Happy One-Year Anniversary of this story! I want to thank you all for remaining patient with me.


I want to thank everyone for their criticism from the last chapter. They were honestly helpful.

- A main criticism regarding my less than stellar upload time which is very much deserved. It's mainly because of me putting it off instead of typing which I really need to work on, and other times it's because new ideas pop up and I have to decide to bring the story on a new path or to keep it on what I've already planned.

- Another was about being more or less descriptive on locations and characters, and this is something I've always struggled with for my five years on this site. I've always been a person who just wants to get to the point, but I also know this isn't the case when it comes to stories. I try my best to be descriptive to where the story isn't dull, but it also doesn't feel like I'm trying to fill up the word count by being overly descriptive about something. But it is something I'm trying to do better with.

- As someone in the reviews mentioned about pop culture references, this is something I want to do more in this AU. Luz was a kid in the 80s and is a teenager in the 90s so of course she would make pop culture references from that time even though no one on the Isles will understand what she's talking about. But I'm going to have balance with it where Luz doesn't make a reference every two sentences, so it won't be corny and annoying.

- Lastly, someone mentioned how I should do something different near the end of this story where the portal doesn't get destroyed and Luz is able to go home. While that does sound interesting, that's not what I'm going for as it goes against what I have planned for the rest of this AU. Now you did bring up a good point about if this was an actual Disney movie long ago then Luz would go home instead of being trapped on the Isles so this wouldn't seem like one giant pilot movie. But think of this like Disney taking a risk back then and ending this movie on a cliffhanger and the story continues in what would be the animated series taking place after. But who knows? Maybe I can do something with that.

Anyways, onto the next chapter!


Luz made sure to remain close to Eda, but the sight of the little medieval-ish town along with the new creatures she never got a good look of yesterday enticed her curiosity. Luz first spotted a goblin who she quickly realizes was a female due to her elongated eyelashes and her mop of greasy blonde hair sticking down her back. She was also a mother as a group of small goblin children clung on her back, playing and fighting with each other.

After that, Luz saw a hulking green ogre running a food stand.

"Fried gremlins on a stick! Get your freshly fried gremlin on a stick!" He loudly advertised just as a customer ran up to the stand to buy one.

Luz didn't know much about gremlins outside of that movie from 1984 (Remember the three rules!); but she did know that a gremlin is not something that Luz could see herself eating, nor did she believe that they even tasted good, but the pleasant smell of fried food was the same as home which tempted Luz to ask Eda if she could buy one for her, but instead decided that it's not the right time.

As the two passed the ogre's stand, Luz noticed what she guessed to be a troll with its green skin, small stature, hunched back, and long arms. It was fighting with a leprechaun who looked no different than the cartoony interpretations she has seen on tv; except this leprechaun bore sharp teeth and was gladly showing it off to the troll who was trying to steal the lep's pot of gold, both rambling incoherently. This encounter felt so random and outright silly that Luz had to fight the urge to laugh in hopes that no attention would come to her.

The two creatures continued their quarrel as Luz saw someone interesting. It was what she could only assume was another witch whose head was just a giant eyeball and judging by the long eyelashes was also female. The eyeball head walked alongside a group of female teen witches who now looked very 'human' sans the pointed ears and glowing eyes. They were all laughing and talking; Luz saw their clothes which looked like school uniforms but each with a different color of sleeves and legs.

After passing the teens, Luz saw more witches that resembled humanoid dogs and cats or other various animals, and inhabitants who could only be described as something you would only see in comic books or science-fiction movies.

After a few more minutes of walking and taking in the sights, Luz immediately hits the breaks before she could walk into Eda who had stopped in front of her.

"That was close!" Luz thought to herself.

She had almost walked into Eda if the corner of her eye didn't see her standing there beforehand. It reminds her of an incident years ago at the grocery store when a younger Luz wasn't paying attention and accidentally stepped on her mom's heels. That was humiliating enough, but a side glare from Camila would pale in comparison to what a witch who already seems on edge would do.

Eda looks back at Luz, keeping her head down but looking up just enough for the human to make out her glowing eyes, and points ahead to a nearby building with a large green sign reading 'Mr. Elixir'. Under the sign were two wooden panels on the wall that were open, revealing a young man wearing a gray funnel on top of his head; he looked a few good years older than Luz running the shop. On the bottom of the merchant window was a blue sign that listed different items and their prices.

"That's where I need to pick up my... stuff. Stay here and don't move. Ok?" Eda asked with a quiet tone.

Luz nodded and grinned mischievously.

"Ok. But you better hurry or else a more charming witch will sweep me off my feet." Luz joked, hoping to lighten Eda's mood.

The Owl Lady, without smiling, cranes her head closer to Luz who thinks she might've chosen the wrong time to make a funny

Eda smiled back at Luz, making sure to show off her golden fang.

"I'm the only charming witch around here." Eda winked before patting Luz's shoulder and walked off.

Luz watched as Eda stopped in front of the window and addressed the young witch running it.

"Morton." Eda greeted gently.

Morton smiled at the hooded witch.

"Well, look who it is." he said happily.

Eda flashed him a friendly smile but motioned for him to keep his voice down.

"Yeah, yeah, it's me. You know why I'm here. Two large cases of elixirs." Eda said simply, looking at her surroundings and making sure Luz is where she left her. (She is and is doing all right)

Morton's smile faltered. He awkwardly tugged on his collar.

"Yeah, about that..."

Eda stared widely at Morton.

"What is it?" she asked sharply.

Morton gulped, but he mustered up enough bravery to answer without fainting.

"M-Materials used to make elixirs are low at the moment. The last batch was destroyed during a fairy-feasting rampage!" Morton whined.

Eda gritted her teeth and clenched her fists, but she stayed calm.

"So, you got nothing?" she asked impatiently.

Morton quickly shook his head.

"No!" The male witch shouted as he dove down and came back up a second later with a glass bottle in hand.

"I've managed to get one elixir made just for you!" he whimpered as he sat the battle on the counter.

Eda narrowed her eyes. "Just one? With how things are going, this might not even last me a week!"

The Owl Lady stopped her rant and looked at Morton who looked terrified. Seeing him like this because of her made Eda feel a twinge of guilt.

Morton is the only one who has been kind to her because that's just the way he is. She hasn't told him her name or even gave her an idea of it, but sometimes she feels as if he knows deep down. It would be nice to talk to someone who not only knows and accepts her while having no desire to turn her in for a chance to retire early with enough money to have his great-grandkids set for life.

Feeling like she scared the young man enough, Eda relented and grabbed her coin bag.

"Sorry for the outburst. Things have been hectic for me lately." Eda apologized as she fished out the correct change for the bottle.

She placed the money on the table and grabbed the elixir.

"Good day, Morton. Stay in school." Eda said before walking off.

Morton sighed with relief that he wasn't torn inside out (which happens quite commonly around here). He looked down at the pile of snails and did a quick mental count that revealed his customer paid too much.

Morton quickly leaned out of the window and called for her.

"M-Ma'am? You gave me too much! One bottle is eighteen snails less than this!"

Eda didn't reply; she just waved back at him signaling for him to keep it.

Morton wanted to leave and return the money to her, but his boss is very strict when it comes to leaving the shop. And the last thing he wants is to have his eyeballs turned into jelly.


Eda made her way back to Luz while she inspected the purchase.

"One measly bottle?!" Eda thought in disappointment. Years ago, this stuff would've got her through a few months clean, but with how bad her condition has gotten lately it might not even last her half a week!

Should she just guzzle the whole thing now, or take small sips each hour and hope for the best?

Why does everything have to be difficult?


Meanwhile with Luz, she was still at the spot Eda had told her to stay in. She still watches as the monsters and witches carried on about their day unaware that a human is in their midst.

A few witches greeted Luz as they passed her. The teen greeted them back with a nod or a friendly "Hello!" while keeping her head down. Eda might've not wanted Luz to speak to anyone, but she wasn't gonna be rude and leave them hanging.

You know? Luz just realized something funny: These witches, even the ones that don't look like her, are almost human. Like in her world, the people here are treated like trash for being different; everyone here shops for food, bickers and fights, laugh and chat, and they even enjoy life despite living in a place that feels like a fantasy geek's greatest dream (which counts Luz, but don't say anything or she'll hurt you!).

Others would've run for the hills after seeing this place for the first time, but Luz for some unexplained reason almost feels some form of comfort here.

It's probably ignorant of her to come to such a conclusion despite only being here for one day, but to her, maybe humans and witches aren't so different.

Luz's deep psychological thoughts about life stopped when her eye caught Eda coming in close with an almost disappointed expression.

"Is everything alright?" Luz asked as she noticed the bottle in the witch's hands.

Eda lazily nodded. It looked like she just wanted to curl up into a ball and disappear.

"Yeah, things are cool. It just that the shop didn't have a lot of my medicine today."

Luz bent down to get a closer look at the bottle. The liquid inside had a golden color and it looked like it was glowing. Was it a potion of some kind?

"What kind of magic mumbo-jumbo is this?" The teen inquired, lightly tapping the bottle like a little kid with a fishbowl.

Eda held it closer away from Luz, looking almost protective of it.

"It's medicine. Expensive medicine." Eda answered as she stored her purchase into a sack that's tied to her belt.

"Now let's skedaddle before someone recognizes us."

"After the bakery?" Luz asks cheekily, making her voice higher pitched to sound like a kid.

Oh, that's right. Eda remembered why Luz was with her. She makes a quick note to stop making promises.

"Ok. I could go for some sweet tarts anyways." The witch turns to the street where wagons pulled by huge creatures pull them like horses; Her eyes look up to a small lizard creature perched on a pole with its long red tongue sticking out. Luz noticed the similarity to crossing signals back home, except this uses a tongue.

"Wait, there's tarts here?" Luz asked.

"Of course. We also have doughnuts, beagles, breads, and much more. All which I enjoy with my morning coffee." Eda answered, not looking back.

"There's coffee here, too?!"

Eda let out a small laugh, amused by Luz's astonishment to the simple things.

Once the lizard's tongue turned green, Eda motioned for Luz to follow her and the two crossed the street.

"Not everything here is different from the human realm. I actually saw a few similarities here and there the last time I was there." Eda said simply.

Luz kept up her pace so she could walk beside Eda.

"Wait, so you have been to the human realm?" the teen asked.

"Oh, that's right. You asked me about that last night and I never answered you. Yes, I've been there before." Eda replied.

"When was the last time you visited?" Luz asked, intrigued.

Eda placed her index finger on her chin and thought about it.

"A very long time. I stopped going because I thought it would be easier for something as small as Owlbert to get stuff and come back instead." The Owl Lady answered as she and Luz stepped onto the sidewalk and kept moving forward.

"How long? What do you remember from your last visit?" Luz asked again, feeling so exciting knowing that a witch like Eda has been on her world before.

Eda thought back as much as she could. "The last time I was there everyone was going crazy about a guy called Elvis."

Eda glanced at Luz.

"What's that guy up to these days?"

Luz quickly broke eye contact with Eda and looked away.

"Elvis? He's...uhhh. He..."

The teen couldn't decide if it was best to break the news to Eda or not.

"So tell me what you liked about my world." Luz said quickly, desperately trying to change the subject.

This seemed to work by what Eda said next.

"A lot of things. For starters, the rain doesn't cook you alive there-"

Luz noticed that but decided to save her question for later.

"And what else... the sights. You humans have a very big and beautiful world. The food is amazing; I loved ice cream. And I also enjoyed sneaking into what you all call movie theatres."

"I snuck into a movie once. But I got caught because some geek from school tattled on me to the workers." Luz explained as she remembered how she got revenge on the geek in question by tying his shoelaces together from under his desk when he wasn't paying attention.

How does the floor taste, Melvin?

"I did enjoy your world a lot, but I much prefer to stay here where home is." Eda finished, reminiscing on old memories.

Luz saw Eda's warm smile from under her hood and suddenly felt happy herself.

"Well, maybe you can come visit me at my place sometime. I mean, I gotta make a good cover story about who you are and how I know you to my mom, but I'd like to see you more often." said Luz

Eda looked at Luz with the same warm smile.

"Maybe I will, Luz." she said as she put her arm on Luz's shoulder and gently pulled her closer to her.

"Maybe I will."


Luz and Eda stood outside a very average looking bakery which the former can see many occupants inside. Some monsters and some witches.

"Alright, same deal as before. You park yourself out here and don't talk to anyone. I'll be back shortly." Eda instructed.

"Why can't I go in there with you?" Luz asked. There hasn't been a bakery she has never been in and didn't want this to be the first. The gentle warmth you feel when you first walk in along with the lovely scent of freshly baked bread and brewed coffee is to die for!

This witch better have a good reason!

"Because while this may be a bakery with treats you're familiar with, there are also other stuff for sale that would be grotesque to you. Do you really want to see what frosted eyeballs look like?" Eda replied flatly.

"Yes." Luz replied with the same tone.

Eda blinked and scowled at Luz.

"Y-You do?" she inquired, very surprised (and slightly concerned) by Luz's reply.

Luz nodded with a smile that worried Eda some more.

"I've watched so many cheap horror movies to the point where I'll be unfazed by the sight of someone getting their guts torn from their body." Luz said almost too proudly.

Eda placed her hands on her hips and gave Luz an unconvinced glance.

"Really? You wouldn't care seeing something like that?" she tested.

Luz almost answered but stopped herself before she could sound out the first word. Seeing anything gore related in a movie is just practical effects and not the real thing. At least, hopefully all that blood and guts was fake. Point being Luz might not be as desensitized as she believes herself to be; she gags like a cat whenever she finds a single strand of hair on her plate at a restaurant.

And is it really smart to test a witch who lives on the body of a dead titan?

"Okay. I might be exaggerating about guts but seeing someone's eyeballs getting scooped out definitely doesn't bother me." Luz added.

The Owl Lady was amused by Luz, but her mind was made up.

"Regardless of how strong your stomach really is, you still can't come in. I don't want to risk someone pulling your smell hood off and recognizing you." Eda explained.

Luz wanted to protest further but doing so may cost her the chance to get something tasty, so she nodded.

"Alright. Stay out of sight, stay out of mind." said Luz

"Atta girl!" said Eda as she went inside, leaving Luz alone with her thoughts.

She internally pouts about not being able to see much of inside the establishments of the Isles because, guess what, she's a wanted criminal.

Yeah, freeing wrongly imprisoned witches and monsters is really illegal. Gotcha.

Stupid Emperor.

Luz looked to her side and noticed an alleyway next to her. She looked back into the diner to see Eda still inside standing in front of the counter and not looking in Luz's direction.

Luz curiosity got the best of her as she peered down the alleyway that appeared empty save for the numerous wanted posters on the wall.

Wait...

More wanted posters? Yes. Luz could see them clearly; more posters of her and Eda there for all to see.

Luz remembered how upset Eda was earlier when both discovered the former's wanted posters on the walls. This in turn made Luz upset all of a sudden.

She remembered what Eda had said, but would Eda be disappointed if Luz disobeyed because she wanted to discard these lying pieces of paper? Not wanting to wait around and find out, Luz marched into the alleyway and scanned the ones with her and Eda's pictures on him; her eyebrows furrowed angrily.

"Stupid Belos." Luz growled as she snatched one poster from the wall and crumbled it into a ball.

"Making me a criminal for standing up to your injustice."

Luz tossed it aside and tore down another.

"And you've been making Eda's life hard and stressful for years. Hasn't she suffered enough?"

Luz crumbled it and tossed it away, repeating her assault on the paper once more.

"On my world, tyrannical rulers throughout history have always been met with a heavy dose of karma for their actions. Hopefully the same will happen to you soon."

Luz ripped a poster with her picture on it off the wall and was ready to brutalize it until she heard a voice on her right addressing her.

"Excuse me. May I have that poster in your hands please?" he asked politely.

Without thinking, Luz passed the poster to the source of the voice.

"Oh, sure. Here." she said without paying attention to what she was doing at the moment.

A hand took the poster from Luz's hand allowing her to go and grab another until she suddenly stopped.

"Wait-"

Luz turned the voice and saw a dark-skinned boy who looked about two or three years younger than her and was only tall enough to where his head met her shoulders.

The boy hung the poster back on the wall which shocked Luz and immediately annoyed her. She was about to give him a piece of her mind until she saw him gluing some paper onto her poster. In fact, Luz looked farther down the alleyway and saw more of the same boy, about 7-8 total, hanging posters that have been edited. How long have these boys here? Were they all here the whole time and Luz just didn't notice? And how much pain was their mother in when giving birth to this brood?

"There! Another one done." he said in a satisfied tone.

The boy looked at Luz with a friendly grin as he presented his work to her.

"What do you think?" he asked.

Luz looked at the new poster and saw what now read:

WANTED: The Human (who's totally awesome)

If you, the human, are reading this then make your way to the house of Augustis Porter.

Join the Human Fan Club! Befriend Augustis (A Cool Friend)! We have snacks!

If you offer stories, I'll be your faithful friend.

(Contact my dad, Peter Porter, for more details)

Warning: Fun times ahead

Luz was perplexed by this boy changing her wanting posters in this way. She wondered why but then realized maybe this is his attempt at making a trap for her by creating a false hope of a safe haven.

Luz quickly glanced at the name on the poster once more before replying.

"Oh! I see what clever trick you're trying to pull... uhh- Augustis." Luz complemented, playing along.

"Well, for starters you can just call me Gus for short. And what do you mean by a trick?" he asked.

Luz motioned at the poster.

"You're editing the posters to make the human believe that you're her friend. And once you have the human right where you want them... WHAM! You can capture them and turn them in for the reward money." Luz explained as she pretended to be invested in Gus' plan.

Gus stared at the stranger with a blank expression as he processed her words.

"Oh!" he said with a small laugh. "Nonono. This is no trick at all. This is a genuine invitation for the human to join my fanclub." he replied while being unaware that he's speaking to a human right now.

But Luz was unconvinced, and a tad confused.

"You really don't want to capture that smokin' hot human? The reward she has on her head could probably get you through college alone." Luz asked until she looked at the bounty again.

"Actually, scratch that. This doesn't even look like enough to afford a textbook." Luz joked.

Gus didn't catch that, but he still answered.

"I'm serious. I really want to meet this human." he said in a genuine tone before glancing at the poster with a big smile.

Luz followed his gaze and looked back at him.

"Why? I mean, don't get me wrong, I bet she's the most intelligent human alive so who wouldn't want to be around her?"

Gus felt glad that another witch was complimenting the human.

"Because a human on the Isles is not something that happens often. In fact, I think she may be the only human who has been here ever, so I don't want to miss my opportunity to meet and befriend one." Gus told her.

Gus's explanation intrigued Luz. He sounded genuine and almost seemed to be trustworthy, but Luz wasn't just going to reveal herself just because somebody said some nice words about her.

"Humans have a really bad rep on the Isles. Many here see them as lesser beings for the sole reason of having no access to magic and that makes humans no better than the dirt we walk on. But I see humans a bit differently, as something more."

Gus hung up another poster.

"Humans are definitely different than us witches in many ways, but it's their differences that makes them special. What can humans create when they have no magic at their side? How do they adapt and change with the times?"

Gus turned back to the wall and placed up another poster.

"Humans are very phenomenal creatures." Gus sighed dreamily.

"Hmm," Luz began, sounding bothered about being classified as such. "I wouldn't call humans creatures-"

Luz stopped speaking as Gus looked back at her.

"I mean... they should be considered as phenomenal friends instead!" she smiled in hopes that she made a successful save.

It looks like she did as Gus smiled, and his eyes sparkled.

"You're right! I've been thinking too small. Humans are just as much creatures as we are." but the human fanatic stopped when he could make out Luz staring at him from under her hood. He rubbed the back of his head in a shy manner.

"S-Sorry. I've been told I can get a little too excited over my interest in humans. It's just my biggest dream is to create relations between humans and witches and show everyone here that humans aren't as bad as they think."

"So like an ambassador?" Luz inquired.

"Exactly!" Gus beamed. "But my main problem is the lack of access to the human realm, so my idea was considered impossible until the human came to town."

He looked down one of the wanted posters with Luz's photo.

"She got here somehow, so that means there's a way back to her world! I just hope I get to meet her and she can take me to the human realm."

Gus partially looked up and frowned.

"But another problem is the human is supposedly with the Owl Lady. And as you know, she's not exactly well-liked around here."

Without thinking, Luz came to Eda's defense.

"Eda isn't as bad as you think!" she fired which made Gus jump in surprise.

Luz realized what she had done as she saw Gus' shocked and confused expression.

"I mean... we haven't heard her side of the story. Maybe she's misunderstood." Luz suggested.

There was an awkward feeling in the air as Luz tried to play it cool and Gus continued to stare at her.

Finally, the latter broke the silence.

"Well, I guess you have a point. I'm willing to hear what she has to say, but until then I'd rather do what my dad told me and avoid contact with her."

At least he's willing, but it sucks to hear how someone like Gus could be afraid of Eda without even knowing her troubles.

"Here me out: There may be a chance that Eda is taking good care of the human. If she wasn't then wouldn't the human have already been turned in for the reward?" Luz asked.

Gus wanted to reply but instead thought about the horrible-smelling-cloaked figure's words. Man, she must be a fan of the owl lady like how he is for humans.

"I didn't think of that. I guess things remain to be seen." Gus concluded.

Luz smiled under her hood. She then glanced up to see Gus' similar-looking brothers walking up behind him.

"We finished!" said one of the boys.

"And still enough time for lunch." another spoke.

Gus looked at his brothers and grinned.

"Thanks guys. That'll be all."

Suddenly, all of Gus' brothers vanished in a flash of cyan-colored lights.

"Woah!" Luz exclaimed. "What happened to your brothers?"

Gus gave Luz a weird look as if she said something stupid.

"I don't have brothers. Those were just copies of me I made with illusion magic."

Luz grew nervous.

"I just... didn't know you didn't have brothers." Luz said out of haste.

Gus listened. He then nodded and stroked his hairless chin.

"That's fair. I don't think I've ever seen you before." he replied

Luz quietly sighed in relief. She thought she was in the clear until Gus asked a question.

"But you couldn't tell that was illusion magic?" he questioned.

Luz's piece of mind immediately came crashing down. She really wished Eda would come out of that bakery already.

"I- uhh... I just don't see illusion magic around all that much." she quickly spoke.

But Gus scowled which told Luz that her excuse wasn't good enough.

"Really? Witches with illusion magic is pretty common on the isles." Gus asked, growing more suspicious.

Luz felt herself walking into a verbal dead end. What's a good excuse for a situation like this? Many potential solutions popped into her head.

Luz could make a run for it, but Gus might follow. Maybe she could find Eda though that would risk Gus seeing and potentially recognizing her.

...

She could try knocking Gus out rocky-style and then book it.

...

...

No, that wouldn't be right. Luz reminded herself that she only punches jerks who deserve it.

And with no other option coming to mind that doesn't involve running off or wrongfully hurting Gus, Luz decided that maybe she should reveal her secret to him. Time to see if that make friends with humans thing is legit.

Luz took a deep breath.

"I have something to show you." she said.

She slowly reached for her hood and was about to pull it back as Gus watched curiously until she was stopped by the sound of someone approaching close, calling Gus' name.

"Gus!" called a feminine voice.

Both Luz and Gus looked behind the former to see a pale-skinned girl who was the same height as Luz approaching. Her unkempt yet clean black hair reached to her shoulders, and she had big round glasses that showed off her olive green eyes, and wore a very bright yellow jacket despite it already being hot out. She also looked a tad pudgy but Luz didn't find anything wrong with that.

"Gus. There you are." she spoke, sounding exhausted and was sloughing.

"Willow!" Gus smiled. "How did everything go?"

Willow regained her breath and stood up straight.

"Well, I got all your fliers hung up finally. Though I wish you sent some of your illusions to help me out." she spoke with a hint of annoyance in her tone.

Gus shrugged. "You know my illusions don't work well in long distances."

Willow was about to reply until her nostrils caught the scent of something horrid. Her face scrunched in disgust as she held her nose closed.

"Why does it smell like something died, and not in a good way?" Willow asked.

"There's a good way?" Luz questioned, accidentally bringing attention to herself as Gus and Willow were now looking at her.

"Oh, hello." Willow greeted. "My name is Willow Park."

The female witch stared at Luz's cloak and grimaced.

"Is your cloak smelling like that?" she asked, taking one step back.

Luz groaned with a humiliated nod.

"Laundry has been slow lately."

Willow waved her hand in front of her face in hopes the stench would fade away, but there wasn't much luck.

"I don't think any amount of soap can fix that." Gus added.

"Yeah. Throw that thing away or something." Willow suggested.

As much as Luz would love to do just that, she unfortunately can't without risking these two figuring out she's a human. And she also has no faith in these stupid fake elf ears Eda's having her wear.

"I can't throw this away. It's currently hiding my hair which looks terrible right now." Luz lied, saying the first thing that came to her head.

"Bad hair day? I understand completely." Willow agreed, running a hand over her own hair.

Gus then walked up between the two females and looked at Willow and pointed at Luz.

"Hey Willow, do you recognize her? She-"

Gus stopped and bit his bottom lip awkwardly. He then turned to Luz.

"I just realized I never learned your name." he said.

Luz was about to her own name out of instinct but stopped just as she was pronouncing L.

"LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL-" Luz continued. Gus and Willow's eyes shifted to each other.

"Is she alright?" Willow whispered

"I'm not sure." Gus replied

"LL-Light! My name is Light." 'Light' answered.

Gus and Willow thought the name was a bit odd. Unique, but odd.

"Well, Light and I were discussion my human fan club, but I surely don't remember ever hearing about a Light. What about you, Willow?" he asked his best friend.

Willow immediately shook her head.

"I have no idea who she is myself. Do you go to Hexside?" she asked Luz.

Luz felt like walls were closing in on her, and she really didn't like tight spaces. She quickly thought of a reply that should get them off her tail.

"No... I'm actually homeschooled." she

"Oh, really? Well, I hope you come to our school one day." Willow kindly smiled.

Luz almost smiled in relief until Gus spoke once more.

"But that doesn't explain how she didn't recognize illusion magic." he said.

"How come when things seem to go my way everything just falls apart?" Luz thought to herself.

Willow's smile dropped. "She never saw illusion magic, like ever?"

"Did I also mention that I was sheltered as a child and wasn't allowed to leave the house?" Luz blurted out.

What she said caught Willow and Gus by surprise. Luz was more hoping that her reply didn't seem too out-of-nowhere for them to believe.

But Luz wasn't expecting Willow to lay a hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

"I'm sorry to hear that." she said with genuine care. She then quickly took her hand off and made a mental not to wash it later.

"I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have tried to pry so deep." Gus apologized

The two witches could only see Luz's small smile from under her otherwise dark hood.

"It's fine. Water under the bridge." Luz replied.

"Hey! You should hang out with Willow and I sometime. Then we can find that human together!" Gus offered.

Next to him, Willow playfully rolled her eyes.

"He hasn't stopped talking about this human since this morning." she laughed.

Gus pointed accusingly at his friend. "Hey, you wanted to see the human as well. That's why you helped me with the posters!'

Willow shrugged.

"Maybe I did. Or-"

Willow quickly wrapped her arm around Gus' neck and forced him closer to her and began to drag her knuckles on his head. A classic.

"Maybe I just wanted to hang out with my little buddy." said Willow as Gus happily laughed.

Luz smiled warmly at the sight of the two friends goofing around. Honestly, she felt a small twinge of envy deep down; at home she really didn't have any friends. Maybe it was because of her rebellious attitude or her inability to open up. That, and anyone she has previously befriended turned out to be giant weenies who either ratted Luz out just so she would get in trouble instead of them or would just stop talking to her when a popular classmate gave them an opening to be their new pawn.

But Luz did her best to not care. She has her mom and that's all that matters.

...

Funny, Luz suddenly misses Camila a little more now.

"There you are dearie!"

Without looking, Luz immediately recognized Eda's voice despite her somewhat decent attempt to change her voice in front of other people.

Eda put her hands on both of Luz's shoulders and lightly gripped them to where there wasn't too much pressure to make Luz feel uncomfortable, but it was enough for the teen to know she was in some hot water. That's when Luz remembered she was instructed by Eda to stay in one spot and to not speak with anyone. Two rules broken in a matter of minutes!

Willow stopped her knuckle assault on Gus' poor little noggin as she and Gus eyed the random lady who's also concealed in a large cloak just like Light. Man, are cloaks in style all of the sudden?

"You know this lady, Light?"

Though the two couldn't see it, Eda was staring at them quizzingly.

"Light?" she asked, glancing down at Luz.

Luz turned her head halfway to Eda so the witch can almost make out Luz's right eye staring at her from under the darkness of her hood.

"Yes. That's my name. Remember?" she asked with a sly wink.

Eda immediately figured it out. She was impressed by Luz's craftiness.

"I do remember now. Workdays can leave my mind in a cloud of fog." Eda moaned tiredly.

Luz reached up and grabbed one of Eda's hands on her shoulders and then held it.

"Let's go home then so you can rest your weary head." Luz offered in a sweet tone.

But Willow spoke before they could walk off.

"Light, is this your mom?" Willow asked.

Luz and Eda stopped dead in their tracks. Both looked at each other and then to Willow and Gus. They weren't expecting to run into a question like this.

The two were quiet for what felt like forever; both not knowing what to say until Luz thought of something.

"Yes," Luz began, earning a shocked stare from Eda. "But she's my adopted mom. My biological parents, the ones who sheltered me, aren't around."

Luz made sure to make her tone sound a little sad for effect. A skill she used regularly back home.

Willow and Gus felt sorry for Luz but were also glad she wasn't sheltered now.

"Well, I hope she's been giving you a good life so far." Gus said with a hopeful smile.

Luz put on a satisfied smirk as she leaned back and playfully bumped Eda with her elbow.

"I can't say that being with her has been boring."

Eda beamed pridefully at this.

"So anyways, as much as I love my little gremlin making friends, we unfortunately have to go home." Eda croaked as she led Luz out of the alley.

Willow and Gus smiled and waved at Luz as she left.

"Bye, Light. See you another time, ok?" said Willow.

"Yeah! And maybe by then you can help us find and befriend the human!" Gus yelled.

Luz looked back with a smile and a thumbs-up. The irony is those two witches have no idea that the human they seek already sees them as friends.


Eda and Luz walked down the street away from Gus and Willow.

"Did you get the stuff?" Luz asked, eyeing the pink box tucked into one of Eda's arms.

But the owl lady didn't answer Luz's question. In fact, she didn't even look her way.

"I told you to stay still and to not speak with anyone." Eda reminded sternly.

Yep, Luz saw that coming. She wasn't going to bother wiggling her way out of this.

"You did and I apologize for not doing what you said. It's just I couldn't stand the sight of those wanted papers of you and I, so I decided to ball them up like the trash they are." Luz explained honestly.

The teen heard the sound of Eda taking a deep breath through her nose.

"I appreciate your rebellious spirit, but none of that is your problem; especially since you can return home at any time." Eda reminded her.

Luz couldn't tell if what Eda said was meant to be assuring or a warning to Luz if she were to disobey her again. Most likely the latter.

"You're right. I should've just listened." Luz began, giving Eda a hopeful glance. "But you'll be glad to know that I didn't tell Willow & Gus about who I am."

Without missing a beat, Eda answered her with a voice containing an obvious hint of sarcasm.

"Well yeah, you had to lie for that to happen."

Luz immediately grew frustrated and wanted to give her own snarky remarks towards the witch, but she kept that desire back. Good timing, too, as Eda spoke up again.

"I understand you didn't tell them you are human. I saw that Gus kid's fliers about human fan clubs and whatnot. And as genuine and legit that all may be, you can't take any chances when you're a wanted criminal. The worst-case scenario is those two kids try looking for Light themselves only to discover that there is no one with that name on the Isles. That alone could potentially lead them to realize that who they thought was just a random stinky-cloak-wearing witch they were chatting it up with was actually the human the whole time. Sure, they may think you were keeping your identity a secret because there are people looking for you, but they might also think you didn't trust them enough to keep your secret."

Eda then stopped speaking. She looked up ahead not to see where she was going, but as if she was reliving a memory from years ago.

"And believe me, Luz. Lying and distrust never leads to good things."

Something about what Eda said made Luz think she has lost a lot of people close to her. Definitely her parents and Luz assumes Eda has no siblings. Maybe Eda even had to lie to someone she was in love with?

Luz crossed her arms and her brows furrowed angrily.

"Well, I wouldn't have had to create a story for those two if it weren't for Belos. If I were to ever see him-"

"You'll never see him!" Eda interrupted with a raise voiced.

This caught Luz by surprise, but she kept her composure.

"And I'll make sure you're back home before he's able to see you in the flesh as well."

Luz remained quiet and continued to walk with Eda down the walkways. But they were soon stopped by the sight of a cheering crowd forming on the sidewalks.

"Why are they cheering?" Luz wondered out loud.

"I don't know." Eda quickly responded. The yearly parades typically don't happen around this season, and unless she read her calendar wrong this morning it also isn't a holiday. But against her better judgement, Eda continued forward with Luz following behind her.

The two stood behind some random people as they looked to the street. Eda looked ahead and her eyes shot wide open as she saw a large group of emperor soldiers coming down the street followed a giant float with... oh, no.

"We have to get out of here!" Eda panicked towards Luz.

Confused and now nervous, Luz asked Eda: "What's going on? Who's coming?" she asked.

Eda didn't answer. She grabbed Luz's hand and made her way back to the alleyway's entrance only to find that more people have come out of nowhere and are now blocking their way.

"Hey, move out the way!" Eda snarled at the group.

All but one ignored her; a monster with many, many eyes on its face.

"Lady, you can chill out and wait!" he barked back.

"It's a medical emergency!" Eda lied.

The monster rolled his eyes and smirked.

"Have a little respect and listen to what our emperor has to say. I'm here on my lunch break of all times!"

The monster now ignored Eda; the witch took a step back and checked her surroundings. She could grab Owlbert from under her cloak and fly off, but that will attract the attention of the guards... and Luz could get hurt if there's a fight. There are also too many people surrounding them. Many who would quickly turn her in if she caused a fight with that jerk monster.

"Did he say emperor?" Luz asked in surprise.

Eda remained quiet. She leaned in close to Luz and whispered in her ear.

"Just stay quiet and keep your head down. They'll all pass us soon."

Luz nodded. The two stood side-by-side as the guards finally marched up as the cheers of the citizens grew louder. Luz felt disgusted hearing them praise the emperor. Don't they know about the prisoners in the Conformatorium?

But a shadow forming in front of Luz made her eyes widen. She glanced up just enough to see him.

Emperor Belos

Luz wasn't expecting him to be so tall. Even if he was standing on a float, he'd still tower above her. There was also a menacing aurora about him, but weirdly enough Luz thought he looked like Darth Vader from Star Wars if he were in the Lord of the Rings series. Though Luz thinks he probably wouldn't find that funny.

"Citizens of the Isles, here me!" Belos spoke out loud, his voice catching Luz off guard. It wasn't deep nor did it sound scary... it was just unnervingly calm.

"The titan has gifted us a new day and a new opportunity." he continued, revealing his brown-gloved hands from under his white cloak.

"As you may know, the Owl Lady is still dangerous fugitive on the loose who deserves to be captured for her many crimes-"

Luz scowled in frustration. She looked at Eda but couldn't see her face, though she could guess that the witch was angry.

"But now the Owl Lady has allied herself with someone who's a danger to everyone here. Someone, no- something that is deadly to you, your spouse, and your children. A human."

Some people in the crowds Boooed at the mention of Luz. Well, at least her species, but still.

"Take it from me, humans are nothing more than greedy, prideful savages. They take what they please and destroy anyone or anything that gets in their way. You must never forget what humans have done to our kind no matter how long it has been."

"What?" Luz whispered to Eda who remained quiet.

"The titan surely hasn't forgotten. That's why he has allowed me to stay alive for so long, why I'm your emperor. Because he knows I will lead you all to victory!" Belos raised both fists in air, causing a roar of applause.

Luz couldn't believe it. Everyone was actually agreeing with him? Wait, what did he mean by the titan allowing him to stay alive?

Belos lowered his hands as his float slowly passed the crowds, coming closer to Luz and Eda.

"So keep your eyes out for the human and owl lady. Study the posters to know what they look like and capture them if you can. Because our revenge is close." Belos concluded.

Revenge? Luz knew she was missing something. Gus told her that humans weren't liked because they were seen as lesser beings. Why would witches want revenge for that?

The people cheered as the float came past. Luz saw Belos' head turn to her area and she quickly looked down. After what felt like a minute Luz looked up again believing he was looking away. But when she looked up, Belos staring right back at her!

Luz gasped and looked down again, her heart racing. Did he see her? She was afraid to look up again.

Should she and Eda make a run for it? Maybe there's a chance he didn't spot her?

Suddenly, Luz felt a gentle grip on her right hand. She looked to see that Eda was holding her hand.

Luz forgot that Eda grabbed it only minutes ago, but she never let go. And now she's holding it tighter but not to hurt Luz; it was like she was attempting to calm Luz. To remind her that she isn't alone and will be protected. This indeed made Luz feel better; it even gave her the courage to look up again.

The teen took a brief and quiet breath and looked up fully expecting to still see Belos looking back, but he and his float were gone. Luz sighed in relief and her heart calmed; she looked to her left to see the float further down the street with Belos facing forward, away from Luz.

A triumphant smile grew on Luz's face as she saw the distance between her and the emperor and his soldiers increasing as the cheering continued.

Luz turned to Eda and playfully bumped her shoulder.

"He didn't look so tough. You and I could've taken him." Luz joked. But her smile dropped upon seeing Eda blankly staring ahead at the float.

Curious, Luz followed her gaze and saw someone she didn't see at first because she was more focused on Mister Dungeons & Dragons. It was a lady witch with pale skin and long black hair holding a staff with what looked like a white version of Owlbert but instead had bigger wings and looked like a completely different type of bird that wasn't an owl.

Does Eda know this lady?

"Let's go." said Eda in a low voice.

Thankfully, the people that were behind them either moved out of the way or left, but the jerk monster was still there.

Walking past him, Eda aimed her index finger at his backside and launched a small fireball that blasted against him. The monster shrieked and jumped into the air.

"WHO DID THAT?" he roared, unaware that the culprit and her companion have already left.


Minutes later, Eda and Luz soared through the air on Owlbert. Eda "drove" while Luz held the pastry box and the elixir bottle, the latte Luz was instructed to keep secure the most.

The ride was quiet and kinda awkward. Luz was staring at the ground and smelling the fresh air after being able to take that stinky hood off. She's contemplating on feeding this thing to Hooty later.

Eda was still quiet which concerned Luz. Something earlier bothered her, and it wasn't just Belos. Was that lady an old friend of Eda's? Maybe she was someone Eda had to leave behind because of her bad life? Whatever happened, there may be some bad blood in it.

"I saw you staring at that black-haired lady next to Belos? Did you know her?" Luz asked.

Eda didn't answer. She didn't even show any emotion.

"Maybe that's not something Eda wants to talk about." Luz thought.

"Well, I am sorry for getting us stuck there briefly. Things got a bit hairy for us." she apologized

Finally, Eda replied in a calm tone.

"Don't apologize, that one's on me. My mind was telling me to leave but I still decided to investigate." Eda explained, reassuring Luz.

Luz smiled. "At least we got out of it without any problems. But I do have some questions about Belos and whatever he's got going on if you don't mind me asking."

The teen could hear Luz take a deep breath over the wind blowing against them.

"Could that wait until we get home? I need a drink." Eda groaned, sounding exhausted.

"Ooh!" Luz cooed, leaning against Eda. "Is this drink perhaps apple blood?"

Eda just shook her head, an amused grin on her face.

"You're getting water, missy!"


Hooty had his focus on a butterfly fluttering in front of the house.

"You're pretty!" the owl-tube ooo'ed.

...

Before launching forward and snapping the butterfly with his beak, eating it.

"And tasty, too!"

Suddenly, Hooty saw at the corner of his eye Eda and Luz landing on the ground.

"You're back! Hoot-Hoot!" Hooty rejoiced, wiggling his wormy body in excitement. Eda just patted Hooty on his head as she walked past him and opened the front door. Luz, however, was enamored by his movements. It looked so strange yet memorizing at the same time.

"C'mon Luz before bugs get in." Eda called.

Luz forced her eyes from Hooty and went through the door, entering the living room.

...

"Luz!" King called, running up with his tail wagging.

He hugged Luz's legs as his tail increased wagging speed; Luz's heart melted.

The teen knelt down, sitting the pastry box and elixir bottle down, and rubbed King's furry head. "Why do you have to be so adorable?"

King immediately stepped away from Luz. He put his hands on his hips and wore a pouty face.

"I'm not cute. I'm fierce!" he squeaked, raising his little hands in the air to look menacing.

Luz chuckled. "You definitely are."

King once again took another step back from Luz and held his nose.

"You know you can take that thing off now, right?" he asked.

Luz got so used to the smell of the cloak that she forgot it was still being warn. Without another word, she yanked it off of her and dropped it to the ground and even kicked it away for added effect.

"Hey!" Eda called.

King and Luz saw the witch staring at the latter. She approached the discarded cloak and picked it up to dust it off.

"I know this thing smells terrible, but it has still been in my family for generations. Treat it with more respect, please." Eda asked, visibly annoyed.

Luz cringed at her carelessness.

"Sorry." she apologized. She then grabbed the box and elixir and stood up.

"It's fine." Eda said passively.

She folded the smelly cloak and laid it on the coffee table. She then took of her own cloak and lait it on the couch before grabbing the elixir bottle from Luz and wrapped it with the cloak, making it look like a newborn baby swaddled in a blanket.

"There." Eda said simply before grabbing the box of treats from Luz and walking to the kitchen.

"Snacks are this way." the witch announced tiredly as she entered the kitchen.

Before Luz could follow, she felt King tug at her pantleg.

The little demon looked worried.

"Is Eda alright?" he asked quietly so Eda wouldn't hear him.

Luz looked towards the kitchen entrance and then back down at King. She knelt down to King and whispered to him:

"We had a run in with Emperor Belos." Luz revealed.

King's eyes widened.

"What?!" he said in surprise.

Luz nodded. "It was some public announcement thing, but he didn't see us... I hope."

King calmed down.

"Well, that's a relief. Eda's got enough on her plate already."

"He also said some things I need to ask Eda about. Oh! Speaking of which..."

Luz looked down at King.

"Do you know anything about a lady with black hair who works for Belos? Eda seemed to know her somehow."

King didn't speak at first.

"That's not my place to answer. You should ask Eda about that, but don't be surprised if she's not open about it." King explained before leaving Luz and headed to the kitchen.


Luz sat down in the kitchen and rubbed her hands together, anticipating her savory snack.

"I really hope you got whatever the equivalent of a boston creme here is." Luz said, licking her lips.

Eda reached into the box and pulled out a bland whole wheat muffin.

Luz's smile stayed but her entire world came crashing down.

"Hey, Eda. I'm thankful that you got some treats, but did you happen to have gotten anything with actual flavor?" she asked.

Eda understood Luz's reaction to this.

"Human food is way different than the food we have here. I gotta make sure this stuff is okay for you, so we'll start with something tame." Eda explained.

Luz stared quizzingly at Eda.

"But I ate the best plate of eggs I ever had last night and today and that was safe, and those were eggs from a griffin!" Luz explained, confused.

Eda nodded. "True, but eggs here aren't fully different from human realm eggs, so there was no gamble with that." Eda replied.

Luz looked down at the muffin and back up at Eda.

"There is more tasty stuff in here, but you aren't touching any until I see you bite into that thing." Eda warned.

Swallowing her pride, Luz forced herself to bite the muffin, making sure to take a small enough bite just in case this doesn't sit right in her tummy but also enough to satisfy Eda's sick curiosity.

Making someone eat a whole wheat anything should be a federal crime itself.

Luz bit off a piece and tasted it. Yep, definitely tastes like whole wheat. Dry as a bone too.

She then forced herself to swallow. After waiting a few seconds, nothing happened.

"You feel fine?" Eda asked, concerned.

Luz shrugged. "Yeah, I guess I-"

She suddenly stopped talking and froze. Eda suddenly got worried and ran to Luz's side.

"Hey! Luz! What's wrong?!" she asked, shaking the human a bit.

Luz turned her head and scowled at Eda.

"What are you doing? I'm fine." she asked, annoyed.

Eda took her hands off of Luz.

"But you just froze." the witch explained, confused.

Luz sat the muffin down onto the table.

"Well, usually on tv when someone says they're fine after eating something gross, they always end up losing their lunch mid-sentence. So I wanted to see if that was going to happen to me." Luz explained.

Eda honestly didn't know how to respond. She also didn't know what a tv was, but it probably doesn't beat watching programs on the crystal ball.

"Oh..." she could only muster.

"So did I prove myself?" Luz inquired impatiently.

Eda nodded.

Ecstatic, Luz reached into the box and pulled out a donut that not only WASN'T whole wheat, but also had chocolate icing!

She bit into it and savored the familiar sweet flavor while Eda picked up the partially bitten muffin.

"This can't be that bad." said Eda before she took a bite herself. Not even three seconds pass before Eda spits the piece out in disgust.

"Yep. This is nasty." Eda admitted before nonchalantly tossing the muffin in the air behind her which Hooty snatched up in ate.

"Mmmm. Disgusting!" Hooty smiled.

Luz finished her doughnut and wiped her hands off.

"Okay, Eda. I had my snack and I'm sure you had your drink-"

"Currently pouring it." Eda cut in as she was pouring herself some apple blood.

"Alright, so Gus told me that humans aren't welcome here because we're seen as lesser beings for the fact that we can't make magic,"

"Which I told you first!" Eda reminded, taking a gulp from her cup.

Luz nodded. "Yes, but Belos was saying stuff about revenge which didn't make since with what Gus said. What is that all about."

Eda took a long sip of apple blood as if she was stalling, or just wanted to enjoy the drink.

Currently satisfied, Eda sat her cup down and smacked her lips. She pulled up a chair and sat across from Luz.

"Alright, I'll tell you. But this might get a little heavy." Eda warned.

Luz moved in her seat to get cozy and leaned on the table, her elbows propping her head up.

"I really want to know." Luz said seriously.

Eda knew Luz was being honest.

"Okay. We'll start from the beginning" Eda began.

"Have you heard of the Witch Trials in the human realm?"


HAHA! Cliffhanger. Kinda cheap, I know. But the wait will be worth it (just as long as it doesn't take 3+ months. lol). And I hope the wait for this chapter was worth it to some, but I haven't spent this time being lazy; I've actually been planning more for this story. You know when you first come up with ideas only to come up with better ones later on and change them? That's what's been happening to me. And with the last few words of this chapter is anything to go by, I've came up with a new motivation for Emperor Belos that I'm sure a lot of you will think is awesome!

- I hope you all liked Gus and Willow's introduction into this AU. For appearance purposes, Gus looks mostly the same as his canon self (because you can't change perfection), and Willow is meant to look be a mix between her beta and canon. She's also sweet as a peach but won't take too kindly to rude words aimed at her or Gus. (I also purposley didn't reveal Willow's plant magic in this chapter, but all in good time.)

- Lastly, I want to announce that I'm also working on a side story to this called "Owl Pellets: Disney Renaissance AU". It's supposed to be one-shots meant to fill in gaps that can take place before, in-between, or after certain chapters. And it can also act as a little bit of world building where it'll focus on characters other than Luz and Eda. What do you all think?