Eda could not sleep as her mind was too focused on tomorrow, on how only she or Lilith will be in the Emperor's Coven — and seeing her big sister cry like that. The latter has always been so strong; and breaking down upon hearing the news hurt more than anything. Eda hated this. She hated what her mother told them, and she hated that there was nothing any of them could do to change it. She was frustrated with her life. With the uncertainty of her future. It was all getting to her as tears swelled in her eyes.

"Edalyn." Amity's voice was heard from behind the slightly ajar door of her room. "Are you still awake?"

"Yeah. I am."

"I'm coming in." The door opened some more, and quickly Eda dried her eyes. She did not want her mom to see her like this. "Edalyn, what's wrong?" The younger Clawthorne looked up at her mother, seeing the worry that was on her face.

"Nothing. Everything. I don't even know what I'm feeling. Why are you still up?" Amity stepped into the room and sat on the bed next to her daughter. "What are you doing?"

"I want you to let it out."

"Let what out?"

"Everything that's bothering you. Talk to me. Scream at me if you have to. Just stop bottling it up."

"I… I…" Eda looked away from her.

Amity noticed the tears returning. "Edalyn."

"I don't want to talk."

"Why not?"

"Because… I don't know?"

"What does that mean?"

"It means I don't know, okay. I just… I just…"

"Just tell me what's bothering you. Just tell me what you want."

"I don't know what I want!" Eda released it all to her mother, who tried to remain unfazed by the outburst. "I thought wanting to join the Emperor's Coven would make me happy. But I don't know if that's what I want. The daughter of the coven's leader doesn't even know if she wants to follow in her mother's footsteps. I'm always certain about everything I do now. But I don't know what I want past that."

A long silence went by before Amity placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder and spoke again. "Edalyn. Would you believe me if I told you that I never wanted to be High Priestess of the Emperor's Coven."

Eda blinked and looked back at her mother. "What?"

"It was forced upon me by my mother and father the moment I developed my magic. They decided which school I would go to, which track I would study under, who my friends would be. My childhood was a living hell. When you and Lilith said you both wanted to join the Emperor's Coven, what did I ask you?"

"You asked us if that's what we really wanted."

Amity nodded. "I did not want to repeat the same mistakes as my parents. I wanted you both to make your own futures. What I'm trying to say, Edalyn is… I want you to know that whatever choice you make, I will always be proud of you."

Eda sniffled then wrapped her arms around Amity. "I love you, Mom."

"I love you, too." Amity hugged her back, brushing her hair. They stayed like that for about a minute before mutually breaking it. "Get some sleep, now."

Amity stood up to give Eda room to tuck herself in. "Good night." Eda began to drift off to sleep.

Amity kissed her forehead gently. "Goodnight, my Little Owlet." She walked out of the room and gently closed the door behind her.

"Nervous?" Raine asked the redhead as they and Morton sat with her underneath the bleachers for the Arena. A small, open field where witches of all kinds audition for covens they wish to join. Being out in the open made it easier for participants to let loose and impress the head witches. "I can offer you some tips to get over stage fright. They've worked for me about… twenty… thirty percent of the time."

Eda chuckled. "Sorry, I still can't get over the irony of a bard with stage fright."

"Yes, I understand." Raine blushed and rubbed the back of their head.

"But really, are you alright?" Morton asked with concern. "You don't seem to have that usual energy about you today."

"Well, I did wake up feeling a little under the weather," Eda admitted. "But it was just probably a morning thing, nothing to worry about."

"Are you sure? I can brew you a quick potion if you want."

"I'm fine, honest. I just had a lot to think about last night."

"Eda," King called out as the friends looked over to the small demon, Owlbert accompanying him. Hoot. "Amity is about to start soon."

"I'm coming," Eda answered, then looked at her friends. "You two better find your seats."

"Right. Good luck." Raine said. "Come on, Morton." The two friends walked ahead of Eda as the redhead stretched her arms and stepped out into the open.

There was quite a gathering in the bleachers. Soldiers of the Emperor's Coven all sat in the front rows, and the Golden Guard was present among them. Behind the soldiers, Eda recognized staff and students from school. Aunt Emira and Uncle Edric were talking with Head Nurse Viney and Professor Jerbo. She and Lilith had heard stories about how they were close when they were young… really close, at that.

She also saw Mrs. Skara with her husband, Vesper, a tracker for the Beast Keeping Coven. Poppy, Morton and Raine are in the row above together with Ms. Selene of the Oracle Track. Raine waved down to their friend below with a blush on their face, and Eda waved back to them, trying to hide her blush. Ms. Amelia from the Plant Track was sitting next to Ms. Catherine from the Healing Track; next to her was Mr. Mattholomule of the Construction Track. Eda also notices, and was surprised to see, that Leon and Hannah were present with their moms. Boscha, a professional grudgeby star, and Bria, head of the Construction Coven. The three-eyed oracle witchling looked bored out of his mind while his little sister giggled and clapped. Meanwhile, their moms were busy on their scrolls, not caring about what was going on around them.

Mrs. Skara got up and walked down the bleachers and to a podium where Amity stood with guards by her side. The High Priestess of the Emperor's Coven was garbed in the pristine white robes that symbolize her rank within the organization. "We're ready to begin," Amity told the bardic witch and the one person that she honestly considered a friend from her childhood.

"Okay," Skara said as she drew a circle, and a trumpet appeared in her hands. She blew into it, and everyone went silent with their focus squarely on the podium.

"Thank you, Skara," Amity said before clearing her throat. "Citizens of the Boiling Isles. I, High Priestess Amity Blight of the Emperor's Coven, welcome you here. On this day, one witchling will be bestowed the great honor to serve our emperor's great cause." The crowd applauded. "And now. The moment you've all been waiting for. May I welcome you, my daughters, Edalyn Clawthorne!"

Eda, who was already out on the field, waved to everyone. "Sup!" She shouted as she took her place, marked by a red square as the crowd applauded.

"Good luck, Eda!" Both Raine and Morton shouted from the bleachers.

Eda suddenly coughed hoarsely for some strange reason; then, it went away just as quickly as it came. "That was weird."

"And Lilith Clawthorne!" Amity announced as Lilith came out from behind the bleachers. A confident look on her face as she waved to the applauding crowd, taking her spot marked by a blue square.

"Hey, Eda! Lilith! Good luck out there!" "Those are our nieces down there!" Aunt Emira and Uncle Edric shouted with encouragement and pride at the same time. Eda could feel her face become as red as her hair from embarrassment, but she did not mind it too much.

"Good luck, you guys!" King shouted from the bleachers, too. Hoot! Owlbert, perched on the little demon's head, cried the same.

"Before we begin. Allow me to lay down the rules." Amity said sternly. "The match will end when a witch's knocked unconscious or surrenders. There will be no power glyphs or any other enhancements allowed. And weapons — palismen included — are forbidden from use. On my word, you may commence the duel."

Lilith took an intimidating stance, much like she would do when playing grudgeby. I did not want to repeat the same mistakes as my parents. Amity's words played in Eda's mind. I wanted you both to make your own futures. What I'm trying to say, Edalyn, is… I want you to know that whatever choice you make, I will always be proud of you. Eda believes her mother. It was time for her to make her own future.

"Begin!" Amity shouted, and Lilith ran from her spot towards her little sister, ready to cast her first spell.

Eda raised her hand into the air. "I refuse to fight my sister!"

Lilith stopped in her tracks, surprised by what she heard. "What?" She asked.

Amity blinked in surprise, staring at her daughter as the crowd began to mumble and talk amongst themselves. All were confused by what was going on. "Edalyn Clawthorne, explain yourself!" Amity had ordered her, not as a mother, but as the leader of the Emperor's Coven.

"I'm sorry, Mom." Eda began, looking at her. "But I will not fight Lily. We both know she's worked harder than me for it." She turned her attention to the crowd. "And anyone who knows her, they know she deserves it more than I do. She has a real reason for wanting to join; I don't. And honestly, I don't think the Emperor's Coven suits me anyway."

The crowd began to mumble louder as this was indeed an unexpected turn of events. Joining the Emperor's Coven is the highest honor, and seeing a child turn it down. That was unheard of. Amity gave her daughter a small smile, happy to see Eda's honesty in her decision. "Very well then." Amity looked over at Lilith. "Lilith Clawthorne. I welcome you to the Emperor's Coven."

"Aw, man!" "What a rip-off!" "Boo!" Most of the crowd began to moan and groan, feeling they were robbed of the opportunity to see children fight each other. Chances are, someone was planning to record and sell it, too.

"Edalyn," Lilith spoke as she walked up to her sister. "Why did you do that?"

"Sorry, Lily." The younger sister began. "I'm just not Emperor's Coven material. Besides, I'm not feeling like myself today. So, it wouldn't really be a fair fight." Eda began walking away, not noticing the concerned look from her sister. "I'll see you at home; don't let the fame go to your… Ugh!" A pain like no other filled Eda's chest as she dropped to her knees. She felt like she just got punched right in the bile sac.

"Edayln!" Lilith gasped loudly.

"Edalyn!" Amity shouted, seeing her daughter collapse, and climbed down the podium.

"Eda!" Hoot! Edric and Emira, King, and Owlbert cried simultaneously; trying to make their way through the bleachers as the crowd kept all eyes on what was happening.

"What's going on?" Morton asked.

"I don't know," Raine admitted as both of her friends tried to reach her.

"Edalyn, what's wrong?" Lilith asked, panicking.

"I don't know!" Eda began crying as the grew worse. "It hurts. It HURTS!" Her voice became distorted as the pain traveled across her body, causing her to fall onto her side. Her hands were morphing, extending until they resembled lanky claws. Her teeth being pulled by something unknown and were forcefully carved until they were long and sharp fangs. Krrrrrrrrack! Krrrrrrrrunch! "AHHHHHH!" The bones in her arms and legs snapped. They contorted until they were shaped like those of a vicious predator. Her orange hair changed into feathers and began growing across her body. "HELP ME!HELP M…" Crraaaaugh! Her speech was replaced with a feral cry. The redheaded fourteen-year-old was gone, and in her place was an owl-like beast.

The crowd gasped at the sight. Eda's friends and family were all frozen in shock. Lilith backed up from the creature that her sister turned into. "Edalyn?" She extended her hand out, but she backed up, scared herself. "Edalyn, it's me. Lilith." But the transformed sister continued cowering back.

"That girl's a freak!" Boscha shouted from the bleachers and threw her shoe at Eda.

"Get out of here, monster!" Bria joined in and threw something at her, too.

Hannah began crying at what was happening to Eda. Leon looked at his parents in disgust and tried to stop them. While he still did not like Eda, not even she deserved what was happening. But his efforts were in vain, as most of the crowd — including the Emperor's Coven's guards — turned against the transformed and scared fourteen-year-old.

"Get out of here!" "Get lost!" "Someone kill that damned thing!" "Freak!" "Monster!" "Hellspawn!" All kinds of nasty words and objects were thrown at the poor girl, making her retreat away. The teachers within the stands tried to stop them, but the damage was already done.

"Stop it!" Raine shouted, trying to push at the antagonizing crowd as they and Morton tried to get out of the bleachers. Poppy even tried to help clear a path for them.

"Leave her alone!" "She's just a kid!" Emira and Edric cried, trying to defend their niece.

"Eda!" Hoot! King and Owlbert shouted as they successfully got down from the stands and ran to her as fast as possible.

"Edalyn!" Amity shouted for her little girl as she bolted from the podium towards her.

Crraaaaugh! Overwhelmed by what was happening, Eda ran away. Crraaaaugh! Her cries of despair were so loud that all Isles could probably hear it. "Edalyn, wait!" Lilith called out to her as her mom, little brother, and sister's palisman joined her. Crraaaaugh! Eda kept on fleeing until she disappeared into a thick brush of woods. "Edalyn!"

Amity summoned Ghost and hopped on her staff. "Hop on. We're going after her." She said as King, Owlbert, and Lilith joined her and flew off into the woods.

Crraaaaugh! The transformed Eda cried as she ran at speeds that even Ghost, who has gone on record as the family's fastest palisman, could barely keep up.

"What happened to her?" King asked Amity, turning to his adopted mother. He then looked at Lilith and noticed this eldest sister was looking pale, paler than usual, downright nauseous.

"I don't know," Amity answered, bringing King's attention back to her. "We'll find out after we catch her." Amity drew a circle in the middle of their flight, pointing it at Eda. Abomination tendrils made from the elements erupted from the ground and entangled Eda's legs. Crraaaaugh! Eda cried as she was stopped in her tracks, trying to break free.

Amity stopped Ghost in front of her with everyone disembarking the staff. "Edalyn. It's me. It's Mom." Amity approached cautiously, trying not to scare her any further. Crraaaaugh! It was not working. "My baby girl." Tears began forming in her eyes, trickling down her cheeks. King, Lilith, and Eda have seen their mother's less stoic side... but here, she broke down, emotions out of her control. "What's happened to you?" Crraaaaugh! Amity regained her composure and breathed deeply. "It's okay, Edalyn. Everything's going to be alright." Amity raised her finger and began to draw a circle to cast a sleep spell.

Crraaaaugh! Eda's terror grew and managed to pull one of her forelegs free. Before Amity even knew what happened, her daughter's claw swiped across her face and knocked her away onto the ground. "MOM!" King and Lilith shouted as they rushed to check on her. Crraaaaugh! With the caster of the abomination spell down, the tendrils melted away. The transformed Eda ran past her mother and siblings, still in panic. Hoot! Owlbert called out to her.

"Mom?" Lilith examined the unconscious woman and gasped at the gruesome, bloody scratch across her face. If Eda struck just an inch higher, her eye would have been clawed out. "Oh, Titan, no. Mom, I'm sorry." Lilith began breaking down. "I'm so sorry."

"What are you apologizing for?" King asked her. Crraaaaugh! But whatever questions he had could wait. "Owlbert and I will go after Eda, take her back home!" After giving his order, King got on all fours and chased after the transformed Eda. Hoot! Owlbert followed shortly behind him, flapping his wings as hard and as fast as his tiny body would allow.

Crraaaaugh! King and Owbert followed Eda deeper into the woods. The little demon and palisman try their hardest to keep up with her to little avail. At some point, Eda will have to stop to rest if King and Owlbert do not give out first.

The two of them eventually chased her until they reached a vast clearing. Crraaaaugh! Eda tripped over something and rolled onto her side. "Eda!" King shouted, breathing heavily as he stopped at the edge of the clearing. He leaned against a tree to catch his breath. "Eda…" Huff. Huff. Huff. "Please…" Huff. Huff. Huff. "Wait…" Huff. Huff. Huff.

Eda got up. Mmmmmm. She whimpered and stalked over to what she tripped over, nudging at with her nose. "What are you doing?" King watched her curiously. Hoot? He and Owlbert approached her slowly, trying not to start another chase. Eda eventually dug it up. It was a brown suitcase with a large, slit-pupil yellow eye in the center. Eda pressed her nose against it, and it reacted. Crraaaaugh! She jumped. "No! Don't run! Don't run!"

The suitcase shook as it floated upwards and unfolded until a door appeared and opened on its own, leading to another forest. Eda looked at it with fascination, and King had a bad feeling of where this was going. "Eda, don't do it," King called out to her in a gentle voice. Crraaaaugh! His big sister screeched and leaped through the door. "No!" Hoot! Owlbert picked King up by the collar with his talons and flew forward with surprising amounts of strength the little demon never realized he had. They went through the door after Eda.

Wumpth! Owlbert dropped King onto the ground, and the little demon looked behind. "Oh, no. Where did the door go?!" Where the door should have been, there was a rundown house that he could only guess had been long abandoned.

Crraaaaugh! King turned back to Eda's cry of pain as she began shrinking. Her feathers were turning back into her bright orange hair. Krrrrrrrrack! Krrrrrrrrunch! Her body was readjusting itself back into her young witchling form. Crraaaaugh! "Ahhhh!" She let out one last scream from the painful transformation before turning back to normal and collapsed onto the ground.

"Eda!" King cried as he ran to her. Hoot! Owlbert flew ahead of him and landed right on her chest. "Eda!" King checked her out, her eyes closed and her breathing shallow. King placed a paw on her forehead; she had a burning fever. She was no longer that… thing, but it was still taking a toll on her. Hoot? "I don't know what to do. I'm not a part of the Healing Coven." King looked ahead at the clear path in front, then back to the derelict house. "Owlbert. I'll stay with Eda. You find help. I'll keep her safe, I promise." Hoot! Owlbert saluted with his wing and flew down the path to find someone, anyone who could help them. King nuzzled up to Eda, trying to keep her comfortable in her current state. "Don't worry, sis. I'm not going anywhere."

Well, here it is. The chapter you've all no doubt have been waiting for. I hope this was worth the wait. And now, Eda's adventures with Luz in the Human Realm begins. Please favorite, follow and leave a review; feedback is appreciated.