Chapter 6-the Witching Hour and the light of the lantern shed upon it.

There is no path. Beyond the scope of light, beyond the reach of Dark... what could possibly await us? And yet, we seek it, insatiably... Such is our fate."

-Aldia, Scholar of the First Sin

With each pounding step the forest trembled as Harvey returned home with the latest batch of Heirs of Fire that where bested in combat. This time there was the Dance and Yhrom the giant along with the nameless Blacksmith.

But what differed from other hunts was that not only was this hunt more successful because of the Blades of Chaos, but also because he was not alone.

Sabrina had accompanied him this time again, ever since Lothric she had stuck to him with every hunt so far.

"This makes over a dozen new fighters for our army." Sabrina said to him.

"Your army, you mean." Harvey replied.

"Our army." She insisted with a teasing smile and Harvey backed off, this only made her giggle in triumph at winning the argument.

"Sabrina, why do you always have to torment me so?" Harvey asked in exasperation.

"Because you're so much fun to tease." Sabrina quipped and that did get a smile out of Harvey. So as they made their way home, he decided to concede this to Sabrina as he tinkered with the skull lantern that he acquired on their latest journey.

It seemed to belong to a scholar of sort, since the runes on it where those used to denote research of knowledge and it said something about breaking curses and shedding light on the deception. It's previous owner seemed to be some kind of lord who seemed obsessed with shedding the yoke of faith. At least that was what they could speculate from the runes.

"There is something odd about that, it was a spell embedded inside of it and I sense a soul. I think it's a relic that keeps its host soul trapped until they repent or something like that." Sabrina speculated as they reached the Spellman home and Sabrina put away the giants into her Acheron

"I'll start testing the thing, if I can't find anything I'll give it to you for a crack."

"Brilliant plan Harry, have a mortal instead of a witch take first look at a magical artifact." Nick said to them, coming from the front porch.

And it looked like the usual song and dance was about to begin again.

"Harvey, come here for a minute love." The voice of Hilda Spellman was heard from inside the house, rescuing Harvey from another awkward moment.

The boy quickly gave Sabrina the lantern, then turned and left the scene entering the house, where Hilda served him a cup of tea.

"Thank you."

"No worries love, just hide out here till it's all over." Hilda replied softly as she and Harvey took a peak outside.

Xxxxxxx

"His name is Harvey, not Harry!" Sabrina scolded Nick.

"Really? I hadn't noticed."

Nicholas is lying, Nicholas is lying.

An ethereal voice was heard from the skull shaped lantern, who's eyes glowed a ghostly green at that.

This caught the witch and the warlock off-guard as they look din surprise at the lantern.

"The sky is green and the grass is blue!" Sabrina said all of a sudden.

Sabrina Spellman's lying, Sabrina Spellman's lying.

That confirmed that this was a skull, who's previous owner was trapped inside of it, forced to reveal what was a lie as penance.

Sabrina turned her gaze from the lantern and towards Nick and upon seeing the panicked look in his eyes upon being near a magical lie detector, Sabrina immediately pursued.

"Are you keeping more secrets from me Nick?"

"No!"

Nicholas is lying, Nicholas is lying.

"Are they something I should know?"

"Of course not!"

Nicholas is lying, Nicholas is lying.

"No I'm not lying!"

Lies.

"Do they involve another woman?" Sabrina asked with dread.

"Yes...I'm sorry but I that was what I kept hidden from you."

Lies.

At that both Nick and Sabrina's eyes bugged out, one from shock, the other from fear.

"Do they involve someone I know?

"Of course not!"

Lies.

"I've never kept anything from you!"

Lies

"That this is a deception! Sabrina, I swear that I never set out to hurt you!"

Lies!

"Hurt me...what? Nick...are you keeping something from me that involves the Dark Lord?" Sabrina asked as disbelief overtook her.

"NO!"

Lies.

"I would never keep something like this from you!"

LIES! OH SO MANY LIES!

The skull lamp said as it blazed away like mad much to the shock of Sabrina, Nick, Hilda and Harvey.

"Have...have you been spying on me for the Dark Lord?" Sabrina asked him and upon seeing that he was about to defend himself, she raised the lantern till it was face level with his own and held it firmly there.

This stopped Nick in his tracks, he knew that he had no way out of this.

"The...The Dark Lord asked me to get close to you, to befriend and help you." Nick said and the lantern was silent.

Sabrina closed her eyes as tears started leaking.

"He asked me to befriend a pretty girl, a girl that I wanted to know. There was no harm in his request."

Lies.

"No!I had no choice, I couldn't have told you about it!"

Lies

"The Dark Lord swore me to secrecy!"

Lies.

"Sabrina, I never meant to hurt you. I love you!"

LIES.

At that Sabrina opened her eyes from shock as Hilda covered her mouth from surprise and Harvey dropped his cup as well.

"No! NO! I love you!"

Lies.

"Not it isn't!"

Lies.

"You once told me that witches and warlocks cannot know love, real love is not in their nature." Sabrina said to him.

"I was wrong!"

Lies.

"I do truly love you."

Lies.

"No! I would never hurt you or leave your side."

LIES

"I love you Sabrina Spellman, you taught me how to love!"

FILTHY LIES!

The lantern once more blazed away at its brightest and as the light faded away only silenced remained.

"Sabrina...I..."

Sabrina stopped him by bringing out the knife that they had used for Lupercalia last year. The knife that Nick had given her a present, the knife that she cherished.

She held it up and snapped it in two right in front of him before throwing the bits at his feet.

"Sabrina, please...let me exp-"

Nick's words where once more cut off by Sabrina spitting in his face.

"I can't even look at you now Nick, please leave. Stay away and maybe one day I won't hate you for the rest of my life." Sabrina told him as Nick hesitated to do anything. He once more tried to take step forward

But Sabrina then conjured Gundyr from the Acheron and ordered him to take a step towards Nick.

At that a heartbroken Nick finally left.

As soon as he was gone, a teary eyed Sabrina ran inside the house and looked frantic around it. When she finally found Hilda and Harvey in the kitchen she immediately bolted towards him.

"Harvey! My good honest Harvey! My sweet Harvey!" Sabrina said as she ran with so much vigor that she slammed into him almost knocking him of his chair as she embraced him hard and cried into his shoulder.

"Have you ever lied to me?" Sabrina asked.

"Yes and I kept secrets from you." Harvey replied and the lantern remained silent.

"What secrets?"

"I didn't tell you until recent about my hunter past and I kept making excuses to keep my distance." Harvey replied.

"Understandable, forgivable...neither did I ask and when you told me I didn't believe you...Harvey...oh my Harvey..." Sabrina said and gripped him hard as she cried her eyes out into his shoulder.

Hilda got up from the kitchen and closed the door, leaving the two alone.

Xxxxxxxx

What followed after that was weeks in which Nick kept his distance from her and Sabrina became glued to Harvey, spending all her free time with him on his hunts.

Needless to say that her collection of demons in the Acheron was evolving into a small army by then.

And as the cold of winter was approaching so too did many schemes of the Dark Lord, perpetrated by Lilith.

In this schemes she summoned the Greendale 13.

The only problem was that as they were summoned, Harvey and Sabrina where also on patrol that night.

And they found them.

Huddle around a darkened cabin, not trying to summon the angel of death, but in trembling despair, on their knees in supplication towards...towards heaven.

"Lord of the Heavenly Host, Great Michael we beseech thee, send thy angels and their fury upon us! Smite us with fire and sword!"

"Lord of the Heavenly Host, Great Michael we beseech thee, send thy angels and their fury upon us! Smite us with fire and sword!"

"Lord of the Heavenly Host, Great Michael we beseech thee, send thy angels and their fury upon us! Smite us with fire and sword!"

Sabrina and Harvey saw and heard them calling upon the Michael the Arch Angel to...come and destroy them.

"Why are you doing this?" Sabrina asked and got the lantern ready.

At her words, that made the pair noticed by the Greendale 13, they all hunkered down and covered their heads with their hands in fear.

"Mercy good hunter, mercy kind sister...do not banish us back to the pit...we are but wretches, stay thy fury, sheath thy...fiery swords! Are though a servant of the silver city? Has Lord Michael headed our prayers?" The head of the Greendale 13 asked hopefully as the rest all looked with wonder in their eyes and hope at Harvey's flaming chaos blades.

"No! Why do you want the False God's Avenging Angels to come and...destroy you?" Sabrina asked.

"Better to be destroyed then suffer hell again. No more, never again! We would rather know nothingness that exist amongst the flames. No more fire...no more flames for us." They replied.

"What? But aren't loyal witches sparred the suffering of hell? Aren't you his chosen followers?" Sabrina asked.

"A lie. And fools where we for thinking a truth would come from the King of Liars. It is but a deception, power is given and lies are told to corrupt the soul and trick you into damming yourself to hell, there we are chosen indeed. Chosen as fuel for the fires. We burn so that the Lightbringer's 'Age of Fire' may continue. We are but kindling for the First Flame." The Greendale 13 weakly told them.

"The First Flame? It's in hell?" Harvey asked, speaking up for the first time.

"No, it his hell. The First Flame is the Fire of Hell and it burns too bright, too intensely. So much that instead of a warm light, it but blinds us, it does not give warmth and hope but turns all it touches into ash. Too much fire, and never enough kindling. For centuries we have burned, better to suffer the wrath of the Angels then burn again. He gave us magic to forge us into proper kindling... the more you walk the Path of Night, the darker the witch, the stronger the kindle she is, to make the flames burn..." The Greendale 13 replied as they kept their heads down and shivered from the memory of the First Fire, of burning in order to prolonged the Age of Fire, of how Lucifer kept the fire brighter than it should be, than it needed to be.

The lantern was silent at that great revelation, which only confirmed that it was true.

"There is a way for you to not return to hell and not suffer the wrath of the angels. I can hide you in my Acheron, here you will be safe from both, you only need to come out to fight the Dark Lord with me. Will you join me?" Sabrina said and held out the Acheron.

"Oh...gracious lord...thank you." The Greendale 13 said as Sabrina absorbed them into the Acheron.

"I think this is how we can do it. If we can get enough demons on your side then we can turn the tide." Harvey offered.

"If we can get enough demons on 'our side', then yes." Sabrina said with an appreciative smile.

"Brina, before we go any further. We should go and tell Roz and Susie, well Theo now the truth. They should at least know of the danger of being our friends." Harvey offered.

At that Sabrina gave a hesitant nod as they did just that.

Sabrina revealed herself as a witch to them and upon hearing those words and seeing her apprehensive face, both Theo and Ros hugged her, showing that they loved her and accepted her as she is. Putting her soul to rest.

After that Sabrina and Harvey departed for their homes, since they both needed to rest and recover. And as they did this Theo and Ros both giggled into their hands at the sight of Sabrina and Harvey holding hands.