Amity Blight woke up the day after the attack on Hexside sore, but that wasn't unusual. Once again Odalia, her mother, had deemed her performance 'unblight-like', and had decided that getting out shined by some no-name witch had been utterly unacceptable. Thankfully her father, Alador, had made a surprise appearance from out of his dungeon lab to request more components for his newest invention, and Odalia got distracted long enough for Amity to hide. Part of her wished he would have come sooner, but Amity sighed to herself, "Two hours of punishment wasn't so bad given what she could have received."

Amity made her way to her bathroom to get ready for school, but she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, and she couldn't help letting out a few tears that started out tinged red, but soon that washed out. Despite the mask she wore, Amity hated what she saw. Dyed green hair like her 'mother' with brown roots that hide just like her coward of a father. Not attractive like her sister, or charming like her brother, and now she once again had black and purple bruises along her sides. Everything Amity saw only reminded her that she was weak… useless… undesirable. Just like her mother always told her. Forever doomed to live in her gilded cage where no one will ever want her. Could anyone ever want her… Could Luz? Amity pushed away those thoughts, and focused on getting ready. She would need her concealment stone again, and she wondered, "Why?"

The day after the attack on Hexside proved interesting. Willow and Gus got to meet Hooty since nobody had bothered to exchange contact information. A problem quickly rectified when Willow showed Luz her present. "Skara had to go visit her parent today at the Bard coven, but she told me to make sure you got this. It's a scroll so we can stay in contact. Apparently Amity chipped in with her to get it as an apology for the other day, and…" Willow teared up as she gave Luz a big hug that may have caused some bones to pop. "Today was my first day in the plant track, and it's just so amazing. I'm good at it, and after I talked to my dads last night they completely understood. Thank you Luz. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. If you didn't give me the courage to stand up I might never have found my place."

Luz just hugged the girl back, "You don't need to thank me, Willow. All I did was give you a push. You did all the hard work. You're my first friend that wasn't my siblings, so I was kinda winging it." Luz laughed, and tried to hide it, but Willow didn't miss the sadness in her eyes.

Looking at Luz hard, Willow asked, "You mean your first since you came to the Isles right?"

Luz looked away awkwardly before she decided to be honest, "No Willow. My first ever. I was too weird for the human realm, and nobody liked me, except Mami, but does that really count? What kind of parent doesn't love their daughter? Like really, would they even be a parent at that point?" When Luz saw the awkward looks around the room she thought that everyone was pitying her so she added, "It's not a big deal though. Sure I got bullied, but that's normal, and that just means I'll get to do all the cool things friends do with all of you. Maybe once I get the 'clubhouse' finished we can have a sleepover."

"What's the Clubhouse?" asked Gus.

"Well my dear Gus, the clubhouse was a cool idea I got after hearing about Mom's 'coven problem'. The idea is to make a secret door in my tower that will lead to a secret base of sorts. Just in case we need somewhere to hide. I would never question the capabilities of my best boy, Hooty, but even he might not be enough if the Emperor decides to visit in person. Mom says she helped make one before, but she won't tell me where. Also, as much as I enjoy bunking with Vee, she deserves to have her own bed and space. She was denied those things for long enough, and my little sis deserves to be loved and pampered like the sweetheart she is." Luz pulled Vee into a warm hug that left her feeling embarrassed, but appreciative of her sister's dedication to her wellbeing.

"Sorry, my little owlet. Half the fun of something like that is finding it, and once you do you'll understand why," laughed Eda.

Willow looked around sheepishly, "Speaking of covens, this weekend is the Covention so…"

Eda interrupted her as she sat down angrily, "Oh spit, I forgot about that. Now we're gonna have to wait another whole week before we can sell some of this junk."

Willow sighed, "Anyway we were going to meet up with Skara there, and we were wondering if you wanted to join us?"

Luz looked conflicted. She desperately wanted to spend time with her friends, now that she had some, but events like that meant Coven Scouts, and she knew how dangerous that could be for her and her family. Eda seeing the conflict in her eyes sighed, "Ya know Luz, I might be able to cobble together a concealment spell, by then. No promises, but maybe just this once we could go. Call it a field trip to show you the pitfalls of Belos's system. It would just be the two of us though." Eda looked at Vee with a warm smile. "King refuses to hide his 'magnificence', and I doubt Vee is comfortable around crowds yet."

Vee gave Eda a small smile of appreciation, and King declared that he would protect Vee for Luz. Earning him a couple kisses and a tickle assault from his sister's. With the mood once more positive, Luz asked if her friends would like a tour, and Eda suggested that maybe they could show off their magic since Luz never got the chance to visit the Illusions class and nobody but Gus had gotten to see Willow's true potential.

Never missing a chance to impress, Gus jumped at the opportunity to show off his illusions. He started small, for him. Summoning multiple illusions of himself he played a couple rounds of the shell game where they would have to find him among his doubles with increasing difficulty as he ramped up to nearly a dozen Gus's at once until finally Hooty was the only one who couldn't be tricked. When asked Hooty just gave a cryptic answer of, "Hoot, illusions don't have souls. Hoot-hoot, they also don't have weight, or footsteps so I can just track those."

After that Gus decided to put on a show of some of the greatest feats of magic he had seen while hanging out with his dad, Perry Porter, the primary newscaster for the Isles with his illusions. There were a few that stuck out like Darrius, the Abomination's Head, turning his whole body into goo, or a small recital from the soon-to-be retiring Scooter Crane, but to everyone's shock Gus finished by saying that, "This last one is my favorite. A true hero." With a flourish he summoned an illusion of Luz with wings spread, and an aura of beauty and power as she called waves of black flames and golden lightning. While everyone else reveled in how perfect of a recreation it was, Luz began to shake, and it wasn't until she fell to a knee that the others noticed. With a look of guilt and concern Gus said, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't realize that it would bother you like that. I-I just wanted to show you how amazing I thought you were. After what you said in the nurse's office, I thought it could help. I'm sorry Luz."

Luz continued to shake, but gave Gus a reassuring hug, "No that's not… Gus, I appreciate what you were trying to do, but… Gus… that isn't me…"

Gus just hugged her back, "Yah I know that it's rough to imagine yourself being that powerful and fierce, but we saw it first hand. That's you."

Luz shook her head, "No. YOU don't understand. THAT wasn't me. It might have been my body, and have used my magic, but I wasn't in there. I blacked out from the pain when I got hit. Whatever that thing is… it's not me. Heck I don't even know how to cast any of those spells. I only know my light blasts and a bit of stuff substituting dark for light like my darkness zones or dark light beams, and I haven't shown those off for a reason." With a sigh Luz drew a small circle and made a zone only big enough to encompass Gus, and after twenty seconds she dispersed it revealing a very pale Gus.

"That was… terrifying. I knew I was standing, but I lost all sense of direction, and I couldn't hear, smell, or taste anything. What was that? Why would you keep that up for hours?" shuddered Gus.

"I call it my darkness zone, and that was only twenty seconds. I stumbled onto it when King accidentally triggered what we are calling the dark glyph, and I think you understand why I didn't show it off before now. The idea was only to blind an opponent for a few seconds, or allow someone to hide at night, but that was the result. I'm working on making it less potent, but as it is now… I can't use it beyond displaying it. It's cruel. As for my dark light beams…" sighed Luz, as she made another small circle and fired a small beam into a nearby log. It still burned the log, but oddly they noticed it felt cold and lifeless. "Ya. I kinda stick to my light magic at the moment for a reason. Dark is too unpredictable, and oddly I can't find any reference to it in any of Mom's books."

"Why not try the library? There's one in Bonesbough. Maybe it can help," suggested Willow, before she let out a sigh. "I know what it's like to have a rough time controlling your magic." With a flick of her wrist Willow summoned a fifteen foot tall writhing mass of vines and thorns with flowers that looked like mouths that dripped acid saliva, before sending them away, and snapping her fingers to form beautifully flowering bushes at the base of Luz's tower. "But if you keep at it you will be able to create something beautiful too," Willow smiled. "If it helps, I usually train in the woods in the morning. It might be a bit intense at first, but feel free to join me if you want."

Luz gave Willow a small hug before she remembered something and began to smirk, "You didn't happen to be training the morning we met, did you?"

Willow gave a faint grin, "Ya. I was really stressed about my project so I spent that morning burning some of it off. Why?"

Luz got close before whispering in her ear with a hint of flirtatiousness, "So who was the guy with you? Does my flower have a suiter?"

Willow blushed deep crimson, before paling and pulling Luz away from everyone else, "Luz this is very important. I need you to tell me exactly what you think you saw, and then never speak of it again… to anyone… ever."

Luz looked at her friend confused and a bit worried, "Willow, are you ok? Did he hurt you? Why do you look so scared?"

Willow seemed slightly offended, "Hunter would never hurt me… How could you?" But then she threw her hands over her mouth and started to tear up, making Luz pull her into another hug and begin to coo slightly to comfort her. Once Willow was calmed down she whispered, "Please you can't tell anyone, or his uncle might hurt him again."

Willow felt Luz stiffen slightly, and her friend grew slightly warmer to the touch, but despite the clouds of anger in Luz's eyes she kept her tone kind. "Willow, this will remain between you and me if you want, but you need to tell me what's going on. We might not have been friends for long, but something you're going to have to get used to is that I don't allow others to be hurt if I can do something about it."

Willow looked up at the taller girl, and something told her that Luz would understand. Luz, her new trustworthy and powerful friend could help somehow. So with a slight tremble to her voice Willow explained, "Hunter is a powerless witch. He was born without a bile sack, but his uncle gave him a staff that allows him to still do magic. About a year ago, he saved me when I tried to explore too deep into a particularly dangerous section of woods. One thing led to another, and we've kinda been dating in secret for a couple months now." Willow blushed slightly as she thought about those times. "He's really kind, and smart, and so handsome, but his uncle sends him on missions for weeks at a time so it can be a bit rough to see each other." Willow teared up a bit, "Luz, I really like him alot. Without him I might have collapsed under the bullying at school, but I just feel so useless sometimes. His uncle hurts him when he 'disappoints' him. I've seen some of the scars. When I said I needed to get stronger… it's not just for me. I want to be able to protect my Hunter. I'm terrified that one of these days he'll go away, and never come back, or his uncle will find out about us and do something terrible."

Luz pulled her in close as she whispered, "Quiet now. I get it. You don't need to say anymore. Willow, I promise I'm going to help you, and your boo." With a small chuckle Luz said, "I'm a sucker for romance, and what's more romantic than true love. No matter what happens I've got your back, and if things get too rough… bring him to my tower. I wasn't joking when I said no one short of the Emperor himself can break in here. If things get bad. You will both be safe here." To Willow's surprise she felt Luz's wings wrap around them like a warm comforting cocoon of feathers, and for the first time Willow didn't feel so afraid. After a minute to calm themselves they walked back to the others, and when they asked what that was about Luz just laughed, "It's not important. Just some girl stuff. We've got it under control so how's about that tour?"

Without another word Luz pulled her friends into her tower, and started showing them around, but Luz didn't miss the look of concern from Vee or her Mom's expectant stare. Willow and Gus were amazed by what they found on the first floor. Gus was immediately drawn to the potions table and Vee's new obsession, an alchemy/tinkering table, where she worked on creating and restoring some of the electronics they found with the help of one of the few books they recovered from the slug, an engineering textbook. At the other side of the room Willow found the training space. She couldn't help feeling giddy at the prospects of having an actual gym, and not the cobbled together rocks and trees she usually used. Seeing the hunger in her eyes, Luz couldn't help reminding her friend that she had an open invite to train with her, making Willow's ears start to wiggle slightly.

By the time they all moved to the second floor they were happy to just relax in the provided set up, and Luz's friends even offered to give her some of the old books they had back home collecting dust in boxes to fill out her book shelves. When Gus asked about the third floor Luz just gave him a slight wink before saying, "Now Gus, what kind of girl do you take me for? We know each other for one day, and you already want to know what my bedroom looks like? I never took you for that kind of guy." As Gus blushed and sputtered Luz started to laugh, "I'm kidding Gus. Honestly, it wouldn't bother me to show it off, Mom put a lot of effort into it, but not right now. It's kinda messy, and a girls gotta stay mysterious somehow."

Vee chimed in, "Trust me Sis you are plenty mysterious without having to worry about stuff like that, but I agree. I like you guys, but I don't think I'm ready to let anyone in yet. It's kinda nice to have a space where I can be alone, and not feel overwhelmed by worrying about being seen."

Luz winked, but let Vee's comment go. About an hour later Gus and Willow received messages from their parents that they wanted them home for dinner, and after a bunch of hugs were exchanged and King got a few final tributes in the form of a high five from Gus and a flower crown from Willow they headed home. Unfortunately for Luz, as soon as they were gone Eda's attention fell solidly on her as she said flatly, "Spill it Luz. If there's a problem, we are going to face it together from now on. No more one woman shows. You are my owlets, and we are your parliament." To Luz's surprise she saw Vee and King stand next to Eda with arms crossed in solidarity.

Luz couldn't help but chuckle with a few tears in her eyes before she squeaked, "Quiero a mi familia (I love my family). So does this 'Parliament of Clawthornes' count as the leadership of the Bad Girls Coven or is it a separate thing? Or is the BGC just the parent organization for a bunch of smaller groups like the CS is made up of the ten coven's? Got a couple issues to iron out there Mom." Luz joked.

Eda sighed, "Luz I invented the deflection trick. It won't work on me. For the record though, it's the second one. Gotta have a new system to replace the old for when we finally get Belos off his almighty butt." Eda laughed at herself, before shifting back into 'Mom mode', "So unless you want to lose your spot as my lieutenant you'd better tell us what's up, quick, fast, and in a hurry."

Luz groaned, "Fine, I'll give you the overview, but I've got this covered for now. If I need help I know where to find it, mis fabulosos raros (my fabulous weirdos)." Luz gave a faint smile to show she was joking, but actually appreciated their concern. "So Willow's boo is in a bit of a bad spot. He loves Willow and his uncle, but no matter how hard he gets beat on, his loyalty is still with his uncle for now. Willow is scared for him, and I'm going to help her indirectly for now. We are going to start training together in the morning… honestly it's probably going to help me more then her for at least the short term cuz, damn my girl, did you see those muscles. Like if we both didn't already have eyes for someone else… Ugh… anyway… for now that's the best we can do. She's going to try to convince him away from the situation, but the whole thing is a super secret. If that doesn't work. I'll hide him in the Clubhouse. It should be done by then."

Eda nodded slowly as she absorbed the new info, but Vee started to smile more and more before it developed into a mischievous smirk, "Sis you said 'you both had eyes for someone else', and you mentioned Willow's boyfriend, but what about you? Who has my precious sister's eye?"

Luz's face went scarlet as she started to blush and stammer, "No es nadie. Nadie tiene mi ojo. Definitivamente no es una linda bruja de pelo menta que huele a sidra de manzana cada vez que estoy cerca de ella. Eso sería ridículo... Ni siquiera la conozco, y definitivamente no pienso en lo cálida y vulnerable que se sintió cuando la abracé durante su ataque de pánico. Oh Titan, no. Otra vez no. No puedo pasar por esto otra vez. No puedo arruinar esto. (It's nobody. Nobody has my eye. Definitely not a cute mint haired witchling that smells like spiced apple cider every time I'm around her. That would be ridiculous... I don't even know her, and I definitely don't think about how warm and vulnerable she felt as I held her during her panic attack. Oh Titan, no. Not again. I can't go through this again. I can't ruin this.)"

As Luz slowly folded in on herself on the couch, her family had a spectrum of reactions. King, understanding none of his sister's odd ramblings just sat confused as he waited for his Mom or other sister to clarify what was going on. Eda picked up only a couple words, and not the important ones, so she just snorted at Luz as she marveled at her very Camilia-esqe 'gay panic'. As she continued to laugh, Eda said, "Looks like the Clawthorne Love Curse is still going strong. It never fails, we always fall in love at first sight." Luz had been teaching Vee Spanish before they went to bed each night, and to both of their surprises Vee was a quick study. They had guessed it had to do with her ability to blend in, but as a result Vee understood most of Luz's panic, and as a result she tried to move towards her sister to comfort her, but found herself stopped by Luz's wings as she cocooned herself within them.

In an attempt to help Vee said, "I'm sorry Lu, but please… I think I understood most of that, but other parts you're going to have to explain. Like I don't know what 'spiced apple cider' is, but I doubt you mean that abomination goo smell, and what panic attack? Luz please. Let me in."

To Vee's surprise she felt Luz's wings open, and then close around her and pull her close to her crying big sister. Eda heard mumbling from inside the wing cocoon, but couldn't make anything out. After fifteen long minutes Luz's wings opened again to reveal an emotionally drained Luz and a resolute Vee saying, "I promise Luz. I will help you anyway I can."

Before Eda could ask any questions, Vee just shook her head so she just announced, "Todays been a long one. Let's go get something to fill our guts, and go rot our brains with something on the orb. Whatcha say, kiddos? Lets just relax for the rest of the night." Soon they were laughing and joking just as they always did when they could just be the adorable little family that they were, and manage to escape the shadows and schemes that sprang up around them.

The next few days proved both amazing and disappointing. The Gaia Gym slowly started taking shape as Luz and Willow got increasingly fond of their new training situations, and it even turned into a joke that if nothing else they could open up an official gym in a few years to kick the Isles into shape. Luz even introduced Willow to the concepts of yoga and other forms of human style training. Ironically despite making the choice to practice pacifism most of the time Willow took to the more aggressive training techniques very quickly, and proved an amazing sparring partner for Luz when it came to hand to hand fighting. Not to mention with Willow's plant magic, collecting and growing more difficult or dangerous potion ingredients proved much easier.

Not everything was sunshine and slow gains though. Despite saying that they needed to talk, Amity proved elusive, and a constant source of irritation for Willow. Skara insisted that Amity was just really busy, but she wasn't convincing anyone. More confusing was the radical change in Boscha and her crew. They hadn't been the only bullies Willow had been having to deal with before, but they had certainly been the most outspoken about it. Now not only did they actively avoid the new plant witch prodigy, but Skara revealed that Boscha was actively shutting down others from antagonizing her. When pressed Skara just shrugged saying, "Ever since she saw Luz in action Boscha's been different. Whenever anyone mentions Luz she gets super defensive or distracted… It's really weird."

Soon it was the morning of the Covention and Luz couldn't help feeling nervous. She'd never admit it, but crowds still bothered her. They always put her on edge, and until recently it had been a valid feeling since she had actually been attacked a couple times in crowds. The time she got stomped still lingered as one of her top five least enjoyable experiences, but she wasn't alone this time. Her Mom, Willow, Gus, and Skara wouldn't let anyone hurt her this time. She'd be safe this time. As Luz got ready, she couldn't help smiling when she found her favorite red beanie and put it on. Eda had surprised her the day before when she showed Luz how she had enchanted it so that she could wear it comfortably again. Ever since Luz's horns had grown they had made wearing it uncomfortable as it wouldn't sit right on her head, but now her horns just phased through it like they weren't there making it look like the horns were a part of it. It hadn't dawned on her before that moment, but as long as she kept the beanie on and her wings hidden she could return to the Human realm if she wanted. Sure she'd probably still get odd look, but nothing worse than what she got before when she tested cosplay.

When Luz finally made it to breakfast she found a younger Eda waiting for her. Luz marveled at her bright orange hair that had been pulled back into a ponytail, and while Eda's skin was still pale it looked healthy and had a glow to it that made the usually chalky white of it look closer to polished marble. Gone were most of her Mom's wrinkles along with her gold fang, and Luz couldn't help thinking that this is probably what she would look like if she had never been cursed. Luz felt so conflicted. This Eda was beautiful and free, but she wasn't her Mom. This woman wouldn't have run away and met her Mami. This woman would have gone on to live a full life, and probably gone on to live a very different life. This woman hurt Luz to look at because a part of her wished she was real… she deserved to be real, but she never could be. She was a mirage, nothing more, and Luz felt guilty for both loving and hating what she saw.

Eventually Eda noticed Luz's presence, and noticed her staring so she said, "Yep soak it in. Your Mom was hot once." Eda laughed. "Don't worry about it kiddo. I know this look makes me feel complicated emotions too, but it's only until we get back from the Covention… and maybe a few times for my Cammy." Eda blushed with a small smile. "Sadly the potion to pull this off is rough to make, and it conflicts with my elixir so unless you want to keep me in a cage the rest of the time this will have to be a one time thing. Thankfully the list of people who would recognize me like this is very short, like counting on one hand short so we should be fine."

Vee just looked at the two and sighed, "Ok we get it Mama. You were muy caliente in your youth, and it is a tragedy that the Isles were robbed of your radiance. Bla bla bla. Can we focus on what's important, like what do we do if one of you get caught?" Vee gave Eda a scared look, "They'll lock you up in that prison, and I-I-I promise I would try to save you, but… that place terrifies me. It's taken so much from me already. It can't take you away too… not my Mama… not my family."

Vee started to curl up on herself until she felt everyone else wrap her into a hug, and Eda started to coo slightly that everything would be ok. "The Titan itself couldn't make me leave my kids alone. You're stuck with me Victoria Clawthorne. I promise."

A half hour later, Gus and Willow arrived at the Owl House, and after taking a minute to adjust to Eda's new look they all made their way to the Covention Center. When they arrived Luz felt her nerves rise again, but she was soon overwhelmed by the sights and smells around her. Gus and Willow took turns pointing out a few of the stands they thought Luz might enjoy like the tiny cat coven, pupper coven, and baking coven until they reached their first three main coven stands. The Construction and Plant covens were being overseen by their heads Mason Quarry and Terra Snapdragon, and after the events at Hexside nobody was particularly interested in getting too close to either booth. The Illusions booth on the other hand was being handled by a pair of junior members, and while Gus and Willow enjoyed the spectacle, Eda pointed out a branding to Luz that was going on in the background to Luz's disgust.

Soon after that they heard a familiar voice and a tiny squeak as they found Skara walking around with Amity. Upon noticing each other, neither Luz or Amity could look at each other without blushing, and the problem only got worse when Amity noticed Willow making the girl's color drain away. Noticing how uncomfortable her friends were, Skara tried to break the tension by offering to guide them to her Nini's booth so they could meet them, and on a whim Eda followed. This proved a terrible mistake because as soon as the two older witches saw each other the awkwardness got a hundred times worse. Skara didn't seem to notice, and with a flourish she announced, "Everyone I would like to introduce you to my Nini, Raine Whispers, the Bard Coven Head, and greatest bard the Isles have ever seen. A title I intend to take one day." Skara giggled to herself for a moment until she noticed the odd looks Luz and Eda were giving her Nini.

Raine managed to stutter out a quiet, "Hey their Edalyn. You're looking well."

Eda just mumbled a small, "Ya you too, Rainstorm."

Much to Skara's surprise Luz's face shifted to anger as she moved to stand protectively in front of Eda before she growled, "I see your game now. All this time you were playing me. You just wanted to hurt my Mom."

Skara's face twisted in shock and disappointment, "Luz I promise that's not what this is about. Ya their a Coven Head, but neither of us want to hurt you or your Mom. You're my friend, and we'd never turn either of you in."

Luz scoffed, "I hadn't even thought of that, but thanks for reminding me that you could. I guess I should thank you though Raine. If you hadn't done what you did I wouldn't exist… thanks for that."

Skara just looked at her confused until she heard her Nini let out a gasp filled with surprise and sadness, "You're her daughter. Eda, you have a daughter… but you always said that was impossible."

Eda smirked, "Surprise. My Luz is one in a million." Eda's gaze moved down to Luz as she pulled her close, "I appreciate the sentiment, Owlet, but it's ok. I moved on a long time ago. The only person for me now is our Camila."

Luz's face softened in her Mom's arms, but Skara just looked confused, "Nini what's going on? Why do they think you're going to hurt them? I-I just wanted to impress my friends. What's going on?"

Raine pulled Skara into a hug, "It's ok my little medley. You couldn't have known. You did nothing wrong. Before I married your mother the three of us were in an odd polycule. Eda and your mom weren't together, but they agreed to share me. It was odd, but it worked until Eda and I got in a fight, and I abandoned her. There's no other term for it. I abandoned her, and married your Mom. Don't get me wrong I don't regret being with Daniella or having you, but I messed up. I said some things that have haunted me ever since, things I regret." With a smile Raine said, "I love you Skara, and I will never stop loving your mom. Raising you alone was rough, but you are the drum that keeps my heart beating, and watching you grow up has been the greatest pleasure of my life."

Eda looked at Raine sadly, "I'm sorry Raine. Despite the differences between Ella and I, I always respected her. She was a special woman. What happened to her?"

Raine sighed, "We still don't know. One day her bile sack just dried up, and she was gone."

Eda let out a sigh, "Raine, I know you won't believe me, but it wasn't your fault, and honestly it was the best thing to ever happen to me. I found my love, and my miracle. Luz was worth all the pain." Eda wiped away a tear before she snorted, "Look at me. I really have become a softy, but I guess being a parent will do that. Come by the house sometime Rainestorm. We can catch up, but warn me first Cammy might tear you apart if you drop by before I can prep her." Eda looked at Luz and the kids as she said, "For now there is a lot of Covention to see so Songbird, Owlet, Goops, Boots, and Muscles lets go explore some more."

With a bit of awkwardness the five witchlings followed Eda away, but neither adult seemed bothered anymore. After a while Amity led them to the Emperor's Coven setup in the coliseum, and they all sat down to watch the show as Gus and Willow sat on one side of Luz while Amity sat on the other side with Skara next to her, and Eda behind her so she could whisper in her daughters ear. Luz found the whole thing boring until the surprise guest was announced to be Lilith Clawthorne, Eda's sister and Emperor's Coven Head. Diving from the rafters came a blue energy raven that evaporated to reveal a tall slender witch with long dark blue hair and pale white skin wearing a floor length black dress with a kite shaped aquamarine gem on her chest. Once she removed the white raven-esque masquerade style mask from her face Luz couldn't help but notice the resemblance especially now that she had seen her Mom in her curseless disguise.

Luz watched Lilith as she put up a good show of encouraging and exciting the crowd with her words until Lilith spotted Amity, and a faint smile appeared that was washed away when she noticed Eda. Surprisingly, Lilith chose to continue the show without interruption, but when everyone tried to get up to leave they found themselves unable to stand. With a confident stride Lilith made her way over to the kids, and Eda before she said, "Evening Edalyn. I'm surprised to see you here unless you've finally decided to give up this futile resistance, and finally join me."

Eda went to make a snide remark, but Luz beat her to it as she smiled, "It's nice to meet you Tia Lily. I didn't expect you to be that strong, but that was a cool spell."

Lilith just looked at Luz with an unimpressed sneer, before ignoring her to look back at Eda "Ya it's nice to meet you too. So, what are you doing here, and why is my apprentice sitting with you?"

Eda shot Amity a glare that made the mint haired girl shrink before she answered, "Not much Lily. It's been forever since I came to one of these, but when my daughter and her friends asked me I couldn't say no. If I'd known you'd be here I would have tried though."

Lilith just nodded with a smirk, "Well since your here we can… DID YOU SAY DAUGHTER." Lilith quickly scanned the kids present until she saw Luz giving her a very familiar smirk, and she took a step back.

Eda couldn't help but cackle at Lilith's face, "Oh my Titan Lily that reaction almost made having to see you again worth it, but… na. Anyway, we should be going. Luz, kids, thank Ms. Lily for a great show cuz we're leaving." After a quick circle from Eda everyone found themselves able to move again, and everyone minus Amity stood up to join Eda as she left.

They only made it a few steps before Lilith shouted, "I think not. Edalyn, you're coming with me so you can get branded and Emperor Belos can remove your curse… I don't know if it transferred, but if it did I promise he will fix Luz too. Now stop being stubborn and get back here so we can fix this."

Eda looked at Lilith with a hateful look, "Luz is perfect just the way she is. She doesn't need to be fixed. She isn't affected by the curse the way I am. As a matter of fact she could wipe the floor with any prissy little blueblood or scout you throw at her. So take your empty promises and bonehead Emperor and jump in the sea."

Lilith smirked, "Is that so? How about a bet then. Amity is my best recruit, my personal protege, so how's about a duel between them. You win, you walk away today, but if we win, you both join the Emperor's Coven. What's it going to be Edalyn? Fight me and show how much faith you have in her or walk away and show her you don't believe in her."

Eda looked at Luz obviously torn until a new voice spoke up. "How about I fight instead. Blight and I have a score to settle, and when I defeat her I'll finally prove how strong I am," declared Willow. "I might not be as strong as Luz, but I should be more than enough to challenge her."

Eda saw the fire in Willow's so she asked, "You sure Muscles? Is this really what you want?"

"It is Ms. Eda. I need to do this, and once it's done it won't matter what she has to say. I will finally be able to move past everything she did to me," Willow stated.

Eda just let out a sigh before she said, "Fine Lily. You've got your duel."

It only took Lilith a couple minutes to lock down the coliseum, but while she did Amity shuffled over to Willow and drew a circle. "It might not matter to you, but I'm making an Everlasting Oath. If you win, I'll tell you everything right here and right now. No more delays. You win and I'm an open book." Willow nodded and they shook on it.

With the preparations complete the two duelists took their positions, and Luz and Skara stood between them to start the fight. Together they said, "Amity ready?" She nodded. "Willow ready?" She nodded. "Then fight clean, and fight fair. Now, FIGHT," they declared as Luz summoned her wings and carried Skara away to Liliths side, but to Lilith's surprise Luz stayed to watch with her. As Amity and Willow got started they both drew their spell circles and called on their magic. As a trio of Abominations charged and attacked a trio of plant monsters the two casters started circling around the fight in the middle. Willow tried to trip Amity with small vines, but Amity simply sliced at them with a small goo knife that Amity proceeded to create more of to throw at Willow making her dodge.

As the duo fought Luz chirped at Lilith without looking at her, "You know, I think they're both amazing. Willow is so strong, and Amity is so skilled. It sucks that they aren't friends anymore." Luz laughed, "Together they might actually be strong enough to beat me, but oh Titan would that fight be fun. I'm guessing it would be a lot like the fights you and Mom used to have, Tia Lily."

Lilith smirked remembering better days, "Those were fun, but…" Lilith sighed, "I don't know why you call me 'Tia', but I know for a fact that Eda's curse prevents her from having kids so stop acting like we are family."

Luz gave Lilth an angry glare, "Just because people don't share blood it doesn't mean they aren't family, and for the record you are my Tia, my aunt, and we do share blood." Luz's glare melted into a small smile, "I'm a lot of things, but a liar isn't one, Tia Lily. Mom helped my Mami with a 'birthing' potion, whatever that is, and it got corrupted by her curse. I'm one of a kind. A little bit of owl demon, human, witch, and more. It doesn't matter if you believe me. I just thought you deserved to know. I can tell you're a good person, but there's a smell that lingers on you. It's like putid rot. Someone near to you is evil on a level I've never experienced before. You need to get away from them before you get hurt."

Lilith just gave Luz a doubtful sarcastic smirk, "Why would you care? If I get my way both you and Edalyn's lives will drastically change. You don't even know me kid."

Luz stood up, and readied herself to fly back, but before she left she said, "We're family, and family doesn't abandon each other. No matter what we do or say, at the end of the day we forgive each other. This is me reaching out a hand to help you. I can't make you take it, but I'll be waiting when you're ready because I love you, Tia Lily, and I know you love Mom too or you wouldn't try so hard to try to 'help' her." With that Luz flew off leaving Lilith to reflect on her words.

Down below the struggle's between Amity and Willow, and the one between their creations was reaching its end. As the battered combatants watched, the creations tore each other apart without a clear winner, but with them gone the duo decided to rush toward each other for one final clash. Amity used the remaining goo to form an abomination gauntlet, and Willow did the same with her plant matter. With a thunderous crash the two collided, and Amity found herself looking up into Willow's glowing green eyes. With a small grin and a sigh Amity announced, "I surrender. You win."

With that both girls passed out, but not before Luz glided down to catch them. With a kind smile Luz laid the duo next to each other as she created two white spell circles, and began to assess their injuries until she suddenly let out a horrified gasp making the oncoming groups run faster to find out what's wrong. As they did, they saw Luz rip off a concealment stone on Amity before pulling up her shirt to reveal old yellow and black bruises all over Amity's sides and stomach. When Lilth looked sickened, Luz showed her evidence of old fractures along Amity's ribs that told only one story, and it wasn't training gone wrong. With a small stutter Luz asked Lilith, "I can remove it all. I want to make her as good as new, but since she's out the decision is up to you as her mentor, and the law on the Isles. Should I proceed?"

Unable to speak past the bile in her throat, Lilith just nodded, and Luz got to work. By the time Willow woke up, Luz was just finishing the last of her work, but Willow didn't miss seeing the amount of bruising that was present before it faded away. With a small tremble to her voice Willow asked, "I didn't do that right?"

Luz gave Willow a small grin, "No those happened days ago. We won't know how until she wakes up."

With that they waited in silence until Amity woke up a few minutes later. As she did, Amity seemed confused. With one hand she moved to her necklace and concealment stones only to find them missing. With the other Amity poked her ribs finding them whole and undamaged. When she finally looked around it was into the faces of Willow, Luz, Eda, and Lilith. The others had moved over to the seats, and fallen asleep. With her eyes tearing up Amity looked to Willow and said, "Ask. I'm not strong enough to say it unless the oath makes me."

Willow sighed, "Why did you abandon me?"

Amity glowed for a second before she said, "Mom said that if I didn't cut ties with you, she'd do it herself, and I was afraid she might hurt you or your dads. You all were always so nice to me. I couldn't take that chance."

Willow looked at Lilith before she asked, "What would she have done?"

Amity looked away, but started to glow again before she choked out, "I don't know for sure, but it wouldn't be the first time she did something extreme. She threatened that you would never be admitted to Hexside, and she would ruin your life, but how she would go about it… I don't want to know. Her methods are twisted. I've heard her admit to starving a family to death once by preventing them from finding enough work, or she could have made an example of you and engineered an 'accident' to happen at one of her displays. She would probably make me watch as she did it too as an extra punishment." Amity couldn't look at any of them, but she felt herself being grabbed from behind as arms held her in a familiar warm supportive embrace. Gaining strength from the hug Amity looked at Willow and said, "Ask me about the bruises. Please."

Looking utterly devastated, and like she was struggling to do so, Willow asked Amity, "Where did you get those bruises?"

Amity started to cry, but smiled as she admitted, "My mother, Odalia. When I failed to stand out during the Attack at Hexside she beat me, and used her magic to hurt me. For two hours she made me feel pain like you can't imagine, but I can. Burns that reach bone, drowning, crushed bones, acid, headaches that caused me to bleed from every hole in my head, starvation… she only has to do something once to be able to make me relive it all over again like it was the first time. I've felt them all, and more as have my siblings, Ed and Em."

By the end of Amity's answer everyone else had to move away from her as Luz's magic began to pulse and ripple off her like heat waves of fury sometimes white or black, and sometimes gray or gold. Lilith just watched in awe of her niece for a moment until the reality of Amity's situation and the depths of her failure finally washed over her. With eyes full of tears Lilith asked, "How long has this been going on?"

Amity didn't glow this time, but she still choked out, "As long as I can remember." As the answer hit her, Lilith fell to her knees so beyond everything that all she could do was cry until she felt a hand take hold of her shoulder.

As Lilith looked up she saw Eda looking down without judgment, but with a firm voice she said, "You know what you need to do. We might not be able to help her siblings yet, but you can help your apprentice, and if you need somewhere for her to stay when you can't be there I'll look after her." With a smirk Eda added, "Clearly my daughter seems quite protective of her so I doubt I'd have much of a say in it either way, but we can't let this go on."

Lilith looked up at Eda and said, "She really is your daughter isn't she?" Eda nodded. "Oh Titan Edalyn. How did I miss the signs? I knew what kind of monster Odalia was, but I still missed this. How can I call myself her mentor after this… after I failed her so much?"

Eda let out a sigh, "Lily we both screwed up being caretakers. We let our girls go through so much that we could have protected them from, but we didn't. We have to do better. We have to be better. Now what do you say, Nerd, you ready to make a difference?"

Lilith smirked with a nod before asking, "How do we get near them though? I've never felt magic like that before."

With a smirk Eda yelled jokingly, "It's ok kid. We have a plan to protect your little girlfriend." But to both of the older witches' shock they saw Luz's eyes open and something else stared them down.

As they looked into those wrathful purple orbs they heard a powerful echoing voice say back, "You'd better."

An hour later Lilith was standing in front of Blight manor with Amity before her, but protectively within arms reach. After Lilith knocked she found herself faced with an Abomination butler, but Amity smiled when she saw it, "Abdol it's nice to see you. Can you please go fetch Mother for Ms. Lilith?" Abdol let out a groan, but did as he was bid, and a few minutes later Odalia appeared with a haughty air.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Clawthorne. To what do we owe this surprise visit from the Emperor's Head?" she said in a honeyed business tone.

"Odalia, I have come to give you some good news, and discuss Amity's future," said Lilith with an icy stare.

But before she could continue Odalia shot Amity a glare, "Mittens, why don't you go wait for me in your room. I'm sure this will not take long."

Amity cowered, but Lilith leaned down, and whispered, "It's ok Amity. Just go and get started. I will join you in a moment." Amity let out a small nod, and bowed to her Mother before running off to her room.

Odalia's face twisted into a grin once Amity was gone, and she half-chuckled, "It's been a long time since we have been alone together, my pet. I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss you."

Lilith looked revolted, but kept her tone even, "Never again, and I'm only here to discuss Amity."

Odalia's faux-flirty tone disappeared as she hissed, "What about her? What has she done this time?"

Lilith gave her a confused look, "What she has done is impress me, and I have decided to fast track her advancement a bit. I intend to name her my lieutenant within the next year, but in order to prepare her appropriately I will be taking her in a more complete sense. She will be coming with me so that I may supervise her more completely, and better dictate her studies, manage her diet, and begin educating her on the day to day requirements of her new position. In short, my coven is taking Amity. I'm sure we can set up controlled visits, but that will be a matter for later."

Odalia looked conflicted for a moment before she let out a sigh, "If this is what the Emperor requires from us then… she is yours, but I hope you are not trying to replace me, my pet."

Lilith let out a horrified shudder, but walked inside and toward Amity's room without another word. When Lilith walked into Amity's room she found her sitting on her bed with a small bag. Around the room were signs of a couple posters having recently been removed, and a few items were missing around the room, but most of it remained untouched along with most of her clothes. Closing the door behind her, Lilith walked over to sit next to Amity as she whispered softly, "Amity, are you ok? Do you require assistance with the rest?"

Amity let out a small weak chuckle, "No. I'm done. The rest of this is Blight property, not mine. Everything I own, everything that is really mine… it's in this bag. I'm sorry Ms. Lilith, I wish I wasn't such a burden."

Once more bile rose in Liliths throat, but she choked it back as she said, "It's fine Amity. I should have expected this, but I need you to understand something going forward."

Amity looked at Lilith with a hint of fear in her eyes that made Lilith's skin itch in shame as the young witchling said on the edge of tears, "Oh course Ms. Lilith. I promise, I won't disappoint you."

Lilith gave Amity a small smile as she said, "I know you won't, because you never have. Amity, you are not a burden. I have been a disgrace as a mentor up until now, but I'm going to fix this. I'm going to take you under my wing, and I am going to help you soar. I'm going to protect you this time. That's my promise, and have I ever broken one of those?"

Amity's gaze softened as she smiled a faint smile before bowing her head, "No Ms. Lilith. You never have."

A few minutes later Lilith and Amity were flying off toward the apartment Lilith was provided with as Head of the Emperor's Coven when Lilith suddenly asked, "Amity, you don't have to answer if you don't want to, but what do you think of Luz?"

Amity blushed, and remained silent for a minute before she sighed, "Luz is powerful and kind… Ms. Lilith… I don't know. I only met her the other day, but I can't get her off my mind. She saw me at my worst, then she tricked me, and then she held me… Ugh I just don't get it. I've never felt like this before."

Lilith smiled faintly, "Amity, I'm sure you've heard the rumors, but I don't feel 'love' the way most do. I recognize it, and I can even feel some forms of it, but I don't do romance, never have. The best way to explain it is 'I can look out a window and see wind tossing a leaf, but I can't feel it because I can't go outside'. You understand, right?"

Amity nodded, "Yes, I understand, but I don't see your point."

Lilith chuckled, "I'd like to hear more about how you two met, because I've never seen anyone love someone so deeply before in my life. Honestly I might be a bit jealous of you, and that's never happened before."

Amity stammered, "What makes you think I love here? I can't. I don't even know her. I don't…" But Amity found herself unable to say it. Her heart wouldn't let her. "It doesn't matter. Nobody could ever love me. I'm just a broken tool. Destined to be used, and thrown away."

Liliths laughter died as she heard those words. With a stern glare, Lilith stopped, and rounded on Amity only softening her expression when she saw Amity cringe and tense in fear. Letting out a sigh Lilith said gently, "Amity that is a blatant lie, and I hate lies, they only hurt people. Amity, do you remember the day you passed that exam last year, and you were so excited you called me 'mom'." Amity cringed, and tried to look away, but Lilith stopped her and looked her in the eye, "I will admit it caught me off guard, but it remains one of my fondest memories. Amity, I will never have children of my own. Not because I didn't want them, but because it's not fair to ask that of someone else. To ask someone to accept that I would only be using them to create something I'm capable of loving. If I can't love someone, I can't expect them to love me, and it's always been my opinion that children should be born of that love. I could adopt a child, but it wouldn't be fair to them since my job keeps me so busy. When you called me Mom… Amity I believed that being a teacher would be the closest I ever got to feeling like a Mother, but then you came into my life."

Amity looked at Lilith, but started to cry, "I'm sorry. I didn't realize I hurt you like that. It might have been an accident, but… Taunting you like that… how can you even look at me?"

Lilith pulled Amity into a hug, "You misunderstand me. You didn't hurt me. You gave me a gift. Amity, If I had a daughter I'd hope she was just like you. You are so smart, so driven. I have seen your heart and it is full of strength and tenderness. Sadly Odalia has poisoned the position of mother for you, and I don't think I would deserve it anyway, but I will always be your mentor. I will be there to guide and support you as best I can." With a snort Lilith added, "I wasn't talking about you by the way."

As they got moving again Amity just looked at Lilith confused, "What do you mean?"

"Amity, I might love you like you were my daughter, but Luz's love… I've never seen anything like it. She might not even know it yet, but the way she held you… The way she wanted to protect you… There is not a doubt in my mind. My niece loves you with all of her being. That's why I wanted to know how you felt about her, and I got my answer." Lilith winked. "I might not be able to call you my daughter, but maybe one day. I can be your Aunt Lily too." Lilith had to catch Amity before she fell off her staff from overheating, but Lilith just pulled the unconscious girl in front of her as she cooed and stroked Amity's hair, "Sleep tight little bird. Mama's got you."

Amity woke up by the time they arrived at Lilith's home, and while it wasn't large, Amity felt something she never did at Blight manor. It felt like home. For the rest of the night they talked. Lilith knew Amity Blight, but she wanted to get to know the real Amity, and for once Lilith let her facade drop. To both of their surprise they found history and exploration to be a shared interest even if it was for slightly different reasons, and Lilith admitted she already knew about Amity's job at the library. Much to Amiy's joy, Lilith told her she could feel free to make it a daily thing if she wanted. Lilith was adamant that what she had told Odalia wasn't a lie. If Amity wanted, Lilith could teach her to be her lieutenant, but for now Lilith thought she deserved a break from that kind of pressure.

"Amity, take this time to figure out what you want for yourself. Not what anybody else wants you to do, but what you want. I will help you reach it once you decide. I only ask two things from you. The first is that whatever you choose I want it to be something that will make you happy, and the second is a personal request. Protect Luz if you can. I might have only met her today, but… if she really is my niece, my family, I don't want anything to happen to her."

Once Amity promised with a bit of blushing, she got a surprise. A message from Willow to hang out and go shopping the next day. With a smile Amity sent back a happy 'yes', but as soon as she did Amity thought about having to see Luz in different outfits, and proceeded to immediately overheat again and pass out. Lilith just laughed thinking about having to make sure Amity carries around water from now on so she can 'cool off'.

Author's Notes: Another major divergence chapter on the books. Did I go a bit dark with Odalia's 'crimes'... probably, but tell me it's not completely believable from her, and yes I hint to an even worse crime Odalia did as a kid, but more on that later. You can't tell me that once her character is unshackled from the 'Disney magic', this isn't exactly what you would get. Enough money and influence to avoid getting stopped, the perfect magic to warp into a weapon (except illusions, but OMT we will get to that), and nobody around to stop her from getting increasingly unhinged.

So no Raeda this story sorry. I guess I could have made Caraeda a thing, but I decided I wanted to go another direction. Not every relationship issue can be solved with poly-shipping. Honestly having Skara come from a single parent home will be helpful later for the ship I intend for her.

For the record Willow and Amity should actually be equal in terms of magic at this moment, but Amity's heart just wasn't in it, and I'm intending to play with Lilith's character a bit. Hopefully yall will like it. Also this Luz would devastate Amity, and after everything else she's gone through this chapter I refuse to kick that particular puppy. I'm not that evil. Want to point out Luz asking Lilith for permission to heal Amity had multiple layers since it would remove any evidence she could have used against Odalia.

Surprise, we have now seen all five colors of Luz's natural magic, and each has rules. I have hinted at a few, but the next chapter should be illuminating. In order to prevent this from turning into a full page of notes I'll cut this here, but I want to say and explain so much more right now. Until next time, Shine on beautiful readers.