As stated, this is a prequel to the eventual Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger crossover with these four.
I'd like to go ahead and thank all of you for your patience during this time in my life as things have been VERY hectic. This would've been a lot earlier and Witch would've already been up and running, but, as you know, life happened.
Things have calmed down some, and my grandmother is recovering nicely. So, that being said, I have been able to write. Not with the same frequency that I would like, but I am. Believe me, the mental and physical fatigue from all this has me dozing off at my keyboard.
With the completion of this prequel, I will hopefully be able to start work on some Witch chaps to close out that story. I had planned on doing a little "roulette wheel" that would help me decide which the current ongoing stories to update, aside from Witch, so look forward to that.
The Boiling Isles Empire was a bizarre, wonderous, and at times a frightening place. But it was the place that many of its people called home. This place went by a few different names, the Burning Islands Nation, the Boiling Archipelago, but mainly it was called the Boiling Isles Empire. Mostly because the chain of islands and main continent of this nation looked like a giant, deceased, monster corpse. Many believe this was the body of a fallen Shugod from a long-forgotten era, given the appropriate name of God Titan, and to date has been known as the biggest Shugod in recorded history.
It is in this nation, the town of Bonesborough, was a sprawling city that had a stone pathway that led directly to the palace of the emperor. In one of these modest houses, lived a young human girl. Luz stretched as she got out of bed and gave a loud yawn as she smacked her lips. She threw the blankets off her body and headed to the window where she opened the curtains, letting the bright sun awaken her fully. Luz squinted her eyes and smiled as she looked upon her home.
It was a land that was built upon the corpse of a giant, with bones jutting into the air that might as well have been made of stone. Flying through the air were several creatures, some were gryphons, others were fairy-like in appearance, and others were eyeballs with wings. There was a sprawling town laid out before her, and from her vantage point she could spot several people going about their days. A good portion of them were humans, others were beings known as witches. At first glance you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between them and humans, but if you looked closely, you could see that their ears were pointed. Then there are the creatures known as "demons", which varied between bugs, beasts, and bipeds, the third being more humanoid in appearance, but still varied in shape, size, color, and assortment of limbs, or lack thereof.
"Yep, another beautiful day on the Boiling Isles, and school starts up!" Luz exclaimed excitedly.
As she said this, a little fairy creature flew up to Luz's window, causing her to smile.
"Oh, hey there little fella. Did you want to greet me this morning?"
"…GIVE ME YOUR SKIN!" the fairy demanded as its mouth opened unnaturally wide.
"Yeah, not today," said Luz with a deadpan expression.
The fairy began flying towards Luz, but Luz picked up her wand from her dresser and drew a spell circle. The circle then quickly released a spark of lightning that zapped the fairy for a few seconds before it blinked and coughed up some smoke. The little fairy began flying off, realizing that it wasn't getting her skin today.
"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get someone's skin! Have a good day anyway!"
With that said, Luz closed her window and began changing. She changed into her Hexside uniform, which was made of different colors. The uniforms of all the magic schools in the Boiling Isles were created to denote a student's particular affinity for a certain type of magic that was unique to the Boiling Isles. Abomination, Healing, Potions, Plants, Beast Keeping, Illusions, Construction, Oracle, and Bard, and each had its own color to match that particular "Coven".
It was tradition that witches and even human magic users were only allowed to study one type of magic. But Luz had shown a…passion for magic, and so, the Principal of Hexside granted her special permission to study all the magic tracks, with the condition that Luz was to figure out which of the nine she wanted to join before graduation.
Luz packed her backpack and made sure her wand was fully charged before she scampered down the stairs of her family home. She could already smell her mother's cooking wafting up the stairs and filling the entire first floor, which caused her stomach to growl.
"Mmm, Mamá, breakfast smells good!"
Her mother, Camila Noceda, had a brown leather tunic over her orange-red shirt, gray pants, black boots, and wore a pair of glasses. She had her brown hair tied back into short ponytail, and her right wrist had a sigil mark of something that looked like a pig-like animal hatching from an egg.
"Morning, mija," Camila greeted. "Excited for your first day back to school?"
"Si, so excited!" Luz replied.
"¡Buenos días familia!"
Luz was about to turn around, that is until she was picked up from under her pits and hoisted into the air, which caused the teen girl to chuckle loudly.
"Papá, c'mon! I'm fourteen, I'm too old for this," said Luz, despite her giggling.
Her father, Manuel Noceda, or Manny to his wife and friends, was a strong man. He was in his uniform which was comprised of leather gloves, a brown shirt with a gold-colored badge on the left side of his chest that had the letters "RC" and below that were some numbers and his name engraved below that. He also wore a silver cloak with gold edging, and on the back of the cloak was the same two "RC" letters, but in gold. Her father had darker hair than herself and her mother, with a beard and mustache combo, and pair of amber colored eyes. On his left wrist was a sigil of a fist and what looked like three mountain peaks.
"Oh, is that so? Then why is my little witch giggling like a Bandersnatch in a field of tickling daises?" Manny asked, rhetorically.
Luz pouted, playfully, as she crossed her arms and said, "No comment."
"Aye, you two. Let's eat," said Camila.
"Yes, mi amor."
"Okay, as soon as Dad puts me down, though."
Manny obliged his daughter, with Luz still smiling as she and her father took their seats. Camila brought over some scrambled gryphon eggs with some Slitherbeast meat thrown in and mixed into it. The Slitherbeasts ate a lot of spices with their kills, and those spices were absorbed into their body, giving their meat a zesty taste. Luz was given some Apple Blood Lite, while her parents drank coffee. As the family of three ate, Luz couldn't help but admire her two parents, they were both in professions that they loved, and Luz hoped to find something like that for herself.
Her mother was a veterinarian for the local demon beasts and household pets, and part of the Beast Keeping Coven. Her father was part of the Rescue Coven and Construction Coven. The Construction Coven pertained to witches who were able to manipulate the earth and rock, but the Rescue Coven was a sub-Coven. They had different branches across the Boiling Isles and was one of the few establishments that didn't look down on human witches, so long as they had a willingness to help save people from dangerous places, whether it be from collapsed buildings, or people stuck in the wilderness, the Rescue Coven were the ones who went in before the Emperor's Coven Scouts or with them.
Honestly, Luz was proud of her parents, she loved what they did. Even though she didn't have a specific Coven that she liked, it was hard since Luz liked all magic, and wanted to learn all the nine different types.
After breakfast was done, Luz strapped on her backpack and holstered her wand.
"I'm heading off! ¡Adiós Mamá, Papá!" Luz called out.
"Bye, mija," Manny called out.
"See you later, and don't forget to visit Aunt Eda later," Camila.
"I won't!"
Hexside wasn't too far away from her house, sure either her mother or father could take her on their staffs, but then Luz wouldn't get to spend time chatting with her friends on the way to school. As she cut through town and took the main road which led to Hexside, she spotted many of the other students who were walking there as well. And among them, she spotted two of her best friends.
One of them was another fourteen-year-old girl, she had a stocky build, wore glasses, had dark navy-blue hair, and olive-green eyes. Her uniform was similar to Luz's, with the exception of the sleeves of the uniform being a single green color, along with the pants she was wearing. Her name was Willow Park, and she was part of the Plant track.
Willow was formerly in the Abomination track at Hexside but was less than capable when it came to that type of magic. It wasn't until Luz and another friend of theirs convinced Willow to do what she really loved best that Willow began to blossom into a more confident and stronger witch. Her affinity for plant magic was so strong that she accidentally grew a huge tree in the rotunda of the school building, with vines branching out through many hallways at once. Thanks to that incident, Principal Bump immediately changed Willow to the track that she was practically born to be on.
Their other friend was Augustus "Gus" Porter. He was a the youngest among them, having skipped many grades due to his great talent for Illusion magic, being hailed as a young genius at the age of twelve. Of course, such smarts were exploited by others in their grade. Kids who saw him as more of a partner for an easy grade rather than just seeing him as a friend or even wanting to be friends. That changed when he met Willow and Luz, with both girls ending up becoming his true friends. And he was quite protective of them as well. He was also a fan of all things human. Although humans were in the minority of the social hierarchy among the population of the Boiling Isles compared to the other three nations, it still didn't deter him from being utterly fascinated by their culture, and how they've had a hand in influencing different events on Gaea as a whole. So, being friends with a human was definitely a plus in his book.
"Luz!" Willow and Gus greeted.
"Hey guys!" Luz answered back as she walked up to them. "Ready for another fun school year of learning and magic?!"
"Seriously, how are you always this excited for school?" Willow asked.
"C'mon, how can I not be? We get to learn magic at one of the best schools on the Boiling Isles."
Willow and Gus chuckled. Their human friend was passionate about magic, she loved all that it could do, and all the things that it could bring about. She didn't hide how she wanted to emulate her hero, a character from her favorite book series "The Good Witch Azura", as she would sometimes quote the magical heroine here and there. Their friendship had blossomed over the years, and Luz had even caused an uproar here and there. Especially when the basilisk attack happened, and she, along with some Detention track kids, managed to defeat the basilisk and return the magic of all the witches and demons it had syphoned off. This, in the end, allowed not only Luz, but the three Detention track kids to freely study the fields of magic they wanted. And Luz, being a magic enthusiast, chose to study all magic, hence her colorful uniform.
"I still can't believe Princy B let you study all magic, it's crazy," said Gus.
"I know, but I'm so glad he did! Honestly, Potions is fun, but my elbow is thanking me," Luz replied.
"On that note, have you decided on what Coven you're probably going to join when we graduate?" Willow asked.
"If you ask me, I don't know why the Principal allowed a Luzzer, like you to even bother learning multiple tracks."
All three stopped and groaned when they heard the familiar voice. They turned around and behind them were, arguably, the most popular girl group of their year. The first girl was Boscha Barbtalóne, she was a half-witch, half-demon, girl, and part of the Potions track. She had the pointed ears of a witch, but also had a third eye in the middle of her forehead. She had grayish-blue eyes, and wore a letterman jacket, courtesy of the school for being the ace captain of the school's Grudgby team. On her left were her teammates, Amelia of the Plant track, Kat of the Healing track, and Skara of the Bard track.
And on her right was the one girl in school that Luz had a somewhat fierce rivalry with. She was a slender witch girl, with green hair tired up into a short ponytail above her head that drew aback her bangs, which also allowed you to see her brown roots which were showing. She had golden eyes, and her gaze was narrowed, as if she was being critical of those around her. Her uniform had a pinkish tone to the sleeves and pants, indicating that she was part of the Abomination track, and she proudly had a gold star on her hood that had the words "Top Student".
Her name was Amity Blight, and she was the daughter of the Blight family, one of the richest, and strongest witch families in the land. Amity's family also owned the highly successful company, Blight Industries. They mainly manufactured home defense items but have expanded into creating more and more advanced magi-tech, the very same kind of magi-tech that allowed the humans to use magic at all. There were other companies on the Boiling Isles that did this as well, but among them Blight Industries stood at the top. With all these companies, the Boiling Isles was starting to look like a blend of tech and magic, but some things remained the same. Like the carving of Palismens from Palistrom wood, despite the advancement of magi-tech, it had its limits, and not always could it compete with a witch and their natural magic and natural Palisman staff.
Nonetheless, the tech created by Blight Industries had made a lot of things easier for witches, demons, and humans alike.
Luz had gotten to know Amity through Willow. She had heard of the falling out the two girls had, with Amity completely cutting Willow out of her life, no longer wanting to be friends, and instead resorted to bullying her alongside her new friend group. But there was another reason why she didn't particularly like her.
"I wouldn't have put it that way, Bosch. But she has a point. Letting you learn multiple tracks is a waste of time," said Amity.
Luz turned around and glared down Amity as she replied, "And why's that? I think it's a good thing. You have more options and some of the different magic types work well together. Like…"
The human teen drew her wand and drew a yellow spell circle in the air before pointing it at the ground. The earth beneath them rumbled for a few seconds before a small pillar of rock rose from it, and with another drawn spell circle, Luz made vines appear from the dirt and rock pillar, sprouting into a small rose bush.
"Construction and Plant magic, both are earth-based elements, and naturally synergize with each other," said Luz. "And if you combine Bard magic with Illusion magic, you can create some really good visual effects for your songs, or story telling in general."
"Really?" Skara asked with fascination.
"Skara!" Boscha snapped.
"S-Sorry."
Amity looked at the rose bush pillar that Luz had made, inspecting it as if she were a teacher.
"I see, well, I have to admit, you do make a good point in this regard," Amity admitted.
"Ha, so even you have to admit that magic mixing isn't–!"
"But it's inefficient," Amity interrupted.
"Huh?"
"Yes, I'll give you that both magic types are earth-based elemental magics. But both require different conditions and affinities. Perhaps there are some demons and witches who naturally have an affinity for two or more magic types, and some are more attuned to one more than the others. Take Willow here for example," said Amity as she pointed at her former friend.
Willow raised an eyebrow as she asked, "What about me?"
"I'm just going to be blunt; you were pretty bad with Abomination magic."
"Heh, that's still putting it mildly, Amity. She was horrible, I still remember hearing how some of the Abomination track students were stuck with extra homework because Half-a-Witch couldn't complete her assignments correctly," Boscha interjected.
"So, what if she was?" Gus retorted. "She's super good at Plant magic!"
"And there's my point. Honestly, I don't know why you were placed in the Abomination track when your magic is clearly more attuned to Plant magic, and also way stronger. Point being, it's a waste of time and of energy to learn multiple tracks, if you're more talented with one type of magic, then it's better to focus your time and effort into honing that," Amity explained. "That applies to even humans like you, Noceda. It may be fun now to learn all these different magic types, but come graduation, you'll have to make a decision and join a Coven, just like everyone else."
Boscha took a step forward, grinning mischievously as she added, "Well, it's either that or she can just end up being a Wild Witch, but then you'll be a fugitive."
The demon-witch started to laugh mockingly, signaling Skara, Kat, and Amelia to giggle in response. The popular girls group walked past the trio, with Boscha purposefully shoulder checking Luz as she walked by her.
Luz clenched her fists, Amity did make a couple of good points, and Boscha wasn't wrong either. Those witches, demons, even humans for that matter, who didn't join a Coven were called "Wild Witches" and were considered outcasts from society, the only other way a person could actively learn all nine magic types and not be considered Covenless was to…
"Well then…" Luz quickly turned around, stamping her foot as she addressed the popular girls. "Maybe I'll just join the Emperor's Coven instead!"
All four girls stopped in their tracks, with Willow and Gus staring at their best friend with gaping mouths.
Amity was the first to turn around as she said, "I'm sorry. I think I misheard you. Did you say you are going to join the Emperor's Coven?"
"I didn't stutter, Blight," Luz replied as she crossed her arms. "You make some good points, but then again, if that were true, then the Emperor's Coven wouldn't exist. They allow all members of their Coven to use the nine magic types. So, if that's the only Coven that will allow me to use all nine, then I'll join them!"
Amity shook her head as she pressed the tips of her left hand against her forehead.
"Noceda, let it never be said that you didn't dream big. But you can't join the Emperor's Coven," said Amity.
"Who says?" Luz retorted.
"There hasn't been a single human that's ever been made a member of the Emperor's Coven, not since its establishment, and most likely, not in the future. The Emperor's Coven isn't like the other Covens. They act as a police force for the entire Boiling Isles and serve Emperor Belos as his elite guard and soldiers. They only accept the best of the best, and if there's anyone who's going to join them, it's me, Noceda."
Luz took a few steps forward as she stared down Amity.
"Well, there's a first time for everything, Blight. Maybe I'll be the first human to join the Emperor's Coven."
Amity stared Luz down as well. Intense sparks could be seen flaring in the space between the two young teens. Not even Boscha and her crew wanted to get in the middle of that. The green haired witch girl smirked as she crossed her arms.
"Heh, alright, human. We'll see if you can really become part of the Emperor's Coven or not," said Amity.
With that said, Amity turned her back to Luz and walked off, with Boscha and the rest of the girls following after her. Once they were up the stairs to the school, Gus and Willow looked at Luz, who was still standing confidently.
"Did you just really say you'd become part of the Emperor's Coven?" Willow asked.
"Yep!"
"Even though Eda's being actively hunted down by them?" Gus questioned.
"…"
"Luz?"
"Por los Shugods, ¡¿por qué dije eso?! (By the Shugods, why did I say that?!)"
Willow and Gus gently patted Luz's shoulders as the realization of her declaration finally dawned on her.
"C'mon, Luz, let's get to class."
Classes consisted of the regular for Luz. First period was Potions, while she liked the subject, it was her least favorite class, well, depending on the day since some days she'd see Boscha, and other days she wouldn't. Second was Illusions, which was fun considering that she would often see Gus and partner up with him for different assignments, and of course, unlike the other students, Luz pulled her weight in every assignment that they were given. To her, there was no fun in having someone do all the work when she could learn something new about Illusion magic. This was followed by Oracle class and ending with Plant before lunch break.
The remainder of her classes were Abomination, where she'd often butt heads with Amity. The youngest of the Blight children was the Top Student in the class for a reason. Her Abomination manipulation, crafting, and control was way stronger than their classmates, and apparently, from what Luz had heard from her parents and Eda, her father, Alador Blight, was apparently quite the genius when it came to Abominations, well, him and the current Head of the Abomination Coven, Darius Deamonne. Nonetheless, Amity had a great affinity for this type of magic, which she demonstrated often.
Now, Luz was hardly the only human in Hexside, there were a good amount of them, almost equal in number to their witch and demon peers. However, humans weren't exactly looked upon fondly. Because of their lack of a bile sac, which was the main organ inside demons and witches that allowed them to connect to and cast magic, humans were seen as lesser than. Treated as second class citizens. Even though they were given the use of artificial magic through the use of magi-tech wands and staffs, it wasn't enough to raise their status among their peers. It just made them "not so useless" as some would say.
Luz knew that the current jobs for humans were limited on the Boiling Isles. Some could join Covens, but their rank and status in the Covens were lower than the witches and demons, only rarely rising in the ranks. Some were nicer than others and allowed humans to get higher ranks, but others kept them at the low ranks. It was almost enough to not want to join a Coven, but the law stated that all Boiling Isles citizens needed to join a Coven.
"Ms. Noceda?"
Luz snapped out of her inner thoughts as she looked at her teacher.
"Y-Yes?" Luz responded.
"I asked you a question. When did the Coven System first become implemented?" the teacher asked.
"Oh uh, it was over a hundred years ago!" Luz answered.
"Correct. And when did the did the Four Nation Alliance become implemented?"
"The alliance was implemented about a thousand years ago. The four nations came together to form King-Ohger to defeat the false Shugod that was created in the kingdom of Amphibia by the dethroned Leviathan family. God Dragon went to sleep not too long after that battle and has not awakened for the last one-thousand years. The Emperor at the time, and his family were killed mysteriously, and their assassins were never caught. Emperor Belam became the new emperor of the Boiling Isles Empire. Followed by Emperor Beryl, then Beleck, and finally our current Emperor, Belos. And throughout those years, the Emperor has maintained the Four Nation Alliance with Amphibia, Scientia, and Tír na nÓg."
"Excellent,' said the teacher. "Since the reign of Emperor Beleck, the Coven System was created, in order to streamline the use of magical power among the citizens. Every citizen was given a sigil that was to be branded onto their bodies upon them choosing a Coven. Emperor Beleck and all his descendants since then, have been blessed with the ability to speak to the spirit of God Titan, and per his indict, the magic of the isles was to follow this system."
"Hey, teach, why do humans have to have sigils too? They can't use magic like we can," said one of the students.
Luz groaned a little, while some of the human students just kept quiet.
"A good question. Despite not being born with a bile sac, a human can still perform magic via the use of magical technology crafted staffs, or magi-tech staffs and wands. The wands, like most of our human students have, allow them to cast any spell they wish, but within reason as most of the wands have a power cap to prevent the accidental casting of an overly powerful or dangerous spell. Since the Coven System was established, it was decided that all citizens would join Covens. That includes humans, and the purpose of the sigil is much the same for us. We honor the great Shugod, God Titan, upon who's body we all live upon, by honing our magical abilities in one type of magic. So, too, must humans. The magi-tech wands and staffs react to the sigils, making it so humans can only use one type of magic, aside from more miscellaneous spells for self-defense and everyday tasks."
"Except for Noceda!" another student cried out.
Luz furrowed her brow and bit her tongue to stop herself from retorting.
"Yeah, but not just Noceda, those former Detention track guys too. Doesn't learning multiple tracks mean that she's dishonoring God Titan?"
The teacher tsked at his students as he replied, "Are you saying our great Emperor and his Emperor's Coven are dishonoring the God Titan then?"
The students who spoke up suddenly shrank when they realized how that sounded.
"As Emperor, it is Belos who has been deemed worthy to wield all nine magics by God Titan and his son God Dragon who continues his long slumber. And to help enforce his will, and protect our nation, it is by his Royal Authority that he is granted the right to allow those who directly serve him, those of his Emperor's Coven, to use all the different magics in the defense of our nation and its people," said the teacher. "Glory to Emperor Belos."
The students stood up and recited as one, "And praise be to God Titan, and the slumbering God Dragon."
After that, the rest of Luz's classes went on to Beast Keeping, Healing, and Bard. Bard class was interesting because she would see Skara. She was easily the top student for the Bard class, and when she wasn't around Boscha and the rest of the girls, Skara was actually a pretty sweet girl. A little ditzy, but not at all like how she normally was whenever Boscha and Amity were around.
Huh, maybe this is the real Skara? Luz would think.
When school let out, Luz walked by one the many bulletin boards and saw a poster for the Emperor's Coven. On it was a picture of the current head of the Coven, Lilith Clawthorne. She was quite the genius witch, crafty, skilled, and determined. And was also the older sister of her Aunt Eda, who was a Wild Witch and technically a fugitive from the law. So…yeah. The image showed Lilith with a golden background and holding a sword proudly, with the words at the bottom of the poster reading, "Join The Emperor's Coven!".
Luz had said she would join just to try and one up Amity, but was she really contemplating it? In the long run, it really was her best option. If she wanted to keep learning magic, all of it, then the only way to do so was by either becoming a Wild Witch like Eda or joining the Emperor's Coven. If Luz was being honest, being in that Coven more closely aligned with her goals and aspirations than any other. She wanted to learn more about magic and use it to help people like the Emperor does. Yeah, things could be far better for humans in the Boiling Isles, but it wasn't unbearable. There were laws set in place to protect human rights.
"Tch, shooting for the stars, Luzzer?" Boscha mocked.
Luz glanced over her shoulder and saw the triclops staring at her and smirking, holding a Grudgby ball in the crook of her arm.
"Yeah, just like Lunella Lafayette," Luz remarked.
"What? You mean that try hard from Scientia they call 'Moon Girl'?" Boscha chuckled. "You realize that, despite being a try hard, she's the granddaughter of Scientia's Scientist Supreme, so she's practically a genius. You two are as different as night and day. She may not have magic, like a lot of you humans, but she is hella smart, she's got natural talent. And you, Luzzer, have none. Unlike me and Amity."
Boscha spun the Grudgby ball on the tip of her finger as she continued.
"Not only do me and Amity have natural athletic abilities, but we're also the most talented witches in our classes. I'm the best at Potions and Amity is the best at Abominations. It's just who we are, we were born to be the best, and you…well. Not so much."
Luz turned around to face Boscha as she retorted, "Talent is one thing, but sometimes hard work can overcome talent. Because you don't think you have to work hard at what you do, you slack off, because it comes easy. But there's always going to be someone better than you and Amity, Boscha. It's a fact of life."
"Annoyingly true, but~" Boscha stopped spinning her ball as she advanced on Luz and made the human press her back against the wall. "It will be a cold day in hell when humans are my better. Least of all that human being you, Luzzer."
Boscha slammed her free hand against the wall, right by Luz's right ear as the triclops narrowed her gaze and gave her an evil glare.
"Maybe you need to be taught a lesson on how you're supposed to treat your betters, human?" Boscha suggested.
"Boscha!" Luz and Boscha glanced in the same direction, seeing Amity standing in the hallway with some books clutched in her hands, and looking annoyed. "I've been waiting for you, let's go."
"Sorry, Ams, just reminding the Luzzer about some things," said Boscha with a sweet tone. "See ya, around, human."
Luz watched as Boscha walked over to Amity and began chatting with her friend. As they were about to turn the corner, Luz could've sworn she saw Amity spare her a passing glance, and possibly, saw concern in her eyes. But it was brief, if it was there at all before her usual cool expression returned and she looked away, returning her attention to Boscha as they disappeared around the corner.
The human girl really didn't know how to feel around Amity. She had at one time seen her rival reading books to the children at their local library. There were no hints of the girl that challenged her, irked her, instead, she was sweet and caring towards the children, and very patient when helping some to read. It was in stark contrast to the girl she knew here in the halls of Hexside. Comparing the two in her mind, if she had to pick one or other, she'd rather know the library version of Amity.
"She's at least cuter when she's smiling and reading…" Luz realized what she had just said and slapped herself across the face. "I did not just say that!"
There was a sudden crashing sound, followed by a scream coming from the hallway behind her.
"THE CHOOSIE HAT, IT GOT FREE!"
"What?!" Luz exclaimed.
That's when Luz saw a leathery looking hat skitter across the floor and slowly turn to face her, showing two holes where there were yellow dots for eyes, and a mouth, with the brim of the hat having talons that it used for locomotion.
"And now…I FEAST!"
"AAAAAH!"
"Watch your back kid!"
Luz turned around and saw a stone construct worm with an owl face on it rise out of the ground. She quickly rolled to her right just as the construct lunged at her. When she stopped rolling, Luz pointed her wand at the construct, drew a spell circle, and fired a concentrated fire blast at the stone construct. The fire blast hit the construct, making it explode upon contact. But that wasn't the end of it.
The human girl sensed something was about to attack her, and she was right. Up above, several beams of concentrated magical energy fired down at her. Luz hurriedly started running, but the beams were tracking her movements. Dogging her as they closed in. The human teen ran into the woods, using the trees to help her. The beams had to weave around more obstacles, slowing their progress a little, giving Luz some time to think of a counter.
She figured to just brute force it. Luz drew a large spell circle in the air, and once the multiple beams of magical energy were upon her, she swiped her wand across the circle. The spell circle reacted and unleashed an explosion of magical energy. This caused the beams to ram into the explosion, setting them a cascade of explosions in front of Luz, throwing her onto her back from the sheer force of the blasts. Luz managed to sit up on her hands and knees before she checked her wand. The energy meter showed that it was currently in the yellow zone. One of the drawbacks to using a wand, it had a limited amount of magic, but such was the struggle of being a human and not born with a bile sac. She needed to end this now.
Luz reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper that had some strange symbols drawn onto it. She took a deep breath and then slapped the paper onto her chest. A moment after doing this, her entire body vanished into thin air. This was magic, but of a different sort. This spell could turn Luz completely invisible, but the only drawback was that it required her to hold her breath for the duration of the spell. The moment she took a breath, the spell would end, so she had to move quickly before she couldn't hold her breath any longer.
The human teen got out of the woods and spotted her target. Standing out in the open was Luz's mentor, Eda Clawthorne, otherwise known as the infamous Owl Lady. She had a wild mane of silver hair that reached down to her ankles. Her skin was a pale white, with long nails that were painted gold. Her lips were painted red, and protruding from her upper lip was a gold false fang. She also wore a two-tone maroon dress with a ripped hem design, gray tights, and marron high-heeled boots. Around her collarbone area was a yellow gemstone, and in her right hand was a witch's staff, with an owl Palisman top.
"I'm waiting, kid," Eda taunted.
Luz smirked; she was about to get the drop on Eda.
Drawing another spell circle, Luz pointed it at the ground. The earth around Eda started to rumble as vines suddenly sprouted out from under her, wrapping her legs and arms up to incapacitate her. Luz finally let herself breathe and ran out of her cover, drawing another spell circle to finish the fight. Eda's smirk hadn't left her face as the Palisman at the top of her staff flashed bright yellow before coming alive. The Palisman, Owlbert, flew right at Luz, and before she could react, knocked the wand out of Luz's hand.
"Owlbert! No fair! Bad Palisman!"
Owlbert hooted, and quickly returned to Eda's staff.
The vines had loosened, and once Owlbert returned to the staff, Eda slipped out of the vines and rushed to intercept her apprentice. Luz swiftly dropped to the ground, grabbed her wand, and rolled back to a standing position and readied to call on another spell. But she was stopped when Eda's staff was now mere inches from her face.
"What do you say?" Eda asked.
"You win," Luz sighed.
"Hot dang, that makes thirty to zero, kid," said Eda.
"Whoopy."
Luz holstered her wand as she followed Eda back to her home. Across the way was her mentor's home, known as the Owl House. It was a quaint little home, with a stained-glass window at the top of the second floor that resembled an eye with a slit iris, and off to the left was a half-demolished tower. Once inside, the Owl Lady drew a spell circle and had some refreshments float out of the kitchen and straight to them in the living room.
Eda was Luz's mentor in magic, her mother and Eda were close friends back during their days at Hexside and have remained so ever since. Although Eda was considered a "Wild Witch". Why was that? In the Boiling Isles, if you refuse the sigil brand, then you are considered a "Wild Witch" and there were strict laws against any citizen of the Boiling Isles who did not choose a Coven by the time they were of graduating age. So, this made Eda a fugitive from the law, and Coven Scouts often tried to take her away to the Conformatorium, but Eda was very skilled when it came to magic, she was also crafty and unpredictable, which made it a nightmare for the Emperor's Coven to get ahold of her. And thanks to not having a sigil brand, Eda was able to continue learning all the different magic types, making her the strongest Wild Witch on the Boiling Isles.
Some might not think that Eda was a good role model, she often broke the rules, caused some mayhem here and there, and overall committed crimes. But she wasn't a bad person, Luz could tell, and if her mother trusted her, then Eda couldn't be as bad as her wanted posters said she was. And of course, Luz found out that Eda was really nice, at least to her.
Currently, both teacher and student were sitting on the large couch in the living room, taking a swig of some Apple Blood and Apple Blood Lite. After a few swigs, Eda noticed that her young apprentice looked a little down.
"What's eatin' ya, Luz?" Eda asked.
"It's nothing," said Luz with a lackluster tone.
"Uh-huh, no, something's up. Spill it, kid."
"…When Mom joined the Beast Keeping Coven, did you…were you mad at her?" Luz asked.
Eda blinked.
"Huh, that's an out-of-the-blue question. What brought this up?" Eda questioned.
"I was just wondering. I mean, you refused to get a sigil, and became a Wild Witch. But Mom got a sigil, and despite that, you're both still best friends," said Luz.
Eda sighed a little as she took another swig of her drink.
"Not gonna lie, I was kinda ticked for a little bit. I thought Cami wouldn't let herself be put into a box, but I get it. Not everyone can go maverick like I did, and that's fine. Plus, if she and your dad hadn't hooked up, I wouldn't have a niece like you."
Eda reached out with her free hand and ruffled Luz's hair a little.
"Besides, a little sigil isn't going to make me stop being friends with your mom. We were besties then, and always will be. The fact that she lets you learn from me and doesn't turn me in when she can easily get a butt load of snails from my bounty is proof of that. Now, what brought this up?"
Luz twiddled her thumbs as she thought of the best way to explain herself.
"I want to keep learning more and more about magic, and I want to be able to help people with my magic," said Luz.
"Heh, sounds like you want to be a hero."
Luz rubbed the back of her head as she replied, "I mean, not a 'hero'. Like I said, I just want to help people, just like how Dad is in the Rescue Coven, I want to help other people. And…"
"And?"
"There's only one of two ways that I can do that." Luz took a deep breath and exhaled slowly as she prepared herself for what she was about to say. "One way is to be like you and become a Wild Witch. I'd get to do what I wanted, but…"
"But then you're folks would have to worry about you being a fugitive. I get it," said Eda.
"And the second option…is to join the Emperor's Coven."
"PPPPPPPPPFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFTTTTTTTTTTT!" Eda spat out her Apple Blood, wiped her mouth, and then turned to Luz as she exclaimed, "Join the Emperor's Coven?! Luz, you know that they've never once had a human in that Coven, ever! Plus, why would want to join those jerks?!"
"Eda, realistically speaking, it's the only way for me to keep learning more magic and help people. Yes, I know the Coven Scouts hunt down Wild Witches. I don't agree with everything they do. But at the same time, maybe I can change that? The first human to join the Emperor's Coven manages to change things from the inside!"
The Owl Lady sighed, she loved Luz's optimism and enthusiasm, but sometimes it was misplaced, like now.
"Luz, for that to happen, you'd have to change the mind of Belos himself. And if he hasn't changed anything in the last fifty years since his reign, I don't think he'll ever do it," said Eda.
"Well, I got to try, right? I have to at least take a shot at it!" Luz stated.
Eda ran her right hand through her hair. She didn't want her niece to join that Coven, to be completely honest. She already has one family member in that Coven actively hunting her and being in that Coven changed that person. The last thing Eda wanted, if Luz managed to join them, was for the Emperor's Coven to snuff out everything that made Luz who is right now.
"Luz, I'll be straight with you. I don't want you joining that Coven. Any other Coven, but that one. Losing the ability to use the other magic types sucks…but at least they won't change who you are right now," said Eda.
"I get it, but Eda, I have to choose the path I think will work. And besides, like you said, the Emperor's Coven has never had a human join their ranks. If this fails, then, I'll become a Wild Witch," Luz cheerfully stated.
"Heh, well, I guess that wouldn't be so bad. Getting into trouble is more fun with a partner."
Eda, while excited about having a partner in crime, didn't like that outcome as much either. When she decided to go down this path, it was due to a situation in her life. And Luz wasn't in that same situation she was in at her age. Luz's options were few thanks to the way the Boiling Isles was when it came to humans, sometimes Eda wished that Camila was a witch like herself, that way Luz could've been born a witch and would have more options and opportunities. But that wasn't the case. Things needed to change in the Boiling Isles, so that every child, human, witch, and demon, could pursue their goals and dreams without being stymied by things like "Covens" or "sigils".
And hopefully, someday soon, I can help make that a reality for you, Luz.