Luz and Eda were flying as the human looked to see the area around, seeing how it was so insane and unnatural, she didn't have any words to describe it. But Eda did, and Luz now wanted to get some answers out of here.
"Okay! You might explaining to me what the heck is this place!?"
"You know, you're being a little rude to the person you just saved your life." Eda said. "But if you must know, this is the Boiling Isles. Every myth you humans have is caused by a little of our world leaking into yours."
To prove her point, various flying creatures flew near them, including a griffin, which ended up puking up spiders, causing Luz to cringe.
"Wow. This is real?" She asked
"Yep. We've got griffins, dragons, krakens, giraffes."
"Giraffes?"
"Yeah. But we banished those guys." Eda explained. "Bunch of freaks with their long necks...and soul feeding."
That last part made Luz ask "Wait, what was that last part?"
"Oh, and there were also vampires."
"Vampires?"
But before anything else cane be said, Luz gets thrown to the ground as Eda lands and hops off her staff. Luz quickly picks herself back up, and then sees Eda's hand had stayed on her stick.
"Gah!" She exclaimed.
"Whoops." Eda said, taking her hand and putting it back on. "That happens sometimes. Now that we've gotten that out of the way, what say we head inside?"
It was then that Eda showed Luz her house in the distance, which was made of made from white brick with a sloping blue roof. There was a stained glass window above the door gives the impression of a large orange demon eye. There was also a crumbling stone tower with orange moss growing on it is located to the rear left of the house. But Luz was so keen on going into this creepy lady's home.
"Hold on! I'm not going anywhere with you!" She said to Eda. "I have to get back home!"
"And you will!" Eda exclaimed. "But we'll get to that later. So let's just go in before more guards find us out here."
"Fine." Luz grumbled. "You sure we'll be safe in there?"
"Not to worry. My house has a built in, state-of-the-art defense system."
The Owl Head on the door had then spoke.
"Hoot-Hoot. Password please."
And then, Eda poked him in both his eyes."
"We don't have time for this, Hooty. Let us in."
"Okay! Okay. Geez! You never wanna have any fun! Ow! ...Hoot!"
The door, now known as Hooty opens his mouth wide enough to completely cover the door. Eda and Luz step through, though Eda's bag stays outside. Hooty closes his mouth and burps. Inside, it was a little too dark to see, but not for much longer...
"Now, Luz. Allow me to welcome you too..." Eda begins to say with a snap of her fingers. "The Owl House."
Suddenly, candles ignite. A fire in the fireplace starts, a cauldron starts stirring itself, and a broom starts sweeping the floor. A depiction of some kind of Owl Beast can be seen above head. Luz looked around the place and is almost taken away by the sight of it.
"Wow. This is something else entirely." She says in awe.
Eda then says. "This is the place where I hide away from the pressures of Modern Life...and the cops...and ex-boyfriends."
"And you live here all alone?" Luz asked, before she starts to hear loud thudding footsteps coming their way.
"Well, actually, I do have a roommate." Eda says with an unamused expression on her face.
Then, in a deep voice, someone says "Who dares intrude upon I?" Then the voice starts to get a whole lot lighter. "The King of Demons?"
The 'King' was a small little demon who looked like a dog with a cow skull on it's head. he had ducky towels wrapped around his head and his waist, along with a rubber ducky in his hand, which he he squeaks for dramatic effect. The moment Luz saw him, she gasped and almost immediately scooped him up."
"¡Ay, que lindo!" She exclaimed. "Eda, he's so cute! Who's a widdle guy? Who's a widdle guy? Is it you? Is it you?"
"No! I don't know who your little guy is!" King says while try to get out of Luz's grasp. "Eda! Who is this monster?!"
"Oh, this Luz the Human." Eda says while pulled Luz away from King. "She's here to help us out with our little situation."
"Oh. Hooray!"
"Whoa, I didn't agree to that yet!" Luz said.
"Just...let me explain." Eda says, as she drew a spell circle and Luz could see what looked like figures from a story book. "The King was once a mighty ruler of demons, until his crown of power was stole and then he became...this."
"You mean this little bundle of joy?" Luz asked, once again hugging King.
"The crown is being held by the evil Warden Wrath and locked away behind a magical force field that only a human can break through." Eda explained before pointing to Luz. "A human like you! If you help us retrieve his crown, we'll send you back to your realm. So whaddya say? Plus, who can say no to this cute face?" She says as she hold King by his head.
"No! Please don't encourage her!"
She then drops King, saying "I mean, we're kinda your only way home."
"So, I don't really have much a choice, do I?" Luz asked, reluctantly.
"Nope!" Eda said as she drags Luz along the way. "Now, let's go. We have no time to lose."
"Okay." Luz said, getting out of Eda's grip and then taking out the whip. "But if two try anything, I will whip you guys until you don't have skin left!"
"Now, I'm really scared of her!" King says.
"We promise not to try anything." said Eda, which made Luz slowly put the whip away and walk forward. But seeing that rage look in her eye made Eda smile. "My suspicions may yet be proven."
"Whattya mean?" King asked.
Eda answered "Let's just say that kid is very special. She might even help this entire realm if she sticks around."
"Ooohh." King exclaimed.
Later, the trio arrive at the large tower that can best be described as Jail.
"So, this is the place, huh?" Luz asked.
"Yep. The Conformatorium." Eda explained. "A place where those who are considered unsuitable for society are being kept."
It was also then that Luz noticed all the wanted posters of Eda stuck on the wall. She rips one off and gets good look at it.
"Respect, you said you were?" She asked Eda.
"Well, to most people." Eda answered. "Just not to those racist butt-kissers. Luckily, they've never been able to catch King and me."
"Try to catch me when I'm covered in grease. I'm a squirmy little fella." King said while on top of Luz's head, before falling off. Then he quickly gets back up. "You and I will sneak up to the top of the tower, where they're keeping my crown."
"And I'll go distract the Warden." Eda said.
"Alright. And as soon as this is over, we're done and I'm going home." Luz angrily said. "Is that clear?"
"Yes! We get it!" Eda exclaimed, annoyed by Luz's attitude. "Now, hang on tight!"
She taps the butt of her staff against the ground, creating a round glowing platform. She steps away from it while Luz and King stay on it as it starts floating all the way up to a window in the tower. It disappears suddenly, forcing Luz to grab the edge of the window sill and King to cling to her feet. Smugly, Eda tosses her staff and casually sits down on it as it rises. Luz and King watch as she heads upward.
"See you guys at the top of the tower!"
Luz holds back a glare while she climbs inside the window. Once they're in, they see the amount of prison cells before them, all of them occupied by shadowy beasts of varying shapes and sizes, though all of their eyes glow in the light. As they walk through the hall, one of the prisoners catches their attention. She was a slender girl with pointy ears, dark skin, black hair in a ponytail, hazel eyes and notorious fangs. She wore a purple dress which bares her shoulders and covers all of her upper arms and about half her forearms. She also has a gold band around her neck.
"Hey, you!" She said to Luz. "How'd you get out of your cell?"
"I'm not a prisoner here." Luz answered plainly. "I'm just here to steal something from the tower."
"So you're actually a criminal." The prisoner says.
"Aren't you one too?" Luz asked.
"No! Warden Wrath just likes to throw people in here who 'don't fit in'." The prisoner explained. "Like, all I do is write fanfictions about fruit falling in love. I like fruit, I like love. I just wanna write about it!"
Another prisoner with about six eye-holes, two of which were empty, decided to join in on the conversation, saying "I'm here because I like eating my own eyes."
Then he ate one of his eyes, and it pops back into place. The sight of it almost made Luz barf.
And then, another prisoner, who was basically just a head with no body, only arms and legs and a big nose says "We are agents of fwee expwession! They will never siwence us!"
"And...what's her deal?" Luz asked.
The fanfic prisoner answered "She's just really into conspiracy theories."
"The world is a simulation! We are but playthings for a higher being!"
"Sounds like the Matrix." Luz said. "Okay, none of these make you criminals. This just makes you weird, and there's nothing wrong with that! I mean, have you seen the rest of the realm?"
"Well, that's what we said, but the Warden is an idiot." The Fanfic prisoner tells Luz, right before Luz's attention is drawn to another prisoner sitting in the dark, she could barely see him, but can make out that his eyes are glowing red, his mouth is full of fangs and is...stained in blood. He was also speaking something in a language Luz couldn't understand.
"And this guy?"
"We don't know." The Fanfic prisoner said. "He's been here longer than all of us. He doesn't sleep, only eats raw meat, and just says weird things every night"
The moment the prisoner looked at Luz, it hissed, baring it's fangs at her and making her step back. But she didn't have time to deal with him as loud stomping can be heard coming her direction.
"It's the Warden! Quick, hide!"
Doing as told, Luz and King quickly went into another cell and stood close to the wall. Sweat ran down Luz's head, but she refused to show any fear as Warden Wrath came in. He was 6 ft tall with a large, muscular build. He wears a hood that is non-standard for a guard and a mask with yellow button-like lenses, resembling a medieval plague doctor. He wears a white sleeveless tunic with brass buttons and a triangular brass badge, a leather belt with a brass buckle, and black trousers tucked into dark purple shoes. Even though he looked scary, Luz didn't feel intimidated by him. Not one bit.
"What are you fools whispering about?" He said in a scary voice. His foot had touched something on the floor and Luz had realized she accidentally dropped that poster of Eda she ripped off the walls. Wrath picked it up and said "Ah, the Owl Lady. I will get my hands on you soon enough." He then crumbles the poster and morphs his hand into a hammer, smashing the door of the cell Luz and King were in. Luz was sweating bullets as she held King while the hid in corner as Wrath was about to look inside.
"Fight against the oppwessor! We will wesist! We will conquer! We will never be afwaid of you, you old cweep!"
Luz let a sigh of relief as the Tiny Nose girl distracted Wrath for her. But, she then felt bad, seeing what happens next as Wrath opens her cell.
"Hooway! I'm fwee!" She said, right before she got caught in the Warden's grip. He holds her up and points at the other two prisoners.
"Let this be a lesson to you. There is no place in society for you if you don't fit in."
And as he walked off, the only thing on Luz's mind was...
"What a jerk."
Then Eda appeared, jumping off her staff, saying "Hey, I just checked. The warden is distracted, tormenting some tiny creature. He won't be coming around here anytime soon."
"...Let's just get this over with." Luz sighed.
Eda shrugged off Luz's now depressed state as they head into the contraband room. It was just as Eda said, a pillar of a force field was containing a mountain of stuff from the human world. And King was more than happy to demonstrate that neither he or Eda could get through as he tried to go for his crown.
"We have a human with us. Remember?" Eda told King.
"Oh yeah."
Without a word, Luz places her hand on the pillar and watched as it phased through. Walking completely in, she saw a mountain of human junk that had stuff from books to fish bones. And at the top of it was something shiny, and Luz guessed that had to be the crown. But as she got closer to it, she saw what it really was.
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me."
What it really was was a paper crown that said "Burger Queen" on it, and this pissed off Luz. But, King was happy. though.
"My crown!" He joyfully puts it back on "Yes. Yes! I can feel my powers returning!" He then spots a stuffed bunny. "You, there. Nightmare critter. I shall call you Francois, and you shall be a minion in my army of darkness. Ha‐ha!"
"I risked my life for a two-dollar crown you can get at any Burger Queen joint in America?" Luz growled while glaring at Eda.
"I know this seemed like a waste of time, but listen." Eda explained. "King and I don't have much in this world. We only have each other. So if that dumb crown is important to him, it's important to me. And besides, us weirdos have to stick together, you know?"
"... I can understand that." Luz said. "But, I'm not really a weirdo. More like I'm jinxed."
"What makes you think that?"
"Because whenever something...insane or...supernatural happens, it's always around me." Luz answered reluctantly. "It's like I'm cursed."
That one hit Eda hard. She knows what it's like to bare a curse, literally. But Luz was different, her curse was because of her family. And if she was right, she knew that it would even affect those around her.
"Well, it looks like we caught a lucky break for once, kid." Eda said. "Now let's get out of here before the Warden finds us and loses his head."
"Too late."
Before Eda could react, Warden Wrath had morphed his arm into a sickle and decapitates Eda with ease. Luz catches Eda's head, but then drops it in terror as it falls to the ground and Eda's face sticks her tongue out like a fake death expression.
"Ow!" Eda's head says. "Oh, I hate it when that happens."
"What the hell?" Luz says, picking up Eda's head again. "How are you still alive?"
Eda's head answered "Well, you know. This just happens when you get older."
"Does it?"
"Finally." Wrath says, morphing his hand back. "I finally got you cornered, Eda the Owl Lady." He then takes King's crown, which the little guy tries to get back. "My guards could never get you, but I knew if I took your pet's toy, you'd come running."
He then crushes the paper crown in his hand.
"No!" King says. "My power!"
"Oh, brother." Luz exclaims.
"What do you want from me?" Eda asked "What do you want with me? I've never actually broken any of your stupid laws... in front of you."
Luz looks down at Eda with a 'Really?' expression on her face.
"I want you..." The Warden begins to say, before suddenly having a bouquet of flowers in his hands. "...To go out with me."
"What?" Luz and Eda both say in confusion and disgust.
"Go, boss!" One of the guards said as Wrath gave them a thumbs up and continued.
"You've always eluded our capture. You've always been the one who got away. I found that alluring."
"Okay. Now I wanna puke." said Luz, angering Wrath.
"Stay out of this!"
Tossing the bouquet away, Wrath morphed his arm into tentacles and snatched Luz off the ground while King was being held by one of the guard. Then Wrath takes his other hand and picks up Eda's head, making her face him.
"So, how about it, Owl Lady?" He asks. "The most powerful witch of the Boiling Isles and the feared Warden Wrath. We'd be the strongest power couple ever. I mean, it's‐‐ it's not like you can say no right now."
Eda thought about while watching her friends struggle. But before she could come up with an answer, Luz was beginning to glow in a light blue aura. In fact, she glowed so bright, that it was nearly blinding to everyone in the room.
"LET...GO OF ME!"
Suddenly, Luz's had bursted out of the Warden's grasp with a powerful shockwave that pushed everyone back. Eda's head fell to the ground and saw that Luz was floating in front of a giant glowing cross behind her, showing such power that no one, except herself, has seen before. This was enough to confirm that her suspicions were correct.
"I knew it." Eda said with a smirk, as her body comes and finally reattaches her head.
"What the blazes?!" Warden Wrath yelled out, seeing the human child return back to the ground, still glowing blue and with her eyes glowing yellow. In her hand was the whip, which she clutched tightly as two guards had then tried to subdue her. But then, Luz has swing her whip and struck both of them, making both suddenly become engulfed in blue flames. Then, she turn her attention to the Warden, who then turns both his hands into sickles.
"You will regret you actions here, child!"
"...We'll see...about that."
Then, Luz charged at him and slammed her glowing fist at the Warden, sending both of them out of the room and plummeting down to the lowest level of the tower. Eda and King ran to see what had happened and looked to see Wrath in a him-shaped crater with Luz standing over the guy. King couldn't believe it, but Eda kept a smile on her face.
"Has she lost her mind?!" King yelled out.
"Nope..." Eda said. "I think she just found it."
Luz has hopped off of Wrath, who had gotten up off the ground and once more faced the child. He then took off his mask, revealing his mouth of a face which then breathes fire towards Luz. However, two spell circles show around her, one where the fire enters, and the other spits it back out towards the Warden.
"Can't let you have all the fun, kid."
Looking up see Eda and King flying above her, Luz then draws her attention back to Wrath, who roars inhumanly as he attacks once again. Luz dodges a giant sickle that could've taken her head off and slides towards the Warden, jumping up and striking him in the face with the whip. Wrath morphs his right hand into a hammer in an attempt to smash Luz to the ground, but she then barrel rolls in mid air with the whip spinning around her, slashing away at the Warden's limb and allowing her to take hold of it. The Warden holds his ripped arm in pain while Luz takes the other half she slashed off and with a smirk on her face, along with supernatural strength, does she charge at Wrath with it and...
"So...aren't we gonna help her out?" King asked.
"Forget what I said." Eda replied. "It looks like she's got this."
Luz smashes Wrath in the face with his own hammer hand and sends him falling to the ground. She then looks back up at Eda, who looks impressed with how Luz handled herself. The blue aura that surrounded Luz had dissipated and Eda caught her as she collapsed from exhaustion. King still was trying to take in everything that Luz just did.
"No ordinary human can do those things! Is she some kind of demon?"
"Oh, not even close. But I do know who she is." Eda said. "She...is a Belmont."
However, they didn't have time to carry her back home, as Luz quickly recovered and got back up.
"What happened?" She asked, seemingly unaware of her most recent action.
"You happened!" King yelled, pointing to the defeated Warden Wrath. "You took down the Warden and avenged my crown!"
Luz looked at her handiwork and couldn't even believe it herself. "I did this?" She asked.
"I knew you were something special, kid." Eda said. "And this just about proves it. Now let's get out of here."
Luz then said, "Hold on. Just one more thing I need to do."
After freeing the three other prisoners from the Conformatorium, Luz, Eda and King headed back to the Owl House, where Luz confronts Eda about the name 'Belmont'.
"How do you know of that name?" She asks the witch.
To which Eda replied "Let's just says that I used to be a friend of your family. They got me through some tough times and helped me become the witch I am today."
"I've never heard anything of that." Luz said.
"Nor, would I have expected you too." Eda said. "Your family's legacy is often forgotten and erased from history due to being hated by people in charge."
Luz knew what she meant. Some dreams she had before showed the Belmont being excommunicated, persecuted and exiled from their home country. But that never stopped them from doing what they do best. And she had a feeling that Eda knew more about them than what she was giving, peaking her interest in wanting to know more about the other side of the family.
"Well, since our deal is finished, we might as well get you home now." Eda said as she began to open the portal.
"No." Luz said, catching Eda off guard. "It's clear that you know something about my family, and that enough to get me to stick around."
"What do you mean?" Eda asked.
"I mean that I'm gonna spend my summer here. You seem to know a lot about my family, and I'm not leaving until I know everything." Luz said while relaxing on the couch. "Besides, hanging out here is gonna be much more exciting than some boring old summer camp."
"Say what?" Eda asked, confused on what Luz was talking about.
Luz then asked "So...can I stay?"
"Yes! Yes!" King exclaimed while pulling at Eda's dress. "Let her stay! She can make us snacks!"
Eda laughed while picking up King "Well, I could use a hand keeping this goofball out of the cupboards. All right, Belmont. You can stay here, but not for free. You're gonna be put through some hard work."
"That's far." Luz replied. "Oh, and another thing. Belmont is actually my middle name. My full name is Luz Belmont Noceda."
The made Eda smirk. Later, Luz made herself at home in the storage room, laying down on a sleeping bag while she took out her phone and saw that her mother had texted her.
"How's summer camp?"
Luz paused for a second, unsure how to reply before she heard some clear their throat. She looked up to see King, holding the stuffed bunny from before.
"Uh, your sleeping cocoon looks fluffy."
"Hmph." Luz exclaimed as she sat up and patted a spot next to her. King curls up at the bottom below her feet and falls asleep. Luz smiles at him before replying to her mother.
"I think I'm gonna like it here."
And with that, she falls asleep.
Back at the Conformatorium, the fourth prisoner from before brings out a red glowing sphere, which levitates over his hands as he speaks into it.
"My Lord, a Belmont has entered this world. This may prove to be an obstacle in our Master's return."
"Alert the others and send our underlings to dispose of this...Belmont. Count Dracula's return...must be done."
And with that, the prisoner made the sphere vanish before turning into a flock of bats and heading out of the cell window.
And in her sleep, Luz felt that this was only the beginning of her destiny...
