"So, this is where they all ran off to."
She wanted to be annoyed, she really did. She had invited them to her home and offered breakfast for dinner, for crying out! Breakfast for dinner!
….Kids still liked that, right?
Then again, Olivier was also their friend…and the poor boy deserved to catch up with them all.
All the same, Lilith Clawthorne tried to hide her presence as much as possible, sneaking past Hooty (who was Inside the house, she noted. Might try and find regular times he did that to come and see Edalyn and Oliver) to find a cute sight inside the living room of her father's former work tower:
Anne and Olivier mixing drawings and Oracle magic to retell their adventures, with Maddie using potions to enhance the story by simulatying smells or shaking while another human..
Wait what?!
Another human?!
Indeed, there was another human; tanned like Anne but with shorter, almost boy like hair. She was one of the most invested in the story, seconded only be the hyper Karma and feverishly transcripting Edgar. Apollo simply nodded and mumbled what he would've done in certain situations while Froast smiled and Nagare tried to keep Karma from bouncing off the walls.
And all the while, Lilith focused on Ben, who seemed to be helping Edalyn serve food…altrough the new human was goiven what looked like the ingreideants, albeit arranged like a salad.
(AN; remember, Luz is lactoise intolerant, so until Eda figures something out, no pizza for her. Sorry Luz!)
"And then, just as all of Wartwood was about to swallowed up…!" Anne declared, getting everyone on the edge of their seats.
"OLLIE SWEPT INTO SAVE THE DAY?!" Karma cut in.
True to what the hyper illusionist guessed, the oracle image showcased Olivier, now in cape and with Fleetwing, near effortless repel a beast of some kind, even crerating a tornado that sent it flying…just in time for a happily sobbing to hug him, which broke his 'badass stroicism' and made him break into delightful happiness…espiecally when Anne kissed him.
"Dang it Karma!" Nagare groaned. "STOP GUESSING AND LET THEM EXPLAIN!"
"Yeah, Anne, Maddie and Luz are telling the story and you KNOW storytellers do better UNINTERUPPTED!" Apollo snapped.
"But I've been waiting for Olivanne to happen sinc they started hours ago!" Karma whined.
"I know your pain, buddy." Luz nodded, delighting in the blush on Anne and Olivier's faces.
"Hour…It was barely 20 minutes, you nitwit!" Edgar snapped, only to be bonked by Nagara.
"Only I can call Karma that!"
"Please continue." Froast motioned the four, a giddy smile on his face; this was getting good! A plotting king? The drama with Sasha? Olivier discovering a new way to use magic?!
Willow was holding in squeals at the sight of Olivier and Anne kissing in the memory, and despite her…unease towards the girl, Lilith's heart warmed, happy her nephew had found someone to love.
Ben had handed everyone a plate of food before ehe finally saw Lilith, who happily waved at him and then sent him to sit down with his own food.
"Edalyn." Lilith said, surprised by the ease in which her little sister was making so many….what was this even?
"Hey there, Lily! Try some!" Eda smiled, handing Lilith a small…thing. "A human world dish I'll be selling soon."
Lilith looked at the small circle in confusion before she grabbed it, a triangular slice breaking off. She then sniffed it and took a bite…
And much like the boys a few days earlier? She entered flavor euphoria, nay, nirvana! Hurredily finished what her sister offered, she then, rather childishly, started licking her fingers.
"What is this?!" She demanded desperately of her sister.
"Pizza." Eda smiled. "As thanks for bringing Anne back? Her parents taught me how to make it. Can put almost anything on it…except fruit. That's considered distasteful. And I do have enough favors to start up."
Lilith was of mixed feelings: On one hand, her sister was now going legit and would now be able to comfortably support herself and Olivier. On the other hand, she still wished for her sister to be in the Emperor's coven.
"YAHOO!"
The two sisters turned to see the Clawthorne coven applauding Olivier as he faced off against Grunge in what was, frankly, a battle Lilith expected of herself, Edalyn or the Coven heads to thrive in. Pride filled her head…and her attention was only detracted from her nephew when several skeletal hands burst from the ground to applaud.
"Whoops! Sorry!" Ben chuckled as he tried to push the hands back, but they slapped him away before his eyes darkened into a greyish-green and they went back, with some help of Olivier's Chrono magic.
Luz gasped excitedly at the sight.
"A necromancer?! Dios mio! An actual necromancer?!" She gasped, surprising and getting up into a bow blushing Ben's face.
"Y-you don't mind?" he managed.
"Not at all!" Luz beamed. "As long as you don't use them to fight for you, I've actually always thought necromancers were some of the coolest amgci users, Heck, mama and papi may have some Aztec blood in them and well…they were kind fo sacrifice crazy but respectful of the dead!"
This made Ben smile, and for that alone, Lilith decided that okay, she DID like this new human.
"You really care for that one, eh?" Eda mused, delighting at her sister showing her nicer side, yet also intrigued.
Lilith looked surprise, but smiled.
"Well, it is a bit of a tale…." She admitted as she recalled that fateful day….
Year ago
(A/N: The following takes place one day after the events of 'Son of Edalyn' chapter one)
Lilith was still on the hunt.
The night before, she, new trainee Steve and that moronic captain had happened across a strange lab, hidden in the one upright toe of the Titan: A lap that seemed to be using Grimmwalker and Homunculi spells to CREATE witches and various other creatures.
She was still certain the soon to be made head Hettie was involved in some manner, but the tall witch was good at covering her tracks.
So, here she and Steve were searching for any kind of proof or a sign of life.
"WAAAH! WAAH!"
And they found one:
"Um….Ma'am?" Steve said, pointing to something; a squirming blanket covering something clearly alive and wanting out of the darkness.
Lilith looked to Steve, wordlessly telling him to remove said blanket. But Steven shook his head, pointing to a skeletal arm nearby. Lilith glared amnd Steve did try to remove the blanket, but the hand slapped him away. In the spilt second this happened, Liluth removed the blanket and found….
A baby. A baby boy with messy black hair and squinting eyes.
"What?"
"Eh?" The baby replied.
Spying a pair of dragon rimmed glasses, Lilith tried to and eventually put them on the squirming baby, who stopped when he realzied he could see.
He then giggled and reached for her to hold him. When Steve motioned Lilu8th to do so, she did…and the baby patted her cheeks.
And in a sploit second, Liluith Clawthorne, proud Ice Queen? Her heart melted and she smiled at tha baby.
OWLPHIBIA
"In the end, this boy was the only surviving subject I could find." Lilith explained to Belos as she tried to remain professional, the baby moving all over her and trying to hide from the Emperor, who himself seemed intrigued by the child.
"I see." Belos said. "Again, thank you for everything, Lilith. Please drop him off at the Orphan Aslyum before you head home for the day."
"If I may make a suggestion?" Lilith said.
"No, you may not! Obey the emperor and be gone!" Kikimorasnapped, only to find herself bonked on the head by the Magistrate.
"Speak, miss Clawthrone."
"I know the investigation is ongoing, but…considering the Healing Coven was so involved and Hettie's…" Lilith began.
"Hettie will NOT be allowed within 10 feet of him." The Emperor growled, then shooting Kikimora a look. "NO one will, unless he becomes an undeniable threat of the Isles. Is that understood?"
The Palm stings demon nodded and did the Majstrate. Sesning the anger in the room, Liloitrh turned to leave…before realizing something.
"You need a name, little one!" She said, making the baby look at her confused. "Hmmm…bit on the nose, but Draconic could work for a surname…but a first?"
"En! En!" The baby said.
"….Ennard? No…En? No…Sen? Ten? Sven?" Lilith trioed to come up with a name. "Nen? Hen? Ben?"
"Ben!" the baby beamed, skeletons suddenly joining in and clapping. Most would be scared, but Lilith chuckled; this little one was not only powerful in a unique way, but seemed to know what bthey wanted to be called.
"Alrigtht, Ben it is." Lilith smiled before she did as she was ordered, but the baby held onto her for as long as he could.
Back to present day
"And, since he keeps bouncing from Coven tracks and his magic is…well, nearly as unique as Olivier's…and I actually KNEW about him…!"
"You will never let that go, will you?" Eda groaned.
"No. No I will not." Lilith smirked. "Anyways…yes, I keep an eye on him and the other orphans. He may be a troublesome student, not for lack of trying, but he actually reminds me of you when we were younger."
"In what way?" Eda asked.
"Stubborn, loyal, always doing what's right…nit afraid to question..And well, I have no interest in romance myself but…maybe seeing you and Olivier? Makes me dream…if only I wasn't Head witch; the duties are too many to raise a child."
Eda smiled as Lilith finished the story.
"So there IS a heart under that scowl." She teased.
"Scowl? Edalyn, I am professional!" Lilith retorted, the covered her mouth when she realized she was no longer whispering.
"Yeah, yeah. Now, shaddap and watch as Anne proves she's Clawthorne material."
With that, the storytellers began to recall Hettie's attempt to experiment on the Plantars and Annne…
All in all? Aside from the tears at Domino's death, it was fairly good night.
OWLPHIBIA
"…Honey, why is there a tree in our yard? And why does one branch look so much like Domino?" Oum asked back on earth.