Hey everyone, here's the next chapter of Rise of Zeo. This chapter will be an adaptation of the episode Sense and Insensitivity. If you thought Zeo's beasts were powerful before, wait until you see what's in store for this chapter. Enjoy.
"So, what's going on again?" Zeo asked Luz as he and the others walked through town, King and Eda having set up Eda's stand somewhere.
"A book fair!" Luz excitedly proclaimed, "Where books come to life!" she said, looking at a nearby stack of books, which literally came to life.
"Book fair? Aren't these for nerds that read for fun and can't get dates?" Zeo asked.
"There's something for everyone here!" Luz told him, "Come on! Let's check it out!" she took him by the hand and pulled him by the arm. Luz and Zeo ran until something caught Luz's eye, "Look, Zeo, a writing competition. First place gets their story published" Luz read the poster out loud.
"Uh, Luz?" Zeo raised his arm to show her that they were holding hands.
"Oh, sorry" Luz said.
"No, it's fine. It's fine" Zeo reassured.
Something then caught Zeo's eye. A book with a flaming snowflake, titled Frost Fire.
"Hm. Catchy name" Zeo said to himself.
That's when he was hit with a vision. He saw fire erupting from the ground, and Magma Lizard coming out of the flames; then a snowstorm blowing and Frost Lizard coming out. Zeo then saw a sort of vortex opening up as the lizard brothers entered, and what came out was a giant dragon figure. The vision then ended.
"Visions. Must be another side effect of the Wailing Star…" Zeo muttered to himself.
"What do you say? You want to enter the competition? I've always wanted to be a writer" Luz beamed.
"Writer? Didn't you say you wanted to be a witch?" Zeo raised an eyebrow.
"Of course I want to be a witch, but where I'm from that's kind of… impossible" Luz hung her head a bit in disappointment, "So, my runner up dream was to be a writer. I've had this "about the author" picture since I was seven years old" she showed him a picture of her younger self in a certain pose.
"Heh. That's cute" Zeo told her.
"I know my good angle" Luz lightly shrugged, "So, want to enter this thing with me?" she asked again.
"Sure, I'm game" Zeo said, shrugging a single shoulder.
"Hey, what're you guys up to? And are you holding hands?" King asked, showing up.
"No!" Luz quickly let go of Zeo's hand, looking away with faint blush.
"Apparently, Luz and I are going to enter this contest" Zeo said, gesturing to the poster.
King looked at the booth advertising the contest. Noticing the praise, the little demon decided, "You know what? Count me in too!"
"Great! We're all friends, so we'll make an amazing team!" Luz said as she, Zeo and King headed for the house.
"Team… yes… my name goes first on the cover" King said.
"Pfft! You wish, runt" Zeo countered.
"Boring, boring, boring…" Eda said as she went through several books. She gasped when she saw her reflection in a book with a mirror in it, "Another wrinkle! The curse is quickening!" she said, touching her face.
"Do you have the item we discussed?" Eda heard a voice.
Eda recognized the voice. Ducking behind a nearby stand, she saw her sister Lilith at a suspicious mongoose-esque person's stand.
"Yes, right here" the salesman pulled out a rolled-up piece of paper.
"This is excellent. A map to the bloom of eternal youth" Lilith to the map from the salesman, "I think the emperor will be very pleased"
"Ma'am, shouldn't we be searching for the Owl Lady to join the coven? Remember that whole plan?" a guard told her.
Lilith laughed, "My sister's curse has left her frail. She'll still be here when we get back. This comes first, it's for the emperor after all" she told the guard.
"Yeah! All hail the emperor!" The guard cheered.
"Very good, Steve!" Lilith patted him on the shoulder.
"Shoulder pats for Steve!" Steve cheered, following Lilith as they walked off.
"Hey bub, what'd you sell my prissy sister?" Eda asked the salesman as she came out of her hiding place.
"Oh! It's a map to the bloom of eternal youth. A rare flower that only grows once a millennia. Like the name says, it gives eternal youth to whoever holds it" the salesman told her.
"Interesting. So, Lilith wants to nab this power for the emperor, huh? Well, won't she be surprised when I get there first and get it for myself! Hah! That'll show her who's frail" Eda said.
"Well, we'll see, won't we? Can't go without a map, of course" the salesman handed her a copy of the map, Eda smirk as she looked at it.
The Owl House…
Luz sat down a mysterious typewriter, with King on her shoulder, "Alright, let's try to figure this out. Zeo, got any ideas?" she asked the clone who was currently meditating in lotus position, one hand cupped in the other with his arms in his lap.
"Hmm… Nope" Zeo replied.
"Well, obviously this story needs magic, adventure, and possibly a bit of romance, starring a strong female character named Luzura!" Luz said, putting one of her fanfiction drawings on a board.
"Hmm. That looks interesting" Zeo whispered under his breath to himself while rubbing his chin.
"And let's not forget the confident character named Ki- Ruler! Yeah, Ruler!" King said.
"Way to be subtle" Zeo sarcastically remarked.
"What about you, Zeo? You want to contribute a character?" Luz offered.
"Yeah. Zeonidas, a powerful warrior… and demon slayer" Zeo smirked maliciously at King.
"That description both excites and frightens me" King said, cringing a bit.
"Zeonidas?" Luz repeated with a tilt of her head.
"The full version of my name that I just made up" Zeo told her, "Either of you guys call me that outside the book and I'll have Knight Owl eat you alive!" he threatened.
"Got it" they both said with a bit of fear.
"Alright, now to decide what happens in the book" Luz said, "Although, if you ask me, I think Zeonidas is a lovely name" she muttered to herself.
"Lovely? It's the most ridiculous sounding name I've ever heard!" King said, laughing, only to be cut off by a razor-sharp feather sailing by. They turned to see Knight Owl by Zeo's side.
"That was a warning" Zeo said, "I change my mind. Luz, you can all me that; but if you call me that, King then you're a dead puppy!" he threatened, pointing to Knight Owl, who made a gesture that looked like he was licking his chops.
"Why does she get to call you that?!" King asked, shaking in fear at what the large winged-beast just suggested.
"When she says it, it's cute. When you say it, it's irritating" Zeo said, crossing his arms. Luz giggled.
Soon they were working on the book. Well, Luz and King were, Zeo occasionally threw in some stuff, but, the other two were not on the best of terms of the decision.
"How about Zeonidas uses his stealth to save Luzura from her magic prison, using Ruler's blood" Zeo suggested.
"That's insane!" King said, "If anything, it's Ruler who should use Zeonidas' blood to get himself out of there and leave Luzura!" King countered.
"That's even more insane!" Luz said, as Zeo just sighed.
"Luz! Zeo! Come downstairs for a minute!" Eda said, calling them from the living room.
"Wonder what she wants" Zeo said, getting up.
"One way to find out. We'll be right back, King" Luz said, just before King chuckled while looking at the typewriter.
"I don't like the look of this" the typewriter said.
"What's up?" Zeo asked, he and Luz walking downstairs.
"We're going out. We might be gone for a few days" Eda said, as she grabbed her staff and some supplies.
"I'm sorry, did you just say "we"?" Zeo raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, Zeo, we" Eda smiled at her clone, "I need some back up in case things get hairy. If my curse acts up, I won't be able to use my magic" she said.
"But your curse isn't acting up" Zeo replied.
"Can't be too careful" Eda shrugged.
"Eh, good point. I guess it is better to be safe than sorry" Zeo said, seeing her point, "If you need me to back you up just in case then I guess I don't have much of a choice" he shrugged, and then looked at the human girl, "Sorry about this, Luz. Think you can handle the rest on your own?" he asked.
"I'm sure I'll be able to handle things while you guys are gone. Good luck!" Luz said as Zeo joined Eda.
"Make sure King doesn't get into too much trouble, and don't ask about what we're doing" Eda said.
"Okay—" Luz said.
"Don't ask!" Eda said.
"I didn't though" Luz said.
"Good" Eda said.
"Have fun, Luz" Zeo said as he and Eda left.
"Thanks, and good luck, Zeonidas!" she told Zeo, who immediately facepalmed.
"Zeo-what-is?" Eda questioned as Luz chuckled before heading back upstairs.
"Ok, King, Eda's headed out and Zeo's going with her, so I think we should—" However, when she walked into the room, she was agape at what she saw.
"King! What the hell?!" Luz said.
"Oh, hey Luz! Check it out! I made a few creative changes with the book" King said, pointing to the banner which once read Luzura's Awakening and now read Ruler's Reach, "Here, check it out!" he said, handing her a rough draft which she quickly leafed through.
"Luzura and Zeonidas die?!" Luz asked in horror, "And Zeonidas' death is extremely detailed!" she added, "You know Zeo's going to beat you to a pulp for that, right? Especially when he sees how detailed the illustration is!" she told him upon seeing a drawing.
"I'm willing to take that chance!" King said.
"King, I know you're trying to help, but I think you're crossing a line" Luz told him.
"Yeah, into greatness. Don't you want us to win?" King asked.
"If this is how you want to win then maybe you should submit the story on your own" Luz said told him, "And you're extremely lucky Zeo isn't here to see this" she added before walking away.
"Pfft! What do they know?" King asked.
"What the heck man? Learn to collaborate" the typewriter told him.
"Hush you! I'll prove to all three of you that my story is superior" King shot back.
A Pub…
King entered a tavern, kicking the door open.
"Hey you scum! Which one of you wants to read my literary masterpiece. Anyone brave enough?" King asked, holding up his completed book. Sadly, he was quickly kicked out of the tavern and landed face first into the mud.
"I'll read your story" A well dressed lizard guy with three eyes said as he picked up King's story, his eyes literally glowing as he quickly scanned through it, "You wrote this?" he asked.
"Yep, just me an no one else!" King lied.
"Let me get you a fruit punch" the lizard offered. A minute later, they were at the counter inside of the tavern, chatting, "I'm Piniet, of Piniet Publishing House, and your name is… King?" Piniet asked.
"It's more of a rank than a name" King replied.
"I loved your story, so much better than the submissions we got for the competition" Piniet told him, "I want to buy it and publish it for everyone to read. I'll make you as famous as John De Plume" he pointed to another famous author who was using Skara and another girl as a chair.
"I've always wanted a people chair! I'm in! This'll be my first step in my reclamation of power!" King said.
"Then all you have to do is sign here" Piniet pulled out a contract.
King dunked his hand in his drink and slapped it on the contract, signing it, "You're ominous… I like it" he said.
"Get ready to be famous, Mr. King"
It didn't take long for King's book to be created and published, quickly becoming an overnight sensation.
"It's the perfect blend of heart and heartlessness! Like two authors mashed into one" A unicorn person said with a neigh.
Everyone in the crowd gasped and chattered upon King himself.
"Mr. King! I love you writing, please read my story!" Tiny Nose said, holding up her own story.
King laughed, "Oh my, always good to meet minions—I mean fans"
"You're my inspiration" Tiny Nose beamed.
A Forest…
Zeo and Eda had been walking through a forest in search for the bloom of eternal youth.
"You know, for some reason, I'm getting the feeling I need to beat King to a pulp when we get home" Zeo said.
"Well, odds are he probably did something stupid" Eda said.
"How much further to this flower thing anyway?" Zeo asked.
"Not sure" Eda replied, looking at the map, "It looks like we're nearing one of the landmarks, a minotaur statue" she said.
"So, why do you want this thing anyway?" Zeo asked.
"It grants the person that wields it eternal youth. If I get it, I can use it to hold back my curse" Eda told him.
"Interesting theory. How do you know it'll work?" Zeo asked.
"I won't until I get it" Eda replied, "Besides, if I can get to it before my sister does, hahaha, that would be great"
"Sister?" Zeo repeated with a raised an eyebrow.
However, before Eda could explain, they came across what looked like a mass of vines that appeared to cover a statue.
"Hmm. It appears to be the spot where the landmark is, but with these vines, it's hard to tell" Eda said, "Not for long!" she said, preparing a spell circle. However, before she could…
"Razor-dillo, arise!" Zeo said, throwing said card, signaling his sawblade motif armadillo to come out, "Command Card: Razor Spin!" Zeo threw the card into the creature's back.
Soon, Razor-dillo with his sawblades cutting through the vines, revealing the minotaur statue from the map.
"How's that?" Zeo asked.
"Nice work. I get more impressed with these little guys every time I see them" Eda said, "Hmm…" she looked at the map, "It's definitely the statue from the map, meaning we should head… this way!" she said, pointing in the direction they should head next. However, before they could do so, they heard a rustling sound, "You hear that?" Eda asked, making a sword with blue fire on it.
"I did" Zeo said, summoning his Eagle Axe.
That's when the very person Eda mentioned earlier appeared.
"Lilly!?" Eda asked in surprise.
"Edalyn?!" Lilith asked with equal surprise.
"You know her, Mom?" Zeo asked, "Also, Edalyn?" he couldn't help but chuckle at that.
"I don't know what you're laughing at, Zeonidas" Eda placed her hands on her hips.
"Ok, that was a sick burn" Zeo said, shutting his mouth.
"No arguments there" Lilith said before realizing something, "Wait… did he just call you "Mom"?" she asked.
"He's technically a clone that Luz accidentally created. But, as you can see…" Eda summoned her staff and smacked Zeo on the head, "He doesn't disappear like most clones"
"Ow! How many times are you going to do that?!" Zeo glared at her while rubbing his head.
"Beats me" Eda shrugged, "And of course, this is the leader of the Emperor's Coven, and my sister, Lilith" she introduced Zeo to his aunt.
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Aunt Lilith" Zeo said, extending his hand.
At the mention of the word "Aunt", Lilith recoiled. To say she was not expecting to be called that was an understatement.
"Nice too meet you to" Lilith said, albeit a bit uneasily, not shaking his hand.
"Shocking, isn't it? I'm still trying to get used to it" Eda said.
"A little. Anyway, what are you doing here, Edalyn?" Lilith asked her sister.
"Same as you" Eda replied.
"The bloom of eternal youth" Lilith assumed.
"Bingo. And I'm going to get it before you!" Eda said, "And just to make sure of it" Eda grabbed Zeo's deck.
"Hey! What are you…" Zeo began.
"Let's see, Thunder Snake, Knight Owl, Magma Lizard, Frost Lizard!" Eda said excitedly, shoving said card into Zeo's hand, "Do your thing. We can take advantage and get a head start!" Eda told him.
"Do what thing?" Lilith asked in confusion.
"Frost Lizard, arise!" Zeo tossed his card, summoning the ice reptile.
"What the?" Lilith looked at the creature in surprise.
"Command Card: Blizzard Breath!" Zeo tossed the command card into the reptile.
Upon receiving the card, Frost Lizard shot out an icy blast that started freezing Lilith from the feet up to her neck, leaving only her head and index fingers unfrozen.
"Sorry to be so cold, Aunt Lilly" Zeo joked.
"Nice one!" Eda said, "Now, come on! Let's get out of here!" she said before running.
"Edalyn! When I get out of here, you'll be sorry!" Lilith said, trying to make big enough spell circles to melt the ice, before Frost Lizard froze her index fingers.
"It was ice meeting you, Aunt Lilly…" Zeo retreated Frost Lizard back into card form, "But we have to go now. See ya" he said before following Eda.
As Zeo followed Eda, Lilith began realize something. Zeo was a clone, but he didn't disappear when hit. And he was able to command a little lizard with ease.
"Hmm. Maybe. Just maybe…" Lilith said to herself.
"So, how long do you think she'll be stuck like that?" Zeo asked Eda as they ran.
"Knowing my sister, she won't let her fingers getting frozen—nice touch by the way—get in her way. So, I'd give us about 5 to 10 minutes" Eda said.
"Cool. No pun intended this time" Zeo said, "You know, we could just use Knight Owl to fly there" he suggested.
"Yeah, now that I Lilly's going to be following us, there's a going to be a chase involved, and where's the fun in a chase with one flying?" she asked.
The Owl House…
"Hey Luz! Guess who won the writing competition and became a blockbuster writer superstar? You're right, it's me! Me!" King said as he walked in, Luz working once again at the typewriter, "Do you wanna touch my scarf? It smells so bad!" King told her, sound happy for some reason, "My publisher is throwing a huge party for my book, Ruler's Reach, and I-uh-I'd like for you to be there" King handed her two envelopes, one for her and the other for Zeo, "He may not be here right now, but I figured it wouldn't be right to not make one for him"
"If Zeo found out about this, he'd be too angry with you to accept it… If anything, he'd rather hurt you" Luz replied.
"Do you really think he'd hurt me over this?" King asked.
"He'd sic pretty much every monster he has on you just for Zeonidas' extremely detailed death, and frankly I wouldn't blame him" Luz said, refusing to face him.
"Ok, I realize you might be angry with me" King said.
"I'm not just mad, I'm disappointed" Luz glared at him, "You turned one of my greatest childhood fantasies into something that J.R.R Tolkien would turn in his grave over!" she said.
"Don't know who that is, but I'm guessing you aren't happy" King said.
"To say the least" Luz said, turning back around. She then tossed away the invitations.
"Alright, fine! Be that way I guess" King said before walking away.
Luz sighed.
"Girl, you don't need him" the typewriter told her.
"But I don't want to be mad at him either…" Luz muttered.
The Library…
King's book party was being held at the library, banners of his face hung everywhere as fans gathered to have their books signed.
"Your fans are dying to know when Ruler's Reach 2 comes out" one fan said.
"That's between me and my publisher, right Piniet?" King asked his publisher.
"Yes. Oh, pardon me, I need a few moments of King's time" Piniet said, leading King to another part of the library.
"Where's John De Plume at? I wanted to compare sunglasses" King said.
"Oh, he's taking a break to finish his latest masterpiece—fame can really box you in, you know? Speaking of, how's your second book coming along?" Piniet asked.
"Coming along? Or finished! Bam!" King showed him the completed second book, "Haha! Ruler's Reach 2! Now with more swears!"
"Ahhh! Splendid!" Piniet took the book and quickly read through it, "Oh you cad! Not only are you a great writer, but a practical joker as well!" he said, amused.
"That's true—wait, what?" King asked.
"Oh, this is truly awful! Looking forward to the real draft" Piniet handed him back his book before walking off.
"Oh man, what am I going to do? I can't make a good enough book without—" King then spotted the human girl amongst the crowd, "Luz!" King said, excitedly running up to her.
"Hey King, I didn't wanna be angry at your success; you're my friend, so congratulations!" Luz smiled.
"Great to hear, because I really need your help with my next book!" King told her.
"Huh?" Luz looked at him.
"Apparently I can't write my daring works of genius without rebelling against your gushy fantasy slop and Zeo's crumby adventure crud" King said.
"Excuse me?" Luz furrowed her brows
"We make a great team! So, here's a pen, writey-writey, clocks-a-tickin'!" King handed her a pen, only for her to deliberately drop it.
"I'm not writing for you after you made fun of all my and Zeo's ideas!" Luz told him, once again upset as she crossed her arms, "You want to write a sequel? Then do it yourself" she told him.
"I tried, but Piniet panned it!" King said as Luz walked away.
"Well, maybe that'll teach you a lesson" Luz said.
King groaned. As Luz left, Piniet, who had overheard the conversation, smirked.
The Forest…
Eda and Zeo were running as Lilith had successfully broken out of her ice prison and was chasing after the two, trying to get to the bloom of eternal youth first.
"Man, she's a fast runner" Zeo remarked as Lilith was chasing them, "Good thing we've got a head start on her, huh?" he said.
"So true. Ha! Doesn't this remind you of how we used to race to the kitchen, Lilly?" Eda asked her sister, only to not receive a response from her, "Lily?" she and Zeo stopped and saw Lilith was no longer there.
"Where did she go?" Zeo asked.
They then heard rustling and muffled yells. They looked up to see wrapped up by a spider-crab monster, the creature closing in on her.
"Damn" Zeo said upon seeing the size of the creature.
"Lilly!" Eda gasped upon seeing the state of her sister.
"Do you want me to cut her down or burn her down?" Zeo asked, holding up the Knight Owl and Magma Lizard cards.
"Just get rid of the Spider-Crab. We'll deal with Lilith later!" Eda said.
"You've got it. I've been looking for an excuse to try this out anyway" Zeo said, pulling out a new card, "Frost Lizard, Magma Lizard, arise!" he summoned his twin elemental reptiles, "Magic Card: Fusion Vortex!" he called, tossing a card which transformed into a swirling vortex.
The lizard brothers turned into wisps—Frost Lizard being cyan and Magma Lizard being red-orange respectively—and entered the vortex which shrank and exploded in a flash of light. The light soon turned into a spiraling pillar of fire and ice.
"Arise, FrostFire Dragon!" Zeo shouted.
The elemental pillar dissipated. In its place stood a large red and blue dragon, the two colors alternating in a spiral. Its right wing was made entirely of fire and its left wing was made entirely out of ice. Its eyes were golden.
"Command Card: Frozen Inferno!" Zeo said, tossing a card towards the dragon's chest.
The dragon then released an icy blue flame that froze the spider-crab solid. The spider then fell to the ground, shattering to pieces. Lilith then started falling, only for FrostFire Dragon to catch her in his jaws.
"You were able to merge your lizards into a dragon?" Eda looked at Zeo with surprise.
"Yeah, I know! I didn't even think that would work!" Zeo replied with excitement.
FrostFire then set Lilith down, and Eda made a spell circle that cut the bindings.
"The fact that you didn't even think that would work isn't exactly comforting, but thanks" Lilith said.
"No problem, Aunt Lilly" Zeo replied with a shrug.
"Now that that's settled, we're still going to get that flower before you!" Eda said as she ran.
"Has she always been like this?" Zeo asked Lilith.
"You have no idea" she answered.
"Zeo! Come on!" Eda called. Sighing, Zeo ran after Eda.
"Yes, he definitely has the potential" Lilith said to herself.
The Library…
Luz looked at a poster of King and sighed, "They got his good angle" she muttered. That's when she was approached by Piniet, "Uh, can I help you?" she asked.
"Perhaps. I hear you're an aspiring writer" Piniet said, two guards behind him. Luz laughed nervously, backing up a bit.
Sometime later, King was with Piniet. King could hear the crowd cheer his name.
"Piniet, I gotta come clean. We can't announce book two. I can't write without… without…" King trailed off.
"Without your writing partner?" Piniet opened a door, revealing Luz in a purple, transparent, magical cube.
Luz gasped upon seeing the demon, "King!"
"Luz!" King ran up to her.
"That snappily dressed Lizard trapped me in this shrinking box! You gotta help me out!" Luz said, the box then shrinking a bit.
"What are you doing with her? Let her go!" King demanded.
"You wrote Ruler's Reach together. So, if you don't want her crushed, you'll write together again" Piniet told them, the duo glaring at him, "Oh, don't give me that look. Most of the best books were written under literal crunch time" he said.
"That's a toxic mentality that contributes to burnout and unrealistic expectations!" Luz said, "King, do something!" she looked at the tiny demon.
"Set her free!" King ordered Piniet.
"Not until I get my best seller. As you recall, you're under contract" Piniet pulled out the contract that King had signed before tossing him into the magic cube with Luz, "Make your deadline, or else you'll never be able to hold a pen again. Just like…" He held up John De Plume, who had been shrunken into a cube, and then placed him in briefcase with several other shrunken, cubed authors.
"You're lucky our friend Zeo's not here! Because if he were, he'd sic his owl beast on your sorry ass!" Luz said angrily.
"Oh, and I would just love to see this Zeo try" Piniet said, unthreatened.
"Who do you think inspired Zeonidas?!" King fired back, "Oh, he is so going to kill me for that…" King muttered in realization.
"Considering you were referring to the character and not himself, I think he'd let it slide" Luz whispered to King.
"Zeonidas? Oh, you mean the wannabe warrior and demon slayer that meets a gruesome and extremely detailed death?" Piniet asked.
"Wannabe?" Luz repeated.
King chuckled, "Yeah, I may or may not have made him into a bumbling idiot that messes everything up in the final editing to make the gruesome death more authentic" he admitted.
"Oh, he's definitely going to want to hurt you after this" Luz said, "I'll have you know, Zeo's the greatest warrior I know. He's protective, caring… not to mention kind of cute" she told Piniet, muttering that last part under her breath.
"Did you just call him cute?" King questioned.
"Not the point!" Luz shouted with a blush on her face.
"I'll leave you to it. Looking forward to your next volume!" Piniet said while walking away.
"We're not getting out of here until we write a book, and that'll take forever! We're cube meat!" King said as the cube shrunk a bit again.
"Well, we have my story" Luz pulled out her book.
"But it's all hugging and crying! I can't put my name on that" King said.
"King, this is why we're in here! Because you can't compromise!" Luz yelled, turning around and bumping him with her butt, "All I wanted was to write a dumb story with my friends" she said.
"Luz, you're living your dream. You're becoming a witch, but this celebrity thing is the closest I'll ever get to my dream" King admitted, "It went all to my head, and I hurt you. I'm sorry" he said.
"Hey, being with you is one of my favorite parts of this dream. I have a plan. But we need to work together this time" Luz told him.
"Just tell me what to do" King nodded in agreement.
The Forest…
Zeo and Eda just arrived where the bloom of eternal youth was.
"Finally!" Zeo cheered, and then looked at Eda, "That's the flower you were looking for, right? Go on, take it" he told her. However, Lilith jumped out of the bushes.
"I don't think so! That flower is—Auggh!" she started saying, only for Knight Owl to land on top of her, stopping her in her tracks, "What the?!" she said in surprise upon seeing the armored bird.
"Sorry, Auntie, but this is important to Mom. I had a feeling you would try to stop us, so I summoned Knight Owl after I froze you just in case" Zeo told her.
"Nice!" Eda said before running up to the flower. Eda picked up the flower… only for it to vanish into thin air.
"What the?!" the sisters said in unison.
"I knew something was up" Zeo said.
They then heard laughing. They looked up to see the merchant from before.
"You tricked my mom and Aunt Lilly, didn't you? You son of a bitch!" Zeo pointed at her salesman.
"Oh-ho-ho, aren't you a smart one?" he said, "Yes, it's true. The bloom of eternal youth was never real, and those maps I gave you both only lead to my trap" he told them.
As he was monologuing, Zeo let Knight Owl off Lilith and the two joined Eda.
"And now you will meet the fate of the others I led here, and your energy will become my food!" the salesman said. Unsurprisingly, none of them were scared.
"He scammed us. Can you believe he scammed us?" Lilith asked her sister and nephew.
"I thought there was a 50/50 chance going in. Hard not to admire the tenacity though" Eda commented.
"Eh, I had a feeling something was up with this whole thing, so it doesn't really surprise me" Zeo chimed in.
"Good entrance, but that outfit? Hah!" Lilith laughed.
"Look at his little shoes!" Eda laughed.
"And that stupid hat!" Zeo chuckled, "Mom, Aunt Lilly, mind if I take care of this weakling?" he offered.
"Weakling?!" the salesman said in offense, "I'll have you know, I've tricked thousands of fools like you"
"Did any of the fools have a giant armored owl at their command?" Zeo said, pointing behind the salesman, who was cloaked in shadow. Turning around, the salesman was met with the sight of Knight Owl, wings spread, looking down with sheer ferocity.
The Library…
"Hey Piniet! We're done!" King called from the other room.
"Faster than expected!" Piniet said, stepping into the room, the cube shrunk to the point where King and Luz were nearly smooshed together. He opened a hole at the top of the cube, taking the book from Luz.
"That's the miracle of teamwork!" King replied. Piniet quickly read through it.
"This is more… gushy… than your last book" Piniet commented.
"Skip to the finale, it's quite the payoff" King told him.
"What is this?" Piniet showed the drawing of the light glyph.
"Light spell!" Luz reached out and tapped the glyph, blinding Piniet and catching the draft on fire.
"Ugh, I just realized I should've said enlightening. Skip to the finale, you'll find it enlightening" King said.
"King! The contract!" Luz pointed to the contract in Piniet's coat pocket.
"Pretentious scarf, go!" King used his scarf as a lasso and took the scarf, which Luz grabbed and ripped up, freeing them from the box.
"I made you star, and this is how you repay me?" Piniet turned to them.
"No, this is!" King opened the briefcase, unleashing the cubed authors, who then attacked Piniet, "Quick, let's get out of here!" he said, only for he and Luz to be blocked by Piniet goons, "Oh, what I wouldn't give for Zeo to be here!" he said, the two of them backing up a bit.
That's when Tiny Nose barged in.
"King! I am your biggest fan! And I fought my way back here for you… to read my story?" Tiny Nose asked, pulling out her story.
"I'm sorry, my lawyer advised me not to look at unsolicited work" King said apologetically.
"But… but…" Tiny Nose stuttered.
"Ugh! If I read this, will you go? So I can annihilate them in peace?" Piniet snatched the book out of her hands.
"Of course!" Tiny Nose replied.
"Ohh, it's beautiful!" Piniet said, moved to tears, "You. You must let me publish this! I can make you a star!" she offered.
"Really!?" Tiny Nose beamed.
"What about me?" King asked.
"You're old news. She on the other hand is the future!" Piniet took King's jacket and sunglasses and put them on Tiny Nose.
"You've got to be kidding me!" King complained, only for Luz to grab him.
"Let's go, King" Luz said, carrying him under her arm as they walked out.
The Forest…
The salesman hit the ground, covered in bruises, deep scratch marks and a few of Knight Owl's razor-sharp feathers scattered across his skin.
"Just so you know…" Zeo whispered in his ear while holding up the command card for Lunar Victory, "Next time, I won't be holding back!" he said.
"Nice job, Zeo" Eda rubbed the top of his head, "You too, Knight Owl" she patted the armored beast on his beak.
"If that was you holding back" Lilith said, examining the groaning merchant, "I'd hate to be the one that experiences that thing at full strength" she chuckled.
"He once obliterated a giant worm" Zeo mentioned, "So, you're right about that" he said. Eda then laughed.
"Yeah, it's too bad the bloom of eternal youth turned out to be a scam" Eda said, literally kicking the merchant while he was down, "Oh well" she shrugged, summoning her staff, "Come on, Zeo, let's head home" she said, hopping on her staff.
"Coming" Zeo said, hopping on Knight Owl's back.
"Wait, I want to talk to you two about something" Lilith said.
"Hm?" Zeo and Eda looked at her.
"I want you both to join me in the Emperor's Coven" Lilith said, surprising Eda and Zeo, "He could heal you of your curse, Edalyn" Lilith told her sister.
"No, I'll heal it on my own terms. I don't wanna owe him anything" Eda said.
"What about you, Zeo" Lilith asked.
"Me?" Zeo tilted his head.
"I realized when I saw you command these beasts, you have a lot of potential. The Emperor's Coven can help you achieve it" Lilith told him, "Considering how powerful your beasts are and how easily you're able to control them, it shows you have immense potential. With the Emperor's approval, you could become one of the most powerful people on the Boiling Isles" she offered.
"Hm. A tempting offer" Zeo said, thinking it over, "But I'm going to have to turn it down" he said.
"What? But why?" Lilith asked.
"If anyone can help me reach my potential, it's Mom" Zeo said, surprising Eda, "Sorry, Aunt Lilly. But if it makes you feel better, I'll spend time with you and show you how strong I've gotten if Mom is ever too busy" he offered.
"Thanks. And if either of you change your mind, I'll be waiting" Lilith said as the two took off.
"You're welcome for the chance to bond" the salesman groaned, only to blasted with lightning by Lilith.
The Owl House…
Eda and Zeo landed at the front door of the Owl House, Zeo recalling Knight Owl.
"Did you mean what you said back there?" Eda asked Zeo.
"What part?" Zeo asked.
"The part about me" she said.
"Oh. Yeah, totally" Zeo smiled, "If anyone can help me get stronger, reach my potential and push me past my limits, it's you, Mom" he told her, "And when I attend Hexside, I'll learn a thing or two and you'll be able to rely on me for anything" he added.
"That's sweet of you. Thanks, Zeo" Eda said, cupping Zeo's cheek. They then entered the house to see Luz and King on the couch, "Hey Luz, hey runt, how'd the contest go?" Zeo asked them.
"Uhh, I've gotta go" they both said as they ran off.
"That was weird" Zeo said.
"Yeah. Hey, what's this?" Eda asked, noticing a copy of Ruler's Reach on the floor before turning it over to see a picture of King, "What the?" she asked as Zeo took the book and started leafing through it.
"Lady" the typewriter said, "You don't want to know"
Then Zeo closed the book, "Well, I've got some business to attend to" Zeo said with a slightly angry expression on his face as he marched outback, "Hey runt, you want to explain this?" Zeo asked, showing the book to King, "Explain why my character got killed off!" he yelled.
"Take it easy, Zeo" Luz said in a calming voice, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Why should I? Not only does Zeonidas get killed off, he's a bumbling idiot that can't do anything right, and his death is extremely detailed!" Zeo said, "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't beat him to a…" Zeo stopped midsentence upon looking into Luz's eyes, the girl giving him the puppy-dog eyes.
"Zeo…" Luz pouted
"Ehh" Zeo groaned with cringing expression, "You're lucky you're too cute when you do that" Zeo told Luz, "However, I'm still mad at King for what he did to my character, so…" he said, pulling out the cards for Fusion Vortex and the Lizard Brothers, tossing them over his shoulders, summoning FrostFire Dragon, "As punishment, you will spend the rest of the night being chased by him" Zeo told King.
"Is that a dragon?" Luz asked.
"Yeah, I created a magic card that fuses my beasts into even more powerful beasts. Meet FrostFire Dragon, the combination of Frost Lizard and Magma Lizard" Zeo said.
"Ooh!" Luz beamed.
"Can I at least get a 10 second head start?" King asked.
"5…" Zeo said, counting down.
"Wait, what happened to 10 through 6?" King asked.
"4…" Zeo continued, King ran screaming as Zeo finished his countdown, "1, sic him" he said before noticing Luz's look, "But just chase him, don't actually hurt him" Zeo said as the dragon took of and chased the small demon.
"Zeo!" Luz placed her hands on her hips, giving him a stern look.
"Ugh, fine!" Zeo rolled his eyes, "Command Card: Blizzard Breath!" he tossed the card into the dragon.
FrostFire Dragon then shot a blizzard from his mouth, freezing King in a block of ice. The only thing King could move were his eyes.
"Burn this" Zeo held the book to FrostFire Dragon's mouth. FrostFire then shot a beam of fire at the book, destroying it, "There, you happy?" Zeo asked.
"Very" Luz answered.
"Although I don't know why, Luzura's death wasn't that pretty either" Zeo said, "King's just lucky FrostFire didn't use Frozen Inferno on him. That attack is way more powerful, King's body would've shattered to pieces if I hit him" he told her.
"Yikes" Luz said, picking up the frozen King.
"Defuse and return!" Zeo commanded his dragon, the beast splitting apart into his materials and returning to Zeo as cards, along with Fusion Vortex, "Alright, see you in the morning" he told Luz casually before heading back in while whistling a tune.
"Zeo… he's almost as scary as Eda" Luz said to herself.
Zeo was in his room, sketching out something on his sketchpad. Since King pretty much ruined her book, Zeo figured he'd make something for Luz to cheer her up. Once finished, Zeo turned the page over, drew the glyph and tapped it, creating card.
"Luz, you are going to love this!" he said to himself. It was then he heard a loud scream. Zeo went to go investigate and found King partially thawed in the kitchen, but no Luz, "What happened?" he asked.
"It was awful! Luz managed to partially free me, but this giant spider monster came and captured her!" King told him.
"What?! Where did it take her? What direction did it head into?" Zeo asked.
"It headed north, to the mountains" King said.
"Good thing I have this" Zeo said, pulling out a card that looks like a tracking device, "Thanks to the Tracker Tick I planted on her, and Knight Owl, I should have no problems finding her" he said, running off, summoning Knight Owl and heading towards the mountains.
And that's the end of this chapter. This was the adaptation of Sense and Insensitivity, hope you enjoyed it. Next chapter will be an original chapter where Zeo saves Luz. Want to see what card Zeo made? Read the next chapter and see.
If you want to submit your own creature card, say it in a review or PM me. If you don't know how to PM, this is how: click on the person's name, go to their profile, click where it says PM and… well, you get the point.
Here's what you need for the creature card: the name, its element and its level (seriously, don't forget the creature's level). Here's an example:
Name: Knight Owl
Element: Dark
Level: 6
Beast weapons like Eagle Axe and Lion Gauntlet have no levels because they're weapons.
Speaking of beasts, I told you this chapter would make Zeo's beasts stronger. Yeah, fusion beasts are a thing now. They have their own attacks and are also able to use the attacks of their materials, so expect to see more of them in the future.
Remember to Read, Review and Favorite/Follow.