Moments Between Them

It had been centuries since they’d last seen a world in which they could feel. The air flowed between their fingers as they soared through the sky, a never-forgotten friend and father making the grass and rivers that they felt flow beneath them. Throughout their life, they were called many things: The Collector, A child of the stars, A god, a dimwit, what-have-you. Yet, for now, they could call themselves alive. For now, they could call out to their best friends and savior and say ‘I’m home.’

When the party died down and the sun rose as normal–  no longer influenced by The Collector’s raw power,-- the child had squinted at how bright such a star could be. They wondered if that star was a relative of theirs at some point. The wind was cold too, something they took pleasure in.

People ran from them, some bowed down in a way that sent a pit down their stomach. The Collector let them run for now, leaving others to cower or to be puppeteered. Their friend stood at his side, fiddling with his claws.

“So Collector,” King said. “What should we do today?”

They didn’t have to think long, already making their decision before their previous bedtime. “I think I wanna explore this place more. Can we pause the game for a bit?”

King seemed to perk up at the thought, his posture straightening. “Of course!” The titan looked down, suddenly becoming unsure of himself.

“What’s wrong?” The Collector asked, floating upside down to peer at their friend.

King hummed, pausing in his thoughts. “Well, I was.. Erm, wondering if you could tell me about the titan that used to be here. Well, not here here, but alive here. What was he like?”

The starchild sighed, landing onto their feet whilst rolling their eyes. “Why do you want to know more about that big meanie? I still don’t forgive him for trapping me in that mirror, by the way!” They turned away, crossing their arms.

“Well, why do you want to explore more of the Boiling Isles? Isn’t this person the same person who trapped you?” King quipped, an expression of hurt that didn’t go unnoticed by their friend.

The child couldn’t respond back, their words trapped in their throat; a wail deafened in silence that they’d been freed from. “It’s been long since I’ve seen him.” The Collector was quiet, lightly grasping their onesie. “I just wanted to see how he is.”

The silence stretched on, the Collector’s own thoughts filling it up.

King stood closer to the child, offering for the two of them to sit. “Were you two.. friends too?”

The Collector paused before nodding, “He was nice to me, and he didn’t try to force me to do bad things like the others would.” Their body scrunched inward, an uncanny expression of guilt in their features. “But, I was still bad, I think.”

“How come?”

The child was quick to shake their head. “Nothing. I did nothing, and that old guy was just a big meanie.” Their tone was final, anger lacing it dangerously.

King glanced at The Collectors posture, staring at the clouded expression in their eyes. “He doesn’t sound nice.” King sighed.

“He wasn’t.” The Collector hissed before exhaling through their nose. “But, he wasn’t not mean, either.”

The Collector told King of the games they’d played, of the trust they shared. In their mind, The Collector scorned their unmentioned family for their actions against other lifeforms, yet somehow, it seemed they were the same as well. “I think,” The Collector tapped their chin idly. “I think that I wasn’t playing fair at some point, and your old man put me in time out.”

“But instead of time out–” King began.

“... It was the tablet.” The Collector sighed.

King moved closer to the child, grass shuffling underneath him as the sun fully emerged from the horizon. “You said you wanted to see how he was doing?”

“I..” The star-being paused, sorting their thoughts before curling into themself more. “I cared about him too.”

King set a gentle paw on their shoulder. “If I were him,” he looked into the horizon, a skull placed in the distance. “I think I would like to see how you were doing too.”

+

The first night after their entrance. The Collector was immediately wondering about the Boiling Isles. Witches cowered at the powerful being, others already ran from the commotion. King looked about the town with saddened horror, masked as much as he could, but The Collector began to feel antsy about the panicked town.

“King?” The Collector looked at their friend.

“Yeah, Collector?” King turned back to them, his previous horror fully gone from his face.

“Does this place always run away from new people? I thought they would want to play with me too.” The Collector asked in a saddened tone.

King’s eyes widened for a moment, before he laid a comforting paw on The Collector’s shoulder. “No, no, no, bud.” King smiled. “They’re just a bit.. Surprised! It’s not every day that someone like you comes to the Boiling Isles.”

The Collector turned back to the nearly emptied town. “Do you think they’ll play with us? You said I shouldn’t puppet anyone, but if they don’t play with us–”

“Collector, pal,” King interrupted. “I think we should look for some more people. Maybe we can explain the game. I don’t think everyone knows that we’re playing yet.”

“Oh! You’re right!” The Collector exclaimed. “Ha, doi,” The child knocked on their head lightly with a shaky fist. “I didn’t even think about that.”

King chuckled. “Why don’t we male friends first, then we all play together!”

“Yeah! Thanks, King!” The Collector cheered, embracing their friend.

After a while of wondering, one of The Collector’s spies had informed the two of a person nearby, the immortal giving a slight change to their spell for a bit.  The Collector felt ecstatic, nearly running to their location.

Reaching the area, The Collector ran towards the circle of spies surrounding the potential friend. Separating the spies, The Collector approached the trembling witch. King shouted in the distance, unheard by the younger.

With a smile, they greeted the witch with an outstretched hand. “Hi! Do you wanna be friends?”

The noirette witch screamed, glasses clattering to the ground as they scrambled against the spies.

The Collector whimpered at the sudden noise, quickly backing away from the frightened witch as the spies did their work. Covering their ears, The Collector curled into a ball by a nearby tree as the screams carried on for what seemed like eternity to them.

“Collector!” King shouted in the distance, prompting the starchild to lift their head with a broken expression.

The child whined, releasing their ears to make a grabbing motion to King. “King,” they whined as tears threatened to fall from their face.

“What happened? I told you to wait.” King asked, crouching down to the crying kid.

The Collector’s face scrunched up, a sob escaping them. “They, They yelled at me.” The Collector pointed to the new puppet on the ground, spies no longer at their location.

King sighed. “That’s why I told you to wait up, bud.” He lightly scolded. “You can’t just do that to people, y’know?”

“It’s not fair,” the child sobbed. “I asked if he–if he wanted t’be friends, and he just started screaming at me.” The Collector curled back into a ball, arms surrounding their head once more.

King shook his head, half-hugging the Collector. “I think you scared him a little, buddy.”

The Collector shook their head, angrily glaring at the grass in front of them. “He was being mean to me.” The Collector sniffed. “I don’t think I should try to make friends anymore.”

“How come? I think you’re starting off pretty good.” King asked.

“I’m not!” The Collector yelled, frustrated. “All those meanies do is yell and run from me, and I don’t. Like. It.” They smacked their head with their palms in anger, prompting King to hold back the starchild’s hands.

“Come on, bud. Maybe we should take a little break? We can play The Owl House after we cool down a bit, huh?” King whispered softly.

“Mnnn,” The Collector gently pulled their hands back. “Fine.” He grumbled.

The two stood up, The Collector holding King’s paw as they continued to look at the ground.

“Hey, Collector?” King got the kid’s attention. “I think we should eat those pee-za bagels you like. We have a picnic, like friends do!”

The Collector wiped their eyes dry, staring at the titan with shock. “I..” The child laughed, picking up King with a strong embrace. “I think that’s a great idea, King!” They set King down gently before summoning a star to transport them. “I’ll tell Mama-dalia to make us some food, and we can find a cool place to eat!”

“Yeah!” King cheered on with sudden relaxation.

+

“Hey Kiiing,” The Collector called, rocking on the balls of their feet. “I wanna play something else today.”

King tilted his head. “Like what?”

The Collector hummed, unsure of the possibilities. “I don’t knoooow. Every game I come up with, you say that we can’t dooooo.”

“Well,” King said. “How about we do a game between the two of us? Something fun.”

The Collector leaned in closer to the child titan, intrigued by the proposition.

“How about…” King hummed, tapping on his chin. “Hide-and Seek?”

The Collector smiled excitingly. “That sounds fun! Ooh, do we get to hide anywhere in the isles? Is there a limit?”

King chuckled, “Okay, you can only hide where I can physically find you– anywhere in Bonesborough since I don’t have magic like you.”

The Collector nodded before pausing. “Wait! Am I hiding?”

“Of course! It’s more fun to sneak around and make sure I don’t see you, right?” King assured him.

“I guess you’re right.” The Collector nodded once more, fumbling with their sleeves. “What are you counting to?”

King paused for a minute, thinking intensely. “How about I count to a thousand? To give you more time?”

The Collector bounced up and down, floating softly with their descent. “Yeah! That sounds fair!”

The two shared an excited giggle, before King covered his eyes. “Okay, I’ll start now!” King began counting as The Collector flew off to thier hiding spot.

As the metaphorical thousand hit, The Collector giggled, seeing King exit The Archives with a stray star, looking around intently. Hiding out of sight, The Collector knew the game had begun.

Time seemed to pass slowly as the anticipation left the starchild. The sky was a deep blue, midday in their world. The Collector hummed softly to themself as they waited for King to arrive with his short legs. 

The sun progressively got lower and lower as King had still not come yet.

Concerned, The Collector emerged from their hiding spot, now looking around for their friend. After a few more minutes and sky growing dark, The Collector whimpered to themself, walking around the town, no longer comfortable with the forest.

“King?” The Collector shouted, “It’s cheating to hide from the hider, King. Come out!”

There was no response. The Collector felt their heart rate increase, beating against their chest. “King?” They called out once more, whimpering at the lack of response. Their breaths grew vocal, practically wheezing in their head.

“Kh,” The Collector felt their voice become trapped in their throat. A sob escaped them as the child stopped themself, head nearly swiveling around in place. “Mnnn,” their voice cracked as they sobbed, darkness fully enveloping Bonesborough.

 The Collector sat down by an alleyway; their sobs racked throughout their body. Their tears seemed never ending as their sleeves became slightly damp from wiping their eyes. Laying their head down on their knees, The Collector hid their face into their clothes, wrapping their arms around his head.

In the distance, a call sounded out from the woods.

“Hey! Collector!” The familiar voice called out again. “You win!”

The Collector lifted their head, wiping away their tears once more as they looked in the direction of the voice. “King?” They whimpered quietly.

“Collector?” King’s voice sounded concerned, his footsteps growing closer. “Where are you?”

The Collector ran to King with a cry, “King!”

King was pushed back from an immediate embrace, stray feathers falling off of him. He hugged back, squeezing tightly. “I was looking everywhere for you. I can’t believe I missed you here!”

The Collector sobbed into King’s shoulder. “I was so scared, King! I thought you forgot about me!”

“I would never forget about my best friend.” King comforted. “I’m sorry I couldn’t find you quicker.”

The taller child nodded, tears still running. “I wanna go home.” He cried.

King pat The Collector’s head. “We’re going home, buddy. Don’t worry, we can eat some good warm food, and everything will be okay.”

“We’re not playing that again.” The Collector sniffed, burrowing into King’s warm embrace.

King huffed affectionately. “Alright, bud. No more hide-and-seek. Let’s go home now.”

The Collector nodded, summoning a star with a shaky hand, making sure to hold King’s hand with the other. “Pizza bagels?” They muttered, looking at their friend.

King nodded, “Pizza bagels.” He held The Collector close, letting the god cuddle into him.

+

King had returned from his night of visiting his remaining family. He was joyful albeit worried about the conclusion of his visit. Returning to The Collector, King had felt his fur stick up as a shiver ran down his spine. A nauseating pit fell into his stomach as he heard The Collector’s voice echo through the halls.

“Collector? Are you awake?” King peered into the room, seeing the awakened god. Beside him stood… the puppet of Raine? “Hey, are you playing another game?” He asked, failing to will his voice still.

The Collector’s glare felt that of ice as the Raine puppet seemed to be holding in a smirk. “What should we play then, Collector?” The puppet asked with a glance toward King.

“I think we should play..” The Collector paused in thought before holding a sickening grin to the titan. “Tag.” The Collector held up a single hand, a crescent floating above it. “You’re it.” He spoke lowly.

King flinched, “Hey, what’s this now?” He chuckled slightly. “We–We can’t play tag like that, Collector. You know that’s not fair.”

“You know what else isn’t fair,” The Collector growled. “Lying to me, keeping secrets! I thought we were friends, King! Friends don’t hide secrets, Friends don’t try to hurt each other!” Their expression became broken, nearly pleading their friend to take back his words.

King shook his head, “I am your friend, Collector. I would never try to hurt you.”

“Then why were you hiding Eda? Why did you take the owl? Why are you trying to get rid of me?” The Collector cried, before shooting the spell at King.

With a small squeak, King dodged out of the way, narrowly escaping the transformation spell. “I was never going to hurt you, Collector. But, what you’re doing isn’t fair. This isn’t fair to the people of The Boiling Isles.”

“Who cares!” The Collector yelled. “This was our game. This was our idea, and now you’re trying to put me back in timeout!” Another spell was readied in their hand.

“Collector, why not end this charade?” The Raine puppet smiled softly. “You can play with me instead. We’re friends, aren’t we?”

“Shut it!” The Collector snapped, lowering the charged spell. “You’re not even supposed to be moving around!”

King paused, looking towards the puppet. “What do you mean by that?” He asked, cautiously floating down to the two. “Aren’t you controlling the puppet?”

‘Raine’ shook their head. “Oh no. The Collector’s kindness merely gave me life, to which I am forever grateful.” Their expression nearly formed into a sneer yet stayed composed.

King squinted at the puppet, “That doesn’t make sense.” He questioned.

The Collector huffed. “Well, duhh, didn’t you hear them? They like me. They told me about you. They’re my friend now.” The Collector began the spell again, prompting King to slowly back up.

“Collector, I know I lied to you. I know I hurt you, but please, this guy is just..” King glanced to their eyes once more, his mid tugging through the familiar shade of blue they carried. “I don’t think they’re your friend either.”

The Collector eyes widened as their eyes glowed fiercely. “Liar! Stop talking!” They shot the beam again, King escaping through the doorway. With a growl, The Collector began their pursuit with Raine in tow. “Get. Back. Here!”

King ran frantically through the halls, knowing where his escape would be. The Collector’s angered cries echoed through, getting closer and closer as King snuck into Eda’s cage.

“King?” Eda called out, holding the trembling titan.

“Eda!” King cried out, scrambling out her grasp and taking a hold of her hand. “ We need to go.Now!” He whispered.

Eda was ready to question her son further, yet with The Collector growing near, she felt her body grow cold as she scooped up King, taking flight in her harpy mode. “Tell me everything, King. What’s going on?”

King panted, trying to catch his breath. “The Collector… I don’t know how, but they found out about our plan, Eda. They’re trying to get me!”

Eda held her son tighter, flying to their base. “We need to get out of camp while we can then.”

Lilith was informed quickly, the trio packing what they could before The Collector could find their location. “And, how do we know that the.. The brat isn’t watching us now? Are they able to track us?”

King shook his head, pacing frantically. “I don’t know, but Raine told them about me and stuff, and just..” King groaned.

Eda knelt in front of King. “Hey, deep breaths now. We’ll be okay, King.”

King breathed in deeply, and continued with an audible, relaxed sigh. “Raine was still a puppet.” He said, “But, they could talk and move around without The Collector controlling them. They said it was because of ‘The Collector’s kindness,’ but something about them seemed odd.”

Eda nodded, “We’ll find out, but for now, we’re headed off. It isn’t safe here.”

Lilith nodded to them, bags packed. “Should we head back to the Knee? Those mountains could keep them busy for a while.”

“Yeah, but–” Eda paused, a giggle ringing throughout the forest.

The three paused, huddling close together as Eda growled lowly, quickly snatching a potion from Lilth’s bag.

“Found you…” The Collector cackled with eyes practically ablaze, floating down to the trio. Raine stood behind them, eyes widening once Eda met their eyes.

“Eda,” Raine paused, holding in a grunt. “You.” Their voice grew darker.

“Raine?” Eda lowered her posture in shock.

The Collector glanced at ‘Raine,’ “You two know each other?”

They nodded, “You could say we had a…. History together.”

The Collector turned back to the group, eyes glued to King. “You lose, King. It’s time to play my game now.”

King shook his head. “Collector please. You don’t know what you’re doing. Just, hear me out!”

The Collector laughed once more. “I don’t need a goody-two-shoes liar telling me what I can and can’t do. Either you play with me..” They held up their spell once more, aiming for Lilith. “Or, I make you.”

Lilith gasped, holding Hooty’s puppified form close to her. Eda stood in front of her sister with a short glare. “Listen, Kid. I don’t really understand what’s going on here, but it would be really nice if we could–”

“No!” ‘Raine’ growled at her before turning to The Collector. “Collector, Eda is shifty and a liar like all the other people who tried to trick you. You trust me, don’t you?”

The Collector’s eyes widened at Raine, looking at Eda with a slightly broken expression. “But, I wanted to play with her too.” They lowered their head.

Raine leaned closer to The Collector. “I think it’s easier if we just.. You know, make them like everyone else. They could learn to love you like I did.”

The Collector whined slightly. “But King?”

“Ugh, who cares about him? He’s a liar, remember? He doesn’t care about you, not like I do.” Raine held a hand over their chest. “ We’re friends, because you treat us so nicely. I think if you let them see how nice you are, maybe they’ll play with us later?”

The Collector looked at Raine unsurely, yet lifted their hand. “Are you.. Sure?”

Raine nodded, a look of sorrow plastered on their face. “It’s our only option, best friend.”

The Collector sighed before lowering their hand, aiming for the group. “You guys will still be with me. It’ll be fun, King. I promise.” They comforted with a sad smile.

King shook his head. “Please! Stop, Collector. They’re just trying to trick you like Belos did!”

The spell grew in light, The Collector choosing to hold their eyes close as they fired. As the spell raced towards them, King growled, holding his fists to his side as a loud ‘Weh!’ erupted from him. The spell wobbled intensely, before fading away into a stardust-like power.

The Collector gasped before quickly raising another spell. King deflected the spell as well, lowering his stance. ‘Raine’ looked between the two with confusion and shock.

“Stop. Doing. That!” The Collector shouted, firing more failed spells towards the titan.

“Collector, what’s happening?” ‘Raine’ asked, confusion apparently on their face.

The Collector growled. “He’s doing that stupid titan thing that his old man used to do to me! And it’s not. Fair.” The Collector stamped their foot.

“A titan? How interesting.” Raine hummed.

King stood his ground, shielding his mother and aunt. “Collector, please, I don’t want to hurt you. Let me just explain.”

The Collector’s expression became mixed, flashes of anger and belief before they lowered his hand. “What do you even have to say?” They crossed their arms. “You lied to me, like Belos did, like your dad did.”

“I know I lied to you, Collector, but I lied, because I was scared.” King admitted, voice breaking as he continued. “I didn’t want anyone getting hurt, and I’m sorry that I hurt you instead.”

The Collector stared in shock. “You– You were scared..?” Sorrow hit them quickly, his face crumbling at the realization. “Of me?”

“Collector, think about it. Do you think he’ll stop lying to you now? He’s just trying to get on your good side again. Don’t be fooled!” ‘Raine’ pleaded.

The Collector looked back at Raine. “Were you scared of me too?” They asked, worry lining their face.

‘Raine’ rolled their eyes, opening their mouth before another voice entered the scene.

“King! Eda!”

King, Eda and Lilith gasped at the voice. “Luz?” King whimpered.

Luz arrived to them first, shoes skidding at the sight of The Collector. “You!” She shouted, pointing to the god.

“Luz,” The Collector growled.

Hunter, Willow and Gus arrived next as Amity guarded Camilla from the starchild.

“Luz, get out of here!” Eda yelled, her hands trembling into fists. “You’re not safe here.”

Luz shook her head. “We’re here to stop you, Collector! Turn the Boiling Isles back to normal!”

“Or what, Luz?” ‘Raine’ jumped in, stepping closer to the human with a smirk.

Luz gasped at Raine’s appearance. “What did you do to them?” She asked The Collector, turning back to see Hooty’s new form. “What did you do?”

“Collector,” Raine grinned. “Isn’t this the human that’s caused all of this?”

The Collector’s eyes widened, settling into a frown. “King would still be friends with me if it weren’t for you.” He stepped closer to the human. “I would still be playing The Owl House if it weren’t for you. I wouldn’t have lost my best friend, if it weren’t for you!”

“Leave her alone!” King shouted, reading another roar.

The Collector turned to King. “What’s so special about her anyways? She’s just a human! She won’t live as long as you, she won’t even see you turn into an adult! Why do you like her better than me?”

“She’s my Sister!” King roared, knocking The Collector off their feet. “You can’t touch my family anymore, Collector. I won’t let you!”

‘Raine’ stepped closer to The Collector. “Let me take of them, Collector. These bullies have gotten way too far.”

With a sniff, The Collector nodded, curling into themself as Raine chuckled to the group.

“You kids have been a thorn in my side.” ‘Raine’ began, green substance running from their arms. “And you, Luz.”

Raine reached forward, wrapping a tendril around her and lifting the girl off the ground. “I’m disappointed in you.” They sneered.

“Luz!” Hunter and Amity called out.

Raine turned to them, eyes glowing at Hunter. “Caleb.”

Hunter gasped as Raine suddenly shook and trembled. The Collector lifted their head, confusion and worry radiating from him. “Friend, are you okay?”

Raine laughed and laughed as the green substance leaked onto the ground, the puppet falling limply. Eda lurched forward with a cry, catching them before they landed.

Belos had emerged seconds later still laughing as The Collector sat in shock. “I had been waiting to sort out my unfinished business.” He tilted his head, bones cracking out of place. “I’ll take you down with me, dear brother!” Belos screeched before jumping at Hunter.

The blonde jumped out of the way as Amity and Camilla moved away from the rotting man. Vines and abomination moved to hold down Belos as Luz drew out a fire glyph to distract Belos. Breaking through the temporary trap, Belos’ screech roared out once more, his eyes on Luz.

The Collector glanced at King. King looked back, shock and disappointment on his features.

Hunter and Amity switched places, Amity joining her girlfriend in their battle. Belos swiped Luz, the latter shielded by an abomination wall. Luz danced around the wall, shooting an ice glyph to pierce through Belos’ liquidy flesh. Belos’ aimlessly swiped through the interchanging defense and attacks, crying out angrily as a rather hard swipe hit Amity, knocking her to her feet.

“Amity!” Luz cried out, readying an ice glyph as Belos lifted his claws once more.

Small winds gusted from his claws, yet chunks of vine fell as Willow moved Amity back to Hunter and Camilla, charging at the offender.

“Hunter! We need to get him away from Eda and her sister!” Gus shouted, cloning the blonde as Hunter nodded, teleporting to Belos. 

“Luz! We’re moving!” Hunter shouted, dodging a stray attack from Belos.

Luz nodded, running to Hunter. “Hey Belos!” She called.

Belos roared, crawling rapidly to them as he made quick work through Gus’ illusions. Hunter dashed quickly, looping through the trees.

The rest followed, leaving four alone.

Eda stood, gently lowering Raine before making the quick decision to fly after them in her harpy form. Lilith picked King up. “We’re going, King. We need to get out of here before Belos comes back here.”

The Collector stood. “You’re not going anywhere.” They spoke darkly before enveloping Lilith in a magic hold.

King gasped, reaching out for Lilith before she was tugged to The Collector’s side with a yelp. “Collector, stop. We need help, just please. I’ll play any game you want, I swear! Just help us.” The titan pleaded.

“That’s what you said last time!” The Collector yelled. “You promised that you would play with me if I stopped the Draining Spell, and you. Still. Lied!”

Belos had grabbed Amity and Willow long ago, tightening his grip around them as Luz helplessly tried to free them. Looking in the distance, he focused his eyes on the fearful expression of Caleb, running after the two girls.

Luz looked back at Hunter, pleading him to stop. Hunter continued blindly, yelling as Belos dropped the two to envelope him fully. Hunter struggled in grasp, trashing and teleporting to no avail. Belos leaned closer to his nephew. “All of you are just the same as he was.” He smirked, lifting Hunter before slamming him to the ground.

Winded, Hunter shut his eyes, waiting for the next impact. Seconds passed before he felt being lifted and dragged by his friends. Camilla called his name, checking him and the other kids for injuries.

A large, glass-like shriek echoed through the forest, Eda clawing and striking at Belos with an unseen ferocity.

Luz and Amity ran back to support the harpy woman. 

Hunter groaned, coughing. Camilla laying him down. “Stay down, Mijo. Please.” Camilla pleaded before standing up, bat in hand.

Willow stayed behind as Gus and Camilla charged in with copies of the group. Camilla threw her bat, watching as chunks of Belos’ body fell to the ground. Belos looked at the woman and stopped, confusion on his monstrous face. “Another human?”

“I’m not just a human, Puto. I’m an angry mother!” Camilla grabbed her bat from an expectant Gus’ hands as she began to repeatedly hit Belos’ body.

The creature cried out, hissing at the woman. “These witches are impure! They corrupt the minds of good people and trick them into sinful deeds and demonic spells!”

“Listen, Beloos. I may not see the beauty my daughter sees in this world, but these are still people!” She struck once. “They have feelings” Another hit. “This realm’s new. It’s creepy. But, most importantly, this realm accepted my daughter more than humanity ever would.” She panted from her multitudes of blows, gulping as Belos lifted himself wordlessly.

“Everyone. All of you. All of the world.” His body morphed. His form grew more animal-like, decaying flesh and the remains of his bones making up a jagged spine. His hair grew shaggier and choppy as teeth bared from the liquidy flesh that composed his being. Claws grew longer as Belos stared at Camilla with a blue, piercing glow.

“Mama!” Luz called out, blocking a fierce strike to Camilla and tumbling limply to the ground. Amity was next to fall, Willow running in to attempt to defend them. Belos walked past Camilla, Eda flying down to examine the kids. Hunter and Gus backed up as Belos slowly crawled to them.

“Impure. Wrong. Deceitful.”

“I know I lied already!” King shouted, startling The Collector. “I know I lied, and I hurt you, and I’m so sorry. But, don’t you see that Belos is hurting other people too? I lied, because I was scared that you would hurt me, because I was scared you would hurt other people, and because I was scared that you would hurt my family.”

King took a deep, shaky breath. “I want this to stop. I want my family safe, Collector. I need to help them.”

The Collector’s eyes widened, dropping Lilith to the ground. “Help them?”

King nodded, rubbing a trembling claw on his face. “These guys are my family. Eda is my mother. Luz is my sister, and if they were gone, I would have no one. I spent so much of my life with them, Collector.” The titan dropped to his knees, tears dripping down with him. “I need them to stay with me.”

“They’re important to you.” The Collector muttered, lowering himself to the ground as Lilith crawled to comfort King. “And… you were important to..

Gus was thrown to a nearby tree, the impact making a concerning ‘crack.’ Hunter yelled for Gus, being held back by Belos.

Belos turned to the rest, slowly standing to make another move on the creature. Lifting a claws hand, he morphed it into a sharp sickle, lowering it to Hunter’s neck. “Caleb, you shall help me purify these foolish sinners one last time, brother.”

Eda gasped, shielding the kids with her wings as Camilla guarded their front. 

“Hunter!” Luz cried. “Let him go!”

Belos brought his hand further down, blood slowly trickling from the still boy’s neck. “This ‘boy’ is not human. He’s not of our kind. He’s in my way.”

“I think you’re in their way, you big bully!” The Collector called out, transporting himself, King and Lilith on a star. 

King and Lilith go off the star, running to the injured group. Turning back to The Collector, King gave The Collector a nervous look. “I’m trusting you, Collector.”

The Collector smiled at King, giving him a thumbs up before speeding to the stunned Belos. Belos backed away, dropping the blonde. With a startled click, The Collector smiled grimly at the mass of rotten flesh. “You’ve been having too much fun, Philip. I think everyone is tired now.” The child giggled, making a pointed motion at Belos and dropping his hand. 

Belos splattered against the floor, gravity increasing for him. The Collector lifted him up, seeing bones and brown flesh twitch and gurgle. The Collector flew up chucking the liquid as hard as they could before teleporting the glob back.

Multiple stars and motions seemingly moved the Boiling Isles’ ground as The Collector finished their playtime by throwing the remains of Belos into the atmosphere, watching as his body disintegrated into burning ash.

Finishing with a wipe of their hands, The Collector lowered themselves down to King who was worrying over the injured state of his titled Family. Luz had multiple lashes along her body, Amity early mirroring her wound. Willow held her ribs, sporting scratches along her arms. Hunter’s head was dripping with fresh blood, a slow yet steady waterfall of his life fluid staining the ground that the recently-unconscious teen laid in. Eda lost patches of feathers in her wings, blood dripping from a particularly large gash on her thigh.

Camilla, the least injured of them all, checked on the kids, telling Eda to not move as she used her jacket as bandages for their wounds.

Eda held a crying King in her arms, tears running down her face from relief and partial hurt. The Collector glanced awkwardly at Eda, tensing slightly when she met their eyes. With a shaky and albeit embarrassed grin, Eda spoke, “Hey kid, thanks for helping out.”

The Collector nodded, a small grin appearing. “Um, you’re bleeding a lot.” He pointed out.

Eda snorted as King rolled his eyes, still hidden in Eda’s shoulder. “Yeah, sorry about that, just my life fluids. I think I’ll be fine though. The most important thing is that the kids are safe.” She muttered to herself, attempting to stand.

King cried out, lifting his face. “Eda! You’re hurt, sit down!”

“Sorry, kid.” Eda pat King’s skull, plopping back down. “We can’t exactly stay here overnight though. I think all of us need a healer.”

The Collector snapped his fingers. “I know!” The starchild smiled. “I’ll take you to the infirmary, and we can play doctor!” Clapping their hands, the rest that remained conscious could not react as they were suddenly transported elsewhere, leaving King and The Collector together.

+

Belos had taken a toll on King and his family. As his family vanished once more before his eyes, King felt his body exhausted and his mind even more so. 

When Belos’ goop evaporated, never to rise again, and everyone in the hands of a hopefully certified healer, The Collector looked at King, no longer with betrayal but guilt. “King, are you okay?” They asked, crouching down the tired titan. “I’m sorry, King. I’m sorry that I didn’t trust you. I thought you wanted to get rid of me, King. I’m sorry.” The Collector spoke quietly, leaning into the titan.

King was quick to recoil from their touch. “You’re sorry?” The titan asked angrily. “You tried to get rid of Luz, my own sister. Eda’s hurt because of you. My family is hurt because of you, and you’re sorry?” King was nearly yelling at The Collector, his claws balled into fists.

The Collector stared in shock, yet opening their mouth only fueled King as the small titan began once more.

“ Collector, I can’t do this anymore.”

The starchild gasped, standing up fully. “What are you saying, King? Are.. Are we not friends anymore?”

“Friends don’t hurt innocent people, Collector.” King growled, facing The Collector directly. “That’s all you’ve been doing; puppeteering people against their will, coming with games that could hurt countless other witches, and worse of all, you refused to hear me out. You wouldn’t listen, and look at where we are.” King stretched an arm out.

Following the direction, The Collector looked around, clumps of environment destroyed, injured mortals gathering the remains of their families amongst the partly saturated spell. 

The Collector smiled, “Hey, it’s alright, King. I can fix this, and we can play again! Trust me, I can make everything better again. Promise!” The Collector held out their pinky with a hopeful grin.

“No, no more promises!” King pushed their hand away, tears dripping from his skulled face. “I miss my mom, I miss my sister, I wanna go home!”

The collector looked down at their friend, a blank expression shifting into one of guilt and sorrow. They lowered himself to the small Titan. "King-"

"No, I don't want to play anymore, Collector. I can't play anymore games."

The Collector winced at his harsh tone, looking down for a moment before standing up. With a snap, the spell was lifted, puppets lifted in the air falling safely to the ground as they transformed into their former selves.

King looked around in awe, tears slowing as color faded from the Isles. 

As all ended, The Collector looked back at their friend, lowering them to the skull of the former titan. "I'm sorry, King." Their voice quivered but they willed it to still as their hands grasped at their clothing tightly. "I didn't mean to do this. I thought it was fun for you too."

King shook his head, tears never stopped yet still ran slow. "You hurt people. You hurt my family." King stood, claws digging into his palms. "I.. Thank you." King sighed, turning away from The Collector. "Goodbye. Collector."

King walked away, almost expecting the child to follow him, to change their mind, anything. Yet, The Collector stayed, sitting against the titan's inner skull walls. As King’s silhouette disappeared into the distance, The Collector never pulled their eyes away from him.