The Golden Duel:
Progressing forward through this green maze of a jungle, the duo felt as if they had been walking for days. Droplets of sweat perspired from their brows yet all pain they would experience would be worth it once they reached the center. Amity, turned her eyes up towards Luz, carving their path open with a blade fashioned from modified earth glyphs. Enamoured, her mind quickly drifted back to last week's events. Watching Luz's flowing hair in that afternoon breeze, leaning in on pure instinct and placing a peck on her cheek. Blushing with the force of a million suns, making no attempt to hide her feelings, she was fully unguarded during that moment, feeling safe next to Luz. Since that moment, thoughts had flooded through her mind, "What did Luz think, had she left too soon," and most importantly, "what now?". Refocusing herself on the mission that was at hand, she couldn't help but feel slightly more anxious than she already was.
While Amity's heart was near exploding, Luz was feeling something similar. Despite not turning around, she wanted to melt into a puddle, remembering the pressure of Amity's lips on her cheek. Since no one had ever done that to her, she was stunned into silence. She wanted to let Amity know all she was thinking but couldn't find the words to put her thoughts into, letting her first reciprocal crush slip away, losing her chance. Ducking past an oncoming branch, she took a short glance back at Amity, lighting up both their eyes as they stared fervidly.
"So, Amity…" Luz began. But before another word could emerge, her tongue had mentally tied, causing a strange yelp to escape her mouth before she covered it in embarrassment, looking away.
Sitting in an awkward silence for a couple seconds, Amity rushed to fill it in.
"I'm still taking you up on your offer." She blushingly declared.
Remembering the comment she made to show Amity the human world, she thought about how Amity rushed with her, pulling Luz to get that diary and find a way home for her. Putting the pieces together in her mind, she stood there stuck with awe, realising what it had meant in Amity's wild dash to help her with everything in building the portal. Ready to truly ask her, Luz braced herself, preparing for any response she would receive if her now romance obsessed brain had been interpreting this wrongly. Seeing Amity's deep green eyes and pink hair, slightly being blown with the wind, she was filled with a second wave of confidence, finally allowing her to declare where she wanted this newly formed relationship to go next.
"you know, there's this really nice ice cream store near my house that we could go to; once I get back that is.".
Amity stopped cold in her tracks. "Did Luz just ask me on a date?" Was the only though that floated in the empty void of her mind. Checking over every word, she began to smile, realising what had been said.
"I would love to!" She almost shouted loud enough to wake up the birds.
"Well that's great, I mean I'd love to take you there…".
Now it had returned to silence but Amity could feel that something was different now. a lighter color had shaded the jungle and her happy feeling remained. she ran up next to Luz and gripped her hand, making both blush with a mixture of excitement and fondness as they progressed forwards.
Arriving into a clearing, they reached their destination, Eclipse Lake. Glistening with a bright green tint, it seems to bubble and boil as they approached it. Luz leaned over the ledge that kept them away right when a gathering of bubbles began to appear below her reflection. Acting quickly, Amity dived in and tackled Luz down to the ground.
"Be careful around here! This swamp is supposedly filled with some kind of illness that renders a person bedridden for a while and I just can't do this without you.".
Lying on the ground, Amity took a moment to process what she had just said. Looking towards Luz, she was madly entrapped, fixated in her gaze. Looking deep into those caramel eyes, she stood back up and reached out her hand to Luz. Grabbing it, Luz couldn't resist smiling which caused Amity to fall under the same spell she had on that infamous day to her mind.
"Looks like someone's looking out for me." Luz teased.
"Okay human, it's just that you're clumsy. Besides, I don't know If you could say that since you did get me kicked out of the library.".
Both girls broke into intoxicating giggles, finally glad that the day had been brought up again.
"Well," Luz said, averting her flustered face from Amity, "you didn't seem that angry about it considering you did kiss me.".
Before they could finish that conversation though, the swamp behind them seemed to rise into the air, towering above them as a giant creature let the water off of its body. Turning around fully, its golden eyes to the pair, locked on their position like a ravenous hunting animal. Sharp dark green scales covered the entire creature and its hands were draped in the vines that had previously shaded them with cover. Trees fell down around them as they madly ran, ducking and dodging past the falling degree. Despite all the action going on around them, Luz's eyes caught a piece of paper in a bottle on the creature's neck. The chain seemed derive from a drawbridge while the bottle was minuscule in comparison. Inside though, had been what they had come for.
"What fools dare to intrude upon my treasure trove!" roared the beast, obviously angry at the intrusion.
Quickly gaining confidence, Luz shouted back up at the monster, "We are here for the last page to Whitterbane's journal, please allow us to view it guardian of the swamp!"
Tauntingly chuckling, the beast replied, "This page? The human who left it said only a worthy warrior could attain it and frankly, I don't think you guys have it in you to defeat me!" it finished, quickly flexing its oversized muscular body.
"Well see about that!" Amity said, coming to Luz's aid.
Looking at each other, they shared a quick nod but before they could enact the plan they had set in place, the sound of a giant pressure washer flooded the air. Turning back, Luz saw a rushing wave of water approaching her. Quickly tossing a glyph on the ground, a shield of light formed in front of her. Despite at first taking the beam at full force, it began to crack quickly and with one final look at Amity, Luz was swept away with the rushing swamp water.
Amity turned back towards the beast, filled with a rage that pounded all other ideas of running out of her mind. Running towards the monster, she used her abomination magic on the ground in front of her, summoning a giant hand that propelled her high into the sky. Once she met the monster face to face, she quickly cast a second spell, generating an even bigger arm that grabbed at the monster's neck, in an attempt to rip off the bottle. The monster bended down slightly, keeling under the downwards force of Amity's spell but before any goal could be reached, it smirked, seeming to say, "is that the best you can do?". A bright blue magic filled the air as the monster's tail grew and extended far above the clouds, Just as quickly as it had grown, it slapped Amity in the same direction as Luz, sending her flying deep into the path Luz had cleared earlier. Bracing the landing with goo, she was out of energy. Despite trying her best, the hit was too much for any witch to handle. Preparing to get up again, she fell down, still feeling as if her body was shooting through the sky at sickening speeds.
"Come back when you're stronger, or better yet, don't!" Yelled the monster.
Amity knowing the fight had been lost, took a slight sigh of relief that she didn't have to engage that thing again when her mind reminded her of the hit Luz had taken. Turning around, she quickly identified her. Thankfully she had braced herself with a protection of plant magic but from the coughing Amity could hear, it seemed as if they were both out of the fight.
"Luz are you okay?" Asked Amity, running up to meet her.
"Yeah I'm," pausing to sneeze, Luz continued, "fine, just a little sick I guess."
Hearing those words, Amity thought back to the possibility that she could have swallowed some of the water. Panicking, she drowned out all sound as she rushed Luz back to the Owl House, only softly repeating, "I'm here, it'll be okay." to Luz, flying through the forest with Luz in her arms.
"Okay King. Adding liquefied owl beast talons can be explosive so it's very important that you only add one drop."
"But after this we'll have some homemade elixir for the curse?"
"Definitely, just one drop though or else it'll be more useless than apple blood on a bad day.".
To the misfortune of King and Eda though, Amity happened to come bursting through the door at that moment, causing King to pour the entire bottle into the vat. Turning to see who it was, Eda, alarmed at what King had just done, began running out of the house, scooping him up in her arms.
"Eda, something terrible has happened!"
"Good to know, but bad time, we need to get out of here!' Eda shot back.
Realising the situation from the sound of an overflowing cauldron, Amity sprinted out and dived onto the ground, making sure Luz didn't hit the ground too roughly by hugging her close as they fell. Despite seeming out of commission, Luz murmured softly, "Amity.".
Despite the blush she now had, the moment that they had shared quickly died as a hallowing explosion erupted from inside the house. But before the blast could reach them, a loud sucking sound was heard as Hooty took in all the force from the explosion. After it was done, he coughed slightly but besides that, seemed fine.
"You know I could have been hurt right?" Hooty asked Eda.
"You know nothing would have happened but why'd you have to let her in right then? Didn't I tell you, no visitors?"
Hooty glanced at Amity quickly but remembering how he had almost died that day, his perceptible form was almost shattered during that moment, broken and tore at by this girl that layed in front of him. Amity quickly shot a death glare at Hooty which shut him up like a shutting door on a cage, if he could even fit in one.
"Well, she must have slipped by me.". Hooty falsely assured himself.
Finally noticing Luz, Eda's hair stood on end as she hurriedly rushed over to Amity's side.
"What happened, did you do this?" Eda agitatedly asked.
"I would never!" Said Amity defending herself. "She was blasted with water from Eclipse Lake."
Eda quickly lost all her nervous composure and laughed aloud.
"You said she was in danger! No, no; she'll be back on her feet in a couple hours, just give her this.".
Reaching into her hair, Eda gave Amity a potion flask filled with green liquid.
"What is this?" Amity asked.
"Oh, it's something I like to call the fix me up potion! Basically one swig and most illnesses around here are cured for Luz. She can't handle a lot since she's human but with this, she'll be fine."
Looking down at the bottle, Amity couldn't help but smile, knowing that Luz would be okay.
"Okay well if this is done, I need to head out and get some griffin eggs. They're out in Bonesburrow so I guess that means you're in charge while I'm gone." Eda said to Amity.
"Wait, you're putting me in charge? You trust me that much?"
"Not really" Eda said pausing to look at Luz "But she seems to" looking back at Amity and winking.
Standing there stunned, Amity waved wordlessly as Eda and King drifted off into the clouds on Owlbert. Amity stood there for a couple more seconds, staring down into the now sleeping Luz in her arms. Despite the pain of carrying her all this way, somehow all of that was washed away when she saw how peaceful she looked. Like a child during the nap time after she would read one of her stories to at the library. Finally turning around to go inside, Amity picked Luz up again as she moved towards the house, making Luz wrap her arms around Amity, pressing her face into her shirt. Realising this, Amity's face gained a new shade of pink. Moving up the stairs, she arrived at Luz's bed, sitting down as she finally allowed herself to rest, releasing a much needed sigh of relief. Gently laying Luz down on the bed, she gave her some of the potion and, Once the sound of her movements faded, the house grew near silent once again, allowing the sound of Luz's sleeping breaths to attract the attention of Amity. She inhaled almost silently but as she exhaled, it came with some effort, a symptom of the illness that now plagued her. Still sitting with Luz on her lap, Amity quickly picked up The Great Witch Azura, Volume 5, from the floor in front of her. Opening the book, a paper slipped silently as it fell into the blankets next to her. Puzzled, Amity stared at the flipped over paper for a moment. "Should she read this?" contemplating the privacy of Luz considering she was taking care of her. After an arduous process, the decision to take just a quick peek was settled upon as Amity grabbed the page, turning it over. Seeing that it was a page torn out of Luz's diary, she continued reading on, absorbing what Luz had written.
"Dear Diary, I don't know what to think of today. So many strange things have been happening recently, and Ive been flooded with this feeling I've never had before. It feels sweet though. Every time I look at her, I just get so nervous I don't know how to act now. Why does this happen to me? Its currently around midnight here and I just can't sleep. Every time I try to, I can't help but think of her brushing her lips softly against my cheeks. At first it was startling but the next moment, all I wanted to do was kiss her back. After that, I just fell to the ground once she left, staying there for around 30 minutes. She just seems so perfect now. I desperately want her to pick me up when I fall. I wanted to run back into that house and return that kiss back to her but it looked like she was sleeping so I left, hoping that another chance will come for me to return that act of love. I've never felt this passionate for someone ever in the human realm or here before but despite this, I think I know what's going on. I'm in love with Amity Blight the coolest, sweetest and downright loveliest girl I've ever met. Well that's all for tonight I guess. Still have the same goals as last time I wrote, finish the portal and somehow make up for the lost time with mom but now, I've got another one. I will find a way to show Amity the human realm and a way to keep us together, even if that means I have to stay here a little longer to figure that out. hasta luego, Luz.".
Putting the diary entry down, Amity was now starstruck. Looking back down at the girl laying next to her, she wanted to slap herself for not seeing it before while simultaneously shaking Luz awake and pouring out all her emotions in her heart. Despite this, she let Luz lay there, resigning the idea to later when she would awake. Taking in a deep breath, Amity exhaled, smiling softly as she turned off the lights and left the room, realising that she was not alone in these confusing yet mesmerising feelings.
Making her way down the stairs, she was on a short quest to crave her hunger pangs when she was pulled away from this by an alarming scene. Without warning, the house began shaking, at first softly, but quickly gaining ferocity. Accompanying this, was the sound of fast approaching tunnelling, too quick to be any animal on the isles. Running out of the door, Amity arrived just in time to see a massive wad of rock and stone rising from the ground, tearing the trees that surrounded it from the ground. As the commotion of falling forest and shaking calmed, reaching its conclusion, a mysterious voice began to call out.
"Eda the Owl Lady, you have trifled with the Emperor for the last time. I am here to capture you by any means necessary!".
Lowering to the ground with a reddish tint, the debris around the speaker dissipated, revealing a boy, shrouded in a white robe and masked with something resembling a golden owl. Scanning the area, the boy was annoyed that no one had came out of the building yet when his eyes locked onto Amity. Not expecting she'd be here, he had only seen pictures of her in the Blight manor, noting the change in her hair that was now present.
"So, Blight; what are you doing here?".
Taken slightly aback by the fact that he knew her family, Amity recomposed herself, readying her hands for spell casting as she tensed up, preparing for the potential battle at hand.
"Don't ask questions, who are you and why are you still chasing the Eda?".
Laughing slightly, the boy replied, "Your parents didn't tell you? Well, in that case you can simply call me the Emperor's 'Golden Guard'. I do the Emperor's bidding and I've been tasked with bringing the Owl Lady and her apprentice to the Emperor's chambers for quite an, urgent matter. So," speaking with a gritted and sinister tone, "I won't hesitate to take someone out, even a supplier's daughter.".
Nervousness and fear died in that moment for Amity. Blood boiling, she was not about to let someone take away Luz, especially to the Emperor.
"I won't let you lay a finger on Luz!" Amity cried as she charged into battle.
Nearing the guard, she caught a glimpse of something behind his back, a pearl staff, crested with a single wing made of what appeared to be a white metal and some kind of red ball next to it. As the ball began to grow, she planted her hands onto the ground, creating a wall of abomination goo that quickly became as dense as stone but was blasted away in moments by a lash of red thunder. Flying backwards, Amity crashed into the side of the house, cracking some of the planks as she fell to the ground, alarmed that one single blow could do that much.
"I don't think you know what you're getting yourself into." the guard taunted. "Step aside and make this easier for yourself.".
Rising from then ground, Amity smirked slightly. "You seriously think that's all the power I have left?".
Pushing her hands against the ground once again, she slammed them into the ground, turning the terrain where they stood to a slippery abomination goo. While it was difficult, if she maintained just a hint of magic on her feet, traction over the terrain would remain the same for her, providing a massive advantage. Casting spells in the air, fists rose from the ground in front of her, all launching towards the adversary she now faced. Grabbing his staff, the Golden Guard broke the fists apart, one by one as they fell down back into the puddle of goop below his feet. Using the distraction of the fists though, Amity cast one last spell, shooting two hands that grabbed his legs as they pulled him down, causing him to fall onto the floor. Jumping up into the air, Amity summoned two humongous walls of goop, slamming them into the boy as they formed a tight ball around him. Using another fist to launch him into the air, she brought up the goo from the walls she had created, hardening them around her fist to make a massive gauntlet. Pulling back and releasing, Amity slammed the guard into the ground with enough force to break through the hardened ground below the battlefield.
Lowering herself to the ground, Amity stood over the now crushed guard, Dropping her guard since in her mind, the battle was already finished.
"Have you had enough yet?" She called out to the guard.
To her surprise though, a chuckle uttered in the pit he lay, slowly turning into maniacal laughter.
"Not even close." He replied, immediately disappearing in a cloud of red smoke.
As the smoke cleared, Amity's blood ran cold She stared down into the pit, putting together what had just happened. Despite the high level spells she had cast, an illusion of her enemy only faced her. Peering around her, he didn't appear to be anywhere but as soon as she deemed the surrounding area clear, a shadow blocked the sun above her. Eyes darting towards the sky, she had just enough time to make him out, raising her arms to block the sphere of his staff from making contact with her head. As the ball grazed her arms, red magic in the shape of lightning bolts emerged, diving into her body and searing her brain with pain. Without thinking, her right hand raised into the air, drawing a circle and preparing to create some sort of barrier between them but before her hand could reach the ground, the guard teleported in front of her, landing his hand on her stomach. Heating up, Amity tried to step away but before she could, the magic took form into a robin, sealing her within it. Flying towards the house, she braced for impact as it exploded upon impact with the door, knocking the wind out of her and shaking the foundation of the house.
"I'll… stop you… right here." Amity weakly spat at the guard while once again rising from the dusted ground.
Attempting to draw a small circle in front of her, it stood in front of her for a moment, before turning red. Flowing back into her, and filling every cell of her being with immense pain. As she screamed, smoke poured out of her mouth, nose and ears, sending her into a painful coughing fit.
"Like that, don't you?" Mocked the Golden Guard. "I call that spell magic nullification. There's not enough time to explain the specifics but to summarise, any magic you try to use will bring immeasurable pain onto you. It's a great way of taking out witches."
Barely able to see him through the smoke and tears, she muttered, "I won't fall for such a… horrid spell."
"I don't know about that, but I must warn you, continue resisting and I'm afraid only one of us will be leaving this battle intact.".
Hearing shaking from behind her, she wished she hadn't gotten up after that hit when she noticed who was next to her.
"Hey Calamity, you don't look so good right now.". Hooty said.
"It's Amity you bird tube but where have you been this whole time?" She angrily questioned.
"I've been napping until someone rudely awoke me hoot!"
Looking to see Amity on the floor, the guard was suprised to find some cross between a demon and owl staring her down.
"What's that? The Owl Lady's pet?".
Hooty, realising someone new was in the environment, turned his attention towards Amity's adversary.
"Hi, I'm Hooty! Want to know my deepest fear?".
Both Amity and the Golden Guard shivered slightly, weirded out and afraid. Turning towards Hooty, Amity praying she never had to do this again, she began speaking.
"Look, that guy wants to take Luz and Eda away and he hurt me so… I," struggling heavily she quickly blurted out, "I need you help!".
"You need my help!" Hooty excitedly repeated. "Okay but only if you read me Owl Love after this buddy.".
"Fine then. Let's get him." she finished, deciding to hold back her feelings of murder towards Hooty until after this ordeal was finished.
"Ready for round 2?" Amity called out towards the guard.
"Fine then but just know, I'm not holding back this time." responded the Guard.
Hooty burrowed below the ground as Amity rushed the guard, putting him on the defensive. Raising his staff, he slashed it through the air twice, forming an x made of stone that ripped through the air towards her. Bracing for the impact, Amity felt the ground below her breaking in two when suddenly Hooty appeared below her, sending her flying over the incoming projectile. Readjusting in the air, she landed on the guard, ripping the staff away from him when his body suddenly turned to wood. From behind her, the guard sped into positon, almost smacking Amity over the head with a vicious blow but Hooty popped up between them, tanking the blow. Recovering, Amity grabbed onto Hooty's body like a pole, swinging herself around as she managed to connect a blow to his stomach. Sending him staggering back and wheezing slightly. Upon hearing his pain, she smiled, knowing that this was the real guard. Shaking off the blow, he dashed back in but tripped over Hooty's body as he was wrapped into a tight vice by the bird.
"Let me out birdbrains!" shouted the Golden Guard, attempting to worm his way out of the grip.
Despite his protest, Hooty's grip only further tightened, leading a screech of bending metal to emerge from his armour. Wincing, he managed to free his arm and staff from Hooty's grip. Drawing a circle above himself, a red wave of energy formed, blasting Hooty off of him. Seeing an oppourtunity, Amity rushed back into the fight, getting a hold of his staff and using it to spin the guard around her, leading him to lose grip and fall around a meter away from her. Holding the staff like a javelin now, she quickly tossed it into the forest behind her. Turning back around, she had expected to see her foe defeated, asking to stop the fight but instead, he had a coy smirk on his face.
"Well then," he began "looks like I've got no other choice.".
Crackling with red thunder, his body tensed up, hairs standing on end and wincing from the pain this power was causing him. Beams seeped into the ground, seeming to absorb some sort of energy from beneath as they funnelled it through his body. Walking forward, the beams dissipated as he took into a full on sprint, blitzing towards Amity and elbowing her in the center of her gut. Shooting back, Amity looked towards Hooty, seeing the bird rushing behind her in an attempt to stop her flight but before anything could be done, the guard warped between them, grabbing Hooty's face with his gauntlet and slamming it down, breaking the hard earth beneath them. Making his next move, he rushed to where Amity was headed, ready to punch her into the sky and finish her off there. Approaching her end, Amity reached into her back pocket, removing one of the glyphs Luz had given her before this adventure. She had hoped not to be forced to use these, since after they were gone, abomination magic would be all that was left, but she didn't see any other choice except losing the fight. Spinning around, she now faced the guard and slammed the paper into his oncoming hand. Activating the glyph, instead of casting a spell, produced red energy instead, the symbol disappearing as the guard yelped with pain. Forced to stop his attack, the guard instead kicked Amity in the leg, crashing her into the ground as she slid towards Hooty's position.
Looking back towards the guard, Amity was able to make out a pair of ruby red eyes, glistening with a rage so deep that it sent her into a slight shiver. Standing up slowly, she felt a massive pop in the leg she had been kicked in, bending slightly under pain for a moment, before recovering her composure, knowing she could still go on. Emerging from the ground, Hooty shook the dirt and dust off of his head, looking towards Amity and then the guard, with a silent dread.
"So," Hooty asked, "what are we going to do?"
"Well it looks like he has some sort of backlash when it comes to glyphs, maybe we could use that?"
"Yeah that sounds like a good idea. What if we overload him?"
"Well every bit of magic we add makes him faster and stronger so we've got to do this in one blow."
"Fine then, put the glyphs on my body, space them out and I'll take care of the rest."
"What? You want me to…"
"Look there's no time! Just hold him down for a second or two and I'll take care of the rest, as long as you keep up your end of the bargain."
"I wish he knocked me out with that last kick. Fine, I'll try."
Sticking all of her glyphs onto Hooty, Amity feared the brutal assault coming ahead but still she sturdied herself. If she let him slip by, win over her and went down without a fight, then Luz and Eda would be gone, petrified by Emperor Belos and that idea scared her deeper than any pain could ever. Hopping on top of Hooty, they flew at the guard, dropping her off In front of him, they stood there for a moment in silence as Hooty continued to speed ahead.
"So Blight, did that last kick hurt?" he taunted.
"Maybe, but doesn't look like it did as much as that glyph."
"You're just lucky I don't have my staff with me, you would've already been out cold."
"Sounds like talk from a sore loser, let's get this over with."
"With pleasure."
Taking the initiative, Amity tried once again to low sweep the boy, but, prepared this time, he slammed her leg down into the ground, shooting pain throughout her lower body. Bursting with energy, he sped up once again, blitzing Amity from all directions, striking an unguarded area whenever possible. Falling to the ground after that brutal assault, Amity's mind drifted in and out of consciousness, heart beating, vision blurring and each second seeming to stretch on longer, she was about ready to give up but her mind would not let her. She pushed up from her hands, taking a stand as the iron wall that would keep this monster of an enemy from Luz. Hooty, now closing the encirclement had caught the guard's attention. His cockiness drained away to concern as he noticed the occasional blur of paper against the creature's skin. Preparing to jump out of this incoming trap, Amity could see clearly now what would happen if she didn't win. If she didn't win, Luz would be removed from her life, taking away the person who changed her so deeply. She would go back to being the, "Little Miss Perfect" her parents always wanted her to be and, while Belos tightened his reign through the Titan, she would only watch in shocked speechlessness, a husk of her former self. Allowing her will to take form, she cast one last spell in her hand, a flame just the size of her palm. Her mind felt near it's mental limit, suppressing the pain for moments at a time to make it survivable. Energy jumped from her body, breaking the ground around her as she prepped herself for this final blast. She willed harder than she ever had before that her last effort would be enough to finish this battle and, throwing her whole body into the throw, sent the fireball flying at the guard.
Time seemed to slow down as she fell towards the earth. Crashing into the ground, her arms and chest slamming down into it, she only had enough energy to watch. the guard, took off from the ground, only for about 1/2 a meter when finally, her spell connected. At first, it seemed to merge with the flickering energy around him, amplifying it as his body slowed down significantly, shaking for a moment from the absorption. While he was suspended in this position, Hooty, rushed in, snapping shut on the guard for a moment then loosening up, fleeing from the boy. Attached to the guard now were around a dozen glyphs, their symbols all pointed towards his body like bombs ready to explode. Trying to rip them off, Hooty's viscous mucus, which he seemed to have built up in preparation for this, kept them attached when finally, they all activated. For a moment, there was only silence then, a scream of magnitude so loud it seemed the isle shook with it emerged from the boy. His body danced with pain in a sphere of red energy that pulsated and deformed, creating jagged edges and looking similar to a failed abomination spell at points. After about 20 more seconds of this, the ball popped with a thunderous clap and sent the guard, now with smoke emerging from underneath his mask, flying towards the forest where his staff had previously landed. Slamming metal against wood echoed around the clearing, sending birds flying out of their trees as the slight rustling of leaves were heard. Amity waited, listening for any sign that she had not defeated her foe but, when a bright flash of red light dashed away from the forest and towards Belos's castle, she sighed, feeling the magic he had previously used follow him on his way out. Exhausted, she finally let herself succumb to the strain this battle had put on her, passing out on the very ground she lied on.
Stirring awake, Amity found herself under the warm covers of a bed. Slowly rising, a sense of panic ran through her body as she noticed the darker hue and different objects that surrounded her.
"Amity, are you awake?" Asked a voice she recognised as Luz.
Coming to, she blushed hard, realising that she had been sleeping in Luz's bed. Jumping out, she landed on her injured leg first, causing her to grimace with the pain that caused. Turning around to look at Luz, she found her sitting on the windowsill, seeming more energetic and lively than when she last saw her.
"Are you feeling better?" Amity asked, wondering how long Luz had been awake for.
"Yeah. I saw some of your fight…"
Looking down, Luz started tearing up. While Amity was out there, risking everything, she was stuck in the room, awed and yet only able to observe the brutality of what had occured. Overwhelmed, she grabbed onto Amity, wrapping her arms around her and latching on, relishing in the fact that she was safe.
Noticing Amity starting to heat up, she pulled away, turning her head so that Amity couldn't see her now hid blushing face.
"Hey Luz," Amity shyly murmured.
"Yeah Amity?"
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Replaying the moment suddenly in her mind, she was slightly startled by the request but this was finally her chance to find out what Amity thought, how she felt about that kiss and if she if wasn't alone in her feelings.
"Luz, can I be honest?"
Looking back, she could see Luz staring deeply into her eyes, nodding her head as her response.
"I've been thinking about it for the past couple days and there's something that I've really been meaning to ask you."
About to continue her thought, Amity's statement was promptly interrupted by slamming of a door against wood. Both girls, jumping at the thought that another Emperor Coven's witch had come to get them rushed out of the room and down the stairs, with Amity summoning small abominations and Luz grabbing her stack of glyphs and cape. Pausing near the bottom, they heard the sound of smashing glass, jumping out into the hallway to take on whoever had entered the abode.
"Dang it King, that was our only good plate." Eda scolded.
"Well it isn't my fault that someone asked me, the shortest one here, to carry all the griffin eggs. Do you even know how delicate these things are?".
"This is why we can't have nice things." Eda murmured right as the girls entered the scene.
"Well look who's awake!" Eda said proudly, turning towards Luz as King launched into a hug. "Couldn't have gotten over that illness better myself.".
Shifting her eyes, Eda noticed Amity, twitching her hands as her leg bent slightly, implicitly signaling her pain.
"What happened to you?"
Stealing a quick glance at look, Amity began to retell the events of the battle earlier on.
"So, you beat him; nice work kid." Eda praised.
Looking at the sky out the window, Amity noticed that it was now dusk, her parents would be home in a little while.
"Well, today was, chaotic, but I've got to go." She told the others, heading towards the door.
"Alright then. If that guy bothers you anymore, let me know." said Eda, reassuring Amity that she would be safe if he ever struck again.
Opening the door, she began walking down the path towards Bonesburrow that would take her home. Feeling slightly disheartened that she wasn't able to spill everything to Luz, she smiled, knowing that they would see each other again soon. Before the house even left her view though, the door slammed shut and the sound of running footsteps became apparent.
"Wait, don't leave yet!" cried Luz from behind.
Turning around, Amity slammed into Luz, causing both of them to fall down to the ground. Panting from the impact, she looked up at Luz, hair majestically shifting with the slight breeze present, leading Amity to gaze silently.
"Did you think I would let you leave before returning your kiss?".
Wrapping her hands around Luz's back, she was pulled in, planting a kiss softly on Luz's lips as their noses touched against each other. Amity's ears fluttered as they stayed there for a moment, closing her eyes as she fell deep into the moment, letting the passion flowing between them drive her. Pulling away, they looked at each other once again, falling onto each other as they embraced, smiling and laying there, letting the isles boil into a scenic night. Standing up, Luz reached down her hand, pulling Amity up back onto her feet, not able to believe what had just happened.
"Well then" Luz said, "I guess I'll see you around… sometime.".
"Yeah, I'll be looking forward to it." Amity said, still rooted down by love.
Walking away, Amity turned around one final time, saying to Luz, "You know, there's this great place near the library, maybe we could go there sometime… if you want to that is.".
Looking back, Luz's eyes widened and she blushed, causing Amity to blush harder in return.
"You know what." said Luz, "I would love that.".
Smiling and turning away, Amity rose her hand, saying goodbye. Walking away, she winced slightly, her stomach aching from the punch she had received earlier. While she was damaged though, there was one thing that helped ease the pain. Looking up, she silently commented on the marvellous scenery around her, with softly shinning stars crowded around the sun, setting an emerald tint on the edge of the sea in next to her. Taking a deep breath, Amity absorbed it all in, all that had happened over the past couple days. Exhaling out, she kept on walking again, looking towards the crazy but lovely future and what it would hold.