Distressing Dominance | Owl House x Reader

Chapter 23

Her grip tightened. "We can't give up, Y/N," she said fiercely. "We've come this far, and we can't let all of this be for nothing. We've got to keep going. For them."

"But what's the point?" I spat back, my anger and grief turning inward. "We're just pawns in a game we don't understand, fighting battles that are never going to end. Everyone we care about gets hurt, and for what? We have gained absolutely nothing so far, and it doesn't look like we'll gain anything in the near future."

Amity's eyes flashed with a fiery resolve. "You're wrong, Y/N," she said firmly. "We've gained so much. We've found partnership, purpose, and a chance to change the course of two worlds. We can't let the Emperor's evil win."

I turned away from her, the sting of her words hitting harder than any spell. "You think we can just waltz back to the Owl House like nothing happened?" I snarled. "Our friends are dead, Amity, all of them. And we're no closer to stopping Belos than we were when we started."

Her eyes searched mine, and she took a step closer. "They're not dead," she whispered, her voice strained with emotion. "Not if we don't let them be. We can save them, we can save everyone. But we can't do it by giving up. We have to be strong, for them and for each other."

I couldn't look at her, my anger a palpable force between us. "They ARE dead! And no, they won't live on in our memories as everyone likes to claim." I said, my voice cold. "This isn't a game, it's not a storybook where everything works out in the end. People die here, real people, and all we're doing is playing into the hands of a monster."

Amity took a step back, hurt flashing in her eyes. "You don't know what you're talking about," she retorted. "You think you're so much smarter, so much more aware of what's happening? Well, guess what? You're just as lost as the rest of us. But you know what? We're still fighting. We're still here. And if you can't handle that, then maybe you never truly belonged in this realm to begin with."

Her words stung, but instead of backing down, I felt a new fire ignite within me. "Yes, I think so too. I don't belong into this shit. The Emperor is a problem of your realm, not mine." I shot back, my voice rising with each word. "How many more of our friends have to die before you realize that this is a battle we can't win? That we're just feeding the monster?"

Amity's grip on her wand tightened, and she stepped closer, her eyes blazing. "We can't just abandon everyone and everything we've worked for!" she shouted. "You think it's that easy to just walk away from this?"

"Whatever," I sneered, turning to face her. "You said it yourself, I don't belong into this realm...so that shit is your problem now, I'm out."

With those parting words, I stormed out of the chamber, leaving her and the Titan behind. I didn't look back, didn't care if they were shocked or if they called after me. All I knew was that I had to get away from the pain and the futility of it all. I had to get back to my own world, where I could breathe without the constant fear of death hanging over my head.

The festival was in chaos as I made my way through the panicking crowd. The Emperor's fall had sent shockwaves through the Boiling Isles, and everyone knew that change was coming. Whether it was for better or worse, I didn't care. I just needed to find the portal back to the human realm.

The path was fraught with danger, as demons and witches alike searched for any sign of the one who had brought down their ruler. I had to be careful, keeping my disguise intact, my true identity a secret. The fear of discovery was a constant companion, my heart racing with every step.

As I approached the edge of the festival grounds, the chaos grew more distant, replaced by the eerie silence of the surrounding woods. The trees loomed over me like sentinels, whispering secrets of the Boiling Isles that I wasn't meant to hear. I stumbled through the underbrush, the moon casting just enough light for me to see by.

When I finally reached the Owl House, my heart was heavy with the weight of my decision. The warm glow of the windows beckoned to me, a stark contrast to the coldness of the night. I took a deep breath and pushed open the door, stepping into the familiar, cluttered room.

Eda looked up from her work, her eyes narrowing as she took in my disheveled appearance. "You've got some nerve coming back here," she said, her voice like gravel. "What happened to Willow and Odalia? And what in the worlds have you done?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat, the weight of my failure heavy in my chest. "Odalia... she's gone," I managed to say. "And Willow... She's dead as well. I'm going back to my world, I'm done here."

Eda's expression grew darker, if that was even possible. "You think you can just waltz in here and use my portal like it's a door to the next room?" she snarled. "You're not going anywhere, not until you tell me everything that happened."

I sighed, the weight of my guilt and sorrow pressing down on me like a mountain. I recounted the events of the past hours, the battle with the Emperor, and the ultimate ambush by Hunter. Eda's face grew paler with each word, and I could see the pain etched into the lines of her face as she absorbed the loss of our people. When I finished, she was silent for a long time, her gaze unreadable.

Finally, she spoke. "You're right," she said, her voice gruff but not unkind. "You can't fix what's been done. But you can't just leave either. The Boiling Isles need you, whether you believe it or not."

"Yes, I can." I argued, my voice cracking. "I'm done fighting for your problems, I wanna go home."

Eda stepped closer, her eyes burning with a fierce determination that was almost otherworldly. "Home? You think you can just go back to your quaint human life after all of this?" she asked, her voice rising. "You've seen the power here, the magic. You've felt the pull of the Demon Realm. You're not the same as you were before, Y/N. You're one of us now, whether you like it or not."

Her words hit me like a sledgehammer. Was she right? Had I really changed that much in such a short time? The thought was both terrifying and exhilarating. "I won't stay," I said, "I belong to the human realm, and not here, fighting an unwinnable war against some Emperor."

"Then you're a coward," she spat, the warmth in the room dissipating like mist. "You're running from your responsibility. Your friends gave their lives for you, for this cause, and you're just going to leave?"