"Mom, we need to talk." Lilith watched her son let out a forlorn sigh and fall silent for a few seconds too long, opening and closing his mouth as if trying to force something out. Seeing this, Lilith decided it was best if she start, but before she could, her son stood up and finally said, "Okay, so...truth time." He clapped his hands, took a deep breath, and faced her. "I haven't exactly been the most honest person on the isles."
Lilith's eyes widened in surprise. She was planning on confronting him about what he'd kept from her, but here he was confessing before she could pose the question. Nodding, she replied, "Go on, my son."
"Ever since I was nine, I've kinda sorta been," Nero took another deep breath, "Sneakingoutandfightingdemonsinmyfreetime!"
Lilith blinked, having understood none of what he just said, "I...what?"
Nero slapped himself in the face and shook his head, "Let me try that again," taking another calming breath, he said, "Okay, so it started when I first got into Hexside."
"I remember that day," Lilith said, "You weren't happy that everyone was staring at you or your arm."
"Yeah," Nero rubbed his right arm, "But there was something else I didn't tell you. See, after all that attention, I ran out into the woods around the school to get some space. After a while, one of the teachers found me and brought me back."
"Nero! You shouldn't have done that. The forests can house all sorts of dangerous creatures. You're lucky nothing came and attacked you!"
"Uh...about that..." Nero looked away.
"Y-You were attacked!?" Lilith almost shrieked as she stood up. Something tried to hurt her son that day and she didn't even know it. If she was aware, she would have went into the woods and incinerated everything until she found the beast that dared to lay a finger on him. Seeing that her anger was putting Nero on edge, she calmed down and took a seat, "Apologies. It's just...you were in that situation and I wasn't there to protect you."
"It's fine," her son answered as he looked back, "Besides, I managed to kick its ass."
Lilith's eyes widened again, both at what she'd heard and at the look of pride on her son's face. She felt a growing pit form in her stomach as she asked, "You defeated it?" At his nod, her mind swam with so many questions that she couldn't process them all, instead only discarding them and trying to work through the new information step-by-step. My son got into a fight on his first day and won, Lilith's mind began, And judging by the expression on his face, he enjoyed whatever fight that was. But how? Why? I mean, I know my son defeated Grom, but it was clear how much he hated that fight! I never imagined he'd actually gain joy from something so dangerous, her brow furrowed, But then again, Edalyn said they fought Echidna at the Knee...
"Mom? You there?" Lilith looked up and saw Nero, who bore a worried expression and said, "You look kinda pissed."
"I'm fine, Nero," Lilith lied, "But I'm glad you weren't hurt that day. At the very least, it was a one time thing."
"..."
"Nero..." Lilith's tone lowered, her son looking away once more and scratching the back of his head.
"Okay, so I kinda went out and fought more monsters after that," he admitted.
"How many times?" Lilith didn't mean for the question to have the quiet anger that it did, but her frustrations found themselves bleeding out. She'd hoped that her son's answer would be a small, negligible number, but instead, he sighed and shrugged.
"More than I can count."
Eye twitching, Lilith took a deep breath and calmed herself down, "So you mean to tell me that you've been sneaking out for years, fighting the monsters of the isles and throwing your life in danger like some kind of adrenaline junkie?"
There was an almost palpable silence before Nero finally answered, "Yes."
I don't believe this, Lilith pinched the bridge of her nose as she stood up and paced back and forth, How could I have never noticed? Am I such a failure of a mother that I never truly knew my own son!
"Mom, please say something reassuring," Nero said, prompting Lilith to remove her hand from her face and look him dead in the eye.
"Nero, what else have you been hiding from me?"
"I..." Nero stammered for a bit before he continued, "There was this one time where I snuck out to go to the library during the Wailing Star event, and I might have fought a giant monster along with the Blights and Aunt Eda's kid. Y'know, Luz?"
I know that's not all you're hiding, Nero, Lilith bitterly noted as she blurted out, "And what of my sister? How often do you go visit her?"
Now Nero's eyes widened, "Wait, how do you know about that?"
Shit! Lilith looked away and clamped her mouth closed, Second time today! Ugh! Alright, calm down, she took a deep breath, faced her son, and answered, "I...might have had my suspicions that you weren't being truthful for a while and I may have had Coronis...uh, keep an eye on you for me one day."
"YOU WERE SPYING ON ME!?"
"It was just once and it was for your own protection!" Lilith defended her decision, "You came home late and refused to give me an honest answer! I was worried you were doing something unsavory or life threatening. I didn't want to be right, but what do I find out? You went to spend time with Edalyn, who is a criminal by the way, and I confront her about it today to learn that you fought a Titan damned demon lord!"
"Hey! She's fun to hang out with and actually gets where I'm coming from," Nero fired back, "Besides, in case you haven't noticed, I came out of that just fine," his face dawned a wistful grin, "Hell, it was a lot of fun getting to punch that bitch in the back of the head."
Lilith ignored the growing pain in her heart as she retorted, "That's not the point! I just-"
"Well then tell me what the actual point is!"
"That you could die on any one of these-these escapades of yours! That you could get arrested for associating with a wanted criminal! That you could get petrified for the rest of time!" Lilith's voice reached it's apex as she stomped and stood directly in front of her son, "It's why I encourage you to join a coven. Any witch who refuses will suffer that fate, and if that happens to you, I'd never be able to live with myself."
"So it's easier for me to go along with a bullshit system, huh?" Nero asked, causing Lilith to back away as if she'd just been punched.
"What?"
With a light glare, Nero crossed his arms and answered, "Mom, in case you haven't noticed, you and the rest of your coven are enforcing a pretty fucked up order. Haven't you stopped and asked everyone's gotta pick only one type of magic they can do for the rest of their life?"
"That's because the average citizen having so much magic is dang-"
"Or how it's pretty rich that only the coven working right under the Great Horned Prick is the only one allowed to have access to all the magic?"
"T-The Emperor's Coven needs all the power it can to enforce the laws of-"
"And while we're on that, you never answered what those petrified crooks did to deserve that kind of shit," Nero finished, "Let alone that even if you're arresting actual criminals, you're also locking up people just for speaking out against Emperor Asshole or for crap that wouldn't even count as a minor annoyance at best!"
Lilith groaned and dragged a hand down her face, "You're starting to sound just like my sister," she huffed, "Of course she'd be a bad influence on you."
"No, she isn't. This is just who I am," Nero fired back, calming down not a moment later, "I like doing this. I like fighting. I like getting to head out on small adventures and kick ass, facing down monsters big and small, never knowing what's gonna pop out and try me. And you know what? I'm good at it. This is what I want to do. It's a hard ask, I get it, but...can't you just accept that?"
Lilith's breath hitched as her son's anger seemed to fade, giving way to a desperate plea. And the thing was, a strong part of her wanted to indulge that, to accept this reality. She wanted to be happy at how fulfilled her son seemed to be with what he was doing.
"Should you fail, he will be cast aside as a wild witch, and you know what becomes of their kind, don't you?"
But the Emperor's threat played itself in her head, and she was reminded why she couldn't accept such a thing. And with that, the memories of Berial's declaration to hunt Sparda's kin, as well as those of the Slitherbeast attack. Her memories kept going further back to before even that; to her sister's declaration that she refused to be part of the covens and first mutation into the Owl Beast, and with it, the night prior to that event.
The moment she ruined her family forever.
"Nero, I'm sorry, but I can't accept that," Lilith said as she looked away, "This...it needs to stop. Now."
"Mom," Nero said, sounding more than a bit hurt, "I-"
"Nero, listen to me," Lilith stressed, voice rising as she took a step forward, "I won't allow you to be cast out as a wild witch. And I will do whatever I must to ensure that," she closed her eyes and took a deep breath before giving her son a stern look, "So until I can trust that you won't go behind my back and do this ever again. You're..." the word died in her throat. In all her time raising Nero, she'd never once done this, but she steeled herself and yelled, "Grounded!"
"MOM!"
"No, that's enough," Lilith wove a spell into the air and enveloped the entire house in an azure glow. Once it was done, she said, "This spell will keep you from leaving the house. This is for your own good."
"Mom! Would you please just-"
"I don't want to hear it anymore. Now go to your room!" Lilith pointed to the hall where said room was down. Her heart broke as tears began to well up in her son's eyes, his expression going from shocked to bitter. Nero swiftly made his way to his room, and a loud slam reverberated throughout the house. Lilith was left alone, the ticking of the clock her only company as she sat down on the couch, burying her hands into her face with regret.
Nero was sprawled out on his bed, head buried in a pillow before he turned up and stared at the ceiling. He hadn't really bothered to keep track of how long he'd been grounded, only remembering crying alone for a while, going to sleep, and waking up the next morning in bitter frustration.
He didn't know what upset him more: his being under lockdown or how his mother reacted to the truth. Nero knew going in that it wasn't going to be a happy ordeal, but he at least hoped she'd be more accepting of it. All he really wanted out of this was for his mother to accept that he wasn't gonna turn out like her, no matter how much she pushed for that outcome.
"Nero?" He leaned up at the voice and saw his mother poking her head through the door.
"Hey," Nero said as he dropped back down on his bed and went back to having a staring contest with the ceiling. Ever since being grounded, things were frigid between him and his mom. They weren't awful, and whatever anger from before was gone, but he couldn't bring himself to say more than a few words to her at any given time. Mom, on the other hand, always tried to say something to him, but every time would fall silent before she could say much.
"I'm going to work," Lilith said, "I'll see you this afternoon."
"Sure."
"And don't forget to finish your homework," Mom added.
"Fine," Nero groaned. He'd originally thought being forced to stay at home meant he wouldn't have to put up with any monotonous schoolwork, but then Mom called Principal Bump to inform him and asked that he send classwork over.
"Nero," Mom entered his field of vision, having entered the room and now looming over him. Nero saw the sad expression on her face as he sat up and let her take a seat beside him. "I know things have been...difficult," she said, staring at the carpet, "But I need you to understand that I'm only doing this for your own good."
"You've said that already," Nero grunted, "Starting to sound like a buzz word at this point."
Mom went quiet for a second before she said, "I just...this is the only way to keep you safe. Believe me, I want you to follow your heart and do what you love, but it's too great a risk to yourself."
"Because if I don't, I'll either get killed by a monster or get turned to stone by the Emperor for not following his laws, you've said this already. But I know the risks, and I still want to live life my way. I just wish you trusted me on this."
In response, his mother sighed, "We'll talk when I get back from work," she stood up and walked out of the door, but not before stopping within the doorway and turning her head back to him, "But know that I want to trust you regarding this. I just don't know if I can. I almost lost you once before, and I already lost Edalyn. I won't let it happen again."
"How exactly did you "lose" your sister?" Nero asked.
Mom's breath hitched as she looked away, muttering something he couldn't hear. She turned back to him and answered, "That's...it's not something I can really go into right now, but all I will say is that we have disagreements on how to free her from her curse. Bringing her in to the Emperor is the only way to help her."
Nero raised an eyebrow, "So that's why you put up with High Lord Asswipe's crap? How do you know he's gonna actually help her and not just turn her into a statue?"
"Because he promised me he would."
"And you believe him?" Nero's question did cause his mother to look unsure as he thought, Looks like she's been asking herself that a lot.
Lilith shook her head, "Rest assured, my son, Emperor Belos will help me remove Edalyn's curse. He has to."
"Okay," Nero began, "Let's pretend for a second that he'll do that. Then what?"
"..." Mom didn't answer, the uncertain expression getting worse as she turned away and put a hand to the door. "We'll continue this conversation later," she said before walking out, closing the entrance behind her. The footsteps grew more faint and the front door was soon heard, leaving Nero alone in the house again.
With a sigh, Nero got up and sat at his bedroom desk to do homework. It wasn't like he had much better to do, seeing as he couldn't leave the house (he tried already and it was like walking into a brick wall) and all the fun channels on the Crystal Ball were locked, leaving only the news and boring documentaries that Mom loved to watch. Thankfully, it didn't take any longer than half an hour to finish up the Illusionist Track assignments he had to do for the day. Before he could get started on the rest, however, a loud thud emanated from his closet.
"Huh?" Nero stood up and headed for the source of the noise, opening the closet and looking to the floor where he saw a large hunk of wood. Kneeling down, he picked it up and looked to the shelf just above where his clothes hung, and was about to put it back before he got a better look at it. Since he never really bothered to pay attention to anything on that shelf, most of what he put there wound up being forgotten and left to gather dust. The piece of wood, however, he almost immediately recognized as Palistrom, his mind flashing to the day he received it.
"I'm home, my little raven!" Nero's mother cheerily entered the house while he sat on the couch, skimming through a comic.
"Hey Mom," Nero put the comic down, looking up at his smiling mother, whose hands were behind her back like she was holding something. "What's that?"
"Okay, so today at work, I was monitoring the harvesting of Palistrom wood. You remember what that is, right?" Nero nodded as his mother continued, "Well, while no one was looking, I was able to sneak this out!" She revealed to him a small log of Palistrom wood, placing it on the living room table next to the Crystal Ball. "Isn't it amazing?"
"It's...a log. Why'd you sneak it out anyway?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Mom said as she clasped her hands together, "It's for your Palisman!"
"Huh?"
"I know you haven't been in the best of moods since Grom," Mom's smile faltered, but she was able to maintain it, "I felt we could try making your Palisman together."
As she said this, Coronis flew from Mom's shoulder and onto his, nuzzling against his face and making him laugh. As his laughing died down, Mom asked, "So, what do you think?"
Nero thought about it as he looked at the Palistrom wood on the table. Picking it up, he stared at it in thought as Coronis left his shoulder and returned Mom's. He tried imagining what his Palisman would be, what they'd be like, and what kind of adventures they'd have together. But every time he did, he stopped, memories of the Grom fight and the taunts from the nightmarish parody of his mother seeping in.
"Nero, what's wrong?" Nero shook his head at his mom's question, looking at his hands and seeing that they were trembling.
"Nothing," he said as he got off the couch, "I just don't think I'm in the mood to make a Palisman right now. That okay?"
At the silence, he turned his head to look at Mom and Coronis. Mom was sad while Coronis gave him a nod before pecking Lilith's cheek. She faced her Palisman for a moment before looking at Nero and replying, "Alright. If you're not in the mood, I won't force it. But when you're ready to create your Palisman, please let me know."
"Okay," Nero nodded as he made his way to his room. Opening his closet, he created a spell circle that enveloped the Palistrom wood in blue light, floating it upward and onto the shelf.
As Nero blinked out of the old memory, his scroll poofed into existence next to him. Reading the screen, he saw he was getting a video call from Emira and decided to answer. Emira's face appeared, lockers just behind her as she greeted, "Heya, Claw Boy!"
"Hey Nero!" Edric greeted, scooting into the camera's frame, much to his sister's annoyance.
"Hey guys," Nero replied as he walked back to his desk with the Palistrom log in tow, placing it atop his schoolwork and sitting down, "What's up?"
"Just checking in, seeing how you're doing since you're still on house arrest," Edric said, frowning a tad, "About the same as last time?"
Nero nodded, to which Emira replied, "First grounding's always the most frustrating. Still remember ours from when we were ten. Practically locked up in our room for a whole weekend."
"Yeah, but the looks on Mom's meeting buddies was worth it," Edric added with a snicker as Nero rolled his eyes.
"Can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm actually starting to miss Hexside."
"Truly we are in the end times," Emira shifted to monotone snarking, eliciting a chuckle from Nero and outright laughter from Edric.
"HA! S-So...heh...how are-" Edric caught his breath and calmed down, "How's your day been so far?"
Nero shrugged, "More or less the same: Mom left for work earlier and I started doing schoolwork," he picked up the Palistrom log and pulled it into frame, "About the only difference from normal is that I found this in my closet."
The twins leaned in to get a closer look, though Emira shoved Edric out of the way and gasped, "Wait, is that Palistrom? Where'd you get that!?"
"Mom got it for me a few years back. Never got around to making a Palisman with it, though," Nero answered as he moved the log out of frame, "Why?"
"Dude, Palistrom's really rare these days," Edric said as he moved back into frame, "From what we've heard, the Emperor's Coven is overharvesting the stuff, making it hard for anyone to get a new Palisman."
Nero looked up and remembered what his mother said about the time she monitored Palistrom harvesting. Sounds like Emperor Freakshow's hoarding it all for himself, Nero thought, but he couldn't fathom a reason why. Then again, it was probably just more of his usual self-serving crap.
"You okay there Claw Boy?" Nero was shaken out of his musings by Emira's question. He looked back to his scroll and saw her and Edric's concerned faces as she continued, "You went all quiet there, and not in the usual mopey kind of way."
"Guys, I'm not that mopey," Nero defended.
"No, you're worse," Edric snarked.
"Like, so much worse," as did Emira.
Nero facepalmed, "Why are we friends again?" at the question, the twins erupted in laughter, with Nero doing everything he could to not get sucked in. He failed, and wound up laughing alongside them. After a few minutes of uproarious laughing, he wiped a stray tear from his eye, "O-okay, but...ha ha...give me a sec," he took a deep breath and finally calmed down, "Anyway, I was just thinking about Emperor Bitch and his usual crap."
"Here's to hoping Luz doesn't run into him today," Edric said idly, causing Nero to raise an eyebrow.
"What are you talking about?"
Emira chimed in to answer, "She and a bunch of other students in her grade went on a field trip to the Emperor's palace. Mittens would have tagged along too, but she's still recovering from her busted leg."
Lucky her, Nero mused as he continued the conversation with the twins. He didn't envy anyone who had a run in with Belos, and about the one positive of being grounded was never having to worry about that ever. Still, he worried about Luz, who'd be touring the monster's home turf with the rest of her grade, and his mother, who's job meant she had to be around him every single day.
Okay, now you're overthinking things. It's probably just gonna be a regular ass field trip for Luz and another routine day for Mom, Nero thought as he ended the call and went back to his homework, Luz definitely knows to stay out Emperor Freakshow's crosshairs, or at least, I hope she does. As for Mom, she'll probably just handle some patrols, maybe a shitload of paperwork, and come back home to repeat the cycle the next day. Nothing to worry about for anyone.
"I answer your summons, Emperor Belos," Lilith kept her tone even as she knelt before the throne, but her heart was pounding so fast she thought it would explode from terror. She'd been in her office, simply filling out forms, when she received a call from Kikimora that the Emperor requested her presence at once. Knowing the little troll would never joke about such a thing, Lilith immediately made her way through the palace, saying hello to the Hexside students on their field trip, and entered the throne room, where Emperor Belos sat with the Golden Guard standing proudly at his right.
"One moment," Belos replied in a haggard whisper as one of his servants brought fourth a Palisman on a platter. Lilith tried to keep her composure as she watched Belos consume its life force, but a wince escaped her regardless. As he finished and sat up at full vitality, he said, "Now, on to business. There was supposed to be a raid on the Owl Lady's abode this morning, but you had it called off. I want to know why."
Gulping, Lilith regained her composure and bowed her head, "I had confronted my sister prior to today in an effort to bring her in for her crimes," a lie, obviously, but one she hoped the Emperor wouldn't pick up on, "However, we both dueled with an agreement in mind; that I would leave her abode alone for a month if she was victorious."
"So you failed yet again and are giving me more excuses," Emperor Belos dismissed as he stood up, pacing in front of his throne, "You know, Lilith, these failures to apprehend the Owl Lady are growing quite suspicious. Why, it's almost as if you were protecting her..."
Lilith's breath hitched for a second, "My lord, I swear to you that I am doing everything in my power to bring her in. I just need more time."
The Emperor silently looked down on Lilith, his shadow looming over her before he said, "Very well then. You shall have the time you need."
Lilith calmed herself and bowed her head once more, "Thank you, Emperor Belos."
Emperor Belos sat on his throne once more, "I will give you until twilight to bring the Owl Lady to me. Succeed, and I will heal her of her curse, as per our agreement. Fail, and both you and your son will be cast out as wild witches."
"B-But-" Lilith stammered, the fear of losing her position and place in the coven completely overshadowed by the threat to her son. Unable to contain herself, she looked up at the Emperor with fearful eyes, "You promised that I would have until the Day of Unity to bring him into the fold. That he wouldn't be under such threat otherwise!"
"I am altering the deal. Pray I don't alter it any further," Emperor Belos answered dismissively.
Lilith, in desperation, dropped to her knees and touched her forehead to the floor, "My lord, I beseech you. Let me be the only one to face punishment for this. Don't cast my son out as a wild witch for my failures. Please, just allow him to-"
"I've heard enough," the Emperor spoke with a tone of finality. As Lilith rose to face him, he coldly concluded, "You are in no position to make demands of me, Lilith. Remember your place, and obey."
"Y-Yes, Emperor Belos."
"Your time is running short, and my patience is running thin. Now go and bring me the Owl Lady," Emperor Belos gave his final order as Lilith stood up. She bowed her head one last time before she turned and left the throne room, feeling almost dead inside.
I have until twilight to capture my sister, Lilith was in complete turmoil as she walked past the guards and aimlessly wandered the palace halls, trying to come up with a solution to her predicament. But her mind was moving too fast and was split in too many directions. It wasn't regarding the promise she'd made to leave her sister's home alone, seeing as the Emperor's threats applied to her son as much as it did herself. If she had to go back on her word and attack the Owl House, she would do so to protect Nero. No, the true dilemma she faced was the Emperor reneging their past agreement.
In all the years of Lilith's service to the Emperor's Coven, she'd never asked of Emperor Belos anything beyond a cure for Edalyn's curse and a chance to undo her greatest mistake. That promise had been her driving force throughout her career as head of his coven. After her son was born, his protection and well-being became just as important to her as curing her sister. So when the Emperor threatened to have him cast out as a wild witch if he didn't join his coven, she made it a point to keep her end of the bargain and convince him before the Day of Unity.
But now things have changed. She didn't have that time anymore and it was clear that the past agreement was dead in the water. That in of itself filled her heart and mind with a different kind of worry.
If he's so willing to go back on his word like this, does that mean he won't cure my sister even if I succeed? she wondered, the question having plagued her a lot as of late, Were Edalyn and Nero right? Has everything I've ever done been in service to a lie? Lilith felt a light cover her body as she looked up, seeing that she now stood in front of the stained glass window; a depiction of Emperor Belos bringing peace and order to the isles, its people bowing to him as the Titan's hand reached for the sun. Taking a deep breath, she slapped the sides of her head, No! You can't let yourself think that, Lilith. You've given your entire life to his coven! You have to believe he'll keep his word! It's all you have. It's the only way to save Edalyn, the only way to protect Nero, and the only way to redeem yourself. All of it can't have been for nothing!
"Just find a way to bring Edalyn in soon," Lilith muttered as she began to pace, "But how the hell am I supposed to do that? She doesn't have any attachments or weaknesses I can take advantage of in a fight. And I doubt I can take her even with how hampered she is," she clenched her fist and growled with anger. Despite Lilith's guilt, it was infuriating that Edalyn's worst still outclassed her, especially now when she was faced with such dire circumstances. With a yell of anger, she slammed her fist against the wall, only to feel the floor shake beneath her.
That was...odd, Lilith looked down at her hand and wondered if she did that for a second. However, she quickly realized that wasn't the case and looked behind her to see a bright light emanating from down the corner. Moving as fast as she could, she saw the broken door to the relic room and stopped just in time to see a young girl, a Hexside student specifically, running towards it. Seeing the Healing Hat in the girl's hand, Lilith assumed her a thief and stopped her. With staff pointed at the student's face, she removed her hood and recognized the girl.
"If it isn't Edalyn's human pet," Lilith glared at the girl whose name she didn't bother to remember when an idea formed in her head. Remembering how close her sister was to the child, she realized Edalyn did have a weakness, and one that she could use. Lilith looked up and saw that the girl was with two other Hexside students; a young boy in the Illusionist Track and a girl in the Plant Track, both of whom were also playing with relics.
Seems I have my sister's weakness and a pair of messengers, Lilith smirked, relief washing over her for a second as she stepped into the room, the human backing up. All she had to do was restrain the human and send the two young witches off to bring Edalyn here. She'd be able to capture her sister, prevent both herself and her son from being cast out, and keep her promise as a nice bonus.
After all, Lilith thought, I only promised that I wouldn't return to your abode, sister. But you coming to me is fair game.
"Finally," Nero put away the last of his homework before standing from his seat and stretching. At first, he got the urge to head out and grab Red Queen, maybe find something to fight to alleviate the boredom, but then he remembered, Oh right, grounded.
With a sigh, he walked through the house and entered the living room, seeing the Crystal Ball on the table at its center. He mulled over the options between news and documentaries, given that everything else was locked. Eh, Nero shrugged and sat down on the couch, plopping his feet down on the table, May as well see what's going on in the isles. Better that than watching grass grow at least. Grabbing the remote, he turned the channel on, "And boop!"
"-coming to you live from outside the Emperor's castle. Edalyn Clawthorne, known commonly as Eda the Owl Lady, has been captured and has been brought before the Emperor."
"...wait, WHAT!?" Nero yelled and sat up as the short bitch, Kikimora, appeared on a podium.
"For the crime of attacking a coven leader and refusing to join a coven, Edalyn Clawthorne's body shall be petrified in stone today at sundown at the Conformatorium," Kikimora said in a matter-of-fact tone.
Nero's mind went in a frenzy as the Crystal Ball displayed images of other petrified criminals, as if the newscast was trying to hammer the point. Suddenly, his mother appeared on-screen, with her being credited for the capture. "This is just..." Nero sat back down, rubbing at his forehead to calm himself, Okay, there's no way in hell Mom's actually okay with this, he looked at the newscast and glared, And if she is, there's no way I'm sitting back and letting it happen.
Getting up, he headed straight for the door, Sorry Mom, but this-, before he could reach the doorknob, a blue barrier glowed around it, preventing him from opening the door. Nero groaned, "Why did I forget that?"
Pacing in front of the entrance, he tried to figure out a way around his mother's grounding spell, but that was a tough one when he didn't know the counter spell. Hell, this was the first time he'd seen Mom use this brand of barrier magic, so it was uncharted territory for him. After some thought, he decided to brute force it; first blasting it with a fire ball that exploded on impact. All that did was leave an unscathed, glowing barrier and scorch marks on the floor.
"Alright, maybe I can overcharge it," Nero cast lightning that arched around his left hand before blasting it at the door. This quickly backfired as the bolt bounced off the barrier and right back at him. With a yelp of shock, Nero bent backwards and watched the lightning fly just past his face before something behind him blew up. Standing upright, he turned and saw that the Crystal Ball had been reduced to glass and scrap metal.
Growling in increased anger, he focused on the door again and opted for Plan C: Pick the lock and hope that the barrier was around the door and not the house itself. Spinning a spell circle, he summoned a small Abomination and gave it the command to shrink into the lock. However, that plan quickly failed when the Abomination bounced off the force field just like everything else he'd tried and melting into the floor.
"Okay, you know what? Fuck it! Going back to hitting it hard!" Nero summoned an ethereal fist with his right hand and pulled it back, Let's see how much this thing can take!
He let it fly right for the door, but suddenly, it opened, revealing his mother...
"Nero, listen, I-" whatever she said next was cut off as she was sent flying back from the punch, Nero's anger replaced with shock and regret.
"Oh fuck, uh..." Nero stammered, "Mom, you okay?" he tried to go help her up, only for the barrier to push him back. Instead, he watched Mom pick herself up, clutching at her face, as he tried to apologize, "Mom, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-"
"No, I'm alright," Lilith said as she walked in, closing the door behind her. Suddenly, she turned to him with a worried, guilt-ridden look, "Nero, listen. I made a terrible mistake and I need to fix it!"
"You're talking about Aunt Eda's arres-?"
"No time!" Mom summoned her staff and weaved another spell, causing the barrier around the house faded away, "I need you to gather everything you can and leave," she handed him a piece of paper with an address on it, "This is your grandparents' place. Go there and I'll meet you if I come back alive."
"Wait, what do you-?"
"And if I don't, I want you to know that I'm sorry," she hugged him and whispered, "I haven't been the best mother to you as of late, and you deserve better."
"Mom, I-"
"Now I need you to run, keep hidden from the Emperor's Coven, and don't ever let them or any Demon Lords find you," Mom let go of the hug and was about to head out the door, but before she could, Nero ran in the way and stopped her.
"Mom!" Nero held his arms out, "What the hell do you mean you might not come back?"
"Nero, there's no time!" Mom tried to move around him, but Nero got in her way again, leaning against the doorframe and using his foot to block her. This went on for several seconds more until Coronis flew off his perch and rested on Nero's shoulder. "Coronis, what are you doing?" Mom yelled, getting an admonishing look from her goofy-eyed Palisman.
Giving her his most admonishing glare, Nero said, "Mom, I think I'm speaking for both me and Coronis here, but could you please just sit down and tell me what you're doing?"
"Alright, fine!" Lilith pulled Nero inside and closed the door, "I'm going to see if I can free my sister."
"Oh, well why didn't you just say that?" Nero asked, at the very least relieved that his mother wasn't onboard with Emperor Asshole's plan.
"Okay, now that you know, can you please just gather everything and head to your grandparents?" she asked in a pleading tone, "I'll meet you there if I can."
"But I can help!"
"No, you can't," Mom said, causing Nero to grouse in frustration.
"Look, I get that you're hypersensitive about me being 'safe' and all that other shit, but this is-"
"This isn't about that! At least not entirely," Lilith looked to the floor in shame, "All of this is happening because of me. I need to undo my mistakes. No one else can."
Nero was going to press further when he felt Coronis' talons clutch tighter at his shoulder. Not enough to hurt by any means, but enough to get his attention. Looking at the Palisman, he noticed that that the admonishing look he gave Lilith appeared to now be pleading. Nero wasn't sure why, but it made him wonder if there was some deeper reason behind his mother's guilt, and not just for Eda's arrest.
"Mom, what's this about?" Nero asked.
"I..." she stammered, "I can't. You'll hate me forever."
"Try me," Nero said, his mother going silent for a moment before she sighed and walked over to the couch, ignoring the destroyed Crystal Ball and Abomination sludge on the floor. He walked over and took a seat next to her as Coronis flew off his shoulder and onto Lilith's.
"Edalyn's curse," Mom said, voice filled with guilt as she kept her eyes to the floor, "It's because of me."
Nero was confused for a second before realization struck, "You mean you're the one who..." he froze, unable to finish as he felt a mix of things. Shock that his mother put a curse on her sister, rage that she would do something so vile to her own family, and confusion as to why she'd do such a thing. Swallowing his anger for the moment, he asked, "Why?"
"It was during our days at Hexside. We both had ambitions to join the Emperor's Coven, to work alongside the greatest witches on the isles and make it a better place. But on the day we registered to join the coven, we learned that there was only one spot available," Lilith sighed, "Despite me being the elder sister, Edalyn was twice the witch I was even back then. There was no way I could win against her."
"So you cursed her to get a spot on the Emperor's Coven?" Nero almost growled the question out, trying to keep his growing anger in check.
Mom nodded as she brought her knees to her chest, "I found a spell at the Night Market to weaken her for the duel. I thought it would just last a day, but after she turned into the Owl Beast at home and..." her breath hitched as tears started to form at her eyes, "And tore out our father's eye, I realized what I did to her was permanent. During my work for the coven, I made a vow that I'd do whatever it took to right the wrong I committed, and so my deal with Belos was made."
Lilith's tears fell down her cheeks as her pitch rose, "And you want to know the absolute worst part? During the duel to decide which of us joined, you know what happened?" Nero opened his mouth to speak, but Mom got up, causing Coronis to fly up for a second, and screamed, "She fucking quit! She was perfectly willing to let me have the spot in the coven and I cursed her for it! Now she's going to get turned to stone because I was a complete fucking idiot for ever listening to Belos! Her curse, her being a criminal, and now her impending petrification. I ruined my sister's life and broke my family, all for fucking nothing!"
With that final shriek, Mom just...collapsed, falling to her knees as her hands dug into the carpet. From where he sat, Nero could see tears fall from her face and stain the rug as her shoulders shook, Coronis landing on one and nuzzling her cheek in comfort. The anger Nero bore was still present, if muted, as he stood up, not knowing what to do. At first, he wanted to stay silent, but he couldn't bring himself to do so. After seeing the extent of the sorrow and guilt Lilith had kept buried for so long, he instead found himself kneeling down and wrapping an arm around her, pulling her close.
"What are we gonna do to save Aunt Eda?" He asked, causing his mother to look at him in surprise.
"Y-You don't-" she sniffled and wiped her eyes, "You're not mad?"
Nero sighed and answered, "I'm gonna be honest, I'm fucking pissed. If you were anyone else, I'd probably be punching you in the face right now," Mom looked down again in shame as he continued, "But I also don't have it in me to hate you. Maybe I should, but I just can't. Besides, there's more important shit to deal with."
"R-Right," Lilith wiped away the last of her tears as they both stood up, "Like I said before, I need you to run. If Belos doesn't find out about what I'm going to do, I'll meet you at-"
"What part of 'What are we gonna do' weren't you listening to?"
"Nero, no," Mom sternly declared, managing a disapproving glare despite how red and puffy her eyes were.
Matching it with his own determined glance, Nero retorted, "Mom, I'm going to help save my family and there's nothing you can say or do to stop me," he clenched his fist, trying to stop it from trembling, "Besides, if you're going against Emperor Asshat, you'll need all the help you can get."
"You're not afraid of him?" Mom asked, "This is the first petrification ceremony in thirty years, so he's likely to be there in person. So if we're caught..."
As Mom fell silent, Nero looked down at his trembling fist. No matter how hard he tried to hide his fear, it wouldn't stop shaking at the thought of confronting the Emperor. Despite this, he said, "Not gonna lie, I am. Ever since I was a kid, I've been afraid of him. But if I sat back and let him get away with this, I don't think I'd be able to live with myself anymore than you would," he looked his mother square in the eye, "I'm not gonna let that fucker hurt my family anymore. So let's go save Aunt Eda."
Lilith stood there in silence before she wiped her eyes one final time. "Alright, let's go then," Mom said with a slight smile, much to Nero's surprise as she looked to her Palisman. Coronis nodded as Lilith pulled out her stave, with the white raven returning to his position on it. As she headed for the door, Nero walked just behind her until he remembered something.
"Wait a sec," he stopped, his mom turning to him, "Before we head to the Conformatorium, there's something I need to pick up on the way."