AN:

It's been a while since I saw the finale, and I have a list of ideas to expand on the source material. I'm sure some concepts didn't cut in the shortened seasons.

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Chapter 21: Covention Part 4


Meanwhile

Passing by the Scrying Coven, Eda tried to sneak out of the covention, to limited success.

A voice called out to her. "Sister?"

Eda stopped and turned, seeing Lilith surrounded by several Hexside students.

Lilith blinked at her estranged family member, her expression turning on a dial. "It's been so long since I've seen you last!" She signed something and handed it to a young man. "What are you wearing? You look like some sort of trash collector. Oh, right. You are."

Eda clenched her fists at the insult. A part of her hoped Lilith would have been different by now. Shaking away those thoughts, she put on her usual show of confidence. "Oh, Lily. I just had to see the leader of the Emperor's Coven in action." She leaned down to talk to the students. "You know, when we were kids, Lilith was so excited to see the Emperor's Coven, she peed a little."

The kids laughed, making Lilith blush in embarrassment.

'I told you that in confidence!' mentally cried Lilith. She coughed into her fist to draw away the attention. "That—That's all for today." Lilith ushered them off before focussing back on Eda. "You shouldn't even be here. You're a wanted criminal! Unless…" Her eyes widened, and she gasped.

Eda raised a brow at their internal realization.

"I don't believe it!" Lilith grasped her sister's hands with a hopeful expression. "You are here to join the Emperor's Coven!"

Eda chortled in laughter. "In your dreams."

Lilith narrowed her eyes. "You think being covenless makes you so much smarter than everyone else, but you still haven't found a cure for yourself."

Those words stung a bit. While Shirou did help mitigate her condition, it still wasn't a cure. Eda didn't even know where to begin with the changes made to her soul because of the curse. "True, but what have you been doing all this time? It's been years, and the Emperor still hasn't told you how to cure me?"

"Everything comes with a price, Edalyn. While you've been running from the law like a degenerate, I've bolstered my reputation and loyalty. Right now, I'm mentoring the next generation of powerful witch students into the world."

Eda crossed her arms in defiance. It was not like she just lazed around… all the time. "Well, I have a student, and I bet she could wipe the floor with any of your prissy little blue bloods."

Lilith stepped closer. "Is that a challenge?"

Eda did the same. "Oh, it's a promise."

Suddenly, Luz popped up between them, separating the sisters. Not far behind was Shirou carrying King. "Eda, I need your help! I accidentally challenged Amity to a witch's duel. I've never been in a fight before, and Shirou says he won't fight her. I think she's going to kill me all the way dead!" She slumped to the ground, despair emanating around her.

Shirou rolled his eyes. "No ones gonna let Amity kill anybody."

Lilith's eyes moved from the strange girl back to her sister. "Mmm, it seems your student has met my strongest protégé." She knelt down to get a better gauge of the girl. "And look at those ears!"

Luz covered them, blushing.

"Is she human?" Lilith turned to the redhead and noticed the same feature. "Another one?" She chuckled and stood. "Where did you even find them?" Not waiting for an answer, she continued. "Okay, Edalyn." Lilith traced a spell circle. Around the covention, Eda's wanted posters burned away. "For one day, you won't have to hide from the law, because I want to see how good a teacher you really are." With that, she walked away toward her own student.

Eda's glare rested on her sister's retreating figure. She got down on one knee and touched Luz's shoulder. "Come on, kids. Time to prepare for bloodshed."

Luz turned to her in concern. "But... whose blood?"

Eda chuckled. "Anyone's guess!"

Shirou and King interrupted them. "Again. No one is going to be spilling blood… I hope. You're just highschoolers." He did not want a repeat of his past high school situation.

The Owl lady scoffed. "How else is she going to win?"

"Luz and I are asking you. We know almost nothing about how Witch's Duels are conducted here. What are the rules? I heard what King said, and I highly doubt people are okay with kids fighting to the death."

"I am," cried King.

Getting back up, Eda crossed her arms. "You're not wrong. Duels to the death for petty squabbles nowadays are frowned upon." Luz breathed a sigh of relief. "But we're totally fine with them beating the snot out of each other."

Luz's panic returned.

Shirou rubbed his temples in annoyance. "Other than Luz outright surrendering or beating up Amity, aren't there other win conditions? Since I'm technically her familiar, can I participate with her?"

Eda thought for a moment. "Eh, maybe?"

Nodding, Shirou grabbed both their arms and started walking them back to the blacksmith coven. "Good. You can go over them in a bit. It's time for a crash course training session.

Luz smiled nervously.

Later

Off to the side, Eda put a sweatband on. "All right, Luz. Let's start your training. Now, I'm coming at you with a blast of fire. What do you do?"

Luz pulled her hood up and leaned off of the box she was sitting on, landing on the floor in fetal position. "Hide behind Shirou and wait till it's over."

Eda frowned. "Oh, that's right. I haven't taught you many spells, huh?"

Luz shook her head. "You only taught me one!"

Eda huffed. "Boy, I hope you didn't make an everlasting oath to stop learning magic or anything. You'd be toast."

Luz sat up. "I-Is there a glowy hand thing that happens, or, uh—"

"Yeah, but can't Shirou help with that?"

Luz thrust her arms in frustration. "He said that I have to face the consequences of my actions before he considers doing anything. Can you believe that?"

Eda raised a brow. "Seriously. I've been running away from consequences for years, and look where I am today."

The teen stared at her teacher for a moment. She's been living in the woods, ostracized by society. "That's not helping!" Off to the side, they hear a familiar voice. Across the way, they saw Lilith and Amity preparing for the match.

Amity drew a spell circle. "Abomination. Rise." An abomination that came up to Amity's shoulders rose from her spell circle on the ground with a groan. It twisted its head off and threw it, hitting a bakers coven witch in the face. The same demon who had the Power Glyph from before grabbed his hand, chucked him, and then screamed in power.

Eda cringed. "Ooh, boy."

Luz sulked "I can't believe I'm gonna lose and embarrass myself in front of everyone!" She knew that Shirou wouldn't let the contract last forever. Worst case scenario, she would have to beg on her hands and knees to nullify the contract. Still, losing wouldn't help her confidence in learning magic.

Eda shook her shoulders. "Listen to me, Luz. We are not gonna let those snobs win that easy! We are not gonna let them win at all. I've got an idea." Her sweatband ripped as her hair won its fight against it.

"Please tell me you're not going to cheat." Shirou had come walking back to the group with something in hand when he overheard Eda. "I thought we went through this twice already."

Luz's eyes widened. "No! No! I'm not cheating."

The Owl Lady rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on! I do it all the time."

Shirou raised a brow. "What happened to wanting your student to be better?"

Her expression slackened. "Damn, you for using my words against me…"

The teen shook his head and turned back to his master. "In any case, I took the liberty of getting you a new spell for your arsenal." Shirou handed her a familiar slip of paper with a fist symbol.

Luz's hands gripped the slip in excitement. "Is this!?"

"I talked to Mason from the construction coven, and he was more than happy to give some free samples of his power glyph."

The girl's expression turned to worry. "Using this isn't cheating, right?"

"Nope. I already asked Mason about it. There shouldn't be any issues if we're being transparent about it. It shouldn't be any different from a palisman or a magic weapon. From what I've seen, the construction coven uses it freely."

Holding the slip close to her chest gave her some sense of comfort. "And about you joining me?"

"From what I've been told, I would have to follow the same rules as the Beast-Keeping Coven."

She fell to her knees in relief. "Oh, thank God… Ow!" She suddenly felt a light thwack against her head.

In Shirou's hand was a blunt wooden sword made of bamboo. It was vaguely familiar to a class she passed by at the YMCA. Her servant pulled the girl up and handed her the Bamboo Kendo Sword before projecting one of his own. "Now it's time to learn how to fight. Now try to dodge."

"Oh, crapbaskets." Luz barely reacted before she was lightly tapped on the side. In contrast, she felt the poke of a needle. "Yeowch!" She let out a small yelp before she backstepped away from the redhead. She found nothing when she patted her side to check for a cut or blood. 'Magic?'

In truth, Shirou enhanced these Tora-Shinai with a slight concept of 'Pain.' There was no physical damage to the body, but even the lightest touch would feel like the head of a needle. Shirou would deny it, but he felt elated being on the other side of this weapon. "Dodge!"

Thwack!

Suffice it to say Luz was starting to hate the consequences of her actions.

1 Hour Later

Ampitheater Arena

Lilith and Amity stood on the dais, while Eda, Luz, and Shirou stood opposite of them. The head of the emperor's coven spoke aloud to everyone who attended. "Beloved citizens, the Emperor's Coven proudly presents an impromptu demonstration of the sort of witch we seek every year. Introducing Amity Blight."

The crowd cheered in fanfare. "Woo, Amity!"

"Versus…" Eda stepped out of the way and proudly presents a very nervous Luz and a calm Shirou. "...some human girl and her... familiar."

The applause stopped. "Humans?" "Isn't that two against one?" "Shouldn't matter because humans can't do magic!" "Humans can be familiars too?" "They're not Amity."

Willow and Gus shared a nervous look. The public was already against them.

Lilith coughed to regain their attention. "Rest assured. I have already verified their familiar contract, as foreign as it may feel. If either the master or familiar falls, they lose. So long as Amity consents to the challenge, we may begin."

The mint-haired girl was skeptical when Luz first showed them the strange markings on her arm, but it seemed true. There was some magical link between the two humans. Whatever it was. She felt confident that her abomination could distract the redhead while she took care of Luz personally. Amity glared at the two causes of her stress these past few weeks. "I agree, Miss Lilith."

Luz grabbed Shirou's arms. "What are we going to do?"

Shirou ruffled her hair, much to embarrassment in front of the crowd. "As my master, shouldn't you have faith in me and yourself?"

"I know, but you're making me take on Amity while you handle her abomination."

"Would you prefer our roles reversed with you fighting the abomination?"

"No!"

"That's the spirit!" The servant reached into his cloak and handed her the sword he used during their training.

Luz stared at the blunt bamboo sword with a dry expression. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

Up in the stands, King sat with Willow and Gus.

"How do you think she'll do?" asked Willow.

"I'm sure she can win it all! Yeah-yeah!" answered Gus.

King shrugged. "Eh. I give her 5 to 1 odds."

A bell rang and screamed. Luz, still nervous, and Amity, confident, approach each other as the audience cheers. Amity cracked her knuckles. Luz waved, and Shirou bowed.

Amity traced out a large spell circle. "Abomination. Rise." Suddenly abomination that towers over everyone groaned as it rose out of the spell circle.

Under the shadow of the golem, Shirou blinked. "Huh... That's much larger than last time."

Luz whimpered.

Amity seemed to gasp at her feat as well. "Whoa!" Not looking a gift horse in the mouth, she reoriented herself. "Show me what you got, humans!"

The abomination groaned, twisting its head off and throwing it at Shirou.

In a feat of dexterity, the teen flipped over the attack. Mid-air, a white-hilted sword and sheath traced into existence at his side. Not many had noticed it at first, but those that did, such as Amity, were confused by the lack of a spell circle. Like a trained warrior, Shirou started sprinting toward the construct.

The advancing abomination regrew its head and charged at the servant. The arms shifted into large sledgehammers, ready to crush the enemy.

Just as the roaring abomination got in range, Shirou drew his blade.

Amity knew from the War Games that this Shirou was more experienced than he let on if his guidance helped Willow of all witches. When Amity had inquired her sibling about the redheaded teen, they mentioned he was some sort of blacksmith. The murmurs she heard around the covention confirmed her suspicions.

Cheers echoed as Shirou's entire blade ignited with fire as soon as it was free. Utilizing drawing momentum, Shirou swung the legendary blade. At first people thought the attack would be minimal as it only cut an inch into the thick limb. However, at the apex of the swing, that same fire curled up the blade and unleashed itself in a crimson arc of flame, passing completely through the Abomination's arm before dissipating.

A heavy squish filled the stadium, silencing everyone. Jaws all around the stadium dropped.

The ends of the detached limb smoked like a cauterized wound. Before the fire could spread, ooze spread over to smother them, the burnt pieces falling off and being replaced.

His assumption was right. Abomination Ooze acted like that of slimes. They were both weak to fire. The teen didn't even seem fazed at the embers that danced across his fist.

"You have a flaming sword!" exclaimed Luz. "And you give me a wooden stick?!"

Amity went wide-eyed at that. "How did you do that? Where did that even come from?!"

The swordsman shrugged. "Magic." A soft hand placed itself on the flat of the blade. Belonging to Rhydderch Hael, one of the Three Generous Men of Britain, the Dyrnwyn or 'White-Hilt' was one of the Thirteen Treasures of the Island of Britain. The entire blade would blaze with fire only when drawn by a worthy or well-born man.

Amity's expression shook at seeing Shirou actually put up a fight against her massive abomination. The possibility of losing was flashing before her eyes. She had two options. She could take full control of the Abomination and try to take the older teen down. Judging by the redhead's movements, it would be difficult.

However, if she couldn't beat Shirou, then the only other way to win was…

Luz's pupils shrank like pinpricks. "Amity, I don't like the way you're looking at me."

The mint-haired girl took a predatory step forward. "Whatever do you mean?" A menacing grin crept onto her face. Abomination ooze wrapped around her arms before forming into claws. "We're having a witch's duel. Just like you wanted…"


Shirou stood his ground as the abomination closed in. As the abomination reached him, Shirou swung his sword across its stomach. The blade blazed with fire, and the abomination let out a cry as it was burned one more. Several black chunks were expelled from its mass. It seemed to be a few inches shorter than when it started.

As the abomination reached him, Shirou ducked and swung his sword at one of its legs. The blade blazed with fire, and the abomination cried as flames started to rush up its side.


Amity's claws dug a line in the ground, narrowly missing Luz. "Stop running from me!"

Luz didn't listen and continued running. "Stop trying to kill me!" She leaped to the side and swung her sword to block a rock thrown at her.

Foam fingers waved in the crowd. "Go, Amity!" "Go, sword dude!"


The abomination recoiled from the blade's heat but quickly recovered and charged again. This time, Shirou was ready for it. He dodged the abomination's newly made claws and swung his sword, cutting the creature across the chest.

It roared and lashed out with its left arm. Shirou managed to block the attack, but the force of the blow sent him flying backward. He landed hard on the ground but quickly got to his feet.


Luz gripped her bokken tightly. Amity's eyes glowed with a wicked hue as she stomped on the ground with an ooze boot, causing the ground to tremble beneath her.

Amity thrust her hands into the earth without warning, and instantly, giant abomination hands burst forth from the ground, snaking towards Luz like malevolent serpents. Luz's heart raced as she deftly danced around the grasping hands, the bokken barely blocking to keep her safe.

Thankfully, this magical concept didn't care for armor or in this case, ooze. With each strike, Luz's bokken made contact with the abomination hands, causing a ripple of pain to surge through them. With her focus wavered, so did the strength behind her constructs. Amity didn't have time to wonder why she felt this pain. She just needed to win, now!


Shirou drew Dyrnwyn again and charged at the abomination. This time, he was more aggressive. A flurry of blades sliced into the Abomination, leaving it completely in flames. As much as it tried to put them out, they spread too fast. In moments, the construct began to collapse as more and more pieces of itself burnt away.

Shirou sheathed his sword, took a deep breath, and looked around. The remaining abomination's ooze was everywhere, and the air was thick with the smell of smoke.

The volume of the arena exploded at the sight. Tales of a warrior wielding a magic sword fighting all manner of beasts were only heard of in children's books and old legends. "That was totally wicked!" "Dear Titan!"


Amity completely ignored what happened to her Abomination on the other side of the arena. Her only focus was this fake witch.

Luz knew she couldn't afford to stay on the defensive for long. "Shirou! If you're done fighting that thing, help me!"

The servant flicked ooze off his sword before crossing his arms with a smirk. "You got this, Luz."

"No, I don't!"

"Use everything at your disposal!"

'Everything? Wait… That's it!' Reaching into her pockets, she pulled out the power glyph.

Amity screamed upon seeing it. "No! I won't let you!" A burst of sudden magic erupted from the back of her neck before spreading through her body.

With nothing else to lose, Luz quickly slapped the sheet on her other wrist. No different than that orange-haired demon, she felt the boost course through her. Channeling her courage, she charged forward, swinging her bokken wide. The weapon connected with one of the ooze hands, sending shockwaves of pain through Amity's arm. She grimaced, momentarily losing control of the hand, but she wasn't about to give up that easily.

Amity retaliated by shaping the clay into a skateboard beneath her feet, swiftly gliding across the floor toward Luz. The skateboard transformed into a massive fist gauntlet, which Amity directed toward her opponent.

The empowered Luz leaped back, narrowly avoiding the colossal gauntlet. Her mind raced, contemplating how to outmaneuver Amity. She had an idea. As the gauntlet crashed into the ground, Luz leaped onto it and rode the fist towards Amity, bokken poised to strike.

Amity's eyes widened with surprise, but she quickly regained her composure. She summoned ropes of abomination goo and lashed out, attempting to ensnare Luz.

With a swift slash of her bokken, Luz cut through the ropes and closed in on Amity. Looking closely, one would see the empowered aura creep onto her weapon.

Amity abandoned the ropes and created a wall of abomination clay to shield herself. The bokken struck the barrier, causing stronger ripples of pain to travel through it.

The witch reshaped the clay into an intricate whip. She lashed out at Luz with incredible speed.

Everything around Luz felt a bit slower. She had more time to dodge and weave, narrowly avoiding the strikes. Unknown to her, Amity was also experiencing similar effects.

Luz's bokken clashed with Amity's whip and ooze constructs, each strike resonating with stronger and stronger pain. Sweat poured down their brows as they fought for dominance.

In a moment of pause between the two, Luz took a page from one of her favorite shows. It felt weird, but she could feel more and more magical energy move to her hand and then to her sword.

Everyone leaned closer as this seemed to be their final clash.

Luz charged in with her wooden sword, and Amity opposed with her transformed gauntlets.

"Pain of a Thousand Needles!" To the shock of everyone, Luz's bokken pierced through the abomination arms before slowing and barely tapping against Amity's chest. While increasing stopping power, the strange glyph also amplified its concept. Touching the ooze was one thing, but true body contact?

The makeshift attack met its namesake as Amity's mind fired off on all cylinders registering the immense pain, causing the witch to lose control of her magic. The abomination ooze dispersed, and Amity fell to her knees.

The rush of energy seemed to lessen and lessen before the

Once again, silence filled the room.

"The humans won?!" "Impossible!" The crowd was amazed at the turn of events. Shirou slowly made his way to Luz as Eda started cheering alongside King.

In the crowd, a cloaked figure with dark magenta eyes that pierced through the darkness made his exit, satisfied with his visit this day. "I only came to observe Lilith, but this was something else. I wonder what else that human has up his sleeve."

Somewhere else, while concerned for their sister, a familiar pair of twins also had to give their props to the humans. Ed munched on his snack bag. "Man, Shirou held out on us with enchanted weapons."

The sister chuckled while also hiding a blush. "He's certainly stronger than I expected."

Ed huffed in amusement at her expression before turning their gaze back to the arena. A frown started to form. "I hope Mittens is okay. She doesn't seem to be taking another loss well."

"This would make it the third time this month. After that last tongue-lashing from Mom, I'd say so too."

Amity couldn't bear to look up from the ground. 'Weak.' The beginning of tears stung her eyes. 'Disappointment.' Voices started filling her head. 'Mistake.' She cupped her ears in a vain attempt to escape. 'Failure.'

She heard the voice of Shirou approaching behind her. "Oh, you had one too."

Amity felt his fingers peel off something from the back of her neck. 'What?' Glancing up, she saw the same thing Luz had used. 'A Power Glyph? How did…? Lilith?' From the beginning, this entire fight wasn't her own power. Not even her teacher truly believed in her ability to take on these humans. And she was right…

Luz tapped her shoulder. "Are you okay? Do we need to get the Healing Coven?"

Shirou's expression softened. He could feel the negative emotions rolling off of her. It seems her siblings were right about Amity.

Amity needed to get out. She couldn't take it any longer.

With the scene playing out in front of her, Luz reached out to the girl in concern. "Amity?"

Getting back up, Amity closed her eyes and spirited away. "Stay away from me!"

Ignoring Lilith approaching the two of them, Luz chased after her.


AN:

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