We find ourselves in front of an old house where the Leviathan Axe was lodged in the ground when suddenly a powerful gust of wind blew the battle axe out of the ground through a glowing door.

Through the door we find ourselves in the Boiling Isles as the Leviathan Axe flew into Ardyn's hand and the Owl House Title logo appeared.

Iki wo sutte haitara kurushii koto

Kizu ga hitotsu fueru tabi ikiteiru koto

Looking around Ardyn sees the Owl House with Hooty and King watching Eda teaching Luz magic.

Tsukaifurusareta sonna kanshou mo itsuka kitto

Yoru ni tokete kieru

We then find ourselves at Hexide as Willow and Gus wave at them while Amity merely looks away with a small blush on her face.

"No enough" yugandatte

"No escape" machigattatte

"No fear" koroge mawatte

Susumeba iin deshou

As Eda struggles to fight off the curse she briefly fights off the feathers before we see Romani chained up against the wall before a large shadow grows.

Looking up they saw Emperor Belos glaring down at them with staff at the ready and all his coven ready to attack. Standing behind him is a shadowed figure with a demented grin on his face.

Sore wa marude shinwa no you na

Iro, katachi no jubunairu

Spinning her staff Eda creates a powerful blast blowing the guards away before Lilith leaps in and the two sisters clash making magic explode all around them. From the smoke Ardyn, Luz, Amity, Willow and Gus ran towards the top.

Summoning an ice glyph Luz makes a bridge of ice allowing Amity's abomination to charge forward ramming them away as Willow made a road of vines for Ardyn to run ahead.

Ibitsu na mama hibiwareteiru

Kono sekai de hitotsu kagayaku

Kirei na tsuki

Running to the top, Ardyn and Emperor Belos clashes axe and staff before the shadowed figure fires a powerful blast knocking Ardyn back.

Holding out his hand a gilded sword forms in Ardyn's hand before he thrusts his weapon clashing with Belos and the shadowed figured creating a bright light.

FATE/BOILING ISLES

Chapter 2: Witches of Fate Before Wizards of Destiny.

In the early morning the next day at the secret and mystery house known only as the Owl House, Luz had a dream. Well, it wasn't so much of a dream, but more of her remembering the events that led up to her and Ardyn getting sent to a magical, yet terrifying world. Suddenly she woke up with a startled gasp. She quickly sat up and looked around her surroundings. Seeing that she wasn't at home or at summer camp, Ardyn was sleeping in his own sleeping bag, and King was there sleeping on her bed, Luz realized that it was all real. That they were now in another world filled with magic and they were about to become a witch's apprentice.

"It wasn't a dream!" She exclaimed with a big smile on her face. Getting up, she crawled on all fours to Ardyn as he was sprawled on the floor and sleeping bag with just one of his legs in the covers. She poked his nose a couple of times to watch him up. "Ardyn, come on! It's time to get up."

Ardyn groaned groggily before smacking his lips, with his eyes still closed. "Frank? Is that you," he asked in a tired voice.

Thinking that was one of the boys in the orphanage, Luz decided to have some fun with her best friend. She smiled cheekily and rocked her head from left to right. "Maybe~"

Barely bothering to open his eyes and not registering that it was Luz's voice he was hearing, Ardyn responded. "Frank, if you don't have a good reason for trying to wake me up, you better start running, ya fatass."

Luz looked a little taken aback, as she certainly wasn't expecting that kind of response. Now that she thought about it, wasn't Frank one of the boys that bullied Ardyn? Shaking her head, she placed her hands on his shoulders and shook him. "Ardyn, it's me, Luz! Come on, it's time to start our training."

Hearing his crush's name, Ardyn blinks for a moment before he sprang up with wide eyes. Wondering just how she was able to get into the orphanage this early in the morning. But when he looked around the room that he was sleeping in and looked down at the Leviathan Axe and his mothers box, which was laying on the floor next to him, he started to remember what had happened yesterday. He then noticed King, who was still sleeping on Luz's sleeping bag. He then turned to Luz, who smiled that cute smile he loved. "We're really here, aren't we," he asked.

"Yeah!" Luz jumped up with glee as Ardyn rubbed the back of his head. "We're actually here!" She cheered as her best friend stood up with her, and cheered with her with not as much enthusiasm, but was still as happy to be here. As Ardyn reached down and grabbed the Leviathan Axe, Luz walked over to the window and opened it to look out at the horizon. "Good morning, terrifying fantasy world!"

"Good morning," said a random, green sea monster with multiple eyes before sinking back down in the ocean.

"Ugh." Luz reeled back with a slight shudder.

"Do I even want to know what just happened?" Ardyn asked, picking up his clothes.

"...no, you don't." Luz said, slowly closing the window. Not even sure what the monster was doing.

"Well, I'm going to head into the bathroom and get dressed," he said, tucking the clothes and sword under his arm. "Give you some privacy in here." Ardyn then turned and walked towards the door, but not before giving King a scratch on his back. King hummed in disappointment as Ardyn stopped.

Exiting out of the room, Ardyn walked all over the house to find a bathroom, before coming across a door that had a 'Ladies' sign on it, with a green sticky note under that said 'and King'. He opened the door and immediately ducked his head when two owls came flying out of it. He stared the way they went, before slowly entering the room and closed the door.

"I know she's the Owl Lady, but does she have to have some many owls," asked the hybrid as he backed away from the door. Not knowing that Hooty was right behind him.

"I know, right!" he said. Ardyn turned and screamed when he saw him, before punching him in the face. This made Hooty yell in pain, before moving his head back to the window he came in from. "I was just wishing you a good morning. Jeez! Hoot! Ow!" He then squeezed his head back out before returning to his position on the door.

"Sorry, Hooty! My bad!" He called out to the owl. After putting on his clothes and strapping on the Leviathan Axe to his back, Ardyn brushed his teeth and then exited the bathroom. Luz was standing outside, waiting for him with an excited grin on her face.

"This is it, old buddy," she said to Ardyn. She then opened her book to a page that had Azura and placed it in front of her face. "It's our first day on the Boiling Isles as Witch Apprentices!"

Ardyn smiled and pushed the book down from her face. Being greeted with her grinning face and sparkling eyes. "But first, we've got to get some food before getting started," he said, placing his hands in his lizard-sweater pockets.

"Right! I'll brush my teeth while you go and find us something to eat," Luz said. Ardyn nodded and the two fist-bumped before walking away from each other.

He walked downstairs into the kitchen to see Romani sipping on what looks like coffee, and Ardyn looked around before seeing the refrigerator off to his left. "Alright, Let's see what you guys have to eat." Ardyn said as he went to go check out the fridge casing Romani to look at Ardyn with concern.

"Uh Ardyn, You might want to-"

When opening the door, Ardyn's face was immediately grabbed by four octopus tentacles. The blonde screamed as he was pulled towards the open fridge, but held onto both sides to stop himself from being further pulled in. The strength of the tentacles was strong. However, Ardyn was able to save himself by lifting his legs and placing them on the edge of the fridge. He then grabbed Leviathan Axe and cut off one of the tentacles. The creature then lets out an unearthly squeal as it lets go of Ardyn.

"Watch out for whatever pops out of the fridge."

Ardyn fell on his ass and look at the open fridge again. "Thanks for the update Romani...Oh, cool, there's eggs!" He said, smiling when he saw the carton of eggs. Then a black witch hat was placed on his head, obscuring his vision. "Luz, what is this?"

"She has witchy clothes!" Ardyn turned around and lifted his new hat, and saw Luz dressed in a black witch's robe with her own hat. She even had a name tag that said: 'Hello My Name Is: Witch Apprentice LUZ'. Romani left off a soft chuckle as continues to drink his coffee.

Ardyn smiled and stood up. "You really look the part, Luz," he said, placing his hat down on the table. "But where's my name tag?"

"Right here!" Luz handed him his name tag. Ardyn saw that it said 'Hello my name is: ARDYN'. "Now, come on! Eda should be waking up!" She grabbed Ardyn's hand and dragged him over to the base of the stairs.

The two of them waited for Eda to come down the stairs. Ardyn with his arms crossed while Luz looked like she was barely holding in her excitement. After hearing the toilet flushing, that excitement only increased. Eventually, Eda finally came down the stairs, wearing a plum sweater with amber cuffs, a stained, long, violet nightgown, and light yellow bunny slippers.

"Good morning, Eda the Owl Lady. We are ready for our first day of Witch Apprenticeship," Luz said, fist-bumping the air.

"So, what's the first lesson you're going to teach her, teach?" Ardyn asked, playing it cool while being very eager on the inside. While he may not be interested in magic lessons but he that didn't mean he couldn't watch.

"Ugh!" Eda scoffed as she shook her hands, sending off small spiders. She then cleaned out her ear and flicked a spider she got away, before asking, "Who are you two, again?

Luz's cheerfulness fell apart as her smile was lost. "Huh?" As Ardyn and her nametags fell on the floor, Ardyn glared that the witch.

"Are you freaking serious!?" Ardyn exclaimed, his face twitching a little, before realizing she wasn't a morning person. Something that he can relate to. However, he was back to being a little upset when Eda walked past them to the kitchen.

"Um, hello? Remember us? Luz, the girl that wanted to be a witch?" Ardyn gestured to his best friend. Before pointing to himself. But when Eda didn't respond, Ardyn became even more irritated. "Well, what about me? Ardyn? Ardyn Pierce? Human-Witch Hybrid? We saved your ass from Warden Wrath, and you promised that you'd teach her about magic, right? Yesterday?"

After filling a mug with a red liquid, Eda turned back to the kids. "Kids, lay off the details. I haven't even had my cup of apple blood and coffee yet," she mumbled, rising the mug.

"You mean apple juice?" Luz asked, confused.

"No," Eda said before taking a sip of it.

Ardyn knew that it was in fact blood when he could pick up a faint scent of iron coming from the mug. Eda then sat down at the table. King was already sitting with a plate of eggs. But when Ardyn saw there were eyeballs in the eggs, he looked at King with a confused expression.

"Uh, what you eating there, King?" he asked.

"Just some scrambled eggs and eyeballs," King said, scooping some on a folk and then shoving it into his mouth. Ardyn and Luz looked grossed out before the little demon scooped some more and held it out to the two teenagers. "Want some?"

"Nah I'm good, thanks though." Ardyn said after one of the eyes blinked at him.

Luz turned back to Eda and rushed over to her eagerly. "Teach us some spells," she requested/demanded, causing Ardyn to turn his attention back to her and the witch. "When do we get a magic staff? Were we supposed to bring my own runes?" She gasped and then grabbed onto Eda's arm. "Do you have a dangerous magical quest for me?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down, kid. Being a witch doesn't happen overnight," she said after pushing Lua gently away from her. Eda then pointed at the hat on the young girl's head. "Also, you're wrapped in a bathrobe and wearing the dirtiest traffic cone I've ever seen."

Luz took off what she believed to be a witch hat and blew on it. Blowing off the dust to reveal a traffic cone with a crooked top. King laughed at her, which made Ardyn frown, before grabbing his traffic cone hat off the table and blew the dust off towards him. As King started coughing, Ardyn asked Eda, "So, what you're saying is that this is going to take time, right? So, what exactly do we have to do to get a staff like yours?"

"Actually, you wouldn't need one, Ardyn. You got the Leviathan Axe," Romani said, pulling his mug away and wiping off the coffee mustache. He pointed to the handle of the battle axe sticking out from behind Ardyn's shoulder. "But to get you started on controlling your magic, you'll use the axe as a conduit. The blade has those runes on it that will allow you to use it like a staff."

Ardyn pulled out the Leviathan Axe and stared at the runes on the blade. He remembered how he first summoned his magic when he fought Warden Wrath, and how the ancient writing on the blade started glowing.

Eda puts her cup down and whipped away the apple blood away, before turning to Luz with a quirked eyebrow. "But a magic staff, huh? You really want one?"

"More than anything," Luz said, squishing her cheeks.

Eda held out her left hand towards the doorway to the hall. "Magic staff, come to me!"

Ardyn, Luz, and King waited with the witch in the kitchen as they heard distant clashing coming from the halls. While Eda looked proud with her eyes closed and chin up, the teenagers, Romani and the little demon stared at the doorway as things continued to break. Noticing the sounds and how long it was taking for her staff to get to her, Eda turned to face the doorway.

A moment later, and the staff comes flying at her. Smacking her in the face, causing the staff to nearly fall over before Eda caught it.

Ardyn laughed a little as Eda twirled her staff to her side. "You alright?"

"It's early." She spoke to him with a distant, tired expression. "Now, witches are awarded their staffs from school. With me as your teacher, you'll both be taking a different approach," Eda said as she crossed her arms before her back.

"What kind of approach?" Ardyn asked.

Eda grabbed and dropped a big burlap sack filled with bottles in front of the kids. "You'll have to work for it," she said with a slight smirk.

"Ugh. Damnit all to the hell."

Luz grabbed the sack and carried it as she and Ardyn followed Eda through the owl house. "I run a few businesses. On weekends, I offer rare human treasures that Owlbert drags over from your side of the realm," said the witch as she stopped in front of a fireplace and grabbed a toy sword from the shelf.

She pressed the button of the battery-powered toy and lit up and said, "I shall smite my enemies! Ages six to eleven."

Eda tossed the sword away before pointing to the sack. "But most days I sell only the finest homemade elixirs and potions."

"So basically, in exchange for teaching us magic, we're going to be your child labor," Ardyn said, reaching into the bag and ruffled through it before pulling out a bottle of potion. "Helping you sell..." he paused when he looked at the bottle and grimaced when he read the label. Luz looked at it and had the same reaction as her friend. "The hell- Snake oil? Really?"

"No one wants an un‐oiled snake. Follow me." Eda led the two kids upstairs and onto a balcony. From there, Ardyn and Luz could look out and see the same town with the large rib bone that they first arrived at when they stepped through the portal into the Demon Realm. "Today you'll deliver packages and sell potions in that town over there, Bonesborough." Eda pointed with her staff at the town. The winds started picking up and blew through their hairs.

"The both of you'll have to be careful. I have rivals everywhere who'd love to take my business down and you along with it. Ardyn, you're the one with the weapon, so you'll have to protect Luz and the sack. You wanted a dangerous magical quest? Kids, you've got one." Romani said with a smile on his face as he takes a sip of his coffee.

"We won't let you down, Miss Eda, Mr. Romani." Luz said, saluting the witch. But, when she turned to face the two Witches, she accidentally ended up slipping the sack over the balcony's rail and dropped it.

The four of them peered over the balcony and watched as the sack crashed down onto the ground. The bottles inside of it shattering on impact.

"So, yeah, I'll be sure to keep an eye on her," Ardyn said with a nervous smile, along with Luz.

"I'm sure," Eda and Romani said bluntly.

After making a new batch of potions, Eda pushed the two friends to the door. "Remember, never befriend a man in sandals and always measure twice, cut once," Eda said with a cheery smile and tone. However, her expression turned into a serious one when she turned to Ardyn. "And Ardyn, don't tell anyone that you're a Hybrid. Your ears are already a dead giveaway, but you should be fine if you use your headphones to cover you ears."

"Uh...ok?" the duo said in unison with blank expressions.

"Just make sure that no one else knows who you are and your good for the day." Romani said as he sit down to read a book in his hands called The Unauthorized Boiling Isles History.

"Good luck!" Eda said, before using her magic to close the door. Eda walked away from the door while dusting her hands, before averting her attention when she noticed King sleeping on a chest next to the window. "I hate to interrupt your power nap, but you have to go with her." She slightly pushed King to his feet.

"What? But I just found the perfect spot. Why do I have to go? Why don't you ask Roman to do it?" King growled.

"You and I know that Ardyn will likely become a target for those that'll want his powers and Luz will either get lost or eaten, probably both."

"No, I won't!" Luz yelled from outside the window, before Ardyn's hand grabbed her from behind and pulled away from the window.

Eda used her magic to drop down the curtains before continuing to lecture King. "The other is that Roman has to help me make more potions for us to sell for the next run out to Bonesborough and finally because you work for me, too, unless you want to start paying rent," she said. King grunted lowly before huffing and stomped towards the door. Opening the door, he found Ardyn and Luz waiting for him outside.

"Welcome to the party, King," Ardyn said with a smirk. King grumbled as he climbed up the boy's body to his right shoulder to ride on.

"Be back by nightfall or risk mortal peril," Eda said, before slamming the door on them.

Hooty chirped at the three. "Have a nice trip."

"Ugh! Let's get this over with." King grumbled as Ardyn and Luz turned and started walking back into town to begin their delivery/selling of Eda's elixirs and potions.

"I think we're going the wrong way," King said.

"How would you know? You don't know where you're going," Ardyn said.

"You the one that's getting lost," King retorted.

"Well, the reason we keep getting lost is because you keep telling us where to go, when you don't even know the directions to town!"

"... Shut up."

"You shut up!"

"Let's all shut up. How about that?" After King's retort, they finally arrived at the town and started their trip into Bonesboroug. The two humans were treated to the sight of creatures and monsters roaming the streets like the normal, bloodthirsty citizens that they were. Everyone and every building were a different shape, size, and color.

Luz gasped when an ugly fairy that was a mismatch of body parts fluttered past her.

"Hey, it's rude to stare," King said, drawing the attention of Ardyn and Luz towards him.

"I've only seen places like this in my dreams. It's incredible. And me and Ardyn the only human here?" she asked the demon on Ardyn's shoulder.

"Haven't seen any others," King said with a shrug.

"Wow! There must be a reason for that, right?" Luz asked, turning to Ardyn. "Ardyn, you've must be wondering why we're here, right?"

"Of course, I have." Ardyn said, nodding his head. "It's one of life's great mysteries, isn't it? Why are we here? I mean, are we the product of some cosmic coincidence, or is there really a God watching everything? You know, with a plan for us and stuff. I don't know, Luz, but it keeps me up at night."

Both Luz and King stared at Ardyn strangely as he stared at them in silence. "...What?! I mean why are we out here, on the Boiling Isles?" Luz was quick to correct him, placing the sack on the ground.

"Oh. Uh... yeah." Ardyn looked down, feeling extremely awkward.

"What was all that stuff about God?" Luz asked.

"Uh...hm? Nothing." He shook his head.

"You wanna talk about it?"

"No."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Seriously though, why are we here? I'm more than certain that you're here because you're a hy-" Ardyn quickly slapped his hand over her mouth before she finished that sentence and looked around. Luckily, there was no one around to listen in on them.

"Remember what Eda and Romani said about me? Don't go saying about me being a you-know-what," he whispered to her, before stepping back.

"But that just proves my point. You're here because you're special." Luz then placed a hand on her chest. "What if I, Luz Noceda, average teen, actually had..." she then gasped and spread her arms out as she exclaimed, "...a predetermined path of greatness?! Just. Like. Azura!"

Ardyn sighed in annoyance and pinched the bridge of his nose. Here we go again. Luz was fangirling again. "Luz, that's just a book. It's meant to be read by young teenagers like you and me that are looking for an escape from their mediocre lives...like video games and tv shows."

"Yeah. And did Azura's path to greatness involved her delivering boil cream?" King asked sarcastically as he pulled out a bottle of the boil cream.

"Today I'm delivering packages, but tomorrow I'll be earning the respect of everyone on the Boiling Isles with my magical prowess," Luz exclaimed with confidence.

"Ha! Good luck," King said, looking at their surroundings. "The Boiling Isles is nothing but a cesspool of despair."

"Oh c'mon, it can't be that bad...Right?" Ardyn scoffed/asked, brushing off the little demon.

Oh, it was bad. It was really bad.

As they were delivering the potions, Ardyn and Luz quickly found out that her idea of the Boiling Isles was a magical place filled with delight were shattered. Instead of wanting the buy the potions, all they wanted to do was eat them or they were simply told to back off. All the while, Ardyn was trying to not let his anger get the better of him and beat any of them that tried to eat them. However, he didn't want to bring attention to himself and make Eda angry by scaring away her customers.

"I know I've had enough delight for one day," King said, eating a "notdog", a hotdog made of bug and other strange things.

"Well, this is complete crap," Ardyn commented, grabbing one of the elixirs. "We haven't sold one of these things. And everyone here is just trying to eat us or are just plain rude." He dropped the sack, just as Luz was fishing out her book from the sack. Ardyn looked at her and noticed the sad expression she had. "What's the matter, Luz?"

"I thought being the only humans in a magical world would make me special," Luz said

Ardyn wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Yeah, I know what you mean. But it's also important to remember that life isn't like the books that we read. We came to this world by accident."

"But your mom was from here, and you're capable of being a powerful witch, like Ordan," opening the book to a page that showed Ordan seeing his potential in becoming the Strongest Warrior-Mage. She then flipped to a page that showed Azura receiving a quest. "But what about me? At this point, Azura had already been sent on an enchanted quest. Where's my quest‐granting wizard?"

"Sorry to break it to you, Luz, but no one here is that well‐dressed," King said, pointing to the notdog vendor, who was a green blob with eyes and a brain wearing a ball cap.

Ardyn gave him a glare that said stop being a jerk to his crush. "Look, it's been a rough day. Let's just deliver this last package and go home," he said, standing up and holding out his hand to her. Luz looked up at him as he smiled down at her reassuringly. Smiling back, the girl put her book back into the sack and grabbed his hand.

Ardyn pulled her up and Luz picked up the sack of potions and elixirs. King then hopped back on Ardyn's shoulder, and the two teenagers proceeded to go down a dark alley way. They continued walking until they came up to a tarp at the end of it."

"Maybe this world isn't what I thought it wa‐‐," Luz said, before Ardyn pulled the tarp back, and the two friends froze and gasped.

"...Holy Mary, mother of Joseph!" Ardyn muttered under his breath.

In front of them was a large and beautiful castle that looked like it was ripped straight out a fantasy book. Beams of sunlight shined down on the castle through the clouds above, giving the fantastic build a shining presentation, one that could have only been replicated in movies and TV shows.

Ardyn and Luz walked towards the large doors of the castle and looked at a golden doorbell. Luz, beaming happily and her spirits lifting, rang the bell. Suddenly, the large doors started opening. Ardyn pulled out the Leviathan Axe as the doors swung slowly open completely. He could feel an eerie coldness emanating from inside.

He lowered his axe as King said, "Big houses always belong to big whack jobs. Let's kick the package inside and get out of here."

However, Luz ignored him and started walking into the castle. "Hello?" Ardyn followed after her but didn't sheath his axe.

"Hey, what are you doing?" King protested, before the doors closed behind them. Making the little demon yelp. Ardyn looked behind them at the closed doors. Luz continued on ahead.

"No turning back now," he said, before running to catch up with Luz. Together, the two walked into a large room. "Hello! Anyone home?!"

But no one answered, making the two friends look at one another. "W-We're delivering a package from Miss Eda, the Owl Lady," Luz said.

Just then, candles/torches began to light up around the room. Bringing light to the darkened interior and allowing Ardyn, Luz, and King to see what was going on around them. To their amazement, they were standing inside of a large library with hundreds of books filled with magical text and history and stories. On the other side of the room was a look set of stairs that led up to a third floor. On that third floor was a large portrait of who was likely the owner of the castle displayed on the wall above a large doorway.

Showing what had to be the most stereotypical wizard Ardyn had ever seen. The man looked exactly like Yen Sid from Fantasia, only instead of a blue robe with a hat that had stars on it, it was purple with stairs on the robe. The man had a large bread and mustache, tanned skin, glasses, red eyes, and pointed eyes.

But then the real-life wizard made his presence known to the two apprentices when he walked from the doorway.

Luz gasped and became giddy. "Today just got good," she squealed in amazement as the wizard began walking down the steps. "Magical wizard!"

"Weird old man in jim‐jams."

"Yeah, I smell a trap." Ardyn agreed with the little demon. Even though this wizard looked friendly, his cynical nature couldn't help but feel like there was something else going on. "Are you the owner of this place?"

"Indeed, I am, wandering travelers. I was in my study with my planisphere, reading the constellation of the stars," the wizard said as he reached the bottom of the stairs. Stroking his bread. "And who might you two be, with eyes full of curiosity?"

"We're here to deliver these to you," Ardyn said, grabbing the sack from Luz and throwing it towards the wizard who caught it with ease with his magic as he places it down gently. "Now, we'll be going." He grabbed Luz's hand and was about to pull her along to the exit.

Suddenly the wizard walked up to them. "Young lady, dare I say, I sense something unique about you," he said. Ardyn didn't trust this guy and the feeling that he was setting off caused alarms to go off in his head. The wizard stepped back and drew a magic circle summoning three chairs and a small table that had tea and snacks on it. "Please, won't you both join me for tea?"

Luz gasped. "Okay." she said in her happy tone. She was about to pull away from Ardyn when yanked her hand back. Stopping her.

"Luz, we need to leave. We've dropped off the package, now let's get back to Eda," Ardyn said, gazing at the wizard with suspicion.

"Yeah, now let's scram! These kinds of wizards are just old people with glitter in their pockets," King said.

Just to prove his point, the wizard reached into his pocket and pulled out some glitter, before dropping it to the floor.

"I don't trust him."

"But the stars on his robe are sparkling. And look, there's a baby fox in his beard." Luz gushed. And just as she said, there was indeed a baby fox resting in the locks of the old man's beard. "Plus, I see scones on the table."

"Where!?" King jumped off Ardyn's shoulder and rushed towards the table. Jumping up on it and started digging into the snacks.

"We'd love to join you for tea." Luz was then the one pulling Ardyn as she walked over to the chairs. But when Ardyn pulled back, she turned to see him scowling at her. "Come on, Ardyn, it's fine. We'll just have some tea, and then be gone."

Ardyn gazed at her for a while, until her eyes began to waver into a puppy-eyed expression. Ardyn looked away and stared at the wizard. He didn't trust him, and even instinct in his body was telling him to not stay in the same room any longer. However, he sighed. "Fine, 10 minutes and we're gone. Ok?" he said.

Luz gasped happily before pulling him into a hug. Ardyn blushed and nervously laughed as she nuzzled his neck. "Thank you so much!"

When she lets go, she led him over a chair. Ardyn sat down but didn't put away his axe. He placed it on his lap and picked up a cup of tea. But he didn't take a sip and instead started talking to the wizard. Ardyn then looked to his left and saw various kinds of potions on the table behind him.

"So, you sell potions too, Mr. Wizard?" He asked the wizard with a raised eyebrow.

"Please, call me Adegast. And, yes, I run a small business," Adegast replied. Ardyn looked around with a raised eyebrow. Noting how huge the place was.

"Yeah, small."

King piped up after finishing off one of the plates of food. All the food was gone, having been eaten by the little demon. "You should run a small business of more scones into my mouth. Yes!"

"I'm surprised to see you here. It was my understanding that Eda delivered the packages herself," Adegast said to Luz and Ardyn.

"It's kind of a long story," Ardyn said, placing down the tea. "We came to this world by accident and Eda's been kind enough to let us live with her."

"Now we're kind of, sort of, her apprentices," Luz finished with a smile.

"Oh! And how are you finding the experience so far?" The wizard asked, stroking his bread.

"Enlightening," Ardyn retorted in a dry tone.

However, when Luz didn't answer right away with her usual excitement to learn about magic, he turned his head. Watching as her smile slowly drained away into a somber expression as she sighed. "Well, actually, when I decided to stay in this magical world, I thought I was meant for something special. But Eda thinks I'm meant for chores and I'm afraid I came to the wrong place."

She then felt a hand on her shoulder and saw it was Ardyn's. But when she looked at him smiling at her comfortingly, trying to cheer her up, Luz looked away.

Ardyn's attention was then brought back to Adegast when he stood with a smile. Ardyn knew that kind of smile all too well. It was a fake smile. "Well, I have a quest‐‐"

"A quest?!" Luz exclaimed happily when she cut him off, quickly standing up from her chair and dropping her teacup. It shattered on the floor.

Adegast chuckled. "You didn't let me finish. I have a question," he said, making Luz slightly slump a little when she realized she jumped the gun. "Would you like to go on a quest?"

"Yes!" Luz yelled.

"Wait, what?!" Ardyn asked as he stood up. Completely bewildered. "Just like that?! You're just giving us a quest to go on?"

"Indeed, I am." said the wizard as he pulled out a scroll from his beard. It was perfectly rolled up that was tied up and had a red insignia on it. "And I might have just the thing for you two." He unrolled it in front of the two teenagers. "The prophecy speaks of a young human girl who will claim the Celestial Staff and free this world from an ancient evil. "Perhaps, thou, has come here for a reason."

Ardyn's eyes narrowed in suspicion at the quest. "Yeah," he said with half caution, half sarcasm. "And that so-called 'evil' will turn out to be related to her. Come on, you really think we're going to buy this?"

"Perhaps I have," Luz said as she touched the map.

Ardyn's eyes widened. "Are you freaking kidding me, Luz?!" He yelled, but she didn't pay him any attention. Too sucked in by the thought of going on this quest and living out her fantasy.

"Should you believe yourself worthy to attempt this quest..." Adegast said as he started walking away, and the girl followed him.

"So worthy." She said, eyeing the map.

"Luz!" Ardyn yelled again as King climbed upon his shoulder.

"...you need to know the road is dark and perilous," Adegast continued as he put his hands behind his back. But he and Luz ignored Ardyn, who ran over and caught up with them.

"Love peril. Big fan of peril," Luz said.

"This is crazy, Luz. We just came to deliver the potions," Ardyn said loudly, trying to get her attention.

"And only the Chosen One can pull the staff from its post," Adegast finished. Seeing that they weren't going to be listening to him, Ardyn looked around something to get their attention.

That made Luz stop with wide eyes. "Chosen one..."

Suddenly there was a loud metallic bang that echoed throughout the room. Ardyn had used the Leviathan Axe and hit its flat side against a suit of armor. A moment later, the armor fell apart onto the floor. Finally getting Luz and Adegast to turn and look at him. "Okay, wait, stop. Just stop, beardy!" He growled, pointing the magical battle axe at the wizard.

Adegast looked a little surprised. "Um, what is it, young man?"

"What is it? What is it! First of all, we were just supposed to deliver the potions to you. Then you suddenly invite us in and just randomly give us a dangerous quest. And now after all of that, you're asking me what is it?!"

"Ardyn, don't be rude," Luz whispered to him with a disappointing frown.

"Look, we appreciate the tea and sacks and the random quest that you've given us, but just take the potions, because we have to go!" He said to Adegast, grabbing Luz's hand.

"Yes, we have to go," Luz said, rolling up the scroll. Before throwing up her fists. "And pack for this enchanted quest! I'm in."

"Wha- LUZ?!"

"Wonderful!" Adegast said happily.

After returning to the owl house, Luz immediately darted past Ardyn when he tried to stop her and rushed up to their closet/room. When he entered the room, Ardyn found that she had already begun to pack her things. Preparing to go on her quest. "So, King, Ardyn, what kind of Chosen One should I be?" she asked, after sheathing the toy sword in a scabbard that was able to fit.

King yawned as he was preparing to take a nap on Luz's rolled up sleeping bag. "Huh? What?"

Luz then grabbed her Azura book and held it up to the right side of her head. "Should I be full of optimism and goodness, like the Good Witch Azura?" She asked, before moving the book to the left side of her head. "Or should I be like a bad girl Chosen One, with black nail polish and a mysteriously withdrawn attitude?" She then returned to her fangirl self when she made the book talk with a weird voice. "'I act like I don't care, but I secretly do.'"

"You're really serious about this, aren't you?" Ardyn asked, concerned.

"Of course I am. I just feel it in my gut that I'm destined to be here for a reason," Luz said with determination and a clenched fist. "Also, Ardyn, can I borrow your battle axe?"

"No, you may not borrow the Leviathan Axe, because you're not going on that stupid quest!" Ardyn said with a stern glare.

"What?! Why?" Luz asked, looking at Ardyn with a shocked expression.

"Think about it. A stranger who you've never met before wants you to go on a quest to retrieve a staff. Aren't you the least the little bit suspicious?" Ardyn asked.

"But this is my chance to finally get a magic staff," Luz said, flipping through the pages of her book to the image of Azura retrieving her staff. "Just how Aruza got her staff-"

"But she didn't go on a quest to retrieve her staff. She had to earn it by making it herself." Ardyn said, before taking the book from Luz and then flipping it to a page that showed Azura and Ordan battling the wizard. "And haven't you forgotten that the wizard only sent them on that very same quest to get to the witch? Does that ring any bells to you?"

"But maybe things will be different!" Luz adamantly said, grabbing her book from her friend. She then glared at her friend with a hint of jealousy. "Why can't you just be happy for me?! You're a Human-Witch Hybrid, you're destined to be a great witch, but what about me?"

"What?" asked Ardyn, confused about where this was coming from. "Luz, what are you-"

"Ugh! Why can't you just let me have this?" Luz yelled at her friend. "I thought you were my friend!"

"I am your friend! And I'm trying to make sure that you don't end up-"

The argument was put on hold when Eda entered the room, holding a severed blue monster hand by the bone. "I was summoned by the sound of friends fighting," she said, before walking over to them with a raised eyebrow. Rubbing her free hand with the monster's hand. "Where is it? Show me the fight! I'm not too late for the beginning, right?"

SLAM!

Her excitement came to a grinding halt as she looked at the Leviathan Axe's blade buried into the wall with a shocked look on her face. She looked back to the teens and saw Ardyn with a very deep scowl. Eda flinched from the stare as it reminded her of Anna when she was pissed.

"Not now, Eda!" Ardyn growled.

"Whoa! What's with you two?" Eda asked, pointing at the two kids with the hand's finger, before resting the monster's hand on her shoulder when noticing the things Luz was packing. "Wait, what's going on?"

"Eda, tell Luz how dumb wizards are," King said as he hopped off Luz's sleeping bag and hopped on Ardyn's shoulder.

"Ugh! Wizards are the worst. Never trust a man in casual drapery wearing scandals," Eda said while waving around the hand like it was her own. "Why?"

"Yeah, well one of your wizard clients was really weird. Kept yammering on about a quest he wanted Luz to go on," Ardyn explained, expressing his concern for what Luz was getting herself into. "He even gave her a map."

"Yeah, and he told Luz... she was a‐‐" King tried to hold it in, but he fell off Ardyn's shoulder and started laughing on the ground. "...was a Chosen One!"

"Wait, wait, Luz?" Eda snickered, before joining in on the laughter. Ardyn looked at Luz and his crush started to become really embarrassed. Flustering and trying to hide her face behind the book.

Seeing his friend looking down with embarrassment, Ardyn glared at Eda and King. "Okay, back off, you two! This is serious!"

Getting back up after falling on her back from laughing hysterically, Eda walked over to them. "Fine, let me see this map." Luz handed her the map, and the witch took a moment to look it over. Seeing if it was genuine with all this nonsense of her female appearance being a chosen one. "Welp, I can honestly say... Ardyn's right, Luz."

"Wait what?" Luz asked, looking more depressed.

"You didn't think this was real, did you? This map is bunk. There's no lake with a Celestial Staff on the Boiling Isles. I would have stolen it ages ago," Eda said. Luz looked down at the ground with a sad expression on her face. Ardyn tried to comfort her by placing a hand on her shoulder. With a somewhat sympathetic look, Eda handed her back the map. "Ah, don't worry. Couple more months here and you won't look like such a mark."

Luz pushed Ardyn's hand off her shoulder. "Can I have some time alone?"

Eda shrugged her shoulders as King and Ardyn followed her out of the room. But before leaving, Ardyn stopped and looked back at Luz. "Luz?"

But she didn't respond, and just rubbed her hand on the map. Ardyn sighed and closed the door behind him.

Ardyn walked down the stairs to the living room where Romani, King and Eda were. The demon had climbed onto the couch and was getting ready to take another one of his naps. "Finally! All that mean‐spirited laughter made me sleepy," he said, resting his head on a pillow. Suddenly he was punched HARD on the top of his head by Ardyn as he fell off the couch with a whine. "OW! What the heck was that for?!"

"Shut the hell up, you little bastard," Ardyn said, scolding King for his and Eda's attitude to his best friend, causing both Eda and King to shrink from the scolding they're getting. Seriously, this kid was indeed Anna's kid. "Even if Luz had taken a fake map and was told a lie, you and Eda shouldn't have laughed at her."

"Ardyn's right you two." Romani said causing Eda and King to look at him in surprise. "You two have to understand that she and Ardyn are new to the Boiling Isles so they don't know the rules of this island. While Ardyn is wising up to not be fooled her, Luz from what I've seen is a very kind-hearted, outgoing, eccentric girl that is eager to find her place in this world. I think you two should apologize for laughing at her."

Eda looked between the two for a moment before letting of a deep sigh. "You're right, I should go talk to her...Speaking of which, you said that the wizard was one of my clients?" Eda asked as she stood in front of them.

"Yes. Now go away," King said, snuggling back into his pillow.

"He seemed like he knew you," Ardyn said, setting the Leviathan Axe down against the couch's armrest and then sitting on said armrest with his arms crossed. "Kept asking us about our training and then when Luz explained that she was hoping for a quest, he just gave it to her."

That got Eda thinking for a moment, and she sat down on the couch with a hand under her chin. "I don't know him that well. And I don't trust this itch he's scratching in Luz," she told Ardyn.

"Me neither. Luz never fit in anywhere back home, just like me. But she's always been so determined to be who she wants to be, even if the world is trying to bring her down," Ardyn said, looked down. He couldn't really say the same thing for himself. He was so grounded with the idea that he would never be anything special, unlike her, that he still doesn't really know how to feel about being a Human-Witch Hybrid. In truth he thought that his ears were just a birth defect, but now he's not so sure.

"Sound like a good friend to have Ardyn." Romani said with a smile on his as he pats Ardyn on the back as he heads back to his room.

"Less talky, more nappy," King said with his eyes closed.

Ardyn frowned at King before sighing. He was still troubled by Adegast, but he was also a little confused by Luz's words when they were arguing. It hurt when she questioned their friendship, but he was also confused by her outburst at him about being a Human-Witch Hybrid. It was almost like she was jealous of the fact that he was something special and she was.

He got up and walked back up the stairs and approached their door. He knocked on it and waited for a response. "Luz? Are you in there?"

But there was no response.

"Luz, I just want to talk."

Again, no answer. Ardyn opened the door and gasped. Luz was gone. All her things were gone. And the window was open.

"Eda! Romani! Luz is gone!" He called down the hallway to the witch, before rushing into the room. He climbed through the window, and carefully walked out onto the round roof. "LUZ! LUZ! Damn it, she's too far to hear me." He then got down on his hands and knees and looked down over the edge. "Hey, Hooty! Have you seen where Luz went!?"

Hooty then stretched his head up to Ardyn. "Hoot, hoot. If you want the answer that you seek, solve my riddle within a week‐‐" He stopped when Ardyn drew out Leviathan Axe.

"Hooty, if you do not tell me right now, I'M GONNA TEAR YOU DOWN BRICK BY BRICK!" Ardyn yelled in absolute anger. Slamming his axe into the wall just to prove his point as ice begins to build on the house.

"Ow that's cold! Okay, okay. She went into the forest towards Bonesborough. Sheesh, sorry!" Hooty said before retreating to the front door of the house.

"What?! Why would she...Ugh damnit Luz!" Ardyn groaned in annoyance. He then jumped down from the roof onto the ground and started running towards town. But before he got far, Eda floated down on her magic staff with King.

"Get on!" Eda yelled with her arm gesturing for him to climb aboard. "We're going to have a talk with this 'Adegast'."

When they reached the town, Eda floated the staff down onto the ground near where they found the alleyway. Ardyn quickly got off and started running for the path that led to the castle with King on his shoulder and Eda following behind them. Something was definitely wrong, as they couldn't find the shiny castle from the sky.

Entering the alleyway, Ardyn slowed down and drew the Leviathan Axe from his back and approached the tarp-covered entrance. "Are you sure this is the way?" asked Eda, without her staff.

"This is where we met the scones," King said, perched on Ardyn's shoulder.

"King!" Ardyn snapped as he raised his fist.

"I mean, the wizard." He corrected himself as he didn't want to get hit on the head again.

Ardyn shook his head and found the entrance with the tarp still covering the entrance. He marched towards it with a determined look on his face, before grabbing the tarp and ripping it down. But when he laid his eyes on the castle, the Human-Witch Hybrid gasped in shock and horror.

The once bright and shiny castle has what could only be described as aged hundreds of years older than when he and King were there the last time. No longer was the sun's light shining down on it with heavenly effects. Instead, the sky was the normal gloomy bright colors of the Demon Realm. The castle's structure was in complete shambles. Walls were falling apart, some of the roofs had caved in. It looked as though no one has lived in the castle for decades.

"Whoa! It wasn't like this before," King said as Ardyn started walking towards the ruined castle. Eda moved to walk beside her male apprentice.

"I feel like I'm in a Dark Souls game," Ardyn said to no one in particular.

He and Eda opened the doors together and saw that the library was in complete shambles. Paints were ripping and falling apart. Bookshelves were collapsing, and debris was shattered on the floor and upper floors.

"I don't like this," Eda said as they walked into the library.

But before they begin investigating, there was a sudden metallic sound coming from a corner of the room. One of the sets of armor that was in the room came to life. It had in its hands a large halberd. It was a weapon that consisted of an axe blade topped with a spike mounted on a long staff.

"I really don't like this," Eda said, summoning her staff.

The knight rushed at Ardyn and Eda and swung its weapon in a wide arching sweep. Ardyn jumped and rolled out of the way before rushing that the armor. The helmet looked at him and swung down at him. King jumped off Ardyn's shoulder as the human-witch hybrid blocked the attack by raising his axe over his head. But he jumped out of the way when it swept at him again.

Eda joined in the fight by launching fireballs at the living armor, knocking it back, but not defeating it. When it's back was turned to Ardyn, he got up and rushed the knight. With a wide swing, he chopped off the helmet. But he was knocked back when it hit him in the chest. Making him slam against a railing.

Ardyn groaned in pain as the knight advanced towards him. But before it could attack, Eda's magic brought down a large boulder down on the knight. Crushing the armor completely.

"Is it over," King asked, poking his head out from behind his hiding place.

As the little demon ran over to climb back on Ardyn's shoulder, the teenager stood back up. Eda walked over to them with several pieces of paper in her hands. "What the hell was that? You ever seen anything like that before?" Ardyn asked the witch.

"It's a very basic possession spell. But I've found something very interesting," Ed said, handing Ardyn the papers in her right hand.

Returning the Leviathan Axe to his holster on his back, Ardyn grabbed the papers and looked at them. His eyes widened in shock. They were all maps that were very similar to the map that Adegast gave Luz. That's when his hand started to glow again. And just like yesterday, the magic/transmutation circle appeared on both of his hands.

His magic activated something else on the maps he was holding. Displaying blue glowing writing and a line that had a path going through each of the maps.

The Chosen One

The PATH WILL only APPEAR To The WORTHY

"Eda, what is this?" Ardyn asked, looking up at his witch master.

"It's an off-brand invisible ink message that only appears in the sunlight," Eda said, looking across the ground. Ardyn looked down and saw more of the scrolls. Luz must have been near the window and when it revealed the message, she must have gotten it in her head that she really was a chosen one. That's why she went on the quest.

"How do we find her?!" Ardyn asked worriedly, holding up the maps. "They're all so different."

"I can pick up her scent," King said, pointing himself. He then hopped down onto the ground. "Don't worry, there's no mistaking her smell. Like lemons and young, naive confidence."

King got on all fours and started sniffing the ground. Eda and Ardyn watch him as he did his work. Ardyn was becoming increasingly worried about his secret crush.

After a moment, King lifted his head. "I've got her!"

"Damn it," Eda said in annoyance as they have been traveling through the forest on Eda's staff, and the further they went into the forest, they noticed the area around them changing. The bright colors of the trees faded away, as the clouds above them began to grow darker.

Now they were standing at the entrance of a ruined village. The state of which was the same as the castle that belonged to 'Adegast,' if not worst. There were veins going through the houses and homes. There were crates and barrels that were smashed or on their sides, spilling out their contents. To Ardyn, it looked as if the village was abandoned for years. Something bad had happened.

"Are you sure she came here?" Ardyn asked King, as the little demon sniffed the ground.

"Positive," King said, jumping back on Ardyn's shoulder.

Ardyn looked around, before spotting something. In a water fountain that was covered in large veins, there was a body. It looked like an anthropic car with a scarf and mittens. But its eyes were strange.

He walked over to the fountain and as he got closer. The closer he got, Ardyn saw it wasn't a dead body, but a puppet.

Eda walked past him and kneed down in front of the fountain. She then hit the cat by flicking its head with her finger. "Hey! Wake up, you." She demanded, before grabbing the puppet. "What have you done with Luz? What's your endgame?"

"To find your pupil and still your wrath, look ahead and follow the path." The cat said in a disoriented squeaky voice.

Ardyn growled in anger, before snatching the puppet from Eda, startling the witch. Ardyn pulled out The Leviathan Axe and held the blade to its neck. "I've had enough of this crap! Tell us where Luz is, or I swear to whatever god you worship, I will kill you!" Ardyn yelled in anger. All his worrying about his friend's safety and the thought that someone had tricked her in order to do harm to her made his fury be known.

"To find your friend, follow the path and you shall see," said the cat puppet. It then started cackling as it crumbled and shriveled up in Ardyn's hand. Turning into dust that flew away with the wind.

"Aaahh! The cat man melted!" King screamed.

Eda sighed as she stood. "It's a trap. They want me to follow Luz."

"But who?" Ardyn asked, wiping the dust off on his pants. He then gasped in shock as a startling realization hit him. "This is just like in the book. The wizard used Azura and Ordan to get to the witch. Which means Adegast is just like that wizard."

"That's just it, Ardyn," Eda said, turning to him with a serious expression. "This isn't the work of a wizard." Ardyn looked confused and frightened before she began to explain. "I know this guy. He's no wizard. He's what you'd call a puppeteer, a demon who specializes in scamming and manipulating people. He's trying to use Luz to get to me."

"Then we have to do something! She could be in danger!" Ardyn said desperately.

"Yeah, but could that somehow involve us not going in the direction of the trap?" King asked.

"If you can think of a better plan, I'd love to hear it," Eda said, summoning her staff.

Luz was having the time of her life.

When she had first set out on this quest, she was optimistic as the call to adventure cried out to her. And the journey was everything that she had expected it to be. First, she came across a magical town of talking cats, and met Nethrath Bladestrife, teen prince of Angstmore. So, she was not only traveling with a hunky teen prince, but one that also had a vengeful backstory. Then they came across more jolly comrades like Chris the old cat that guarded the bridge. That's how she got Nethrath to become shirtless as he gave it to her as a cloak.

Now they walked into a clearing between the trees that loomed over them. Joining them was a tiny little fairy princess. "Thank you for inviting me to your feast, Princess. All your food was so tiny and cute," Luz complimented the prince. On her left finger was a ring that Chris had given her.

The princess then used her magic to summon to gold and green bracelets. "For you, Chosen One," she said, placing the bracelets in Luz's hands, who then slipped them onto her left wrist.

"Thank you," she said to the princess, before turning to all her companions. "You've all been so kind and thoughtful." She then skipped up into the air with joy. This was truly everything she's ever asked for. "I hope this quest never ends!"

"Your quest will soon come to an end, for the staff you seek is around the bend," Chris pipped up.

Well, that ruined the magic fantasy moment Luz was having and she looked a little annoyed. "Thanks for ruining the mood, Chris," she said, slumping her shoulders.

"Go on, Chosen One. The Celestial Staff is yours. You've earned it," said Nethrath, beckoning for Luz to continue forward.

Luz smiled at everyone, before turning and heading off to get the staff. Behind her, everyone that has helped her waved their goodbyes.

As birded twitted over her head after walking for a while, Luz would gasp as she reached her destination, and with it, her prize. She has reached the legendary lake, and in the middle of it stood the Celestial staff on a pedestal, in the middle of a platform on the lake.

She marveled at the sight of the staff, as it looked exactly like Azura's. Luz walked towards the staff, before stopping in front of the lake. Just when she was about to swim, the water started glowing brightly and bubbles started to rise. Then the ground started rumbling, before a stone pathway to the staff rose from the depths. Connecting the path to the staff.

Luz smiled brightly. "I knew this world wasn't all gloom and doom like Eda and King said. There is wonder here! Ardyn may be a Human-Witch Hybrid, but I... I think I came here for a reason," Luz said, twirling around.

She walked down the pathway to the staff, entranced by its glowing. Stopping in front of it, she basked in the staff's light, as it tempted her to come closer. "Okay, this is it. Moment of truth," Luz said, reaching out to grab the staff.

When she wrapped her fingers around it, and intense magic burst from staff. Swirling around her and making ripples in the water. She then pulled the staff free from its platform and held it up high.

"Yes! I am the Chosen One! I knew it! I always suspected there was a reason nobody understood my wacky antics back at home. Well, maybe except Ardyn, but now, I have concrete proof!" Luz laughed in triumph. She knew that they didn't come here by accident. She knew there had to be something to her that made her special. Sure, she felt bad about being jealous about Ardyn being a Human-Witch Hybrid, but now she could be equal to him. Now they were both destined for greatness!

Or so it seemed. The joy she felt disappeared, just as the staff when it suddenly turned into dust in her hands. "No!" She gasped, trying to grab it in vain.

And then it got worst. First, the flowers and plants around her withered and decayed. The water of the lake drained from the area. Everything around her just seemed to die. The trees lost their colors, as their leaves blew away and crumbled in the wind. Leaving the trees bare and lifeless as the abandoned ruins she now stood in.

The magic was gone, and Luz was felt in despair filling her heart as a big fog surrounded the young girl. Making it hard to see the exit. "What's going on?" She whimpered and pulled out her toy sword.

"Luz, the human." Said a familiar voice behind her. She turned around to see Adegast walking out of the fog with a smile.

"Magical wizard?" She asked, greatly confused.

"Your hubris has failed you, Witch Apprentice," Adegast yelled out, as his voice changed drastically. All while his body went limp and a dark figure started to appear behind the puppet of the wizard.

The wizard's body was moved out of the way, and Adegast's true form was revealed as a large, light mauve octopus-like monster who had both tentacles and arms. He had yellow teeth with revealing gums, and black scleras with yellow iris and black pupils. The body of the wizard being held up by one of his tentacles.

As the monster cackled maniacally, Luz backed away with a look of horror. Then spots on the floor around her started crumbling and cracking, before the people that Luz thought were her friends came up. All of them revealing to be puppets with blank stares while being manipulated by the large tentacles.

"Okay, Luz. Don't panic. This is classic Chosen One biz," Luz said, trying to be brave. But the reality was, she was scared. This wasn't what she wanted her quest to be like. However, she still hung onto the fantasy that she was still destined for greatness. "You just have to rescue everybody and defeat the final boss. Just like you do with Ardyn-"

"I AM EVERYBODY!" Adegast yelled in a dark and harsh tone, scaring Luz as his wizard puppet got right up in her face. "You stupid brat, don't you see? I'm no wizard. And you're no Chosen One. I've tricked you."

Luz's eyes widened as he laughed evilly. "What?" She then noticed her cape was starting to rise into the air, before it suddenly wrapped around her body like a rope. The bracelets turned into handcuffs, and the ring turned into a restraint for her fingers. "No! Betrayed by my own cool accessories." Luz said, fully realizing the mess that she's gotten herself into. All because this jerk had to play with her desires. Luz glared at the demon. "Why are you doing this?!"

"Your mentor has been stealing customers from my potions business for years. She must be destroyed."

"Does everybody have a beef with Eda here?" Luz questioned the other puppets. All of them nodding their heads and voicing their agreement.

"And you lured her right into my trap, all because you wanted to think you were special. Just like your hybrid friend, who's going to be a double bonus for me!"

Luz's eyes widened in terror. "Ardyn..." She should have kept her mouth shut. Why did she have to say Ardyn was a Human-Witch Hybrid? She glared back at Adegast and demanded, "Why would you want Ardyn?"

"Do you have any idea how valuable a single hybrid is?! Just one is able to use all the magic in the world. But one of the Bronwyn line? After I kill him and take that power for myself, I'll be unstoppable!" Adegast proclaimed, raising his arms into the air with an evil cackle.

"Don't you dare touch him!" Luz screamed in fury, trying to get up to her feet attack Adegast. But she was pulled back down to the ground when the bounds around her arms and finger suddenly became too heavy for the young girl. While she had no idea who the Bronwyn are, but right now she didn't care for that. A friend that she deeply values is in danger from this guy-

"And it'll all because of you!"

Luz looked down at the ground as her whole body went numb. The reality of this fake quest had hit her. This was all just a trap to get Eda. She's only here because she had a false hope of being a chosen one. Adegast was right, she wasn't special. And now Ardyn was going to be in danger all because she got jealous of him. She didn't know why she became jealous. She's never one to get jealous about someone being something she's not. But Luz was so desperate to have a purpose in this world that she let her ambitions get the better of her.

"No. Joke's on you, 'cause Eda isn't stupid enough to fall for your trap," Luz yelled at him.

"Adegast!" a familiar voice yelled out from behind the trees.

"Oh, marde de dios!" Luz said in Spanish.

Eda, Ardyn, and King swooped down onto the path, before getting off the magic staff. Ardyn pulled out the Leviathan Axe and glared at Adegast. "Let go of Luz right now, you ugly calamari reject!" He yelled, fuming with anger.

"Eda, I have you now!" Adegast said, as more puppets popped out of the ground and Eda and King. Ardyn jumped back in time to dodge the tentacle and puppet grabbing at him and cuts the limb off. Adegast screamed in pain, before growling in anger.

"Last chance! Release Luz, Adegast!" Ardyn yelled, pointing Dragon's Bite at the monster.

"I didn't have to be a part of this!" King yelled as he struggled to free himself.

"Oh, she can leave if she wants to, hybrid. But I sense she wants a real fantasy," Said with an evil smile, before of his puppets let out a purple fog around Luz.

"NO!" Ardyn yelled and rushed over to her. However, he stopped when the same suit of knight armor that had attacked him and Eda in the castle appeared from the ground. Kicking him in the chest hard and sending the teenage boy on his back.

When he got back up, he glared at Adegast in anger. "What are you doing to her!?" He barked in with a dark tone in his voice.

"Right now, what she wants."

When Luz opened her eyes, she wasn't in her bounds. She didn't know where she was. Everything was so black. There was nothing. But then everyone that she had met on her journey appeared around her. "Stay with us, Luz. Stay with Adegast. We need you here. You could be our Chosen One," said Nevareth with a hand placed on her shoulder.

"Yeah, you can eat our tiny foods forever," said the fairy princess.

"Luz, why would you want to live in a world where people laugh at you?" Nevareth said, as a shadow covered the top part of his face.

Ardyn grunted as he blocked another swing at his head by the knight. He had cuts on his shirt from when he couldn't block or dodge, and some of those cuts had some small amount of blood dripping from them. "LUZ! DON'T LISTEN TO THEM!"

"It is beautiful here," said Luz, as the puppet of the princess floated behind her.

"Luz!" Eda yelled as she tried to break free.

"And you guys think I'm special," Luz said with a sad smile on her face.

See that he had to break Luz out of Adegast's spell, Ardyn dodged the knight's attack, when it thrusted its weapon at him. Jumping to the right and then running behind the suit of armor. He then swung down at cuts the tentacle controlling the armor off. Adegast screamed in pain as the armor fell apart on the stone path.

As the puppets started to surround and drew closer to her, Luz suddenly yelled. "But it's not real!"

Ardyn suddenly appeared out of the darkness and landed behind her, swinging his Leviathan Axe in a wide arch that made all the puppets move back. The fog around them disappearing. Luz stood up and grabbed her toy sword. "Are you okay?" Ardyn asked worriedly over his shoulder.

"I'm good," Luz said while glaring at Adegast. Ardyn turned and stood next to his best friend. Both ready for battle. "I am a Witch's Apprentice. And I'm going to earn my magic staff the hard way. I believed you, Magic Man. Now feel my wrath!"

Luz yelled a battle cry as she rushed at the wizard puppet, before stabbing into his chest. Adegast screamed in pain as his puppet and the top of his tentacle fell off. Luckily it was enough to free Eda and King from their bindings. King crawled onto Ardyn's shoulder as Eda picked up her staff.

"Let's give this guy a taste of reality," Ardyn said with a grin.

Adegast growled in anger and sent every puppet he had to attack Ardyn and Luz. Eda quickly took out most of the cat puppets by shooting a large column of fire at them. Incinerating the tentacles and making the puppet master scream in even more pain. Ardyn dodged Chris as Luz killed the fairy princess. He then cut off the head of the raggedy cat, making it fall onto the floor, with the tentacle that controlled it. Ardyn then heard Nevareth screaming as he charged at Ardyn. He swung down at the Hybrid, but Ardyn dodged the attack and then parried the next one. The two then locked weapons.

"I don't know why, pretty boy, but you piss me off!" He yelled, not knowing that the puppet was flirting with Luz. He then slams the teen prince in the chest with his weapon, the blade of the Leviathan Axe buried deep into it.

"AH! my flawless pecs!" The puppet screamed, before Ardyn pulled out the axe and cut him in half. Blood squirting out of the severed tentacle.

Suddenly and without warning, a tentacle arm flung out and grabbed King from behind. Ardyn gasped as King was yanked off his shoulder by the demon. "King!" He yelled in shock.

"Back off! Or the dog gets it!" Adegast said, as his last cat puppet held King as a hostage.

"I am not a‐‐!" King's protest was silenced when Adegast wrapped his tentacle around his mouth.

Eda and Luz dropped their sword and staff, raising their hands up. Ardyn, however, kept the Leviathan Axe in his hands. He grabbed the axe's handle with both hands as he raised it over his head. He smiled confidently.

Ardyn then threw the axe with all his might at Adegast. The Leviathan Axe spun around like a windmill as Adegast stared at it in shock, before the blade impaled the giant squid monster in the head. Adegast started screaming in agony as blood shot out of his head. King was released from the tentacle. Luz caught him and the group watched as stumbled back and forward, before he started to fall off the side of the path.

"Oh crap!" Ardyn yelled, trying to reach out for his axe.

Suddenly, the battle axe magically dislocated its blade from the monster's head and zoomed back to Ardyn. Startling the teenager as it returned to his hand.

Adegast's corpse fell over the stone path of the ruins and falls onto the empty lake. His body landing with a loud thud as blood leaked out onto the ground.

Ardyn, Luz, Eda, and King stared down at the dead puppeteer demon for a moment before Eda said with her hands on her hips. "Well, that's the last time I take an outside referral."

The Human-Witch Hybrid then turned to his best friend as she turned away to look at where the staff used to be. "Luz, are you okay?"

"...No, not really. I'm so confused," she said as she held King in her arms. "This place- this world- is nothing like I imagined." Luz then worked up the courage to face her best friend. "Ardyn, I'm so sorry. I should have listened to you and never trusted that wizard. You were right. He isn't mystical or magical. He's just a big, slimy jerk. You were only looking out for me. I was just...jealous of you."

"Jealous?" Ardyn asked a little taken aback, making Luz frown. "Luz, why would you be..." When he paused, he realized why she felt that way. "Oh..."

"You're a Human-Witch Hybrid. You're, like, destined to be here. Learn magic and become a powerful witch, like your mom." Luz then looked away with an ashamed expression. "I guess I felt like you were living your own fantasy without me."

Ardyn looked sadly at her, before putting on a sad smile. "Luz, I never asked to be a hybrid, and...if things were different, I would have wanted you to be the same as I am." he admitted, and Luz looked at him with wide eyes filled with shock. But then he looked down sadly. "But...that would have meant that you would have gone through the same things I went through when I lost my family. To never know your mother from whom I was born from and to lose your father in a war on terror overseas."

"Ardyn..." Luz muttered, placing a hand on his shoulder. But he smiled and grabbed her hand with his.

"But you are special in your own unique way, Luz. You just have to find your own path to being a witch," Ardyn said sincerely. Luz smiled with tears coming out of her eyes before hugging her best friend.

"Well, if you two love birds are down, come with me. I got something to show you," Eda said as she beckoned the two humans onto her staff.

Before the two could do this, the ground begins to violently shake. suddenly skeletal hands shot up from the ground as sprang up into life as they grew up to be six-feet-tall with rotted flesh begins to surround the bones as each of them had glowing yellow/blue eyes, large, jagged teeth, and carrying rusted weapons as there was at least thirty of them currently surrounding the group. However only two of them were wearing thick armor (one red and the other blue) that look like it came from Celtic/Norse Mythology and carrying giant swords to go with it.

"Eda?! What are these things?!" Luz said as she held up her toy sword as Ardyn raised his axe, ready to fight.

"Zombies?" Ardyn asked as Eda shook her head as she had a serious look on her face.

"Worse. They're Dragurs. Looks like this place was a battlefield before it became their burial ground and now that Adegast and his illusions are gone, nothing seems to be holding them back from the dead. Get ready kids!" Eda said with her staff raised as the two armored draugr raised their swords into the air and let loose a roar at the other draugr to kill the intruders for daring to enter this place as they obediently followed their master's commands and rushed forwards to the group to kill them.

Ardyn, Luz, King, and Eda prepared themselves as the horde got close to them as they begin their counterattack. Ardyn, with the Leviathan Axe, begins cutting though them as he lobbing off their limbs and decapitating their heads off so that they don't come back while dodging their attacks with only a few cuts and scraps. Luz was doing the same as Ardyn, but due to her sword being a plastic toy in the end, it broke causing her to dodge most attack as she grabs one of the fallen sword nearby as she continues to fight along side Ardyn. King was mostly dodging the attacks as he begins to run around the enemy as they begin to chase him to take him out. However, this was what King wanted them to do as he led them straight to Eda as she cast fire magic to burn the chasing draugr to ash.

Now all that remained were the two armored draugr. Eda launches a fire spell towards the duo draugr, but the blue one cast a water spell to counter the attack. Eda was about to cast another spell, but she had to dodge a wave of flame from the red one, but that was what the wanted as the blue one did a shoulder check to send her back into a nearby tree. Ardyn and Luz took their chance and attacked the two armored draugrs, but their attacks were blocked without effort as the two draugrs sent both teens flying as Ardyn's box fell out of his backpack. As the two armored dragur approached, the box begins to glow a bright light as the lid of the box opens, causing two beams of pure energy to emerge from the box as both beams enter both Ardyn and Luz respectively, causing them both to feel pain that they never thought they would have ever felt. While this was happening, as the pain began to dull and the beams full entering their bodies, a voice was speaking though their minds.

['Do you desire strength?']

...who...are you?

['For we are but tools, to be used by a wielder.']

…How?

['Use us, our Masters.']

"Install. Saber." Both Ardyn and Luz said in monotones as a pillar of multiple lights surround Ardyn while another pillar of flame and rose petals surrounded Luz, causing the two armored draugr to be sent flying back from the force that the pillars were releasing. When the pillars disperse, Eda and King were surprised at what they were seeing

Ardyn now appears as a young man with a mix of black, white, and blond hair with pale skin and azure blue eyes. His attire consists mainly of a black and white tunic with blue accents, black pants, thigh-high armored boots, and a short white cape with a black edge. Aside from his silver boots, his left arm has a gauntlet, and he wears a set of faulds at his waist. A sword scabbard hangs at his left side, and red marks coat his right gloved arm. In his hand is a blue and silver peerless longsword that emits multi-colored energy.

Luz now appears as a young woman of short but curvy stature with tan skin, a blend of brown and blond hair with intake that is tied into a complex bun and bright lime green eyes. She dresses in a revealing red and white military dress with long poofy sleeves, a transparent front, leotard, and knee high golden armored boots. In her hands is a hand-crafted crimson sword, made from meteor metal with inscription carved on it: regnum caelorum et gehenna (the kingdom of heaven and hell).

Eda and King were surprised at what just happened. Both Ardyn and Luz just use something like magic, but this wasn't like Boiling Isle magic. This... wasn't normal magic. "Kids? Are you ok?" Eda asked the two teens who looked at her for a moment before Ardyn had a look of surprise on his face.

"Oops! Bad, bad, it feels like an emergency summon! Well, the true name Charlemagne, the class is Saber! There are more major names, but that's a different word. Legend... No, I'll show you the hero as rumored!" 'Ardyn' or the man now known as Charlemagne said with a smile on his face. When he did his introduction, 'Luz' steps forward with a smile on her face.

"Servant Saber. Nero Claudius, I have arrived in response to my Masters call! Umu, She have chosen the right one!" 'Luz' or rather Nero Claudius said with a grin as King decided to speak up to tell the two Servants about what's going on.

"Okay listen you guys. I have no idea what's going on, but right now we got bigger problems! We can introduce ourselves later!" King says as he pointed to the two armored draugrs who got up from being sent flying and begin to charge at them again with their greatswords.

"...Point made, little one. So, I'll take care of the red one while you Nero take the blue one. Are you ready, Emperor of Roses?" Charlemagne said with a grin on his face as Nero who looked at him with her own smile on her face.

"Umu! Let's give them a good show, King of The Franks!"

That is was all that Nero said as she and Charlemagne block the attacks of their respective opponents, causing a shockwave to happen, but both Servants showed no signs of feeling the attack from their respective opponents. Before the armored draugrs did anything, and with a simple twist of their own wrists, Charlemagne and Nero send their opponents flying again. Nero was the first to attack as she delivered multiple burning slashes towards the blue armored draugr so fast that the naked eye can't follow as she finishes it off with a decapitation as the blue armored draugr was burnt away to ashes. Charlemagne was next as he shot towards the red armored draugr with his sword raised to slash him down. The Red Draugr was about to raise his weapon to counter his opponents attack, but it couldn't as four sword-like spears appear above it as the weapons slammed into it as Charlemagne delivered the attack to cut though his armor, but he didn't stop there as he begins to concentrate on his next attack as multiple colored energies begin to entered his sword as it forms into a blue blade-like beam as he delivers the final blow to his enemy, causing an explosion of multiple colors as the red draugr was wipe out from existence.

Eda and King were in complete awe at what they saw as the two Servants gave each other a high-five. However their joy didn't last as their bodies begin to glow, showing that their time is up.

"Well that didn't last long. Shame really." Nero said with as Charlemagne nodded.

"It is, but this is their first time dealing with this kind of power. Their bodies will have to adapt overtime." Charlemagne said as he turns towards Eda and King, who still had complete looks of awe on their face. "Eda and King right? Looks like are time is up. Can you look over our Masters while they get their strength back?"

The only thing that King and Eda did was nod at Charlamagne request, who smiled as he and Nero's body begins to be completely covered in light. After a few moments, both lights dissipates showing Ardyn and Luz are back to normal but both of them looked like they went through the longest marathon of their life. Once they begin to fall over, Eda was quick to use her magic to catch them as she gently set them both down as they begin to gain conscious back, but with a severe headache.

"Ugh. What hit me?" Ardyn said as he rubs his head from the throbbing headache he's having. Luz was wondering too since she has a headache as well.

"Oh trust me, that's nothing compared to what happened to you guys." King said as the two teens looked between them in confusion as they both asked the same question.

"What happened to us?"

After a few minutes to get themselves back up, Eda explained to Ardyn and Luz about what happened to them and how they were able to beat the final draugrs. Luz, while still getting her bearings together, was giddy to know that she somehow obtained a form of magic even though it wasn't Boiling Isles magic, but it was still hers all the same. Ardyn was kind of on the same boat, but he was more confused / concern than excited as he found out that it was his mother's box that gave him and Luz power. When they tried to open the box again, it was sealed shut.

After that, they climbed onto her staff, Eda flew all four of them away from the empty lake of the fake quest. Both Ardyn and Luz had blindfolds over their eyes as they felt themselves going higher and higher into the air. When she reached the destination, Eda stopped the staff and looked back at her human apprentices with a smile. "Okay, you can look," she said.

Ardyn and Luz untied their blind and opened their eyes. Laying their sights on some so beautiful it made them gasp in unison. "Whoa!"

There before them, as the sun was beginning to set in the horizon, was the massive skeletal remains of a dead titan. The skeleton was lying on its back with its right leg bent to have its knee up high in the air. Both arms were spread out, and all over the bones were islands that formed on and around the massive remains.

"Is that...?" Ardyn tried asking but couldn't finish his sentence.

"The bones of the isles," Eda said as the two kids took in the awe-inspiring sight of the skeleton. "Up close, the isles can be slimy‐‐"

"And very stinky," King added, interrupting Eda.

"And gross. But if you look at it from a different perspective..." Eda looked up at the sky, prompting Ardyn and Luz to do the same. The stars were beginning to appear, with a blue shooting star streaking across the sky over the horned skull of the titan.

"It's beautiful," Luz said.

"Yeah," Ardyn added as King climbed onto his lap and started to sleep.

"Eda, how did you know that wizard was lying?" Luz asked the Owl Lady.

Eda looked away a bit while looking at Luz and Ardyn from the corner of her eyes. "Look, kid, everyone wants to believe they're 'chosen'. But if we all waited around for a prophecy to make us special, we'd die waiting. You may not be like Ardyn, but he's right about one thing: you need to choose yourself your own path." Eda said, smiling at Luz.

Luz smiled before looking up at Eda. "Does that mean you'll give me a magic staff of my own?"

"Not yet. But... someday." Eda said as she continued watching the sunset.

Luz looked away for a moment to look up at the sky with her, before something caught her attention. It was Ardyn's golden blonde hair as it flowed in the wind, as he continued to stare up at the sky. Her smile then returned as she stared at him, while her cheeks slightly blushed when remembering all he's done for her. Looking back up at the sky, she scooted closer to him and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Now that today's been settled." Eda spoke up as the two look up to her. "We need to head home and see Romani. He may want to know what happened at the lake and that box."

Both Luz and Ardyn looked at her in confusion at what she was talking about.

"Romani! Romani, we need you in the living room!" Eda shouted as she, Ardyn, Luz, and King returned home with exhausted looks on their face.

"Hold on a moment! Almost done with an experiment!" Romani shouted from his room. After a few seconds of silence, they heard what sounded like a muffled explosion. The group was about to head to where that sound came from, but stopped as Romani came out from the hallway with soot on his face. "Sorry about that. Still have a few test to run later. Let me get cleaned up first."

A few minutes later of getting cleaned up, everyone was in the living room. Sitting at the coffee table, Ardyn and Luz sat at one end while the original residents of the Owl House sat on the other.

"Romani. Eda told us that you have some knowledge about most things on the Boiling Isles. I don't suppose you have seen anything like it before?"" Ardyn said, before placing the box onto the table and unraveling the cloth. Presenting his mother's box to the rest of the residents of the Owl House. The Residents of the Owl House were fascinated by the box, having never seen anything so expertly crafted before as Hooty made a comment about it being shiny.

"How'd you get it?" King asked as Ardyn looked at the box with a somber look.

"It was a gift, an inheritance from my mother." Ardyn said when he thought of his mom. "I thought that it was just a regular old box that my mother had, like a family heirloom. But then after what happened at the lake, I'm not so sure now."

"May I take a look at it?" Romani asked, pointing at the box with a concentrated look on his face.

Ardyn glanced at Luz, who shrugged. "Sure. I mean, The box's lid is closed tight ever since it open the first time. Good luck trying to open it." He said as Romani picks up the box.

"Hmm." Romani took Ardyn's box and examined it. He gave it a narrow look to see if anything was off about it. "Hmm." He then tried to opened it and looked inside but like Ardyn said it didn't open for him. In the end, he placed it down and said, "Nope. Never seen anything like it."

"Well, it was worth a shot," Ardyn said as he placed his chin on his hand with a confused look. "Why would my mom give me a box that holds powers like that? It doesn't make sense to me anymore."

"Hey don't worry, Ardyn," Luz said, placing her hand on his and giving it a squeeze. "There's got to be someone that knows what it is or how it works."

"She's right, Ardyn. I'm sure someone has an idea about what the box is. Let's just make sure it doesn't get us into trouble like today." King said.

"Thanks, guys. That means a lot to me," Ardyn said as he started to brighten up again.

"So are you going to keep holding her hand or…" Eda trailed off as she pointed at the two humans' hands with a small smirk on her face.

Ardyn and Luz looked at their hands and quickly pulled away from each other and instantly looked away with blushes of embarrassment.

After a few hours, Ardyn woke up and headed towards the kitchen to get himself a glass of water to drink. After drinking a full cup, The Human-Witch Hybrid was about to head back to the bedroom he and Luz shared but stops as he saw that the living room has its lights on, so Kenji walks in quietly and sees that Romani was looking through one of his books titled 'Ancient Legends of The Boiling Isles' by Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg.

Ardyn walks up behind him and says, "I guess you couldn't sleep either, huh?" Romani jumps a little and turns in surprise that the young man was up as well as he pointed towards the book that Romani was reading. "Does this book have something to do with mothers box?"

"How did you know?"

"Call it a hunch." Ardyn replied as he pulls up a chair to sit next to him. The two continue looking at the book Romani opened with great focus to look for information. The next page was turned and the two now looked at information that they were looking for. The pages shows his mothers box along with two other box with one of them being the same as his mothers but with Asian cultural designs and a music box that is ornamented with gold accents and has a pink, blue, green, and silver gemstones on it. "So, why did you lie earlier?"

"I had to be sure for myself before I make assumptions about what your mother's box is. I'm sorry that I lied to you and the others, but I had to be sure about the box myself before bringing it up with you." Romani said as Ardyn nodded and begins to look over the contents as well. It says that the box can allow anyone to draw the powers and souls of ancient heroes from other worlds though time and space, depending on the person status is and what their place is in the world they're in. so the stronger the importance of the one opening the box, the more powerful the souls and powers that can be obtained from the box.

"Guess that explains the powers that Luz and I got from the box the first time, but why did it give use these kind of powers? I'm not say that this is like destiny or something like that but now I'm just more confused more than ever." Kenji asked as Romani shrugged.

"I don't know myself really, but I believe that's enough reading for me today. I think I'm gonna turn in for tonight. You should too Ardyn." he said to Ardyn who nodded as he yawned.

"You're right, no need to worry about it for tonight. We can look it up later. Good night, Romani." Ardyn said as he left Romani's room, closing the door behind him.

However, Romani didn't go to bed. Instead, he went back to read. He was lying about what he said back there. He has seen that box before. And it was in one of his books. Pulling out some of his books, the witch started looking through the pages, trying to find what would give him the answers that he needed to know.

It was only until he reached final part of the book titled "Dangerous Artifacts" that he found the page and he gasped. "It's just as I feared," he said, glaring at the page.

The page showed the Ardyn's mother's box. However, it also said "Danger!", "Destroy!", and "Beware!". However, he now had a name for the box. One that only added to the danger that the object presented to not only Ardyn and Luz, but to everyone in he Owl House.

It was called the Soul-Box of Heroes.