The Asmodean
By
Neztro
Chapter 4: The Owl House revelations
Authors note:
I see you have come back for another chapter of the harem anime owl house… thank you and I am sorry for the cringe. I am quite proud of the rate in which I am writing these chapters in the last 12 days I've completed three chapters. I admit they are shorter but I think that works for me. Let me know what you think of my story on the reviews… please don't be a creep. Also once again another new addition to the harem. Let me introduce you to everyones favorite awkard cinnabon… kin… I mean lilith… lilith is who I meant… (starts rewriting the outline for this chapter.)
The memories of his mother's death haunted Luca's dreams. He was running in the darkness, barely able to see an inch in front of his face. "Luz! Mom!" Luca Yelled into the abyss. A flash of red hair on edge of Luca's peripheral vision captured his attention.
"Whose there?" Luca turned his head and saw the image of his mom, impaled by the Red woman. The image was still, the rain drops were frozen mid-fall, his mother looked in the eye of the red woman who still wore that creepy smile.
Take care of Luz, mijo. His mothers voice echoed in his ears. His knees buckled.
"Why? Why me? What did I ever do to deserve this?" Luca pleaded into the nothingness.
Luca could hear heavy breathing from behind him. When he turned his head he saw her.
Though the figure in front of him was only about five-and-a half feet tall, she still cut an imposing figure. She was bedecked in a white robe with red accents. She had a thin feminine figure. But the thing that made her truly intimidating was the mask.
It was a simple porcelain doll's mask, save for two differences: red flames were painted on each side of it covering two thirds of the mask. The second difference was the black soulless eyes that pierced Luca's very being.
Luca shot up and took in a greedy amount of air. The boy looked around and saw he was inside a small storage closest with a wool blanket over him, a feather pillow on top of a bedroll under him. "Where…?" Luca was beginning to ask but he realized he was being watched.
The boy turned his head and saw a furry dog-like creature with an exposed skull for a head that had two horns, one of which were broken.
"What are you?" Luca asked, stupefied by the creature.
"What am I? What are you doing in my bed!?" the creature exclaimed in an agitated voice that sounded like it belonged to a child.
"Your.. bed?" Luca asked, tilting his head at the strange creature.
"Yes, my bed. The King of Demons demands that you vacate his temporary dwelling or you will face the wrath of his mighty army," the creature demanded pointing his finger at Luca.
Luca let out a soft eek "Listen, Misses Clawthorne put me here. I didn't know this was your bed."
"Liar! Eda would tell me if she invited visitors to my domain," he screeched, stamping his little foot on the edge of Luca's bedroll.
"Hey, hey calm down." Luca begged, attempting to calm the agitated creature.
"Don't tell me to calm down. I am the king! You are an intruder! Now face my wrath!" He screamed lunging at Luca.
The boy flinched holding his hands up anticipating an attack. Luca stood still, his arms guarding against the beast's small paws and teeth.
The boy felt no attack or resistance when he opened his eyes he saw the creature levitated by a blue aura and behind him Eda held up her left ring finger. A steaming cup of coffee in her right hand. She looked like she just crawled out of bed.
"King, stop pestering the kid. He's had a rough night." she said yawning.
"But Eda," King whined, "you gave him my bed and pillow."
"You mean the same bed and pillow you use for your bunny toy?" Eda remarked taking another sip from her cup.
"Francois is not a toy. He is my right hand minion and the head hitman for the King of Demons!" King exclaimed, shaking his fist radiating wrathful intent.
"Uh huh, I don't care. Now come downstairs breakfast is ready." she replied finishing her drink.
"Okay," King submitted, his head hung low.
Eda did a small circle with her ring finger and letting him down with an elegant ease.
King turned his head and glared at Luca. "You win this round intruder." the creature placed his fingers to his eyes and turned them to point at Luca. He did this a couple more times before he smacked himself in the face with a thunk knocking him back.
Luca giggled at that.
"This proves nothing." he grumbles, stomping out of the room.
"Sorry about King… he's territorial but harmless." Eda explained taking a couple steps toward Luca. "You doing okay kid?"
"Yeah, I just need to adjust. It's a strange situation that I find myself in." Luca admitted
"I guess it is. Well get showered while I grab you something presentable to wear." Eda replied, walking away from Luca.
The boy crept out of his room. Taking in his surroundings to see this heavily crowded hut with pictures of women and men adorning the wall. Luca took a small strut down the hall and found a door that had a sign that read "ladies and king only."
"Well I guess this is the bathroom." Luca grabbed the doorknob and opened it to see a messy floor with different stains, a sink with dried up spit and toothpaste, and a toilet that was porcelain white.
The boy took a couple hesitant steps toward the shower which seemed to be clean. Luca jerked the shower curtain opened to reveal that the tub was as clean as the toilet. Luca undressed from the mud stained pajamas and entered the tub.
He turned the knob and after a loud clunk from the pipes the water came out… ice cold and it stayed that way for a good five minutes before it turned to a tepid warmth. Luca could only take the shower for ten minutes but he managed to clean himself.
The boy took a long look in the mirror and saw that his brown eyes were weighed down by weariness and his hair of the same color was a mess. I can't even recognize myself. He thought feeling terrible.
Luca ran the water from the sink and cupped his hands under it. He let the lukewarm water pool in his hands and proceeded to splash it into his face. He tried to take his mind off the fact that his life was forever changed.
"Ugh, how am I going to break it to Luz?" Luca asked himself in the mirror. He took in a couple breaths. The red woman stabbing his mother and the latter's subsequent last words haunted Luca, hounding every aspect of his thought process.
The boy saw, sitting on the counter, a blue polo shirt with black slacks and a pair of pointed shoes. Luca dressed himself in the clothing and felt they were a right fit.
How'd Eda get my measurements. He thought, realizing that she got his underwear and sock size right. I don't think I need an answer.
"How's my bestie doing!" A familiar squeaky voice exclaimed from behind Luca.
The young Latino boy jumped in surprise and turned to see the bird ornament from when he first arrived at this place. "Y-you're the door thing right?" Luca said, his back against the sink.
"Yep, my name is Hooty. What's your name?"
"L-Luca? Are you going to eat me?"
"Of course not! I just want to be friends? Hey what's your favorite color."
"Blue?" Luca replied, confused.
"Mine is emerald, no scarlet, no brown, no…" the bird thing rambled on.
"Hooty, I swear to the Titan if you don't leave him alone." Eda exclaimed from behind the door.
"Ah, Eda isn't any fun." the bird recoiled from the bathroom leaving Luca shaken.
The boy breathed in and out with an increased intensity. Luca left the bathroom feeling scared when he saw standing in front of him a witch woman who was five foot seven with black hair and blue eyes. She wore a sleek black dress which match her long hair.
"Uh, hello." Luca blushed as he met her eyes. "Are you a friend of Eda's?"
The witch watched Luca and cleared her throat. "I am Edalyn's sister Lilith. She is waiting for you downstairs." The witch turned her back to Luca and took a haughty trot to the stairs.
"Lilith. Like the first woman who was promised to Adam. I used to tell my mom when she showed me a picture of her I thought she was pretty." Luca rambled, not realizing he had caught Lilith's attention.
"Excuse me?" Lilith asked.
"W-what?" Luca stammered, taking a few steps back.
"No, what did you say?" she glared. "Were you making fun of my name?"
"No, I would never. It's just…" Luca trailed off.
"It's just what?" Lilith asked, her tone threatening. "Say it." she demanded.
"I remember when my mom told me about the first lady Lilith and I always thought she was as pretty as her name." Luca replied embarrassed.
Lilith's cheeks reddened, "Well, don't keep Edalyn waiting. I need to go." Lilith replied taking a few nervous steps away from Luca.
"Wow Luca, here less then a day and you have already freaked out the sister of the person who has given you shelter. Smooth." Luca berated himself. Walking down the stairs, the scent of something similar to bacon invaded Luca's senses.
"Oh, that smells good what is it?"
"Fried iron tusk pig skin!" Eda exclaimed, beaming with pride. She placed a plate full of the gray strips of pork flesh with small black spots covering it.
"That sounds so… appetizing." Luca grimaced as he poked the skin with his fork and a scratching sound of metal on metal rung out. "Whelp I'm full." he said pushing his plate away.
"More for me." King said grabbing the strips and chopping on them like they were paper thin.
"You need to eat Luca, you've been running around all night." Eda ordered placing her apron on the rack.
"I guess I'm not used to the food you like." Luca replied, horrified by the rate that King had devoured the bacon.
"Well you need to get used to it. Especially since your mom was the one who taught me how to cook." Eda said grabbing a couple mugs from the cabinet. She then opened her fridge and grabbed a carton with a red apple on it. She poured the bright red liquid into the mugs and placed them on the table.
She slid the drink over to Luca. "Now tell me everything that happened last night. I need to make sure I know what I'm getting into."
Luca took a sip from the mug tasting an apple flavor with a bit of iron aftertones. "I guess it started with dinner. Me and my family were eating our last meal together before summer camp."
"Summer what?" Eda asked.
"It's a place parents send their kids to teach them outdoors skills and other fun things." Luca replied, his hands on his legs as his fingers coiled on his pants legs.
"Sounds dumb but continue." Eda drank from the cup not taking her eyes off Luca.
"Well, mom and Luz were arguing. Luz didn't want to go to the camp but she had to because her imagination was getting out of control."
"And what's wrong with that?" Eda said, irritation clear on her tone.
"Well, she did release a bunch of snakes for her book report." Luca mumbled under his breath.
Eda snorted and slapped her knee. "I like your sister already."
"Yeah, she's great. But, other kids at school didn't much care for her. I had to get the bullies off her back more then once." Luca remembered when Becky Guntherson punched Luz so hard her nose was broken for weeks.
"Well, at least your a good brother. But seriously, popularity is fleeting and accepting your family is important."
"I know that but it wasn't my decision. My mom just wanted Luz to have some friends but I understand where she could go too far."
"Well, Cammie was always looking out for people. When she was in the healing track she had a great bedside manner and when you needed to hear something she didn't spare your feelings… a true friend."
"That does sound like mom. So she's a magic user like you and the others?" Luca asked.
"Yeah Cammie and me are witches, Lilith is too. But the others are a strange case as they didn't come from our world except for Odalia." Eda replied summoning the carton of juice to her hand as she poured herself another glass.
"Does that mean me and Luz are witches too?"
"Yeah Cammie and her husband were both witches, thus, it stands to reason that you are witch children as well." Eda took another sip of her drink.
"Then why don't we look like witches?"
"Well your father was part of the emperor's coven and he specialized in the suppression of magical folk which made him one of the best guards in the coven. So my guess is he used a mix of illusion and binding magics to make you look and act like humans." she said. "We'll have to fix that if you wanna defend yourselves."
"I wish I knew all this about my mom before today. Dad died when I was four… heart attack. Mom was all I had left and when Luz came I promised Mom I would protect her." Luca looked at his sister on the coach.
Luz looked comfortable or at least more so than when that woman put the black ooze on her.
"Anyway during dinner that woman attacked us and we fled. Me and Luz ran through the woods almost getting caught by the vampires. Mom helped us every step of the way. She was the one who gave us the key and told us to find you. I entered the door, looked for you, found Odalia who pretended to be you and then I ran from her after I found out she worked with the women who killed my mom. The rest is history."
Eda took one last swig from her mug. "Well let me tell you. It took a lot of effort to get your sister in stable condition. Whatever Erza did to her was a nasty sort of foreign magic. It's hard to treat wounds caused by that with coven magic."
"will it cost a lot of money?" Luca asked in the same way Odalia did earning a bewildered stare from Eda.
"Don't know why you said it like that but yes it's not gonna be cheap. Luckily, I don't have to worry about money anymore. I get a stipend from the empress herself every month. Say what you will about her but she pays good."
"You mean the same woman who ordered my mom's death? How can you just take her money? She's evil." Luca said, his eyes asquint and his heart full of fear.
"It ain't that easy kid. Sure I could bite the hand that keeps my bills paid and me in all the things I need to survive or I can just just swallow my pride and accept the hand out." Eda explained, letting out a sigh. "Though I wish I didn't need to take her money. The empress has taken a lot from everyone."
"Who even is she? Why does she want me?"
"I wish I knew kid, I really did. One day she just... showed up. A portal in the sky opened and the empress arrived with her strange champions and ran roughshod over the place." Eda started, twirling her fingers and summoning the carton of juice and a mug. When she went to pour only a few drops came out. "If I'm gonna tell this story then I need another carton of apple blood." she said going to the fridge and grabbing another container from a drawer that was full of the apple blood cartons.
"Anyway, when she came she entered the palace and destroyed Emperor Belos like he was a featherweight. She then went on to the top of the tower and announced to everyone on the Isles they were free from the emperor and his coven system. She then offered the coven leaders a simple choice: join or die… They chose the latter."
"Why, why me?" Luca said, his fists clenched under the table.
"I wish I knew kid. All I know is that the empress approached me and your mother after she disbanded the coven system and made it so everyone can learn the magic they wanted to study. She told us that we would be taken care of. Then she placed her hand to your mother's stomach while you were inside and declared that you'd be a boy. She told Cammie that you'd be her personal apprentice and then left."
Why is she so interested in me? Luca thought. Who is this empress?
"After that there was a small rebellion led by the families of the coven heads which failed and when I refused to join… the empress rewarded me with a higher stipend and allowed me to have Lilith back as a reward." Eda said grasping the cup with a white knuckled grip.
"What about my mom and dad, when did they leave the isle and how?" Luca asked.
"Well that is mostly thanks to me. I gave them my portal door and handed them some snails which with the right spell can be turned into human currency. They left and took the door with them and the empress… well she didn't take it too well and thanks to your fathers suppression spell she couldn't find you."
"Thank you Eda… for everything." Luca sighed, he knew a lot more than he had in the beginning.
"I wish I could've done more, kid. But hey, you're welcome to stay here with me and my family until we can find a place to keep you safe from the empress and her servants."
Luca smiled at that and met Eda's eye. "I'd like that." he said.
Eda blushed, managing to hide it well. "Okay then, take this oatmeal and feed your sister. After that I'll work on breaking your father's spell, the one that stops you from accessing your magic."
"Okay Thank you Eda." Luca said, his eyes watching Luz with a protective gaze. "We're finally safe Lulu." he whispered under his breath but eda managed to hear him.
The witch smiled at that. Welcome home kid. She thought.