lips.

I did kiss him, yes.
But... perhaps it wasn't very important for him. It barely did anything.
A foolish, desperate last attempt to make him snap out of Belos's control.

"I... don't know what you are talking about."

"Oh."
Hunter sounded disappointed.

Maybe I shouldn't have lied.
It is a dumb lie.
I feel like I am betraying his trust for nothing.
My only injuries are from that moment, for titan's sake!

"The portal's closing!"
Vee warned.

"Then we better head in."
Luz announced.

I looked at the unstable portal.
Warm wind blew from it.

I took a deep breath.
We are returning to the boiling Isles, it seems.

Hunter grabbed my hand and put his other on his heart.
We exchanged quick glances of reassurance before stepping inside.

"Time to go home, Flap..."

...
Welp, now we have to wait for the next special to continue...