After getting their plans together, Anne and the Plantars decided to take Luz out around Newtopia for a bit. Sprig and Polly couldn't get enough of the new girl, obviously they could tell that she was different from how Sasha and Marcy looked, and more interestingly, she was a Kamen Rider, a magic Kamen Rider. Sprig and Polly were aware that there were curse users in Amphibia, but from what Anne described, Luz had magic powers different from what users like Maddie were able to do.

Luz was completely captivated with the sights of Newtopia, you'd think after spending all of her time around demons and creatures back on the Boiling Isles that talking frogs and newts wouldn't make her gawk as much, well, you'd be wrong.

"Oooh! So shiny! So majestic! So, everything!" Luz marveled.

The Plantars brought her to Coral Park where Luz gazed upon the long shoots of different colored coral that came through the platform. The Latina walked up to one of the shoots and gently placed her hand upon it, feeling the hard texture of the coral tree. Luz walked around the park, just admiring how it all looked and felt, and even people watching the newts that walked on by. Some did give her an odd look, but no more than usual, possibly due to Marcy's constant presence that the newts in the city don't bat an eye too much to a human.

The whole time Luz was enjoying herself, Anne was keeping watch, and smiling at how much fun Luz seemed to be having. She's so energetic, I like it. But this is amazing, another human! I can't believe it! I mean, I see her, I hear her, but it's so unreal! I wonder if we're from the same Earth? She says she lives in Connecticut, so no chance of seeing her in L.A., maybe I can send her a friend request on Facebook or something?

"Hey, Luz, you said you're a witch-in-training, does that mean you can use magic when you're not a Kamen Rider?" Polly asked.

"Actually, yes I can! Now, for me, there's two ways I can do magic. The first way is with these." Luz reached into her back pockets and pulled out four different glyph papers. She then got on her knees in front of Polly and laid out all four of them on the ground before her. "Each of these represents a different element."

Anne walked over, "Oh, hey, wait!" Anne pulled out her cellphone and hit the record button. "Marcy's definitely going to want to see this."

Luz nodded and went back to her explanation. "This glyph is the very first one I discovered on the Boiling Isles, it's the Light Glyph."

When Luz tapped the piece of paper it crumbled and reformed into a ball of pure light that floated in the air before them. Sprig and Polly "oohed" and "awed" at seeing the floating ball of light. Hop Pop was amazed as well, if a little edgy at how Luz just turned a piece of paper into a ball of light. Anne's eyes were wide with wonder, she had seen several shows on TV about street magicians and stage performers, but this wasn't some simple trick, this was real magic.

"The second spell I learned through the island itself, the Ice Glyph."

Luz tapped the paper, and a second after, a pillar of ice about three feet high and ten inches wide jutted out from the paper. Sprig carefully reached out and touched the ice, shivering from the cold.

"It's really cold, this is crazy! What else?!" Sprig asked.

"The third one I found by examining some plants, the Plant Glyph." Another touch of the paper allowed Luz to create a pink flower. "And the last one I found after almost getting smacked in the face with a ball that was sit on fire, the Fire Glyph." Luz tapped the paper in question and created a fireball that rested on the stone ground.

"Okay, this is, wow, I really have no words for this," said Anne.

"Yep, definitely sorcery," said Hop Pop.

"But that's not all~" said Luz in a sing-songy voice. "Thanks to my Inner Phantom, La Lechuza, I can now funnel in more mana into the glyphs and make them do some crazy things. Like this!"

Luz grabbed the light ball and changed it into a light saber. She pointed her open left hand at the ice pillar and turned it into a miniature sculpture of Hop Pop. Luz tapped on the flower and made it turn into a wreath of pink flowers. And lastly, she took the fireball and transformed it into a shield of pure fire, it was hot, but it didn't burn Luz at all. Luz dismissed the saber and shield after the demonstration, she then put the wreath around Polly's head and gave Hop Pop the sculpture she made of him.

"It won't last long, but you can have it anyway," said Luz.

Hop Pop held out his hands and took hold of the sculpture, he inspected it, and found that it was very accurately detailed, down to the patches on his coat. "My, Luz, this is quite the wonderous thing you did."

"Yep, and of course, that's just my glyphs. I can do a few more things with the magic Rings I got from my Rider powers," said Luz.

"I think that might be enough for now," said Anne.

"Why's that?"

"We're kinda drawing a crowd."

Luz and the Plantars just now noticed that there were several newts, some children, who were gawking at Luz's spells were now clapping with excitement. Luz, deciding to make sure that the people didn't see her as scary, took a bow like a proper showman. "Thank you, thank you! I'm happy you all liked my little magic tricks!" As soon as she said that some of the crowd walked up and started handing her a whole lot of copper coins. "Oh, uh, okay, thank you very much. I – oh jeez this is a lot – thank you!"

"You're a hit, Luz," said Sprig.

"We're raking in the dough!" Polly exclaimed.

After the last of the Newtopian citizens finished paying Luz they were left alone. It was about that time when Luz's stomach decided to grumble loudly for all to hear. "Oh, I just realized I haven't had anything to eat since last night…I probably shouldn't have done all that."

Anne looked worried when she heard what Luz said. "Hey, are you going to be okay?"

"Oh yeah, I'm fine. I just need get something to eat to recharge my mana. Using magic burns my 'MP bar' and eating sweets or food in general helps replenish it," Luz explained.

"Well, can't have ya walkin' around Newtopia on an empty stomach, what say we all head to Burg?!" Hop Pop suggested.

Polly gave her grandfather a deadpan expression. "You just want to order more meals so you can get more free stuff."

"Now, Polly, we have a duty to feed our new friend, and what better place than the best beetle burger restaurant in all of Newtopia?"

Luz raised her eyebrow and asked, "Beetle…burgers…?"

Luz had been introduced to a lot of exotic food back on the Boiling Isles, some of it was edible, and others nearly killed her if it wasn't for Eda intervening. But Luz could honestly say that she never ate a bug. She looked to her right and saw Polly, Sprig, and Hop Pop gobbling up their burgers, Luz turned her head to the left and saw that Anne was happily eating the burger as well. Anne seemed alright, but that could be due to any number of reasons. Perhaps Anne had adapted to eating the food in Amphibia?

Well, I did hear that bugs are a good source of protein, and survivalists do eat them.

Anne seemed to pick up on Luz's uneasiness in regards to the beetle burger, she swallowed her bite and said, "Hey, don't worry about eating it, we can always find you something else. I've been here for months so I'm used to eating things like this. You don't have to force yourself."

Luz gulped. "No, no, it'd be rude if I didn't." Luz grabbed the burger in front of her and brought it up to her mouth. The Latina opened her mouth and took a bite of the burger. "Mmm?" Luz began to chew the burger, tasting the spices along with the ketchup and vegetables. "Mmm!" Now that her hesitancy had been taken care of, Luz began to eat the burger in earnest, savoring every juicy bite, and pushing the thought that the meat she was eating from a giant bug.

"So, Luz, do you have any friends back where you came from?" Anne asked.

"Yeah, a few. There's Willow, she's a witch who practices Plant magic. There's Gus, an Illusion magic user, and an avid fan of all things Kamen Rider and human. There's Skara, she's the newest addition to our group, she also practices Bard magic, which is basically casting magic through music. And there's…there's Amity."

Anne noticed a shift in Luz's tone when she said that name. "Amity your best friend?"

"She didn't start out like that, but now she's one of my best friends. We kind of had a moment not too long ago before I came here and…" Luz shook her head. "It's nothing, but yeah, she's my best friend and sorta, kinda rival"

"Oh, sweet, it's like something out of a shonen anime or something," said Anne.

"I know, right?!"

As they continued their meal the waiter came by and said, "Okay, that comes out to twenty-eight coppers."

Hop Pop reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the Royal Credit Card. "Here ya go my good man."

"Oh, wait, Mr. Plantar, I'll pay for it! I did get a lot of money from my unintentional street performance," said Luz.

Hop Pop shook his head as he said, "No, no, you keep that. No tellin' how long you'll be here, so it's better to have some money to yer name in the meantime."

"Besides, the King gave us that credit card, and it has unlimited money. We don't need to worry about how much anything costs here," said Sprig.

Hop Pop threw a glare at his grandson. "Yes, Ah'd assume you know aaaaalllll about that, wouldn't ya, Sprig?"

Sprig gulped, it didn't take long for Hop Pop to find out about his little escapades in the lobby of the hotel, and once he did, well, to say that Hop Pop was furious would be an understatement. If it wasn't for all the commotion of Luz's arrival, Hop Pop probably would've given him a more thorough talking to.

"Yeah, so, don't hold back because of us, go grubhog wild with your magic. We'll cover whatever you break," Polly assured.

Luz chuckled at the pollywog's offer. "Thanks, Polly, but I don't want to scare anyone. Plus, like I said, using magic drains my mana. And with Lich running around somewhere, I need to be at full strength just in case I need to fight him."

"You know, I was thinking about something. The guy who I got it from, he said that he stole it from someone here in Newtopia. Is it possible that the person who made it is someone from the Boiling Isles?" Anne asked.

Luz finished off her burger and swallowed it before answering. "I mean, it is possible. I doubt anyone on Earth could make that without magic. Most likely they came from the Boiling Isles. But someone like that would stand out in a place like this. Witches in the Demon Realm look a lot like humans, except they have pointed ears, and demons, well, they come in all shapes and sizes, you'd probably mistake them for monsters."

"Yeah, that sounds a little hard not to notice," said Anne.

"Actually, depending on the type of magic user they are, they could hide here pretty easily."

"How do you mean?" Hop Pop asked.

Luz went into explaining the different types of magics that were practiced on the Boiling Isles, and how each witch and demon was obligated to choose which of the nine different schools of magic to dedicate themselves to. She also explained that there were witches and demons who did not subscribe to the Coven System, and those who defied it were called "Wild Witches". The downside was that they were technically criminals, but their freedom granted them the ability to wield all different types of magic without restraint.

"So, you see, if the one who made the portal door is a Wild Witch, then they could easily use a spell to either make themselves look like any of these newts, or just turn themselves into one with a potion or something. I'm leaning towards this being the work of Wild Witch, 'cause I don't think a witch who was bound to a Coven could make this with just one type of magic."

"Okay, A: that whole 'Coven System' sounds like a complete load, I mean, how's anybody supposed to grow if they can't learn different things?" Anne asked.

"THANK YOU! This girl gets it! And here I thought she didn't have much sense."

Lala, c'mon, be nice!

"And B: maybe we should try and look for this person here? The Curator said that he boosted it off someone here in Newtopia, maybe we should look for them?" Anne suggested.

Anne did have a point, if the portal door was stolen from them, then the demon or witch would be stuck here and was probably scouring the city for a way back home. "Did this 'Curator' person say how long ago he stole the portal door?"

The Thai girl thought for a moment, and then it dawned on her. "Actually…no…no he didn't. Shoot…he could've stolen that thing months ago, maybe even years ago! The owner could be halfway across Amphibia by now."

"Luz, do you have a spell that can track this person down?" Sprig asked.

"A locator spell…I mean…I have learned that back at Hexside, that's kind of Oracle magic from what have read, and I haven't exactly got a ring for that yet…" Luz lamented.

Hop Pop hummed in contemplation for a bit before saying, "Well, maybe it wouldn't hurt just to wander 'round the city for a bit. See if we can find anythin' out of the ordinary."

"Really?!" Luz asked.

"Mind you, it's on the condition that we look only, and not engage. If we can find this person, great, we'll find out where they live and come up with a plan to speak to them later, with you, Anne, and Marcy. Understood?" Hop Pop asked.

Luz glanced to Anne and asked, "I'm okay with it if you are?"

"I got your back, Luz," said Anne.

The Latina smiled and nodded in agreement to Hop Pop's ultimatum. After finishing their meal, the Plantars, Anne, and Luz began their search of the city. They had learned along the way that Newtopia was split up into seven different districts, each one catering to either specific income classes, entertainment, shopping, and different semi-industrial ventures. King Andrias' castle, along with the majority of Newtopia's nobles and wealthy entrepreneurs comprised District One which rested at the heart of Newtopia, along with Newtopia University. Districts Two and Three were entertainment districts that catered to different tastes, some were more family oriented, and some were more for clubbing and the like.

District Four was adjacent to One as it had most of the finest restaurants in Newtopia, five star and above, where only the famous chiefs cooked meals fit for the nobility and rich alike. Not to say that there weren't less pricey restaurants, but the main appeal were the expensive ones. District Five was a dedicated park that allowed various types of flora to bloom and was a kind of neutral ground where the common folk and upper nobility could enjoy an outing. District Six was, well, to put in simple terms, was a rough area. Even a grand city like Newtopia wasn't without its problem areas, crime and poverty still existed despite the King's best efforts, and no thanks to a few criminal organizations did that remain so. And finally, District Seven, which was where a good majority of Newtopia's factories were stationed, some dealt with making food products, cars, neon signs, and a plethora of other things needed to sustain a city of this magnitude.

Since each district varied in size, the group decided to look around their current area of District One. Luz used her Sight ring to help her zero in on any magical uses around the city, of course Anne bought her new friend a pair of sunglasses to hide Luz's glowing eyes while the spell was active, they didn't want to attract too much attention to themselves.

It took most of the day, but in the end, they couldn't find one bit of anything in District One.

"Sorry, gang, we'll try the next District tomorrow," said Hop Pop.

"Guess we'll head back to the castle then," said Anne.

"We're heading back together?" Luz asked.

"Well, yeah, until Lich is destroyed or you're back to your other home, I'm going to watch your back. As long as you don't mind a roommate," said Anne.

Luz smiled and said, "I completely do not mind that!"

"Guess we'll head back to the hotel then, see ya tomorrow, Luz, Anne," said Sprig.

"Yeah, and don't get into any crazy adventures without us! I wanna see how this turns out!" Polly exclaimed.

Hop Pop rolled his eyes as he picked up his granddaughter and waved the two girls a farewell.

Marcy was in her private lab, with the portal door – now in briefcase form – lying on her workbench with a few machines hooked up to it and scanning it. Luz had told her that the door acted as a portal between two worlds, it was so strange, it was almost like the music box. A simple item held enough power to transport another being to a whole other world. But this doorway worked via magical power, real magic. Marcy had to admit, she was downright giddy when she learned that Luz came from a magical world, and that magic itself truly existed.

Which was probably why her instruments weren't getting any discernable readings. Whatever magical power the portal worked on; it wasn't something that was easily detectable through her machines. That or the machines she had on hand weren't advanced enough to detect the magical energies that comprised the doorway. But that only raised another question.

How was Anne able open the door?

The doorway seemed to siphon off Anne's Rider powers and used it as a catalyst to power its opening. Marcy experimented with the door by placing her hand on the demon eye gemstone, but nothing happened. So why did it open for Anne? Were Anne's Rider powers different enough that the door preferred her power over Marcy's?

We do have different elemental affinities, could it be that Anne's lightning-based energy is more potent than my wind power? I mean, realistically speaking lightning is a more powerful energy source. But if electricity was all that it needed then a random lightning bolt could've done it. There must be something special about Anne's power in particular that the door responded to…

Marcy had a little dopy smile when she thought about her best friend, but it shifted a little when she thought about Luz. She wasn't going to lie, she found Luz cute, and being around her made her feel happy. Like the girl just oozed positive energy, but still…there was just something about her that rubbed Marcy the wrong way.

"I mean, it's not like I'm…jealous of Luz or anything! She's a Rider like us, and she's just really friendly! Just because you have a huge crush on your friend doesn't mean every girl that Anne meets is after her, too," Marcy reasoned.

Marcy unhooked her machines from the doorway and sighed heavily. This is ridiculous, I should be more excited about this! You know what, I'm just going to push my stupid paranoia away and bask in the awesomeness that is this entire experience! Then the image of Anne and Luz on top of each other flashed in her mind. NOPE.

Marcy got up from her workstation and walked out of the lab. "I'm taking a break, please make sure no one enters my lab," said Marcy to the guards. The two armored newt guards saluted in response and crossed their halberds in an "X" formation in front of the laboratory doors.

Marcy never thought of herself as the jealous type, but then again, it was only recently that she was thinking seriously about confessing to Anne. They were in another world, away from the societal stigma of being looked at differently, as far as Marcy had seen, the people of Amphibia seemed very indifferent when it came to same sex relationships. So, here, she could finally tell Anne how she felt.

Of course, the major hurtle of this whole thing was finding out if Anne even swung that way. Otherwise, this whole venture of confession was just a waste of her time, plus it'd save a lot of heartache on her end. She never really saw Anne express that much interest in boys or girls back at school, or if she did, she never outright told her or Sasha. Heck, maybe Anne was asexual, and didn't really care for romance that much? But regardless, being in Amphibia, in another world, granted Marcy the safety to find out, it even benefited Anne if she was still unsure.

But then Luz came along, she could just tell that Luz was going to hit it off with Anne the moment she fell on top of her. And that's what worried her the most. What if Luz was the one who would bring Anne out of her shell? What if Luz someone made Anne aware of her orientation? And what if in doing so, Anne developed a crush on Luz? Luz, although a nerd like herself, didn't seem to suffer from the same anxiety of being around people like she did, Luz didn't seem to have a problem with looking people in the eyes. Plus, she was a witch-in-training and had magical powers.

"Everything alright, Marcy?"

Marcy snapped out of her thoughts and saw Lady Olivia walking towards her. "Oh, hey, Liv. I…I'm okay."

The refined newt woman raised an eyebrow at Marcy's response. "Clearly…Well, I was on my way to the kitchen for a bite. Are you taking a break?"

"Yeah, I haven't made much headway with that portal thing…" Marcy admitted.

"Why not accompany me, knowing you, you haven't come out of that lab all day and haven't eaten a thing," said Olivia.

Marcy was going to rebut that, but then her stomach growled. "Eh-heh-heh…I guess I could grab a bite, or two."

Olivia smirked a little and waved for Marcy to walk with her. Most of their walk was done in silence, allowing Olivia to observe Marcy from the corner of her eye and notice the look on Marcy's face. "You seem to be pondering hard on something."

"Yeah, just trying to figure out how to open that thing," Marcy responded.

"Dear child, we've worked together closely over the last few months, and even I can tell when you're thinking about a problem of science and when you're thinking of another type of problem. Perhaps some outside perspective may help?" Olivia offered.

Marcy was reluctant to mention her crush, she only told King Andrias over a game of flipwart, and that was a slip of the tongue. But in the end, she told him how she felt towards Anne, to his credit, the King never said a thing to anyone about that. Not only that, but he seemed rather happy that Marcy had someone close to her heart like she did. After all, King Andrias was over a thousand years old, so he's probably seen and heard a lot of things. And while Marcy believed Lady Olivia wouldn't say anything, she wasn't sure what her stance was in regards to a female having romantic feelings for another female.

"Well…it's kind of…personal," said Marcy.

Olivia hummed for a moment as she thought. "Ah, I see. This has do with your feelings for your friend, Anne Boonchuy, doesn't it?"

Marcy stopped on a dime, she then got out in front of Olivia and grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her back and forth as said, "Who told you?! How did you find?! Please don't tell Anne!"

"C-Calm d-down, M-Marcy! I-I t-took a-an e-educated g-guess!"

"Oh." Marcy released Lady Olivia.

After the room stopped spinning, Lady Olivia elaborated. "Ever since Anne Boonchuy's arrival, you've been happier in a way that I haven't been able to fully describe. I know she is your friend, and that you feared for her while you and were separated, but…I could feel that there was something more there. Something that possibly went beyond friendship. Am I wrong in discerning this?"

"No…you're not…I've kinda had a crush on Anne since we were seven. I didn't know what it meant until I was around eleven, and even when I did, I was scared of telling her, because I didn't want to lose one my closest friends," said Marcy.

Olivia sighed a little. "I can somewhat relate to that…" the newt woman shook her head. "But I can say that your worrying will not cease if you don't say something."

"Yeah, but I might've lost my chance. This may be my jealousy talking, but I think Luz – the new girl – might like Anne, or that Anne may start liking her in that way," Marcy confessed.

Lady Olivia rolled her eyes. "Oh, come now, I don't think that Anne would just throw away your feelings for some new girl."

It was right about that time that Lady Olivia and Marcy saw Anne and Luz laughing it up in the distance.

"Okay, okay, so…uh…oh! One time, I almost got eaten by cannibals," said Anne.

"Hmm, oh, I was almost magically sewn into a book forever!" Luz countered.

Anne thought for a moment, "Oh, got, it! I was cursed and turned into Big Bird for almost a day, I still find myself doing some weird bird things from time to time."

"Ooh, that's a good one…Oh, hey, there's Marcy and Lady Olivia!"

"Then again, I may've spoken too soon…" Lady Olivia whispered.

"Oh, hey guys…what's up?!" Marcy greeted. "What are you guys doing?"

"Me and Luz were just comparing our little messed up adventures," said Anne.

"It helps to chase away the morbidity of how close we came to actually dying," said Luz.

Yet another thing it seemed that Luz and Anne had in common, mutual life or death experiences. Not saying that Marcy hadn't had her own what with fighting the Fallen and being the chief ranger in the Newtopian Knight Guard, but overall, Marcy was in the safest place and lived in a literal palace and wanted for not while she was here. As opposed to Anne who apparently had a few adventures that nearly got her killed, and that was without her Rider powers, and apparently Luz as well.

"So, Anne, what're you doing here? I thought you would've headed back to the Hemisphere Hotel after dropping off Luz?" Marcy asked.

"Yeah, I'm actually going to be staying in Luz's room, you know, keep an eye on her and make sure that Lich doesn't attack her in the middle of the night," Anne explained.

WHAT?! "Oh, you don't have to, I'll keep an eye on her."

Anne waved off Marcy's concern. "It's no problem, I know you've got a lot on your plate with researching the portal door, not to mention the other stuff before Luz arrived. Since I'm not the best when it comes to research and stuff, I thought I could do at least this much."

Luz rubbed the back of her head for a moment and said, "I'm sorry that I'm just piling on the work here. Maybe I can help you with the door tomorrow? See if between the two of us we can figure something out?"

"Uh, well, yeah that might help," said Marcy.

"Cool, then we'll head to bed now and wake up early so you can help out Marcy, and in the afternoon, we can start our search again," said Anne.

"Wait, what now?"

Luz softly facepalmed herself. "Oh, doi, I forgot. We decided to look around for the creator of the door, if they're here, we might be able to get some answers about how it works."

"Sounds good to me, then in the afternoon, we can all go out and search again," Anne suggested.

Say something Marcy! These two are going to be in the same room! Together! Invite yourself! Just throw yourself into it and call it a sleepover!

Marcy was about to raise her hand and do just that, but the longer she watched Luz and Anne interact, the more she felt out of place in it. Olivia, out of the corner of her eye, watched how Marcy looked as if she was going to say something, but stopped at the last minute. The Chinese girl then put on a smile and said, "That sounds great! I guess I'll see you in the morning! I'll come by and wake you up, that okay?"

Luz gave Marcy a thumbs up. "That sounds perfect, I can't wait to work with you!"

"Guess we outta head to bed. Oh shoot, I forgot to get my pajamas from the hotel!" Anne exclaimed.

NO! Don't tell me Anne's going to–!

"I got you covered." Luz put on her Connect ring and activated it.

[Connect, Please.]

Luz pointed her right hand off to the side and created a magic circle just big enough to for any of them to walk through.

"OH MY!" Lady Olivia exclaimed.

Marcy, despite her current feelings, couldn't help but stare with wide eyed amazement at seeing actual magic being performed before her. So much so that the young genius whipped out her journal and quickly sketched out the circle and wrote down her observations of how Luz activated the spell.

"I focused on Mr. Plantar when I made it, so it should open up wherever he is," said Luz.

"Ugh, hope he's not in the shower," said Anne.

The Thai girl approached the portal and experimentally stuck her finger into it. She withdrew it and saw that nothing was wrong with it. Anne's next move was to stick her head through it, after a few seconds she took her head out and said, "Good news, Hop Pop wasn't in the shower! I'm gonna head in!" After declaring that, Anne passed through the portal.

"Luz, that ring is connected to your Rider powers, correct? Does it work via your own magic or are you pulling magic out of the ambient energy around us?" Marcy asked.

Luz blinked. "Wow, it's weird being the one on the answering end of that question. Well, to answer your questions, I pull the magic from La Lechuza, my Inner Phantom, she provides me with the magical energy – or 'mana' – I need to cast my spells."

Marcy wrote down that information and continued. "Okay, follow up. Can you make new spells or are you just limited to the rings you have?"

Luz made a wavy motion with her hand. "Sorta. I can't just make a new ring just because. It's hard to explain, but I go into this kind of trance like state. When I do, I draw a magic circle, I don't know what kind of spell ring will be made from it once I'm done, but it somehow always ends up being what I need. Like my magic is looking out for me. So, in a sense, yes I am limited to only the rings I've already made."

Marcy jotted all of this down, she was getting great information on magic, in fact, she could be the first person ever to have documentation and facts about magic itself. However, the info dumb was cut short when Anne appeared out of the circle with a bag of her clothes inside.

"Got what I needed, so we're G2G," said Anne.

"Sweet, guess we'll hit the hay then. It was nice talking to you Marcy, let's keep this going tomorrow, maybe we even dish about our favorite Rider shows while we're working," said Luz.

"I…I'd like that, thanks." Marcy watched as Anne and Luz headed in the direction of Luz's temporary room, leaving only herself and Lady Olivia.

"You had a chance to join them, why didn't you?" Olivia asked.

"It…It just didn't feel right, I'd feel like a fifth wheel…"

"You're her friend, I doubt Anne would feel that way, and from what I saw, I don't think that other girl would mind your presence either."

Marcy shrugged her shoulders and sighed heavily. "There's a lot I have to gain if I told her, but I'd lose even more if I'm wrong. If Luz is the one that manages to break through to Anne and who she ends up liking, I'd be fine with that. So long as she was happy. Anyway, goodnight, Lady Olivia." Marcy didn't wait for a reply as she walked off to head to room.

The newt noblewoman sighed dejectedly at Marcy's reasoning. "Dear girl, you really must be more confident."

Night had fallen upon Newtopia, and King Andrias was playing a little flipwart by the light of his fireplace. Many things had happened in the past few months. The arrival of Marcy Wu and her two friends, Anne Boonchuy and Sasha Waybright. Not only that, but they have also gained the Power of Calamity and its three aspects. The prophecy had foretold of this, and if his ultimate plan was to come to fruition, the powers that they possessed would need to be returned to the Calamity Box before they realized their true power.

Upon his flipwart board, the King had several pieces, and among them were pieces that were hand carved to look like Kamen Riders Amp, Bellona, and Ranger. Their parts were known, their roles decided. Marcy and Anne were simple enough to figure out, and easy to manipulate, but Sasha, Kamen Rider Bellona, was the only wildcard in this game. She was underground with the former captain Grime, doing what he had no clue, but the Fallen that were created and sent to attack them have met their end, just as was planned. But still, it was hard to know what they were doing beyond that.

"And now a new player has entered the game," Andrias thought aloud.

Luz Noceda, Kamen Rider Witch. She possessed a power that was far different from the Power of Calamity. It was truly magical in nature and presented too many unknown factors. He hoped that Marcy would be able to figure out how to send that girl back to where she came from, for if she stayed here, she could derail the entire plan and the prophecy would come true. And his master would not like that.

King Andrias sighed as he rose from his seat and walked over to his balcony. He gazed upon the sprawling city that was his Newtopia, a city upon which he had ruled for a thousand years. His subjects and the ones beyond its borders call Newtopia a shining city upon a hill, they knew nothing. Newtopia was a shell of its former self, its true power and glory was taken away centuries ago by those whom he called "friends", but now fate has brought back what they needed, and the work of him and his forefathers would begin once again.

The King of Amphibia's gaze narrowed as he walked back into his room and said, "So, how long were you going to keep watching me from out there?"

The space above the balcony began to distort, and in a matter of seconds, Lich appeared. "Long enough to get a sense of what I am dealing with."

Andrias turned around to face Lich, brandishing a hilt that mimicked the look of coral. The ancient king took a ready stance, and once he did, the hilt produced a blade made of pure energy. "If it's my head you have come to claim, I promise you, you will have to earn it."

Lich's green flaming eyes shined. Andrias' sword was suddenly wrapped in a green aura and ripped from his hands. With a flick of his head, Lich tossed the sword across the room where it deactivated. "Where is the true ruler of this world?"

"You're looking at 'em, spooky," Andrias replied.

"Hold your tongue, false king. Ever since I arrived here, I've sensed a great darkness, a malice that impatiently waits. This is the one I wish to speak to." Lich looked around the room and added, "Show yourself, or I will end your minion's life here and now! I know not what role you have planned for him, but I'm sure whatever plan you do have will be severely hampered if he were to meet an untimely demise!"

Andrias growled at the undead Phantom and was readying himself to fight the monster, but he stopped. "What?" Lich looked at Andrias curiously. "Are you sure…?…Okay, as you wish. Okay, demon, my Master will speak to you."

Suddenly, the fireplace went out. The shadows in the room started to grow heavy, and in those shadows appeared twelve orange eyes with yellow glowing pupils. A thirteenth eye appeared in the middle of Andrias' crown, showing that his master was always near.

Speak…

Lich found it curious, when this false king's master spoke, it spoke with many overlapping voices. Was this being an amalgamation or was it simply distorting its voice to sound more intimidating? "I came to see if a bargain could be made."

State your bargain…

"I want Luz Noceda's magic and to return to my world. But in order to do that, I need that doorway. I'm sure you don't want Kamen Rider Witch to be here longer than absolutely necessary. Whatever you have planned, I'm certain that she will prove to be a major disruptive force. So, I propose you assist me in her capture," said Lich.

Your argument about Luz Noceda, Kamen Rider Witch, being a potential radical factor in our plan is not without merit. Her magical abilities could prove troublesome for us. What exactly would you require from us?

"I am Lich, the King of the Undead. My magical power is great, but it is greatest when combined with the dead. Perhaps you can provide me with some corpses? Ones that were great warriors, maybe?"

"What will rotting corpses do to them?" Andrias asked in a skeptical tone.

Lich glared at Andrias for even daring to speak, it was the equivalent of a child interrupting a bunch of adults with a silly question during an important meeting. "Corpses though they will be, with my magic, they will be powerful. Enough so that even those other two Riders won't be able to stand a chance."

You fear their power, this we know. The Power of Calamity hurts you, and so you believe to offset this disadvantage by procuring strong fighters.

Lich scoffed at the notion, despite the fact that it was true. "I don't need many, I just need them to be strong. Quality over quantity. It's a win-win situation. I get what I want, and you get what you want."

The thirteen eyes narrowed their gazes at Lich, they knew that the Phantom wasn't any more trustworthy than they were. But Witch could very easily interfere and destroy their plans if nothing was done. The moment that they have been waiting centuries for was close at hand, and they couldn't afford to be stopped because of one unforeseen factor.

Very well.

The thirteen eyes shot beams of light towards the center of the room and created a holographic map of Amphibia.

There are three whom you can exhume and use. The first is Barrel, a great toad warrior of legend. His remains rest in the Tomb of Legends. The second is Xolatla, a newt who was renowned for her curse casting. Her resting place lies to the east of here, in a cave that none of the beings here – except other curse users – will dare to enter. And finally, a frog archer, Donléon, his aim was unlike any other. This archer rests in an alcove near the mountains of Frog Valley.

Will these be sufficient?

Lich nodded his head. "They sound good, but I'll make my final decision once I go to their graves. I'll leave tonight, and if they are of good quality, then I will begin my plan. If not…well…"

The skull ornament on Lich's staff began to glow as the undead Phantom's dark aura flared up in a display of power against the dark force that was before him.

"Pray you are right."

With those words given, Lich disappeared from sight. The shadows in the room receded, and the fireplace was relit. Only the eye on Andrias' crown was still open, as the others had vanished.

"I don't like this, Master. We don't know what that monster's intentions are," said Andrias.

He serves a purpose for now. We have already begun our calculations on a method to neutralize Kamen Rider Witch. Should he be unsuccessful.

"I figured that was the case, but I still believe we should be wary. Lich possesses magical power that we have never seen, much like Luz Noceda, we have to be careful of them both."