Author's Note: So here we are at another chapter in my most popular fanfiction. After this, I will work on one last chapter (an original one) and take a break from this story to focus on others. Get ready for what is most assuredly my longest chapter yet.
Any and all comments are welcome.
King opened up a book labeled "The Unauthorized Boiling Isles History" and read from it to Luz and Stephen, who stood by the side of the room sad about losing their guardian.
"The Boiling Isles, born of the flesh and bones of a fallen Titan. This original magic was so potent, all life on the isles evolved to wield magic too. For years, we explored these powers freely until a mysterious witch appeared who declared that he, and he alone, could speak to the island. He said that we were using magic all wrong. His teachings took hold, his strength grew, and he became Emperor Belos. Belos said that mixing magic was wrong, that only he had that right. So he created the coven system. And there, our knowledge was restricted and our potential sealed away. Those who resist are called wild witches and they faced harsh punishment. Even the previous Sorcerer Supreme, the Ancient One, was declared a wild witch and was treated accordingly. Emperor Belos has since retreated into his castle taking the title of Sorcerer Supreme. There are whispers that say he's planning something big. I wonder if catching Eda was part of his big plan."
"King, I never thought I'd say this, but this isn't the time for books." Stephen said standing up straight. "If Belos has something planned for Eda, we need to rescue him before he gets the chance to."
"Stephen's right." Luz said joining him. She put on a new cape, one that was sewn by Eda very recently out of witch's wool. She wore it proudly staring off with determination. "Today, we're saving Eda!"
"Right there with you, Luz." Stephen said straightening up his newly acquired Cloak of Levitation. He fixed his collar, which then brushed his cheeks playfully. "Stop."
The Owl Beast ran in circles. Her screeches echoed across the halls of the emperor's throne room. She was chased by Lillith and Baron Mordo who were trying to contain her.
"Eda, stop that this instant!" Lillith ordered as her transformed sister tore down a tapestry of the emperor himself.
"She can't hear you. Remember?" Mordo asked. "She's in her cursed form." He waved his finger to trap the Owl Beast in a giant bubble.
"Well, that will all change very soon." Lillith said. "Don't you see, sister? Emperor Belos will heal you and we'll be in his coven together. Isn't that wonderful?"
The Owl Beast's only response was a raspberry blown at Lillith's direction.
Mordo chuckled. "Well, it looks like both Eda and the Owl Beast don't respect you."
"What about you?" Lillith asked. "Don't forget that you did use your ward to set a trap. I doubt she'll be happy about it when you get home."
Mordo dropped his smile. "I admit, I'm not expecting a warm welcome, but I'll have her see that this was a necessity."
"KAW-RLL!" the Owl Beast screeched taking Mordo off-guard.
"Did the Owl Beast just screech out 'Karl'?" Mordo asked before being blown another raspberry from the Owl Beast.
"We won't fall prey to your childish games." Lillith said before stretching down her lower eyelids and sticking out her tongue.
"You're definitely sisters." Mordo said.
Everyone turned to the sound of the doors opening up. Many guards walked in followed by Kikimora, and last, but not least, Emperor Belos. Mordo and Lillith knelt down to him, but the sight of him made the Owl Beast angry enough to break out of her bubble and try to attack him. However, Belos teleported away from the attack and used magic to throw her across he room. He then summoned several ropes to pin her to the floor.
"My lord, I apologize for my sister's rash behavior." Lillith said. "She is still in her cursed form. Once you've healed her as promised, I'm sure she will become a useful asset to the coven."
Belos pulled out a white, mechanical staff with a red orb attached to it. He waved it up and fired a red blast from it and onto the Owl Beast's head. It was a brief moment, but once he was done, the Owl Beast's eyes changed back to Eda's and her voice came out of it.
"Ugh. Where am I? What is this?" Once Eda saw that she was still in her cursed form and that she was held captive by the Emperor and his coven, she remembered everything. "Ah, farts. I got caught."
"Edalyn Clawthorn, the infamous Owl Lady." Emperor Belos greeted. "The wild witch of Bonesburrow. A mentor to Luz and Stephen the humans."
"You stay away from them, or so help me, Titan." Eda threatened.
Belos chuckled. "You've got it all wrong. The humans are safe for now. I just want the portal they came through."
"Tough, 'cause I ain't telling you nothing." Eda defied.
"Pity." Belos said. "Although, I suppose I could ask the humans themselves. They intrigue me, especially the boy. A human who can do magic. That's something I'd love to talk about. As for you…" Belos snapped his fingers, and his guards grabbed Eda dragging her away.
"Wait! Don't touch them!" Eda pleaded. "Lillith, don't let him hurt them! Lillith!"
Once Eda was out of the room, Lillith turned to her ruler. "Uh, taking her to the healing ceremony?"
"I will not be healing her." Belos said bluntly.
Lillith's hopeful smile faded instantly. "But you promised me…"
"Don't be naïve, Lillith. This is the Titan's will." Belos said. "All wild witches must be dealt with before the Day of Unity."
"We understand, sir." Mordo said earning a shocked expression from Lillith.
"Good." Belos said. He snapped his fingers again and Eda's staff and palisman appeared in Lillith's hands. "One more thing. Destroy the Owl Lady's staff. She won't be needing it anymore." He turned to leave the throne room.
Lillith turned back to Baron Mordo. "Karl, what was that?"
"What do you mean?"
"You, blatantly telling the Emperor that you were okay with my own sister not being healed." Lillith said. "It's almost like you…" The look on his face made her silent for a second. "Wait. Did you know?"
Mordo frowned. "Honestly, yes. I saw this coming."
"But, you were supposed to help me help my sister." Lillith said.
"It was never going to work anyway, Lillith." Mordo said. "Anyone could see that even if Emperor Belos did heal Eda's curse, she still wouldn't join him. She'd stubbornly cling onto her wild ways. And her natural talent for magic makes her too big of a risk. More likely, he's going to make an example out of her to convince more wild witches to join the coven system."
"Make an example?" Lillith asked fearfully. "You don't mean…"
Mordo nodded before starting to walk out. "You may want to be somewhere else, Lillith. I can't imagine you'd want to attend your own sister's petrification."
Meanwhile, back at the Owl Sanctum, Luz and Stephen headed to Eda's weapons room and picked some stuff from the furthest walls. They soon held onto several rare artifacts, especially the eight Sling Rings, the Axe of Agnarruumus, the Wand of Watoomb, the Book of Vishanti, and the Cloak of Levitation.
"Guys, what are you doing?" King asked. "Eda said we shouldn't use those."
"She said we should only use them for emergencies." Stephen said. "I'd say this qualifies."
"If we're going to face the Emperor, we're going to need everything we have." Luz said.
"Haven't you been listening?" King asked. "He's the Emperor. He's the Sorcerer Supreme."
"King, please try to understand." Luz said. "Eda is in this situation because of us. We have to make up for it."
"But she's in her Owl Beast form." King said. "How will she even recognize you?"
"I know we haven't thought this through, but we have to try anyway." Stephen said. "I never thought I'd say that."
"Well, then, I'm going to." King said. "Me and Eda don't always see eye to eye, but I do consider her family. I want her back as much as you do."
"Then we have no time to lose." Luz said. "Let's…"
"STEPHEN! LUZ!"
Two voices yelled out from downstairs. Stephen, Luz, and King ran to the living room to find two of their friends who had just barged right through the front door.
"Clea! Wong!" Stephen said heading down to greet them.
"Ouch! Didn't even stop to say hi." Hooty said.
"What are you doing here?" Luz asked.
"We want to help rescue Eda." Clea said. "I'm as responsible for this as you two are. I was the one who told you about the Healing Hat in the first place."
"I went along with the heist too." Wong said. "Gus and Willow are gathering at the Conformatorium trying to do their part to stop the ceremony."
"What ceremony?" Stephen asked.
"You haven't heard?" Clea asked. "Emperor Belos has announced that he was going to petrify the Owl Lady to stone at sundown."
"Please tell me that's not as bad as it sounds." Luz said, but she already knew the answer.
"Petrification is only done to the worst criminals." King said. "And once the spell is complete, it can't be reversed."
"There hasn't been a petrification in thirty years." Wong said. "And every wild witch who has been victims of that sentence is put on display in the Emperor's garden as an example for those who practice wild magic."
"Then we have no time to lose." Stephen said. "Now, we've got four magical relics left behind by the Ancient One plus eight Sling Rings. Each of us takes one ring in case we have to split up, but let's all agree to meet back here once we're done." He picked up five Sling Rings and passed each to his friends.
"Right." Wong said as he also picked up the Wand of Watoomb. "I'll also take this."
"And I'll take this." Clea said taking the Book of Vishanti.
Stephen turned to Luz and Eda. "Sorry there's nothing left for you two. The Axe of Agnarruumus is kinda bound to me and the Cloak of Levitation seems too attached to me."
"It's all right." King said.
"Yeah. Besides, I've got these." Luz said holding up stacks of paper with magical glyphs already written on them.
Stephen took one last look at Clea. "Are you sure about this?"
"Anything for you guys." Clea said. "Besides, it's about time Mordo and I had a very personal talk."
"Then get ready, everyone. Because we're about to cause the breakout of the century." Stephen said as he waved his Sling Ring. The portal to the Conformatorium opened up and they all went through.
Warden Wrath paced around the courtyard of the Conformatorium waiting as patiently as he could. He was accompanied by a couple of coven scouts.
"This is it." He said. "After weeks of anticipation, it's time the Owl Lady pays for her transgressions."
"Yes, sir." One scout says. "Her crimes against the coven system must be recognized."
"The coven system?" Wrath asked. "I was talking about her rejecting my advances. But… Yeah. That too. But keep an eye out. If the Owl Lady is going to be petrified, odds are her human pets will attempt a rescue. Thankfully, we got all entrances covered. There's absolutely no way they can take us by…"
He was cut off by a flash of orange light from behind him. He turned to see Luz, Stephen, King, Clea, and Wong jump through the portal they just made. Immediately, Luz used one of her plant glyphs to grow a tree big enough to quickly wrap around Warden Wrath.
The two coven scouts shot fireballs at the kids, but Wong was able to absorb them into the Wand of Watoomb. Stephen then countered with a swing from his axe that disoriented them. Stephen used that opportunity to conjure magical ropes which wrapped around them. With one thrust, he knocked them both to the wall.
At that moment, Warden Wrath freed himself from the tree that pinned him down. He was about to get back up, but after Clea read a spell from the Book of Vishanti, he was quickly sunken into the ground until only his head was poking out. All the kids gathered around him.
"Where's Eda?" Luz asked threateningly.
"She's in the holding cell in the dungeon." Wrath answered.
"Draw me a map." Luz demanded.
A few minutes later, Lillith was watching the crowd outside. She hated the idea of her own sister being petrified. Right behind her, Kikimora was berating Warden Wrath who had dirt and rubble all over his body.
"You fool! You let the humans escape? And you drew them a map?"
"It all happened so fast, ma'am." Wrath said. "There were five of them, and I think the magic human had a magical axe or something."
"Magical axe?" Lillith asked quietly.
"It doesn't matter what they had!" Kikimora yelled. "They can't be allowed to get near the Owl Lady!"
"Worry not, Kikimora." Lillith said. "I shall capture the intruders."
No matter how many guards they came across, the kids were able to overcome them with everything at their disposal. Soon enough, they followed the map to the large, chained up door.
"King, watch the door." Stephen said.
"Wah." King squeaked nodding his head.
Luz used an ice glyph to break the lock apart. She, Stephen, Clea, and Wong walked through the door and found the Owl Beast chained up at the center of the room. The Owl Beast turned viciously at the kids, but Luz stopped her with a light spell which stunned her.
"Eda, wait! It's us!" Luz yelled.
The Owl Beast blinked open its eyes until Eda's returned. She was back in control of the monster body.
"Luz? Stephen? Luz and Stephen's friends?" Eda asked. "Oh, no. What are you doing here?"
"What do you think?" Stephen asked. "We're here to rescue you. "But forget that. How are you able to speak?"
Eda groaned. "Belos blasted me with some kind of freaky spell from his staff. Mentally speaking, I'm still me, but clearly, I'm still in my cursed form. It takes over for a few moments at a time, but…"
"We can worry about that later." Luz said. She pulled out a fire glyph and placed it on the chains holding Eda. Though the chain glowed, it didn't change.
"Your magic isn't strong enough for this." Eda said.
"Maybe there's something in the Book of Vishanti that'll help." Clea said going through the book's pages.
"You actually brought the Ancient One's stuff here?" Eda asked.
"If it means saving you, it's worth it." Stephen said.
"Stop. It's too risky." Eda said. "You need to leave. Now."
"Ma'am, we just fought through a hundred guards to save you, and you're telling us to turn tail?" Wong asked.
"Eda, it's our fault all of this happened." Luz said.
"No. I'm here because of my own actions." Eda said. "I went against Belos' law, and for a while, I was able to get away with it. But without magic, I can't do much. I don't regret anything. I lived freely, and I got to meet you kids. But if you stay here, I won't be able to protect you. Not only that, but you'll risk the Ancient One's relics falling into Belos' hands. You need to leave. Now."
"But we're a family." Luz teared up. "Us weirdos have to stick together. Remember?"
Eda reached into her mane and pulled out her portal door key. She pressed its eye and the portal door suddenly appeared and opened up.
"You have a family already. Go back to them." Eda said before giving the key to Luz. "And when you're home, use your fire magic to destroy the portal door. I don't know why Belos wants it, but we can't take any chances."
Luz knew there was no convincing Eda, which only made her sadder. She gave Eda a big hug. "I love you, Eda."
"I love you to, kiddo." Eda returned turning to Stephen. "Hey. Take care of your sister, all right?"
Sadly, Stephen nodded. "I'll give her everything she needs."
"Stephen…" Luz said.
Suddenly, the room began to flash red with the light that lit up from the ceiling. Eda pushed Luz away just before her chains changed into a cage that surrounded her. The floor beneath her rose up carrying her through a hole above.
"NO!" Luz screamed. "Not yet!"
"I'm sorry. Goodbye, kids." Eda said before disappearing above.
All the kids there were left silently sad. Luz was the only one sobbing before the holding cell door opened. It was Lillith who was holding King up. Though he struggled, he couldn't escape.
"Drat. I'm too late." Lillith said. "At least I found you kids."
"You." Luz said recognizing the voice behind her. "You hurt Eda. You put her in chains. And now…" Luz turned to Lillith with a handful of spell glyphs. "I will take you down!"
Luz jumped at Lillith with a fire spell which Lillith dodged. Just then, right behind her, Stephen summoned the Axe of Agnarruumus and swung it at Lillith. Lillith saw the swing coming just in time and blocked it with her staff.
"So it's true." Lillith said. "The Axe of Agnarruumus is still intact. And it's already tied to you. You kids are after the Ancient One's lost relics."
"Yes, and here's another!" Wong said pointing his wand. "It's called the Wand of Watoomb!" The wand still had the fire magic contained from earlier, so he was able to send a blast right at Lillith. She dodged just in time.
"Wait! I just want to talk!" Lillith shouted.
"Talk to the Book of Vishanti!" Clea shouted before reciting a spell from its pages. Suddenly, many vines made of light surrounded Lillith, but she moved out of the way before they could tighten.
All of a sudden, all the kids jumped onto Lillith at once. Their combined strength knocked all of them through the open portal and straight into the human realm.
Luz, Stephen, Clea, Wong, King, and Lillith all fell out of the abandoned shack and onto the forest floor in Gravesfield. After she recovered, Luz pulled up a fire glyph paper and activated it, but much to her surprise, the paper fell to pieces in her hands.
"Guys, something's wrong." Luz said. "I can't use my glyph."
"Really?" Stephen asked before casting a fire blast. "Because my magic's working fine."
After dodging Stephen's fire spell, Lillith gained some distance only to find herself surrounded by the kids. "Please, just listen to me."
"No way!" Luz shouted. "You deserve to be petrified! Not Eda!"
Lillith sighed and lowered her arms. "You're right. I deserve to be in Edalyn's place."
That admission was unexpected to the others. They lowered their arms willing to listen now.
"Why did you curse Eda in the first place?" Stephen asked. "I mean, she's your sister for crying out loud."
"When Edalyn and I were younger, we were the best of friends." Lillith said. "In fact, I remember this one time when Eda scraped her knee and cried, so I made her feel better with a sharing pain spell. Her wound was halved and the other half was given to me."
"So what happened?" Wong asked.
"Being in the Emperor's Coven was my dream. I wanted to work alongside the most powerful witch on the isles and make the world a better place. Eda wanted to be with me, but there was a problem. They told us there was only one spot available and we had to duel for it the next day. I knew Edalyn would beat me. She was younger, but worked twice as hard. She met me at my level. Emperor Belos always said 'to be great, you have to make sacrifices'. What would he do in my situation? So that night, I went to the Night Market, and I found a scroll with a spell that would take away all her powers and I casted on her in her sleep. I thought it would just be for a day.
"The following day, Edalyn and I met at the Hexside arena for our duel. I was just about ready, but all of a sudden, Eda surrendered before the first blow could even be dealt. She refused to fight me and said that she decided not to join a coven. You could not even begin to imagine how surprised I was. And as Edalyn walked away, that's when she transformed into the Owl Beast for the first time. She was chased out by an angry mob and I was welcomed into the Emperor's Coven. I made my sacrifice for the Emperor and it was time to receive my reward. I've been pursuing Edalyn because if she joined the Emperor's Coven, Emperor Belos told me he would heal her curse. But he lied to me. And worse, Karl Mordo went along with it. I'm sorry you have to hear that from me, Clea?"
"Don't be." Clea said. "Honestly, I'm not surprised if what I assume is true."
"What do you mean?" Lillith asked.
"We've recently suspected that Mordo was the one who started the 'devil spawn' rumor at Hexside and left me friendless." Clea said. "He turned me against my friends."
Suddenly, a realization entered Stephen's mind. After a second of thinking, he finally spoke up. "What if he did the same thing? To Eda and Lillith?"
"What?" Lillith asked. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, what if some of your most recent fights with each other were orchestrated by Baron Mordo?" Stephen said. "Think about it. Back at the Covention…"
"Ease yourself, little one." Baron Mordo said. He placed his hands on Amity's shoulders to calm her down. "Let's just leave this theater." As he turned Amity to guide her out, Stephen couldn't help but notice something as Mordo's hand brushed her hair.
"Wait. What's this?" Stephen asked as he stepped towards Amity. He stopped her and placed his hand at the back of her neck.
"Hey! What are you…"
Amity was interrupted when she realized that Stephen pulled something off of her. A piece of parchment with the Construction Coven symbol on it. As soon as it was removed, Amity's abomination shrank down to its puny size it was earlier.
"I didn't notice that power glyph until Mordo 'accidently' brushed the back of Amity's hair." Stephen said. "It's like he wanted us to see it and call her out, which would then lead to you and Eda fighting."
Lillith widened her eyes and gasped. "You know, come to think of it, right before the duel, Karl said something…"
"Well, you always told me that Edalyn always had a sneaky trick up her sleeve in all the games you played. Chances are, she might try something here. But if she does, we'll be there to call her out."
"It was only after he said those words that I decided to cheat too." Lillith realized.
"And back when we were racing for the Axe of Agnarruumus, it was Mordo who said that Eda was frail and provoked her, not you." Stephen said. "I think he must have known we were listening in. And at the drawbridge, Mordo bluntly told Eda that you were the one who cursed her."
"And the whole thing was Mordo's plan to begin with." Lillith realized. "But this is insane. Why would he do this?"
"While you and Eda were fighting the other day, I noticed something strange." Stephen said. "Mordo was holding onto some strange potion vial. The more intense the fight got, the faster it filled up."
"So… Mordo was just playing me?" Lillith asked with heavy breaths. "Toyed with my emotions? Pit me and my sister against each other?" She gritted her teeth before roaring. She aimed her staff and fired a blue blast which broke a tree in half. After a few moments of breathing, she looked back at the others.
"You okay?" Wong asked.
"No. But that won't stop me." Lillith said. "I know how to rescue Edalyn, but I can't do it alone."
"How do we know we can trust you?" Luz asked.
"We can." Clea assured. "I know exactly what Lillith is feeling right now. I'm sure she'd want to get to the bottom of this like I do."
"Thank you, Clea. Here." Lillith conjured a magic circle and materialized Eda's staff, including Owlbert, which she then passed to Luz. "Emperor Belos ordered me to destroy Edalyn's staff. Consider this my first act towards redemption."
"All right then." Stephen said. "Let's go and save Eda."
Luz took one last glance at the human world before joining her friends back to the Demon Realm. Somehow, she felt she had to take it in while she still could.
After returning to the Conformatorium, Lillith lead the kids to a deep, overgrown chamber with a round platform at the center.
"You can take this up to the stage where they're holding Edalyn." Lillith instructed.
"What can we expect?" Stephen asked.
"Well, Kikimora's in charge of the petrification, but as far as magic goes, I'm sure you can beat her." Lillith said. "But the biggest problem is the statue. Emperor Belos has a magical statue. He hooked it up to a machine which unlocks its properties. It's how he petrified all who opposed him."
"So what will you do now?" Luz asked.
"I will stay in the Emperor's Coven, but I will make sure nothing like this ever happens again." Lillith said. "Along the way, I will look deeper into Mordo's plans and find out what his secret agenda is."
"Well, the next time you see him, tell him I know what he did to my social life and that I will not live in the same house as him anymore." Clea said.
"This isn't right." Stephen said.
"I know, there's plenty of things wrong with this situation, but until he gives me answers, I'm not going to be with him." Clea said.
"No, I mean something seriously isn't right." Stephen said. "Where are all the guards?"
Stephen's question grew everyone's tension level. They looked around expecting for a fight, but they really should have looked down. While everyone was scared for a second, a root tangled around most of the gang except for Stephen and Luz. They were all pulled into the darkness until the dark corner was lit up with torches. That's when Luz and Stephen realized they were standing face to face with their real enemy.
Emperor Belos sat merely ten feet away from the heroes sitting on a throne made of bones with Lillith, King, Clea, and Wong hanging beside him. Belos reached into the kids cloaks and pulled out the Book of Vishanti, the Wand of Watoomb, and the Sling Rings they had on them.
"Ah, Lillith, you chose the wrong side." Belos said. "Not to worry. You'll join your sister in a moment. A certain somebody wants to have a word with you. And little Clea too." He snapped his fingers and both Lillith and Clea disappeared. "As for the two of you…" He snapped again and King and Wong were pulled upward.
"Guys!" Luz yelled.
"Let them go, you long-antlered fascist!" Stephen threatened.
"Such a mouth." Belos said. "I'd actually like to have a word with you, humans."
Lillith and Clea both fell in a darkened room. The only source of light was the window that Baron Mordo sat on. He looked out at the crowd watching King and Wong get added into the cage alongside Eda.
"Karl…" Lillith sneered.
"I detect animosity in your tone, my dear." Mordo said turning to Lillith and Clea. "What's this about?"
"Don't play games with me!" Lillith shouted. "Is it true? Did you intentionally trick me and Edalyn into fighting each other for your own ends?"
Mordo closed his eyes preparing for the worst. He turned to the girls and approached them with his answer. "Yes."
Lillith already knew the truth, but hearing it from her own boyfriend with her own ears… It was unbearable. "Why? Why would you manipulate us like that?!"
"Is it to do with that potion?" Clea asked with disdain toward her guardian. "Stephen said he saw you with it while the Clawthorne sisters were fighting."
Mordo reached into his jacket and pulled out the potion in question. The red jewel was still pressed into its only opening, but it was completely full of red liquid.
"I assume he was talking about this." Mordo said. "The jewel is called an Empath Stone, a very rare gemstone which can secrete a very powerful, very potent potion, but only in the presence of raw emotion. The stone here is red, which represents rage. In order to get the potion from it, it needs to be around a conflict full of fury and anger."
"So that's why you tricked me and Edalyn into fighting? For your stupid potion?" Lillith asked. "Why? What do you need it for?"
"I can't say." Mordo said shamefully putting the red potion away. "All I can tell you is that I need to open something up, and this potion is the only thing that can unlock it for me. But I'm going to have to wait until the Day of Unity."
"After all this, I was just a pawn for you to use?" Lillith asked. "Was our relationship ever real? Did you only ask me out for this?"
"No, of course not!" Mordo answered instantly. "I promise, when we started going out, it was real. But something happened that… changed everything." He sighed. "I'm sorry I lied to you, Lillith, but there are bigger things out there than me and you. I know I seem heartless, but you must understand that everything I do, I do for the good of the Isles."
"Even what you did to me?" Clea asked angrily. "I know it was you, Mordo! You turned me against the Grudgby team! My friends! Am I wrong?"
Mordo widened his eyes surprised to hear it. But then, he turned his head shamefully and admitted, "You're not wrong."
"Why?" Clea asked. "Were me and Boscha just another method for you to get your mystery potion?"
"That's not… No, it isn't." Mordo struggled to say. "Look, Clea, you have a big role to play on the Day of Unity. When the time comes, you're going to have to make a hard choice. And I figured that if you thought all your friends hated you, that there was no one else who cared about you, then your decision would be a lot easier."
"And what about Stephen? Or Luz? Or all my new friends?" Clea asked hating every word that progressed this confrontation. "Were you planning on breaking us up like you did before?"
"That's different." Mordo said. "The humans were under the care of the Owl Lady, who I needed. So I thought that if you were close with her…"
"Then you'd be able to set up the very trap you pulled at the drawbridge." Lillith said. "All this time, I thought you were a man of honor, a good witch who deserved the praises. But I was wrong. You're no hero. You're a psychopath."
Mordo lowered his head. "I'm sorry this happened, Lillith. Believe me, I wished this moment would never come." He summoned his staff and tapped it on the ground. That's when the tendrils returned and snatched Lillith away carrying her out of the room.
"LILLITH!" Clea yelled out. She tried to go after her, but Mordo grabbed her shoulder and kept her in place despite her struggles.
"I'm sorry, Clea, but I can't let you leave." Mordo said. "All we can do now is wait for the ceremony to be over."
Lillith was dragged to the cage with Eda, Wong, and King. She looked up at her transformed sister with fear. "Edalyn…"
"It's all right. King and Wong told me you tried to save me." Eda said. "What happened?"
"Mordo. He betrayed me." Lillith said. "I'm so sorry, Edalyn. If I knew something like this would happen, I…"
She was cut off by the statue which began to glow and hum loudly. Everyone braced themselves for the worst.
Down below, Gus climbed on up to his reporter father and interrupted his broadcast by taking his microphone. He then passed it to Willow who used it to address the crowd.
"What's happening to Eda isn't right! She might not always follow the rules, but she hasn't done anything worthy of petrification!"
"She helped me escape jail!" proclaimed the multi-eyed demon.
"She helped me stay in business!" proclaimed Mortimer.
"She helped me love teaching again… after she left." Proclaimed Principal Bump.
"The kid's right!" Stan yelled. "Eda's not a bad person!"
"The Emperor should let Eda go!" Willow declared.
"Let Eda go!" Gus joined in. Soon enough, the entire crowd chanted with them.
"LET EDA GO! LET EDA GO! LET EDA GO! LET EDA GO!"
The chants above were muffled by the several layers of concrete stone separating them and Belos who stood face to face with Luz and Stephen. He picked up the relics he took from Wong and Clea.
"Sling Rings. The Wand of Watoomb. The Book of Vishanti." Belos said. "Doing some treasure hunting, are we?"
"Let our friends go or else!" Luz threatened. She slammed Eda's staff to the ground before launching an ice glyph which grew several icicles in Belos' direction. They stopped just an inch from his mask.
Belos chuckled before disappearing. He then reappeared behind the two kids. "Okay. I'll play." He flicked his finger launching Luz and Stephen away.
Stephen used his Cloak of Levitation to grab Luz. They were then met with several monstrous vines and rocks which tried to attack them. Luz did her part to use her fire and ice glyphs to defend them. After dropping Luz off, Stephen turned to face a giant, green worm monster that Belos summoned. With a wave of his fingers, he let out an explosive burst of fire which burned it into nothing.
"All this time, I only partially believed it," Belos said, "But there really is a human who can do magic after all. How intriguing."
"You're going to find out just how much magic I can do, buster!" Stephen sneered before casting an ice spell onto Belos, but he dodged out of the way.
After Stephen and Luz returned to the ground, they were suddenly caught by more monster vines which held them down. Belos approached them both.
"Had enough?" Belos asked.
"Not even close." Stephen said. Suddenly, the Axe of Agnarruumus appeared in his hand and the threw it upwards. It happened so fast, that it managed to jab at Belos' mask chipping a piece of it from him. The sudden attack also made Belos drop the relics he took, which Luz stole back.
After recovering, Belos looked back at Luz and Stephen with his left eye being scarred. "I like your spirit, but try that again and things won't end well for you. But as a show of good form, I'll let you keep your trinkets."
"What?" Luz asked.
"Compared to the true prize, those relics are nothing." Belos said. "What I truly desire is the Eye of Agamotto. As you no doubt have heard, the Ancient One and I didn't end on the best of terms. She gave her life trying to keep it out of my hands, but her tricks won't fool me forever. I'll find the Eye, then there will be no doubt in anyone's mind who the real Sorcerer Supreme is."
"Still, you're just letting us keep the relics?" Luz asked.
"I'm just a humble messenger for the Titan. In the grand scheme of things, those relics you found so far are inconsequential. The same goes for the Owl Lady's life. But then, you two came along. If you want to save your mentor, give me portal to the human realm."
"But our home…" Luz said.
"You probably think we want to invade the human realm," Belos said, "But the Titan's will is not so boorish. You'll understand soon. Tick-tock, children. The Owl Lady doesn't have much time left."
"Luz…" Stephen turned to his sister.
Even though it was a hard choice, Luz made it. She pulled out the key and pressed its eye. The portal briefcase showed up in her hands. "Lo siento, Mama." She handed it to Belos.
"The Titan will be pleased." Belos said accepting the portal. "Now as for you, Stephen Strange…"
"What about me?" Stephen asked. "You said you'd let us save Eda."
"In a moment. I just wish to understand something." Belos said. "You're a human. You were born in the human realm. And yet, somehow, you can perform magic just like any other witch and demon here on the Boiling Isles. How is that possible?"
"I don't know, and right now, I don't care." Stephen said. "All I know is that I somehow have a magic bile sac."
"A bile sac, you say?" Belos asked. "Interesting. Tell me, are you sure about your parentage?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Stephen asked. "My mom's name is Beverly Strange. She was a school teacher at Gravesfield Elementary."
"And your father?"
"I…" Stephen stopped himself realizing a question that hadn't passed his mind recently. "My dad? I… I don't know anything about him."
"How interesting." Belos said. "Thank you. I have all that I need. Go on then. Go be a couple of heroes."
Stephen and Luz turned and headed to the platform. Once they were on, Belos tapped his staff to the ground and it was raised over to the ceiling. But before she left with Stephen, Luz turned to Belos to make the last word.
"We may have lost, but so have you."
With that, Luz tapped Eda's staff hard on the ground. Belos looked down and found the papers of fire glyphs attached to the portal in his hand. They all activated and the portal blew up in fire bursting it to pieces. Belos and he kids gave one last glare at each other before they finally parted ways.
Stephen and Luz made it to the stage when the magic statue had already begun its work. Its green burst of energy was slowly turning Eda to stone. Stephen did not hesitate to cast a plant spell. With his will, green vines covered the petrification statue and tore it apart. Eda had stopped turning to stone, but most of her body had already changed.
"What are you brats doing?!" Kikimora asked in shock.
Luz held up a fire glyph threateningly. "Free them now!" Kikimora obeyed.
After the cage disappeared, the kids ran back to their friends.
"Eda, are you okay?!" Luz asked.
"As good as I'll ever be." Eda said.
"Hold on. The petrification wasn't complete, so maybe this can work." Stephen said scrolling through the Book of Vishanti. "Here! It's a spell that can fight petrification. Hold on…"
Stephen began to read an incantation, but all of a sudden, he felt a great pain in his hands. It made him miss the blast and send it flying somewhere else.
"Stephen! Your hands!" Luz gasped caring for her brother.
"I'll do it!" Wong said taking the book and reading the incantation again. This time, he did not miss, and Eda's stone body parts began to fade away and change back into flesh.
"Where's Clea?" Stephen strained.
"Mordo has her! Up there!" Lillith answered pointing at a tower window.
"Then we've got no time left to lose!" Eda picked everyone up and let them ride on her back. Stephen used his cloak to fly beside her.
Eda extended her wings and flew on up to the nearby tower. From that room, Mordo grabbed Clea and tried to run out with her, but she fought back. She pulled his hand towards her mouth and sank her teeth into it.
"OW!" Mordo yelled letting go of Clea. Just then, Eda burst a hole in the wall and flew over it.
"Need a rescue?" Stephen asked.
"Wait! Clea, don't! Let's talk about this!" Mordo pleaded before getting blasted by Lillith's magic blast from her staff.
"Consider that our breakup, Karl!" Lillith shouted.
"And Mordo, don't expect me home for dinner! Ever!" Clea yelled before climbing up to mount on Eda's back with the others.
While Mordo was recovering, Eda turned and flew away from the castle. They heard the cheers of the people watching them leave, but the cheers stopped when Belos appeared on the stage. Though his face was mostly hidden, he had an angry aura on him.
"Children of the Isles," Belos declared, "The Titan has told me to spare the Owl Lady's life, but in return, her curse will strip away all her powers! Let her monstrous form be a lesson about the dangers of wild magic!"
Back from his destroyed room, Mordo looked out to where Eda flew away toward and glared. He felt his heart harden as if it was petrified itself. "You can't get away from me that easily, Clea. One way or another, I'm getting you back."
Under the starry-night sky, Eda made it all the way to the front yard of the Owl Sanctum. Once everyone dismounted, she fell tired and exhausted.
"Don't worry, Eda." Luz said. "I'll run and get you some elixir and…"
"Luz, I don't think any amount of elixir will fix this." Stephen said.
"He's right." Lillith said. "I'm afraid there's only one way to help her now."
"What are you going to do?" King asked.
"What I should have done a long time ago." Lillith said. "I'm going to perform the sharing pain spell just like we did when we were kids."
"Lily, don't!" Eda said. "That spell will split the curse in half and transfer the severed half to you. You'll be cursed too."
"I know, but it's time I make things right." Lillith said.
"But what about your magic?" Clea asked. "That curse will prevent you from doing magic ever again."
"It's a small price to pay. And I'm willing to pay it." Lillith said.
At that moment, a thought entered Stephen's mind. He touched his chin in deep thought. "Magic…"
"I'm ready." Lillith said tapping her forehead on Eda's. "With this spell declared, let our pain be…"
"WAIT, STOP!" Stephen interrupted getting everyone's attention.
"Uh, did I miss something?" Eda asked.
"Stephen, what about Eda?" Luz asked.
"I'm not saying she shouldn't do it. It's the best plan we have." Stephen said. "But we can't cast it just yet. I have a plan, but Lillith is going to need her magic for this."
"What are you talking about?" Lillith asked. "You have a plan for what?"
Stephen stood up straight and aimed his sight on Eda. "A plan for ridding us of Nightmare once and for all."