Ugh... it's happening again, ain't it?

So, while real life has indeed been affecting me, I've also learned from my sister that I have undiagnosed ADHD. Inattentive, from the sounds of it. My parents have it (also undiagnosed), my sister had it diagnosed... it's explained a lot about my life. Why I always seem to fall off on these stories, nevermind stuff in my everyday life.

I'm waiting till my next doctor's appointment so he can recommend someone who'll take my insurance. Then we'll see where it goes. For now, I'm trying out ways of quelling it so I can work on the chapter. But i wanted to let y'all know I'm alive and still determined to get through this story. I have a preview here for you to see till I can get it done.

One story is nearly done, but I've yet to start the other, so it could still be a while. Like before, when it's ready, I'll delete this, then upload the chapter proper.

After an… interesting experience with multiple snakes (it wasn't my first time; Luz is my daughter, after all), we'd begun to clean Eda's house. It was a bit confusing trying to figure out what weird concoctions of hers went where, but with some guidance, we eventually got everything put away.

Before the lost of us could sit down, King stumbled down the steps. "I'm awake! Don't take Luz away yet!" The sudden declaration stung at my heart a little. He looked around frantically. "She… she's not gone already, is she?"

"Easy, King. Easy." Eda calmed him. "Luz just went out with Willow, Gus and Roger for a while. They'll be back after a while. And she's not leaving until we figure out the problem with the portal anyway, remember?"

"O-Oh. Okay." He looked up at her pleadingly. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

"Sorry, bud. You looked completely worn out last night, I made a call to let you sleep in if you could. Unfortunately, everyone else couldn't sleep for long." He grumbled, not thrilled that he'd slept in. "Hey, chin up. I'm about to tell a story to Miss Noceda and Trenchcoat here. You wanna hear it?"

"…Ok." As she sat at the table, King leapt up and sat in her lap. The sight of his little head barely peering over the table looked incredibly adorable.

"Okay… okay…" Eda looked at Hellboy. "What do you and your crew know about Baba Yaga?"

"She's of Slavic legend. Countries spanning from the tip of Russia to the edges of east Europe know her, her tales existing for centuries. Infamously, she's known for feasting on children. But there are plenty of tales of her exhibiting other terrifying powers."

Eda sighed. "Yeah, that pretty much lines up with what I've always been told. All the scary bedtime stories taken up to eleven."

"I don't understand. The Boiling Isles knows about a creature from earth? I was under the impression that you were the only one who'd been to earth."

"We weren't always separate from the Human Realm. Once upon a time, witches of the Boiling Isles could go to earth freely. And the tales they brought back would persist even after Belos closed all methods of travel." She lifted three fingers up. "Let me put it this way, Ms. Noceda. Barring any exceptions, there are three witches so dangerous and terrifying that they even give Belos pause." Eda leaned back in her chair. "Truth be told, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who believes they're real. Parents'll tell stories of them to kids who aren't behaving. Teens will pass them around the campfire to scare their friends. Adults will reminisce on "the myths of old"- think it was just the consequences of wild magic being told as stories. But me? I know they're out there. All of them. And it only took meeting one of them to know that all three were real."

She breathed in, and I notice her hand shaking. "Baba Yaga. The Witch of the Forest."

She dipped her finger into her apple blood, the crimson liquid staining it. "Nimue. The Queen of Blood."

She picked up the last snake, and it curled around her finger. "And the Black Goddess of all witches… Hecate." She noticed Hellboy tense in his seat.

"Each one has a rep sheet that could fill a textbook. If I'm ever lucky enough, I'll never see the other two. Word is, they're leagues worse than Baba Yaga. That being said, Baba Yaga is pretty bad. You said bark head was going to-" She cleared her throat uncomfortably. "-cook Luz?"

I nodded, a shudder rolling down my back just thinking about it. The thought of having to watch my little girl be roasted alive… tears nearly fall from my eyes again. "Y…Yes."

"Yeah. Titan knows why she...enjoys that. …I…I feel just as disgusted and scared as you do thinking about what could've happened to Luz if I hadn't…" She trails off. "You said you've met her too, Trechcoat?"

"…Russia. Her turf. 1964." He looks away, grimacing. "Thought I could stop her. Found her in a graveyard. Shot her eye out."

Eda didn't respond. She only stared in shock. "…Titan below, Trenchcoat. Just… just like that?"

"…Spring didn't come to Russia that year. And all the babies born over the next 12 months were blind in one eye."

"…Dios mio." The words escaped from my mouth. "The… the entire country?" He nodded solemnly. "But… you killed her?"

He looked up at me. "I don't even know."

Eda sighed. "Yeah… that makes sense. My encounter wasn't much better. And fittingly enough…"

She leaned over the table, resting her forehead in her palm.

"It started on the worst day of my life."

I know it's not much, but I promise the wait will be worth it.

I'll see you guys, hopefully soon. Hoping to get this out around the time For the Future releases proper. And those of you who peeked that episode early- don't spoil anybody and watch it officially when and if possible.