It was midday on the Boiling Ilse when Lilith made it halfway to her destination. The whole trip through the forest was giving her time to ponder her upcoming meeting. She didn't understand why all of a sudden Eda wanted to speak to her. Eda never wanted to speak to Lilith before, not willingly anyway. So, to her surprise when a letter from Eda came flying into her chamber earlier this morning, it brought on so many questions. Lilith took a moment to reread the letter in her hand.

Lilith,

Meet me in the forest by the enchanted fountain. You know the one. Where we fought that demon that sold us those fake maps to that fake magical flower and kick the snot out of him. Anyway, there's something important that we need to discuss. I'll be there about an hour past midday. Come alone.

Eda.

Questions kept forming in Lilith's mind as she soon reached her destination. The fountain hadn't changed in the time since she was last there. Lilith looked around, her guard up naturally. No sign of Eda anywhere. Lilith could only sigh in slight frustration and annoyance.

"Typical Edalyn. Late, even to her own meeting." She said to herself.

"Actually sis, I'm right on time."

Lilith turned quickly to see Eda sitting on the edge of the fountain. In reflex, Lilith summoned her staff and stood ready to fight. Eda stood from the fountain and started to raise her hands. Lilith was expecting her to summon her own staff or make a magic circle to attack. However, Eda threw her hands up in surrender.

"Calm down, Lily. I'm not here to fight you." Said Eda.

Lilith was surprised by this. Eda was never one to avoid a fight, let alone one against her own sister. However, she took notice to the serious expression on Eda's face. Lilith knew that Eda rarely took anything seriously. Something was definitely off. Lilith lowered her staff and relaxed her posture.

"How do I know this isn't a trick?" said Lilith.

Eda sighed as she lowered her hands. "If it was a trick, I would've used my magic to give you a super wedgie by now." She said.

Lilith knew this was true. There were plenty of opportunities for Eda to do something, but she didn't. Wearing on the side of caution, Lilith made her staff disappeared and stood before Eda with her hands behind her back.

"Alright. I'll believe you this time. So, what is this little meeting all about Edalyn?" asked Lilith.

Eda was silent for a moment as she tried to find the words. It was clear that the topic of this meeting wasn't one she was looking forward to discussing.

"I… I need you to do something for me." Said Eda.

Lilith could only raise an eyebrow in suspicion. She was trying to predict which direction this conversation was about to go.

"If you're going to ask me to stop the Emperor's Coven from hunting you, then no. I can't disobey the Emperor." Said Lilith.

"It's not that. It's something else." Said Eda.

Lilith could see Eda was becoming uncomfortable. Apparently, this was something Eda really didn't want to talk about.

"Is this about that little incident during our grudgby match?" said Lilith, amused.

Eda grew very annoyed.

"NO! and you said you'd never speak of it again!" said Eda.

"It's not my fault your hand came flying off and went straight down that Owl thing's throat." Said Lilith, smugly.

"First of all, his name's Hooty. And second, you're the one who spiked the ball and took my hand with it when you went for the point!" said Eda.

"Consider it payback for the Convention." Said Lilith.

Eda groaned in aggravation. This was not where she wanted this conversation to go.

"In any case, this has nothing to do with that." Said Eda.

"Then what could this possibly be about, dear sister. You can't honestly expect me to just keep guessing at what you want to talk about. Oh, if only you would be more direct and to the point like you used to be. It would make…" Lilith started to say, but Eda interrupted.

"LILITH, WOULD YOU JUST SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO ME?!" shouted Eda.

Lilith was caught off guard by Eda's sudden outburst. The fact that Eda used her full name was very unusual. She looked at her sister and saw the seriousness in her eyes. This was very unlike Eda.

"Edalyn? What's going on?" asked Lilith.

Eda took a deep breath and calmed herself down. She looked at her sister with pleading eyes. A look that Lilith was not used to seeing.

"I need you to make an everlasting oath with me." Said Eda.

"An everlasting oath?" asked Lilith confused.

"Yes." Said Eda.

Something didn't add up. Why would Eda want to make an everlasting oath with her? Lilith thought Eda didn't trust her because of her affiliation to the Emperor's Coven. She must be desperate if she was asking her to do such an important thing.

"I don't understand. Why do you want to make such an oath with me?" asked Lilith.

Eda didn't respond at first. She only turn away, holding herself as she did so. Concern started to form in Lilith's mind. Eda's current behavior was far from the troublemaking sister she knows.

"Eda?" said Lilith.

Eda looked up to the sky and sighed.

"The curse. It's getting worse." Said Eda, sadly.

Lilith's concern grew. She knew full well about Eda's curse and how dangerous she becomes when it takes hold.

"Are you sure?" asked Lilith.

"I am." Said Eda.

She turned to face Lilith, sadness clearly showing in her eyes.

"My elixirs aren't working as well as they should. What should last a week is only lasting a couple days, if I'm lucky. I nearly had another transformation a couple days ago." Said Eda.

"But, they are lasting. You're still in control of yourself." Said Lilith, hoping to give some slight hope.

"Yeah, well, I'm not sure for how much longer. The longer this curse is with me the more of a chance I won't change back the next time I become that… monster. Which is why I want to make an everlasting oath with you." Said Eda.

Lilith could sense that Eda was begging her to make the oath. However, doing so would mean it would last until it was completed. It greatly concerned Lilith what the nature of the oath was. Her heart started to sting, and a bad feeling was making a pit in her stomach. She was almost afraid to ask her next question.

"Edalyn. Are… Are you asking me… that in case you can't change back… you want me to…" asked Lilith.

Eda looked at Lilith with surprise.

"What, kill me?! Absolutely not! I might become a monster, but I'd still want to live!" said Eda.

Lilith breathed a silent sigh of relief. The last thing she wanted to do was kill her own sister, despite their differences. But that still left one question unanswered.

"Then, what is it you want me to make an oath for?" asked Lilith.

Eda looked Lilith right in her eyes, determined to make her understand.

"I want you to swear to me that, if for any reason the curse takes hold of me and I can't change back…, I want you to take care of Luz for me." Said Eda.

Lilith was shocked beyond words. This was the furthest thing she could ever imagine Eda asking her to do. The fact that she was trusted with such an important task just seemed to much to comprehend.

"You… want me to look after your apprentice?" asked Lilith.

" Yes. I do." Said Eda, sadly.

"But… why? Why are you asking me to watch your apprentice?" asked Lilith.

"Because, next to me, you are the most powerful witch I know. I know you can protect her from anything and anyone on the Boiling Ilse. Not to mention you can teach her all sorts of magic so she can become a witch like us." Said Eda.

Lilith wasn't sure whether to feel honored or concerned about Eda's decision. It was clear to her that Eda was holding something back.

"Edalyn. What you're asking me to do… I'm not sure I can do that." Said Lilith.

"Lilith, I wouldn't be asking you if I didn't think you could do it." Said Eda.

"But it still doesn't make sense why you would want me to take care of Luz for you? What aren't you telling me?" said Lilith.

Eda was silent. Her discomfort was growing, and it started to show. Lilith knew she had to push the issue further.

"Edalyn. What is it you won't tell me? What made you came to this decision?" asked Lilith.

Eda's discomfort had reached its peak as she held herself tightly. She knew she wouldn't have any other choice but to explain herself to her sister.

"It's… I had a nightmare, alright? A stupid nightmare." Said Eda.

"A nightmare? That's the reason for this? You're willing to send your apprentice away to be under my care because of a nightmare?" said Lilith.

"Believe me. It felt like more than just a nightmare. It all seemed to real to me." Said Eda.

"Nightmares usually do, but they don't make people come to a decision like yours." Said Lilith.

"If you saw my nightmare, you'd understand." Said Eda.

"Then show me." Said Lilith.

Eda looked at Lilith with surprise.

"You… want to see my nightmare?" said Eda.

"Yes." Said Lilith.

"I… I don't know. I'm not sure I want to relive something like that again." Said Eda.

Lilith had never known Eda to be afraid of anything before. The fact that she was apprehensive about her nightmare was very unlike her.

"Unless I do see the nightmare, I can't make the decision to make the oath." Said Lilith.

Eda sighed. She was not looking forward to this at all. She was hoping Lilith would've just said no and move on from this whole thing. Now she was stuck in this situation and now would have to relive the worst nightmare she had ever had. As reluctant as she was, all she could do was nod to Lilith.

Lilith approached Eda and looked her in her eyes. She then began to draw a magic circle in the air between the two of them and the effects took hold, causing both their eyes to close as they began to view the nightmare.

Darkness was all that greeted them as the dream began. Nothing was seen, but voices could be heard in all directions.

"EDA! EDA!"

'Demonic screech'

The loud footsteps kept going off in different directions. It was clear that someone was running but something large was chasing them.

"NO! EDA! STOP!"

'Demonic screech'

The footsteps soon came to a sudden end and a loud thud was the last thing to appear before the voices came back.

"NO! PLEASE! NO!"

'loud demonic roar'

"EDA!"

The scream echoed off into the distance and soon a vision came into view. It was blurry at first, but then it became clearer overtime.

"Oh, my head." Said Eda as she rose from the ground.

She sat up and held her head. The ache was throbbing and persistent. She couldn't remember the last time her head hurt this much.

"What happened?" she asked herself.

When she looked up from the ground, she saw that she was in the living room of the Owl House, or at least, what was left of it. The couch was torn to shreds and the walls had deep claw marks all over the room. Tables and chairs were smashed, and debris laid everywhere. Doors were ripped off their hinges. Eda had never seen this much destruction before.

"What the heck happened? Did Luz let some wild animal in here? If she did, she's in so much trouble." Said Eda.

It was then Eda looked down at herself and saw that her clothes were torn and then, she saw her hands. They were covered in a red liquid. At that moment, her heart went cold.

"What the…?!" she said. She brought her hands up and she just stared at them in horror. She could smell the liquid and knew right away what it was.

"B-Blood?" she said.

A horrifying realization made it's way into Eda's mind. The loss of memory, the destruction of the house, the blood. It was the curse. That was the only explanation. Eda had done all the damage to the house and furniture. But that didn't explain the blood. However, it didn't take her long to figure out where it could've came from, and at that moment, Eda's heart stopped.

"Luz." She said to herself.

She quickly stood up, but was still feeling weak from the transformation. She steadied herself on the destroyed couch and looked around.

"LUZ?" she called.

No answer.

Eda forced herself to move and she quickly stumbled into the kitchen, only to find that it too was in the same state as the living room. Everything was either damaged or destroyed.

"LUZ?!" she called.

There was no response, and no sign of her in the kitchen. Eda quickly left and began to run towards the stairs. Each step added to her fear and her thoughts kept racing.

'please no, please no, please no!'. she thought.

She reached the second floor and searched room by room for the human girl, calling her name out the entire time.

"LUZ! LUZ WHERE ARE YOU?!" shouted Eda, worriedly.

She searched everywhere, from the garden to Luz's closet. Still no sign of the girl. Eventually, Eda had made it to her room. At that moment, Eda froze. She was scared of what she would find behind the door. She was either going to find her apprentice in her room, scared out of her mind, or she was going to find…

Eda felt her stomach twist in knots at the thought of the alternative. She hoped with every fiber of her being it didn't come to that. She cautiously opened the door and slowly walked through. The room was pitch black. Nothing could be seen. However, the light from the window shown through and it shown that Eda's worst fear had come to fruition.

There in the middle of the room, light shining down upon them, was Luz and King. At first, Eda was about to say something, but when she stepped into the room, she could only bring her hands to her mouth as she gasped in horror.

Luz was lying on the floor, facing away from Eda. Her clothing was torn and shredded in places and blood covered her body and the floor beneath her. The little demon beside her was on his knees, staring helplessly at her. He didn't turn to look at Eda when she opened the door.

"Please Luz. Please wake up." Cried King.

Eda could feel her heart stop to as she raced over to Luz and King.

"LUZ!" cried Eda.

She dropped to her knees upon reaching them and she just stared at the human. Eda turned Luz over and was met with a horrifying display. Luz's body was covered in deep claw marks and gashes. Eda couldn't believe that this happened to her, that she did this to her. Eda looked to King, who was crying as he held Luz's Azura book. King only looked up at Eda and then looked away and cried more. Eda could feel her heart being torn out of her body. She didn't want to believe that she caused this. That she did all of this to Luz.

"No, no, no! Come on Luz! Don't you dare do this to me!" said Eda, as she desperately tried to heal Luz.

She tried making a healing circle above Luz, but it didn't work. Eda tried again, but the results were the same.

"Come on! WORK!" said Eda, angrily.

A third attempt at the healing circle, only to be met with the same result.

"NO! NO! COME ON!" shouted Eda, as she felt her tears starting to fall.

Eda looked down at Luz. Her eyes were closed, like she was sleeping. Eda wished that Luz was only sleeping, but she knew that wasn't the case and it was destroying her heart. Eda gently lifted Luz up into her arms and she brought the human close to her.

"Come on kid! Wake up! I know you can hear me!" said Eda.

Luz didn't move. She remained lifeless as Eda gently shook her again.

"Come on Luz! Wake up! Wake up!" pleaded Eda.

No response came from Luz. Eda felt her emotions reaching the breaking point.

"Please Luz. Please wake up! Please!" said Eda, as her tears began to fall from her eyes, landing on Luz's cheeks.

Eda brought Luz into a gentle hug as she began to cry in anguish. This was her worst fear coming to life right before her eyes. Eda wouldn't let Luz out of her arms as she cried heavily, wishing she could've saved her. She wished she could've stopped herself from doing this to Luz. That the curse would've stayed dormant inside her. But what's done is done, and now her apprentice, her friend, the only person that she was close to, was now gone.

Eda continued to cry, holding Luz in her arms. She refused to let her go. At that moment, Eda felt something touch her cheek.

"E-Eda…" said a weak voice.

Eda quickly looked towards Luz, and saw that she was awake, holding her hand on her cheek. Eda quickly took hold of Luz's hand.

"Luz!" she cried.

Luz's eyes were slowly losing any sign of life as she looked at Eda.

"E-Eda…" she said.

"Shhh, save your strength Luz." Said Eda.

"E-Eda… i-it hurts…" said Luz, as tears fell from her eyes.

It hurt Eda to see Luz like this.

"I know, honey, I know. Just stay with me. I'll think of something. Just please hold on." Cried Eda.

She looked around the pitch-black room, but she couldn't see anything. She looked to King, but suddenly realized that he had disappeared.

"Eda…" said Luz.

Eda looked down at Luz.

"Why Eda? Why did this have to happen?" asked Luz

"Luz, please. Save your strength." Sobbed Eda.

"I tried to get your elixir. I tried to save you." Said Luz.

"Luz…" cried Eda.

"Eda… Am I gonna die?" asked Luz, sadly.

That question haunted Eda. It was too much of a question for her to bare.

"No, Luz. I won't let you die. Just please hold on." Sobbed Eda.

"Eda…" said Luz.

The life from her eyes slowly disappeared and Luz had taken her last breath. Eda began to panic.

"NO! LUZ! NO! NO! DON'T DIE!" cried Eda.

It was no use. Luz Noceda was gone.

"LUZ!"

The nightmare came to a shocking end. Lilith was jarred back from the nightmare and fell a short distance away. She lifted herself onto her knees and sat there in utter shock, breathing heavily. She couldn't believe what she had just witnessed. She never would've imagined that her own sister would have that horrifying of a nightmare. It was then she realized the slightly wet sensation on her cheek. She was crying, but she wasn't sure if that was from her own reaction or a side effect of Eda's mind.

Lilith looked up to Eda, only to find her with her back against the fountain. The look of horror shown on her face, as well as tears streaming down her cheeks. Her hands covered her mouth as she desperately tried to cover her sobs and screams. Lilith had never in her life seen Eda in such a position. Lilith slowly got to her feet and cautiously approached Eda. Upon reaching her, Lilith knelt down to Eda. Eda didn't look at her sister. She was too focused on her nightmare to take notice to her. Lilith gently placed her hand on Eda's shoulder.

"Edalyn." She said.

Eda looked at Lilith, fear still present. It hurt Lilith seeing Eda like this.

"You really are that frightened of hurting Luz, aren't you?" said Lilith.

Eda could do nothing but nod. To say she was frightened was an understatement. She was terrified of hurting Luz and it clearly showed.

"Edalyn. Just… how close are you to your apprentice?" asked Lilith.

No one had ever thought to ask Eda that before, nor did she really give it any thought. Since the day she met Luz, she thought she was just a typical, head in the clouds, human. But then, over time, she started to feel a connection to Luz. They came to a mutual understanding of each other and soon found things in common. The main one being they were both outcasts. They don't like to conform. During the past few weeks, the two of them were almost inseparable. Then, when Luz learned her first spell, Eda was more than impressed. She felt proud of her for learning a new way to perform magic on her own. Then Luz enrolled in Hexside and was learning all the tracks, which made Eda even more proud of Luz. On multiple occasions, Luz had made Eda proud of her and she continues to do so.

So now that Lilith had presented the question, Eda wasn't sure how to answer it. She could always downplay how she feels, but she knew deep down she couldn't really hide it from Lilith. Especially with her current reaction to her own nightmare.

Lilith didn't need Eda to respond to that question. She could tell that Eda and Luz were very close, even if it didn't show.

"I understand." Said Lilith.

Eda was surprised.

"Y-You do?" she said through her sobs.

"Yes. I can understand how close you are to Luz." Said Lilith.

Eda had managed to calm herself down a little, as she sniffled and wiped her tears.

"I don't think you really do." Said Eda.

"How so?" asked Lilith.

"I don't know. The kid and I have been through a lot. The more I think about it, that kid has been more resilient than I ever was at her age. And when she started learning magic I just couldn't help but be both impressed and… maybe a little proud of her." Said Eda, as a small smile crept onto her face.

Lilith smiled at her words, but it soon went away when a new question came to her mind.

"Edalyn. Do you… see Luz as more than just a friend?" asked Lilith.

"What do you mean?" asked Eda.

"I mean, do you see her as family?" asked Lilith.

Eda was silent for a moment as she contemplated Lilith's question.

"Do you mean like how I am with King?" said Eda.

Lilith shook her head.

"No. I mean, when you feel proud of her, is it… the same feeling a mother would feel for her daughter?" said Lilith.

That question left Eda speechless. Did she really feel like Luz was her daughter? Was everything she was feeling motherly pride? Could this realization confirm how she really feels?

"If I did?" asked Eda.

"Then it's proof you do care about her. But you need to remember, sister. Luz isn't your daughter." Said Lilith.

Hearing her say those words hurt Eda. As much as she didn't want to hear it, she knew Lilith was right.

"I know. Believe me, I know. I just wish it didn't hurt so much knowing that." Said Eda.

Lilith could see the inner conflict in Eda. She wished she knew of a way to magically help her resolve but she knew it didn't work that way. Overtime Eda might come to terms with her relationship with Luz. But until then, Eda would have to constantly worry about her fear of hurting the girl because of her curse. Taking all of this into consideration, Lilith had come to a decision.

She took hold of Eda's hand and held it up in hers. She then drew a circle around each other's hand and the magic began to radiate around them. Eda knew that Lilith was performing the everlasting oath.

"Lilith." Said Eda.

"Edalyn Clawthorne. I Lilith Clawthorne, hereby make an everlasting oath with you. In the event that your curse takes hold of you and you are unable to break free from it, I will become your apprentice's guardian. I will keep her safe from harm. I will train her to become a witch. And most importantly, I will let her be free to make her own choices." Said Lilith.

Eda was speechless. She couldn't believe what Lilith had done.

"However. This oath will only be fulfilled until either myself or Luz have found a cure for your curse. Until then, I will be bound to the oath, and Luz will stay in my care." Said Lilith.

At that moment, the magic circle glowed bright and then faded into nothing, sealing the oath. Eda was stunned. She didn't know what to say. She felt more tears coming down her face as she just stared silently at Lilith. Lilith only smiled at her sister as she placed her hand on Eda's shoulder. Eda couldn't help but smile back at her sister for doing what she did.

"Thank you." Said Eda.

"You're welcome, dear sister." Said Lilith.