The sounds of chatter and mumbles grew louder as Luz, Willow, and Gus continued to follow Emperor Belos and Lilith. The human spotted a faint glimmer in the distant dark and became brighter with each step closer. The light was becoming brighter, and sounds were becoming louder. The group stepped through. It was very bright at first, so much so that Luz and her friends had to shield their eyes. Once they adjusted, they saw a gathering of all the participants in what could best be described as an auditorium.

"Hey, guys!" Luz, Willow, and Gus turned to the shout. They spotted Viney, Jerbo and Barcus mixed in with the massive crowd and waving at them. "Over here!" Viney shouted to them as she and Jerbo raised their hands, and Barcus barked. Those who were close by looked at the friends for a moment then turned away.

"Go join in with the others," Belos told the three youths.

"R… right," Willow said nervously. She, Gus, and Luz gave formal bows to both the emperor and the coven leader. "Thank you for everything." The three youths ran over to join their older friends. Belos and Lilith watched them go, with the latter having a look of uncertainty on her face, as she turned to her emperor.

"Something on your mind, Lilith?" Belos asked, surprising her.

"No… Well… yes." She answered. "I just feel they're too soft for this."

"Now, they are. But I assure you, the Trials will change that." Belos's glowing eyes glanced to Lilith, sending a shiver down her spine. She's spoken to her emperor face-to-face and looked him in the eye before. But there every time she did, she would feel overwhelmed by a cold presence she could not put into words. "And if memory serves, you and your sister weren't that much older when you took them."

"That… that is true."

"If the Titan did not want them to be here, he wouldn't have allowed us to intervene. Do not question it, Lilith; all is going according to his design."

"Yes… of course." Lilith lowered her head. "Forgive my stumble in faith."

Belos placed his hand on the woman's shoulders. "The Titan understands, and he forgives." He gestured towards a small gathering of Emperor's Coven members. Odalia Blight and her husband, Alador, being among them. "Join your brothers and sisters. We shall begin soon."

"Yes, my emperor." Lilith bowed and walked over to join the rest of her coven's elite as Belos left to play his part.

However, something in the back of her mind continued bugging the White Raven. Something about the emperor's, or the Titan's, intentions didn't sit right with her. What was the grand scheme? But she chose to ignore it. Ignore it and repeat what she's always told herself in times of troubled faith, "It's not my place to question my lord. It's not my place to question the Titan. It's not my place to question what is."

"Where is that triclops bitch! I'll blacken all three of her eyes!" Viney threatened as she punched the palm of her hand. Luz, Willow, and Gus had finished telling their friends about how they wandered off and their encounter with Vivian and the other thugs hired by Boscha's family.

"Please don't go looking for her." Luz pleaded.

"She'll goad you into doing something that'll get you kicked out," Gus added.

"She'll get what she deserves," Willow said. "Just not right now." She looked around at the other participants. "And we don't know who else may be working for her."

Viney folded her arms. "Fine, I'll wait until the Trials start."

"Probably a good call." Another voice weighed in.

The group of friends turned around and saw it came from, "Amity?" Luz spoke.

"What do you want?" Willow growled.

"Nothing, Willow," Amity answered. "I just overheard your conversation about Boscha."

"And you're probably gonna defend her and say we're wrong, right?"

"Oh, no, she is a total coward who deserves everything she gets." Amity folded her arms. "She's only gotten this far in life because of her parents' wealth and status. She's always been like that for as long as I've known her. If something doesn't go her way, she'll make it go her way."

"Kinda like you, right." Willow snapped.

Amity scowled at Willow. "Don't even try comparing the Ternaries to the Blights. My family earned the Isles' respect through power and loyalty. We never had to buy it."

"Okay, how about we just cool off before we get into another fight," Luz said as she got in between the two witchlings. She then turned to Amity. "Look, I think we got off on the wrong foot back on the boat. Do you think maybe we could start over? Reintroduce ourselves on better terms?"

Amity hmphed, as a laugh escaped her lips. "You seriously think I'd waste my precious time on the likes of all of you. Blights only associate with a select few. None of you are among them." The black-dressed witchling walked away with her head held high.

"Bueno, no tenías que ser tan grosera al respecto," Luz mumbled to herself as her face burned red with embarrassment.

"Hey, don't listen to her," Willow said, placing a hand on the human's shoulder. "Besides, she isn't worth your time, anyway."

Luz looked at her friend. "I guess." Barcus then barked at the human, with her asking, "What is it, boy?"

"Barcus is just asking what it was like to meet Madame Lilith and the Emperor." Jerbo translated. Barcus probably thought it would help Luz take her mind off what happened.

"Oh, she was so cool. And powerful." Gus ecstatically answered, instead. "We all probably would've died if she didn't save us."

"May I have your attention, please." Luz and her friends turned to the stage as they saw Lilith address everyone on a stage. "Citizens of the Boiling Isles. I present to you our wise and powerful lord. Emperor Belos!" A great silence enveloped the crowd as they witnessed the emperor reveal himself. It was so quiet that if a pin were dropped, it would be heard.

"Thank you, Lilith," Belos told her, then raised his hands. "I welcome you all. The four-hundred ninety-three worthy participants in this year's Trials!" The crowd all clapped and cheered for their ruler and for their success in being chosen. "You should all feel proud of this accomplishment. I know you are all eager to begin; so, I will keep this brief. You are all here because the Titan sees potential in all of you. A potential that will carry you farther than you can even imagine. As the Titan's messenger, I shall see it is awakened and give it a purpose. This, I promise you all, a responsibility bestowed to me by a higher power. But you should know; latent potential will only carry you so far. You must search for knowledge. Hone your craft and acquire new skills. Dedicate your life to something greater. It is up to you to take the first step towards greatness and go beyond."

The crowd cheered and clapped again. "Well, he knows how to get an audience excited," Viney commented.

"I guess," Luz said, feeling a little uneasy for a reason she didn't understand.

"Something the matter?" Willow asked, looking at her friend.

"The emperor. It's just something about him that makes me feel… weird."

"Weird?"

"Yeah. He speaks less like a ruler and more like a reverend." Luz wanted to add "fanatical" to that statement but decided against it.

"Well, the Isles wouldn't be the way it is now without the Titan," Viney said. "He's just showing respect to the real lord."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Luz has gone to church sermons with her mother in the past. But she never got a feeling like this when the preacher talked.

"You may take the stage, Lilith," Belos told the dark-haired witch. Lilith bowed to him before he turned his back to the audience. As he walked away, Luz swore she saw him wobble a bit. Like he was having difficulty standing.

"I am sure you are all eager to begin. But the first test will not be conducted until tomorrow morning," Lilith told the audience, getting some audible groans. "For now, I wish for you all to get some rest in preparation. If you would kindly follow the guards, they will escort you all to where you may rest your heads."

"But before you do. I must request that all personal devices be turned over to the guards. In return, you will be given one of these." Lilith reached behind her back and pulled out something about the size of a cell phone and with a reflective surface. "This is a mirror. They offer the same functionality as a scroll, with the difference being these are issued by the Emperor's Coven. They will help us keep track of your current whereabouts throughout the Trials."

That was something Luz was dreading to hear. That her cellphone, her only means of keeping in contact with her mom, was going to be confiscated. "And for those who have relatives they wish to keep in contact with, do not fear. The mirrors will have the information on your devices transferred over the moment they are exchanged. Once the Trials have concluded, your devices will be returned to you in one piece." Well, that made Luz feel a little better. While she still did not like the idea of handing over her cellphone to a bunch of strangers, she was at least relieved to have a way to keep in contact with her mom. Maybe it won't be so bad. It'll just be like handing a cell phone over to a teacher.

The guards started passing out the mirrors to the participants and collecting their other devices. Willow and Gus handed their scrolls over, and it was now Luz's turn. The human girl looked at her phone then let out a sigh before handing it over. As soon as she was given her mirror, the reflective surface transformed into a touch screen. All the texts she had sent were in front of her. Still, something about the mirror made it feel different from her phone, something that made it feel less personal. Once all the mirrors had been passed out, the participants followed the guards out of the auditorium.

The male and female participants were led into separate parts of the castle for obvious reasons. Gus, Jerbo, Barcus, and the other boys got the east wing; Luz, Willow Viney, and the girls took the west wing. The girls focused on getting settled in. Before they knew it, midnight was upon them, and they got ready for bed. Luz slept in her usual nightwear, a grey top, and shorts. Willow wore a light-green nightdress and had her glasses put away. Viney wore a grey t-shirt that was big on her and went down to her bare knees. Her hair was down, and the fishhook earring was removed as she snuggled next to a content Puddles.

"Are you guys still awake?" Luz asked softly.

"I am." "Yeah." Willow and Viney answered at the same time while Puddles cooed.

"Is there something you wanted to talk about?" Willow asked.

"Nothing important," Luz replied. "Okay… well… I just kinda feel great all around, y'know."

"Excited for the first test?" Viney inquired.

"Well, that and how…" A blush overcame Luz's face. However, Luz wouldn't want to admit it out loud. At first, she was excited. But now, she does have some mixed feelings about taking the Trials.

"How?"

"How…" Luz answered quickly, "This is kinda like my first-ever sleepover." While she, Willow, and Gus all slept in the Owl House together, it wasn't a sleepover like Luz imagined it to be. All of them in the same room, in their pajamas and lying on the floor. That was a sleepover.

"What's a sleepover?" The witch girls both asked at the same time with looks of confusion.

"Oh, it's something that friends do with each other. We stay up and have fun; watch movies, tell stories, play Truth-or-Dare. Fun stuff like that."

"C'mon, this really can't be your first sleepover," Viney said. "Someone like you probably has many friends back on your world."

Luz's chipper attitude lowered, and she replied, "Actually, I didn't have any friends back home. I had a pretty lonely childhood."

"Oh, I'm… I'm sorry to hear that. But… there had to be at least one person."

"My mom always encouraged me to make new friends during my first day of high school. She'd always tell me, "You'll meet some nice people if you give them a chance," and other stuff like that. But whenever I tried greeting them and showing off my interests, they treated me as if I was some sort of freak. They wouldn't come near me, and I could sometimes hear them talk behind my back and call me names. You can say my first day sucked."

"Well, it sounds like they were missing out," Willow said. "You're kind, funny, and brave. Anyone from there would've been lucky to have you as a friend."

"Who knows; it may be actually for the best."

"Why would you say that?"

"Well, if I had friends back home, then I wouldn't get in as much trouble. And if I didn't get in trouble, my mom wouldn't need to send me to Summer camp. Then I wouldn't have gotten into an argument with her, run away, meet Eda, and eventually meet you and Gus." While Viney and Willow didn't say anything, they gave each other a look that showed their agreement. There was something about how Luz said that chain of events that did not sit well with them.

The girls then heard a sparking sound and noticed a faint light in the corner of their eyes. They turned their heads over to it and saw Amity light a candle set with a fire spell. Her hair was now a messy natural brunette; Luz would've never guessed her hair was dyed the entire time. She wore a pink nightdress and a pair of white socks. Once the last one was lit, Amity flicked off the spell, like a lighter, before pulling out and reading her Good Witch Azura book.

"I never thought there would be an Azura in this world," Luz admitted and blinked as she got an idea and got up.

"Are you gonna talk to her again?" Willow asked.

"I'm hoping we can find common ground."

Luz walked off as Willow and Viney watched. The latter admitting, "She's persistent, I'll give her that."

"Hey, Amity." Luz greeted the witchling, who just ignored her. "I see you're also a…" Luz was suddenly stopped in her place, feeling that she slammed right into a wall. "What the…" Luz felt around and realized there was indeed an invisible wall between her and Amity.

"If you can't recognize when a barrier spell is up, you'll be hopeless when fire and lightning are thrown at you," Amity remarked condescendingly as she turned the page of her book. She let out a little chuckle. Luz guessed that she just read one of Hecate's comebacks, which were always entertaining. Amity's eyes turned up at Luz. "Is there something you want, human?"

"Huh?"

"Is there something you want from me?"

"Oh, no. I just… I just thought you would want some company is all."

"I see. Of course, someone who's sitting in a corner with an active barrier spell and few lit candles to read their book wishes to have some company."

Luz lit up a bit. "Really?"

"Oh, for f…" Amity pinched her temples. "That was sarcasm. I don't want any company; least of all yours."

"Well, you don't have to be rude about it."

"I'm being blunt with you. Because you seem to ignore every other hint that tells you I am not interested."

"Oh, well…" Luz sat down on the floor. "I was kinda hoping we could be friends in some way. Because we do have something in common."

"What could we possibly have in common?

"I'm a fan of Azura."

Hearing that just piqued the witchling's interest. "You've read The Good Witch Azura books?"

"Yeah, I'm up to Book Five."

"There's a Book Five?"

"You didn't know? It came out a few months ago, and it's the best in the series, in my opinion. I can lend it to you if you want after you finish Book Four."

"This is my third read of it." Amity bookmarked and closed the novel.

Before she could say anything else, Amity blinked and gave Luz the attention she wanted as a thought came to her. "So, that's it."

Luz looked at her in confusion. "What's it?"

"For you, the Trials are just a way for you to live out a fantasy that you could only get from books. You think you can become a real witch like Azura by participating."

"Well… I…"

"Well, let me tell you the truth. That's not how this is going to work. The real world is not a fantasy story. Everyone that's here has worked hard to become powerful enough to be accepted. And they… I will not allow someone like you to treat this like what it is not; a game. This will be life and death. If you are not going to take this seriously, then you do not deserve to be here."

Luz didn't know how to respond. She does understand the dangers; they nearly killed her and her friends. Luz thought that maybe she should just accept that Amity doesn't want anything to do with her.

"Are you gonna let her get to you like that?" Another voice said. Luz turned and saw it came from the older girl that she saw beside Amity on the boat earlier. The one with the long dark green hair that looked like her. Luz saw her up close, and she had similar golden eyes and a cute little mole just beneath her left one. Luz then noticed that the older witchling was wearing a cyan and purple nightdress… the kind that would immediately turn anyone's face red with embarrassment. She looked over at Amity. "Hey, Mittens. Stop being a jerk to your friend."

"She is not my friend, Emira," Amity replied, gritting her teeth.

"Yeah, makes sense. She seems too cool for you."

Luz blinked. "I… I am?"

Emira looked back at Luz. "So, you're the human my brother, and I have heard about? I'm Emira, Amity's older sibling."

"I… I'm Luz."

"That's a cute name." Emira leaned in closer to Luz. The human's face was so red; she thought steam would be coming out her ears. The green-haired witchling then said in a playful yet seductive manner, "Don't waste your time with Mittens. I'm way more fun than her."

Amity realized all too quickly what was happening and asked her sister in an aggravated tone, "Are you seriously hitting on her right now?"

Emira gave her little sister the smuggest of smirks. "Oh, are you jealous, Mittens? I thought you didn't care about her?"

"Wh… why would I be jealous!" Amity's face became as red as a tomato.

"You're right about one thing Amity." Luz began, getting looks from the sisters. "The truth is this isn't going to play out how I thought it would in my head. The Boiling Isles is not the fantasy world I always pictured in my dreams. If anything, it's more out of a nightmare. When I first heard about the Emperor's Coven, they seemed like a noble order. But if the Conformatorium is any indication, they allow corruption in their system. Death and killing seem to be common in this place. The risk the Trials pose, how thugs hired by the rich and powerful have no problem killing kids, or how unfazed some people seem from taking lives. And Emperor Belos…" The vibes she was getting from him… just thinking about it sent chills through her body. "But like The Hero's Journey, I've already crossed the threshold from the familiar to the unknown, and there's no turning back. I believe that I'm on the Isles because I'm meant for something special, and taking the Trials is worth the risk to find out what that something is."

Suddenly, Emira wrapped her arm around Luz's neck as she said in that similar tone from before, "I'm starting to like you more, cutie." The blush on Luz's face became even deeper. She did not know if Emira was aware or not, but the way she has her arm around the human brings her head embarrassingly close to her chest. But given her flirty actions and word choice before, Luz was at least ninety-percent sure that this was on purpose. She never thought something like this would happen to her. "Oh, and there's no need to worry. Even though my last name is Blight, I won't be hazardous to your health." Emira gave her a wink, and Luz thought that she was going to pass out. But maybe that was because of how tight Emira has her arm around her. But for whatever reason, she didn't say anything. Should she say something? Would it be rude to say something? Is this how people show affection on the Isles? She had so many questions!

After letting out a pained sigh from the terrible joke, Amity grumbled, "Well, it looks like I'm not getting any reading done tonight." Amity closed her book, making an audible thump. She blew out her candles and deactivated her barrier spell with a gesture, and drew a circle, causing a sleeping bag to materialize around her. She zipped herself up and laid on her side, staring at the wall and no longer seeing the nuisances. Out of sight, out of mind. All she wants is a goodnight's sleep in preparation for the first test.

Meanwhile, Willow and Viney had watched and heard everything that just happened. The older witchling was sulking next to Puddles. "No fair, how come she gets the cute one?" She said. The griffin cooed and attempted to comfort her. While Viney was moping, seeing this all made Willow think back to her first real friend… or, who she thought was her real friend at the time…

"Abomination, rise!" The seven-year-old Willow commanded the jar of goo, but nothing happened. She was out in the woods, not too far from where she lived, believing the serenity would be perfect for her to practice. Willow drew another circle. "Abomination, rise!" She drew another one. "Abomination, rise! Why won't it work?" Willow whined and threw a tantrum. She kicked a small flower nearby in her frustration. She gasped upon realizing what she did. "No, I'm sorry." Willow kneeled to the plant and used her magic to heal it with ease. She didn't understand why she can heal and nurture plants but can't make one stupid goo monster!

She needed to make this work to get into Hexside. Her plant magic won't get her far in life, her dads told her so, she needs to cast a proper abomination spell. Maybe they're right. The kids she would see at the slayground, the ones who would call her "Half-a-Witch Willow'' and other names. The little girl began breaking down into tears, believing they might be right. She is just half-a-witch. "Willow?" A voice said and turned to it. Amity stepped out from behind a tree, looking a little embarrassed.

Willow wiped the tears from her eyes and looked at her best friend. "Hi, Amity."

The youngest Blight reached into her bag and tossed a small box to Willow. "Here." She caught it and realized they were Caramel Dragons. They're an expensive candy on the Isles. But being rich, any member of the Blight family could buy them in bunches. And Amity would always share them with Willow. "Your parents told me where you were." Amity walked over to the saddened witchling. "Are you alright?"

"No, I'm not." Willow handed the candy back to her best friend. "No matter what I do, I can't make the abomination rise. I'm a terrible witch."

"No, you're not. Could a terrible witch do plant magic like you? I don't know anyone else our age that could do that. Look at me." Amity pulled out a training wand from her bag. "I still have to use a training wand to make simple fire spells." Amity put the device away and put a hand on her best friend's shoulder. "If you want, I can help you out."

"I don't think it'll change anything."

"You won't know unless you try."

"Why are you so sure I can do this?"

"Because I believe in you, Willow." Amity wiped the tears from Willow's eyes, then took both her hands and held them up tightly but was careful not to hurt her accidentally. "I know you can do it. I don't care what anyone else thinks or says. You are a real witch. But more importantly, you're my best friend. And I'm never gonna give up on you. Never."

Willow looks at her friend, who continued to give her the look of confidence and assurance. Amity always had a strange way of projecting it onto other people, and Willow could feel it herself. "If you believe in me. Then I'll believe in myself."

Amity smiled. "You will get into Hexside, Willow. I'll make sure that happens, no matter what." With that declaration made, the two girls got to work on making that promise into a reality.