Glowing, pupilless, golden eyes shone from deep within the shadows. They stood at twice our size and were as large as boulders. A guttural growl rose from the creature they belonged to. It didn't sound like any growl I'd ever heard. It sounded more like some rabid hog snorting than the growl a dog or cat would make. To be fair, I had never taken a beast keeping class in my life, but I was confident no hog on the Isles got that huge.
I looked over at my human friend in worry. If it were just me and her, I wouldn't be too scared. We'd taken on much scarier than this beast… probably. But we also had a human that was new to this realm and a terrified young basilisk with us. I was unsure about Luz's adopted sister, but the older Noceda had to be as far away from a seasoned fighter as you could get.
The older human looked weathered and worn out. There was no way she would be able to recover from the monster's attacks quick enough to stay in the fight. We had to get her away from the danger. Which was going to be really hard since she was starting to walk towards the danger.
"Mom! What are you doing?" Luz whispered-shouted as loud as she could.
"Stand very still, everyone. We don't want to threaten it" she softly commanded in response. Her pace grew confidently quicker when she had made it out in front of us. She tried to be as gentle as she possibly could, her footsteps being light and cautious.
"I think it's a little too late for that" I shuttered. The monster showed no sign of breaking his bone-chilling glare. In fact, his scowl only got deeper with each growl he spat out.
"It's only scared". It was scared? "If we calm him down enough, then we can gain his trust" Mrs. Noceda whispered, once again sounding tender and gentle.
I took a step forward, towards the crazy human, when a scaly hand grabbed my wrist and pulled me back to where I was. I turn to the frightening sight of the newest Noceda child.
I knew she was friendly. I had only met her a mere couple minutes ago, but Luz had told me nothing but good things about her. And I supposed if she was mean, she would have drained me of my magic sooner.
Still, she was a basilisk! You know, the thing that almost killed me a few months prior! No matter how nice the younger one was, seeing any basilisk was gonna reopen some wounds.
Vee… I hope that was what Luz had said her name was. I had kinda been more focused on the fact that a human and a basilisk, that just so happened to be Luz's Titandamn family, just seemed to have popped into the demon realm! They popped into the demon realm at the same hotel Luz was staying at, at the exact same time Luz was staying at it, when there was no way to cross between realms at the time! Like… how was that even possible?!
Er… anyways. Vee noticed the fear in my eyes causing her confidence to melt away. Her hand dropped while she sunk in on herself slightly. Her fluffy ears flattened in apology.
"Trust her" Vee half whispered, and half whimpered. "She's a veterinarian. She works with animals all the time".
"But Vee. She's never worked with something this big before, especially not a demon this big". Luz choked on her argument. She wanted Vee to be right, I could tell. But we didn't even know what that thing was, let alone if it was consolable.
We were all shushed by Luz's mom. Her gaze refused to leave the shadows the creature was hiding in but she was listening to the conversation behind her. After she received total quiet, she slowly lowered herself to where she was squatting on the ground. She dug into the pocket of the green jacket she was wearing and pulled something out. A biscuit?
"Hi there. Would you mind coming out of the shadows? I have a treat for you" the older woman babied.
In response the hidden beast hissed out yet another loud growl. We all heard a loud thump which was probably a part of the monster's protest too.
"It's alright, conejo. We aren't going to hurt you". When her mom called the demon "cone eh ho", Luz's jaw dropped a little further open than it already was.
"That thing is a rabbit?" Luz asked to no one in particular.
"You mean those small and cuddly things we were always saving from snares?" Vee asked back.
"Maybe he's big and cuddly. We haven't seen him yet" I offered, that being the best reply I could make.
The rabbit went quiet for a moment. Its eyes still didn't leave the human in front of them, but they did relax into a somewhat calmer look.
The sound of claws clicking against the ground filled the silence. It repeated a few more times before the rabbit hopped out from the darkness.
The light from a nearby window revealed his conflicting appearance. I didn't know how to feel. He was cute and terrifying at the same time.
His eyes, no longer lit up by glare, showed to be jaundiced with the insides being green and the pupils being a light gray. The mystery of whether or not he was cuddly was solved. He had very fluffy fur that, if you were able to gain his trust, would be amazing to snuggle into. The fluffiest of all was the giant patch of fur on his chest. It was a deep dusty gray, a bit lighter than the rest of his dark gray fur and was so long it rivaled the mane of a manticore.
"There you are, querida. Aren't you pretty? Do you wanna treat?" Mrs. Noceda continued to coo.
The rabbit hopped forwards some more. Soon they were right in front of the human and her offering. He flattened himself to the ground, his ears lay squished against the top of his head. After a few sniffs he took the small biscuit and began to munch on it happily.
I couldn't help from gasping a small, "woah". Luz's mom was as crazy as Luz was. She was on the isles for less than a day and the human already marched up to some wild scary demon and tamed it.
"Told you she could do it" Vee giggled softly. She began to slither up to her mother's side but stopped when the giant rabbit sat up. The creature's eyes were wide and panicked, like it was preparing to run the other way as fast as it could. Their gaze refused to leave Vee even though it would turn its head and sniff Mrs. Noceda to see if she was ok.
"It's alright. She's a friend" the older human shushed. It was as if she said nothing at all because as soon as she finished speaking, the large beast hooked her with his long paw and shoved her backwards.
The beast then rose to its feet and bounded over to the poor frozen basilisk in front of it. When its front paws hit the worn-down carpet, a sandstorm of dust encased us inside a large dome.
Luz and I raced up to Vee's side with our flares in hand. Luz pointed it up towards the sky. The flare would light up the space around us, hopefully allowing us to see outside of the sandy vortex. But, before Luz could light it, it was slapped out of her hand by Vee's powerful tail.
"Don't do that!" the younger sister hollered. "Dust is really flammable, isn't it? All it takes is a tiny bit of dust and a desk lamp overheating to start a fire. Imagine what would happen if we set all thi- mmph!".
As if it were a gigantic snake, the dust in the air suddenly clumped together into one giant tendril-like shape and dove towards the distracted basilisk. Swiftly and precisely the dust slithered into her mouth and vigorously squirmed down throat.
The sounds she made as she tried to breathe was haunting. Her distressed whimpering and the gurgling noise of her unsuccessful attempt to retch the grime back up clashed with one another, creating a disturbing raspy cry. The basilisk's tail slammed over and over again against the floor which added a loud thumping noise to the commotion.
It took a moment for something to happen after all of the dust was inside of Vee's belly but soon her wriggling in panic slowed to a stop. Then she was completely still. Her eyes were cloudy and stared into nothing.
Suddenly, the basilisks' back involuntarily went rigid while she unnaturally snapped into an almost perfect posture. Her eyes began to glow, her jaw swinging open and slamming shut rhythmically.
It took me a while to remember, but I'd seen this happen before! It was a very long time ago in a news story my dad covered. The footage gave me nightmares for months afterwards… and sometimes even after that.
"That's a dust bunny!" I cried when the realization hit me. You know, I probably should have realized that sooner considering that it was a rabbit, and it had a dusty coat, but could you blame me for not recognizing the most elusive creature on the Boiling Isles at first glance.
The creature was not any regular beast, but one born from a very illegal potion. Its function was to create a monster out of dust and dirt, a monster that could manipulate that same dust to dig up the secrets of its victims. Rumor had it that the potion contained the soul of a demon, witch, or beast that had been boiled in it during its creation.
The only reason I knew what a dust bunny even was was the infamous attack near the ribs. It happened nearly a decade prior to a large group of families out on a camping trip. The dust bunny, who was unveiled by one of the cruelest potion sellers on the night market, attacked the entire campsite. Of course, no one was killed but the trauma from the experience left victims so mortified the healing coven had to get involved.
Only one witch made it out unscathed and the only reason anyone truly knew what happened was because they recorded the entire attack on their scroll. The clips were all over the news, which I so happened to watch a lot of as a tiny witchling because my dad was a renowned reporter.
But seeing the rabbit demon attack someone in real life was way worse than the parts of the recording on the news. I honestly thought I was never going to sleep again.
"Of course, it is," Luz chuckled in fear. "Just another thing to add to the list of horrible monsters named after harmless human things".
She gulped down the dread clumped in her throat. Her brown eyes wouldn't leave me until I explained what was going on further. Out of anyone in the hallway, I was the closest thing to an expert on the rabbit. I was the only one who seemed to know what the creature was after all.
"I don't know too much about them," I continued. "But I do know that they use that dust to pull out thoughts from the darkest and cruelest part of your mind. I've heard some say the Emperor's Coven used them to hunt down traitors until the potion was made illegal".
I could feel my stomach twist as it tried to push yesterday's breakfast out of my body. The dust was now pouring out of Vee's mouth, onto the floor, and back towards the creature who summoned it. In the meanwhile, the young basilisk was making disturbing moaning sounds all the while remaining in her trance.
The pile of dust clumped together again, this time forming two, more complicated shapes. One towered over the young demon as it faced her. It hid every part of itself under a giant robe and armor. Its face was covered by a mask with a menacing pair of spiraling antlers.
While the sight of the dust figure paralyzed me, Mrs. Noceda, and Vee, granted all for different reasons, Luz grew furious. Her eyes were lit, not with rage but with pure hatred. The man that the dust was portraying was a blight on Luz's time on the isles, and I don't mean the kind of blight that made Luz swoon and fawn.
He was the one who created the dreaded conformitorium and locked up anyone who didn't fit his tightly organized society. He was the one who created the group of violent bullies known as the emperor's coven. He was the one who mercilessly slaughtered anyone who didn't follow his magic coven system.
He almost killed Eda and made Luz destroy the only portal to her home realm. So yeah, Luz did not like Emperor Belos one bit.
The other figure cowered besides Vee. Unlike Belos, this figure portrayed someone Luz loved more than anything. Someone with strangely round ears, tired sunken eyes, and short hair tied into a messy bun.
"Is that me?" Mrs. Noceda murmured, barely loud enough for anyone to hear.
"Please sir" the dust woman choked. It sounded exactly like the human it was Doppel-ganging. "You're from the demon realm, aren't you? Have you seen my daughter? Do you know where she is?".
"Mom! Stay away from him! He's gonna hurt you!" Vee shouted, her agonizing fear making every word a cry.
She reached out to the figure, clearly not noticing her real mother trying her hardest to shove the dust bunnies' paw aside and race to adopted daughter's side.
The dust figure gently pushed Vee away. Her gaze refused to leave the horned man in front of her. The distraught basilisk tried to grab the figure again, this time with a lot more force and urgency.
With the same amount of force, Vee was shoved away. The demon, who was now on the ground, could only whimper. Her sky-blue eyes were so wide the tears welling inside of them instantly began to stream out.
"Mom"? Does this delusional creature think of you as her mother?" Belos asked apathetically.
"She's been pretending to be my daughter, Luz, ever since she ran away. Can you please help bring my real daughter home? I haven't seen her in so long!".
The mimic paid no mind to her own unintentionally harsh words, but Vee shrunk back like she had been hit.
"I… Are… Aren't I your daugh… daughter". As her sister stammered, Luz sprung forwards. She quickly grabbed Vee by her shoulders and held them down in an attempt to ground her. The demon jumped while trying to squirm away. She frantically waved her hands in the air in attempts to find out where the thing touching her was.
"What was that! Who's there!" she howled. Luz didn't let go of Vee, but she tried to hold her as loosely as possible.
"Vee! It's just me! You gotta snap out of it! The things you're seeing aren't real!". The human's voice was as strong as stone. You could tell she was utterly terrified but that she was also pushing through her fear in stride.
"Luz? Where are you?".
Before Luz could answer, the dust Belos took a step closer. Vee's attention shot back to him. In a blind panic, she scrambled backwards, knocking Luz off of her in the meantime.
"Mom! Please help! I can't be stuck with him again!" she screamed while she shuttered in agonizing fear.
"I would be happy to help your daughter return to where she belongs. All you need to do is help me get this basilisk back to where she belongs" Belos purred tactfully.
"No! Please no! He's gonna hurt me! He's gonna make me do bad things!". Vee's wailing clashed with her mother's distressed hollers. The sound of her adopted child's anguish had obviously lit a fire in her. But Mrs. Noceda's determination alone wasn't going to help her push past the giant beast.
"Thank you, sir! That sounds fair!" the dust human praised like she didn't even give Vee a single thought. "Take Vee with you, if you'd like! Just please find my daughter!".
"No! No! No! No! Mom, please! I thought we were family! I thought you loved me!".
"I do, cariño. But Luz… she must come home. She belongs with me, not with a bunch of monsters".
When the copy of the older human uttered that last word, everything went still. Vee froze in place, Mrs. Noceda quieted her desperate cries, and Luz released her hold of her sister.
Monsters? Is that what she saw everyone from the Isles as? Sure, there were a fair share of monsters here in the demon realm, but the people Luz was staying with were far cry from the griffins and serpents that called the Boiling Isle home.
The older human couldn't have thought that Vee was the same thing as a slither beast, right? I didn't know Vee all too well, but she seemed really sweet. Yet Luz's mom thought she was a monster, all because she wasn't a human? Yes, her appearance was different, and she had a magical appetite, but personality wise, Vee was as much of a monster as she was.
It was relieving to see the real Camila silently disagreeing with her dusty self. She and I shared a glance. Hopeless regret stained her sunken eyes while my hurt was reflected in mine.
I wasn't bothered by being called a monster as much as I was concerned for Luz. The human's biggest fear was that her mother wouldn't react well to her second home, a fear she already had to live through once.
All of us knew about the promise she made to her mother. How she freaked out when Luz told her that she chose to stay in the demon realm instead of going to "summer camp", whatever that was, how she thought that Luz was choosing us over her and making her promise to stay with her instead.
Poor Luz. This field trip was supposed to help Luz forget about her worries but instead it just reminded her of the very thing that wouldn't leave her mind for the last couple of weeks. She had lost so much sleep and spent all of her energy mulling over the tough decision she had to make. The demon realm had her friends, her second family, and her affectionate girlfriend in it but Luz's mother had taken care of her, loved her unconditionally for all of her life. Having to choose between her new life and the only good part of her old life had really done a number on her.
I couldn't help but feel sorry for Camila too. It was obvious that she was guilt-ridden after seeing how hurt her daughter had felt but now, she found out that her adopted daughter thought she would abandon her all because of where she was originally from. Vee thought that she saw her as a monster who was replacing her daughter for the time being.
Maybe she did see us as monsters, but Luz's mom didn't seem like the type of person who hid their true feelings. And I believed without a doubt that Luz's mom loved Vee despite her fear of the entire situation. To her, her family was more important than anything.
"Mija. No es verdad (Daughter. It's not true)" the human murmured to the basilisk.
The silence was broken by a footstep, then another. Belos had begun to move towards his prize. His face was unreadable due to his mask, but I could imagine he was evilly smirking.
Luz and I sprang towards Vee and into action. While Luz tried to break through to her sister, I rammed into the fake Belos and tried to push him backwards.
Despite being made of nothing but dust, Belos was surprisingly sturdy. It took all my strength to even stop him from taking a step. In fact, my effort meant so little to him that he didn't even bother to look at me let alone try to push me out of his way.
I was buying Luz some time, but it wasn't a lot of it.
"Vee," said human cried. "That's not the real Belos! He's made of magic!".
"How do you know! How do I know you're not magic he's using to trick me!" she screamed.
She bared her sharp, jagged teeth in a desperate wince. The pupils in her eyes were nothing but tiny dots. Luz's voice cracked in pure desperation, her tenacity melting away every moment.
"He's made of dust, Vee! He's not real! He can't hurt you!".
"What!". The basilisk just grew more panicked by her sister's words. "This isn't a game, Luz! This is serious! He's gonna lock me back in that cell again and… and…".
"Vee" Luz finally bellowed. Her thunderous call stopped the dust Belos in his tracks. The dust Camila nearly fell apart at the strong sound. One look at the dust bunny made it clear that Luz's sudden fortitude frightened him enough to make his magic falter.
"Ignore Belos for a moment and focus on Camila. That thing standing beside you: you may think that's the real mom, but it can't be.
There's this phrase mom would repeat when I was younger, when I was afraid there were monsters under my bed and in my closet. "Confía en tus ojos, no tu miedo" (Trust in your eyes, not your fears). You're seeing mami with your fear of her not loving the real you. But if she was really just going to throw you away when I got back, then why would she call you one of her children? Didn't mom say she wouldn't let Belos take you away from her just a few minutes ago?".
Vee was quiet but her response was clear. Her suddenly sinking into a dejected posture spoke louder than anything she could've said would've.
"Confía en tus ojos, hermana. (Trust in your eyes, sister). The real Camila isn't standing beside you, she's over there, fighting the grasp of a giant rabbit to get to you".
When Luz finished, Vee's gaze instantly found the real Camila and the dust figures crumbled. The younger Noceda sunk into her sister's embrace, shivering in pain and relief.
"It's ok" Luz shushed. "I've got yah, sis".
The gigantic rabbit in front of us reared in his frustration. He stamped his foot into the wooden floor, snorting out his rage like an angry minotaur. In an attempt to show off his fury, he grabbed the handles of one of the hotel doors before ripping the door clean off and slamming it to the ground.
The rabbit seemed to have been blinded by his rage at that moment. At least, he was blind enough that he couldn't see Camila slink away and up to her two children.
"I'm so sorry, cariño. I never meant to make you feel you were just a replacement for Luz" she cried while she shoved both her children into her arms.
"You didn't. It's just, Luz is your real daughter, and I just shoved my way in–".
"Vee! Don't ever say that!". The elder woman carried just as much strength in her voice as her oldest did just a minute before. "Luz is my daughter but so are you, you hear me? You are my daughter, Vee. Never think otherwise".
My eyes watered a little. I couldn't help but smile in relief. Apparently, Vee and Camila accidentally going through some hidden portal was the best thing for the entire family. Now they had a chance to talk out all of their problems while I was being attacked by the dust bunny.
Oh, yeah. I nearly forgot about him.
"That's sweet and all, but we still have a problem" I yowled when I noticed the two glowing yellow eyes were now focused on me. I didn't even have enough time to see the flurry of dust before it all pooled into my mouth.
It felt so… weird. Despite being covered in my saliva, the dust stayed completely dry. And it felt like it was alive, like it knew exactly what way to twist and contort so that it made its way down my throat as quickly as possible.
I squeezed my eyes shut and, when I opened them again, all the dust was out of my body, and I was nowhere near that broken down hotel. Instead of being surrounded by hotel room doors, I was surrounded by lockers. Their eyes showed no emotions as they diligently protected all of the books inside of them.
"I'm back at Hexside?". I couldn't help but to say my thoughts aloud. It was just… What?
I knew it wasn't real but… I also didn't. No matter how many times I uttered the fact in my head my mind treated it like some stupid conspiracy theory. Me actually being in a hotel under some trance? That was just as believable to me as opossums existing.
"There he is," a familiar voice cheered. Oh, great Titan. Not her again. "The dead witch walking".
Stalking out from around the corner came a posse of well pampered witches being led by a pink haired, pink skinned, triclops. The sight of them made me shudder. I hadn't been scared of Boscha's little hellhound coven since before Amity left it. But I was already dealing with a killer, I didn't need Boscha and her gang causing trouble.
"And what do you want?" I snapped, trying to mimic how confident Luz usually sounded when dealing with the bully.
"Relax, Augustus," she laughed. "I just wanted to talk. You and I have so much in common".
"What?! What would we have in common?" I spat incredulously after I was done stuttering in disbelief.
"Well, I mean, for one thing, Gus, we both want Blight dead".