She was running, almost floating over roots, logs, and fallen branches. She felt no fear here. This was her domain. Even if she hadn't been able to see clearly, she instinctively knew every inch of this place. Every louse stone and potential hole that could disrupt her pace. She could almost hear the drumming of her heart as it played in perfect harmony with the sounds of the darkened forest. A part of her whispered that something was off, but was drowned out by the beauty around her as she raced through the moonlit woods. The wind in her fur felt amazing…. wait fur? Did she always have fur? "It didn't matter right now," she told herself. She felt so free and at peace. Whatever it was, she'd deal with it later. For now all that mattered was the drumming and this feeling of peace.
Luz woke up in an unfamiliar place, but at the same time it felt like she had been there before. The sun was just coming up and she noticed it reflected off of eyes, alot of eyes. She was surrounded on all sides and she could swear she heard a dull roar of voices that she couldn't understand but somehow she knew they were talking about her. As she began to stir and sit up, all of the voices seemed to go silent. Once more she was left surrounded by the eyes and as hers began to adjust to the morning light she recognized their owners. Palismen. They were all around her, and she only knew of one place where this many gathered together. As if to confirm her suspicions she heard and felt the downbeat of large wings as a form she knew landed on the stump she had previously been sleeping next to.
"Good morning child. It has been some time since last our paths crossed. What brings you to my home, and more importantly, how did you get here without my notice?" asked the Bat Queen.
"Good morning to you as well mame. I'm sorry to bother you but I don't know how I got here either. One minute I was going to sleep in my bed and then I woke up here," stuttered Luz. She was well aware that the Bat Queen did not enjoy unwelcomed visits and she was more than powerful enough to do something about it, but as they exchanged pleasantries something happened. First one and then more of the palismen came out of the brush and began sniffing and nuzzling her. They seemed to be investigating her and not entirely sure what to make of her.
The Bat Queen watched this odd occurrence before speaking again in a motherly tone. "Worry not little witchling. I'm not angry. Something seems different about you. I can't place what it is though. It is a feeling I have not experienced in a very long time. For now though, you should probably return to your home. Dawn has just risen and I'm sure it will take some time for you to get there." She gave a whistle and not long after Owlbert came soaring down and nuzzled her cheek happily.
With a bow to the queen, Luz mounted Eda's palisman and began flying back to the Owl house. At first she racked her brain trying to figure out how she had managed to make it so far away from the house without remembering any of it. After all, the night before had been almost pitch black with the moon being almost completely gone from the night sky. After a few minutes of fruitless thinking she let it go. What's one more mystery after all, and she had much more important things to worry about, like figuring out where she went wrong with her last attempt at a portal. For now everything else could wait.
Luz managed to make it back before everyone else woke up, and after the weirdness of the last few days she decided to make everyone breakfast. As she got started making some of Eda and Kings favorites she remembered that there was going to be a party later. Her 'cool Aunt' Lilith had just gotten a new job as the new assistant curator of the Supernatural Museum of History. With her mind on other things she didn't notice right away that she had started munching on some of the random things around until it occurred to her how good it was. Which was weird in and of itself because usually she had a hard time eating a lot of the food on the isles and even when she could it didn't usually taste this good. She just shrugged it off. Her body must finally be getting used to being here and she couldn't exactly complain about that.
About twenty to thirty minutes later Eda and King had finally come down and while surprised seemed to be really enjoying this small treat. After cleaning up her mess she told them that she was going up to her room to do some more research until the party later. Eda did notice as Luz walked by that she had taken a couple snacks with her that she swore didn't agree with her stomach but she let it go. Maybe she was just misremembering which ones made her sick last time. She was worrying too much.
Later, up in Luz's room she was laying down taking notes while the echo mouse sat on her stomach and played more from Philip's diary. When her little friend eventually got tired and curled up to take a nap Luz decided to take a break and just softly pet their head and back gently.
"It sure has been an odd week mi amiguito, hasn't it? I know you're doing all you can to help and I really appreciate it. I still feel like everyone is worried about me after the other day but I'm fine. As a matter of fact I've never felt better. Also theres what Amity said when I told everyone about the promise… it felt really nice in the moment but how could I ever ask her to leave her family like that. I know the situation with her parents isn't the best but what about Ed and Em? They seem to really be coming around to each other and I can't take that away from them just because I can't stay. At the same time, how can I ask mami to just be fine without me. After dad…I can't just abandon her to be all alone. Hopefully Vee can help look out for her, but I just feel so selfish even thinking about it. I don't know what to do. Sigh I guess for now I just have to put all of that aside. Thanks for listening buddy. I think it's about time we go down and join the party."
In the living room an unknown woman (apparently her name was Flora D'splora and she was Lilith's former mentor in the Emperor's Coven), Gwendolyn, Morton, Lilith, Steve, Eda, King, and Luz were all sitting listening to Hooty's toast.
"It is so nice to be surrounded by all of Lulu's dearest friends and family today," Hooty hooted ecstatically.
"Yeah! All hail Lulu, and cheers everyone!" echoed Steve with everyone else joining in.
Lilith accepts everyone's toast with an awkward but happy smile, and Luz feeds the echo mouse some of Hooty's 'app-pellet-tizers' while it half hides under her party hat. When suddenly, a whip appears, and brings another treat outside. She looked out and saw that Flora and Lilith had walked away while everyone else was chatting.
"Oh, I wish I could stay longer, but I must be off on my next adventure. It was such a delight to see my little bookworm back in the historical world after all these years," Flora cooed condescendingly.
"Uh, thank you, Flora, but it's just a small job. Only an assistant. I'm surprised you even heard about this," said Lilith dejectedly.
"The Emperor wanted to make sure you weren't getting into any trouble, and to clear out your office. I left a box of your knick-knacks inside. Wish you took more from my tutelage, dear. History's supposed to be exciting, after all!" Flora continued to coo as she used her whip to catch a flying griffin and dragged it down to the ground. Then she jumps onto the griffin's back and whips it, flying away.
Lilith watched her leave getting a little angry and jealous. When she sees Luz she yells, "She gets to be a cool bad girl historian while all I ever got to do was desk work, while she goofed off riding wild snake horses and eating mummy jerky!"
Luz's eyes light up. "Snorses!"
"Well, I can be just as exciting as Flora. I'll come up with an exhibit that'll knock the Titan's socks off! Right Luz," exclaimed Lilith as she stormed into the house again, and Luz shouted after her, "I believe in you."
After the party ended and most of the guests had gone home, Luz was reviewing her notes from earlier while Eda and King finished cleaning up.
"Hey guys, have you ever heard of The Collector," Luz puzzled while feeling a pit in her stomach for some reason.
"The Collector. I've never heard that name before," King answered without much interest.
"Me neither," chimed in The Owl Lady. "What kind of jerk puts "The" in front of their name anyway?"
"But according to Phillips journal The Collector may know how to make a real portal door. He may know why mine is so unstable. I just... I messed up so bad last time. I need to do better," choked out Luz as she looked away from her friends.
"Don't worry about it Luz. I've got leg hair older than you, and this Philip guy worked on his door for Titan knows how long. Try not to beat yourself up too much," Eda tried to reassure her pupil. "And if it gets too rough we can always try to find a time pool and ask him ourselves."
"Wait, what are time pools? Time magic is a thing here?" Luz sits up excitedly.
Eda finds a book on the shelf titled "History's Top 10 Plot Holes" and hands it to her.
"Back in the day, I was a bit of an urban-legend junkie. Twig Foot, Lenderman, possums… Anyway, there are stories about these things called time pools. Mythical puddles that act as windows into the past, but they're never in the same spot twice. Me and Lily used to search for them. She'd say I forced her into it, but I think she had more fun than me," Eda says, showing Luz, remembering those days fondly.
"Possums are real in the human world," Luz stated. "Thanks, Eda! Maybe you, Lilith, and King can help me look for them," almost skipping as she takes the book to ask Lilith in the kitchen.
In the kitchen, Luz finds Lilith busy making model balusters and other pieces for her display.
"Hey Aunt Lilith, what are you working on," wondered Luz.
"I'm plotting out my first exhibit for the museum. I'll show Flora that she's not the only bad-girl historian in town. I'm thinking… "The Architecture History behind Deadwardian Balusters". Great right," asked Lilith enthusiastically.
As Luz looks at the board and smiles awkwardly. A sudden realization hits Lilith.
"This won't work, will it?" Lilith realizes, dejected.
"Don't let Flora get you down! I even started calling you "Cool Aunt Lilith" in my journal. You can be a bad-girl historian. And I know how," showing her the section on time pools triumphantly.
"Uh, oh, really? Ya, I remember these! "In the Premysteric Era, it's theorized that coagulated Titan Blood mixed with the magical algae of the Boiling Sea created temporary holes in time," Lilith agreed, quietly thanking the Titan again for letting her get to know Luz and appreciating her once again.
"Time magic, baby! You can make an exciting exhibit on time pools, and maybe I can get information on how Philip made the portal door! This is going to be so much fun,"Luz whooped as she practically danced at the thought.
"I cobbled together a device to find them with Eda back in the day. It should be in the box Flora returned to me. But it was faulty. It needed more power than I could ever give it," Lilith sadly huffed.
Luz looked at her for a minute then remembered, "Stay right there!"
Luz runs off to get something. Lilith and her palisman just looked at each other and the latter shrugged. Something crashed to the ground, making a loud noise, and Luz ran back to the kitchen holding Amity's glove.
"Would Titan Blood do the trick?" Luz asked, full of hope.
After getting the device working, but sacrificing another finger off the glove. Luz, Lilith, and King set off to find the time pools. At sunset, Luz had King climb up a tree and hold up the device, sending energy to its reading instrument. At night, Lilith's palisman flies back with a piece of leaf with an unknown substance on it and eventually, on the next day, Lilith manages to narrow down the location.
"Don't worry, Luz, we're getting closer. I can feel it," declares Lilith, as she swings her knife into a tree beside her and takes a piece of tree bark and drops it into her device's test tube. "Exactly what I thought. These are Wrinkling Oaks."
"They don't look very wrinkly," questions King, a bit confused.
"That's because something's keeping them locked in time. So, accounting for local plaque patterns, the quake in the '30s, and the switch from boiling units to the empirical system, the time pool should be... here!" As she pulls the leaves apart to reveal an empty beach. "But... I triple-checked all my calculations. My equipment is first-rate," she sputters as she suddenly trips on something and almost falls down. "Stupid rock!" she yells as she kicks the sand.
Luz wanders around and kicks a stone, which promptly disappears into an invisible pool, grabbing her attention. She kneels down to check. Poking her head into the pool she finds herself in a prehistoric version of the same place, and surrounded by the sounds of large beasts. She pulls her head back, clear excitement on her face, while she hears Lilith a few feet away.
"Maybe the Titan Blood was too dry? Is it not the algaes blooming season? Was it my tools? Are they broken?... Am... I… broken?" Lilith mutters to herself looking like she's on the verge of a meltdown.
Luz just looks at her as she yells out, "Lilith! King! We did it. We found the time pools!" As she shows them an ammonite from the pool she was just in.
Gasping Lilith runs over, "In your face Flora!" Then she checks the pool Luz found for herself. There was a huge beast she had only seen in books. As she watches it stops, yawns, and lays down immediately turning itself to stone. "A Stonesleeper from the Hecktaceous Period. Did you know that they supposedly have a ticklish spot behind their ears? Luz, are you listening?"
Looking over to her niece she sees her sticking her head into other pools and she hears her praying, "Come on, time pools. Mama needs to commune with the dead."
While looking around for King she goes back to talking to herself, "No wonder no one's found these before. They're completely hidden from sight." At which time she pokes her head into another pool, and her past self kicks her in the head, and she hears herself complaining about rocks.
Over the next fifteen minutes the trio takes turns checking different pools and spotting a variety of different moments. There was a medieval one with a different trio partying and drinking. One where Lilith spotted a younger Eda and Raine sitting on the beach hand in hand while they watched the waves and just enjoying each other's presence. King found an interesting one where he saw the backs of people that looked like an older Amity and Luz getting married. He pulled his head back laughing to himself, "Spoilers."
Finally, Luz got lucky as she poked her head into another pool and found another version of Bonesborough from what she guessed was the right era.
"Wow. It's a little Babysborough!" As she looks around she sees a lady walking by and she asks hopefully, "Yo! What era is it?"
The women answers seemingly unfazed, "Tis the Deadwardian Era. What ye be doing in the sand? Be ye a crab maiden?"
Luz getting excited again and before pulling her head back responded, "Yes! I am a crab maiden."
Back to the present, Luz calls out, "Lilith! King! I found it! I found Philip's time!"
As they walk over Lilith coos, "Ooh, incredible! This will be a truly unprecedented exploration. Now, before we dive in, we must remember if the tide comes in, we could be trapped, paradoxes will be a danger, and don't get me started on the bloody fly effect, uh... But a bad-girl historian like myself is all about taking risks. So... let's boogie down to History Town," and starts doing a little dance while singing and doing finger guns.
In awe Luz just whispers, "She really is "Cool Aunt Lilith".
King just watchs it all kinda unimpressed. "Guys I'll stay here while you find your dead guy. Maybe I'll check out some more of these pools and if the tide starts coming in like Lilith says I can try to buy you a couple extra minutes to get back. Oh I know. I can build a sandcastle worthy of the Great Demon King," and starts scrounging around for a good spot to lay his claim and start building his new kingdom.
In the Deadwardian Era, Luz and Lilith come out from the time pool, and Lilith channels her sister for a moment. She steals a straw hat from a pile of laundry nearby, and a helmet for Luz making their way towards the outskirts of Bonesborough and preparing to go in. "Now, Luz. We are technically in the Savage Ages, way before Belos banished wild magic. These denizens may be dangerous," reminded Lilith, as the duo heads into town and bump into a demon. Expecting an attack that never comes.
The demon just tips hat and wishes them, "Good tidings, kind witches," and keeps on his merry way.
A bit surprised by that interaction and a little more at ease. Heading inside Bonesborough, the surroundings appear to be much more peaceful and harmonious than they imagined. Residents can be seen playing musical instruments, helping each other out, and summoning abominations. One was even given an adorable little flower crown by one witchlet as they climbed on the abomination's shoulders to head away.
"This doesn't look dangerous. This looks awesome! Why did Belos want to banish wild magic again," questioned Luz, still marveling at the sights around her.
"Well, the Titan supposedly doesn't like it," replied Lilith, no less confused as she notices something. "Oh, my gosh! Look at this thatch work. Each segment looped by hand," giggling and writing something down in her notebook.
Luz starts walking away, and approaching a demon sitting on a bench feeding birds. She shows him a drawing of Philip Wittebane's silhouette asking, "Excuse me. Have you seen a human around? Round ears, super smart. Honestly, he's probably a celebrity around here."
The demon just shrugs, "Uh-uh."
And this series or events continued as she asked a few more random people and vendors as they walked but only got denials and confused looks. After a while Luz's face started getting more and more glum. Until suddenly, both her and Lilith heard someone shouting nearby.
"Dance, human. Dance!" echoed from behind a wall as the duo spotted two demons ganging up on Philip Wittebane.
"Give that back! I can't believe this. After the bonds of fellowship we forged-"
Philip begged, looking perturbed at the whole situation.
The demons just continue to throw Philip's diary back and forth between them, and the demon with the red fang just laughed, "Bonds? Ha! You still owe us," and pushed Philip hard, causing him to fall to the ground.
"When I accomplish my mission, I promise you, you'll have your snails," begged Philip.
"Listen to this," the demon with the green fang responded opening the book, "With my new and bravest companion, Blue Fang, I set forth. His strength should make fast work of any task," and passed the book to Red Fang.
"His pretty little words should make pretty good kindling," half laughed, half threatened Red Fang as he starts to ignite a fire with a spell circle and attempt to burn the book.
Philip gasps as an ice spike suddenly pops up and knocks the diary out of Red Fang's hand, surprising all three. Luz steped forward, grabbing their attention.
"That doesn't belong to you," heroically declared Luz as she confronts the two demons who were ganging up on Philip.
Red Fang attempted to attack Luz, but was stopped by Green Fang. "Don't waste your time on the kid. We should keep looking," reminds Green Fang.
As they leave Red Fang looks back to Luz yelling, "Ask your friend there what happened to our brother, Blue Fang, and his Palisman," and Green Fang kicks Philip's scattered diary.
Philip starts picking up the pages, but suddenly yelps in pain and holds on to his right leg. He then continues to pick up the pages, and Luz helps him pick up some of it. She looks at one of the pages, which shows a drawing of Eclipse Lake.
So he's already gotten to the Titan Blood Luz thinks to herself as she sees a drawing of an unknown person. "Who's that?"
"Hmph! That's private," as Philip snatchs the remaining pages away.
"You're Philip Wittebane, aren't you? The human?" asked Luz, only half faking her wonder.
"Here to gawk? I may not have a bile sac, but I do have my dignity," retorted Philip as he turned away.
"Wait! I've heard of your exploits, and I know what it's like to be far from home. Can we talk?" begged Luz.
Staring at Luz, and squinting for a moment he dryly spat, "No," as he started to walk away, limping.
Not knowing what to say Luz yelled, "Wait! I can give you snails! I can make you crutches! Um, uh... I can help you find The Collector!"
Philip stops and glances back at Luz sideways.
As they are all walking together later in a nearby forest Philip chatted with Luz. "So, Luzura. You and your Aunt Dirtrude started traveling together after the Toe-gres attacked your castle and covered it with an impenetrable mist? Is that right?"
Luz lied, "Yes. And that's why we, too, seek The Collector. We need him to tell us how to clear the mists, so we can return home. Snap, snap, snap."
Before long Philip brings Luz and Lilith into a cave asking, "Now... did anyone bring a torch?"
Luz thinks about showing Philip a light glyph but she starts feeling a bit queasy. Writing it off as Hooty's snacks from the party not agreeing with her. She pulls out and activates the glyph quickly turning it into a light ball.
"Astounding! I thought I was the only one who used picto-glyphs," Philip said, in wonder.
"You use glyphs too," Luz marveled as she passed him a copy of her light glyph.
"How else could I have survived here? Plant growth, ice, fire... Took years to find them," as he sketched his new glyph. "Almost as if the world wanted to hide them from me. I even found one in a snowflake."
"My dude, me too!" exclaimed Luz.
"A warrior and a scholar. Truly impressive," Philip complemented as he walked away.
"Ah! I can't believe I taught Philip something new!" squealed Luz in excitement as the indigestion passed.
Philip led the duo deeper into the cave, activating Light glyphs along the way. He sensed Lilith staring at him suspiciously, and he looked back at Lilith as he spoke. "Your niece is very talented. I'm sure she takes after her aunt."
Definitely flattered, Lilith just laughed, "Oh. Maybe I... had a little something to do with it."
As they reached a wider room he started to draw a large glyph combo on the ground.
"What is this? Its huge," Luz stepped back taking it all in.
"A shortcut... to The Collector," Philip grinned and activated the combo. There was a bright flash and they were somewhere new, and before them stood a set of tall ornate double doors. Oddly when Luz looked at them she felt a dull pain behind her eyes and she felt a single tear escape.
Gasping Luz asked, "Whoa. Where are we?" When Philip didn't answer she looked around. "We're in the head of the Titan?!"
Lilith looked around sputtering, "W-We're what? But this is sacred ground!"
"I suppose that's why no one wanted to accompany me. But every legend told me that The Collector lies there. Behind that door. I just can't figure out the mechanisms to open it. If I weren't so frail…" Philip moaned as he limped toward the door. Then winced in pain and kneeled down, clutching his right leg.
"It's okay, we can help! Puzzles are in my blood, literally. My mom had to stop me from eating puzzles when I was a kid. You stay here and rest up," Luz tried to reassure Philip.
Philip looked up appreciatively, "Thank you for your kindness, crab maiden. Perhaps we were destined to meet."
Luz smiles at Philip. She then runs to Lilith, who is in front of the door trying to open it.
"This mechanism is unlike any I've seen before. It'll make a remarkable addition to my exhibit. It's just…" Lilith hesitates as she appears to be contemplating something.
"Come on, we can't stop now! We're getting everything we could have hoped for! "Luz once again tries to reassure Lilith, without looking at the doors any more than she has to.
Lilith looks at Luz. "Are you ok? Anyway that's just it. Look. Most of this puzzle has been solved already. And Philip... the confidence, the compliments. He says everything you want to hear. It feels... uncomfortably familiar."
Luz brushes it off, "Some of this is pretty weird. But it's the Boiling Isles! Everything's a little weird, right? Hey, why don't you keep working on this, and I'll go check on Philip?"
Luz walks towards Philip as Lilith continues trying to solve the puzzle. There is a blue fang and a palisman inside Philip's bag that Luz notices as she approaches Philip from behind and reads what he is writing in his diary.
"I single-handedly defeated the beast behind the door. Tragically, I could not save my companions."
"Philip, why did you bring us here?" Luz asked, getting a bit scared and her indigestion returning.
Before he can answer, the ground shakes, accompanied by the loud sound of shifting stone, and Luz looks back towards the door seeing Lilith jumping for joy at solving the puzzle.
"I needed a sacrifice," Philip finally answers evilly.
Lilith pauses, "What'd he say?" As a claw suddenly emerged from inside and grabbed Lilith, screaming while being dragged into the darkness.
Luz screamed after her, "Lilith!"
"Well, with the beast distracted, I can finally get through those doors," asurted Philip.
Angrily, Luz yelled, "You tricked us!"
Philip just laughed, "It was-"
"Destiny? Balderdash," interrupted Luz.
"I was going to say, "inevitable". After all, you two were easier to trick than Blue Fang. Hopefully you and "Aunt Dirtrude" can last longer," Philip continued to laugh.
From inside the room Lilith continues to scream. Luz rushed inside and found a Stonesleeper grasping Lilith in its claws.
The beast spots Luz as she rushes into the room, and she immediately activates an ice glyph creating an ice trail. The beast slips on the ice and falls down, loosening its grip. Lilith jumps away. Luz grabs her hand and they run away together. Meanwhile, Philip walks up to a platform and unwraps the bandage on his leg, revealing that he was faking his injury. He then turns his splint into a shovel and starts digging. The beast stands up and chases after Lilith and Luz. After a minute of digging Philip's shovel hits something, and he grins and picks up the object.
"Found you," Philip congratulates himself.
Meanwhile, Luz and Lilith try to hide from the beast behind a pillar until the beast swings its tail at the duo and breaks it, barely missing them.
Philip looks on at the duo and redraws his earlier combo. "Good luck with your... crab castle... or... whatever. You witches come up with the worst lies," he cackled as he bamphed away. Leaving them to die.
With the beast distracted by the flash, Luz grabbed Lilith by the hand and ran towards another pillar, hiding behind it. Thinking about what Lilith said earlier about Stonesleepers, Luz got an idea and took off running.
As Lilith saw Luz running toward the beast she tried to yell out to her, "LUZ! What are you thinking? OMT. Eda's gonna kill me, Eda's gonna kill me, Eda's gonna kill me!" She looked away, unable to look at what was to happen next.
Unbenounced to them, as Luz rushed forward her eyes changed, turning black. Something that unnerved the Stonesleeper long enough for her to get right up next to the beast.
Suddenly, Lilith heard a thud, and she tentatively took a peek and saw Luz scratching the beast behind its ear.
"It's one of those Stonesleepers from the Hecktaceous Period," Luz laughed. "It must have been hibernating here for ages. Aw. Do you like that, boy? Aw, you're a good boy." Luz's eyes were already back to normal.
Lilith sheds a tear, pride overwhelming her, "Luz was paying attention to me."
Later Philip walked on a trail inside a forest from earlier and wrote something down in his diary.
"And so I doggedly limped home, but I had my prize. How to describe you?" He pondered as he looked at his prize. "Oval? Oblong? A round boy?" Only paying attention to his surroundings again when he started hearing loud thuds behind him. He turned around and saw the Stonesleeper from inside the cave. It screeches at him, causing him to gasp in shock, and Luz and Lilith jumped down from its back.
"Tell me how that thing's gonna help you build a portal to the Human Realm," Luz demanded.
Philip laughed again, "Oh, no. I need this for something else."
"No? What do you mean "no"?!" As Luz started to get furious.
"I mean, if it's information you want, perhaps we can make an exchange. I'll probably require another sacrifice sooner or later. If you or your aunt want to-" Philip stated condescendingly.
To which Lilith simply walked towards Philip and punched him square in the face, breaking his nose.
"Ugh! Ah! You hateable sorceress!" Philip angrily winjed.
Angrily, Lilith looked down on him. "Stay mad." "Come along, Luzura. We're finished here," huffed Lilith proudly.
"Cool aunt," Luz proudly stated, climbing back onto the Stonesleeper's back with Lilith. They ride off together, and the Stonesleeper 'accidentally' kicks Philip in the head while walking off.
"Hey, we still have a little time before the tide comes in. You want to do something exciting?" Luz asked Lilith as they rode away.
Back in Deadwardian Bonesborough, Lilith was watching a craftsman making balusters while Luz was buying King some snacks with snails she had 'found' earlier in Philip's pocket.
Back in the present day as everyone comes back riding on Liliths palisman they see the back of an old male witch walking away from Eda, and walking passed the Owl House. Only Luz notices a single tear as it forms in her mentor's eye.
"Hey nerds! How was your nerd quest? You find that dead nerd?" Eda asked as they landed.
"Layin' it on a little thick there, Eda. But, yeah, we found Philip," Luz answered, still a little annoyed at that whole situation.
"Whoa, seriously?" Eda said, genuinely surprised.
"Yeah. He stunk," Luz sighed.
"I punched him in the face," Lilith beamed.
"Nice job Lily. What about you King?" Eda asked.
"I built a sand kingdom, but there was a crab revolt. It was a thing," King told, not really being too bothered by the whole experience.
That night while Luz was reading one of her books to King and mostly just hanging out in her room Eda knocked on the door.
"Hey kids. Just checking up on you both before I hit the nest. You both ok?" Eda asked warmly, reminding Luz of her mom.
"We're fine mom. Just relaxing a bit before going to sleep ourselves," sleepily answered King.
"Hey, Eda… who was that guy earlier? You seemed kinda sad when we got back," Luz questioned, not really expecting an answer.
After a minute Eda sighed and came into the room. She sat down on one of the boxes and tentatively started answering her question, "Luz that was my dad. Honestly I've been running and hiding from him for over twenty years. You see we Clawthornes, we used to be widely known as the best palismen carvers the isles have ever seen. It's how I initially met the Bat Queen. Anyway one night shortly after I got cursed he came home early to surprise us. I didn't have a lot of control over the curse back then… he got hurt. He got hurt bad. He lost the ability to carve. His hand still trembles too much to even try. Not long after that was when I ran away from home. I just couldn't face him anymore after what I… the curse, had done. I guess you could say I've been running ever since, but today I ran out of places to run. The worst part is that we both knew he forgave me years ago. I just couldn't forgive myself. Today I was reminded that we can't change the past. I'm not saying that we forget what's happened but we have to keep looking forward. I know I'm not a great mom but-"
Eda was interrupted by Luz and King coming over and wrapping her in a warm hug.
"I don't know what I did to deserve kids like you two, but I promise I'm done running. I love you guys," Eda said as she teared up. "Now get to bed. We gotta scrub Hooty tomorrow and all of us are going to need our rest."
After Eda left Luz got a message from Amity. Apparently the club fair got pushed back a couple days for some reason, but she was wondering if they could get together for a date. A date at the brawl, and a day that neither of them will ever be able to forget for better or for worse.
All right all. Another week another chapter. Tbh I'm not thrilled by how this chapter ended up, but given the events it had to cover I think its as good as it could be.
That being said I'm positively shaking with excitement about next chapter. I think it might be my current favorite thing I've ever written. I was thinking of doing a special Wednesday release for it but I'll leave that up to you all. Let me know if thats something you'd be interested in. Also I've started work on ch.4 but it might take a bit longer as opposed to previous chapters that ones mostly going to be original content, yay.
Next, because I honestly still can't find the words to express just how much I appreciate the impact all of your amazing people/stories have had on me I'll just shout out a couple more (I think I'll make this a regular thing, because I feel like any success I have is mostly thanks to all of you). MetroXLR99, Mando Whiskey, Masterob, and Michael Ravencroft this week its your turn.
Keep being awsome everyone and no matter what happens, always remember that you never know how much of an impact we can make in someone elses lives. Keep shinning like a star even if you can't see your own glow.