LABYRINTH RUNNERS // CLOUD ON THE HORIZON
[unedited]

"Wait, aren't you the Golden Guard?" Asks one of the Scouts.

"Seriously, dude, what the heck!?" Asks another, releasing Hunter from the abomination goop binds with his next apology. "My deepest apologies, sir. The Emporer sent out a search party for you. I heard the Advisor's been worried sick."

Hunter flinches at the mention of his relatives, but tries to hide it. "Ehe.. You don't say?" He asks.

A while later, Y/n is standing next to her window, watching the witches of the Boiling Isles walk around. She slips her gloves onto her hands, hiding the red marks and her coven sigil. She sighs softly, looking up and sniffing. "Please be okay, Hunter." She whispers. "I'm sorry. But I have to follow Uncle. He has to be right about all this." She murmurs.

Pancake tugs at Y/n's short h/c [waves/strands/coils/etc.], making the girl look over. "Sorry, Pancake. I've gotta trust him. He raised me-- I have to trust him. Come on." She urges. Pancake twitters with worry, but hides in her cloak anyways.

"Hunter, are you sure you're up for this?" Asks Luz with worry. "You must be dealing with alot after learning--" "That Belos is evil??" He laughs nervously, not letting Luz finish.

"Don't worry, I'm A-Okay!" He reassures, pumping a hand before frowning. "It's just-- My sister.." He trails off nervously. "Don't worry. We'll convince her that he's a bad person... somehow." Gus reassures. They fist bump before bonking their heads together. Luz scrunches her brows in confusion. "What the..." She trails off.

Willow laughs, "This is what happens when you've gone missing for a week."

Y/n stands next to her uncle on the top of a platform, with no mask on her face. Her uncle grins deviously, but she misses it. He casts a larger projection of the both of them, luckily, Y/n's reddish face from crying isn't seen by the crowd.

"Children of the isles, for too long our world has been home to an insidious pox. A corruption that defiles the Titan's blessings. But today that changes." He says while reaching up towards the sun and the moon. It was shining bright in the sky, readying for an eclipse.

"United with the Titan and the power of the eclipse, we shall wipe out wild magic forever. Paradise awaits." He announces. Next to him, Y/n smiles with determination, awaiting her next orders as his trustworthy advisor. Then, the projection flickers out to nothing but plain sky.

"Oh, I forgot to mention," Said Belos to the Coven heads, "I decided to switch up the arrangement."

"Y/n, buttercup." Calls Belos. "Yes, uncle?" She asks. "Go make sure that the draining spell is carried out. I don't want anything spoiling today."

Y/n smiles. "You got it, Uncle." She says softly. She and Belos both create the sigil on the floor around each coven head. She misses how Raine is shocked at her appearance. Young, scrawny, no older than Luz.

When they're completed, Belos says in a low voice: "Goodbye, Boiling Isles," Before slamming his staff down as soon as the eclipse begins. Large pillars of light shoot into the air, giving the audience a show as the coven brands begin to glow. She lifts her glove, seeing faint marks around her wrist that have been there for a while. Scars. Instead, she smiles at the sight of her brand beginning to glow. Her uncle's plan has begun-- He's going to make this world a better place.

She misses how Raine is once more caught off guard by the markings on her wrist. She allows her glove to fall back onto her arm as Belos teleports elsewhere into the ground.

For some reason, part way into the spell, their magic begins to wearing. The crowds and head witches make confused noises, but Terra glares at the sight of Raine's arm bubbling with some sort of curse. When Raine attempts to hide it, Terra takes action. She binds the Bard's shoulders.

"Ms. Terra-" Y/n begins with a stern look. "Ah, ah, Advisor. It looks like my suspicions were correct. Graye, if you'd please." She requested.

"Of course. I do love a good twist," Says the Illusionist head, reversing Raine's illusion to reveal it was Eda. Y/n gasps softly. "You!" She frowns. Eda looks at the other adults. "Hey!" She shouts.

Eberwolf quickly jumps at Terra, but is stopped by Y/n swinging her blue-gemmed staff and Mason blocking it with his hammer when the beast tries once more. Eberwolf growls, summoning flesh-eating insect onto the burly man's skin.

Mason drops the hammer in shock, trying to claw them off when Eberwolf calls more to cover his head. "Oh, for titan's sake," Sighs Darius, turning into his abomination form. Everyone begins to attack one another. "Wh- wait!" Y/n demands, getting frustrated as everyone begins to fight harder.

Her dark magenta eyes flash with anger as she slams down her blue-gemmed staff. "I said- STOP!!" Y/n shouts, binding them with her magic. She coughs into her glove again, glaring at everyone. She drags all the coven heads back into their light pillars, but Eda is kept out next to her.

Two abomatons arrive with the real-- and weakened-- Raine. "What? No, no, no, no, no- Raine!" Eda cries with worry. Y/n doesn't worry about them, seeing as they could barely stand.

She coughs into her glove, pulling back to see blood. She hides it, rubbing it against the back of her shirt. Eda shoots her a worried look. "You didn't see anything." Y/n says with a glare.

"You're making a big mistake-!" Eda pleads. "The only mistake I made was not noticing your illusion trick!" Y/n shoots back earnestly.

"Raine!" Eda cries. "Eda!" Shouts the Bard with fear as they're put into place. "Hello, paradise!" Laughs Terra, looking up in victory. Y/n goes to tell her to be quiet when she staggers.

"Young Advisor," Darius begins with worry. Hunter has told him the effect magic has on his sister. "Don't." Y/n says, Darius's binds becoming a little tighter as she raises a hand to shush him. "We just have to wait. And then this will all be fixed, and Hunter will..." She trails off. "Hunter will be back where he belongs."

With me.

Y/n looks away. Finally, the Eclipse begins. The binds on everyone dissipate and Y/n cries out in pain. She staggers forward, falling on her front side. She supports herself on her forearm and hand, coughing harshly.

With her inability to use magic, she's a dried out towel being wrung out beyond what she could handle. That last thing she could make out was Darius's worried voice. "No. We're too late."

Pancake emerges from Y/n's cloak, chirping with worry. She rolls onto her back, heaving for air as Pancake pulls on her short hair.

Terra whimpers as she and the other Coven Heads start to collapse to the ground, affected by the draining spell. The other witches and Coven Scouts, upon seeing this, start to scream and attempt to escape and run away but are trapped inside by the Abomatons. Back inside the Titan's head, Belos also collapses as a result of the draining spell with a brand new Emporer's Coven brand on his wrist haphazardly slapped on by none other than Luz.

"Darius? Darius, wake up!" Pleads Hunter, shaking him with his good hand. "Hunter.." Calls Gus, kneeling next to a familiar figure in uniform.

"Y/n!" He cries out, stumbling next to his sister. "Y/n, come on, don't--" He pleads, shaking her. Pancake chirps with worry, looking from Gus to Hunter and back to Y/n.

Y/n stirs, her breathing ragged. "Oh, thank, Titan." Hunter whispers, pressing his forehead against Y/n's. She groans. "Everything hurts." She whimpers.

"I know.. I know, I'm sorry. I-- I tried to tell you-" Hunter cuts himself off, shaking his head. "Can you move?" He asks. Y/n nods blearily.

He hoists his sister onto the staff form of Flapjack, and Pancake quickly snuggles into Y/n's hood as they all book it towards Luz.

Belos prepares an attack towards Luz, but is stopped by a multitude of vines. "We're here to help!" Willow Announces.

"Did you really think we wouldn't follow you?" Asks Amity. "Yeah, girl, get with it," Jokes Gus.

Luz laughs out softly. "You guys are literally the coolest!" She shouts. Y/n, supporting herself with Pancake's staff form, sends a trembling thumbs up. "Frankly, I still don't know ehay to think, but.." She Announces before looking to the yellow veins on her arm. She stands up herself, coughing a little more before nodding. "Let's do this!"

They turn back to the new form of Belos. "We have to get him to stop the draining spell.. but he's gone all berserk mad!" Luz informs quickly, backing towards the group.

Willow uses her magic to summon more vines in order to pull Belos back, but the bridge also begins to break. When Belos rips himself free of the vines, everything begins to fall. "Luz!" Shouts Amity, running to her girlfriend and covering herself and Luz with an abomination shield.

Gus takes King to a safe corner, telling him to stay there. "It's about to get real scary. You stay here." Says the youngest of the witches.

"Gus!" Willow calls, needing backup. "On my way!" Shouts Gus, running back.

Amity and Y/n create ropes, the latter beginning to cough up more blood as time passes. Each member of the Hexsquad begins to gain a fair share of injuries. Gus raises a spell circle, readying to invade Belos's mind.

Gus activates the spell, and immediately, Belos breaks free of the rope as he writhes around in pain. He accidentally smashes a pillar which almost falls, but Willow manages to hold it with vines as Amity regroups with the others. Belos flashes back to some of his memories and screeches loudly. Gus, having difficulty controlling the spell, is about to get attacked by Belos when Hunter speeds over and pushes him out of the way, just as he snaps out of the spell with a look of revelation and shock on his face.

Y/n yanks the two out of the way with a rope, using the momentum of her swing to move them away and her a little closer to Belos. "Buttercup.. Why are you hurting me? I've only ever wanted to help you..." He says in a soft voice.

Y/n's terrified dark magenta eyes stare back at him. "Wh-What? How... How can you say that?" She whimpers. "I-- I actually thought there was some good in you, but.." Y/n cries.

"And there is!" Belos insists before spotting what palismen Y/b was using. He grows angry at the sight of Pancake, growing into his slime form.

"HIRAETH!" He snarls. Y/n shrieks in fear, freezing up as tears streamed down her face.

Willow grabs Y/n's hand with a vine, yanking her over to the group. "Amity!" Calls Luz, catching her falling purple-haired girlfriend.

Belos lunges at the pair, but is stopped by a ray of silver. Y/n coughs, being the one who shot at him with Pancake in her hands. She begins to grow weaker, and it shows.

Hunter holds Y/n in his arms, while Willow supports the former and the latter is barely holding onto consciousness. Y/n clutches her burning arm in pain, hands quaking with the sharp ache.

They all brace for Belos's last and fatal attack, before.. something stops him. They look over to see.. an oddly colored child.

"Watcha playin'?" Asks the Collector. "Oh, hey! The girl with wonky magic!! I heard allll about you!!" He giggles excitedly towards Y/n. Y/n blinks blearily towards the small figure.

"Collector!" Acknowledged Belos. The Collector glared at him with a frown. "You're free. Just as promised." Said the goo monster.

"As promised? I remember someone throwing me off a bridge. I'm not angry, though! Say, you wanna play tag?" He asks, twirling his pointer finger. The slime of Belos is wrapped in a small blob, dragging the old man towards the ironically younger child.

"I'm it." They say with a cheeky grin. They tap his nose and Belos is slammed into the wall, meeting his fate. Nothing left but green slime dripping down. Y/n lets out a sharp sob at the quick demise of the one who raised her.

"Too slow!" Teases the young child. "Hey, you guys seem pretty slow, too," He says, approaching the Hexsquad, "Want a headstart?" He asks, horrifying the group that they probably have to meet the same fate as Belos.

Before the Collectore meets his targets, King Interrupts. "Woah, hey! Collector, buddy, pal." He laughs nervously. "King!" Cheers the Collector, clapping his hands excitedly.

"Remember what we talked about? You gotta help all my friends outside, or, uh, we won't get to play 'Owl House'." He says, looking back for them to back him up.

"Uh.. Owl House? Gosh!" Luz chuckles anxiously, "Love that game!" "The memories last a life time!" Amity agrees with a shaky grin.

"I play it everyday!" Chirps Willow. "I play it every hour!" Gus adds.

Hunter.. makes a strange choked noise, while Y/n copies it with a strangled whimper and a trembling thumbs-up.

"I'll explain the rules later, but remember, we need lots of players!" King says, making a wide gesture with his hands to emphasize his point.

Everyone clears out a way as the Collectore walks forward. Their gaze lands on the suffering witches of the Boiling Isles. They use their hands to open their eyes and zoom in, like binoculars.

Then, they spot the large ecplise from overhead and think for a few moments before finally deciding to stop the spell. "Hmm, okay!" They agree, shifting the moon with their pointer finger with ease.

"Boop!" They chirp. Willow, Gus, Hunter, and Y/n all notice the gold veins fade away. Y/n coughs some more, Hunter patting her back gently. She smiles up at him shakily.

"Hmmm.." Hums the Collector once more. At this, the group all share suspicious and nervous glances. "If we're gonna play Owl House, we're gonna need an Owl House!" Tbey announced excitedly, floating up into the air.

They clap their hands, disassembling everything to be as they want it to be in the final product. Everyone shouts inbfear, but Willow spots the door to the human realm through the hall.

"I think there's a way out! C'mon!" She calls, Hunter looks at his sister. "Can you stand?" He asks with worry. Y/n nods with a determined look on her face. He nods back and they book it towards the door.

"Luz, come on!" Amity calls. The brunette shakes her head. "Eda! Everyone, I-- I can't just leave them!" Luz cries out.

"Luz," Amity cries once more, tears welling up in her golden eyes, "Please!" She repeats. Eventually, Luz gives into her girlfriend's pleads, running forward with King on her back.

Y/n and Hunter hesitate to run over what remains of Belos, Y/n freezing up in anxiety. Tears begin to bead at her eyes, but Hunter grabs her hand. She looks over and nods.

There was nothing good in that man, but there was no denying that somewhere, deep down, something in Y/n still saw him as her uncle.

Y/n steps in the goop as they run over, refusing to look up or down. She looks back, short hair blowing around with all the wind.

Quickly, they see the door begin to disassemble itself. They wait a tense moment before the green tubes light up for a solid moment. Only then does Hunter swing open the floor to reveal the in-between realm before showing the human realm. Y/n stares anxiously outside, seeing the rain fall against the grass.

"It's human rain! It's okay!" Gus reassures. Y/n wipes the dried blood from her chin, only chipping and smearing it on her lip. Amity begins to run forward, but looks back. "Luz??" She calls with worry.

The said girl is seen activating multiple plant glyphs, trying to keep everything together desperately. "Luz, what are you doing!?" Amity calls.

Y/n steps back outside, worry in her dark magenta eyes. "Human!?" She calls with worry, ears tilting downwards. "Human, come on!" Y/n pleads. "If you saved me, I have to return the favor! Let's go!"

"I-I have to find Eda..! We'll find a way back to you!" Promises the human. The Collector sees what's happening out of the corner of their eye, turning to look at the scene.

"Go! Go, go, go-- I- I can't hold the portal much longer!" However, King begins to get dragged away midair.

"Y/n, come on!" Hunter calls with worry, unsure if the door will hold long enough. "No-- I have to get the human!" Y/n insists towards her brother. Gus reaches out. "We have to go!" Says the youngest.

"King!" Cries Luz. "King, you promised you'd play with me!" Says the Collector with annoyance, "You pinky-swore!" The Collector pulls their pinky, the force yanking on King only growing stronger.

"Luz!" Calls Amity, running towards them. Y/n spared one last glance at Hunter before running off. "Human!" She calls, running back under the doorway of Belos's remains. "Human! We need to go back!" Y/n calls over the chaos.

"We gotta stick together. We gotta stick together!" Luz insists, trying to keep her grip on King. After a few seconds, King shakes his head.

"No. Not this time. But I can keep you safe." "No.." Luz whimpers, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Luz.. I'm so happy I had you as a big sister." He thanks her, taking a deep breath and screaming.

At his sonic powers, Y/n, Amity, and Luz are all sent flying back through the door to the human realm. "No." Luz gasps, sitting up. "King!" She sobs, running into the door as soon as it closes. She opens it, revealing nothing but an old shack. She closes and opens it again, but nothing changes. Once more, and there's only the dark room that awaits her.

Luz turns around, eyes wide as she struggles to process the previous events. Y/n is in shock, unable to know how to feel. Gus doubles over, and Y/n places a hand on his back. She coughs some more, making Pancake chirp with worry. She doubles over as well, the adrenaline beginning to wear off and the after-effects tackling her like a pile of bricks.

Hunter hugs her close as she struggles to catch her breath. "Can't-- I can't-" She sputters.

Willow kneels next to them, a worried look in her eyes. Hunter looks at her with an identical look, cradling his sister.

Amity looks up at Luz with fear, unsure of what to do.

Vee sits at the table, hungry and awaiting dinner while Camila Noceda is cooking. There's a new article playing about a potential hoax about a girl in.. frog land? However, there's a knock at the door that catches both their attention, since it's pouring and dark outside.

She opens the door and instantly gasps when she sees who it is. Her hand flys up to her mouth in surprise when she sees five other disheveled teenagers with pointed ears behind her daughter.

"Hey, mom," Luz's voice cracks as tears well in her brown eyes, "I'm back."

[Trauma who?]