"I'm sorry you all… had to see that."

The hoarse voice whispering from the miserable bundle of blankets on the couch made Eda and her guests twitch in discomfort, seated around the coffee table in a semi-circle as they quietly chewed through dinner. Nobody had been overly hungry after the horrible events they had witnessed under the influence of the Owl Lady's enchantment, but after Luz had cried herself into an exhausted nap, the host had insisted on everyone getting something in their stomachs. 'It helps calm you down,' she said, refusing to elaborate any further. Even King and Hooty had awkwardly remained present, to be informed by those who had been involved for the encounter with Luz's troublesome memories.

The plate of unfamiliar noodles cooled before Luz, untouched, as she stared blankly at the low-slung coffee table. She made no move to eat, not trusting the awful twisting in her gut at the moment, the throbbing soreness of her burnt wrist a mild distraction from her other discomforts. Her companions had been kind enough to offer her a roll of gauze and homemade ointment for the injury, which she slowly enwrapped her limb in.

The planeswalker felt emptied after her earlier distress. But she owed it to her new friends not to let it bog her down too badly.

Gus gave a frantic shake of his head at her apology, looking on the verge of tears himself.

"No Luz, it wasn't your fault! I was the one making stupid jokes and not taking it seriously. You were clearly upset, and I just – wouldn't shut up, and…"

"I think we're all a little guilty here, kid." Eda's tone brooked no argument. "She was uncomfortable every time she talked about where she'd been, and then I badgered her into showing us proof – for something she clearly hadn't gotten over yet. Should've just quit while we were ahead." She combed a hand through her graying hair, looking twice her age in that moment.

"… Do you want to talk about any of it, Luz?" Willow murmured softly, gently placing a hand on the mage's knee. "Maybe not what we saw earlier. Just – in general. I know it can help, if you're willing."

"I don't know, Willow…" The Owl Lady began, hesitation on her face.

"It's okay."

Luz's quiet mumble struck them silent, the huddle of witches and demons waiting for her to continue. A long moment passed as she composed herself.

"I didn't find out any of this until later. After I talked to some other planeswalkers who were there, too." Luz's eyes slid shut as she recalled conversations of years past. "Those things were called 'Eldrazi.' The ones that attacked were drones, slaves to three giants that would attack worlds." She looked up then, a grave expression on her face.

"They would destroy entire planes. Every living thing eaten for their mana, stripped down to dust. And then they'd move on to kill the next. It was… I don't even know if I can count how many people died to them. Zendikar was their last target."

She swiped the back of her hand across watering eyes, sniffling sharply as she continued.

"A bunch of armies and 'walkers managed to stop two of the Titans… Ulamog and Kozilek. They did some -" Luz's hand slid out from her nest, gesturing vaguely. "Mega-sized spell that torched them. But the last one escaped."

Her gaze grew haunted again, blind to her companion's expressions.

"I saw it again on another world called Innistrad." She gave a low, bitter chuckle, bordering on hysterical. "I thought it was hunting me. You know? There's no way my luck was so bad. But it showed up, and I – I couldn't stay. Couldn't help. Just like last time. That place was… already really bad to begin with." She paused, directing her attention to the grim countenance of the Owl Lady.

"Do you guys have vampires and werewolves around here? Or maybe stuff like zombies, and ghosts?"

"You can find them here and there, yeah." Eda answered cautiously, wary of how the tangent was headed. "Actual undead are pretty rare these days though. Belos' cronies aren't big fans of raising bodies."

"And what would you say they're like? Normal people?" She was not liking where the mage was going with this.

"Mostly. Why?"

"Innistrad was wrong." Luz surprised them with the hard conviction in her voice as she looked down at her lap once more. "Vampires were nutty, murderous predators. Ghosts and ghouls were all over the place constantly going after helpless people. Werewolves were… crazy. They never remembered anybody, and would just – tear everything apart. The demons were probably the worst, though. Every bad story you've ever heard about them came true on that world." Luz shuddered, cutting herself off.

"It got worse when Emrakul showed up. It drove everybody into a rage, making them mutate and go insane. I was barely there a month before I had to run. It was… close. Closer than I'd like."

"What happened with that one?" King sounded like he feared the answer, anticipation warring with dread on his bony face.

"The same group that took out the other Eldrazi showed up, and…" Luz had to stop, a bit of life coming back to the girl as her bafflement became clear. "Apparently they locked it inside the planes' moon, somehow? Something about it being a bunch of enchanted silver?" She shrugged helplessly. "Yeah, I… don't really know what was up with that."

"Uh. Okay." No one really had an appropriate response to that statement.

"…That wasn't all you had to say, kid." Eda eyed her from the adjacent lounge chair, frowning lightly. "Something else is bugging you, isn't it?"

Luz gave a humorless chuckle, shaking her head slightly.

"Am I really that much of an obvious sad-sack? Sorry guys. I wasn't planning on dumping my life's story on you today." The subdued girl gave another sniffle, finally reaching for the meal set out before her. She fiddled with her dented metal fork for a moment, considering what else she was willing to reveal, before gusting out a resigned sigh. "Guess I might as well get it all out on the table in one go."

Willow wrapped her in a warm one-armed hug, concern clear on her features.

"Only if you're okay with it. We're not going anywhere, if you wanna save it for another day."

"…Thanks." Luz gave her a wobbly smile, taking a quick scoop of her meal before pushing onwards. "It still hurts, but… I do feel a little better, getting to finally talk about all of this. There's a little bit more. I – haven't ever had anyone around long enough to tell them what happened."

The point that 'Because they were all gone' went unsaid by everyone present.

"The last world I stayed on for a while was Ravnica. You know how Bonesborough looks?" She received a round of nods from the group, barring Hooty. "Ravnica's an entire plane covered in towers that make the town seem like a dinky village in the woods. Every structure's at least three times as high, and it's all buildings as far as the eye can see." A faraway look filled her gaze. "It's still beautiful, in its own way.

"The point is, I went there to track down some rumors about other planeswalkers being really active on that world. I was trying to find some info that only somebody like me would probably know, so I followed their trail best I could." Luz closed her eyes. "I found some people there, a bunch of barbarian clans called the Gruul. They lived on the outskirts where nature was trying to reclaim the construction. I met… a good friend. Domri Rade."

She couldn't help the bittersweet smile that curved her lips, memories of better times clear in her mind.

"He was a 'walker, too. A few years older than me. Took me in, convinced the other Gruul to let me stay and learn from them. That was the longest I'd ever spent in one place – he wasn't really big on travelling around when he had people to care of back home. Domri was the closest thing I've ever had to a brother, I think." Her grin soured, dark recollections rearing their heads. "It was like the Kor all over again. I let myself make friends, and then some loco bastardo went and ruined it all."

"It wasn't the Eldrazi again, was it?" Gus whispered, eyes wide in anticipation.

"No. Worse. Another planeswalker - some gigantic, ancient dragon that showed up with an army of crystal zombies."

"Uh… what? 'Crystal zombies,' really?" Eda seemed barely able to believe that, but Luz remained serious, leaving the Owl Lady to acknowledge her tale with a nod.

"There were hundreds, maybe thousands of them. They tore the whole city apart, looking for us – other 'walkers. They were killing people, harvesting them for their sparks. It was… awful."

Her voice dipped into a haunted whisper, eyes staring unseeing at the floor.

"Domri tried to join the dragon. They killed him first. I - I watched it happen."

"I'm so sorry, Luz." Willow squeezed her tightly, a sympathetic expression on her face. The others looked on with varying degrees of guilt and discomfort as the room went silent for a long moment.

"I don't mean to derail you, Luz," Gus started slowly, "But what was that about a 'spark?' Is that a… planeswalker thing?"

"Yeah." Luz nodded, leaning into the comforting embrace. "It's the part of the soul that lets somebody travel between worlds. I heard someone say once that maybe one in a million people are born with it, and it's another one in a million that ever have it activate. You -" Her voice cracked. "You can't take that from somebody without killing them. The dragon didn't care."

"Why would he do that to people, if he was able to move around like that?" Eda demanded sharply, hands clenching helplessly as she fumed at the thought. "What's the point in all the destruction for something you already have? It doesn't make any damn sense."

Luz could only shake her head limply.

"I don't know. I was too busy staying alive. When I tried to leave, it…" Her thoughtful look returned. "There was something keeping us all trapped on Ravnica. I didn't ever figure that one out, but there were at least a few dozen other 'walkers present during the fight. For reference? If I see another person like me within a couple of months, it's a good day. We're pretty rare, which I guess makes us valuable… to certain people." She concluded darkly. "And I know what you're thinking."

She couldn't stand to look at her tentative friends, to see the pity and embarrassment she anticipated in their faces. Luz felt her stubborn determination well up in her chest, refusing to let her own efforts go unstated.

"I didn't run that time. I didn't hide."

Luz was not a coward anymore. She was not.

"I fought them," She whispered furiously. "I used everything I had to make a difference. The others were stronger than me, but – I'm fast. Hard to hit. I know how to get around, where to take people out of the way so they'd be safe. Those monsters were killing everyone -" She glared up, dreading their judgement – but was surprised and mollified to find only patient support on their faces. Luz pushed on once more. "So I fought them. I saved people, that time. I didn't let them hurt innocents, not like… on Zendikar."

"You didn't 'let' anything happen girly." Eda's hand squeezed Luz's covered knee comfortingly, her voice firm. "You're forgetting we all saw what was coming for you. You survived. No shame in that. And besides? Good job on sticking it that nasty dragon." She gave the teary-eyed mage a fierce grin. "You did solid work saving people and the like. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise, got me?"

"That's a lot coming from you, Miss 'I'd Kill a Man for a Coin' Clawthorne." Willow ribbed her mentor lightly, wielding a cheeky half-smile to take the edge off. Her jest got several small chuckles from around the room, Luz included.

"Feh!" The Owl Lady gave a dismissive wave, rolling her eyes. "Sometimes there's stuff more important than money, you know? But only sometimes." She gave the bundled mage an exaggerated wink and a nudge, drawing a few more hiccupping giggles from the tired girl.

Luz had missed having friends to share jokes with. It'd been too long since she'd just cut loose, by her reckoning. The calm that followed was much more pleasant than it had been while she dozed, the rest of the Owl House lounging quietly as she scooped the remainder of her lukewarm meal into her mouth.

"So I know poking into your past was what got us in hot water to begin with," Gus spoke up hesitantly, tapping his fingers together. "But I'd still love to hear any stories you have about other worlds, Luz. Just, um, the happier stuff. You know. Sorry." The tips of his ears darkened as his words trailed off.

The young planeswalker gave a pondering hum around her final forkful of pasta, casting her mind back to various adventures across the multiverse.

"Augustus. Really? Right now?" Willow appeared thoroughly unimpressed, directing a flat glare at the cringing boy from behind her thick glasses.

"It's alright, guys. Not everything's doom and gloom with me. Just… thanks for being here. I really appreciate it." Luz gave what she hoped was a confident grin at the pair, gesturing towards herself. "'Sides, you're not the one that tripped right over a big personal warning sign trying to prove a point. So."

She cleared her throat, eyes tracing the aged support beams overhead as she considered what kind of tale the others would be interested in hearing. The planeswalker perked up as she recalled one particularly astounding encounter, some energy making its way back into her posture at the thought.

"Okay, when I was wandering around one time," Luz began, immersing herself into retelling the experience. "I found myself on a plane they called Kephalai. Lots of big, classical city buildings made of marble, and the whole continent was peppered with these enormous lakes and rivers. Anyway, you can imagine my surprise when I pop by one of the city markets, and find somebody selling trinkets with Ravnican guild seals on them…"

They spent the rest of the night listening with rapt attention to Luz spinning tales of happier times, well into the dusky later evening of the Boiling Isles, hanging onto every word of worlds afar.


After the incident the prior weekend, Eda seemed determine to let Luz work her way through the painful tangle of emotions evoked by the event, and let her have the better part of the week off in spite of her protests. The Owl Lady didn't really seem to have an answer to the moping young adult living in her house, and just cut her free to take some time and try to relax. However, her supposed indifference was offset by regular check-ups on Luz's welfare as the girl collected herself. The mage found it just a little exasperating, if not endearing that the older witch cared enough to keep her wellbeing in mind.

With King and Eda tied up in running the business side of the Owl House's affairs, making consistent sales runs out to local customers, Luz found herself free to explore the property and surrounding woodlands. She would regularly spend mornings rising shortly after the encroaching sun as she was wont to do, exercising staff forms alongside the windy cliff while Hooty kept her company, the house demon running through all kinds of inane chatter to keep her mind busy.

To her quiet relief, the brief spat of nightmares had receded once more, leaving her feeling significantly better rested.

After a point Hooty even volunteered to help Luz as a sparring partner if she so desired, proving his uncanny ability to tear through the packed soil and burst past her flanks for ambushes. It was a welcome deviation from the straightforward fights she was so accustomed to, allowing the planeswalker to hone her senses as she returned to the rhythm of battle readiness.

Nobody had been harmed by Eda's disastrous enchantment the week before, not physically at least, barring her minor burn from magical backlash. But it was a firm reminder of what may yet come in her future – and what she now stood to lose, with people Luz cared for in the line of fire once again.

To that end, Luz pushed herself to expand her skillset with various colors of mana, targeting something she had considered previously harnessing: blue magic hydromancy.

She began simply, manipulating water sourced from the house or down by the wild seas, twisting it into a variety of forms through the power of her mental fortitude. It was in no way easy, wrapping her will around a liquid source and forcing it into unnatural shape, and having to retain it as such for extended periods of time. In addition, the field of application was quite wide – as she had commented to her impromptu students the other night, there were almost no limits to what could be accomplished through magic with enough time and power. Luz thusly decided on more combat-oriented efforts, calling the strength of flowing rapids to herself in cutting blades and dowsing blasts.

The arcane depths of the island's heavily saturated blue mana sang loudly through her body and soul, sharpened into slicing whips under the pressure of her determination. The roughly assembled dummies of dried wood and fallen brush that Hooty helped her gather fell quickly before the onslaught, blasted and ripped apart as she directed her attacks with snaps of her wrists.

Luz hoped that within a few weeks, she might be able to further grow her repertoire of aquatic abilities, perhaps to cast squalling blasts of snow and ice, or even disperse attacks into bursts of fog. The skill evaded her for the moment, the intricacies of manipulating liquid thermodynamics while maintaining control of the water straining to her untested senses. However, the planeswalker welcomed the challenge knowing that mastery would come with time and practice.

Occupying her mind with new goals kept Luz from the dark thoughts of the recent past, pushing her ever onwards. She even allowed herself a moment of childish fantasy, the glee of 'waterbending' like in one of her favorite childhood shows helping to maintain her focus and enjoyment of the self-taught lessons.

During her spare time, the Owl Lady would join her in the yard, eager to put her own newfound access to blue mana to practice. She gave a valiant attempt at following the lead of her guest, but the grasp of hydromancy was beyond her for the moment. Not to be deterred, Eda pitted herself against numerous scrap items in the yard and began harnessing the power of freeform telekinesis. At one point, the pair had the bright idea to train in conjunction, with the pale witch launching targets skyward for Luz to blast to pieces with a concentrated attack of lashing water. Simultaneously, the mage would throw unannounced blasts towards the older woman at random intervals, encouraging Eda to redirect streams of swirling liquid away from her vulnerable form.

The witch's connection to the flowing tides of her land's magic grew with every passing day, leaving her capable of drawing greater quantities of mana into her confident spellcasting. Within the week, Eda the Owl Lady was tossing multiple objects across the yard in quick succession, knocking aside incoming attacks with a brush of her thoughts. Luz made certain to provide praise and feedback where appropriate, pride swelling in her chest at the sight of such resounding success for her older student. Between her decades of spellcasting and familiarity with the land and seas of the Boiling Isles, Eda slipped into her new skillset with the ease of a true prodigy, the original difficulties in connecting to natural mana all but forgotten.

In spite of everything that had happened as of late, this was the most fun Luz had experienced in a long while.

The return of the weekend brought with it further surprising developments.

Willow and Gus came hiking over the eastern foothills just as the pair were winding down from another training session, scattered remnants of shredded refuse and muddy puddles of splattered water interspersing patches of thick grass. Luz swiped the sweat from her brow with an easy motion, panting roughly as she shot her sparring partner a brilliant grin.

"You're a real natural, Eda." The butt of her staff was planted firmly in the dirt, the living wood slippery in her grasp. "I can't believe how fast you're taking to this! Guess all that meditating really did do something for you, huh?"

The Owl Lady snorted, downing a refreshing gulp from a salvaged human water bottle she'd found in her pile of goods.

"Uh huh. It was the silly mental gymnastics that made me so good, not the years of magical experience and constant practice every day. Whatever helps you sleep at night, kid." She gave a rough shake of her head, thick mane of hair following the motion. "Phew. I thought I was in pretty decent shape before you came along, but all this flailing around really tuckers a gal out. Gotta admire that youthful stamina."

"Mhm!" Came the cheery hum of agreement, even as Luz gestured with each hand, the pull of her will sending twin arcs of cool water spraying over her body from the nearby buckets. With a furrowed brow, she lunged forward, calling on blue mana and snapping her wrist away from her core. The majority of the liquid soaking her exercise clothes and twisted braid came running out in narrow rivulets, her clawed gesture loosening as she released control of the water to send it splashing to the ground. It was incredibly refreshing in the summertime sun – she'd have to keep working on that trick for future use.

"Huh. Handy." Eda remarked, turning to meet the approach of her apprentice and company, cocking a slim eyebrow and grin their way. "You kids missed the show! Luz here has been helping me learn how to toss stuff around with my mind. Now if any of you act up, I don't even haveta get off the couch to kick your little rears outta my house."

"Oh, I'm sure, Eda. I'll keep that in mind next time you ask me to help file your taxes. Hello, by the way, Luz." Willow tossed out flippantly, not even dignifying her snarky tutor with a look as she greeted Hooty, taking shelter inside the cool interior of the Owl House.

"What taxes?" The pale witch snorted, completely serious. She shortly followed suit, snagging the emptied buckets and boxes on her way to the door and directing a sly look towards the male witch. "Lunch'll be ready in an hour or so, kids. Try not to melt out here."

Luz gave her a parting wave, taking in the sight of the embattled yard once more as she consolidated her remaining containers of water, the sloshing of overfilled buckets loud in the midday stillness.

"Hey there, Gus. Looks like it's just you and me right now." She grunted as the buckets were dropped in a sloppy semicircle, dusting her hands off on slightly damp trousers as she gave the diminutive witch a questioning look. "Was something the matter? Or did you just want to hang out here with me?"

"Hi Luz." He seemed a bit more subdued than their previous encounter, hands folded behind his back as one heel dug nervously into the dry dirt.

"What's up with you?" The mage asked, cocking a brow as she planted one hand at her hip. "I know we got off to a rough start before, but I'm not angry, you know. I made a stupid mistake and paid for it – it happens."

"I know, I know, but…" The younger boy dropped into a deep bow, startling her. "I just wanted to apologize again. And… I wanted to give you something. As a gift, if you'll take it." His clasped hands flexed over some hidden object resting against his lower back.

"Of course! You didn't have to do that."

Gus straightened from his supplication, stepping forward to take Luz's free hand and press a sleek disc of foreign metal into her palm.

"I hope you like it. Eda and Willow actually helped a lot with the process – they felt pretty bad too, and so we kinda… put our heads together and made something for you."

The object was wrought in smooth, unmarked silver, shaped similarly to an old-fashioned pocketwatch on a chain, with a single miniature clasp on its front. Luz couldn't help the gasp that escaped her as she popped the trinket open, and sprouting from the interior came a wildflower native to –

"Zendikar… a jungle honeysuckle? How did you…"

"Willow had made sure to memorize some of the plants she saw during the spell the other day," Gus elaborated, his eyes on the flowering illusion. "Eda helped with some more mind magic to get all the details right, and then we tied it into an illusion enchantment that I knew of to make it as realistic as possible." One of his hands came up, gently stroking the fragile leaves of the plant's image. It all felt so… genuine, hearing the soft sound of his fingertips scrape over the green shoot, stem bowing underneath the pressure.

"That's not all it can do, too. Give it a swipe on the bottom half."

Luz followed his suggestion with mouth agape, eyes widening further as the image shifted, displaying the shape of a tender fern sprouting from the undergrowth.

"We got about ten or so plants programmed into the enchantment. Willow wanted to record more, but that was all she saw before, well…" The witch shrugged, averting his eyes. "We just wanted to give you a little something to remember your favorite place by, y'know? And… we're all really sorry about that – whole thing. Yeah."

"It's… it's beautiful." She was tearing up a little as the sleek leaves of the fern rolled between her fingers. Luz shut it after another moment, the container snapping cleanly closed and cutting off the projected illusion. "Thank you so much. This – it means the world to me."

She lunged forward, snatching the shorter boy into a tight hug as he gave a startled laugh, before gamely returning the gesture. Gus patted her comfortingly on the shoulder blade, the embrace loosening up as Luz took a step back.

"We weren't sure if you would want it on a chain or anything, but Eda said she can always modify it later if you don't want it as a necklace. And… I'm glad you like it so much!"

"I love it, Gus. I'll have to thank Eda and Willow for their help when we go in to eat." A quick wipe of her thumb flicked the forming tears from her eyes, and she directed a shining smile to the boy that he readily returned.

"Good to hear! But - there was something else I meant to ask you, too." He clasped his hands before him, a winning smile on his face. "Eda said that you might possibly be able to teach me how to use your type of magic for illusions?"

"Was this a bribe?" Luz asked playfully, letting out a chuckle at his falling expression, pointed ears going dark with a blush as he stammered frantically. "I'm just messing with you. Yeah, I've met mages who can do that kinda thing with blue mana, even if I haven't tried it myself."

She turned her head to look towards the Owl House, giving it a narrowed squint as she pocketed her gift safely within her trousers.

"I've got a quick question, though." Luz turned back to her companion. "I get that Willow wants to be a 'wild witch' like Eda, but she didn't mention anything about the kind of stuff you were learning. Are you okay with all of this… arguably legal magic? I don't want anybody getting hauled off to jail…"

"Ah, but there's the secret!" Gus declared, holding up a finger dramatically. "I'm not learning how to do all schools of magic, just illusions – with a different source."

Hmm. A clever little workaround, if it was true. He followed the statement with a cheeky grin.

"Besides, none of us even know if your kind of spells will work with a coven tattoo, so it's worth giving it a shot, you know?"

"Tattoo?" She repeated, tilting her head with a frown. "What tattoo?"

In response the young witch rolled up one of his sleeves, revealing the sprawling web of ink staining his forearm, an intricate icon of a doubled mirror eclipsing his wrist.

"It's how covens apply limitations to a member's magic," He explained, even as the planeswalker leaned in to inspect the pattern, fascination and revulsion warring on her expression. "They're enchanted to cut off other types of spells for witches. Normally you get them before you graduate, once you've picked a coven to join."

Luz couldn't imagine such a massive handicap being placed on someone's magical abilities. It was a notable struggle for most fledgling mages on other worlds to master even one school of spells – and the witches of the Boiling Isles just… cut themselves off from the full spectrum, even for their children? Just like that?

"Does it hurt, when they give you those?" She wasn't even certain if she meant physically or spiritually.

"Nope. It's real easy, most members will know the spell so they can do it for new applicants. Not even a pinch." Gus rolled his wrist, displaying his full range of unhindered motion.

"Wow. I can't even imagine doing something like that…" She hesitated, feeling her questions encroaching on delicate subjects. "If you're required by law to get those before you finish high school, then – how do Eda and Willow not have those tattoos?"

Gus' expression folded in on itself, as his gaze slid away from her uncomfortably.

"I'm… not sure I should say. It's not really my place to tell you." His body language screamed uncertainty and doubt at his own words.

Luz placed her hand lightly on his shoulder, drawing his gaze back around with a wince.

"You don't have to tell me if you think it'd be wrong to, Gus. I just wanted to make sure you didn't feel like you had to learn these spells if it might be a problem in the future, just because Willow and Eda know it. But I promise – whatever it is, I won't judge."

"Well…" The young witch dragged the word out, trepidation clear. "We did get to see some of your own stuff get revealed to the world the other day. And – I won't get into the real tough bits. So…"

Luz mentally braced herself, as Gus came to a decision.

"They avoided the tattoos because… they dropped out of school."

Her eyes widened a bit at the admission. It wasn't as if that were something horrifically scandalous, but it struck painfully close to home within her heart.

"I'll let Willow decide if she wants to tell you why. But Eda? As far as I know, she just didn't wanna give up her abilities. Which I get, but…" Unspoken concerns for his friend and her mentor danced behind his eyes. "She's spent most of her life running from the law. I don't know if I'd have the guts to do something like that."

"… I don't know if I would, either." Luz muttered softly, giving a sympathetic wince. "They really dropped out of high school? Both of them?"

"Yeah." Gus gave a subdued mutter. A bit of steel entered his spine as he looked up at her, gaze challenging. "That's not some kind of problem, is it?"

"No, no. It's just…" Her fingers drummed nervously against folded arms as Luz fought to unearth yet more buried memories. "That's something I struggled with. A long time ago. School and I never really got along, and it – it didn't end well. It's kinda why I'm here, to a degree." She gestured widely, encompassing the sky with the sweep of an arm. "Guess it's a bit of a moot point, though. Can't really get an education like that when you're planet hopping. You know?"

The two descended into morose silence for a moment before Luz broke the pause with a clap, forcing a cheery expression.

"Welp, since you're interested in learning how to cast spells with mana, let's get you started before lunch. The standing record for learning how to harness blue magic is about five days – wanna see if you can beat Eda's time?" The boy gave an eager laugh in response, pleased to move on from heavier topics.

"You know it! Gotta show the Owl Lady she has some competition for strongest witch on the Isles."

The pair spent the remainder of their time before lunch running through the basic theories and meditation technique for connecting with the seething seas far below, Luz keeping up a running commentary as Gus settled in by the cliffside, legs dangling loosely over the ledge with salty winds buffering them from summer heat. Both sought to put aside their more serious concerns for the afternoon, enjoying one another's company under the watchful summer sun.

When they retired to the Owl House for their meal, Luz made certain to give both Eda and Willow a tight embrace apiece, letting them know just how much she loved their thoughtful present. The remainder of the day passed between sorting goods for sale and watching Gus strive to forge a relationship with the elements, easy jokes on everyone's lips as they worked.

It really was nice to have friends again.


AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Chapter and notes originally posted on 2-28-2021.

Further revelations regarding our cast, but there's still much to be covered. We haven't even really hit the canonical issues of the Owl House characters yet.

Thanks again to everybody that has read and commented thus far, I really appreciate the feedback. Updates may be slowing down for the next few weeks as I tackle senior thesis, but there are no current plans to put this story fully on hold. I may just have to put out a chapter every week or so, instead of stockpiling them like I have previously (which is why I was consistently updating about every two days since the start).

Edit (6-28-22): Minor alteration to Eda's dialogue regarding the flashback sequence from the last chapter, following revisions to the aforementioned scene/chapter.