LOTM: Witnesses of Sleepy Hollow - Harvest Saga - Helene Hawthorn Arc

LOTM: Witnesses of Sleepy Hollow - Harvest Saga - Helene Hawthorn Arc is the sixth arc of LOTM: Witnesses of Sleepy Hollow - Harvest Saga which was divided into two Sub Arcs - Mirage of Gallery and Gladius Grapefruit Sub Arc. This is the final arc in the first stage of Harvest Saga, which shall end the main coflict against Zodiac Demons and start a formal war between Team Witness, Zodiac Demons and the non-banished members of Order of Flourish in the following arc.

The first part of this arc is the first main story part that have a character other than Ichabod Crane as the main protagonist, with the main POV character as Helene Hawthorn. It is also the first arc for Ichabod and his teammates to battle against the Order of Flourish member that was not an outcast.

Part 1 - Helene Hawthorn


The "Miracle of Art" is a disfigured teenage girl artist named Helene Hawthorn who lives below the Sleepy Hollow Art Gallery. She has a large part in managing each exhibits through her friend Harold Honeydew. Helene's life changes when Harold is dismissed and the art gallery hires a new manager, Choleti Dorian, under the permission of Prosecutor Phyllis Peach.

Choleti's wife Dora is a spoiled woman with a bad personality and terrible voice and painting skills, and she is not just bossy but also deceitful, plaigiarizing the works of her student in order to gain fame on herself. Helene takes an instant dislike to them both. Choleti and Dora refuse to listen to warnings about the "ghost" who haunts the opera house, even when Joseph Buquet, Dora's wardrobe man, goes into the depths of the opera house and is killed due to peeking at an unmasked Helene.

The next day, a rookie artist named Baccarat Blueberry, who had been adopted by Lord Helio, comes to the Art Gallery to receive painting lessons that Selina Strawberry promised her, learning that she is not the first student Selina brought there.



Dora dismisses Baccarat, but upon learning that Baccarat has a powerful patron lets Baccarat work in the cleaning department. Baccarat has no home or money, but Kristen Kiwifruit arrives and persuades the manager to let the young man stay in a storage room in the Art Gallery.

Missing his late father, Baccarat wanders onto the stage and draws a portrait of his late father with his mind. The result is true to life. Hiding in the corner, Helene is entranced by his painting skills. Hiding in the orchestra pit, he tells her that his skill is miraculous but untrained, and with proper technique his painting skill could reach its full potential. She offers to be his teacher, but must remain anonymous; that is why she wears a mask. They begin lessons, and Helene falls deeper in love with him since he is a potential master of art she has been anticipating.

In retaliation for Dora's false painting in every production, Helene begins a campaign of humiliation against her, sabotaging her performances and causing Dora to become a laughingstock. When Ichabod arrives in the Art Gallery, he learns that Baccarat has been working in the costume department. He apologizes and invites her to a party.

With Helene's encouragement, Baccarat attends the party and paints a portrait of the entire party scene in a short time. Everyone is astonished by his skills and Choleti signs him to a formal art student contract. A celebrity named Lillian Lime, who is the secretary of Albert Apple, realizes Baccarat was his childhood sweetheart from long ago. Helene witnesses them driving off together and stays up all night in the rehearsal room, waiting for Baccarat. When he returns, he finds her gone.

Because of the Helene's sabotage campaign, Dora says she will not teach one student again until Helene is caught or killed. Finding out Baccarat has been secretly living in the Gallery, Dora blackmails Baccarat into telling her about his painting coach. When Dora informs her husband that Baccarat's teacher is some girl with a mask - hinting it was the "Mirage", Choleti gives Baccarat a chance to draw a painting in front of the guests; he is working with the police to capture Helene, unknowing that she is protected by the Order of Flourish.

During their next lesson, there is tension between Helene and Baccarat about where he went after the Bistro performance, but she agrees to help her prepare for his stage debut. Helene gives Baccarat a cup of drugged drink, ostensibly to make him less nervous but actually causing him to lose his sense. The audience starts booing and Helene is enraged. He cuts through the ropes holding the chandelier and drops it on the audience. After realizing everything was Dora's plot, Helene then abducts Baccarat to her underground lair. When Lillian arrives into Baccarat's room, she finds him disappeared and cried in despair.

After getting an unconcious Baccarat into the basement, Helene builds traps for anyone who comes down below. Harold pleads with him to let Christine go, but Helene refuses. She insists that the world above is not fit for an angel like him and believes that in time he will love her. She shows Harold explosive materials she has devised, and warns him that she will blow up the Art Gallery if they try to come down there. Helene then storms out to seek vengence upon Dora.



Harold goes to Christine and urges her to get out. He tells her the story of Erik's past and of Erik's mother, a great painter named Hestia Hawthorn to whom the boy bears a resemblance. Hestia gave birth to Helne below the Art Gallery before she was murdered, and Erik has lived there her entire life. After the Feast of Apollo, Helene was ordered by Lord Helio to guard the legendary Stone of Wisdom that contained the soul of her mother. Harold urges Baccarat to leave, but the boy refuses to leave without talking to Helene. He believes at least she treats him out of ture heart.

While Selina helps Lillian to Team Witness in an attempt to find Baccarat and Helene, Helene dresses up as the Red Death and lures Dora out. Helene threatens Dora to leave the Art Gallery, claiming that the Art Gallery belongs to her. If Dora leveas immediately, Helene will not run her down and kill her. Feeling remorseless for her heinous actions, Dora rebukes Helene in a fit of rage, before she runs out to call the police.

Running out of choice, Helene stabs Dora with a blade hidden in her bouquet, claiming that the lying woman shall pay for what she did to Baccarat and those art students. Horrified, Dora pledges for mercy in tears, but Helene stabs Dora multiple times and kills her in the process, ending her reign of terror upon the Art Gallery once and for all.

After fulfilling her revenge for Baccarat, Helene then threw the bouquet on Dora's corpse before leaving to the basement. With the help of her minions made of tramps and beggars, Helene conceals the murder and takes on her regular mask and meets Baccarat in the basement. She takes Baccarat on a tour of her underground home, inside a meadow made of her paint manipulation magic. During a picnic on the painted meadow, which feels like reall grass to its visitors, Baccarat is amazed by Helene's born-to-be magical abilities. Then, Baccarat asks Helene if she wants to draw a painting or sing to him so that she can grant him a whish. Helene smiles and says she will grant Baccarat his request even if he don't paint or sing.

Feeling assured, Baccarat asks Helene to show him her face, and Helene's smile faded. Horrified, Helene refuses, but Baccarat promises him that he would be able to look at her with love and acceptance, just as her mother once did. When Helene reluctantly does unmask while shivering, Baccarat sees a deformed face that is hollowed and twisted due to the magic poison her mother took. Baccarat screams in horror and runs away, before he faints again in a fit of terror.

In the midst of an anguished breakdown, Helene feels betrayed and screams in sheer sadness and madness. Helene locks Baccarat in one of her chambers and vowes that she will make him accept her with any cost, finally turning insane. She then goes on a rampage by stuning herself with the Croatoan Virus, having power to turn things around her with art, trying to seek vengence upon the world that wrongs her and dies with it.

After having a dream that Helene is dying, Baccarat soon awakens and escapes. Ichabod, Lillian and Harold take him from the Art Gallery. Baccarat is stricken with guilt, and he begs Lillian to take Helene back so that he can say sorry to her. Lillian agrees, and he and Christine approach Choleti about painting that night. Choleti secretly arranges to have police planted throughout the opera house.

Harold finds Helene in a warehouse of the Art Gallery. Harold tells Helene that Baccarat did not mean to hurt him. Erik replies simply, "He was unprepared for ugliness." The conversation turns to Helene's mother and, eventually, her face. The elder man reveals that he has seen Helene's face, because he is her father.

With no surprise at all, Helene reveals that she knew the truth all alone. She tells Harold that if there is no way to make her leave her disfigured state, or if there is no way to make her being accepted by someone else, she will rather die and wants to be buried deep so she cannot be put on display. Feeling love from family after so many years, Helene feels grateful for her father raising her. Knowing she has become a criminal, Helene then sets on a plan to fake her death so that she will leave the town with no one doubting her trace. Harold promises before hugging his daughter and escorting her back to the basement. Helene returned back to her calm and undone all of her attack, making people believed she had gone.

In the next night, another exhibit had came, and Baccarat uses his photographic memory to draw the scene of snow outside of the town, making everyone in the scene being awestruck. Ichabod, Abbie, Jenny and Katrina arrive and shake hands with Baccarat, before Helene appears from the shadows and sings together with Baccarat in a duo. Ichabod did not mind Helene wearing a mask, and Helene befriends Ichabod happily and praise his taste on Baccarat's painting skills.

People cheers for Baccarat's success, but then the police officers had arrive to take Selina, led by Sheriff Reyes and followed by Phyllis Peach, who has found Dora's corpse and deduces Helene as the murderer. Reyes shoot at Helene and injured her leg, and she jumps on stage, grabbing hold of Baccarat and claiming since he saw her face, he will be hers, fuming Lillian Lime's sheer jealousy.



Despite her injury, Helene carries Baccarat to the roof, before she uses her last ounce of energy to turn into her Enhanced Croatoan Form. Under the virus' enhancement, Helene start turning into a giant mural monster made of abstract art, fighting off police and Team Witness. Lillian Lime pursues them, but in the ensuing struggle, she is knocked off the roof, dangling above the street. In a fit of rage, Helene begins breaking Lillian's grip with painting claws, but at Baccarat's pleading, she pulls her to safety.

Just then, Phyllis suddenly has a devious idea and urges Ichabod to attack Helene's wound. She points the wound to Ichabod. Despite doubting Phyllis' motives, Ichabod finds out that Helene loses control on her power and starts to turn everyone and everything in sight into arts. Reluctantly, Ichabod makes Jenny to shoot the wound of Helene's mural form with the filntlock of Blackbeart, before Katrina slashed a lighting spehere to Helene, destroying her mural form. Helene turns into her human form and starts ranting at Phyllis, claiming that her only goal was the stone on her collar. Before Helene can finish, Phyllis immediately orders the police to corner Helene. After that, Helene finds herself cornered, with police determined to take her alive.

Trying to go on with his daughter's plan, Harold has gone to his old offices and retrieved a gun. Upholding his promise, Harold shoots his daughter reluctantly. Much to everyone's horror and shock, Helene embraces the bullet and falls from the roof as Baccarat runs to her. While cradled in her father's lap, Helene struggles and wishes that how she wish the Virus shall grant her immortality so that she can look after her love one in her afterlife. Even so, since it is a point of no return, Helene expresses no regret towards her actions and wishes Baccarat and Lillian will be happy. She also express her wish to see Ichabod in her afterlife since he is the first one to openly praise both her and Baccarat's works.

With tears in his eyes, Baccarat removes Helene's mask, looks at her straight in the face and smiles sadly to each other. He kisses her to give her the warmth. Feeling warmth and comfort, Helene clenched the Stone of Wisdom on her collar before closing her eyes, dying as her father, Ichabod, Lillian and Baccarat on her side. Baccarat silently places the mask back on Helene's face before going away with the others. The next night, a funeral was held, and Helene's "dead" body was buried in a grave, being mourned by everyone in the town. Baccarat is heartbroken stays inside his domitory, wanting to hear Helene's voice again.

Just then, Helene appears in the room when she walks out of the portrait, revealing that she and her father has fake her death so that she will leave Art Gallery unnoticed. Lillian and Baccarat are both surprised and eventually relieved to see Helene, and Helene gives them final goodbye before leaving the town with the Stone of Wisdom via her magic power granted by her Croatoan Virus, now being merged with it (albeit semi-perfect).

Meanwhile, not far away, Dark Arzonia had observed everything not far away. She clenched her fist before turning to Phyllis to tell her the truth, but was blocked by the real Maria Arzonia. Dark Arzonia ignored Maria and cowardly went away, while the real Maria decided to tell Ichabod about the situation.

After leaving the conflict behimd, and she went straight to the Wiseman and Phyllis (as Therion). Phyllis narrowed her eyes when she heard Helene was still alive, but she then realized that it would be a chance. The Wiseman then ordered Dark Arzonia to do a job. Then, with a plan in mind, Phyllis start calling Gladius Grapefruit via demonic hologram, sending him a request to come to Prime Earth in order to capture Helene to Planet Sorensen.

In order to orchastrate the plan of Phyllis, Dark Arzonia possesses Albert Apple and tells Selina that Ichabod Crane killed Helene and took the Stone of Wisdom from her in order to turn against the Order of Flourish. Drenched in the sadness and shock, the dark personality of Selina surfaced. Despite feeling shock, Selina began to suspect that Ichabod was trying to betray her, but she still have faith on him. Dark Arzonia decides that she needs to wait till she has the chance to do more things.