Let me live! | Hunter X Edric The Owl House

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{Hunter's PoV}

I'm still watching him carefully when the Collector suddenly attacks me with fire. My eyes wide a little, with Flapjack's help I dodge the attack. I jump onto Flapjack and we fly into the air. I take a look back to see that the fire attack which was meant to hit me is about to hit Luz and the others, but luckily they manage to dodge it.

"Damn, it's to dangerous to fight here." I mumble quietly, I hear my friends and many others yell my name. Luz and the others, my friends from school, my karate club and police officers I've got to know at the station. They are all in danger.

I keep looking at them when I see someone pushing throw the crowd and jumping over the barricades. That someone runs over to Luz and the others. It's Camila. She seems extremly worried as she talks to the others and at some point she looks up to me.

"Hunter, you don't have to do this!!! It's okay to stop!!! This is not worth sacrificing your life for!" She yells and I hear more and more people chanting my name. I watch her with big eyes, I take a short look back to the Collector before I look back to them and smile a little.

"Sorry. But this isn't a choice." I say, smiling a little. And that's when I get a flashback of him. A flashback to the moment when he sent us back to the Human Realm to protect us.

Smiling a little sadly, I turn around to the Collector.

"Just wait a little longer. I think we'll meet again soon." I mumble before I fly higher into the air.

"Where are you going?? You running away now? Nobody quits during my games!!" Yells the Collector before flying after me.

I close my eyes a little and continue to fly. Higher and higher. I have to bring him away from the people, so high his attacks won't hit them. Once we're high enough I stop in the air and wait for the Collector to arrive. Only a few seconds later the Collector arrived in front of me, smiling widely.

"Don't worry, Collector. I'm not running away. I'm going all in here." I say watching calmy and thinking of a way to defeat him.

Win a fight which is impossible to win?
You're no match to him.
This is it.

"Want everybody to watch our game? That's interesting." Says the Collector smiling and spinning.

"Is everything in your life about games?" I ask, standing up on my staff preparing myself to attack.

"Well of course, games are the best and make fun! Who wouldn't like to play all day??" He laughs and lifts a hand into the air. The dark red clouds in the sky all start to whirl around and gather above him. Gulping a little nervous I look back to him.

"They are fun, you're right. But nobody can play all day. People have needs, commitments and boundaries." I say as I watch his every move.

"No, they don't! Everybody should play all day." Disagrees the Collector and I look at him surprised.

Just like a child?

That's also the moment I let my guard down.

"What the-!?! What do you mean no?? Of course they do. Not only that, the games we play don't kill anyone!" I say and he looks at me, insulted.

"I didn't kill anyone!"

I look at him even more irritated. "My uncle? And the whole boiling isles?? The way you play games is life threating to us! Why do you think everybody is scared of you!!"

He looks at me for a moment and seems to be thinking. "You're saying..." He lowers his arms and the clouds that gathered above him spread out again. "People don't want to play with me...because I could kill them and they are afraid?" He asks kind of...sad?

Still a little overwhelmed I'm looking at him speechless. And that's when I once again notice a resemblance between him and me.

Maybe...

I take a deep breath before I continue to talk. "Yeah. Everyone is afraid of death. And the way you 'play' is a little extrem and could easily kill someone. So people are afraid of you. And forcing people to play with you isn't the right thing either." I explain calmly, watching his reaction.

He seems to listen to me and once I finished explaining he sighed quietly and lowered his head. "But nobody wants to play with me. I just want to have fun and everyone to enjoy it. It's not fair..." Mumbles the Collector and I'm just looking at him.

He isn't just behaving like a child, he IS a child. A child with unworldly, crazy and mighty powers. But still a child who wants to have fun and enjoy his life.

"You know..." I start and he looks back at me. "If you'd start to play a little more careful, ask people nicely to play with you and accept their boundaries, ESPECIALLY when they say no...I'm sure there are people who want to play with you. Like you said, games are fun. But not if you're scared or forced." I explain, a little smile appears on my lips and I close my eyes, remembering everything. "Remember when I said I realized my mistake? I didn't do it on my own. I had my friends who helped me realize it. I think that's something you need too. A friend who helps you realize and change yourself. Change can be...the hardest thing, I know that. But it's not impossible. It wasn't for me and it won't be for you."

I fly a little closer to him and he looks at me a little uncertain. "So, what do you think? If you can be a little more careful while playing and accept it when someone needs a break and the game ends, I wouldn't mind to play with you." I say and I immediately see his face light up in joy and his eyes sparkle.

"Really??? You'd play with me??? Freely??" He asks excitedly and I just nod, still overwhelmed by this whole situation.

"Of course. However for us to play-" I take a short look down to the city where I see all the people gathered and watching us. "You have to fix everything. And maybe act as if you were leaving this world through a portal again. I'm sure you can create such an illusion. Otherwise, all these people would be endlessly scared, you understand?" 

He's still looking at me exictedly and he nods. "Yes, yes, yes of course!" He lifts a hand into the air and spins it around a little. As he does that, all the things that got destroyed seem to turn back in time. Everything rebuilds itself and shortly afterwards, all the damage he caused disappeared. I look back to the Collector and he creates a portal beside us.

"Remember that forest and the house you came out when you entered this world?" He nods. "Good, I'll meet you there. Make sure nobody sees you." He's still smiling exictedly.

"See you later, Grimy! Oh and if you don't come, I'll destroy this world." He smiles innocently and he goes through the portal, disappearing inside it and the portal closing.

So, I'm just flying there, staring into the air nervously. "O-Okay, we still gotta talk about some things." I sigh quietly. And that nickname, nothing I'd like to be reminded of. I notice all the cheering from the people under me and I start to fly down to them.