Author's Note: And now, our third chapter. I've had a lot of time to think about this and I thank you all for your support.
One thing I'd like to tell you all is that due to the successes of this story and the Black Panther of Amphibia, I'm also going to be working on other crossovers between Marvel characters and Disney Channel shows. So far, I've got two ideas. One of them is Ms. Marvel in Gravity Falls. The other is Howard the Duck in Ducktales. If anyone has any other ideas, like with the Ghost and Molly McGee or Star vs the Forces of Evil or any others, I'd like to hear them.
I've also been presented with another idea that I haven't considered before. Say that you have a crossover fanfic that follows the canon story, but with the added characters contributing as well. Would it be okay for you to have another fanfic of the same fandom going over the canon story again, but with different characters? For example, I have Sonic Underground following the story of Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts. Is it really okay with you guys if I make other fanfics with more or less the same plot, but with different characters substituting Sonic Underground such as Old Man Logan or the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? I hope the question is clear. It would certainly present more ideas to be possible.
That's all I have for now. Tell me what you think. Any and all comments are welcome.
As Stephen slowly opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Hooty's face right over his.
"Morning, sleepy head!"
"AAH!" Stephen yelled before delivering a hard punch to the house demon's face.
"OW!" Hooty cried out. "What's with everyone? I'm just trying to say hi!" He reeled back his very long neck to return his face to the front door.
Stephen groaned. "Great. So yesterday wasn't a crazy dream." He emerged from his sleeping bag and got himself dressed. After that, he went downstairs to find Eda pouring a glass of red liquid.
"Oh, morning, kid." Eda said. "You're up pretty late in the morning."
"Well, it's hard to fall asleep right when there are actual bedbugs about to bite." Stephen said. Eda laughed. "What's so funny?"
"You think they're bedbugs." Eda snickered. "Oh, you wish."
Though Stephen was a little concerned, his mind returned to the absence of his sibling. "Hey, where's Luz? I figured she'd be up early in some stereotypical black witch costume."
"She actually was." Eda said. "Though, for some reason, he wore a traffic cone that was covered in soot. Anyway, I sent her to do some deliveries for me to get her acquainted with Bonesborough."
"Bonesborough?"
"Yeah. That's the town down the hill. I have a lot of clients who buy some potions that I brew, and today, Luz will be delivering them with King guiding her. They should be back any minute, I think."
"It could be a bit later." Stephen said taking a seat in the living room. "Knowing Luz, she's going to be distracted by every fantastic thing she sees."
"Yeah, I kinda got that impression." Eda said. "Tell me, you grew up with her."
"For four years."
"Right. Anyway, has Luz always been that excited about magic and stuff?"
"You have no idea. That girl has always believed herself to be destined to be some kind of legendary hero. I'm worried that something in this world might take advantage of her naivete. But for now, I guess I should get started on my thing."
"Right, your hands." Eda said. "What did you say happen to them?"
"A car crash caused severe nerve damage. I've looked online. I've consulted physical therapists and college-level textbooks, even those that consulted fields that didn't cover nerves, but nothing seemed to work. And if I can't get them fixed, I'll never become a surgeon. So do you think you can help?"
"Well, like I said, I don't usually heal other people. When King's skull cracks, I usually just put a band-aid on. It's pretty cute actually. But I do have a contact in the Healing Coven and told them of your situation. They didn't have anything helpful, but they did recommend their apprentice to help."
"And where can I find this apprentice?"
"At Hexside Academy, unfortunately. That's a dumb witch's school that tries to teach you the 'proper' way to use magic." Eda used air quotes.
"Well then, I need to go there. Where is it?"
Eda groaned in disgust. "If you really want to go there, you'll find it on the east side of Bonesborough. Once you're there, you'll have to ask to speak to the apprentice, who's name is…"
"Eda!" The door slammed open. King hopped in with Luz behind him. She carried a piece of paper in her hand.
"Hi, bro." Luz waved.
"You two have literally the worst timing." Stephen said.
"Hey, Eda," King said, "Tell Luz how dumb wizards are."
Eda groaned once more. "Wizards are the worst. Never trust a man in casual drapery."
"What's this talk about wizards?" Stephen asked.
King began to chuckle. "Your wizard client, hehe, just told Luz, hehehehe, that she's the, heehehe, chosen one!" He broke out into loud burst of laughter which Eda joined in. Even Stephen couldn't help but chuckle at that. Luz however looked on with an offended frown.
"Why is that so hard to believe?" Luz asked.
"Luz, you were never even chosen for anyone's kickball team at gym class." Stephen said. "You seriously think you have some great destiny just because you were told that by some old guy in what I'm assuming is a robe with star decorations?"
"Well…" Luz said, "He gave me a map and everything. Supposed to find some mystical treasure that only the Chosen One can find."
"Let me see that map." Eda said taking the piece of paper. "You didn't think this was real, did you? This map is bunk. There's no lake with a Celestial Staff on the Boiling Isles. I would have stolen it ages ago."
"Luz, this is basically like those emails that say that you can win a million bucks by clicking on a link." Stephen said. "It's best to just mark it as read and discard it."
Luz gripped her fists and returned to her brother. "Seriously, Stephen? We're the only two humans in a magical realm full of magic and witches, and even now, you're choosing not to believe in destiny?"
"Luz, Eda's the only one with the means to open a door between here and home. All we did was walk through it when it was open. Nothing about that instantly points to destiny. It was just a coincidence."
Luz groaned. "Oh, you're always like this!"
"I'm just being realistic!" Stephen argued back.
"Well, your version of reality doesn't really apply in this world!"
"Neither does your version of fantasy! A fairy tried to eat us!"
"Oh, come on, Stephen! Is it really so hard to believe that I'm actually special!"
"Yes!" Stephen gasped upon realizing what he just said. His attention was fixed on Luz's offended face. "Luz, I…"
"Wow. Guess we know how you feel about me. I'm going." Luz took the map back and ran up to her room.
"Luz, wait! I didn't mean…" Stephen called out, but Luz had already disappeared into her room. He sighed heavily leaning on the wall. He turned and saw Eda and King staring at him with concerned expressions. "Sorry you had to see that."
"That, uh… That was kinda harsh." King said.
"I didn't mean it like that." Stephen said. "I really messed up this time. I just… King, would you mind taking me to see your wizard? Eda, why don't you go encourage Luz to go through on that quest?"
"You're actually believing in this Chosen One stuff now?" Eda asked.
"Of course not. Obviously, this wizard guy is hoaxing Luz." Stephen said. "But if I talked to him, maybe I can bargain with him so that this quest doesn't hurt her."
Eda sighed. "All right. Take Owlbert." She set up her staff which Stephen and King got up on. One smack to the bottom end later, the staff rushed on out the door.
"The wizard's home is somewhere around here." King said as the staff landed in front of a gray brick wall. Stephen found a gate and entered through. But as soon as he did, he wasn't sure what he was seeing.
"Uh, King, are you sure this is his place?"
"Positive. Why?" King got his answer seeing what Stephen was seeing. Instead of the beautiful, luxurious mansion that was described before, what was in front of them was a worn out, decrepit, possibly condemned house. "That's odd. It didn't look like this an hour ago."
"Something's wrong." Stephen said as he entered the house. It looked even worse on the inside.
As Stephen kept walking in, he eventually found a pile of papers on the ground. They were all maps exactly like what Luz had with her earlier. As Stephen held one up to the sunlight, the words "The Chosen One" were glowing blue where they weren't before. He held up another map and the same words were displayed.
"That map Luz has is nothing special." Stephen said. "This was a hoax!"
"More than that, I'm afraid." Stephen and King turned to the top of the stairs where a familiar old man stood there with a broom in his hand.
"Stan?" Stephen asked. "What are you doing here?"
"Just my job." Stan replied holding up his broom.
"Your job is sweeping this awful place?" King asked.
"Well, I tried sweeping for the town, but they weren't hiring. A guy's gotta make a living. But someday, I wish to write comic books."
"Do you know the old wizard who lives here? A guy named Adegast?" King asked.
"Wizard?" Stan laughed. "That mischievous behemoth is no wizard. He's a puppeteer, a demon who turns parts of his body into characters of his own design. They mainly use this talent to trick their prey into going on made-up quests. Boy, I'd sure hate to be the person who falls for his death trap." He whistled as he kept sweeping.
"Prey?" Stephen asked before coming to a realization. "Oh, no! Luz! We've got to stop her!"
"Boys!" Eda's voice called out. The Owl Lady ran into the ruined house to catch up with them.
"Eda, where's Luz? She's in danger!" Stephen shouted.
"She's already left!" Eda yelled. "I went to give her a pep talk like you said, but she was already gone!"
"She's following the map." Stephen said. He grabbed a map and held it to the sunlight. Along with the words, there was also a glowing blue map that overlapped the original. "We've got to get to the end!"
Luz had traveled quite a way to her "journey". She encountered several colorful characters and acquired many precious accessories from them. Eventually, her journey lead to the very lake where she would find her Celestial Staff. Her hopes of being the Chosen One were brought to fruition.
Unfortunately, that all amounted to nothing. On cue, Adegast appeared in his true form, a monstrous cephalopod who revealed all his characters to be attached to his tentacles. And all the accessories that Luz has created were actually designed to bind her with magic. Luz's fantasy was quickly turning into tragedy.
"Why are you doing this?" Luz asked the demon.
"Your mentor has been stealing clients from my potion business for years." Adegast replied. "She must be destroyed!"
"Does everyone have beef with Eda?" Luz asked with all the made-believe characters confirming her.
"And you lead her right to me," Adegast boasted, "All because you wanted to believe you were special."
Luz was admittedly heartbroken. She couldn't believe that her fantasy had been used against her. "Well, the joke's on you! Because Eda's too smart to fall for a trick like that!"
"Adegast!" Eda yelled out as she flew down on top of her staff. Stephen and King were with her.
"Perfect! I have you now!" Adegast said wrapping his tentacles quickly around the newcomers. He grabbed Eda and King, but Stephen managed to dodge out of the way.
"Yeah, you have me!" Eda yelled out. "Now, let Luz go!"
"I didn't have to be a part of this!" King cried out.
"Just let her go, you monster!" Stephen ordered. "She doesn't deserve this!"
"Oh, she can leave if she wants," Adegast said, "But I sense she still wants a bit more fantasy." He sprayed Luz with a purple mist that made her block out all of reality.
To Luz, all the characters the monster had revealed to have made up seemed real again. They surrounded her with promising charm.
"Luz, stay with Adegast. You can still be our Chosen One. You can eat our tiny foods forever."
Back at reality, Stephen saw Luz in a trance and tried to rush over to her. However, Adegast finally caught him in his tentacle just as he was five feet from her.
"Luz, don't fall for it!" Stephen cried out.
"She can't hear you." Adegast said. "The poor girl will be lost in my fantasy forever!"
Back in her hypnotic state, Luz kept being tempted by the words of her new "friends". "Luz, why would you want to stay in a world that just makes fun of you. Even your own brother doesn't think you're special. But we certainly do."
"This place… It is everything I want…" Luz said. She was greatly tempted, but for a brief moment, she was finally restored back to her sense of reality. "BUT IT'S NOT REAL!" She broke out of her fantasy and quickly grabbed her only weapon, a toy sword.
Luz quickly struck at one of Adegast's characters instantly vaporizing them. The monster clearly felt pain by it and let go of all his captives. Eda helped Luz mow down as many of the illusions as they could one by one. However, their efforts were stopped when they saw that Adegast still had Stephen Strange in his grasp.
"Enough!" the demon yelled out. "Surrender or this human gets it!"
"No! Don't listen to him!" Stephen yelled. But his cries didn't change anything. Eda and Luz reluctantly set down their weapons.
"I'm sorry, Stephen." Luz said lamently. "I got us into this situation because I wanted to feel special. But you're right. There's nothing special about me at all."
"Luz, I don't think that at all." Stephen replied. "I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I didn't mean it. Of course, you're special. I just don't think you need some cosmic sign from the universe to be special. You can edit anime clips into music videos. You write creative fanfics that could become novels. You're the most creative person I know. I don't really believe in all that destiny stuff, but I do believe in you. And I also believe that you can take out this slimy ball of sushi!"
His words sparked confidence in his sister. She smiled confidently as she looked down on the toy sword she had on the ground. "Thank you, Stephen. That's just what I want to HEAR!" She thrusted her leg to kick at the sword's handle.
Miraculously, the weapon flew over and it sank itself deep in Adegast's forehead. He screamed letting go of Stephen's body. As he returned to his sibling, he then turned to see Adegast begin to shrink. He went from a large, monstrous kraken to a little cute octopus that Eda easily lifted and ate.
"Well, that's the last time I take an outside referral." Eda said. "You okay, kid?"
"I am now." Luz said. "Thanks, Stephen. Again, I'm sorry I got us into this mess."
"No, it's just as much my fault." Stephen said. "I'm sorry about what I said before. I guess I wasn't thinking. Listen, Luz, I don't really believe in all this Chosen One stuff, but if it's any consolation, I'd choose you as a sister any day."
Luz smiled. "Thanks. I'd choose you too."
Eda gagged comically. "Quit your gooey banter, you two. You're making me sick."
"I'm sorry to you too, Eda." Luz said. "This place is clearly nothing like I thought it'd be."
"Tell you what. Come with me." Eda said. "I got something I want to show you."
Flying on top of Eda's staff, everyone hovered high. Once they were high enough, Luz and Stephen watched in amazement staring at the entire land from above. The very land they were on may have looked like a giant, decaying body, but it looked beautiful in the setting sun.
"Whoa." Stephen said. "This that the Boiling Isles? Why does it look like a body?"
"It kinda is." Eda said. "Eons ago, a mighty Titan fell here, and from its corpse, life kinda developed. Why do you think the town's called Bonesborough?"
"That's both gross, and interesting." Stephen said.
"Yep. Up close, our world may be stinky…"
"And sticky…" King added.
"And gross, but if you look at it from a different perspective, it's actually quite nice."
"Eda, how did you know that wizard was a fake?" Luz asked.
"Look, kid, everyone wants to believe that they're chosen, but if we wait around for a sign of how special we are, we'd just die waiting. Just keep working hard and you'll get what you want."
"Does that mean you'll give me my magic staff?"
"Not yet, but soon."
Once it became dark, everyone returned to the Owl Sanctum. Hooty tried to make it fun for them to enter again, but like always, Eda dismissed them. Once they were inside, a sudden realization hit Stephen.
"Oh, my… Eda! The apprentice!"
"Say what now?" Eda asked.
"The healer's apprentice, the one you said goes to Hexside." Stephen reminded. "In all this drama and excitement, I completely forgot about it. You still haven't told me who to look for."
"Oh, right." Eda said. She scratched her head trying to remember. "Uh… I guess… The name is… Um… Give me a minute. I've only heard it once and I've barely listened after they said Hexside. I think… Aha! I remember the name!"
"Well, who is it?"
Eda eased herself and answered clearly. "The name is Clea."