Not gonna lie, I don't really like how this chapter turned out.

Little Edalyn Clawthorne sat next to her mother as she talked to the healer. "It always starts the same way," she said. "I wake up someplace dark. And then it appears." She could see it now: her in that dark void, alone with the owl monster that appeared before her. Trying to chase after her, trying to kill her. "And eventually… I wake up and I know I turned into… that thing."

"I see," said the healer. He wrote down something in his notes before placing a yellow gem on Eda's chest. "Here, take this. It will tell you when the beast's energy is bubbling to the surface. Also, I hear gems are quite fashionable for young witches."

Mrs. Clawthorne made a happy smile. "Oh, what a beautiful little stone. May I speak with you outside?" she asked as she ushered the healer out of Eda's room. "Just a minute, hon."

Curious, Eda pressed her ear against the door. She heard her mother shouting, "What the heck was that? I thought you were in the Healing Coven, not the bauble brigade!"

"Mrs. Clawthorne, we have never seen a curse quite like this. I'm not sure it can be healed. Perhaps if we consult the Potions Coven, they may know a way to keep it at bay."

"Keep it at bay? Oh, no. My daughter is suffering and I want that thing out! Cut it out if you have to."

Eda gasped. The idea of being cut open...it frightened her. A breeze caught her attention and she looked up to see her window open.

Mrs. Clawthorne came back in. "Edalyn, I'm taking you to someone else." She stopped when she saw nothing but a bare room and an open window.

Eda ran through the forest, coming to a stop when she saw the remains of a stone wall with a rusted iron fence. "I never knew this was back here." Suddenly, she tripped and landed on her face. She looked back at what tripped her and saw a suitcase-like thing buried in the sand. She picked it up and wiped off the dirt on its surface, revealing an eye shape. The eye then flashed, and the suitcase flew off Eda's hand. It folded open, with a key turning the lock, unlocking it. A door then opened, revealing it to be a portal leading to an unknown realm. Eda was in awe. "What?"

"Edalyn! Edalyn!"

The sound of her mother's voice made her run into the door. It closed behind her and disappeared. At that moment, Mrs. Clawthorne came out from behind a bush, looking for her daughter. But she found nothing. Her face made a look of sadness before it became one with determination. "I will find a way to cure you, Edalyn. No matter what it takes."

Eda the Owl Lady awoke to the screaming sound of her alarm clock. She smashed it into a wall silencing it, and arose from her nest with a groan. She got out of the nest and shuffled her way to the bathroom where she put her fake gold tooth in, plucked the feathers off her legs and drank her daily potion. "Blegh..."

She went back into her room and put on her usual outfit before giving it a slight tear. "Ah, there we go. Mama like."

She walked down into the kitchen, past Luz and Strix who were fast asleep at the table with piles of books for pillows, and opened the fridge door. "BEANS!" she shouted, startling the two kids awake.

"HALIFAX!" Strix babbled.

"We ran out of apple blood. Still no luck?" Eda asked the kids.

Luz rubbed the sleep crust out of her eyes and said, "None. And I was up all night. I read every tome, book, notepad, and tea leaf." Her cup of tea leaves showed an image of a shrugging stick man. "But nothing explains how to make a portal to the Human Realm."

"I called in a few favors to ask Emira and Edric for help," said Strix. "Since they have access to the library. Illegally, I might add. But they found nothing either. It's like that portal thing was a once in a lifetime thing."

"I wish I could help ya, kids. My door was already pretty old when I found it."

"How long have you had that door, Mom?"

"Well..."

Suddenly, a loud scream interrupted her. They ran into the living room to find Lilith on her hands and knees with black feathers sprouting out of her arms. "Help me..." she croaked. Strix ran up to her and slapped the Mask on her face.

"NO! NOT THAT!" shouted Eda.

Too late. Lilith was turned into a green headed, cartoon lunatic. "WOW! I FEEL GOOOOOD!" Strix immediately tore the Mask off her face and she went back to normal. "Hey, why did you do that? I barely had it on!"

"The last thing we need is for you to become a cartoon psycho," said Strix as he strapped the Mask onto his belt. "Besides, we didn't have any potions in arm's reach. Now, whatever you do, don't freak out. The curse gets stronger under stress."

Lilith sat down in the couch, placing a hand on her temple. "That was… horrible. How have you two managed all these years?"

"Well, it's been hard," Eda admitted. "But since we split the curse, at least the elixirs and the Mask are working again. Though I really don't want to wear it after seeing what it does to people." Suddenly, Lilith's hand popped off her wrist, making her scream in fright. "Oh, yeah, sorry. Side effect of the curse. It's actually fun once in a while," Eda said as she screwed the hand back on. "Now don't worry. I've stashed elixirs all over the house." Literally. "Whenever you start feeling feathery, just help yourself to one of these bad boys."

Luz clapped her hands when her mentor pulled another potion out of her hood. Strix raised an eyebrow. "How long have you been hiding that in there without Luzer noticing?"

"Don't call me Luzer."

Lilith exhaled, exhausted. "I had no idea this is what I did to you and your son. I am so, so sorry."

"Eh, at least we got company now," Eda said as she handed her the bottle. "And you got me if you need anything."

Lilith sat down on the couch. She looked up at the ceiling to see more elixir bottles taped to the ceiling. She chuckled. Eda really planned that far ahead, huh?

"As I was saying," Eda said as she led the kids outside. "I've had the portal door for years. But I originally just found it in the dirt. Never figured out who made it or where it came from. I just kept it to myself."

"Why wouldn't you tell anyone?" Luz asked.

Eda raised an eyebrow. "Why? Suddenly curious about my past?"

"Always. Always curious."

Strix was a bit unnerved. "You know, that's the kind of talk that makes you a bit off-putting."

"I don't mind," said Eda. "Well, to answer your question, I may have been using it to hide from someone."

"Hide from who?" asked Luz.

"Probably me!" said an older woman's voice. A strong gust of wind picked up, forcing Eda and the kids to shield their faces and shut their eyes tight. Luz opened her eyes a little and saw the source of the wind. Approaching them was a small tornado with a large eagle flying directly above it. "Magic bird tornado?"

The tornado disappeared and in its place was an woman who looked like an elderly version of Eda wearing a purple and white robe and carrying a staff. The eagle that was following the tornado landed on its end, revealing it to be her palisman. Branded on her right wrist was a Beast Coven sigil. Strix let out an excited gasp. "Grandma!" He ran up to her and gave her a hug.

She spun him around and laughed. "Ooh, hello, my little owlet! Oh! Look at you! Look at your clothes! So new! You're in Hexside?"

"Yep! Ain't it great?" Strix asked, showing off his student uniform. "Check out what I can do!" He cast all the glyphs at once, forming an ice sculpture of himself holding a ball of light in one hand and a fire ball in the other, held up by a platform made of leaves. "Heh? Heh? What do you think?" Mrs. Clawthorne clapped her hands and a tear rolled down her cheek.

Eda made a scoff. "Strix, stop showing off to Gwendolyn."

But Luz's attention was focused on one word. "Strix, did you just call her... 'GRANDMA'?!"

Mrs. Clawthorne smiled and pinched Eda's cheeks, who grumbled at her. "It is so good to see you again. How are you feeling? Are you eating well? I heard all about the Petrification Ceremony. Trust me, I have a lot of strong words for that Belos."

"What about Walter?" asked Strix. "He roughed us up pretty good."

Mrs. Clawthorne's cheerful demeanor immediately vanished. "Walter? Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! Walter is... something else entirely."

Lilith, attracted by the commotion going on, burst out of the house. "Mother! Mother, you know, I was there too."

"Oh, hello to you too, sweet flea. Still dyeing your hair, I see. Well, it's very sleek. Now give me a moment with Edalyn, dear. It's important." Lilith was stunned then saddened. It was like her own mother barely noticed her. "That's right! Today, I am about to complete a 30-year mission."

Eda groaned. "Oh, no," she said in an annoyed tone.

"Your mother has finally succeeded."

"Here it comes."

"Today, I shall be curing your curse!"

Strix pinched the bridge of his nose. "Grandma, I love you and I love when you come to visit, but is that the only reason you come here?"

Mrs. Clawthorne looked hurt. "Little owlet, you know I love giving you presents, but this is important. I am trying to save you and your mother from your curses."

"Why would you do that when we got the elixir system and this?" He patted the Mask on his belt. Mrs. Clawthorne gasped and snatched it right off of him. "HEY!"

"EDALYN CLAWTHORNE!" she shouted at her daughter, making her wince a little. "Is this your idea of a joke?! You know this is an illegal magic artifact! You're supposed to set a good example to your son and you still let him play with this thing?!"

Eda snatched the Mask out of her hand. "You think I've tried not to let him wear it?! The kid is as wild as me! Sometimes too wild like me." She coughed a little. "And besides, he does have a point about the elixirs. They work fine."

"But... But who knows what they put in those nasty concoctions?"

"Actually, I do. And... would you look at the time?" She forced Mrs. Clawthorne to sit on her staff. "I got a lot to do today. So sad to see you go. Okay, bye!" She gave the staff a slap and it took off like a rocket, carrying Mrs. Clawthorne with it. "Moms, am I right?" Eda's response was hurt glares from Luz, Lilith and Luz.

"I haven't seen Mother in forever! And she was handing you a cure on a silver platter!" snapped Lilith.

"I'd kill to see my mom right now, and you just launch yours into the sky?!" asked an outraged Luz.

Eda scoffed. "Oh, listen, she comes around every year, toting a new cure for my curse. But they never work, so I am done getting my hopes up. Let's go, Strix."

But the boy gave her a sad look. "I know you don't see eye to eye with Grandma, but I love it when she comes to visit! I mean, sure she sometimes give me pitiful looks because I am cursed, but she does love me too! I haven't even met Grandpa yet!"

"Ugh, trust me. You're better off not meeting Dad," Eda said as she dragged him into the house by the arm.

Lilith stared with disbelief at the door. "Mother visits Edalyn and Strix… regularly?"

Luz, however, focused her attention to where Mrs. Clawthorne had flown off.

Mrs. Clawthorne crash landed onto the ground, dusted herself off and got up to walk away. She didn't get far when she heard someone call her name. "Mrs. Clawthorne?" She turned around to see Luz coming toward her. "I'm Luz. Eda's apprentice. I think what you're doing is so sweet. Eda can just be so... Eda sometimes."

"Call me Gwen, dear. But please don't blame Edalyn. It was the curse that created the rift between us."

"I understand. Right now, there's an actual rift between me and my mom in the Human Realm."

It was at that moment that Gwen noticed Luz's short, round ears. "Human Realm? Hmm." This gave her an idea. "My dear, I may know how to fix both our rifts."

"Really?" Luz asked excitedly. Finally, some good news!

"I've heard some information that may assist you on your quest. Help me cure Eda and Strix's curse and that information is yours."

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! Where do we start?"

"We'll be consulting someone… very special." The elderly witch tapped on the runic necklace she was wearing.

The elderly Clawthorne guided Luz to down a forest trail. "So we're gonna meet a curse expert? This is so rad."

"Yes, after years of dealing with the Healing Coven," Gwen said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I finally found someone who promised me a cure. Ah! Here we are."

The two of them stood in front of a stone door jutting out of the bottom of a hill. Gwen walked up to it and displayed her necklace. The door flashed, then opened up, revealing a cave. The two of them walks inside to find a room filled with all kinds of weird herbs, plants, necklaces, charms and symbols. Sitting on a stone chair was an old witch with four hands. A gremlin with boils on his eyelids kneeled in front of him. "Please, they're so itchy." The old witch waved his hand, casting a spell circle. A circle of purple light surrounded the gremlin and lifted him up. The light then flashed, and after that, the gremlin was healed and was then put down on the ground. "My... Boils, they're... they're gone! Thank you, Wortlop. Thank you." He ran off, crying with glee.

Luz and Gwen watched with amazement. Gwen introduced her to the four-armed witch, "That's Master Wortlop. He's a traveling curse expert who's perfected next-level healing magic." Wortlop noticed her and gestured her to come forward. Gwen gave Luz her staff and pushed her aside as she knelt in front of him.

"Gwendolyn, my pupil. Your aura is shining bright," the four-armed witch said.

Gwen reached into her bag and dumped out a bunch of artifacts that Luz imagined would have cost thousands of snails if Eda ever sold them in the black market. "It took many months, but I was able to gather the sacred items you requested. The copper egg from the Snowy Rib Cage, the silver dagger from the Swampy Toes, and the golden chalice from the desert of Palm Stings."

"You're a dedicated mother, aren't you?" Gwen nodded. He handed her a book bound in old leather. "Inside this tome is the healing ability you seek. But keep it away from the eyes of non-believers, for many will be blinded by the power it holds."

Gwen held the book close. She stood up and bowed. "I understand. I am in your debt, Master Wortlop."

Returning to the Owl House, Luz planted a sign in the ground and painted an arrow and the words "Blood apple!" on it. Then they picked up more signs and carried them into the forest. King watched the whole thing from the window. "Isn't it amazing, Francois? If Eda's mom can just pop up, who says my dad can't? NYEH! Better get my hugging arms ready." He began squeezing the his stuffed bunny until a button eye popped. "Oh."

"Hold on." Strix used a plant glyph to grow a vine to sew the eye back on. "There you go."

Lilith let out a laugh. "Yeah, good luck with all that dad stuff." She was sitting on the couch, munching on a tub of ice cream. "Sometimes it doesn't matter how dutiful you are or successful you are, parents just won't give you the time of day."

Strix gave her an offended look. "I beg your pardon, is that any way to say about your sister, MY MOM?"

"Pbbth," Lilith blew a raspberry, spitting ice cream on the floor. "If it weren't for Luz, she would have seen you as just another burden, no different than King!" Strix made a shocked look.

King gasped and covered his bunny's ears. "Don't listen to her, Francois. My dad won't be like that."

"Right. Your mysterious father, who didn't even stick around to watch you hatch."

Strix frowned and took the ice cream from her. "I think you've had enough sundaes for today."

"I'll have enough when I've had enough!" Lilith snapped and gobbled the whole tub.

Somewhere in the forest, Luz tied up a rope and wiped off sweat from her forehead. She had just finished planting more signs for Eda to follow. "Nice work, Luz. With Wortlop's tome and your ability to lure Eda out of the house, we'll be curing that curse in no time."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure she's always down for more apple blood. So," Luz said as she stood up. "That Wortlop guy was really something. You're his pupil?"

"Oh, yes. But first, I had to prove that I was worthy of his secrets. So I spent the last year on a bunch of dangerous quests. And," Gwen showed off her biceps. "I didn't even get that many scars."

"Cool. Also, dang, girl, your bicep game is ridiculous."

Suddenly, they heard a foot crack a branch. "Our signs must've worked," whispered Gwen as she and Luz climbed up a tree.

Eda followed the signs, hungry for more apple blood. "Oh, baby, time to stock up on Mama's night juice."

"According to Wortlop's tome, we start by lowering the beast's defenses with special crystals. And they're supposed to be quite calming," whispered Gwen.

Eda gasped when sharp crystals fell from the sky, almost impaling her. She dodged and blocked a few more with her staff. "Knife season came early this year." A shadow loomed over her. She looked up and screamed when a giant crystal fell from the sky. She jumped out of the way before it could crush her. She looked down at her hand to see feathers pop out.

Luz saw everything. "She's stressed." She was about to take out an elixir to give to Eda, but Gwen stopped her.

"Oh, no, no, no. The texts say those feathers mean we're driving the beast out." But Luz didn't look too sure about that. "Don't worry. After today, Eda will never have to drink those nasty little things again."

"All right. What do we do next?"

"Next, we're gonna put that beast... on ice." She released a cloud from her bag that formed a human face and blew an ice storm.

Back at the Owl House, Strix was conversing with Emira with a crystal ball. "So, yeah. Grandma's come for a visit."

"Cool! I wish I had my grandma come give me visits. But she's mostly like mom. Super strict! Hey, what's wrong? You don't look too happy."

"It's just...Grandma has always seen Mom as the center of attention but not Aunt Lily. She's pretty bitter about it and I feel like something really bad is going to happen if she says nothing about it."

"Why don't you tell her to tell her that?"

"Well, I think I have to get her away from the ice cream first. It's starting to smell like sundaes in here." A loud groaning sound made him look in the direction of the door leading to the living room. "I'll...uh...I'll call right back."

He exited the garage and let out a shocked, "Oh, Titan!" at the sight of King and Lilith covered in ice cream and holding their bloated stomachs. "Did you clean out the whole ice box?!"

"Bleugh..." groaned King as ice cream dribbled down his mouth. "What's it to ya?"

"King, Aunt Lily, I think we need to have a talk."

"Don't Aunt Lily me!" Lilith shouted, throwing a bucket of ice cream at him.

"WAH!" Strix dodged the bucket. "Uh, Aunt Lily, I think..."

"You want to know what I think?" King snapped. "How do you get a parent's attention?"

"Well, uh..."

"Heck if I know. Mother wasn't even at my Coven Initiation," Lilith snarked as she swallowed more ice cream.

"At least you know what she looks like. All I have is an old wall carving. What if that's just graffiti?"

Strix made a nervous sound. "Uh... Hooty? A little help?"

"Heh, that's, uh, that's an awful lot of ice cream you guys are eating. You know Eda gets that stuff from the Night Market, right?"

Lilith pointed a finger at him. "Are you my mother? Because that is an awful lot of judgment."

"Come on," said Strix. "We just wanna help."

"I don't want your help, nephew!"

King threw the ice cream bucket off his head. "This stinks! If my dad doesn't care about me, why should I care about him? Hmm? Well, I'm not going to him. He's gonna have to come to me!"

"Come on, King, don't you think that's a little harsh?"

"Shut up, Strix!"

Lilith stood up angrily. "And I am sick of being overlooked. From now on I... I have no mother! And I... I'd say that to her face!"

" Isn't that taking it a bit too far?" asked Hooty.

"It's not taking it far enough. Go tell her," King said to Lilith. "Go on. She's right outside."

"She is?" she asked, surprised.

"Yeah, I saw her go off with Luz. I think they're gonna heal Eda's curse or whatever."

"Oh. Is that so? Mother paying attention to Edalyn... again. I mean, it's not like I care," Lilith said with a wave of her hands.

Strix made a hurt look. "I think you do care. It's just, you're jealous of Mom right now, just like you always were. Don't know why considering she clearly hates Grandma."

"Lookie here, my nephew is pretending to play psychoanalyst with me! Well, guess what?! I don't care! Your mommy got nothing but all the attention because of that curse! Do you have any idea how it feels?!"

"Okay, I think that's just the ice cream talking," Strix said awkwardly.

"Oh, who cares what you think?! All you've ever done is make Edalyn's life harder! People making pitiful gestures every time you walk by, bringing shame to the family, never being able to handle the truth that it's all your fault!"

"Uh, Aunt Lily?"

"WHAT?!"

"You got a little something... on your face." Lilith felt her cheek. "Other side." She felt her right cheek and gasped when she plucked out a bunch of feathers. "Uh-oh."

Lilith's panic started to increase as she looked frantically around the house. "WHERE ARE THE ELIXIRS?!" Gone. They were all gone. She broke down sobbing and curled in a fetal position.

"Aunt Lily! Calm down! Stress makes the curse worse, remember?!" Strix held onto her shoulders, but she swatted him away.

"GET AWAY FROM ME! IT IS MY FAULT! I DESERVE THIS!" she roared as her eyes turned solid black and more feathers grew from her body.

King hopped into Strix's shirt and began shivering as the boy slowly backed away. "A-Aunt Lily...?"

Eda was not having the time of her life at all. After getting hit with a whole number of booby traps set up by... oh, who knows and who cares?! The only thing that mattered was that this stupid blood apple had better be worth the climb up the cliff. "This… better be… the oldest, strongest, stinkiest apple blood ever," she groaned as she reached the top. She saw a sign which read "IT REALLY IS ¡THAT GOOD!" and screamed in frustration. She then begrudgingly kept on walking, but accidentally slipped on some gooey substance. "Ah! I just stole these." Eda kept on walking, but accidentally stepped onto a trap covered with leaves, which sent her flying upwards, screaming.

Sitting in their tree, Gwen and Luz watched the whole thing. The former shook her head. "It seems like the curse isn't my daughter's only problem.

Eda crashed into a bush and let out a groan. "Help Mama up," she called to her staff.

Enough was enough, Luz decided. It was clear NOTHING was working. "Gwen, we tried freezing the curse out, we tried sweating the curse out, we even tried flying snakes for some reason." Down below, Eda screamed again as snakes flew at her. "I don't think this stuff is working. Did Wortlop ever say where he learned this stuff?" She got no response. "Gwen?"

Gwen was talking to someone over her crow phone. "Yes, I'm sending it right away." She hung up the phone, which cawed and flew away.

Luz narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "What did you just do?"

"It turns out the ancient tome is only the first of a series. So, I'm trading in a few paltry family heirlooms to get the rest."

Okay, something clearly wasn't right. Luz held her hand out. "Let me see that book," she said dubiously.

But Gwen held it back. "Halt. Only people who have scaled Wortlop's 'Pyramid of Study' can touch the tome." That did it. Luz used a plant glyph to conjure a vine that snatched the book right out of her hand. "Hey!"

Luz opened the book and what she read was... well, it just confirmed her suspicions. "What is this? 'Jar of bees for existential dread? Aromatherapy for broken legs? Bird songs for sufferers of stuffy noses?!'" It was all quack medicine. Every last page. "Gwen, you're being scammed! Wortlop is a fake."

"You really think I'd spend my life savings on a fake?" Gwen asked as she took the book back.

"I know you want what's best for Eda, and so do I," Luz said as she took an elixir from her pouch. "But I'm calling this off."

Gwen grabbed the elixir and held it away from her. "Luz, I really thought we were on the same side. According to Wortlop, poison like this is made by healers and potion makers who simply want money."

That was the stupidest thing Luz had ever heard. Flabbergasted, she gibbered, "Are you kidding me?! You just..." She pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance. "Argh, whatever. I'll just get more at the house. Maybe use Strix's Mask if necessary."

"You mean this?" Gwen asked as she held up the Mask. "I snatched this back when Eda wasn't looking. You are NOT giving MY daughter an illegal magic artifact. And as for the elixirs..." Her palisman returned, carrying a huge sack in its beak. "Hawksley cleared out every bottle hours ago." She let out a scoff. "It's no wonder Strix was cursed for so long. What was Edalyn thinking?"

Luz couldn't believe it. "Why would you do that?!"

"Because I am a mother who will do anything for her daughter." She was about to throw the Mask away but Luz reached out to grab it. Instead, this made the two of them loose balance and they fell from their branch.

To say Eda was having the worst day of her live by far would be an understatement. She pulled a snake out of her hair and muttered, "This ain't good." Something bonked her on the head. "Oh, what now?!" To her surprise, it was the Mask. She picked it up and wondered out loud, "What are you doing here?" She got her answer when Luz and Gwen landed in front of her. "HEY!" They both looked up, startled. "What is going on here?!"

Gwen got up and patted herself. "Witchlet, it's okay. Luz and I are working to heal you." Luz made a look of guilt.

Eda knew at once was was going on. "What? This was all you? You weren't healing me! You nearly killed me!" Feathers sprouted out of her body again and her hand holding the Mask tightened its grip.

Luz knew what was happening. "Eda, please try to stay calm."

"Why? Why should I be calm? I have a right to be UPSET!" she roared as the transformation was complete.

Eda awoke in a dark void with the owl monster standing in front of her, growling with anger. She sighed. This again. "Let's get this over with," she said as she ran with the creature giving chase.

The Owl Beast took another step closer. Gwen opened the book. "Don't worry. According to this, we just have to... Uh..."

"HAVE TO WHAT?!" exclaimed Luz.

"...buy the next volume...?" Gwen said sheepishly. Luz made an annoyed, exasperated grunt as if to say, "See what I mean?!"

The Owl Beast was about to attack, but stopped when she heard a voice call out, "LUUZEERRR!" Strix crash landed in front of the Owl Beast. "Ow. Still gotta work on the landing."

"I think I got grass in my mouth," King spat.

The Owl Beast calmed down by his presence and nuzzled his face with hers. "Mom? What's happened to you?!" He took a look at Luz and Grandma. "Luzer? Grandma? What's going on? And more importantly, why do you have Mom and Aunt Lily's medicine AND MY MASK?!" he shouted angrily.

"I...Strix..."

"We were just trying to find a cure for your mother, little owlet!"

Strix balked at her. "You what?! We had a system! WE HAD A SYSTEM!" The Owl Beast, as if responding to Strix's anger, shielded him from Gwen. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "You know what, forget it. We've got a bigger problem right now."

"What problem?" asked Luz.

King explained in a trembling voice, "So Lilith was feeling stressed and, uh, the light glyph didn't really work. So, uh... uh... uh..." A loud shriek caught everyone's attention. Something big landed in front of them. It was a giant raven with a woman's face. Lilith's face. "SHE TURNED INTO THAT THING!"

Gwen was shocked. "Sweet flea?"

The Raven Beast focused all its anger on one creature: the Owl Beast, who was keeping Strix under her wing protectively. He broke free from her and tried to talk his aunt down. "Aunt Lily! Stop! It's me! Your nephew! I..." Her response was to slash him with her claws, sending him flying into a tree.

Enraged, the Owl Beast roared and rushed towards the Raven Beast, with her rushing toward the Owl Beast as well. The Raven Beast then snatched Owl Beast and flew off with her, while Luz, King and Gwen looked on in total disbelief. "That… was my little sweet flea? That means she's also..."

"CURSED!" King shouted at Gwen. "YES! Were you not paying any attention to her?!"

Luz was the first to snap out of it and rushed toward Strix. "Strix! Are you hurt?!"

"She didn't recognize me," he said, holding onto his bleeding chest. "My own aunt..."

"It's alright, we'll help!"

Suddenly, Strix's left eye turned solid black as he shouted, "I HATE THIS FAMILY!" Startled, Luz jumped back. "All they do is turn on each other! Curse their own siblings, sabotage one daughter while not giving the other daughter any attention and seeing the grandson as a reminder of the shame that had befallen their family! I just...just...just..." It was too much. He let out a loud "WRYYYYY!" as he too transformed.

The Tawny Beast glared at Luz, Gwen and King before it turned its attention to the direction of Bonesborough and took off.

"Oh! My little owlet! I... I didn't know it was this bad!"

"That's the problem, Gwen," Luz said as she picked up the Mask and climbed on the owl staff, ready to take off. "You didn't know. You didn't even bother to ask how Lilith was feeling." King climbed onto her back. "We have to help them. Will you come with me?"

Gwen looked as though she was completely confused. "This... This must be part of the process, right?"

Luz sighed. "I can see you still need a little time. Alright, Owlbert. Let's fly!"

Back on the ground, Gwen looked down at her necklace and the tome. "Wortlop... he's not a fake, is he? After everything I did for him…"

She flew back to Wortlop's cave and took a peek inside and what did she find? Four gremlins counting all the treasure she gave Wortlop. And as for Wortlop? Just a costume hanging on a rack.

"Hey, what do you wanna call this one?" the first gremlin asked as he held up a jar of dirt.

"Eh, I don't know. Cleansing mud?" said the second.

"Yeah, from the Healing Bogs of the Hips or whatever. What do you think?" the third asked the fourth, who was busy putting on makeup to make it look like he was infected with eyelid boils.

"I think we're gonna be rich!"

They all laughed until the fire in the center of the cave created by fire bees suddenly grew bigger. Gwen stepped out of the fire, looking VERY ticked. Luz was right. She had been tricked. Well, not again.

Quickly, the gremlins rushed to the altar and put on the clothing accessories, pretending to be Master Wortlop. "Mrs. Clawthorne?" He coughed, making his voice sound deeper. "What a fortuitous surprise."

Gwen's voice remained soft, but the fake shaman could feel her anger growing. "You know, right after Eda was cursed I joined the Beast Keeper Coven. I thought they surely would know what to do. But the beast keepers told me the curse couldn't be tamed. And the Healers told me it couldn't be healed. Eda told me she found something that made it manageable at least. But I didn't listen. And when I learned of Strix's birth, I was horrified, thinking that my own daughter would be ashamed of passing it onto him. But I was wrong. She still loved him no matter what. Something I clearly haven't done to my own daughters."

Wortlop stammered, "I could give you the next volume. 5% off? 10% off?"

The fire grew bigger and the fire bees buzzed loud with anger. She pointed her staff at him. "Leave. And if I ever see you in Bonesborough again, every beast in the forest will be after your HEAD." The gremlins screamed as they tore out of their disguise and dug their way out of the cave. The flames died down and Gwen chuckled. "Still got it."

Luz flew over the skies over Bonesborough, watching as the Owl and the Raven fought each other viscously, destroying multiple buildings in the process. She landed down on the ground and took the Mask out. "Oh, boy. I really don't want to do this, but..." She slapped the Mask on and turned into a cartoon loon.

Morton sighed as he was about to close up shop. "No one's bought anything in a while. I should close up shop."

Suddenly, a green face appeared right in front of him. "MORTON!"

"AUUHH! Oh. It's you, Luz. Uh, you're wearing..."

"Not important. I need every last elixir you have." Morton made a happy gasp. "Also, do you accept payment in hyper-realistic pencil portraits?" Morton frowned at her and slammed the door in her face. Suddenly, the store wall burst open and Luz took everything he had in stock.

"HEY! YOU GOTTA PAY FOR THAT! AND FOR MY WALL!"

"PUT IT ON MY TAB!" Luz called out as she landed on the roof. She looked down at her drawing of Morton. "I thought I was improving."

"Not to worry." A large bag of snails dropped in front of Morton. Everyone looked up to see Gwen flying on her staff. She paid Morton back with all the treasures from the gremlins' cave. "Mama's here."

The two beasts continued their fight onto the top of a building. The Raven Beast attempted to bite the Owl Beast's head, but she managed to escape. But she didn't get far as the Raven Beast pinned her down. Suddenly, ropes came out nowhere and wrapped around their feet. They looked up and saw Luz, dressed as a cowboy, who jumped at them and hogtied them up. "Can I spin a yarn or what?"

King gave her a thumbs down and said, "BOO!"

"Jokes aside, you sure this is gonna work, Gwen?"

"Yeah, are you like, secretly sending us to our deaths?"

"No, I'm making things right," Gwen said as she ripped off the necklace. She approached her daughters, who snapped their teeth at her. "My beautiful daughters, I failed you." She spoke to Eda first. "Edalyn? You're in there, aren't you?"

Eda was still running from the Owl Beast when she suddenly heard her mother's voice. "I should've listened to you. I know now why you pushed me away. Kept Strix away from me."

"Mom?" She stopped.

"I made you think your curse was something to be ashamed of. That Strix was a reminder of that shame. Whether we want it or not, it's a part of you. And I love EVERY part of you. And I love Strix just as much as you love him."

Eda stopped the Owl Beast with her hand. Light flashed in between her hand and the beast. It screeched, gradually shrinking down to the size of a regular owl. It tried to run away tweeting, but Eda grabbed hold of it in a chokehold. "Mom, I can hear you. And you..." She squeezed its throat tighter. "My turn to drive."

Gwen cupped her daughter's cheeks. "I'm so sorry."

"Mom?" Eda's eyes had returned to normal.

"Witchlet!"

The Raven Beast let out a roar of anger. Gwen approached her and cupped her cheeks. "And Lilith... you were always so self-sufficient. But I didn't give you the attention you deserved." The Raven Beast heard this and began crying, as if Lilith was finally letting out years of built up frustration. Gwen hugged and shushed her before shouting, "NOW!"

Luz pulled out a bazooka and shouted, "One elixir a la boom, comin' up, Gwen!" She fired the bazooka and bottles of elixir landed in the beasts' mouths. A cloud of air appeared and surrounds the duo. The strong airflow forced Gwendolyn to shield her face and blew King backwards. He almost rolled off the roof, but Luz stretched her arm out just in time to catch him. The cloud expanded and flashed brightly, then formed then shape of a bird. Eda and Lilith were pulled upwards. The cloud eventually burst and gave off a bright flash.

Luz, shielding her eyes, said, "Dang, that is good elixir."

Gwen walked forward as her daughters descended from above, right into her arms. She sat down with them in her arms and stared at Eda lovingly. She chuckled and said, "About time, Mom."

Lilith bawled like a baby. "Mom, I heard you but I couldn't stop myself. I... I couldn't do anything."

Gwen hugged her daughters tight. "It's okay. Everything is okay now. I'm here for you both."

"Mom, where's Strix?" asked Eda when she realized her son was missing.

Gwen's eyes widened. "Oh! I forgot about-"

"Look out!" shouted Luz. Something flew down from the sky and pinned the Clawthorne family under its talons. The Tawny Beast tightened its grip on them and let out a shriek. "WRYYY!"

Eda gasped in horror. "Strix?!"

Lilith exclaimed, "N-Nephew?! What..."

"It's the curse," explained Gwen as she struggled to reach her staff. "It's advanced!"

The Tawny Beast tried to eat them, but a rope clamped its beak shut. "Sorry, there's no family dinner tonight," Luz shouted as she tugged on the rope. The Tawny Beast shook its head, and Luz held on for life as it began to take flight. It slammed into more buildings, trying to shake her off, but she still kept her grip. She cast a plant glyph and used it to conjure vines to pin its wings together, making them fall to the ground and knock it unconscious.

When the Tawny Beast next woke up, it was back at the Owl House, bound to a pole and with its beak still clamped shut. It let out a muffled "WRYYYY!" as it tried to escape.

"What are we gonna do?" Luz asked the Clawthornes. "The elixirs won't heal him and the Mask only partially heals him!"

"Partially is better than nothing," said Eda. "We just gotta get close to him to put this Mask on him."

Gwen looked at the Tawny Beast with sadness. "Oh, my little owlet. I had no idea you were suffering this much. No wonder you tried to keep me from him, Edalyn."

"I wanted to, but as he grew older Strix insisted you come. He was always lonely with just me and King. I accepted his wish. It was one of the only times I've ever seen him happy."

Lilith sighed. "Luz, give me the Mask." Luz took the Mask off and handed it to her. She approached the Tawny Beast who glared at her with hate. "You have every right to be mad at me. At us. I cursed you, Edalyn wouldn't take you to your dream school and your grandmother made insane attempts to cure Edalyn while completely ignoring me. You were right. We are a messed up family." The Tawny Beast's eyes softened. "But we are attempting to be better. I'm actually listening to Eda for once and helping her instead of trying to force her to be something she isn't."

"Yeah," said Eda. "I mean, I am proud of you for being able to cast spells. Heck, I'm proud of you for being my son. You are everything to me. And you always made me smile ever since you hatched from your egg." Small tears started to fall from the Tawny Beast's cheeks.

"And look at me. I'm a silly old woman who didn't listen to her daughters in more ways than one and hurt her grandson. I thought they would be shamed when you were born so I tried to hasten the foolish attempts to cure you and your mother that I didn't see the real problem in front of me. Could you ever forgive your foolish grandma?"

The Tawny Beast let out a cry, tears landing everywhere. Lilith jumped up and planted the Mask on his face before immediately taking it off. Strix was still crying as he looked up at them all. "I," he paused to sniff. "I can't stay mad at you all! I love you all!" He turned to Lilith. "I know you didn't mean all those things you said about me."

"I wasn't talking about you," Lilith said. "I was talking about myself. I hated the way everyone pitied me for having a cursed sister and nephew and for bringing shame to the family."

"Just shut up and keep hugging me. I forgave you a long time ago."

The Clawthorne sisters and Gwen formed a group hug as the damn burst and there was tears a plenty. Watching nearby, Luz wiped her eyes while King sat on her shoulder. "She was… trying to do her best, huh?" Luz nodded in response to his question.

Night fell and Gwen decided it was a good time to leave now. "I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused, but I- I just wanted to help. I should've trusted you more."

"Yeah, you should've," Eda said, giving her mother a playful punch. "But, hey, don't be a stranger. Okay, Mom?" Gwen smiled.

"You'll always come to visit, right, Grandma?" asked Strix hopefully.

"Always, little owlet."

At that moment, Lilith kicked down the door, using her staff as a bindle. "Mom! I'm ready!"

"Huh?" Eda asked suspiciously.

"Well, we were talking and I've decided to go home with Mother and make up for lost time."

Luz, Eda, King and Hooty's reactions were immediate.

"What?"

"Lily?"

"You lived here?"

"WHAT?"

Strix stammered, "Aunt Lily, you just settled here and you're leaving?"

"Edalyn, Lilith told me how she gave you the curse and that's why you passed it onto Strix." Gwen held both Clawthorne sisters' hands. "I am so, so sorry to you both, to have this secret weighing you down. I wish I knew sooner."

"There's still a lot to be learned about this curse, but… it'll be nice to spend some time home and reconnect with Dad," Lilith said hopefully.

"We'll be away for a while, but we have plenty of elixirs stocked up," Gwen said as she pulled a whole bunch of elixirs out of her hair.

"I think I'll have hair like that when I grow up," said Strix.

"Lucky," said Luz. "Someday I hope my hair is gonna be big enough to do that too."

"You actually want that?" King asked incredulously.

Suddenly, Hooty stretched out and wrapped himself around Lilith, crying his eyes out. "No! Lulu, you can't!"

She held him by the face as she cooed, "Hootsifer, I have to. But don't worry, we can be pen pals."

"BUT I CAN'T HOLD A PEEEEEN!" he wailed as he fell to the ground and writhed around.

Strix held Lilith in a hug. "I'll miss you, Aunt Lily."

"I'll miss you too, nephew." She gave him a kiss on his cheek. "Please be the best witch you can be."

Gwen put a hand on Luz's shoulder. "Luz, if it weren't for you I might still be wrapped up in Wortlop's lies. So here's what I should've told you from the start." She leaned in a little closer. "You're not the only human to have lived in Bonesborough."

Luz gasped. Truly?!

"There's a rare substance called Titan's blood. It is extremely powerful and sometimes causes leaks between our realms. Plants, animals... And you guys have a lot of garbage, by the way. But humans are rare. My great grandmother told me about a human who once lived here. But one day he just vanished. Rumor has it he left something in the library, and if you can find out more about him..."

"Maybe I could find out how he got here!" Luz finished her.

"Exactly." She paused. "Actually, you're the second human to come here recently."

"Really? Who's the first?"

"Seriously, you never noticed Walter's small, round ears?"

Luz's eyes widened. "W-Walter is a human?!"

"Yes, as shocking as it is, he is indeed a human. He appeared here around the same time that Mask appeared," Gwen said, pointing to the cursed object strapped to Luz's belt.

"B-But why is he working for the Emperor?! I thought the Emperor of all people..."

"It happened when the Emperor's Coven arrived to capture him," Gwen said as she sat on her staff. "To make a long story short, despite their use in magic, Walter managed to slaughter them all. That's Emperor Belos himself arrived and..."

"Let me guess, the Emperor beat him soundly, but liked his spunk and hired him instead of killing him right on the spot."

"Well, you're half right, little owlet. Except for that first part."

Luz and Strix felt their hearts jump. "The Emperor..."

"Yes," said Lilith. "He lost."

If Luz wasn't scared of Walter before, she was now. "The only reason the Emperor even survived was because all the Coven Heads arrived and used a combination of their magic to stop Walter," said Eda. "They were about to execute him, but Belos stopped them and said anyone who can bring the Emperor to their mercy is worthy of being an executioner. And that's why everyone considers him the most powerful creature on the Boiling Isles. Because they cannot believe that a human can take down the Emperor all by himself without any magic." The Owl Lady sighed. "Although, in my opinion, that scar-faced ape just got lucky."

Lilith nodded her head, "Mmm-hmm."

Luz thought this over. Maybe... Walter could provide her a clue somehow?

After Gwen and Lilith left, much to Hooty's heartbreak, Eda plopped down on the couch. "Well, I'll be on the couch for the next 24 hours. Good night."

"No, wait! I call couch."

"I'll be sleeping on Selwyn," said Strix with a yawn. "I need to get my energy back after this day." He pasued. "Luz, are you coming in?"

"Oh, sure. I just...need a moment to think."

"You can think all you want inside."

Luz looked up at the sky. "I'll be home soon, Mom." Then she thought, "Camp's probably ended by now. She must be so worried."

"Yeah, I wonder how you're going to have to explain this to her," Strix said.

Luz dreaded the thought.

Camilla Noceda wept as she sat on the couch watching TV. "I'm sorry. These animal documentaries make me such a mess."

Luz handed her a tissue box. "Here, Mama."

"Thank you, Luz. You always know what to do."

Wait...