Distressing Dominance | Owl House x Reader

Chapter 17

But amidst the chaos, my heart sank as the light did not discriminate. It touched the guards as well, and they fell, their lifeless forms crumpling to the ground. The rebels, fueled by their newfound power, continued their assault, not realizing that the light was not only weakening the Emperor but killing anyone who came too close to him. I watched in horror as the very beings I had come to call allies were brutally slain, their screams echoing through the night.

Belos' laughter grew louder, his form growing more stable as he absorbed the souls of the fallen. "Your so-called 'love' is your downfall," he taunted, his eyes gleaming with malicious pleasure. "Your kindness will be the end of you all."

My heart raced as I searched for a way to save my newfound friends and end this madness. I knew I had to act fast. Drawing upon the last of my human magic, I called out to the spirits of the humans who had been trapped in the Boiling Isles. They responded, their voices a chorus in my mind, filling me with a power I had never felt before. "Help us," I pleaded, "help us break the cycle of fear and hate."

The spirits surged around us, a glowing tide of hope that washed over the square. The humans and demons fighting under the influence of Belos' dark magic stumbled, their eyes clearing as the light touched them. The rebels faltered, their swords dropping from their hands as they saw their fallen comrades rising, unharmed but shaken.

"We stand together," I shouted, my voice carrying the weight of the spirits' power. "We are not pawns in your twisted game!" The light grew brighter, forming a barrier around us, pushing back the Emperor's shadowy minions.

Belos's smile twisted into a snarl. "You think you can stop me?" he bellowed, his eyes flashing with a malevolence that seemed to darken the very sky. He raised his arms, and the air crackled with a power so intense it made my skin crawl. "You dare to stand against the will of the Titan?"

The Emperor began to glow with an eerie, pulsing light, his body expanding and distorting until he was a towering, shadowy behemoth that blotted out the stars. The ground beneath us trembled, and the light of our unity dimmed in the face of his overwhelming might. The rebels and townsfolk stumbled back, their expressions a mix of horror and disbelief.

"Flee!" Odalia shouted, her eyes never leaving Belos' monstrous form. "We must regroup and find another way to stop him!" Her voice was a command, and the rebels knew better than to argue. With a surge of movement, we turned and ran, leaving the square behind us. The cobblestone streets grew slick with the shadows that the Emperor cast, making our escape feel like a nightmare we couldn't wake from.

As we sprinted through the winding streets of the city, the sounds of destruction followed us. Buildings crumbled under the Emperor's wrath, and the screams of innocents pierced the night air. It was a sobering reminder of the power we faced. The guards, once our enemies, were now indiscriminate targets of the Emperor's fury. They were just as much a part of this world as we were, and their lives were just as precious.

Through the portal, we arrived at the safety of the Owl House, panting and exhausted. Eda looked at us with a mix of fear and hope. "What happened?" she asked, her eyes searching mine for answers. I could see the desperation in her gaze, the hope that I had brought some form of victory.

"Belos has shown his true form," I gasped. "We must find a way to stop him before he destroys everything."

Eda nodded gravely. "We can't do it alone. We need to gather the allies we have made and prepare for the final battle." "She's right, we're outnumbered." Amity added.

I took a deep breath and nodded in agreement. "But first," I said, looking at Amity, "we need to tell her the truth..." I turned back to Eda. "Eda...all the rebels got killed by Belos... we're all alone now. Only we remained." I said, with Amity, Gus, Willow and Odalia standing with me, looking at the ground.

Eda's expression grew darker, and she slammed her fist into the table. "No!" she exclaimed. "We can't give up now!" Her fiery spirit was a beacon in the shadow of despair that had settled over us. "We've come too far, learned too much."

Willow spoke up, her voice trembling. "We have to tell everyone. Maybe together, we can find a way to stop Belos without losing any more lives."

Gus, who had been silent, looked up with a spark in his eyes. "And what about the other humans in the Demon Realm? They could be in danger too!"

The room grew quiet, the gravity of the situation weighing heavily on us all. It was true, the humans trapped here had become pawns in a game far larger than any of us. We had to warn them, to offer them the same chance at freedom that I had been granted. "We need to gather them," I said firmly. "We'll be stronger together."

Eda nodded, her resolve hardening. "We'll send messages through the trusted ones we know. But we must be careful. Belos has eyes everywhere." Her gaze flickered to the window, and for a moment, I thought I saw a hint of fear in her eyes. But it was quickly replaced with the fierce determination that had come to define her.

We spent the rest of the night planning, mapping out the locations of the humans we knew of and strategizing how to bring them to the Owl House without alerting the Emperor's Coven. It was a risky move, but one we had to take. The fate of the human realm and the Boiling Isles hung in the balance, and we were the only ones who could tip the scales towards peace.

As dawn approached, we sent out Gus with a small group of trusted allies, their mission to spread the word of our rebellion and bring the humans to safety. The rest of us stayed behind, preparing the house for the influx of refugees and sharpening our weapons for the battle ahead. The atmosphere was tense, a palpable mix of fear and hope.