The Emperor's castle was the literal heart of the Boiling Isles. A dark and foreboding fortress with a tower in the center that spewed fire and smoke. Lilith watched from a balcony a group of Emperor's coven soldiers bring in a cart of wild witches, witches who have not joined a coven as per the Emperor's law before she went back inside.

"I haven't forgotten what you've promised me. I will bring you, my sister and nephew, Emperor Belos," Lilith spoke to the stained glass window of the Emperor of the Boiling Isles. The Emperor was a man wearing a white robe and a golden deer's skull mask that obscured his entire face.

His patience was starting to wear thin with every failure. But that's not what frightened her. If he decided to send Walter... She didn't want to finish the thought.

"Then why the delay?"

Lilith spun around to find a little red imp wearing a white robe behind her. "Uh...Kikimora!"

"The Day of Unity is fast approaching and other teams have bound many rogue witches to covens and yet, the Owl Lady still roams free. Are you...protecting her?" Kikimora's voice suddenly grew threatening. "Protecting her son? Do I have to send Walter already?"

"NO! Not Walter!" Lilith coughed and composed herself. "I mean, rest assured, Kiki. I have everything under control." She snapped her fingers and a group of Emperor's Coven guards marched behind her. "Today, we capture Eda, once and for all."

Lilith and her guards hid in the bushes, watching the Owl House carefully. Hooty, the door knocker was snoring and hooting loudly. "Good. That infernal house demon is asleep."

"Uh, it's not," one of the guards pointed to Selwyn, who was lying in the garage with her eyes open and glaring at their direction.

"Leave it to me," Lilith said.

"But dragons are impervious to magic."

"I said, leave it to me. The rest of you, surround the house!"

Lilith stepped out into the open. Selwyn lumbered out of the garage, opened her wings in a display of intimidation and let out a roar. Lilith did not even flinch. The dragon charged at her, breathing fire, but Lilith jumped out of the way. Selwyn slammed Lilith with her tail and sent her flying up into the sky. The dragon flew up and opened her mouth to breathe fire, only for Lilith to throw a potion into the dragon's mouth. Selwyn's eyes widened a little, then she started to get groggy and tired. Then her eyes closed and she fell to the ground with a thud.

"Like I said. Just leave her to me," Lilith said as she landed with grace.

Hooty started to stir and mumble to himself, "Sleepwalking...sleepwalking..." Suddenly his eyes snapped open and he shouted, "Sleep hooting!" He smashed into the ground and popped out in front of Lilith. "Hiya, Lilith! Peek-a-hoot!" He headbutted her into a tree and her guards burst from their hiding places, weapons at the ready.

"Sorry! Eda doesn't like trespassers but I'm always here to make new friends! Hoot!" Hooty bonked a guard upside the head and stuck himself into his hood. "Oh! Look at me! I'm a person now. Wobblety! Wobblety! Whoo! Watch out!" He hit another guard with the unfortunate man's body before throwing the guard he was wearing away. "Hoot! Hoot! Bye, friend! Ooo! I feel like dancing!" He did a little dance, hitting the guards who were trying to capture him with his..."thighs".

Lilith got back to her feet and fired a spell at Hooty. "Oh hey! Look it's a bug!" He ducked down just in time and the spell hit a tree instead. Lilith jumped out of the way just as the tree was about to topple over on her. "Aww! Just an old leaf! Well...that's good too!" And then Hooty ate the leaf.

Inside the Owl House, Eda watched the battle through her binoculars. "Hooty," she said with a chuckle. "You're a thorn in my side but you always dig your way into my heart."

Luz and Strix came into the living room where Luz found a spoon stirring something in a pot. It looked like blue spaghetti. "Oooo...magic s'ghetti!" Eda slapped her away. "Ow!"

"Hey! That 's'ghetti' is Witch's Wool. It repels powerful spells. Every witch worth their salt has a cloak made from this stuff."

Luz's eyes stared at the wool in the pot adoringly. "I'm worth salt...I want cloak!"

Eda snatched the pot out of her apprentice's hands. "Easy, kid! With the Emperor's goons at my doorstep, I need this for protection. They have really stepped up their attacks lately."

Strix then noticed something odd about his mother. "Mom, what's with the scarf?"

Eda tugged at the scarf around her neck and said with a smirk, "What? You don't like it? Doesn't it make me look more hip and cool and whatever you kids say?"

"Uh...no one talks like that anymore."

Luz made a sly smirk, "I think I finally understand why the Emperor wants you so badly. He's got the hots for you, doesn't he?"

Strix made a gagging sound. "Blugh! Please, get that image out of my head!"

Eda chuckled before saying seriously, "Uh...but...no...Emperor Belos wants to control all wild magic through his coven system. He ordered by capture years ago because I refuse to fall in line. And he ordered Strix's capture because he doesn't want a powerless witch in his world."

Luz said worried, "And he won't stop until he's got you..."

"Awww... don't sound so worried. I'm a master escape artist! The only thing that can slow me down is my curse and that hasn't bothered me for weeks!" Feathers popped out of her arms. "Uh oh..." In an instant, she transformed into the Owl Beast.

"KING!" Strix shook the little demon awake. "GET THE ELIXER NOW!"

Eda found herself in that same dream again. A black void. A door that opens up to reveal a shadowy figure with large round eyes. "You know...I'm getting a little tired of this game..." Eda reached her hand for the figure's face. "So, why don't you just show me your face?"

She suddenly snapped back to reality and found herself grabbing Luz's face with a bottle of elixir in her mouth. "Thanks for this." It was then she realized the floor was littered with dozens of elixir bottles. "And all those." Her scarf suddenly slipped off and Luz saw the gem on embedded in her chest.

"Hey! Your gem! It's still dark!"

"Uh..." Eda quickly put the scarf back on. "No it's not! You're nuts!"

"Mom," Strix shouted. "We had to use almost the entire stock of elixir! And you're hiding the curse!"

Eda narrowed her eyes at Strix. Then without warning she peeled his face off, revealing the green underneath. "Look who's calling the kettle black!" She pulled the Mask off and in an instant, wings sprouted out of his back. She groaned. "I was afraid of this. The curse is adapting to the Mask's magic. It's starting to fight back."

"You mean, I could turn into a rampaging owl monster like you the second I take it off?"

"Yep," Eda said as she put the Mask into the chest and cast the sealing spell. But to her surprise, the spell broke. She cast it again only for the effect to repeat. "Oh, that's not good."

"Mom, your magic's getting weak!"

Eda sighed. No use hiding it. "Ugh...you kids are right. It's taking more elixir to turn me back and more magic to keep the curse from rearing its feathery head."

"What happens if you use your magic," Luz asked with concern. "Do you...do you...die?"

"No! Geez, you're morbid. I just...kinda...sorta...turn into the Owl beast...forever. Ahhh...it's a fate much worse than death if you think about it..."

"Why are you being so calm about this," Strix asked, outraged. "Did you forget I will end up as ugly as you?"

"Hey, that actually hurt a little."

Luz shook her head. "No! No! I can't let that happen! I'll do something about it. I'll find a cure and then-"

Eda put a hand on her apprentice's shoulder. "Hey! Don't worry. I just have to limit my magic use a little." She made Luz smile. "Ahhh...there's the Luz I know!" Luz made a sad face with puppy eyes. Eda groaned in annoyance. "Ugh...go on! Do the parallel arm thing..." Luz pulled her and Strix into a hug.

King jumped up to hug them as well. "King demands huggies too!"

Eda thought she felt her ribs creak. "Okay." She pushed everyone off her. "It's...time...for...school!" Then she kicked Luz out of the house and tossed her her backpack. "Have a good day!" Strix was about to walk out when suddenly, she grabbed him by the wings and pulled him in. "Not you."

"What?!"

"I'm sorry, I can't have you going to school like that."

"Eda!" Luz exclaimed.

"No, she's right," Strix said sadly. "I could become a monster any time. I don't want to hurt anyone. Just go to school and try to be happy. At least one of us should."

"Get rest! Stay out of the sun! Lift with your knees, not your-"

Eda slammed the door in Luz's face. She smiled and said, "Ah, what a good kid! So considerate. She deserves something nice." She glanced at the pot of Witch's Wool. "And I think I know what!"

"You're going to give her the cloak?" asked Strix as he sat down on the couch glumly.

Eda stopped stirring and sighed. "Kid, there's another reason why I didn't want you to go to school. You have to stay here for your protection."

"I know. Because now I'm guaranteed to turn into a monster now."

"That's not the worst of it. Sooner or later, the Emperor's going to send Walter."

Strix's feathers suddenly ruffled. "Walter? As in Lord High Executioner Walter?! But...but he wouldn't! He normally sends him as a last resort!"

"According to your Aunt Lily, the Emperor's patience is wearing thin. You know what happened the last time he was sent." Strix unconsciously rubbed a spot on his chest.

"Almost impaled with a pillar. And that was before I had the Mask."

"And when you wore it, he soundly beat you within an inch of your life."

Strix shuddered. "Wait. Why aren't you telling Luz this?"

"You saw how she reacted when she learned about the curse worsening," Eda said as she stirred the pot. "If she found out the most powerful creature on the Boiling Isles is after me, she'll be all over my case. No, it's best she doesn't know."

Luz sighed as she walked to school. "Poor Eda. Poor Strix. Enemies everywhere. Even their own bodies...I wish I could help them." She paused when she saw a bizarre sight: Hooty having a tea party with beat up Emperor's Coven guards.

"The roughhousing was fun but I like this even better!"

Luz shook her head and continued walking, not noticing Lilith hiding behind some bushes.

Lilith's magic compact mirror suddenly rang and she answered it. "Hello?"

"The Emperor demands your presence in the throne room," said Kikimora. "And there's a bird on your head."

"Oooo...you're in trouble," the bird teased.

At Hexside, Luz met Willow and Gus, who were lined up at the bus...or rather, a winged viking boat. Gus said, excited, "Luz, you ready for the field trip of a lifetime to the one, the only, Emperor's Castle!"

"Right...I was actually gonna stay behind, I don't like the way they treat Eda and Strix."

"Where is Strix?" asked Willow.

"Oh, he's uh...sick. Caught the flu bug."

"But you're gonna miss out on all the cool stuff," Gus insisted.

"Like what?"

"Like ancient relics," Willow said, showing her human friend a brochure. In it were images of the relics she mentioned. "Look, it's the Plant Coven's Green Thumb Gauntlet! It can grow whatever you imagine."

"And the Oracle Sphere," said Gus. "It shows you which path will help you become your best self!"

But Luz's attention focused on one particular relic: a witch's hat with a feather shaped like the Healing Coven's bandaged hand symbol. "'The Healing Cap. Made from the magic of the Savage Ages, it is said to cure the deadliest diseases and heal any curse.'"

"Yeah! You can't miss this," said Willow.

"All aboard, students!" Principal Bump called out.

Willow and Gus quickly ran for their seats. Luz picked up the brochure Willow accidentally dropped, deep in thought. Especially that segment on the healing cap. "You and Strix have done so much for me, Eda. Now I'm gonna do something for you."

Once everyone was in their seats, the flying bus took off into the sky, soaring toward the Emperor's Castle. "No roughhousing! Do not make me turn this carriage around," Bump snapped at his cheering students.

Luz didn't cheer. She made a list with her notebook, "Step 1, sneak into castle. Step 2, steal Healing Hat. Step 3, lift curse!"

"Hey Luz!"

Luz quickly hid her plan in her pocket. "Hey! What was that, Willow?"

"I was just saying we were getting close to the castle." The two girls looked out to see the castle suddenly went through a makeover. It didn't look like a dark fortress and more like a majestic palace. "Emperor Belos built this as a symbol of unity. Before he came to power, folks were doing magic all wrong. He taught us that the only way to respect what the Titan gave us is to join covens. It's a shame Amity couldn't make it, she would LOVE this trip."

Amity frowned with arms crossed as she lied on her bed. She glanced over to a poster of Lilith that read, "Join the Emperor's Coven today!"

"Shut up."

"So, Willow...would you say this Belos guy is like, powerful?"

Willow laughed like Luz told a humorous joke. "No offense to Eda, but the Emperor is the most skilled witch that's ever lived. He can even talk to the Titan."

The bus landed in front of the castle's gates. Luz put her hood up. She didn't want anyone from the castle seeing her ears and finding out she was human. The only human on the Boiling Isles in fact.

"Now, the Emperor's assistant will be your tour guide," said Bump. "Please don't make me regret taking you here..."

The castle's bridge extended and the little red imp Kikimora crossed the bridge, approaching the students. "Children of Hexside, Emperor Belos welcomes you to his castle. We're honored by visits from students. You'll soon be a part of the coven, some lucky few may even find their home here, in the mighty Emperor's Coven!" The class responded with excitement. Everyone except Luz. "You...are the future of the Isles! My job is to teach you its past." The tour started with Kikimora leading the group.

The group walked down a hall with tapestries that hung on the walls. Tapestries that told the story of the Boiling Isles. Kikimora said, "Today, the Isles are a place of peace and prosperity. But that wasn't always the case." She pointed a tapestry of witches and demons dancing in a circle around a huge bonfire. "Up until 50 years ago, witches and demons practiced wild magic during what we called the Savage Ages. Witches had access to corrupt knowledge, and that dishonored the Titan." She pointed to another tapestry, one showing those same witches and demons kneeling in front of Emperor Belos as if begging for mercy. "That was, until our great Emperor ascended to the throne, and taught witches how to use magic properly. Our next stop is the Emperor's personal collection of relics."

"Oh! Luz, you'll like this. It's where- huh?" Willow noticed Luz trying to open an air vent.

Luz stopped, got up and giggled awkwardly. "Heh...Uh, love me a properly ventilated castle!"

Kikimora led the group to the room Luz wanted to see above all others. "The relic room. These items are reminders of our great Emperor's overwhelming power. From the curious and mighty." She pointed to the Oracle Sphere, a crystal ball coiled by golden snakes. Gus was in awe of it. "To the very handy," Kikimora continued, pointing to the Green Thumb Gauntlet, a glove made entirely of roots.

Willow gazed at the glove fondly. "Ooo, I could grow such beautiful things with that."

"And even, the most valuable." The red imp pointed to the Healing Cap. "Come along, children."

"Let's go, Luz," Gus dragged her along before she could grab the hat.

Kikimora continued with the tour, "Here at the Emperor's Coven, we require members with sophistication, elegance, and grace." As if on cue, Lilith came in, looking worse for wear. Luz ducked behind a column. "Ahh! Make way for Miss Lilith Clawthorne, students." The students gasped with awe and marvel. "Yes, and if I'm not mistaken, she's on here way to see the Emperor himself. Let's all wish her luck!"

"Good luck Miss Lilith," said the students in unison.

Lilith growled at Kikimora's subtle insult. "Thank you, students. Good luck with puberty."

"This way, children," Kikimora said.

Luz decided to follow Lilith instead. Carefully and quietly, she followed Eda's sister to a door which opened for her and closed upon her entry. Luz peeked through the keyhole and saw something out of one of her dark fantasy novels.

The Emperor's throne room had all sorts of pipes and wires connected to the columns and ceiling like blood veins and at the end of the room behind the throne was a roaring fire. Directly above the throne was a beating green heart. Sitting in the throne was a man wearing a white robe and a golden deer's skull for a mask. He seemed to have trouble breathing.

To the Emperor's right was a man wearing a white cloak and a gold owl mask while to his left was a large, scarred man in an Emperor's Coven uniform who seemed to be punching something into his palm. Luz looked closely and realized he was punching nails into his hand.

Lilith bowed before him. "I am at your service, Emperor Belos."

The Emperor held up a hand. "Just a moment, Lilith." Maybe it was because he wore his mask, but his voice seemed to echo every time he spoke. He reached into his bag and pulled out a palisman. He crushed it in his palm and poured a green fluid into his eyes, which glowed green for a moment. His breathing elevated and the beating heart slowed to a gentle pace. "Ah, that's better."

Luz, disturbed, took off running.

"How's the hunt for the Owl Lady," Belos asked Lilith. "I heard you attempted a raid this morning."

"Yes, but we were-"

"Unsuccessful? That was obvious enough. It's been over a month since you promised to bring me the Owl Lady, well, where is she?"

"If I just had more time, I-"

"I'm getting bored of your excuses, Lilith. Don't worry, I'll give you the time you need. Bring the Owl Lady to me by twilight. She'll join the Emperor's Coven and in return, I'll heal her and her son's little curses. But, if you fail..." The Emperor dug his nails into the armrests of his throne and the heart on the ceiling began to beat faster, as if responding to his anger. "...you'll be stripped of your rank and banished from my coven. You do know what happens to covenless witches, don't you?"

The scarred man showed Lilith his hand. Embedded in his palm were nails forming a skull. He clenched his fist until blood started to seep between his fingers. She cringed and replied, "I get the message, Walter. I will not fail."

As she turned to leave, Walter proceeded to remove the nails from his hand like they were thorns. The guards in the room suddenly started to make gagging sounds. "I think I'm going to puke," one of them said.

"Stop that," the Emperor said. "You know that makes me sick." Walter gave him a glare before he dropped the nails into his lap. "You're right. Perhaps I should have sent you in the first place." There was no fear in his voice.

"Yeah! Something tells me Luz is gonna like having a cape," Eda said as she sewed the fabric with the Witch's Wool.

"Shame you can't make me one," said Strix.

"Sorry. Only have enough for one."

King, who was asleep on the couch, awoke. "Cape? I thought you were making cake!"

Strix gave him a weird look. "Why would anyone sew a cake?"

"I...uh...anyway! If there's no cake, then I have to get to work!" He ran into the kitchen and got to work on...something that required a lot of banging and shaking. "Would you look at us three, being all generous to that kid," he called out over the noise. "You know what, when she first got here, I thought we were gonna eat her, but now I only think of that, like, sometimes."

Eda smiled. "Yeah, she's changed the feel of this house. But she always had a good heart, but was impatient and always bit off more than she could chew."

"In some cases quite literally," Strix gestured to a picture of Luz at an eating contest.

Eda chuckled. "But, despite all that, I think she's finally grown up."

Strix sighed happily. "I'm glad Luz came too. All my life I always thought I was doomed to be the only witch on the Boiling Isles without magic. An outcast. A freak. But when she came, I got the chance to impress everyone. And I have an opportunity to become the new Lord Calamity at school. A title I think I may be sharing with her, giving her track record."

Back at the castle, Luz peeked out a window to see the other classmates returning to the bus. "Please don't notice I'm gone, please don't notice I'm- boarding the bus? Huh?" Indeed, she saw her twin walking back to the bus with Willow and Gus. Suddenly, she felt someone tap on her shoulder. She turned around and saw Willow and Gus behind her. "Oh...you guys! I...uh..." It was then she realized the Gus and Willow walking back to the bus with "Luz" were nothing more than illusions cast by the real Gus.

Willow did not look happy. She held up Luz's notebook, revealing the human's plan to take the healing cap. "You were planning on taking the Healing Hat, weren't you?"

Luz exhaled. No use hiding it. "You got me. But you don't understand. Eda and Strix have this curse and it's sapping away their magic."

"Luz, matter what, you can't steal this hat."

"But you can borrow it!"

"Gus, I wanted to say that." Willow coughed a little before explaining to Luz, "We learned about Eda's curse from your notes, we're totally gonna help you."

Luz beamed. "Thanks, guys. I know exactly what we gotta do. It's time for a heist!"

The trio snuck down a hall and hid behind a unicorn-shaped bush when they heard a guard coming down a set of stairs. The next obstacle they encountered was a guard on patrol. Quickly, they stacked on top of each other and put on an Emperor's Coven guard cloak and bird mask. They walked by him but not without giving him a high five. The guard just stared at his hand in confusion.

At the air vent Luz was trying to open earlier, she cast a fire spell glyph that melted the grate, allowing them to crawl through.

They crawled out the other end, then ducked behind a corner when they saw another guard at the door of the relic room. Gus cast an illusion of Kikimora and told the guard he was dismissed. And for some reason, he made the Kikimora illusion dance the worm. He'd always wanted to do that apparently.

The trio entered the room and Luz immediately grabbed the Healing Hat. "Healing hat..you're Strix and Eda's last hope." The moment she touched it, she suddenly felt better. Stronger even. "I- I can feel it! I can feel the magic flowing!"

"Me too," Gus said as he picked up the Oracle Orb. "Finally, I'm about to become my best self!" An exact copy appeared next to him and said, "You're always your best self." Gus cried tears of joy and hugged himself.

Willow put on the Green Thumb Gauntlet and conjured a tree with flexing muscles. "Whoa!" She giggled sheepishly before she put it back. "I just wanted to try it out."

"Now I can heal Eda and get this hat back before anyone knows it's gone," said Luz.

I will know.

The kids suddenly froze with fear. Who said that? "We need to go. Now." Before the kids could leave, the door suddenly sealed shut. Willow put the Green Thumb Gauntlet on. "Stand back!" She activated its power, conjuring another tree with muscles and ordered it to punch through the door.

Lilith was fuming were herself as she tried to think of SOME way to get Eda and Strix. "Think, Lilith, think! You've given your entire life to this coven, you can't lose it. What's Eda's weakness? Aside from Strix, she has no attachment, no friends, think!" She slammed a wall in frustration and heard a loud crash. She blinked in surprise. Was that her? No. It came from somewhere else.

"Come on," Luz said, leading her friends to the hole Willow made. "Let's go!"

Unfortunately, someone blocked her way. Lilith pointed her staff at Luz then used it to lower her hood. She smirked at her, "Why, if it isn't Eda's human pet. How perfect. Aren't I lucky to find you here."

Luz backed away from her. "Stay away, if you touch us, Eda will come after you so fast-"

"That's the plan."

"RUN, LUZ!" Willow launched a muscular arm of wood out of the gauntlet and it grabbed Lilith's staff. Lilith simply yanked the staff out, making Willow fly into a wall.

Gus and his clone blocked Lilith's path. "Wrong move, Lilith. It's two against one, and you don't stand a chance against-" Lilith made his clone disappear with a jab from her staff and slammed him into the wall next to Willow. Lilith turned to Luz and grabbed the hat. "Now, that doesn't belong to you."

"NO!" Luz grabbed the hat and tried to tug it out of the older witch's hands, only to tear it in half in the process. "NO! NO! NO! I needed that to heal your sister!"

Lilith scoffed as she grabbed by the collar. "These decrepit relics are useless." She turned to Luz's friends and handed them her staff. "If you wanna see your friend again, deliver this to Edalyn." The staff suddenly took off and flew out the window.

"LUUUUUUUZ!" they cried out.

Eda smirked with satisfaction as she finished the purple cape with a hood. "Luz's going to like that," said Strix. "It kind of looks like something from those stupid Azura books."

"Please don't compare my work to Luz's fantasy."

Suddenly, Hooty swung open. "I spy with my little eye something coming this way!"

"Luz," Eda said excitedly. She quickly folded the cloak, put it on the coffee table and placed a card on it.

"Wait! Wait for me!" King rolled a large cake into the living room. "You're not the only one who knows dark magic!" He held up a dark chocolate cake mix. "Now stop talking and load me in!" Strix shrugged his shoulders and shoved him into the cake. "Ow! Ow! Gentle!"

"Don't let him out when it's time to cut the cake," Strix whispered to his mother.

The door knocked. Eda answered it, expecting to find Luz and give her her gift. But instead, she found a very scared Willow and Gus, the former of whom carried a white raven staff. "Eda, we have some bad news..."

Eda's eyes filled with anger and her hands clenched into fists. "Strix," she said quietly as she grabbed her staff. "Stay in the house. Don't follow me."

"Mom, what's going on?"

"Stay here."

"Mom, I..."

Eda roared with fury and slammed her staff into the ground. Willow and Gus took off running in fear.

"STRIX ALUCO CLAWTHORNE, I AM YOUR MOTHER! YOU WILL STAY HERE AND NOT COME OUT! IF YOU DISOBEY ME, I WILL PERSONALLY TURN YOU BACK INTO AN EGG, HATCH YOU AGAIN AND RENAME YOU MUD! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!"

Strix nodded, genuinely terrified. She turned to Hooty and Selwyn. "Make sure he doesn't escape." They both saluted. Strix sat down on the couch and slumped. "Luz, what have you done?" It was then he noticed Hooty was up in his face. "What are you doing?"

"Making sure you don't escape," the door knocker said.

Strix let out a frustrated sound. "I can't sit here and wait for Mom to save Luz knowing her magic's going to be used up and she'll be turned into an owl monster! I have to save both of them!"

"But your magic's almost up too," Hooty pointed out. "Won't you turn into an owl monster too if you go? Not that I'm letting you."

"You're not going to stop me," Strix reached for the chest containing the Mask when a giant scaly claw burst through the wall and grabbed it. Strix inhaled, his patience starting to wane. "Selwyn, let go of the box and give me the Mask." The dragon growled at him. He exhaled. "Alright." He took out a light spell glyph and slammed it onto the ground.

There was a flash of blinding light, forcing Selwyn and Hooty to shield their eyes. "Hoot, hoot! I'm blind! I can't see!" Hooty opened his eyes. "Oh, now I can. HEY!" Both he and Selwyn noticed Strix was gone and so was the Mask. "We're in trouble."

Lilith paced back and forth outside the castle, all the guards and the Emperor watching her from the balcony and windows. "Come on, Edalyn. You would be late when I need you most." Suddenly, there was a crash of thunder and there stood Eda on the other side of the bridge, furious. She tossed Lilith's staff back at its owner. "Sister! I see that you got my invitation to a Witch's Duel!"

Eda shot fireballs out her staff, but Lilith blocked them with a force field. "WHERE IS SHE?!"

"Easy now, the human is safe." Lilith snapped her fingers and Luz, trapped in a bubble, instantly appeared behind her.

"EDA!"

"You can have her back, provided you do as I say. Renounce your wild ways and join the Emperor's Coven. He can help heal yours and Strix's curses!"

"Don't believe everything that bonehead says," Eda growled. "He doesn't want to heal me, he wants to control me!"

"Then I will take you in by force," Lilith said, twirling her staff.

"You've always looked down on me because I'm wild, but fortunately, that just made me work harder than you!" An owl-like aura appeared behind Eda as she charged at Lilith, slamming her into the castle wall. Lilith flew towards Eda and tried to strike her with her staff, but Eda teleported out of the way and kicked her in the back. Then Lilith played dirty and fired at Luz's bubble, making it roll towards the edge.

"LUZ!" Eda made the bridge turn around and bring Luz to safety. Lilith slammed her staff into the ground, barely missing Eda. Eda summoned owl tubes and made them wrap themselves around Lilith. She fired a wall of magic at Lilith only to stop when Lilith used Luz as a human shield. She glared at her. "Stop hiding behind Luz, you coward!"

Lilith noticed how short of breath Eda was becoming. "It's sad to see you slowing down sister. Tell me, is it the curse?"

Luz saw it. Her mentor's chest gem was turning black. "Eda, your gem!"

Eda ignored her. "Maybe it is the curse, but then how pathetic are you, that you can't best me at my worst!" She fired a barrage of lightning bolts at Lilith, who pushed Luz out of the way and conjured a force field.

Luz saw a spike poke out of the ground and rolled toward it, popping the bubble.

Lilith grunted, "Maybe you are stronger than me, but that made me work smarter! I became smart, crafty!"

"A lapdog for a tyrant!"

"You always thought you were better than me, that I could never beat you in anything!"

"I AM better than you!"

"THEN WHY WERE YOU SO EASY TO CURSE?!" Lilith immediately covered her mouth.

Suddenly, as if in a moment of clarity, Eda remembered it all clearly. She was still a teenager, still in Hexside, same as Lilith when it happened. She was asleep when she heard the door to her bedroom opened. She thought she saw someone with large eyes come in. No. Not someone with large eyes. Lilith, back when she wore those big round glasses before she got laser eye surgery.

Now she knew. It was Lilith! HER OWN SISTER CURSED HER AND STRIX!

"And I have the power to remove it, if you would just let me explain." Eda was done listening to her. She roared like a feral animal and slammed her into the wall.

Luz shouted, "EDA, STOP! YOUR MAGIC!"

Lilith got up and said darkly, "Foolish human. That orb was for your protection!" She tossed Luz into the pit surrounding the castle, but suddenly, a green blur caught her and brought her back to safety. The Clawthorne sisters gasped when they saw who it was.

"STRIX!" Luz exclaimed as he set her down.

"No..." said Eda softly before she angrily shouted, "I told you to stay...home..." Her voice trailed off when she saw her son wearing the Mask. "Strix..." Her son had a look of absolute fury on his face. His teeth clenched to the point they actually started breaking. "Strix...oof!" He pushed Eda to the side and approached Lilith. For the first time since Luz encountered her, she was afraid.

"Tell me you're lying," he said darkly. "Tell me you just said that to distract her."

"Strix, nephew, I..."

"Shut...UP!" He pulled out a chainsaw and charged at her with it. Lilith tried to block it with a force field, but the saw sliced through it, forcing her to dodge. "Do you think me so soft that by calling me nephew would spare you? All these years I blamed Mom for what happened to me, but it was you! You cursed her! You cursed me!" He pulled out a flamethrower and shot fires at her only for her to counter with a water spell, creating steam that blinded her.

Suddenly she let a scream as something heavy landed on her foot. She saw a huge anvil had landed on her foot, literally flattening it. Strix stood above her with a crowbar. "You're the reason why I could never get into Hexside!" He struck her in the face. "Why everyone always thinks I'm some kind of freak!" He struck her in the chest. "Why I could never be a real witch!" He was about to impale the crowbar through her mouth when suddenly a giant pair of hands grabbed the crowbar and bent it in half. Walter loomed over him. "Oh, boy."

Walter punched the boy, sending him flying across the bridge. He groaned as he stood up. "That hurt. Time to get serious." He tore his clothes off, revealing a martial arts gi underneath. "Do you know Kung Fu, Walter-san?" The giant's face remained neutral. "Okay, let's go!" He let out a yell and tried to do a round house kick, but Walter grabbed him by the leg and slammed him into the ground. "Ow. Need...sailor food!"

Strix pulled a can of spinach out of his pocket and stuffed the whole thing into his mouth. He made a grimace as he said, "Oh, man. It's all watery." Walter slammed his fist into his face.

"Walter!" Lilith called out. She removed the squished foot out from under the anvil and cast a healing spell, inflating it back to normal and repairing the bones. "I told you to stay out of it-" The giant interrupted her by punching her in the face.

"HEY!" Strix charged at Walter with a lead pipe. "Your fight is with me!" Walter snatched the pipe out of his hand and slammed him in the groin with it. "I think you broke something," he squeaked.

Before Walter could slam his fist into Strix, Eda blocked him with her magic. "Stay away from my boy, Walter!"

"Mom! What are you doing?! You're going to use up what's left of your magic!"

Eda chuckled sadly. "It's my power, kid. And before you showed up, Luz, I spent my whole life wasting it."

Luz watched the fight, helpless to do anything at this point. "Eda..." Walter punched through the spell and grabbed Eda by the face before slamming her into the ground. "EDA!" Walter laid his eyes on Luz, who backed away fearfully. He reached out for her only to have the Owl Lady jump on his shoulders and bring him to his knees.

He retaliated by flinging her off his shoulder and pressing a boot onto her neck. She tried to fight back but she felt herself growing weaker as her gem turned solid black. Eda stopped struggling and turned to Luz and Strix. "Alright kids, listen to me. I'm going away, and I don't know if I can bounce back this time."

"Mom, don't say that," Strix said, tears starting to run down his face.

"Watch over King, remember to feed Hooty."

"Please, no," Luz begged, also on the verge of crying.

"And Luz," Eda said, a single tear falling down her face as her eyes turned black. "Thank you for being in my life. For giving my son what I couldn't: the chance to be a real witch." She dropped the staff and let out a roar as she turned into the Owl Beast. Walter knocked her out with a single punch...and knocked out one of her teeth in the process.

"Enough!" Lilith stood between the Owl Beast and Walter. "I told you I could handle this!" She trapped the Owl Beast in a magic bubble similar to the one Luz was in and grabbed Owlbert before he could escape.

"YAAAUGH!" Strix screamed as he revved the chainsaw and was about to slice Lilith's head off when she dodged and grabbed hold of the Mask, tearing it off this face. "No..."

"You won't be needing this trinket anymore."

"Not beaten yet, 'Aunt Lilly'!" He cast an ice glyph spell and used it to slice the Mask in two. He grabbed one half of it and tossed it to Luz's side of the bridge. "GO, LUZ! RUN!" Before he could escape, Lilith caught him in magic bindings. "Let me go, you old hag!" Lilith responded by casting a sleeping spell on him.

"Come along, nephew. Now we can let the healing begin."

"YOU MONSTER!" Luz roared with anger and grabbed her by the neck, but she tossed her across the ravine.

"Leave, human! Edalyn and Strix are finally with their family. Their real family." The bridge began to close as Lilith gave Luz one last smirk and said, "Go back to your world, this one's ours."

Luz just stared at the bridge and looked down to see the half of the Mask Strix gave her and picked it up. A single tear dropped onto it.

Luz absentmindedly returned to the Owl House, still holding onto the broken Mask. Selwyn poked her head out and let out a whimper, as if she could tell something was wrong. Hooty opened his eyes and smacked his beak. "Oh, Luz! There you are."

"Hi, Hooty," she said softly as she entered the empty Owl House. Well, empty except for a cape neatly folded on the coffee table and a cake in the center of the living room. King suddenly burst out of the cake, panting. "The cake is me!" It was then he realized Luz was alone. "Hey, um, where's Eda and Strix?"

That did it. Luz felt the Mask slip through her fingers and fell to her knees, sobbing. King and Hooty embraced her in a hug while Selwyn let out a mournful roar.