Golden Clean Slate

by Manatee_rex22

Summary:

After everything that has happened in Hunter's life, he was hopeful that he wouldn't suffer from any more pain or trauma. Unfortunately, not everyone is okay with the Golden Guard being treated as an "innocent" now that Belos is gone, and the residents of Boiling Isles are safe. What happened to Hunter? Can his friends and found family help him? What will they discover?

Notes:

Note: I do not own The Owl House... a very unfortunate fact. *Sigh....*

Chapter 1

Hunter had a feeling that he would have a hard time with adjusting to things after Luz defeated Belos and the Boiling Isles were restored. His misdeeds as The Golden Guard would not easily be forgotten... nor forgiven. Hunter wasn't really looking for forgiveness when it came to the citizens of the Boiling Isles, because he felt like he did not deserve it, but he was more than willing to help rebuild and assist with anything that he could. Not too many witches or demons were accepting of his help, naturally, but they at least allowed Hunter to do what he wanted.

Things got quite a bit worse after Odalia Blight revealed something she found in the castle before she became a "helper" for The Collector. It turns out the Oracle witch had found some old papers Belos had written about the Grimwalkers he had created, including a long list of names, which had Hunter's name on it as well. Odalia was more than pleased to spread the discovery around, making Hunter even more distrusted by the citizens. Some witches even threw stones at him when he tried to help!

However, after everything Hunter had been through for the first sixteen years of his life, his friends (especially Willow) were hoping that he wouldn’t have to suffer through any more pain or trauma for quite a while. That Hunter could enjoy being a teenager, go to school, continue getting used to positive affection, learn what hobbies he enjoys, experience dating, and make progress on a good sleeping schedule.

For the first four months after the Boiling Isles were restored and The Collector returned to the stars, Hunter started easing his way into those very things. He had a home with Darius, but also had rooms at the Owl House, the Park residence, and the Noceda household for sleepovers. Hunter still read books quite often, a hobby that he still enjoyed even though he no longer was researching ways to heal curses. Thanks to Eda introducing Hunter to her father, the young man was learning how to carve Palismen… something that he REALLY wanted to do and had an amazing talent for.

Unfortunately, it seemed that life wasn’t done testing Hunter’s limits. Even though Hunter had suffered through mental, emotional, and physical abuse for practically his entire life… he was being put through a mountain of muck once again! It was something that no one wanted him to go through, but it had already happened, and they had to find a way to remedy the situation.

What happened exactly? The details were muddled, but Willow had extracted a few memories from Hunter during Photo Class (nothing too out of the ordinary, except most of Hunter’s memories were FAR darker than anyone expected). The bell screamed for lunch; Hunter was seated with his friends at the table laughing at a joke that Luz told him… everything was just fine. Then, out of nowhere, Hunter went quiet, his eyes glazed over for several minutes, and his head hit the table with an audible “thud”. Panicked, Willow instantly went to her boyfriend’s side and checked on him, the Grimwalker didn’t refocus for at least two minutes and acted like he didn’t know who Willow, Luz, Amity, and Gus were.

The group instantly knew what was going on, they rushed to the Photo Class and found a witch by the name of Brie Bloodworth standing by the tables with shredded photos around her. The black-haired witch didn’t look shocked or guilty at all, she seemed quite pleased with herself! That instantly ticked Willow off, tying Brie up tightly with thick vines and demanded an explanation. Brie had hung out with Boscha at one point and wanted to “put the filthy Grimwalker in his place” by messing with his mind.

Less than an hour later, Hunter was sent home since he was showing signs of memory loss and was having trouble navigating the school without assistance. Willow and the others had no choice but to finish their school day, even though hardly any of them could concentrate on anything! However, they also knew that Darius would find a way to keep Hunter from hurting himself accidentally until he could get things set up to help the young man.

Right after school let out, Willow was quick to message her fathers and head to Darius’ home with Luz, Amity, and Gus following her. When they arrived, the teens found Darius, Eda, and Raine in the living room with Hunter sipping on some tea as he sat on the couch.

“How is Hunter?” Willow asked

“Unfortunately, about the same since he was sent home.” Darius reported “Getting Hunter relaxed enough to sleep is something we’re still working on…”

“What about a Sleeping Potion?” Amity asked

“Can’t really say if it would work, Amity.” Eda replied quickly “According to old records, Grimwalkers made from witch bones have a strong immunity to potions, but since Hunter's bone came from a Human, the potion could end up doing more harm than good.”

“So, we’re using other methods.” Raine added “I just made a special mug of tea for him; my mother used it on me when I had trouble getting to sleep. It works like a charm.”

Willow let out a breath that she didn’t know she had been holding, she was really hoping that they could solve this situation, she did not like the blank gaze in her boyfriend’s copper eyes. Willow didn’t want Hunter to go through this for the rest of his life, not remembering anything! Willow herself went through a few hours without her memory! It was not something she’d recommend to anyone!

As Luz, Amity, Willow, Gus, Darius, Eda, and Raine conversed amongst each other, Hunter finished his tea and set the mug on the small coffee table carefully. Even though his mind was in literal shreds, it seemed that basic manners were something that Hunter didn’t forget. With the tea finished, Hunter turned his attention to Owlbert who was sitting on the arm of the couch, keeping a watchful eye.

“Come here, little guy.” Hunter said gently, patting his lap

Owlbert hopped over without a second thought and settled himself on Hunter’s lap, the teen smiled, showing off the gap between his teeth.

“You’re a cute little guy, huh?” Hunter asked

Owlbert hooted as Hunter gently stroked his brown feathers, leaning into the attention with a content expression. As Hunter quietly paid attention to Owlbert for several minutes, the teen started finding it harder to keep his eyes open and his brain was feeling slightly sluggish.

“Excuse me… Darius?” Hunter spoke up

The dark-skinned male instantly turned his attention to Hunter.

“Yes, Hunter?” Darius asked

“I’m feeling very tired, is there a place for me to sleep?” Hunter questioned

“You can nap on the couch with Owlbert.” Eda replied “Hopefully, your… headache will be gone when you wake up.”

Hunter nodded and moved so that he was more comfortable on the couch, Owlbert settled himself on Hunter’s chest with a small hoot. Everyone in the room lowered their voices as Hunter slowly started falling sleep.

“So, who’s going in?” Eda asked bluntly

“You don’t waste time, do you?” Darius responded “Hunter’s not even fully asleep yet.”

“I know, but we need at least two people to go in there.” Eda said “Luz is already mentally and emotionally scarred by what happened the last time she was in someone’s mind.”

Luz shuddered at the memory “I know Hunter’s would be different, but…”

Amity put a hand on her girlfriend’s shoulder “No need to explain, Luz.”

“I possibly could, but… I’ve never been in a Mindscape before.” Gus said

Willow looked over at Hunter, who had his eyes closed and his breathing was settling out, becoming slower and deeper.

“I’ll go in.” Willow volunteered

“I had a feeling you would say that, kid.” Eda said “You’ll need someone else to go in with you, to act as backup.”

“Darius and I will have to stay out here, we’re the return trip.” Raine stated

“I’m going to help Lilith finish up the Mind’s Eye Potion in the kitchen.” Eda reported

Gus tilted his head “Lilith is here too?”

“I explained everything you kids told us and had to talk her into helping us out with Hunter.” Raine explained “She learned of the Mind’s Eye Potion during her time with the Emperor’s Coven. It can help us keep an eye on whoever goes into Hunter’s mind, especially if things go wrong in there.”

“What about the walkie-talkies?” Luz asked

“I wasn’t able to get everything the Coven Scouts took from my house in one piece; those old things were broken beyond repair when I got them back.” Eda replied

Amity stepped forward “Then I’ll go in with Willow.”

“Are you sure, Amity?” Luz asked

Amity nodded “I’m sure.”

“I’ll let Lilith know that we’ve got a plan.” Eda said “Darius and Raine can get you girls into Hunter’s Mindscape, just be careful while you’re in there.”

“Don’t worry, I remember the warnings from when Willow was without her memories.” Amity assured

Eda nodded as she went into the kitchen to help her sister finish the potion, Raine turned their attention to the teens.

“The circumstances are similar, but we can’t treat the situations like they’re the same.” Raine said “Hunter’s memories weren’t burned like Willow’s were, but they’re just as affected… we also have to include Hunter’s biology as well.”

“Why?” Amity asked curiously “I thought Mindscapes are very similar species to species.”

“They are in some ways, but Grimwalkers like Hunter are a vast unknown.” Darius said as he watched Hunter sleep “No one knows what kind of brains Belos used, he could have used brains from deceased witches or creatures.”

“That’s a fair point.” Amity said “We’ll be very careful not to get lost or hurt.”

“Locate the Inner Hunter, he’ll be your guide.” Raine stated “He’ll know every inch of the Mindscape.”

Willow and Amity nodded, the two girls stood side-by-side as Darius and Raine readied the spell.

“Be careful you two.” Luz said

“We will.” Amity assured

“Keep an eye on Hunter.” Willow implored

Gus nodded “Luz, Owlbert, and I will keep a close eye on him.”

After a few moments, Amity and Willow found themselves surrounded by many Palistrom trees, each one was a different height and thickness. Some had torn paintings within their thick wooden trunks, while others stood silently with their leaves dull and listless.

“My goodness, is this because of the damage Brie did? Or does Hunter’s Mindscape always look like this?” Willow asked as she touched a tree

“No idea.” Amity replied as she looked around “Hunter didn’t have the best upbringing, so it’s possible that his Mindscape naturally looks like this.”

The two teenaged girls walked along a twisted dirt path, the air around them was a comfortable temperature, but it smelled of damp wood. The path seemed completely natural with rich dirt, some rocks, but there were no flowers. It was almost like they were walking through an actual forest!

“So, where do we begin?” Amity asked

“All we need to do is either fix the memories ourselves, or find the Inner Hunter.” Willow replied

A sudden breeze moved through, the branches of the Palistrom trees moving with it, countless leaves swirled around like they were moving inside a small gornado. After a few moments, the girls could see the silhouette of a person within the moving leaves.

“Ask and you shall receive, trespassers.” A familiar voice stated

Chapter 2: I'm Still Here.

Notes:

Just a small update.

I'm so sorry that things have been quiet with me for a while. I have been busy with work, life stuff, and just... emotionally exhausted from being torn into, trolled, and harassed by a Tumblr user. I'm not going to give any names or anything, I'm not that kind of person. I found a way to block them though, they were trying to cause trouble again, and continue harassing me.

I am doing my best to come back with new chapters like I promised. You all deserve it after waiting so long for them! Thank you to those who have TRULY been kind, courteous, understanding, patient, open-minded, and just so nice! I really appreciate it!

Chapter 3

Notes:

Disclaimer: I do not own The Owl House! Unfortunately, Disney does and they're being complete utter morons!

Eda walked into the kitchen, finding Lilith standing by the portable cauldron, stirring its contents. The expression on Lilith’s face was hard to pinpoint, Eda couldn't really tell what was going on in her older sister's head.

“Darius and Raine sent Willow and Amity into Hunter’s Mindscape.” Eda reported “The Mind’s Eye Potion ready?”

Lilith nodded “Almost, I need to add the fairy dandruff.”

Eda found a small jar of sparkling light gray powder and handed it to Lilith.

“I do find something interesting, though…” Eda stated

Lilith raised an eyebrow, silently encouraging her younger sister to continue her thoughts.

“Raine mentioned that they had to talk you into helping us.” Eda said “You’ve been making up for those you have done wrong to Lilith, including Hunter. Why would you be so hesitant in helping him recover his memories?”

Lilith sighed as she added the fairy dandruff to the potion and stirred it a few times, the potion bubbled and turned from green to a deep blue.

“To be honest, when Raine told me about what had happened to Hunter…. I didn’t think it was a major problem.” Lilith admitted “Would it really be so horrible if Hunter didn’t remember anything from his past? It’s full of darkness, use, pain, and abuse…”

“I can understand that kind of logic, Lilith, but Hunter can’t live life with an empty brain!” Eda pointed out “He won’t be able to function in society, he won’t be able to go back to school, he won’t be able to continue learning how to carve from Dad, the relationships he has made would fall apart because he doesn’t remember them! That includes Willow!”

Lilith nodded as she put the fire out under the cauldron “I know, that’s why I agreed to help after Raine didn’t back down. Hunter deserves to be helped… even though some memories should stay buried.”

Eda didn’t respond as she helped her sister move the portable cauldron to the living room. Luz, King, and Gus were seated by the coffee table as Darius and Raine stood nearby, their eyes on Hunter. The blond Grimwalker was still fast asleep on the couch with Owlbert, Stringbean, Clover, Ghost, and Emmiline lightly snoozing on his chest.

“The potion is ready?” Darius asked

Lilith nodded “All set, we’ll be able to keep an eye on Amity and Willow from here.”

The Clawthorne sisters set the cauldron on the coffee table, the deep blue contents started to ripple as Hunter groaned slightly in his sleep. Everyone in the room started to see a strange looking forest of Palistrom trees within the potion.

~Meanwhile with Willow and Amity…~

The wind within the forest started to die down, the stray leaves settling, the two girls gasped at what they were seeing. An all too familiar figure wearing an ivory-colored hooded cloak with a golden triangle clasp. Under the cloak was a dark yellow long-sleeved tunic with a golden-yellow short-sleeved shirt over it and a dark brown belt, black leggings, dark brown gloves, and boots. A golden pauldron glimmered on the left shoulder; the figure also wore a pointed two-faceted mask with a thin eye-slot across it.

“The Golden Guard.” Willow whispered

“Of course, he would be the Inner Hunter… the protector of the memories.” Amity deadpanned

The male tilted his head, due to the mask, they couldn’t read his expression. What was a surprise was that he didn’t carry a staff, not even the artificial magic staff that Hunter once used before Flapjack found him. There was also a crack on the side of the golden mask, and a few tears in the white cloak.

“What has you trespassing here? Damage has already befallen this place.” the Golden Guard inquired

Willow stepped forward “We came to help Hunter.”

The Golden Guard started walking around them in a circle, the eye-slot of his mask on the two girls, apparently observing them closely to make sure that they weren’t a threat.

“Outside assistance would be beneficial.” the Golden Guard mused “I can’t fix the memories in any way.”

“You can’t?” Amity asked curiously

“Inner selves can cause damage to a Mindscape if they’re angry enough, but we can’t fix memories that are damaged or fading away naturally.” the Golden Guard replied

“That’s quite interesting, actually.” Amity said

“Since you two are here to help, I’ll be your guide.” the Golden Guard stated “However, if I find that you’re causing more damage… I will force you out of here.”

Willow nodded in understanding “That sounds fair, but you have nothing to worry about… we just want to help Hunter.”

“So, where do we begin?” Amity asked looking around

The Golden Guard started walking toward a large Palistrom tree, the painting within the bark was torn, it was hard to tell exactly what the memory would entail. As the three walked, Willow looked at the Golden Guard with curiosity in her green eyes.

“Something on your mind, plant master?” the Golden Guard asked

“I’m curious as to why the forest of Hunter’s Mindscape is so still and dreary.” Willow replied “Is it always like this? Or is it because of what happened to his memories today?”

“This section of the Mindscape is always like this, it houses memories that are neutral… they’re not bad but they’re not good, either.” the Golden Guard responded “It’s the way his Mindscape shaped itself.”

“I see.” Willow nodded

“So, the memories we fix in this section won’t mentally scar us for life, that’s good to know.” Amity said

The Golden Guard sighed “The memories that would cause possible mental scars to you are housed in a much darker section; we’ll go there after we fix what is damaged here.”

Amity was tempted to respond sarcastically, but she had a feeling that it would not go well with the Golden Guard, so she kept it to herself. Soon the three of them came to the large Palistrom tree.

“I will stand guard out here, yell for me if you need my assistance.” the Golden Guard said

Willow nodded “We will.”

The Golden Guard placed himself by the tree, standing at attention as the two girls carefully moved the torn painting so it was straight within the bark and stepped into the memory carefully.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Willow blinked a few times as she and Amity found themselves standing in a long hallway, several torches lined the walls along with a few tapestries that made Willow shudder. She had seen a hallway almost like this before when she and Gus were helping Luz find the Healing Hat… they were in the emperor’s castle!

“Woah, Hunter actually has neutral memories about this place?” Amity asked

Willow looked around “I guess so.”

The two girls jumped in surprise when a little boy, no older than three, ran through them and down the hall, holding his left ear. The boy’s blond hair and magenta-colored eyes were a dead giveaway, the boy was Hunter! The girls followed him down the hall, hearing his sobs of pain, which made Willow’s heart clench.

“How is this a neutral memory? This seems horrible so far.” Willow said

“Let’s see how this plays out.” Amity advised

The girls watched as little Hunter hid himself by a tall potted plant, tears running down his cheeks that were luckily scar free. Hunter curled himself tight, blood running between the fingers of his hand that was holding his ear.

“Hunter?” a feminine voice asked

The three-year-old froze and looked up, seeing Lilith Clawthorne looking down at him with an unreadable look on her face. He expected her to yell at him for crying, leaving his blood on the floor, or even running away after being hurt. What he didn’t expect was for Lilith to kneel and gently remove his hand from his ear.

“It’s alright, just stay still.” Lilith whispered soothingly

Hunter nodded as Lilith used a blue spell circle to stop the bleeding and clean the wound of any bacteria, the woman then took a small kit out of the pocket of her dress and started wrapping bandages around the new notch. Hunter occasionally whimpered in pain, but Lilith didn’t say a word about it, her focus on the wound.

“There we go.” Lilith said “It will be a permanent injury, but as long as the wound is kept clean, your ear won’t get infected.”

Hunter sniffled “T-thank y-you.”

“You’re welcome, Hunter.” Lilith said “What happened for you to get such an injury?”

“I… I don’t know.” Hunter sniffled “I was asking Uncle Belos ‘bout potions and he… he hurt me.”

Lilith observed the three-year-old closely, Hunter had only been in the Coven for a few months now and seemed to be a very curious little boy. There was no reason for Hunter to receive such an injury.

“Emperor Belos is probably very busy and stressed, I’m sure he didn’t mean to hurt you this badly, Hunter.” Lilith stated

Hunter whipped his tears and sniffed, still visibly upset, Willow wished that she could hug the blond-haired toddler.

“However, since you’re curious about potions, I can show you a few things.” Lilith offered

Hunter’s magenta eyes widened “Really?”

“I’m not busy at the moment, I’d be happy to teach you a few basic things about potions.” Lilith replied “Come along, Hunter.”

Lilith stood up and motioned for Hunter to follow her, the adorable boy obeyed the silent order, occasionally grabbing Lilith’s dress to help him balance as they headed down the long hall.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The world seemed to shift; the scent of damp wood greeted Willow’s nose again. The plant witch blinked as she looked at the painting to see little Hunter walking beside Lilith, bandages wrapped around his left ear.

“Well done.” the Golden Guard stated “You two fixed that one quite quickly.”

Amity shrugged “Luckily, the memory wasn’t in major detail, he looked about three years old.”

“Come on, there’s two more neutral memories that are torn in this section.” the Golden Guard said “Then we can move onto the next section of the Mindscape.”

The Golden Guard started leading the way, going down a narrow path and stepping over tree roots easily. Not a surprise to either of the girls, with him being the Inner Hunter, he probably patrols every inch of the Mindscape ever since it started forming its various sections.

“The next section will be the negative one, right?” Willow asked worriedly

The Golden Guard nodded “Yes, the memories there will not be pretty, but nothing in them can harm you.”

“I know, but I’m not sure if Hunter’s mind would want those memories to be fixed.” Willow said

“We will have to see what happens.” the Golden Guard stated “You don’t have to worry, you two are under my protection as long as your mission remains in goodwill.”

Notes:

Finally! A new chapter for all three of the fics that are in progress! Getting torn into, harassed, and trolled was a bit hard for me to get through. I've never had to deal with that level of it before, but I'm back! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Chapter 4

Notes:

Disclaimer: I do not own The Owl House! A very unfortunate fact, but who knows... maybe one day Disney will "lose" it and it will be returned to Dana Terrace. Hehehehe.

Eda, Lilith, Luz, Gus, King, Darius, and Raine kept a close watch on the potion. They watched as Amity and Willow helped fix the other neutral memories that had been damaged. The adults were quite glad that the girls were making progress, but Amity and Willow would be lead to the darker section of the Mindscape next. Something that Lilith was not looking forward to them exploring.

"Hopefully, those girls won't be in there too much longer... I don't know if that tea is going to keep Hunter asleep long enough." Darius stated

The dark skinned man's concerned eyes were on Hunter, who was still fast asleep with the Palismen on his chest.

"Believe me, Hunter will be asleep for a good while longer." Raine responded "Amity and Willow have plenty of time to fix the shredded memories."

"I'm just hoping that they'll be okay... who knows what could be lurking in the darker section of Hunter's Mindscape." Luz fretted

"Amity and Willow be just fine, the Inner Hunter won't let them get hurt." Eda assured "He has accepted their help, he's going to protect them from any potential harm."

Lilith sighed "I'm more worried about what they'll possibly see in there."

Meanwhile in Hunter's Mindscape...

The Golden Guard lead the way down a dirt path, heading away from the neutral section. Amity and Willow followed, watching as the Palistrom trees started to look different. The bark looked darker, the branches held very little leaves, and the branches groaned ominously. Willow couldn't help but shudder, seeing any kind of plant life like this was not a good sign.

"You're absolutely certain that there's damaged memories in this part of the Mindscape?" Amity asked

"One hundred percent positive." The Golden Guard replied "I was patrolling this section when things started to tear apart."

"So you witnessed some of the darker memories get torn." Willow said

The Golden Guard nodded "That is correct."

The three turned right, the dirt of the path even looked darker than before. Amity felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up when a strange sound came from within the dreary forest. She could tell that Willow heard it as well, but they kept following the Golden Guard along the path.

"Here is the first torn memory of this section." The Golden Guard announced

A large, dying Palistrom tree stood by the path, the painting within its chipped bark was titled and torn. There was no way of knowing which memory they would be entering, Willow took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Alright, let's go." Willow said

Amity nodded, following Willow into the painting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The two girls once again found themselves in the hallway of the Emperor's castle, but this time they seemed to be in a different section of the massive building. There weren't any tapestries in the hallway, but there were crests of the Emperor's Coven hung on the wall.

"Not surprising that Hunter would have negative memories of this place." Amity stated

"I had no doubts, really." Willow said "Hunter experienced a lot here."

The two walked down the hall for a few minutes, but stopped when a delicious smell hit their noses. The aroma instantly reminded Willow of something her dads cooked every once in a while when she was growing up.

"Is that..." Amity breathed in "Griffin Noodle Soup?"

"It definitely smells like it." Willow replied "I haven't smelled it since I was little."

"Me too." Amity said "I remember when Edric tricked me into thinking Griffin Noodle Soup had actual griffin in it... I was quite upset about it until my Dad set the record straight."

The two followed the smell to a kitchen, where a large cauldron was bubbling away, the delicious smell coming from it. A movement in the room caused Willow to turn her head away from the cauldron.

Willow tapped Amity's arm "Look!"

The lilac-haired witch looked to the other side of the kitchen to see what Willow had spotted, it was Hunter! The blond looked to be about six or seven years old, the notch in his ear quite present... but his cheek free of any kind of scar. The young boy seemed to be nervous about being in the kitchen, he kept looking around like he was going to be caught by someone.

"I'm a big brave boy..." Hunter whispered to himself "I'm a big, brave boy..."

Hunter grabbed a clean tray, a bowl, and a spoon from a table and walked over to the cauldron... still looking quite nervous.

"I'm a big, brave boy..." Hunter whispered "Get the soup for Uncle Belos so he'll feel better."

The boy swallowed thickly as he used a small crate as a step, so he had better access to the soup that bubbled within the cauldron. Hunter started spooning some of the soup into the bowl carefully, not spilling a single drop.

"What are you doing in here, boy?!" a voice demanded

Hunter froze and turned to see Lilith Clawthorne entering the kitchen, a very displeased look on her face.

"I... I was..." Hunter tried

"Save your excuses!" Lilith yelled "You know that Emperor Belos is sick right now and I am in charge until he is well again. This doesn't mean that you have access to the soup that the cook made for the Emperor!"

"But... Ms. Lilith, I was..." Hunter tried again

"Stealing? Being greedy?" Lilith questioned

"No! No!" Hunter replied "Uncle Belos..."

"Would be appalled by your actions!" Lilith interrupted

Hunter stepped down from the cauldron, placing the tray on the table, his head low. Before the young boy could walk away, Lilith picked him up by the collar of his shirt.

"Emperor Belos would be furious with you! Having a Coven member stealing from the kitchen!" Lilith yelled "I don't know why he deals with a USELESS, MAGIC-LESS WHELP LIKE YOU!"

The navy-haired witch tossed Hunter to the floor, the boy cried out in pain when he landed with an audible 'thump'. Amity and Willow couldn't help but gasp at what they were witnessing. Hunter whimpered as he slowly sat up, blinking tears away.

"But... Ms. Lilith, I... I wasn't..." Hunter tried

"I said, no excuses!" Lilith growled "Since I am in charge of this Coven until Emperor Belos is well again, I will punish you for your actions today."

Lilith produced a bucket full of soapy water and a small bristled brush next to Hunter, the boy looked to Lilith in fear and confusion.

"You are to clean the kitchen floor and the floor of the hallway with that brush until your knuckles bleed, Hunter." Lilith ordered "Do I make myself clear?"

Hunter blinked away more tears and nodded.

"Yes, Ms. Lilith." Hunter replied

"Good, now get to it!" Lilith ordered

Hunter sniffled and started cleaning the floor, his side and back already hurting from hitting the floor. Lilith watched for a few minutes before taking the tray Hunter has set down, taking the bowl of soup to the Emperor's quarters.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Amity and Willow stepped out of the painting, the painting showing a young Hunter scrubbing the floor of the kitchen, tears in his eyes. The Golden Guard titled his head as he observed the two girls.

"Are you two alright?" he asked

Amity blinked "I know Lilith was a different person when she was with the Emperor's Coven... but she never treated me with such malice."

The Golden Guard looked at the restored memory and sighed.

"Things were very different then, how Hunter was viewed by other Coven members was... not always good." The Golden Guard said

Willow sighed "It's no wonder that Hunter is still uncertain about interacting with those who were with the Coven... including Lilith."

"Healing mental and emotional wounds is by far the most difficult." The Golden Guard stated "It will be a hard road to travel... for everyone who suffered at the hands of Belos."

The Golden Guard started walking away from the tree, Willow and Amity following close behind... they were more than willing to leave that memory behind.

Notes:

Sorry for the wait everyone! I got busy helping my sibling with a few odd jobs, and yesterday we had a "Siblings Day!" They wanted to thank me for all my help, it was a lot of fun!

Special Notes: Griffin Noodle Soup is not made with actual griffin. The noodles are a brownish color, resembling the fur of some griffins. Also, I know Lilith's actions seem darker in this chapter and that is because the leaked Owl House pilot inspired me to go a bit darker with Lilith especially during her time in the Emperor's Coven. She's not completely heartless though, she feels guilty about what she did in the past.

Chapter 5

Notes:

Disclaimer: I do not own The Owl House! However, if it were to "mysteriously" be returned to Dana Terrace, perhaps we could see more content! HEHEHEHEHE!

The living area of Darius' home was silent except for slight snoring from Owlbert, light purring from Ghost, the hum of the potion in the cauldron, and the ticking of the wall clock. Lilith had her eyes on the floor, she couldn't bring herself to see the possible looks of distain on the others' faces... especially, Eda. Lilith knew that what everyone had seen would shock them, she knew that it could possibly change how they view her, and those views could change forever.

"Lilith..." Raine spoke first, in a soft tone

"I didn't know!" Lilith interrupted; her voice strained with guilt

"Didn't know what?" Luz asked curiously

Lilith sighed "I was so stressed that day. Belos was ill, so his duties were added to the ones I already had... the entire Coven was my responsibility until Belos was well again. I... I didn't know that Belos personally asked Hunter to get some soup for him! I didn't know until afterwards... but by then, Hunter had already carried out the punishment that I gave him."

The others were quiet. Raine had a past with the Emperor's Coven after they became the full head of the Bard Coven, but they had treated Hunter with relative kindness. Darius couldn't judge Lilith in any way, he treated Hunter horribly while the blond was growing up within the castle walls, so even Darius was guilty of making Hunter feel low. Luz, King and Gus remained silent; they didn't know just how cut-throat the Emperor's Coven was for everyone within it or connected to it. Eda took a deep breath and went over to Lilith, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"You were a different person then, Lilith." Eda stated "Just like Hunter is different compared to his days as the Golden Guard."

Lilith let out a shaky breath "I appreciate the sentiment, Edalyn... but that doesn't excuse me from abusing a child!"

Eda moved her hand, looking at Lilith with sad golden eyes. She hated seeing her sister beat herself up about past actions and words, but Eda understood that guilt isn't a straight path without obstacles.

"Look, I can't tell you what to feel Lilith... you're allowed to feel bad about things that you did when you were with the Coven." Eda said

"Yes, the fact that you do feel guilt means that you have a good heart... that Belos didn't turn everyone in his Coven into monsters." Raine added

Lilith ran a hand through her short red and gray hair. She knew that both Eda and Raine raised good points, but it didn't provide much relief for her burden. Lilith had wanted to speak with Hunter about everything that weighed on her mind and heart, but she never knew how to bring it up to the teen Grimwalker. It seemed that Hunter struggled with interacting with those who had treated him unfairly, it was obvious with how he was when he first moved in with Darius.

"I know, but... I think I will carry the guilt until the day I die." Lilith said

Meanwhile in Hunter's Mindscape...

Between Amity and Willow, they have repaired two more negative memories. They had been just as eye-opening as the first one they repaired; it just cemented the fact that Hunter was a victim of abuse from more than just Belos. Willow knew a few things, thanks to Hunter feeling comfortable enough to share, but even she was unaware of how much pain and suffering Hunter went through while he was growing up. It was obvious that Hunter carried more than just physical scars, just like anyone else who served under Belos.

"There's one more negative memory that needs to be repaired." the Golden Guard reported "Stay close, this path can be a bit difficult to traverse."

The two girls nodded as they followed him along the dark path, the dirt dry and loose, their guards up. The feeling of being watched had only increased, there had to be something or someone nearby, watching them and it was unknown if it was friendly or not.

"Do you know which memory is left?" Willow asked

The Golden Guard nodded "Yes, I know the memory that is in this particular area."

"What can you tell us about it?" Amity questioned

"It's a memory that has scarred Hunter for all time." the Golden Guard responded honestly "In all forms of the word."

Before the three could walk any further, the sound of growling pierced the air, sending chills down the spines of the two visiting witches. The Golden Guard immediately stopped walking, standing in front of Willow and Amity in a protective manner.

"What in the name of Titan is growling at us?" Willow asked

"I am not the only one that resides in Hunter's Mindscape." the Golden Guard replied "He appeared during Hunter's time in the Human Realm, helps me protect this place."

"That's impossible! Mindscapes only have one Inner self." Amity said

The Golden Guard huffed "I never said he was another version of Hunter."

Before Willow could ask what else resided in the Mindscape, the growling grew louder, and a dark shape moved within the dying forest. The shape looked like it walked upon four legs, but it moved silently in the forest, just like the Golden Guard was able to.

"He's right, whatever it is... the Mindscape created it to help protect itself." Willow stated "We have to remember that Hunter is a Grimwalker, his mind is different."

"What is 'it' anyway?" Amity asked "Why is 'it' hiding like a coward?"

Loud growling erupted from near the path, the Golden Guard whipped his head in the direction of the sound, it was difficult to know what he was feeling due to the golden mask covering his face. Strong chills raced down Willow's spine as she and Amity backed up.

"He did not like that." the Golden Guard said

A moment later, a large canine stepped onto the path. The creature had thick dark gray fur, light gray stomach, magenta eyes, long claws, and sharp teeth bared in a snarl. The creature's ears were pinned backwards, and its eyes narrowed in anger. Willow instantly knew what the creature was thanks to the shirt that Hunter made himself when they were in the Human Realm.

"A wolf!" Willow gasped

Amity paled a little bit, thanks to Hunter becoming obsessed with the creatures when they were in Connecticut, she knew that wolves could be quite dangerous when extremely provoked.

"Titan, damn it..." Amity whispered

The wolf growled as it walked around them in a tightening circle, its magenta eyes never leaving them. The Golden Guard carefully stepped forward, his gloved hands up in a calming gesture.

"Calm down, Onyx." the Golden Guard soothed "These visitors are here to help, they have been repairing memories."

"Onyx?" Amity asked, confused

"That's what I named him." the Golden Guard replied "Now, be silent, before you anger him even more, Blight."

Amity went quiet, though her eyes said that she didn't care for the Golden Guard's clipped tone. Willow didn't put any blame, though, Amity's earlier statement did seem to upset the wolf and the two girls could not afford to get hurt while they were in someone's Mindscape.

"We mean no harm, Onyx. Nor do we wish harm upon ourselves." Willow spoke calmly "We're here to restore all the memories that were shredded, so that Hunter will be okay, that's all."

Onyx observed the two with his intense magenta eyes, his ears slowly lifting and his snarl dropping. The wolf approached the two with purpose, his canine nose sniffing each of them carefully. After a few moments, Onyx huffed and went over to the Golden Guard while letting out a few grumble-like sounds.

"He accepts your help, but he doesn't wish to be insulted again." the Golden Guard said

"He growled at us from within the forest!" Amity defended "And wouldn't show himself."

"Onyx growled to warn us of the thick thorny bushes ahead." the Golden Guard responded pointing

Amity and Willow followed his gloved finger with their eyes, finding a thick cluster of bushes that were armed with long, sharp thorns. The thorns looked to be 3-4 inches long and had very sharp points, they could easily cause major damage.

"It seems that the Mindscape created them to try to keep you from repairing the last negative memory." the Golden Guard theorized

"Oh no... how are we going to help Hunter now?" Willow asked in a worried tone "I don't want to use my magic while we're in here, I don't want to accidentally hurt him."

Onyx let out a short growling bark, followed by a short howl, moving his snout toward the forest.

"He found a way around them, it'll take us off the path, but it won't take more than fifteen minutes." the Golden Guard translated

Amity looked to Willow, asking a silent question. The plant witch took a deep breath and focused her gaze to Onyx.

"Lead the way." Willow said

Notes:

Here it is! A new chapter! Sorry for the wait, a few things went on that I had to deal with... but it's all good now! I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I will see you again next time!

Chapter 6

Notes:

Disclaimer: I do not own The Owl House! I do own Onyx the Mindscape wolf, though!

Onyx led the way off the main path, going into the forest as easily as anything, the Golden Guard followed a short distance behind as he made sure Willow and Amity were handling things okay. The two witches were a bit nervous about being off the main path, but there was no way anyone would be able to get through the thick thorned bushes without getting majorly hurt. It seemed that Hunter's Mindscape did not want the last negative memory to be repaired. Which made Willow wonder... just how horrible was the last memory in this section?

"Are you absolutely sure going off the main path is such a good idea?" Amity asked

"Unless you want to try going through those bushes, this is the only way to the next damaged memory." the Golden Guard replied "However, not even I would test those thorns."

Amity watched as Onyx jumped over a log "You mentioned that the wolf appeared in Hunter's Mindscape during his time with us in the Human Realm..."

The Golden Guard nodded "Yes, I believe the Mindscape created Onyx to help me protect this place."

"Then what about the possession?" Amity asked "Why didn't you two force Belos out of Hunter's mind? Do you realize what happened?! That we could have lost more than just Flapjack that day?!"

Both Onyx and the Golden Guard stopped walking, their attention on Amity. Willow felt the need to try to steer the conversation somewhere else, but she had a feeling that wouldn't happen. Willow could see Onyx's eyes narrow and the shoulders of the Golden Guard tense up at Amity's harsh questions.

"Do you really think that we just sat by and let that plague of a man take over?" the Golden Guard asked "That we did nothing?"

"If the shoe fits." Amity replied, folding her arms across her chest

"Amity..." Willow warned

"You should be asking these questions, Willow! Not me!" Amity shot back "You know how much Hunter has been struggling after being possessed by Belos... you should be asking these two useless protectors why they did nothing to help Hunter!"

Onyx started growling loudly as the Golden Guard stood as tall as he could, his hands fisted by his sides.

"You were not here during the possession, Blight!" the Golden Guard growled "Don't speak like you know what happened!"

"You're not denying that you did nothing, Golden Boy!" Amity retorted

Onyx growled louder as he stepped forward, Willow took instant notice of some massive scarring on the wolf's strong legs... it looked like the canine gained them from some sort of altercation.

"We are the protectors of Hunter's Mindscape! We did EVERYTHING we could when he was possessed!" the Golden Guard hissed "Fighting off the vile ooze creatures that came off of Belos' body when he was in here!"

Willow wanted to ask about the 'ooze creatures', to have the Golden Guard expand more on what he meant, but the blond-haired male pulled back the hood of his cloak. The two female witches could see a dark streak of gray within the Golden Guard's hair, not too far from his forelock.

"We fought tooth and nail!" the Golden Guard went on "We were nearly consumed ourselves by those vile things!"

Amity rolled her eyes "Oh yes, I'm sure."

"You want to see proof besides the scars Onyx wears?" the Golden Guard asked

Before Amity could snark back, or Willow could speak up, the Golden Guard reached up and removed his golden mask. The blond-haired male's face was absolutely LITTERED with deep scars that were colored a charcoal gray, half of his left ear was missing, and his right eye was just an empty socket with a small golden light that acted as a pupil! More charcoal gray scars decorated the Golden Guard's neck, disappearing underneath the clothing he wore, but Willow had a feeling he had more. Willow couldn't help but gasp in shock and heartbreaking horror as Amity blinked with wide eyes.

"Is this enough proof for you, Blight?!" the Golden Guard asked

"My Titan... I.... I had no idea..." Amity said

"Then I suggest next time, you think before you speak." the Golden Guard grunted

The male put his mask back on, his scarred face once again hidden away. Onyx chuffed as he started walking again, occasionally growling under his breath. The two witches started following again, the air tense and silent.

"Amity?" Willow whispered in concern

"I.... I shouldn't have said anything... I was just... surprised to learn that Hunter has two protectors in his Mindscape." Amity said "It made me wonder what they were doing while Hunter was possessed, why it seemed that Hunter wasn't fighting back until Flapjack got hurt."

"That's why it's best not to assume... Onyx and the Golden Guard were in here... not us." Willow whispered "We don't know what they went through... what horrible things Belos was up to in here."

After a few minutes of tense silence, Onyx led everyone back onto the main path, the thorned bushes successfully avoided! Willow could only let out a semi-relieved breath, they avoided that obstacle, now they just had to deal with the final negative memory.

"Here we are." the Golden Guard announced curtly

The two witches found themselves standing in front of a very thick trunked tree! The bark was as dark as the rest of the trees in this section, the branches only held a few dead leaves, and there was a patch of dead moss along the left side of the tree. The painting was tilted, almost completely shredded, and the frame was a solid black with cracks within it.

"Oh my..." Willow breathed

Onyx sat down by the left side of the tree as the Golden Guard placed himself on the right side.

"We'll stand guard here, if you need anything, yell and I will pull you out." the Golden Guard stated

Willow nodded "We will."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Willow and Amity blinked to let their vision adjust after going through the painting, the two found themselves in a section of the castle that they have never seen before. It seemed... dark and foreboding, it sent shudders down Willow's spine.

"Where are we?" Willow asked

The two looked around, there were a few torches lit, but for some reason not all of them were... and Amity could hear something... a rhythmic sound... like a heart beating. Then, it hit her! Amity had heard a few stories about the castle from Lilith, she knew exactly where they were.

"Willow, we're in the throne room." Amity said

Before Willow could say anything the large door to the throne room opened, they watched as Hunter walked in. The blond looked to be sixteen (the age he still is now), the scar on his cheek seemed to be at least about seven months old and he wasn't wearing his armor at the moment. They watched as Hunter approached the throne, bowing when he reached the sight of Belos.

"You sent for me, Emperor Belos?" Hunter asked

"Thank you for arriving so promptly, Hunter... I need to discuss something with you." Belos replied

Hunter stood, his posture as straight as he could get it, respectfully being silent as Belos observed him for a few moments.

"I heard through word of mouth that you did something that goes against your position within the Coven, Hunter." Belos stated

"Is the 'word of mouth' Kikimora?" Hunter asked "She's always trying to find ways to have me demoted."

"It does not matter who gave me the report, Hunter... what matters is that you went against me and the Coven." Belos responded

Hunter blinked "WHAT?! I don't understand... what have I been accused of? What did I supposedly do?"

Belos stood up and walked away from his throne, heading toward Hunter.

"I was told that you were seen giving one of the Basilisks actual foods instead of gruel, or something to drain magic from." Belos said "The report states that they couldn't fully prove it was you, but they do remember seeing blond hair sticking out of the hood the individual was wearing."

Hunter blinked with shocked magenta eyes, his mouth agape.

"Only a VERY select few members of the Coven know about the Basilisks, so it led me to believe that it was you." Belos said as he got closer "So.... was it you, Hunter?"

Hunter swallowed thickly and looked at the floor, it was more of an answer than actual words.

"I see, so you did go against me." Belos growled

"I gave number five some food earlier..." Hunter started

Amity gasped "Number five... wait... Luz told me that was Vee!"

"Oh dear..." Willow whispered

"Number five refused the Zin Berry gruel because she's allergic to Zin Berries, she was so hungry... and already so thin...." Hunter tried to explain

"THAT IS NONE OF YOUR CONCERN!" Belos roared

Hunter shut his mouth so quickly that Amity and Willow heard his teeth clack together as Belos walked behind him.

"If number five refuses gruel or draining magic... then she doesn't get anything!" Belos growled "You do not go against me and give her food!"

"But... she..." Hunter tried

"SILENCE!" Belos yelled

Amity and Willow could only watch as Belos used his artificial magic staff to send a sharp wave of magic at Hunter, hitting the blond teen directly in the back! The painful scream that came from Hunter sounded like it was ripped from the depths of his very soul! The blond fell to the floor limply, the back of his clothing torn, and blood dripping onto the floor.

"Let this teach you a very valuable lesson, Hunter." Belos stated "Going against me will either get you replaced or killed... DO NOT CROSS ME AGAIN! Do you understand?"

Hunter wheezed as he slowly opened his eyes, pain written in every nerve of the magenta-colored orbs. Willow felt her heart clench as she saw the blood collecting underneath where Hunter was laying on the floor.

"U-understood.... E-Emperor Belos." Hunter wheezed

"Very good." Belos said as he headed to the doors "I will have Steve collect you in ten minutes, I want this lesson to sink in."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Notes:

Thank you all for your patience and understanding! A lot has been going on since I posted the one-shots my sibling wrote. Things have calmed down a bit, so I was able to post! I hope you all enjoyed this new chapter!

Chapter 7

Notes:

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own The Owl House! I can dream, though! Or plot to take it by force.... You didn't see that.

Special note: A VERY BIG thank you to ZebraLily112 for helping me out with some details for this chapter! I enjoyed putting our heads together! So, THANK YOU!

Willow could only blink with wide eyes as she and Amity exited the memory, the painting restored. The image showing Hunter laying on the floor of the throne room, a puddle of blood collecting around him. The Golden Guard and Onyx turned their attention to the two female witches.

"I'm sorry you had to witness such a thing, but I.... I did warn you." The Golden Guard stated

"Now is not the time for 'I told you so'." Amity growled

"I'm not saying that, Blight." The Golden Guard said "I'm expressing genuine concern. Willow Park means a lot to Hunter, so naturally I feel badly that she had to see something so horrific."

"You can stick your concern right back up your-" Amity started

Willow placed her hand on Amity's forearm, making the Abomination witch pause instantly. Amity turned her attention to Willow, raising an eyebrow when the Plant witch shook her head.

"Amity, that's enough... please." Willow whispered

"But, Willow.. he-" Amity tried

"The Golden Guard and Onyx have been nothing but helpful to us, just... don't upset them any further." Willow said

"Willow..." Amity mumbled

"Yes, what I saw was... horrible and it answers many questions, like why Hunter doesn't like being touched on the back when he's not paying full attention..." Willow stated "But we can't change what has already happened to Hunter, we can only try to improve his life."

"You and a few others have already gotten a good start on that." The Golden Guard said "Hunter's positive memories mean more to him than anyone could possibly realize, that's why it's deeper in his Mindscape.. harder to damage."

Amity's eyebrow instantly went up. Yes, she has been surprised that Hunter's memories seemed to be in sections.. but she chalked that up to him being a Grimwalker! But even an artificial being made from various ingredients having a section of positive memories even deeper in their Mindscape? Impossible!

Amity tilted her head "Really? Mindscape Theory states that memories, both good and bad, are all in the same area."

"For some, perhaps, but not here. Besides, that theory can't exactly be studied unless a good number of witches are willing to have people enter their Mindscapes to do a proper study." The Golden Guard said

"So tell us, since Hunter's positive memories are deeper within, are any damaged?" Amity asked critically

The Golden Guard sighed "Due to how his memories were damaged, yes. Neutral, negative, and positive memories were damaged... but the number of positive memories being harmed is quite a bit less."

Willow looked to the Golden Guard, her mind even more determined to help Hunter's mind and continue making the rest of his life a great one to live.

"Please take us there." Willow said

The Golden Guard nodded "Follow us."

~Meanwhile in Darius' living area...~

Darius rubbed his forehead, his eyes on the floor. He could hardly believe what they all had seen in the potion. Darius had been in the castle that very day! He had heard someone screaming in pain in the direction of the Throne Room, but he had done absolutely nothing! He remembered merely shrugging his shoulders, thinking that the person deserved whatever punishment that had been given, and went on with his day.

WHAT A HORRIBLE PERSON HE HAD BEEN!

Granted, he didn't know that it had been Hunter who received punishment that day, but still... Darius just shrugged off the whole thing! He just accepted things at face-value and went on with his duties! Who does that? Who ignores an innocent person being unfairly punished for having empathy? Titan... Darius hated who he had been just a few months ago.

Lilith observed Darius from her seat nearby, she could easily see the guilt roiling within the Abomination master. She knew that look all too well, it was something she had been wearing often after she left the Coven and the "Emperor" far behind. The both of them had been horrible people just a short time ago, trying to make up for their mistakes one day at a time.

Luz was the first one to break the tense silence.

"Willow definitely made a good point... that memory definitely answers why Hunter is so sensitive about being touched on his back."

Eda shook her head "Lilith mentioned that no one was safe from punishment in the Emperor's Coven, but I had no idea that it included someone that LITERALLY grew up within the castle walls from early childhood."

Raine nodded "Definitely not the childhood that anyone would want... Hunter's is more of a nightmare than anything else."

"I wouldn't be too surprised if none of his positive memories have nothing to do with the Emperor's Coven." King stated "I mean, did anything good actually happen to him there?"

Darius lifted his head and shrugged as he watched Hunter sleep, the Palismen still snoozing on him.

"Not that I know of..." Darius admitted "I wouldn't be surprised either, young Titan."

~Within Hunter's Mindscape...~

The pathway that the Golden Guard and Onyx were leading Willow and Amity along was definitely different from everything else so far. The dirt was softer and richer, the vegetation had more life, and even the air felt a bit lighter! There were a few things that were concerning, like the trees missing leaves and some roots being cracked... otherwise, this area was far better off.

Willow looked around, her mind still bothered by what she and Amity had seen a few minutes ago. She knew that Hunter didn't talk about a lot of things, especially before he was ready to do so.. and that included most of the abuse he had suffered within the Emperor's Coven. Yes, Hunter did share with Willow how he had gotten the scar on his cheek, the scar on his left knee, and the one just above his right elbow... but Willow knew there were a lot more scars that Hunter wasn't ready to talk about, both physical and mental.

However, even Hunter himself said before this whole situation even happened that he was so glad that he was making happy memories. That he could do things that interested him, that he could try foods that everyone else eats regularly, that he can finally help people and have it actually be a positive impact. Willow was definitely proud that her boyfriend was embracing his new life in most ways, but let him slowly ease into others... such as physical contact and trusting those who are technically authority figures.

Willow broke out of her thoughts as the Golden Guard and Onyx came to a stop, the four of them completely surrounded by a circle of beautiful Palistrom trees!

"Here we are, this is where the positive memories formed and kept." The Golden Guard announced

"Wow... I had a feeling that Hunter wouldn't have a lot of positive memories just yet, and I was right." Amity said

The teen Abomination witch had a point, this area didn't have as many trees holding memories as the other sections. So far, Willow has counted at least fifteen positive memories and that included the ones that look damaged.

"True, but once we help repair Hunter's memories, he'll be able to make more good memories." Willow stated

The Golden Guard took off his mask and smiled, the ball of light pupil in his empty eye socket glowing a bit brighter.

"Hearing that makes me understand even more why Hunter trusts you so fully, Ms. Park." the blond said "I have a feeling that this section will be fuller than the others by the end of his life."

Willow returned the smile "I have no doubt of it myself."

The Golden Guard put his mask back on as Onyx sat down by his side, the two of them watching as Willow and Amity walk over to a tree with a shredded painting and cracked frame. The two were definitely not worried about what they would find, even Hunter's positive memories had to be mostly safe... Right?

RIGHT?

Notes:

Once again, a big thank you to ZebraLily112 for teaming up with me!

https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZebraLily112

Chapter 8

Notes:

Disclaimer: I do not own The Owl House! If I did, there would be a FULL third season, a crossover special with Gravity Falls, and a season four by now. But I do not... so this is the best I can do... fanfiction.

As soon as Amity and Willow slipped through the painting, they were greeted by the familiar sights and smells of the Noceda home in Gravesfield, Connecticut. However, something seemed... different. The living room was still mostly dark, the only light coming from a lamp and the faint rays of the rising sun... just how early was it exactly?

"In a way, it's not surprising that Hunter has a positive memory of the Human Realm." Amity stated, "We did have a lot of fun there."

Willow nodded "That's quite true, Hunter really seemed to thrive in the Human Realm."

The two witches looked around for a few moments, until they spotted Hunter sitting on the couch reading a book in the light of the lamp. Willow found herself curious, she knew that Hunter is an early riser, but he did it in the Human Realm as well? She never knew that.

Amity raised an eyebrow "How is this a positive memory? All he's doing is reading a book early in the morning."

"There has to be a reason... just wait a bit." Willow responded

Amity gave a nod, looking around the living room, sure she saw it late at night just before Camila sent everyone to bed, but she never experienced it in the early morning. It had a different vibe to it, light and calm... maybe this was why Hunter was reading here at such an early hour. Come to think of it, Amity did see Hunter reading very often when they were stuck in the Human Realm, not just the Cosmic Frontier books, but all kinds of different books... absorbing their information like a dehydrated Smoke Slug.

After a few minutes, the girls heard footsteps coming down the stairs, this seemed to alert Hunter. The blond placed a bookmark in his book and closed it just as Camila walked into the living room, the dark brown-haired woman startled a bit.

"Oh, Hunter! I wasn't expecting anyone to be up this early." Camila stated, "Everything alright, Cariño?"*

Hunter nodded "Everything's just fine, Mrs. Noceda."

Camila opened up a curtain for more light "Then what has you awake so early?"

"It's a habit, mostly..." Hunter admitted "But I also remember you telling Luz last night that you were going to be running errands today..."

Willow noticed Hunter fidgeting a bit with his gloves, a way to tell that he was a bit nervous... especially before he stopped wearing them. Amity and Willow watched as Camila turned and smiled at Hunter.

"Oh, did you want to tag along?" the woman asked

Hunter nodded "I remember you telling Luz that she and the others are responsible for breakfast because you have a lot of errands to run. You've done so much for us already, Mrs. Noceda... I figured that one of us should help you... and I am the oldest."

Camila's smile grew "That is very kind of you to think of, Chico Dulce. I would love the help, Hunter."**

Hunter smiled softly, standing up from the couch as Camila grabbed her keys and the two put on their shoes. Willow motioned to Amity to follow, heading to Camila's vehicle.

"Luz mentioned that most people from your Realm use 'staffs' for transportation, so let me know if you start feeling nauseous, okay?" Camila asked in a comforting tone

"Yes, ma'am." Hunter nodded

Willow and Amity followed along, watching as Hunter assisted Camila with a grocery shopping list at the store. Hunter following Camila's instructions and asking questions about some of the products that they came across throughout the store. Camila seemed happy to answer, knowing that she had a teenager from a completely different Realm helping her with her various errands. Willow couldn't help but smile as she watched Hunter help out, knowing that it's well within his character to want to be useful... that's all he ever wanted to do back in the Coven, after all.

After the grocery shopping was done, Camila and Hunter placed the bags in the trunk. As Hunter made sure everything was secure, Camila looked at her watch, seeing that it was getting to be just before 8:30.

"Ready for some breakfast, Hunter?" the woman asked

Hunter considered the question "I am hungry, but I don't want to delay your errands..."

Camila shook her head "It won't delay anything, Hunter. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and I don't want you to go hungry... you're a growing boy."

The statement seemed to confuse Hunter a bit, but he didn't argue further as they got back into the vehicle. Camila stopped at a diner that Amity recognized as one of the places that she and Luz went out on a date together, as Camila enjoyed a mug of coffee with her scrambled eggs and toast, Hunter seemed to be enjoying a fruit salad and water.

"Are you sure you didn't want anything else?" Camila asked

"This is more than fine, Mrs. Noceda." Hunter replied "Infact, it's one of the most exciting things I've eaten, except for your taquitos a few nights ago. I'm used to eating rations for my meals."

Camila blinked a couple times "Luz was not kidding when she said that you were raised as a child soldier."

Hunter's shoulders tensed slightly before giving a slight nod.

"That's one way to describe it." the blond said

Camila reached out and patted Hunter's gloved hand, Willow could see Hunter's shoulders tense up a tad bit more, something that she had seen many times with Hunter when he experiences physical touch that doesn't result in pain.

"Hunter, I'm not going to judge your past... you are from a completely different place than Gravesfield." Camila stated "However, I feel so horrible that a someone like yourself had to be raised in such a way. When did you start living in the 'Coven'?"

Hunter's expression turned thoughtful "I... I don't know what age I was when I started.... all I remember is the Emperor's Coven. So, probably since I was a toddler or something."

"Your entire life, so far? My goodness." Camila said "Sounds like you never got to experience being a child... being a teenager as well. To me, that just doesn't seem right."

Hunter sighed "It's all I knew, I didn't know anything else but structure and the rules of the Coven. It was kind of bea.... installed into me at an early age."

Camila shook her head, saying something in Spanish under her breath. Amity had heard from Luz before that Camila does this sometimes to cover her "coarse language". Apparently, Camila had caught onto what Hunter was going to say, and even Amity felt herself feeling quite a bit of sympathy for Hunter after connecting the dots. After a few moments of silence, Camila seemed to gather her emotions and looked to Hunter, who still had his shoulders tense and his eyes on his fruit salad. Gently, Camila reached out and patted Hunter's left shoulder.

"I can't tell you to forget the past, Hunter... it stays apart of us." Camila stated "However, I can tell you that you won't experience any negative treatment from me while you're here, or even after you go back to your Realm. You did nothing to deserve negative treatment Hunter, I can tell."

Hunter slowly looked up from the table, his magenta eyes looking at Camila uncertainly for several moments.

"You... you really think so?" Hunter asked

Camila smiled gently "I know so, Cariño, it's in your eyes. You have a good soul despite the treatment you've received from others... that's a good quality. Now, I'm not saying you haven't made mistakes, we all have, but you're making up for it by taking care of the others..."

"I owe it to them." Hunter interrupted "I haven't treated them fairly when I first met them..."

"Probably because you weren't sure how to interact with others of your age, due to being raised in the Coven." Camila said

Hunter nodded, Camila had hit it right on the head. Willow remembered talking to Hunter after she got his Penstagram info, he even admitted to never really talking to other people his age before.

"You're making up for past mistakes, Hunter, another good thing to do." Camila stated "You are a good soul, don't forget that, okay."

Hunter smiled softly as he nodded, his magenta eyes sparkling.

"I'll... I'll remember that, Mrs. Noceda." the blond replied

The memory shifted, causing Willow and Amity to stumble, falling back into Hunter's Mindscape. The two witches turned to see the painting restored, Camila and Hunter sitting at the diner, Camila smiling as she softly ruffles Hunter's ash blond hair, a smile on his face. The Golden Guard helped the two female witches onto their feet as Onyx trotted over with a canine smile, his tongue hanging out. The Golden Guard then walked over to the painting, his gloved hand running along the frame.

"I felt so badly when his memory got torn... it's one of Hunter's favorite memories." the blond stated

"Makes sense." Amity said "Camila treated all of us very well."

"For Hunter, it's more than that." the Golden Guard murmured "Finally experiencing positive interactions with someone he considered an authority figure... true genuine treatment. It meant a lot to Hunter to experience that."

Willow nodded in understanding "That's why Hunter enjoys my dads so much, too. They treat him with genuine care, genuine kindness..."

"Exactly." the Golden Guard said "Actions like that mean a lot to Hunter, something that's genuine, not forced. Or experiencing kindness from a person one day... just for them to abuse him the next."

"Wow..." Amity whispered

"That's why I believe Hunter is the living proof of a little kindness going a long way." Willow said "How it can change a person's life for the better, I'm going to make sure that he continues to go along the path he was starting for himself."

The Golden Guard smiled beneath his mask "Good... even a Grimwalker deserves a positive future."

Notes:

Hi guys! Sorry for the wait! If you don't follow me on Tumblr... then you don't know that I was dealing with some work-related drama for a while, which really ate into my time. Things are better now, so I was able to catch up on some MAJOR CHORES and I made myself promise to type and post today! So, here I am! I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Translations by Google:
*Cariño- Sweetie/Sweetheart
**Chico dulce- Sweet boy

Chapter 9: Quick Update!

Hello everyone! I'm just here to give you a quick update! I'm sorry that I haven't typed and posted an chapters in a while. If you follow me on Tumblr, then you know that I recently went on a Mini Vacation! It was A LOT of fun! My sibling and I had a great time!

Anyways, I have been back home for a while, I've been dealing with heat, rain and storms in my area of the USA recently.... makes it hard to type and post when power flashes or goes out. I don't want you all thinking that I abandoned these fanfictions, so I'm here to let you all know that I don't plan on abandoning them.

You all take care, try to stay cool if you're dealing with the heat, stay hydrated and stay safe! I'll be back with new chapters when I can!

Chapter 10

Notes:

Disclaimer: I do not own The Owl House! Unfortunately, Disney does!

Eda, Darius, Luz, Gus, Raine, and King kept a close eye on the potion as Willow and Amity repaired another positive memory. Lilith had excused herself to the kitchen a few minutes ago, not yet returning.... something that made concern itch under Eda's skin. The gray-haired witch left the main room, leaving the others silently in charge of the situation.

Upon entering the kitchen, Eda found her older sister looking out the kitchen window, a glass of water in her hand, but made no moves to drink from it. Eda could tell by Lilith's shoulders that she would have to approach this gently.

"Lily?" Eda asked quietly

Lilith's ears perked "Oh! Need something, Edalyn?"

"Just checking on you." Eda replied honestly "You've been in here for ten minutes... you okay?"

Lilith sighed "Truthfully?"

"You know that you can be completely honest with me, Lilith." Eda responded

"Honestly, I.... I don't know what to think about Hunter's extreme lack of positive memories." Lilith said "I understand better than anyone that the Coven wasn't a great place to serve under, but... even I have some good memories about it. Like the time I went Bog Pig hunting with the Scouts, or the time I camped out under the stars on The Knee when I was in early training."

"Everyone has different experiences, Lilith." Eda pointed out "By the looks and sounds of things, Hunter wasn't well liked in the Coven because he was the Emperor's 'nephew', everyone thought he got special treatment. They assumed wrong, but still, he probably didn't get to form bonds and friendships until... Flapjack."

Lilith sighed again "Well... the lack of positive memories isn't the only thing that bothers me."

Eda tilted her head very slightly, silently waiting for her sister to continue.

"I'm also bothered that the first one we saw being repaired took place in the Human Realm. Yes, we don't fully know where the Bone to make the Grimwalkers like Hunter came from yet, but he was made and raised on the Boiling Isles!" Lilith ranted "And for Hunter to have a positive memory involving Camila? How does that make any sense?"

"It makes perfect sense, actually." A voice stated

The two witches turn to see Gus entering the kitchen, it was a bit strange to see him without his Palisman, but all of them were still curled up on, or next to Hunter on the couch.

"I'm sorry for butting in, but I couldn't help but kinda hear a few things on my way back from the bathroom." Gus apologized "However, I understand fully as to why Camila made such an impact on Hunter."

"You do, kid?" Eda asked

"Well, yeah. Camila took on four extra kids after Luz made her way back. Didn't question it, didn't complain, she just did whatever she could to make us feel welcome." Gus replied "And if I'm going to be completely honest.... Hunter took the longest to really accept kindness and physical affection from her."

The adult witches blinked silently as Gus grabbed a juice box.

"It was like Hunter didn't know that adults could give kindness and support without having a nefarious reason behind it. Like dangling a carrot in front of a starving griffin, just to take it away at the last second." Gus described "Hunter was tense and kinda cagey around Camila for a long while, very proper too... like she was above him and he was a servant or something."

Lilith visibly winced as she listened, Gus stabbed his straw into the juice box, not really noticing the reaction.

"Hunter tried finding ways to be 'useful' since he didn't have magic like me, Amity, and Willow. He started learning how to use the sewing machine, he would get up really early and clean up the house quietly, offer to help Camila with tasks or do extra chores." Gus continued "Camila told him that he didn't have to, but Hunter seemed to have a thing against being idle... still does, actually."

Gus took a few sips from the juice box, Eda wondered how the kid could actually enjoy Ghoul-Aid, she remembered hating the taste of it when she was younger.

"Camila offered kindness, support, physical affection... and everything else that a parent offers to a bunch of strange kids that just happened to be friends with her daughter. Yes, Hunter wasn't really sure how to interpret it for a while, but I think he was starting to understand that adults can be kind and caring without an agenda hidden up their sleeve."

Eda and Lilith blinked a few times before looking at each other, then back to Gus.

"After hearing all of that, I guess things make a bit more sense." Lilith admitted

Gus shrugged "It's okay that you fully don't understand, you weren't with us in the Human Realm. You didn't see and experience the things we did with Camila, including her helping Hunter with a... what was it called again? Oh yeah, a PTSD episode."

Lilith's eyebrow raised "What in the name of Titan is that?"

Luz walked into the kitchen "PTSD, it means Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder."

"Hunter has a human illness?" Eda asked, concerned

"Actually, I think that PTSD is not just a human thing. " Luz replied with a small shrug

Lilith tilted her head "What is it, Luz?"

"A disorder in which a person has difficulty recovering after experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event, or multiple events. It can last months or years, with triggers that can bring back memories of the trauma accompanied by intense emotional and physical reactions." Luz responded "I was tested for it during our time in the Human Realm, it's not a severe case, though."

"So, Hunter has it as well?" Lilith questioned

"Mamá thinks so, but Hunter wasn't tested like I was. It's his decision if he wants to be tested for it." Luz said

Eda ran her good hand through her hair "I wouldn't be surprised if he does have it, my goodness."

Gus nodded "I definitely think he does, Hunter experienced a lot of nightmares."

Lilith sighed "He really did suffer more than I thought..."

King's voice echoed from the other room "Uh, guys! You should come see this!"

The four left the kitchen quickly, entering the other room to find everything unchanged. However, everyone seemed focused on what the potion was showing.

"What's going on, Raine?" Eda asked

"Willow and Amity have entered another positive memory to repair it..." Raine paused

"It actually involves the Coven." Darius finished for them

Luz blinked "What? Really?"

Lilith, Eda, Luz, and Gus took their seats and looked into the potion. Just as Darius said, the halls of the castle came into view.

"Looks like Hunter actually does have a positive memory about that place, Lilith." Eda said

"The tapestries on the walls tells me that this was years ago...." Lilith stated

King hopped up onto the couch to see better, sitting by Hunter's legs.

"How long ago?" King asked

"Hunter didn't come into the Coven as a toddler... he was brought in as an infant." Lilith replied "How.. how can he have a memory based around that time? His brain wouldn't be that well developed.... right?"

"In the Human Realm, earliest memories vary from person to person. Maybe the same thing applies to the Boiling Isles?" Luz asked with interest

Raine nodded "I might not be well-versed in Healing magic, but Luz is correct. And Hunter is an unknown with that, considering his creation."

Everyone turned their full attention to the potion, curious as to what the positive memory involved.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Amity and Willow walked through the halls of the castle, both of them confused. Why would Hunter have a positive memory of this place? So far, all they could hear was the crying of an infant.

"Did the Emperor's Coven even accept young members?" Amity asked

"No idea.. but an infant is way too young to be a member of any Coven..." Willow replied

The two witches found themselves freezing when they caught sight of Lilith, her long dark hair a contrast against her Coven Scout uniform... minus the mask. The woman carried a crying infant against her shoulder, the ash blond hair a telltale sign that the crying is coming from a very young Hunter.

"Yes, yes... I know." Lilith soothed "It'll be alright, little one."

Hunter wailed against Lilith's shoulder, face red and cheeks wet. Lilith rubbed circles into the infant's back as she walked down the hall briskly, until she entered the Healing room. Unfortunately, the room was void of anyone to help, but Lilith seemed to know what she was looking for.

"I'll find what you need." Lilith assured, gently

Hunter's wails had decreased in volume, but his magenta eyes told that he was upset and in pain. Willow couldn't help but wonder what was wrong with him.

"Ah! Here it is!" Lilith said

The dark haired witch grabbed a potion bottle off the shelf and set Hunter down on a table. The infant, sniffled as Lilith uncorked the bottle and dipped a finger into the light green potion.

"Open up, here comes the griffin into the cave!" Lilith instructed gently

Hunter opened his mouth, allowing Lilith to rub the potion onto his gums.

"Good job, Hunter." Lilith praised "The Healers should be more vigilant about your teething, it's incredibly painful to an infant."

Lilith put the bottle in the pocket of her cloak and picked Hunter up, gently tickling the infant's sides until he started giggling.

"There we go, there's that smile." Lilith said "Feeling better, Hunter?"

The blond infant replied by gurgling nonsense and grabbing at Lilith's hair, but didn't yank. Lilith smiled gently as she headed out of the room, her fingers gently rubbing Hunter's back.

"I'm glad to hear that." Lilith stated "How about I take you to the market and find something for you to teethe on? That'll also help with the pain."

Hunter gurgled as he let go of Lilith's hair to stuff his tiny hand into his mouth. Lilith gently took it out, claiming that it was unsanitary. To help distract the infant, the older witch created a few light spells as she walked out of the castle, Hunter held gently against her side.

"You'll love the market in the late afternoon, Hunter. It's not as busy and we might even see a few performers as well." Lilith said "So, how about we take our time walking back to the castle?"

Hunter gurgled and smiled.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'." Lilith smiled softly

The dark haired witch walked down the path, the castle growing smaller and smaller, the sound of a content infant in the air.

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Notes:

Thank you for all for your patience and support! I greatly appreciate it!