Post-Battle I

Two days after the resurrection of Joseph Crackstone.

Nevermore was bustling with activity—too much, considering classes hadn't officially started yet.

This was due to the lunar eclipse that occurred two days ago. No one in the outcast society had imagined that during two consecutive eclipses, such significant events would take place, leaving everyone astounded.

In both events, two names stood out among the outcasts: Luke Poe and Wednesday Addams. Both were the protagonists of both blood moons.

During this blood moon, Crackstone was resurrected only to be killed again, followed by a confrontation with Dolores Spellman, the wife of the Spellman family patriarch. She was defeated in combat and ultimately killed by Luke, Wednesday, and Fester Addams—a surprising addition that no one had expected.

After this, many outcasts working for the council were sent to Nevermore to thoroughly investigate what had happened there. Even members of the Demon Extermination Department were involved, as Crackstone had been a demonic normie in his time.

The belief of the non-council outcasts was that Crackstone gained his strength from a book of witchcraft and that he led hundreds of armed normies.

They still saw him as the nemesis of America's outcasts, but they did not know that the real source of his power was a demonic book.

The outcasts who fought Crackstone realized his strength far surpassed what could be explained by an ordinary whitcraft book, but they couldn't share this discovery with others, as they were killed by him.

The only survivor was Goody Addams, who dedicated her entire life to vengeance and, for that reason, didn't actively reveal that Crackstone actually possessed a demonic book rather than a whitcraft book.

Then, when Crackstone was imprisoned in the blood sarcophagus, years passed, and many outcasts forgot the name Joseph Crackstone, until it resurfaced during the lunar eclipse when Atlas and the others sought to free him so the normie could wreak havoc and kill Luke Poe.

However, not everyone forgot that Crackstone had been a xenophobe and a genocidal figure with powers derived from stolen psychic books—or so they believed regarding the origin of his abilities. For this reason, many outcast families harbor hatred toward normies and strongly oppose sending their children to Nevermore.

An institution seeking reconciliation but located in a place where such a genocidal figure lived—and where Crackstone is portrayed as a hero and a good man—has not won their favor.

The news about the event on Raven Island during this blood moon wasn't hidden from the general outcast public. It was too significant to cover up completely, similar to the first blood moon when Nevermore was attacked by an army of zombies.

During this second blood moon, Raven Island was largely destroyed. Moreover, a prominent figure in outcast society, Dolores Spellman, was killed.

No one could believe that three key figures from the main Spellman family line had died in such a short time. Essentially, Luke had wiped out half of the Spellman family's main branch. Now, only Elliot and his mother, Sabrina and Sebastian's grandmother, remained.

As for Elliot's father, he had been killed years ago by John and Sophie Poe, Luke's parents. Regarding Elliot's grandparents, they were legally deceased due to their age. However, Luke suspected they might have made demonic deals and were in hiding. If he was lucky, perhaps one had died naturally—which would make things easier for him.

Meanwhile, Wednesday was in one of Nevermore's infirmaries, sitting upright in a chair. Her dark eyes slowly moved from side to side as she read the lines of a small book she held in her pale hands.

Every so often, Wednesday would stop reading and glance to the side. There was a bed where a teenage boy lay, wrapped in bandages. It was Luke. His breathing had stabilized, but he had yet to regain consciousness since losing it two days ago.

Wednesday tried to focus on her book, but she couldn't help looking at Luke's sleeping face every so often, hoping he would open his eyes.

Hope. Wednesday thought she had never believed herself capable of such a feeling within her being.

At that moment, the infirmary door opened, and footsteps approached the bed where Luke rested.

Wednesday rose from her chair and stood in front of Luke's bed, staring at the person entering. When she saw who it was, she frowned.

It was a pretty girl, slightly taller than Wednesday, with long, straight black hair, bronze skin, and amber eyes. It was Veronica Umbrio.

"You again?" Wednesday asked in a cold tone, making it clear that Veronica was not welcome.

"As pleasant as always, Addams. What are you, his personal bodyguard?" Veronica replied in an equally cold tone, her expression unfriendly as she saw Wednesday standing protectively in front of Luke, as if expecting an attack.

"I'm his girlfriend," Wednesday retorted in a curt and monotone voice.

Veronica clicked her tongue softly and grabbed a chair. Without another word, she moved it to the foot of Luke's bed, keeping a deliberate distance from Wednesday. She sat down and gazed at Luke with concern. In her hands, she held a container of homemade food she had prepared herself.

Wednesday followed her movements the entire time. When she realized Veronica wasn't a threat, she returned to her own chair.

The room fell into silence. The only sound was Luke's steady breathing, his chest rising and falling at a calm, moderate pace.

'Why won't she stop staring at me?' thought Veronica, furrowing her brows. It was uncomfortable having Wednesday's vacant gaze on her all the time.

"Any updates?" Veronica asked, breaking the silence.

"Do you think if there were any updates, Luke would still be in the same position he's been in for the past two days?" Wednesday replied in her usual monotone voice, laced with her signature way of making others feel stupid.

'This girl…' Veronica thought, taking a deep breath. She hadn't come here to argue with this goth girl; she knew it would lead nowhere, and the only one who'd end up angry would be herself.

When Veronica remained silent, Wednesday pressed on, clearly wanting to be alone with Luke. "Why are you here?" she asked, her tone anything but friendly.

"Why wouldn't I be? I'm Luke's family. If I want to see him, you're not going to stop me," Veronica said, meeting Wednesday's gaze with a defiant look.

"Family," Wednesday repeated with a disdainful smirk.

"Yes, family. What's the problem?" Veronica asked.

"I find it amusing that the Umbrio family considers themselves part of Luke's family. You share blood, but nothing else. You never helped him or his mother. You read his mother's letter about the demons, and yet you didn't lift a finger," Wednesday said, her gaze piercing and accusatory.

Veronica's face darkened; the rude girl was right.

"Last year, he spent the holidays at our house, and this year, we invited him again," Veronica countered in her defense.

"Those holidays, Luke spent most of his time at another house, and this year you only invited him because you discovered his three auras," Wednesday countered instantly.

"Why are you so rude to everyone? Is it because of your goth look?" Veronica asked, realizing she couldn't win the argument and opting to change the subject.

"I'm not rude; I just speak the truth, even if you don't like it," Wednesday replied.

"Whatever... I just came to see Luke and bring him food, not to talk to you," Veronica said.

"Food he can't eat since, as you can see, he's unconscious," Wednesday pointed out.

"Food he'll eat when he wakes up!" Veronica exclaimed, losing her patience.

"You didn't seem very convinced yesterday that Luke would wake up anytime soon," Wednesday retorted.

"I changed my mind! I said that yesterday because Luke suffered an EPL. Usually, the periods of unconsciousness can be very long, but he has three auras, and he's strong. He'll wake up soon, I know it," Veronica said firmly.

For the first time, Wednesday agreed with Veronica on something, so she stopped finding fault with everything she said.

The room fell silent again. After about forty minutes, Veronica received a telepathic message from her father. She had to leave.

"When he wakes up, give him the food," Veronica said, placing the container on a table.

Wednesday said nothing. She glanced at the container for a second before turning her gaze back to Luke. Veronica took that as a yes and left the room without another word.

---------------------------------------------------

You can read 15 chapters in advance on my patreon.

Link: https://www.p@treon.com/Nathe07