The Entanglement

by MrSova

When Amity was forced to cut ties with Willow, she was sent away for four years. In the meantime Luz stumbles into the Demon Realm making it her new home. When Amity returnes to continue her higher education at the Hexside Academy she is suprised to see a human living in the Demon Realm. A human who is apparently her childhood's friend best friend now. Cross Posted on AO3

8. Chapter 8 - A Bad Feeling

It has been over a week since Luz and Amity moved in with Gwen, Dell, and Lilith Clawthorne. They have made themselves comfortable in Eda's old room and even though Luz was happy to spend more time with her family she could not have ignored the fact that her girlfriend was still having trouble adjusting to the changes. Not only the new living situation seemed shocking but also the fact that everyone was so supportive of the lavender-haired witch.

Even with the rant Eda offered them Luz could feel that Amity was still feeling like a burden, not worthy of their support. She was often experiencing nightmares she never wanted to talk about afterwards. The human hoped to help but she knew all too well that sometimes only space and patience help. Some things needed to be sorted by Amity herself.

Emira helped by getting in touch with a Healer specializing in difficult and traumatic experiences. They were coming over twice a week for lengthy sessions. Luz had no idea what they were talking about but she noticed that after their sessions Amity was more distraught. The witch was just sitting in their room, watching the view from the open window while she sat on the windowsill, cut off from the world, deep in her thoughts.

"Sweet Flea, you need to be patient." Gwendolyn said with concern when she noticed how Luz was worried for the young Blight. They sat on the porch in front of the Clawthorne's house "When Eda hurt Grandpa Dell he too went through a similar process." She recalled as she sat next to her granddaughter "It hurt me to see how he was hurting but often when we reach our lowest point we are open to the greatest change." She added and hugged the human with her strong arms.

"I know, Grandma…" Luz said sadly "I just feel so helpless and useless. I just want to be there for her. I feel responsible for what happened to her…"

"Luz Clawthorne!" Lilith showed up out of nowhere interrupting her niece in a serious, cold manner. "You are not responsible for the pain Odalia inflicted on that poor witchling!" She scolded her niece but Luz could not hear her. All the human could think about was the fact that Lilith was back which meant she may have had some news regarding Philip's whereabouts.

"Did you find him?" Luz asked with hope, ignoring her aunt's words. Gwen let the youngest Clawthorn go from her hug while Lilith looked away toward the forest.

"I'm sorry, Luz. It's as if he really vanished." Lilith said with defeat taking a seat next to the human. "I don't know where else to look. I can't ask for any more Scouts but we have searched all major cities and suburbs. It would seem as if he left the Boiling Isles or decided to live in the wild." She explained and felt defeated. It has been over a week and there were no results. It ached her on the physical level to be such a failure in an attempt to get this fugitive captured.

"Ugh!" Luz exclaimed with defeat "I just keep having this bad feeling! As if something's about to go down!" She explained, letting her head down.

Little did the Clawthornes know that they were sitting right under the window where Amity was lost in the view of the forest surrounding the house. She heard the conversation they all had and could not help but cry when she realized there were people who really cared about her. They were not just pretending in front of her. They talked about caring about and for her when she was not around. Luz was talking about the way she cared about her. It was not a lie, not a ruse. And yet the only thing she could think of was how big of a burden she was to the people who actually took her in. Amity did not want to think where she would be if not for Luz. She was so kind, good, and generous. She fought for her, showed her a better life, freed her, and now she took care of her, letting her into her life, and her family. "Always so positive, always so kind…" Amity smiled at the thought of her girlfriend. She promised herself she would try to be a little bit more like Luz. Not letting her past experience affect her, trying to look with hope into the future. But then again she felt a sting of guilt. They were close only once and then everything got… complicated. "I haven't even kissed her since…"

"Amity?" She was dragged from her thoughts by the soft sound of the human's voice. She turned around to face her girlfriend. "Are you okay?" The witch just smiled fondly, her ears perked up, and she jumped down from the windowsill.

"Yes." She said, stepping forward and hugging Luz. "Thank you for being so good to me." The witch added and hugged Luz even tighter as if the human was about to disappear.

"Hey…" Luz pulled back a bit to look into Amity's eyes "You have nothing to be thankful for." She said with a smile and delicately kissed a pale forehead. "I'm here for you…" She was interrupted by an intense kiss which surprised Luz. She moaned into it once her brain caught up with what was happening. Her eyes closed and she let herself fall into the experience.

"I want to be a good girlfriend…" Amity whispered when she broke the kiss only to bite delicately on the human's neck. Luz gasped in pleasure but it also made her worry. With all her self-control she pulled away from the touch.

"Amity? Are you forcing yourself because you think that's what I'd expect you to do?" The human asked with an honest worry in her voice. She did dream about being close to Amity again. "But not like this!" She thought and the witch looked away with shame while the human studied her face carefully.

"I… don't want to lose you…" She admitted to her fear. Amity was surprised by the tight hug.

"Oh, Amity…" Luz whispered in defeat, realizing how Odalia hurt her daughter "Don't you ever force yourself to do something you don't want to do. Please…" The human whispered while she did her best to control the sadness erupting from her heart. "The thought that you think you need to force yourself to be close to me just saddens me." Amity's face showed panic. She had no idea what Luz was saying. She pulled away and looked up at her girlfriend's face.

"Are you breaking up with me?" The witch asked, scared for her life. Luz could not believe what she heard. Her eyes went wide in shock.

"What?! No! Of course not!" She exclaimed and tried to calm herself down. "All I'm saying is that you were hurt but I'm not going anywhere. So engrave it deep into your mind!" She added and kissed her girlfriend again. But this kiss was different. It was soft, caring, and loving. "I'm not going anywhere as long as you'll have me, Amity. I love you so much…" She added after she broke the kiss and looked down at the witch once again.

"I love you too…" The witch said under her breath, hugging her girlfriend tightly. "I'm sorry I make you worry…" She added but Luz did not comment on that. She just placed a delicate kiss on the lavender head and returned the hug.

"No need to apologize. Communication takes practice." The human said softly planting a delicate kiss on the pale hand "Now come. Grandma made some dinner." She added with a soft smile and Amity followed gratefully while they went downstairs hand in hand.

The new semester at the Academy started a couple of days and a few more Healing sessions later. It was not easy for either of them. They were still getting used to the current situation, both were anxious about the threat of Philip on the loose but also tried to focus on their studies. On top of that Amity had missed some exams. Everything seemed so different to them.

They stood next to each other on their first day back, looking at the tall building of the Academy. Random students were passing them by, ignoring the couple. Luz finally took a deep breath and looked down at her girlfriend who stood on her right.

"Are you ready?" The human asked softly, analyzing the witch's face. It was completely blank. "Hey…" She added, taking hold of Amity's hand "It's going to be okay." She offered a smile.

"It's just…" Amity tried to explain herself. She took in a deep breath and looked up into Luz's warm hazel gaze "It's the first day where I…" She hesitated "Where I'm free, Luz." She said, turning her gaze toward the school "It's the first time I do not have to hide, pretend or worry about my behavior…" Amity felt Luz's grip leaving her hand but before she could have reacted the human pulled her in a close half hug with her right arm.

"It's all right to feel anxious, Amity." Luz spoke warmly "A lot has changed in the past few weeks. But we'll get through it together." She looked at Amity and smiled "Come on… you can say it." She teased a bit and the witch's ears slanted down, covered in a pink tint.

"We'll… get through it together…" Blight said sheepishly and her blush deepened.

"That's my girl…" Luz said with a soft chuckle and placed a delicate kiss on the witch's temple "Now, let's go." She offered and while Amity pulled up a high collar of her charcoal tunic to cover up the scars, they walked hand in hand, once again causing whispers to raise while they walked toward their lockers. Though this time it was more likely caused by Blight's new haircut rather than their interracial relationship.

Amity was shocked how on the outside all seemed exactly the same. The students were living their lives as usual. Exchanging memories from recent parties, exchanging stories from the mid-semester break, telling jokes... Even the way Willow greeted them was no different than usual. But still… "Why do I have such a bad feeling?" Luz wondered while she was prepared for the worst.

"Maybe you got used to the bad so much you can't relax if your life depended on it?" Willow proposed when they had walked Amity to the Abomination Homeroom.

"Nah… that's something different." The human offered. She could not lay a finger on it but she could have sworn thirty minutes into the new semester that something was off.

"I mean…" Amity started "What's your longest streak with no accidents… that's the wrong word… without any dangerous situations in your life?" The witch asked and Luz smiled, noticing the mischief in her girlfriend's eyes.

"Before or after you came into my life?" Luz offered with a tease. Blight's playful expression faded immediately, her ears slanted down, letting everyone know she blamed herself for everything that happened in the past weeks. While the human started to panic Willow chuckled at it. "Amity, I'm joking!" Luz's voice rose in fear of hurting her girlfriend.

"Yeah, Amity…" Willow leaned playfully on her old friend's shoulder "Trust me when I tell you that since you came back Luz actually had fewer accidents." She said with a chuckle and enjoyed how flustered Luz was. That made Blight laugh quietly and her ears perked up again. She pecked her girlfriend goodbye and entered the classroom.

Luz left for the Potion Track classes and was surprised to notice that everything seemed exactly the same. Maybe Boscha was a tad quieter than usual but other than that the semester took off in what seemed to be a normal Academy pace. Yet Luz could not shake off the feeling that something was off. "Is she looking at me?" She wondered when she felt that Boscha was staring at her. "I'll go crazy with my own theories." She concluded and decided to distract herself by focusing on the school work.

Amity was feeling embarrassed when her professor approached her by the end of the class but he seemed nothing but supportive of her. He did notice her appearance and behavior has changed but as a good teacher, he did not mention anything. They scheduled a date for Amity to take her exam at her earliest convenience. She did focus on that and after the class had ended she left for lunch to meet up with Luz and Willow.

It was actually the biggest change and the weirdest thing for all three of them. Also for the rest of the school. Teachers included. Amity Blight was eating her lunch with Luz the human and half-a-witch Willow. No schemes, no plots, no ruses, and definitely no shenanigans. The lavender-haired witch was finally free and honest with who she was. She did not have to answer to anyone but herself. It was the happiest she has ever been considering that in the past half a year or so she never had a chance to actually live a normal Academy life. All three of them could feel that the whole High School and Academy were staring at them.

"This is so weird…" Amity murmured whilst eating and she could feel Luz's stare of concern.

"Weirder than flying on Puddles and dropping Boscha into the pile of snorse shit?" The human asked with hope to lighten the mood and she kissed the pale cheek. Amity chucked and her features lit up.

"Yeah, that was fun…" She said recalling that day. She was saddened again when she remembered how that day ended for her.

"To think I missed that…" Willow puffed a bit and looked to the side faking hurt feelings. Her eyes went in shock when she noticed that the dark-skinned witch was standing beside their table when she looked up. "Um, guys?" Willow got Amity's and Luz's attention. They followed the plant witch's voice in unison and noticed a bard standing in front of them with their lunch tray.

"Hi guys…" The newcomer greeted them hesitantly with the most awkward smile.

"Skara?" Amity was shocked but did not manage to say anything else as Luz took over the initiative.

"Hey! Want to sit down with us?" Luz asked with a warm smile and all three witches sent her a shocked look. Each of them had different reasons for the shock but none of them spoke up while Skara took a free place next to Willow. "What?" Luz finally noticed the atmosphere at the table. "Oh, come on! Skara wanted to warn you about Boscha." Luz addressed Amity "And she helped you stop the fight" She added toward Willow and then smiled mischievously. "As for me… I always support freeing people from abusive, toxic, and narcissistic relationships." She concluded and pulled Amity close in a one-handed hug. That lightened the mood at the table a bit.

"Um… I like your hair…" Skara choked out hesitantly toward Amity who just blushed heavily, her ears slanted down in embarrassment.

"Um… thanks…" She replied and the lunch continued.

From that lunch forward Skara was slowly becoming a part of their small group and it drove Boscha crazy. Around two weeks have passed since but the triclops have not acted on it as she was still recovering from the fight with Willow the other day and her accident at the stables. However, that did lighten Amity's mood as she told her Healer during their mid-week session in her bedroom in the Clawthorne's house.

"You are making great progress, Miss Blight." They said when Amity concluded her story of how she was able to finally get more people around her, how she finally had a support system.

"Yeah… Luz is a great help. I… I never felt like this…" She said, looking away from the Healer, embarrassed by her own feelings.

"Loved?"

"Safe…" She explained and the Healer paled down a bit. "Almost twenty-year-old witchling who has never felt safe… That's just sad." They thought but did not say anything.

"That is very good. Safety and support is a perfect combination for successful healing." They said and smiled softly but Amity looked back down at her hands. The pinkish scar tissue was still visible from the wounds from a few weeks ago. However, she did not feel the need to cover it with long sleeves anymore. At least not around people she trusted.

"What if I never heal? What if I'm just… broken? Beyond repair…" Amity asked, holding back her tears, thinking how years of abuse shaped her. She did not know what behavior was right and what was just Odalia's twisted way. "What if I'll become like her?" Blight was honestly scared.

"You are not broken, Amity." The Healer spoke softly "But just like the scars on your hands some mental wounds leave a mark. It doesn't make you any less capable of living a happy life. Just because your scars are not physical doesn't make them any less real." They added and Amity looked at the Healer with a hopeful gaze. Their green eyes shone with warmth and comfort. Amity believed every word that passed through their full lips. This was something she wanted to remember. "Luz has deep scars but I don't consider her broken…" The witch thought, thinking about the metaphor the Healer used. "No, I find her brave, sweet, caring, and strong enough to endure everything her scars remind her of." Her thoughts continued. "We should pause here. Think about what I said and I'll see you in our next session." The Healer proposed and Amity just nodded in agreement. The witch watched the Healer exit the room, leaving the door open when they left.

"Hey, Beautiful!" Luz said, forgetting for a moment her girlfriend did not like pet names, popping her head into their room, with the brightest smile, immediately causing Blight to blush. "May I come in?" She asked, not wanting to intrude on Amity's space. The witch was often very emotional after their sessions.

"Of course." Amity replied, returning the smile, showing off her fangs that the human adored so much. "Maybe calling her beautiful is on the table…" Luz thought, quickly walked in, and Amity pulled her into a hug.

"Wow, that's… unexpected" Luz laughed but returned the hug eagerly "Is everything all right?" She asked, mumbling into the witch's neck. "Not that I'm complaining…"

"Everything is great." Amity cut her mid-sentence when she pulled away to look at Luz's face. She looked at the deep scar on her girlfriend's brow and touched it with a gentle stroke of her pale finger, trailing it down to the brunette's cheek. "Yes… we all have scars…" She thought and smiled unconsciously. Witch's hand traveled from the human's cheek toward her neck. Amity pulled her in while staring into those warm, comforting hazel orbs. Their lips were almost touching, feeling the need and anticipation. They have not kissed since the day Amity thought that was what Luz would expect her to do.

"Are you sure?" Luz whispered in a heated voice, having a hard time concealing her eagerness. She longed for those lips so much but was too afraid to hurt the witch. She still had in mind the way Blight was scared the night she left the Owl House when she was forced to relive her trauma. Amity could feel the human's heart racing in her chest. She wanted her so badly yet was placing Amity's comfort in the first place. "Always so considerate." The witch thought with a smile.

"Yes. So… very… sure…" Amity said and closed the remaining distance between their lips.

The kiss was pure, delicate, and caring, sending down their bodies the sensations of warmth and safety. They parted a few seconds later to search their eyes for any kind of hesitation and it seemed as if they both wanted and needed more. When they found none their lips locked again in a more heated dance. Amity moaned into the sensation while she dug her nails into Luz's neck and pulled the witch's waist closer in, reveling in the feeling of a smaller body against her own. They did not know how long they had been standing there as for them the time stopped still.

Amity's left hand tucked in Luz's shirt hoping to gain even more contact with the taller woman. Their lips parted in need to deepen the kiss. Their tongues met hesitantly, causing them both to moan in pleasure when they felt the chills sent down their spines. They have not felt each other this way since the day they were last together in the Owl House, before breaking the spell, and they both missed it too much. It was a day that now seemed like an event that took place decades ago in a different universe.

"Amity…" Luz whispered in a heated voice, moving away a bit when she felt aching pain in her abdomen, her need growing. She looked at the witch who seemed just as turned on as she was. "I don't want to do anything that you might not want…" She said with care but her voice was low, needy.

"Then don't you dare pull away again." Amity growled with a seductive smile, wide-blown pupils, and pushed herself into Luz's arms again, finding the lips she desired. Clawthorne stumbled back until her back hit the bedroom door. "Then don't stop yourself…" The human felt the witch's heated voice on her neck. Amity licked her neck up until she stopped at the round earlobe. "From fucking me hard." She whispered while turning the key in the door, locking them in, and quickly placing a sound-restricting spell on the room, and that did it for Luz.

The human trembled with a whimper when the shiver went through her entire body. She lifted up Amity who wrapped her legs around the human and found herself pinned to the door. Luz scanned the golden eyes for a moment but Amity just nodded with consent. Luz kissed deeply once again causing a witch to moan in affection. Amity tugged Luz's shirt to strip her from it and the human moved her girlfriend to the bed, throwing her onto the pillows. Amity gasped when Luz attacked her neck, licking it, sucking, biting, leaving a bruised mark.

"Aaaaah! Luz!" She exclaimed in a heated voice as she bucked up, feeling the heat growing between her legs.

Luz pulled away and kneeled above the witch. She quickly discarded her own shirt. Amity was in awe when she noticed her girlfriend was not wearing a bra. The witch sat up and assaulted those perky breasts with her overly curious tongue, occasionally nibbling the flesh with her fangs, licking the human's old scar up and returning to the nipple while massaging the other one with a left hand. Luz moaned heavily but her hands were already busy discarding Amity's tunic and she was so very impatient.

Luz pushed her girlfriend back onto the pillows and looked at the beauty of porcelain skin. She felt as if she was looking at her for the very first time. The setting sun enlightened her bright pink scars on her pale skin. The remainder of the Entanglement spell will be with her forever. The scar on the neck showing where the choker has been stuck all those years, the webs of pinkish marks on her chest showing how the magical thread was entangled around her heart and lastly the scars on her forearms. The scars Amity inflicted herself by saving Luz's life.

From the other side of the bed, Amity was looking up at her girlfriend's tan body. The sense of guilt crept in for a second when she noticed how the sun is enlightening the newest scars on the human's body. "I have never heard of anyone strong enough to fight the command given under the Oracle spell." Eda's voice echoed in Amity's head and the guilt disappeared. Pride took its place. She saved Luz who was saving her.

The witch was dragged away from her thoughts and doubts when Luz lunged forward and started kissing Amity again. Their naked chests connected, causing them to whimper and mewl in pleasure. Their movements were sloppy, heated, and impatient. Luz slowly started moving down with her kisses to the witch's neck and slowly upwards toward the witch's ears.

"L-Luz! A-A-Yes!" Blight exclaimed, feeling the pleasure erupting from her head and traveling rapidly toward her core. Her hands quickly found their place on the human's back, pulling her closer in, scratching uncontrollably, unable to control her urges. The fog of ecstasy fell on her mind when she felt the kisses turned into delicate licks on her helix. The witch did not want it to stop but on the other hand, she could have sworn she was getting closer to the release by a second. Suddenly everything stopped. Luz changed the direction of her actions and returned to Amity's neck, trailing down the scars to find herself assaulting the pink nipples. "Titan! Luz! Yes!" Amity gasped loudly, bucking her hips up, searching for some friction. Anything! She needed to feel her, more. The sexual tension mixed with the psychological strain was a weird combination. Yet, she knew she could trust the girl dominating her as she never felt dominated. She felt being taken care of. She knew the human would never force her into anything and yet she would answer her wildest desires. "Stop… teasing…" Amity moaned between the human's ministrations. She drew a spell circle that caused the rest of their clothing to disappear. Luz looked up at her girlfriend with a fanged grin. "Yeah… I remember you liked it…" The witch said in a sultry tone.

"So very much." Luz confirmed and kissed Amity again. The witch closed her eyes, letting herself fall into pleasure. Their legs entangled, cores grinding on the respective thighs while their slick was coating one another. Their kiss became sloppy, fervent, and needy. They both needed each other. "It was too long…" They both thought while Amity scratched the human's back with more vigor. "Mmmm…" Luz groaned, feeling a strange tingling in her body with a slight pinch where her bite mark was. It was a new, strange feeling to her but she did not act on it. She slid her hand down toward Amity's hip and tickled her abdomen. That caused the witch to gasp with tingling pleasure once her muscles spasmed, bucking her hips and opening her eyes again to take in the view of her girlfriend. What she witnessed was nothing she expected to see.

"Luz!" Amity gasped in a very not aroused way. She immediately sat up and pushed Luz away delicately, cupping her face. "Are you okay?" The human was shocked, she did not know what was happening.

"W-what's wrong?" The human asked not knowing what was happening. Amity took Luz's arm, lifted it and made the human look at it. "Oh, no…" She said while she looked at her own, feathered, clawed arm, just noticing the distortion of her voice. She looked down and noticed the rest of her body was turned into harpy-Luz. "Fuck!" She screamed and with the help of her wings, she jumped away from Amity, scared of herself. "I could have hurt her! Fuck!" The human thought while she tried to control her form. Her breathing was rapid, and shallow, and presented panic creeping into the human heart. The more she tried to calm herself down the worse it got.

"Luz, calm down." Amity approached her slowly in a calm manner. "It's okay…" She touched the feathery arm and when she noticed no resistance she placed her other hand on the human's face. "Look at me…" The witch asked and looked intensely into the black and golden orbs. "Everything is alright."

"I could have hurt you!" Luz squealed with panic in her distorted voice. "I-I…"

"Luz…" Amity whispered, getting closer again. "You are partially a magical being now. Magic can seep away when…" She paused as she bit her lower lip "You get overly excited…" Luz relaxed a bit, leaning into the calming touch of the witch, placing her head on the pale shoulder, and accepting the soothing circles on her back. "Emotions play a big role in magic control." She added, keeping her attempts in calming Luz.

"I thought that it was only a one-time thing… you know… to protect you…" The human admitted. Amity's ear twitched a bit, hearing a distorted whisper in her ear. Luz finally heard a silent hooting she had not been hearing, being hyper-focused on her girlfriend. Suddenly the harpy shot her head up, shocking the witch. Amity noticed Luz's eyes were staring at something in the space behind her, the gold irises in the black eyes were running rapidly from one side to another.

"Luz?" The witch asked hesitantly. "Is everything okay?" The human finally snapped out of her thoughts and looked down at her girlfriend.

"Sorry… I just heard…" Luz started but did not know how to explain herself. "Apparently it was not a one-time thing…" She finally spoke up. "Seems like this is the new normal." Amity just smiled softly and looked up with love at her girlfriend who sighed slowly, trying to calm her racing heart down. The witch placed her palm on Luz's heart and helped her calm down.

"Let's take a break. Maybe you want to talk to Eda about it?" Amity offered but Luz felt a sting of guilt. She could see how the witch was flustered, turned on, and still shivering from their actions. Widely blown pupils were not helping Amity hide her predicament.

"Are you sure you don't want to…" The witch interrupted her girlfriend with a soft cheek caress.

"Luz… as much as I'd love to…" The witch said with a supportive smile "Oh Titan, how much I want to…" She said more to herself than to Luz, who grinned at that, and took a deep breath to calm down her desire "Your comfort is more important to me." Amity said, hoping Luz would calm down. "I'm not going anywhere and we have all the time in the world to be close." She added and kissed the human in a slow and loving manner. "Promise." She added, making a short pause and kissing again. It helped Luz calm down and soon her harpy-like features started to disappear. Her height has decreased and she clung to a shorter figure, placing her hand in the fluff of lavender hair, not believing the luck she had to be with such an amazing person. The feathers retracted and finally hid under her skin, the eyes were once again hazel brown, and her body regained its human shape.

"I love you, Amity…" Luz whispered when she pulled away from the kiss. Their foreheads supported each other.

"I love you too, Luz." The witch said contently with a smile.

Since that day Luz has been working with Eda on her connection with the Owl Beast. The most embarrassing part was asking Eda for help and living through Owl Lady's teasing when she learned how her daughter learned the connection was permanent. Even though having access to magic of her own appealed to Luz it was not what her fourteen-year-old self had in mind when she dreamed about doing real magic.

Together, Clawthornes learned that the elixirs prescribed by the Potion Coven were not to rid the Beast of Luz. Keeping at bay, apparently meant that the potions were to help them communicate and understand each other. Mostly it meant that she had to get her impulsive emotions under better control. Excitement, anger, fear, and every sudden extreme emotion could get her into harpy-Luz form. While it was not bad in the event of danger, it could be a problem in everyday situations. So while Luz was now obediently drinking her elixirs, she was also training her own self-control hard.

"Come on Mom!" Luz groaned with frustration "This is ridiculous! We've been at it for over a week now." She added while lying on the ground in front of Clawthorne's house. Gwen and Amity were watching them interact with amusement. "We should focus on finding…" She stopped herself when she thought that Amity might be triggered by the mention of Philip. Eda walked over and hung over her daughter.

"Listen, Kiddo! You're too impatient and never think things through!" She said, helping Luz up. "You may have better control over your…" She gestured her whole body with a lack of a good word "But if you don't want to Owl out whenever you two kiss then maybe you should let me help you." She added with a tease in her voice, hitting Luz's ribs delicately with her elbow in a playful manner.

"MUM!" Luz exclaimed, blushing heavily while the feathers erupted from her arms and neck with a delicate poof.

"This is exactly what I'm talking about!" Eda proved her point with spread arms presenting her daughter's reaction. Luz just groaned loudly in frustration while she tried to get rid of the feathers.

Meanwhile, their interaction caused Amity, sitting on the front porch, to giggle. Gwendolyn just looked at her with amusement and awe.

"You know, Amity." Older Clawthorne started in a soft voice "I truly admire you. When I learned about Eda's curse I was doing everything to heal her." Amity turned toward Gwen and listened to her backstory. "You have shown me that understanding and support really did the trick. Luz accepts who she is thanks to you. Eda could have never reached that with the stigma I inflicted upon her. With all those cures I found and recurring therapies to heal her of something that was a part of her…" She looked at her granddaughter and smiled. "Thank you for being there for Luz." She finished and Amity smiled warmly. Clawthorne has never seen the pale witch smile so honestly.

"I never saw her as cursed or someone to be cured. Maybe because I didn't know her before but for me this is Luz." Amity said, her sight followed the tall human frustrated with her mother who was taunting her and laughing at the uncontrollable feathers puffing from her body. Young Blight giggled again. "Dork…" She whispered and Gwen chuckled as well.

"You're so heated! The Owl got you 'beated' when the Boots got you treated!" Eda mocked in a playful tone circling around her daughter, air quoting her grammatically poor rhyming. Luz could have sworn she heard the Owl Beast laugh in her mind.

"Rhyme… one… more… thing…" Young Clawthorne growled with a twitching eyebrow while she tried to calm her breathing and get her owlish reactions under control.

"Nah, it's okay. I'm done." She smiled mockingly "Because my rhymes are DEPLETED!" Eda laughed wholeheartedly.

"MUM!" Luz yelled, losing it completely. Her body was engulfed in golden energy circling around her feet like a wildfire, heat traveling up, lifting leaves and dust from the ground as she turned into a harpy in an instant, stretching her powerful wings, and towering above her mother.

"Wow…" Eda whispered in awe, her expression faded. "I might have overdone it…" She thought while her mouth fell open. She noticed Amity and Gwen running over toward them.

"Edalyn! You just had to push her!" Older Clawthorne huffed angry with her daughter.

"Luz!" Amity rushed toward her girlfriend. She summoned an abomination to be lifted up and face the level of the human's head, quickly cupping her face to ground her. "Come on, breathe with me…" The black and gold eyes looked intensely into the amber orbs, finding peace. "You're doing great. Breath with me…" She encouraged, the human followed her example, and within a minute or so Luz's human form was sitting on the ground in the warm and supportive embrace of the lavender-haired witch.

"Luz, I'm sorry…" Eda started but Luz interrupted her.

"Don't… I see your point…" The human said, getting up, and leaving the three witches alone, walking away with her head down in defeat.

"You just had to push her!" Gwendolyn said again with a visible irritation in her voice. "You always do it. With Lilith, with Raine, and now with Luz." She continued but Amity was not listening anymore. She got up from the ground and followed Luz into the forest surrounding the house.

"Luz!?" The witch yelled when she could not find her girlfriend. "Come on! Talk to me!" She continued knowing that the human could not get too far away.

"Right here…" A silent voice was heard from behind a large fallen tree. Amity walked around it and noticed Luz sitting in a small recess that created a comfortable sitting spot. The human was sitting with her knees up at her chest, hugging them tightly, keeping her chin on the knees.

"Do you mind if I sit with you?" Amity asked softly. Luz did not say anything but scooched a bit to provide some space to sit next to her. Once the witch was on the ground she caressed the flannel covered back in support. Clawthorne leaned on the pale shoulder but did not open her closed-off position.

"I'm sorry… I overreacted…" Luz began her apology but was immediately cut off.

"Don't." Amity whispered sternly. "Eda pushed you and it's okay to let your emotions out." She thought about how she was not allowed to feel for most of her life. Or at least not to show her emotions. "You taught me that it's good to show emotions, Luz."

"Yeah, but your emotions don't turn you into a six-foot harpy…" Luz murmured.

"No, they just make me incinerate everything in the closest proximity." Amity said mockingly and Luz chuckled a bit. "Also, you can control yourself really well. I mean, it's sort of a compliment that you only lost control when Eda was mocking you about me." Amity added and she felt her face getting warm. That made Luz sit up and look at her tomato-red girlfriend.

"Oh, you liked that, didn't you? You like to see how you turn me on?" The human mocked in a low seductive voice. The witch did not reply, not being able to form words. Luz leaned in closer to the pale neck and kissed it delicately. A small gasp escaped Amity's lips and the memories of their heated session flashed before her eyes. The human licked the neck up to the base of the pointy ear lobe that twitched in response, making the witch mewl in pleasure. "Unfortunately, if I don't get myself under control we…"

"I don't mind!" Amity interrupted her and Luz pulled away, looking in the golden eyes in shock. "I don't care if you're a harpy or a human. I love you regardless… I love you for you, and I want to be close to you." She added and the silence occurred while they searched each other's eyes for some hesitation. Luz blushed, her mind started roaming through the different scenarios. "Together in bed? Having sex with Amity? As a harpy?" Luz thought and suddenly got up as if something burned her.

"We gotta go!" The human said a bit too loud, blushing hard. Amity chucked and got up to her feet as well, biting down her lower lip.

"Or you know, Luz…" The witch said in a low seductive voice, closing the gap between their bodies, looking up into the hazel orbs "I can help you with that part of self-control…" She said and kissed the human's neck delicately "That is… if you're up to it?" Amity pulled away and chuckled when she noticed Luz nodding eagerly.

"Hey, Kid!? Boots!?" Their moment was interrupted by Eda's sudden appearance, they quickly pulled away. "Oh! There you are! Totally forgot that it used to be your hideout." She said when she approached them. "Listen, about earlier…"

"No, don't worry, Mum. It's okay." Luz interrupted, not wanting to think back about the embarrassment she experienced before.

"Well, I'm sorry. I should have known better." Eda said with honesty in her voice. "But let's go now. It's getting dark and you still have school tomorrow." She ended the awkward conversation and they all returned to the Clawthorne's house. Luz and Amity shared a playful look and followed the older witch, walking hand in hand.

The next day came rather quickly and both Luz and Amity were thinking about the conversation they had with Lilith during the dinner. Luz still was having a bad feeling following her around but it has been so long since the clinic incident she started believing that her anxiety was just acting up.

"So what did she say?" Willow asked during the lunch break. Amity took hold of her girlfriend's hand in encouragement and looked at Willow and Skara.

"They cannot find him anywhere. It's like he vanished. Since it's been weeks they were ordered by the Coven Council to stop the search." Luz said and her voice was clearly showing defeat. She really hoped Philip would be brought to justice but apparently, this will not be the case.

"So what now?" Skara asked between bites of her lunch. The couple shared a short look before answering. They talked about it before and already made a decision.

"I'll be moving in with Emira and Viney most probably." Amity said with a faint smile. She loved living with Luz but she did not want to be a burden anymore. Especially since Emira and Viney spent so much time and effort organizing a loft for her to live in.

"Yeah, that's the plan for the upcoming days." Luz confirmed, "We'll be taking the rest of Amity's stuff from the Manor as well." She added and even though she hated the thought of living separately, she was happy to be there for Amity and support her.

"Oh, we totally have to make a small housewarming party once you're settled in." Skara said with a smile and Willow nodded in agreement.

"Oh yes! This might come as a surprise to you but I will bring you a housewarming plant." Willow added and they all shared a laugh.

Amity felt good knowing that for the first time in years, she had friends who supported her. For years she has been all alone. Later it was just her and Luz. Now her support group has been expanding. She recalled what Emira said about family and blood ties. Even the thought of Philip on the loose did not bring her down. She knew that she was safe.

"AAAAAAAAA" Scream of the bell brought them back to life. They all slowly stood up, getting ready for their last classes of the day.

"Pick me up from the stables after classes?" Luz asked before heading for Beast Keeping classes.

"Of course." Amity hugged the human tightly, then kissed her girlfriend goodbye. Luz lingered a little bit longer, having a strange feeling about this goodbye but she dismissed it, enjoying the feeling of soft pink lips on her own. "See you then." The witch added with a soft smile and left with Willow and Scara toward the other side of the building.

Luz exited the building and sighed with contentment. The weather was nice and the wind brought in the smell of the Boiling Sea. She was enjoying the time she could have spent in the open with beasts she was taking care of during Beast Keeping. She considered opening a clinic for magical creatures with Viney as a side job to her potion-making just to have a chance to keep close to the animals. She walked energetically through the Academy grounds when another gust of wind caressed her body, making her green shirt flap and her bangs tickle her face. She took a deep breath and her content smile faded. The smell of the Boiling Sea was gone, bringing something different. She recognised that new smell.

"Sleeping nettles?" She asked herself while she tried to figure out the source of the smell. She looked around, her heartbeat increased in panic. She felt her sight getting a little bit blurry, she shook her head and tried to run forward to the stables. Luz hoped that the professor would keep her safe but instead, she fell to the ground on all fours, weakened by the sleeping potion. "Get up, get up…" She growled under her breath barely aware the words left her mouth.

"Ugh, can't you just sleep already?" She heard a muffled voice behind her. Luz turned around, ending up sitting on the ground, her back facing the stables. She could not recognize the person's face but pink hair and three eyes made it abundantly clear.

"Boscha? What the…" The human asked not understanding her current predicament. "Screech!" The Owl Beast tried to communicate. Luz did not understand that. She knew she needed to act quickly before she fell asleep. In a matter of seconds, she turned into her harpy form working with her anger and frustration. The blurriness disappeared a little bit but she was still feeling unwell.

"You think you can embarrass me, imprison my mentor, and steal my friends without any consequences?!" Boscha yelled with a fury Luz had never seen. "Mentor?" Was all Luz registered as she wobbled on her bird-like legs. "A monster like you should not be allowed to exist!" She added and before Luz could have reacted the triclops whistled hitting her with a Bard spell. The harpy fell to the ground barely conscious, her talons scratched the grass, trying to get back up. She noticed heavy boots approaching her face with a heavy kick. She lay down, red grass scratching her cheek. "You really thought I did not learn anything, did you, human?" She asked with venom dripping from her lips as she spoke up the last word.

"Don't…" Luz wanted to speak up but her sentence was cut short with Boscha's boot smashing her face again. That was the last thing she had seen before losing consciousness.

As soon as the classes were over Amity made it to the Beast Keeping stables. She noticed that not many students were around, probably left for the party the Bard Coven was holding tonight. However, she worried that Luz was nowhere to be found. The witch went into the stables and noticed Puddles who was all covered in mud. "Weird, wasn't Luz saying she had to bathe Puddles today?" She wondered while she gave Griffin a small treat and petted its dusty head.

"Oh, hello Miss Blight." She heard a familiar voice behind her. She turned around and faced a Beast Keeping professor. "I was hoping you'd tell me what happened with Luz. Puddles really need that bath." She said with a soft smile.

"Excuse me? Luz didn't make it to the classes?" Amity's face paled down in shock. If that was even possible to be even paler. Her ears slanted down and her pupils shrunk down to the size of barely visible dots. "Luz had a bad feeling…" Witch's thoughts were interrupted.

"I thought you knew…" The professor said but Amity was already running out of the stables, toward the main building of the Academy. She was searching the ground to see any kind of hint or a clue to where her girlfriend may have gone. It was not like Luz to just leave her. "Especially since she promised to meet…" She started losing focus. "She promised…"

"Amity!" Willow's voice dragged her out of her thoughts. "Where did you lose your girlfriend?" She mocked her friend with a smile. That was until she came closer and noticed Amity's distressed expression.

"She's missing…" Blight choked out finally, barely controlling her breathing.

"Okay, okay. Amity, calm down…" Willow tried to reason with her friend but was interrupted by the sudden appearance of the Beast Keeping professor. "Miss Jenkinmeyer?"

"Oh, you are a fast runner, Miss Blight." She gasped, trying to catch her breath. "Maybe Luz was distracted by the beast fight that took place?" She asked and Amity shared a look with Willow then looked back at the teacher. "Don't tell me you didn't see the tracks… ugh, indoor tracks." She groaned and gestured to follow her. They made a stop not too far from the stables. "Luz was always easily distracted, especially with the things she's interested in so maybe she followed it." The professor gestured to the markings on the ground.

"Look." Willow said. With a small spell, she hid the red grass in the ground and the tracks became clear. She then kneeled and looked at small yellow petals. "Sleeping nettles." Park looked at Amity with fear for her friend. The Blight looked around and finally summoned an abomination to be ascended and look at the scene from a different perspective.

"There!" She pointed toward the school "Tracks of heavy boots." She said and Willow followed her example and summoned the vines to look at the scene from above.

"And there are claw marks scratching the ground…" Willow added pointing in the opposite direction.

"Luz tried to capture the beast?" The professor tried to guess but could not ignore the looks Amity and Willow shared once again. Two young witches returned to the ground. The plant witch kneeled again to inspect the tracks better.

"No, professor." Amity decided to explain "Luz was captured." She said with a sad voice and a tremble of fear was heard. She walked a few steps away and kneeled in the patch of red grass. She picked up a familiar red beanie and held it close to her chest realizing that Luz was indeed taken away by force.

"Amity… it gets worse." Willow said, making both the professor and Amity look down at her. "Those boot tracks… these are Grudby boots." She explained and regretted it immediately. Amity's face turned from sad and scared to furious and vengeful. "I'll kill that bitch." A warm circle of energy started roaming around the lavender-haired witch. She could not contain her emotions, her hand squeezed the beanie in a strange form of a promise to find her girlfriend and soon hid it in her backpack. "Calm down! Don't do anything rash!" Willow jumped up and tried to calm her friend down.

"Professor, please inform Dean Bump about Luz's absence." Amity gave a command in a voice that would make her mother proud. "Willow, if you don't want to help me…" She sent her friend a fiery look. "Stay out of my way." She added and left into the woods.

"She can be scary…" Professor said quietly and Willow nodded. She summoned her scroll and messaged everyone who came to her mind about the current situation. Once it was out of the way, she knew what had to be done. "I can't believe it came to that…" She thought when she headed out to a party organized by a Bard Coven. She knew she had to be there to protect the idiot that… Boscha really was.

Amity was marching through the forest towards Cat's home. She was holding a party tonight and as a Grudby star player, she knew her captain would not miss it for the world. Amity could not feel her body. She was engulfed in anger, fury, and rage. But that really was just a manifestation of sadness and helplessness. Once again Luz was in trouble and once again it was her fault. Or more correctly it would be to state it was the fault of Boscha's jealousy toward Amity. Either way, Amity will not let this slide.

When she was approaching the party her body walked in on its own. Her mind was busy flashing the memories of Boscha taunting her, controlling her, laughing at her panic attacks, making sure she would not get the medicine she needed, being Odalia's lackey, and making sure her life was hell. Four years of hell… Amity kicked down the door to Cat's home. Music was deafening her overly sensitive ears that slanted down. People who noticed her moved to the side. Her hands were engulfed in pink flames, her eyes were shining with similar color, and her magic was seeping away encircling her feet in a warm pinkish aura while abomination goo was left behind her on each step. She barely controlled herself, craving revenge, and the safe return of her girlfriend.

"BOSCHA!" She finally roared loudly, the flames erupted around her, and her powerful aura rose up making people dizzy with the raw power. The flames died back to her hands as soon as she stopped calling out the triclops' name. The music stopped. Everyone looked at Amity in shock. Her back was heaving in heavy, angry breaths. No one has ever seen a little miss perfect so… unhinged. Slowly whispers started to raise but Amity could hear only echoes of heavy boots approaching her.

"Oh look. If it isn't a little human-monster lover!" Boscha mocked her ex-friend when she stood in front of Amity with hands tied on her chest. "I have to admit…" The triclops looked at her ex-accomplice with disgust "I was surprised to see that you marked her… disgusting…" Amity's flames were unstable. She now knew that Boscha was indeed responsible for Luz's disappearance "How very un-Blightly…" That did it.

"WHERE… is she…" Amity tried to control her anger. Getting Luz's location was more important. Whispers in the house got louder. Witches and demons were gossiping about the possible reasons for this showdown. The ones who heard information about marking were surprised but also supportive. It was all so confusing. Boscha just grinned, showing off her fangs and igniting her hands.

"Oh, wouldn't you want to know?" The pink-haired witch growled. People started moving back when they felt the heat radiating from both women who were ready to jump at each other any second now. Amity just growled and could not take it anymore. Her whole body was engulfed in flames. Her lavender mane was lifted up with the heat just like the pink ponytail of her opponent. Amity did not even need to create a spell circle to summon an abomination that grabbed Boscha's leg and threw her across the house. People gasped in shock and fear. Not only was it extremely rare to see a spell being cast without a spell circle but also this was coming from the Amity Blight. No one suspected this quiet, ever-silent witch to be so powerful.

"Wow! Amity! My dude! What's going on?" Skara made her sudden appearance when she ran up to Amity pushing her way through the crowd. Blight ignored the touch and took a deep breath to control her urge to punch anyone who approached her. She looked coldly at the bard and gathered strength to speak.

"Boscha… kidnapped… Luz." Amity managed to choke out through clenched teeth, still having trouble keeping cool. People around gasped and started passing the information to other witches.

"She what now?!" Skara could not believe what she just heard. Her hands fell down in defeat while she looked at how her ex-friend got up from the floor. "Boscha seriously?" The bard questioned. "What is your damage?!" Skara took Amity's side. The two witches were facing the Grudby team captain.

"You too?" The triclops asked with anger, wiping her lips. "Fine…" She ended and she jumped at her opponents. It was not much of a fight. Skara whistled and a golden sound wave threw Boscha back to the floor. Amity pushed forward and made it to the pink-haired witch. She lifted her with one hand. Her golden eyes were still ignited with fury and magic. So was her left hand.

"Where is she?!" Blight growled. Boscha just laughed maniacally, throwing her head back.

"You really think you scare me? I'm not gonna tell you anything." She said and laughed more, hiding her true emotions behind the act. She knew the moment Blight realized how scared she was it would be over. Amity's eye twitched in anger. "Oh, no… poor Mittens. Having ticks again?" She taunted "Why don't you take an elixir?" Amity could not bear it anymore. She has never felt this kind of rage. She felt as if her body was not her own. The abomination slime crept onto her arm, forming a sword-like spike. Within seconds it ignited and was engulfed in purple flames. She was just about to strike when she realized she was being pulled away from her opponent.

"STOP!" Willow barely made it in time. "AMITY, STOP! She's not worth it!" She added running toward her friend.

"NO! Let me go! I'll fucking kill her!" Amity fought the vines like a mad person "She hurt Luz! She must pay!" She continued barely knowing what she was doing, blindly fighting the restraints. "LET ME GO!" She demanded with anger she never let herself feel. The anger that slowly crept away and sadness and hopelessness was all that was left.

"Skara…" Willow called in a friend and whispered something to her. Within seconds the bard placed a sleep spell on the Grudby team captain and Willow's vines covered all four of them and sucked them in the ground.

"BEST… PARTY… EVER!" Someone yelled in the crowd. The party continued as if nothing really happened.

Amity was shocked to realize she was taken to the Grudby field. She looked around as if she was looking for an opponent to fight. Yet, no one was there. A moment later Willow emerged from the ground. Blight got up and ignited her hands again, growling, snarling, and baring her fangs. Flames lightened her up to the elbows, uncontrollably seeping away from her body, leaving embers on the ground, enlightening the path she took. She walked angrily toward her friend and was ready to punch. The plant witch just stood there and did not even flinch. She has already seen tears glistening in Amity's eyes, her anger died out and she was about to lose all her self-control. Willow brought her out to the open so she would not hurt anyone.

"She… S-she's… gone…" Amity fell down to her knees and started crying. "Again! It's my fault. All over again! I put her in danger!" She yelled at Willow. However, the shorter witch knew she was not yelling at her. Just needed to get rid of those emotions that festered in. "ALL MY FAULT!" The flames erupted from a small body in a powerful manner no one had seen before. The field was brightly illuminated with magenta flames, enlightening the field and the campus. In all honesty, Willow was surprised by Amity's power but her face did not show that. She watched her childhood friend with internalized awe, protecting herself with vines while her round spectacles reflected the image of flames and the heat of the fire fluttered her long, yellow jacket.

"We'll get her back, Amity." She tried to comfort the lavender-haired witch but it did not help. Amity fell back to all fours and cried hard, wailing, yelling, screaming, punching the ground with her fists, hitting her head, and scratching the ground while flames and abomination magic were erupting from her while she lost control of her emotions.

"W-we don't even k-k-know where s-s-she is…" Amity stuttered between sobs, slowly losing strength but she was finally calming down. Or more likely she was reaching a point of exhaustion with all the magic out of her body. Willow recognized it. She has seen that many times before when they were children.

"We don't… But I delivered Boscha to Eda…" That caused Amity to look up at Willow. Her porcelain face was even paler than usual. Her golden eyes were red and puffed, the black mascara smeared down her face. But that last sentence gave Amity a glimpse of hope. If only she would not be so exhausted. She felt her eyes getting heavier. She noticed Willow's sight moving to something behind her. A slow nod was the last thing Amity noticed before collapsing to the ground unconscious.

"What now?" Skara asked when she approached Willow after placing a sleep spell on the young Blight.

"Now? I'll take her to her sister's place. She needs to sleep that off and calm down in a familiar environment." Willow said while she summoned vines that helped her carry her unconscious body. "Tomorrow, we'll plan the rest." She added with a heavy sigh.

"I just hope Luz is safe…" Skara said with honest fear in her voice. "Oh yeah, you have a way to sneak into people's hearts, Luz." Willow thought with the faintest smile.

"I hope so too…" She added and they parted ways. They knew tomorrow will be a difficult day.

"Ugh… fuck…" Luz whispered a groan when she regained consciousness. Her head was pounding from the hit she received earlier, eyes and mouth were dry like the desert of Palm Stings. "Sleeping nettles hangover is the worst…" She thought, finally cracking her eyes open and noticed she was engulfed in darkness enlightened by a delicate blue light emerging from the wall behind her. Her senses were coming back to her. She realized she was lying on her stomach, right cheek on the stone-cold floor. When she tried to get up the sudden realization came to her. Her hands were tied on her back. "Tied? No… these are not ropes…" She thought when she pulled her hands again. Loud jingling assaulted her ears. "Shackles. Well… I'm screwed…" The human took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. "Think Clawthorne…" She murmured to herself when she finally mustered the strength to get up to her knees without using her hands. Her eyesight was slowly getting used to the darkness. The blue light allowed her to realize that she was either in some kind of basement or cell. The moist smell only confirmed it. There were no bars though, which she considered weird. There was however a single, wooden door on the opposite side of the room. To her right there was a small table, like a metal trolley, with some instruments that made her hold her breath for a moment. "You have seen too many thrillers, girl…" She tried to reason with herself while rolling her eyes. "But there is no toilet so this is not a prison cell. It's a torture chamber!" Her heart started racing when she heard a lock in the door slide open. The wooden door opened with a loud creak. "Creepy door…" Heeled footsteps echoed in the room and Luz could not believe who was standing in front of her.

"Good to see you awake, human." The witch spoke with venom in her voice. She was wearing a simple, purple suit that matched her white shirt. Green hair matched her cold blue eyes in a viscous image of the villain in Luz's story. The scar that the human left on her left cheek shone delicately on the pale skin. The same complexion her girlfriend had. "Damn it! She must be worried sick…" Luz thought when the first shock left her mind.

"Odalia…" Luz growled angrily, snarling, standing up despite her hands cuffed behind her back. "Aren't you supposed to rot in the Conformatorium?" The witch just chuckled and shook her head in disbelief.

"You really thought you could imprison me? I just paid some poor illusionist to take my place." Luz could not believe her ears. "Is that really that simple for her to avoid justice?"

"Snails, Luz… She was always rich and was out of the reach of any legal system." She heard Eda's voice in her head and finally understood what her mother had in mind. That made her growl with anger. "Wait! Why is she telling me this?! Oh, no! She won't let me out alive!" She thought and scolded herself for thinking in the movie's terms again. What she did not realize was that the more she got angry and hoped to change into a harpy, the more the blue light, erupting from the shackles, shone brightly. When she stopped the energy returned to her, running through her like electricity, causing her immense amount of pain, making her fall to her knees, gasping for air.

"I hope you like the Blight Industry invention." Odalia said while she moved closer to watch the human with amusement. Luz felt as if she was a show at a Zoo. "It was designed to imprison witches but since you somehow have the magic of your own I thought it would be an interesting experiment." She added with a sick pleasure in her voice. "That's why I can't hear Beasty…" Clawthorne thought feeling helpless and alone for the first time in years.

"What do you want from me?" Luz finally asked and the silence occurred for a brief moment. She felt the pain leaving her body. Her heart was beating in a calmer manner. "Only peace and calm can get you out, Luz." She recalled Eda's teachings when a memory of one of their adventures flashed before her eyes. Odalia finally squatted in front of her prisoner and squeezed her cheeks between her thumb and index finger in a painful manner bringing her up inches from her face.

"Well, what would I want with a lowly human like you?" She started and Luz noticed the witch was barely controlling her frustration. "You took away my daughter from me, hurt Philip so badly he annulled our deal, saying that no amount of Snails is worth the scars he now has, you put me in Conformatorium, destroyed Blight Industries' good name but also…" She paused to regain her calm. "You are Eda's daughter…" She said whilst standing up. Luz fell back to the floor once the hold on her face was gone. Odalia turned toward the table Luz had noticed earlier and with a small spell circle, the lights in the room were directed in a straight bright beam, shining from one point in the center of the ceiling. Before Luz had realized what was happening, another spell brought her hands to the front of her body and up above her head, cuffing her in the shackles under the ceiling, right underneath the light source. Her human body was hanging loosely, her feet were barely scraping the floor, and her eyes wide in shock were trying to comprehend her situation. "The one time I am right I had to be right about the room being a torture chamber." Luz thought, hiding her fear behind sarcasm.

"So what? You want to torture me so Eda will be hurt? What's your game?" Luz tried to sound brave and confident but she was not sure that was working.

"Torture? To hurt Eda?" Odalia gasped in shock. Luz did not believe that act. "Oh no, human." She said with amusement. "Don't flatter yourself. Not Eda, not Amity, no one will be missing you. You're not important to anybody." She said with a cold voice accompanied by a smile on her face while she grabbed one of the first tools from her table. "Don't listen to her, you know she's a master manipulator…" Luz tried to convince herself but the current situation did not help her intrusive thoughts. "Now… let's see how this will work…" She said, turning on the switch on the tool's handle, and Luz could only notice a beam of blue light behaving a little bit like a whip. The human gulped. "Oh, Titan…" Odalia took the first swing. The end of the beam cut her right triceps and shirt as the witch missed her target. Luz did not want to give her the satisfaction of hearing her scream but the pain was unbearable. "You can take it… don't give in…" She encouraged herself while she groaned trying to contain the scream in, feeling tears burning her eyes.

"Ugh…" Luz growled when the second whip hit her waist. The hurt hands squeezed on the chains of her shackles. She looked down and noticed the end of the blue beam hugging her stomach, ripping the shirt and the skin when Odalia summoned it back. The feeling of warm liquid on her body surprised her. She was too unaware of her surroundings to understand she was bleeding heavily.

"Oh? That is interesting…" She heard Odalia's voice when the next hit exposed her back while the remains of the flannel shirt and her tee fell to the floor. "Was Edalyn a bad mother? Did she hurt you on purpose?" She taunted and Luz only clenched her jaws in anger and pain. Her back was hurting in a very familiar manner, bringing back the memories of that night, Eda's sad expression, her regret, and the pain. She did not need that right now. She tried to fight those memories away.

"Fuck… you…" That was all, the human managed to choke out. She heard Odalia pick up a new device after scribbling something in her notebook.

"Like you fucked my daughter?!" Odalia barely controlled herself when she placed a needle in her back that immediately imitated the pain of being hit by lightning. It was however only felt in the ends of nerves as no real damage to the body was done. The pain was real anyway. Luz managed to keep the scream in. Yet, she yelped, squealed, groaned, and breathed heavily through clenched teeth spraying bits of saliva in the air. She could not fight the pain. It was too much. Suddenly Odalia turned her hanging body around to look at the human's face. "Look at me when I talk to you!" She pulled Luz's chin up again in a painful manner. "Like you fucked my daughter, you animal?!" She repeated, stinging the human's abdomen time after time. After a few more punches Odalia gave the human time to regain her breath. She was shocked to see a grimace of pain was substituted by a smile, a smile that made Luz chuckle in an almost crazy manner. "How's she still conscious?!" She wondered and her gaze ran down to the human's bite mark, making her even angrier.

"Nah… no one would want to touch you. Amity on the other hand…" She inhaled sharply in a sexual manner "Well, you have seen her memories. Jealous?" Luz taunted her oppressor, not entirely sure what she was doing or why she was doing it. "Calm down or you won't live to see Amity…" Her mind raced but she barely heard it through the pain of her body. Odalia suddenly punched her smug face. Luz just laughed. She knew she touched a sore spot. That pained Odalia. "So let's see who's torturing who, bitch." Her mind offered but Luz knew better than to listen to her intrusive thoughts. No matter how tempting it would be. "Is that hand also a part of Blight Industries' development? Cause that weak punch might not be a bestseller…" Luz went on and Odalia hit her again and again until her hand was shaking and her knuckles were bleeding along with Luz's face. "That's all you got?" The human asked and spit blood on Odalia's white shirt. A wide, bloody smile crept in afterwards. The witch looked at the maniacal expression on the human's face.

"Smile all you want, human…" Odalia retorted but was interrupted by Luz's laughter.

"It's Clawthorne, bitch!" Luz could not stop herself. Odalia looked at her in amusement and grinned evilly, showing off her fangs.

"Oh?" The witch said while she once again took hold of the human's face, squeezing her cheeks, pulling in closer. "You want to be a Clawthorne so much, human?" She asked and never waited for a reply. "Has Eda ever told you how she earned her golden fang?" The Blight asked while she moved back toward the metal table with the equipment she brought in with herself, the metal wheels echoing across the room. Luz was still grinning, not really hearing her oppressor's words. She was too focused on the fact that her whole body was aching. "It was a wonderful day really…" Odalia said when she made it back to her prisoner.

Luz had no idea how things went down from there. She was trying to listen to the backstory of how Eda angered Odalia so badly, the Blight lost her temper enough to attack a lowly Clawthorne, but the only thing Luz could focus on were the cold, metal pincers, taking hold of her right, dull fang. She tried to oppose, tugged the shackles, hugging her wrists but soon she felt a forceful pull on her tooth. No matter how much she tried to break free, Odalia managed to keep her in place, holding her cheeks with her hand, and forcing her to look into her piercing, cold, blue eyes. With a final tug, the witch removed the human's tooth causing her an unbearable amount of pain. Luz screamed in agony, gurgled with blood in her throat, and looked at her oppressor with half-lidded eyes, fighting to keep her consciousness.

"We're just beginning… human." Blight said with a stone-cold voice when she regained her composure, placing the bloodied tools back on the tray. "We have all the time in the world. No one will disturb us." She added and turned around leaving Luz hanging, bleeding hard. The beam of light disappeared and Clawthorne was covered in the darkness of the room and the darkness of her thoughts. "How long have I been missing? Did anyone notice I'm gone?" She wondered before she fell into pain-induced slumber, wheezing, trying to keep herself from falling into despair.

"Three days!" Amity yelled at Eda while they were trying to get the information out of Boscha in the Owl House. "My girlfriend has been missing for three days and we're still playing nice!?"

"Boots! My daughter has been missing for three days! Don't you think I want her back?!" Eda opposed angrily. They were both on the brink of exhaustion. Willow and King had to often separate them as their care for Luz was driving them crazy. "Maybe if you'd try to locate her…" The older witch pointed at the Blight's neck, suggesting to use the magic of the mark.

"Don't you think I haven't tried?! Over and over again!?" Amity yelled back. Before she could have said anything more she would have regretted, their argument was interrupted.

"Quick! Hide the prisoner! Someone's coming!" King suddenly exclaimed. While most of the time Boscha was amused with the trouble she was causing now she was truly scared. A giant bug-like bird-tube approached and swallowed her in one bite. She had no time to scream or ask for mercy.

"Oh, hi Lulu!" Hooty greeted the unexpected guest. "I hope you're having just as much fun as we do." He said innocently, smiling at his friend.

Lilith looked around the living room, analyzing the situation, and sighed heavily. King was sitting on the couch looking anxiously at his aunt. Eda and Amity were ready to rip each other to shreds while Willow was trying to figure out the best moment to separate them. It may have been hilarious if the situation were not so dire.

"That's enough guys!" Lilith exclaimed and everyone looked at her with shock. "Hootsifer…" She said in a low, singing-like voice directed at the house demon "Let her go." She added toward her friend and that completely confused everyone. The demon retched a few times and finally a rather large owl pellet made it to the floor of the living room. Lilith opened it with a spell circle and a crying Boscha emerged.

"I'm sorry, don't hurt me!" She wailed while crawling away from the house demon. "It was Odalia, she paid me to bring the human to her." She was rambling, suddenly losing her words in an approaching panic attack. However, Eda and Amity forgot about their argument. They both shared a look and ran toward the Blight Manor.

"I have to admit, if I knew being eaten by Hooty would make her talk I'd let him eat her days ago!" Eda exclaimed when they made it to the Manor. Her humor was lighting the mood but Amity was still frowning. "Lighten up, Boots. We'll get her back soon enough." She tried to convince young blight but it was not that easy.

"We won't, Eda!" Amity snapped. "Take a good look! Manor is empty. She may be in any of the houses, bunkers, facilities or laboratories we have!" She exclaimed, squatting, grabbing a hold of her hair. "This is all my fault…" She whispered to herself in defeat.

"Then we'll search each one, one by one until we find her." Eda proposed trying to give her support. "I shouldn't be so hard on her… Young love is so much more intense. And she's been through so much before… Oh Edalyn, you did it again." She finally realized, offering the young witch her support. Amity looked up at the older witch and her eyes shone with determination.

"Since we're here, let's search the Manor and get the list of all real estate Odalia has." Amity proposed and Eda had to admit it was a rather good idea.

"Heyyyy Odaliaaaaa…" Luz taunted her oppressor with a faint, swollen smile. She had no idea how long she had been here but she had accepted it as her new reality and was about to enjoy the smallest joys she had there. "So what fun and joy did you bring today?" She added and enjoyed how the witch clenched her jaw. That caused Luz to have an even brighter smile despite the missing tooth and cracked bleeding lips.

"You are sick, human…" Blight finally snapped and Luz just laughed wholeheartedly.

"Said a woman who got me kidnapped so she can torture me." Luz said with a mockingly dorky voice and air quotes in the constantly shackled hands. She stopped feeling the pain in the joints a while ago. Her nervous system did its best to not focus on the pain. Also, Odalia was making sure other parts of her body were creating enough pain stimuli. "So what's on today's menu?" Luz asked and her stomach rumbled. She has not eaten since the lunch she shared with Amity and her friends. Odalia opened a metal case and placed something on her hand. She finally removed her hand from the case and the human saw the glove with an opening in the center of the palm. The opening was creating a green glow of fire magic. "Oh, kinky…" Luz taunted with a wicked smile.

"Smile while you can…" Odalia retorted, powering up the glove and touching the human's back. Her whole body was engulfed in burning pain while her sore throat screamed in pain. The glove left only a small mark on her while her mind could have sworn she had been just burned alive. "Not so chatty anymore, huh?"

"Oh, wow… you can be hot after all…" Luz mumbled to Odalia's surprise. "How is she still conscious?!" The witch was furious. She could not comprehend it. She needed to see the human being destroyed. Yet, that vermin was living through that torture with a smile on her cursed lips.

"You…" Odalia growled as she had it. It had been four days and she still had not managed to break the human. She needed to get into her head. "That's enough!" Odalia snapped. She discarded the glove and walked over to her prisoner. "You destroyed everything!" The witch evidently lost her patience. Luz looked up with a surprised expression while she breathed heavily and Odalia was uncuffing her sleeves. "I made sure Amity would not be loved…" The oppressor said with a slight growl while she started rolling up her right sleeve "I controlled her urges, I used her quirks against her, once I noticed her physical desires growing I made sure she won't want to experience closeness with another person…" Luz could not believe what she was hearing. "I shaped her into the perfect weapon she was supposed to be, to use her power once the time was right…" She rolled up her other sleeve "But you had to destroy everything!" Odalia yelled, creating a ball of fire in her right hand.

"W-what did you… she's your child…" Luz mumbled not believing one would use a child like that.

"I will free her of the burden of her mark, her mistake…" The witch said and before Luz could have reacted in any way she felt a burn on her neck, the smell of charred skin filled her nostrils, and she could not register her own scream anymore. Once Odalia moved away Luz was panting heavily. Everything she just learned was slowly making sense. "The power she showed in the Clinic… The way she forced Amity to control… No feelings, no emotions…" The human's mind was racing but suddenly her lips curled in a faint smile once again.

"You're pathetic…" Luz choked out "Do you really think that taking away the mark will change anything?" The human looked up and managed to look at the confused witch "She is still loved. She reconnected with her friends, she now has a support system, a real family… you can't control her anymore." Luz threw her head up and looked down at Odalia with mad triumph in her eyes "You lost, Odalia!" She yelled and suddenly she felt a hard long rod hitting her side.

She was turned in the shackles like a piñata while her blurry sight noticed that Odalia totally lost it. The witch was holding a simple metal rod and was about to beat her prisoner to a pulp. She felt another hit to her leg. A loud cracking sound echoed across the dark room. Luz let out an animal-like growl. "Oh, that's most likely broken." She felt another hit. Her ribs cracked. She had no idea how long Odalia held her captive but Luz had a feeling that might be the end of the road for her. Especially with the number of hits she was just now receiving, breaking bone after bone.

"Not so chatty anymore, are you human?" Odalia asked, noticing that Luz was barely staying conscious. "Good!" She exclaimed, hitting her again and again. The tan body was exposed from the waist up while her jeans were torn to pieces. Bones were broken, joints were barely holding, and internal bleeding darkened her skin. "Now we can begin the real fun." Odalia whispered in a way that would bring chills to a dead person. The witch grabbed the human's face once again in the same painful manner and looked into the reddened hazel orbs. Luz felt a painful pinch in her neck and a weird coldness spreading across her body. Odalia touched the orb on her neck, the pink light entered Luz's eyes and mind.

"No… no… NOOOOOOO!" It was the first time Luz actually felt like giving up. The witch scoffed, letting go of the human's face. "Finally… Let's see what breaks you… human." She thought and she made herself comfortable in front of the beat-down body. Without the second orb connected to her victim Odalia had to be present to poke around the mind to find out the best way to destroy the being in front of her. She was happy to take her time. It was personal.

Amity was constantly having nightmares and flashbacks since Luz disappeared. It was destroying her mentally. Her worst fears have become reality. Her sick mother had abducted the only good person from her life. She wanted to complain about it out loud but she was not the only one being hurt by that. Staying in the Owl House, surrounded by Luz's closest people, her belongings, clothes, and her smell did not help. Especially, since she kept on smelling the red beanie as if it was some kind of talisman, keeping their connection intact.

Eda could not sleep since Bosha admitted it was Odalia who had taken her daughter. She constantly reminisced about how their relationship ended in high school. They were friends for a while but while Eda wanted to join Empire Coven with Lilith, Odalia was cheating her way through to gain as much power as possible. "What would she want with Luz?" She kept asking herself.

While both Amity and Eda were a complete mess, Lilith was sitting on the couch accompanied by King and Hooty. She was silently listening to the sounds of the house covered in the darkness of the night. She recalled how she was the one who cursed her sister to get an advantage. Only to later learn that her niece took that curse to save her mother's life. That changed her. That compassion, selflessness. Lilith was never the same. In a positive way. She could not get used to the silence in the house that was constantly loud since the human came to the Boiling Isles. She smiled at the thought of how she disliked Luz at the beginning.

"AAAA! You fucking bitch!" Suddenly echoed through the Owl House from Luz's room. Before anyone could react to the sudden thumping sounds, Amity ran down fully dressed in a black tunic, burgundy trousers, and heavy boots with fury mixed with panic on her face.

"Boots?" Eda stopped her by the door, getting Hooty's attention. Amity yanked her arm back. The older witch looked down at the Blight, noticing a reddened skin on her neck.

"I know where she is! I've been so fucking stupid! I felt… Doesn't matter!" She cursed looking at the Clawthorne frantically.

"She burned down the mark?" Eda asked in disbelief, her voice was barely heard. Amity nodded slightly while her eyes turned glassy with tears.

"Have you seen where she is?" Lilith approached the young witch who nodded again without a word. She then ran past Eda and Hooty, forward into the forest, holding onto her neck, still feeling pain from the burn. Not Eda, not Lilith, no one had a chance to make it in time before Amity disappeared in between the trees.

"We can't let her go alone." Lilith said with concern. Eda just sighed and Hooty hugged the red-headed witch.

"This seems like the fight she has to battle alone." Eda said with unfamiliar seriousness.

"Eda?!" Lilith opposed.

"I didn't say I will not follow in a safe distance or message Willow!" Younger sister scoffed. "I have to make sure my Kid is safe, after all." She added with a teasing smile and left the house. The thought of Amity seeing where Luz might be gave her hope.

"Luz, just hold on a bit longer…" Amity talked to herself while she ran through the forest, holding onto her neck pulsating in pain. Tears were trying to make their way to her cheeks but she managed to hold them in her eyes. She stopped when she looked at the Blight Manor in front of her. "I'm coming for you." She whispered with determination, pushing the gate open. Blight was so focused she did not notice she was being followed.

"Seriously, Blight?" A familiar voice froze her blood. "Going in alone, no backup?" Amity turned around and noticed a short witch in a yellow jacket, her round spectacles gave her a rather cold, eerie, and scary look. Willow lowered herself from the vines and took her place close to her friend. "In case you have forgotten, you're not alone. Not this time, Blight." She added with a mischievous smile. Amity knew there was no way of changing her mind. She just smiled with honest relief.

"Thank you, Willow." Amity said and turned back to face the Manor. She guided her friend across the grounds to the family cemetery.

"Oh… I did not see that coming." Willow admitted when they stopped in front of the catacombs.

"Yeah… took me a while to realize that's the last place anyone would look for Luz." Amity admitted with regret, not wanting to let Willow know about her vision and nightmares. "Or anyone… I just hope she's okay…" Blight said, hiding her emotions. "And that she's really here…" She suddenly felt a supportive hand on her shoulder.

"If she's not here, we'll just keep looking." Willow said and Amity smiled faintly.

"Thanks, Willow." Blight said softly.

"Now let's go. We need to find your girlfriend." Plant witch tried to be funny but it did not really work. Nonetheless, they went into the catacombs and began their search. Or rather Willow just followed Amity's footsteps.

They did not notice that they were both being followed. Eda watched them from a distance until they disappeared inside. Once she felt it was safe to follow in, she did. Hoping for the best, preparing for the worst.

Luz could not fight the spell. Odalia's eyes were the last thing she recalled before falling into the depths of her mind. With the shackles blocking magic she could not find the Owl Beast. It was nowhere to be found and Luz panicked. She considered it a part of her. Why was it not anywhere to be found?

"Beasty?" She yelled across her mind but only silence replied to her. For a mere second, she thought she heard a silent hooting but suddenly she was wide awake. The surroundings were familiar yet long forgotten. She was laying in the bathtub in her old home in the Human Realm. "I can't take it anymore… not with that burden of a daughter…" She heard a forgotten voice of her mother in her head and looked at how her own hands cut her veins open. "No! That's not happening!" Luz yelled but suddenly she noticed a young herself running into the bathroom. "Such a disappointment…" Camila's voice echoed through her head as everything went dark. "She'd never think that!" Luz thought, yelling in her mind.

"Weirdo! Freak! You'd better be dead!" New voices aroused from the darkness. Luz looked around and realized she was holding a sword in her hand. Cutting the chest of a very frightened younger version of herself. When she pulled it out Luz noticed a relief and desire to finally be relieved from this life. "No, no, no… I didn't really want to die. I was just so alone, abused…"

"You wanted to die back then so why would you want to live now?!" Luz heard Odalia's voice and immediately she understood what was happening.

"Oh wow, that's low, Odalia! Even for you!" Luz screamed in her mind. "Using my trauma against me?" She was furious but now that she understood what was happening, she regained her will to fight. "Go ahead! Do your worst!" Luz taunted her showing her resolve and will to fight. Everything went black.

When Luz regained her ability to see what was happening everything was blurry. She looked down at her hands. They were free of chains. In fact, she was in the middle of the school's grounds. The human shook her head to regain focus in her sight. She heard a delicate cough right next to her.

"Luz…" A delicate voice called her and she felt a familiar delicate hand on her arm. Luz focused her sight and noticed Amity on her lap. Her pink lips were tainted with blood oozing from the right corner. Her golden eyes turned matte when life escaped her body and her chest stopped moving, releasing her final breath. Luz looked down at her girlfriend's body and noticed long scratches on her stomach, her bowels drying out in the open.

"Amity!" She yelled in panic. Luz started shaking her to wake up just to notice in a moment her hands. Or rather long and sharp talons. "No, no, no, no…" She muttered when she started slowly realizing that Amity's wounds matched her claws perfectly.

"Yes!" Odalia's voice echoed in her head once again. "You will hurt everyone around you, just like you did back in the Human Realm." She added, Luz looked around and noticed that Amity was only the person lying on her lap. Dead. Lifeless. Eda was not far away. Willow. Lilith. King. Hooty. Grandma Gwen and Grandpa Dell. Skara. Classmates, schoolmates. The number of shredded bodies seemed to be never-ending, surrounding her from all sides. Everything because Luz was not able to control herself. Because the Owl Beast took over and killed everyone she loved. Because her emotions got the better of her.

"NOOOOOOO!" Luz yelled in defeat. Little did she know that this yell was very well heard across her prison. She fell into the darkness of her mind not knowing what was happening around her. "Despised, trapped, broken, cursed, hated, fake, disowned." Her mind was rambling. "Noooo! Noooo!" Luz was screaming against those thoughts. "Unwanted, unloved, scarred, monster, broken, burden, alone, masked, lost…" Luz could not take it anymore. It was too much.

A sudden flashback took her mind to a moment before her first vision. She has seen her claws running through the flesh of her closest family, friends. She has seen and felt Amity's bowel on her claws while she could not stop herself. "Luz!?" Her love's voice echoed in her head. Once again she felt Amity's hand on her arm. Once again she looked around the field of bodies surrounding her. And again… again…

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