The van stopped at Nevermore's front gates. Aleksander, Wednesday, Enid, and Sofia climbed out, brushing dirt off their clothes. Sofia gave a quick nod and walked off toward Woodstone Mansion.
Larissa Weems waited in the lit foyer, arms loosely crossed, a small smile on her face. "You're back safe. I knew you'd solve it."
Enid bounced a little on her heels, eyes bright. "We totally did! The trap was perfect."
Wednesday stood a step behind, hands in her pockets, expression flat. "It worked."
Larissa nodded. "Good job. Get some rest." She turned and walked down the hall, heels clicking softly on the stone floor.
Enid slung an arm around Wednesday's shoulders. "Come on, gloomy, we just solved major cold case. You can smile a little."
Wednesday glanced at her, then looked straight ahead. "I'll consider it."They walked side by side toward the dorms, the heavy front doors closing behind them with a soft thud.
Aleksander pushed open the door to his dorm, the hinges creaking slightly. Rowan and Xavier jumped up from their chairs, faces lit with urgency.
Mathew the raven flapped over and perched on his shoulder, while Stitch scampered across the floor and latched onto his leg in a quick hug.
Xavier leaned forward, pointing at a scribbled map on the desk. "We kept eyes on Thornhill. She headed straight to Crackstone's crypt after you left."
Rowan nodded fast, picking up the thread. "Tyler overheard her too—she's planning to grab Wednesday, use her blood to break the seal on Joseph Crackstone."
Aleksander dropped his bag, eyes narrowing as he took it in. The room went quiet, just the raven's soft caw breaking the tension.
Mathew rasped in a dry, knowing voice, straight out of some old tale, "She's planning the abduction after the Rave'N. Wants a lowkey spot for it."
Aleksander knew the Rave'N was Nevermore's big annual ball, always themed—like last year's crypt-punk setup. He hummed low, muttering, "Then we plan accordingly."
Stitch pulled back from the hug, eyes flashing with fury. The little alien punched the air wildly, mimicking brutal beats—fists flying, then a throat-slash and a stomp—clearly signaling to beat down and kill Thornhill.
Aleksander nodded once, a grim glint in his eye as he met Stitch's gaze. "On the killing part, we're agreed."
He needed to loop in Wednesday and Enid. With a focused breath, he teleported.
Whoosh. A sound like a cracking whip submerged in water cut the air. Reality folded sharp. His body smeared into a thin blur, then snapped into Wednesday and Enid's room.
The arrival hit hard.
Air rushed out in a vacuum shockwave, blasting Enid's headphones off her head and scattering Wednesday's book pages across the bed.
Enid yelped, yanking one earbud free, while Wednesday sat up straight, unfazed, her eyes locking on him and said."Could you please not do this again?"
Aleksander held his hands up in defeat. "I was in a hurry. Used too much power by accident."Wednesday let it slide, braiding a loose braid tighter. "What happened?"
Aleksander sighed and explained everything regarding Thornhill's plansnlike abducting Wednesday after the Rave'N. She wants Wednesdays blood to break Crackstone's seal.
Enid's eyes went wide. "So what do we do?"
Aleksander leaned against the desk. "My idea: make her think she won everything, then take it all away."
Enid blinked. "You mean let her grab Wednesday, use her blood to bring back Joseph Crackstone?"
Aleksander nodded. "Yes. Hear me out."
Wednesday raised an eyebrow, curious despite herself."I checked Crackstone's tomb in the crypt—where Goody Addams sealed his soul. But here's the twist: Crackstone cut a deal with a demon for wealth and power, sacrificing Outcast souls."
He met Wednesday's gaze. "Goody must've sensed he'd gotten some eternal youth from it. That's why she locked him down."
Enid cut in. "Wait, so you want to unseal him? He's basically immortal."
Wednesday added flatly, "And a demon's involved too."
"Exactly," Aleksander said. "That's why we break it. The demon involved here is caleldYellow-Eyed One. It'll show up to collect on Crackstone. He'll power up, kill more Outcasts—big numbers. We cannot let it play out. We hit Crackstone now, especially with Thornhill trying to unseal him."
Wednesday's eyes narrowed, processing. Enid fidgeted on the bed.
"Who is this demon?" Wednesday asked.
Aleksander held his hands out. His grimoire materialized in a faint glow—pages packed with multiverse spells, demon lore, and monster entries. He focused on the Yellow-Eyed Demon, and fresh script etched across the pages.
He scanned it aloud. "Our demon is a Prince of Hell. Name's Azazel. He was first to be turned to a demon by Lucifer."
Enid gasped, clutching her knees. "Holy fucking shit."
Wednesday stared at the book, unblinking. The room felt colder.