Author's Note: Hello, everyone. Guess what's back. The last time I updated this story, it was before the series finale, and what a finale it was. The show may have ended too soon, but it ended beautifully. And now, it's back. Enjoy the story that follows. Any and all comments are welcome.
Luz readied her phone and turned the camera on. She recorded herself and waved at it.
"Hola, Mama. You haven't heard from me in a while. It's been a week and a half since the petrification ceremony. A week and a half since I destroyed the portal home. I had to. Emperor Belos was going to kill Eda if I didn't hand it over. But I couldn't let him use it, so I blew it up with… magic fire." She sighed. "She's not going to understand any of this. That's okay, Luz. Just keep moving forward." She turned her attention back to the phone and held up the key with the same design as the portal door. "This world is filled with inexplicable magical wonders, like this portal key. I don't know if it contains magic, but I'm gonna study all I can and find a way back to you. And you know I'm not alone. I have Stephen to help me out. We've really gotten close since we came here. And look…" She held up her leg revealing King hugging tightly on it. "We even have friends to help us."
"I'm never letting you go! You're never returning to the human realm!" King cried out.
"He doesn't mean that." Luz said brushing it off as a joke.
"Yes, I do!"
Luz brought the camera to the kitchen where Eda was trying to cast magic to pour a cup of apple blood, but it failed exploding the bottle instead.
"This is Eda the Owl Lady, the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles. Or at least she was under her curse overpowered her and weakened her magic. Not only that, but she was haunted by the evil dream demon, Nightmare. But thanks to me and Stephen, that chalk-faced bogeyman won't bother her anymore. Now, she's just got to worry about her curse. She's doing her best now."
Luz then brought the camera to show Lilith, who was looking out her window lamenting on her past actions.
"Eda was cursed by her own sister, Lilith. And she spend her entire life looking for a way to undo it. And if things weren't hard enough for her, she realized that her ex-boyfriend, Baron Mordo, took advantage of her and Eda's rivalry for his own agenda. It's hard for everyone to trust each other, but maybe with time, we can all become friends."
"HELLO!" Hooty greeted surprising Lilith by appearing in the open window. Lilith was startled and slammed the door in his face.
Luz brought the camera to another room where Clea was sleeping. She caught the white-haired witch waking up from her sleeping bag.
"Lilith wasn't the only one who Mordo wronged. His adopted daughter, Clea, realized that he sabotaged her social life so he could use her for something in the future. We don't know what it is, but once she learned the truth, she ran away from him and is now living with us. And the best part is… She's Stephen's girlfriend now! Woot-woot! The Clephen Ship is ready to set sail!"
"The what ship?" Clea asked.
"Clephen. You know, Clea and Stephen. It's your names put together. It's your relationship name."
Clea smiled slightly. "I don't hate it."
Luz went outside where Eda had finished crafting a makeshift spear.
"Check it out, Luz! A new hunting weapon. I will call her the Stab Catcher."
"Even though Eda gets frustrated, she's found new ways to make up for her lost powers." Luz narrated. "Without the portal, Eda had no human garbage to sell. So we've resorted to working odd jobs to keep food on the table. This week, we're bounty hunters. Next week, we could be anything."
"Hey, King, did you know that apple beside you is a hat?" Eda asked preparing to throw her spear.
"Really?" King asked placing the apple on his head. He had no idea there was a target behind him.
"King! No!" Luz yelled before running to rescue him.
The last place Luz went was back at her and Stephen's room, where she showed him looking over a map of the Boiling Isles with a mountain of books to his left and an open one to his right.
"Ever since we stopped Nightmare, Stephen has been looking for a way to come back home for us. Some time ago, we found a journal left behind by the Ancient One, a powerful witch from long ago. In her book, she left behind a series of clues which lead to ancient powerful relics she left behind. Stephen believes that perhaps one of the could lead to our way back to Earth. Stephen, want to say anything to Mama?"
Stephen turned to see the camera before looking over at Luz. "You do realize it won't go through, right?"
"That's just his way of saying 'I love you'." Luz said turning the phone back to herself. "So Mom, please don't be scared. We're growing more and more every day, and we're going to do our best to become full-fledged witches and get home to you safe and sound. Te quinero, Mama. Te lo promento, regresara a casa pronto."
She ended the video and sent it via text, but it didn't go through.
"Told you." Stephen said.
"I'm an optimist."
Eda took the entire family to Bonesborough where they were surrounded by new structures, including a colossal statue of Emperor Belos and coven guards placed everywhere.
"Wow. The Emperor is really taking over." Luz commented.
"I see it to, Luz." Eda said. "And I'm trying to stay civil."
"You kicked a guy less than a minute ago." Stephen pointed out.
"He was wearing Emperor's Coven souvenirs." Eda defended herself.
"With all these guards, I'm kinda glad that Clea stayed at the Owl Sanctum." Stephen said. "If any of Mordo's goons saw her, they'd drag her back to that creep."
"Aw. Come on, Stephen. You wish she was here with you, don't you?" Luz asked playfully.
"Luz, would you stop bringing that up every other sentence?" Stephen asked. "You saw me and Clea kiss last week, and that's all you want to talk about."
"Because it's so juicy!" Luz said. "I always thought you'd have an ice-cold heart, Stephen, but now, it looks like Clea warmed it up for you."
"Why don't you get back to your own dream romances that you fantasize about?" Stephen asked.
"Quiet, kids." Eda said as she approached the bounty booth. He dropped a large bag full of captured bounties while the shopkeep picked out the cash.
"Your payment." The shopkeep said holding up a single brown coin.
"A single snail? Are you kidding me?" Eda asked with her anger rising.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't done yet." The shopkeep said before splitting the coin in half. He pocketed one half and offered the other to Eda.
"You can't do this to me." Eda protested. "Do you know who I am?"
"Yeah, you're Eda the Owl Lady. What are you gonna do? We all know you're powerless now."
Eda growled and attempted to cast a spell on the shopkeep, but it collapsed very easily. The demons which passed by whispered their pity toward her, especially Stan.
"Woof. That's gotta be awkward."
"Eda may be powerless, but I'm surely not." Stephen said as he confronted the shopkeep. He conjured up a fireball which hovered over his hand. "Perhaps you've heard of Stephen Strange, the magic human?"
The shopkeep sighed. "Fine. I can give you fifty snails, but no bigger. You've all been collecting tiny bounties so far anyway."
After receiving the cash, Eda sighed. "Thanks for the help, Stephen, but that tough-guy act isn't going to last forever. I can't believe I lost all respect because of this curse."
"Don't worry, sister." Lilith said. "At least my image still commands respect and fear. As you can see by this poser of myself…"
"You mean the poster that's getting burned right now?" Luz asked.
"WHAT?! Lilith shouted as she turned around. A poster of herself was hit with a fire spell and replaced by a hooded teen with a golden mask.
"Haha! You're a traitor!" King mocked.
Stephen took the new poster off the wall and read it. "It says here that due to Lilith's resignation from the Emperor's Coven, her duties, responsibilities, and position are currently filled by someone called the Golden Guard."
"The Golden Guard?" Luz asked. "Did you know him in the coven, Lilith?"
"Unfortunately, I did." Lilith answered with a growl. "He always got special treatment because he was the 'genius teen prodigy', but he's really just a brat. If he and Karl are working together now… vomit." She tried to get rid of the Golden Guard poster, but it magically attached itself onto her face and stayed there no matter how hard she tried to pull it off.
"Things haven't been easy ever since Lilith and Eda split the curse." Stephen said.
"So what we need is a confidence boost. Why don't we take on the biggest bounty we can find?" Luz suggested as she went to the bounty board. "Hmm… Lost Cerberus… no. Witch cackling lessons… Maybe not today. Aha!" She pulled out a poster for a colossal monster made of swamp vines, red eyes, and tendrils for a mouth. "There's something called 'the Man-Thing' ravaging boats up and down the coast. It's worth 1 million snails. We'll be on a high-seas adventure."
Stephen widened his eyes. "Wait. Did you say the Man-Thing?"
"Yep. So what do you say, Eda?" Luz asked.
"Absolutely not." Eda said. "We gotta keep a low profile while my powers are weakened. And we need fast cash. Ooh. According to the board, there's something called the Abominable Cutie Pie. It's worth 600 snails."
"You're kidding, right?" Stephen asked.
"No, no, no. I hear it's very dangerous. And look! There he is!"
Eda pointed at the street where a tiny, cute demon with baby clothes and a lollipop. It waddled over to the Belos statue and climbed to the top.
"You'll never catch me." It said. Stephen used his Cloak of Levitation and hovered right next to it. "You did it. You caught me." It fell right into Stephen's hands. He returned to his sister and King with a pitiful expression.
"So is this as sad for you as it is for me?" Stephen asked.
"Pretty much." Luz agreed. "And it gets worse. I just overheard Eda say that she had to cut back on apple blood in order to afford food for us. She wouldn't be in this situation if it weren't for us."
"Yeah. I'm beginning to feel guilty about it too." Stephen said. "Come to think of it, maybe we should go after the Man-Thing after all."
"Really?" Luz asked.
"Yes. Only, it's not just for the reward. It's also for this." Stephen pulled out a familiar book.
"The Ancient One's journal?" King asked.
"When you mentioned the Man-Thing, Luz, I thought it sounded familiar. And it did." Stephen said turning to a certain page. "Right here. It says, 'Whatever knows fear burns at the Man-Thing's touch. But a mere confrontation is simply enough. Whatever the creature gives, you must give back. And you'll possess the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak'."
"Another artifact?" Luz asked.
"From what I can tell, the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak is meant to have physical enhancement properties. Whoever comes in contact with its energies will greatly increase in size, strength, stamina. Basically, it turns people into nearly unstoppable juggernauts."
"Ooh. Imagine if it was used on me." King said with a sinister tone.
"This is perfect." Luz said. "We get Eda a million snails and we're one step closer to learning the Ancient One's secrets. Not only that, but we get to prove to Eda that we're more than just burdens."
Luz, Stephen, and King headed straight for the docks with the Man-Thing poster in the former's hands. She slammed it down in front of a ship captain.
"The Man-Thing hunt. We want in."
"You think you can handle this, squirts?" the captain asked. He looked like a cross between a fish and a crab with sailor clothes on.
"We can handle anything." Stephen assured before heading to the ship with the others.
What they didn't know was that a certain figure onboard the same ship. Someone who Lilith described as "a brat".
Agatha Harkness sat miserably in the dungeons of the Emperor's Castle. With her leg chained to the wall and the cold, damp bricks around her and the iron bars that blocked her only escape, she had no way to get out. Just then, she had a visitor she didn't like very much: Emperor Belos.
"Agatha Harkness." Belos greeted. "You know, you're not the first of my coven witches who had doubts about me, but I never thought you'd betray me this soon."
"Probably because I know the truth about you." Agatha said with disdain in her voice. "I worked with draining spells my whole life. I know a big version of it when I see one."
"I guess you are smarter than I gave you credit for." Belos said.
"So why am I still here?" Agatha asked. "Aren't you going to execute me? Petrify me? Either now or at the Day of Unity, it makes no difference to me."
"Believe it or not, you are still useful to me. It's like you said; you know more about draining spells than anyone. So I'm going to need your help in case I run into any inconsistencies."
"And why would I help you? You're just going to kill me anyway along with the rest of the Boiling Isles."
Belos chuckled. "I think you'll find that I'm quite persuasive." He left Agatha in her cell to be very nervous and scared.
Back at the Owl Sanctum, Clea walked down the living room to find Lilith laying on the couch and watching over her scorched poster.
"Where's everyone else?" Clea asked.
"Edalyn just left." Lilith said. "She said she had an idea to make money. As for the others… I don't know. I've just had my head filled with all the problems I caused. There's got to be a way I can make up for it all."
"You helped Eda with her curse. Isn't that enough?" Clea asked.
"Not if I'm the one who cursed her in the first place." Lilith replied when suddenly, an idea filled her mind. "Wait a minute. That's it!"
"What's it?" Clea asked.
Lilith reached over for a potion book and flipped through its pages until something came up. He pulled out a page and ripped it out of the book. "Aha! A scrying potion! I bet Edalyn would love a peek inside the castle."
"New roomie check-in! How's my bestie doing?" Hooty showed up suddenly spooking both Clea and Lilith. The potion recipe fell on his face. "A scrying potion? Lulu, you're trying to spy on your old buddies? I can help. We can find out their crushes. We can give them cute couple names."
"No! I can do this alone!" Lilith said.
Clea picked up the page and read from it. "Lilith, are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, I'm looking at the ingredients here, and they seem pretty dangerous. Porcuspine quills. Fairy tears. Snaggleback snaggleteeth. Fire bee honey. Not to mention, you can't do magic anymore. Maybe I should go with you. It could give us a chance to bond. We haven't had the chance to bond much while you and Mordo…"
"Adadadada! I don't want to talk about him!" Lilith interrupted. "And to answer your question, I don't want any help! I need to do this on my own! And Hooty, don't call me Lulu!" She stormed out of the Owl Sanctum.
"A good friend would respect her wishes." Hooty said. "But a better friend would help no matter what!"
"Hooty, you're a house demon. How are you gonna…" Clea stopped as soon as Hooty shot his face deep into the dirt. She stared blankly at it. "Well, that's a thing."
Luz, Stephen, and King stood at the upper deck as the ship sailed over the boiling sea. They were on a direct course for the general area of the Man-Thing.
"When we defeat the Man-Thing, find the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak, and get a boatload of snails, Eda won't have to worry about money for a long time." Luz said.
"King want a cracker!" King shouted imitating a parrot.
"ALL HANDS!" the captain called out for everyone to meet. "All right, crew. The Man-Thing has been ravaging the coastline from his swampy island just a few nautical miles from here. You know the drill: 'Snag the quarry, get the money galore-y'. We all do the work, we all get a cut. 'Til then, keep everything shipshape. This ain't no pleasure cruise. Don't be a burden."
For the rest of the journey, Stephen and Luz proved themselves to be beneficial for the crew. Stephen used his Cloak of Levitation to float down to the side of the ship and scrape the barnacles off. Luz used fire glyphs to keep the furnace running. One chore after the other, the humans were quickly gaining the captain's respect.
While all that was happening, King was unfortunate enough to stumble upon the private quarters of the ship's owner. As soon as he realized that the ship was part of the Emperor's navy, he was about to warn his friends, but got captured in the process.
Eventually, the ship finally reached its destination. The island covered in swamp was within sight. The captain called for everyone to keep their eyes peeled and that's just what they did. Stephen looked out and noticed the ruined ships that were destroyed.
"The Man-Thing really did all of that?" Stephen asked.
"Aye. It's a true monster in its core." The captain answered. "And if we found this ship, that means the beast is close."
All of a sudden, a large set of swamp vines shot out of the water and wrapped themselves around the ship's hull. Everyone stumbled and fell as they suddenly stopped.
After falling, Luz picked herself up and looked over at the island. "It's here!" She pointed over at the island shores. The creature who looked exactly as he did in the posters stood there waving its arms over its head before running back into the swamps behind it.
"We'll never get there with our ship trapped." The captain said.
"No problem." Stephen said. "Luz and I will use my cloak to… WHOA!"
An explosion cut him off. A burst of fire filled half of the upper deck. And through the smoke, the humans saw a mysterious figure jump overboard with a sack full of gold on their back.
"Who is that?" Luz asked.
"Whoever they are, they're getting away with the reward money!" Stephen yelled. "Luz, hold on!"
Luz wrapped her arms around Stephen before he levitated off the ship. They saw the mysterious figure sail toward the swamp island on what looks like a motorized bathtub. Once the figure made it to the shore, Stephen and Luz arrived shortly after. Only, they crashed right into the figure making them drop the money bag. It fell just as the ocean waves rolled in and carried it away.
"The money!" all three gasped. The humans stopped when they took a good looked at the figure. Behind the red clothes, they could see a silver-and-white-haired witch with one gold eye and one silver eye. They instantly knew who it was.
"Eda?" Stephen asked taking her hat off. The Owl Lady's face was shown at last.
"Hey." Eda chuckled nervously.
"Why are you robbing our ship?" Luz asked. "And what happened to your legs?"
Eda looked down at her legs which were cut in half. She snapped her fingers and they hopped out of the bathtub before reattaching them to her legs.
"It's called disguising your tracks." Eda said. "Now, why were you on that ship to begin with? What are you even doing here? I told you not to go after the Man-Thing."
"We know." Stephen said. "But we learned that the Man-Thing was guarding another Ancient One relic and…"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Back up a minute." Eda interrupted. "You're telling me Professor Sallis has an Ancient One relic?"
"Who's Professor Sallis?" Luz asked.
"Someone I'm trying to protect." Eda said. "Seriously, you could've gotten killed."
Just then, a rumbling was heard from the ocean. The water rose up forming a giant fist which bounded on the sandy ground. In its wake, a single familiar person appeared holding a covered birdcage. It was the Golden Guard.
"That can still be arranged." He said. "Hello, criminals. What's about to happen should be relatively painless if you just do what I say."
"And why would we do that?" Luz asked.
"Because none of you can use real magic." The Golden Guard answered.
"I can." Stephen said.
The Golden Guard stared directly at Stephen. "So you must be the human who can do magic. I thought you'd be taller."
"You got a problem with me?" Stephen asked.
"That's not relevant. Here's the plan. The humans will remain as sailors to repay all the money they lost while the Owl Lady will be arrested again for attacking one of the Emperor's ships."
"Emperor's ship?" Luz asked.
"They're the only ones worth robbing." Eda said. "Why are you guys hunting the Man-Thing? He's a harmless creature."
"Harmless?" Stephen asked. "Eda, didn't you see those ships?"
"Those idiots were too stubborn to turn around even though the Man-Thing set up defenses. He just wants to be treated fairly."
"The Emperor doesn't care." The Golden Guard said. "He ordered me to slay it. I'm just following orders."
"Well, I'm just gonna smack you around a bit." Eda said. She ripped off her arm and ran to swing it at the Golden Guard, but he dodged out of the way and tripped her.
"Leave Eda alone!" Luz shouted as she tried to throw fire glyphs at him. Like Eda, he dodged and used his staff to knock her down.
"You won't have much luck against me." Stephen said readying his spell circles. He could hear the Golden Guard's grimace coming from behind his mask.
"Yeah? Well, good luck attacking me when I'm holding your loved ones over the boiling sea!" the Golden Guard said as he swung his staff. The ladies were shifted by the sand and forced to dangle over the steaming water. "Around these parts, just the steam is enough to cause third-degree burns."
"Whoa, now. Don't be rash." Stephen said.
"Well, I guess I don't have to be mean." The Golden Guard said bringing Eda and Luz back to the beach. "No one will have to be a sailor or get arrested if one of you follows the Man-Thing into the swamp and slays it. Here. I'll help." With his staff, he conjured up a cutlass for Luz.
"Wait a minute." Stephen said. "So you're extorting us to do your dirty work for you?"
"I'm trying to be fair. I can't believe the Emperor has a strange interest in you." The Golden Guard groaned. "Look, just go or I drown the bird." He held up his birdcage and lifted it up slightly revealing King inside.
"Nyeh?" King asked as he woke up. The Golden Guard closed the blanket again. "Ah, it's dark again. Back to sleep."
"Fine." Luz said with disdain as she lifted up the sword. "We'll do it." She turned and walked into the swamp.
"Luz, wait!" Eda protested. "Stephen, we can't let her kill the Man-Thing. She's going to regret it."
"Yeah. I'm starting to get a bad feeling about this whole thing too." Stephen said before heading into the swamp with Eda.
"Luz, don't hurt the Man-Thing." Eda said as soon as she and Stephen caught up to Luz. "We can find another way out of this."
"You heard what he said." Luz said. "If you and King want to be free, then I have to do this."
"Since when do we listen to anything the Emperor's goons tell us?" Stephen asked. "Look, Luz, if Eda insists on sparing the Man-Thing, then it's gotta be for a good reason."
"If you don't want to help, that's fine." Luz said as she came across a large pit with a tree branch bridging over. She jumped onto the branch and looked around. "I'll do it alone if I have to."
"What's this 'alone' business?" Eda asked. "Don't you remember? Us weirdos have to…"
"What? Stick together? Because you stuck with me, you lost your magic. You almost got turned to stone. And now, you can't even afford your apple blood because you're worried about what me and Stephen need to eat."
Just then, a bellowing howl echoed from the chasm below. They looked down and saw the Man-Thing moving around what looks like a tent made of sticks.
"Luz, I know you blame yourself. Believe me, I feel the same thing." Stephen said. "But you can't just focus on the bad stuff."
"He's right." Eda said. "Listen. There's something you need to know about the Man-Thing…"
"Unless it's a tip on how to kill it, I can't hear it." Luz said. "I'm going to make it all up to you. I promise." She jumped down into the chasm to finally fight the Man-Thing.
She landed right on top of the Man-Thing and immediately began to lodge the sword into its back. It roared out in response, and at that moment, Luz's hands began to catch fire after touching it.
"AH!" Luz yelled out falling off of the Man-Thing. She dropped onto the damp ground and rolled around in it. Once they were all doused up, she looked back at the Man-Thing who pulled the sword out of its shoulder.
"So touching it burns you." Luz noted. She then pulled out a couple of paper ice glyphs. She slammed one on the ground beneath her to launch herself up with an ice pillar. Once she was high enough, she was ready to slam the other onto the Man-Thing.
However, before she could have the chance, Stephen flew on by and caught her in midair. The two of them stumbled onto the ground until they were at Eda's feet. The Owl Lady picked Luz up and looked her right in the eye.
"You think throwing your life away is going to help me? Well, it won't." Eda lectured. "You and Stephen helped me find King's crown when you barely knew me. You saved me from turning to stone. You got Nightmare to leave me alone. And you even got me talking to my sister again. So unfortunately for you, my life is pretty great because I'm friends with Luz and Stephen."
Luz whimpered with tears forming in her eyes. "Thank you."
"Now, rid yourself of that guilt-ridden brain and let me show you something." Eda said. She stood up and slowly approached the Man-Thing. Once she was close enough, she raised her hand up and readied to swing it at the creature.
"What's the doing?" Stephen asked.
Luz gasped. "Eda, don't! If you touch it, you're gonna…"
It was too late. Eda placed her hand firmly on the swampy matter that made up the Man-Thing. However, unlike Luz before, no flames were lit up. Her hand was still the same as it was.
"Wha…" Luz asked.
"Everything's fine. Everyone's friendly. The Man-Thing can only burn you if you're afraid. He can't help it." Eda assured everyone as she turned to the Man-Thing. "Hey, prof. Long time, no see."
The Man-Thing then made a series of grumbling noises.
"Yeah. It's been a weird thirty minutes. Got ourselves in a bit of trouble. We're trying to figure it out."
The Man-Thing grumbled again.
"Gene? I don't know. I haven't seen him in years."
"Whoa, Eda." Stephen said. "Are you actually… friends with the Man-Thing?"
"His real name is Professor Sallis, former plant magic teacher at Hexside." Eda introduced.
"That's a teacher?" Luz asked. "Now, I've seen it all."
"Believe it or not, he didn't always look like this." Eda said. "It all started one day with a classmate of mine, Gene. Now, Gene was a bit of a klutz, but I could always count on him. Sadly, he had the mother of all oopsies when he failed to cast a plant spell properly. The resulting feedback of the spell shook the classroom and seriously affected Professor Sallis' appearance. It changed him into… Well, this."
The Man-Thing grumbled before waving gently.
"Because of this crazy transformation, the old Principal Faust considered Professor Sallis an abomination now and forced him to retire. Gene blamed himself and wanted to make up to him no matter what. When he discovered a plant that he believed could reverse what his spell did, he set out on a solo mission to get it. Unfortunately, it took him to one of the most dangerous places on the Boiling Isles where he nearly lost his life. He would have bitten the dust if I hadn't been there to save him along with Professor Sallis. This swampy fella basically gave him the same lecture I just gave you two kids, but without all the examples."
"Really?" Luz asked looking up at the Man-Thing. "You didn't blame him?"
The Man-Thing grumbled.
"He's not going to fault someone for an accident." Eda said. "He doesn't want pity or be treated like a monster. He just wants to be treated the same as always. He's making the best out of a bad situation… kinda like what I've been trying to do."
Luz looked up at the Man-Thing and gave gentle smiles.
"This is all very sweet and all," Stephen said, "But what do we do about the Golden Guard? If we go back empty handed, he's going to kill King."
"There's gotta be a way out of this where no one has to get hurt." Eda said.
Luz joined everything in trying to brainstorm a way out. Just then, she gasped as an idea popped into her head. "Eda, do you want to learn your first glyph?"
Outside of the cave, the Golden Guard passed the time away by playfully opening and closing the blanket covering King. Whenever the little demon was hit with natural light, he went "Weh" and scampered in a circle.
The Golden Guard chuckled. "You're actually weirdly endearing."
"No. I'm not." King replied tired.
Just then, a bellowing sound echoed from the swamp. A bright light lit up from inside and a pair of shadows were casted over it. One was shaped like the Man-Thing and the other was shaped like Luz. The shadows kept fighting until Luz swung her sword and tore it to pieces. Once it was all over, Luz made herself known at last as she dragged the remains out of the swamp. Stephen followed.
The Golden Guard took a whiff into the air and turned himself away. "Ugh! That thing smells awful! Why are you touching it with your hands? Gross."
"You're gross!" Luz shouted.
"We upheld our end of the deal, golden bootlicker." Stephen said. "Now, give us King."
"Actually, he smells pretty bad too. Take him." The Golden Guard said before throwing the cage to Luz' hands. "Thank you for your service. You can find your own way home. And try to stay out of trouble. The Emperor is not a forgiving man. Byyyyeeee!"
In the blink of an eye, the Golden Guard disappeared into thin air. Luz watched him leave and blew a raspberry at where he was.
"Come on. I think the Man-Thing and Eda are waiting for us." Stephen said.
He, Luz, and King re-entered the swamp to find the remains of the "Man-Thing". It was actually a controlled concoction of swamp plants made by Luz' glyphs. And the light which casted it was caused by light glyphs which Eda drew and activated. The Man-Thing stood behind Eda admiring the light spells which were casted.
"So you didn't kill it after all?" King asked.
"No. We just wanted the Golden Guard to think that." Stephen said.
"Now, all that's left is to find the gem." Luz said.
The Man-Thing grumbled in confusion.
"Oh, that." Eda said. "See, there's supposed to be a red, magic gem around here. Do you know something about that?"
The Man-Thing stroked his tendrils until he looked like he realized something. He reached his hand down and forced it into the ground. A few moments later, he pulled it back up and revealed a glowing, red gemstone.
"The Crimson Gem of Cyttorak." Eda gasped.
"I see now." Stephen said. "'…A mere confrontation is simply enough. Whatever the creature gives, you must give back. And you'll possess the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak'. The Man-Thing wasn't trying to hurt us. He was trying to help us. So we had to help him in return."
"That's a loose method at best." King commented.
"Which reminds me." Eda said. "Big guy, where did you get this gem?"
The Man-Thing grumbled.
"Really? You found it here laying on a written note that read 'Only give it to your protectors'?" Eda asked. "Dang. That Ancient One was a spooky gal. But remember, buddy, this area is dangerous. You need to move somewhere else to hide."
The Man-Thing nodded and gave another grumble.
"Huh? You have something else to give me?" Eda asked.
Like before, the Man-Thing shot his hand into the ground. He pulled a large pile of gold substance and poured it on the gang.
"Hot dang! Sallis, you're one resourceful guy!" Eda celebrated.
"Gold tuna?" Stephen asked.
"It's selkigris. He must have taken it from a selkidamus that was passing by. People pay big money for it at the Night Market."
"So we don't have to worry about money?" Luz asked.
"Not for now, at least." Eda said. "Still, feel the money." She picked up a handful of the gold substance and rubbed it on the kids' faces. They laughed as they fell into the big pile the Man-Thing gave them.
While everyone was celebrating and swimming in the substance, a figure watched from the shadows afar, specifically toward King. It was a dark-skinned man with yellow straps, a red cape, and green pants. He had black hair with a white stripe at the center a circle-and-X tattoo on his forehead, and a necklace made of tiger teeth.
The dark-skinned man narrowed his eyes at King and rubbed his chin. "Is that really him? I need to look more into this."
Agatha hasn't moved in her cell since the Emperor's visit. She sank her face behind her knees until she heard another pair of footsteps close in on her.
"Try whatever you want, Belos. I'm still not helping."
"Not Belos."
Agatha raised her face from her knees to look up at her new visitor. It was Baron Mordo. Agatha didn't feel any happier seeing him.
"You snake!" Agatha hissed as she stood up to her feet to confront him. "You sold me out! You'd rather listen to Belos even though I gave you all the…"
Agatha stopped when Mordo clapped his hands together. A red light waved from them. Agatha watched in confusion.
"What was that?"
"The Emperor has eyes and ears everywhere, so I casted a spell to confuse them." Mordo said. "So listen. I am sorry for turning you in, but I had no choice. I needed to maintain the Emperor's trust in me."
"So you're thinking about your career instead of acknowledging the truth?" Agatha asked.
"That's not it at all." Mordo said. "In fact, I'd like to make it up to you."
"Oh, yeah? How?" Agatha asked.
"By showing you my plan." Mordo said. With a wave of his fingers, the cell door was open and Agatha was unshackled at the same time.
"I don't understand." Agatha said.
"Come with me." Mordo instructed. "I have something to show you. Something that's going to change everything."
"So let me get this straight." Clea said as soon as Lilith and Hooty returned home and began brewing their potion. "Instead of driving Hooty away like a sound-minded person, you let him help you?"
"Well, at first, I rejected him," Lilith said, "But once I realized I needed help, he was there to lend a hand… so to speak."
"Yep. And now, here's some more help." Hooty said before pushing Lilith toward Clea.
"Right." Lilith said. "Clea, I'm sorry for denying your help before. It's hard for me to ask for it. It's even gotten hard to ask for any help since… You know."
"Mordo?" Clea asked. "Lilith, you're not the only witch he messed with. He tore me away from my friends. He made me a social outcast for his mad plan. And to this day, I still don't know what it is."
"And I still need to know what he needs that Empath Stone for." Lilith said. "He tricked me and Edalyn into fighting so he can harvest it." She exhaled a small bit of air before smiling at the kid. "Well, at least I have you to help me cope with it."
"And me." Hooty said. "Nobody messes with Lulu and gets away with it. Right, best friend?"
"I'm not commenting on that… Hootsifer." Lilith said with a sly smile.
Clea gave a slight laugh just as the front door opened up. Eda, Luz, King, and Stephen walked in tired and exhausted.
"We're home." Eda said.
"What happened?" Clea asked as she approached Stephen.
"Well, we joined a sailing crew, befriended a swamp monster, outsmarted the Golden Guard, and gained a pile of golden sludge. Typical Saturday." Stephen replied.
Clea laughed again. "Well, hello, sailor." She was about to kiss him on the cheek, but a flash of light interrupted her. She and Stephen turned around to see Luz pointing her camera phone at them.
"Don't mind me." Luz said.
"Luz, cut it out!" Stephen and Clea shouted at once.
All of a sudden, a cauldron with purple liquid began to glow on the living room table. Everyone gathered around it.
"What is it?" Luz asked.
"It's a scrying potion." Lilith said. "To prove that I'm trustworthy, I'm giving you a peek inside the Emperor's castle."
The surface of the potion changed into a live image. Everyone looked to see what it was only to see an empty hallway.
"Well, it's the inside of the castle all right." Stephen said.
"What are we supposed to do with this?" Luz asked.
"Whatever you want." Lilith answered. "Don't you see? These troops don't know what to do with themselves. They even left this hallway unguarded. So you can go crazy and…"
All of a sudden, the image changed in the blink of an eye. The potion surface bubbled and the image changed from an empty hallway to a well-guarded hallway.
"What just happened?" King asked.
"I… I don't know." Lilith replied nervously. "I'm sure I brew it just right."
"It's not you, Lily. It's what's happening on the other side." Eda said. "Only a powerful confusion spell could make a scrying potion see something else."
"Who's powerful enough to do that?" Luz asked.
"Well, just three people." Lilith said. "That would be the Emperor, the Golden Guard, and…"
"Mordo." Clea answered. "But this means…"
"Someone's going through great lengths to hide something." Eda said. "But how would anyone know we would be making a scrying potion?"
"Unless it wasn't meant for us." Stephen said. "Maybe they're making it to trick someone else."
"Who? Why?" Luz asked.
"I don't know." Stephen said. "But one thing's for sure. There's something dark going on in that castle, something that even most of the people inside don't know about."
"Well, we won't figure anything out by asking questions." Eda said. "Right now, let's just celebrate what happened today? We saved a life, made the Golden Guard into a chump, and managed to retrieve the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak."
"The Crimson what-now?" Lilith asked nearly falling out of her seat.
"We'll fill you in later." Stephen said.
"I'm in a good mood." Eda said. "Who wants to get takeout and draw faces on Hooty?"
Most of everyone agreed, except for Lilith who vowed to protect her new best friend.
After sneaking out of the castle, Mordo headed straight back to his manor with Agatha behind him. After showing her the secret staircase behind the bookshelves, the two of them walked down together.
"So you already knew the truth about Belos?" Agatha asked.
"Yes. I've known the truth about him for about fifteen years." Mordo replied.
"Then why are you helping him?" Agatha asked. "You know what he wants and what he has in store for everyone here in the Boiling Isles. Why didn't you help me?"
"Because I need to keep his trust. Listen. I have a plan. Something more impactful than a simple conspiracy. But in order for it to succeed, I need Belos to go through with his. I need everything to be ready by the Day of Unity. But there's one hitch. A snag, if you will. Among other things, I need the presence of my ward, Clea. However, she has chosen to stay away from me. Without her, I can't complete my work. And with Belos nearing the completion of the Day of Unity, my work is going to leave me busier than ever. So until the day comes, I am going to need to get creative. I am going to seek the assistance of others to act in the shadows in my stead."
"And that includes me?"
"Of course. Once we're done here, I'll have to take you back to the castle so no one suspects you were gone. Then, wait some time before you decide to give in. After that, help Belos with his spell just like he wants. We can't afford any unknown variables to mess it all up."
"None of this makes things any clearer. How do you even know if this plan of yours is going to work?"
"I'll show you."
Just as Mordo said that, they reached the bottom of the stairs. Both Mordo and Agatha were face to face with a mirror in the dark room along with an unlit candle. Mordo picked up the candle and used his magic to light the flame.
"So what's this great thing I'm supposed to see?" Agatha asked. "A mirror?"
Mordo blew on the candle letting the flame cover the glass. That's when a certain demonic head covered in flames appeared on it.
"I am much more than a mirror!" the demon exclaimed.
Agatha widened her eyes and lost her breath. "Wha… No! Is that…"
"Yes. I am… Dormammu. Welcome to the other side, Agatha Harkness."
Agatha turned her stunned expression to Mordo who knelt down to the figure in the mirror. "This can't be. You're…"
Mordo spun his finger and a blue illusion cloud poofed on his forehead. A Dark Dimension symbol appeared on it.
"Mordo has graciously accepted my proposal, which I now extend to you." Dormammu said. "Your emperor gives nothing but empty promises which hide his desire for death. But rest assured. If you devote yourself to me, not only will you have your revenge on him, but you will find yourself in a position of power wanting for nothing."
"And… And I'll be spared?" Agatha asked nervously.
"Don't worry, Agatha. You're among friends here. I have plans for you, Mordo, and any other zealot you can find. Big plans indeed."
Dormammu's laugh echoed throughout the hidden chamber. Agatha, unsure of how to get out, had no choice. She followed Mordo's lead and knelt down to her new master.