Author's Note: Here's the next chapter of the Owl Sanctum, which I have been working on relentlessly ever since the day after my last update. Every chance I got, I put work into this. Now that this is done, I have two chapters left before I take a break from this. Hopefully, I can get done with this season's events by the series finale on April 8.
Enjoy the chapter. Get ready for tears. Any and all comments are welcome.
It started off with another morning at the Owl Sanctum. Eda was preparing one of her schemes. Luz and Stephen were getting ready for school. And the Emperor's Coven attempted another raid lead by Lillith. However, Hooty's wild behavior was too chaotic and rough for Lillith and her coven scouts.
While Hooty had the scouts running for their lives, Eda watched from inside her living room. She was standing over a cauldron full of glowing, purple threads.
"Oh, Hooty," Eda said proudly, "You're a thorn in my side, but you always dig your way into my heart."
While Eda was taking a sip of her morning tea, Stephen and Luz walked into the living room. The sister sibling looked curiously at the cauldron of purple thread.
"Ooh. Magic sghetti." Luz said. She was about to touch it, but Eda stopped her.
"Hey! That 'sghetti' is witch's wool. It repels powerful spells. Every witch worth their salt has a cloak made from this stuff."
"Really?" Stephen asked. "I've never seen you wear one like that before."
"Well, until now, I've never had the need to." Eda said. "But with the Emperor's goons at my doorstep, I need this for protection. They have really stepped up their attacks lately."
"Yeah, I have noticed that their raids have been getting more frequent." Stephen said. "Why go through all this trouble?"
"Is it because the Emperor has the hots for you, Eda?" Luz asked playfully.
Eda chuckled before looking serious. "But no. Emperor Belos wants to control all wild magic through his coven system. He ordered my capture years ago because I refused to fall in line."
"Still though," Stephen said, "This seems like a whole lot of trouble just for one witch. You sure he doesn't want anything else?"
"Nothing comes to mind." Eda shrugged. "But don't worry. I'm a master escape artist. The only thing that can slow me down is my curse, and that hasn't bothered me for weeks." Just as she said that, a whole mess of black feathers suddenly grew on her arms. "Uh, oh."
Right before Stephen and Luz' terrified eyes, the Owl Beast quickly began to grow from Eda's body. And she looked angry.
"I HATE IRONY!" Stephen shouted
"KING, GET THE ELIXER NOW!" Luz called out to the little demon who had just woken up.
Eda found herself in a very familiar room. She looked at the bed and saw her child self sleeping helplessly in it. After a sigh, Eda turned just as the door opened and an indistinct shadow was revealed in it.
"You know, I'm getting a little tired of this game." Eda said approaching the shadow. "So why don't you just show me your chalky face?"
Eda placed her hand on the shadow, but in an instant, the shadow changed into the pasty-faced smile of Nightmare who made Eda stumble backwards.
"What's the matter, Eda? Losing your grip on your humanity, so to speak?"
"In your dreams, you bogeyman wannabe." Eda said. "Just leave me alone. I'm not taking your deal."
"Your time is running short, my dear." Nightmare said. "Your magic is the only thing keeping the curse at bay, but it is dwindling. As soon as you use up all the magic you have left, no amount of elixirs will be able to turn you back. And if you're still not convinced by then, then we can all watch your Owl Beast tear apart the entire Boiling Isles until the Emperor's Coven is forced to put… you… down."
"I SAID…"
"…LEAVE ME ALONE!" Eda shouted before finally finding herself back in her bedroom. Luz, Stephen, and King laid out in front of her all exhausted. "What happened?" Eda asked noticing the many empty bottles surrounding her feet.
"What do you think? Your curse happened." Stephen said. "We used light spells to stun you just enough to force-feed you your elixir, but it wasn't enough. We had to go through a dozen bottles to get you back to normal."
"Not entirely normal." Luz pointed out. "Eda, your gem's still dark."
Eda looked down at her gem which was still tainted with blackness. She tried to cover it up. "Uh, no it's not. You're nuts."
"We weren't born yesterday." Stephen said. "Your curse has been getting worse and you've been hiding it."
"…You're right." Eda admitted. "It's taking more elixir to turn me back and more magic to keep the curse from rearing its feathery head, which means that Nightmare's insistence keeps getting more annoying."
"What happens if you use your magic up?" Luz asked. "Do you die?"
"No! Jeez, you're morbid." Eda said. "I just kinda, sorta, turn into the Owl Beast… forever. Meanwhile, my real mind will be stuck with Nightmare for all eternity. It's a fate much worse than death if you think about it."
"We can't let that happen!" Luz panicked. "Stephen and I will do something about it!"
"How?" Stephen asked. "We don't know the first thing about this curse, not even who casted it in the first place."
"Don't worry about it." Eda said. "I just have to limit my magi use a little. Go on. Do the parallel arm thing."
"You mean hug?" Stephen asked.
"Whatever you wanna call it." Eda said before getting hugged tightly by Luz followed by Stephen. King joined in.
"King demands huggies too!"
Eda forced everyone to let go and guided them out. "Okay. Time for school. Wait… Stephen." Stephen stopped and turned to Eda. "Are you gonna be okay? I mean, you said so yourself that today is the anniversary of what happened to your mom and…"
"Don't worry about it." Stephen assured. "I mean, yeah, I'm thinking about it, but I think I got through the worst of it yesterday. Hopefully, today will nowhere near sad."
Famous last words.
After avoiding the Emperor's Coven scouts that failed to catch Eda, Stephen and Luz headed straight to Hexside. The first thing they noticed was the crowd of students that prepared to enter their flying ship. And right as they arrived, they were immediately greeted by Gus, Willow, Clea, and Wong.
"Luz! Stephen!" Gus cried out excitedly. "You ready for the field trip of a lifetime to the one, the only, Emperor's Castle?!"
"I was actually gonna stay behind." Luz said. "I don't like the way they treat Eda."
"No, no. You have to go." Clea said.
"Clea, you seem to be in a good mood." Stephen said. "I take it your talk with Mordo was okay?"
"What? Oh." Clea said with an embarrassed face. "Actually, I haven't gotten around to talk to him about what happened between me and the Grudgby team. I was going to, but then, he said something that changed my mood entirely. It's the answer to all our problems, and it's at the Emperor's Castle."
"What do you mean?" Luz asked.
"Within the walls of the castle, Emperor Belos keeps a collection of unique magical artifacts from the Savage Ages." Wong said.
"One such artifact is the Green Thumb Gauntlet." Willow said. "It can grow whatever you imagine."
"And the Oracle Sphere." Gus said. "It shows you which path will help you become your best self."
"And the Living Papyrus." Wong said. "It's a piece of paper which, rumor has it, can answer any question written upon it."
"But most importantly," Clea said, "Mordo just uncovered the fabled Healing Hat. It has the power to mend any injury, cure the deadliest diseases, and heal any curse."
The description of the magic hat sparked hope within both of the humans.
"Like it can get rid of Eda's Owl Beast curse?" Luz asked.
"And mend my broken hands?" Stephen asked.
"Exactly!" Clea answered. "We go inside, borrow it, use it to fix up both Stephen and Eda, and we can put it back."
"And you're all willing to help?" Stephen asked looking around.
"Help you and Eda? Of course." Wong said.
"After everything you two have done, how could we not?" Willow asked.
"Let's go hat hunting!" Gus cheered.
Every Hexside student (except for Amity, who had to stay home because of her leg injury) boarded the ship and rode it all the way to the Emperor's Castle, which was surrounded by an ominous fire pit. The castle was only connected by a drawbridge which opened up. Principal Bump lead the students to their guide, a short woman with a red body that was mostly concealed by her white outfit and her green, hand-like hair.
"Who's that?" Stephen asked.
"That's Kikimora, the Emperor's assistant." Clea said. "Mordo says she's a bit of a snob who looks down on everyone other than the Emperor."
"Children of Hexside," Kikimora greeted all the students who approached, "Emperor Belos welcomes you to his castle. We're honored by visits from students. You'll soon be part of a coven, some lucky few may even find their home here, in the mighty Emperor's Coven! You are the future of the Isles! My job is to teach you its past. Right this way."
The students followed Kikimora into the castle. Once they were inside and past the guards, Kikimora gestured to the murals, statues, and tapestries which illustrated the story she then narrated.
"Today, the Isles are a place of peace and prosperity. But that wasn't always the case. Up until fifty years ago, witches and demons practiced wild magic during what we called the Savage Ages. Witches had access to corrupt knowledge, and that dishonored the Titan. That was, until our great Emperor ascended to the throne and taught witches how to use magic properly. He has been our sacred guide and protector ever since. Case in point…"
Kikimora stopped to gesture at a large obelisk protected by a glass wall. Everyone looked upon the strange combination of circles and symbols etched on it, Stephen and Luz most of all.
"What you see before you is proof of our Emperor's nobility." Kikimora continued. "Many years ago, the Boiling Isles were plagued by wild nightmares from the Dream Dimension, all so that our fear can be fed upon by its ruler, the dread Nightmare. Thankfully, our Emperor found a solution. He created this very magical seal which separated our dreams from Nightmare's grasp. As long as it remains intact, we will sleep soundly."
"So that's what Nightmare needs the Owl Beast to destroy." Luz whispered. "But wait. Stephen, doesn't that seal look weird to you?"
"Now that you mention it, yes." Stephen said. He took out his phone and took a picture of it. He further examined the photo on his screen. "It kinda looks like…"
"Luz, Stephen." Wong cried out quietly. "The tour's moving. We're about to enter the relic room."
"Right. Sorry." Stephen said catching up with the other students.
Kikimora lead the students into a large room. They passed through several pedestals which held different magical artifacts, including the Green Thumb Gauntlet, the Oracle Sphere, the Living Papyrus, and even the Healing Hat.
"The Relic Room." Kikimora continued. "These items are reminders of our great Emperor's overwhelming power. From the curious and mighty to the very handy, and even the most valuable."
Stephen stared longingly at the Healing Hat, but then, his eyes caught something else. Right behind the Healing Hat was a red cape hanging inside of a glass case. Stephen gasped realizing it looked familiar and held his hand up.
Kikimora looked back at the students and noticed Stephen's hand. "Yes?"
"Sorry to interrupt," Stephen said, "But I'm actually curious about that red cape over there. It wasn't on the brochure."
"Ah. A keen eye, I see." Kikimora said. "That right there is the Cloak of Levitation."
"The Cloak of Levitation. One of the Ancient One's lost artifacts. It was here the whole time." Stephen realized quietly.
"It is said that whoever wears this cape will gain the ability to fly without a staff." Kikimora described.
"So why is it contained?" one student asked.
"Good question." Kikimora said. "We take extra care to keep this here because it stands above all the other relics. This very garment belonged to the previous Sorcerer Supreme, the Ancient One."
"So you keep it here in memory of her?" Luz asked.
"Something like that." Kikimora said. "We keep it here to remind us of her defiance."
"Defiance?" Stephen asked.
"Unfortunately, yes." Kikimora answered. "Back when Emperor Belos began his coven system, he was met with relentless assaults by wild witches who continue to defy the Titan's will. And at the head of it all, the Ancient One stood. She endangered the lives of countless witches who decided to follow the Titan's command, especially the Emperor. It all ended in a climatic duel which could only end one way. Although Emperor Belos offered his hand in camaraderie, the Ancient One rejected it and let out her last breath. As she died, her title of Sorcerer Supreme ended up going to the victor of that duel: Emperor Belos."
Stephen was shocked. He couldn't believe his ears. "Was this really true?" he wondered.
"Well, that's enough about fallen sorcerers." Kikimora said continuing the tour. She lead the students into the adjacent hallway. "Here at the Emperor's Coven, we require members with sophistication, elegance, and grace."
Suddenly, a nearby door slammed open. Lillith Clawthorne appeared in the doorway with leaves in her messy hair and feathers that she spit out of her mouth. Out of fear of being recognized, Stephen and Luz hid themselves.
"Ah. Make way for Miss Lillith Clawthorne students." Kikimora said patronizingly as Lillith passed by. "And if I'm not mistaken, she's on her way to see the Emperor himself. Let's all wish her luck."
"Good luck, Miss Lillith!" the class said.
Lillith took a second to breathe deeply before answering. "Thank you, students. Good luck with puberty." That's when she left.
"Boy. She knows how to respond to people. Right, Stephen?" Luz asked before noticing Stephen looking at the far hallway. "Stephen?"
"Hmm. What?" Stephen asked looking back at her.
"Everything okay, buddy?" Luz asked.
"Yeah. I just… I thought I just saw Agatha." Stephen said looking back at the hallway.
"Agatha?" Luz asked. "Wait, you mean Agatha Harkness, that crazy witch who tried to drain you dry of all your magic? That's crazy. I thought she was arrested."
"I dunno. I think…" Stephen said. "Never mind. Let's keep going."
The students moved on, but unbeknownst to them, Agatha Harkness peeked her head out making sure no one saw her. She looked left and right and continued to walk to the same direction as where Lillith was going.
Baron Mordo stood waiting outside of gigantic doors until Lillith arrived. He smiled seeing her.
"Lillith, dear." Mordo said. "Glad to see you. I haven't seen you after I returned to the Isles."
"Sorry, Karl." Lillith said. "I stayed up all night planning a raid to bring in my sister."
"Right. I heard about that." Mordo said. "Guess the Emperor wishes to speak with the both of us."
"I guess so." Lillith said inhaling deeply. "Good luck."
"You too." Mordo returned before entering the throne room with his girlfriend.
It was a large, dimly-lit room with an unbelievably large heart beating above their heads. The heart was hooked to pipes connecting to the throne that Emperor Belos sat at. There was a smaller figure in a white hood and a golden mask standing right beside him. As Lillith and Mordo knelt down to their ruler, they noticed that Belos leaned his head on his hand with heavy breathing.
"We are at your service, Emperor Belos." Lillith said.
"Just a moment, you two." Belos said. A guard approached him with a palisman on a tray which he took. He used his finger to break off the palisman's head and leak out a green goop. He poured it over his eye holes in his mask and sighed in relief. "Ah, that's better."
The sight of a palisman being sacrificed is always disconcerting to anyone, but they dared not question it. The heads of the Emperor's Coven just kept listening to their ruler.
"First of all, I'd like to welcome back Baron Karl Mordo to the Isles. I trust your voyage has been fruitful?"
"Better than you'd think, my lord." Mordo replied.
"Excellent. And now, for your partner." Belos said turning his eyes to Lillith. "How goes your hunt for the Owl Lady? I heard you attempted a raid this morning."
"Yes, but we were…"
"Unsuccessful. That was obvious enough." Belos interrupted. "It's been over a month since you promised to bring me the Owl Lady. Well, where is she?"
"If I just had more time, I…"
"I'm getting bored of your excuses, Lillith." Belos said.
"My lord, with all due respect, I promise, we'll get you the Owl Lady." Baron Mordo said. "Just give us the rest of the day. You won't be disappointed."
"The rest of the day?" Lillith asked in surprise.
"Very well. I will give you until twilight to bring the Owl Lady to me." Belos said. "She'll join the Emperor's Coven, and in return, I'll heal her little curse. But if you fail, Lillith, you will be stripped of your rank and banished from my coven. And Baron, since you have the upmost confidence, should she fail, you will suffer the same penalty."
"Yes, sir." Mordo said. "We won't fail."
"All right then. You are excused." Belos said gesturing to the throne room doors.
After leaving the throne room, Lillith turned to Mordo. "The rest of the day? Karl, what's gotten into you? It took me all night to plan an unsuccessful attack on the Owl Sanctum."
"It will be okay. I promise." Mordo said. "Believe it or not, I have a plan, and it's already in motion. Just come get me once the school field trip is over."
"The school field trip?" Lillith asked. "I don't understand."
"I'll tell you later." Mordo said caressing Lillith's face. "Right now, just get some rest."
Lillith sighed. "All right. I'll trust you." She turned and headed to the far hallway.
Once she was gone, Mordo turned to walk in the other direction, when suddenly, his path was blocked by none other than Agatha Harkness. She had the most terrified and paranoid look on her face.
"Agatha." Mordo greeted nervously. "How's your day going to far?"
Agatha's eyes shifted around. "I need to be careful."
"Careful?" Mordo asked. "I don't understand."
"I know too much. I've been too close. I'd recognize a draining spell when I see one, but I never imagine it'd be that big."
"Harkness, what are you talking about?" Mordo asked. "You're not making any sense."
"It's all a lie! Belos! The Day of Unity! All of it! He's going to leave us all to die! We have to stop him! I know you'll listen! You're the most rational of the coven heads!" Agatha reached into her cloak and pulled out a folder which was filled with papers and photos.
"What are these?" Mordo asked.
"It's everything I found out about Belos. What he is. What he's planning. Why he's doing it. Everything. Look through those papers and you'll understand everything. Together, we can stop him before it's too late. I need to go. Tread with care."
Agatha rushed out of the hallway before Mordo could say another word. Once she was gone, Mordo opened up the folder and read through it. There were a lot of contents, so he could only have time to look at the basics of the contents. Once he was done, he put on a cold, soul-piercing gaze which he then turned to a nearby pyre. He through the folder into the fire and let it burn as he walked away.
With the help of Gus' illusion magic, Stephen, Luz, and the gang were able to stay at the castle while the rest of the class believed they boarded the ship with them. Once they were gone, they were ready to make their move.
After looting a closet, the gang found a large coven scout uniform and all huddled underneath it. They walked together with Stephen looking through the mask o guide them. Though they appeared strange, they didn't attract too much attention from the real scouts that they passed.
They eventually made it to the relic room door where a guard was posted. Gus projected an illusion of Kikimora who dismissed him. Once he was gone, Gus made her do the worm dance for a laugh before he and the others made it inside. They ditched the costume and looked at the relics around them.
"All right. We made it." Stephen said. He looked to a nearby tapestry which was as red as the cape and he had an idea.
Curiously, Gus headed to the Oracle Sphere and picked it up. "Finally! I'll know how to become my best self!" With the sphere, he projected a copy of himself which whispered to him.
"You're always your best self."
That advice made Gus cry.
Meanwhile, Willow found the Green Thumb Gauntlet and put it on. She grew a muscular arm made of tree from her palm before pulling it back in and putting the gauntlet back. "I just wanted to try it out."
Wong wasted no time finding the Living Papyrus, pulling out a pen, and writing from it. He read what he wrote aloud. "Living Papyrus, is it true you can answer any question?"
The words disappeared from the paper and new ones took its place. It read "Not exactly. I'm not omniscient nor am I above average intelligence. I am mainly just used for conversation."
Wong shrugged before putting the paper back down. "Hmm. Well, that was a let down."
"Here it is." Clea said as she picked the Healing Hat from its pedestal.
"So that's going to help both Stephen and Eda?" Luz asked.
"Supposedly." Clea replied before looking around. "Stephen?"
Stephen was found approaching the glass case with the Cloak of Levitation inside of it. He was holding onto the red curtain he found.
"What are you up to, Stephen?" Luz asked.
"I'm taking the Cloak of Levitation." Stephen said. "I need to keep it safe."
"Isn't it already safe?" Gus asked. "I mean, it is in the heart of the Emperor's Castle after all."
"I don't think it's safe." Stephen said. "When I looked up the Cloak of Levitation in the Ancient One's journal, all that was written was 'He's already got it'. If it's here, then that means 'he' must be referring to Belos."
"So?" Wong asked.
"So… Guys, the Ancient One hid the relics away because she was trying to keep them out of the hands of her enemy." Stephen went on. "Isn't it possible that even though she managed to hide away most of them, at least one of them somehow ended up in their hands?"
"What are you saying?" Willow asked.
"I'm saying, what if this enemy that the Ancient One was against was Belos, and this was her way of telling us that? I mean, you heard Kikimora. She portrayed the Ancient One as some fanatical anarchist. That's definitely different from the woman we met at the library, Luz."
"I… guess that's a possibility." Luz said. "So what? You think that Belos attacked the Ancient One unprovoked and lied about it so he can be the new Sorcerer Supreme?"
"I don't know exactly. Something's definitely fishy about all this." Stephen said. "But what I do know is that this cloak doesn't belong here. So let's take it with us, switch it out with this red curtain, and walk out of here with our prizes."
Stephen went on to the glass case. He undid all its latches and was about to open it. But all of a sudden…
"And just what do you kids think you're doing here?"
Everyone stopped and turned their heads. Much to their surprise, Lillith and Baron Mordo stood at the doorway.
"Dang it! Should have had someone be a lookout." Wong grunted under his breath.
"Mordo, I can explain." Clea said nervously.
"Don't bother." Mordo said. "We just want the Owl Lady's humans. The rest of you can go."
"What?" everyone asked in confusion.
"I see." Lillith grinned. "Very clever, Karl. These two will be perfect."
"Hold it." Luz warned. "If you touch us, Eda will come after you so fast…"
"That's the plan." Lillith said.
"Wait! We don't want any trouble!" Clea shouted. "Look, you want to cure your sister of her curse, right? Well, we have the solution right here." She held up the Healing Hat. "Just let us go and put this on her and we'll give it back… after giving Stephen another go of course."
"I'm afraid that won't be possible." Mordo said holding out his hand. With his magic, the Healing Hat flew out of Clea's hands and into his own. "You were so hopeful for a miracle hat, that you failed to notice the price tag." He revealed the bottom which had a tag attached to its inside.
"What?" Clea asked surprised. "I don't understand. You told me it was the Healing Hat."
"So I might have fibbed a little." Mordo said. "This is just an ordinary hat which I decorated myself."
"You lied to me?" Clea asked in disbelief. "Why?"
"It's not personal, dear." Mordo said. "We just need to bring the Owl Lady here, and your human friends are the best way to do that. It's like using bait to lure in more bait."
"You.. You can't be serious." Clea said utterly surprised.
"Run!" Willow said putting the Green Thumb Gauntlet back on. She shot out a tree arm again that grabbed Lillith's staff. However, Mordo chopped it in half with his staff and pulled her across the room.
"Wrong move." Gus said moving forward with his illusion counterpart. "It's two against two now. Let's see how you are when the odds are now…" He was cut off short when Lillith poked his illusion and made it poof. She grabbed him and threw him beside Willow.
Wong panicked and grabbed the Living Papyrus. He rolled it up and swung it at Baron Mordo, but he wasn't even bothered by it.
"What was that supposed to do?" Mordo asked.
"I took a swing, literally." Wong chuckled before being thrown as well.
Mordo turned to Stephen and Luz, but Clea jumped in the way. "Stop!" she ordered. "Mordo, think about what you're doing? You've got to see this is going to far! We can still talk this out!"
"I'm sorry, Clea." Mordo said regretfully. "But it's already decided."
"We'll see about that!" Stephen cried out.
He launched a fire spell at Mordo, but he spun is staff to block it before slamming it down. The impact sent a shockwave which knocked down all but Mordo and Lillith. The two of them then grabbed Stephen and Luz respectively and held them tightly to prevent them from doing anything else.
"If you ever wanna see your friend again," Lillith said to the other kids, "Deliver this to Edalyn."
She threw her staff which picked up Clea, Willow, Gus, and Wong and carried them out of the castle. They flew it all the way to the Owl Sanctum. As soon as Eda saw the staff, she was able to infer its meaning.
The sun was setting on Lillith who paced around impatiently at the open drawbridge of the castle. Mordo stood behind her while Emperor Belos watched from the balcony above.
"Come on, Edalyn." Lillith said. "You would be late when I need you most."
"You sure you don't need my help with this?" Mordo asked. "Your sister's not going to go down so easy."
"This is between us, Karl." Lillith said. "Just watch."
Suddenly, a flash of lightning burst out of nowhere and an angry Eda floated in front of Lillith with her staff in hand. She then threw her sister's staff back at her. But even with that electrifying power, Lillith wasn't fazed.
"Sister, I see you got my invitation to a witch's duel." Lillith said.
Eda didn't hesitate to rain down magical blasts which Lillith quickly shielded herself against. She flew around her fast as lightning while Lillith picked up her staff and fired back at her.
"I'm so angry that I'm not even going to make fun of your boyfriend's name, Lily!" Eda yelled out dodging the blue magic blasts. "Where are Luz and Stephen?!"
"Easy now." Lillith said. "The humans are safe. Karl…" With a snap of his fingers, Mordo summoned two blue orbs; one containing Stephen and the other containing Luz. "You can have them back, provided you do as I say. Renounce your wild ways and join the Emperor's Coven. He can help heal your curse."
"Don't believe everything that bonehead tells you." Eda responded. "He doesn't want to heal me. He wants to control me."
"Then I will take you in by force." Lillith said readying herself for a fight.
"You've always looked down on me because I'm wild," Eda said, "But fortunately, that just made me work harder than you." She slammed her staff down and let out an energy explosion so big, it took the shape of a giant owl.
The duel had finally begun. Eda and Lillith quickly took it to the sky. They exchanged magical blasts and powerful blows all around the front of the Emperor's Castle while everyone watched, especially Luz and Stephen who worried for Eda's safety.
During the fight, Mordo took out a flask with a red jewel used as a cork. It was a little over halfway filled with a red liquid. The jewel was glowing and more liquid dripped from its bottom. He watched the flask fill up slowly.
Stephen turned to Mordo and noticed the red fluid. "Hey! What's that?"
Mordo's eyes glanced at Stephen intensely. "Nothing you need to concern yourself with! In fact…" He flicked his fingers and both Stephen and Luz' orbs were lunged forward about to fall off the drawbridge.
"Luz! Stephen!" Eda gasped seeing the kids in danger. She quickly got on the bridge and rearranged the wood to redirect them back at Mordo. Once they were safe, Eda turned her attention back at Lillith, who met up with her again on the bridge.
Eda summoned three black Hooty copies which coiled around Lillith tightly. She fired a massive magic blast at her, but at the last second, Lillith flicked Luz and Stephen in front of her. Eda was forced to call her blast back.
"Stop hiding behind the kids, you coward!" Eda demanded almost out of breath.
Lillith freed herself from the black Hooty copies and panted heavily. "It's sad to see you slowing down, sister. Tell me, is it the curse?"
"Eda, your gem!" Luz cried out noticing Eda's gemstone get darker and darker.
"Maybe it is the curse," Eda said to her sister, "But then how pathetic are you that you can't best me at my worst?"
After using her black Hooty's to move Stephen and Luz out of the way, Eda released a relentless wave of magical blasts raining down on Lillith like a lightning storm. Lillith summoned a blue shield to protect herself.
Back at the gateway, Mordo kept his eyes on his nearly-full flask which was filling up with red liquid streaming from the lower apex of the gem. "I'm almost there. I need this to be completely full. But at this rate, Edalyn's curse will take over before that happens. I need to give her an extra push."
"Maybe you are stronger than me," Lillith said keeping herself safe from the blasts, "But that made me work smarter! I became sharp! Crafty!"
"A lapdog for a tyrant!" Eda shouted.
Luz and Stephen looked around for a way out. The brother saw a spike when he rolled right into. The impact caused the orb he was in to pop. Luz did the same freeing herself as well. While they recovered, Mordo walked right past them and looked out at the sisters as they continued their duel.
"Edalyn, stop this at once!" Mordo ordered. "Can't you see the pain you're causing your sister?"
"Stay out of this, Karl!" Eda shouted.
"But Lillith's been working all these years just for you!" Mordo shouted. "She wants to help you! She wants to heal your curse! She wants to undo her mistake!"
Eda stopped her lightning storm and put on a confused face. "Mistake? What are you talking about?"
"Karl…" Lillith gasped looking at her boyfriend.
"You still haven't told her?" Mordo asked. "Lillith, if we're going to help Eda, you have to tell her the truth."
"What truth?" Eda asked.
"I… I…" Lillith hesitated to answer with a scared expression.
Mordo sighed. "If you won't do it, I will. Edalyn… Lillith was the one who cursed you."
Eda widened her eyes and stopped for a second. The sudden sting of betrayal shook her very body. She turned to Lillith. "Lily! Tell me he's lying! Tell me it's not true!"
Lillith looked at her sister with the most regretful look she's had throughout the whole fight. She couldn't hide it anymore. She freely admitted, "It's true. I am the one who gave you the curse. But I have the power to remove it. If you would just let me explain…"
Eda's anger stopped Lillith from speaking anymore. Without hesitation or holding back, Eda charged straight forward ramming right into Lillith's shield.
Mordo stepped back away from the impact and took out his flask again. The red gem glowed brighter without anyone else looking and the red liquid that came from the bottom became bigger. He looked very closely at it until it finally reached the very top. It was finally full completely.
"At last. It's done." Mordo sighed quietly.
Though Lillith's shield was strong, Eda's offensive charge was even stronger. Lillith was sent crashing to the wall behind her. Stephen and Luz stood back up and looked at Eda with great worry.
"EDA, YOUR MAGIC!" Stephen shouted.
"You two have served your purpose." Mordo said showing up behind the two kids. "Now, to finish this fight." He flicked his fingers and both kids were thrown off the bridge.
"KIDS!" Eda gasped loudly. She magically charged her hand to stop them from hitting the spikes beneath them, but she didn't have the strength to pull them back up. Her curse saw to that.
A few coven scouts were still inside cleaning up after the fight in the collection room. They heard the fight going on outside and lowered their heads.
"How come everyone else gets to see a witch fight and the rest of us are on clean-up duty?"
"I know, man. I knew I should have used my one day off."
"Hey, is that red cape thing supposed to be…"
Suddenly, the Cloak of Levitation popped right out of the unlocked glass case and flew right out the door and past the guards.
"What the heck was that?"
"Eda, stop!" Luz yelled. "You'll run out of magic!"
"It's my power, kids," Eda said struggling to keep the kids from falling. "And before you two showed up, I spent my whole life wasting it."
"Eda, no!" Stephen cried out.
Eda strained herself feeling her gem go completely black as well as her eyes. She took one last look at the two with a proud look. "All right, kids. Listen to me. I'm going away, and I don't know if I can bounce back this time. Watch over King. Remember to feed Hooty. And Luz, Stephen, thank you for being in my life. AAAAAAAHHHHH!"
Eda lost her grip. Owlbert flew off his staff and attempted to fly down to Luz and Stephen, but Mordo caught him before he could save them.
Without Eda's magic, Luz and Stephen continued their fall. However, a miracle managed to save them. The Cloak of Levitation flew right out the front gate and straight down to the falling kids. It wrapped itself around Stephen's collar, and somehow, he instinctively knew what to do. He grabbed Luz' arms and saved her from the great fall.
The Cloak of Levitation carried both Stephen and Luz up from the pit and onto the bridge.
"What happened?" Stephen asked looking at the cloak he wore. "Where did…"
"Forget that! What about Eda?!" Luz asked looking over at Eda who was laying on the bridge.
The kids tried to approach her, but Eda's body spasmed upwards. She let out a monstrous screech and her body instantly changed into the Owl Beast. She approached Luz and Stephen, but was suddenly pulled back by chains made of magic. She was immobilized by Lillith and Mordo.
Mordo looked back at Stephen who wore the Cloak. "That doesn't belong to you."
"Easy, Karl." Lillith said. "Let's not push our luck. We managed to get Edalyn back. That's all that matters."
"How could you? She's your sister!" Luz teared up with a choked voice. She then turned to Mordo. "And you! Using your own daughter to set up a trap? Are you proud of yourself?"
Mordo turned his back coldly. He dared not look back as the drawbridge began to get pulled back to the castle. Stephen and Luz watched helplessly as Lillith, Mordo, and the Owl Beast faded into the castle.
"Leave, humans." Lillith ordered. "Edalyn is with her family. Her real family. Go back to your world. This one is ours."
At that, the doors closed separating them.
Shortly after the fight, Agatha Harkness paced around a seemingly-empty hallway nervously. "What do I do? What do I do? If he gets the portal door, he can…"
"Hello, Ms. Harkness."
Agatha gasped turning around and seeing Emperor Belos standing behind her. "Oh. Emperor Belos. What brings you here?"
"I'm here to settle a little matter." Belos said before tapping his staff to the ground.
All of a sudden, guards appeared out of nowhere and jumped onto Agatha. She struggled in surprise before getting chained up and handcuffed.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Agatha asked.
"I had a reliable source tell me that you were planning to stage a coup and take over my throne." Belos said.
"What? No! I wasn't! I swear!" Agatha pleaded.
"Baron Mordo." Belos turned to one of the heads of the Emperor's Coven who stepped out to be right next to him. Agatha widened her eyes right at him.
"It's true, my lord." Mordo said. "Agatha Harkness came to me proposing that we overthrow you together. She wanted me to keep you in place just like enough for her to drain you of all your magic. She said that if I helped her, then she and I could rule over the Boiling Isles side by side."
"NO! NO, THAT'S NOT WHAT I SAID AT ALL!" Agatha yelled out. "HE'S LYING! HE…"
"Enough." Belos said waving his hand. A mouth clamp suddenly appeared covering her entire mouth. "Take her away. I will deal with her accordingly."
Agatha fought hardly, but the number of guards overpowered her. They lifted her by her legs and carried her away.
Once they were alone, Belos turned to Mordo. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Baron Mordo. Once again, you have proven your loyalty."
"Just doing my duty, sire." Mordo replied with an emotionless expression. "You've given me everything. I would do anything for you." He made extra certain to keep his red flask well-hidden, even from the Emperor.
Stephen and Luz kept seeing Eda being taken away as they walked through the forest and returned to the Owl Sanctum.
"Oh, Luz, Stephen, there you are." Hooty said.
"Hi, Hooty." Stephen greeted quietly as he and Luz walked through the front door.
Once they entered, they quickly noticed a cake and a cape made of witch's wool that was tied in a red bow. Both of them were resting on the table. Suddenly, King burst out of the top of the cake excitedly.
"The cake is me!" King cried out before looking around. "Hey, um, where's Eda?"
Luz began to tear up as she fell to her knees. Her sobbing answered the little demon's question. Everyone gathered around her to comfort her, especially Stephen, who fully understood her pain. He himself felt an old feeling of dread return into his heart.
Exactly five years ago, he lost one mother.
Today, he lost another.