First off, sorry for the delay, having peculiar weather problems. The summer rains are producing minor floods in my home country aside from the heatwave.
Gemwing2012: Yep, the group has a lot to do and work through before they can save their home and families.
Vanessa Masters: Oh yeah. There's something there that wasn't there before. And the gang has their work cut out for them.
alexc1209: And neither do Malak or any of Aurelie's ancestors. As for Malak's creator… think bigger.
Thanks to Vanessa Masters for giving me a hand with the chapter. Oh and incidentally the grand finale to the Owl House is on April 8th! Saw the trailer and it's gonna be thrilling!
The interior of New Hexside was rather messy, and chaotic.
It would appear that nearly every adult in the Boiling Isles has been captured by the Collector with only children and teenagers remained. Given that nearly every full grown denizen had a coven sigil, they would have most likely been been dazed and confused after the Collector attacked even if they weren't present for the Day of Unity and not been able to run while the kids were already on edge from seeing their families suddenly fall ill and be prepared to run and hide.
No one initially recognized Aurelie except for one young student who brightened.
"Aurelie! It's Aurelie, the Empress! She's back!"
Aurelie tensed up a little – Mattholomule, Barcus and Skara had been pleasant to her on the trip to Hexside, but she had no idea how the other students would react to her and Oziel's return. What if they think she abandoned them or that she's still in league with Belos?
She needn't have worried. For there were shouts of joy and excitement from the students. But some of that excitement came when she saw Warden Wrath's son, Braxas, kissing a paper star, and throwing it to behead a Collector stuffed toy, which he and the other kindergarten students dove upon.
"Mama, may I play with them?" Oziel asked, tugging at her sleeve.
"Ahhh, probably best," Aurelie said uncertainly. "You might be the sole sane one."
"Oh, yeah, and maybe you should come back later to keep an eye on them," Camilla said to Aurelie, who nods as she wiped stuffing off herself and Camila.
There was a statue built in honor of Principal Bump – though by all means, it looked rather aggrandized. The other students were surprised/relieved to see the returning group, having wondered where they disappeared to after the Day of Unity. Viney hurried to Willow telling the bespectacled girl that her work had become sentient, started a war with the kindergarteners. Gus was informing another student that paperclips were not meat substitutes.
Among the refugees were Amity's twin siblings Emira and Edric, who managed to escape from the abomination factory. However, Edric had ended up falling down a well while trying to escape from the Collector's spies and as a result, broke every bone in his body. Yet he was determined to hug his younger sister.
"So, I'm going to keep an eye on...EVERYONE." Aurelie said, gesturing to the students. "Cause they sorely need it." She looks at the Bump statue and suppresses a snort. "But yes, this is...crazy, and they all clearly need help. Food and healing."
"If only this was the Lion, the witch and the wardrobe," Luz sighed. "You could be carrying around a diamond bottle filled with endless healing potion that one drop heals all wounds, sickness and can even bring someone back from brink of death."
"Wait...what?" Aurelie looked at Luz. Was that another Fantasy book?
"Oh, it's a great book, set in World war II, actually." Luz said. "Four kids two brothers and two sisters who flee to the country, wind up in a...magical...world..." she trailed off, noting how this must sound to Aurelie.
Aurelie blinks stunned. "Whoever wrote this book, cause it nearly sounds like they were spying on me." But then again, it might've been nice to have her siblings with her in the Titan's realm, helping her and more. Ah, so much for regrets.
"I'm sure it's a coincidence, I mean. Alice in Wonderland has same premise, it's not uncommon to write stories of people ending up in other worlds." Camila assured.
"Getting back to the present, focusing on the children." Aurelie said. "So..." She takes a deep breath. "I'll be blunt: Why is this place such a dump?!"
"Well, we're kinda following orders," Skara said.
"Who's?" Luz asked.
Just then the intercom turned on.
"Ahem. Would Captain tholomule escort his friends to the council chambers, and do it now!" The voice ordered.
"Captain Who?" Willow was puzzled.
"Wait...has Tholomule been your last name this ENTIRE TIME!?"Gus slowly and furiously turned around to look at Matt, who merely shrugged.
"Oh, I thought you knew." Aurelie said. She knelt down to pick up some garbage. "You all go on ahead, I best check up on Oziel," She then stared pointedly at Edric. "Get this boy back to infirmary, and try to keep the kindergarten class from going to war with Willow's work." Aurelie sighed, pinching her nose. "Well, if I can escape Nazis and the Klan, I can do this."
"Bless her heart." Camila said smiling, she leans to whispers to Luz discreetly. "They're gonna eat her alive, figuratively and literally."
Meanwhile at the bottom of the skull, Belos struggled to climb forward, finally stopping in front of a stone wall and drawing a glyph combination on it. He then slammed on the markings, activating it and unlocked a hidden door. Inside were piles of skulls, skeletons, and broken Golden Guard masks. Belos keeps on crawling forward, getting increasingly tired and out of breath.
From a stray beam of fading light, Malak stepped into view, shaking his head at the former Emperor in great disapproval. Transparent figures of Caleb and the former golden guards were with him.
The Grimwalkers were all in full Golden Guard-getup, but their masks were cracked and their clothes torn. Caleb himself looked dreadful, his ribs and cheekbones protruding as though he hadn't eaten in weeks, bags under his eyes.
But this time, the apparitions of Caleb and the past Golden Guards weren't the only ones present, silently judging Belos for his crimes. Like morning mist, several more people appeared. But they didn't look like they were from the Isles, for their ears were round. Three old ones, in particular, looked right out of a history book. But most noticeable were four couples and an elderly woman looking at Belos with righteous anger.
The first couple, the man was a deep skinned with curly hair and the woman's eyes, they looked exactly just like… those of Belos' wife and child.
But Belos was in no mood for a lecture from his deceased brother, let alone from his wife's ancestors.
"Oh, shut up." He snapped.
Belos kept on crawling forward, finally arriving at the room where he used to make Grimwalkers. By the time he gets there, he's missing a hand and both of his legs.
"There has to be one left..."
There was a hand sticking out from dirt. He notices this, immediately screeched, and pounces towards the hand. He swallows up the hand and disappears into the pile of dirt underneath it. A while later, the hand started twitching.
The Collector and King, meanwhile, return to their castle, and are greeted by Odalia, who has become the Collector's 'Mamadalia'. After ordering her to take the Collector's puppets back to the archive, the two head to bed where King tries to reason with the Collector about not endangering people's lives with dangerous games. However, the Collector has no sympathy for how fragile a mortal's life is. They only care about what they want, and people are nothing more than something to own. After reading a bedtime story to the Collector, King heads to the cage where they are keeping Eda under guard by the Coven Heads, who, including Raine, have been turned into puppets. Lilith is also with her, and she is no longer a puppet. King has also found Hooty, who is still a puppet, and brings him to Eda and Lilith.
Back in Hexside, Luz and her friends learn that Boscha has made herself president of the school council, which nobody is happy about.
Outside at the corridor, Jerbo and Skara scream and run past. Edric tried to escape, but he can only walk slowly as his whole body is in a cast. The kindergarteners knocked him to the ground as they run past him to chase after Jerbo and Skara. One of the kindergarteners drags Edric away as he screamed. "Tell my story!"
As if right on cue, Aurelie strode forward. "Oziel, you and Braxas put that potion down this instant!" She walked right over to the little ones, speaking in her firmest tone. "And young lady, that's Amity's injured brother you're attempting to drag away!"
She wasn't sure what she could say to keep them from fighting potential carnivorous and/or venomous plants, but the moment she noticed a few scattered objects around the classrooms and halls (and in surprisingly good condition), it occurred to her. One of the few things to bring people together besides music and stories was food. And seeing as no one recognized most of the ingredients from Earth, she knew what to whip up.
Taking a wooden spoon and banging it on a pot, Aurelie got the attention of the kinder-gardeners. "Children, settle down! There's no need for that!" Once they all looked at her, Oziel included she said, "Now I think it's time I taught you something calmer and helpful."
"Aww, nothing calm can be fun!" one of the girl kindergartners protested.
"Don't jump to conclusions just yet." Aurelie scolded. "Now come, I've found a small oven with which I can show you how to bake at least two different kind of breads. If you listen closely, you may get to choose the ingredients for a little treat this afternoon..." she teased.
She led them away. However, things weren't so simple. New Hexside was ruled by Boscha and every time someone comes forward with a proposal to make things better for everyone, Boscha turns them down without giving it any thought, especially under the influence of her mysterious assistant, Miki. She even turned down Luz's request to help defeat the Collector and save everyone.
The guards slammed the doors shut behind them. The group turned around to look back at the doors, some looking annoyed, some looking puzzled.
"What just happened?" Luz wondered.
Mattholomule replied, "It's been like this ever since Miki and Roka showed up! We want to fix stuff around here, but... anytime we suggest something, Miki threatens to throw people into the Detention Pit."
Camila was shocked, "The WHAT?!"
Luz then remembered something. "Maybe there's another way... I don't know how to get into the Archives, but... we may be able to get close. By teleporting DIRECTLY into the Titan's skull!"
Gus, Willow, Amity, and Camila gasp.
By dusk, The Collector's spies are flying around the outside of Hexside. Mattholomule sneaks Luz's group into a magic photo classroom, where they hope to extract memories from Luz, specifically where she was when Belos used his teleportation spell into the skull of the Titan, hoping to reach the Archive House.
In the meantime, Aurelie had taught the kindergarteners how to make two different types of bread. For food brings people together as a way to stay connected, learning about a family member by cooking together, celebrating, learn about cultures, and provide comfort.
Presently, Oziel had been helping some of the young students gather food ingredients to eat with their crunchy matzah.
And in one of the classrooms, something made both the little former prince and his pet stop short in surprise. Something he knew his mother and the rest could use to save the other grown-ups from the Collector.
"Hey, where'd you guys find the golem?" Oziel asked with a bright smile. Munchkin visibly brightened, chittering with excitement.
"Somebody just dropped it right into the classroom three weeks ago in pieces." Braxas answered.
"And they dropped this rolled up scroll but we couldn't open it." A furry young student held up the scroll.
"We can't read it either." one of the little ones added.
"Me either, but I got an idea!" Oziel said with a grin. "We just need to put it all together until it looks like big person…"
But in order for it to work, Munchkin had to scurry away to fetch a cellphone. He got his opportunity. Luz had sat in a chair so that they can extract the memory they need. "Time to take a walk down memory lane."
Willow took a pair of toothy tweezers.
"Once, I saw Philip- I mean, Belos, use a glyph to teleport to the skull. But... it may take some digging to find it."
Hearing Luz's words, Camila becomes worried. Amity glanced over at Camila. Willow placed a hand on Luz's shoulder as she speaks. "Remember, Luz. No schemes, no plots, no ruses."
Then she and Luz said together. "And definitely no shenanigans."
Camila said worriedly, " ...I'm gonna assume those are clean."
Belos had tried to find a new body by possessing one of his leftover Grimwalkers. However, this one was most likely dead— its skin was green-ish, its bones are protruding and the tips of its fingers were starting to rot. And as a result, Belos barely makes it out onto the surface before the Grimwalker's body melts and falls apart under the strain.
"No." Belos balled up his fist. "It's not ready."
Belos quickly ran off on all fours while screeching. Before long, he is climbing up the horn of the Titan, approaching the Archives. Eventually, he makes it to the building, and climbed through a window. He sees Odalia ordering puppet Raine to carry the puppets around. This gave him a devious idea.
"Put that one over there. No, no, no, over there!"
Puppet Raine turned and walked towards the direction Odalia is pointing, carrying puppet Amelia in their arms.
Odalia sighed in frustration. "Making a deal with that child was a waste of time! I wish someone would see my potential.
"Oh yes, I think you'll prove to be quite useful."
Belos emerged from behind Odalia and loomed over her as he speaks.
Odalia turned her head around and fearfully pointed to herself. "Me?"
"No." Belos screeched and launched himself forward, going past a shocked Odalia and towards puppet Raine.
"You!"
Belos plunged himself into puppet Raine. Soon, he gains control over puppet Raine's body. They lift up their head and looks at the camera, eyes flashing blue and cackling.
Back at the Photo class room, Luz's memories have been taken out and clipped on a clothesline with clothespins. They are memories from moments when she arrived at the Boiling Isles all the way to the Day of Unity.
Munchkin had gone on ahead to fetch a cellphone. He initially went to Camila, but the woman had weaved about, leaving Munchkin unable to snatch the cell.
So he instead hopped into Luz's bag and pulled out her cellphone then began dragging it on a toy cart away to Oziel. If it works, they can gain extra muscle.
Willow placed another memory she just took out on the clothesline, which showed Luz trying to fight Grom, who has taken the form of Camila. Camila morosely stared at the photo.
"I think we found it."
Camila turned her head around, a worried expression on her face. Willow had taken out another photo from Luz's ear, which showed the moment when Luz and Lilith looked down at the teleportation glyph Philip had just drawn on the ground.
"Whoa, it's so clear! We can use this to get to the skull!"
"Finally." Hunter stood up sternly. "We can get moving again."
Willow stopped Hunter in his tracks. "Before we go... Look what I found."
She offered the photo she found earlier to Hunter. He took it over and looked at it.
"We're all gonna miss Flapjack, but... we know he loved you the most." Gus said gently.
"And we just wanna let you know, we don't care who you're supposed to be. 'cause you are one of us now. Never forget that." Willow reassured.
Hunter looks up from the photo, teary-eyed and sad. Gus and Willow are taken aback.
"Hunter, are you okay?" Luz asked uncertainly, putting on her witch hat.
"I... don't know." Hunter looked back down at the photo.
Willow becomes overwhelmed with guilt. "Oh, um... I'm... sorry, I... didn't mean to make things worse." Vines emerged from the ground and wrapped around Willow's feet.
"I, uh... I'll be right back." Willow hurried away, breaking the vines. She then opened the classroom door and walks out.
Aurelie had finished making bread then noticing Oziel wasn't in sight, asked the kindergarteners and asked them to distribute he newly made food among the students.
Boscha taunted Willow like so many prior times, causing her to stand up for herself and briefly admit her stress.
Aurelie ran into Gus and Hunter, who'd confessed his fears.
"But I'm not…I'm just a grimwalker, a golem, a thing!" Hunter sobbed.
Aurelie grabbed his face making the teenager gasp as she pressed warm, tearful kisses to his forehead and cheeks.
"You are MINE! Mine to me! And to my Oziel!" Aurelie emphasized. "I know a sweet boy with warmth, kindness, imagination and drive. A boy I raised, and cared for and still do. Surely Hashem will not deny me the right to call you my boy, my son, my heart."
Hunter sobs again, but from relief, as he hugged Aurelie. Gus emerged a little awkward at the reunion.
The younger boy sighed, "I guess this is my fault too."
Hunter was perplexed. "What? How?"
Gus looked a little awkward, "I've known you were a grimwalker since the Day of Unity. I was waiting for you to bring it up yourself but... I... I- I don't know. Maybe if I weren't so afraid, none of us would be hurting right now."
As Gus speaks, he took out a photo of a close-up shot of the face of Caleb Wittebane's statue in Gravesfield. Aurelie is stunned.
Hunter looked at the photo and understood his mistake of not trusting the those he considered his friends. "Gus, I- I..."
"It's okay. You stay with her to get Oziel, I'll find Willow."
"Wait, Gus!"
Meanwhile, Camila, Amity, Luz, and Mattholomule were still in the Photo class room.
Mattholomule remarked, "Woof! They're not coming back, are they?"
Camila shuts her eyes and bows down her head. "You kids have gone through too much as much as Aurelie. Even when we rescue your families, there're still so much to fix."
Amity was a little gloomy, "At least we'll all be together to figure it out. Right, Luz?"
Luz stared at Amity with a guilty expression. "Amity... I should tell you something."
Something suddenly barged through the wall, catching everyone by surprise. Miki walked in together with Roka.
"Ha! So the rumours were true. You were trying to stage a coup, little Mattholumule!"
Mattholomule glowered, "Yeah! We were! 'cause you guys are the worst!"
Miki starts cackling evilly.
Luz suddenly realizes who she really is with a scowl. "No! Not you!"
Miki cackled and pulled the cover off Roka, removing her wig and glasses in the process, revealing herself as Kikimora and Roka as her Abomatron.
"Long time no see, human."
Luz glared, "Kikimora!"
Camila suddenly questioned, "What's that smell?"
Luz identified them. "Sleeping nettles!"
Boscha laughs and walks into the room, stopping next to the Abomatron. She's holding a potion bottle with a potion laced with sleeping nettles, which also produced smoke. "Most important rule of Grudgby: 'Always expect the unexpected'."
After inhaling the smoke from the potion, Camila, Amity, Luz, and Mattholomule became dizzy and dropped to the ground. The last thing Luz saw before fainting is Kikimora cackling evilly as she puts on a face cover.
The door to the Detention pit opens up. Kikimora walked over in her Abomatron, and dropped Luz, Amity, Camila, and Mattholomule into the pit, who were wrapped in a ball of Abomination goo.
"What gives, Kikimora?" Luz demanded angrily, "Are you working for The Collector?"
"The days of Kikimora the underling are over. I prefer partnership such as ours. We need to establish our rule now, for the well-being of future generations." Answered the little red imp.
As Kikimora speaks, she gestured towards Boscha, who walked over and stared down at the quartet.
"Okay, I'm still catching up. What's the little red kitten trying to do?" Camila was confused.
To the left, Mattholomule blew a raspberry at Kikimora.
Luz answered her mother, "She's just copying Belos's... 'scare people into worship' thing because she has NO IDEAS OF HER OWN!"
Abruptly a familiar voice is shouting. "Put me down this instant, you backstabbing little chazer!"
Kikimora scowled at the former Empress, "You think I don't know? This is not your world, not your business, not your place. You're not even an actual witch. You're just a foreign pretty face, who somehow landed right in the lap of the Emperor himself." But holds her close to gloat. "So, I tossed that miserable former golden guard, that abomination into the hole!" she bragged, only to choke a scream when Aurelie managed to grab Kikimora's throat with both hands.
The small creature frantically clawed at the furious woman's hands, as her head was shaken wildly.
"NOBODY THROWS MY HUNTER INTO A HOLE A GETS AWAY WITH IT!" Aurelie shouted. "AND ADONAI HELP YOU IF YOU'VE HURT MY OZIEL!"
All the scheming and covert murder was bad enough, but if this horrid little conniver has hurt her sons…
And then, they both fall into the pit. Aurelie is caught in a fist of abomination goo by Amity, who tried to talk the former Empress into calming down.
"Just as well," Kikimora cough. "I want to finish you off myself."
"Let me go! I'm going to kill her!" Aurelie said in shock and anger.
Kikimora aims the cannon muzzle of the Abomatron at Luz.
"Boscha, come on!" Amity addressed her schoolmate.
Luz stood up and shielded everyone behind her.
"This is a bit much, even for you!"
Boscha glanced to her side, then turned around and walked away, closing the Detention pit door behind her. Kikimora fired up her cannon, then fired at Luz. However, Luz is able to stop it with vines from a Plant glyph. She then ran off, and Amity proceeded to attack Kikimora by summoning Abomination goo. Kikimora catches the goo with the Abomatron's hand, then prepares to fire it back. Amity gasps and pushes both Camila and Aurelie aside, both falling to the ground.
Mattholomule attempted to fight, but the pile of goo easily buries him underneath it. He popped out from the goo. "Ah! I don't deserve this!"
Kikimora attempts to pull off the vines wrapping around her cannon, but more vines emerge from above and wrapped around her Abomatron. Up above, Luz has activated more Plant glyphs, as is trying to hold on for dear life.
"I- I- I- I think I remember the Ice glyph!" As she speaks, Camila grabs a bone from the ground.
"Mama, wait!"
Camila drew a faulty Ice glyph on the ground, and slammed her hand onto it, activating the glyph. A large piece of ice block shoots up and hit the pit door, destroying it. Rocks and rubble start falling all around the Detention pit. Kikimora shielded herself with the Abomatron's arm. Amity wrapped herself and Mattholomule in a ball of Abomination goo and rolls away. Luz pounces towards Camila and Aurelie, pushing them backwards before the falling stones could hit. One the smoke disperses, Luz sat up.
"Mama? Amity? Ms. Aurelie?"
Kikimora emerged from a pile of rubble behind Luz. "Don't think you've won just yet!"
"Kiki-miki!"
Kikimora looks towards Camila, who is somewhere above.
"Uh..." Camila grabbed her bat. "bruja toss!"
Camila kissed her bat, then threw it towards Kikimora, hitting her right in the head and knocking her out. Camila then ran away with Luz and Aurelie, picking up her bat from the ground on the way.
In the meantime, Oziel's plan worked. First, he and the kindergarners put the golem together. It helped that it was made of clay and that there was already so many little ones helping.
Next, using the translator app on the cellphone with Munchkin's help, Oziel was able to translate his spoken words from English to Hebrew. The first words he used was "Awake!"
Finally the golem revived with roaring gasp. At once, the little prince used the golem to find the rest. Oziel is barely able to avoid both Boscha and Kikimora, then he discreetly followed trying to locate either his mother or Hunter.
It didn't take long, from one section, he could hear Hunter and Gus's voices talking. Oziel ordered the golem to bust them out.
BAM!
The boys yelped in fear and alarm, then they gaped in surprise.
"The golem?"
"Hunter, Gus, I got the golem to help!"
"But you can't even speak Hebrew!" Hunter was taken aback. "You're only four years old!"
"I can thanks to this!" Oziel grinned from ear to ear, holding up a cellphone. "Now let's find the others!"
"Yeah. I'm ready to kick some new Hexside butt."
Hunter stared as Gus walked away. He then hugged his hands around his knees and buried his head in his arms as he speaks. "Oh, Flapjack... Everyone's on edge and I don't know what to say. I wish you were here."
Oziel noticed his cousin's morose disposition and he became a little… downcast. Munchkin whined softly. Oziel had the golem gently lower him close to Gus.
"Hey, can I tell you and Hunter a secret?"
"What's up?" Gus turned to the little boy.
"When Hunter told me Mommy was Jewish and from another place a long time ago, that she was a kind of human that coulda only be found on Earth. Someone who didn't believe in the Titan, but in something bigger, much bigger."
Gus was a little unsure. "Well I guess…" He wasn't sure why Oziel was bringing this up, but opted to listen anyway and to encourage Oziel, he'd asked. "So what did you think? I mean, about your mom and her family believing in something else that is."
"I wasn't scared, I didn't want other people hiding it from me and it doesn't sound dumb to me, I was happy. Because she was weird too, like me! Like Hunter, and Munchkin and Auntie Emmi and Uncle Tannen."
This surprised the two boys.
"And I wanted Daddy to see how special everyone else is on the Isles back home too. Is that wrong?"
Hunter didn't answer at first then said, "No. No, it's not wrong."
"It's just, sometimes I don't think he likes what I do very much."
"You do know he's hurt lots of people including your mom, and Luz? He wanted to do the same with your Aunt and Uncle."
Oziel nods sadly. "I know, hurting people isn't right." He then said something he just remembered, "Uncle Tannen says we have to be nice to different people, because our great-great-great grandpas and granmas were different people in other places once upon a time too. But what if I turn out like Daddy and start hurting people and animals when I grow up?"
Hunter looked right at his little cousin, "No. You're nothing like your father. At least not in the way you think."
"Whatever you believe in, you shouldn't let bad experiences change what you are inside." Gus added.
"Don't stop wanting to learn and get close to animals – in a safe way!" Hunter quickly added then gently said, "Sometimes... fathers are the ones who need to change."
"Did you mean what you said that you want fight bad guys just like…?" Oziel asked.
Hunter smiled warmly and ruffled Oziel's hair, "Your Uncle Tannen was pretty convincing."
However, they had another problem. Poor Willow was suffering an extreme nervous breakdown, losing control of her powers. Hunter, Gus and Oziel manage to calm her down, with Hunter unlocking the magic of Flapjack's spirit inside of him, allowing him to perform magic without a staff. They let Willow vent about her frustrations, and Hunter admits to her how important the group is to him.
Back at somewhere outside, a few of The Collector's spies fly past above. Camera tilts down to show a stone wall. The wall suddenly breaks open, and someone invisible runs out and away from the cave, stepping on grass along the way. Then, a powerful blast shoots out from the hole, and destroys everything around. Kikimora on her Abomatron, with the cannon just recently fired. She's getting furious as she controls her Abomatron to move forward.
From a distance, Luz, Camila and Aurelie were cancelling out the Invisibility glyph. They took deep breaths, and exhaled, with Camila dropping her knees onto the ground. Aurelie fell backwards into a sitting position.
Luz became extremely frustrated. "My whole plan fell apart, I- I messed up again!" She took off her hat and threw it aside.
Camila watched it land nearby. "What are you talking about?"
"It doesn't matter." Luz starts walking away, but Camila grabs her hand.
Camila stated. "No, mija. It does matter."
"You obviously don't want to leave this entire world behind any more than I do." Aurelie confirmed.
"Of course not!" Luz answered.
"You've got to stop blaming yourself for teaching Phillip – Belos, whatever he was at the time, the light glyph spell. He is a devious manipulative cad who tricked everyone, how can you blame yourself?"
"In case you haven't noticed, I also dragged my new friends into a war!" Luz sniffled.
"Yet if you, Hunter and I didn't tell them the truth, then they'd gotten a sigil not knowing that they'd have been sentencing themselves to death on the Day of Unity."
Camila reassured Luz, "Messing up is a part of living! You don't think I've ever messed up before? Ha! Okay, well, once I scheduled my wisdom tooth surgery the day before my wedding. Oh, then there was that time I got road rage and didn't realize I was cursing out your new principal. And, you know, I sold energy drinks for a pyramid scheme for 3 years! And of course, I was convinced we should move to Gravesfield to be closer to that fancy hospital. You know how that ended." Camila teared up.
Luz also became teary eyed at her mother, then looked away.
Aurelie's eyes were filling with tears as well. "Does it compare with leaving two good friends: a sweet old woman that cared for me like her own granddaughter, and a caring young girl in the old town behind to save my skin?"
Both Camila and Luz looked at her in shock.
"But you were in danger!" Luz protested.
"They incorrectly assumed I died that night. Also I spend decades here, never knowing that my family survived and moved somewhere else."
"That's not your fault either!" Camila shook her head, aghast. "The technology of the 1940's was very different compared to now!"
Aurelie almost never talked too much about the horrors she'd suffered no thanks to the Nazis, the Klan and their supporters. Hearing her bring it up, blaming herself for things out of her control was a tearjerker.
"Don't forget I ignored Malak's warnings about Belos not being what he seemed, how is it any worse with marrying the exact same witch-hunter, lying with him and conceiving a child with him years down the line?"
Both Luz and Camila wince. "Yeah, that part gives me the heebie-jeebies." Luz admitted.
"And besides, if you didn't...marry Belos, you'd never have had Oziel," Camila said, and then winks. "Or met Darius."
"Stop!" Aurelie huffed, blushing.
"Whaaaa?" Luz turns to Aurelie surprised.
"Alright, so he's a puppet for the moment. Can we ignore my potentially being courted by Darius, and focus on Luz?" Aurelie said, wishing she had her veil to hide her flustered face. Then she addressed Luz, "And in the grand scheme of things, the good you've done here also outweigh your alleged mistake. You've mended the Clawthorne sisters' relationship, helped King learn the truth about himself and from what I've learned you encouraged Amity to defy her mother's abuse and make them better, happier people with more fulfilling lives, and beyond that the simple fact that we're all still alive with a chance to fight back against Belos and the Collector is all due to your efforts. Far aza tseyt vi dos."
The woman paused letting her words sink in before she translated. "For such a time as this."
Suddenly, Kikimora is heard blasting from somewhere above.
Camila admits, "She's right. And I… didn't stand up for you when you needed me most. I forgot about the Astral Oath."
As Camila speaks, tears rolled down her cheeks, and she wipes it off. Luz becomes surprised when she hears the last part, and looked over at her mother.
"The what?"
"The Astral Oath is a promise made between Captain Avery and his family, to love and protect each other just as they are... Through supernovas, and solar winds." Camila walked over to Luz's hat and picks it back up.
"Mom... are you a secret nerd?" Luz looks up at Camila adoringly and smiles. Camila walks back to her, holding the hat in her hand.
"Hmm, so you're all for science fiction space type adventures." Aurelie stated with an amused smile. "While Oziel, Luz and I are the Fantasy genre enthusiasts."
"I had a hard time growing up. I was afraid you would too. My biggest mistake was trying to protect you, by changing this beautiful Good Witch into something she wasn't." As Camila speaks, she put the hat back on Luz's head and caressed her daughter's cheek.
Luz was touched and starts sobbing. Inside her waist pouch, her Palisman egg started glowing. Luz wiped off her tears without noticing it. "I don't know why it took me so long to figure out. The only thing I've ever really wanted... "
The Palisman egg's glow becomes bright enough that it grabbed Aurelie and Camila's attention. Luz however, still didn't notice this.
"...was to be understood!"
As Luz spoke, she lifts up her head, teary-eyed, finally having a moment of epiphany. Beams of purple light emerges from the crack on the Palisman egg, which then explodes, creating a force field so powerful and bright that it shot up straight into the sky. Kikimora noticed the bright purple flash behind her, and turns around to look at it. She then grins evilly.
After the blinding flash fades, Luz opened her eyes, sees something and gasps. In front of her, her staff floats in the air, with sparkles and clouds spiraling around the Palisman. The Palisman itself was shrouded by the mass of clouds. Luz approaches her staff as the staff also floats down to her. She grabs the staff, sending an energy field upwards. Camila then approaches as the duo look at the shrouded mass atop the staff in awe. The cloud stops rotating, and became a purple orb. Suddenly, Kikimora bursts through the wall behind them.
"Found you!"
From a distance, Hunter's group noticed the bright purple flash to the right, and immediately teleported away with Oziel on the golem, Gus and Willow. A bright purple force field passes right behind Hunter.
Gus is stunned. "Luz has a staff."
Willow commented, "Why does that make me nervous?"
Somewhere nearby, Kikimora pushes aside two trees with the Abomatron. "There you are! I'm done playing hide-and-seek!" She aimed her cannon at Luz and fired. Willow immediately summoned vines from the ground and surfed forward, blocking the attack from Kikimora with the vines. She then drew a spell circle.
"Yep, that's better." With her magic powers, Willow commanded the trees to fall and crash towards Kikimora's Abomatron. She then used a vine to grab the Abomatron's left hand, and slapped Kikimora with it. Furiously, Kikimora fired her cannon at Willow, but missed. Luz and Hunter gasped.
Gus calmed them, "She's fine. This is child's play for us." He created more spell circles in between his hands. He used it to create 3 illusions of Willow flying. Kikimora fires at 2 of them, destroying both.
At the same time, Oziel is given piggy back ride by the Golem, and it starts to fight Kikimora.
"You need a serious spanking!" Oziel declared.
"Is that the Golem?!" Aurelie gaped. "Oziel get down here."
Camila's jaw dropped, "THE golem?!"
Luz was just as stunned. "Whoa, what did I miss?"
Willow draws a spell circle as she flies on her staff, but some Abomination goo fired by Kikimora hits her, knocking her off her staff. She screams as she starts falling. Hunter immediately teleports upwards and catches Willow with his arms. After landing, Willow blushes as her and Hunter stare at each other.
Aurelie squeaked in delight. "That's my boy!"
Luz yelped, "I missed a lot!"
"I don't need this wretched school to start my own empire. I'll make my own! And I'll start by taking you apart, piece by piece, brat by brat! " Kikimora stomped towards the group as they braced themselves for a fight.
Two fiery grudgby balls suddenly hit Kikimora, and she turns to her left angrily. On a cliff nearby, a group of Hexside students stared down at Kikimora angrily, some holding fiery grudgby balls in their hands. They are holding a banner which says H.A.S., which is short for Human Appreciation Society.
Mattholomule spoke, "Stop right there! Miki, I can't say I'm surprised by this. As for you, Roka..."
Roka points at himself questioningly.
"I know there's been nothing but chemistry between us. Be that as it may," He lifts up a fiery grudgby ball "I- "
Boscha said flatly, "That's a robot, Matt."
Mattholomule shrugs. The Hexside students then proceeded to hurl fiery grudgby balls at Kikimora. Amity flew towards Luz and the rest.
"They'll hold her back." Amity grabbed Luz's hand and ran. "Let's get to the skull!"
The others immediately run after Luz and Amity. It was time to put that glyph into use.
"Hey, Boscha. Don't think this means I'm finish with you." Willow called.
Boscha lifts up a fiery grudgby ball. "Whatever. I didn't do this for any of you. I just want to do normal things, and look great, and play grudgby with MY TEAM!"
Near the end of her sentence, Boscha jumped down the cliff along with the other Hexside students, some of them holding fiery grudgby balls. The Hexside students pounced towards Kikimora, pushing her Abomatron to the ground.
Luz suddenly stopped as the others continued running towards the skull, and took out the photo taken from her head earlier to memorize the teleportation glyph combo. She then keeps the photo and starts drawing the glyph combo on the ground, but before she can finish, the orb glowed, and the staff starts flying, much to her delight.
"I can't tell what you're gonna be, but... thank you, little friend!" Luz continued drawing the glyph combo on the ground while flying on the staff. Upon seeing this, Amity, Gus, and Willow summoned their staffs and use it to help with drawing the glyph combo. Aurelie called Oziel and the golem over, to be ready.
Soon, the drawing is finished.
The Hexside students eretrying to hold Kikimora and her Abomatron down. She eventually stands up and throws everyone aside as she speaks. "This is my empire now! You have to obey ME!"
Kikimora fired from her cannon towards the group. Upon seeing that, Luz immediately slammed both her hands onto the glyph, activating it. The glyph combo successfully teleported the group of eight away to the skull before Kikimora's fireball hits them.
Eventually, Camila and Hunter were the first to open their eyes and look above in surprise. Part of the Archives can be seen floating above. They were standing on a half-sphere like structure.
"We... we made it!" Gus grinned.
"Oh my gosh!" Willow shrieked excitedly. She and Amity leaned towards each other in delight. Amity laughed happily. "I can't believe that actually worked!"
Amity and Willow ran off together joyously. Oziel and Munchkin cheered as they slid off the golem into a cheerful Aurelie's arms.
"We're here at last!" Aurelie smiled, hugging her son.
Camila approaches Hunter with a relieved chortle. "Well you really beamed us up, eh, O'Bailey?" she playfully elbowed Hunter.
Both Hunter and Gus gasped at Camila's mention of Chief O'Bailey from 'Cosmic Frontier'. They both began chanting, "Beam us up! Beam us up! Beam us up!"
Luz was staring up at her Palisman, which is still shrouded in a colorful mist. She then grabs her staff. "Guys?"
Everyone soon noticed what's happening to Luz's Palisman and gasped. This could only mean one thing.
"Come meet my Palisman!"
Everyone approached the staff.
"It hatched!" Oziel cried, his eyes wide with wonder.
"What magical creature will it be? A dragon?" Camila guessed.
"A bird?" Hunter wondered.
"An otter!" guessed Amity.
"A spooky bat?" Willow gushed.
"Maybe a dinosaur!" Oziel gaped.
"Or perhaps a leopard?" Aurelie stared.
"A snake?" Gus guessed.
"You're all close…" Luz said.
Then the swirling orb flew upwards before changing shape. First it was a winged fruit bat, then a scorpion with cat ears, then it became what looked like limbless Chinese dragon before reverting back to its true form: A cat-snake like creature.
"She's a snakeshifter." Luz said as her new palisman flew to her and nuzzled her cheek. "Her name is Stringbean and she's perfect!"
Stringbean flew down to Luz's palm. She then flew around, rubbed herself on Luz's face as she caresses her. Stringbean then flew towards Amity, Oziel Willow and Gus, much to their delight. Ghost, Clover, and Emmiline follow behind Stringbean as she flies off. Camila runs over to the Palismen.
Munchkin hopped off Oziel's head to join in. The little boy laughed in delight and went to play with the palismans.
Camila began gushing over all the palisman. "Pero mira que preciosos mis bebès. Ven aquí. Ven."
(But look all of mama's precious babies. Come here, come here.)
The palismen then approach Camila, and she holds Stringbean and Clover close to her cheeks.
Hunter watches with a wistful smile, but is surprised when someone suddenly grabbed his hand. He looks to his right and saw Willow next to him.
"Thanks for what you said back there. You mean a lot to me too." She said.
Hunter immediately blushes. He also starts tearing up and sniffles. Willow also blushes at Hunter as they both hold each other's pinky fingers.
Stringbean flew back to Luz as Amity also approaches Luz. Stringbean rubs Luz on the face, causing her to grin happily. Luz couldn't wait to show her new palisman to Eda and Luz. Aurelie happily observed as Ghost and Emmiline gently frolicked with Munchkin, allowing Oziel to pet them.
However their troubles were far from over. The Collector was sitting on the edge of a cliff staring down at the group. Belos stood – still possessing Raine's puppet body- behind him. He then approached The Collector.
"What did I tell you? Luz has come to help King get rid of you for good. What will you do, Collector?"
The Collector was clearly angry. His eyes start glowing as he floated up. He then stopped. "I think I wanna play a new game." He declared, snapped his fingers.
To be continued…