The Boiling Isles is always wild and unpredictable when it comes to nature. Instead of weather, they have plagues, such as gorenados, shale hail, and painbows. Today's forecast: boiling rain. As soon as it hit, everyone in the Boiling Isles panicked and ran for cover. Eda wasted no time in creating a force field to cover the Owl Sanctum.
Stephen made it downstairs to find King looking over demon books and Luz hovering over a tired Eda on the couch.
"Please, teach me magic now!" Luz begged.
"No." Eda replied in a tired tone.
"Are you okay, Luz?" Stephen asked. "I saw the rain do a number outside."
"I'm fine, physically speaking." Luz said. "With this rain, I thought this would be a perfect time for Eda to start teaching me magic."
"Except I'm too tired." Eda complained.
"Hey, Stephen." King said. "Maybe you'd like to attend my class?"
"Class? What class?"
"I'm doing a special seminar for Luz on how to handle the most fearsome demons on the Boiling Isles. And you know, there's always room for one more in the audience."
"And any of those demons heal my hands?"
"Well, not that I know of, but…"
"Then I'm not interested. Sorry, King, but I'm only staying on the Boiling Isles to look for a way to help my hands."
A knock on the door got everyone's attention.
"Expecting anyone?" Luz asked.
"Not in this weather." Eda replied reaching for her staff.
Stephen stepped up toward the door and opened it. Much to his relief, it was a certain witch he knew who wore a hooded cloak over her head.
"Oh, Clea, it's just you." Stephen said.
"Oh. It's you." Eda said with widened eyes. Her mind instantly returned to a memory of a certain book she read the other night. "How did you get here? It's boiling rain outside."
"It's this cloak, magically designed to be rainproof." Clea said. "I got it from my guardian's closet. I'm not letting dumb rain keep me from our daily sessions, Stephen."
"Well, that's nice." Stephen said.
"And while you're doing that, Eda can teach me about magic." Luz said before turning to her mentor. "You don't seem to be tired anymore. You really lit up once Clea arrived."
"Uh… Fine." Eda said.
While Luz began her training with Eda, Stephen brought Clea over to the room where he and Luz slept. Clea took a moment to observe the room.
"So this is where you live?" Clea asked.
"Not exactly five stars, I admit," Stephen said, "But I can sleep… sometimes. Anyway, let's do this."
"All right. Let's sit down and begin." She and Stephen sat across from each other. "Now, I'll need to take your hands." Stephen offered his hands which Clea held onto. She glowed a light on them just like she did at Hexside the other day. "Great. Now that they're stabilized, we can begin our first treatment."
"And it won't hurt, right?" Stephen asked.
"It's healing magic, silly. It either heals or it doesn't. Nothing lower than that."
"Okay." Stephen said. "Do what you have to do."
Clea smiled before tapping on Stephen's hands in a peculiar pattern. Stephen's hands glowed brighter for a moment until it dimmed.
"So? Do you feel better?"
Stephen clutched his hands before giving his answer. "Not really. Feels pretty much the same."
Clea sighed. "Well, I didn't expect to be right the first time. We'll try a different method tomorrow."
"Why not just do it now?"
"No way. That's a safety hazard."
"I thought you said this wouldn't hurt me."
"If it's applied properly. But casting another healing spell right after the first one, that could have some side-effects which could be worse on a human."
"Well, I take it you'll be heading home then?"
"Yeah, I suppose." Stephen and Clea returned downstairs.
As soon as the two made it, something made Stephen panic. He saw his sister in the kitchen holding a circular flask with glowing gold liquid inside. She was about to take a sip of it when Stephen rushed over and swiped it from her hands.
"Hey!" Luz yelled out.
"What do you think you're doing?" Stephen asked.
"Trying to do magic!" Luz replied. "King told me that stuff gives a magic boost to whoever drinks it."
"Luz, how many times do I have to tell you not to accept gifts from strangers?"
"I just told you I got it from King."
"Like I said."
"Hey, Luz needs this, and so do I." King protested. "The sooner she can learn magic, the sooner I can teach her about demons."
Stephen sighed while Clea took the flask from his hand. She noticed a little tag on it with a ripped perforation. She read the label on it aloud. "'An elixir a day'. Guys, where did you get this elixir?"
"From Eda's nightstand." King said. "I often catch her taking a sip of that before getting a magical boost. I figured that would help Luz with her light spell problem."
Clea looked at the bottle curiously. "This elixir seems familiar. I just… can't put my finger on it."
"It doesn't matter what it is or where it does." Stephen said. "Luz, you cannot drink something that's usually ingested by someone who drinks apple blood."
"But I can't do magic on my own." Luz said. "Eda said that I need a magic bile sac in my heart. Humans don't have that, so this might be my only chance."
"The woman has detachable limbs." Stephen said. "Does that sound like someone you should be sharing a drink with?"
"Detachable limbs?" Clea asked. "That sounds almost like…"
Suddenly, the sudden shroud of darkness filled the room. All the lamps dimmed out suddenly spooking everyone.
"What happened?" Stephen asked.
"Don't worry." King said. "Hooty controls the house. He probably just fell asleep."
"HOOT! HOOT, HOOOOOOOT!"
Hooty's cries struck fear in the hearts of the kids. They rushed to the living room where they saw a dark figure towering over the broken door where Hooty's face was. This figure was a bear-sized beast hidden in shadow. Its fangs were shown as it gave a horrifying screech. Its slashed its claws on Hooty's door before scaling up the Owl House.
"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Clea asked.
"And how did it get here?" Stephen asked. "There are boiling rains outside!"
King gasped. "The Snaggleback! It's one of the strongest demons on the Boiling Isles! He prowls through the boiling rain to hunt for his victims!"
"And now, it's here at the Owl House? Where Eda is sleeping?" Luz asked out of fear. "We gotta get help!"
"We can't!" Clea said. "If we go out there, the boiling rains will eat us alive!"
"She's right." Stephen said. "We'll have to handle this demon ourselves. First, we have to make sure Eda is okay."
The kids geared up. Luz, Stephen, and Clea armed themselves with hockey sticks, but King only had one of his plushies. After that, they headed over to Eda's room being on a careful lookout for the demon that stalked the shadows around them. But when they got to Eda's room, the Owl Lady wasn't there. Her nest was empty save for a shredded pillow. The large window on the side of the room had a big hole in it.
"Oh, no!" King gasped. "Eda got Snagglebacked! I gotta go get my demon book!" He scurried out of the room for a moment.
"Something's not right." Stephen said. "The demon should have broken through this window to take Eda. So how come there are not glass shards on the floor?"
"Who cares?" Luz asked. "We gotta go find Eda."
"Wait, what's that?" Clea asked picking up a small scrap of paper. It had a perforated top edge while the other sides were straight. She read what was written on it. "'Keeps the curse at bay'." Her eyes widened as she held up the label piece that was attached the elixir flask. She held it on top of the paper she just found and it was a perfect match. It now read, "An elixir a day keeps the curse at bay."
"Hang on." Clea said. "Does this mean…"
King screamed as he ran back into the room. He slammed the door shut before panicking to the others.
"King, what happened?" Luz asked.
"It came after me!" King shouted.
"The Snaggleback?" Stephen asked.
"No! It's not the Snaggleback! I just met the real Snaggleback, and not only is he harmless, he's not the one who broke down our door! Whatever it was took him and ate him! I rushed in here as fast as I could!"
"Hold on a minute." Clea said. "Golden elixir… Label that reads 'curse'… A beast that showed up in the middle of the rain… No window shards on the floor… Detachable limbs…" Her eyes widened. "Oh, Titan! This is bad!"
"What?" Stephen asked. "What's wrong?"
"We were wrong!" Clea shouted. "That's no demon! That creature is…"
Suddenly, a white-skinned claw burst through the door. After that, the entire beast crashed through revealing its true colors, a white and gray animal with feathered wings and pitch-black eyes. But its face was undeniable.
"EDA?!" Luz asked. She stumbled backwards and dropped her phone. The camera on it flashed right at the beast's black eyes disorienting her for a second.
"RUN!" Stephen yelled.
The kids slipped past the monster while she recovered from the flash. They ran to the balcony and hid themselves until the beast had passed.
"Was that Eda?" Stephen asked. "King, did you know about this?"
"I had no idea and I've known the woman for eight years!" King answered. "Clea, what's going on?"
"I should have known!" Clea said furiously. She pulled out the golden elixir. "This thing isn't some magic boost potion. It's an elixir which professional healers prescribe to people to treat their curses."
"Curses?" Stephen asked. "You mean Eda is cursed?"
"It does look that way. The detachable body parts is probably a side effect of being cursed like this." Clea said. "This elixir was meant to keep her from transforming."
"And we took it from her." Luz frowned.
King sighed. "No, Luz. It was my idea to take the elixir and I was the one who swiped it from her nightstand. I'm sorry. I guess I just really wanted to get on with teaching someone about demons."
"Why is that so important to you?" Stephen asked.
"Because… I don't have any friends and nobody takes me seriously. I know you guys have other interests, but I just wanted you to take an interest in what I had to say. And in the end, look where it's gotten me."
"Well, we're going to need you now, teach." Luz said. "What do you think, Stephen, Clea? You ready to learn about demons?"
Stephen gave a soft smile. "All right."
"Count me in." Clea agreed.
"Okay." King said. "So, I noticed that this owl-like demon had black eyes. Demons with black eyes are usually sensitive to light."
"So all we have to do it flash a bright light to stun Eda long enough to make her drink that elixir." Stephen said. "Unfortunately, my phone's back in my room."
"And my camera got busted when it fell earlier." Luz said pulling out her cracked phone. She played a video she recorded earlier which showed Eda weakly drawing a circle into the air made of magic light. The screen froze, but Luz noticed something. "Guys, there's a pattern in the circle!"
"There is?" Stephen asked as he leaned in to see it.
"It's like this." Luz said.
The human girl took out a leaf and placed it on top of her phone screen. Using the pattern, she outlined it onto the leaf with a pencil. She tapped it to finish it off, and suddenly, the leaf curled up into a ball. Not only that, but it lit up into a floating ball of light. Everyone stared in amazement at it.
"Incredible." Clea said. "I've never seen a light spell casted like that."
"I just did magic!" Luz cheered.
"That little light ball isn't enough to stun Eda." Stephen said.
"Well, the bigger the circle, the bigger the spell." Clea said. "We just need something big enough."
The monster Eda prowled around her bedroom sniffing everything. She was clearly establishing her home when she heard a clicking sound. Standing in the doorway was King with a pen in his hand. And not just any pen, but one with a light-up end. Every other click made it shine purple which entranced the monster.
"Ooh, what's this thing?" King asked confidently. "It's so sparkly and shiny."
The sparkles and shine from the pen had attracted monster Eda like a moth to a flame. She chased King into the hallway where Stephen and Clea were waiting on top of two different ladders. Once monster Eda fell for the trap, they jumped down with a blanket which they used to blind her. She slipped and crashed at a wall near where Luz was.
"Sorry, Eda, but this is for your own good!" Luz proclaimed as she finished the spell circle with the glyph on it. She drew it to be even bigger than the monster they were facing. Once she was done, she slammed her hand right at the center.
The glyph flashed a bright light just as Eda poked her head out of the blanket. It shined a blinding light that made her screech her loudest.
When Eda woke up, she was in her nest with a straw in her mouth. It was connected to the elixir which was right beside her. Once she realized she was almost back to normal, she finished the elixir and returned to her original state.
"I was wondering where this thing went." She said. She turned to King who approached. "King, did you steal my elixir? I oughta break every bone in your…"
"Shh. Look." King pointed at Luz who was surrounded by a swarm of light balls. She kept drawing the same symbol on small pieces of paper making more. Stephen and Clea were right behind her.
"How is she doing that?" Eda asked.
"I don't know." King said. "But it's amazing."
"Yeah. I tried it myself, and it was very interesting." Stephen agreed.
"I thought you weren't interested in anything except when it's to fix your hands." Eda said.
"Well…" Stephen looked at King. "I guess I should look at other things too."
King smiled before turning to Eda. "Listen, Eda, I'm sorry I took your elixir."
"Well, you should be! I got a long list of chores with your name on it!" Eda said. "Although, I suppose I should be apologizing for not telling you guys everything. When I was a little girl, I was cursed."
"Curses don't just appear." Clea said. "They have to be given by someone."
"True, but I have no idea who it was." Eda said. "All I know is that if I don't take my elixir… Well, that's why they call me the Owl Lady. No one likes having a curse, but if you take the right steps, it's manageable."
"Haven't you ever tried to have it removed?" Stephen asked.
"I tried." Eda said. "My family spent most of my life trying to find a way to remove the curse. But this elixir is the closest thing that works."
"I can see why." Clea said. "I've never read about a curse that strong before. You guys are just full of surprises, aren't you?"
"Are you okay, Eda?" Luz asked.
"Don't worry about it." Eda said. "As long as no one takes my elixir—King—everything's going to be fine."
"Well, we'll leave you back to your nap." Stephen said. "You've been chasing us around all night, so I guess you earned it."
"Thanks, kids." Eda said before remembering something. "Hold on. Uh, Clea, was it?"
"Yes?"
"Sorry, but I couldn't help but notice that strange symbol on the back of your neck." Eda said nervously.
"Oh, this?" Clea rubbed the spot that Eda described. "That's just a birthmark. No biggie."
Eda sighed. "All right. Now, scoot along, you little gremlins." She waited until they were all gone before she laid back in her nest. "I guess that girl could be harmless, but that symbol still concerns me. Gotta stay on my toes around her." She closed her eyes and drifted off in her dreams.
This dream was particularly stronger than some of Eda's other dreams. In this dark void, Eda stood in front of a door that slowly opened. A white light shined from behind, but a black shadow with round eyes stood in the doorpath. Eda grimaced at the sight of this figure.
"You! You're the one who cursed me, aren't you? Who are you? WHO ARE YOU?!"
Eda's pleas became worthless once the door disappeared. She sneered but gasped as soon as she heard a menacing sound.
"Hehehehe. Hahahaha. HAHAHAHA!"
"I know that laugh." Eda gritted her teeth. "SHOW YOURSELF!"
Her wish was granted. A black smoke spiraled over her forming a thick cloud. It parted revealing a man floating in thin air. His withered skin was white as chalk and his scraggly hair was as green as his skin-tight outfit and torn cape. He shot his yellow eyes down on the witch.
"It's been a long time, Edalyn Clawthorn."
"Nightmare." Eda said with alertness. "Stay out of my head."
"Can't do that." Nightmare hissed. "You're the only person in the Boiling Isles with the mental capacity for me to make contact with. Just a convenient side effect of your curse. Speaking of which, let's talk about that."
"Let's not!" Eda shouted. "I'm not taking your deal!"
"Oh, don't be like that. I'm offering you the offer of a thousand lifetimes. If you shake my hand, I'll separate your body from the Owl Beast. You'll be free as a bird once I dispose of the bird."
"Shut up! I know this game you're playing and I won't fall for it! I'll manage this curse for however long I have to before I take your dumb deal!"
"That's what you said last time. And just right now, you slipped. Fine. Continue to be stubborn. But should you change your mind, you know where you find me."
"In your dreams."
"No, Edalyn. In your dreams." Nightmare build up a loud laughter until Eda woke up back in her nest.
After Clea left, the others did their own thing. Luz put band-aids on Hooty's scratch marks, King spoke with the recently freed Snaggleback to log in the Owl Beast, and Stephen stood alone in his room.
"Try new things." He told himself. He held out a piece of paper preparing to draw the same glyph that Luz has been doing. "Let's see. I believe what comes first is the circle…" He practiced by waving his finger into the air before realizing what just happened.
As Stephen Strange began his circle, his finger was leaving a trail of light in the air. It broke apart after he interrupted his circle.
"What the…"
Putting down the paper, Stephen reached out his finger and circled it into the air with the glyph in his mind. Much to his surprise, the light trail was being left again as he etched into the air. Once he completed his circle, the glyph that Luz made formed inside of it on its own before it changed into a light ball. Stephen stared in shock at his own hands before observing the light ball.
"Did… Did I just do magic without paper? But I thought only witches could do that. What's going on?"
Author's Note: Finally, I got done with this chapter just in time for Halloween. Nothing like a bloodthirsty monster haunting a home on a stormy night with a juicy twist at the end. Not only that, but we also got the appearance of Nightmare and Stephen Strange just realized he can do magic. How? Well, just wait and see. Next, we have the Covention, another Dr. Strange character appearing, and the return of a certain Blight.
Any and all comments are welcome.