We find ourselves in front of an old house where the Leviathan Axe was lodged in the ground when suddenly a powerful gust of wind blew the battle axe out of the ground through a glowing door.
Through the door we find ourselves in the Boiling Isles as the Leviathan Axe flew into Ardyn's hand and the Owl House Title logo appeared.
Iki wo sutte haitara kurushii koto
Kizu ga hitotsu fueru tabi ikiteiru koto
Looking around Ardyn sees the Owl House with Hooty and King watching Eda teaching Luz magic.
Tsukaifurusareta sonna kanshou mo itsuka kitto
Yoru ni tokete kieru
We then find ourselves at Hexide as Willow and Gus wave at them while Amity merely looks away with a small blush on her face.
"No enough" yugandatte
"No escape" machigattatte
"No fear" koroge mawatte
Susumeba iin deshou
As Eda struggles to fight off the curse she briefly fights off the feathers before we see Romani chained up against the wall before a large shadow grows.
Looking up they saw Emperor Belos glaring down at them with staff at the ready and all his coven ready to attack. Standing behind him is a shadowed figure with a demented grin on his face.
Sore wa marude shinwa no you na
Iro, katachi no jubunairu
Spinning her staff Eda creates a powerful blast blowing the guards away before Lilith leaps in and the two sisters clash making magic explode all around them. From the smoke Ardyn, Luz, Amity, Willow and Gus ran towards the top.
Summoning an ice glyph Luz makes a bridge of ice allowing Amity's abomination to charge forward ramming them away as Willow made a road of vines for Ardyn to run ahead.
Ibitsu na mama hibiwareteiru
Kono sekai de hitotsu kagayaku
Kirei na tsuki
Running to the top, Ardyn and Emperor Belos clashes axe and staff before the shadowed figure fires a powerful blast knocking Ardyn back.
Holding out his hand a gilded sword forms in Ardyn's hand before he thrusts his weapon clashing with Belos and the shadowed figured creating a bright light.
FATE/BOILING ISLES
Book 1
Chapter 4: The Fated Intruders.
It's been two days since Ardyn and Luz snuck into Hexside with the help of their new friends: Willow and Gus. It was fun until Ardyn was caught, and they had to make a run for it. Now the human and half-witch were banned from ever entering Hexside. Even so, they sparked an instant friendship with Willow and Gus, even if Gus would obsess about the things the humans did and what 'human items' they had.
Now, on this day, as the sky darkened with storm clouds, Ardyn and his crush were brought to the living by King. Apparently, he had something important for them.
However, something happened, and the two couldn't help themselves. Luz turned on her phone's camera and pointed it at Ardyn, who was sitting next to her. "I'm Ardyn Pierce, and we've just stumbled across a most fearsome creature. A legendary monster caught on camera for the first time," he said with an Austrian accent.
"Indeed," Luz said, but in a British accent. She then turned the camera towards King and closed in on one of his eyes. "This most fearsome creature is known as the king of demons." She then zoomed out to show King trying to tear a sock that was stuck on his boney snout. "Facing his natural enemy, the ducky sock."
"Only one winner will come out of this clash of the titans," Ardyn said as he chuckled as Luz giggled with him. The two enjoyed watching their little friend struggling to get off the sock with his back paws. He was able to rip the sock's front before standing up and tearing the rest of it apart. He stomped on the pieces and then pounded on them with his fists.
"Where are you now, ducky sock?!" King shouted.
"It's so cute when he acts all tough," Luz gushes with a cute squeal of her own.
"So, why'd you call us here King?" Ardyn asked in his normal voice.
"Oh, yeah." King then turned and started climbing on top of a table next to a board that had a blanket covering it. He then turned to the two friends to address them. "Human Luz, Hybrid Ardyn, you've been so obsessed with witchcraft. that you haven't learned anything about my kind. Prepare yourself for…" Grabbing the blanket, King pulled it off to reveal many photos of monstrous creatures and demonic beings, while putting on a fake professor hat. "... Demons 101! Demons like me are grim tricksters of the twilight, creatures of sulfur and bone."
"And cute little paws," Luz added.
King sighed in annoyance. "And cute little paws. True. We live only to create chaos and misery. Our only weaknesses are purified water and passive‐aggressive comments. Sometimes."
"Oh, the big bad demons are sensitive," Ardyn said with a smirk.
"Even demons have inner demons," King said, before taking off the picture and showing the two teens an image of a very intimidating-looking demon with a large, spiked shell on its back. "The most powerful demon of all is the Snaggleback. He's a‐‐"
"Bad boy!" Luz started adding special effects like stickers and text.
"Luz, pay attention. This information could save both your lives someday," King said.
Ardyn sighed and took his friend's phone from her. "He's right, Luz. Magic wouldn't be enough to save us, even with the powers of Heroic Spirits" he said, turning off the phone and then handing it back to her.
"No, no. I am so paying attention. This is my paying attention face," Luz reassured King, before putting her hand under her chin and nodding. "Mm‐hmm, mm‐hmm, mm‐hmm."
"That's the same face you make when you're also pretending to pay attention, " Ardyn said with a smirk causing Luz to grin awkwardly with a sweat drop. The two were then startled by the sudden boom of thunder and lightning flash.
"Uh‐oh. Looks like it's going to rain," King said.
This made Luz gasp with excitement. "I love the rain," she said, jumping off the floor and running to the door. Ardyn followed behind her.
"Hey, wait!" King called out to them, but it was too late.
Luz opened the door as she and her friend stepped out of the house. She exhaled and spun around. "I always love feeling the first few drops in my hair."
Ardyn looked up at the sky with a smile. "I remember how sick we got whenever we played in the mud," he said.
However, when the first drop of rain fell onto his forehead, Ardyn recoiled from how burning hot the raindrop was. "OW! What the hell?!" He yelled, rubbing his forehead while steam came off it.
"Uh, Ardyn…" Luz said, backing up into Ardyn as she looked around. Freaking out by what she saw. All around them, more raindrops fell onto the ground as the rain can. But these drops of water burnt the ground. Scorching the grass, ground, and everything they touched.
"Boiling rain!" Yelled Eda as she and Romani ran towards the Owl House.
"Everybody inside now!" Romani said as the two got closer to the Owl House.
"Huh?" Luz didn't get a chance to react, as Ardyn acted fast. The hybrid grabbed her hand and pulled her along. Running back into the house with Eda and Romani behind them. Once they were inside, the Owl Lady shut the door.
"Phew! That was close. But the important thing is you didn't get hurt," Eda said to her two students.
Ardyn panted a little before he said, "Yeah, are you alright, Luz?" Ardyn turned to her crush.
Luz was staring at him with a blush on her face. Ardyn looked at her with a look of confusion for a moment. The girl then looked down at her hand, and Ardyn looked down too. Gasping when he saw that he was still holding hers. He quickly pulled his hand away from hers and looked away with an embarrassed look on his face. This caused Romani to have a light chuckle.
"S-Sorry."
"No, it's - it's okay, I don't mind," Luz said, secretly liking that he held her hand and wanted him to do it again.
It wasn't just the Owl House that was experiencing boiling rains. All over the Boiling Isle, the people were screaming and running for shelter from the deadly rain. Getting themself, their families, kids, or even plants inside before they were burned alive by the rain.
Back at the Owl House, Luz gently placed a band-aid on Ardyn's forehead, while King did the same thing to Luz's forearm. Ardyn smiled at Luz before King pulled out another Band-Aid from his hat and put it on his snout, even though he wasn't hurt. "Look, now we're boo‐boo buddies!"
This caused Luz to squeal, finding the act to be adorable. Ardyn watched as she fell over to the side against his leg, keeping her eyes on King. "Oh, my gosh, I love you so much."
Ardyn blushed as he got an idea. "Oh gosh, Luz. I had no idea you felt that way about me," he said, smirking playfully. This made Luz gasp and quickly get back up with a burning blush on her cheeks. Ardyn chuckled a bit. Realizing that he was messing with her, Luz started punching him in the arm. "Come on, it was a little funny."
He then turned to look at Eda. She was protecting herself with a magical shield over her head while using her hands to create a small ball of energy. Her staff hovered nearby for when she was ready to cast the forcefield on the house.
"So, what's up with the weather, Eda?" He asked, after Luz stopped and looked away with a pout and blush. "I mean, a boiling rainstorm on the Boiling Isles? Isn't that a little too on the nose?"
"Yeah, we don't have weather," Eda clarified, looking back at them. "We have plagues, gorenados, shale hail, painbows...
"It's like a rainbow but looking at it turns you inside out," King said, causing Ardyn to cringe. Luz tightened her hood on her head and pulled her knees to her chest. She then scooted closer to Ardyn.
"Geez, don't you all have something normal, like snow," Ardyn asked, pulled Luz into him with one arm. The two were fearful of what would be said.
"Actually, we do get snow and that's the only thing that is considered 'normal' for you." Eda said. "But, until the boiling rain stops, no one is allowed outside tonight."
"And if the rain doesn't get you, the Snaggleback will," King said, pulling the book from his hat and opening it, showing images of the Snaggleback the human and hybrid. "They wander the rain feeding on boiled tourists."
"Well, whatever the case, the force field spell should protect the house from boiling rains and made‐up demons," Romani said with a smirk as King gave him a blank look.
"Hoot! Well, hurry it up with that force field. That rain is getting closer to my precious stucco," said Hooty with an angry little scowl on his face.
"Yeah, yeah, I got it." Eda used her staff to grab the light ball. Placing the orb on top of it. She twirled it around and stamped the staff down to the ground. The forcefield that was once protecting her spread through the house. Protecting it inside of a large bubble shell that shrank down to fit the shape of the house.
"Wow. Someday I'd like to be as cool as Eda the Owl Lady," Luz said, pulling off her hood. Watching as Eda walked over to them, pushing her hair behind her ear. "Magical, sassy, surprisingly foxy for her age."
"Makes me wonder what my mom was like using magic," Ardyn said, before another question entered his head. "Hey, Eda, I've meant to ask you about something. Why are you called the Owl Lady?"
"Because I'm so wise," Eda said with a smirk.
"Because she coughs up rat bones," said Hooty causing Eda to look at him with a deadpan look.
"Because she has many years of experience when it comes to age." Romani said as Eda smirked for a moment before she just realized something.
"Hey wait a minute are you calling me old?"
"…Maybe?"
"I think it's because she gets distracted by shiny objects," King added.
"No, I don't," Eda argued with the demon.
To prove his point, King took out a pen and clicked it. Making the fake diamond on top glowed a shiny pink light. When she laid eyes on it, Eda's eyes widened with delight, with even her iris's expanding.
"It sparkles and shimmers. It shines and delights. I must have it for my nest…" Eda whispered, lunging at the pen. Only to miss when King quickly kidded it behind his back, making her crash onto the ground.
"You have a nest? I want a nest! Nest party!" Luz exclaimed excitedly as she and Ardyn kneeled to their mentor and helped her up.
"Woah there. Are you okay, Eda?" Ardyn asked,
"Ugh. That force field really took it out of me," Eda said tiredly, rubbing her forehead.
"Uh‐oh. Moving a little slow. Age finally catching up to you?" King asked mockingly. Ardyn frowned and hooded King's head with the hat. Making him scream. "AH! Darkness!" Eda smiled and gave Ardyn a thumb's up before heading inside the house.
"This is perfect," said Luz.
"How exactly is it perfect?" Ardyn questioned.
"Since we'll be stuck in the house all night, Eda won't have any excuse not to teach us a spell," Luz said before going into the house.
"But don't you want to finish our lesson? I was going to let you scratch a demon's tummy. Me!" King said before Ardyn picked him up in his arms.
"You mean like this?" Ardyn began scratching his belly a bit, making the little demon jolt before relaxing in the hybrid's arms. Kicking his leg like a little puppy when Ardyn found a good spot.
"Oh, uh, sorry, King. But... magic," Luz said, before following Eda inside. Leaving Ardyn and the demon.
King's hat deflates as he frowned, causing his horn to pierce through it.
"Don't worry, King," Ardyn said, patting his head. "We'll continue when we're finished, okay?"
"Forget it," King said, leaping out of Ardyn's arms in frustration. The young boy watched with a sad look on his face as his little buddy walked away into the house. He sighed and closed the door behind him as he entered the home of the Owl Lady.
Meanwhile, Eda watched over to go behind her dressing zone. Dropping her staff and snapping her fingers, Eda magically changed into her pajamas and laid down on the couch. Sighing in content when her back hits the cushions and closed her eyes. But then a shadow hovered over her body, making the witch open her eyes. Only to be startled when she saw Luz smiling down at her.
"Oh, Eda, have I told you how rad your fang looks today?" Luz asked.
"Whatever it is, no," said Eda.
"Uh, and your hair is like... girl." Luz pressed on as Ardyn walked over to them.
"I'm not teaching you two magic tonight," Eda told her, covering her body with a blanket. "I'm sleepy. I'm a sleepy little owl."
Ardyn frowned before reaching and grabbing the blanket. Yanking it off her body, which startled her.
"Hey!"
"Listen, Eda, you agreed to be our teacher and teach us all there is about magic. It's been a week now, and we've barely even learned a spell in that time," Ardyn said with a firm voice that wanted no arguments from Eda. "If Luz's even going to get her staff and if I'm going to learn how to use my magic, then you're going to have to teach us how to do magic."
"Later. Sleep." Eda snatched the blanket back and covered her whole head and body.
"There's got to be a way to wake her up," Luz said, looking around for something to do just that.
"Maybe we should wait until she wakes up, Luz," Ardyn said, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"But Ardyn, We can't do it if we don't learn any," Luz said, putting her hands together and stared at her friend with a begging expression. "I want us to do magic together. Please, Ardyn, I need this."
Staring at her pouting face, Ardyn took a moment to think before letting out a sigh. "I've got an idea," he said, walking off.
For a moment, Eda sighed in relief as she heard nothing but silence. But that silence was broken, and she was awakened by a familiar, rapid clicking sound.
Eda gasped. "Sparkle thing."
Immediately, Eda got up with the blanket over her head, and turned to see Ardyn holding the pen in his hand with the gem glowing.
"Oh, good morning, Eda. I see we've got your attention," Ardyn said with a smirk.
Eda jumped up on the armrest like a cat, following the pen as Ardyn moved it around. Ardyn held it closer to her, and the witch tried to take it.
"Denied!" Ardyn said in a certain announcer voice, quickly pulled it out of her reach, and the old Owl Lady fell off the sofa and onto the floor. "You want to have this sparkling thing? Teach us one basic spell. Deal?" He said to Eda, rapidly clicking on and off the pen.
"I see you have your mother's cunning, but just know that I respect and hate you for it," Eda said, narrowing her eyes.
"Dully noted. Now get up."
"Crap…"
A moment later, Ardyn and Luz were sitting on the ground in front of Eda with Romani reading a book nearby, as she stood in front of them with her staff. "Alright, Ardyn, for you, we're going to have to get experimental. From what I have seen from Anna, the Bronwyn family can perform magic much differently from everyone else," Eda said to the young boy.
"How much so?" Ardyn asked.
"Your abilities over magic are great and powerful, and whenever Anna used magic, she didn't use a staff. All she ever did was just focus magic energy into her hands together and then bam! Magic appears."
Ardyn looked down at his hands. That's all he had to do. Just focus magical energy into his hands. So just like Dragonball Z. Wanting to try it out and see what happens, Ardyn held his hands in front of him and focuses on his hand.
But nothing happened. There was nothing that felt different. No magic appearing. Nothing that came close to him making magic.
"Didn't she tell you how she did it?" Ardyn asked his mentor.
Eda's eyes widened for a moment before rubbing her chin with a finger. "Actually, no. She was taught by someone else, but I never really found out who it was. All she told me was that for her, 'magic was like a trinity of mind, body, and spirit, but she was the circle.' I, for one, have no idea what that means. Which is why you are going to have to learn how to do it on your own. But I want you to also watch as I teach Luz."
Luz squealed with excitement. "Finally!"
"If you want a witch's staff like mine, don't make...me...repeat...myself," Eda said, beginning to doze off for a moment. She shook her head to stay awake. "The staff of witches and wizards have power embedded into them. Even the Leviathan Axe, Ardyn.
"Gimme!" Luz said eagerly, wanting to grab the axe from his back. But Ardyn gently slapped her hand away.
"But before one is earned, every witch needs to know how to cast spells on their own. Now…" Eda tossed her staff away, before holding up her finger, "...tonight I will show you how to create... light."
Eda drew a magic circle in the air with her finger. It glowed and then burst out, leaving behind an orb of light. Ardyn and Luz watched with amazement as the small ball slowly floated down to them. Ardyn tried to touch it, but the orb popped like a bubble.
"Yawn!" King commented from the sideline, getting up a few drawings surrounding him. "Who needs another boring spell lesson when you could be learning all the fun ways a demon could kill you." He grabbed one of his drawings of a demon eating someone and showed it to them. "Look how teethy. Bite, bite."
"Be quiet. We need to focus," Luz said. King slumped down when he heard that.
"Now, humans think magic is made from thin air, but that's stupid. Everything comes from something," Eda said, continuing her lesson. "Let me ask you, kid. Where do you think magic comes from?"
"Uh, from the heart?" Luz asked.
"Oh please," Ardyn said, rolling his eyes. "That's just a lazy excuse writers use to not go into the complex details of magic."
"Actually, she's right," Eda said.
"Wait, she is?" Ardyn asked with a shocked expression as Luz had a look of happiness on her face.
"Yeah, really," Eda said before showing a picture of a human heart with a giant, green, parasitic-looking sack of flesh attached to it. "It comes from a sack of magic bile attached to a witch's heart."
"Oh my God, that's disgusting!" Ardyn shouted, both he and Luz cringing at the sight of the sack. But then his face turned to a look of horror as he grabbed his chest. Where the heart would be. "Wait, DO I HAVE THAT?!"
"I don't know." Eda said with a smirk as she rolled up the paper and stuffed it back into her hair. "Now, everything depends on the spell circle. The bigger the circle, the more powerful the spell." She drew another spell circle, only larger than before, creating an even larger ball of light that popped.
"But how can I, little ol' Luz, do spells if I don't have a magic bile... sac?" Luz asked her mentor.
Eda thought for a moment, before just admitting to her students. "You know, I'm not actually sure."
"What?" Luz and Ardyn said at once.
"I know witches did magic differently in the past, but I never bothered to figure out how." The Owl Lady laughed and snorted.
"Eda!"
Eda kneeled and ruffled the two kids' hair, making them both pout. "Don't worry. You will figure it out. Now‐‐" She stood up and stretched her back, making her bones pop and crack. "I need to lie down."
"Really? That's it?" Ardyn asked in annoyance.
"Wait! I need to see you do the circle thingy again. I'll record it on my phone this time." Luz brought out her phone and turned it on. She then pointed the camera at Eda's tired face. "Smile! You are on camera. One more spell won't kill you."
Eda groaned in annoyance. "Fine. Now, you see, the…" She started to draw a circle, but unlike how it was before, this one looked unstable. "...spell circle is really key because‐‐" the spell circle popped as the Owl Lady yawned. "Ooh, boy."
And then she would have felled face-first on the floor if Romani hadn't caught her who saw the incident.
"Welp, looks like one more spell killed Eda," King said, causing Ardyn and Luz to yelp in a panic. The two quickly knelt next to their master as Romani placed her on her back.
"Oh my God! Oh my God! My obsession with spells knocked out Eda! I'm a monster!" Luz yelled.
Romani placed two fingers against Eda's neck to check for a pulse. To his relief, there was still one. "She's okay. That last spell just knocked her out," he told the teens as King walked over.
King looked at Eda and then spanked his paw on her nose, getting a little reaction. "Bap! Yep. She is out. Bap!" He did it again, laughing away.
"King," said Ardyn with a glare.
"What? Just making sure."
"We should get help, right?" Luz asked and quickly started running to the outside.
"Luz, don't go out there!" Ardyn shouted, grabbing her hand, and pulling her away from the open door and the boiling rains. "You'll get boiled alive."
"No, let her try. It'll be funny," said Hooty. Ardyn glared at the owl before grabbing the door and slamming it shut. "OW! I was just kidding! "
"But what if Eda's dead?!" Luz screamed.
"Luz. Calm down and look at me," said Ardyn, placing his hands on Luz's shoulders as he stared into her eyes. "It's okay. Eda's not dead. You did not kill her. She's just exhausted." The two teenagers looked at Eda as the old witch started snoring in her sleep.
"Shiny thing. Big nest…" mumbled the old lady, before snorting again.
"Remember when her head got cut off last week?" King questioned Luz. "That woman can survive anything. She's probably tired from staying up all night chasing shrews and voles."
"King does have a point," Ardyn said, walking over to his master. He then reached down and started lifting her up. "Come on, let's at least get her into bed."
Minutes later, they arrived at the door to Eda's room. King opened the door to allow Romani, Ardyn and Luz to carry Eda inside. Luz and King were carrying the witch by her feet, while the Seventh Son carried her by her shoulders. They walked her over to her bed, which was an actual owl's nest made of branches, sticks, leaves, and vines.
"You know, I think she's taking this 'owl lady' thing a little too literally," Ardyn said, as he and others carried Eda over to it. Luz pushed aside a random rat skeleton, allowing her, Romani and Ardyn to place her into the nest.
"Sorry for pushing you, Miss Eda," said the young girl before getting nervous. "Please don't hurt me when you wake up."
"Diddo," Ardyn said.
"Don't worry. She'll be fine. A good nights rest will be good for her." Romani said with a smile on his face, causing the teens to smile at Romani's comforting words.
"Should I bap her again?" King asked, eagerly raising his hand only for Romani to catch his paw before he could bap her again.
"Just let her rest, your little goober," Luz said, petting his head. Ardyn grabbed her blanket and threw it onto Eda's sleeping body.
"Come on. Let's go downstairs and let her rest," said the blonde boy. Ardyn and Luz turned and walked away from the nest. Leaving King there for a moment and gave him the chance to slap Eda again.
"Bap!"
"King!"
King cackled as he followed the teens and Witch Adult.
Downstairs, King was drawing another one of the demons from his book when he heard someone grunting. Looking over, he saw Ardyn sitting on the stairs, trying to draw magical energy to his hands. Trying to get his powers to work on his own.
"Ugh! Why would not you work!" Ardyn complained to his hands. Standing up, he started pacing back and forth. "I don't get it. What does it mean that my magic was 'a trinity of mind, body, and spirit, but I am the circle?' So, what's the secret?" He looked down at hands with a frown. He then looked over at Luz. "How are you doing over there, Luz?"
Luz was trying to make a magic circle with her finger with nothing working. "I'm having no luck either. This is all she does. Why you got to be so cryptic, Owl Lady?" She asked, looking at her phone and played the clip of her again.
King covered the screen with his notepad. "Hey, you know what's really cryptic? Let me tell you about the most spine‐chilling demon," he said, before showing a weird-looking goldfish with hands for feet. "Smoochy‐pie the Sweetie Baby!"
Ardyn and Luz stared at the fish with hands before the young boy looked at the demon with a frown. If it was a joke, it was not funny.
"He's... He's a lot more threatening than his name implies."
Ardyn sighed and started walking away. "Well, I'm going to make sandwiches for us," he said, going into the kitchen.
"Not now, King. I want to figure out this spell," Luz said, turning away from him. King sat down on the pile of books and looked down, upset. "But if I don't have a magic sac, what's the point? I'll just be twirling my fingers around unmagically forever."
"Why do you want to learn magic so bad, anyway?" King asked, turning his head to her.
"I was a nobody back home," Luz said, sitting down on a pillow. She turned her head to look at Ardyn as he was making sandwiches for them. "We both were nobodies. He was my only friend, and when I found out that he is this magical being I... I wished that I could do it too. Becoming a witch is my chance to be someone. Someone like Ardyn."
"So, how did you two become friends?" King asked.
"It was back when we were still just seven. Ardyn had just lost his dad, and I still did not have any friends. But I will never forget that day," Luz said, smiling as she remembered that fateful day.
Nine years ago
It was the beginning of the snow season, and the school had just let out the kids for recess. Most kids Luz's age would be playing games or talking to their friends. But Luz did not have any friends, and she wasn't invited to join in any games. Alone in one area of the field, Luz played with her figures of Azura and Dominic.
"Once again, the day is saved, thanks to the Good Witch Azura and Ordan, the Warrior-Mage!" Luz exclaimed, raising her Azura doll in the end. But then she was pelted in the face and knocked to the ground with a snowball. "OW!"
Luz wiped the snow off her face as three girls walked over to her. These girls were notorious for being major bullies to both boys and girls at the school. Beating up kids and taking their things. Getting away with whatever they did because the school allows them to.
And their favorite target to torment was Luz.
"Well, well. Look who we have here," said the ringleader.
Luz started to get up with a nervous expression. "He-Hey, girls…"
"What's this?" The ringleader snatched her Azura figure. "Are you playing with dolls?"
"Hey, give that back!" Luz said but was shoved to the ground.
"Aw, does the little baby want her toy back?" One of the girls taunted her.
"Stop it!" Luz tried to get up but was kicked in the chest hard. Making her cry in pain, dropping her Ordan doll in the process. The ringleader then smirked and grabbed Azura's head.
"Oops!" She pulled her head off.
"NOO!" Luz screamed, bursting into tears at the sight of her favorite toy in the world getting broke. The girl then tossed the body to the ground and walked away. Laughing while still holding Azura's head.
Luz held her toys in her arms as she cried. No one ever came to help her. No one would come to comfort the girl kneeling on the ground. She was crying alone because no one ever understood her, and she believed that she would never have real friends.
And then he came into her life.
"Hey. Are you ok?" asked a boy. Luz looked up to see seven-year-old Ardyn Pierce. He was wearing an old and beaten red jacket with a white scarf around his neck and a blue hat on his head.
Luz sniffled and pointed at the girls, who were kicking around Azura's head like it was a hacky sack. "They broke my Azura doll and stole her head."
Ardyn looked at her with brows furrowed as his eyes narrowed. Seeing how upset she had made him frown and angry, but not at her. His eyes turned towards the bullies who were laughing at what they were doing. He made up his mind, he was going to get it back.
"Don't cry. I'll be right back," Ardyn said, walking over to the girls. They didn't notice him and continued to kick around the doll's head. "HEY YOU!"
The girls stopped, and the doll's head fell to the ground.
"Yeah you! Give that doll head back now!" He demanded.
The ringleader scoffed and picked up the head. "Or what, loser?"
"Then I'll take it back from you." Ardyn threatened, glaring at her. "End of story."
"What was that?" The girl did not like that he was standing up to her. But then one of her friends recognized the young boy.
"Wait, I remember you. You're that Pierce kid," she said, laughing. "Shouldn't you be crying for your dead mommy and daddy?" This led the three girls to laugh at Ardyn, enraging him.
"Say one more thing about my parents and I will make you sorry." He said through gritted teeth.
"Oh yeah?" asked the ringleader with a smirk of superiority, seeing an opportunity to humiliate another kid. "My mommy said that your family died because they weren't true believers in Christ. My mommy said that if that your mom was a freak and was likely a-"
That was a bad move for the bully as Ardyn, rage burning his eyes, rushed and punched the girl in the face. Everyone in the schoolyard turned towards the fight as Ardyn tackled the girl and started punching the girl in the face.
"Don't! You! Talk! About! My! Family! Again!" He yelled, still punching, and hitting her. But then one of the bullies friends grabbed him and started pulling him away. As he was pulled off, Ardyn grabbed Azura's head, before he was thrown onto the ground.
The two helped up their ringleader, whose nose was bleeding. She covered her bleeding nose and cried. "You jerk! How could you hit a girl!?"
"I'll do more than hit you if you don't get out of here! NOW!" Ardyn yelled. Scaring the girls and making them run away.
Luz stared at Ardyn in awe as she watched him. His shoulders were moving up and down as he panted. Trying to breathe normally as tears streamed down his cheeks. He quickly rubbed his eyes to wipe them away. With eyes slightly red, he turned to Luz and started walking to her.
"Here." He held out the head to her. Looking away with a frown.
Luz looked at him with wide eyes as she finally recognized him as her former neighbor. "Thank you," she said, taking the head back. "You're Ardyn, right?"
"You know me?" he asked with a surprised look.
"Yeah, you were my neighbor," she said with a faith blush, standing up before holding out her hand. "I'm Luz. Luz Noceda" Ardyn had a faith blush on his cheeks, too, before smiling at her.
"Nice to meet you, Luz. I'm Ardyn Pierce."
Thus was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Present
"Ever since then, we became friends and were almost inseparable," Luz said, looking down with a smile. "Nobody understood me, but Ardyn took the time to get to know me. To understand me. He was always there for me when I needed him."
"And so were you," said Ardyn as he sat next to her. Handing her a plate with a sandwich on it, as he talked about why he valued her friendship. As well as why he started having feelings for her. "You were there for me during a really dark time in my life, Luz. You were kind, loving, and always knew how to make me smile. I honestly can't imagine a life without you in it."
Luz blushed brightly before a big smile formed on her lips. "Ardyn…"
"Are you two going to kiss?"
Freezing, Ardyn and Luz's eyes widened. Now noticing how close their faces were to each other. They looked at Romani who just walked in with a cup of coffee. "What? It was obvious that the two of you were going to kiss."
"We weren't going to kiss!" Ardyn and Luz yelled at the male witch. They looked at one another before looking away with even bigger blushes on their cheeks.
"Can... Can we please change the subject?" Luz asked nervously.
"Oh, come on. It's obvious you two like-" King started before he was interrupted.
"The subject. CHANGE IT." Ardyn growled, causing Romani to chuckle as he returns to his room.
King sighed as thunder rumbled outside. But then an idea popped into his head. "If I help you two learn that spell and how to use your magic, could we finish our lesson?" He asked the human and hybrid. Getting Ardyn and Luz's attention.
"Oh, yes, yes. You can teach me about demons all week if you help me learn this spell," Luz said excitedly.
"But how are you going to help Luz?" Ardyn asked.
"Well, she said witches used to do magic differently, so there has to be away, right? And I have a theory." King pulled out a color and started drawing something. When he was down, he showed the two his drawing of a bottle plus a crude drawing of Eda. Underneath them was the word magic. "Every day, I notice Eda sneaking drinks of this special elixir, see? Then she always gets a boost of energy, see? I think that is where she gets her powers. And I know where to get some."
"Really?"
"Sí," King replied. Luz grabbed him into a hug and spun him around.
"Thank you so much. You're a prince," she said with a big smile.
"King. I'm King."
"Right."
As Ardyn and Luz waited downstairs, King made his way up to Eda's room on the second floor. Silently opening the door, King peaked inside to see Eda still fast asleep. The door creaked as the little demon slowly opened it.
"Now, where could it be…" King said to himself, looking around the room. He then noticed a glass vial filled with a golden liquid inside of it and sealed with a cork cap. King walked silently towards the vial but was stopped when his foot kicked something metallic. He pulled his leg away quickly, just before a randomly placed beartrap could snap shut on him.
"Ha! Nice try."
Suddenly, the trap came to life, with it's one eye opening, and sprouting two small legs. "Nah, my heart wasn't in it," it said before running off.
King continued towards the elixir and climbed up onto the nightstand the vial rested on. Grabbing the vial, he noticed a small tag that was on it. "'An elixir a day.' Cryptic," he said, slipping the piece of paper into his collar.
Ardyn and Luz were sitting together at the kitchen table when King came running over and climbed up onto the table. "Got it!" He exclaimed, handing the elixir to Luz.
Ardyn watched from where he sat as Luz popped the cork off the vial. "And you're sure that this will give Luz magic," Ardyn asked, having some concerns.
"Absolutely," King said.
"This is it. I can't believe I'm about to learn magic. Real magic. This is historic," Luz said with excitement. She then closed her eyes and started to bring the vial to her lips. The glowing liquid was about to reach her lips until…
"Hey guys, I forgot to get something for my cof-" Romani said as he walked in the kitchen as the teen and little demon looked at him in surprise, but none were more surprised than Romani when he saw what was in Luz's hand. "LUZ! DON'T DRINK THAT!"
"Wha-" Suddenly as he pulls the vial back, a sudden flash of lightning and a boom of thunder. Startling her and causing her to drop the vial.
"Oh no!" Ardyn gasped and tried to grab it, but missed and the vial smashed on the ground, shattering on impact. "Ah crud."
"Golden elixir. Gone! This is awful," Luz said.
"Don't worry, Luz. We will figure out another way," Ardyn said, giving her a smile and comforting one-arm hug. However, Romani soon adopted a horrified look on his face that Ardyn saw. "Umm…Everything alright, Romani?"
"Kids? Where did you get that potion?" Romani asked as the teens and King looked at each other in concern. Romani was always the calm one in the house and to see him in this state is not good.
"I got from Eda's room. I thought it could help her with her getting magic." King said with a little confusion on his face as Romani looked around in concern before he turned his gaze back to the rio with a serious look on his face.
"Kids. Go to your rooms and stay there. Whatever you do don't leave until things calm down. I need to get something." Romani said as he rushed back to his room.
"Wait Romani! What's-" Suddenly the lights went out, which freaked him out. "Hey! Who turned out the light!? I can't see shit!"
"Hooty controls the house lights. He just fell asleep," King said. Suddenly, a loud crashing sound came from the front of the house, which was then followed by Hooting screaming.
"Hoot! Hoot!"
"Hooty!" Ardyn and Luz yelled, jumping off their stools and rushing to the front door. Ardyn pulled out Leviathan Axe for action, but he stopped and gasped in shock when he entered the living room. The girl and demon, who was on her shoulders, did the same.
The living room was completely trashed. Furniture was all torn up, and the windows were smashed, with large claw marks on the walls. But what really made them stop was what was right in front of them. The door had been busted down, with Hooty's eyes turning into X's, by a large creature. The human and hybrid could not see what it was, but they watched as it raked its large claws into the door. Then it looked at the trio with its glowing orange eyes. Narrowing its glaring eyes at them.
Ardyn quickly pushed Luz behind him. "Stay back," he said, glaring nervously at the monster. The creature did not move for a moment. Then it suddenly ran off and disappearing into the boiling rains.
Ardyn and Luz ran over to Hooty as King jumped onto the door. "Hooty! Are you in there?" Luz asked the house's guardian. Ardyn opened one of his eyes, seeing that he was not dead, just unconscious.
"He's okay, but what the hell was that thing?" Ardyn said.
King traced his finger along the claw marks left behind by the creature before he gasped in shock. "Oh, my gosh. The Snaggleback! It feeds during the rains. It must have stumbled across our house and seen us inside."
The trio heard a loud, ear-piercing howl. Ardyn and Luz ran to the edge of the force field and watched as the creature jumped high up and crashed through the upper window.
"It went into the house!" Ardyn panicked.
"This is terrifying," said Luz, before noticing that King was giggling like a happy child. "So why do you look so happy!?"
"Because this could be a lesson. This would be a great way for you to see a wild demon up close and personal," said King.
"King, will you shut up about your lesson!" Ardyn snapped at the little demon, before sighing. "But you're right. We've got to find that thing and get it out of the house."
"You want to go toward those creepy sounds? No way!" Luz said
"Eda and Romani are still inside, Luz! Eda's upstairs and defenseless because you knocked her out," he told her. Luz lets out a groan. Knowing that her friend was right.
Minutes later, the trio armored up with whatever they could find in the kitchen. They all duct-taped pillows to their bodies, with Luz slipping on a pair of rubber gloves. Ardyn, with goalkeeper's gloves on, grabbed a pot and placed it on his head. He pulled out Leviathan Axe and turned to the others. Luz grabbed a hockey stick for her weapon, and it looked like King was going to do the same thing, but instead, he grabbed a stuffed bunny.
With everything ready, Ardyn and Luz pulled out their phones and turned on their flashlights. The three paused at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at the top, with Luz standing behind the boy with the sword.
"I suddenly feel like I'm in a horror movie," Luz said after gulping.
"Like we're in Alien or the Thing," Ardyn said. Taking a deep breath, they started walking up the stairs. Each step they took on each stair step caused a creaking sound. The two friends looked around the hallway as King followed behind them. Their light shone just enough for them to see what was in front of them.
Another creaking sound startled them, and when they looked, they saw Eda's bedroom room opening. The human and hybrid looked at one another and nodded their heads. Walking over to the door, Ardyn pushed open the door. What they saw made them gasp. The room was wrecked, with broken glass littered across the floor, and Eda's nest a mess.
"Oh, my gosh. Eda!" Luz yelled as she and Ardyn ran to nest.
"She got snaggle‐backed," shouted King. When the human and hybrid reached the nest, they looked around for Eda, but all they saw was a slashed-up pillow. Frowning as he picked it, fearing that the worse has happened to his teacher.
He turned to the little demon and walked over to him. "King! You are the demon expert. Can you help us fight this thing?"
"I'll go get my demon book," King said, and was about to run off when Ardyn grabbed him by the back of his collar.
"No, I'll go grab them. It is not safe for you to go alone," he said as Luz walked over to him. He turned to Luz and held out his battle axe to her. Surprising the young girl, but he wanted to make sure she was safe while he was gone. "Take the Leviathan Axe and keep King safe. If you find Romani, stick with him until I get back."
"You got it," Luz said with a determined smile. She grabbed the handle of the axe, but when Ardyn let go, she almost dropped. "Wow! This thing's kind of heavy." Grabbing Luz's hockey stick, Ardyn ran out of the room and rushed down the hallway.
Unaware of a large shadowy figure rushing past him on the ceiling.
"Alright, King, I've got your books," Ardyn said, walking into the room. But looking down at the two books he brought with him. I did not know if you wanted your first edition or second…" he stopped and looked up, and his face dropped to a look of confusion. "King? Luz?"
She was not in the room, nor was King. As he looked around the room, Ardyn looked down at the floor and gasped when he saw one of Luz's shoes near the nest.
Dropped the hockey stick, Ardyn slowly walked towards the shoe and picked it up. His face now expressed horror and despair, and he picked it up. "Oh god, please no," he whispered. Realizing what had happened.
The Snaggleback got her. She and King were gone.
He was snapped out of his despair when the shadowy figure snarled loudly as it swiftly zoomed past the room outside.
Refusing to accept that the sweet, weird girl he fell for was gone, Ardyn grabbed the hockey stick with his other hand, surged to his feet, and ran out of the room. He sprinted as fast as he could after the monster. Glaring furiously and gritting his teeth. "Come after me all you want, you snaggle piece of shit! I'M NOT LETTING YOU TAKE THEM! YOU HEAR ME!? GIVE ME BACK MY FRIENDS!"
Once he turned the corner, Ardyn saw the door to a closet closing. Running over to the door, Ardyn threw it open. Making it slam against the wall. He glared around the room, trying to find the monster that took his friends. Looking down at the ground, Ardyn saw something hiding behind the coatrack.
"Give me back my Luz!" The hybrid growled and pulled the coat aside, the hockey stick raised to attack. But when he pulled the coats back, Ardyn stopped as he looked on with wide eyes. What he saw was not what King had described the creature to be like.
The person was a female around her early 20's She has white and slightly pink hair, soft and silky looking. One curly strand stuck out on the left side of her face. A messy and spiky ponytail was held by a black hairpiece and was adorned with two red leaves. She has a blue kimono with red and small gold embellishments was closed in the front. Black ruffles were nestled around her neck and sides, going around her arms and peeking out from both sides of her chest. Instead of four katanas, only two were hanging on the left side of her hip. What held the two swords was a red sash and a gold string, decorated with small flowers, appearing to be cherry blossoms, speckled throughout it. Behind it was a well tied and beautiful bow, and a stringed one as well, that was what allowed her sash and swords to stay in place. Her arms and legs were bare, except for black stockings that ended mid-thigh in a diamond shape outlined in gold. On her arms were diamond sleeves that start mid-bicep, and end on the bottom of her palm with tiny red flat ruffles. Her feet were also barely covered, except for the stockings and black sandal-heels. Her eyes are light sea blue ones, with dashes of red. In her hands at this moment are her katana swords that had a red flame on the middle area on her right one and a blue one on her left one.
Ardyn stared at it with wide eyes before kneeling. "Wait, you're the one I was chasing?" He asked the woman.
"I-I'm sorry." the woman stammered. "I just needed a place to hide from the rains."
"So, you busted down our door just to get out of the rain? You've could have just knocked if you wanted to come in." Ardyn said as the woman looked at him in confusion.
"What are you talking about? I snuck in through a window just now," the young woman said, much to Ardyn's confusion.
"Well, if you didn't do it, then who…"
Ardyn was interrupted when a large, clawed hand crashed through the ceiling and was about to grab the young woman, however the woman was quick to dodge the hand that reached for her.
"Woah there!" She said as she drew her two katanas before the hand disappearing into the dark hole. Ardyn looked up into the hole with wide eyes before hearing large footsteps over him. With weapons ready, they followed the sound as it went out of the room. Then there was a loud crash from outside, and Ardyn and the woman's eyes widened as far as they could go, and Ardyn's pupils dilated in fear.
The door slowly creaked open, revealing the creature he and the others saw from earlier. It's glowing orange eyes glared at the two in front of it. It let out a horrible, bloodcurdling roar as it turned towards Ardyn.
"Oh crap," he said with a frightened voice, stepping back until his back hit the hall. He then glared at the monster and pointed the hockey stick at it. Making it stop. "Stay back! You better not mess with me! I got powers and I will not hesitate to use my impressive powers on you if you do not vomit up, my friends!" He yelled his bluff.
The demon, however, was not afraid. It roared and raised its claws to kill him. Ardyn quickly ducked under its slashing claws before quickly jumped out of the way of another attack. Knowing he had to get away from it, Ardyn yelled and swung the hockey stick down on the monster's head. Smashing it into pieces. The monster shook off the attack as it was about to strike again, but the mysterious woman swung her weapons, cutting thinly into the creatures' cheek.
The monster reared up on its back legs and grabbed its face in pain. Giving Ardyn the opening he needed. Baseball sliding between its legs, Ardyn scrambled to his feet and ran. He ran as fast as he could away from the creature. The woman did the same as she jumped over the creature and followed Ardyn. The demon recovered and launched itself towards him but ended up slamming into the wall. Recovering quickly, it chased after the two who were running away.
As he ran, Ardyn turned the corner before a hand grabbed him and pulled him into Eda's room as the mysterious woman pass the room, thinking that she was still following the boy. He was about to yell and fight back when the person slammed their hand on his mouth and pushed him up against the wall. Ardyn opened his eyes and was shocked to see that it was Romani, Luz, and King was with her, pushing the door close gently.
Luz gently shushed him as King climbed back on her shoulders before she covered her own mouth. Standing against the wall with his mouth covered by his crush, Ardyn flinched when he heard the beast's annoyed snort. Pushing Luz's hand away from his, Ardyn covered his mouth with his own hand. The two stood together with their bodies touching one another as they heard the monster pasted the room.
When it passed, Ardyn looked at Luz. "Ardyn…" She was interrupted when Ardyn suddenly pulled her into a tight hug. "Oh!"
"I thought I lost you…" Ardyn whispered, with a small tear running down his face. He pulled away from her with his hands on her shoulders. "Where did you go?"
"We were going to look for you, but then we heard the Snaggleback, and we had to get out of there," King said, dropping down onto the ground as Luz gave him back the Leviathan Axe.
"I also tripped and lost my shoe. Oh, hey, you found it," Luz said, noticing that he had her shoe.
"It wasn't a Snaggleback, but I did find a stowaway." Ardyn said, handing her the shoes as he pointed behind him with his thumb. But when he turned around, he saw no one. "Oh great, she must have not seen me enter this room."
"Wait? Someone else was here?" Romani said with look of confusion on his face.
"Was it Eda?" Luz asked hopefully, but it was shattered as Ardyn shook his head.
"No. It wasn't her. It was a young woman with dual katanas. She looked human." Ardyn said as Romani's eyes widen a bit from the information. Luz sat down on the ground and raised her foot to put it back on. However, Ardyn noticed something on her foot.
"Wait, Luz. What is that on your foot?" Ardyn asked as he grabbed the object from the bottom of her foot, Ardyn looked and saw it was a piece of paper. King jumped on his shoulder and looked at it with Ardyn. It was a part of a tag.
"'Keeps the Curse at bay?" Ardyn read it, confused.
However, when King and Romani heard it, they gasped in realization. Taking the tag from Ardyn's hand, King pulled out the same one he tugged into his collar earlier. The king of demons put the two together, and they matched up perfectly. King read the complete tag.
"'An elixir a day, keeps the curse at bay.'"
"Curse?" Luz asked, standing up with both shoes on her feet. "Wait, what are you trying to say?"
"I was wrong the whole time!" King said anxiously. "That's no snaggleback! That creature is…"
The group screamed when a giant claw ripped through the door, knocking them on their butts. The creature then busted into the room. This time with the light from outside revealing its form. Shocking the three beyond belief.
The monster resembled a big owl monster, with black-colored eyes and long pointed ears. It had gray hair, as well as a bunch of grey hairs growing from its ears. The body was covered in dark teal fur, and it had two black-grey wings. The legs had black color, and the feet looked more like a bird's feet. But it was the head that shocked them the most.
Behind its haunting black eyes and sharp teeth was the face of none other than their teacher.
"Eda?!" Ardyn and Luz exclaimed in shock.
Eda grinned a bloodthirsty smile at her students and came at them. Ardyn grabbed Leviathan Axe off the floor and cautiously stood up. "Eda? Eda, is that you?" He asked, trying to communicate with his master.
But all that he got was a snarling roar as Eda rose on her legs and raised a claw into the air.
"NO, EDA! STOP!" Romani screamed.
"ARDYN!" Luz screamed, jumping up to pull her best friend away from Eda. However, in doing so, her phone slipped out of its pocket and dropped on the floor. When it hit the ground on its edge, it activated the camera, causing a bright flash at it to a picture.
The camera's flash caused the cursed witch's eyes to retract to normal for just a moment. She screamed in agony and covered her eyes. Giving Romani, Ardyn and Luz who picked up King and her phone before rushing towards a small stone wall on the upper balcony of the house. They quickly got over the wall and hid behind it as Eda let out another roar.
As the cursed witch searched the room for them, she started going over to the wall they were hiding behind. Ardyn and Luz covered their mouths with their hands, trying not to breathe. Eda growled as she tried to sniff them out.
Looking down at a small tin can near him, Ardyn grabbed it and passed it to Luz. She was about to throw it until…
A sharp clang drew the owl monster's attention as she saw the mysterious woman clanged her blades together to get her attention, challenging her even. Eda roared and ran off in the direction of the woman as she left the room with great haste with the owl beast following her.
Ardyn peaked his head out over the wall and saw she was gone. He sighed in relief and slid back down onto the ground.
"This is really bad," Ardyn said, sheathing Leviathan Axe onto his back. "I can't believe that Eda is that thing, and she tried to kill us! Now that Samurai Woman is out there trying to hold her off."
"What happened to her?" Luz asked, worried.
"Don't you see? The elixir I gave you doesn't give Eda powers. It prevents her from turning into that thing. She's turned into a nightmare, and it's all my fault!" King said, slumping down on the floor in shame. Ardyn and Luz looked at him with sad expressions, as King looked at his friends. "I'm so sorry, you guys. I‐I just wanted you to be into demons like you're into magic. I don't have many friends, and no one even pays that much attention to me. I thought maybe if I taught you two, then finally someone would care about creatures like me."
Ardyn and Luz looked at one another, feeling guilty for how they've been ignoring King's attempts to bond with them all day. He was just like them. He didn't belong anywhere. He was an outcast like them. Pulling out the pen, Luz lit it and held it out to King. "Well... let's finish the lesson."
"Huh?" King asked.
"That's right, King," Ardyn said with a smile, petting the little demon on his head. "Eda's turned into demon, and we need to get her back to normal before she causes any more damage. And to do that, we're going to need the best expert about demons in the world."
King looked at him and Luz before pointing himself. Both teens nodded their heads, and Luz gave him the pen. Filled with joy, King giggled like crazy and hugged them both. Romani smiled at the scene before him.
After the hug, King grabbed some leaves and started to draw Eda's monster face on it. "Let's see. She was bigger, covered in feathers, and had giant black eyes. Demons with black eyes are usually sensitive to light," King told the two friends. He paused before pointing to Luz's phone. "That's it. Light! Luz, use your human wonder rectangle."
"I can't. My camera's all blasted," Luz said, showing the demon her cracked camera.
"And even if we used mine, would it really work the second time?" Ardyn asked.
"Good Point. Some demons can build a tolerance towards certain lights overtime. So then... what about that light spell?" Romani asked the two.
"I don't even know how to use my magic on command," Ardyn said, looking down at his hands.
"And I can't draw circles in the air," Luz chimed in, sliding down against the wall with a sad face. "I'm not like Eda or Ardyn." She played the video of Eda performing the light spell. She didn't know why. She was hoping to see something that would help her.
But then the video started to glitch halfway through the video. However, just as Luz was going to turn off her phone, something started to appear on her screen. It flickered in and out of existence, before finally showing itself. It was a strange glowing symbol that was inside the magic circle that resembled a bird. It had a large triangle in the circle with a smaller triangle and circle on top. Down the middle was a long line that had two smaller lines going across, side by side within the large triangle.
Upon seeing it, Luz gasped. "There's a pattern in the spell circle!"
"What? Where?" King asked as he and Ardyn peered over her shoulder to see.
"It looks like this," Luz took the pen from King and placed a leaf over the phone screen. The human girl, born without any magical abilities, started to draw the glyph on the leaf and then tapped it. "There."
And then, something amazing happened. Luz Noceda watched as the glyph she drew started to glow before the leaf started to scrunch up and glow. Transforming into a ball of light.
As Ardyn and King stared at the light spell with looks of astonishment, Luz gently lifted it up with her hands. "It's beautiful…"
Taking off his goalkeeper glovers, Ardyn reached out to it with his hand and touched the light. Feeling the warmth before his attention was taken to his hand.
The marking had returned, and this time, it had the light spell's glyph inside it.
"My magic is a trinity of mind, body, and spirit," he whispered, pulling his hand away from the light spell and looked at his hands. That's when an idea came into his head. The mind was knowing the glyph of a spell. The body was his physical being. The spirit was his will. "And I am the circle…" He was the magic circle. The triangle, his magic, was within him, the circle.
Taking a deep breath, Ardyn sat on his knees and held his hands out in front of him. Palms facing one another. Closing his eyes, he envisioned the light glyph in his mind. With his body and mind ready, he focuses his energy.
Luz, King, and Romani watched with amazement as the hybrid's magic circles appeared on his hand. Glowing brightly as Ardyn felt his magic from within his body. There was so much. It was like an ocean. But all he needs is a drop of that power. Opening his eyes, Ardyn looked at his hands and pulled them apart.
To everyone's amazement, that one drop of his magic gave him a light spell the size of a basketball.
"I... I did it," he said with his mouth forming a big smile. "We did it! We just did magic."
Luz gasped upon realizing Ardyn was right. The two jumped up to their feet, and Luz jumped into Ardyn's arms. He laughed as he held her and twirled her around. "We just did magic! We just did magic!"
"Well done you two." Romani said as King nodded in approval. Their moment was interrupted but Eda's loud roaring. Ardyn quickly pulled his large ball of light to his body as Luz covered hers up.
"I've got an idea," Ardyn said to Luz, King, and Romani. "If you can get Eda to me, I can try and create a giant light spell that'll stop her. You think you can do it?"
"I know a spell that can help as well." Romani said as the three looked at him with confusion. "A light spell can work but she might go into a blind rage, so I will use a binding spell to hold her before she goes to that state."
Luz nodded and turned to King. "What do you say, boo‐boo buddy?"
King scoffed. "I'm kind of over that nickname. But okay." He said as the four fist-bumped. When they were about to leave the area, Luz felt something was off as time begins to stop for her as she looks around to see that everything has halted. Standing in front of her is a purple sphere of energy, like the ones she saw in his dream. As it enters though her chest, a voice spoke though Luz's mind.
[Are you, my Master?]
…It's happening again, like that time with Nero and what happened with Ardyn at Hexside!
…Yes? Who are you?
[I see that you much is happening. We will talk when a more appropriate time come. Now, call me, Master]
Ardyn and the other stopped as they noticed that Luz stopped moving with her head down. As Ardyn was about to ask her what's going on, Luz raised her head and saw that her eyes glowed a red/purple hue.
"Install. Lancer." Luz said as a pillar of purple energy erupts from her causing the others to cover their eyes. When the light vanished, everyone present uncovered their eyes to see an extremely beautiful woman. She has long purple hair, red eyes and wears a full-body outfit that highlights her curvaceous body, with metallic shoulder pads. She is also seen wearing a mask on the lower half of her face, and seemingly protective gear underneath the body suit. In her hand is a red spear with an ominous design.
"Servant: Lancer. I came from the Land of Shadow. My name is Scáthach. I guess I should call you, allies to my Master?"
Back in the living room, Owl Beast Eda was growling at her foe, the one who put a few cuts on her body. The Samurai Woman was a little ruffled with a scratch on her cheek, but she still had a smile on her face.
"What's wrong, you old birdie. Had enough?" The Samurai Woman said with a grin.
This cause Owl Beast Eda growled at the insult until she heard clicking. Turning her head in the direction it came from, the transformed witch saw Scáthach and King standing at the doorway. The little demon lighting the pen.
"Hey, you were right. This is a lovely thing we have here, so shiny." King said mockingly.
"Like a shining star in the night sky." said Scáthach with a small smile, even though it was covered in a black mask.
"Wh-What are you two doing?! Get out of here!" The Samurai Woman shouted, hoping the two would listen to her.
Even in her monster form, Eda was still drawn to the light of the pen. She tilted her head left and right as she stared at the pen with big eyes. Launched into a sprint a millisecond before Eda lunged at her prey who were quick enough to dodge the attack. The witch landed on the ground, before turning and started chasing after them. The Samurai Woman swore as she started chasing after them.
Elsewhere in the house, Ardyn was waiting for Luz and King to come to him. When he heard Eda's roar, he knew it was his time. He brought his hands closer and started to make a big enough light spell to do the job. And a second later, Luz and King turned the corner and started coming to him but was caught by Romani's binding magic. As the Owl Beast was about to break the binds, purple runes surrounded her as the binding became stronger thanks to Scáthach's Runes. The Samurai Woman came around the corner and saw the scene before as she soon realizes what's about to happen as she headed over to the group.
"Boy, do it now!" Scáthach shoutedd as Eda roared at them in defiance.
"I'm sorry, Eda. But this for your own good!" Ardyn yelled. Scáthach, Romani, King, and the Samurai Woman made it behind the young man, as he cast the spell towards her, and a massive light erupted from his palms. The powerfully light nearly blinded the whole group, and Eda screamed in agony, as the light enveloped the whole house.
When Eda opened her eyes, her vision was still foggy. But the first thing she saw was a familiar head of gold hair and bright gold eyes. "Anna…" she said, before realizing that she had a long, crazy straw in her mouth.
"Eda! You're awake!" Ardyn exclaimed with a smile. Realizing that it was Malcolm's son, Eda shot up before taking out the straw in her mouth. She turned to Ardyn, but he freaked out when he saw the left side of her face was still cursed. "Ahh! Demon curse!"
"Ahh!" Eda freaked out, after accidentally showing Ardyn her transformed side. She quickly slurped up the rest of the elixir. As this happened, the jewel on her chest returned to its original color. The rest of her face returned to normal.
After calming down, Ardyn walked back over and sat on the edge of the nest. "Are you okay, Eda?"
"W‐What happened?" She asked him in a state of confusion, placing her hand on her head. "Oh, I have the worst headache. And my mouth tastes like roadkill." Ardyn was about to answer her questions when she suddenly started to gag before throwing up a large pellet.
The boy looked at it in disgust, before turning back to Eda, Ardyn asked, "You don't remember anything? You turned into a monster that almost killed." That statement made Eda pause for a moment.
"Did...Did I hurt anyone?" She asked in worry as Romani placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her down.
"You messed up Hooty, but he's still alive. Everyone else is safe," Romani with a reassuring smile. Eda sighed in relief. Thankful that she did not hurt the kids. Noticing the bottle of elixir that she was drinking from, Eda picked it up.
"I was looking for that," she said.
"Actually, Romani had a spare in his room," King said, walking over to her and Ardyn.
"King? King!" She said, realizing why she couldn't find the first bottle and caused her to turn into her monster form. Ardyn sighed and clapped his hands together. "You stole my elixir?! I ought to break every bone in your‐‐"
She was cut off when Ardyn held out his hand with a small light spell in his hand. Eda looked at it with a look of amazement as Ardyn brought his hand out from underneath it and focuses his magic again. Creating a slightly larger ball of light, which made Eda's eyes widened.
"I was able to figure out how to do it," Ardyn said with a smile. "And it's not just me." He pointed over to the corner of the room where Luz, now returned to normal, was surrounded by balls of light. Drawing another light glyph onto a piece of paper, she taped it with her pencil and watched as it curled up and became another light spell.
Eda started at her other apprentice with a look of bewilderment. "Wow. How is she doing that?" she asked, looking up at the balls of light that floated around them like stars.
"I guess you can say your lesson really helped her," Ardyn said, proud his best friend was able to achieve her dream of doing magic.
King looked down at the ground in shame. "Hey, I, uh, kind of messed a bunch of things up back there. And I just wanted to say I am sorry for what happened." he said the Owl Lady.
"Well, you better be. I got a lengthy list of disgusting chores with your name on it," she said firmly, making the demon flinch. She then sighed as Luz walked over to join them. "But it's not entirely your fault…"
"That's right," Ardyn said, walked over to stand next to Luz. He gave her a firm look of his own. "I think it's time to come clean about what's going on, Eda. After what happened tonight, we deserve to know."
Eda stared at Ardyn and then at Luz, hesitant about telling them the truth. But in the end, she let out a sigh. Knowing that they did deserve to know after what she put them through. "You're right...I haven't been completely honest with you guys," she said to them. After a moment, she sighed and started to explain. "When I was younger, I was cursed. I don't know exactly how it happened, all I know is that if I don't take my elixir, well, that's why people call me the Owl Lady. No one likes having a curse, but if you take the right steps, it's manageable."
Ardyn and Luz looked at their depressed teacher with stunned expressions. This was a lot of heavy backstory lore for them. "So, are you okay now?" the girl asked.
"There's nothing for you two to worry about. It is all under control," Eda said, sitting up on the edge of the nest.
"But is it really?" Ardyn asked, not buying it.
"I promise it is. If no one steals my elixir‐‐ King‐‐" she pointed at the demon. "-then I'm fine. But, hey, look at this. A human doing magic and a hybrid unlocking his magic. Good on you, kids."
"We had some encouragement from a great teacher," Luz said, looking down at King with a smile.
"Oh, you…" King playfully waved at the compliment.
"Hey, hey! Is anyone there? Hello?" Yelled a familiar, albeit annoying voice from downstairs. "Hoot? I'm on the floor. It's cold!"
"Hooty's up," Ardyn said.
"That voice. That horrific voice!" King exclaimed in annoyance as he walked out of the room.
"We'll take care of him. You stay in bed," Luz told Eda before she left the room with Romani behind her. Ardyn was about to follow when he remembered something that he had to talk to Eda about.
"Hey...Eda? I was wondering if I could talk to you about something," Ardyn said, walking over the nest and sitting inside of it with Eda. He then reached into the pocket of his hoodie. "It's about this."
Ardyn pulled out an old photo and showed it to Eda. When she saw it, her eyes widened at what she is looking at. It showed three witches, the first one was her when she was a teenager with bright orange hair and without her golden fang with another witch around her age with long bushy red hair and wearing glasses, both hugging the final witch that has short brown hair and icy blue eyes. This was a younger Anna Bronwyn who smiled at their affection. The mother and son looked so much alike it was scary. Only Anna was more feminine and had brown hair with the back tied in a low ponytail.
Eda stared at the photo before slowly grabbing it. "Where did you find this?"
"I found it when we were looking for your elixir," Ardyn said. "So, you and mom were friends?"
"That's right." Eda said, looking down at the ground with a sad smile. "Out of all the wizards and witches, your mother was the only one that tried to understand me, and I loved her like a sister, Ardyn. She was an amazing woman. Powerful, brave, good-natured, and a wonderful person to be around." Eda started chuckling while Ardyn smiled at her before he stopped as a thought crossed his mind.
"So... what happened?"
That smile vanished as she started explaining to him. "I messed up, that's what happened. When I got cursed, Anna tried to help me break it. She did everything in her power to lift it, but in the end, it couldn't be done. Not even the power of the Bronwyn could cure me. I ended up pushing her away until we got into an argument, and I hurt her. When I realized what I had done, I felt terrible for what I did to her and tried to find her. But in the end, she met your father in the human world."
"To this day, it's one of the biggest regrets of my life. The worst mistake I've ever made. But she and I were able to reconcile and remained best friends. She'd come over and help King and me, but before you were born, he gave me her portal key to the human world before leaving for the last time."
Ardyn took a deep breath as he leaned forward with his arms on his knees. Eda was his mother's old friend? His mom had a key to the portal to the human realm he and Luz came through? This was a lot to take in for him. But right now, all he felt was sadness for Eda.
"I'm so sorry, Eda," Ardyn said softly. "It wasn't your fault what happened between you and mom."
"You know, I did come to realize something." said the woman. Ardyn looked at her and saw Eda smiling knowingly at him. "Sometimes I wonder what it would have been like if I haven't pushed her away. But I guess there was one good thing that came out of it."
"What?"
"...You."
Ardyn looked at her with wide eyes before he smiled. Touched by her heartfelt response, Ardyn reached over and pulled Eda into a huge. Surprising the old woman.
"Ugh! This again-"
"Thank you...Aunt Eda," Ardyn said, making her stop. Feeling tears in her eyes, Eda smiled and wiped them away, and gently pushed him away.
"Alright, that's enough, you little knucklehead. Get out of here so I can get some sleep," she said. Ardyn laughed and started leaving the room.
"You got it, Aunt Eda," Ardyn said, closing the door behind him.
Eda sat in her nest for a moment, smiling. He really was like his mother. Looking at her photo, she took it and set it on the nightstand. Then she laid down inside the nest. "Aunt Eda...I think I can get used to that," she said before falling asleep.
But when she opened her eyes, Eda realized she was dreaming. Standing in the middle of a dark void, Eda was facing her old bedroom door. "No... not this memory again," she said anxiously.
The door opened on its own. On the other side, with blinding white light behind it, was a shadowy figure with large, round white eyes that only whispered words that couldn't be understood. But Eda knew she was looking at the beat that ruined her life.
"You! You're the one who cursed me, aren't you?" She yelled at the being. "Who are you? WHO ARE YOU!?"
Eda suddenly shot awake with a gasp. Quickly looking around, she saw she was back in her bedroom. Realizing it was just a dream, Eda sighed and looked at the photo of her and Anna. Grabbing it, she looked at it again.
"I miss you, Anna," she said, putting the photo under her pillow. "I promise I'll look after Ardyn..."
Meanwhile, downstairs in the living room, Romani was putting everything back to where it was before Eda's rampage with Ardyn finished putting Hooty back in place as Luz placed her Band-Aids on the door where Eda clawed into it. "There we go. Good as new!" Ardyn said with a smile.
"Welcome to the boo‐boo buddy club, Hooty," Luz said.
"Finally! I get to be a part of something!" the owl-worm demon said with joy.
As for King, he was interviewing the woman from before. Writing down a detailed description of her encounter with cursed Eda. "And her feathers are as strong as steel. I had to swing harder to event cut it." The Samurai Woman said as she was having a bowl of Udon…Don't ask how she got one just roll with it.
"Oh, yeah. This will make a great addition to my demon book," King told the other demon, showing him a drawing of the cursed Eda and the notes, he got down.
"That book is filled with so many interesting things. However," Miyamoto picked up one of King's books and opened it to the page with the Snaggleback. "I'm pretty sure that this isn't the strongest demon on the Boling Isles. From what I've seen, these guys are about the size of monkeys."
"…I'm going to have to edit that."
"Okay now that everything is taken care now leaves one more thing." Ardyn said as he, Luz, and Romani walked up to her with questions on their minds. "Who are you, Miss Samurai?"
"Hey! Why did you say it like that?" the woman pouts, then her eyes widen as she stares at Ardyn. "No way...Charlemagne? No wait, Odysseus?"
"Huh?"
The woman then stares at Luz. "And... Nero and… Scáthach? No, wait. You're not as flamboyant as her or as serious as Scáthach."
Okay, what's going on here? How does this woman know of the Servants that Ardyn and Luz have?
"Welp, no idea where I am this time. And I have no clue why you both have those same auras as them," Musashi said with a sigh.
Auras? What is she-
"But," The woman then smiled. "Since I'm here, I may as well be your Servant, young man. Shinmen Musashi-no-Kami Fujiwara-no-Harunob...!? Sorry, let me start over! Servant Saber, Shinmen Musashi Miyamoto at your service! Make my stay a fun one, Master!"
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"WHAT!" Both teens shouts in shock to King's surprise. Not sure why the two humans acted like this.
"M-Miyamoto Musashi!? Japan's most famous swordsman, philosopher, strategist, writer and rōnin, who became renowned through stories of his unique double-bladed swordsmanship and undefeated record in his 61 duels. The founder of the Niten Ichi-ryū, or Nito Ichi-ryū, style of swordsmanship, and in his final years authored The Book of Five Rings and Dokkōdō. THAT Miyamoto Musashi?!" Ardyn asked as he pointed to her with a shaking finger.
From what they know of their history, Musashi was born in Oohara, Sakushu (modern day Mimasaka, in the Okayama Prefecture), at 1584. His father was a practitioner of martial arts named Shinmen Munisai, who served as an instructor of martial arts to the Shinmen House of lords of the Takayama Castle, and who received the name of Shinmen from his employer's family. Shinmen Munisai built a dojo of Jutte techniques in the Miyamoto village of the Yoshino district, and Musashi would later call himself "Miyamoto" due having this land as his hometown. He left behind many anecdotes and went through numerous battles against martial artists upon reaching adulthood - especially during the ten years of his 20s. Those famous bouts are even now seen as a staple of the entertainment industry. However, the truth behind the episodes of these ten years of battle is mostly wrapped in mystery and there are strong suspicions about them being mere fiction.
"That's right!" The woman, the famed Musashi herself, said with a grin on her face before Luz spoke up next.
"But you're a-" Luz started before she was interrupted.
"A girl? Hell yeah I am!" Musashi says as suddenly she's in front of the teens.
'She's fast.' Both teens thought at the same time as Musashi looked at Ardyn with a smile on her face.
"And now, I guess I'm your Servant so long as I don't suddenly disappear." She then gives an ambiguous statement.
"As long as you can-" Before Ardyn could even question the woman, he then felt two hands wrap around his back and shove him onto her covered chest. Musashi smiled as she glomped on him. Luz looked at the scene with a big blush on her face as she covered Kings eyes, who was only confused as to what is going on. Romani only looked on with a small smirk on his face as he took a sip of his coffee
"You're so cute!" He was the handsome gender bent version of her. She then looked at Luz and gave a small smile. "And you're not too bad-looking yourself." Not enough for her to drool all over like the little cutie here, but even she could tell she was quite attractive in her own way.
"Uh…hehe. Thanks." Luz said with her blush still in effect. "Say, Ms. Musashi? Can you let my friend breath?"
Musashi was confused until she looked down and saw that Ardyn went slack for a moment.
"Oh! Hehehe." Musashi says sheepishly, and lets Ardyn go who breathes greedily for air, but blushes as he never felt something so...soft! "This is going to be fun. Isn't that right, Ardyn-san."
"Y-yeah." Ardyn says as he controls himself. Not wanting to act like a hormonal teenager. "I guess so, Saber."
"Come on." Musashi elbows him playfully. "Call me Musashi. Mu-Sa-Shi! And you don't need to add 'Ms.' to my name. Makes me sound old."
"Um. Sure." Ardyn had to admit, this was certainly a first impression he never thought to meet. Especially with the famed Musashi, whom he never considered would be a girl. Luz herself also amazed that this was a Servant. Like Nero, she looked human and didn't seem so different from a normal person, aside from her clothes.
'Though one thing does concern me...' Romani then thought as he observed the scene in silence. 'Why is she here? On the Boiling Isles?'
Regardless, they now had a Servant that could help them. While they must later learn more of the other Servants and their Classes, this was a mighty first step for Ardyn and Luz.