Loyalty & Light

by BlehBluhBlah

"You and me, hermana... always." Ever since the Noceda sisters were kids, Lealtad had one thing in mind, and one thing only: protect her little sister's smile. Follow through a journey of The Owl House, as canon events unfold with Luz's big sister watching over her. Can Lealtad keep her sister grounded in her true home? Or will she lose her to this new world's fantastical themes?

2. And a Warden

A/N: Going forward, this is the standard structure/pacing you could expect from this series. Hopefully you guys will enjoy this!

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Summary: All packed and ready for Reality Check, all expectations Lealtad once had are immediately thrown out the window as she follows her sister into a door leading to another world.

Word Count: 15,137 (yes, all chapters going forward will be around this long give or take a couple thousand)

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And a Warden

"C'mon, ¡maldito equipaje!" Lealtad shouted, shoving her stack of clothes into her navy green luggage. Thankfully, she managed to fit it all in and zip it shut. She knew that taking all her beanies would be a waste of space, so she opted to stick with her classic red-orange beanie throughout her stay at Reality Check. She looked over the rest of her belongings laid out on her bed: her baseball bat, her Canon SX530 HS Powershot camera, and a collection of some of her favourite books. To Kill a Mockingbird, The Outsiders, and Stranger in the Woods; all things she's read at least five times over, but a great excuse to use as a buffer. Pretending to read such books to avoid socializing proved to be helpful, and in the event someone actually asked her about her reading material, she had it memorized well enough to bluff.

The array on her bed was all Lealtad really had in terms of personal belongings. She already had her camera battery charger in her brown messenger bag, along with a few other basic necessities like her wallet, mini compact first aid kit, and a bottle of hand sanitizer. Things like softballs and mitts, were actually stored in the luggage as well. Lealtad wasn't too concerned with not having enough clothes because she had heard from the camp coordinator that all campers had to do their own laundry as well, so she figured she'd be on top of that instead.

And in the most likely case: slip in some of Luz's too in case she forgot to do her own.

But upon assessing the remainder of her things, Leal knew that there'd be no space for the rest of her personal things in her luggage. So she, neatly and carefully, placed her books in her messenger bag, then took her Canon camera and wrapped it around her neck. She'd carry her bat around in her hands too, fully aware of the hassle and dangers of also not bringing her camera bag but it'd be too much to hold on a daily basis. And it wasn't like she ever really separated herself from her camera for too long anyways. Both her mother and Luz joked about how it was basically attached to her like her beanies.

She merely chuckled at the thought as she turned on her camera, checking the lens first, then sorting through the gallery. She had made sure to clear it entirely and upload any photos to the family computer before today, as she promised their mother several photos of both Luz having fun and the camp itself, which was cause for a precautionary empty camera storage. She never did know how many photos she'd take. And while she wasn't sure if the camp itself had a photo printer, her phone had a Bluetooth app that allowed her to upload the photos from her camera to her phone. So if anything, she promised to her mother that she'd send her the photos ASAP.

Leal sighed aloud as she shut off her camera and let it hang from her neck. "Sadly means no edited pics, but memories are still memories," she quietly said as she grabbed her messenger bag and shouldered it on. She took one last scan at her room, double checking for anything else she might've wanted to bring or clean up before she left, but concluded that she was ready. As she grabbed her bat and rested it on her shoulder, an idea occurred. "Maybe Luz would like to take a pic before we leave!" she voiced aloud.

She grabbed her luggage and dragged it behind her as she headed down the hall and over to her sister's door. The door was slightly ajar, which let Leal poke her head in as she knocked on it lightly. "Sunshine? You done packing?"

The sight she was met with, was none other than her little sister sitting on her bed, staring at her luggage with her Good Witch Azura volume five book in her hands.

Over the course of the two weeks leading up to this day, Lealtad felt like a bit of her sister had resurfaced, if only a portion. Especially after the fact she told her that she'd be coming along as well, as a camp volunteer worker. The process itself was about as easy as enrolling Luz, so the Noceda family actually held some regard for excitement during the build up to summer. They hadn't gotten around to actually talking about their expectations for camp, but the lively chatter in both their school and home life had returned.

So Lealtad, if anything, assumed things were maybe panning out okay. There was still the issue of the suspected sticky notes Luz hid. And the fact that Luz seemed fully intent on never bringing up anything from that week. But the Luz before her right now was reminiscent of the one on that Friday afternoon: as if in contemplation and worried.

"Hey, Luz?" she called out.

Her sister blinked out of her trance and looked up at her sister. "Oh, yeah?"

"Just uh," she glanced between the luggage and her, "came to see how your packing was going."

She chuckled as she placed the book beside her. "I'm starting to think we probably should've listened to Mamá about packing earlier instead." She rubbed the back of her head as she playfully kicked her luggage, "I barely managed to shove three months worth of clothes in here!"

Lealtad laughed as she walked in, still shouldering her baseball bat in her right hand. "Had trouble making room for your Azura books, eh?" she joked as she sat beside her.

Luz's smile diminished instantly. "I'm… I'm not bringing it."

Lealtad blinked at that. "You mean… not all of them?"

"No Leal, not one," she affirmed with a firm frown.

Her sister's eyes widened. "Not even the fifth volume?"

"Nope." She rose up from her seat and picked up her luggage's handle.

"Sunshine, esperar," she called out, halting her sister in her place. Leal picked up the book with her free hand as she moved toward her. "You love this one. You said it's your favourite in the series." Her little sister's unchanged face caused her to go on, "And, granted, you said that about every volume that released but I remember, when you read this one you said—"

"'I really mean it this time,' I know, I know." Luz sighed. Her expression softened, but the frustration was evident as ever.

Lealtad was nearly heartbroken at the sight. Long ago, after Lealtad started expressing her profound interest in photography, her mother decided to spare no expense when it came to getting her a good camera. The result of that? The next upcoming volume in the Good Witch Azura series wasn't something their mom was willing nor able to buy for Luz, especially since she had hoped she'd have grown out of her fantasy phase by that point.

The outcome had Leal feeling guilty for Luz missing out on her favourite series, thus deciding to save up at her job to get it for her sister's fourteenth birthday. Their mom was a bit upset about her eldest's spending, but Leal assured her it was a worthy expense and that if she could have her photography, Luz could have her fantasy books. But nothing could compare to hearing Luz's review of the book—after finishing it within a day of course—and how she said it was her favourite.

Her favourite.

It was a bit of a selfish connection, but Lealtad was proud that something she got for her sister was one of her most prized possessions. And here she was… brushing it off.

"Sunshine," Lealtad dropped to her knees and met her sister's eye level, "there's nothing wrong bringing your personal interests." She gestured to her camera and shook her bat in her hand. "Look at me! I'm still carrying this shit around because I think it's cool." Luz accepted the book as the ghost of a smile nearly reached her lips, but Lealtad was determined to make it shine. She turned over to her desk and grinned at the sight of Luz's firework creation. She rushed over and picked it up, "Hey, tell ya what, why don't I smuggle your 'act three closer' and we can set it off at camp sometime?" She glanced at her desk and noticed Luz's Bi flag, resting in its cup holder. That sparked an idea! "Heck, we can do it on Pride Day! Maybe gather any other like-minded Queers and just have a blast!"

Luz stared between her book and her flag, with apprehension obvious on her face. "We're supposed to be normal right?" she cocked a genuinely confused brow at her.

Lealtad scoffed as she set down the 'act three closer' back on the desk and dug into her brown messenger bag, pulling out her wallet. She flashed its flag design—black, gray, white, and purple—as she tossed it up and down in her hand. "This is normal. My normal. And I'm bringing it because I'm not ashamed of it." She held it forward, in the palm of her hand. "You don't have to if you don't want to, but don't think you don't have to because it's not normal, Sunshine." She tucked her wallet back in as she smiled. "Because it is. It's your normal."

Luz smiled at that. She walked over to her desk and grabbed both her Bi flag and fireworks, stashing them inside her yellow messenger bag. "Thanks Leal," she softly said. "But although," she grinned, "you technically have to bring yours because well, it's your wallet."

She rolled her eyes as she nudged her sister with her elbow. "¡Pequeña mierda!" she laughed.

Luz gasped as she grabbed her luggage, holding a hand up to her mouth. "How potty mouthed!" she teased as she headed out.

"'How potty mouthed!'" Leal exaggeratedly mocked.

The smile was there at least, for a little bit.

She grabbed her luggage and followed after her sister outside. Soon enough, the bus would be coming by to pick them up. Their mother had actually taken a late start for work that day on the account of wanting to be there for two's send off. Of course she was upset during their breakfast when she learned the two were eating instead of packing, but Leal knew deep down she was happy to have a family moment with her girls before it was time. Cue the two awkwardly stood outside on the sidewalk, waiting for the bus to arrive as well as their mother's kisses. Lealtad had her hand leaning on her bat, which was propped on the pavement, trying to appear nonchalant before their mother swarmed them.

The door swung open and, sure enough, their mother's voice excitedly came after, "Oh. Oh my babies!" She rushed to hug them both in a single, mama bear embrace. She looked to Lealtad, "Look after your sister okay?"

Leal rolled her eyes as she shouldered her red bat. "Yes, Mamá."

"But also be sure to have fun," she added, with a surprisingly serious face. "Camp is all about fun, and I want you to enjoy yourself too!" Leal was slightly taken aback by the random subject, but nodded nonetheless. "Good!" She leaned in and kissed her cheek. As she turned to Luz, Lealtad noticed Luz's apprehension. It must've been her mentioning "fun"—of course Luz saw no possibility of that happening at camp.

Their mother held a hand on Luz's shoulder as she said, "Now, don't worry. Summer camp is only going to be for three months. You'll be so busy balancing checkbooks and learning to…" a bashful look appeared on her face as she continued, "appreciate public radio! The time will fly by!"

Lealtad honestly thought her eyes would be in danger of falling out of her head considering how many times she rolled them on a daily basis. "Way to sell it, Mamá."

Her mom clicked her teeth and shushed her, a smile threatening her lips. Leal simply mimed her lips shut and shrugged.

"But I don't like any of that stuff!" Luz said as she threw her hands up. "I like editing anime clips to music and—" she dug into her bag and pulled out her Azura book "—and reading fantasy books with convoluted backstories!"

Lealtad smirked, at least she was honest about the material of those books. But the look of sadness swelled within her face as she looked down at it? Leal frowned at the sight of it.

A tired look took over their mother. "Mija, your fantasy world is holding you back. Do you have any friends? Real ones, not imagined or drawn or reptilian?" she asked, expectantly waiting for her reply. Luz merely looked dejected as she lowered the book along with her head.

Leal tapped her mother, gathering her attention away from her sister. "Mamá, ease up on Sunshine! She already agreed to go!"

She sighed. "Mija, I'm only asking that she tries," she explained, "Summer camp is a chance to make some friends, but you have to try." She turned to Luz. "Can you do that?"

When Lealtad looked over, she was shocked to see her sister standing beside the trash bin, holding her book as she looked between the two items. There was no way she was considering it? "Yes Mom," Luz replied as she looked over her shoulder. Turning back, she gently set the book atop the trash.

Lealtad looked to her mother, who had a look of relief on her face, and couldn't help but wince. To her, this was Luz finally taking a step out of that phase in her life—in other words, a long time coming. But Leal? She couldn't believe Luz was willing to throw away (read: gently place) her favourite book in the trash like that. Her favourite book.

Their mother's phone buzzed, causing her to quickly check it over. "Oh, I gotta go to work," she said as she walked over to Luz. After kissing her on the forehead she added, "Your bus is coming soon. Text me when you get there. Cuídense mucho, mija. ¡Qué te vaya bien!" She ran off toward her car, waving over her shoulder.

"Bye Mom," Luz mumbled.

Despite it all, Lealtad still smiled at her mom. "Gracias Mamá, ¡te quiero!" she shouted back. Once she pulled out of the driveway, Leal walked over to her sister, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She told herself not to be upset that she just tossed away her book like that—it wasn't hers anyways. Just her gift. That's all. This wasn't about her, this was about Luz. "Hey, holding onto fantasy isn't all that bad, hermana, it's just making sure you're part of reality that's important too."

A scoffed erupted from her as she pulled out the pamphlet from her bag. Lealtad deeply wished that this place wasn't as bad as it seemed, because she was about to walk into a new work experience pissed. "I thought I was supposed to, 'think inside the box'?" her sister mused.

"Thinking inside the box isn't all that bad," Lealtad told her, "Sometimes the box is bigger than we think! Mom told you that beautiful brain of yours would be put to work there. But she doesn't understand that that fantasy world is actually what makes it tick so great."

Luz sighed. "Thanks Leal." She looked back into the trash and immediately shook. "Where is it! Where is it!"

Relief swelled within the older Noceda as she asked, "Wait, you weren't throwing it out?"

"Of course not! I just, I…. I dunno!" She started rifling through with her right hand and Lealtad grimaced at the sight. She knew all too well that last week's Wendy's takeout was in there.

Even though she had hand sanitizer in her bag, Lealtad still felt like dousing her sister with a hose after she was done. "Is, is it not there?" Leal asked, confused as ever. It was just sitting on the top, how could it have—

An owl hoot alarmed both the sisters from their situation. Why did it sound so close? Lealtad and Luz both glanced up, and both stared in shock at the sight of a short little brown owl holding a bag in its beak just a metre away. The owl looked surprised at the two noticing it, and immediately hopped away.

"Tiny trash thief!" Luz shouted as she raced after the bird.

Leal blinked. "That's the concern right now?" She glanced between Luz, their bags, and the owl. They were heading into the forest now. The same forest Luz had gotten herself lost in each and every time throughout her childhood and was occasionally full of animal traps—much to their mother's irritation. An exasperated sigh escaped as she grabbed both her and Luz's luggages before chasing after the two. Thankfully, she had a good build in that dragging luggage and running wasn't too difficult. Running around the baseball diamond built up good stamina. "You better not make us miss our bus, little vermin!" she shouted as she chased after them.

"Don't worry, I'll get him!" Luz shouted back.

"I was talking to you!" Leal sniped as she tried to pick up her pace.

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Lealtad had no idea how long they'd been chasing after this bird, but she knew it was definitely long enough to be considered absurd. A part of her wish Luz actually let go of the book and another part of her rationalized buying her a new copy. She was proud of the fact that she could still run after them, but dragging luggage through a forest was an annoying hindrance. She still had her baseball bat, now held in both hands, with the tips of her fingers dragging handles of the luggage. Did this hurt like Hell? Yes. Would she drop her bat? No way.

Her camera itself was dangling all over her neck along with her messenger bag, and Leal prayed no collision would occur that would be too costly. She was nowhere near out of breath, but she was definitely running low on patience. She had no idea that this was even a path in this forest! But eventually, she saw Luz stop and she was surprised to see why. The little owl thief had just hopped into an old, abandoned looking, wooden house. It looked beyond decrepit. And Luz looked like some common sense had finally overwhelmed her enough to stop…

… and then she ran straight toward the house.

"Luz wait! Stop!" she shouted. "¿Qué coño te pasa? I'll buy you a new copy!" But it was too late, her little sister ran right into the house from literally every forest horror movie ever. And, like every forest horror movie ever, the damn door closed behind her. The entire house flashed a bright yellow light and Lealtad gasped. She immediately dropped the luggage as she sprinted after Luz, holding her red baseball bat firmly in her hands. She wasn't sure what she was about to beat up, but she was going to be ready regardless. Leal tried the handle, and surprisingly enough, it was unlocked. She whipped the door open and rushed in, only to find a glaring white light blind her vision.

But as she blinked open her eyes, she found Luz in front of her, surrounded by what looked to be piles of old junk. Like a hoarder who had never seen the sun, it was an entirely new collection of weird. She watched Luz pick up a coat hanger that had a doll attached to it and Leal thought it looked like a toy from Sid's bedroom in Toy Story—needless to say ten year old Lealtad was freaking out at the sight. "Luz," she whispered, "put that down! You don't know where it's been!"

Luz opened her mouth but another voice appeared.

"Finally! You're back!"

At the same time, the toy in Luz's hands moved its own hands as well, going completely unnoticed by Luz as she dropped to the ground in surprise from the new voice. Millions of things were racing in Lealtad's mind but for starters? She crouched over to her sister and kicked the toy aside, hoping it'd stay inanimate. But the realization of where they were had come to Leal—they were suddenly on ground, and in a tent.

Definitely not, a wooden house.

A gasp from Luz brought Lealtad's attention back, and she caught her sister peeking through the curtains. She was about to admonish her before she noticed the owl from before, now perched on a wooden staff next to a pale woman with long, fringed gray hair and a green bandana with acid green spots wrapped around her head to her chin. Curiosity got the better of her as she ended up peeking over Luz's shoulder, watching the stranger toss aside a couple valuable items from the bag the owl thief had, deeming them all, "Garbage."

The woman then gasped in delight. "Now this—" she plunged her hand into the bag once more and pulled out a set of joke glasses with eye springs, donning the pair in excitement. She turned her body, revealing her golden eyes and golden fang as she pumped her arms into the air while the eye springs simultaneously dropped. "This will make me rich!"

Lealtad had many questions running in her head right now.

The strange woman turned back to the bag and pulled out Luz's book. "And this? Oh, this'll make good kindling," she said as she moved the book over a candle. Why was there a candle sitting on the table! The corner of the book started to singe as the flames started to catch on it.

Luz gasped and before Leal knew it, she left the tent and rushed toward the stranger. Jumping and grabbing the book in one motion as she rambled out, "Excuse me, sorry, it's mine, thank you!" As she returned to Lealtad, patting out the flames, Leal grabbed her by the arm and rushed toward the door.

"You're insane!" she muttered. And so was she, because she was about to take her sister back through a mysterious white glowing door.

Unfortunately, the mysterious door folded up and flew upward.

"You're not going anywhere," the woman declared, the glasses now off and an angry glare in its place.

Lealtad quickly scanned her surroundings. This was a tent, where could they go? She looked to Luz, who hurriedly shoved her book back in her bag, and turned around, ducking underneath the tent curtain. Right, that was smart! Lealtad followed after her, praying to God the woman would let them go. Luz ran ahead, looking back at her older sister to make sure she had followed, but she wasn't aware of the cliff in front of her.

"Luz stop! Watch out!" she shouted, pointing ahead.

Luz turned around and halted in her tracks, nearly coming to the edge of the cliff as she released a big gasp. Lealtad caught up to her, and her jaw dropped at the sight.

It was another realm. It had to be.

The sight before her was nothing like the forest they had just been in. It was a whole town. The buildings were a mixture of some 1800s townhouses with nightmare fuel considering one's roof was a mouth. It looked like a town from Skyrim only modded to kingdom come levels of crack. There were giant arms protruding from the ground as tall as office buildings. And a dragon was flying through the freaking sky—if only for a moment as one of the giant hands just nabbed it from the sky, pulling itself down into the ground.

Both Leal and Luz took a step back in shock, with Leal sparing a hand to grab onto Luz's shoulder. Whether it was for her reassurance, to remind her to stay grounded, or simply just balance because her legs were going weak, Leal had no idea. She had no idea of anything because she was losing her goddamn mind right now.

Luz was rambling herself but shrieked, startling Lealtad as she noticed a freaking fairy suddenly flying beside them. "Oh, hello, little fairy!" Luz greeted hysterically. "Are you going to tell me this is all a fantastical dream?" she said hopefully, but Leal had a feeling both their conscious awareness ruined that theory. Though none of that mattered because the fairy suddenly had fangs.

"Give me your skin!" the fairy demanded, flying closer to Luz.

Lealtad immediately acted on instinct. "That's my sister you ¡maldita hada!" she shouted, pulling her sister behind her as she gripped onto her bat. She swung it at the fairy and sent it off over the cliff. Taking a breath, she turned back to Luz, kneeling before her as she assessed her arms and face. "You okay? No bites? No… poison?"

"Poison?" she exclaimed.

"I don't know!" Leal shrugged. "This shit's weird!"

Luz's look of fear and worry met her eyes. "Leal, where are we! Did we die!" her eyes widened more as her voice dropped to a whisper, "Are we in the bad place?"

Leal opened her mouth, ready to admit she had no damn clue either, but a pair of hands suddenly clasped around her and Luz's shoulder. They both gasped and turned—one ready to shit themself, the other gripping onto a bat and ready to swing—but they found the woman from before, smirking down at the two. "You wish," she said with a grimace.

The two were then being grabbed and dragged back into the tent. Lealtad considered the option of struggling out of her grip and fighting, but she also wasn't sure if the woman who could make a mysterious door fly and turn owl thieves into wood was someone she wanted to pick a fight with. The causality of their resignation ended with Luz sitting on a stool and Leal stood beside her.

"I'm so sorry! I just wanted my book! If you're gonna eat my skin," she held her forearm out to her, "just make it quick! Just do it now!"

"Luz, ¡cállate!" Leal whispered as she sidestepped in front of her sister. "Listen, this is just a big misunderstanding! We just wanted—"

"Good deals?" the woman interrupted, smirking with delight. "Because that's all you'll find here!" she declared, throwing her hands up in excitement. It was then Leal glanced up and noticed the sign above, HUMAN COLLECTIBLES. The woman excitedly pulled a green croc from under the table, gesturing it like a saleswoman, "Can I offer you a human foot filled with holes?" Setting it aside, she picked up a stick of what looked to be an Old Spice deodorant. "A bar of green human candy?" she asked as she twirled the stick out. "Oh, oh! How 'bout this black shadow box that reflects only sadness?" She pulled out an old portable TV and held it up at Luz, reflecting her look of confusion.

Her sister looked at her, and both paused in confusion, before sharing a laugh. Lealtad's was one of relief, because things weren't as grim as they seemed at least. But, for whatever reason, Luz hopped off and grabbed the TV from the woman. "That's not all it can do. Here, let me see it." She looked it over quickly, flipping open the battery compartment. She looked at the table, and picked up a pair of batteries from a bowl of human candy(?) and placed it inside the battery compartment. She pressed the power button, bringing the screen to life with an 80s jazzercise video. "Voilá!" she presented.

All of a sudden the vendors around them started picking up the sounds from the TV. Lealtad grabbed onto Luz tightly, pulling her close as she held up her bat in defence. Leal immediately grasped the concept that the vendors were also freakish monsters that looked like they were a live action remake of D&D game but only with worse CGI. They all seemed drawn to the portable TV at first, but then turned their attention to the saleswoman, declaring various amounts of snails in trade for the device. One even asked if they could eat the human on the screen?

The woman grinned as she looked at Luz. "What did you say your name was?"

Luz smiled, stepping away from Leal's protective arm. "I'm Luz! Luz Noceda!"

"Yes, yes, and I'm her sister, Lealtad," she announced, stepping between the two. "Now can we—"

"Well Nocedas," the woman grinned all the while collecting money from the monster vendors, even though she actually hadn't traded the TV in return, "that was pretty clever… for a human."

Leal blinked as Luz quirked a confused brow. "That's kind of a weird thing for another human to say," she innocently pointed out.

Leal sighed. "Hermana, something tells me we're not dealing with a human…"

The stranger grinned as she raised a brow at her. "Very astute, young child. For I," she pulled off her bandana, revealing a set of very pointy ears (and dope gold earrings), "am not like you."

"An Elf…" Leal, whispered in wonder.

The Elf's(?) face contorted into a face of disgust. "Elf? Ugh. Don't lump me in with those non-magical short tempered loons!" She hopped onto the table as she announced, "I'm Eda the Owl Lady, the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles!"

Both Nocedas stared in awe. "A witch?" they repeated at the same time.

Eda ignored the two as she continued her spiel, "I am a respected, feared—"

"Busted!" a gruff voice interjected, slamming the portable TV into pieces. Both Luz and Leal gasped in shock, with the former falling into the latter's arms in surprise. It was a large man with a plague doctor-like mask cone on his face. Lealtad thought he looked ridiculous, but then she noticed the sword sheathed on his hip and reminded herself this place was weird. Which could very well mean that man—or witch—was fully prepared to wield it.

The crowd dispersed as fast as it came, with the only recognizable words shouted being, "Run! It's a guard!"

Lealtad immediately hugged Luz close as she took a step away from the table. She held onto her bat tightly as she whispered to her, "Don't say anything, let's not provoke anyone." She wasn't sure if he was the equivalent of a police officer, but she also knew not to piss off either category just to be safe.

The guard lifted up and unrolled a paper, which turned out to be a wanted poster of Eda. Apparently the bounty reward was a generous one trillion dollars. In his gruff voice, he declared, "Eda the Owl Lady, you are wanted for misuse of magic and demonic misdemeanors." Leal's jaw dropped as she looked back at the witch, who had a look of annoyance plastered on her face. "You are hereby ordered to come with me to the Conformatorium!" he added as he grabbed her arm.

Eda simply retracted her arm, looking minorly inconvenienced rather than someone who was being placed under arrest. "Would you guys quit following me around?" she folded her arms across her chest. "I haven't done squat."

The guard shifted his gaze to her and Luz. "And you're coming too!" he said as he grabbed Luz by her hood, hanging her in the air.

"¡Oye!, what the Hell for!" Leal shouted.

"For fraternizing with a criminal," he narrowed his eyes at Leal, "that means you too."

"Wh-What!" Luz exclaimed, curling into herself as she grabbed her ankles. "That's not cool!"

"Agreed," Leal narrowed her eyes, glancing toward Eda as she tightened her grip on her bat.

Eda held up her hands placatingly as she met Leal's eyes. "Oh, alright, alright!" She gave Leal a slightly widened look before ducking underneath the table. What was that supposed to mean? "Just let me get my stuff—" she sprung back up, her wooden staff in both hands as she wound up and swung at the guard's head.

He flew back a few feet while Luz fell off to the side. Leal reflexively dropped her bat and caught her sister in her arms. She placed Luz gently on her feet as she checked her head and neck. "Luz, you okay? No bruises?"

Luz exasperatedly shook off her sister's worries. "I'm fine! I'm fine!" Her eyes shot up in alarm as she reached past Leal, grabbing her Azura book which had apparently fallen out of her bag. She hugged it close to her chest, but as she turned around, looking past Leal as her eyes grew wider.

Lealtad turned around and was shocked to see everything in Eda's little stall suddenly levitating with a yellow bright outline around them. The witch stuck her right hand into her large fringey gray hair and pulled out a small brown key with a yellow eye on its bow. "Whoops! Can't forget this!" She tapped the eye, emitting a bell-like noise which brought the folded up mysterious door over and into her floating pile. With a close of her fist, all the objects bundled together in the tablecloth then dropped to the ground as the light surrounding them disappeared.

Eda shoved her staff through the bag's knot and threw it over her shoulder like a knapsack. "Follow me humans!" she shouted as she ran past the two.

The Noceda sisters spared a glance at each other, before chasing after the witch. "This is crazy!" Luz said as they caught up, "If I die here, my mom's gonna kill me!"

"If you die here," Leal remarked, "Mom's gonna kill me!"

Eda smirked as she looked at the two. "Ha! I won't let 'em hurt either of you. Humans like you are much more valuable to me alive than dead.

Leal raised a finger. "Um I have concerns—"

Luz at the same time, asked, "Wait! What's that supposed to—"

But the rest of their sentences got cut off by Eda's cheerful whooping, as she chucked her staff forward. The owl on the tip now sprouted its wings, circling back as Eda pushed Leal and Luz forward. As Leal stumbled behind Luz, Eda grabbed both her shoulders, setting her straight as the staff flew through between all their legs. As it lifted up, Eda pushed the two onto it, sending them all straight to the sky! Leal instinctively hugged Luz close to her chest as they both screamed their lungs out.

They shot up so fast it felt like a rollercoaster ride. Lealtad couldn't believe the sight before them as they flew. They were so high in the sky right now but that was the least of Leal's concerns as the things she was seeing were far more questionable. Strange creatures, natural environment and skies, it was somehow twistedly beautiful and terrifying. What was this place? If Lealtad wasn't freaking out, she would've probably taken a picture. Once they levelled out, Eda's soft voice came through, "You can open your eyes now human."

The older Noceda raised a brow at that but when she glanced down at her sister, sure enough, she just began opening her tearfully shut eyes. Shock literally shook her as she saw how high they were, but Lealtad stabilized her, using her bat like a belt. Luz reflexively rested up against her older sister as she hugged her book closer to her chest.

Leal looked over her shoulder and narrowed her brows. "Okay, start talking Owl Lady!"

"Yeah!" Luz chimed in. "Flying staffs—"

"Crazy monsters—"

"You're a witch!"

"What is this place?" they both asked.

Eda grinned as she gestured in front of the two, right as they came into the view of large hills, with scarce bunches of pine looking trees and gigantic rib cage-like bones piercing toward the clouds. "This, is the Boiling Isles," Eda explained, "Every myth you humans have is caused by a little of our world leaking into yours."

As if on cue, a massive bird flew up and beside them. Lealtad blinked as she recognized it as the same stuffed bird Luz had made for that nightmare project of hers. "A griffin!" Luz pointed.

The giant creature opened its beak and proceeded to barf out a stream of spiders. As Luz proudly declared how she called it, nudging Lealtad at the same time, Leal herself closed her eyes and looked away, feeling an overwhelming sense of goosebumps creep all over her body. She shuddered as she shook her head. They weren't just spiders—they were huge spiders. Why… just… why…

"Yep," Eda continued counting off on her fingers, "Griffins, vampires, giraffes…"

"Giraffes?" Luz inquired.

"Oh yeah," Eda said as they began to descend—Lealtad gripped onto the staff tightly after pulling Luz close, "We banished those guys. Bunch of freaks." They came to a stop in the middle of a forest, hovering just off the ground.

Eda hopped off, so Lealtad followed suit, asking, "Do we even wanna know?"

"Well," the witch smirked, "their soul eating—"

"Ahh!" Luz screamed. The two looked back and Leal's jaw dropped as she saw near the end of the staff, Eda's hand was still attached. The epiphysis was sticking out of her wrist! How? Leal glanced back to Eda's handless left arm and the witch seemed barely inconvenienced by the situation.

"Oops, that happens sometimes," Eda explained as she screwed it back on her arm.

Luz stood back up and smiled, "Well, I've had enough adventure for today."

"Same!" Lealtad grinned. "That," she pointed to Eda's hand, "was enough nightmare fuel to last me next Halloween!"

"Agreed!" her sister politely beamed. "This is clearly not the PG fantasy world I always dreamed about."

"And I'm not of age to count as parental approval," Leal added on, shouldering her bat as she mirrored the same polite smile toward Eda.

"So," Luz held out a hand, "can you help us get back home?"

Eda stomped her staff to the ground, cocking a brow at the two. "Only if you help me first." She snorted as she turned around, waving her free hand and causing the knapsack to float trail behind her. "Now come along humans!" She began walking down the trail.

It was then Lealtad and Luz looked up, seeing a huge cottage just at the end of the clearing leading out of the trail. It was on the cliffside, with a huge run down castle tower protruding behind it. The top of this cottage had a stained glass window with a Sauron-looking eye in its design. If they weren't just surrounded by the live action D&D convention a few minutes ago, Lealtad would've considered this a nice place for a summer vacation.

The two followed the witch up to the door, Luz had cautiously asked about the regard for safety since the guards were after them, but Eda brushed it off. She made a statement about a security system but Leal was too busy being distracted by the owl face in the door. And then the bird talked. Because of course it would.

"Hoot hoot! Password please!" the face spoke. But their eyes were immediately poked by Eda's finger, causing them to shriek.

Eda stood back, looking unamused, "We got no time for this Hooty. Let us in."

'Hooty' stared back in anger. "Alright, alright! Geez! You never want to have any fun! Ow! Hoot!" The owl face proceeded to open its mouth so wide it extended to the lengths of the door. Eda led them in, smiling as she did so. Leal and Luz had a similar fearful look in their faces as they followed after her. Lealtad just accepted the fact that the levels of weirdness could only progress further from here on out.

"Welcome to," Eda snapped her fingers, "the Owl House." Spontaneously, candles started to ignite and the campfire combusted into flame, illuminating the room. A cauldron levitated as it started to stir itself whilst a broom came to life and began sweeping the floor. Overhead, a carving illuminated, revealing a stylistic owl drawing.

"Huh, that's on the nose," Lealtad mused as she and Luz twirled around the living room, continuing to look in awe.

"Yup! It's where I hide away from the pressures of modern life. Also the cops. Mm, also ex‐boyfriends." She chuckled to herself.

Lealtad smirked as she took off her Canon camera and set it down against the centre table. This woman may not be so bad after all. This might be a safe space.

"This place is beautiful!" Luz commented as she set her book down as well. She looked to Eda. "Do you live here all alone?" At that, the house began to shake as a series of loud footsteps began to echo throughout the house. Lealtad reaffirmed her grip on her bat's handle as she spun around, looking for the source of the stomping. What now?

"Actually, I have a roommate," Eda lamely stated, looking over to a doorway.

The fear reached Leal's eyes as she imagined the creature about to arrive. The shadow cast near them made her gulp at the sight. Was he some sort of… owl beast griffin? She started to reach for Luz, ready to stand in front of her until—

"Who dares intrude upon I—" the deep voice spoke. But when the source in question finally rounded the corner it—was a small furry creature with a skull helmet, wrapped with ducky towels? "—the King of Demons!" his suddenly pitchy voice finished, squeaking his rubber ducky toy in his hand.

Lealtad dropped both her bat and jaw, completely thrown by the sight before her.

Luz, however, cupped her hands to her face in awe as she gasped. "¡Ay, que lindo!" she exclaimed as she rushed over and picked him up off the floor, dropping his towel and rubber ducky. She continued to hug and rub her cheek against the little creature, spouting off nonsense about his adorableness, much to the creature's dismay.

He looked visibly uncomfortable with the affection.

Under normal circumstances regarding Luz picking up furry animals based on their cuteness factor, Lealtad would've scolded her sister about not knowing where they've been or might have, but she was too distracted to even voice such concerns. Because—"What the heck was all the loud stomping and house shaking if it's just this lil' shrimp!" she looked to Eda for an answer, but the witch simply shrugged and smiled.

"I'm not a shrimp!" the monster shrieked. "An-And I'm not your little guy!" he shouted to Luz, pushing her cheeks with his paws. "Eda, who are these monsters!" he desperately asked.

Eda walked over and picked Luz up off of her roommate. Leal was about to chastise the witch for grabbing her sister unprompted but she must've noticed her stare as she immediately put her down, holding her hands up innocently. The entire silent interaction went over Luz's head as she seemed more enticed to continue petting the small creature.

"This is Luz, the human." She stepped aside and gestured to Lealtad, "and her sister, Lealtad. Also human, obviously." She placed a hand on Luz's shoulder, while cupping her left near her mouth as she added, "They're here to help us with our… situation."

Lealtad's alarm bells rang at that. "Whoa whoa whoa!" she hastily intervened herself, pushing the witch's hand off Luz as she stuck her arms out. "I don't like the sound of this 'situation'," she finger quoted.

Luz rapidly nodded in agreement. "N-Neither do I!"

Eda held up her hands as she said, "Just… let me explain." She proceeded to draw a circle with her fingers, sparking a yellow bright trail in her motions. Once it connected, the area of the circle faded into blackness, and a series of images began to appear.

::::

Lealtad wasn't sure how to feel about aiding a known criminal in returning the powers of a former king of demons, but Eda the Owl Lady had a good point of them being their only ticket home. The irrational part of Leal was worried about the luggage they just left out in the middle of the forest, while the rational part told her she should've been more concerned with bringing Luz along.

She looked over her shoulder, watching Luz happily carry King much to the demon and her discomfort. Lealtad wasn't sure if the small demon was exactly harmless, but she knew her paranoia was the reasoning behind her skepticism. But part of her wondered why they even needed to bring the two. Leal affirmed that she would do it, risking no danger to her sister, but Eda assured that a team of four was more necessary than just the two of them.

With her bat in hand, Lealtad looked down at her weapon of choice. She wasn't sure what would entail during their operation, but Leal knew for a fact that between the choice of protecting Luz? She would bash anyone with her coveted home run item. A cheerful whistle dragged her attention over to the source, none other than Eda. She caught her eyes and narrowed at them.

Yeah, and that really meant anyone.

"Yikes there, Kid," Eda chuckled. "You could kill a witch with those eyes!"

Lealtad looked past their guide and frowned at the approaching castle. "Where the heck are you taking us?" she questioned. Their surroundings were considered getting less and less brighter and more cloudier.

"The Conformatorium." Eda answered as she dropped the butt of her staff onto the ground. "A place for those considered unsuitable for society," she bitterly explained as she looked off to the side.

King had maneuvered himself atop Luz's head as she looked at a nearby wanted poster, pulling it off the wall. "Whoa, these guys really have the hots for you."

Eda smirked as she leaned close to the poster, winking at her little sister. "Yup! But we were never caught because we were too slippery!"

King chirped up at that, "Try to catch me when I'm covered in grease! I'm a squirmy little fella!" He slipped off Luz's head, wincing upon his fall.

Lealtad blankly stared. "Noted," she muttered.

"You and I will sneak up to the top of the tower, where they're holding my crown," he explained to Luz.

"And your sister and I are going to make sure the Warden's distracted," Eda chimed in.

Leal's eyebrows shot up at that. "Whoa whoa whoa," she once again stepped between her sister and the two non-humans, "I don't know how I feel about separating from my sister in a realm where you guys literally make things just float with your fingers in a place that looks like it was concept art for Bowser's Castle."

Eda rolled her eyes. "Relax human, your sister has the easy job. Keeping Warden Wrath busy isn't any easy feat!" she proudly stated as she jerked a thumb to her chest, "so we'll need our wits!"

Leal scowled at that. "I'd rather have my wits with my sister, regardless of how easy it is," she pointed to said sister determinedly.

"Trust me, them sneaking in is much easier and less riskier as a two person team!" she argued, "Besides, coming with me and making sure the Warden is occupied is like your guarantee knowing he's not near them!"

While the logic was somewhat sound, Lealtad knew splitting up wasn't ideal. But she also knew nothing of this world or how it worked. And even if Eda's self proclaimed title wasn't true, she still had the most knowledge out of all of them. Internally mulling their options over left room for Luz to be… well, Luz, and also chime in.

"Question!" she raised her hand. "Will my sneaking in require a disguise?" she asked with an excited smile.

Eda avoided her eyes as she unsuredly uttered, "Uhhhh."

"I've been waiting to use this in public!" Luz pulled on her cat hoodie, flicking each ear up as she said, "Meow meow!"

Lealtad chuckled at the sight whilst King commented, "It's hideous."

Eda grinned as she gripped her staff with both hands. "Oh, you'll fit right in." She then stomped the butt of her staff, creating a yellow platform around Luz and King that took them up to the tower. "Hang on tight."

"Hey!" Leal nearly shouted, "I didn't agree to—"

"Relax, they'll both be fine," the witch dismissed as she threw her staff. It looped back around as Eda grabbed Leal's arm, pulling her close while she folded her leg over the other and sat on the staff casually as it swept them up into the sky. "We'll meet you guys at the top of the tower!" she shouted as she took them away from Luz who was dangling from the ledge. She managed to climb herself up, but not before shooting King a glare.

Leal gritted her teeth at that. "She could've—"

"She's fine," Eda asserted as the two landed on a roof, still hovering. "Honestly, have a little faith in her."

Lealtad bristled at that. "Hey, I do! It's you I don't—"

Eda whipped her body around, folding her leg over the other way as she met Leal's eyes, smirking smugly. "You know what I think? I think you're the type who'll make any play to keep that little girl safe. "

Her tone was insinuating but Lealtad wasn't sure what. "What's that supposed to mean?"

She chuckled. "Let's just say bringing you along with me was a bit of… insurance." She rested her right elbow on her left arm as she let her chin rest on her hand. "I didn't want you running off with her and King because you might've taken the poor guy hostage and tried to extort me to get you back home in exchange."

Leal was completely thrown by that hypothesis. "I wouldn't've—"

"And don't deny it," Eda said amusedly, pointing knowingly at her, "I know your type! Your sister seems too sweet for her own good, so I doubt she'd even consider taking a captive. You on the other hand? You give off the kinda feeling that you'd do something like that without question. A very no nonsense sort. Plus I literally saw you kill a fairy earlier so I am well aware how far you're willing to go." She turned around and gripped the staff, leading them into the tower through a window. "Trust me when I say I know all too well how far older sisters go to look after their little sisters," she muttered, but it sounded more like to herself than anything else.

Lealtad felt self-conscious at how accurate Eda was. Literally moments ago she was considering batting this woman over the head for Luz's safety (and now she also had to come to grips with the fact that she lowkey killed a mythical creature too!). But the way Eda came off was less malicious and more logical than Leal had expected. But she was still endangering a child for the sake of a demon. Regardless, the fact that they were now zooming through dark corridors made her wise up to the notion that they had a job to do. If they did a good job, then that guaranteed Luz's safety directly.

But she wasn't exactly sure what distracting entailed, since she didn't exactly have anything except her bat and messenger bag. The hand sanitizer and first aid kit were definitely emergencies reserved for Luz, but her three favourite books were definitely items she was willing to part with if need be. Even then, she had no idea if that type of mindset was enough for a place like this.

"So," she softly whispered, "when you say, 'considered unsuitable for society' you mean—"

"If you like walking on grass where you're not supposed to, you'll go to jail," Eda bluntly explained. Lealtad whistled at that. "Yup. Buncha poor weirdos who, unlike me, got caught." She laughed to herself. "If you don't fit the mold you get lopped off, it's how the world works."

Leal frowned at that. "But… wouldn't just, blending in and going with the flow of society be a better way?"

Eda snorted. "Heck no! Not in my eyes at least. I worked hard to become the witch I am today! And besides, I wouldn't have any fun in what I do if I was going along with the herd like the rest of those brain dead fools out there." She looked over her shoulder and winked at Leal. "Staying true to who you are is important, kiddo. Don't let any authority figure tell you otherwise."

The offhanded sage advice threw Lealtad for a moment, but then a quaking echo silenced any comments she would've had as Eda brought them to a halt. She ascended them slowly above the corridor, and a growing shadow thumped its way underneath them. The foreboding size made Lealtad assume another King gimmick was about to occur, until a large burly creature wearing a plague mask stomped by with a small white creature clenched in its grip. Leal could barely hear the desperate squeaks the poor prisoner released as the sounds of the stomps nearly drowned her out.

Just as the quaking footsteps receded, Lealtad quietly guessed, "Warden Wrath?"

Eda nodded. "You are a sharp one." She slowly descended them down, with a cautious turn toward the Warden's direction. "I wonder—" a resounding squeal grew throughout the halls and made Leal flinch while Eda sighed. "Yup, looks like we're good on that distraction." She twisted her staff around and continued their fly, speeding up along the way.

Lealtad bit her lip as she shut her eyes, blocking out the horrid squeals and sounds coming from the corridor they were just in. They weren't just imprisoning those deemed unfit for society, this was legitimate torture. She tried to rationalize the excuses of treating an inmate in such a way, but Leal knew the same injustices from her world were guilty of their own mistreatment. She could only imagine the type of unjust treatments people received here in a world with magic and monsters.

This place was cruel.

Just as they turned a corner, they found Luz and King, slowly walking side by side. The immediate red flag in Lealtad's Sunshine Sensors was how her sister moped with her dejected head.

As Eda brought them alongside her, she said, "Hey, we just checked." She brought the staff to a halt and hopped off, prompting Leal to do the same. "The warden is distracted, tormenting some tiny creature. He won't be coming around here anytime soon," she explained.

But Luz didn't even acknowledge the two as she continued walking, with King eagerly marching up on ahead to the door labelled CONTRABAND. The little demon made a show of supposedly "sensing" his crown's power before rushing up to the door, while Eda commented on his adorableness. Leal couldn't be bothered with any of the two because her sister was moping like she did back in May.

"Hey, Luz," she nudged her with her elbow, "you okay?"

"It's not fair that they're all in here. They just want to be themselves." She shot her head up and looked at her and Eda. "Why does everyone think that being a weirdo is so bad?"

Lealtad seethed at that. "Sunshine, this place is—"

The knob of the door flew off and sure enough, King pushed himself in giggling all the way.

"Come on," Eda sighed, "before he hurts himself."

Lealtad hesitantly followed after her, with Luz trailing behind. She had to put that aside for now. Right now Leal's priority was making sure Luz was safe and that they got back home—they would talk about this stuff later. And with the sounds of crackling buzzes echoing throughout the room, she was quickly reminded of what they were here for.

Before King could try another futile attempt at rushing the large green barrier, Eda stepped in. "We have humans, remember?"

King blinked. "Oh yeah!"

Luz took a step forward but Lealtad immediately pulled her back. "¡Oye!" she warned, "If anyone's walking through a mysterious barrier, it's me. You stay put." She gently moved her back as she crouched down. "And if I scream in terror, or like, don't come out in five minutes," she glanced up at the pair of non-humans before dropping to a whisper, "grab the demon dog and hold him hostage so the witch sends you home." She handed Luz her bat and winked.

Her sister's eyes went wide as she nervously gripped her bat. "Uhhhh, I don't—"

Leal sighed. Eda was right, she was too sweet. "Nevermind," she muttered as she turned around. She stepped toward the barrier and placed her hand against it. As foretold, it passed through, and soon enough so did she. After a brief second of white, she was met with a ginormous mound of junk. The worry of how she was going to be able to find the crown dawned on her, until her eyes set upon the crown of the pile.

Squinting at the item, Lealtad was overwhelmed with disbelief. She had to do a double take as she stepped closer. Just when she thought today couldn't be any more absurd…

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me."

She ascended the stupid structure and grabbed the stupid crown and made her way back to her stupid accomplices and sweet sister. She risked her sister's life… for this? She was half tempted to crush the Burger King crown in her hand for both making her crave a burger and for being such a worthless object. As she emerged from the barrier, she nearly laughed at how Luz's anticipation crumbled at the sight of the "crown" in her hands. King eagerly rushed up to her, and like a toddler puppy hybrid, hopped up and down for his crown.

Leal begrudgingly sighed as she handed the headpiece back to the little demon. He proceeded to spout off about his power "returning" as he claimed a stuffed bunny in his ranks of an armada, dubbing him "Francois." But Lealtad couldn't be bothered as she went and retrieved her bat from Luz.

"That… that…" Luz stuttered. "That is a—"

"Yup."

"So it's not actually—"

"Nope."

The two Nocedas sighed as they turned to Eda, who was affectionately smiling at King as he played with his toys. "That crown doesn't actually give him power, does it?" Luz asked Eda. Lealtad herself was wondering if this witch genuinely believed it did, considering the meet her she sold, but the amusement on her face said otherwise.

"Uhh, no." The annoyance on their faces must've showed, because Eda sighed. A frown formed on her lips. "Look at us Luz. King and I don't have much in this world. We only have each other." She looked back at her roommate as she added, "So if that dumb crown is important to him, it's important to me."

Lealtad felt oddly touched by the witch's words. Who would've thought? The witch had a soft side.

"And besides, us weirdos have to stick together." Eda winked, "Ya know?" At that, Leal's attention flew to Luz, who sported a blush and a small smile. While she was all grateful for her Sunshine's beam to temporarily return, she couldn't help but latch onto the weirdo comment. How often had she reiterated something along those lines toward her sister? And yet, a pit of guilt swelled within her hearing it from someone else's mouth for a change. "Well, we owe you one." Lealtad broke out of her thoughts and breathed a sigh of relief. So the witch wasn'tall that bad. "Now let's get out of here before Warden finds us and loses his head."

Lealtad's eyes widened as she recognized Warden Wrath approaching from behind, but before she could shout to warn Eda—he changed his hand into a blade? "Too late," he growled out in his deep voice.

And in the blink of an eye, Eda's head was lopped off and in Luz's hands. The two Noceadas screamed.

Lealtad felt lightheaded at the sight of the witch's body going limp, but she immediately stepped in front of her sister with her bat at the ready. Her legs were shaking a bit, and she sort of felt like passing out, but right now she was the only—

"Ow! Oh, I hate it when that happens." Luz screamed once more, causing Leal to look behind her. Her jaw dropped at the sight of Eda still talking. She knew they had magic and that Eda's hand could come off but that should not be possible!

"¿Qué mierda?" Lealtad exclaimed.

"Eda! Are you okay?" Luz shouted.

"Yeah," she replied with mild displeasure on her face like she wasn't just decapitated, "This just happens when you get older."

Luz paled even more at that. "Does it?"

"Not for humans, nope!" Leal interjected, still holding her ground with her firm grip on her bat.

"Finally," Warden Wrath's blade hand transformed back to normal, "I have you cornered Eda the Owl Lady." He stomped forward, and at each step Lealtad's self-preservation told her to back up, until she ungraciously bumped into Luz and Eda. The warden aggressively snatched King's crown. "My guards could never get you, but I knew if I took your pet's toy, you'd come running." At that, he crumpled the fast food takeout item much to King's dismay.

Lealtad couldn't be bothered with the same sentiments because she was more worried about not dying.

Eda shouted, "What do you want with me? I've never actually broken any of your stupid laws... in front of you."

Warden Wrath stepped forward once more. "I want you…" he suddenly got down on one knee, brandishing a bouquet of flowers from out of nowhere, "to go out with me."

Eda blinked, "Wha…"

Luz had a look of disgust as she said, "What?"

"…the Hell?" Leal finished.

The warden turned back to his henchmen, who had thrown him words of encouragement and a supportive thumbs up, to which he returned with a thumbs up of his own. Lealtad would've almost laughed at the scene if it wasn't so messed up. Didn't he just decapitate her? He turned back to them and (supposedly?) fixated his eyes on Eda. "You've always eluded our capture. You've always been the one who got away." His voice dropped to what Lealtad hoped to God was not an attempt at seduction, "I found that alluring."

Lealtad and Luz exchanged a look of disgust before gagging.

"I hate everything you're saying right now," her sister blanched.

Leal just nodded with a shudder. "Seriously," she muttered.

Warden Wrath angrily tossed his bouquet aside as he whined, "You two stay out of this!" His free hand transformed into a multitude of tentacles, launching toward them in a flurry of speed Lealtad couldn't process. The next thing she knew, both her and Luz were in his grasp struggling out of his surprisingly tight grip. Her bat was out of her hand and she was now at his mercy. With his other hand, he reached and picked up Eda as he asked, "So how 'bout it Owl Lady? The most powerful witch of the Boiling Isles and the feared Warden Wrath. We'd be the strongest power couple ever." He shrugged as he added, "I mean, it's—it's not like you can say no right now."

Lealtad thrashed around in the warden's grip. If any of his tentacles were close enough she'd bite down on one of them but she had no other opening. Was this really it? Were they about to get thrown in jail in some other realm? She desperately looked over to Eda, who observed her and her sister with a reluctant face. With a tired sigh, she said, "All right, Warden. You win. I'd just like to say something first. Come closer." He cautiously obliged her, moving her head slowly closer to his face as she edged him on. "Yeah, that's good." And just as they were a few inches from each other, Eda blew one of the most childish raspberries Leal had ever heard.

Thankfully, the gambit caused Warden Wrath to drop her and her sister as he instinctively wiped at his mask, whining about germs as the witch in his hand laughed. "Get over it! You had your guards stalk me, and then you cut off my head! I am not going out with you."

Lealtad looked over and watched Luz dash for Eda's staff, sneaking up behind the warden. "If you don't accept, then I have no choice but to des—" he grunted in pain as he collapsed to his knees, falling to the mercy of Luz's swing to the head.

"Wow," Leal gasped. "Nice swing Sunshine."

Eda chuckled from the ground. "Yeah, nice."

At that, the two onlooking guards were suddenly standing at Eda's head. Lealtad grabbed her bat and ran, arching her arms back as she approached the two. Their eyes widened at her sudden arrival but she didn't give them any more time to react as she collided their heads with the barrel, creating a resounding clunk as their bodies went limp to the ground.

Eda whistled at that, clearly impressed.

Luz hastily rushed over, announcing, "Okay we're going now!" She picked up Eda as she rushed past Leal, causing her to follow suit. With a hurried fashion, Luz lowered the staff as everyone situated themselves on it. Leal took a moment to assess they grabbed everyone and tried not to shudder at the sight that Eda's head was in front of her, on her sister's lap while her body was behind her bracing both her and King. "Expecto… flying?" her sister tried, "Magicus... escapicus!"

A soft moan came from the warden as he pushed himself up and Eda shouted, "Gun it, magic stick!" Instantly, the staff took off and the four of them were speeding down the halls. Lealtad had no idea if Luz was steering them or if it was the semi-sentient staff, but she was just thankful that they hadn't crashed into anything yet. She could barely focus from the speed they were travelling at to the nearing stomps of Warden Wrath's approach.

"Leal, pull those levers!" She blinked out of her temporary motion sickness and looked to where Luz was pointing: the holding cells? "Hurry!" her sister urged.

At that, Lealtad tossed her bat to her right hand and began spinning it with her wrist. As Luz steered them near the gates, Leal kept her momentum going and knocked each lever up, freeing a few captive prisoners as they passed right into—a door!

"¡Ay mierda!" Leal exclaimed as they crashed through. She hadn't realized she instinctively shut her eyes until she forcibly squeaked them open, noticing they were plummeting at a really rapid rate. "Luz? Up? Up would be better!"

"I'm trying!" she shouted back.

Unfortunately, a collision with the rear end of the staff caused them to tumble and start rolling across the pavement. A slight stinging pain along her back began throbbing, but she didn't feel any other pain. Lealtad groaned as she pushed herself up, immediately looking for her sister who looked fine, aside from some bruises. "Luz, you okay?"

"Yeah, mhm," she muttered as she sat up.

Lealtad looked over at their accomplices, noticing Eda had now reattached her head. The frantic look in her eyes made Leal even more worried. But the witch dug her hand into her hair as she shouted, "Luz, Lealtad, go back to the human world!" She pulled out and placed the portal key in her sister's hand and rushed at Warden Wrath. Leal, herself couldn't believe it, she was really just giving it to them?

"What about you guys?" Luz concernly asked.

King finally managed to get himself up and decidedly chimed in, "If you think this guy is bad, you shoulda seen her last boyfriend!" He ran in alongside Eda, completelyignoring the weapon shapeshifting blade handed freak behind them. Eda denied the boyfriend claim as she picked up her companion and dodged the strike that embedded into the ground.

Lealtad could only blink in shock at how hastily Eda was moving. She was running back at the two, shouting, "Go go!" as she grabbed her staff off the ground and shoved the Nocedas onboard, much to the youngest's protests. With a slap to the bottom of the stick, the two were immediately propelled through the air. With the two of them twirling toward the sky, it took them a few seconds to actually stabilize, with Luz steering once again.

"C-C'mon Luz, we gotta get—" Leal stopped herself as she noticed they were flying stationary. "Luz?" She looked to her sister and found her staring back at the battle below, where Warden Wrath had just crashed through a wall. "Sunshine? ¿Estás bien?" She leaned over to observe her sister's face, worried she had taken a more brutal injury than either noticed, but instead found confusion.

With a turn, Luz had them going back?

"W-Whoa! Luz! What're you—"

They came to a halt, right at the newly formed cavity in the wall, where the assumedly released prisoners were hiding. She pulled the staff out from under them—without warning too—causing Lealtad to stumble her stance as they came to their feet. "Why are you guys just standing there? This is your chance to escape!" her sister shouted.

A being with a multitude of eyes all over his head (which honestly made Lealtad shiver a bit) dejectedly answered, "The warden'll catch us. He always does."

The witch beneath him added, "We belong here."

And the tiny tortured prisoner from before chimed in their piece with, "Self‐doubt is a pwison you can never escape fwom."

The older Noceda's eyes widened at their responses. They murmured their agreement as they kept their heads low, somehow seeming both ashamed and unashamed of their admittance. It… It was really bad here. These poor people, given freedom at their literal fingertips, hide behind their shackles because of their own internal prison. She glanced at Luz, watching her annoyance envelope on her expression. "S-Sunshine, we need to leave, now—"

"No!" her sister stomped the staff. "So, you have a different way of doing things, a different way of seeing things. That might make you 'weird'," she said with finger quotes, "but it also makes you awesome!" She pumped her fist. "Don't you see?"

"Why are you helping us?" one of the prisoners asked.

"Because us weirdos have to stick together," she pulled on her hood and hopped on the staff, holding her hand out to her sister.

Lealtad stared at her sister in shock, nearly speechless at her words. "Luz—"

"Lealtad," she looked at her in the eyes, "nobody should be punished for who they are. You always told me that." She shook her hand, offering a pleading look in her eyes.

There was something about her sister's face, the way her eyes bored into her soul and were basically begging her to come along. She couldn't place it, but she got the feeling from somewhere, somehow, that this moment was the moment. She wasn't sure what for, but all Leal knew was that it was her sister's moment. And she was welcoming herself aboard it.

With a wide grin, she clasped her hand around her sisters and locked eyes. "You and me, hermana, always." She hopped on and hugged her right arm around her sister's waist as she gripped tightly onto her bat with her other hand.

Luz turned to the freed prisoners and shouted, "Now let's get 'em!" The two took off, charging toward Warden Wrath and Eda with a party of weirdos trailing behind them. They arrived at a seemingly good time, as the warden prepared for a final strike, Luz distracted him by encouraging their new allies, "Go, go, go, go!"

All three of the prisoners barreled into the warden, tackling him straight to the ground while Luz flew past, zipping by the group to round up at the front. Lealtad heard all their affirmations of their "weirdness" (one apparently ate their own eye?) but couldn't help but chuckle at the empowered excitement emitting from everyone around her. The eye eater managed to tie up the warden's tentacle arms and toss him over, causing him to lock his eyes(?) at Luz.

"You! Who do you think you are?" he shouted as flames started to spark in his mouth.

Luz pointed at him. "Do not underestimate me, Warden Wrath, for I am Luz, the human, warrior of peace." She smiled as she looked at Lealtad. "Now eat this, sucka!" she dug into her bag and pulled out her act three closer, tossing up and over Leal's way. "Batter up hermana!"

As if time came to a crawl, Lealtad adjusted her gripping and took her stance, squaring up at the airborne fireworks before delivering a solid swing. The crack of the bat rang out all over the courtyard as the act three closer concluded its finale straight into the warden's mouth, exploding into a barrage of colours, sparklers, and powders. The prisoners all cheered as Warden Wrath ran away, his mouth aflame and his hands tied, retreating back into the Conformatorium. Lealtad laughed at the sight. Somehow someone so menacing managed to also be so snively in the face of a couple of kids.

Luz bumped her elbow against Leal's hips, smirking up at her. "Nice swing."

She snorted. "Now that? That is a home run I'd be proud of."

The two laughed as Eda and King walked up alongside them. "Well, speaking of running home, we better bounce before any more monsters fall in love with me."

Lealtad chuckled. "You make it sound like that's a common occurrence."

"Please, her last date—"

"Alright, enough of that. Owlbert!" The witch stuck her thumb and index finger in her mouth and whistled, calling her staff over and carrying the four of them off and out of the yard. Eda had King on her lap at the front of the staff, with Lealtad sandwiched in between her and her sister. The sounds of the fireworks began receding as they flew, further signs of them nearly on their way home.

While it was fun near the end, Lealtad found herself focused all too intently on the near death experiences that occurred in the past several minutes. The adrenaline was definitely pumping through the two of them in the last half, but she couldn't help but think about Luz's passion. She turned her head back, and watched Luz's solemn face observe the view of the Boiling Isles as they returned to the Owl House. She looked… contemplative.

"Hey," Leal whispered, "you good?"

"Yeah, yeah." Luz nodded. "Um… thanks for helping me back there."

She furrowed a brow. "No thanks needed Sunshine." She scoffed. "I'd swing this bat 'round for you any day."

At that Luz seemed to frown a little. "This… this wasn't so bad, right?"

She laughed humourlessly. "Aside from the awesome fireworks display and me finally getting to swing at a couple people's heads—this was a shitshow. I dunno 'bout you, but I don't think sharing this with Mamá is wise at all. Put it past her to let alone believe us, we'd probably send her to the ER from just hearing the death defying stunts we just pulled back there."

Luz laughed. "Forget summer camp, she'd probably send me to a Connecticut Correctional Facility."

Lealtad scrunched her face at that. "For running away to another dimension?"

"Or for missing our bus," she shot back, shrugging with a half smile.

At that, Leal's eyes widened. Their bus. They totally missed it! "Mierda," she muttered as she fumbled for her phone. She instantly saw there was no reception and sighed. "Of course there wouldn't be—the camp director must be so worried." She glanced back to Luz, and her face was back into contemplation. "Hey—"

"And home sweet home!" Eda shouted as they descended, bringing them right before the entrance to the Owl House.

"Yaaaay! You're back!" Hooty squealed. "I have a riddle! So, what do you—"

"Hooty, enough of the theatrics, just open," Eda interrupted, placing her hand on her hip as she stomped her staff.

Hooty pouted. "Awww, hoot!" Leal braced herself for another traumatizing mouth opening but instead, the door just swung inside like a regular door.

She just sighed and followed everyone in, decidedly giving up on questioning everything. Upon entering, Lealtad instantly bolted toward the table, retrieving her camera and giving it a quick once over. No scratches, no nothing—it was okay. She wrapped the strap around her neck once again and let it hang down near her chest.

"Well, a deals a deal," Eda announced as she rested her staff against the couch. "Let's get you two home." She snapped her fingers: out from Luz's bag, the portal key flew out and into her hands. Eda tapped the eye and like before, a bell chimed as the door materialized seemingly out of nowhere.

Lealtad smiled as she nodded at the witch. "Thanks."

Eda smiled back. "No problem."

She grabbed her sister's shoulder and gave it a squeeze, nodding over to the door. "Ready? Hermana?"

Luz looked at the door then glanced back at Eda and King. With a dejected look on his face, Luz turned back. "Before I go," she began as she walked over and knelt down, digging into her bag and pulling out her Azura doll's severed head, "I know it's not the same, but…" she plucked off the crown and held it out, "a king shouldn't be without a crown."

King accepted the gift in his tiny little paws and placed it atop his head. "This… shall suffice." He immediately rushed off to command a plant to his bidding, clearly satisfied with his new crown.

Lealtad couldn't help but chuckle. "You know there's like, thousands of those BK crowns right?"

"Shh, don't ruin my moment," her sister chided.

She rolled her eyes.

"Oh, and don't forget this," Eda said as she plucked Luz's Azura book up off the table.

Lealtad was almost thrown by the prospect that Luz nearly forgot about it. She seemed so entranced by the book she turned and started walking, so Leal quietly thanked Eda before she turned and made her way to the door. Just as she arrived at the doorway, a sense of alarm bells rang within her before she stepped through. Like her sisterly instincts told her to stop. She turned around to check her sister was following her and, sure enough, she wasn't—she was just standing there. Leal looked down at her sister and blinked in confusion as she watched Luz stare up at the mirror past the door and hold her book up toward it. She lowered it, seemingly in awe of the reflection, as she gasped like a realization struck her. She turned and looked directly at Eda.

"Okay. I know you got your head cut off, and we started some kind of prison riot, but this was the most fun I've ever had."

Lealtad blinked at that. "Wait, ¿en serio?"

Luz sighed as she stepped forward, clutching onto her book. Leal noticed the Reality Check pamphlet was underneath her book. "I don't fit in my world. You don't fit in here," she shyly looked at Eda. "If I stay, we could not fit in together!"

"Hang on now, Luz," Lealtad nearly shouted, putting her between her sister and the witch. "Sunshine, what are you saying?"

Luz scowled as she pulled out the pamphlet and crumpled it. "I am not going to summer camp."

"Luz, what." Her jaw must've fallen to the floor. "You can't not go."

"Hang on, what's summer camp—what're we talking about here?" Eda confusedly asked.

Luz tilted her head and smiled. "I want to stay and become a witch. Like you," she held up her book, "Like Azura."

Lealtad's world froze at that. Eda had gone on to dissuade Luz, claiming humans couldn't become witches but Luz declared she'd be the first. The fiery passion in her eyes, the earnest smile, it was Luz saying it through and through. The same passion that wound them up in this scenario of going to camp in the first place. The same passion that Lealtad had encouraged relentlessly and defended to their mother. The passion that freed those poor prisoners.

It was Luz's passion.

"If you teach me to become a witch, I'll do anything you want!"

And like always, it was getting carried away.

That was enough to spark Leal out of her thoughts. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" She grabbed Luz's shoulders. "How 'bout we don't make broad deals with the lady who sells stolen human trash?"

Luz rolled her eyes as Eda laughed, clearly not offended. "Lealtad, you said this camp," she held the crumpled pamphlet up, "would be a way to hone in my talents. But, you know it wouldn't be that simple. I need to be somewhere I can belong."

Leal soaked in those words as she squeezed her sister's shoulders. She looked at the crumpled paper and nearly cried. How could she, her older sister, the one who had been her motivator since birth, fail to see what a world like this meant to her little sister? The remembrances of the bullying, the consistent reminder of being a weirdo, the tiresome talks—she outright told her sister that it was the status quo to just settle with society. And here they were, coming back from inciting a prison riot to liberate unjustly captive people.

People with weird interests like her Sunshine, something she always welcomed and encouraged for her. And she was about to tell her… what?

She was insane?

She was wrong?

Who was wrong here?

Or rather…

Lealtad sighed as she stepped aside, turning back to Eda and crossing her arms. "Can she do it?"

The witch's eyes widened, clearly not expecting her inquiry. "Well it certainly won't be easy," she amusedly answered, "or free." Leal rolled her eyes and groaned at that. "Ehh, I suppose I could use a hand or two keeping this goofball out of the cupboards." She plucked King off the floor and shook him a bit. "I can teach her." She looked at Luz. "But you have to work for me before you learn any spells. Deal?" She held her hand out expectantly.

Luz glanced at Lealtad awaiting her input.

The moment sunk in from earlier, when a similar set of eyes pleadingly asked her to charge into battle alongside her. It clicked for Lealtad what this all meant to her sister, what a chance like this presented for her. This… was validation. Every piece of prose and praise Leal had preached toward her was finally being embodied. This world, this Boiling Isles, practically affirmed Luz's passions. And this was the moment that would make or break her summer.

Look after her well? Please?

It was a promise.

After a deep sigh, she turned back to Eda. "Tell me you have a place for us to sleep?"

Eda grinned as she pointed up, "Upstairs a free room is all yours."

"Gimme a sec to get our luggage from the human world." She jerked her thumb over to the door and made her way before being grabbed by her sister, shock clearly written all over her face.

"Wait wait wait, 'us'? Does this mean—but, you're staying too?"

Leal laughed at her excitement. Excitement. Genuine excitement, a smile she hadn't seen for so long since she announced she was going to Reality Check. It made her confident the rest of this summer would have more smiles like those to come. "What do I always say? You and me, hermana, always." She winked, roughing up her hair. Luz kept smiling as she hugged her, embracing her sister with a warmth Lealtad had missed.

Her Sunshine was back, brighter than ever.

"Now," she said as they pulled away from each other, "if we're gonna pull this off, we gotta make sure we keep our story straight. You wanna learn magic? Become a witch?" Her sister eagerly nodded. "Then that's what our 'camp' is," she finger quoted. "We'll stay here for the length of summer, head back early the day we're supposed to return home and hopefully by then you'll learn a Good Liar Spell or something." The two laughed. "But seriously? I'll handle Mamá. I already told her I'd check in with her basically everyday so I'll do my best to make it seem like we're at camp learning checks and shit."

A flash of guilt spread across her face. "You're gonna lie for me?"

Leal frowned. "No, I'm lying for the sake of this weird Boiling Isles place or whatever nobleness you want to imply. Keeping it secret. Ya know, protecting it from the greed of mankind or whatever," she sardonically waved. A chuckle escaped her sister. "I'll take care of it, Sunshine, you just worry about being a good Hogwarts student. Now go check if Eda's supposed guest room is safe or not," she held her bat out to her, "and if something with four legs or more that's nearly the size of King shows up, feel free to take a swing."

Luz laughed, accepting the bat before turning and rushing deeper into the house.

With that, Lealtad took a deep breath and stepped through the door. The second she emerged, she noticed it was basically evening. With the crisp setting sun kissing the treetops and cool air filling the atmosphere of the forest, it was no doubt getting late. She rushed over to their luggage, the two suitcases still present and laying just off the beaten path. She gave them a quick dusting before assessing that nothing was stolen. But just before she was about to drag them through the door, she looked up at the old rickety house the door was attached to(?).

It was scary, kind of creepy, but…

Leal lifted her Canon camera from her chest and turned it on, adjusting the lens as she filtered the focus to center on the bright glowing door. A snap, and soon enough, the first photo of her summer camp experience was captured. The whole house in view, with the door blowing out most of the picture. She smiled at the sight. "Definitely not sending that one to Mom. Oh, speaking of," she pulled out her phone and winced at the missed call and four unread texts.

Mami [12:02 PM]: You arrive yet, no?

Mami [12:20 PM] Missed Call

Mami [2:44 PM]: I have some time to talk, you guys settled in yet?

Mami [5:01 PM]: I'm going to clock out soon. Why are you not answering? Are you sleeping?

And more recently…

Mami [6:00 PM]: Lealtad Noceda you better respond tomorrow!

Lealtad seethed as she quickly shot her a text.

Fave Bebé [6:01 PM]: Lo siento Mamá, Sunshine and I get held up settling in. We got separated into our cabins and had to spend the whole day unpacking and doing icebreakers—'twas not enjoyable for even me.

Fave Bebé [6:01 PM]: Then we got distracted by the sights, lotta nice spots for potential pics.

She walked through the portal, deciding to place their luggage before going back to the human world to continue texting. Surprisingly, her phone dinged. Leal looked at the door and furrowed a brow. So the Wi-Fi was getting through?

Mami [6:01 PM]: Thank you for updating me, cariño! I was just getting worried!

Mami [6:02 PM]: Go! Go! I won't keep you! Just text back before you go to bed!

Lealted smiled.

Fave Bebé [6:01 PM]: Gracias Mamá. Will text soon!

With that, she went and looked for her sister, ready to settle in as promised.

::::

After about five minutes of testing the water, ten minutes of showering, and five more cleaning out all the feathers scattered around—Lealtad changed into her pajamas. Nothing extravagant, just some black sweats and a gray t-shirt with the graphic, nope, on it. She finished drying up her ravenette hair with a towel and exited the bathroom, smiling at her sister who was setting up their sleeping bags.

"Gracias, Sunshine," she walked over, "Oh, and thought I'd let ya know the shower works. Surprisingly. Water's all good! If you still feel like taking one…"

"Nah, I'll do it tomorrow!" Luz shook her head as she rested up in her sleep bag. She too was in her sleepwear, and began setting up a small picture frame next to her bag. Leal smiled at the sight: it was the three of them, their mother sandwiched between the two in a hug, all brightly beaming at each other—Leal had her arm outstretched, as she had taken that photo with her very camera, holding the camera backwards. It was taken fairly recently too, just this year, a spur of the moment shot. But it was a memory she cherished simply just for their smiles.

After Leal tucked herself into her blanket cocoon (yes, she preferred encasing herself in a blanket even in the summer) she pulled out her phone and shot their mom a text.

Fave Bebé [8:49 PM]: About to conk out, Luz is doing great.

Fave Bebé [8:50 PM]: Night, Mamá. Te quiero.

Mami [8:50 PM]: Gracias mija, dulces sueños. Te quiero.

She smiled as she tucked her phone away. She hissed, "Luz, Mum's gonna message ya soon."

Her sister sat up in alarm, clearly shaken. As if on cue, her phone buzzed. "O-Oh, what do I—"

A throat cleared from the door and the two looked over. King was at the frame, hugging the stuffed animal he claimed from the Conformatorium close to his chest. He shyly stated, "Your sleep cocoon looks fluffy."

Lealtad narrowed her eyes and frowned. "Beat it, I'm not getting fleas on my bed."

Luz pouted at her before turning back to King, patting her bed welcomingly. King's eyes lit up and he hurriedly rushed over, circling his spot before lying down like an actual dog.

She merely snorted at the sight. "'Kay, but don't blame me if you catch fleas on you tomorrow." She watched her sister shake her head good naturedly before answering their mother's text. She snuggled into her bag and sighed a tired sigh. The smile on her face was as good as any indication that she was okay. That this was a good choice. Because it had to be. There was no going back now. But… "Sunshine?"

"Yeah?"

"You excited?"

"Can hardly sleep."

Lealtad laughed at that, shutting her eyes before turning over and embracing the warmth of her blanket. Yeah, she's gonna like it here.

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A/N: I cannot tell you what rewatching this show has done to my psyche. Seriously. Every episode I've rewritten I've at least seen over ten times JUST for rewriting it alone and it is a goddamn trip to work with episode transcripts but also describing details. I notice things like animation errors to cool details to just funny screencap moments. Yes this has been my quarantine year along with school...

Biggest addition I made during the process of re-re-writing this—as again, I started writing this over a year ago—was just adding the "animal traps" line in the beginning section. Because at the time, we obviously didn't know Camila worked as a vet so I worked it in as much as I could here and in part one. As for just re-writing? Well, I think it's kinda obvious which elements I took rewrote.

Lealtad stepping through the barrier is a change I don't mind at all since I figure she wouldn't want her little sister stepping through ANY kind of barrier regardless. Also her home running the fireworks into Warden Wrath's mouth was just something I thought would be a nice Noceda combo. This is also a good way of establishing her sort of role within the L&L canon: if there's any agency involved with oncoming danger you better believe Leal's gonna be the one volunteering in place of Luz. The choice of staying however? Well, this is where you get to see the changes from canon to here in L&L. The moment I wrote this fic I knew Luz would still be the deciding factor of staying on the Boiling Isles, but Leal acting as the "responsible one" was something I thought would really add to the canon dynamic.

Wonder how the rest of the story will unfold for the Nocedas when we've got a constant reminder of home at Leal's fingertips?

And yes, I know what you're thinking, "But, Bleh, the Yesterday's Lie reveal? How? Who? Huuuh?" Well... I guess you'll have to wait 'til chapter 30 to find out how I work it all together! And I say chapter 30 because that's Yesterday's Lie so... yeah. ( ^‿^) All I can say is I have thought about this extensively and I have been wracking my brain over it. At this point in time? I do not have chapter 30 written out yet, just half-way structured and laid out. But even though there's a plan, that's something for you to worry about WAAAAY down the line. Hope you'll stick around until then!

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Review Responses:

mezentsevmichael: Wow, that really is the highest compliment I could receive for this story! I intend to see this through-already devoted so much time into planning it, lol. So something like this is great motivation, thanks! ( ^‿^)

Kingless knight: Advice has been noted and appreciated! ( ^‿^) I already PM'd you this but I originally teased Lealtad Noceda on my Tumblr back in October or September I believe? So some people had a fair grasp of who she was before stepping in and I kinda wanted to bring people here up to the same speed. Of course I do get why it'd be off putting to see that at the start. Thanks for the advice!

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As always, feel free to hit me up on tumblr if ya got asks! And leave a comment if you liked this chapter!

Next chapter update: February 16th, 2022

Until next time,

- Bleh