Someone Else Is Pulling at the Strings

Chapter 2 It Isn't Over

TW: Possession, implied past abuse

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Amity and others landed at the entrance to the Archives, looking around the bright pastel castle. It was so huge and so empty. So this is where the puppets were kept...

They took one last doubtful glance at the surface, worried about Luz. They all didn't want to leave her alone, but breaking the Collector's rules would be very much deadly.

Out of nowhere, they heard footsteps and as they turned around they turned pale; four puppets, their fathers, were heading their way with another witch standing on top of the stairs with a devilish smirk.

"Well, look what we have here," Odalia said, looking down at the kids.

"Oh, come on!" Amity exclaimed in frustration, seeing her, "can't even say I'm surprised."

"Is that any way to welcome your mother after several months?" the green-haired asked as she walked down the stairs. She received an immediate death glare not only from Amity but also Camila who was ready to reach for her bat.

"You're right, it isn't. Good thing I welcomed you like that and not my mom."

"Excuse me?" Odalia squinted her eyes in hostility as she stopped on the stairs.

"You heard me," Amity replied, spinning her staff in her hand, "now, release dad and the others."

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Mittens," the adult witch said, pure venom in her voice as she spoke that nickname, "only the Collector has that power. But being Mamadalia has its perks." She flung her moon earring with her finger, causing the puppets' eyes to light up in yellow and red.

The first one to draw their circle was Alador. The abomination goop erupted from the pipes on his back and it headed towards Camila. Hunter with his new powers teleported in a flash of yellow in front of Camila and above the goop, coming down with a strong kick, splitting the goop.

He glanced behind him to make sure that the human was okay; a relieved smile formed on his face, however, that didn't last long. The goop wrapped around his ankles and yanked him into the air upside down. This time it wasn't Alador in control of the goop, but Harvey. He pulled the boy to him.

Amity quickly drew a spell circle to take control of the goop while the blond was about to teleport out of there, but before neither of them managed to do anything, the goop around Hunter's ankles got covered in stone. Construction magic. Gilbert joined in.

Hunter was hanging by his ankles in front of Willow's parents with an awkward grin on his face.

"Hello, Mr. and Mr. Park. I was hoping we could see each other eye-to-eye during our first meeting, but this isn't what I imagined."

"Dad, Papa! Please, let him go!" Willow called out to them.

Amity held her hands in front of her with spell circles around her wrists, squeezing the air. The goop around Hunter started to bubble and it suddenly burst, breaking the stone shell. Hunter fell to the ground, but before he hit the hard floor, thick vines piled up under him, catching him.

He sat up swiftly and as soon as he noticed different copies popping around, he gave Gus a quick glance. He launched himself in the air and bounced all over the place and so did his illusion copies. He managed to distract the two abomination witches and the construction witch, but one of the puppets didn't fall for the trick and rather focused on the cause of the distraction.

Gus held out his hand with a blue spell circle around it, so focused on Hunter and all his different versions that he didn't even register his own father standing behind him, hands on his gem. A light blue Spirit came out of the gem and charged at Gus, however, right before reaching him, it hit an abomination shield at full speed.