Meanwhile at Agatha's,
"Elder Frost?" Agatha asked, surprise lacing her voice as she looked ahead at the approaching figures.
Morgana Frost and a handful of high-ranking coven members slowly make their way down the stretch of the walkway leading up to the estate.
"How are you on this fine evening, my dear?" Morgana greeted warmly, a delightful smile on her lips as her golden grimoire floated beside her in gentle harmony.
"I'm fine, however, I am wondering why you are here at this late of an hour," Agatha said, looking confused and not at all suspicious of a handful of golden-robed members of her coven walking toward them.
She sounded more puzzled than suspicious, eyes scanning the golden-robed witches from her own coven as they neared in eerie unison.
"Woah~" Jeremiah breathed, stars in his eyes as he took in the sight of just an Elder, but of the other high-ranking members of the coven's enforcement unit, the ones who had stayed behind when the others left.
The other coven kids were equally dazzled, whispering excitedly, while the regular runners looked on with confusion, everyone except one.
Benny's eyes weren't on their faces, but on the golden cloaks they wore.
None of the coven members wore cloaks like those and in all his time around the compound, he'd never seen anyone dressed that way.
That's why, without a word, Benny slowly stepped in front of the two of Zatanna and Johnny, shielding them instinctively since it felt like something was wrong.
He didn't know what exactly, but his gut told him things were about to go terribly wrong.
Morgana finally stopped, her golden heels crunching softly against the grass as she came to a halt in front of Agatha perched on her railing.
"I came to send someone's regards."
The moment those words dropped, Benny's eyes slowly widened, an actual expression creeping across the usually emotionless child's face.
'Merlyn sends his regards, Merlyn sends his regards'
The phrase echoed in his mind, the same words the monster had kept repeating over and over as Benny ran like a madman through the docks.
And that's why, the instant Morgana's grimoire began to open, while everyone else was still stuck in confused silence.
Benny had already grabbed Johnny and Zatanna, yanking them both back and slinging them over his shoulders.
"Wheeeeeeeeeee!" Johnny and Zatanna cheered, clueless to the danger and happily throwing their arms in the air as if it were a game at being carried by Benny.
"Oh, that won't do~" Morgana Frost said sweetly, raising her hand as a golden tether snapped into existence and shot toward Benny.
Agatha's eyes widened, her instincts kicking in as she reached out to intervene but Morgana had been preparing the spell since the moment she stepped foot in the compound.
Then, just as the tether was about to strike Benny, something unexpected happened.
BAM
The golden rope tore straight through an undead creature that had sensed danger on the estate, pulverizing it just as Benny dove behind the Ford, granted one precious second by the unexpected interference.
The tether whipped forward, aiming for where Benny had been, about to snake and redirect.
Until a chaotic, maddening spell slammed into it mid-flight, warping its path in a violent ripple of magic.
BOOM
A controlled explosion of purple magic erupted, rippling outward with surgical precision—leaving everything untouched except the golden tether, which was obliterated mid-air before it could strike Benny, Zatanna, or Johnny.
"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!" Agatha roared, her eyes flaring violet as her grimoire snapped open beside her, humming with power—until Benny cut through her fury with a sudden shout.
"THEY'RE RATS!" Benny raised his emotionless tone to its highest level and yelled, understanding it all before anyone else.
Agatha, hovering above them, blinked mid-spell, stunned by the interruption from the usually quiet child now screaming the truth.
"What do you mean-"
"DO IT NOW!" Morgana Frost yelled, the other warlocks already chanting a wide array of spells.
The warlocks didn't hesitate as a chorus of voices erupted around her, each chanting in a different tongue, each drawing sigils in the air so quickly they left burning trails behind them.
BOOM
BOOM
BOOM
Agatha didn't even have time to breathe as before her eyes could make sense of the onslaught, a maelstrom of unnatural color surged toward her.
Spells bursting in hues that defied reality: sickly green flames twisted with blood-orange glyphs, shards of black lightning encased in spiraling crimson halos, and violet serpents of energy slithering through the air, their forms composed entirely of ancient runes.
The very pages of the coven's forbidden texts had come alive as each incantation became a death sentence, screaming toward her in waves.
Her grimoire, sensing the imminent doom, snapped itself open to a specific page, glowing violently as a deep purple shield snapped into place around her.
The barrier flickered, groaning under the force of the incoming magic, but held firm.
Explosions shook the ground around her as one spell detonated midair, releasing a swarm of spectral hands that clawed at the barrier.
Another cracked open the ground, letting tendrils of obsidian fire try to reach under them all.
It was then that Morgana Frost raised both arms skyward, gold energy curling around them like molten metal coiling around bone.
Her voice deepened into a rhythmic chant, one spell, one vow, cutting through the flurry of sorcery hurled toward Agatha's shield.
The air shimmered violently as smoke exploded from the repeated impacts on the violet barrier that encased Agatha, the runners, and her children, each blast carving chunks of dirt from the ground, splitting stone, and scorching the trees into blackened husks.
Amidst the chaos, through the screaming runes and exploding magic, Agatha caught a glimpse.
A narrow window through the haze.
And there she was.
Morgana Frost stood at the center of it all, golden robes flowing like war banners, her face carved in fury and something deeper that Agatha couldn't understand.
Through the smoke, the betrayal, and the confusion, Agatha spoke only one word.
"Why?"
Her voice was quiet, almost drowned out by the devastation, but it reached Morgana like a whisper in a cathedral.
Morgana's chest heaved, her breath coming in ragged gasps as her teeth clenched, and her eyes slowly turned into a bright golden color.
"For the promised king."
The words weren't shouted but seemingly uttered like scripture, like a vow sealed from her own sacrifice.
And with that vow, the golden energy above her shifted, it swelled, it bloomed, and then transfigured into a divine hammer of pure magic, suspended high in the sky.
It crackled with ancient symbols, its head too massive to be earthly, its form casting shadow even in the dark.
The clouds split apart as if afraid to touch it as the very air recoiled as the hammer tipped forward, its descent slow but absolute, like judgment falling from the heavens.
Agatha clenched her jaw, the air trembling around her as her own aura surged as her eyes flashed a deeper, almost primordial violet, glowing like twin stars behind her smoke-streaked face.
BOOOM
The golden hammer slammed down with cataclysmic force, obliterating the mansion behind Agatha in a single, earth-shattering second.
Explosions rippled outward in every direction, tearing through the estate like a violent storm unleashed.
Golden energy cascaded down, crashing over Agatha, whose entire body ignited in a fierce purple blaze.
Becoming an unyielding shield of arcane power that flared defiantly against the devastating onslaught of this golden righteousness.
CRACK
A single crack spiderwebbed across the barrier as Agatha's fury surged, pushing upward like a tidal wave.
Below her, the runners and her children stood frozen, shell-shocked by the chaos unfolding above
"GET THEM OUT OF HERE!" Agatha yelled at Benny as the boy looked up, meeting her gaze.
It was then through the shimmering purple shield, beyond the anger and betrayal, there was a mother's deep concern hiding in her eyes.
Benyn didn't meet that gaze with fear, he didn't even hesitate, and instead, he simply nodded lightly.
"I will."
Those two words made Agatha turn away, placing her trust in nothing but a child.
But within this cruel world, riddled with broken promises and secondhand betrayals.
There stood one boy who had never known a lie.
"Mommy?" Zatanna whispered, clutching Benny's shoulder as he pulled her away.
Without hesitation, Benny sprinted toward the only car untouched by the blast and shielded by Agatha's shield, its rear door swinging open at the behest of the runner.
"It's okay, baby. Go with Benny, and I'll see you soon," Agatha said, her voice warm and steady, overflowing with a mother's fierce love as the door shut behind the children.
"WE MUST NOT LET HER TURN THE TIDE!" Morgana Frost roared, her voice sharp as a blade.
She summoned the golden hammer once more, the air crackling with power as every golden-robed member unleashed a barrage of spells, hammering down on the spreading cracks of Agatha's barrier.
"Jeremiah, get in the car!" Benny shouted, hauling some of the runners inside but only the coven members skilled enough to wield lethal magic.
"But why are they-" Jeremiah started, but Benny yanked his collar and shoved him into the front seat as Morgana Frost's eyes darkened with strain at the sight.
"Ginny, you as well," Agatha said calmly, teeth gritting as she watched the hammer above her slowly begin to shift and morph down again from the heavens.
The older woman's face twisted in shock, shaking her head at all of this.
"Head Elder, I cannot leave-"
"GO!" Agatha's voice flared with purple energy, silencing her as Ginny opened her mouth, but closed it again.
"BENNY, THERE'S NOT ENOUGH ROOM FOR ALL OF US, WE HAVE TO-"
"We have to leave you behind," Benny interrupted, glancing around at the runners who couldn't fit into the cramped car, gazing upon the chosen few stunned and baffled.
RIP
The top of the Ford was ripped off by Ginny who opened the back door as well, carefully gathering the two adolescent children into a tight embrace.
"I want to see Mommy! I want to see Mommy!" Johnny cried out, struggling to claw his way toward Agatha, but Ginny held both children tighter, shielding them.
"Don't look back, you can't hesitate!" Agatha commanded Benny and Ginny, her voice edged with urgency as the grimoire hovered ominously above her.
"I won't." Benny replied calmly, shifting the stick and sending the tires of the Ford skidding across the dirt.
The golden hammer hurtled downward, parting the skies like Moses parting the sea, a lethal force of ancient power, too immense for any modern man to comprehend, slammed into the purple barrier with a deafening explosion.
BOOM
A massive explosion shattered the purple barrier, sending an enormous dust cloud billowing across the battlefield.
A glowing ring circled the epicenter, where the spell had detonated and in an instant, the runners left outside the car were vaporized, erased without mercy.
Silence fell, heavy and suffocating, until the sharp revving of the Ford's engine pierced the stillness.
"CAPTURE THEM!" Morgana Frost shouted, urgent and commanding as that single car spoke of all their plans going array.
WHOOSH
Golden energy burst forth, cutting through the dust like a scythe as the Ford tore recklessly through the wreckage of the estate as Benny's eyes stayed locked onto the exit ahead.
A jagged spell hurled itself at the speeding car, but Agatha sprang forward, spinning gracefully as purple energy swirled around the golden blast.
With fierce precision, she deflected the attack, sending it careening back toward the coven members.
BOOM
The spell slammed against the coven's barrier, shuddering it violently but in that moment, Morgana Frost's hateful eyes snapped onto Agatha with cold precision.
Instead of launching a direct attack at the coven members, her grimoire flipped open to a blackened page, its ink swirling like a living shadow.
Across the lawn, the undead, those same creatures Ricky had sent to guard her gardens, now painfully gathering their shattered limbs from the explosions, were suddenly engulfed in a sinister purple energy.
Dark tendrils of magic coiled tightly around their decayed forms, encasing them in an arcane armor as twisted veins of glowing power seeped into their bones.
Their empty eye sockets, once hollow and soulless, now burned with a cold, unnatural light, an eerie emptiness where their souls should have been.
Lit in a purple blaze.
"SCREEEEEEEEE!" The magically empowered undead screamed as the hateful damnations charged toward the eight coven members.
"We mustn't let those children escape, Merlyn needs them, WE MUSTN'T FAIL-"
BOOM
A hailstorm of purple curses, spells, and raw magical energy rained down, hurled by Agatha with desperate fury.
Benny yanked the wheel, drifting the car sharply alongside a crater before slamming the stick shift forward and flooring the gas.
A fierce magical duel erupted as Morgana Frost burst through the storm of magic to unleash savage attacks on the fleeing vehicle, only for Agatha to intercept every strike with precise, crackling counters.
Everything hinged on Morgana capturing those kids as she knew her power alone couldn't overcome Agatha.
But leverage, those children, were her last hope.
Agatha wasn't a defensive witch; she thrived on offense.
If Morgana gave her even a moment to attack, it was only a matter of time before the tables turned.
They couldn't afford to stop their assault, not for a single second.
"LET US THROUGH!" Morgana Frost screeched, her wrinkled face contorted as golden energy surged from her, pushing her forward against the mounting strain.
"NEVER!" Agatha screamed back, slamming her own spell into the tidal wave of golden light as a chaotic storm of colors swirling within the blast.
As Benny drove, a glowing barrier suddenly sprang up, blocking their path and without hesitation, Ginny flipped open her grimoire and extended her hand.
A shimmering ramp of arcane energy unfurled beneath the Ford's wheels, guiding the car upward and over the barrier just as the spell collided with the ramp's surface.
Cracks spiderwebbed along the ramp, fragments chipping away under the relentless magical assault, but the momentum carried the car higher, rising above the walls that sought to encase them.
Amidst the flurry of spells flying back and forth, all eyes were fixed on the soaring vehicle all while Benny's fingers adjusted smoothly on the wheel.
BAM
The front bumper of the car slammed into the road with a jarring thud, sending everyone inside lurching forward before gravity yanked them back down.
Benny yanked the wheel hard to the right, the Ford skidding and drifting sharply around the turn.
"Cain, Joseph, after them, now!" Morgana Frost barked, her voice cutting through the chaos as she commanded two high-ranking former members to give chase.
Agatha snarled, eyes blazing with fierce determination as the pursuit intensified.
CRACK
The barrier encasing the boxed-in coven members cracked under relentless assault as undead claws tore at the shimmering shield, desperate to rip flesh from bone.
"DISBAND AND ATTACK INDIVIDUALLY!" Morgana Frost shouted, making a desperate call.
She knew spreading out would leave them vulnerable, knowing full well that Agatha would pick them apart one by one, but it was a risk worth taking.
If those two could get their hands on her children.
BOOM
A violent magical explosion erupted, sending the eight coven members scattering like leaves in a storm.
From the heart of the blast, a tsunami of writhing, shimmering purple snakes unfurled as the arcane apparitions slithered with lethal intent toward every one of the golden cloaks.
BAM
BAM
Morgana Frost hurled torrents of crackling magical energy at the serpents, but the purple tendrils still slashed at her weathered golden flesh.
She fought desperately, buying precious seconds for Cain and Joseph, who streaked through the chaos, racing toward the car.
"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" One golden cloak screamed, torn apart by Agatha's merciless spell, shredded into pieces before they even hit the ground.
"NO, NO, NOOOOOOOOOO-"
SPLAT
Another shrieked in terror, yanked from the air by skeletal hands and devoured alive as her throat was ripped out by the ravenous undead.
"I WON'T LET YOU LEAVE-"
"YOU DON'T HAVE A CHOICE!" Morgana Frost roared, her eyes flaring a fierce, molten gold before erupting outward in a blinding burst of energy.
WHOOSH
Agatha slammed her palm forward, conjuring a shimmering barrier that rippled into existence.
Her hateful gaze locked onto the four remaining coven members, Morgana among them, who now stood bloodied, bleeding from their eyes, noses, and ears.
This was the elder she had once trusted, the woman who had been there when Agatha conceived both her children, her doula, and even her babysitter.
So many words went unspoken, so many answers left hanging in the air, and yet, none of it mattered now.
Agatha's eyes burned with a cold purple fury, unyielding and single-minded, focusing only on protecting her children.
"MOVE!" Agatha bellowed, her arms tracing glowing runes as lethal magic surged around her in a dazzling display of raw power.
But Elder Morgana Frost merely smiled, a cruel, knowing smile.
"Not until I have your children on leashes."
BOOM
"Jesus pete's!" One of the runners crammed in the back shouted, eyes wide as the explosion billowed behind them.
"H-How is this happening, they're apart of the coven-"
"No, they're rats, they're working for that guy Merlyn." Benny cut in sharply, eyes fixed on the road ahead as they sped down the long bridge separating this neighborhood from Staten Island.
"HOW CAN YOU JUST SAY THAT-"
"Young Jeremiah, what this hateful boy said is the truth, unfortunately." Ginny scowled, clearly sickened after agreeing with Benny.
"But-"
"They're rats." Benny said flatly, reaching for the glove box and frowning when he saw it was empty with no gun inside.
"But-" Jeremiah started to speak again, only to catch Benny's sharp side-eye shutting him up.
It was then that Benny focused ahead, his eyes flicking to something caught in the rearview mirror.
Ginny's head snapped back instinctively as her grimoire spun open to a page as she raised her hand, casting two vibrant spells, one glowing green, the other shimmering blue, hurtling straight toward them.
Boom
Boom
The car swerved slightly as the smoke cleared, revealing two warlocks soaring in pursuit as Ginny scrunched her brows, eyes narrowing.
She reached forward, trying to open a portal directly ahead of the car but before she could finish, a crackling green spell hurled toward the shimmering doorway.
BAM
The spell shattered before it could fully form, and Ginny spun around with a glare full of hatred as the warlocks closed in.
"Take this, you ungrateful boy," Ginny scoffed suddenly, pulling a small, sleek device from her pocket and handing it towards Benny.
It was the very same device the coven had confiscated from the witch hunters, authorized by Ricky himself, and Ginny had kept one hidden away, just in case.
"Whatever happens, use it only when you see no hope left in this fight," Ginny said quietly, knowing she couldn't make that judgment herself but this cold, emotionless boy just might be able to.
Benny snatched the device from her hand just as a sudden barrage of spells tore through the sky, crackling and hurling toward the speeding car.
Ginny sprang to her feet, the other runners ducking the two children as she looked up at the sky with eyes narrowed.
Raising her hands to unleash a shimmering dome of protective energy around the vehicle.
Above them, the two warlocks of Cain and Joseph soared through the air, their grimoires glowing ominously as they hurled bolts of crackling arcane fire and jagged shards of raw magic.
The sky lit up with bursts of blue, green, and white light as the air thickened with the roar of clashing spells.
Inside the car, the runners gripped their seats tightly, faces tense as Benny maneuvered with precision, weaving the Ford through the chaos.
The spells pierced through and slammed against the rode as Benny jerked and weaved through the destruction as the smell of rubber stunk the air.
The end of the bridge ahead loomed, the one that connected this affluent neighborhood to the relative safety of Staten Island.
Ginny's shield flickered under the relentless assault, her arms trembling but unyielding.
Spells collided against the barrier with explosive force, sending shards of magical energy scattering in all directions.
She whispered desperate incantations, weaving layers of protection as the car surged forward.
"DESTROY THE BRIDGE!" Joseph yelled, his voice sharp as Cain joined, their spells intertwining into a destructive chorus.
BOOM
BOOM
BOOM
The bridge trembled, chunks of concrete and steel ripping apart as it began to collapse.
A bead of sweat slid down Ginny's forehead as she split her concentration racing to repair the crumbling bridge just enough for the car to pass, while simultaneously fending off the relentless attacks.
Just as Ginny was nearly finished stabilizing the bridge and guiding the car upward, Cain hurled a jagged blue spear that slammed brutally into one of the Ford's tires.
The impact jolted the vehicle violently, sending Benny and Jeremiah who instinctively reached out for Zatanna and Johnny, were the only runners that Ginny focused on at that moment.
The other two runners, crammed in the back, were violently hurled from the car, flying through the air like ragdolls before crashing hard against the pavement below.
Their bodies hit with sickening thuds, lifeless before anyone could react.
Benny and Jeremiah, however, had Ginny's magic flared around them.
With desperate precision, she wove a glowing net of energy, catching them one by one and guiding them down to a rough but safe landing right as Joseph destroyed the Ford.
THUD
Both Benny and Jeremiah hit the ground with a thud, holding both of Ricky's children tightly in their embrace as they rolled.
Benny was the first to pick himself up, the scraps didn't bother him as he yanked Jeremiah's collar to get him to his feet.
"ARGH!" Jeremiah grunted, pain gripping his mind yet pushed to run through it as Benny didn't even look back, simply gazing forward.
Ginny scraped hard against the road, skin tearing, blood trailing behind her, but she didn't pay it any mind as her gaze never left the two warlocks overhead.
Even as her body tumbled like a ragdoll, she twisted her hand mid-roll, casting a spell through sheer force of will.
Three barrages of blazing white magic missiles erupted from her fingertips, streaking upward with precision.
BOOM
BOOM
The missiles struck just as Cain and Joseph raised their grimoires, interrupting their incantations with a violent blast that rocked the air around them.
Violent blasts erupted all around Benny and Jeremiah as they sprinted forward, the children clutched tightly in their arms.
Each explosion sent shockwaves rippling through the air, striking their backs like invisible fists.
The children whimpered in their ears, crying out in fear, but there was no time to soothe them as their bloodshot eyes could only look forward.
Behind them, Ginny, Cain, and Joseph tore through the night sky in a relentless aerial duel.
Spells collided midair in brilliant, deafening bursts of light as Ginny's white arcana weaved against Joseph's jagged green frost and Cain's electric blue barrage, the three locked in deadly combat with no room for mercy.
Jeremiah didn't dare look back as he just ran, faster and harder, his feet pounding against the desolate road as they pushed deeper into the heart of Staten Island.
"LET ME GO!" Johnny screamed, thrashing violently as he bit down hard on Jeremiah's shoulder.
"ARGH-WAIT!" Jeremiah yelped, teh pain corroding his grip while feeling the child slip free.
Feeling the slightest bit of freedom from his grasp, Johnny bolted toward the chaos, his tiny legs carrying him toward the struggling figure of Ginny in the distance.
That's when the blue fire lance came, screaming through the air, aimed directly at the child.
Benny's eyes widened and without thinking, he shoved Zatanna into Jeremiah's arms and lunged.
Trying to use his body to shield Johnny from harm and throw his life away just as soon as it started.
It's just that Ginny moved faster.
SPLAT
Blood splattered across the road as Ginny threw herself in front of the spell before Benny could.
Right as the blood seeped into the asphalt, Benny reached Johnny, yanking the boy back into his arms as a massive gash split across Ginny's side.
"GO!" Ginny shouted, the word ragged and half-formed but Benny was already running.
"GRANDMA GINNY!" Johnny cried, reaching out his small hand, his voice cracking with desperation.
The same hateful grandma Ricky despised now turned back to give the boy a warm, loving smile.
One last smile.
Then she faced the oncoming warlocks, Joseph and Cain, as their spells rained down like hellfire.
"THIS IS CRAZY, THIS IS CRAZY!" Jeremiah shouted, breathless, sprinting after Benny as they tore down a narrow alley, the chaos echoing behind them.
BOOM
BOOM
BOOM
Explosions ripped across the air as three figures darted violently through the sky.
Cain and Joseph circled Ginny like vultures, hellbent on breaking past her defenses while lobbing devastating spells toward the fleeing children.
But Ginny blocked every single one, again and again.
SPLAT
"ARGH, YOU F*CKING BITCH!" Cain roared, blood flying from a slash Ginny had landed across his chest.
Retaliating with no magic but physical might as he lunged at the old woman, punching her directly in the face.
BAM
Her head snapped back, her body reeled from the blow, and before she could recover.
CRACK
A torrent of green lightning slammed down, blasting her into the ground as Joseph had unveiled a devastating spell while she was tangled with cain.
Yet still, she moved, hand trembling, trying desperately to reached for her grimoire,
COUGH
Blood sprayed from her mouth as she was hit with a monstrous magical backlash.
Magic screamed through her as the grimoire was obliterated, pieces scattering like burned feathers under Cain's hateful next attack.
Ginny gasped, part of her soul ripping with it only for Cain to plummet down towards her already crippled figure.
SPALT
Not underestimating her for another second, Cain didn't hesitate as he conjured a wind lance that pierced her gut, pinning her to the cracked pavement.
Bleeding, breathless, her tired eyes lifted as her mouth worked through the blood.
"S-" Ginny tried to whisper, blood bubbling from her lips as it felt like she was drowning.
"How the hell." Cain scowled, stunned she was still alive and completely repulsed by her last dwindling flames of life.
About to cast a minor spell to explode her face, he and Joseph were already turning, ready to charge after the children.
But Ginny moved first.
Her trembling hands slammed against her chest and placing all her working fingers above her heart.
"Self destruct." Ginny whispered with a cracked, bloody laugh as both the warlocks who had left their attention off of her for a split second, refocused immediately.
Instinctively, both the warlocks leaped as far as they could while casting away but Ginny simply laughed.
The magic backlashing within her tore through her veins, crashing violently into the last reserves of power she could still muster.
It all collided into one heap of pain, will, and raw arcana before fusing it into a volatile core of unstoppable force.
But with nowhere for it to go inward.
It could only go outward.
BOOOOOOOOOM
A blinding white light erupted, swallowing the world in an instant as the pure, ancient magic of the old witch detonated in a final, devastating release.
From the alley's edge, Jeremiah glanced back just in time to see the white blast cloud rise like a second sun as his eyes narrowed, jaw tightening, and he turned forward without a word.
"I want my daddy~!" Zatanna sobbed, pounding her tiny fists against Jeremiah's back.
It wasn't just a plea, it was a demand, as if he could somehow summon Ricky from the smoke.
Immediately darting into the street, the children froze as a car came roaring toward them—its engine growling, tires screeching. Headlights blasted through the dark, locking onto the four like prey.
The car jerked to a halt.
SCREECH
The driver's window rolled down in a frenzy, and the man inside leaned out, eyes frantic, voice on the edge of panic.
"AYE, GET OUTTA OF THE WAY-"
CRUNCH
The car suddenly crumpled inward, folding like paper as it was violently flung across the street.
From the rising white smoke, Cain emerged slowly, chest heaving.
Half of his right arm was scorched and blackened, the other stretched out, fingers splayed as his burning gaze locked onto the four children.
"F*CKING DIE-"
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Joseph shouted, shoving Cain hard before he could strike the four children as Benny dove and yanked Jeremiah with him out of the way just in time.
A massive gash appeared near the group as Cain spun to glare at Joseph as his chest was heaving, blood and burn marks streaked across his skin.
"We need them alive, inquisitor Frost-" Joseph growled through clenched teeth at the pain he was also dealing with.
"Can suck my cock!" Cain roared back, fury burning too fierce for reason.
"I'm killing them, whether you get to the little brats or not, that blond kid dies!"
"Benny, what do we do?!"Jeremiah's voice cracked as tears welled in his eyes, following Benny as if he were a disciple of christ.
Without stopping, Benny pulled Jeremiah into a narrow bar that had been evacuated during the explosions.
"Go out back, find another car and-"
BAM
The doors exploded behind them the moment they stepped inside, sending Benny and Jeremiah tumbling forward.
They rolled hard across the floor, clutching the two children tightly.
"Go." Benny immediately said, shoving a sobbing Zatanna toward Jeremiah as he scrambled to his feet just as Cain's cruel cackle filled the room.
"Oh, please!" Cain sneered, flicking his hand toward Benny as his grimoire snapped open, pages fluttering wildly.
WHOOSH
A violent burst of wind surged straight at Benny as he lunged for something, anything, before the force slammed into him, spinning him backward in a dizzying spiral.
CRACK
His back crashed into the bottles hanging behind the bar, sending them shattering into jagged shards that sliced, scraped, and pierced his skin as he fell hard to the floor.
"You're nothing but scum," Cain huffed, limping forward, Joseph close behind, scanning the room until he saw what they had come here for.
"Right there. Let's grab them and meet back with-"
"Oh no, I'm killing that kid, I don't care about any promised king or whatever." Cain interrupted, voice low and vicious, limping toward the counter just as Benny's bloody hand pushed himself up only for his eyes to lay on a bat.
Reaching for it almost instantly, fingers closing around a bat, his other hand reached into his pocket, pulling out the device that Ginny gave him moments before.
Blood seeped down from his golden hair, looking upwards at the reflection in the brass coating of the bar counter and seeing nothing but blue hardened steel.
"COME OUT, COME OUT, YOU F*CKING RUGRAT!"
Sigh
"You're killing me, Slick. Just killing me." Frank muttered, rifling through the towering stacks of papers Ricky had left scattered all over the restaurant, before he'd finally move everything to their office, where everyone but Ricky actually worked.
Franky heard some crackling in the distance but chalked it off to the Asian immigrants who he always said went nuts for fireworks.
"And why is their grease stains everywhere-"
BOOM
Frank's words were cut short as the restaurant doors exploded inward, sending a cloud of dust and debris surging through the space.
"Argh!" Frank grunted sharply, not from the blast itself, but from the sudden, stabbing pain in his back as he ducked under the table, instinctively pulling a muscle.
"Motherf*ckers!" Frank hissed out, reaching into his trench coat and yanking out a pistol as he slowly crawled back up from the table.
"YOU GOT SOME MEATBALLS TO COME UP IN HERE WITH DAT ENTRANCE, BUT YOU'RE ONLY LEAVING WITH-.....lead?" Frank screamed, clicking the barrel of his revolver only to see the dust clear to a labrador that had just stood up to his hind legs.
"Aye, aren't you Barko?" Frank squinted, his brows furrowing as he kept the pistol trained on the dog's head, even as Barko's werewolf form faded, drained of magic from the sprint.
"No time to explain. Ricky's children, they're in trouble, all of them!" Barko's voice came heavy, urgent, cutting through the tense air as Frank's annoyed expression vanished instantly, replaced by sharp concern.
"Who?" Frank barked, yanking Barko's collar to steady him before hoisting the labrador over his shoulder.
Without missing a beat, he bolted out of the wrecked restaurant, sprinting toward his car like there was no tomorrow.
"T-The coven-"
"DAMMIT!" Frank yelled, opening his car door and throwing Barko into the front passenger seat.
"I TOLD SLICK THEY WERE TROUBLE, I F*CKING TOLD HIM!" Frank hit the steering wheel in anger, putting his key into the ignition.
Sigh
"It's a real shame how good pussy blinds a man." Frank said with a heavy sigh, taking a moment of silence as if understanding too well and looking behind him.
The Cadillac's rubber tires screamed against the sidewalk as it jerked backward onto the street, smashing into two other cars with a brutal force that sent them flying in opposite directions.
The vehicle spun sharply, tires screeching, as Frank slammed the pedal down and tore away with furious intent.
Alfio, the owner of Italiano's, emerged from the back, his weathered face creased with a tired frown while shaking his head slowly, the old Italian man muttered a tired sigh.
"I'll clean it later."
"Ow~" Barko muttered, rubbing his paw on his head after accidentally banging it against the dashboard.
To his surprise, Frank's hand lunged toward the radio as he fiddled with the dials, switching through frequencies.
Though radios at the time were primarily one-way systems until 1933, two-way radios were beginning to gain traction, first implemented by the Bayonne, New Jersey police department in March of that year.
Originally invented in Australia back in 1923, two-way radios had only just started becoming practical for real-world use by 1933.
Rather than dismissing the technology, the Luciano family, under Lucky's direction, had begun installing two-way radios in their cars to improve communication between drivers and headquarters, though these were reserved strictly for emergencies.
"EVERYONE, EVERYONE, PUT DOWN YOUR F*CKING CIGARS AND WHATEVER ELSE YOU'RE DOING AND LISTEN!" Frank's voice boomed over every radio under the Luciano family's control.
The sharp screech of the transmission caught everyone off guard, the sudden crackle like a splash of cold water to the senses.
"THOSE WITCH BASTARDS IN THE COVEN WENT ROGUE, THEY'RE COMING FOR SLICK'S KIDS!" Frank's words tore through the static as mobsters stationed at headquarters and scattered across the city instantly sprang into action, hands reaching for guns and readying for a fight.
"THEY CAN'T GET THAT LEVERAGE, NOT WHEN SLICK'S OUT THERE, READY TO KICK THEIR BOSSES' ASSES!" Frank barked, no trace of uncertainty in his voice.
He didn't know if Ricky was actually doing that, but he needed to ignite a fire under these men, to make them understand they wouldn't die for nothing.
"REMEMBER WHAT WE DO TO THE ONES WHO BITE THE HAND THAT FEEDS THEM, AND THEN REMEMBER WHAT WE DO TO F*CKING RATS!" Frank roared, his words sharp as a whip.
The mobsters didn't hesitate, they spilled out of the buildings where they'd been lounging, flooding into the streets with guns drawn and resolve burning bright.
Once again, New York fell under the iron grip of Ricky's shenanigans and as the mobsters poured into the streets, civilians scattered like shadows at dusk, racing back to their homes in desperate search of safety.
"W-Why are you going here, this isn't-"
"LUCKY, LUCKY!" Frank barked into the radio, fingers fumbling to switch channels to Lucky's private line. Barko shot him a confused look as the car swerved slightly.
"DAMMIT, I FORGOT ABOUT THE GIANTS GAME TODAY!" Frank slammed his hand against the steering wheel, the sudden realization hitting him like a freight train.
That was exactly why Lucky was always planted next to a radio, no distractions during the game.
After all, Lucky made time for his grandkids, and with Henry, Jennifer's boy, those ball games were sacred.
Henry was a very particular child, and Lucky knew just how to connect with him as he used Henry's love for numbers and his knack for tidiness to bond with him, carefully keeping score of the games side by side.
"C'mon, C'MON!" Frank muttered urgently, scrambling to remember Lucky's car radio frequency as his own car sat idling in a deserted lot, his heart pounding with every wasted second.
Meanwhile, Lucky's laughter carried across the quiet stadium grounds.
"So, what did you think of your first game?" Lucky asked warmly, rubbing Gus's curly hair as the boy walked beside his grandpa.
Henry, focused and precise, carefully inspected the box score, his eyes flicking over every number like a seasoned analyst.
It wasn't a secret that Lucky made it his mission to build something genuine with all of Ricky's known bastards.
After stepping back and handing over the reins to Ricky, he finally had the time, and the will, to be the grandfather he hadn't always been.
One of his favorite rituals was taking Henry, the bookworm, to Giants games.
Together, they'd fill out the box score, Henry's sharp mind soaking in every statistic while Lucky shared stories between innings.
Then came Gus.
Watching Henry's and Gus' friendship bloom, Lucky felt compelled to bring his other grandson into the fold but of course, only after getting Henry's blessing.
But it wasn't just about family; it was about creating a bond, a sense of belonging, even if the bloodlines were complicated.
"A little underwhelming," Gus admitted honestly, glancing up at Lucky, who scoffed, because he couldn't deny the truth in the boy's words.
"Ya think if you went to watch a guy called 'The Meal Ticket,' he'd at least deliver?" Lucky sighed, knowing the game had been dull and almost underwhelming for a first outing, his brow furrowing in disappointment.
"On a positive note, James 'Jimmy' Ripple is panning out just like you said." Henry looked up, showing Lucky the improvements, making the mobster smile quietly in approval.
"Aye, what can I say, your pops knows ball-" Lucky laughed, opening the car door only to hear the radio blare in his ears.
"LUCKY, PICK THE F*CK UP!" Frank roared through the radio, snapping Lucky out of his calm as he lunged toward the device and grabbed the walkie.
"Franky, what is it-"
"THE COVEN'S ROGUE, THEY AFTER SLICK'S KIDS!" Frank summed up the situation in a matter of seconds as Lucky's face went dire.
"Get to Alina." Lucky's voice snapped into sharp focus as he slammed the key into the ignition and with a quick wave, Henry and Gus scrambled into the back seat, urgency replacing the earlier calm.
"But Raven is-"
"RAVEN IS A FCKING ASSASSIN, GET OVER TO ALINA'S HOUSE RIGHT FCKING NOW!" Lucky screamed into the radio, the tires of his Ford burning rubber as he tore into traffic, weaving fiercely through the streets.
"Got it!" Frank snapped, startled by Lucky's urgency, and slammed the car into reverse as Barko barreled into the passenger door, forcing the vehicle to spin around.
"AND GET EVERY AVAILABLE GODDAMN HAND WE HAVE OVER TO STATEN! I WANT THAT ENTIRE F*CKING ISLAND SMEARED WITH ANY BASTARD WHO TOUCHES MY GRANDKIDS!" Lucky roared over the radio, his grip tightening on the wheel as he didn't head to Staten Island or Raven's place, not even his own house, but raced straight toward Jennifer's.
"Grandpa?" Henry asked, having an intellect that spanned farther than an elementary schooler or middle schooler but at the end of the day, still a child.
"Don't worry, we're gonna go get your mother right now." Lucky said, reaching back and patting Henry's head before looking in the rearview mirror.
"But put on your seatbelts, 'cause I'm probably gonna crash the car." Lucky assured them as the two kids glanced at each other before hastily buckling up as his hands gripped the steering wheel tightly.
Out of all the women Ricky had tangled himself with, the one Lucky never let his guard down around was Raven.
It wasn't a secret how much Lucky understood Raven's place in Ricky's life, that she'd become something of a mother figure for Danielle.
But Lucky wasn't a fool.
He knew just how conniving Raven could be when she wanted something, and, more importantly, how deadly she could become if pushed the right way.
So when the lights in the mansion where Raven and her future children lived suddenly went dark, Lucky wasn't hoping for her safety, he was hoping the bastards who sealed their own death warrants would pay for it.
Three warlocks in golden robes entered, each wearing arrogant smiles, their grimoires floating beside them, pages flipping with an eerie, deliberate rhythm.
"I'm giving you one chance, Missy, come out and we'll be gentle, I promise." Ezekiel said, spreading out his arms towards the pitch black house that remained utterly silent.
Until with a certain shadow, two eyes of gold slowly opened with a cold look that looked to have witnessed countless atrocities without even blinking.
Click
In a mere second, the look of arrogance on Ezekiel faced stiffened as the anti magic barrier, the one that Chuck had installed according to Ricky's grand plan.
Was activated.