"But, why my emperor? Why won't you cure my sister? I thought…" Lilith started to say as she followed Emperor Belos through the palace.
"In due time, Lilith. I will cure Edalyn, as I said. But for now, I have other matters to attend to. The timing must be just right before I remove the curse." Said Belos.
Lilith felt her frustration growing but didn't let it show. She was hoping the emperor would cure Eda the moment she was captured, but for some reason he refused to do so. It didn't make sense to her. It had been days since Eda was captured and yet she remained in her cursed form. Lilith could tell that there was something the emperor was hiding from her, but she just couldn't figure out what it was. If only he would tell her what he was planning.
"I don't understand, my lord. Just what exactly are you planning?" asked Lilith.
"You will see soon enough Lilith. Now, if you would excuse me." Said Belos.
He turned down the hallway and proceeded to his private chambers. Lilith could only watch as her emperor disappeared behind his doors. Lilith sighed heavily as she proceeded to her own private chambers. She felt exhausted after the past day's events. Her fight with Eda, her confession to giving her the curse, and putting Luz in harm's way just to bring Eda in. A sharp ache came to Lilith's heart as she walked inside her chambers and closed the door. Lilith had been feeling this pain since she captured Eda and ever since, it had only gotten worse. She began to feel nauseous as she walked over to her desk and leaned against it. Without so much of a warning, Lilith fell to her knees and grabbed the small waste bin next to her desk. She then began to vomit into the bin, coughing violently afterwards. She couldn't understand why she was feeling this way. She wasn't ill, nor did she contract anything that would make her feel this way. It took a long moment before Lilith realized what she was really feeling.
Guilt.
She was feeling guilty and she had plenty of reasons to feel so. She placed a curse on her own sister when they were younger, all because of her jealousy. She spent her entire career hunting Eda so she could join the coven. And now, just recently, using Luz as bait to lure Eda out, putting Luz in the middle of their fight. She could still remember the look of fear in Luz's eyes as she was trying to for her down into the rocky cavern below the palace. She could see the tears in the human's eyes as she tried to kill her. It made Lilith shudder. She never wanted to hurt Luz. That was never her intention. But with Emperor Belows watching her, Lilith's fear overpowered her own conscience and she just reacted on pure instinct. She was desperate to capture Eda, but doing so put Luz, a child, in grave danger.
All this guilt was plaguing her mind, as she began to remember two weeks prior when she had made an everlasting oath with Eda. She swore that she would protect Luz and that she would look after her. She remembered the look in Eda's eyes as she made the oath and the happiness, she felt knowing Luz would be well looked after. But now, Lilith could only feel disgusted with herself, as she recalled her battle with Eda and what she did to Luz.
Lilith soon found herself sitting against the wall, tears streaming down her face. Her guilt was proving too much to bear, and she began to cry silently to herself. It all just felt like a nightmare she couldn't wake up from. None of it made sense to her. She shouldn't feel this way. She achieved her goal and soon Eda would be cured. So why was she reacting like this? Why was she hating herself for what she'd done? Wasn't this what she wanted? Didn't she want Eda to be cured and a part of the coven? Didn't she want her sister to be here with her like when they were children? These questions kept asking themselves over and over again. It was driving Lilith mad.
Eventually, Lilith regained some control over her emotions as she wiped her tears away. It was clear her internal conflict needed a resolution. The only question was how she was going to resolve it. This left her deep in thought as she stood from the floor and moved to her desk. As she sat down in the chair, she held her head as she felt her room spinning around her. If only she could make this feeling stop. She would give anything to ease her guilt. It was then she realized that there was only one way to resolve it. With a heavy sigh, Lilith rose from her chair and proceeded to walked over to her potion's cabinet. She only hoped that what she planned on creating would last long enough to hopefully make things right.
By the time Lilith had completed her task, it was well close to midnight. Knowing that only a handful of guards would be awake at this time gave her the perfect opportunity to make her way to the palace dungeon. Upon entering, she found the owl beast pacing back and forth in the cage. Lilith just stared at the beast that was her sister. Her heart ached seeing Eda like this. She looked down at the bottle of amber liquid in her hand. She hoped it was strong enough to change Eda back to normal, if only for a few minutes. The owl beast took notice to Lilith and began to growl viciously towards her. Lilith cautiously approached her.
"Easy, Edalyn." She said, softly.
The beast lunged at Lilith but was stopped by the iron bars. Lilith knew it wouldn't be easy to get Eda to take her elixir in this state. She had no choice but create a magic circle and she summoned some magic restraints. The beast struggled as hard as she could, but it was no use. Lilith soon approached her and began to pour the elixir into her mouth. As soon as the bottle was emptied, Lilith stood back and released the restraints. The owl beast went into a frenzy inside the cage and began bashing the bars with her body. Lilith watched and waited for the elixir to take hold.
Within minutes, the transformation had begun. The beast was slowly reverting back to its original form. The wings receded into her back. The feathers slowly fell away and the pitch-black eyes soon turned back to their original golden color. With the transformation complete, Eda fell to her knees and began breathing heavily. She felt lightheaded and her vision was blurred. Her head was aching like it was being squeezed in a vice. As she looked up from the ground, her vision cleared, showing that she wasn't outside the palace anymore. Slowly but surely, her memory started to return, and it soon became clear where she was.
"Oh, great. The Emperor's dungeon. Well, not like I wasn't expecting to be here at some point." Said Eda, sarcastically.
"Indeed." Said Lilith.
Eda quickly turned to see Lilith.
"Hello dear sister." Said Lilith.
The moment Eda's eyes met her sisters, all she could feel was pure anger. She glared daggers at Lilith as she quickly got to her feet.
"YOU!" Eda shouted, as she tried to conjure a fireball.
However, the moment she tried making the circle, the magic dissipated, and the feeling of exhaustion took hold. Eda fell to her knee, but she never took her eyes off Lilith. Lilith could only look at Eda in sadness. Her heart ached seeing Eda so weak.
"Please calm yourself Edalyn." Said Lilith.
Eda scoffed at Lilith.
"You have some nerve telling me to calm down." Said Eda.
Lilith sighed as she approached the cage.
"Edalyn, I'm not here to start a fight with you. I only want to talk." Said Lilith.
"Talk? After everything you've done, you want to talk?" said Eda, venomously.
"I understand you're angry with me, and I don't blame you for hating me. But I need you to hear me out." Said Lilith.
Eda turned away from Lilith, arms crossed. Lilith could tell Eda was in no mood to talk to her.
"Yeah right. Like you have anything to say that I want to hear." Said Eda.
"Edalyn." Said Lilith.
"So I take it I'm fully cured now?" said Eda.
Lilith casted her gaze downward. "No. I'm afraid this only temporary. The emperor won't cure you until the time is right." She said.
Eda looked back at Lilith. "Time for what?" she bitterly asked.
"I'm not sure. He wouldn't tell me what he was planning. But regardless of that, I want to take the time I have with you here to explain myself." Said Lilith.
Eda sighed. "Fine. Just say what you have to and leave me be. I'd rather be a monster again then be around you much longer."
Lilith felt hurt by Eda's statement, but she couldn't blame her for saying that. She probably would've said the same thing if their roles were reversed.
"I don't blame you for hating me, Edalyn. My recent actions are nothing short of unforgivable. But you must understand. My only intensions were to help you. To free you from your curse." Said Lilith.
"A curse that you put on me." Eda said angrily.
"I never meant to give you the curse." Said Lilith.
"Oh what, so it was an accident?!" shouted Eda.
"N-No, I mean, yes, I mean…" Lilith stuttered.
"Unbelievable!" said Eda in frustration.
"Edalyn, please listen. It was a mistake to give you the curse. I never meant to hurt you this way. I was young and stupid." Said Lilith.
"And jealous. Jealous that I was a much better witch that you." Said Eda.
Lilith bit her lip.
"Yes. I was jealous. So jealous that I let it control my actions. It was my jealously that led me to give you the curse. It was only afterwards did I realize that I made a terrible mistake." Said Lilith.
"So why didn't you remove it, then?" said Eda.
"You disappeared before I had the chance. After your first transformation, you went missing for weeks. You never returned home or to Hexside. I was starting to think that I had lost you forever. Then I've come to learn years later after I joined the Emperor's coven that you became a criminal. It broke my heart seeing what you've become." Said Lilith.
Lilith placed her hand on her chest and looked at Eda.
"As soon as word reached the emperor about your escapades, I didn't hesitate to volunteer myself to tracking you down. Emperor Belos may have his own reasons for wanting you, but I had my own agenda. I knew he was the most powerful witch on the boiling isle, which means he could remove the curse from you." Said Lillith.
"But doing so means that I would become another pawn for the emperor to play with." Said Eda, bitterly.
"He isn't like that Edalyn. Being a part of his coven is nothing short of prestigious. If only you could see that. Just think sister. The two of us, a part of the same coven, as a family." Said Lilith.
"A family of brainwashed fools." Said Eda.
"No, Edalyn. It's not…" said Lilith.
"Save it, Lily. You'll never convince me to join, even if the emperor does cure me. I'd rather be cursed forever than be a slave to his coven." Said Eda.
Lilith sighed sadly. "That's not what I wanted to hear. I had hoped you would understand. Everything I've done, it was for you Edalyn. My actions are leading you to being free from your curse and being a part of something greater than yourself, and more importantly, to us being together again." Said Lilith.
Eda was silent as she contemplated her sister's words. Lilith waited patiently for Eda's response, hoping she would understand.
"So, let me get this straight. You've been hunting me all these years, confronted me numerous times, and just so recently, kidnap my apprentice, draw me out of hiding, fought me in a witches duel, used Luz as a shield, confessed to cursing me, and then tried to kill Luz which led me to use up my magic, and finally capturing me in my monstrous form." Said Eda.
Lilith was silent as she was unsure as to where Eda was going with her statement. Eda then turned to her and walked over to the bars of the cage. She stared at Lilith for a long moment. Without so much of a warning, Lilith soon felt the painful sting of Eda's slap to her face. Lilith was caught off guard by the action as she held her face and stepped back from the cage.
"Edalyn." Said Lilith.
"What in the Titan's name made you think I would ever look past all of those things?! You gave me the curse!? You hunted me like I was an animal!? You tried to kill my apprentice!? Did you really expect me to forgive you for everything you've done?!" shouted Eda, enraged.
Lilith could feel tears starting to form in her eyes as her sister berated her.
"Edalyn, please. I never meant to do those things. I only wanted to help you." Said Lilith.
"Help me?! How does hurting me and everyone around me count as helping?!" shouted Eda.
"I-I…" Lilith started to say, but she couldn't find the words. She had no explanation for her actions. The way Eda described what she had done only made her guilt feel worse. Tears began to fall from her eyes as the realization set in.
"You're right." Said Lilith.
Eda only raised an angry eyebrow in response. It's rare that her sister would say she was right.
Lilith couldn't look at Eda as she began to speak.
"You're right about me Edalyn. My actions prove that I was not helping you at all. I was only trying to help myself. Ever since I gave you the curse, my guilt had been eating at me, constantly wearing down my mind and driving me to desperation. All I wanted was to undo the damage that I had caused, but I was constrained by the coven. I knew the emperor wanted you and I took advantage of that. But after failing to capture you over and over again, I grew more and more desperate. It got to the point that I resorted to doing the one thing I knew would draw you out." Said Lilith.
She then looked up at Eda, tears streaming down her face.
"You must believe me Edalyn. I never wanted to use your apprentice as bait, nor did I want to kill her. The emperor was watching our fight, and I was terrified of what would happen if I failed to capture you. My fear led to me using her against you, and ever since then, I couldn't look myself in the mirror without feeling disgusted with myself. The fact that I put that human, a child no less, in such danger, almost killing her in the process…" Lilith said.
Eda looked into Liliths eyes. She was trying to see any signs of deception, but all she could see was genuine regret. Eda's angered expression softened a little, but she remained silent. Lilith wiped her tears as she continued.
"I know my recent actions are unforgivable, but I promise you sister, I won't make the same mistakes a second time." Said Lilith.
"You really think making a promise to me will change anything?" asked Eda, skeptically.
"No. A promise won't change anything. However, I know my actions from here on out will." Said Lilith.
"So, you're gonna set me free?" asked Eda.
Lilith sighed. "I'm afraid I can't. If the emperor found out I'd let you escape, he'd kill us both."
Eda groaned. "Well, then what are you gonna do?" she asked.
Lilith was silent for a moment, before a thought came into her head. While she couldn't help Eda escape her situation, there was still one other action she could take.
"I'm going to keep my oath to you." Said Lilith, as she began to leave the dungeon.
At first Eda was confused. She didn't understand what oath Lilith was talking about, until the memory of two weeks prior emerged from her mind. At that moment, Eda felt her blood run cold.
"No! You stay away from her! YOU HEAR ME, LILITH?! YOU STAY AWAY FROM LUZ!?" Shouted Eda.
Lilith stopped in her tracks as she looked back at Eda.
"This needs to be done Edalyn. I must fulfill my oath to you." Said Lilith.
Eda could feel her rage building, as well as feeling the feathers returning.
"I swear to the titan, you lay one hand on Luz I'll kill you myself!" she growled.
Lilith knew Eda didn't have much time before transforming back into the owl beast. With each second passing, Eda slowly began to change back.
"I'm sorry, dear sister. I must do this. For her sake and for ours." Said Lilith as she began to leave again.
In a fit of rage and panic, Eda struggled against the bars of the cage, screaming at Lilith.
"NOOOO! LILITH! STAY AWAY FROM HER! STAY AWAY FROM MY LUZ! LILITH! LILIIIIITH!"
The further Lilith got from the dungeon; the more Eda's screams slowly turned into monstrous roars. By the time she had made it to the main hall, the echoes of the owl beast filled the air. Lilith's heart ached listening to the beast's roar. She could only hope that her curse would be cured soon. However, she would have to put those thoughts aside, and focus on the task at hand. She needed to return to her room and prepared for her trip to the Owl House.
The following morning had come, and Lilith had set out to find Luz. Knowing the location of the Owl House was simple enough. What wasn't so simple was how she was going to approach Luz. Their last encounter ended with her taking Eda away from her. She knew how close Eda and Luz were, so she would expect Luz not to welcome her warmly. By late morning, Lilith had soon found her way to the Owl House. There was no sign of Luz from what she could tell. However, she did remember that the infernal owl head "hooty" would be close by. However, as she drew nearer to the house, she saw no sign of Hooty. She found it odd that she wasn't detected.
Just then, she saw the door open and she saw Luz emerge from the house. Lilith could clearly see that Eda's absence had affected the young human. Her vibrant eyes that normally showed excitement and enthusiasm had now darkened to a depressing haze. Lilith's guilt had reached a new low, knowing that she had caused this. This made her mission much more important. Lilith knew what she had to do. The only question she had was how Luz would react.
Very cautiously, Lilith approached the Owl house. Upon exiting the forest, she stood before Luz, who was watering some of Eda's plants. She didn't take any notice to Lilith. When Lilith stopped just short of the house, she took a deep calming breath.
"Hello Luz." Said Lilith.
Luz jumped at the sound of Liliths voice, and she quickly turned around and saw her mentor's sister standing there. A mix of emotions came to Luz as she stared at Lilith.
"L-Lilith." She said in shock.
Lilith could tell Luz was on guard and she had every right to be. After her fight with Eda, she knew Luz would be on the defensive.
"Yes, human. It's me. I've come here to…" Lilith started to say, but was caught off guard when Luz shouted at the top of her lungs.
"HOOTY!"
Without warning, the ground beneath Lilith shook and before she had a chance to react, Hooty quickly emerged from the ground and had wrapped his neck around Lilith, trapping her in place. Lilith struggled as much as she could, but it was no use. She looked down at Luz, how had the look of rage on her face, as well as a piece of paper with an ice glyph drawn on it. She placed the paper on the ground, and it glowed for brief second before a sharp ice column emerged from the ground, and quickly made it's way towards Lilith.
"WAIT!" shouted Lilith, desperately as she closed her eyes.
The ice stopped just short of Lilith's neck. Lilith opened her eyes and saw the ice pointing directly at her. She sighed with relief but soon realized she was still in Luz's control. She looked down at the human girl, who still had her hand on the glowing paper. Just then, King had appeared and saw what was happening. He jumped out through the open window and landed next to Luz.
"Do it Luz! Finish her off for Eda!" said King.
"No, Luz. Listen to me. I'm not here to fight. I only wish to speak with you." Said Lilith.
"We have nothing to talk about! You kidnapped Eda!" said Luz, angrily.
"Please, Luz. I know you're angry with me but let me explain myself. That's all I ask." Said Lilith.
Luz was silent for a moment as she contemplated her next move. King climbed on onto Luz's shoulder and whispered in her ear.
"Don't listen to her Luz. She's only trying to trick you." Whispered King.
Luz knew there was a chance that King was right. However, she also knew that Lilith could've freed herself from Hooty at any time, and yet she hadn't. She looked at King, who looked at her back. She then looked at Lilith, who was face to face with an angry Hooty. Weighing her options, Luz had come to a final decision. She removed her hand from the glyph paper, and the ice receded back into the ground. Luz then stood up and looked at Hooty.
"Let her go Hooty." Said Luz.
King and Hooty both looked at Luz with shock.
"WHAT?! Why are you letting her go!?" asked King, outraged.
"She said she only wants to talk." Said Luz.
"But Luz. Are you sure…" asked Hooty.
"I'm sure Hooty but be ready to tie her up again if she tries something." Said Luz.
Feeling uneasy, Hooty unwrapped himself from around Lilith, dropping her on the ground. Lilith took a moment to catch her breath, before slowly rising to her feet. By then, she was not standing before Luz, King, and Hooty. Not a single one of them was happy to see her free.
"Thank you, Luz." Said Lilith.
"Don't get used to it. What did you want to talk about?" asked Luz, showing impatience in her voice.
Lilith knew she would have to choose her words carefully, though that was easier said than done given the situation.
"I've come here to make an offer with you." Said Lilith.
"What sort of offer?" asked Luz.
"Are you offering Eda for something?" asked King.
"No. I'm not offering my sister in exchange for anything. My offer is for Luz and only Luz." Said Lilith.
"And that would be?" asked Luz.
"I've come to offer you a chance to go back to the human world." Said Lilith.
Luz was shocked. "You want to send me back!?" she shouted.
"You're not sending her anywhere!" shouted King.
"Hoot Hoot, no way!" shouted Hooty.
Lilith could tell that Luz wasn't thrilled with the idea.
"Please understand Luz, I only make this offer for your best interest. You would be much safer in your own world than in ours." Said Lilith.
"Safer? Since when did you care about my well-being?! You tried to kill me!" said Luz.
"Yes, I did. But I took no pleasure from it, I can assure you. It was a mistake to put you in harm's way and use you against my sister. But you must understand. The emperor himself was watching our dual and I could not fail him again. I needed to bring Edalyn to him. If I didn't, he would've taken matters into his own hands. Believe me, not even Edalyn is strong enough to face him. I had to fight her in order to protect her." Said Lilith.
"Do you really expect me to believe that?" said Luz.
Lilith sighed. "No, I don't. But it's the truth. It may not seem like it, but I do care about my sister. I did what I had to do to help her. And now that she's with the coven, she'll soon be free of her curse."
Luz looked at Lilith with surprise.
"You mean… you haven't cured her curse yet?" she asked.
"No. The emperor wanted to wait until the time was right to cure her. I know not the reason why." Said Lilith.
Luz felt disheartened by the news. She would've figured they would cure Eda the moment they caught her. It didn't make sense why they are waiting to end the curse.
"Luz. I understand you care deeply for Edalyn. I know the two of you have a special bond, one that goes beyond master and apprentice. It's for that very reason that I offer you a chance to return home. Edalyn wouldn't want you to be in any more danger. Staying here on the isle will only put you at greater harm. It would be too much for a human to handle, even with the spells you've learned. So, please Luz. Let me send you home where you will be safe." pleaded Lilith.
Luz was silent as she thought about Lilith's words. She knew the elder witch was right. It would be difficult for her to survive on the Boiling Isle on her own. With the hazardous weather, the numerous demons and monsters, and the Emperor's Coven, Luz was finding it difficult to argue Lilith's point. However, she knew that despite her limitations, Luz could overcome all of those things. She could learn new magic and become stronger, and maybe one day save Eda. She looked to King and Hooty for guidance, and the two of them only nodded in response.
Luz looked at Lilith and held her ground.
"I'm not going anywhere. I'm not about to abandon Eda. Not now, not ever. I know I may be just a human, but I've come a long way from just being plain old Luz. I'm the apprentice to the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isle and despite the dangers this place may have, I will overcome them." Said Luz.
Lilith could only sigh sadly. Her response wasn't the one she wanted to hear. She had hoped Luz would see reason and accept her offer. As much as she wanted to force Luz to return home, Lilith had remembered her oath to Eda. She would let Luz make her own choices, even if they would put her in danger. As apprehensive as she was, Lilith couldn't do anything but give in to Luz.
"Very well, Luz. You've made your choice." Said Lilith.
She began to leave the owl house, but not before stopping in her tracks.
"You may stay here on the Boiling Isle for as long as you wish. You may still attend Hexside Academy, as well as spend time with your little friends. I will see to it that the Emperor's Coven will not come after you. However…" said Lilith.
She then turned to face Luz with a serious expression.
"Should you choose to try and rescue Edalyn, I cannot protect from them or the emperor. He will stop at nothing to keep you away from my sister and may call upon me to stop you. As much as I don't want to, I will obey him. So please, take my warning seriously Luz. Do not come after Edalyn." Said Lilith.
Luz watched as Lilith began to leave again. Something didn't add up. Why was Lilith helping her? Why was she going to let her stay after trying so hard to send her home? And why would she keep her own coven away from her?
"wait." Said Luz.
Lilith stopped and looked back at her.
"Why are you doing this? What made you come here and want to send me away?" asked Luz.
Lilith was silent as she looked down at her hand.
"To be honest, I wanted to redeem myself for my past actions. Between giving my sister the curse and putting you in danger, I haven't been able to stop feeling disgusted with myself. I just thought that by helping you and keeping you safe I could somehow lessen by guilt. But now I know it will take more than this to do so." Said Lilith.
She then looked to Luz.
"However, there is another reason why I'm helping you. You may be surprised to hear this, but my sister cares deeply for you. So much so, that she had asked me to make an everlasting oath with her." Said Lilith.
Luz was surprised beyond belief. She couldn't believe Eda would do such a thing.
"She… made an oath with you… for me?" she asked.
Lilith smiled sadly and nodded.
"She does Luz. More than you could ever know. When I made the oath with Edalyn, I swore that if the curse were to ever take hold of her, I would protect you as best as I can. And since Edalyn is still a prisoner to her curse, I came here to fulfill my oath to her. I only hoped you would understand that sending you back to your world was the only way to keep you safe. But since you refused to go back, all I can do is keep the coven away. It may not be much, but it's the best I can do given the situation. I only hope you head my warning." Said Lilith.
As Lilith walked further into the forest, Luz stood there and took in what she had heard. A stray tear fell from Luz as the gravity of Lilith's words set in. She never knew Eda cared for her that much, so much that she would make an oath with Lilith of all people. Knowing this, Luz knew what she needed to do. She would need to become stronger, stronger than she was now. She would need to learn new magic, as much as she can. But most importantly, she would need to figure out how to free Eda from her imprisonment. It would take careful planning to do so, but Luz was confident that she would succeed.