"Welcome to. . ."
~SNAP~
"The Owl House."
Suddenly, the candles in the living room sparked to life.
The flames in the fireplace flared up and danced energetically, while a cauldron stirred itself and a broom swept the floor.
Above the guests' heads, a depiction of an owl beast of some kind shined brightly as it let out a great screeching noise.
"...where I hide away from the pressures of modern life." The Witch woman added with a hint of pride. " Also the cops. Mm, also ex-boyfriends." Eda snorted a little at that last part.
"Whoa. . ." The young Latina girl breathed out as she approached the table and placed her book on it.
She and her companion were both amazed by the beauty of the mural. After taking it in, they allowed their eyes to appreciate the overall aesthetic of the living room, which was reminiscent of a witch's fantasy.
The magic in the room just brought everything to life in every corner.
Hira was initially surprised and somewhat unsure about the unusual experience, but she couldn't help being mesmerized by the Owl Lady's home and her exceptional talent for magic.
The beauty of it all was captivating.
"This place is amazing. . ." The brunette teen girl expressed as she was beyond impressed by it all. "It's beautiful." She continued to pour her sweet compliments as she already felt like she was at home, a place where she might be able to fit in.
"And you live here all alone?"
Out of a sudden, the sound of hefty footsteps began to shake the entire house like an earthquake.
Like someone just invited the giant elephant into the room.
"Actually, I have a roommate." Eda informed the girls as the footsteps continued to shake the entire building structure heavily.
Hira was frightened and held her head, while Luz, who was more curious and daring, turned to face the open door leading to a narrow hallway.
As she looked at the wall, she noticed the shadow of a large, muscular creature with uneven horns approaching the doorframe. The heavy stomping sounds that followed made it even more intimidating.
The sight drained the colors from the Latina's cheeks fast and began to shrink back nervously.
" Who dares intrude upon I. . . " A deep voice called out to them which finally got the other girl to also snap her head around to see the monster for herself.
But then. . .
"The King of Demons!?" That deep voice decreased unexpectedly the moment the creature revealed its true self.
Not the big guy that the teens expected, but instead a small fuzzy creature stood before them. The creature had a baby blue towel with ducky patterns wrapped around its waist and a skull on top of its head with one good horn and one broken horn.
His yellow eyes with pink iris looked at the new guests with 'fury' while he was holding a small rubber duck in his tiny paws, highly and threateningly.
The little demon creature squeaked it twice for a dramatic effect, but instead of fear from the newcomers, Luz gasped in astonishment with eyes that sparkled up like an anime character whenever they see something adorable.
" Ay, que lindo! " The young brunette teen wasted no time to rush toward the little creature and scoop him up into her arms.
"Eda, he's so cute!" Luz cooed as she rubbed her cheek against the small demon's cheekbones affectionately. "Who's a widdle guy? Who's a widdle guy? Is it you? Is it you?" She babied him more as her heart just swelled with great joy.
Then it just exploded, which made the brunette girl squeeze the soul out of the demon in her embrace.
"No! I don't know who your little guy is! Eda, who is this monster?" The little demon cried out in despair while he used his little paws to push the brunette's face away from him in an attempt to get out of the tight situation.
Seeing how uncomfortable he was getting, the other teen with midnight hair butted in and carefully separated her schoolmate from the demon.
"U-um, sorry about her." Hira offered a small apology as she was holding onto the Latina that was making grab motions towards the little furry creature.
"Oh great, there is another one too!" The demon exclaimed in horror as he jumped back onto his feet.
"Calm down King." The witch lady rolled her eyes before she appeared at the humans' side.
" These are Luz and Hira, the humans." Eda motioned a lazy hand at the two. "And they are here to help us with our little... situation."
Both girls were struck dumbfounded.
"Wait, what?" Luz and Hira stared at the witch woman in puzzlement.
"Oh! Hooray!" The little demon, King, shouted out with eagerness now found in his voice.
However, the girls were not on the same page as him or Eda.
"H-hold on." Hira informed as she set down her schoolmate and quickly turned to the witch lady with a golden fang. " A Situation? What Situation?" She asked with a small hint of alarm in her tone.
"Yeah!" The Latina chimed in as well. "And I certainly don't like the sound of this 'situation'."
"Okay," The elder witch backed away a little before the tip of her index - fingers started to beam with her magic.
" Just, let me explain. . ." With that, she created a perfect magic ring that floated into mid-air.
It was showing a story of some sort with illustrations that were usually seen in children's fairy tale books.
The girls' eyes widen at the enchantment as stare at the image of a castle-like structure, and a giant in the front that resembled King perfectly.
But there he was wearing a crown made out of gold.
"King was once a mighty kind of demons." Eda started to explain, just before a hand dropped from the illustrated sky and seized the crown from the almighty demon." Well, that was, until his Crown of Power was stolen, and became. . . This. . ." The witch lady gestured a hand to King who was once more entrapped in the brunette's tight embrace.
"You mean this little bundle of joy?" Luz questioned in a baby voice as she just held the little demon closer, unaware of the look of concern that Hira felt at that very moment.
"Well, anyways. . ." Eda cut back to the illustrated story which shifted the focus from King to a muscular person who modeled in a black hood and a mask over his head.
He held the King of Demon's crown high and out of reach.
"The crown is being held by the evil Warden Wrath and locked away behind a magical force field that only a human can break through." As the witch told the teens she also showed what that said force field looked like.
" A human like you two." Luz and Hira watched the story intensely before the enchantment faded into nothingness.
"If you two help us retrieve his crown, we'll send you back to your realm. So whaddya say?" The witch asked them with great spirit before she side-glanced at her roommate mischievously.
"Plus, . . . who could say no to this cute face?" Without warning she picked up King by the face and started to shake him gently in front of the girls.
"No! Please don't encourage them!" The little demon pleaded with a raised voice right before Eda let him go to flop down to the floor with a small 'NYEH' leaving his mouth.
"I mean, we're kinda your only way home." The Owl Lady pointed out awkwardly which made the elder teen glance down at King and then back at her.
She hated these kinds of situations where she had to gamble with risks that could cost her safety.
One time was enough for her. . .
But now there she was, and not only that, she wasn't alone in this. . .
"I-." Luz was about to say something, but Hira grabbed her upper arm.
" Ummm, excuse us ma'am for a moment if that's okay. " Without missing a beat, she took her younger schoolmate far away from the witch woman and her pet friend.
The duo was a tad confused by this, but they said nothing and just let the humans turn behind the corner and hide behind the hall's wall so they can have privacy from any curious eyes.
"What was that for?" Luz asked loudly before Hira placed her hand on her shoulder again and shushed her a little.
"I'm sorry, but I had to." After the reply, she looked over her shoulder, just checking to see if either witch or demon was eavesdropping.
Once she confirmed it, she took a deep breath and redirected all of her focus toward Luz, staring at her with firmness.
"Luz, I think we should find another way to get out of here." The younger girl's expression softened with a look of bewilderment upon hearing these words.
"What?" The brunette girl questioned, evidently not liking where this conversation was leading up to.
"What do you mean 'what'?" Hira questioned back in disbelief. "We can't stay here longer! And we definitely can't just go and help them out with stealing." Her statement made Luz's face soften up a little as she recognized her schoolmate's caution way too well.
Even though she never got to know her personally, she had seen the older girl behave this way a few times when the two crossed paths.
"Um, well. . ." The Latina glanced to the side thoughtfully for a second before she took one step away from Hira. " Look, I know this is crazy and all, but hey, she saved us from those guards. Helping them back is the least we could do."
Luz offered a tiny smile to lighten up the tension, but the moment she saw her schoolmate's narrow and solemn eyes, the edge of her lips flattened a little.
"Luz, this is absurd." Hira's small whisper was filled with an unusually harsh objection that the Latina did not expect. " We just met them while we got into a world, god knows how, where magic exists and so do demons, other types of monsters and witches alike. What if this King is really some way this big Demon Emperor and his crown was taken away for a good reason?"
A pause made its way into the older girl's speech.
" Either way, we are with some witch criminal who is highly wanted, and apparently, in her words, humans like us are worth more alive than dead. Doesn't that sound a little bit suspicious to you?" After her voice of concern, the young Latina girl actually thought for a moment.
"Well, it does sound kind of sus if you put it that way." The younger teen responded in a small voice before she gave a small look at the living room's direction.
The arguments presented made sense and seemed logical. However, the young Latina disagreed due to the witch's behaviors and actions she had saw.
Yes, the witch woman offered a deal to the girls in exchange for the key to return home, but Luz did not see her as malicious or evil, despite her background and status. While she understood her schoolmate's point of view, she knew better than to judge a book by its cover. So, as she usually does, she followed her heart, or rather, her gut.
"But I don't think we have much of a choice here." The brunette reasoned as she took a careful step back from her older schoolmate. "She is our only way home and I don't think there is another way for us to get back anyways."
For a moment the lips of the girl with midnight hair morphed into a thin line.
"You. . ." The older girl deflated a little. "You're right, but even so, what do we do when . . . ?" She couldn't finish her sentence as she honestly had no idea how to even end it. . .
"Well, what else can we really do?" The younger teen finally asked the big question only to gain a heavy sigh from Hira.
A few more minutes passed by and now King began to complain a little to his witch criminal friend, or at least was visibly showing how impatient he was getting.
"Take a chill pill, will you Mr. wiggles?" The old witch told the little demon, a little annoyed by his behavior.
"Don't you EVER, call me THAT NAME AGAIN!" King retorted back with a loud boom as he stomped his feet on the floor like a fussy toddler.
Just then, the human teens returned to the living room. Luz looked as unsure as ever along with her acquaintance who just tossed something into her mouth, then chugged down half of her water bottle.
"So, is everything okay now?" The witch lady asked the two as her entire posture began to relax.
"Will you two come?"
As she asked that, King wagged his tail back and forth while he stared at the girl expectedly and with hope in his big eyes.
The girls exchanged looks and with a small sigh later the two turned their attention back to the Owl Lady.
"Well uh. . . ." Luz started before she shot her eyes to the side a little to check on Hira for a sec, who glanced back at her, then drop her stare to her feet.
Seeing that, the Latina girl faced the Owl Lady herself.
"I guess we don't have much of a choice now, do we?"
"Nope!" Eda opened her arms wide in relief before she threw the Latina girl onto her shoulder.
"Now, let's get going! We've got no time to lose!" As she moved forward, she had her other arm wrap around Hira's tense shoulders.
As the girls were dragged away the little furry demon behind them picked up his little rubber duck from the floor.
"Soon, Mr. Ducky, we shall drink the fear of those who mocked us." With that promise, he rushed after the trio.
"Um. . .Where are we going again?" The timid older girl questioned nervously.
"Somewhere super fun." Eda replied enthusiastically.
In return, Hira and Luz swallowed hard with unease and regret.
Where will they be going?
" The Conformatorium, . . . " The thunder struck down twice, almost blinding everyone that was close by.
"A place for those considered 'unsuitable' for society." Eda rolled her eyes while she and her companions were hiding behind a building that was close to the tall barriers of the Conformatorium Tower.
Hira analyzed the building from afar, just as lightning struck down. With great chills down her spine, she turned back to her companions.
"And. . . and how do we plan on getting in?" Hira asked the witch lady with a shaky voice. " S-surely, this place must be secured with some enchantments that keep people from breaking in or out?"
"Well you ain't wrong about that doll-face, but this isn't the Emperor's Castle, so rest assured we can slip in without anyone noticing us." The woman explained lazily as she looked up at the tower once more.
Luz did the same with King who was resting on top of her head. But then her eyes were caught by one of those wanted posters again.
She took it off the wall and examined it a little.
"Whoa, these guys really have the hots for you." The Latina girl commented just as the witch lady herself butted into her view with a peace sign and a pose.
"Yup. But we were never caught because we're too slippery." Eda winked at Luz as her smile widened, clearly having great pride in the reputation that she gained for herself.
"Try to catch me when I'm covered in grease. I'm a squirmy little fella." The little demon declared, just as he started to slip off of the girl's head.
Thankfully, Hira was able to catch him and place him down gently.
"You two and I will sneak up to the top of the tower, where they're holding my crown." King told the girls as he pointed a clawed finger at the high tower behind him.
"And I'm gonna make sure the warden's distracted." The Owl Lady added as she walked backward.
"Uhh. . ." Hira breathed out while her hands clutched onto the strap of her backpack tight.
As the older teen felt on edge about the whole 'break-in', her schoolmate was beyond excited.
"Will I need a disguise?" Luz gasped, only to earn a confused look from the Owl Lady.
"Uhh. . ." Eda murmured but couldn't find the right answer.
"I've been waiting to use this." The younger teen eagerly reached for her cat hoodie and pulled it over her head. Once it was up, she flicked up the cat ears with her fingers.
"Meow-meow!" She mewed out playfully.
"It's hideous." The little demon with skull head shared his opinion.
"Oh, you'll fit right in." The witch lady gave a thumbs up to the teen while the other girl instinctively pulled her own hood up as well with her jacket zipped shut.
Now with everything set, Eda slammed the bottom of her staff against the ground, and soon a round glowing platform started to expand underneath them.
The spell caster herself stepped away from it, which left the human girls and the little demon on the shimmering surface.
"Hold on tight!" The woman told the three just as the magical platform began to float.
"Whoa!" The trio exclaimed as the magic circle flew toward the tower's window.
As it almost reached its destination, Hira quickly jumped into the window frame out of reflex. Luz and King were about to follow the example, but they suddenly lost their footing the moment the enchanted platform suddenly disappeared.
That forced the younger teen girl to grab the edge of the window sill and King to cling to her feet.
Hira rushed over to help the two.
Meanwhile, Eda tossed her staff and casually sat down on it as it rose up to the sky.
"Meet you guys at the top of the tower." She called out while she disappeared.
King grunted a little before he got himself to climb up Luz like she was some rope.
Once he got up, Hira picked him up and took the demon to the safer area.
After that, she went back to her schoolmate and started to pull her with all her might.
After some struggle later the girl with braided hair was able to bring Luz into the tower, but her pull happened so fast that it made the young Latina's body collide with Hira's.
Before the two knew it, they landed on the hard and cold stone floor.
"HAHA! Cats don't do that." King laughed sarcastically while the girls struggled to untangle themselves from one another's bodies.
Luz was the first to get off, but thanks to the pain she felt, all she was able to do was roll over her back.
As she and her schoolmate were catching their breath, their eyes opened up and saw the depth of the Conformatorium.
"Whoa. . ." The young brunette girl breathed out as she scrambled up to her feet and looked at the large number of cells that were waiting at the end of the hall.
Luz went forward with King following her suit.
Hira went after them hurriedly as she did so.
The three of them reached the end of the hall, and entered the room where all the prisoners were held.
The teens couldn't help but just be in complete shock at the number of cells before them. Some of them were occupied by shadowy beasts of varying sizes and shapes, though all of their eyes were glowing with light.
Probably caused by the magic within them.
While Luz was roaming around in a daze, King decided to climb onto her shoulder and take a look out for himself.
"Just wow, this place is just huge." The brunette girl commented as she unknowingly got close to one of those prison cells.
"Eh, my castle looks better than this at least." King commented with a bit of arrogance in his voice.
The midnight-haired girl looked over the gigantic hole in the middle of the prison tower before her chestnut-brown eyes lifted themselves up and felt her stomach aching with anxiety and alarm.
She turned to face her team and was met with a horrifying sight. The cell in front of her revealed the largest green eyes she had ever seen, filled with hunger.
"Wait, you mean the owl house?" Luz asked, oblivious to the monster that was lurking behind her back.
Hira quickly grabbed Luz and King as soon as she noticed the shadow's movements.
They were able to move away from the cell before that lizard-like creature appeared in the brief light and hit the bars with its razor-sharp teeth and big claws. Its slimy, yellowish scales and long black locks sparked a wave of shock. The creature let out an ear-piercing shriek before retreating into the shadows.
"Phew, that was one close call. . ." Luz breathed out with a shaky voice before she turned to her rescuer with a smile. "Thanks Hira."
The midnight-haired girl nodded her head weakly as she pulled away.
The girls continued with their little journey, but this time made sure to stay as far as possible from the cell bars.
But to their surprise, someone called out for their attention.
"Pst! Hey you two!" A shushed voice squeaked not too far to the left, but the girls couldn't see who it was in that second.
"Over here! Witch girl and cat lady!" The voice became louder and soon the teens were able to detect the owner of it, who was behind one of the cell bars.
A witch woman with pointy ears identical to Eda's. She had a dark skin tone, and black hair styled in a ponytail. She also has upturned hazel eyes and her smile showed off her sharp fangs. She wore a gold band around her neck, calf-length high-heeled boots, and an indigo-colored dress that showed her shoulders and reached half of her forearms.
"How did you two get out of your cell?" She questioned the two as she kept her distance from the metallic cell doors.
"Oh, no,no,no. I'm not a cat." Luz explained as she pulled off her cat hoodie.
"A-and I'm not a witch. Not really." Hira shyly chimed in as she stood next to her schoolmate and the little demon.
The moment the brunette revealed the round ears that witch lady and the two shadowy figures behind her moved forward out of curiosity.
"Those ears... You're both humans?!" The woman exclaimed in amazement as her hazel eyes jumped from one girl's figure to another.
"Yup!" The Latina girl replied with pride and full of positivity. "And we're also not criminals."
"Not yet, you're not." King butted in.
The female prisoner let out a tiny scoff at the word 'criminal'.
"Well, neither are we." The woman replied a bit bitterly as she crossed her arms.
"Then why are you all behind bars?" Hira couldn't but ask the question only to earn a tiny groan from the lady.
"Well, the Emperor's Coven likes to lock people up who don't 'fit in the brand' so to speak." The witch explained before she pulled out a book. "Like I write fanfics about foods falling in love." After the human girls looked at the sketches and written chapters they exchanged a look of bewilderment while the prisoner continued.
"I like food, I like love. Just let me write about them!" The adult demanded, clearly frustrated with how she was unfairly robbed of her freedom.
Needless to say, the teens were understandably speechless.
And not in a good way.
Just before they can form a comment, another prisoner began to speak up.
"It's true." A demon spoke with blueish skin and had too many eyes planted on his head. "I'm locked up because I like eating my own eyes." He then plucked an eye out of his head, and swallow it down. But then that very eye floated back into place as if nothing happened.
Hira shuddered a little at the sight of it and so did Luz who almost stuck her tongue out.
"We are agents of fwee expwession! They will never siwence us!" Then came the third prisoner forward to express her words with voice raised and full of bravery. She was small, had big eyes, nose, and a round pale body with long ginger hair on the top.
At her words, the older teen rose an eyebrow in confusion.
"Yeah, Warden Wrath was not too keen on her passion for conspiracy theories." The witch lady with ponytail explained with a tone of annoyance, but in that, there was also a small hint of sadness mixed in.
"The world is a simulation! We are but playthings for a higher being!" The small figure with a large nose continued to share her own theories with the whole world.
"This. . ." Hira breathed out weakly as one of her hands curled up into a small fist. " This is absolutely ridiculous." She didn't even know what to say or how to even feel about this.
The teen with the long braid felt anger in these people's, but she masked most of that away because. . . it was conflicting to her because of her mistrust. . .
It all sounded absurd because no one would go this petty to go that far to lock down someone for doing what. . . doing little things that make them happy or what. . . doing something that is qualified okay for them and doesn't bother others. . .
But then again, she was in a different world where everything works differently. . .
Even so, how can she trust them. . . ?
Her thoughts got interrupted when the female prisoner sighed out loud.
"Well, when you're considered a 'Wild Witch', the Emperor's Coven can do whatever they please, as long as they can catch you and force you into a coven." She told her in a small exhale, which sounded exhausted while her eyes reflected nothing but hopelessness.
Something that got Hira's attention and made her frown.
"What...?" She breathed out her question as she now felt the pity for these people rise.
She recalled the previous encounter with those scouts, and how they almost arrested Eda for the same reason.
Being a wild witch is that bad. . . ?
But . . .
"But still, what you did. . .These aren't crimes." The elder teen's schoolmate spoke out in a bit of anger in her voice. " None of you actually did anything wrong."
Then the young Latina pulled out the poster she snatched from earlier.
As soon as her brown eyes settled on it, her frown deepened.
"You're just . . . you were all doing what you love and makes you unique. . ." Luz concluded as her eyes softened up.
"You're like... me..."
As soon as those words left her, Hira couldn't help but sense the guilt wash over her entire being as a look of empathy broke out of her.
She sent that look to the young Latina, then at the sad-looking prisoners.
Then she thought about Eda and King. . .
"You're all witches with magic, right?" Hira blurred out her question which earned everyone's attention. The sudden eye contact made her jump a little, but she forced herself to be composed.
" I – uh, what I meant to ask is that can't you use some spell to get out?" She corrected herself.
"We can't." Katya shook her head as she whistled out loud which created some visible spell wave. It hit the bars and just like with that beast from earlier, the metal material zapped the small magic into oblivion. " Not only these are charged up, but there is also some powerful enchantment in each of these cell rooms that would weaken our magic."
"Huh, clever." Luz hummed out as Hira scanned the bars with her eyes.
"Ahem, hate to interrupt, but we still have a mission ya know?" King gave a sarcastic input while he waved one of his paws in the air.
"Right!" The young Latina nodded her head, but then the moment was interrupted when the entire tower suddenly started to shake.
Soon this mild earthquake was revealed to be the cause of someone's heavy footstep that was stomping closer and closer to the prison tower room.
"What is this?" Hira asked as her body started to tremble like a dry leaf in the harsh wind.
"It's Warden Wrath! He is coming to check on us!" The female prisoner hissed out in distress and panic.
"Quick! Hide!" The Witch Lady shot her head at the girls and King.
She didn't have to tell them twice, but the trio got into a bit of a trouble as they couldn't find a good hiding spot right away.
That was until the young Latina looked back at the hall where they came from.
"Come on Hira!" She took her schoolmate's wrist and with everything she had in her body they all made a dash for that corner.
As the girls ran, Luz also dropped the wanted poster in front of the prisoners' cell door.
The teens disappeared behind a giant pillar just in time before the entrance door of the prison tower slammed open, which revealed a big figure.
" I can hear you. " His deep voice made Luz whimper a little, but Hira covered her mouth fast to make sure the cover is not blown.
The elder teen bit her lip hard as she and her little teammates waited for the Warden to go away.
"Just what are you fools whispering about?" Demanded the big man as he slowly made his way toward the prison cell where the witch lady, the eye demon, and the small redhead were being held. As his gaze scanned them, he suddenly felt his feet stumble upon something.
The girls in the corner held their breath as they heard the silence settle.
Warden Wrath stepped away and picked up The Owl Lady's Wanted poster to examine it.
"Ah, The Owl Lady." Warden Wrath with a tone that almost sounded longing. . . but then out of the blue, he crushed the piece of paper within his big and strong grip before that very hand morphed into one big hammer which he slammed into the door of the next prison cell next to the trio's cell in great fury.
The girls flinched a little, and King almost let out a sound due to the tight embrace Luz was giving to him.
"I'll get my hands on her soon enough." Warden Wrath declared, quiet determent about the plan.
But of course, his words were met with the words of rebellion.
"Fight against the oppwessor!" The little redhead cried out which caught the Warden's attention. " We will wesist! We will conquer! We will never be afwaid of you, you old cweep!"
The big man let out a tiny grunt, but he said nothing and just stepped closer to the cell with the crumbled-up paper now dropped to the floor.
The woman with a ponytail and the demon with eyeballs on his head backed away a little, leaving their redheaded prison mate standing tall against the Warden.
His hand reached forward. . . .
Then he grabbed the lever and pulled it upward to open the cell.
"Hooway! I'm fwee!" The little one exclaimed in joy, just before her entire being got captured by the Warden's hand.
Literally, she fit inside his palm.
The Eyeball-Monster backed away in fear as a small gasp escaped from the witch woman, but they can't do more other than just watch their little friend be taken away and let the Warden close their only way out to freedom.
"Let this be a lesson to all of you." Warden Wrath turned to the remaining prisoners with a stern tone. " There's no place in society for you if you don't fit in." He squeezed his prisoner within his grip, which made her squeak out in pain.
With those last words, he turned on his heels and walked away with his feet hammering against his footing.
On his way to his exit, his weight crushed the paper ball flat.
A minute passed. . . . two. . . then more. . .
Then there was a loud sound of the door clicking shut. . .
Finally, Hira, Luz, and King were able to let out their breath and relax from the intensity.
However, after they all recovered, the brunette girl rushed back to that prison cell and reached for the lever. Hira freaked out by that, but against her better judgment, she bolted after her schoolmate to make sure she was not caught in trouble.
"Don't worry. We can get you out." The young Latina attempted to pull up the lever but found it to be stuck. Despite giving it a few more pulls, it remained immovable.
"Hira, help me outta here!" The younger teen pleaded.
Initially, the older teen was hesitant, but after glancing at Luz, her attention shifted to the prisoners. They gazed at her with sadness and perhaps a glimmer of hope. Her own chestnut-brown eyes flickered with uncertainty.
Eventually, Hira reluctantly agreed to give a hand to her schoolmate, and with her strength involved they began to pull the lever again.
Unfortunately, their attempt to bust the prisoners out remained unsuccessful.
"NOOO! My weak nerd arms!" Luz cried in agony as she looked at her so-called nerdy arms.
"Just get out of here while you still can kids. Enjoy freedom for us." The witch with the ponytail and indigo dress told the teens with a rather sorrowful tone.
"B-but. . ." Luz stammered out while Hira looked at the saddened prisoners with pity in her eyes.
To both her and her schoolmate's surprise and sorrow, the witch lady offered them a small smile.
"We'll be fine, don't worry." She told them in a somewhat reassuring manner. "Just go before the Warden catches you too."
With that, she turned around and walked into the depth of her cell, and into the shadows with her comrade.
The girls stared at them in sadness and a minute later, Luz reluctantly walked away with her head hung low.
Hira watched the younger teen with heartache before she looked over to the prison cell again with a deep frown.
She let out a sigh and then turned around to follow the little brunette, feeling a slight twinge of remorse and doubt in her stomach.