Woah, Two chapters in a week? I surprised myself, honestly.
You know the same old same old, read, review and favorite. I'll never abandon the story, I have too many ideas and plot lines
ALSO
Next chapter, attention will be once again centered on Luz. It'll be a fun chapter.
Please, don't forget to enjoy
-Morning time-
Amity Blight watched her crystal orb, watching the news reporting on the "Walking Castle Incident".
It quickly became clear that they weren't going to be able to hide it from the public.
So instead, the Emperor's Coven fed the news outlets false information. Saying that it was the work of a wild witch, rather than the elusive human with magic that's been making the rounds on the Isles.
All in all, the fake news was a success. The people were none the wiser that it was a Moonlight conjuring caused by a powerful Princess and her friends… For now anyway. Lately, life has been becoming more and more complicated for the young heiress, Amity Blight.
Amity turned off the crystal orb and stood up from her desk, dressed in more casual wear, beginning to pack a bag. Lilith had mentioned that they were going to do something different and to dress appropriately for anything.
She didn't know what that meant, but she said it was certainly going to be a change from the usual books and simply practicing the spells.
"Mittens!"
Amity felt a sense of dread at the shout of her family nickname by her siblings.
Edric and Emira Blight suddenly crashed through her door and rolled into the room and tackled her into a tight hug.
"We have questions and theories!" Emira shouted.
"And you better answer them all!" Edric added.
Amity groaned and waved a finger, casting a spell. Making a hand, made from abomination goo, rise from the creaks of her floorboards and wrap around the twins, pulling them off of her.
"What in Tartarus do you guys want?" She asked, willing the abomination hand to hold them in the air.
"First off, how the heck can you make abomination hands? I thought you were still figuring out the size of a normal abomination a month ago?" Emira asked as she and Edric struggled in the hold.
"Yeah! And when the heck did you make this much abomination goo!? Enough to make an entire fist no less!" Edric asked, looking at the large hand that held them.
Amity's scowl softened as she let the Abomination hand put the Twins down on the floor once again and sent it away.
"I… Haven't made any Abomination goo lately…" She said honestly, "I've been doing that a lot recently… Ever since my duel with Luz…"
"Didn't you technically cheat in that duel?" Edric asked.
Amity became flushed with embarrassment.
"I- I didn't cheat on purpose!" She said quickly, "That was Lilith's idea and I wasn't even aware of it!" She defended herself, crossing her arms.
"Yeah yeah, you keep saying that, we get it," Edric said with a wave, "It's just that, only some really powerful Abomination users should be able to do something like that, we're just curious."
Amity pursed her lips and sighed, crossing her arms.
"I don't know… Maybe that power glyph just jump-started or boosted my magic something like that, I certainly feel like it did… Like something unlocked inside of me since that Duel…"
Amity stared at her hands for a moment before sighing, crossing her arms.
"What did you want?" She asked, reminding the Twins of their mission.
"Alright so!" They both said in unison before drawing a large spell circle. In a poof of magic, a giant green theory board was behind the twins. Many lines being drawn to and from certain sticky notes and pictures of Willow, Gus, but most importantly Luz.
"What… The heck is this…?" She asked, honestly amazed with how much work was put into the board, but just as equally confused and slightly worried.
"It's a theory board! About your human friend!" Emira said before summoning a laser (from her finger) and pointing it at the picture of Luz, where did they get it, it was anybody's guess.
Amity couldn't help but slightly sweat at the mention of what the board was for.
"They couldn't have figured it out, have they…?" She thought to herself.
"Uhm, alright…" Amity said, clearing her throat.
"So we all thought that she was just a human, right?" Edric started, pointing a laser finger of his own at the sticky note that mentioned that fact, "But that's obviously not right, for you see…" He brought their attention to a photo of Luz using that super focus mode to save her from their Witches Duel.
"So we came up with the only conclusion that she's not only Human but also Half-Witch!" Emira said, pointing to another sticky note that had the words; "HALF-WITCH" circled in red ink.
"That would not only explain how she has magic, but also how she's on the Isles in the first place, too!" Edric then pointed at a News clipping.
Amity's eyes widened at the sight.
It was dated about 14 years ago and was titled "Human appears in Bonesborough!" and pictured who Amity recognized as the Empress but much younger, most likely in her early 20s…
"Oh no…" She thought but only nodded, letting them know that she was still listening to them.
"14 years ago, this human female appeared in Bonesborough, no one knew where she came from or what to do until-'' Edric snapped his fingers, and a picture of a younger Lilith, hair still orange, appeared on the board. "-Your mentor arrested her and took her into the Emperor's Castle and she wasn't seen ever again by anyone!" Emira added, "So that got us thinking… What if… This Luz friend of yours is her kid that she had while she was still on the Isles?" She said, stroking her chin in thought as she stared at the theory board.
"And not only that but what if she was hiding something about her that she didn't want anyone to know…" Edric said before the Twins simultaneously snapped their fingers, the board clearing and a giant blank image appearing on it. Looking closer, Amity could see it was covering the actual image.
"Oh my Titan, they figured out the truth on their own…" Amity thought in utter disbelief.
"Mittens, we theorize that Luz is actually…" They said in unison, pausing for dramatic effect before ripping away the cover on the actual image. Revealing a white hooded figure, wearing a golden mask and dressed in the Elite Uniform with Golden colors.
"The Golden Guard!" They said, Edric slapping an image of Luz next to the picture of the Golden Guard's face.
Amity paused, face blanking as she stared at the image they were showing her. It took every last bit of her willpower not to burst out laughing at the idea of Luz being the Golden Guard.
"Y- you guys…" Stifles laugh, clearing their throat before continuing, "You guys can not be serious?" She asked, crossing her arms with a raised brow.
The Twins returned the look before they turned to their board.
"What? It makes sense! Golden Magic, Golden Guard!" Edric pointed out.
"Guys, you're forgetting a lot of important details or just ignoring some facts," Amity said as she held up her crystal orb, drawing a spell circle that flipped through many different images before it landed on a news article.
Amity cleared her throat, beginning to read the article.
"The Emperor's elusive left-hand man, the Golden Guard, leaves the Isles today on a highly guarded, secret expedition across the world on one of the Emperor's experimental airships! You may know him for his many deeds across the Isles, such as keeping us safe from Rogue Wild Witches and Wild dangerous Beasts! He was given a proper goodbye and he will be missed dearly, we wait for his safe return!"
Amity then showed the Twins the image attached to the article, it was of the Golden Guard, being waved goodbye by the Emperor, Lilith, and even Kikimora… Although she didn't look too happy to even be there. There were also many citizens of Bonesborough waving him away, as well, holding golden streamers to get his attention as well as small flags with his masked face on them.
"He's halfway across the world right now on an expedition or whatever for the Emperor, how could he also be Luz at the same time? Also known as Luz the Human Girl and the Golden Guard is a boy, who I think is your age, remember? Luz is 14." She asked, poking many holes in her siblings' theory of Luz and the Golden Guard being one in the same person.
"I mean, it could be a cover-up for all we know, remember who owns most of the news stations?" Emira asked, scrolling to the bottom of the article, seeing the copyright that was next to the publisher's name, it was the Emperor's Coven Mark.
Amity pursed her lips before sighing, nodding.
"Ok, fine, you've got a point there, but seriously! Luz isn't the Golden Guard! Their magic doesn't even match, look," She took back her crystal orb and cast a spell, once again going through many pages of the Weave before finding a video and playing it for her Siblings.
The video was a civilian recording of the Golden Guard in action, holding his glowing red staff as he faced off against a rogue, Wild Witch.
"I'll make this easy for you, Thornelius," The Golden Guard said, twirling his staff and pointing his staff at the Wild Witch, "Come in willingly or by force… It's still your choice…"
Thornelius scowled at him, summoning his staff, which was of a bee.
"I'd rather die!" He shouted, drawing a giant spell circle. As the name probably suggested, a jungle of huge sharp, thorny vines shot out of the ground and shot towards the Left Hand of the Emperor.
The Golden Guard could be seen scoffing as he took point, most likely smiling under his mask.
"If that's the game you want to play… Then we'll play…"
Suddenly, The Golden Guard disappeared from view in a flash of Red magic and reappeared running along the vines, feet easily avoiding the thorns.
Thornelius' eyes widened as he willed the vines to strike the Left Hand, but every time, the Golden Guard was faster, either dodging to the side or teleporting onto another vine to get away from the previous.
It then seemed like Thornelius finally got him when a vine was wrapped around the Golden Guard.
"HAHA! I GOT-" He paused, bringing the Vines over and inspected the Guard but… It was just a dummy version of the Golden Guard in his hold, "-You…?" He asked, confused.
"Hey, wanna be Lady Cruz…"
Thornelius' eyes widened and he quickly turned around to face the Elite Guard but was quickly met with a spin kick to his jaw, courtesy of the Golden Guard and on the behalf of the Emperor.
The Wild Witch spun, feeling several of his teeth being ejected from his mouth from the force of the strike before he stumbled back. Holding up his fists now in a challenging manner.
"Fine, you want to fight dirty, I can play that too!" Thornelius said before beginning to swing many punches and haymakers at the Golden Guard.
The Left Hand easily dodged it all, weaving past many of the attacks and deflecting them just as easily.
"Come on now, your form is sloppy," The Guard mocked, "You're not even putting your full body behind it! Like, this!"
The Golden Guard then drove a fist into Thornelius' gut, causing him to gasp and knocking the wind out of him and keeling over.
Thornelius watched as the Golden Guard reeled back a fist once again and threw it. He steeled himself for impact, closing his eyes, but it never came.
As a matter of fact, the Golden Guard is completely gone now...
Thornelius looked around. It was completely silent…
All of sudden, the earth broke apart under him and Hunter came flying out of the stone floor, wielding his staff, it glowing bright red. Thornelius watched in shock as wooden roots wrapped all around him and restricted him greatly.
Once it was all said and done, the Wild Witch was basically in a cocoon of roots now.
The Golden Guard dusted himself off.
"Hm… I got my cloak dirty…" He said before turning back to the trapped and struggling Thornelius, "And that's another Wild Witch for the gardens…" He said before grabbing him and reaching for his bee staff to collect it.
The Palisman quickly came to life and flew out of his reach, buzzing for its master and moving in to help them.
"N- no! Go, run! Don't let yourself get caught! You know what'll happen if the Emperor catches you!" Thornelius shouted past all the roots before the Golden Guard chopped his neck, knocking the Wild Witch out easily.
The Golden Guard turned to face the bee, it seemed like it wanted to fight him but the bee quickly buzzed at him before flying away, disappearing into the forest.
"Hm… It got away…" The Golden Guard then turned to face the Witch who had recorded the entire fight.
He waved at them, grabbing Thornelius.
"Bill all damages to the Emperor's Coven, Byeeeeee!" He said, spinning his staff that glowed before he teleported away with a flash of red magic.
The video ended.
The Twins looked towards Amity.
"You see?" Amity asked, "His magic is Red, like the Emperor's and he knows how to use it effectively too. He also sounds vastly different from Luz's too, and he can fight too, unlike Luz… Who was practically running all over the place trying not to get stomped by my Giant Abomination…" She said, although not too proud to be remembering that.
The Twins crossed their arms, pouting.
"OK… So Maybe our theory has a few more holes in it than there should be… But..." Edric said, stroking his chin in thought.
Amity watched as Ed and Em gave each other a look before they smirked at each other.
"Mittens… You seem very persistent to convince us that the Golden Guard isn't Luz…" Edric said with a smile.
Amity crossed her arms.
"Yeah, what about it…?"
Emira walked over, wrapping an arm around her sister's neck and holding her close.
"Well, you only actively go out of your way to prove that we're wrong about something when you know we're wrong…" Edric said, wrapping an arm on the other side of Amity.
"Is there something about Luz you're not telling us?" They both asked in unison, "I mean, you must know enough to know that we're in the wrong about them… So what's the right answer, then?" Emira asked.
Amity's eyes widened… The Twins were smart when they wanted to be and she hated it. Even worse, they were right, she had implied too hard that she knew who Luz really was… Why did they even care…
Amity cleared her throat, shaking her head no.
"N- No, I don't know much about the Human, Luz… Other than that trouble follows her around like a bee follows a flower…" She said with a soft smile, "It's kinda funny actually…"
The Twins didn't seem to believe her, that she didn't know exchanged looks before nodding. Silently understanding each other's thoughts.
"Alright… That leads us to our second board actually…"
Edric then flipped the board upside down, showing off the other side of the board. The question "You crushing, Mittens?" as the header. Many sticky notes were plastered on the board, as well as pictures of Luz and Amity. There was a small red X crossed-out section that drew a question mark over a pair of pictures of Willow and Amity.
"We noticed that you've been acting a bit different since your Witches Duel, and even more so after your Moonlight conjuring…" Edric said, pointing a laser at a graph, he pointed at the flat line. "This chart is your growth…"
"Around here-" Emira pointed at a sudden spike in the graph, "-Is where you met Luz… We think, anyway, ever since that point, your attitude has changed. For the better, too. You even tolerate us for longer than usual."
"Yeah! You usually kick us out by now!" Edric pointed out.
"I'm still considering the option…" Amity said, crossing her arms and a slight blush on her face from looking at the board.
"Now, when you canceled the Moonlight Conjuring at Boscha's place, we were all confused and honestly, in shock! We all knew you hate going to Boscha's Conjurings, nothing happens and it's always a bore but Mom and Ms. Hieronymus always forced you both together to do it, Mom especially! But this year was different!" Edric said with a smile.
"You canceled, in front of Boscha no less, even threatening her in front of all your classmates at Hexside! And you instead decided to go to the Human's conjuring." Emira said, pointing at a picture of Luz, who was standing on her expensive carriage and waving at Amity as she walked down their walkway to the carriage.
"It's almost as if-"
"-You couldn't say no to her…" Edric said with a hum, "Very curious…"
"Very curious indeed, and just as suspicious…"
Both twins suddenly leaned over and gave their sister an equally teasing smile.
"So that leads us to ask… Is there something going on between the two of you we should know about?" They asked with a teasing smile, the very same one that they were known for.
Amity was confused for a moment before her eyes widened in realization as to what they were implying before she turned a bright shade of red at their implication.
"W- What!?" She asked incredulously, "You guys and your wild theories!" She said with a laugh, waving her arm dismissively, "Me and her are JUST friends, that's it, nothing more! Besides, it's not like she'd think of me like that anyways..."
Suddenly, Amity's Smart Scroll, which was resting on her nightstand, dinged with a notification.
Looking over, the Twins saw who had sent her a message before giving a Cheshire-like smile and turning to face Amity.
"If she's nothing but your "friend" as you say, then why is her contact on your Smart Scroll "Princess"?" Emira asked smugly, holding up the contact she made for Luz when they had first exchanged runes a few weeks ago.
Amity could only blush brighter before drawing a spell circle in response, causing the Scroll to fling out of Amity's hands and through the window, glass shattering.
This only seemed to spur the Twins on.
"Odds are, that she's actually the Princess, or you and her are Totally dating and she's your girlfriend!" Emira said with a point, smiling widely.
"And I like our odds because honestly, I'm pretty sure the Emperor is a sack of Bones under that cloak!" Edric said with a laugh.
Amity's ears flapped widely in embarrassment at even the thought of liking Luz like that.
"SHE IS NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!" She shouted, albeit, a bit louder than she probably wanted to, she covered her face and groaned before grabbing her bag and swinging it over her shoulders, and tying it tight.
"She's not a Princess, and we're not dating… She doesn't like me like that and I don't like her like that either!"
"Why are you blushing then?" Edric pointed out, "Your ears are even doing that fwip-fwip thing like they're going to fly off!"
"Because this entire situation is super embarrassing! Luz and I aren't dating, I don't have a crush on her and most importantly, you two and your wild "theories" are crazy and dumb!" She said, quickly moving past the Twins and sliding the board out of her room and down the hall towards their rooms, "G- Get out! I'm meeting Lilith in the forest and would like to get there early and your pestering isn't doing me any favors!"
Although she was trying to be assertive, her still flapping ears and bright red face easily betrayed her.
The Twins laughed and began to walk out of the room.
"Fine, fine… Go get stronger for your girlfriend…" Emira said, folding her arms behind her back with a smirk.
"I'm more than sure that she'll be so impressed she'll swoon…" Edric added with a grin.
Amity clenched her teeth and drew a circle mid-air, about ten abominations rose from the floorboards and groaned at the Twins.
The Twins laughed as they ran away, the Abominations stumbling after them.
Amity took several deep breaths before she sighed, letting herself cool off from all the teasing she received from her siblings. She then remembered…
"Oh, right… Luz sent me something… I thought she was busy with the Castle..." She drew a spell circle and the Smart Scroll she tossed away appeared in her hands, she opened the received message from luz.
It was a picture of Luz, she was taking a selfie and posing, with a wide smile to match, of course, the text under the image was "Starting to fixing things! It's going to be fun!".
Amity found herself smiling as she looked around, making sure the coast was clear before she discreetly saved the image. She sent away the Smart Scroll and tightened the straps on her backpack.
"Alright… She's just a friend and it's a nice contact photo… She's just a friend and it's a nice contact photo… She's just a friend and-"
Amity would go on to repeat this mantra to herself many many times as she walked out of Blight Manor and began heading towards where she was supposed to meet up with Lilith.
As she walked, she couldn't help but wonder, since the Twins brought it up… Where in the World was the Golden Guard?
He was publicly presented to the Isles about two years ago, a teenage prodigy among the Emperor's Coven whose job was to complete high-stakes missions that the average Coven Guard couldn't dream of doing. He even seemed to outshine Lilith at times as the face of the Coven, as he was more recognizable than she was at times.
So it was weird to Amity that he would suddenly be sent on a secret expedition across the world at the request of the Emperor when the People of the Isles seemed to be in love with him and everything he did for them.
That was about six months before Luz landed on the Isles, if Amity had her math right… she sighed.
"Why do I even care?" Amity asked herself, shaking her head, and checking the time on her watch, and sighed. "I'm going to be late…" She said, quickly moving through her front door and past the gates.
Little did she know that she would be knocking a certain triclops over the head with a training staff...
-Meanwhile, off Isles, the Winterlands-
The Eternally Blizzarding land of Snow, the Winterlands.
A land either cursed centuries ago by a long-forgotten demon, or maybe an artifact was stolen and the result was the endless snowstorm that now plagued the entire land, covering every inch in snow no matter what time of year it was.
But the people adapted to the conditions. They always do. Many of the country's inhabitants formed megacities that used a constant influx of magic from the Weave to keep them warm and life livable. Only a fool would dare to live outside the warm and protected cities…
There was, sadly, a rather large number of fools, however, still out there in the Winterlands. Particularly, high in the mountains, above the Snowstorms.
The Monks of the Fairfail… A group of non-magic users that practiced in the art of Fairfail. A martial art that greatly enhanced the body to do things that magic only hoped to achieve, from dashing faster than any eye could track, training your body to withstand the coldest blizzard or even the hottest waters.
But the most important thing the Monks here studied and practiced was their Martial Art that used no magic and completely trained the body to peak conditions.
And the most recent student of the Art of Fairfail…
Hunter W. Belos AKA The Golden Guard of the Boiling Isles and Left hand to the Emperor, lesser-known as his nephew as well but that was information not meant to be known by the Witches of the Isles.
Currently, the Teenage prodigy was dressed in blue Kasaya, robes, and nothing else. As was the tradition for being a student of the Art of Fairfail…
Hunter suddenly hissed in pain, opening his eyes and looking to his left, where an older man was using a needle to slowly tattoo the symbol of the Temple into his arm, which was an eight pronged snowflake with a circle around it.
"I know that you don't need magic to do this, Grandmaster Yagni," Hunter said, speaking Arctic, the language of the Winterlands, "But it would certainly help things along…" He said, closing his eyes once again to not focus on the stinging feeling of the needle.
He heard the older man chuckle.
"I can not believe that a simple black tattoo needle is what does you in, Hunter…" Yagni joked with a smile, still repeatedly lightly stabbing the ink into Hunter's shoulder, "Do you remember why we don't use magic in this temple?"
"Because most of us don't have any at all?" Hunter asked, honestly not remembering what he was taught. He hissed suddenly in pain, feeling as if he was stabbed harder than usual by the needle, "That was on purpose!" He said but Yagni ignored him, continuing.
"We don't use magic in this temple because we believe that we do not need it to survive or to be great, just as you did not need it to become your Uncle's Left Hand and to be considered a Hero in the eyes of your people at the age of 16…" The Grandmaster said with a smile, "Many with magic come here to learn, such as you did, and leave when they can not use their magic within our walls… They have never been a day without power and the minute it is stripped away from them, they crumble. Not only at the realization that they are physically weak, but also lack discipline…"
Hunter nodded, listening intently to Yagni's words.
"I understand, Master…" Hunter nodded, "Once again, I'm sorry for having to leave soon… I still don't believe I deserve the mark of Fairfail… I've only been a student for six months, others have been here for years… They are more deserving…"
Grandmaster Yagni shook his head no as he wiped away the excess ink off of Hunter's arm and cleaned it with a rag before grabbing a blue needle and continuing to tattoo Hunter.
"That may be true… But you, Hunter, have displayed skills and exceptional talents while here for such a short time, some that I haven't seen in years… You truly are a teenage prodigy… Although your time here has been short and brief… I am more than proud to call you my student… I've taught you what you needed to know, now it is time for you to finish your journey…"
Hunter smiled at the kind words of praise before his smile turned to one of disappointment.
"Finish… My journey?" Hunter asked, before letting out a sigh, "Yagni, I've been looking for a cure for the better part of a year… At one point, I was so tired that I fell asleep at the helm of my airship and crash-landed in your temple courtyard, nearly frozen to death… I'm starting to think there is no cure for my Uncle's condition..."
"But I found you and I decided to heal you, fix your airship and then teach you the way of the Fairfail…" Yagni said with a hum, "And you decided to share the meaning behind your journey with me… A cure for your Uncle, the man who took you in at a young age after your Father passed… A noble and selfless cause, one you hope to be able to complete before it is too late… One… That I believe can end here and now..." Yagni said, before tapping the needle into his shoulder for the final time.
Hunter's eyes widened at his words. A cure? And it was so close too…
"So, hold on a minute Grandmaster," Hunter said, watching as the old man began to dress the fresh tattoo in cloth and bandages, "You've had a possible cure for my Uncle this entire time?"
"You must forgive me for my hesitance to share such information, Hunter, for I wished to see if you were a trustworthy student, but I do believe that I may be able to help you finish your journey for a cure… You see, your Uncle is not the first to be stricken with such a curse… It has been healed before."
Hunter's eyes widened at his words.
"My Uncle isn't the first to be cursed like this… And you're certain that it can be healed!?" Hunter asked loudly.
"I am certain, young one..." Yagni said before he reached behind him and brought forth a book that he had brought into the chamber with him, flipping through a few pages, "Are you aware of the Legend of the Good Witch Azura, Hunter?" Yagni asked.
"Y- Yes… I am… What does she have to do with my Uncle's curse…?" He asked.
"Everything, Hunter… For she was stricken with the exact same curse as your Uncle…" Yagni revealed.
Hunter's eyes widened and his jaw dropped to the floor. He was honestly left speechless…
Yagni chuckled at his reaction.
"Prepare yourself, young Hunter… For you are about to learn about a new side of the Good Witch…" Yagni said.
Hunter nodded, sitting up and facing the Grandmaster.
If Azura had the same curse and was even healed from it… That meant that his uncle could be healed too… He wouldn't give up and he'd memorize every detail of what Yagni was going to tell him… To the last letter.
'I won't let you down, Uncle… I promise… I'm so close… Just hold on a little bit longer...' He thought to himself before nodding at Yagni.
"I'm ready… Tell me everything about Azura and the Curse…"
Nothing could stop Hunter now...
A cure was so close in hand...