The Past Hidden, a Future Unknown

by BardofWorlds

After escaping Belos, Luz returns to school with a new quest; to find a way back to her mother! When a secret that Luz didn't even know she was hiding is revealed, her mission changes to bringing her mother back home! On her quest she will find secrets, threats and foes beyond anything she read in 'THE GOOD WITCH', but in the end the heart is the greatest secret of all.

2. Chapter 2

This is chapter 2 of my work and I will say that I'm building up to something good during the end of the first Arc! And a few plot points will be hidden while I write, but can you short out the truth on your own? I challenge you to do just that dear readers! And I'm happy to report my novel is almost finished, for the second month in a row.

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As Gus got off the bus at his street he sighed and shook his head. So far everything is different, but not at the same time. Luz is one of us, that explains so much about her, how she took to the Island so fast and I can't get over that she's one of us. But now we have to find a way to get her mom home or contact her. I mean there has to be a way, there just has to be! There are too many different stories about Earth for there to have been just one doorway, if we can find any common treads then we can find a way to her! Gus thought as he walked through the city.

As he turned onto the street his home was on he looked around and smiled, after the chaos of school and Luz's accident a good dinner out with his parents was just what he needed and as he walked towards his home he saw his parents waiting for him outside. His father Perry Porter, was an Elven witch with dark brown skin and curly black hair with neat sideburns, he was wearing a white suit and with a blue tie on. His mother, Alexa Porter was a tall Elven woman with a curvy figure with dark brown skin and flat black hair in a ponytail lying on her right shoulder. She was wearing a black dress that had a red gemstone in the center of her chest and Gus smiled as he ran towards them. "Mom! Dad!"

"Hey Augustus, how was school!" Perry asked cheerfully as Alexa laughed and hugged her son and Gus beamed up at them from the hug.

"Fine, at least until….. A friend passed out in their gym class," Gus said as he looked around and Perry's eyes widened for a second before he nodded.

"Are they okay?" Porter asked worriedly. It has to be that human girl. But what happened I mean she went up against the Emperor and she won, what could have brought her down? Perry thought as Gus smiled.

"Yeah, and I need to talk to you about that mom, it's a long story," Gus said as he looked at his mother. Alexa looked at her son and nodded after looking at Perry.

"I'll be a moment love, just gotta put a few things away and we'll be away," Alexa said leaving Gus and Perry alone. Perry looked at his son and frowned.

"Okay Augustus, what happened to her?" Perry asked and Gus laughed nervously and sighed.

"What do you mean dad? Nothing happened beyond what I told you…." Gus said and Perry shook his head.

"You don't have gym today, so what happened and to who?" Perry asked sternly and Gus sighed.

"It was Luz, and she isn't a human, she an Elf, and she didn't know," Gus said softly and Perry's eyebrows climbed his face as he looked at his son, shocked beyond words.

"She is?" Perry whispered in shock. This is incredible, it is possible to live on earth! But Luz, she's nothing but a good kid from the stories that I heard from Gus, this must be so hard for her! Perry thought as he looked at the sky before looking down at his son. "Augustus, you'll tell us everything once we're back, stay silent about this there."

Gus nodded, he saw the worry in his father's eyes and knew it was in his as well.

"I'm back!" Alexa called out before Perry could speak and smiled at her men. "So how's school been lately Augustus?"

"Great! And I've got a nickname nowadays, Gus!" Gus said as they walked towards their carriage.

"Nice, who gave you that name Agus…Gus?" Alexia asked as they got into the family cart.

Perry feed some magic into it and they were soon moving into the air as it took off, they were heading towards a restaurant by the sea on a cliff on the other side of the city from the Owl House, it was special for his parents as he had proposed to his wife there and Gus loved the view. As Gus looked across at his mother he wondered how to answer, he could say everything but he decided only to say a few things now, best to leave the rest for when they got home like his dad said.

"That's a long story mom, and why I have to talk to you about that and something else when we get home," Gus said as he looked at his father who nodded.

"So any new friends?" Alexia asked with a smile and Gus grinned back at her

"One mom, and she's the one who gave me the nickname," Gus said and Perry chuckled and shook his head.

Perry's mind was going strange places, he hadn't met Luz much but if she was an Elf, how did she wind up on earth? He didn't know how but he knew that if he looked into this, he would have a great story at the end.

But what he didn't know was that by looking into this, he would discover secrets that even Belos's didn't know, or that he would become part of something that would affect the destiny of the Island.

XXXXXXX

Mattholomule walked through the woods, a spring in his step as he moved away from the school. I still can't believe it, she's one of that line! I can't wait until I tell mama about this, we might not even have to raid the bank after all for the gem! Once we get our hands on that brat, we can break into the storage, and this way we can use them to really show that filth what for! He thought as he reached a stone wall twenty feet high with guard towers at the four corners. He walked along them until he reached a gate ten feet wide and high, he passed through a short corridor until he walked out of it into a garden. He looked to his left and saw what looked like bipedal figures in full-body robes with black lupine-like masks.

He looked along the path and saw a large mansion at the end, a building with at least five floors and a glass garden along the right side. As he walked towards the mansion he saw the doors open and an Elven teen girl his age with beige skin in a white full-body robe with a brown clasp on it at her neck and beneath it she wore a white dress with a skirt that stopped at her knees. Her hair was brown like his but hers was set into a bun on both sides of her head; her lips were painted a deep red and she had a hint of exotic perfume on.

"Mathy, how was your day at the site? I would have loved to stay but I have to go, I think I might have a chance to track down the bloodline of our target before the big day, I just need to get him alone for a few moments and then well," She said with a laugh and Mattholomule just smirked.

"Do what you want to sister, but I really don't think it will work," He said and she looked at him with a glare.

"And my school has a perfect plan to reenact the attack on Hexside, mother and father already know and are putting it into our plans," His sister said and Matthomule nodded.

"Do wish them luck sister and try not to attack from the lake, I think there Beast Keepers were going to have a Lindwurm there for the little kids to watch do tricks," Matthomule said and his sister looked at him, confused why he wasn't trying to get one over on her, how this might help her finally be declared the heir.

"I'll be back tomorrow at the latest, I have to help make a few siege weapons…..non-lethal¸, of course, I will make a few mistakes here and there to make them hurt at least," she said with a haughty edge to her voice as she walked towards the left side of the mansion.

"Do go sister dear, I just have to go and talk to mother about something one of my spies overheard today," Mattholomule said looked at her as she walked away, a slight smirk on his face as he walked into the building and looked around, seeing a painting of Elven witches with his skin tone fighting and killing both demons and witches. As he looked at one painting he grinned as he looked at the painting and snickered. I've always loved this one, and it's kinda crazy that I'm going to the school that this result from. Still, I can't wait until grandmother learns about this… to think one of that line is alive, and she's his daughter and in the school! I can't believe the luck the Titan has blessed our plan! He thought as he walked through the house until he reached a door. Knocking on the door he waited.

A moment later the doors opened to reveal an elven statue painted like it had a black butler uniform on. Matthomule walked by it towards an older looking female witch with dark skin slowly knitting a blanket, setting in a black chair with four spider-like legs

"Mathy, how was slumming it with our targets?" the woman asked and Matthomule smiled at her.

"Wonderful Grandmother and I made an amazing discovery! This will make our goal so much easier than we thought, dad won't even need those diamond-tipped Drillers," Mattholomule said with a grin and his grandmother laughed and shook her head.

"Oh, what did you think of? And even if your sister finds a c

"How about his daughter?" Mattholomule asked and his grandmother went still and put her quilt down as the chair's legs moved and the chair was lifted by them off the ground and she looked at Mattholomule with a glare.

"what?!" His grandmother growled softly and Mattholomule grinned.

"Double reaction to his bloodstone and her mother, it is his child, she's actually that 'human' I told you about. Seems her mother used a forgetter on both of them," Mattholomule said softly and his grandmother only looked at him before starting to chuckle and laugh hard as she leaned her head back.

"Oh, the Titan helps those who truly does it's Will! With this, we'll have the treasure and the girl! Just think what we'll be able to do with the other ruins in the deep with her blood!" She said and Mattholomule nodded and grinned.

"I'll make sure that I have her found when the attack happens," Mattholomule promised and his grandmother smiled at him.

"Good boy, and for that I grant you four of our Golems in the Amory. Any four that you want, their yours!" She said as she threw a talisman that Mattholomule coughed and put away as he grinned.

"Thank you, Grandmother!" Mattholomule said and grinned as he imagined just what he could do with four, already he had ideas about what he could take. Let's see, I'll need something to ride, and a flyer would be best. A guard and oh! Any one of them, that one would be perfect if the worst happens! As Mattholomule started to think about what to take and turned away his grandmother cleared her throat.

"My boy, there's just one more thing…. Who is the human living with again?" His grandmother asked and Mattholomule swallowed as he started to shake.

Mattholomule went still and slowly turned to look at her. "The Owl Lady…"

"Of course she does…leave and call your uncle, now," She growled and Mattholomule nodded as he left the room the sounds of her summoning a golem and a scream caused him to move faster, hoping that she wouldn't call him back for a sparing secession.

XXXXX

Alador looked around the room and smiled as he saw everyone talking happily. After everything earlier this week with Eda he hoped was worried that the party wasn't going to be had. He looked around, his brown beard and black suit under a cloak the color of the Abomination Coven. He smiled as he hides his real feelings, it was wrong but he was glad he hadn't learned about Eda's punishment by the Emperor until it was over. If he had known then he would have taken every Abomination he had and attacked Belos himself. He might not have been a good friend, but he cared about the Clawthorn sisters, as much as he cared about his children, and if he could help them at all then he would, Odalia be damned and her obsession with the 'Blight' name.

"Al, there you are!" A voice caused him to turn and see a small lion-like beast demon with brown fur and a red 'mane' with a necklace of green spheres around his neck wearing a green robe with a symbol of the Beastkeeper coven on it and Alador smirked.

"Simbor, how are you my friend? By the way, that order you sent in a few days ago is almost done, I must admit that the challenge was…interesting," Alador said and Simbor laughed and shook his head.

"I didn't expect anything else my boy! But a few old friends of yours want to talk to you about a few customs orders!" Simbor said with a laugh and Alador looked up and smiled as he saw two Witches, a female Elf with pale skin and long golden hair in a dress the color of the Beast Keeping coven and a green male demonic with two horns curved around the sides of his head with glasses on dressed in a simple robe. Alador could only smile and laugh as he walked over with one of his oldest friends to talk to two of his best customers.

Odalia Blight walked through the party, her green hair in a bun and she was wearing a dress in the color of the Oracle Coven and smiled with green lips as she looked around at the guests. She looked around and saw her husband talking with the heads of the Beast Keeping Coven and the Sub Covens of Griffins and Stegapix, she scowled; he should have been walking around not talking to Covens like the Beasts! Must that idiot always bend over backwards for the Beasts? It might have been his brother's dream to join them but sometimes you have to let the past die, when will he learn that? She thought as she scoffed and looked around before moving on, hoping that whatever they were talking about wouldn't drag her plans down.

Around her was the cream of the Island society, the highest coven members and oldest bloodlines, and this was her party to celebrate, officially that she had predicted when the next Drifting Island would come close enough to let them trade, but then the reality was that Lilith had turned traitor and her former post was up for grabs. And every witch that matters is willing to do anything to secure it for their own. I can't wait until my alliance gets that human thrown from the school. She thought before she noticed her allies gathering by a private meeting room and most of them were walking into.

She followed after them and walked into the room, looking around once inside and smiled when she saw a female Elven witch with dark pink skin, a slender figure and black hair in curls dressed in a simple dress in the Oracle Coven colors who looked like she was in over her head. Odalia walked over to her and put a hand on the woman's shoulder, causing her to jump and turn to look at Odalia and smiled.

"Madame Blight, oh thank the titan! I was worried that I wouldn't find you! I've already had so many people wanting to talk to you! The harbor master wants to know what days to send the fleet out to miss the next boiling ran, the owner of Randals's Builders wants to know where to start work on the road the Emperor wants built to the Neck and that's …." The woman began but Odalia put a green-tipped finger on her lips.

"You can handle it perfectly dear Julix, if my husband comes looking for me just let him know I stepped out for some air and will be back in a few minutes," Odalia said and channeled a bit of her magic into her finger, moments later Julix looked at her with dilated eyes and nodded, Odalia only smirked at the reaction. That potion was the second-best deal I ever made! But this wonderful witch is the perfect slave. And her magic is strong enough that coupled with the third potion for me to use to rise. She thought with a smirk. "Now you will do this my dear, I can count on you of course."

"Yes madam," Julix said robotically and blinked, come back to her sense and saw Odalia walk away from her and looked around, still feeling nervous before she shook her head and walked towards the first of the people she would have to talk to that night.

As Odalia walked away she passed by Bosha's father Trix her third in command talking to a female Cyclops witch dressed in colors of the Beast Keeper's coven. As he saw his boss he flashed her a wink with his middle eye and Odalia smirked back at him, content to let him try and make another conquest. As she walked past him he told a joke that had the Cyclops laugh and she looked at her third in command of her personal company, Blight's Visionaries. All in all he was on hand to help with office work officially, but he was a good fighter and knew enough basic combat magics and how to use the worst of the banned potions to bully those who worked under them and his relationship with Warden Wraith let them put those who tried to speak out against her or Bligh's Abominations into the Conformatorium until they got the message.

As she walked into the room she looked around, smiling at the fact that all her closest allies were here. Aside from Skara's parents, there was Daedalus, an Elven witch with dark grey skin, two blue eyes and short white hair, he was wearing a simple robe in the color of the Construction Coven talking to Urlisix, the owner of a small Potion's brewers company one town over. Urlisix was a tall pale Elven female witch with blackish green hair she wore in buns on both sides of her head. As they saw her all of them grinned, Urlisix laughing and getting up from her chair and walked towards her ally, Odalia.

"Odalia, darling! It's been too long since the last party, how are you?" Urlisix asked and hugged her, kissing Odalia checks as she laughed.

"Just fine my dear, everything is going perfectly and I was able to talk to a few of the others about what I would do if I was the head of the Emperor's Coven, all in all, a perfect party for me. Now what about you all?" Odalia asked before she frowned and looked around, not seeing someone. "But where is our friend?"

"That Healer sent a message, one of his projects is getting better so he wouldn't make it, and after the last time he had his…helpers handle it he had to start over, well you can understand," Urlisix said with a shrug and Daedalus snorted.

"Oh, what was it?" Daedalus asked with a less than concerned expression.

"I believe he said it was the larger one this time," Urlisix said and Odalia aaahhed and nodded.

"Who cares about that? That idiot Bump called us in because our daughter did what she should have and caused that humanto pass out!"

"Oh, that was too good!" Daedalus said with a laugh that stopped and suddenly got a flabbergasted expression on his face. "Wait, isn't that girl of yours in the Bard track? How'd she do that to the human and not anyone else, I mean our hearing is superior to those vermin!"

"Bump said something about an old wound, he wasn't clear

"An old wound…." Odalia said and started to smirk and giggle. Oh perfect, that's all I needed to finally get rid of her from our island! If the poor dear is hurting herself from trying to be better then she is then how can we let her do that to herself? All we have to do is keep the poor deer from killing herself. Odalia thought and looked around at the others in the room. "My friends, we can't let a child hurt themselves chasing after something impossible, can we?"

As the others all caught on to what she meant and they started to laugh, Odalia joining in moments later.

XXXXXX

"Wait, a human found out how to cast magic, she became Eda's apprentice. Eda, Lord Calamity. Someone let Eda teach unsupervised?" Alexa asked with a shocked tone and Gus nodded.

"Yes, actually she's not that bad, would have loved to have learned about her curse before I met her through," Gus said as Perry shook his head in shock. After they had returned to their home Perry had cast every spell he knew and could that would block people from listening in on them.

"And after everything, she, the student fought the Emperor and came out ahead and now she's discovered she and her mother are Elves?" Alexa said and Gus nodded and Alexa looked shocked and shook her head. "Wow, just wow. I go away for an expedition for a few weeks, and the Titan goes crazy while I'm gone!"

"Yeah, and that's not counting that she's learning from all the tracks," Gus said and Alexa blinked before whistling. "Any how mom, I wanted to talk to you about how we could help her, I mean were there any ruins you know of that might have something that could lead to a portal or something, any old stories that they tell around the Ruin Explorers Coven?"

"It's the Archeology Coven Gus, but all the tracks? By the Titan, if I could control a few Abominations, I could have workers that I didn't need to pay, could call them to me if I needed….. I could change up how I handle my expeditions," Alexa muttered and then looked up at her family as they looked at her with Perry glaring and she winced. "Sorry, but the possibilities….."

"Yeah, Principle Bump let her do that after she helped defeat a Feral Demon that invaded the school," Gus said and Alexa went still and looked at her son in horror before looking at Perry who nodded with a hard look in his eyes.

Alexa felt terror and stared into space before grabbing her son and pulling him to her and Gus hugged his mother as his father joined in and stood there for a few seconds in silence.

"It must have been so scary," She muttered as she patted Gus's back and Gus just hugged her closer.

"It ate all the magic of everyone in the school but me, the detention track students and Willow. They used their skills, skills that Bump sent them to that track for, to kill it and a hidden room that Eda used when she was a student," Gus said and Perry went still as Alexa blinked.

"Hold up, hidden room?" Alexa asked and Perry looked shocked for a moment.

"Yeah, this chamber of doors that goes all around the school. Luz showed it to us during the attack and we used it to kill the Basilisk," Gus said and Alex looked at Perry who shrugged.

"All we heard was that something had made it into Hexside, but not what or how it was defeated. There were rumors from everything from a Griffen with scorpion breath to a Hydra, but a magic eater, what was it, a Basilisk?" Perry asked and Gus winced.

"Greater Basilisk actually," Gus said and his parents stared at him in horror.

A Greater Basilisk was considered a Witch Slayer and a Parasite on the Titan itself, to kill one of them was something that needed an army. Belos was considered one of the strongest on the Island and the Emperor was because they say he killed five of them all at once, that was why most people believed he spoke for the Titan, and how he killed all of them, but for one to survive that was concerning.

Perry went still, the rumors of what had attacked the school were something that had been going all around the city for days after the event. I wonder if I should have a talk with Bump about this as a Reporter, a parent or a member of the Parent Creature Association? Still, I wonder who covered up the extinct creature attack? Perry thought as Alexa looked down at her son and promised herself that she would plan the next expedition she went on for one a few months from now after the next semester stated and with the Break after the festival, she would spend a lot more time with her son.

Hours later Perry and Alexia lay on their bed, Alexia nestled in Perry's arms as the blanket covered hid their bodies. A Greater Basilisk attacked my son, and I wasn't there! I never should have gone on that expedition! Still, it was at school, I couldn't have helped, still, why didn't we hear about it? She thought as she tried and failed to calm her mind down.

Perry stroked her, his thoughts going through the same way as he went over everything, he knew that he had to do something, but he was scared, if the Emperor's Coven didn't say what attacked the school, then after the broadcast he didn't want to rock the boat anymore then he had but he would talk to Bump about it at the Anniversary Festival at Hexsides.

XXXXXX

Lilith tossed and turned as she tried to sleep but nightmares assaulted her head, as they had done for the last week. She shot up, panting heavily as she tried to banish the images from her head; tonight's nightmare was the image of herself activating the machine that petrified her sister, Eda, King plus Amity, her siblings and him, and as she tried to control her breathing she held her face and sobbed. I don't understand why do these nightmares keep attacking me like this? Haven't I already punished myself enough for my mistakes born of pride and fear? When will I forgive myself? Lilith thought as she got up and walked into the kitchen, grabbing a glass of water to drink.

As she let the liquid move down her throat she sighed and wondered what would happen to Eda and her family, and she wondered how she should go about trying to find a new place to live.

"Can't sleep sis?" Eda asked and Lilith turned her head and looked at Eda as she stood in the doorway leaning against it and smirked.

"Eda! How long have you been there?" Lilith exclaimed and Eda laughed and smirked.

"A few minutes before you woke up, I'm a bit of a night owl because of everything plus that curse and how I lived my life," Eda said and Lilith looked down.

"Eda, I never….." Lilith began and Ed raised a hand and shook her head.

"I know, I know. You might have tried to prank me but that curse went beyond you… you never would hurt me so much on purpose. But you should have come forward after it didn't go away and the results were so beyond what you thought it would. The same way I was going to do if we were sick for longer than a weak," Eda said and Lilith looked at her in shock and tried to understand.

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Lilith asked and Eda shrugged.

"Remember that picture day when Odalia suddenly got those pimples that burst and sprayed everywhere and we got hit? My work," Eda said proudly as Lilith stared at her.

"what?" Lilith cracked out as Eda giggled.

Lilith looked at Eda, shocked beyond words. The pus pimples and a few other incidents were considered to be acts of the Titan, if Eda had been behind them then that showed a level of skill and planning that she thought Eda hadn't devolved while she was in school.

"Your what?! We were all quarantined for a month!?" Lilith exclaimed and Eda started to laugh a little.

"Yeah, not my best plan. But from my research into that brew I found out was that anyone who got hit by the puss would be sick for a weak at most while the host would be sick for three," Eda said as she looked at Lilith with a grin.

"But we were only sick for a few days, no more than three," Lilith said as she looked at Eda who nodded.

"Yeah we were, but if we were sick for longer than a weak I would have come forward about the fact that I did it! I guess I'm mostly mad because you did that when the spell went beyond your control and I transformed the first time," Eda said sternly and Lilith looked down.

"I….. Eda," Lilith said and Eda sighed and looked at her.

"That's not why I'm here, that book Luz brought back? How many others like that have been petrified for being 'Wild Witches' with that as the only crime to their name?" Eda asked and Lilith looked at her before looking down and looked at her hands.

"I don't know, they haven't used the machine that much," Lilith said and Eda raised an eyebrow at her and looked at her in confusion.

"But all the statues outside….." Eda began and Lilith snorted.

"Fakes made by Construction Magic specialists in the Emperor's Coven, in fact, I once found out that only half of the statues outside the Conformatorium were even based off real witches who were petrified, the others are those who preferred to die standing but we put on a show that they were petrified," Lilith said and Eda grimaced, a strange look in her eyes that Lilith missed. "The total number of petrified isn't based on those statues, and even then maybe at most half of them were Wild Witches."

"Only half? But then who are the others?" Eda demanded and Lilith couldn't meet her eyes.

"Criminals who were offered death or petrification, but only at Belos's choice in who it is offered. The last time he offered….. it was to the former Blight Patriarch when it was discovered he was holding his wife captive in an insane asylum in a Potion-based coma," Lilith said Eda looked at her in shock.

"Wait, what? Odalia's old man did what? Man, I knew that bitch was something but her old man was where she got it from?" Eda asked and Lilith looked down and stared into space.

"Officially she wasn't involved, but well I didn't believe it completely. I took Amity under my wing a few years later because of a few things. One; I thought she might need a proper female role model and two I wanted to make sure that she didn't become a complete doll for Odalia like she tried to do to our under classmates back in school, she was driven, and finally because I saw you in her," Lilith said and Eda snorted.

Eda looked at Lilith and winced. Lilith was carrying a lot of pain and guilt for the curse she had used, and part of Eda was happy her sister was feeling it, but a bigger part of her was just sad. Her circle of friends, true friends who stood by her after the curse and when Lilith went to the Emperor's coven were small, and she stayed away from them because of how she didn't want her curse form to hurt them in the early days of living on her own. Lilith it seemed had thrown herself into fixing her mistake and whenever she spoke to her old friends they mentioned that Lilith was always distant and seemed to be carrying a weight on her shoulders that seemed to be keeping her from living, all this time she had been around them she was still carrying it.

"After what Odalia's dad did to her mother I'm surprised your old boyfriend never divorced her ass or came to you for help," Eda said bluntly and Lilith looked down and away. Eda looked at her in confusion and then winced at a stray thought that made Lilith's actions all those years ago make more sense. "Lilly, don't tell me you wanted to win because you thought it might cause his parents to let you two date each other again?"

"Odalia beat me and then Alador's parents forced him to dump me, I thought if I proved myself strong then they might….. everyone was leaving me, I wanted to protect my world, " Lilith said as she looked away and Eda just stared at her sister as she understood why Lilith had gone to the night market looking for a curse in the first place, and part of her hated the events that led to it.

"Oh Lilly," Eda said with a sigh as she shook her head and just held her sister.

"You shouldn't do this, I cursed you! For thirty years I ruined your life because of what I did! And all because I let my fears tempt me!" Lilith said as she started to cry as Eda held her and shushed her.

"Yeah, but I did enough pranks in the day when you were caught in the splash zone and you thought it would just make me sick for a day at most. I can understand why the heart makes you do things that you wouldn't do normally, I really can," Eda said softly and smirked. "But I'm officially the only one of us who thinks things through now! I mean a curse affects my ability to do magic, and then add how the coven system restricts how witches do magic, what does that equal? Why would I run from you all these years?"

"I never thought of it that way," Lilith said, blushed and looked away. "Eda, the scroll that I used to originally curse you, it's hidden in the yard of our childhood home, I buried it there in a box I bought from the Construction Coven."

Eda went still and thought about what had happened to their hometown, and then how she was weakened so much and what that scroll might be able to do to them.

"Oh Titan, and the last I heard that whole town was evacuated because of an invasion of Feral Demons! One of the few good things the Militia did in the last decade at least!" Eda said and Lilith shuddered.

"It was worst than that, much worse. Belos never let us tell people and the Coven was tasked to change memories to make that the truth didn't get out. And the last I heard at least two Rex Classes were living in the old Scarpoint mansion," Lilith said and Eda sighed and shook her head.

"TWO REXS!? Oh wonderful, where'd they come from?" Eda moaned as she slapped her face as she considered how they would handle this problem in what they needed to get the scroll.

A Feral Demon Rex; those were the most powerful of all the Feral Demons. Those things were true monster, every one of them was a mutation of the basic breeds, why they appeared was a mystery, and some of them were so powerful that Belos himself had to kill them where they attacked, but what was worse was that some of them could gather other Feral Demons to them and control them, making the Feral Demons follow their commands, a phenonium that was called a Demonic Horde. Eda had only faced a Demonic Horde twice in all her years, once she had helped people escape and the other she had found it in the wilderness and she had only watched it pass.

And of Rex Demons she had only faced ten, most of the time she ran away from them, but she had given most of them a good thrashing, killing one on her own, the mark of how she was considered the strongest Witch on the Boiling Island.

"No idea, it just came out of nowhere while we were trying to get people to safety, we were originally there to deal with a few Trolls that were particularly…..active during mating season. And then somehow this horde appeared, it was led by a Rex that was originally a Scorpotaur according to the reports. It was said to be at least twenty feet tall at least, and it could fire acid from its mouth and bolts of energy from its claws."

"Wait, one of those things? I tore off the right arm of one of 'Rex like that about two months after! And this one was thirty feet tall, I saw it kill a Grand Griffen, then it saw me and wanted Owl Lady pie for desert but I showed it! Still got some of the carapace somewhere around here, the meat was epically tasty fried!" Eda said and Lilith blinked and looked at her sister in shock only for Eda to stare into space. Lilith could only look at her sister, if that was true then she deserved to boast that she was one of the strongest Witches on the Island. "Still is the original Rex stay there?"

"No, it was supposedly killed a few months later but by then the two Rexes had moved in. The Emperor's Coven reported that the Rexes were content to hunt other Wild Demons and after everyone escaped it from the last few reports about it I've seen before…." Lilith said then she went still and looked at her sister. "Wait, wasn't there a humantoligst living there, their name is escaping me but it's something that starting with a C or an N?"

"A humantoligst, in our town? I think I would have heard about him," Eda said absently and Lilith nodded.

"No, I think his name was Beelzebic, I think…. Yes, I'm sure of it! And he wasn't on the list of people who were evacuated before the Coven pulled out, so if his home is still there in one piece, maybe he had a portal or something" Lilith said and Eda looked at her with a scowl and Lilith looked away. "And before you say anything, I was at the Head helping to calm people down while a serial murder was on the loose; Kikimora was in charge of the operation in our old town."

"Well, can't blame you for that then," Eda said and she looked up and away from her sister. So I was right, it is him…great. I mean this is a good chance for me to teach the kids about potions and how…to….. Wait a second. Eda thought and looked at her sister with a cold look on her face. "Sis, let's argue a point. Potion Magic is just how to use a cauldron to make a liquid that then uses their own properties to interact with the bile sack of whoever drinks it to cause a magical effect, right?"

"Yes…..where are you going with this?" Lilith asked as Eda started to glare towards Belos's castle, Lilith was starting to feel worried about what

"Then, the witches in question don't use magic to do anything, what does the Coven Mark do to Potion Track Witches then?" Eda asked and Lilith looked at Eda as her mouth opened and closed and her eyes went wide and gasped.

"I don't know. I never even thought about it….. most of the spells we learned in the Potions track are just uses for basic magic to heat liquids, and then there are the books on 'Cooking Magic', most people can buy them whenever they want!" Lilith said as she looked at her sister who nodded, a scowl forming on her face.

"Titan damn him, is the Potions Coven the opposite of the Emperor's Coven, they can't use any magics beyond the basics!?" Eda demanded and Lilith looked at her and swallowed.

"I don't know, I mean I truly don't," Lilith said and looked down at her hands. If this is true then…..what have I been defending for fifteen years, what did I want to join so long ago? Why didn't I ever stop and think, it's like when I cursed her so long ago. Lilith thought with a grim expression as Eda scowled.

"Titan I knew the bastard rubbed me the wrong way, but this? I need to talk to somebody about this, I could be wrong but maybe…" Eda said as she looked at Lilith and frowned as she saw the look on her sister's face, she was spiraling again and Eda knew it was Lilith's worst trait.

She hoped her sister had found a way around it but giving everything Eda really wondered if she shouldn't try and stop her from going too far down the hole.

Eda felt a surge within her and looked down looked at her gemstone and saw the darkness within it pulse and saw feathers sprout from her arm. Eda looked at Lilith and saw black feathers start to sprout from her arm and cursed. "Lilly, our curses!"

Lilith looked down at her arms and her eyes widened in horror as Eda got up and moved towards a box with Lilith followed behind as more black feathers sprouted from her neck. As Eda opened the box she brought out two potions and started to guzzle one as she handed Lilith the other one. Swallowing it Lilith saw the feathers fall off as she breathed a sigh of relief as she felt her magic calm down.

Eda sighed and looked at Lilith as she felt her magic stop and looked at Lilith as she looked towards a clock and frowned. That's the time? I don't understand, this is the same time that Belos likes to have those experiments…. Could the curse be linked to magic surges? Or is it connected or sensitive to them? Lilith wondered as Eda closed her eyes.

Eda smiled as she felt the rush of the potion hitting her, and sighed in relief as the familiar feeling came through her as it worked its 'magic'. As she heard Lilith sigh in relief she knew it worked the same as it had her and smirked, for a few moments she had been worried if the potion would work on her sister, but she was glad it did.

As she opened her eyes to look at her sister she saw the way her eyes looked and how she held herself, and she knew that Lilith was grappling with something. For a moment Eda wondered if she should press her but decided against it, after the talk they had just had and Lilith's first brush with the curse she didn't want to stress her sister more than she had been so far. But with her, Luz and King going to the school today she needed Lilith to do something, and with the way the last week had been it was for the better that someone did it and with the rest of them busy that left Lilith

"Listen Lilith, I want you to put up a few things around the forest today around the house, tell Hooty to give you some of his eye things, he'll know what I mean," Eda said and Lilith looked at her in confusion.

"Eye things?" Lilith asked and Eda grinned.

"You'll see, I'll explain when I get back okay?" Eda asked and Lilith nodded, her mind still wondering what the curse really was and how the potion helped them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Edric sighed as he came down from his room and sighed. Last night was a nightmare and after everything, he still didn't know what he would do when he saw their father but he hoped he had a few days to think about it at least. I want to think that dad was at my bed that night, but if he was home then who was I talking to all night? As he reached the ground floor he looked around and smiled, creating a spell circle that created an Illusion of three ravens that flew about the room before he chuckled.

Those little tricks that he had used to bring joy to others was something that he always loved to do. He thought about looking into the Artifact aspect of the Construction Track since Bump had started that multi-track program and he knew Mittens was looking into Healing, but something was keeping them back, someone more likely.

There were spells to keep their mother from knowing what tracks they were taking by changing their uniform colors, but something was keeping him back from it, something was bothering him. But all in all, he thought he saw a good future ahead of them all, and new joys to be had as they showed Luz all that their home had to offer that she had missed not growing up here.

However, all thoughts went away as he walked into the dining room and saw his father eating a small breakfast, his jacket on his chair, and the way his face was showing that he had stayed out all night.

"Good morning Edric, how was school yesterday?" Aldor asked and Edric sat down at the other end of the table and when his food was summoned before him he started to eat, staying quiet as he did so.

"Fine dad, a little bit of trouble at lunch for a friend of mine but nothing too bad… say where's mom?" Edric asked and Alador sighed.

"She's at her office at the company, something about a new project she wanted to get started on," Alador said as he looked at Edric and frowned. He wasn't the best father, he knew that but even he could see that something was bothering his son.

Edric looked at his father and sighed and looked away. "Dad…. When I broke my leg you stayed with me the first night, right?"

"Yes. Remember how that Healer in the room across was chased out by the patient's mother, how she said she wouldn't let a quack care for her baby, and the Healer had a beak?" Aldor said before the two of them started to laugh madly.

"Yeah, and then I said that woman had to have been a hunter, cause of how she screeched she was going to have roasted chicken for supper?" Edric gasped out as he and his father laughed.

As Edric looked at his father he tried to figure out how to bring it up and keep his father from knowing that something was bothering hum but he failed and decided to just ask him point-blank as it were.

"Dad… remember how Amity and Willow stopped being friends all those years ago?" Edric began and Aldor nodded.

"Yeah, and I still don't know what happened….. Guthrum broke my noise for that and I probably would have done the same if our positions were reversed," Aldor said with a sigh.

He didn't know what happened but he missed his old friends that he met through the Hexes-Hold'em club from his schooling. He, Eda, Guthrum, Robert, and Lilith had been a great team, they had won the interschool tournament for Hexsides every year but their last one, with him leaving early, Eda being cursed and dropping out, Lilith going to the Emperor's Coven, and Robert going towards the Foot as part of a colonization mission that failed, but Willow had been born there so maybe it was worth it in the end.

As Alador looked into his memories he didn't see Edric look at him funny and seemed to wrestle with something as he sat there.

As Edric looked at his father, he tried to figure out what to say, but he couldn't

"Ed, if you know something you think I should know, please tell me," Alador said softly. Edric looked down at his plate and sighed, shaking his head as he grappled with what he should do before deciding to dive in head first.

"Amity says you were here, during that party, and that both you and mom said if she didn't drop Willow as her friend then you two would both make sure that Willow wouldn't be admitted into Hexside!" Edric bit out and Alador blinked, looking at his son completely shocked and sure that he hadn't heard him right.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you right Ed… did you say that Odalia and I were here during her party and said what?" Alador asked Edric nodded and looked away, still fighting with something and Alador felt even more worried about what Edric could know that he didn't.

As he looked at his son, Edric took a deep breath and pushed on before he lost his nerve.

"Yeah and Amity's hair? Mom made her die it," Edric said and Aldor looked at him before he suddenly got a look of such rage on his face.

"She did what?" Aldor said heavily and Edric moved away and looked at him as he swallowed.

Aldor could only stare at his son as rage went through him and he clenched his cup so tight he cracked it. As it fell to the ground he was lost in his thoughts, all of his rage dying down as he saw Edric stare at him in concern and a tiny bit of fear that almost caused him to feel more shame.

"I'm fine son, sorry," Alador said bitterly with a sigh. Edric looked at his father, he was always someone Edric could look up to and

"Dad….. why did you marry her? I mean she's all about the Blight name and all, I wouldn't be surprised if she can even feel normal emotions," Edric said and Alador sighed and shook his head.

Alador almost spoke but he just looked away, but not before Edric saw old pain in his father's eyes that almost caused Edric to get up and hug him.

"It's complicated boyo, don't tell your sisters we talked about this, I need to talk to a few people and look into a few things," Alador said softly and got up, drinking the rest of his cup before walking out of the room.

Edric looked at the door and sighed, somehow he knew that this was going to be very complicated before it was over. If that wasn't enough he was still feeling terrible about how he had never seen what Amity was going through because of their mother. As he ate he wondered how this all could have slipped by him over the years, maybe he didn't want to see it, maybe he and Em should have treated Mittens better than they had.

"Sometimes I wonder if we're really her kids," He muttered as he sighed and looked down at his food.

A few moments later Emeria and Amity walked into the room and he grinned and looked up at his sisters, a look in his twin's eyes caused him to feel a hint of laughter bubbling up, with his family he never had to worry about belonging to anything else.

XXXXXXXXX

Luz blinked and looked around as she woke up, seeing her room and King sleeping by her side. For a few moments, she just sat there smiling before she paled and her hands shot to her ears and she realized that yesterday hadn't been a dream. She might have put up a good mask but she was still bothered by what she had learned, but this explained so much about her. Why she loved this world so much, when she had first woken up here on her first day sleeping here, it was like she was finally home, and now she understood why. As she sighed a knocking on the door caused her to look up as Eda opened the door and poked her head in.

"Hey kiddo, Lilith and I are done with the shower, you take yours while I'll get started on breakfast, I was thinking since you can eat anything we can now, I'll start off with some Kelpie sausages and Mandrake muffins, how's that sound?" Eda asked and Luz smiled as King woke up and stretched. Luz grinned and got up, moving towards her morning routine.

As she finished drying her hair after her shower she just sighed as she looked at the mirror, opening her mouth and checking her teeth she tried to figure out if her body had changed a bit more, but her teeth looked the same.

As she walked down the stairs she heard the sounds of the morning getting started, Lilith and Eda needling each other as King laughed. As she walked into the kitchen and saw King happily munching away at a blue-green fruit as Eda kept a plate of white sausages away from Lilith as Hooty looked on from the window. Luz just chuckled a little and smirked as she walked into the kitchen. "Morning all!"

"Morning Luz! I can't wait until you try all this good food!" King said, his voice causing Eda and Lilith to look towards the door, Lilith grabbing a piece of the white meat with a fork and Luz sat down and grinned at them as she looked at everything before her.

As she speared a piece of the sausages she remembered how when she first tried it how it tasted and swallowed before biting into it and her eyes flew open as she tasted it truly for the first time. "SOO GOOD! It's so juicy and it tastes like pepperoni!"

"Yeah, we Elves really love meat kid, well that and seafood really," Eda said happily and Lilith grinned.

"I loved mom's homemade fried Kraken. You know, it's almost their breeding season so the price will be down soon," Lilith said happily and Eda smirked.

"The cove is a good place to harvest them sis, every year I throw down a few nets and freeze what I don't finish!" Eda said and Lilith looked at her in surprise before Eda's face fell. "But it will be a little harder this year."

"I'll learn to do what you did Eda!" Luz offered and Eda grinned and smiled as King drooled from under his skull mask.

"Good, well try the Mandrakes, great with some Rola-spread!" Eda said as she offered Luz a bowl with a pink cream in it.

Luz laughed as she cut her muffin and grinned, while she was sure this would be a change and she needed to talk to her mom when she found her again, but she would deal with them and one day, she would look back at this and laugh.

Later the last of the dishes were put away, Lilith looked at Luz as she pulled her hood up and put a small artifact on it around her neck, one that would keep it in place around her head. I guess that this is something that she'll have to deal with on her own, I mean I don't know how I would react if something like she learned yesterday? If I hadn't known something like this for most of my life then I don't know how I would have handled that. Lilith thought as she put the last of the plates away.

"Come on Luz, King, let's get ready to leave, Lilith I remember what I told you, stay away from the basement, and if you have to go out and make sure you know where Hooty is so he doesn't eat you," Eda said as Lilith went still as she looked at Hooty as he looked back at her with his soulless eyes.

"I'D NEVER EAT LULU!" Hooty called out from the window and Lilith breathed a little easier.

"Yeah, remember everything I told you Lilly, see ya!" Eda said as she led King and Luz out of the Owl House, moments later Lilith saw them fly away on Eda's staff.

"Hooty, Eda said something about eye things?" Lilith asked and Hooty nodded.

"GOT IT LULU, GIVE ME A MINUTE!" Hooty said before he started to throw something up, a moment later a wet sack dropped on the ground outside and Lilith walked out and opened it, seeing inside it small white statues of cycloptic owls with their wings against their body.

"What are these?" Lilith asked as she pulled one out of the bag and looked at it as Hooty grinned.

"MY EXTERNAL EYES, JUST PUT THEM AROUND ME AND I'LL KNOW IF SOMETHING OR SOMEONE IS COMING EVEN IF THEY FLY!" Hooty said and Lilith nodded and walked off, a strange feeling going through her as she suddenly understood another reason why it has always been so hard to get her sister.

XXXXXXXXX

As Bump walked through his school he looked around as the students started to prepare for the festival. As always when this time of year came around, he felt the ghost of the past, the pain he had felt when his home was destroyed, but as new students came around and even as the years went by he still loved the sense of wonder that appeared on the faces of students as they saw the wonders of magic.

As he walked through the school he didn't notice where he was going before he realized he had made it to the front of the door without thinking about it at all. As he looked outside he saw clubs setting up right in front to let everyone see what they were, here and there he saw a few of the Construction students helping to set up the materials and Abominations moving tables around.

Looking out he saw Eda flying towards them and smiled.

"Once more this place is coming alive with the Anniversary, hu Bumpy?" Eda asked with a smirk as Owlbert flew off her staff and landed on her shoulder. As Luz looked around Bump grinned at her, seeing some of his best students in her place for a few moments and smiled, he loved being a teacher

"So this is the festival?" Luz asked as he looked at the students working, spotting Gus and waving at him as he worked with the Human Appreciation Society.

"Partly, all the clubs have area's in the front so they can all be seen by students, the rest of the tracks demonstrations set up in their wings and the gym. We have gusts lectures coming in and next year you can download ballcasts of them from the library once school starts back up by the second week, we keep them up for around two years all in all," Bump said as he turned around and led the way into the school. "Thank you all for making it here so early, and I promise I will write a note if we take too long Luz."

Mattholomule watched the group pass by him and smirked. He was all but officially the Heir now, all he had to do was get her and get the item they were after, then he would be. And he had to admit, for a girl in her early teen years Luz was very cute, with the right training she would be the perfect wife for him one day, a perfect Queen to warm his bed as he ruled.

Mattholomule went into one of the single bathrooms and locked the door as one of his golems appeared at the vent. He formed a violet spellcircle and after the golem shot a light ray at it, and after it hit the spellcircle Mattholomule's mouth dropped open before he started to scowl. He formed another spellcircle, this one brown and sent a ray at the golem and started to growl as he hit the wall with his foot.

"Of course the day before everything goes down someone finds out, and it's one of those losers! I can't believe this!" Mattholomule snarled and looked down at the wall as he went over everything that his spies had seen and passed to the others than to him.

"Centeraboom, Come!" He said as a Centipede made of black rocks with blue gemstones on its back and white collared legs appeared and went towards him and he extended his arm for it to climb up, it went into his sleeve. So you were listening in on me you stupid Healer? Don't worry, the three of us will have a nice long talk! I can't wait. He thought with a grin as he chuckled darkly.

XXXXXXX

Luz stood still as Lady Kalisisa finished casting her spell, stepped back and nodded. As her scroll appeared and she looked at it her eyebrows were raised as she read from it and whistled softly.

"Give it to us straight doc, what's the verdict? Good or bad?" Eda asked as she lounged on a chair and Lady Kalisisa looked at her.

"Interesting in the strange. She's starting to recover as if she was taking these potions for a week, let alone a day, and her bile sack is just about fully active. And all I could tell about her internal organs is that they all seem to be acting like they were never damaged at all, I think the spell was letting them all 'eat' but not work, removing the spell matrix, it's like they were just hibernating, interesting approach. And the feedback from yesterday is almost completely gone. Giver her another week like this and she only might be down half a day at most when she takes the Ear Regrower," Lady Kalisisa said bluntly and shook her head as Bump raised an eyebrow.

"So my subject is in good health?" King asked and Lady Kalisisa nodded as Eda smirked at her housemate.

King might have talked a good game and never said much about his past before Eda and he found each other, but he cared about people and loved the residents of the Owl House, well most of them anyway.

"Yes, I would say she is. I would be happy if she had another few weeks more than one before we fix her ears, she can hear about seventy-five percent normal and with the potions, she'll be at one hundred, her eyes are better and around eighty percent of normal, another few weeks and I think and her sack is going strong, already at around ten percent of normal," Lady Kalisisa said and Eda smiled as she looked at Bump.

"Good, so there aren't any other problems we have to deal with?" Eda asked and Lady Kalisisa shrugged.

"I ordered all the slugs she'll need and we're doing vaccinations for the first years so we'll have one more than I thought. But this was just a quick checkup, I'll head over to the Owl House sometime over the weekend and check everything over, a nice physical," Lady Kalisisa offered and Eda nodded.

"Slugs?" Luz asked with a hint of revulsion and Bump nodded as Eda snickered.

"A subsec of Beast Keeping, the slugs are how we handle infections. Over the years we've bread slugs that have antibodies against every sickness on the island, a few bites, a little blood and you're all set!" Lady Kalisisa said with a smile.

"Hu. And they're always successful? No side effects?" Luz asked with a shudder.

"Yes and no, but the worst is having your skin turn a different color for a few hours at most as your bile sack flushes it out. It's interesting, our bile sacks…..and you'll learn all about it and the mechanics behind it next semester," Lady Kalisisa said and Eda grinned.

"What, scared of little worms kid?" Eda asked with a snicker and Luz shook her head.

"No, Humans a few hundred years ago, well the first of the so called 'healers', they used regular slugs to 'treat' humans. They were all charlatans of course but well," Luz said and Lady Kalisisa blushed and looked away.

"Well con artists and fakers are a threat in both worlds, the stories I could tell you about modern fakes, why I helped run off more fakes last year

"Medical conmen, the shame of the conman profession," Eda said with a disgusted tone.

"I remember what you did to that Demon when he tried to get you to help him a few years ago, I think he ran for the Mouth and hasn't even sent a word back this way," King said as he peaked out of Eda's hair.

Bump looked up at King and smiled at him. "And here is the budding demonologist himself, just who I wanted to talk to. I don't normally let people give lectors with checking them out, but after your 'students' scored so well on their tests they really wanted you to come back, so will you mind giving a lector, half rate for being nonunion I'm afraid."

"The King of Demons has heard your request for a lector and will grant it," King said and Bump nodded with a grin on his face as Eda grinned as well as she imagined the snails that his talk would generate.

"Well, I'm happy about that your majesty, I wonder what you'll tell the students to top last time?" Lady Kalisisa asked and Bump perked up.

"Please know you will do three lectors, and it's in lector hall 20 on the third floor. And for a topic, how about rare feral demons, like the Snaggleback? I always saw it as a terror growing up, learning about a threat like that wouldn't be too out there would it?" Bump asked and King stared at him flatly.

"The school used one of them as a decoration for Gorm," King said and Bump blinked and looked at King with shock. "It was the pink monkey hanging off a rope."

Bump dropped into his chair and looked at Eda who shrugged. Then he put his head into his hands as he tried to understand what he had been afraid of for so many years.

Luz giggled a little, the stories that Eda had told about the Snaggleback after the night of her Curse acting up were so terrible and scary, and to think the real Snaggleback was just a pink ape with a shell, she laughed whenever she remembered it.

Eda looked at Bump as he just sat there and looked into space, wondering why and what he had been afraid of through his youth.

"Say Bumpy, I'm going to walk towards the old stomping grounds here and see what's new since I cleaned everything up," Eda said and Bump nodded absently.

"And I'll go and check out the place I will inspire the troops, see you at Lunch Eda!" King called out as he ran out of the office. A moment later the bell for first period sounded and Luz bowed before running off, Eda grinned and followed after her as Bump sighed

"So all my childhood I was scared of a small pink ape, great," Bump muttered as Lady Lady Kalisisa giggled as she walked away.

XXXXXXX

As Lilith hovered down on her staff after she put another of the statues in a tree, she just sighed and looked down. After everything finally the last few days was crashing down around her. She had started the week with everything going for her, a good job and a cure for her mistake, she was now covenless like her sister, Belos was spying on them and all her friends in the Coven would most likely be after her now.

As she got off her staff she suddenly heard the sounds of something moving through the bushes. As she started to feel terror she looked around, calling upon what magic she still had left as she tried and failed to prepare for whatever was coming towards her.

Moments later a Coven guard tripped out of a bush and Lilith almost attacked him before she realized it was Steve.

"Steve!? What are you doing here?!" Lilith demanded as she looked around for anyone else.

"MISS LILITH, I'M SO GLAD YOUR OKAY!" Steve cried out as he hugged her and Lilith patted Steve's shoulder as he cried into her shoulder.

"There, there. It's okay," Lilith said and Steve sniffed as he stepped back.

"Miss Lilith, everything is going crazy! Emperor Belos is acting even more wild than usual and since you and your sister escaped a few days ago Kikimora has been running us all wagged! He's called back the Golden Guard and there's talk of him becoming the new Recruitment Head!" Steve said and Lilith went still as she stared at him shocked.

"THAT BRAT!? WHAT IS BELOS THINKING!" Lilith screamed as she dropped the sack and started to walk back and forth, turning the air blue as she moved.

As Steve looked at her he smiled under his mask as he saw her, happy that whatever happened hadn't destroyed who she was.

"Miss Lilith, what happened? I went away for a few days to kill those trolls and I came back to everything!" Steve demanded and Lilith looked at him in anger.

"Belos betrayed me, not the other way around! I served him and went after my sister so he would cure her, and she only wasn't in a Coven because the curse affects her magic and a coven mark on top of that?" Lilith said with a shudder, the horror that she felt when Eda had told her reasons for not joining a coven, what she had done to her.

"Ouch," Steve whispered in horror and Lilith felt a strange feeling of shame coming through her.

"And it's even worse that you cast it right Miss Lilith?" Steve said and Lilith gasped and Steve looked at her with a tilt of his head like a bird angling in on prey.

"How did you?" Lilith asked and Steve just chuckled.

"Back in my school years, I was a terror, not up to your sister's level but I pranked a few people here and there. Detention track inauguration member right here! I found a secret room in that classroom and I studied what I wanted every year, I took the test for the Emperor's Coven, and everyone but my friends were shocked at how good I was!" Steve said with a smirk in his voice and Lilith looked at him and nodded after a few moments. "But I had a side business as a school investigator and well, whenever I've heard your voice when you talk about how you tried to capture Eda so she can be cured, I knew that you were behind it and I've busted a few curse users over the years, so I put it all together. But I know you, you wouldn't do that to her on purpose."

"You always were good at investigation Steve, but why are you here?"

"That lie about how the Titan decided to spare you all? That was him saving face! My dad, he believed in Belos that the Titan had a plan for everything, if Belos was just using the Titan to take over, then everything I thought I knew is wrong," Steve said with a bit of pain in his voice and Lilith looked at him, her own sense of loss and disillusionment she with Belos was hitting her again and she almost missed something Steve said. "But when I killed those demons to get my target, I found clothing in their lair."

"Who died?" Lilith asked and Steve shook his head.

"No, the clothes weren't eaten, it was like someone changed into something else, like a few of your sister's clothes in the first few years," Steve said and Lilith felt faint.

"Oh my titan," Lilith whispered in horror as she looked at Steve who looked around the trees. When he had made it to the forest he had seen another member of the Coven follow the others toward Hexsides and he had spent about twenty minutes just making sure that there wasn't anyone or anything else watching Lilith before he had moved in and made contact with her.

"Listen boss, the others in the old command called me, old Harry is acting wrong like he's under a 'Vow' and it's eating him up, I think there's a lot that Belos hasn't told people or the other groups, I think their up to terrible things," Steven said fearfully and Lilith looked at him in confusion, not understanding for a few moments. Harold Venofixs was a Demonic Harpy witch who was old, he used to be under Lilith's old mentor before he retired after she had moved to her former position only Steve had gone with her, the others in her old squad had all gone away, Harry had gone to one of the roaming hunting squads and the fact that he might be under an Unbreakable Vow was concerning, he hated them and but if someone had forced him into one then they would pay.

Steve meanwhile looked at Lilith as she absorbed what he told her and dealt with the fact that Belos went back on his word. Belos's agreements were one of the ways that he had gained power in the early years, and if he was willing to go against that part of his rule then what else would he do? Kikimora was so far up Belos's ass that she smelled his farts first, and the others? The Golden Guard was always seemed to be willing to do anything for him and the others were after bettering their standing and raising their power higher.

"Miss Lilith, what can we do? I mean if he was willing to go against his word and use the Titan's name to cover himself from looking weak, then what wouldn't he do?" Steve asked with a note of horror in his voice and Lilith nodded with a hard look in her eyes.

"Steve, I'm going to head to the old base we used three days after the Festival, the abandoned complex near the Left Thigh. Gather anyone you think has a problem with Belos's going back on his word or doubts about anything he's done, we'll all have a long talk about it," Lilith said and Steve nodded, happy that Lilith's thoughts were of the same that his were.

XXXXXXXXX

Luz made it into the Construction homeroom and saw Professor Longrix finishing up some paperwork and smiled when he saw her come in as the bell 'screamed', and the other students started to look up, most of them smiling as they saw her. The only person who didn't react favorably was a tall Elven witchling with pale skin, black hair in a wolf's tail with a patch on his right shoulder of a red claw.

"Nice to see you're okay Luz," A male triclops with tan skin and the Construction track uniform with white hair in spikes said as the rest of them nodded.

"Wish I was there to give Skara a talking to! I mean really, using a new spell on the field without practice? I swear some Witches," A female harpy with black feathers on her arms and black hair said with a huff.

"Okay settle down everyone, settle down! Now today's free, but I have two jobs to hand out. I need somebody to do some non-magic work this period….volunteers anyone?" Longrix asked and the Elf with the red claw patch spoke up.

"Why not the human, no magic and all," He said and the others all looked at him with glares, Luz just shrugged.

"I'm good with it Professor, really," Luz said and the others all looked at her with various looks from resigned, pity to anger at what she was being forced to do.

"Then if you are Luz then you're on Messenger duty. It would normally be one of my second levels handling it but they're all working on a mirco-house design for the festival, I need you to take the top one to the office, the next to the janitors, and finally the last one over to the Bard ring, it's for that Sound-slinger over there to sign off of us rebuilding the stage for our first class project next semester, I'll need that one back by the end of the day," Longrex said and handed over a clipboard with three stacks of papers on it. Luz looked it over as Longrex shrugged and looked at the rest of his class. "And for the rest of you, with all your tests done, today is a Free-day for you all! But I need one of you to help me out during the festival, so decide among yourselves, and it can't be Luz because she's already doing something for the Track."

Longrix looked at Luz as she left and sighed, shaking his head and smiling in her direction as the others muttered to themselves as the patch-wearing elf scowled and grumbled.

"Since Jacklor volunteered Luz, how about he does that professor?" The harpy student asked and the patch-wearing elf looked at her with anger in his eyes and the others all muttered agreements. Longrix nodded and looked at Jacklor as he tried and failed to keep his anger off his face.

Todd ran towards his class, hating that he was late but smiled when he saw Luz walking out of the wing and stopped, smiling as she reached him.

"Luz, I was worried about you, you handling what happened yesterday okay?" Todd asked and Luz nodded at her friend.

"Yeah Todd, she did me a favor," Luz said and Todd looked at her with his mouth open, a Cyclops expression of total shock, like how humans and elves did with raised eyebrows.

"Really? Wait what are you doing here?" Todd asked and Luz nodded.

"Jacklor volunteered me for this so you don't want to be volunteered yourself," Luz said before she ran off.

Todd watched her go and shook his head, Luz was something else and she was someone he respected and considered a friend, but she was so upbeat. "You made a mark here girl, let nobody ever tell you otherwise."

XXXXXXX

As Luz ran through the halls she saw other witches, a mix of Elven and Demonics moving about with their own business and she smiled as she overheard a few conversations from farther away than she ever had before as she ran. Since she woke up she had experienced a new dimension to her senses, she could see things better and her hearing had gone deeper and she loved it! And as she moved through the school she heard a soft harmony, like background music coming from the Bard wing and she wondered if this was why most people always considered the free rooms near the Bard Wing prime places to hang out during free periods. I mean I was able to hear so many beautiful sounds by just opening the windows last night, but this is amazing! But back on earth, it must be so loud and the way Eda sends…..sent Owlbert that must have been why she never went herself. Titan mom, what are you dealing with over there? She thought as she ducked under a banner two students in the Bard Track from the upper years were hanging up.

She heard the sounds of something coming towards her and ducked without a thought, as she looked up after it passed she saw it was a Grudgbyb ball and watched as it ripped a hole in the banner. At a laugh, she looked around and saw Bosha and knew who threw it without a doubt.

"Hey human, you okay there?" Bosha called out in an evil tone and Luz glared at her.

"Just fine Bosha, thanks for asking," Luz said dryly and looked at her classmate and shook her head. Bosha might have been the head of the Grudgyby team but when she attacked Willow and Luz when she had a chance, it always seemed so fake to her. It still did but now to Luz's new senses it was like she was just going through the motions, acting out but not even caring about what she was saying….like something was making her act this way.

Today she was with a small group from the Potion track and most of them were carrying heavy loads, some of them putting them down with exasperated looks at what Bosha had done as the two students from the Bard track started to fix the banner, one of them looking at Bosha in anger. Luz was friends with most of the kids in the group, and the few she didn't call friends she called classmates. Bosha was one of the few students in the school in her grade level that she didn't like much and even then she was very low on the list, not like some of the others.

"So you sure you should be here after what happened to you yesterday human?" Bosha asked and the other Potion students looked up, most of them loving gossip and what happened to her was a prime source of drama.

"I'm fine Bosha, Lady Kalisisa gave me a clean bill of health. Thanks for being worried about me!" Luz said pleasantly and Bosha glared back as she tried to figure out a comeback.

"So what did happen to you, Bump said it was something that you got a long time ago according to Skara," Bosha needled Luz who looked around and saw a few students looking at her, the gossip about her having passed out must have made the rounds and they wanted a continuation, and for a moment she wanted to pull her hood down but decided not to, best to save that card for next term.

"Yeah…. It was an old injury that healed all right but it was left a little raw and some scared tissue…. I can't explain it, human ways to heal verse witch ways. Say where is Skara anyway, I have to thank her for what happened, the way Lady Kalisisa said it she might have saved my life," Luz said as she looked around and Bosha's mouth dropped open and looked at her in shock, not expecting that reply from the human as the others around her caught onto to what Luz had said and some were shaking their heads in wonder.

"The professor tapped her for help going over the end-of-year inventory and checking what needs to be repaired," One of the Bard track students called out and Luz waved at her.

"Thanks," Luz said and thought about her schedule for the day. I can head over there and help out when I'm done with this, thank her, see if I can help out. She thought as Bosha tried to find a comeback but falling off, Luz just shrugged and walked off.

"Thanks, I need to get there anyway but thanks. See you at Potions for last period Bosha!" Luz said as she moved towards the Bard Homeroom.

"That human!" Bosha growled under her breath as she watched Luz walk away, a scowl forming on her face. She couldn't understand, ever since Luz came to the school she had challenged everything Bosha thought she knew about the way of the world. And most people would have used any excuse to miss a day of work, but Luz was here and happy about it.

"Hey Bosha, can we go, please? You're the only one of us who knows where the booth is and I want my spare day once we're done!" One of the other Potion students said and Bosha looked back, seeing all of them glare at her before she nodded and walked off.

XXXXX

Bo looked at Gus as he put the finishing touches on their exhibit and grinned as he looked around at the other members of the group. He had been voted back to his old position at the last meeting and he was surprisingly okay with it. She looked at Math as he kept an eye on her and she swallowed. "Hey, Gus….."

"There you are Bo! I need some help with another artifact that my mom got me from a town on the way to the Head, supposedly a suite of human armor from the last Human Witch War! Mind helping me move it? I don't want to damage it." Mattholomule asked suddenly.

"Really?! Oh my Titan, that's amazing! I'll come too!" Gus said and Mattholomule shook his head.

"You need to be here and protect our spot from the other clubs, they'll take our spot!" Mattholomule said and Gus just sighed and shook his head and chuckled a little.

"That might be how Glandus does it, but we don't do it at Hexsides!" Gus said and Mattholomule looked at him and Gus sighed. "But as President I'll let it stand and watch over this place, go and help him Bo."

Bo nodded shakily and followed after Mattholomule as they walked towards the school, she moved her hand towards her pockets. As they moved through the crowds of students setting up the fair for tomorrow, Bo hoped that she would be able to get away this done without Mattholomule figuring out she had seen him yesterday. When they reached the loading dock Mattholomule led the way into a dark room and Bo looked around, trying to find the package.

"Where is it?" Bo asked and Mattholomule pointed farther in. Bo looked and saw a large crate about five feet tall and two wide, she whistled and looked at it, wondering what kind of history that it had been part of, what kind of beings had used or fought it.

"You know what I love about Construction Magic? It lets you control the ground!" Mattholomule snarled and formed a spell circle and suddenly the ground Bo was standing on turned into quicksand. As Bo turned and started to form a spell something jumped onto her arm and shocked her.

"Nice isn't it? That shocks you whenever I want it to," Mattholomule said arrogantly and looked at Bo who looked back at him.

"You know I saw you," She whispered and Mattholomule grinned at her.

"Yes, I do. So here's how it's going to go, you'll stay quiet and maybe I'll let you keep that arm of yours in one piece," Mattholomule said bluntly and then gestured toward a large crate and grinned at her. "So get to work and get that crate back out front."

XXXXX

Luz moved towards the Bard track and smiled as she heard the music even clearer and she looked up at the small crystal balls set in the ceiling and nodded. So that's where the music is coming from, I wonder… if that's the case that explains my grades, this has been my worst subject… and I can't sing a note to save my life…don't tell me that changed too? Luz thought as she looked around and walked until she bumped into someone, both of them falling to the floor.

"Watch where you're going… Luz," Skara said shakily as she looked up and saw Luz. She winced as she saw Luz the Human stand up after picking up a clipboard and smiled at Skara.

"Hey Skara, I was hoping to see you today!" Luz said with a smile and Skara shook as she stared at Luz. She didn't want to admit it but when Willow had gone 'plant crazy' when she had switched tracks, and Luz with her glyphs were a nightmare with her glyphs, after what she had done by accident anyone else would have attacked her by now. Some of that might have shown on her face because Luz winced. "Hey, don't worry I'm not going to hurt you or anything!"

"Why, I almost killed you! I mean a witch might have been perfectly fine falling like that but humans are a lot frailer! I mean…" Skara began only for Luz to start chuckling and smirking a bit.

"Not as frail as you think," Luz interrupted her.

"Huh?" Skara asked and Luz looked around and saw a few students looking at them, some of their ears seemed to twitch and she knew they were listening in on them and she sighed.

"Look, can you get away and come to the Owl House tomorrow? And would you mind taking an Oath when you're there not to tell anyone what I'll tell you?" Luz asked and Skara nodded.

"Yeah, but I don't know how to get there," Skara said and Luz smiled.

"Ask Amity to take you there, I gotta go and talk to a teacher," Luz said as she walked off.

Skara watched her go, a million feelings going through her, she reached out before letting her arm fall away. Skara's parents had been so happy that she had hurt Luz, so happy that it was only her bard training that let Skara keep her composer before going to her room and activating a spell to isolate all sounds within it to have a breakdown.

What followed was an hour-long episode where she looked over everything she knew, every lesson she had and learned from her parents, how she interacted with people and in the end, she came to the decision she didn't like the person her parents were trying to make of her.

She loved her magic and experimenting with it, she liked to build her own instruments, and trying to get magical effects from her creations, it was like nothing she could put into words. Luz was a creative person, the way she talked about music from the Human world was something, the way she describes the different types of music, a lot of the other Bards in the track loved to listen to some of her songs on her scroll-like artifact and she wouldn't like a school where Luz wasn't around. She knew that she had to talk to Luz about what she had overheard that morning; she had to be warned about what Odalia Blight was planning!

But for now, she had to get the end-of-semester report to the front office, and then she would go from there.

XXXXXXX

Eda walked through the school, a smile on her lips as she saw the rooms of the Potion Track, rooms that held great memories, and this time of year was what she loved best of her time here. As she headed towards the Potion wing she smiled, remembering all the escapades she and her group of friends had gotten into, from her pranks to the time their Hexes Hold club won an award.

"Eda, what are you doing here?" A voice caused Eda to turn and see Viney looking at her with relief on her face.

"Beast Healer, hey what's up girl?" Eda asked and Viney grinned a little.

"It's great that you're here, can you follow me please?" Viney asked and Eda shrugged and followed after her. They never noticed that they were being watched by a small demon with a beak and green hair being held in the arms of a purple Abomination.

"What is that criminal doing here? Titan help me she's with that brat who's a friend of that magic mixing heretic. I wonder what they're doing here? Follow Abomination!" The Demon barked and his Abomination moved after them, the Demon fuming. And my protégée failed to win that room, so he has it for the first two months of school next semester! That scum, how can his monstrosities stay strong even when I'm stacking the deck against him with that special mixture I covered the battleground with, it should have made his weaker than his, but how did it stand so strong?! He thought as his Abomination carried him around the corner, only for Eda and Viney to be gone, as the Demon looked around he never noticed a door to a janitor's closet was partly open on the right side of the hallway.

XXXXXX

"Well that battle was almost as terrible as I thought my last one for the semester would be but and I can't believe that my prototype was able to hold its own so well against his," Jerbo said as he looked over the Abomination he had shown Amity the other day and smiled at it. With the combatative nature of the Abomination track and how most students lose their lab sooner or later, the fact Jerbo had kept his for so long had made him a target for the other students with a Spell to sling and the person who challenged him for this room in the first place was still giving him trouble, even though Jerbo had been the one challenged with his fate in the Track on the line. I can't believe with how often I beat him he thought that by just giving his Abomination longer arms I would lose. Still, at least I'll be able to keep this until the second month of the next semester before I have to fight off Challengers again and I might have been right that the Professor is tutoring them after all giving how he reacted when I won he thought my creation would have lost, but why this time? He thought as he looked at his Abomination and frowned as he saw something. However, the thought died when he heard the sounds of barfing behind him that caused him to look at his three 'Pot Abominations' and saw one of them release the rainbow water into the cauldrons before it and he just sighed.

"I still want to know just what to do to keep them from doing that." He muttered as he and looked around his lab and smiled. Still, after everything that's happened I sometimes think this was all a dream, I mean after I was sent to the Detention Track I never even thought I would make it here. And I had no idea that combat played such a big part of the Track if you want to experiment here. He thought bitterly as looked at one of the books he had to he had taken out to help him learn a bit more about Abomination combat and control from the library.

After he had made his first Abomination and learned about the combat portion of the Track he had to defend his rights for some of the rarer materials and after he had won a special batch of Abomination Goo he had won this room since the Witch he had fought had used it before their duel and wagered it. The labs in the wing were for either groups or individuals depending on who controlled it, and anything that was in the lab if it was wagered when the bet was made became the property of the winner, from mixtures, recipes, materials or equipment.

Jerbo had been a good winner and let the Witch take all his possession but the industrial-grade cauldron from it before he took the room over. And since then that idiot had attacked him with custom Abominations that he could have sworn were at the edge of breaking the mixing magic statue that Jerbo's opponent said was why he was fighting in the first place, and he was sure that the Professor was helping him do it too!

As he looked at the smaller cauldrons in front of his three Planter Abominations he cast a spell and saw that all of his plants were ready for harvest, frowning he recast the spell and felt that same thing he had before and sighed. He walked over to his desk and wrote down what he found in his journal and looked over the records before he looked back at his three Abominations. I was right, they are growing faster than normal… this could be something for what I'm doing after all! I wanted to make these to let what we grow move away from danger and help defend the farm, but this might be…bad. He thought as he looked around at his creations, a terrible feeling going through him as he looked into what could be and wondering what his vision and work and made.

"…So plant goop is around here? You know I never found this doorway." Eda's voice came from the door to the Passageway and Jerbo looked up and smiled as Viney walked through first, Eda right behind her and waved at him and looked at the Abominations, whistling as she saw the plants growing on their heads.

"Eda, hey. It's great to see you and thanks for coming." Jerbo said and Eda snorted and looked back at him. She shook her head and looked around the lab, noticing that it was a lot like the potion lab she had used back when she went to Hexsides.

"Hey, for one of those who followed in my footsteps this isn't anything at all! So what was it you wanted me to see?" Eda asked and Jerbo moved towards his three Abominations and looked at them.

"Originally I wanted you to look at something for me, but my plants are ready to harvest a lot sooner than I ever thought would be possible," Jerbo said and cast a spell directing each of his Abominations to each climb up a step ladder to stand above a grating and then they started to come apart, each of their fluid bodies breaking apart and flowing through the grates to pipes and then into three cauldrons that they slowly started to reconstitute in their former shapes, but above the grating were the plants that had been growing in his creations.

"Well, my first harvest. Emberroots, Dwaqs and some Shorlins." Jebro said as he pointed towards the drain where with a magma collared root, a small purple vine with green berries on them and a few pieces of what looked like purple grass. "I wanted someone to look over them, make sure they're safe to eat you know."

Eda only nodded and summoned a bag and put them into three separate compartments and looked at Jerbo and smirked. I still can't believe that old Bumpy is willing to let these kids followed my desire to study everything, but then this kid was one of those who found my old lair… with luck these kids will change the Island. She thought as she smirked at Jerbo. "So I'll look over them, and I'll let you know how they taste if they can be eaten. But shouldn't you have looked into that before, you are on the plant track?"

"Not really, see I was trying to make Abominations that could grow plants and hide in among field to ambush raiders when I set out and I'm a little behind in my identifying spells," Jerbo said looked down as Eda raised an eyebrow.

"Raiders…. You're not from the Left Hand are you?" Eda asked and whistled as Jerbo shook his head.

"No the Right. And the stories about sea raiders are understated…the towns there pay a lot to get supplies through and when the wild sea demons attack and kill, only the strongest towns and families can hold them off." Jerbo said and looked away and scowled. "I lost friends to those things."

"Sorry. So this is all to have better guard Abomination or get a better harvest?" Ed asked and Jerbo nodded after a few moments.

"Yeah. Abomination Controllers and the best guards from the coven are expensive, I've heard of Farms that go broke paying them before the harvest…. If I can make my vision a reality then my family and will have guards that can act as beds for our crops and can protect the fields….and I will do everything to help my family." Jerbo said and looked away, wondering how Eda would react to that, and was surprised when she clapped a little. Looking up at her he saw a proud smile on her face as Viney beamed at him.

"Nice and those scaly bastards deserve everything and more. Titan, I'd throw Belos at them if I could." Eda said with a shudder.

"You…. Experienced them then." Jerbo said and Eda nodded grimly.

"Yeah kid, a few years after I left school really," Eda admitted and looked away and clapped her hands. "But enough doom and gloom! What else do you want me to check out for you?"

"This," Jerbo said and brought out a beaker filled with a clear liquid that gained a rainbow glow as soon as he brought it into the light of the sun. Eda went still as soon as she saw it, her mouth dropping open as her eyes widened, but Jerbo never noticed it as he looked at the vial.

"This was part of what I wanted you to look into for me. I don't want to bring it to my professor because while he grades me fairly he doesn't like what I do with my creations," Jerbo said and Viney shook her head.

"My teachers are good with me, a few of the advanced Beast Keeping spells are for healing the beasts we look after and I've used what I've learned in Healing to spot a few diseases and infections among the school's beasts here and there before their too bad, they've even been talking about having the main Track Healing check out the beasts every few weeks to practice diagnosis spells," Viney said and Jerbo nodded and smirked at his friend.

Viney and Jerbo had talked about what they both wanted at the end of everything with their magics, and Viney just wanted to use Feral Demons or Magical Beasts to help people, she was always talking about training Griffins to help and how Puddles carried the basic stuff like bandages and such in its second stomach.

"Wait, you made this!? Are you saying you made this by accident!?" Eda asked with a faint edge to her voice and Jerbo nodded as he looked at the old witch in worry. This is impossible… I mean there's no way. But if it is then he might be able to make a potion that would help…. I need to talk to him but if this is it then we might not even need to get the scroll for it! She thought as she looked at the vial in awe.

"Yeah, this is a waste product was created by the spare water from watering my plants…. I always just destroy it after a few days by throwing it into the incinerator," Jerbo said and at Eda's gasped as Jerbo and Viney watched her pale and fall to the floor.

"Eda, what is it?" Viney asked and Eda just stared at Jerbo's Abominations in shock before looking at Jerbo in horror.

"Titan kid, you've been destroying this for how long!? You have no idea what you've made, do you?" Eda asked as she got up and held her head as she laughed madly and her body shook as the sheer insanity of the situation hit her all at once.

"Why, what is it?" Viney asked and Eda sighed and after a few moments, she just laughed and fell onto a stool and held her head. As they watched Eda seemed to be struggling with something and sighed and looked up at them.

"I think it's something called Titan's Blood," Eda said and Jorbo looked down at the liquid in his hands in shock.

"Titan's Blood, does that mean what I think it does?" Jerbo asked as he felt faint as his hand shook. The single greatest component for Abomination creation was a specialized bone-like material call Titan Bone, it was the one thing that separated the Highest Abomination from the rest of them, and the greatest food for Magical Beasts was called Titan's Flesh so a Titan Blood had to be a very high-quality item.

"Yeah, kid. That right there is one of the rarest of all ingredients on the island. Just add a drop of that to any potion and it'll increase the potency. A healing potion could revive from death's door and regenerate limbs, or poison that could kill an entire town if put a single drop into the water supply…..Titan, I heard stories that it was added to a lost combat potion and it was used to break the 5th Siege of the Neck Wall," Eda said bluntly and Jerbo paled as he swallowed and looked at the liquid, his hands shaking as Viney looked at it in horror.

"Didn't the 5th Siege end when the entire wall was destroyed in a single explosion?" Viney asked faintly and Eda nodded.

"Yeah kid, the story is that it was a simple blasting potion with a drop of Titan's Blood, this stuff if it's what I think it is, it's the most sought after Potion ingredient on the Island," Eda said and Viney swallowed.

"I found a way to make something that rare?" Jerbo asked faintly and Eda nodded and looked around the room, her eyes noticing something at one of the vents.

Eda looked at the vent out of the corner of her eye without moving, old instincts and feelings told her not to make a motion, everything was telling her she was being watched.

"Eda, what if this is added to an Abomination… Titan what if plants are feed by it?" Jerbo asked and Eda looked at him before going still and turning her head to look at the Abominations in their cauldrons.

"Sorry kid but I have no idea. Like I've been saying, this stuff is amongst the rarest materials on the island. The most I ever saw was a thimble that the brought out to a convention once to let any witch who wanted to scan it, in case we ever came across it in the wilds," Eda said and winced and looked away. "And while I might say I do all magics but I don't know much Oracle and Abomination really and I only know a few Plant spells, mostly to handle identify what's safe to eat or not."

Jerbo looked at his Abominations and he wondered if that was the secret about how his Abomination kept winning fights. Wait, Eda said this is known as a Potion Ingredient…. Could that mean that other materials can affect how Abominations after they've been made, could it be the stomach's contents? Could there be things that affect already made Abominations? He wondered in awe as he looked at his creations, a strange feeling going through him as he looked into space.

"Kid, listen to me okay?" Eda said bluntly forcing Jerbo to look at her. Titan this is bad, I mean could people not have found out about this before in the Savage Ages? I mean if one person found out about this then the wars… But that seems impossible I mean somebody had to have found out about this before…. or did the kid have a totally…wait if this is Titan's Blood, then where did the rest of it come from? Eda thought before shaking her head and coming back to the present. "People have killed to get a single drop of that stuff! It's even said that a war was fought for half a vial that size to cure a deathly plague. A single drop of that goes for millions of snails when it's found in Ruins and your creations can just give you an unlimited supply. Think about what people will do to get it and have a monopoly!"

"I'm in real trouble if people find out about what I discovered, aren't I?" Jerbo asked and Eda nodded, happy that he was starting to understand just what she was saying. However Eda saw something in one of the vents, the light's reflection from the vial caused her to notice a glint and she knew she had to act like she never saw anything.

"Yeah if that stuff is the real deal, and that's a big if. Give me a second to check if it's really that stuff, I learned a spell back in Potions to let you identify if the ingredient is fresh, safe to use and if you've seen it before… graduation experiment by the professor, don't ask." Eda said before she suddenly jumped and grabbed something in the vent, pulling it out as it thrashed in her hand.

"WHAT THE!? Miss Eda, what is that?" Jerbo demanded as he and Viney looked at the thing Eda had grabbed.

"A little spy," Eda said with a growl as they all looked at what seemed to be a rat statue made of black rock with blue gemstone as its eyes and a painted smile on its face with two rows of spikes going down its back. As it squirmed in Eda looked at it in confusion and frowned, it felt like stone but it moved and tried to escape from her hand. "And Beast girl, you ever seen something like this?"

"No, but I specialized in Griffins and the cuddlier beasts," Viney said and at Eda's look, she looked away. "My dream and goal are to use Beasts to help people out, okay!?"

"Nice…. And whatever this thing is it was watching you, so is this place like the Potions Labs, you have to fight for the best ones after your level one year? So then could this be somebody spying on you, then could this be some kind of Abomination?" Eda asked as she frowned at the thing in her spell.

"Yeah, no. All Abominations are at least partially organic, I've never seen anything like this….could it be an Elemental? But why is it here?" Jerbo said as they looked at it.

As Jerbo and Viney debated what to do, Eda kept looked at it and frowned, something about it causing her to feel as if something was wrong….no, something was wrong she could tell that beyond knowing, some of her instincts that kept her alive for years was telling her to get rid of it.

As she looked at the thing its eyes suddenly started to flash and Eda just swallowed looked at the windows. "Hey, the lake is that way right!?"

"Yeah…what's wrong with its eyes?!" Viney asked as Eda summoned her staff and got on it.

"Get Bump and tell him what I found, I'm going to the lake!" Eda called out as she crashed through the window and flew away.

Jerbo and Viney both looked at each other in worry before Viney ran towards the doorway to the Hidden Room as Jerbo worked to put his Abominations to 'Rest', his mind going all over the place where he could hide them while school was out. If Eda's right, I can't let these guys stay here through break like I was thinking off. If anyone finds out about this and tries to understand what I did, this could be so bad! He thought as he looked at his Abominations and many of his plans were in danger of well, being something that could make things so much worse.

"Maybe Miss. Eda has a place I can put them…. I ask her later." Jerbo said to himself moments before an explosion caused him to look towards the lake and swallow. Before she leaves, I go talk to her. He thought as he made a magenta spell circle and his Abominations all went into 'defense mode' and reformed moments before he heard an explosion from where Eda had gone.

XXXXXXXX

Luz smiled as she carried another box towards the Beast Keeping stand and smiled as she put it down and released a sigh. "That's the last of the snacks and treats for the animals."

"Thank you Luz, I always knew I could count on your work ethic at least, now if you could find the right Glyph for my class." Professor Haroldics Strandics said and Luz chuckled as she looked at her teacher. He was a tall Demon with red fur and an extra pair of arms below his first and liked to wrestle the beasts when they got mad and uppity, he said it was to establish dominance but a lot of the students had a bet that he liked the challenge.

"And with what happened to you yesterday my girl, I didn't think you'd be here, what with what you learned yesterday," Haroldics said and Luz looked around, hoping no one could hear them and she laughed after a few moments. Haroldics smiled at her reaction, she was one of his most caring and eager students, and he knew that she was dealing with this as best she could. "Don't worry, we're bound by an Everlasting Oath by Bump. We can't tell anyone what you learned yesterday."

"Thank you, did Principle Bump force the oath on everyone?" Luz said and Haroldics laughed and shook his head, his fur shaking.

"Not all of us, just those who were worried about you. Dix didn't stay for that and well our resident prophet was a no show….. sent a message something about going to help his hometown or something," Haroldics mused and shook his head as he looked at Luz, and hid a frown as he caught a few scents from her that made more sense now than it had before. Her body was taking in all the nutrients from the potions and he could see they were already having a good effect on her smell, she smelled better, more healthy and he could detect a small trace of her bile through her scent, and that was a very good sign.

"Luz, listen. You're getting your ears…fixed soon right? Because I can smell the changes already, sooner or later some of the other students will as well." Harodlics said bluntly and Luz nodded.

She and Eda had talked about that, she wouldn't proclaim it but she would go to the next semester with her ears and ready to cast like the best of them, this was her home and she was here to stay. All she had to do was bring her mother home and everything would be perfect, nothing could bring her down now!

"Luz!" A voice called out happy and Luz turned to see Ella rush towards her with the Sparrow that Ellea had cast a spell on following after her, Ella grabbed Luz in a hug once she reached her as the bird flew around chirping happily before Ella stepped away.

"I was so worried! I thought you were dead when you passed out like that!" Ella said and Luz grinned at her friend. She and Ella had been partners in a few class projects and Luz liked to think that she was someone who wasn't trying to use her and with her released senses she heard the truth in her words.

"I'm fine really," Luz said as she flexed her muscles and Ela nodded as the bird chirped and flew around Luz's head as she laughed.

"And who's this?" Luz asked and Ela blushed and looked away.

"After the game, this little guy just stayed with me, I caught something from her about how she likes my magic or something!" Ella said with a laugh and Luz grinned as their professor chuckled.

"Well done my dear, well done! Finding a true familiar, a partner is something so few of us who embrace Beast Keeping ever find," Haroldics said with a small smile and looked at the Sparrow as it landed on Ella's shoulder.

"Do you have a partner Professor?" Luz asked and Haroldics smirked and sighed.

"Yes, a Cerberus I call Po, So, and Do, I normally have the old girl here but she's pregnant again and with everything that's been happening lately my niece is watching her at home," Haroldics explained and then frowned. Maybe I should have Miss Viney come over, she did okay with the Griffins so maybe… He thought as he looked at his students.

"Still, I think you're going to love the festival Luz, I mean I do every year!" Ela said with a smile and Luz smirked back.

"Yeah, this might be something," Luz said as she looked around the front yard of the school at all the booths, each one with a flag that showed what class or club they were for and she smiled.

To Luz, this was like a fantasy convention in the human world, the only one she had ever been to was so much fun and she had finally felt like she belonged somewhere, but this was so much more. This was her school, and these were her schoolmates, friends and her fellow beings, people who were like her, finally after all those years of being the weird kid, she had found where she belonged.

From where they were she was able to see that all of the students were working on getting ready, she saw a large stage being set up by the entrance, a few upper-year Construction track students finishing it up as Luz smiled and imagined herself working on that next year. She found the Healing track stand and for a moment she imagined her mother working there, helping people who needed her as she did at the clinic back home and a somber look came over her and she smiled bitterly as she only hoped it would happen eventually.

Elle looked at Luz and frowned as she saw the way Luz's hood stayed up even in the wind. She remembered what Bosha had said yesterday about how Luz's ears looked different and she was worried, something was different about Luz today, something that Elle couldn't tell what it was and even her new familiar caught it. As they stood there Ella was about to ask if anything had happened to Luz's ears when she fell but suddenly they heard an explosion from the back of the school moments before a wave of wind and force rushed over everyone in the front yard, her familiar being thrown from her shoulder as other witchlings were all thrown and Luz and Haroldics barely kept from being thrown by grabbing the stand.

"What was that!?" A Construction student asked as everyone looked around as they got up.

"I think it came from the lake!" A Bard student called out and Elle looked at Luz as she got up and saw some kind of scaring on one of Luz's ears as she turned her head. Before she could ask Luz what happened to her Haroldics got out from behind the stand and looked around.

"Luz, those Glyphs of yours, do you have any Ice ones on hand?" Haroldics asked and smiled when he saw Luz nod. As he looked around he saw the students were coming together and looked towards the Construction coven and nodded as he made a few decisions.

"Luz, with me, Ella I want you to stay here and take stock of everything, I want to know what the injuries are if any!" Haroldics ordered as he ran towards the school, Luz right behind him.

XXXXXXX

Bump ran towards the back of the school, the explosion had happened moments after his least favorite teacher Dix had just finished his end-of-the-year report on expenses and students, admitting grudgingly that Jerbo Agricola was going to be the second year Top Student. Before he could say anything else the explosion happened and Bump was in motion, Dix stayed behind. I always thought that scum wasn't right for this place, I need to look into getting a new teacher for those tracks, maybe Lilith after I talk with her. I wonder if Eda or Lilith will mind subbing for a while, I'll need to send Luz and Miss Blight to self-study for that period….. maybe having Mr. Agricola tutor them, they could help with his projects and it might help them both. He thought as he ran through the halls, his other students running everywhere towards the nearest safe room, some running towards their homerooms or the front of the school and he smiled, the few talks about safety he gave every year at the start of the 1st semester were paying off as they normally did.

As he moved through the school, three of the guards fell in line behind him, each of them holding their hook staff down as they ran.

As they reached the back exit they ran out onto the grounds, the lake was in the distance and they saw Eda helping a few students upright as her staff hovered next to her, her palisman's wings extended.

Bump tried to keep down the thought that Eda had been behind the explosion on purpose but he couldn't keep the thought from his mind that she had been involved as Eda gestured to him to get over to her.

"Two of you, get the students around here organized, those with the worse injuries move closer to the school, the other one I want to patrol the lake to the right, if anything is around here I want to know, decide among yourselves!" Bump barked and the guards nodded as Bump ran towards Eda.

Eda meanwhile was looking over the students' closets to her, she had called out for all of them to away from the lake before dropping whatever it was in her hand in the center of the lake before flying back to shore, grabbing anyone still in the lake before the explosion had sent her and them to the ground. As Bump came closer to her she sighed, she was not looking forward to this at all.

"Hey Bump, let me start off by saying this was not my fault! I found something in the school, a creature or something made of rocks spying on me, I grabbed it and when its eyes started to flash I flew to the lake to drop it in the center, flew back and got everyone who was still in it out!" Eda said and Bump looked at her before nodding.

"Fine, so you dropped it and it in the lake and it exploded? What was it, I mean I haven't seen anything like that have you, ever?" Bump muttered as Lady Kalisisa and a few of the Healing Track students came out, Lady Kalisisa keeping them from moving towards them as she looked around before seeing Bump who gestured for them to get to work.

Eda shrugged and looked away. "Nothing alive anyway, saw a Rex a few years ago that had stone hands growing from its back, but this thing was the size of a Seer Rat and it wasn't an Abomination."

"But what could it have been?" Bump asked with confusion as he looked at the lake, frowning as he tried and failed to figure out what this would do to it. Looking down at the water he saw a few dead fish float to the surface and sighed, shaking his head. "At least it's the end of the school year, I'll be able to get this repopulated and the beasts can have a good meal tonight."

"Bump, me and Lilith will be there for the fair, we'll help keep the kids safe if anything happens," Eda said and Bump nodded as he looked around, wondering what had exploded. As he looked around Luz and Professor Haroldics came running out of the school with King running on all fours behind them, Eda winced and sighed as Luz and King saw her.

Bump looked around and sighed and shook his head, with everything that was happening lately, he wondered if he was pushing things with still having the Festival after everything, but he knew that if he did let it pass then he would be dishonoring a lot of people, and with Luz's being his friend's daughter, he thought that if something was coming, then it might be best to handle it now instead of later.

XXXXXXX

About an Hour later Eda looked around as students left, Bump had closed the school and promised that he would send a message on the school Pentsagram about if the Festival would still be on and when students could come back and finish setting up or if he would cancel it altogether. As she looked up she saw Viney flying away on Puddles and she chuckled and shook her head, the problem Plant Goop had, if the wrong people found out about it…..But the fact was that if Morton could use it to make a special potion that could push back so much of her curse and give her and Lilith back their magic!

A moment later she heard her name and saw Jerbo walking towards her with a nervous look about him and she smirked as he walked towards her. "Hey kid, what's up? Staying for Lunch or heading home now?"

"Home, but listen. My three Abominations, could I leave them in the Owl House for safety? I don't trust them to stay here with a few problems I've been having with my track," Jerbo asked and Eda raised an eyebrow and looked towards the school, remembering how the Abomination teacher had been

"Old man Ursidix seemed to be a pretty good guy, strict but nice. I'd think he'd go down hard on anything like that?" Eda muttered and Jerbo winced and looked away.

"He retired before I started here, the Professor's named Johann Dix," Jerbo said and Eda glared at him with anger in his eyes.

"NIX?! THAT BOOTLICKER IS THE TEACHER HERE!? Eda snarled and for a moment her eyes flashed black before she stumbled a bit and reached into her hair and pulled out one of her Elixirs and drank it.

"You know him?" Jerbo asked as Eda recovered and she nodded.

"Yeah, scum went to school with me and my sis. Anyhow, do you have more of that stuff in your lab?" Eda asked and Jerbo nodded. "Bring all you've got with you, don't leave a drop. We'll talk once you get to my place okay?"

Jerbo nodded and walked away, Eda looked at the school and saw Luz talking with her friends before she ran towards Eda, King following behind her.

"Anything interesting Kid?" Eda asked and Luz shrugged.

"Gus said his mom and dad want to talk to us tonight, and something about an old story and Willow thinks her parents might know something too, so a good day I guess…. Eda what happened back there?" Luz asked and Eda frowned and sighed.

"Truth be told kid, I don't know," Eda said and King frowned and looked at her. "Hey King, ever heard of something that's completely made of rocks?"

"Rocks?" King asked and his eyes winded for a few seconds before they returned to normal, Eda and Luz both missed it and for that he was grateful. "No….. I don't know of any demons like that."

"Thought so, probably something locked away with Grometheus or something," Eda mused as she summoned her staff and they all got on.

XXXXXXXX

Viney and Puddles flew above Bonesborough as the sunset to the east over the ocean. As she flew towards her home Viney thought back to the chaos at school, and what her fellow Troublemaker had discovered his creations could create.

Viney shuddered as she thought about all the old stories she's heard over the years about what pirates did to sailors to get what they wanted, and the thought of anyone doing that to her friends made her so mad and scared.

And if Eda was right, then the damage the wrong people could do if they got a hand on even one of Jerbo's creations or the process to make them, then that was something that she didn't want to think about. "Bro, what are we going to do? I mean I was all for you staying with me and my family over the break, but mom hates Abominations so we were going to leave the brews in the lab, but now….. "

Viney frowned as she thought about what they would do, and that wasn't even thinking about the thing Eda had found spying on them. All in all, she was more worried about what it could have been than what people could do to get what they wanted and that bothered her a bit.

As Puddles flew over the rooftops he felt Viney's mood and chirped softly as he tried to figure out how to help his human.

For a moment Viney felt something, something she could explain and she blinked as she looked around, trying to find out what it was. She absently starched Puddles sides and the Griffen chirped and did a summersault, Viney laughing happily as they flew over the city, her mind off the troubles she and her friends would have to deal with, but not today.

As they passed over an alley they never noticed three of the Demon Hunters were looking up at Puddles as it flew over.

One of them pulled out a bolo and started to spin it moments before one of the other two grabbed his hand and scowled at him.

"What are you doing!? Remember the bounty we saw in that tavern? She's one of them!" The bolo holding one snarled and the other looked down at him.

"We don't hunt in towns, remember?! All it needs is one Coven guard to capture us, a memory interrogation and the Unit is dead!" The other demon hunter snarled and looked up at Puddles as it flew overhead.

"Besides, all those snails for three witches and a dog demon, it doesn't make sense if you think about it," The last Hunter said and the bolo was put away as the holder looked down.

As the second hunter looked up at the sky, he sighed and shook his head as he turned towards the Head.

"Come on, we've got a long travel to make it to the others, we're going after a Rex remember?" The second hunter said and led the way away from the harbor, the bolo hunter looking back with a slight scowl before moving after his fellows.

As Puddles landed on a rooftop of a small two-story house just outside of the harbor with a small doorway down big enough for him to walk through Viney smiled as she looked towards the harbor, smelling the scent of the ocean. As she got off her Griffen the door opened and a tall elven Witch in a blue cloak over black pants and an ocean green shirt and short brown hair and two fishhooks in her ears.

"Hey girl, how was school, why are home for lunch?" the witch asked and Viney smiled and walked over, pulling the older woman into a hug.

"Fine mom, just fine, there was another incident and Principle Bump closed the school early for today," Viney said as she hugged her mother, Lavinia Oceanacis who smiled down at her and hugged her with one arm as Puddles came over and she rubbed his head.

"Oh dear, what happened and where's Jerbo?" Lavinia asked and Vinney looked at Puddles. The two of them had talked about what Jerbo had discovered and they had talked and decided that they wouldn't tell anyone about what Eda had revealed about Jerbo's creations.

"He stayed to finish tidying up his lab before, he said he'll be back by dinner at the latest," Viney said and Lavinia nodded.

As she moved away from her daughter she turned towards the door and Viney and Puddles followed. Viney tried to find a way to talk about what had happened at the school, but she couldn't think of a way to even start trying to figure out how to start telling her mother about the troubles.

"So how's the fair coming along?" Lavinia asked as they walked down into their home.

"There was a…little snag, but everything is okay," Viney said and Lavinia looked over her shoulder as they entered the house.

As they reached street level they entered a large room with an opening to a smaller room with a table that could fit about 10 people comfortably and Puddles. As she looked around the table Viney frowned when she saw the places were for five people and looked at her mom as she went through the room to the kitchen.

"We're having company over?" Viney asked as she looked around and her mother nodded.

"Yes, your father is bringing Salty and Ahabra over," Lavinia said and Viney's mouth dropped open in joy.

"Aunt Ahabra's back!? I thought her ship wasn't due back until next month!" Viney said and then she saw Lavinia go still and terror went through her. Wait, she couldn't have come back in defeat, she's the best of the deep fisher captains! And the 'Wraith is one of the best ships in the civilian fleet! She thought as she looked at her mother who only stayed silent. "Wait, only five Mama, what happened to him? What happened to the 'Wraith?"

"The Narwhal's Wraith came back with the fishing fleet this morning, its crew was all alive but most of them had to go to the Hospital but….. she'll tell you herself," Lavinia said and Viney felt a trace of horror and fear.

"And the first mate?" Viney asked as Puddles came and nudged Viney's leg.

"He's fine, he's at the hospital as a patent," Lavinia said firmly and Viney felt a stab of joy and terror, wondering what had happened to her Aunt and older brother.