Chapter Twenty-Five: Enter the Inquisition

Empowering Bard Coven magic and rejuvenating Healing Coven magic did not make a good combination when you had to face the result. Although the trio's focus was more on escaping from Briares rather than fighting him directly, he was still able to easily tear through whatever they threw at him. Ice spikes, thorny bramble walls, moats of abomination goo, none of it even slowed him down. He was more of a rampaging force than an enemy, and he seemed just as lucid in his haze of violence.

"We're never gonna make it to the office with this guy on our tail!" said Skara, blasting away some abominations blocking their path with her lute. "Any ideas?"

"No good ones!" said Luz. "Aside from 'keep running!'" That they did, unable to fight the goliath directly. But he was just as unwilling to let them go, his last defeat at Luz's hands apparently still fresh in his mind.

His hammer crashed down into the floor, shattering the tile and leaving a crater in its place. "You cannot run forever, Luz the human! Sooner or later, you will tire; I will not! You and your friends will pay for daring to defy the Emperor!"

Amity pulled herself and the others around the corner with help from an abomination arm. He barely missed them with his hammer, and rounded the corner only to find them gone. Growling, he and Stygma tore apart some nearby lockers looking for them.

Unbeknownst to them, Amity had hidden the three in a storage closet. "He's right, you know. We can't run forever. If he gets wise to our plan to drown out Loxton's music, he'll smash the intercom. We have to find a way to take him out somehow."

"Hmm…Matt said Construction magic tires you out pretty quick," whispered Skara, "but that ghosty lady keeps healing him."

"Then let's divide and conquer!" Luz said. "We'll need some place big enough for a fight, but not so big that he can go all-out…Aha! The cafeteria! Plenty of room there!"

Luz's sudden revelation was just loud enough to be heard from outside: Shrike phased through the door to ambush the trio. "Gotcha!" She sent a quick freeze spell their way, but Amity was quicker. She blocked the ice with a shield of abomination goo, then sent it flying at her, both knocking her back and knocking the door open. They just managed to slip out before Briares noticed. "Go, keep after 'em!"

"That is exactly what I have been doing!" A frustrated Briares resumed the chase. He considered trying to cut them off, but figured chasing them down was his better option. He didn't know the layout of the school as well as them, and they were bound to tire themselves out running eventually.

They knew this just as well as him, which is why they planned on luring him into a showdown. They hurried towards the cafeteria, probably for the first time ever considering the food they served there. Briares was right on their heels, but Luz had a plan. She slapped together a plant and an ice glyph, before throwing them at the ground. The resulting frozen vines were twice as tough as either barrier would have been on their own, and even though it didn't take Briares long to break through it, it did put some distance between them.

Luz dropped more and more of these double glyphs, their pursuer growing further and further away. They soon arrived at their destination, bursting through the double doors and then closing them behind them. Placing one more–or rather two more glyphs, the doors were sealed with frozen vines. They crossed their fingers as Briares slammed into them, but the reinforcements held strong. But even still, there was no time to lose.

"Alright, let's get these tables moved out of the way!" said Luz, trying to push one of them against the wall. Skara helped…as did Amity, summoning two giant abomination arms that swept everything in the room aside. "...Okay, that's done. Good work. Now, we'll have to beat this guy with brain instead of brawn, so let's set up some traps to–"

There was a tremendous crash as Briares burst into the room. The barrier in front of the door still held strong–the wall next to it, not so much. "Your efforts are wasted, children. You cannot hide from me! I am the UNDEFEATED CHAMPION OF UNDER–"

"Undefeated champion of Underbelly, we know, we know," Luz said impatiently. "Can we just get to the part where we kick you and your floaty little friend to the curb yet?"

"Certainly!" Briares dashed forward with surprising speed, once again leaving a crater in the floor with his hammer. Amity had quickly darted out of the way, pulling Luz and Skara along with her. Stygma occasionally joined in by shooting ice blasts at the girls, but mostly stayed behind Briares, pumping him full of healing magic.

The titanic ogre charged his hammer full of magic and drove it into the ground: a line of rock spires broke through the floor, heading towards them. Skara stood her ground, blasting the stone apart with a soundwave. "Okay, so we're fighting him. How do we actually beat him?" she asked.

"It's coming to me!" replied Luz, momentarily blinding Briares with a well-timed light glyph. "To be honest, I kinda thought one would've popped into my head by now!"

Amity chuckled as she sent in some of her borrowed abominations to distract him. "What would you do without me?" She compressed some of the slime into a javelin, hurling it at Stygma.

The projectile was evaded–or rather, Stygma turned intangible, causing it to pass through her. The shot was a little too close for comfort for her, though, as she glared at Amity. "Hey! Watch the mask!" she shouted. "These things aren't cheap!"

Suddenly, a memory came flooding back into Luz's mind: back when she and Willow, Gus, and Tia had been fighting Mandrake and Caelano during that rainstorm, Caelano's mask had come off. Her magic had fizzled for a brief moment, as though it had been powering her. What with the adrenaline of the fight, combined with being dropped down a giant sinkhole, Luz had forgotten about it afterwards. But hearing that mentioned, that idea she had been waiting for finally came to her.

"Their masks! Take out their masks!" she shouted. "That's how Belos gave them their power!" She rolled away from a strike from Briares, following up by throwing a fire glyph at his face. It didn't work, but both Inquisitors seemed to be getting angrier, likely confirming her theory.

"That would make sense," Amity said. "Belos had to rely on a ton of power glyphs the last time we fought him. There's no way he'd be strong enough to lead the Inquisitors otherwise."

Skara raised up her lute. "Then let's unmask 'em!" she said triumphantly. She began playing a tune as well; though not as loud as Loxton's, it was enough to give Amity and Luz a bit of a boost.

"Ooh, tingly!" said Luz. "Also, handy!" She threw a lightning glyph at Briares, with the bolt hitting him much harder than it otherwise would have. But with his combined buffs, he was back up in no time, ready to hit back.

Briares swung his hammer above his head, creating a giant spell circle. "Let us see if you are still standing after this!" The hilt of the weapon slammed onto the ground, causing the entire room to begin shaking. The three of them stumbled under the earthquake, Briares himself remaining unaffected.

While Luz was on the ground, Stygma ensured she would stay there by freezing her legs in place. "Wha!?" She quickly slapped a fire glyph onto the ice, which began to melt too slowly for her taste. "C'mon, c'mon!"

"Your quick reflexes cannot save you now," Briares growled as he prepared to finish her off. She threw an explosion glyph his way…but it passed right through him, Stygma having passed her intangibility onto him. He braced as he lifted his hammer; "Prepare to fall!"

"Luz!" Amity threw a barrage of abominations at Briares, ensnaring his limbs and holding him in place. It didn't hold him for long, but it was enough time for her to escape from the ice. As he swung, his strike barely missed her, the shockwave sending her against the wall. "Hold on, I'm coming!"

Skara held her lute aloft. "Throw me!" she declared. After hesitating for a moment, Amity summoned a hand underneath her, hurling her at the Inquisitors. With a triumphant "YAAAH!" she swung the instrument like a club, which collided with the side of Briares' face. Although the lute was shattered, so too was his mask, falling in pieces to the floor.

"You…!" Briares wasn't remotely fazed by the attack, but he became so once he saw what had become of the source of his power. "You!" He prepared to flatten Skara, only for Luz to come to her rescue. She slid under his legs, throwing a lightning glyph up at his face. "GAAAARGH!" he cried, falling to his knees.

Luz pulled the bard to her feet. "Skara, that was epic!" she said. "But your ukulele…what now?"

"No worries, I can still sing and stuff!" she said. "Watch!" She cleared her throat, only for Amity to pull her aside.

"We don't really have time for that now!" she said. "No offense." Stygma had already healed Briares, who was back on his feet and seeing red. His face looked even more bestial than usual as he snarled at the three. "Press the attack!"

"You go high, I'll go low!" said Luz, charging into the fray alongside Amity.

"And I'll go medium!" added Skara.

Without his mask, Briares was unable to muster the magical power he could beforehand. While his strikes still packed a wallop, and Stygma was able to restore him when he grew fatigued, he couldn't pull off his tricks like summoning rock spikes or causing earthquakes. Keeping their distance, the three were able to literally run circles around him.

Their attacks also seemed to be causing a lot more damage, with Stygma having to work overtime to keep him in fighting shape. "They're just a bunch of kids!" she complained. "What happened to being the 'undefeated champion of Underbelly?'"

"There were children who fought in the arenas as well!" Briares retorted, trying to catch at least one of them. "They were no less formidable for their age! Perhaps these three are the same!"

"Ugh! Enough of this!" Stygma disappeared into the floor, reappearing right in front of Amity. She surprised her with a blast of frigid air, which she was just able to block with an abomination. She dodged to the side as she shattered the frozen figure with another projectile. "You brats are digging into my profits–any last words?"

"How about 'block this?'!" said Amity, sending a stream of goo towards her. A hand materialized on the end, ready to grab onto her mask. Unfortunately, just as before, Stygma turned intangible, and the arm passed right through her.

Stygma was unimpressed with the attempt. "I did."

However, Amity wasn't done. "Oh, did you?" she said, smirking. She pulled the strand back towards her, grabbing Stygma's mask on the backswing. The Inquisitor gasped as the mask went into Amity's hand, darting towards her. But she was unable to stop her from smashing it on the floor.

"You pain in the neck!" Stygma passed through Amity's defenses, tackling her to the ground. "What are you even hoping to accomplish!? You can't stop Belos! None of us could! What makes you think you're so different!?"

Amity was freed when a fireball knocked Stygma off of her. "Because we've got each other!" Luz said, picking her up. By happenstance, the two ended up inches from each other's face.

"T-thanks…" Amity said.

"Don't mention it," Luz said quickly, turning away. "Alright, Noceda, head in the game… We've taken their advantage, now it's time to strike while the iron's hot!"

Every combatant present squared up for one last push. Both Inquisitors looked much less confident, but prepared to throw down regardless. Each of the young witches readied themselves as well, preparing their magic. A chorus of triumphant battle cries rang out as everyone charged into the fray…only to stop short when the room suddenly grew dark.

For a moment, nobody was sure exactly what was happening. It was as though night had suddenly fallen on the school. "Wha? Did Bump forget to pay the electric bill?" asked Luz. But the true cause of the backout was revealed from the windows: each of them was being covered by an encroachment of choking vines, which soon began to reach inside.

These same vines appeared on the other side of the doors, blocking off every exit. The large hole in the wall was sealed behind a row of enormous hedges before anyone could blink. Everyone was filled with trepidation at first, but the Inquisitors soon realized what was happening. "Oh, I wouldn't want to be you three right now!" Stygma snickered, disappearing through the floor.

"That's…Willow, right?" asked an unsure Skara. "She's here to help us out with those two, right?" Before Luz could reply that no, this definitely wasn't Willow's doing, the girl was suddenly grabbed by her ankle by one of these vines, and was dragged off into the darkness. Her frightened screams echoed for a moment before fading into silence.

Luz and Amity had their backs to each other as they were the only ones left–not counting Briares, who had retreated to a corner of the room to recover. Deep, booming laughter sounded from seemingly everywhere at once. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the meddlesome little human who threw me down a hole! I've been hoping for a chance for a little payback!"

"Mandrake?" said Luz, recognizing the voice, despite it having taken on a deeper tone. "So, back to get your stamen kicked again, huh? …Pistil? Roots? What part of a plant is synonymous with a butt?" Amity shrugged.

Both of them turned in the direction of the hallway, where a scraping sound was growing louder. The plants parted to allow Mandrake himself to enter the room, his staff/scythe was dragging along the floor, sending up sparks behind him. "What's up?" he said in his normal voice, propping the scythe up over his shoulder.

Wasting no time, Luz threw a fire glyph at the newcomer. "I'll tell you what's up!" He disappeared into the darkness, and though some of the plants caught fire, they were quickly extinguished. She then produced a light glyph, shining it around the room to try and catch sight of him.

"Personally, I have no idea why Belos has it in his head that you're so much of a threat." Mandrake's voice had no obvious source, seeming to come from each vine at once. "To me, you just seem like any old upstart kid, human or not. Now, that Owl Lady of yours…she seems like a bigger deal. I don't suppose you know where she's hiding?"

Luz readied an ice glyph in case he showed himself. "Even if I did, I'd never tell you!" she shouted. Was this their plan all along? To use her to get to Eda? But even so, it didn't change anything. "Why don't you stop hiding and fight fair?"

"Sure!" Before she knew what was happening, Mandrake was upon her, encasing her in vines. Amity moved to counterattack, but he held Luz in front of him, holding his scythe up to her. "Ah-ah-ah! We wouldn't want anybody getting hurt, now, would we?"

"Let her go!" Amity yelled. "I don't care what Mattias or Belos told you, she hasn't done anything wrong!" A pair of abomination arms extended from her back, ready to strike.

Mandrake shrugged. "Right, wrong, who really cares? All that stuff's relative anyway. To be honest, I don't much care for the ol' High Inquisitor anyhow. But Belos says he's the boss, and he's the bigger boss, so there you go. Whatever grudge he has against you, I guess it's mine, too." He brought the blade closer to Luz. "Not helping that you dumped me down a hole…"

"Oh c'mon, that was your own fault!" said Luz. She looked at Amity, all but seconds away from throwing herself at Mandrake. "Amity, you ready?"

"Hmm? Ready for what?" she asked. "I mean, yes, but…"

"This!" A sudden freezing cold emanated from within Luz's plant cocoon, making the vines brittle and weak. She easily tore her way out, kicking away from Mandrake before he was able to react. "Now!" Amity sent the arms forward, aiming for his mask.

But he was too quick. He moved his scythe faster than the arms could react, slicing them to goopy ribbons. Amity pulled the fallen slime back to her as he readied for a counterattack. "Like I said–just some kids!"

Amity knew this wasn't going to be an easy fight. Whether he knew it or not, Mandrake was just a distraction from their actual mission. "Luz, go! I'll hold him off!" Summoning every last ounce of her strength, Amity summoned enough abomination slime to cover her, whereupon it hardened into armor. Blades made from the same extended from her wrists.

"Wh–But Amity, I can't just–" Luz tried to protest.

"Just go! Shut down Loxton's music so everyone else has a fighting chance!" She turned back to face her opponent. "I can handle this guy. This is what I've been training for!"

Mandrake grinned, amused by this display. "Oh-ho! Would you look at you! I can see that you're definitely a worthy successor to the Blight name! But no matter; I'm a worthy successor to the Mandrake name!" A cluster of vines covered with long thorns extended from his back.

Amity made her first move…which wasn't to rush towards Mandrake, but to head away from him. She used her blades to slice through the wall of hedges blocking the exit, making a path for Luz. "We'll meet up once I'm finished pummeling this clown. Good luck."

Luz grinned at her. "Right back at you, amiga." The bushes quickly sealed back up, trapping them on either side. Amity turned back towards Mandrake.

"Wow, such a noble sacrifice for the sake of your friends," he drawled. "I don't have a quarrel with you, but I'm sure the boss would be happy to see you dealt with."

She half-glared, half-grinned at him. "Pretty big talk. Let's see you back it up!"

"Gladly!"

Even though Luz wanted to stay and help, she knew she had a job to do. As long as Loxton's music filled the halls of the school, the Inquisitors and all their minions were empowered. Her friends could hold them off for a time, but if this went on for too long, they'd be overwhelmed. The only way anyone had a chance was if she made it to the office. But their plan had hit a bit of a snag.

"What am I supposed to do without Skara?" she wondered as she ran. "Am I supposed to sing?" Her eyes widened as memories of her fourth grade recital flooded her mind. "Okay, desperate times call for desperate measures, but not that desperate. There's gotta be something I can–!"

Right as she reached the door, another, much better idea came to her. She reached into her pocket and pulled out something she had all but forgotten: her phone. Maybe, just maybe, this problem didn't call for a magical solution. She quickly scrolled through her library of music, settling on a playlist marked 'Fight the Power.'

Having chosen her weapon, she flung open the door to Principal Bump's office. "Here's hoping my human music is loud enough!" she said, placing her phone down next to the microphone. Turning the volume all the way up, she turned on the intercom and pressed play.

Almost instantly, she felt like she was at a rock concert. The near-constant riffs from Loxton's guitar faded into the background as her much more familiar music filled the halls. It may not have been magical, but hearing the tunes nevertheless filled her with resolve. Glyphs in hand, she burst out the door, ready to rejoin the fray.

"We're not gonna take it!/No! We ain't gonna take it!/We're not gonna take it anymore!"

"What's the matter, Eda?" asked Hooty, leaning his head on the witch's shoulder. "You seem down in the dumps."

That was putting it lightly. With seemingly no leads, Eda had been 'moping,' as Kade put it, for the past half hour. "I'm fine. Just a bit bored," she tried to assure him. She got up, stretching, and looked for a more comfortable spot to sit down.

Hooty followed after her. "Eda, as a fellow bad liar, I can tell when someone's lying. And as someone who's good at bothering, I can tell something's bothering you. So would you like to spill it?"

"I guess, if it means you'll leave me alone," she muttered. "It's…I just…We've been sitting here in a cave for what feels like weeks now, while Luz is out there dealing with those Inquisitor freaks all by herself! I can't do much without Owlbert, and…I guess I just feel like a f…a failure."

"Oh, Eda, you're not a failure!" Hooty said. "Sure, you've failed on occasion, but that doesn't mean it's all you do! I mean, I freak people out on occasion, but does that make me a freak?"

Surprisingly, his analogy did little to comfort Eda. "I-I don't know how to answer that," she said.

Regardless, he continued. "My point is, Luz is a strong girl! Even if she was by herself, she could take care of herself, but she's not! She's got Willow, and that little dude, and that green girl, and that other girl, and maybe some other people too! Hey, for all we know, she's found King! So basically, she doesn't need you!"

Eda was unimpressed. "Gee, thanks, I feel so much better."

Luckily Kade was there to come to her rescue, holding two mugs of hot apple blood. "Hey, Hooty, why don't you go tell the kids the rest of your story? They're dying to hear how it ends!" As the living tube scuttled away, he sat down next to her, handing her one of the cups.

"Heh, thanks," she said, taking a sip. "He's not the best at pep talks, but he has a point. Luz knows how to handle herself. I just wish I could do more to help."

"You're doing plenty, Eda," he said. "We're looking into the Bat Queen's past. That's something, right? We help her, she helps us–and we need her help. You're tough, Eda, but even you can't take on the whole Emperor's Coven by yourself."

She looked at her reflection in the apple blood. "I probably could back in the day, you know?" she said. "This curse completely took me out of the running. I try to keep it to myself most of the time, but I know I don't have long left. One of these days, that potion's not gonna cut it anymore, and I'll be an owl beast forever…" A deep sigh. "I'm rambling again, aren't I?"

Kade smiled. "No, you're fine. We'll find a way to get through this. Even if I have to brew the greatest potion the Boiling Isles have ever seen. I could probably pull that off, right?"

They shared a small chuckle. "Oh, no doubt!" Eda said. "If anyone could make history with brewing, it'd be you. Then we'd just need to–" She stopped short, turning towards the entrance to the cave. She didn't seem alarmed, but her focus was entirely on some unseen disturbance. "Did you hear that?"

"No. What was it?" asked Kade.

She got up, slowly making her way outside to check. "I don't know. I thought I heard something, but I can't be sure. It was almost familiar, kinda like a feeling, you know?"

Kade didn't know, but looked outside as well. "Hmm…I'm not seeing anything. You don't think it could be Belos' henchmen, do you?"

"No, this was something else. And more welcoming, too. Wait…" Eda closed her eyes, as though feeling for whatever she had sensed. "Is that…?"

Her suspicions were confirmed when a bird suddenly flew through the trees. And not just any bird: "Hoo!" Owlbert exclaimed excitedly, all but divebombing directly into Eda's hair.

After the initial surprise had worn off, Eda burst out laughing, nuzzling the little owl. "Owlbert! Hey, welcome back, little guy! Mama missed you, ya know that?"

"Hoo!" said Owlbert, sitting in her hand. He seemed to have missed her just as much, as it was all he could do to sit still. "Hoo! Hoo-Hoot!"

"Ah. Sounds like you two had a tough time," she said. "Still, I'm glad ya made it back in one piece! Now that you're back, we can get the family back together again!"

Kade smiled. "Nothing like seeing a witch reunited with her palisman to lift your spirits!"

"Just wait 'til we get King and Luz back!" Eda said. "This little guy says that little guy went into town looking for his big sister. Titan willing, he'll have already found her by the time we go looking. I just hope no one else followed them back from…Alright, what are you looking at?" Kade had initially been listening, but his attention had been drawn to something just above and behind her. She turned around, expecting to see that Owlbert had brought home a new friend, only to find the exact opposite. "Oh."

Lilith hovered in the air above the clearing, descending to the ground once Eda had spotted her. Eda's feelings of relief now turned to apprehension and unease: Lilith on her own was bad enough, but had she brought backup? The two glared icily at one another, with Kade unsure if he should get between them. "Edalyn."

"Lily." Just as Lilith held her staff, Eda had Owlbert shift into her staff, just in case. "I'm surprised it took you this long to find me."

"Your little friend was a big help in that regard," she said, nodding towards her palisman. "Just be glad I got here before they did."

Eda scoffed. "You think I'm scared of some punks in masks? I don't care what fancy name or powers Belos gave 'em, they're still just glorified thugs. And why do you suddenly care? You haven't shown up to 'protect' me from his forces before. Or do you just want to bring me in yourself to garner favor with your lord and master?"

Lilith's jaw clenched, but she was able to calm herself with a deep breath. "This time is different, Edalyn. Mattias has defied Belos, he's on his way here to kill you. He left hours ago, it's a miracle he hasn't already arrived."

"Let me stop you right there," she said, holding up her hand. "One, I can handle that dweeb without Owlbert, let alone with. Two, do you have any idea how many defenses Bat Queen has in this forest? If he was on his way, we'd have known by now. Three…that's not why you're here, is it?"

"What? Edalyn, I don't–"

"Exactly. That's the problem. You don't. You don't let me live my life in peace. You don't stand up to Belos when he tries to force me into joining his coven. And you don't care enough to act like a sister! Ever since those tryouts–"

"Do not even try to make this my fault!" she hissed. "We both wanted to join the Emperor's Coven, and you know it! Then this curse happens, a-and…he can cure you, Edalyn! All you have to do is take your place by my side, and you can have all your magic back!"

Her eyes narrowed. "I don't want his cure. I want to live my life without constantly being under his thumb! And you just know that if he even can cure me, he'll never let me forget what I owe him!"

"You…you child!" Lilith was beginning to raise her voice. "After everything he's done for you, for us, how can you be so dismissive of him!? I want to help you, Eda–he does too! Why can't you see that!?"

Instead of getting angry, Eda just shook her head. "That's always been your problem, Lilith. Always focused on those rules, rules, rules. You never actually stop and wonder why he made all these rules in the first place." She began to stroll out of the clearing. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go say hi to my kids who I haven't seen in weeks."

Before she could walk past her, Lilith put a hand on her shoulder. It wasn't a comforting gesture, but a threat, a prelude to war. "I have tried being reasonable. I have tried using my words. You still, after all these years, refuse to listen to reason. But this time, I'm not taking no for an answer." Their eyes met, hers burning with rage. "You are coming back to the palace with me, and I don't care if I have to take down Mattias, or you, to get you there."

Ed calmly turned around to face Kade. "Hey, Kade? You might want to get back inside. Keep Hooty outta trouble." After a moment's hesitation, he backed into the cave. Hooty, as well as the Bat Queen and her children, had arrived to watch the scuffle that was about to take place.

"Should we do something?" he asked.

Bat Queen shook her head. "No. This is something she has to do on her own."

The two sisters glared at one another, no sound but the wind blowing through the trees. Their hands tightened around their staffs, daring the other to make the first move. For the longest time, they waited, almost perfectly still, for the right time to strike.

It was Lilith who made the first move, sending up a wall of fire as a feint. She warped beside Eda as she blocked it, striking her with her staff. Eda skidded across the ground, stopping herself as Lilith readied her next attack. As the blast of blue flame rushed towards her, she took to the skies.

Ascending high above her sister, Eda sent a flurry of magic missiles at Lilith, who warped out of the way of every one. This left her open as Eda followed up by slamming into her at full speed, resulting in her crashing to the ground. Eda dove after her, crashing down with enough force to leave a crater.

Lilith had rolled aside before she was hit, blasting Eda back with an enormous fireball. She swung her staff, meeting Eda's as the force of their colliding magical foci caused a gust that blew through the clearing.

"I don't want to fight you!" Lilith yelled, inches from Eda's face. "Everything I'm doing is for your own good!"

"You keep telling yourself that!" Eda retorted. "And if you recall, I didn't want to fight you either!"

Eda pushed back, launching Lilith back with a fiery upward swing. Both of them shot upward once more, bursts of yellow and blue flame dancing around in the air. Those in the cave watched the display with a mixture of fear and awe…except for the Bat Queen, who knew that this needed to happen.

The two warring witches fell to the earth like a wayward comet, the forest exploding into flames from the impact. Eda rose from the blaze, a fiery owl rising behind her. With wings of fire she hurled herself towards Lilith, who countered with a fiery raven the two birds colliding along with their masters. They traded blow after blow, becoming more exhausted in the process.

It was all Eda could do to keep going. She was running on nothing more than fumes and adrenaline now, feathers beginning to emerge from her arm. She held tight to her staff after a particularly powerful blow knocked her and her sister back. Panting, she stood upright once again, aglow with unstable magic.

"You can't keep this up, Edalyn!" shouted Lilith. She sounded more concerned than she did threatening. "This curse is eating your body alive from the inside! The more you push yourself, the more it's going to take!"

"Then I'll just have to push myself harder!" She rushed forward, repeatedly striking at Lilith with magically-enhanced blows. But given how drained she was, her hits had lost much of their potency. But even though she could easily have turned the tide, Lilith simply blocked her attacks.

"If you've ever listened to me, please, do it now! I…I can't bear to see this thing take you!" Lilith fell to her knees. "Just let me help you!"

"I've had enough of your help!" Eda fell back, hovering in the air as she prepared a blast with everything that remained of her power. More feathers began to sprout from her skin, and one of her eyes turned black. "If you really cared about me, why didn't you help me find who cured me!?"

"BECAUSE I'M THE ONE WHO CURSED YOU!"

Eda's attack never came. Lilith clearly expected it to, as her eyes were shut tight, her head facing the ground. Eda descended, silently standing there before her. The clearing was silent now, little more than a smoldering crater. Within the cave, Kade's hands were over his mouth, and Hooty's beak was agape. The Bat Queen had her eyes shut solemnly as the two sisters' fight reached its end.

"It…it was you…" Eda thought she'd be angry when this time came. She should have been angry. She should have been shocked, betrayed, furious even. But as she sat down, all she felt was numb. "This whole time, all this searching, it's been you."

She was quiet for some time, expecting Lilith to explain. She expected her to beg forgiveness, to try and weasel her way out of taking responsibility, but she never did. She stayed still, as though fully expecting–and possibly, in her mind, deserving–the full brunt of her sister's wrath.

"The tryouts," Eda said. "That was when this first started. Was…was that why? Did you really want to win that badly?"

Lilith nodded, still looking downwards. "I knew I could never beat you in a fair fight. And I knew you'd never back down, s-so I thought the only way I could win was…" Her voice quavered as tears fell to the dirt, but she refused to break down. "At the time, it seemed like that competition was all that mattered. That it was the only thing I could do to be worthwhile. Dad had been so distant after Mom died, I just wanted to make him proud…but it all seems so trivial now."

Eda absent-mindedly picked at the feathers she was growing. "Why was this the best option?" Surprisingly, there was no hint of bitterness in her voice. She was simply curious. "An owl beast curse? Seems like overkill."

"Th-the man I bought it from, he said it was only temporary," Lilith replied. "That all it did was weaken one's magic. That was all it was supposed to do–weaken you so that I could beat you, just once. I'm not sure if he was lying, or wrong, but…" She finally looked up at Eda. "I couldn't face you after what I had done. I knew you would hate me. And when I finally told Dad, I begged him not to tell you."

"So, he knew too, huh?" said Eda.

She shrank inward. "I've wanted to help you for so long…to make up for what I did to you…but I could never find a way. And now that Belos says he can fix you, I-I thought that was the only way. It has to be the only way."

Eda got to her feet. "There's always another way." She staggered back towards the cave, before turning back. "And for the record…I could never hate my sister. Be furious and disappointed, sure. But never hate."

Kade was already waiting with a potion once she was inside. She took it, downing it without wincing. "Are you going to be alright?" he asked, ready to offer a hug if it was needed.

"Mm-hmm." She sighed as she finished the potion, wiping her lips. "Yeah. That wasn't even the worst it's been. I didn't even go full owl beast."

"That's not what I meant."

"W-what do you want me to say?" she stammered, letting the bottle fall to the side. "That now that she said she's sorry, everything's okay? Or that now that I have closure, everything's okay? There's…there's more to it than that. I don't know. There's your answer, I don't know if I'll be okay. I don't know if anything's okay."

Hooty had nestled up beside Eda, and was staring outside at Lilith. "Y'know, I didn't hear her actually say she was sorry."

"Probably because she knows I don't want to hear it," she grumbled. Eda got to her feet. "How many of those potions do we have left?"

Kade rooted through a cooler, but he was only able to produce a single bottle. "This is the last one. We should probably go to the store for some more, or I can make some, but–"

She took the bottle, stashing it inside her hair. "No, this'll be fine for now. She made her way back outside.

Meanwhile, Lilith was still there, but she had retreated beyond the clearing. She had her back against a tree, hugging her knees close. She was out of the way, but still nearby should Eda want to speak to her; which she did, but not for the reasons she was expecting.

"Hey." Lilith glanced up at her sister. "You mentioned that Mattias was coming here, but I haven't seen him. Did he get hung up somewhere along the way?"

She wiped her eyes. "He should be here by now, if he was coming here in the first place. Shrike could have been lying…but if Mattias isn't here, then he must be heading to Hexside."

"Hexside?" Eda's heart skipped a beat. "Don't tell me…"

Lilith nodded, confirming her fears. "Apparently, he's going after Luz next. He's not going to hold anything back–anyone and everyone in that school is in danger." As Eda walked away, she got up to follow her. "B-but my source was wrong about you, so there's a chance he could be–"

"I'm not taking that risk," Eda said. "I've done nothing but stand idly by as Luz fought off the Inquisitors on her own. No more." She held out her hand, and Owlbert flew up to her, turning into her staff. "You want to help make up for what you've done? You can start by helping me save my kid. Helping me save everyone, from the sound of it."

Lilith's staff appeared in her hand as well. "I'm not sure I can ever earn your forgiveness. I'm not sure I deserve it. But this?" Thoughts of her own young apprentice crossed her mind. She looked up with a determined expression. "This is the least I can do."

"Eda! Eda!" Kade raced up to the pair of them. "You aren't seriously thinking about doing this, are you? So soon after a fight like that, as exhausted as you are…" Her feathers were gone, but he knew that could change in a second. "With just one potion, you could…"

She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey. This is something I gotta do, okay? I know you're worried, but don't be; I got this!" She mounted her staff, lifting off into the air. "Look after Hooty while I'm gone, okay? This isn't goodbye–I'll see you all later!"

Waving as they took off, Kade called after them. "Just be careful, okay? You remember what happened the last time you fought this guy!" As the two sisters took off towards the school, a look of worry crossed his face. He turned to the Bat Queen. "Should we, y'know, do something? Like go after and help?"

Once again, the Bat Queen shook her head. "No. As I said before, this is something she has to do on her own."

"This is our time!/Without a doubt!/Time to ignite!/We're not goin' down without a fight!/This is our time!/Get up off the ground!/Take what is mine!/We're not goin' down without a fight!"

Luz's music continued to pump from the speakers as she sprinted through the halls, blasting away abominations with ease. Their reddish glow had vanished, as had likely that of the Inquisitors themselves. She would make her way to where she had last seen the others to help with the fight, but first, she had to make sure Amity was okay.

"Amity!" Luz shouted, blasting through another collection of abomination guards. She hurried into the cafeteria…only to find that it was empty. Amity, Mandrake, and Briares were gone, the only sign they had been there were broken tables and scattered plant bits. "Oh no…Amity! Are you here? Are you alright?"

There was no response from the witch, worrying Luz. Her mind immediately started playing out worst-case scenarios, but she tried to reassure herself that Amity was just as likely to have beaten her foes. Whether or not she had won, Luz knew that the battle was still going on elsewhere, so she hurried out into the halls to find it.

"Looking for your friend?" Luz turned to see Caelano walking towards her down the opposite hall. "Don't worry, she's safe–I can take you to her."

"Take me to this! Or, no, just take this!" Luz threw a fireball at her, but she didn't even try to dodge. Instead, she just dissolved into smoke the moment she was hit–an illusion. Reasoning the real Caelano had to be around here somewhere, Luz looked around for any sign of her.

As she hurried on, she found not just one, but several Caelanos beginning to surround her. "I meant that, you know. Amity is unharmed. I can show you where she is, but you need to stop fighting."

With an annoyed sigh, Luz armed herself with glyphs. "You know I can't do that." She clenched a lightning glyph within her fist, slinging a bolt of electricity in a circle. Every one of the clones dissipated all at once, but more soon took their place. She was about to throw another one, but then they parted, revealing that they had taken a prisoner.

"Luz, wait!" Amity was being held captive by another Caelano, potentially the real one. "She's right–they already won! Everyone's been captured. Please stop fighting, I…I don't want to see you get hurt for nothing!"

For a moment, this worked, making Luz stop in her tracks. She already suspected that this Amity was an illusion, but it was lifelike enough to give her pause. Not to mention, what it said caused her to hesitate. What if everyone had been captured? What if the Inquisitors had already won? Was she really doing all of this for nothing?

She took a moment to catch her breath. "Okay. Alright, you have a point. But there's one thing you forgot."

'Amity' tilted her head to the side. "Hmm? What?"

"The real Amity would never give up so easily!" Luz raised a light glyph above her head, releasing a blinding flash. Though it was only for a moment, each of the Caelano copies, including the one holding Amity, as well as Amity herself, turned see-through. This was enough for Luz to regain her confidence, running right through them and down the hall. "You'll have to try harder than that!"

As she ran, she found that Eda blocked her path. "Luz, stop!" she ordered. "I'm taking you back home this instant! It's not safe here!"

Luz just ran straight through her. "You can say that again!" she said, not even slowing down.

Turning a corner, she then saw none other than Emperor Belos blocking her path. "Well, if it isn't Luz the human. I've been waiting for you."

The sight of him did give her a brief fright, but she barreled on nonetheless. "I'll deal with you later!" she called over her shoulder.

The theme continued as King bounded around the next corner, skidding to a halt when he saw her. "Luz! I'm so glad to see you! I've been looking all over the place for you!" he said. "This whole place is overrun with abominations! I haven't seen anyone else, I think they've been captured, and I–"

"Ha!" Luz laughed. "Nice try! What would King even be doing anyw–" To her surprise–and King's–she ran right into him, tripping over the tiny demon. She picked herself up, shaking off the impact. "King? King, it's the real you!"

"That's what I said!" He leapt into Luz's arms, where the two shared a tight hug. "Me and Owlbert escaped from the Emperor's Palace, and we had to walk all the way back here, but not all the way 'cause we ran into Belial and he gave us a lift, and Owlbert went to Eda and I went here to find you, and…and… Hi!"

"Hi!" Luz set him down and stood up. "I'm glad to see you too, but it's not safe here! The Inquisitors took over the whole school! If you haven't seen anyone, I think they might've been captured. Let's get you to safety, and then I can–"

"What? No, I'm here to help you!" he insisted. "I didn't trek all this way for hundreds of miles to let the Inquisitors take over a school–I came here to see you! And I'm not gonna run and hide this time!"

Their reunion was put on hold as a cluster of abominations found them, approaching from down the hall. Luz reached into her pocket for a glyph, only to find that she was out. As she fished through her other pockets to find one, King stood in front of her. "King, wait!"

As the abominations drew closer, he held his ground without fear. Before they could attack, he unleashed a tremendous shout: "WEH!" The shockwave blasted them apart, riddling the hallway with their goop.

"Um…" Luz wasn't sure how to react.

King turned around, chuckling sheepishly. "I, uh, may have had a few moments of self-discovery," he said.

Luz made a mental note to have him tell her everything…but not now. "We'll get back to that later. Right now, we have to save everyone. But even with your new dragonborn powers, I don't think the two of us will be enough…" She thought as hard as she could, trying to come up with a plan.

But King already had one. "Eda could! She should have Owlbert with her by now, so she can take 'em on no problem!" He paused, a sudden realization hitting him. "But if she's still in the forest, she won't even know what's going on. Maybe we should write her a letter or something!"

"I don't know if it would reach her in time," said Luz. She didn't think her phone could reach her either, and she didn't have a crow, nor was she an origami whiz like Kade. But there had to be a way to send her a signal…

As he wracked her brains, Luz glanced out the window, her eyes settling on the grudgby field. All that empty space… Her eyes widened as she suddenly got a memory of her first day of school. She had really wowed Bump with that ice-light combo. And with all that room on the field, she could make a tower of ice reaching to the sky, with a beacon of light on top. No way Eda could miss that! "Luz? Something wrong?"

"No, King, something's right!" she exclaimed. "C'mon, help me find a lawnmower! It's time we invited Eda to this party!" The two hurried off to summon reinforcements.