"Last chance."
That was the only thing that the King told Hannah and CJ before they left.
This was their last chance, or else he would do... something. But they knew with every ounce of their common sense that it would be good.
"No more screwing around then..." CJ mumbled as the two went back to the bridge to wait for Embry. Hannah didn't respond, her hands twitching and shaking, like she'd hit anyone who surprised her.
"If we fail..." CJ decided to say carefully. "I'll protect you from him. I-I'm sorry that I couldn't before with... the whole... y'know..." He trailed off, losing his voice.
"I'm not worried about what will happen to me." Hannah said, her voice quiet and slow. "I could care less, if I'm honest. I'm worried about what's gonna happen to you..." She sat down next to the barrier, leaning her back on an old market stand.
"All of this is wrong." She stated bluntly. "The Cauldron, the warriors, fighting the Guardians, everything...!" Her voice grew harsh for a moment before settling back down. Hannah looked away, feeling embarrassed by the near-outburst.
"No, I'm being silly." She scolded herself as CJ sat next to her.
"Hey..." He reached over, pulling her close. Instinctively, she rested her head on his shoulder. "I don't blame you. For any of this." He continued.
CJ laughed for just a second. "Everything is screwed up, but we didn't make it that way. It kinda always was like this. A big bad rises from the deep and a group of heroes form to take it down. And there's always something much deeper actually happening.
Hannah considered that for a moment. That maybe, she wasn't the big bad she always felt destined to become. Maybe she was the "something much deeper."
"Do you ever feel evil? But... even though you feel like that, it's like you're not enough?" She asked, looking at him.
CJ smiled, chucking quietly. "Hanny, you know me. Son of Chernabog who failed at necromancy? Kinda speaks for itself." He joked, playfully nudging her away.
Hannah smiled in response and laughed, hugging him so fiercely that she accidentally knocked the both of them to the ground. The two laughed at the messiness and strangeness of it all, but it died down quickly. Their settings came back to them.
CJ sighed a little, laying his back against the gravelly road. Hannah rested her head on his chest, staring up at the sky and stars that dared to glimmer at a time like this.
In the darkness, Hannah whispered something that CJ couldn't hear. The winds lifted the words up and swirled them into the clouds to waltz among the stars, not to return to the world to be heard. Not yet.
She closed her eyes.
Not yet.
...
"Heya! Guess who just-"
Gracie's excited greeting was cut off by Hannah shouting in surprise, jumping up and turning to face her friend. The two stared at each other for a moment as CJ laughed from the ground.
"Bad time?" Gracie teased, smirking and putting her hands on her hips.
"Anyway, I got Gumbie to a safe place- favor from a friend. He's okay, this idioso figured it out!" She beamed proudly. CJ just nodded in response, getting up and brushing the dirt from his hair.
Hannah felt the pressure in her chest expand tenfold, but she nodded and gave Gracie a tense smile.
"Great. Let's get going then..." Her enthusiasm was hard to muster, but she managed to keep it as the three went across the bridge again.
~~~
"Someone needs to put a sword under that stupid vent." Twyla muttered miserably, leaning against the steps to the Cauldron and pointing to the vent (which had basically become a safety hazard).
Sahira gave a quick glance, smiling faintly. "You're starting to sound a bit too much like Ray. Spending too much time around each other?" She laughed a bit, rolling her eyes.
Twyla just laughed back. Embry watched the two, being quiet like usual. There was a striking nervousness in their stomach, like if they even opened their mouth, the secret bat in their dorm would be revealed. And they weren't too enthusiastic about how that would turn out.
"Where is Ray, by the way?" Sahira asked.
The skeleton winced. "Still in the medical wing. Not sure he'll be here tonight." She sighed.
"Damn, too bad. He seems to be the main one itching to fight-fight these guys."
"Yea..." She trailed off, leaving the group in silence.
Then, the door exploded.
Twyla immediately felt guilty, wondering if she lost a flare and it just exploded. But when she saw the bones now sticking out of the doorframe, she knew it was the Thieves.
"Well," Sarah rolled her eyes. "At least we have even numbers."
~~~ (I'M SORRY I CAN'T DO FIGHT SCENES 😭)
Hannah didn't hold back, bones and undead flying about, dragging and clawing and hitting- anything they could do. There was a visceral sense and emotion in the way that she threw the Guards away that felt unnatural.
Gracie felt off, glancing over to CJ. CJ didn't look back at her, shoving Twyla off to the side and recoiling to keep his arm from being bitten. She didn't feel like fighting, despite everything- all the fear and confusion that she had joined. It didn't feel right, and she knew it wasn't right, but she was still helping- still part of this problem.
The Dore Mouse.
It made her feel sick, thinking that maybe her father was right for throwing her out.
Embry gently nudged her arm with the handle of their knife, which broke her out of her thoughts as she looked over to them. It was an odd, friendly offer for a fight- as if Embry knew Gracie wanted her mind off of that train of thought.
But Gracie just felt like she could crumble. She didn't want to fight, or kick ass and pretend to be cool. She was just confused- like the whole world was asking her a million questions at once about morality, and she knew none of the answers.
Still, Embry's blissfully distant face made her smile, a choked laugh escaping her throat.
The sound of bones breaking through the ground made the two jump. And as shouts erupted around and the Guardians were tossed about, Gracie knew that Hannah wasn't taking any chances.
The demoness wiped the black fog coming from a cut on her face. "Let. Me. Through."
Sahira didn't budge, standing on the steps between her and the Cauldron. But her hands were shaking, her body having the pained urge to collapse. The comment they made about Ray before was a little misguided.
Ray was, admittedly, the only one willing to fight and hurt the Thieves. But what they had omitted was that Ray was honestly the only one that could fight and hold them back.
The others had used tools and strategies they knew before- that they used for everything. But Ray used the Thieves against themselves. Used their emotions and their fear- their inexperience and wild fights of determination.
Ray saw himself in the Thieves. And he used that to his advantage.
But Sahira and Twyla and Embry didn't. And that was the problem.
Another bone suddenly broke from the floor, jutting out and hitting Sahira in the chin. She felt her teeth hit together, blood spilling into her mouth. They fell back onto the stairs, clutching their mouth.
Embry ran from Gracie's side over to Sahira, their eyes wide with terror.
Hannah didn't dare look, running up the stairs and to the Cauldron. For a moment, she hesitated to touch it. What with the way it had almost sucked Gracie in. But when no winds came and no magic tried to pull her in, she touched the rim. Nothing.
"CJ, Gracie!" She shouted. The two ran up, and the black smoke brought them back over to the Isle.
~~~
"Holy shit." CJ let out a startled gasp before falling onto the dirt.
Gracie laughed, her fear mixing with shock as she eased away from the Cauldron. Hannah stared at it for a moment, watching as light disappeared around it.
She stepped closer, watching the shadows grow wider around the Cauldron. The power this thing held...
"I'll carry it."
She knew she could handle it, for the most part. And she didn't want her friends to take the chance. CJ seemed reluctant, though. But before he could protest, she took up one of the handles and started to drag it in.
Once they were inside the cabin, it shut behind them. Gracie looked and saw the Horned King standing before him, his face shadowed by his hood. Did this guy never leave the kitchen?
"You brought it..."
He sounded almost surprised. Hannah forced it further into the room and stepped back. She looked up at her father, expression unreadable and hands shaking as she went closer to her friends. CJ immediately flinched away, grabbing Hannah's shoulders and slightly pulling her back. Gracie ducked to her friends' side.
"You..." He paused, as if registering his own words. "I'm surprised to say, but I am..."
The world went still for a moment.
"Proud... of you."
That was it. That one thing Hannah King wanted since she was created.
Pleaded and worked for when her hair was still light and her eyes bright.
Cried and bled for.
Begged for. Begged for.
And she.
Felt.
Nothing.
No pride, no resentment, no confusion or happiness or anger. There were no smiles or tears or screams.
Nothing.
"Okay..." She whispered, giving a nod and looking at the Cauldron.
The King seemed unfazed with her response, giving what Gracie assumed was an expression of happiness. But it more so just looked like a skeletal grimace and freakishly wide eyes.
"Now, child." He hummed, stepping closer and setting his hand on Hannah's shoulder. She flinched but didn't move. "Our destiny needs a sacrifice." He tightened the grip.
"So, which one of these 'friends' will feed the Cauldron?"
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