Just to be clear, the last four chapters have been all the same day, in case y'all were confused about it. Just happening at different times in the day. I just wanted to mention it.

And this chapter is, finally, Luz's side of the day (with a bit of Hunter). After that, we'll focus on Fera, and then a very special guest visits the cast!

Also, this chapter is about 19k words, so enjoy at your leisure

ONWARDS! UPGRADES AND LEARNING ABOUND!

Amity Blight walked across Bonesborough, heading towards the forest clearing where Lilith had instructed her to go for today's lesson.

As she walked, she came upon a caravan of Construction Coven members hauling building materials across the main street, in direction of the Castle. They've been doing this for the last few days, transporting materials, as many parts of the castle were destroyed in the incident, they needed to make many trips.

If she remembered, Lady Fera had lent them a few of her beast's to help them along with the heavy labor.

Most were docile enough to help without a care in the world.

Most being the keyword.

"Come on now!" One Witch, a foreman probably, shouted at the others, as they stopped, making the entire caravan stop behind them, "You don't want to face Lord Drew if we're late with this most recent shipment, again! We have a deadline to meet!" He yelled, directing the Witches, who were using a large salamander-looking beast to haul a rather heavy stack of wood, currently overloading the poor beast.

Suddenly, the giant salamander opened its mouth and roared, beginning to thrash under the heavy load of wood, throwing the straps loose and knocking off its rider in a rather hard manner.

The Witch who was handling the Wild Salamander was flung from the mount hard, alerting many of the other workers of the developing situation.

Amity's eyes widened in response.

"Abomination! Rise!" She shouted, pointing a finger at where the Witch was going to land. To her surprise, a simple purple dot appeared at the end of her index and a large abomination rose and caught the worker before he became a red splatter.

Amity's eyes widened at the sight of her casting magic like that.

"W- What the… Only the Emperor casts magic like that…?" She asked herself before she focused back in and rushed over to the worker, "Are you alright?" She asked quickly.

The Worker fixed their hard hat and gave Amity a look over.

"You know your way 'round a spell, huh?" He asked, climbing out of Amity's abomination's arm and wiping away the Goo, "Thanks a lot for saving me Kid, I'm- Watch out!"

The Construction Witch suddenly pushed Amity out of the way and caught the Salamander by its face, feet digging into the stone floor, kicking up dust from the force.

He could be seen struggling to hold it in place, gritting his teeth. Amity noticed several power glyphs on his arms activating and pulsing with Construction magic, enhancing his strength but it was obvious that these weren't "fresh" power glyphs. As their glow constantly faded in and out. He wouldn't be able to hold the beast back for much longer…

"I got it!" Amity went to cast another spell but felt a sudden burning feeling in her chest. She clenched her teeth and fell to her knees, "W- What in the abyss…?" She asked herself again, "Why does my magic feel like it's... Burning…?" She asked herself.

"No, I got it!" A voice shouted from behind.

Looking, a shadow jumped over her, jumping straight for the salamander with wild abandon.

They had purple hair and were wearing a Glandus High uniform, a part of the Construction track it would seem… It would explain the recklessness that only the Beast Keeping Track could match.

The girl suddenly grabbed the sides of the beast's head and yanked it away from the worker, allowing him to get to safety. The salamander, naturally not being too happy to be handled like this, thrashed widely in response but she held on securely, her tight grip never giving the salamander a chance to escape.

Once she confirmed that the worker wasn't going to be the beast's lunch, the salamander was released. Much to its confusion.

The Glandus High student suddenly landed in front of the salamander and gave a wide smile.

"Looks like you need a timeout!" She said, both ends of her index fingers lit up with brown construction magic, and she drew a large spell circle.

The ground rumbled and several pillars shot out of the ground before they connected at the top and sealed themselves, forming a cage of sorts. The salamander could be heard thrashing and slamming against the stone bars but it quickly became apparent that its energy would be wasted so it conceded and grunted, laying down and curling up.

Amity was impressed that she was able to handle that thrashing beast on her own, with little to no difficulty.

"Yes!" The girl shouted, pumping a fist into the air and laughing in triumph, "Lord Drew, sir! Did you see that!?" The girl shouted with a wide smile.

Amity's eyes widened.

Lord Drew? The Construction Coven Head himself?

Looking, her eyes widened. She expected to see a man dressed in nice clothes, as expected of a coven head. Instead, she saw a tan-skinned, short, and burly witch with a proud gray beard and yellow hardhat. He wore the same clothes as his workers, except, his clothes were just darker. He had a tool belt around his waist.

He looked like any other member of the Construction Coven, she even recognized him, he was at the Covention…! Maybe that's why his appearance shocked her greatly…

"Yes, Yes, Bria, I saw it…" Drew said as he walked up to the beast and stroked his chin in thought, "I suppose that we have been overworking the beasts' recently, transporting so much material to the castle… Have this one sent to Fera and make sure it relaxes so this doesn't happen again," He said to the nearest worker.

"Yes sir," The worker said quickly, "What of the materials he was hauling?" He asked.

The Coven Head stroked his chin in thought before going over to the stack of wood.

"Bria…?" He asked, turning to face the now-named purple-haired girl.

Bria quickly went up to Drew.

"Yes sir?" She asked, excited and happy to help out in any way she could.

"You remember what I've been teaching you, correct?" He asked, taking a step back.

Bria nodded, silently understanding what Drew was asking of her. She focused, remembering the teachings of Lord Drew.

"Control the flow of magic in your body and…" She trailed off before she crouched and, with a huff, lifted the entire load of wood, no power glyphs being used, and resting it on her shoulder, "Haha! Easy!" She said proudly.

Lord Drew chuckled before turning to Amity.

"I appreciate you catching my worker there, miss…?"

Amity got back to her feet quickly, ignoring the burning feeling in her chest.

"Amity, Lord Drew, Amity Blight. I was just on my way to meet up with Lady Lilith for training," She said in a cool manner, as if she didn't care, as she was taught to act like in public… But… It felt so much harder to do… More than usual… Odd…

"Ah, a Blight," Drew said with a hum, recognizing the name, "Good to see Alador has a strong family… Well, I don't want to keep Lilith's apprentice waiting." He said politely.

Amity nodded, moving past him before pausing and turning to face him once again.

"Before I go…" She said, eyeing Bria, who was now talking to two other Glandus high students who were tagging along with her now and hyping her up, "Is that Glandus high student, your apprentice?" She asked.

Lord Drew glanced at Bria, giving another hum. He tipped his hard hat up to give Bria a better look, watching as she rose and lowered the stack of wood like she was working out. Showing off her magic enhanced strength.

"I haven't decided… She's strong for certain, she's able to control the flow of her magic like a natural, but that competitive nature of hers is like a loose brick in a wall… Pull at it, and you lose all your progress…" He said, shaking his head.

Amity, nodded, understanding.

"Alright… Have a nice day, Lord Drew… Good luck on fixing the castle…" She said politely, "I know it's a lot of work to be done…"

"Yes, I suppose I should thank you for that…" He said with a slight chuckle.

Amity's eyes widened before she blushed brightly in embarrassment, looking down at the floor.

"O- Oh… You… Know about that?" She asked with a nervous laugh.

Drew nodded.

"Of course, I was given a full report on the situation and the cause… But me and my Coven are getting paid for our services, so it's not so bad… Good luck on your training as well," He said, nodding at her before he whistled loudly, alerting everyone, "Break is over! Get moving! We're on a deadline! Bria! Send away your friends!"

Bria nodded before turning to her friends.

"I'll be helping at the castle, guys, for about a month, under Lord Drew… So wish me luck!" She said excitedly, "I'm more than sure, by the end of it, Lord Drew will surely take me under his wing, officially!" She said, determined.

Gavin, the dark-skinned Abomination user, smiled and gave a thumbs up.

"We know you can do it, Bria! We all know that you're stronger than anyone in the Construction track back at Glandus!" He encouraged her.

"Yeah! Don't sweat it, Bria! You got this!" Angmar, the yellow-skinned Plant track demon, said, giving her a thumbs-up as well.

The trio of friends hugged, Bria only having one hand free to do so, and they quickly ran off to go about their days.

The caravan of the Construction Coven started moving once again, heading towards the Castle once again.

Amity watched them go, before turning to her hand. She pointed and took a deep breath and focused.

She needed to see if she could make a spell-like that again…

A purple dot appeared at the end of her index before suddenly she felt a stabbing and burning sensation in her chest. She clenched her teeth and hissed in pain, quickly dispelling the dot of magic. She sighed, shaking her head and turning around.

"Hanging around Luz has me thinking that I can cast magic like the Emperor… I must've just done it the first time on instinct..." She said to herself, shaking her head, "Their magic must be stronger than I thought, that much concentrated magic going through my fingers hurt..."

"I got to meet up with Lilith…" Amity said, refocusing on her goals and flexing her hand as she began to walk once again.

As she walked, she summoned her scroll and looked at it, staring at the picture that Luz had sent earlier that morning. She was dressed in the Glandus High uniform and was looking rather happy with herself. She was giving a thumbs up in the picture and had the brightest smile.

Amity found herself staring at the smiling Luz before she shook her head and rubbed her eyes with a heavy sigh.

"Focus, Amity…" She said, sending away her smart scroll and tightening the straps of her backpack, and glancing at the now distant Construction Coven Caravan.

"I wonder how Luz will do on her first day…" She asked herself with a hum.

"I'm sure it'll be fine…" She said, turning and walking.

Finally, nothing would interrupt her path...

-Later at the castle-

Luz stormed down the hallway of her home, hearing her Mother trying to justify her lying to her, really dug into her nerves, she had passed her Father in the hallway and dismissed him, as if it was a normal thing to do to the Emperor of The Isles.

As Luz walked out of the wing of her home, she had calmed herself down, deciding that being angry wouldn't do her any favors today… Especially if she was going to help out with putting the Castle back together… What would she even do on the construction site? She didn't know any construction magic… She felt a sense of dread rise in her gut at the idea that she would become an errand girl for the entire Month.

"Oh man, that'll be so boring though…" She groaned, slapping her forehead before dragging her hand across her face.

"Good Morning, Princess," A voice cut through Luz's sulking.

Looking, Luz saw that it was Lilith, who had been waiting for her arrival.

"Oh, Good Morning, Lilith," She greeted with a smile, coming up to Lilith and beginning to walk with her.

"Do you have everything you need?" Lilith asked as she led Luz through the castle to the first construction site she'd be working on.

Luz was seen patting down her Glandus High uniform, feeling everything she could need was on her person.

"I have everything I need…" She confirmed, "So, Lilith, just to recap… I'm a Glandus High student who got lucky enough to help out Lord Drew and the Construction Coven repair the castle…" She said, repeating what was said to her in excess.

Lilith nodded.

"That is correct, Princess, but you have to make sure that your cover is absolute, you must know of Glandus Highs… "Way of thinking", you could say…"

Luz tilted her head in confusion.

"What do you mean, "way of thinking", Lilith?" She asked.

"I keep forgetting you weren't raised on the Isles..." Lilith sighed and cleared her throat, going on to explain.

"Essentially, Glandus High and its students take pride in the belief that strength is everything. To be strong is to be useful, in their eyes. So the students are known for their… Arrogance and sometimes foolish bravery. I've seen it enough during Emperor Coven Hosted events at their school. It's a good thing me and Edalyn went to Hexside in our youth, instead… Can't imagine an even more arrogant Edalyn at Glandus…" She said with a soft laugh.

Luz pouts at the information given to her about the arrogant school, thinking that that type of thinking was such a bad model to teach Young Witches… Maybe she would change that when she became Empress…?

She laughed at the thought before responding to Lilith.

"So, what I'm hearing is, that I should act like a stuck-up Princess who thinks she's better than everyone else?" She asked with a grin, "I've been practicing for this…" She said with a whisper, rubbing her hands together in an evil manner.

Lilith briefly thought of the idea of Luz being a stuck-up Princess, but the image couldn't be brought forward for the life of her.

"Just… Don't overdo it," Lilith said, "And remember, Lord Drew respects strength, but only when it's rightfully needed and earned, so don't get ahead of yourself."

Luz nodded once more.

"I got it, I'll keep my arrogance in check," She said, "Ugh, the idea of being rude is already making me feel bad…" She said with a cringe.

The Coven Head and Princess finally came upon the construction site. Many of the Construction Coven members were big, strong, and intimidating. They all looked the same to some extent, as they wore the same brown uniform and hard hats.

Even Lord Drew, Head of the Construction Coven, was almost unidentifiable anywhere in the crowd, as he wore a near-identical uniform to his workers.

So naturally, he blended into the crowd of workers easily.

Luz narrowed her eyes, scanning the workers and not being able to find the Coven Head.

"Which one is Lord Drew...?" She asked in slight frustration, as it shouldn't be this hard to find one person.

Lilith found this a bit amusing, as she could relate to the Princess' struggle. Becoming the Head of the Emperor's Coven presented many challenges, an unexpected one was not exactly being able to find Lord Drew on construction sites, as he blended in with everyone else.

She pointed ahead.

"Here's a tip, Princess," She whispered, "He's the only one who wears a yellow hard hat."

Luz followed where Lilith was pointing and her eyes landed on the Coven Head, he was discussing several things with what appeared to be a foreman, and others in his Coven who specialized in specific crafts, such as glass, brick, woodworking, etc.

He was indeed the only one with a yellow hard hat.

"Hey, wait a minute…" She said, narrowing her eyes, "Wasn't he at the Covention!?" She said, a sudden wave of realization washing over her. "Why didn't I notice!?" She asked herself.

Lilith giggled at that.

"Lord Drew was never big on attention or fame, I believe the only reason he was at the Covention was that he was scouting talent." She explained.

This made Luz curious.

"Scouting talent?" She asked, "What for?"

"Oh, you know, why would any Coven Head be personally looking for talent? He was looking for an apprentice, I believe, not sure if he has found one yet, though… He's very picky with this sort of thing."

"Ah, that makes sense, I guess…" Luz said before looking up at Lilith, "And he knows that I'm undercover, right?" She asked.

"Of course. Lord Drew was warned ahead of time about the circumstances and the situation by your father. And do not worry, Lord Drew can keep a secret. His will, like the things he constructs, is strong and will never crack under pressure."

Lilith then Giggled.

"I believe I said something similar to a pun just now," she then sighed, "Edalyn would never let me live it down if she were here…"

Luz giggled, tightening the strap on her messenger backpack.

"Alright, thank you, Lilith, I'll be sure to impress Lord Drew with my unmatched Construction Magic Prowess!" Luz then flexed, showing off her only slightly developing muscles, it looked like that muscle enhancement technique was working its magic… Literally.

Lilith smiled at the Princess, enjoying her eccentric attitude very much, as it was nice to see, rather than the usual dreary aesthetic that the Emperor enjoyed in his castle. If Lilith remembered, Camila had been instrumental in drawing up the new plans for the interior of the castle, as well as severely changing the exterior too.

She hoped that the final product would look less… Well, evil honestly… Because while the Emperor was cold in many aspects, he wasn't cruel… Mostly… Most of those Wild Witches didn't deserve to be petrified if she was being honest with herself but she would never dare to voice her thoughts to the Emperor.

She knew that not even Luz would be able to save her from Belos' wrath.

"Well Princess," Lilith said, coming out of her thoughts, "I'll be with Amity today, training and teaching her a few new things. So if you need anything at all, just call me on my scroll. You have my rune. Oh, and, make sure to do what Lord Drew asks of you. It's imperative you also be careful while working, this is a construction site. And please, for the love of the Titan, do not cause any trouble," She pleaded.

Luz laughed nervously at the final instruction.

"At this point, I'm sure that trouble follows me around…" She said with a sigh, "But, I'll try my best to not cause any damage!" She promised.

Lilith simply shook her head with a chuckle.

"Then I'll leave you to it, Good luck, Princess…"

Lilith then summoned her staff and tapped it onto the ground, a swirl of her signature blue flames encompassed her completely before dissipating, revealing Lilith to be gone.

"I gotta learn how to do that…'' Luz whispered, turning away from where Lilith had been and towards Lord Drew, who was still talking to his foreman.

Luz then took a deep breath, jumping up and down slightly, hyping herself up to go up to him

"I can do this… I've met him already, I can do it again… No bigee…" She paused and held her face, "So why the heck am I so nervous…?" She groaned and looked forward again, eyes locking with Drew, who still hasn't noticed Luz.

"Alright… Let's do this…"

Luz took a step forward.

Once she confirmed that she wouldn't die by simply walking, she moved towards Lord Drew. As she did, she heard them speaking.

"...And after we install the brickwork, we should focus on insulation and then the windows for this area." A foreman said.

Luz glanced over at Lord Drew, seeing that he was honestly in his own world entirely, tuned out to the discussion with his foreman.

"No, are you an idiot? We install glass after we finish the entire room, you know how often a stray tool goes through a freshly installed window? It's like a curse!" Another foreman, the stonemason, said.

"You know, you've been going against me this entire day, how about you lay down your tools and we can settle this because you clearly have a problem with me." The glassworker challenged.

"How about I lay this tool up your-"

"Wait, who's the Kid?"

"Is that a human?" Another foreman pointed out, instantly noticing Luz's round ears.

The assembled foreman all finally took notice of Luz, who had successfully walked up to them and was now standing awkwardly, waiting for them to finish their spat/discussion.

"H- Hey…" Luz said, waving, "I- I'm Luz…" She said silently, almost shrinking from their combined glare but she held on, making sure that she wasn't shaking in her boots from nervousness, "I'm the Glandus High student here on an internship with Lord Drew…"

Lord Drew was brought back to reality when he heard the Princess' name and the reason she was here.

"Oh Titan, I forgot that she was starting today…" He said to himself, clearing his throat and snapping his fingers, getting the attention of his Foreman.

"Get back to work, you all have your assignments. Finish the rooms before installing the windows and any glass, I don't want the DWSA (Pronounced "Duesa") inspector to get his knickers in a knot because you didn't follow safety procedures." Drew said, settling the argument between them.

Lord Drew then handed the nearest foreman a set of blueprints of the castle. The Empress had worked with him to improve and update the image of the Castle to make it more welcoming and less threatening… Of course, the other workers didn't know this. They just assumed that the Emperor was going in a rather suspicious new direction in the design of his castle. They certainly weren't going to go up to Belos and question his intentions. That's how you died around here.

"And how about you, Lord Drew?" The stonemason asked, being the one to take the blueprints from him.

"I'm going to be with Luz, here," He placed a hand on Luz's shoulder, "Come find me if something important comes up."

The foreman nodded and gave their goodbyes before they all left, separating to go lead their respective teams as Lord Drew turned to face Luz.

"Princess…" He whispered, giving a discreet bow, "Glad to see you here… Although, I wish I had been reminded of your arrival beforehand… Today may be more complicated than need be…"

Luz was confused for a moment.

"Why's that?" She asked, "Is me being here going to slow down work?" She asked.

Drew shook his head no, waving a hand dismissively.

"No, of course not," He said, standing up straight once again, "It's just...How do I say this… In my forgetfulness, I forget that your cover was that of Glandus High, as well. Another Glandus High student is here… A possible apprentice..."

"Is me being a Glandus High student going to be a problem, then?" Luz asked, worried that they were already running into complications, "I don't think it's too late to change my cover to be a St. Epidermstudent…"

"Please, don't make me laugh, I've never met a good construction witch come from St. Epiderm," Lord Drew said, giving Luz a huff, shaking his head. Disappointed that Luz would even make the suggestion.

The master-builder then sighed, coming to the single conclusion.

"There's no turning back now, Princess, how good would you say your acting is?" Drew asked.

Luz hummed at the question, only being reminded of a time in the human world. In which, she attempted to pull a relatively harmless prank in the "Romeo & Juliet" play where a string of sausages would act as her intestine and would spook those around her.

Little to say, she got more than what she bargained for when she had accidentally used magic to make a quiver of King Cobras appear instead, which nearly bit those around her if she hadn't gathered them herself.

On the bright side, that's when she discovered that snake venom didn't affect her at all. She freaked out for a solid hour at the emergency room.

At least she now got an explanation on why that was, now.

Apparently having high-level magical healing helps deter venom…

She shook her head clear of those bad memories, refocusing on the now.

"I guess you could say I have some experience…" Luz said with a soft chuckle, "I'm sure I know what you're getting at, so who's this other Glandus High student?" She asked, looking around to see if she could spot them before Drew pointed them out.

She couldn't.

Lord Drew pointed, bringing Luz's attention towards a purple-haired girl who was working on laying down a brick wall, working at maximum efficiency. While a worker spread the quick-drying mortar, she would quickly follow up by expertly placing a brick, straight and sturdy. It was impressive to watch her work so quickly.

"Oooh, she's good…" Luz commented, watching her go until the mortar spreader finally ran out of paste and deemed it worthy enough for a break, while they went to get more mortar.

They watched as Bria began to gather more bricks, stacking them on a pallet of wood before lifting the entire pallet with a huff and resting it on her shoulder, continuing to gather bricks.

"That's Bria Day, top of her track at Glandus, although there are others in her track that constantly try to one-up her," Drew said, "She did everything in her power to get me to notice her when I visited Glandus a few weeks prior… She has a highly competitive nature about her, so try not to itch that side of her, understand?"

Luz nodded, saluting.

"I understand, Lord Drew, sir!" She said with a bright smile.

Drew cringed.

"Please, it is bad enough to hear Bria call me that, Drew is just fine, Princess." He said, before turning to Bria, "Anyways, it's about time to introduce you both…" He then drew a brown spell circle and whistled. Bria instantly perked up from her brick collecting and looked towards Lord Drew.

"Bria!" Drew said, waving her over, "Come over for a bit, it is important!"

Bria was quick to drop the pallet of bricks she was working on, carefully of course, and rush over to the Coven Head.

"Yes, Lord Drew, sir?" She asked respectfully before taking notice of Luz, who was idly standing by. "Oh! I didn't know another student from Glandus High was going to be here…" She said, narrowing her eyes and leaning in close, "Though I don't think I've seen you around before…?" She asked in slight suspension, just noticing her round ears as well.

'A human?' She thought curiously.

Luz could feel her heart beating in her chest.

'Now or never…' She thought to herself before clearing her throat and taking a step back from Bria.

"That's because I just transferred from St. Epidermto Glandus, they couldn't teach me what I actually wanted to know and Lord Drew decided to take me under his wing at the request of my parents… It's nice to meet you, Bria, I'm Luz…" She said, putting out her hand for Bria to shake.

Bria's eyes widened.

'Under his wing…?' She thought, 'Does that mean she's a possible apprentice…?' She theorized.

"Mmm… It's… Nice to meet you too, Luz…" She begrudgingly held Luz's hand before a particularly devious idea came to mind. She discreetly squeezed Luz's hand, using her learned muscle enhancing technique. If she really was a possible protege of Lord Drew, then she would be able to use it too… Either she did, or Luz would have a broken hand from an "understandable" accident...

Luz raised a brow at the sudden pressure she felt from Bria's handshake.

"That's a… rather tight group you got there…" She suddenly playfully smiled, "As tight as mine, though?" She asked, squeezing back on Bria's hand just as, if not, harder than Bria's grip.

Bria hissed in sudden pain, suddenly being brought down to her knees by Luz's superior grip and handshake.

Lord Drew gave a slight chuckle, before loudly clearing his throat.

"Alright, alright, introductions have clearly been made, let go of Bria's hand, Luz." He said, "I don't want to be down a set of hands."

Luz nodded before she released Bria's hand and turned to face the Coven Head.

Bria glared at Luz for a moment, rubbing her hand in pain before she as well turned to face Lord Drew.

"As you both can clearly see, the castle is in a state of disarray and chaos, ever since that Wild Witch animated the castle…" He gave a slight glance at Luz before continuing.

"Obviously, we're here to work... Some more than others…" He said, pointing out a set of three notorious Emperor Coven Guards. "Those three are a good example of what not to do, today…"

The first guard was humming to himself as he carried a single plank, suddenly turning it over another guard's head, surprisingly missing.

The second guard seemingly noticed this, standing up.

"Hey, Curly!" He said.

"Yeah, Moe?" He asked, turning to face him, allowing the plank to smack Moe in the face.

"Sonofa-" He held his face in pain before turning to look at Curly with a glare, though it was hard to tell with the Coven member mask on.

"What's tha matta with you? You tryin' to kill me!?" He asked in annoyance.

Curly waved his arms dismissively.

"Hey, hey, it was an honest mistake, Moe!"

"Well, honesty is the best policy. You want to know what I'm honest about?"

"What's that?"

"This!"

Moe suddenly lifted a fist and bonked Curly on the forehead, rather hard.

"OH, Sonofa-" He then dropped the board he was carrying, covering his forehead in pain, said board landed on his feet, causing him to yell out in more pain.

The third member of this trio suddenly cried out in laughter at the hilarity of the scene.

Moe then turned to them.

"What are you laughing at, Larry?" He said, smacking Larry over the head.

"Ow…" Larry said, rubbing the back of his head.

Luz giggled at the scene.

"Oh, poor Lilith, they look annoying to deal with…"

Lord Drew gave a hum.

"Yes and yet… They've never failed a mission set before them, it's amazing…" He commented before he summoned a clipboard, looking at it with a hum before turning to Bria.

"Bria, you will keep working on the bricks with foreman Dale, today. Luz here will be working with me." He said, writing a few things on his clipboard.

Several alarms went off in Bria's head at hearing the Coven Head's decision for work today.

She was shocked that Luz would be shadowing over and even helping Drew out for the day instead of her, the one who impressed Lord Drew with her magic! What did this… Human have that she didn't… It filled her with a bit of a bubbling anger.

Luz must've been something special... But she refused to believe that, surely, that strength she displayed earlier must've been a fluke on her part, no way that a Human

Bria turned and looked up at Lord Drew with a determined expression about her.

"Lord Drew, sir, with all due respect, but this… Human can't possibly be on the same level of skill as I am with Construction Magic!" She protested, "This has to be some kind of-"

"Bria!" Lord Drew said suddenly, silencing her, "I have made my decision, don't forget, I am Head of the Construction Coven, and I would hope that you aren't questioning my ability to lead my Coven and its members…"

She went to say something back but Drew's green eyes were fierce and demanded respect. Bria conceded, folding her arms behind her back and looking down at the floor.

"N- No… Lord Drew, I'm not…" She said silently, glancing off to the side.

"Then get back to work, Bria, the Emperor is paying a lot of platinum pieces to get the castle back to Grade-S quality…" Drew suddenly kneeled in front of Bria, holding her shoulder, "Make me proud today, and remember that this doesn't mean I've forgotten about you, understand?" He asked with a bit of care in his voice.

Bria slouched forward, nodding.

"Yes, sir… I understand…" She said with a whisper, looking off to the side.

Luz bit her lip, she wanted to go up to Bria and apologize and explain this entire mess and situation to her... She felt as if she was invading and taking something important away from Bria and she knew that she was… But she also knew that it would break her cover as Princess to do so, she gave an internal sigh and nodded at Drew.

"I won't disappoint, Lord Drew…" Luz said, biting her tongue slightly at the words.

Lord Drew nodded, standing back up.

" I know you won't, Luz… I expect that much…" He said before turning away from them, "You're dismissed, Bria…"

Luz looked towards Bria, being met with a rather fierce glare from her before she walked off with a low grumble, mumbling something Luz couldn't decipher, even summoning her scroll and beginning to type away at it… It filled her with a bad feeling...

Luz watched her go for a few more moments before looking up at Lord Drew once again.

"So… What's first?" She asked, walking next to him.

Drew turned, looking at Luz.

"Hm, that is the question, isn't it…" He said, stroking his beard slightly before pointing at Luz, "You were responsible for making the castle walk in the first place, correct? You and the Blight girl, along with two other friends of yours?" He asked.

Luz blushed in slight embarrassment but nodded.

"Yes, that's right sir…" She answered.

"Do you have any viable idea why that happened?" He asked next.

Luz thought about that question a bit.

Why had that happened…?

She had assumed that it was the Moonlight Conjuring and that's what was proven to be true when the morning came around and the spell ended… But there was clearly more to it than what she possibly knew.

"I… Think I do, sir…" Luz said again.

"Stop calling me sir, anyways, Moonlight conjurings use the magic from the moon, as well as the enhanced magic of the casting witches… I theorize that you had used an overabundance of your magic, while it was also enhanced by the Moon's influence, as well as the magic of three other rather strong Witches, I assume… You know, it's rather interesting the moon and its connection to a witch's magic… I often believed that the moon was part of the Titan before he fell and became the Isles… Although, that wouldn't explain its ability to give witches the ability to animate things…" He said with a hum before looking back at Luz, who was only slightly lost in his ramblings on the moon.

"I am getting ahead of myself once again, I was a Construction Professor at Ravenloft, in Right Hand, before your father approached me to be Head of the Construction Coven you know, anyways, I know where we can start."

With that, he began to walk, Luz closely following behind him.

"And Luz, I am also aware that you are very strong, correct?" He asked.

Once again, Luz nodded a yes.

"I learned the Muscle Enhancement technique through Lovelace in a certain illusion world gone wrong, and I haven't been able to turn it off ever since… It's kinda annoying when I forget about it…" She said, being reminded of how she has destroyed several pieces of her mother's silverware from her new grip strength.

Drew nodded back, stopping his stride and turning back to Luz.

"Then we'll start here," He said, waving his hand to the right, showing Luz a workbench that had a variety of tools and crystals that she wasn't sure of the purpose for… She decided not to mess with them until she got a tutorial on them.

"This is your workbench, your first lesson is going to be on your control and the flow of your magic."

Lord Drew then removed his work gloves, revealing them to be callused and firm. The hands of a construction worker.

"You see, Princess," He said, rolling up his sleeves, "I, myself, am very strong as well…"

He then walked over to a conveniently placed steel girder and lifted it with one hand, quite easily, even spinning it in his hands before he placed it back down. Shaking the ground as he did so. Drew then leaned against the steel girder.

"How do you think I accomplished something like this?" He asked, looking back at Luz, who seemed to be fidgeting with a pen.

Luz was currently irked with herself.

'Why did I have to have an outburst at Mom and leave behind my journal… I could've been writing all of this down…' She thought before taking a sigh and clenching the pen in her hand.

"Well, Dad says that the Construction Coven mostly uses Power Glyphs? They enhance the strength and magic of a witch and it allows them to do pretty amazing stuff, too, like lifting entire loads of materials by hand…" Luz then hummed in thought, "Oh, Dad did tell me how it pales in comparison to the first Construction Coven Head. Says he designed and built Dad's castle all by himself, using your Coven's Relic… Unmatched, he says." She said with a giggle, "He always says that it was his idea to have the Spike Moat in the first place."

Lord Drew subtly rolled his eyes at that.

"Your father will never let me forget about the great Lord Drick and his "superior" craftsmanship…" He shook his head "But no, Princess, I don't use Power Glyphs, neither does Bria. Those power glyphs are made more for the members of my Coven if anything... So I ask again, how do you think I can do this?" He repeated.

Luz thought about the question.

She looked down at her arms, clenching her fist.

She got a slight flashback to when she was trapped in Zul's sitcom world, how Zul taught her to use the magic flowing through her body and blood to increase her strength…

The answer finally came to her.

Luz snapped her fingers.

"Oh! I remember! The magic that our hearts pump in our blood and muscles! It's all over our bodies and in our muscles! Using that, I was able to make myself stronger than ever!"

Lord Drew nodded.

"Correct, using the flow of magic in the blood of the body, Witches can enhance some of their physical abilities. Members of the Emperor's Coven are encouraged to learn this, as being able to lift just a single pound could be the difference between life and death, in some cases."

"Uhm, Lord Drew," Luz said, raising her hand to speak. He nodded at her to continue, "What if… I'm unable to control that flow of magic?" She asked, demonstrating by lifting up a nearby bucket of screws with such ease. It was impressive, really, cause even the strongest among them sometimes struggled with lifting a five-gallon bucket of metal.

Lord Drew hummed in thought, tipping his hat back to get a good look at Luz.

"Impressive… I expect nothing less from you, Princess…" He said, watching as Luz carefully placed the bucket back down on the floor, "And I wouldn't worry about not being able to turn it off, if anything, it's good for your health to have a constant supply of magic going through you."

Luz let out a sigh she didn't know she was holding back. She thought she was going to be told that she had only a few months left to live because of her foolishness.

"Although, are you saying that you are unable to turn off the flow of magic in your body?" He asked for clarification.

"That's right, ever since I came out of that Illusion world, I've just been super strong and stuff! I don't even need to think about it anymore!" She said proudly, flexing her currently nonexistent muscles.

"How interesting…" He said, stroking his beard and rolling up his sleeve to his shoulder, "Watch this Princess…"

Luz watched as Lord Drew's hand curled into a fist and he curled his arm next, flexing his arm and showing off the years of acquired strength. He flexed harder and the veins bulged out and suddenly, they glowed with his brown magic, they pulsed with every beat of his heart.

"You see that? That's my magic, I have to focus every time I want to be strong enough to lift steel girders, it's a very hard thing that requires a lot of practice and focus and that is also extremely dangerous if not done properly and yet, you do it without thinking!" He said with a rare hearty laugh, "Titan, It took me most of my twenties to figure out how to do this unconsciously, you are very lucky and just as talented, Luz. You certainly make your father proud." Drew said before unclenching his arm and rolling down his sleeve.

Luz chuckled softly, scratching her head, not used to her teachers praising her for her genius.

While, yes, she was no slacker in school, earning good grades and never falling behind, her teachers usually never complimented her efforts, as her spikes of magic usually meant mayhem and destruction, and more often than not, grudges from her teachers…

So, understandably, she was very happy to receive the compliments from Lord Drew… But at the same time, she didn't believe him.

"Lucky me…" Luz said simply, "But I do have a few questions, Lord Drew."

He nodded at Luz, silently telling her to continue speaking.

"Well… My spell casting, it's kinda… Out of whack, I guess, you could say…"

"How so?"

"Well, as you know, I and my mom are from the Human Realm…" She began, "And the Human Realm doesn't have magic, they'd fear it, my Dad says… So I was never taught how to control my magic and at the same time, I can't exactly control the amount of magic I put into my spellcasting… So what usually happens is that I cast overly powerful spells.

"Ah, I see the dilemma here," He pointed at Luz, "You have no control over the amount of magic you use for any one spell…"

"Yeah!" Luz said, shaking her head yes, "Do you think there's any way for me to get a better grip on the control of my magic and- Woah!"

All of sudden, Lord Drew had summoned an entire pallet of wood in Luz's arms. She stumbled slightly to carry it but succeeded, only barely.

"Uh, what's all this?" She asked, poking her head out from the side of the pallet to get a look at Drew.

"This, Princess, is how I have a constant control on the control of my magic and the flow of it. At least, this is the physical method I found that works for me. I've found that improving it by mental fortitude is not exactly my style…"

"Oh! You're saying that this is a method to help me learn control? Like working out a muscle?" She asked as Drew put another stack of wood on top of the one Luz was carrying already. She grunted under the weight, "Where are you getting all this wood!?" She asked, straining to carry all the weight.

"Don't worry about where and instead worry about getting this wood across the site without dropping it or bumping into anyone," Drew said, looking at a clipboard for a moment, writing something down.

"How am I supposed to do that?" She asked, lifting up the stack of wood higher, "I can barely lift all this!" She protested.

"I believe in you, Luz. Don't think so little of yourself. Now get going, you got 2 minutes. The workers are waiting for this wood and do not drop it. Get going."

Luz groaned slightly as she focused in, closing her eyes.

"I can do this… Just use more magic…" She whispered to herself.

The distracting noises of the worksite seemed to drone out as she listened to the sound of her own heartbeat instead, focusing on that. She remembered what Zul told her in the illusion world.

"Focus on your heartbeat and the blood flowing through you, that magic flowing through you…" She whispered to herself, suddenly feeling the magic flowing through her entire body, "And make it stronger!" She told herself before clenching the side of the pallet of wood and suddenly lifting it up and above her head before she rested it on her shoulder with ease.

"Yes!" She said with a laugh, "I did it! Lord Drew, did you see that!?" She asked, turning to look at him.

The Coven Head was staring at a stopwatch.

"One minute." He said simply.

Luz's eyes widened before she nodded and began to jog across the site, being careful to avoid any hazards or anything dangerous that would pose a threat. She delivered the wood, placing it down carefully before she jogged back to Drew with a pant.

"Gosh, that was so heavy…" She whispered, resting her hands on her knees.

Drew pressed a button on his demon stopwatch, humming slightly.

"Good job, Luz, you did it with 30 seconds to spare."

Luz beamed at the results.

"Now do it again." He said, suddenly drawing a brown spell circle.

"What? WOAH!" Luz was caught off guard when two more pallets of wood appeared in her arms, "You can't be serious…!" She said with a groan, making sure her grip was secure.

"I may be teaching you today, but you are still helping around. As instructed by your Father." He said firmly, but also respectfully, "So get going, this will definitely improve the flow of your magic while also helping move materials around."

Luz took a deep breath and huffed, beginning to move to the next location.

"Yes… Sir…" She whispered, feeling the sweat starting to build up. Her muscles ached at her and screamed at Luz to stop, but with more and more wood she transported around the work site, it began to get easier and easier.

Lord Drew's methods were definitely working, and she could also more easily feel her magic flowing through her body easier, especially in her arms.

Clearly, this month will be hard work, that much is certain…

But Luz was no quitter. She would learn how to control her magic, one way or the other…

As Luz worked, slowly but surely becoming more and more strong, a pair of eyes were watching her from afar.

Bria stared at Luz from behind an under-construction support pillar, staring at her as she worked with Lord Drew to transport more and more work materials throughout the worksite. She had to expertly maneuver around the pillar to avoid Luz at times.

Just what about this… Surprisingly strong and magical human, was so special that Lord Drew was mentoring her instead of herself? Glandus High's BEST student! AND the STRONGEST! It wasn't fair… Was this… Luz trying to become the next Construction Coven Head…?

Oh, the very thought sent an unprecedented wave of anger through Bria, she could just-

CRACK

Bria looked down, seeing that she was clenching the stone pillar rather tightly in her anger, cracking it under her grip. She blushed in embarrassment before clearing her throat and quickly casting a repair spell on the slight damage.

"Bria!" A voice whispered.

"Eeep!" She yelped in surprise before turning quickly to face- "Gavin! Finally! It took you long enough!"

Gavin gave her a look.

"You know how hard it is to sneak past all this security?" He whispered to her, "There are Emperor Coven Guards literally everywhere… The only reason I was able to get here at all is because of my abomimouse…" He said, holding up his arm to display the small purple sludge mouse that was currently stationary, "And you said he was useless…" He said smugly.

Bria rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, come on! This is important! I need your help with something!" She said, grabbing him by his wrist and pulling him along so that he was now staring at Luz with her, "You see that human?" She asked.

Gavin nodded.

"I see her…"

"Something's not right about her… She says that she went to St. Epiderms before transferring to Glandus… But did you ever notice a human transferring to Glandus? And if she was at St. Epiderm's, then why didn't we hear any of those snobs boast about having a human? Things aren't adding up..." She whispered, still staring at Luz with narrowed eyes.

"No, I never noticed a human transferring to Glandus these last few days either…" He whispered, "It is really suspicious… Hey, wait… I think I recognize her!" Gavin said, snapping his fingers in recognition.

Bria gave him a bewildered look.

"You know her!? How!?" She asked.

Gavin nodded and summoned his scroll, beginning to type at it.

"Yeah! I totally do! Look…"

Gavin then showed Bria a video of Luz, eyes glowing her signature golden magic as she stopped Amity falling and then healing her broken leg with high-level magic before she passed out in Amity's arms.

Bria's eyes widened before her head snapped back to Luz.

"I knew she was familiar! How could I not have seen it before!?" She was then seen seething slightly, "This is so unfair… It should be me training under Lord Drew, not her!" She said in anger before she smiled deviously, "But… That video does prove something…" She said with a chuckle.

Gavin gave her a confused look as he sent away his scroll.

"What's that, Bria? Hopefully that she's really strong and we should keep our distance…" He glanced at Luz. Wondering if she knew any offensive spells of that same power level as seen in the video.

Bria placed her fist on her hips with a huff, shaking her head.

"No, Gavin, you coward… It proves that her being a "recent transfer" to Glandus from St. Epiderm's is just some weird cover story!" She said with a wide smile, "And we're going to expose her to the rest of the Construction Coven for that, and find out what the real truth is! Then Lord Drew is going to give me the recognition I deserve!" She said proudly.

"We?" Gavin simply asked at the end of her speech, "Have you seen the videos? This girl is a powerhouse! I wouldn't be surprised if she was the one who animated the castle in the first place!" He said in protest.

"Oh come on, Gavin, you heard the news, that was an entire group of Witches who pulled that stunt, who, by the way, is petrified by now!" She said, lifting a fist at Gavin, "Come on, Gav, I can't expose this Faker without you, man… Please?" She pleaded.

Gavin gave a soft smile before he sighed, shaking his head

Bria, saying Please? She was serious about this…

"Ok fine, I'll help you…" He connected his fist with hers, completing the fist bump, "But if this Human ends up disintegrating me or something, collect my ashes and scatter them across Right Hand…" He whispered, "I always wanted to go to the city…"

Bria rolled her eyes once again.

"Oh, she won't disintegrate you… On purpose, anyways…" She commented before she leaned over and began to whisper into his ear, wanting to make sure that no one would hear their scheming.

As they plotted, high above them in the rafters, Eagle, Elite Royal Guard, watched them with a hidden frown. He sighed, shaking his head as he crossed his arms.

"Across an entire dimension and timeline, you are the same as ever… Amazing… Can not believe it took an entire war for you to change… I'll keep watching, just in case… Trouble always followed you…" He commented, watching the pair of Glandus High students continue to plot down below.

Meanwhile, Luz had delivered all the wood and was now upgraded to the ever-so heavier steel rebar rods. Entire bundles of the stuff.

At least Lord Drew was right about this, it was getting easier to manipulate the magic in her body, her strength also increasing bit by bit. The two bundles of rebar felt like nothing to her anymore…

Luz chuckled as she realigned the rebar on her shoulder from slipping.

"This is fun… I could get used to this…" She commented as Drew walked up to her, pausing her stride.

"Try not to, I don't want to be the one to explain to your Father that you decided to become Construction Coven Head instead of Empress of the Isles…" He whispered with a chuckle, before looking down at his clipboard, which Luz now realized was a magic item. "Finish moving this rebar, after that, we'll see if you have enough control for a few simple construction spells. I must go check on something."

Luz nodded, giving him a mock salute.

"Sir, yes, sir! You can count on me!" She said with a bright smile.

Drew shook his head with a chuckle as he turned and left, going to check on progress on other parts of the castle.

Luz huffed as she lifted another two bundles of rebar, resting it on her other shoulder, and began walking to the next location that required the material, but was surprised when she was suddenly stopped by a smug-looking Bria. Her smile reminded the Princess of the Grinch...

Luz gave a confused eyebrow.

"Uh, hi, Bria…" She said, "Did you… Need something?" She asked, unsure.

Bria discreetly glanced behind her, seeing Gavin sneaking by and getting into position nearby, and getting ready for her signal. She just needed to stall for a bit till he was ready.

Bria looked back at Luz with the same wide smile as she folded her arms.

"I know who you areeee~," She said in a singsong tone.

Luz's expression could be seen visibly changing from confusion to sudden fear.

'There's no way she can know…' She thought before she cleared her throat.

"I have no idea, whatsoever, what you're talking about…"

Bria just rolled her eyes, giving Luz an unsatisfied look. Clearly not the answer she was hoping to receive.

"At first, I thought that it was weird that the St. Epidermsnobs didn't brag and gloat about having a Human in their school, but then it suddenly hit me. You're that human, from the Witches Covention! You were dueling one of the Hexside Students!"

"Yeah… That was me, what about it?" She asked, putting down the rebar she was carrying.

"Well, I just found it strange, you know?" She asked, "Sure you're powerful, but why pose as a Glandus High Student?" She then checked her nails, cleaning them slightly as she spoke, "I just think it would be such a shame if the rest of the Construction Coven were to find out the truth, you know? And you've been so helpful too…"

It was true, Luz had been getting on everyone's good sides as of late and warming up to them too…

Luz now wore a look of worry, although it wasn't what Bria thought it was for.

As it was instead for her Father finding out that her cover was blown by some persistent Mean Girl… Just what was it with Luz and her identity not being able to be kept secret… It was as if some unseen force was intentionally leading her to get exposed at every corner…

'I guess mean girls really do just exist in every dimension… Guess there is only one thing left to do… Princess mode… I hate Princess mode...' Luz thought before she took a deep breath before sighing, closing her eyes for a moment before she turned back to Bria.

"Listen, Bria, maybe you don't understand to keep things to yourself but I'll explain something to you..." She said in an unseen serious tone with an equally confusing sense of authority… Bria wondered who she thought she was to talk to her like this.

"The reason I'm here, working under Lord Drew, is not your business. That's between me, Lord Drew, and Lady Lilith of the Emperor's Coven. So try to stay out of my way. I'm trying to work. Maybe you should too." With that, Luz turned her back on Bria, silently cringing at her harsh words as she lifted the rebar back onto her shoulders.

Bria narrowed her eyes, it took all her willpower not to throw a punch at Luz, but she knew better… Especially since Luz seemed to be much stronger than she was, and she wasn't sure if Luz was in control of her strength at all, either, so she didn't know if Luz knew how to pull her punches.

So she instead went along with the plan.

"Yeah… Not going to happen, faker…" She snapped her fingers, the signal.

Luz was confused, did this girl need more convincing? What if she was into it? She cringed at the thought before suddenly, a pair of abomination hands rose out of the ground and grabbed her, making her drop the rebar and bringing her to her knees.

Bria reached out and grabbed Luz's arm, pulling her sleeve to reveal the illusioned Coven Mark on Luz's arm, beginning to draw a spell circle.

"If you are who you say you are, then this Coven Mark will react to this spell with no problem, easy. If it doesn't you have questions to answer and I'm not taking no as an answer…"

"Do you guys even get what the heck you're even doing!?" She asked, eyeing Bria and then Gavin, who came up next to Bria. He was maintaining the spell by constantly drawing loops. Luz then looked up, past them, spotting something in the rafters.

Her eyes widened at the sight of Eagle, slowly drawing a sword that was on his side, getting ready to use it. Luz quickly turned back to the Glandus High students.

"Like, seriously, I'm asking you two to seriously reconsider your decisions, here!" She urged them.

Bria gave her a raised brow.

"And why should I?" She asked.

Luz sweated slightly.

"Because... I'm pretty sure Lord Drew isn't going to like hearing that you bothered me when I was just trying to work on the Emperor's Castle… And I don't think he'd be too thrilled, either, to find out that you snuck one of your friends into a restricted work site either, right…?"

Bria seemed to think on her words, but only for a moment before she smirked down at Luz.

"Yeah… Not falling for it…" She said, bringing the spell circle towards Luz's fake coven mark, "Tell me what's worse, me bringing my friend onto the worksite, or you, posing as a student to work under Lord Drew on the Emperor's Castle. You could be a spy for all I know. Besides, finding out who you really are will make this all sweeter, because the Glandus motto, the Strong Are Valued, really means something to me, you know? And I will not be outclassed by a random magical human."

Bria grabbed Luz's arm and brought the prepared spell to her arm, ready to expose her before, all of sudden, the abomination hands fell apart and flopped onto the floor.

"What the- Gavin! What are you doing!? Hold her down! We don't want her to-" She stopped in her tracks, eyes widening at the sight behind her.

It was of Eagle, one of the Royal Guards. He had a hand on Gavin's shoulder, Gavin himself seemed to be in a state of utter fear to be in the position in the first place. The Guard also had a sword drawn at his side.

They weren't scared for nothing either. The Royal Guard was supposed to be the best of the best, as good if not better than the Golden Guard. Trusted for their exceptional magical talent and fighting ability… No one has yet to see them in action, so these are all just rumors for now…

"Bria, was it?" Eagle whispered with a hum, "Are you harassing the Human, here?" He asked in a cold tone that sent shivers down Bria's spine slightly.

"N- No… We were just-"

There was a sudden whistling and woosh noise heard before the silver longsword of Eagle's was pointed at Bria's throat, a bit of her purple hair fluttering to the floor.

"Try again, I don't like liars…" He said threateningly.

Bria felt herself sweating in nervousness. She didn't even need to see Eagle's magic in action… She could feel it radiating off of him like some sort of magic artifact… It was like being in the presence of the Emperor himself…

'There's… There's just no way… Why is the Royal Guard watching over this human? What's so special about her…' Bria thought, looking back at Luz before turning back to look at Eagle. Staring into the holes of Eagle mask, where his eyes were supposed to be. She could almost feel an intense staring coming from Eagle…

Bria looked away from Eagle, his stare being too intense for her…

"Y- Yes… We…" She glanced over at Gavin before sighing, "Yes I was… Please leave Gavin out of this…" She whispered.

Eagle seemed surprised to hear that.

'Weird… She didn't throw him under the bus like she usually would… Time is weird…' He thought as he lowered his sword, putting it back into his scabbard with a huff.

"Hm…" Looks down at Gavin and then Bria before sighing, "I'm too busy to deal with you two, at the moment…" He said, looking into a glass compact communicator, standard-issue equipment from the Emperor's Coven. Much more secure than a smart scroll.

Although, the teens couldn't help notice that the compact looked rather battle-torn and damaged.

"So I think you both learned your lesson… I hope so anyways… Don't let me come back and find out you were harassing the Human, or I'll come back with a fury and make you both into puppets… Understand?" He asked threateningly.

The Glandus High students could feel the fear rising in their hearts.

"P- Puppets?" They asked, in unison.

They could almost see the creepy smile under Eagle's mask.

"Yes… Puppets…" He said with a whisper as he lifted his hand and his fingers twitched ever so slightly and two duplicates of Eagle fell from the rafters, standing next to him. The only distinguishing difference is that the duplicates had no eye holes in their masks.

"I've been meaning to add more to my collection…" He said eerily, "Too many demons… Not enough Witches…"

Bria gulped nervously and saluted.

"We won't bother her anymore!" She said quickly, sweating more profusely.

Eagle gave a Hm and nodded, snapping his fingers and making the puppets jump back to the rafters and disappear from their sights.

"Good… Now behave and leave Lilith's protege alone, if you know what's good for you…" He said before he took a few steps forward and snapped his fingers.

The minute he snapped his fingers, there was a flash of light. Luz, Bria, and Gavin blinked in unison and looked down at their positioning.

Luz was still carrying the rebar, Gavin was still hiding behind a support pillar and Bria was still standing in front of Luz, interrogating her.

"Was that all…" Luz looked around confused.

"AN ILLUSION!?" Bria yelled, checking her hair and seeing that it was indeed uncut, "That two-bit royal guard thinks he can just get away with making a fool out of me!? I swear I'm going to-"

Gavin quickly went over and slapped a hand over her mouth to silence her and showed her his hand. There was a message written on it.

"I wasn't kidding, stay away from her or face the Emperor Coven's wrath." It simply read.

Bria felt a sense of fear rise in her stomach at the message and clenched her shirt before sighing.

"Fine… Come on, Gavin…" She said, quickly grabbing his wrist and pulling him along and away.

Luz looked at them for a moment before sighing, readjusting her rebar before she continued walking to where she was needed.

As she walked, she couldn't help but think of the Elite Guard… He really was something else entirely huh… When had they even been put under that illusion? It felt so real… She guessed that's what Illusion magic was supposed to be like, but it honestly felt so… Real, it was hard to explain…

Luz shook her head free of those thoughts before focusing, now running with the rebar. She was now behind schedule and needed to catch up.

Gavin looked at Luz as she left, he and Bria were now hiding behind a partially made wall, with him peeking over a wall to get a better look at her.

"Ok… I understand why you're so suspicious of her now…" He said, feeling a shiver run up his spine, "She had one of those Elite Guards watching over her… His Magic was so scary…"

Bria narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms.

"Bah!" She exclaimed dismissively, "I- It was just Illusion magic, h- he couldn't be that strong…!" But her voice betrayed her words, she was clearly shaken by the trippy encounter. That, sadly, wouldn't shake her resolve to find out the truth of Luz.

"So not only is she being trained by Lord Drew… But she's also the student of Lilith from the Emperor's Coven! This is getting more and more suspicious and super annoying. Guess we got to go…" She shivered, "Stealthy this time…" She said with a whisper.

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea, but let's be extra careful, we don't know if Eagle is still around… I don't want to be a puppet…" He had a shiver of his own, though it was of fear rather than disgust.

Bria was seen thinking of a proper strategy for them.

"Hm… Say, Gavin, your abomimouse…How small can you make them?"

Gavin summoned an Abomimouse to his hand and did a pinching action, similar to what a human would do to zoom out on an image, effectively making the mouse the size of a normal common echo mouse.

"This small… I could make them smaller but then I can control it and we don't want a loose Abomination…"

Bria smiled, holding the mouse in her hand.

"Perfect… This will be our stealth tactic… We send in this little guy to spy on little miss apprentice and get all the dirt on what we want to know…" She then laughed, a rather evil laugh, admittedly, but she swore to herself that this was all for the right cause…

Gavin rolled his eyes at her laugh, chuckling slightly at it.

"I got it… Let's hide so I don't get caught maintaining the spell…" He said, but before they hid, he carefully placed the Abomimouse down, and whispered a few words, causing the mouse to quickly scurry away to our lovely Princess.

Speaking of, Luz had since upgraded material once again, now hauling steel piping across the worksite. It was hard at first, she noted, carrying all this weight around, but it was just as Lord Drew had said, she'd get used to it… She also found that taking deep breaths helped as well, she was also getting better at feeling the flow of her magic in his body…

Luz noted that it always started in her chest, where her heart was and would flow outwards in all directions. Starting at her shoulders, then her biceps, forearms, hands, and then the very tip of her fingers… Feeling this flow of magic, she wondered if that meant she would be able to cast spells normally soon…?

She could only hope so…

Lord Drew suddenly walked up to Luz, tearing her away from her hopeful thoughts.

"Luz," He said, "How goes the work? Getting easier, right?" He asked.

Luz smiled brightly, lifting the steel pipes easily with one hand, smugly flexing with her other arm.

"Oh, it's going great! I can definitely start to feel my magic better because of this, and all this stuff isn't even heavy anymore! I'm pretty sure I can start hauling the steel girders around next!" She proclaimed.

Drew chuckled at that.

"One thing at a time, Princess," He said, suddenly taking the pipes away from Luz's shoulders, setting them down. "Now then, I feel as if you can help elsewhere, for now, follow me." He then turned and left.

Luz was quick on her feet, following behind Lord Drew all the way to a workbench of sorts; it had several buckets of scrap metal around it. She wondered what they were for.

Neither seemed to notice the purple echo mouse following close behind them.

"Another question, Princess," He said, holding up a wooden ball, "What do you know about construction magic?" He asked.

Luz thought about that.

So far, she's only seen the practice be used to enhance your strength, but even then, it was a difficult technique that not many could perform without high risk.

"Not much, actually, sorry…" She answered him slightly embarrassed.

Lord Drew chuckled at that.

"It's alright, Luz, now Construction magic is an amazing form of magic and an equally powerful one in the hands of the properly trained."

He then drew a spell circle, making the wooden ball in his hand glow brown. The ball shook slightly before it suddenly was turned into a cube, and then a star, and finally a circle.

"Construction magic can literally turn anything into anything, you just need an equal exchange of material and skill."

Luz then reached up and held her medallion around her neck, remembering how her father used several gold coins and a string of his cloak to make it for her, even being able to make the face of it as complicated as it was.

"I understand… That's kinda more simple than I thought!" She admitted with a laugh.

Lord Drew smiled at you.

"Yes, easy to understand, hard to master. It requires a strong and focused mind to do such things like this. As Coven Head, I can shape whatever material I want with ease and then some." He then demonstrated this fact by grabbing the wooden disk and holding it between his hands and pulling them back to reveal that he made an almost exact replica of Luz's face.

"Oh, that's so cool!" Luz said, taking the portrait and holding it up to look at it, she looked back at the Coven Head, "Can I keep this?" She asked.

Drew nodded.

"Of course, Princess. Now listen, for tomorrow, we are going to need a lot of these screws." He then held up a screw. It was about three inches and made of steel.

"Are we going to order them?" Luz asked, confused as to why he was.

Drew chuckled at that.

"No, no, it'd be far easier and cheaper to make them ourselves." He said.

"To make… Them?" She asked, looking at the many buckets of scrap metal.

"That's right Princess, and that's your job, we need more than 10,000 screws before the day's over."

Luz's eyes widened in shock.

"10,000!? How am I going to do that?" She asked incredulously.

"Well, I just told you how but an example is more than needed. Come, I'll show you."

Lord Drew led Luz to the workbench that she would be working on for the time being.

"These buckets are full of steel scrap, the Boiling Isles isn't the most resource-rich environment, especially with metals. We actually get most of our metal imported from the Hinterlands, so we try to recycle metal wherever we can." He explained, bringing a bucket of scraps over and grabbing a small handful of the stuff.

"Now I want you to pay attention…" He said before he clenched the material in his fist, his hands glowed with his magic for a moment, melting the material before he opened his hand and revealed to Luz what was happening.

The metal was now molten and a blob of sorts before it suddenly became evenly separated into several thin lines, Drew then blew a gust of wind that cooled the metal down instantly. Revealing to Luz, several three-inch screws, only one was short.

"You'll always have a wonky one at the end, simply because you can not guess the amount of metal you'll need at first. Unless you're an automaton, that is." Drew said before dumping the screws into an empty bucket.

A drop of progress in an ocean, to Luz, it would seem but nonetheless, Luz was amazed and starstruck at the sight of the impressive magic.

"Woah…" She said with a whisper, eyes sparkling, "So you can make anything?" She asked, watching him make more screws.

"Not exactly. It all depends. Simple things, like screws, nails, etc., those are easy to make and are most common. If you are a master of the craft, you can make entire buildings obey your command. Like your father and how he has total domain of the castle." Lord Drew said.

Luz nodded in understanding, remembered how her father was able to make doors in walls, even seeing him turn pieces of the walls into fleshy arms when he was showing off his magic… Although, the flesh motif was probably a part of his gift from the Titan.

"Just remember, Princess," Drew said, getting back her attention, "You can not create something from nothing. The law of equivalent exchange and all that, don't try it. One of many things may happen, you create the thing from nothing and realize you are a God, or you create an explosion that takes your arms." He explained.

Luz chuckled softly at that. Of course, there was a deadly risk, there always was… She began to notice that lately, a lot of magic on the Isles could go wrong if not done properly…

Like Abominations going off the rails, ignoring their master if the will of the summoner was too weak-minded, or how Potions just casually destroyed entire Hexside classrooms because someone mixed the wrong beaker…But she simply nodded at Lord Drew.

"I promise that I won't try to become a God and make something from nothing, Lord Drew," Luz promised with a giggle.

He nodded at her.

"Alright, let's get to practicing then. After we're confident in your ability, I'll leave you to do it on your own."

"Yes sir, Lord Drew, sir!" Luz said with a laugh as they got to practicing, Luz watched intently as Lord Drew continued to explain how to perform the spell properly, as well as demonstrating many times for Luz to get a proper idea on how to cast the spell.

But, while Luz was paying attention, a few feet away, the current Glandus Duo was hiding and listening in.

Gavin was rather confused out of his mind.

"Did you hear what he called the Human?" He asked, looking up at Bria, taking out the Abomination made headphones from his ear.

Bria removed her own, looking at Gavin.

"Yeah, I did… But just why would he call her Princess? There's no record of the Isles even having a Princess, not for the last few thousand years…"

Gavin then snapped his fingers, an idea coming to mind.

"Oh! Maybe… The human is his daughter or something!" He suggested, "And that's why her cover is so bad and he's training her and not you! That or it's something else…"

Bria shook her head no, already knowing that his idea was wrong.

"That can't be right, I know for a fact that Lord Drew has been single for a while now, he's too devoted to his work for that kind of stuff, you know!" She said with a huff, "No, something is amiss here, and we're going to expose it for what it is!"

"She's being trained by Lady Lilith, do you really think that's such a good idea…? She not only has Lilith, either, one of, if not, all of the Elite Guard behind her as well as Lord Drew… She has a lot of really strong people backing her…"

Bria huffed, crossing her arms.

"Oh, you worry too much, besides…" She wrapped an arm around his shoulder, "Don't you want to be famous for exposing a mystery kept from the Isles?" She asked, enticing the offer, while also silently pushing aside the consequences of immediate destruction if they were to be caught.

Gavin seemed to think about it.

"Hmm… Maybe then my Dad would finally notice me and my strength… Fine, I'm in!" He said, already convinced to go along with Bria's scheming.

Bria then put on her Abomination earphone.

"Let's see what else they're saying…" She whispered.

Gavin nodded, putting his earphone back on and going quiet as they focused back in on listening to them.

Luz gave a loud groan.

"Dad made this look so easy when he made my amulet…" She said holding up several wonky screws she had made herself.

While yes, it was impressive that she had cast the spell in the first place, she still needed to cast the right amount of magic and still guide it to make the screws properly.

Which was proving to be an arising challenge.

"Hm…" Drew hummed, making another handful of screws with ease, "You gotta remember that your father has had at least more than 70 years of experience and practice, you'll get the hang of it all eventually, Princess. I meant it when I said you were meant for great things."

Luz smiled warmly at the compliment.

"Like, animating the entire castle during a Moonlight Conjuring?" She asked.

Lord Drew chuckled at that.

"Yes, especially something like that, but remember, your magic is simply untrained. One day and I say this with little exaggeration, I believe that you will be the strongest among all of us… It's just your fate to be strong, and it's my job to make sure you get there."

"You're not just saying that because my Dad is paying you to fix the castle, right?" She joked.

"No! Of course not, I know strength when I see it, and you certainly have it, Princess. You just need to work for it. Now, let's keep practicing, you're getting very close."

With that, they got back to working on the spells, and more specifically, on Luz's control.

Luz tried many, many more times casting the spell. Every time, the screws would come out looking wonky, bad, out of shape, etc.

She groaned, narrowing her eyes before clasping her hands around the metal and a few of the wonky screws. She closed her eyes, focusing hard.

Drew looked on curiously.

Luz's hands glowed gold, as was her signature magic. Using Drew's words of inspiration to drive herself forward. After a few suspenseful minutes, she peaked her eyes open and slowly unclasped her hands.

Once again, most of the formed screws were bad and not up to quality standards but, in the pile, she saw a single, perfect, three-inch screw.

"Yes! Progress!" She shouted, pumping her fist into the air and giving a triumphant laugh.

Drew smiled at that.

"Good job, Luz, your Father would be proud…" He said, ruffling her hair in place of Belos.

Back at the soon-to-be-executed magic students; Gavin was seen stroking his chin in thought before he looked up at Bria, who had an equally thinking expression.

"Her Father is paying for reconstruction of the Castle!?" He asked in amazement, "Ain't no way that's real, no one could afford that, not even the Blight's entire fortune could cover this amount of damage…"

Bria hummed louder in thought.

"The only one who could afford these repairs, and actually paid for them is…." She trailed off, her eyes widening, "Oh, My Titan…"

Gavin looked at her.

"What? Did you figure something out?" He asked.

Bria just had a blank face about her, full of disbelief as all the pieces fell together.

"It all makes sense... The castle, the Elite Guard we saw watching over her, the reason Lord Drew is teaching her and her dad paying for it? She's actually the Princ-"

She didn't get to finish the thought as a long and thin blade was pressed against her throat, silencing her instantly.

"Not another word, Bria…" He said silently, shaking his head with a sigh, "This is the second time in one day, it's unreal…" He said, rubbing his temples with an annoyed groan, "What did I say earlier? Leave. The. Human. Alone… And here you are… Spying on her… You know, that's punishable by death, right?" He asked.

Bria paled, considerably so, before she looked at Gavin and nodded at him slightly, making a few silent hand gestures. He nodded back at her, figuring, they were already as good as dead, might as well not make it easy.

Gavin crouched, slamming his hand onto the ground and making a giant abomination fly out from behind Eagle and wrap their gooey arms around Eagle, making the sword clatter on the floor, allowing Bria to run to safety.

"What in the-"

Eagle wasn't overpowered, far from it, if anything, he was just surprised that they even had the gull to attempt such a thing.

"Running from me is equally bad, you get that?" He asked, breaking free from the Abominations arms and dispatching it with a wave of his hand, some kind of invisible blast scattering the Abominations head to pieces.

Bria rose a wall in response in front of Eagle before she crossed her arms and pushed them outwards, making another pair of walls encase Eagle.

"Did… I get him…?" She asked cautiously as she and Gavin took cautious steps back.

All of sudden, Eagle's blade cut through the walls that Bria had made before, in a flurry of swipes of his swords, the makeshift prison fell apart in a collection of cubes.

"Honestly, did you expect that to hold me?" He asked, stepping towards them, "Now come with me and I can-"

"RUN!" Bria shouted, grabbing Gavin's arm and dashing away with him, towards the steel girders and Lord Drew and Luz.

Eagle sighed and crouched slightly, a spark of blue electricity washing over him before he flashed away before suddenly appearing in front of the pair.

"You're not going anywh-"

"EAT THIS!" Bria shouted, drawing a spell circle that suddenly wrapped around her wrist before she crouched and punched the floor underneath her with great magical force, causing a ripple from her attack.

From the ripple, several spikes formed and launched themselves at Eagle at great speeds.

Eagle took a breath, lifting his blade and cutting down the spikes, and even catching the last one.

"Please, you don't match up," He said before throwing the stone spike back at Bria with an equal amount of speed, although with less force so it didn't kill her.

Bria's eyes widened as she grabbed Gavin and pushed the both of them to the floor, watching as the stone spike embedded itself into a standing steel girder that wasn't yet secured onto anything or the floor, causing it to pitch towards the Glandus students who were currently on the ground and helpless.

Bria and Gavin's eyes widened, too shocked to move out of the way. Eagle's eye widened in shock, reaching out to stop the I-beam from crushing them, drawing a spell circle. He just wanted to catch them, not kill them…

Bria was his friend back home, he couldn't just let her die in this timeline.

He must've been thinking for a second too late, for a blur rushed past him, also wearing a Glandus High uniform.

"I GOT IT!" The blur suddenly shouted, running past quickly. Looking closer, Eagle saw that it was none other than the overly helpful Princess, to the rescue.

She jumped in front of Gavin and Bria and outstretched her arms towards the steel girder.

"LUZ, NO!" Both Drew and Eagle shouted.

Time slowed down as Luz looked up at the steel girder that was falling towards her.

Why had she thrown herself in the way of the I-beam… She could've let Eagle handle it, he was probably leagues stronger than she was, and probably had more tricks up his sleeve to make this rescue easier.

Her? What did she have…

Strong magic, but no control. Strength with no control either. All this power and she couldn't do anything with it… She was going to fix that, here and now… Luz would prove to herself that she was a Princess worth becoming Empress, one step at a time. She'd make sure of it.

"I… Will protect you guys…" She whispered to herself as time went back to normal and the I-beam fell fast, gravity acting upon it with a vengeance.

She caught it in her hands and her eyes widened at the absolute weight of the entire thing as it forced her into a squat position. This was definitely the heaviest thing she's ever lifted so far in her life, it took the wind out of her and then some… Every one of her muscles also ached and seemed to scream at her to either let go or be crushed.

Her nose suddenly sprung a leak, bleeding from the pressure she was exerting upwards, but she wasn't about to let this be her last chapter in life. Luz gritted her teeth and let out a yell, her eyes suddenly glowing golden with her magic as she lifted the steel girder above her head and kept it up there.

She panted heavily as she held it up, her eyes returning to normal.

She looked down at the shocked Bria and Gavin.

"Maybe consider moving…" Luz said with a pant, clenching her teeth, "This thing is really heavy, you know…" She whispered.

Gavin quickly moved out the way and Bria stood up, grabbing a portion of the steel girder to allow Luz some rest from the strain as Lord Drew quickly came over, prying the steel beam away from the girls and placing it down carefully.

"When I find out who left this damnable steel beam here unsecured and loose, I'll have their heads…" Drew said.

Eagle quickly went over to the Glandus High students, grabbing them and pulling them over, and placing a hand on each of their shoulders.

"Forget." He simply said to them, his eyes shining bright blue.

Both of them heard what was comparable to a glass-shattering before they both fell forward, limp in Eagles arms. He sighed.

"Idiots…" He said simply, setting them down on the floor, placing a glowing finger on each of their foreheads, "I'll make sure they don't remember who you are Princess…"

"What the heck did you think you were doing!?" Luz yelled at him suddenly, "You could've killed them! Were you trying to!?" She asked, placing her hands on her hips, waiting for an explanation.

Eagle felt like he was looking at a less bloodthirsty mirror of Hawk…

He cleared his throat and spoke.

"No, Princess, forgive my carelessness…" He apologized, "I was only trying to knock her out and wasn't paying attention to where I was aiming, the fault isn't entirely mine, either. Who in Titan's name leaves a loose I-beam?" He asked.

Luz sighed, rubbing her temple before looking down at Bria and Gavin.

"So they won't remember me?"

"Not at all, I'll even rewrite their memories… It's amazing what illusion magic can do to the mind if enacted properly…" He said with a smile, "Crow was always bad at this…" He whispered to himself, "Then again, she was never good at illusions…"

Eagle looked at Luz.

"When they wake up, they'll be very suggestible. Stick to a story and that's what they'll believe happened, be ready, Princess." He said, Luz, nodded.

"I'm ready…"

Eagle then removed his fingers and looked down at them and lifted up his finger.

"And wake up."

Eagle snapped his fingers and the pair jolted awake, a look of fear on their faces.

"W- what happened!?" Bria asked first.

Luz cleared her throat, folding her arms behind her back.

"You guys were spying on me and Eagle caught you guys again. You tried to run away and you tipped over the I-beam over there," She pointed at the steel girder, "You guys almost died but I saved you in the knick of time… You guys then passed out from the shock."

Both held their heads briefly, it seemed like they shared an equally horrible headache.

"Yeah… I remember…" Bria said, rubbing her temples in pain.

"Abyss, my head hurts…" Gavin said.

Lord Drew then stepped up to Bria, arms crossed.

"Alright Bria, come clean, why have you been so suspicious of Luz all day? What is on your mind and don't you dare lie to me, either." He said firmly.

Bria fidgeted, feeling a wave of anxiety building up in her.

She had been caught by her mentor, someone she looked up to greatly and was now about to be berated for it. What if he revoked her chance at being his apprentice? What if he never wanted to hear from her ever again?

"I... well... uhm…" She muttered out, not being able to find the words.

Eagle crossed his arms.

"This ought to be good…" He commented.

Drew sighed and kneeled down to her level, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Calm yourself, Bria… I am not angry at you… Remember what I've taught you. Breath, control yourself, and speak clearly…"

Bria hummed, closing her eyes and crossing her arms, looking away and trying to hold it in, but Drew's stare pierced her very soul.

"Ugh! Okay! Fine! I'll admit it! I was spying on the humans because I was jealous of them! That you were training her and not ME, it isn't fair! I thought I proved my strength to you to earn that chance!" She said quickly and with a huff.

"I knew it!" Luz said suddenly. Everyone gave her a deadpan look, she blushed in embarrassment, "Sorry… Go on..." She whispered.

Drew rolled his eyes and turned back to Bria.

"Bria, you never had anything to be jealous of… Luz is not my chosen apprentice, I am only tutoring her for a short time, a month at most, and only occasionally after that … You've already proven yourself to be a worthy apprentice of mine… Someone strong enough to lead..."

Bria's eyes widened at his words.

"You mean…"

Drew nodded.

"You've already won the spot of being my apprentice…"

Bria squealed in excitement, suddenly pouncing and hugging Drew around his neck and giving him a hug that nearly took the life out of him. He laughed and pulled her off.

"Alright, alright, let's relax. It doesn't excuse your behavior. I've told you time and time again to curb this jealous and competitive attitude. It will lead you to your downfall and it nearly has today…" He said, pointing at Eagle, who was sheathing his sword.

Eagle simply waved before he flashed away as if he was never there.

Bria nodded, folding her arms behind her back, looking down at the floor in a bit of sadness.

"Yes… I understand sir, I'll attempt to keep myself in check from now on… I won't disappoint you…"

Drew chuckled, patting her back.

"Now now, the strong don't get sad, they become stronger and better than before. Come, we'll work together as we should've in the first place.

Bria smiled brightly, standing up and saluting at the Coven Head.

"Yes sir!" She said, before turning to Gavin, "So sorry to get you into this mess, get home, I'll text you when I get home…?" She asked, helping him to his feet.

"Of course, finish up here…" He said, putting out his fist.

Bria smiled again.

"You know it, bro…" She said softly, bumping his fist.

Gavin then quickly made his way out of the construction site, finding a pair of guards to help him get home… After a proper scolding for entering the Castle in the first place, of course.

"Now let's get back to work…" Drew said, summoning his clipboard, "There's a lot to do… Especially for you, Luz." He said, looking towards Luz.

The Princess slouched.

"Aw but construction magic is so hard…" She said, holding up the single good screw she was able to make, "I was only able to make one good screw!"

Lord Drew stroked his chin in thought before an idea came to him.

"Bria... How about as an apology to Luz, you help her get the hang of Construction Magic? I remember how you said you liked helping the younger kids at Glandus."

Bria blushed in embarrassment at the mention of that. She cleared her throat and stepped over to Luz.

"I- I'll be happy to help her out, sir," She said as she brought Luz to the bench, Drew watched them from afar.

Luz listened intently to Bria's instruction, attempting the spell many times, and listening to the tips on what Luz did to improve the next attempt.

After much more trial and error, Luz attempted the spell once again and something interesting happened…

Her hands glowed around the scrap metal in her cupped hand and she… Seemed to begin to understand the material she was working with… As if it was telling her what to do. She followed the vague instructions and cast the spell.

Opening her hands, her eyes widened, in her hands were 10 perfect, long, three-inch screws…

Luz smiled widely.

"Yes! Thanks, Bria!" She yelled, suddenly hugging the girl in a tight bear hug.

Bria seemed to start turning Blue.

"Can't… Breathe…" She squeaked out.

"Oh- Oops!" Luz released her, "Sorry about that… I don't know my own strength sometimes…" She said with a nervous chuckle, "But really, Bria, thanks for helping me understand, I appreciate it… Even though you were trying to expose me for nothing at all…" She joked.

Bria rubbed her shoulder, looking off to the side.

"Not a problem. Sorry about... earlier… I guess I still let my emotions get the better of me…"

Luz waved her hand dismissively, smiling.

"You're fine, don't even worry about it, let's just move past it all... What do you say, friends?" She asked, lifting up a hand to shake.

Bria paused, looking at the hand with hesitance.

'This human really is something else…' She then smiled, herself.

"Sure… Friends…" She said with a nod.

Drew gave a sudden laugh, placing a pair of large hands on the girls' heads, ruffling their hair simultaneously.

"This is what I love to see! Now get to work, girls, there's lots to do here in the Castle and we're already behind, let's not fall back anymore." He said.

Bria saluted at him once more.

"Yes sir!"

He simply rolled his eyes. He'd never get her to stop that… He shook his head as he turned, leaving to go check on things elsewhere on the site.

"So…" Luz began, turning back to her workbench, beginning to make screws, this time with Bria to help her, "You seem to really admire Lord Drew," She said, "Are you trying to be Coven Head in the future?"

Bria nodded, smiling smugly.

"Oh for sure!" She then struck a strongman pose, "I'll be the best of our generation, for sure! I've already got some ideas for some projects and different works I've been sketching back home! With enough luck, I'll get the seat and the Emperor will approve of all of them!"

"Ideas?" She asked, curiously, "Like what? I'll admit, I don't know much about how the Construction Coven works if I'm being honest. I just thought they built stuff but I'm seeing that it's so much more than that," She said.

"I mean, sure we build stuff, but we also construct from the materials we're given. Lord Drew says a Construction Witch is only truly amazing when they truly understand the material they're given to work with."

She then demonstrated this by turning several screws into a metal box, before turning them back to normal.

Luz hummed in thought.

"So… Does that mean, the more a Construction Witch understands about the material, the easier it is to shape that material?" She asked.

Bria smiled brightly.

"Exactly like that, the more you use a material, it'll practically tell you how to shape it."

"I see... That'll explain a few things I've seen, then… You know, my father actually made this amulet just like that." She said, pointing at the Golden amulet on her neck, figuring out how Belos crafted the gift. "Construction magic is so cool…"

Bria nodded in agreement.

"It really is. I'll take that over Illusion magic any day."

Luz looked at with a look of confusion.

"What's wrong with illusion magic?" She asked.

"Well don't get me wrong it has its uses but using "fake" constructs doesn't sit well with me." She then looked behind her before leaning close to Luz, whispering, "Besides, my friends and I found out about an artifact that amplifies one's magic. Once the Castle is finished, we're planning to take a trip to find them…"

Luz was intrigued by this.

"Sounds like fun, but also, a bit dangerous if you guys aren't careful... What are the artifacts called?" She asked.

"Galdorstones."

Luz hummed at the name before another few questions came to her.

"How did you find out about them? If they enhance magic, I'm surprised that the Emperor's Coven hasn't already taken them for themselves, you know?"

"That's because they're hidden away within a place called the Looking Glass Ruins. And I happen to have acquired a map to the location!" She said proudly.

Hearing about a map, Luz wasn't exactly thrilled, as her experiences with them led to a crazy puppet demon.

"A map, huh?" She asked with a hum, "Where... Did you get it? I've had some experiences with maps before and none have been good honestly…" She said with a laugh.

"Don't worry, I got it from a friend who's currently going to Hexside. He said he endured a lot of noogies just to get it from his older brother."

"Hm... Well, I wouldn't want you going out there alone to possibly dangerous ruins, so if you ever need help, I'll be more than happy to provide some help." She said with a bright smile

"Awesome! We could use a heavy hitter! And with that muscle you've got, you'll definitely be doing all the hitting."

"Let's just hope it doesn't come down to that, I don't usually like solving problems with violence."

"Well…" Sweats a bit "I may or may not have forgotten to mention that the ruins themselves are guarded by a mystical guardian. Some say it can control the weather and call forth phantoms… So violence is probably unavoidable…"

Luz gave her a deadpan look as she dumped screws into the bucket next to her.

"Sounds... Dangerous... Are these Galdorstones really worth it?" She asked.

"They sure are! Imagine what constructs I could make thanks to the power boost! I'll surely be able to impress Lord Drew!" She said, imagining all the possibilities.

"Well, if they're really that strong and important, then I'll be more than happy to help you and your friends get them!" She said happily before a thought came to mind, "Does… Lord Drew know about them?

"Practically everyone on the Isles does, but sadly not many could ever get their hands on them. They're supposed to be super rare."

"I see... " She said with a hum, sliding more screws into the bucket, "Well, after we finish working on the castle, history is going to remember us as the firsts then!" She said proudly.

"Definitely!" Bria said, turning back to the workbench, "No time to waste then!"

And so, the work went on for the day. It started slow but picked up quickly as Luz was slowly taught about construction magic, with the help of Bria helping her get the hang of the tricky and complicated magic.

Of course, she was still basically a baby when it came to it.

For example, while she attempted to make constructs rise out of the ground. More often than not, they came out very twisted in design and shape or even absolutely more massive than what she intended for them

Lord Drew continued to encourage her, however, teaching her more and more about the flow of one's magic. Showing her that, spreading more of one's magic evenly throughout your body, it would allow her to cast less hazardous spells.

Of course, doing this was difficult, as Luz would lose focus, sometimes almost instantly. But Drew reminded her that she had all the time in the world to practice her control.

Eventually, the sun began to set and Luz was tired to no end, every muscle in her body ached and her bones felt sore… But it was successful. They were able to knock out 5 rooms in the Castle!

.

..

…

Out of the 150 rooms that were on schedule to be repaired...

Luz groaned as she stretched her back, feeling several bones crack and realign themselves. Her body wasn't used to all day manual labor.

"Titan below, how do you guys do this all day...?" She asked, looking towards Bria.

The Glandus High girl didn't even look all that tired… Matter of fact… All the other construction witches didn't look tired either…

"Honestly, through sheer stamina, endurance and strength. Construction witches are known for their strength and if trained enough, a job like this would be like a light jog."

Luz stood straight, cracking her back with a sigh.

"Lord… It's good to know the Isles have such strong Witches like you guys, then…" She complimented, "Glandus High is lucky to have you…"

Bria smiled, beaming with pride.

"You're right… They are lucky!" She said, placing her fist on her hips.

Luz giggled at her prideful attitude, as Lord Drew walked up to the girls, Looking at a set of blueprints for a moment before turning to face the girls.

"Good work today, Luz, your progress with your magic is definitely an improvement. An entire month of this, I'm more than sure that you'll be able to finally control your magic easier," Turns to Bria, "And good work to you, as well, Bria. I'm proud of you for helping Luz for the day. You'll make a fine Coven Head one day if you keep this up. Just don't let that Glandus High mentally control you, understand?"

Bria nodded and saluted once again.

"Understood, sir! I'll do my best!"

Drew smiled.

"You both are dismissed for the day, rest up, tomorrow will be just as busy as today was. Get your sleep."

And with that, Lord Drew nodded at the girls before he turned and left.

Bria then turned to face Luz.

"See you tomorrow Luz?" She asked.

"You already know it, Bria," Luz said.

"Oh! Before I forget, give me your Runes, so I can text ya about those ruins, and when we'll probably go. It'll be a while, with all the planning and everything."

Luz pulled out her smart scroll, trading Runes with each other, adding each other to their contacts.

"It was really nice meeting you, Bria, and thanks for all your help with my magic! I appreciate it more than you know!" Luz said with a bright smile.

"It was nice meeting you too, Luz! See you tomorrow!" Waves before running off, a pair of guards escorting out of the castle.

Luz watched her go, waiting until the coast was clear before she sighed in relief, rubbing her eyes.

"Oh finally…" She said with a groan.

"Tough day, Mija?"

Luz's eyes widened as she quickly turned to face the source of the voice, seeing that it was her mother, dressed not in her usual attire, but rather a set of specially made healer's robes. Even in the height of luxury, it appeared she still liked to keep herself busy with work.

"Oh… Hey Mom…" Luz said awkwardly, looking off to the side, holding her arm. She had almost forgotten that she was angry at her mother for lying to her for most of her life, "Look I'm tired and sore so…" Luz went to move past Camila.

"Hold on, Mija," Camila said suddenly, gently taking hold of Luz's shoulder and stopping her stride, "I know you're still angry for what I did…"

Luz was silent but turned to face Camila.

"I am…" She whispered.

To Luz's surprise, Camila presented Luz with her journal. She reached out and took it in her hands, looking down at it as she listened to Camila speak.

"I honestly did believe that it'd be better for you not to know… I couldn't train you how to use your magic and I was scared of what could happen to you, here, on the Isles if you grew up here… I let my own fears get in the way of what was actually best for you… And that was this, the Isles, I realize that now… I mean, I don't think I've ever seen you so happy… You're doing so much better here and that just makes me further realize my mistakes… I know words can only fix so much, but please, forgive me, Cariño…" She whispered to Luz.

Luz was silent for a moment. I mean, how often was it that a child heard their parents actually admit that they were wrong in the first place? It was a new feeling… An odd feeling… But Luz seemed to know that it was a genuine apology and that it was full of remorse at her actions.

"Mija?" Camila asked, after seeing that Luz was rather silent.

"S- sorry, Mami…" She said suddenly, looking up from the journal with tears in her eyes, "I didn't mean to get mad at you like that earlier today…"

Camila felt a wave of relief wash over her, hearing Luz refer to her as she normally would made her feel so much better, it also told her that her apology had worked. She wrapped her arms around her daughter, wiping tears away as well.

"Don't apologize, I deserved it after all… Now let's get you upstairs, maybe you can show me what you learned today." She said, looking down at Luz as they began to walk.

As expected, Luz was now furiously scribbling away at her journal, wanting to catch up on all the missed writings, she didn't want to forget anything she learned today...

Camila chuckled, deciding to let her daughter focus on writing as she led them back upstairs to their home in the castle.

-Meanwhile, across the world-

Hunter was now dressed in his Golden Guard garb, it was cleaned and pressed for the occasion. He was loading up his airship, new and improved by the monks and the Grandmaster himself. On top of the supplies needed to survive a round trip across the world, he was also securing the many books he had received from the Grandmaster.

"Your trip back to your home, of the Boiling Isles, will take quite a while… On top of all the pit stops needed to prepare that cure for your uncle as well… Four months is my earliest estimate..."

Turning, Hunter saw that it was Yagni who was speaking, in Arctic of course. Hunter simply smiled at his words.

"That gives me plenty of time to work on my form before I get home, then." He said, securing a rope before turning to the Grandmaster and respectfully bowing, "Grandmaster, I can never repay you for the kindness you've given me… As well as the hope you've provided for my Uncle's condition…"

Yagni laughed.

"Hunter, I've said it once and I'll say it again. Helping you was simply the right thing to do, but being able to teach a prodigy such as you was the greatest honor I was given, you're meant for great things and I hope what you learned here heals your uncle, as it did for Azura..."

"I hope so too…"

"Hold it!"

The two blink before they see a rather large person running towards them, the noticeable feature was their panda-like ears and jet-black hair.

"Hunter, you forgot-"

The person suddenly tripped, rolling into a ball towards them with a yell.

Hunter immediately acted, jumping in front of the incoming ball and sending a palm strike forward, causing it to stop, before said person unfurled and laid flat on their back with a groan. He looked down at the person.

"You okay, dude?"

"Yeah… Yeah, I'm good…" He then sat up, shaking the snow out of his hair, "Anyways… I made something for you…" He suddenly pulls something out, before giving it to Hunter. "A little gift from myself."

Hunter looked down at the item that was given to him and smiled upon seeing that it was a poseable wooden figure of himself.

"Whoa man, you didn't have to do this…"

The person chuckled, getting to his feet.

"Of course I did! After all, you did make stuff here more interesting, it's super boring here. Especially since all the food here is so cold… But check it, it has epic kung fu chopping action!" He then made the figure of Hunter do said action

Hunter smiled warmly, before playfully punching his shoulder.

"I'm going to miss you, dude. Especially your pranks of Master Yagni here."

Yagni rolled his eyes at that. Those damnable pranks…

The person with panda ears smiled.

"Yeah, me too, Be sure to write, alright?" He asked.

Hunter nodded.

"You know it." He said with a nod.

"Po!" A voice shouted.

Turning, the now named Po turned to see about five other people with animalistic features standing by.

"We need to get back home, something came up," A woman said, she was tall and had a serious demeanor about her, her eyes were that of a tiger. Fierce and unforgiving.

"Oh, crud!" Po then turned back to Hunter, giving him a mock salute, "See ya, Huntsman! Gotta go save home again! Bye!" Gets up before running over to the group, running off with them.

Yagni chuckled and shook his head.

"An eccentric and excellent fighter…" Turns back to Hunter, "No matter, remember what you've learned here, Hunter…" He said, pointing at Hunter's shoulder, the one that now proudly held the mark of the Temple. "You may be a master but only in name, it is up to you to earn the title... Never falter on your path to Greatness…"

Hunter bowed.

"I won't, grandmaster…"

As Hunter bowed, he suddenly felt something tap his shoulder. It was... A bo staff?

Looking, he saw that this bo staff was different. Each end was covered in a metal dragon, with many glowing blue Arctic Runes that were etched into the wood as well.

Yagni held on the end of the staff.

"We don't use magic here... Nor magic weapons, not anymore... So take the Staff of Fairfail with you as my final gift to you Hunter, it's no Ruyi Jingu Bang but it's still useful… Consider it a replacement for your old staff, that broke on your crash landing here… And may it serve you better than it did I, in my youth…" He said, handing the staff to Hunter.

Hunter looked at the staff in his hand. It felt cold to the touch, but it wasn't, at the same time. He could also feel the magic radiating off the staff as well. Hunter then looked back at Yagni, bowing again.

"I shall treat it with care, Grandmaster…" He said.

Yagni smiled at Hunter.

It felt like he was looking in a mirror of himself in his youth, all those years ago, when he ventured across the lands looking for his purpose in life… He sighed and bowed at Hunter once again.

"May the Fairfail be with you, Hunter… Good luck and goodbye…" He said with a whisper.

With that, Hunter boarded his ship once more and turned the ignition.

When he crash-landed here, he spent weeks working on fixing the thing, as it was his only way home... He had hit a roadblock in repairs but the Grandmaster proved that he knew his way around a tool or two…

The engine came to life and a blue flame lit up the Balloon and soon enough, Hunter was in the air once more.

Looking down, he saw the Grandmaster waving him bye, as well as Po and his group of Warriors that came here to learn as well and maybe help around where they could.

He was going to miss this place...

Hunter waved towards them before turning in the direction of flight.

"Next stop... Home…" He whispered.

While the original plan was to spend, at most, 2 years off Isles looking for a cure, he was lucky to have found one in only 6 months.

He was so lucky to have convinced his Uncle to let him go out and look for a cure in the first place... He remembered Belos, at first, was dead set on refusing the idea but Hunter's persistence to help him seemed to remind him of something or someone that made Belos' heartache...

When asked about it, Belos refused to talk about it and gave Hunter the right to travel... It felt like he sometimes didn't know his uncle...

But he knew he had a way to help him.

He just needed to get back home in one piece...

Sadly, however, traveling by air across the world was a rather... Tricky thing to do safely... But he had the Fairfail Staff and the fighting skill of a master on his side!

He'd be fine... There was nothing he couldn't handle... And nothing that could stop him from healing his Uncle…

"If it's the last thing I do… I'll help you, Uncle…" He said to himself, flying into the clouds, preparing himself for a long, long flight…

Thanks for reading my ramblings, as always, thank you for your patience, I'll try to write another chapter before the end of the month, I promise.

Remember, tell me if I made a mistake of any kind, I like my works being as perfect as possible. Have a lovely day!

Don't forget to Comment!