Amity woke up feeling better than she ever had before. Sure she had slept on a lumpy couch last night, and she felt a bit stiff, but all of that paled before the miracle she discovered that dawn. It hadn't been a dream. She wasn't in the manor. She was really free. For the first time she didn't have to worry about her mother appearing out of nowhere, and hurting her. With giddy steps Amity went to wish Ms. Lilith a 'good morning', but instead she found a covered plate with a note for her sitting on the table. With a slight tremble, Amity read the note, and once she was done she let out a slightly disappointed sigh, but kept smiling. Apparently the Emperor required her presence immediately, but Lilith had left a healthy breakfast for her, and a few hundred snails for later if Amity saw anything she really enjoyed while she was hanging out with her friends. Honestly today couldn't have been better.
In their Gaia gym Luz and Willow were working up a sweat, but Luz noticed Willow's heart wasn't in it. When Luz tried to find out what was bothering her Willow would just smile and wave it off or intensify her workout to force Luz to give her space. This continued all morning until finally Willow's dam broke, and she started to cry as she rendered the boulder they used as a punching bag into nothing more than pebbles. Once Luz settled down her friend, Willow groaned, "Thanks Lu. I'm sorry you had to see that. I just… I thought once I proved myself to Amity all the voices would go away. Maybe I wouldn't feel so terrible all the time, but somehow I feel worse. I beat up an injured abused girl over a misunderstanding we had as little kids. What have I done Lu? What's wrong with me?"
Luz just gave Willow a hug, "You didn't do anything wrong. You didn't make her fight you, and you wouldn't have gone through with it had you known. Will, you are my best friend for a reason, and it's not for these amazingly sculpted arms," Luz joked, making Willow crack a smile. "It's because of your heart. Will, you look out for people, and protect them the best you can just like me. We have each others backs no matter what, so feel free to use my wings to help you soar, and I'll trust in your strength when I don't think I'm strong enough. Sound good, bestie?"
Willow nodded, but while they were cleaning up to find some food and get ready for school/work Willow asked, "Do you think Amity let me win? Did she use me to admit all the things she couldn't say otherwise?"
Luz sighed, "I doubt she could ever 'let' anyone beat her. She doesn't seem the type, but I will admit I don't think her heart was in it. It doesn't really matter though. You're stronger today then you were yesterday, and Amity probably is too so who knows how a rematch would go. As for being used… it's going to sound bad, but everyone does it from time to time. We aren't perfect, and sometimes it's the only way to ask for help so don't let it bother you. Instead, remember that she could have used anyone, but she trusted you to be the one." Luz gave Willow a sinister smile, "What I want to see is both of you against me. Getting sweaty with the cutest girls I know sounds like a heck of an afternoon."
Willow blushed, but walked over to whisper in Luz's ear, "I don't think you could handle both of us at once, but maybe someday we can make that three way happen." Luz seemed to lock up and blush making Willow chuckle. "Lu, jokes aside, that fight does sound interesting, but eye candy is all you're ever going to get from me. I'm already devoted to one person, and I wouldn't trade him for anything. Whatever you and Amity decide to get up to is your business though. You want to get your feathery butt tangled up in her mess, that's your prerogative, but if you ever need help I'll be here to play wingwoman, wing woman."
Willow pulled Luz into a side hug, before Luz gave her a slight shove and looked away bashfully, "Willow… um, actually… would you mind… um…"
Willow looked at Luz confused before her face lit up, "Yes. As your bestie, it is my solemn duty. All that I ask is, I want to be best woman at the wedding, ok?"
Luz blushed before laughing, "Fine with me, but you might have to fight Vee for the position."
Willow chucked, "Finally a worthy challenger."
Both girls just continued to laugh and joke while they finished straightening up. They didn't notice Vee sitting on the stairs until they heard her say confidently, "Doesn't matter. Loser gets to be Maid of honor so no great loss." After that the trio went arm in arm to find some food.
Amity felt odd sitting in classes. Nobody knew about what happened at the Covention, or its aftermath, but Amity still thought she felt people staring at her. If she wasn't still feeling giddy over her new freedom it might have bothered her more, but she was Amity B… no she wasn't Amity Blight anymore. For a moment the thought of Amity Noceda started to come up, but she quickly shot that down. "Bad Amity. You don't even know if she likes you yet, don't get ahead of yourself," Amity thought. With that dealt with, Amity decided she was just Amity for now. No family requirements, or titles to uphold just like Ms. Lilith suggested.
At lunch Amity found another surprise. Boscha and her group sitting with Willow. When she thought about it, it shouldn't have been such a surprise after Boscha's seeming change of heart about Willow, but it still felt odd, and Willow's social standing had shot up since she was named the Top Student of the Plant track. Amity noticed Willow looked mildly uncomfortable though so she chose to sit next to her to force Boscha to back up a bit, much to the triclops annoyance, but Skara seemed overjoyed to see her.
"Wow Amity, the rumors are true. You really do look different today. I don't think I've ever seen you so relaxed or smiling this much. What happened after the fight? Give us a sip of that Tea," Skara gushed.
Amity smiled and gave Willow a playful nudge, "Well after Willow showed me how strong she's gotten, and put me on my butt Ms. Eda and Ms. Lilith had a talk, and I'm living with Ms. Lilith for the time being. She says she wants to officially name me her second soon so I need to get used to the requirements of my station. Honestly it's nice to not have my mother breathing down my neck, and I actually feel free-er now."
Boscha scoffed, "Why would Eda 'the Owl Lady' and Lilith the Head of the Emperor's coven need to talk, and what about?"
Skara laughed, "Bosh, did you forget that their sisters? Also Luz was really looking forward to meeting her Aunt so, ya."
It took a minute for Boscha to connect the dots, but then her eyes went wide, "Luz is The Owl Lady's daughter?" To everyone's surprise Boscha started muttering and blushing, but nobody caught any of it except Amity who swore she heard 'powerful' and 'golden opportunity' in there, and that immediately put her on edge.
While Boscha had her meltdown Skara asked, "So Willow, how's Luz doing after yesterday anyway. I hope she's not still mad at me, and my Nini. I promise I didn't know, and I'd hate to think I hurt her."
Willow gave Skara's hand a slight squeeze, "Skara, don't worry about it. Luz is a forgiving girl. I doubt she has a vengeful bone in her body." As if she knew they were talking about her, Willow and Amity received a message from Luz.
(Luzura) Do you girls mind if Vee joins us later? I'm working on getting her comfortable walking around, and I know having you there would really help her feel more at ease."
(Green_Queen) Sure. Vee's great. Can't wait.
(WITCHCHICK) Sure Luz. If she wants to hang out I'd love to get to know her better.
(Luzura) Thanks girls. This is going to be awesome. : )
Willow and Amity started laughing at Luz's antics, making those around them confused, and pulling Boscha from her 'panic'. "What was that about?" asked Boscha with a bit of edge.
Willow smiled at them saying, "Oh Luz was just wondering if her little sister could join us later. We are going to get Amity a new wardrobe and maybe Luz too. I'd ask her if it was ok for all of us to go, but Vee can get kinda skittish around large groups so maybe next time."
"Wait, Luz has siblings? Are they cute?" asked Bo and Cat, making them both blush.
Gus laughed, "Ya, but not in the way you're thinking. Victoria and King are adopted. They are both demons, and King is eight. Vee's only a year older than me though, so maybe. Good luck though. I almost feel sorry for anyone who tries to date any of them. They are all ridiculously powerful, and more than willing to hide a body if someone broke one of the others' hearts. Hahaha. Would probably be nice to be protected like that though." Gus gave Amity a knowing look, but Amity hid her blush, making Boscha raise an eyebrow.
Cat sighed before grinning, "Probably for the best. Bo is the only girl I need anyway." Bo just gave her a small kiss on the cheek in agreement. "Has Luz decided on a track yet by the way? After the show she put on, I'm guessing she's going to start next semester."
"Last I checked she is leaning either Healing or Construction, and if she can convince Vee she will be a shoe-in for the top of Beastkeeping," said Willow before her face dropped. "Luz wants to wait for her other mom to arrive though before she makes a decision."
"Where is she at? Can't be too far," asked Bo.
"Far enough. I really shouldn't say more without Luz's permission though. I for one can't wait to meet her. According to Luz, Camila, her other mom, is the real boss in her house, and given how powerful Ms. Eda is that's an accomplishment all in itself," smirked Gus.
"So you two might luck out, and get to spend a lot of time with Luz if she choses Healing. By the way, how is Hypox doing?" asked Willow.
"She's fine. We'll warn her that Luz might join us in Healing. Despite Luz's 'condition', I think Professor Hypox actually really enjoyed having her around. That's not saying much though. Everybody except Hermunculus seemed to take a shine to her when she visited. Might break some teachers' hearts when they find out," laughed Cat.
Boscha glared at Cat, "What condition?"
Bo and Cat got visibly nervous so Skara answered for them, "Call down Bosh. You know the Healing coven takes secrecy very seriously, but since I saw it too, I'll tell ya. I don't think Luz has a bone in her body that doesn't show evidence of not being fractured or broken at least six times, combine that with the fact that she healed from her injuries after the attack in a couple hours without any scars, and the fact she can apparently restore bones like they were never broken… girls can take a hit, and swing back better than even you can. Kinda surprised you're not more worried about her taking your position as Captain."
"Thats not the only position she can have," whispered Boscha quiet enough that only Willow and Amity heard, making them both pale. Thankfully that's when the bell started to scream for the end of lunch so everyone separated to go to their classes, but Willow and Amity shared a look that said 'We are going to talk about that later."
The rest of their classes Amity and Willow couldn't get Boscha's new disposition off their minds, and by the time the school day ended they both had reached a decision. Since Amity had some extra tasks to finish before she could meet up, Willow decided to wait for her under a tree on the edge of the forest around Hexside. As Willow waited, she reflected on what she actually knew about Luz, and Willow was surprised by how short that list was. "She lived in and was bullied in the human realm. She has more old injuries than I thought possible. Her mind is always going, and her emotions change on a dime, but her protectiveness is alluring… Titan girl calm down. I love Hunter. Luz is just a cute friend. I can appreciate my friend, but nothing more. We are just friends. Ugh," groaned Willow. But as she shook out those thoughts she heard a familiar giggle.
Coming out from behind the tree stepped Amity who was still giggling slightly as she said, "First Boscha, and now you. Do I need to worry about Gus and Skara falling for her next. I can't blame any of you though… Luz has that effect on me too. I would much later share her with you then let Boscha anywhere near her though." Amity looked at Willow with a raised brow as she sat down next to her, and asked, "Who's Hunter? He must be amazing if you're choosing him over my Luz."
Willow snorted, "Your Luz, really Amity?"
Amity blushed before letting out a sigh, "A girl can dream. I-I don't think I can admit it to anyone else, but ya i'm crushing. Titan, this is ridiculous. I should let her go, but I can't. When I heard Boscha, I wanted to rip her apart to protect Luz. When I heard you talking about Luz, I got scared. Willow I know we aren't really friends anymore, but please I can't do this. Please help me." By the end Amity was starting to cry.
Willow just smiled before wrapping her in a hug, "There's my Amity, my best friend. You will not believe how happy I am to see her again. I thought Amity Blight might have killed her, but thank the Titan she's still here. I missed you Ami."
Amity smiled, and hugged her back, "I missed you too Wills. I might like Skara, but she's not you. Titan I missed this. I missed my best friend." With a small laugh, Amity asked, "What are we going to do? We have to protect her. We have to protect our Luz."
Willow smirked, "I have your back on this. I'm going to help you and Luz. I just ask one thing."
"Anything. It's yours," smiled Amity.
"I want to be your first pick for maid of honor," chuckled Willow.
Amity blushed, but snorted, "As if there is another option. Now let's go. We don't want to keep Luz waiting."
Willow got a mischievous smirk, "Ya I was thinking about throwing a beach party soon so we should probably find some swimsuits too." Amity's eyes shrank and her face burned scarlet before she passed out again. "Yup, that's not getting old anytime soon. Up ya go, Ami." With fluid grace Willow threw Amity over her shoulder and started the walk to meet Luz and Vee.
While Eda ran her 'Curiosities' stall Vee and Luz had spent the day delivering and selling potions, and overall Vee was starting to enjoy herself. Luz made sure to introduce her regulars to her sister, and most of them were very kind. Eda proved herself a savvy business woman again because people seemed to flock to Vee's adorable innocence even more than they did to Luz, since people could still feel too much 'Eda' coming from her.
Even though she made sure to bring extra stock, Luz still found themselves sold out before the end of the school day. So with a couple dozen new potential regulars in the book the sisters decided it was time to take a break. So they made their way back to Eda's stall with eye scream in hand for everyone. As they enjoyed their frozen treat Luz said, "You know Vee, you've really made a lot of progress with being comfortable around strangers. Maybe once you get comfortable around our friends you could join me at Hexside. It's not too late, and I'm sure that Mami will insist on you getting a proper education. I don't want to pressure you into doing something you don't want to do, but you are a smart and powerful demon. I just want you to show the world the amazing person I see when I look at you." With a smirk Luz added, "Also the whole Isles needs to know that the Clawthorne sisters are the hottest girls around."
Vee grinned, and shoved Luz lightly, "Stop that Lu. I'm not pretty… not really. Just because you get to swoop down like a goddess with the sun at your back to make hearts explode doesn't mean I can compare, and I'm fine with that. You can shine for both of us, and I'll just be comfortable in your shadow."
King looked at Luz with stars in his eyes, "You know how to make hearts explode. Show me, show me, show me. Together we will bring our enemies to their knees." King started to try to laugh evilly, but it just came across adorable.
Luz laughed while she scratched his belly to make him giggle, "No, King I haven't figured that one out yet, but why would I? Hearts are better eaten than exploded. Makes for a better demonstration, and a tasty snack, so bonus." Luz winked at Vee, making her laugh too.
"Personally I'm a liver girl, but you do you," said Willow from around the corner. "Afternoon Clawthorne clan. How's sales looking today?"
"Hey there Muscles. Sales are good. It seems like with the Golden Guard in Latissa, Lily distracted with something going on at the healing center, and Wraki still out of the game after their 'accident' at the Conformatorium, nobody is around to push the scouts to do more than the bare minimum. It's not like anyone is going to try anything with me here anyway. A little pickpocketing, or coning is one thing, but nobody's got the nerve to start anything that might cause me to get involved. I might be wild, but hurt scared people make terrible customers. Not to mention I protect my own, and people know that," stated Eda with a bit of fire.
Amity laughed, "You sounded kinda like Ms. Lilith for a minute there. Never took you for the law and order type even if it's street justice."
Eda quirked an eyebrow, "What are you getting at there Boots?"
Amity smirked, "Maybe the reason the scouts are so lazy is because you just being here means they don't have to try. You said it yourself, who's going to risk getting on the wrong side of the infamous All powerful Owl Lady? Sure you might pull the occasional scheme, but nobody gets hurt, and when you're not, your presence keeps 'real crime' down. It's kinda ironic, you might actually do more to prevent crimes then the whole of the Bonesbough scout base does."
Eda just looked at the girl in shock, unable to refute her point while everyone else just laughed, and Luz said, "Don't worry about it Mom. It's not your fault nobody else is crazy enough to challenge you. Anyway the girls and I are gonna see if we can find some new threads. See ya later. I love you Mom."
"Love you too. Don't forget to haggle, and if you see Belinda… remind me she still owns me from last time. Should help get a discount out of her," smiled Eda with a wink, as she waved them off.
The next few hours were some of the best of the girls' lives. They were full of giggling, jokes, and amazing discoveries by all. Since Vee didn't need to actually buy any clothes, since she could just shapeshift to look however she liked, she was mostly there to get ideas, and secretly get to know Amity better. She wasn't going to let her sister get hurt if she could avoid it, but Vee actually really liked Amity. She was different from Luz or the others, and to her surprise they both liked to tinker. After one particularly intense nerd out they made plans to meet up later that week to experiment in Vee's growing 'lab'. Luz watched her crush and sister with a feeling of utter joy. A part of her had been worried about what she'd do if they didn't, but that problem never arose. At one point Luz saw a quartet of stunning crystal necklaces that formed a heart when they were combined and she insisted on buying them as a memento of that day. Luz's was dark purple, Willow's green, Amity's lilac, and Vee's amber.
The trip wasn't without a few hiccups though. True to her word Willow got them to look at swimwear, and after Amity caught Luz looking at a purple bikini with gold stars, and Luz saw Amity looking at a black version both girls ended up overheating on the floor. When Willow and Vee found them they couldn't help sharing a groan that made them both laugh. Shortly after that they decided to take a break, and get some smoothies. While they were there Luz pulled out a pair of cat ears she found while she was looking around, and presented them to Amity as a gift. Amity giggled as she pulled out an otter pin she found and did the same to Luz. After they both put them on Luz took one look at Amity and gaped, " Amity es un gatita tan lindo. (Amity is such a cute kitten)
Making Vee lean over to translate, Amity blushed before saying, "Well you're otter-ly adorable."
Making Luz blush until she heard an unfamiliar voice yell, "Hey Luz Noceda. This is for my little brother." When she went to turn around she felt glass shatter against her temple, and an unknown liquid ran down her face. Before any of them could react the older teen was gone. Vee quickly went to where he had been to try to find something to track him with or a smell to follow, but there wasn't much, and all they noticed about him was he was an older teen witch in a Glandus potions uniform.
While Vee searched Willow and Amity checked on Luz. There was a small cut from a piece of glass, but as they watched it disappeared in seconds like it had never been there with a faint blue glow. More concerning was the brown potion that was quickly being absorbed/evaporated by her skin. As they watched Luz's eyes started getting blurry until she passed out completely. Within moments they made and executed a plan. Willow scooped up Luz and started running as fast as she could toward the Owl house. Vee went to track the attacker as best she could, and if she couldn't find him she would fly to the house after. Amity sent Eda and Lilith a message to fill them in so that they could help.
Their training sessions seemed to be making a difference because it only took Willow a half hour to run the usually forty-five minute run to the Owl House. By the time Willow arrived Eda was ready to assess Luz on the couch, and by the time Vee and Amity arrived, out of breath, they found Eda checking an old tome that none of them had seen before. As soon as she could, Amity pleaded, "How's Luz? Dear Titan, please tell me she's ok."
Eda held up a hand for silence before announcing, "If I'm right, kids hardier than I thought. Best I can tell she was hit with a Soul Shatter potion. It's nasty, illegal, and normally lethal, but somehow she's just in a coma." Eda sighed, "I think I can get her out, but it's going to require me to cast a very dangerous and Illegal spell to do it." Before anyone could interrupt Eda once more put up her hand and explained, "We would need to do a head dive. Basically up to two people and I go into Luz's Mindscape and try to fix it from the inside. Vee before you ask, no, you can't come. This is sensitive magic and we already determined that magic can act odd with you in the mix due to your nature. I need you to keep an eye on her, and if she starts getting pale or cold I need you to ring this bell. It will pull us out. Boots, Muscles, I'm not going to make you come. It's illegal, and if something goes wrong we could all die, but I sure would appreciate the help."
The two girls just shared a look before nodding and saying together, "For Luz." Once the preparations were complete Eda cast the spell, and the world went dark around the three. When they awoke they found themselves in an odd green forest that Eda recognized as the one behind Luz's home growing up. As they walked they soon spotted a familiar tower in the distance, and a column of black smoke.
Following Eda's lead the trio made their way forward as quietly as possible until they reached the base of the tower where they saw a pair of girls sitting around a small campfire burning odd red logs. More surprising were the girls. They both looked like versions of Luz. One looked like an eight year old Luz with glowing white eyes, a halo, and large ebony wings, but looked perfectly human beyond those features. While the other looked like she was twelvish. It was hard to tell since she was covered in brown and gold feathers, and had stunning golden wings along with wicked claws, like a harpy. Oddly they were both wearing sleeveless shirts that revealed old bruises around their arms and necks like they had been chained and bound for a very long time. As they marveled at the duo they heard the younger looking one shout coldly, "We know you're there. Why not come out so we can talk. Trust me there's a lot to talk about."
"Which of you is Luz's inner Luz? There should only be one being in here," asked Amity as they stepped out. Younger Luz seemed to soften slightly when she saw Amity, while Harpy Luz seemed to blush and hide her face.
"Both and neither gatita." Younger Luz smiled. "We each represent a fourth of the real Luz's power, and as for why we exist separately of our third aspect…" Her gaze grew venomous and cold as she looked at Eda, "That's her fault." Harpy Luz let out a few hoots and that Younger Luz seemed to understand as she sighed, "For ease, you can refer to me as Luziel and this is my sister of sorts Lucia, and shocker she represents the Owl curse and Luz's witch powers while I represent her angel powers." Lucia waved sweetly, while Luziel gave Amity and Willow a sad look, "Neither of you should be here. You don't need to know about what goes on in here. It will only hurt you." Returning to venomous Luziel yelled at Eda, "You though… you should have to see what you did, Edalyn. You should have to experience the pain you put her through, but first…" Luziel walked up and punched into Eda's chest. A moment later she pulled out a quadrupedal owl creature about the size of a large cat and proceeded to pet it before handing it to Lucia.
Amity and Willow sat stunned while Eda, through pained breaths, just choked out, "What did you do? What is that?"
The creature seemed confused until Lucia cooed at it and embraced it lovingly. Luziel just scoffed, "I freed our mother from the lich that was our Warden. It's not fair that she has to suffer with you when she's the only part of you that hasn't hurt us."
For a couple minutes they all just watched as Lucia and the Owl beast cooed and cuddled with each other. Occasionally Lucia or the beast would hoot something at Luziel and she would nod or shake her head in response, leading Willow to ask, "You understand what they're saying?"
Luziel smiled at Willow, "I do Will. It's not that hard really. Heck if Edalyn wasn't so wrapped in her own crap she could do it too, but she's too self centered for that."
Eda roared in anger, "I'm self-centered!? Do you have any idea what that evil little furball has done to me? What she's taken?" the Owl Beast hissed at Eda.
Luziel snorted, "Yes, tell us about how the innocent wild beast who was imprisoned in a scroll for potentially hundreds of years, and then bound into the body of a teenage girl without any way to interact with the world around it hurt you. Tell us how after being blind, mute, and silent for untold ages it's the beasts fault that it lashed out at being thrown into an unfamiliar place and surrounded by people that might want to hurt or trap it again. Explain to us how it's the beast's fault that after being repeatedly shoved back into darkness and silence it decided to eat away at the only thing it could to have any control at all, and potentially escape one day. Titan dammit Edalyn, have you ever for even a second thought about the situation from her point of view."
Eda sat stunned before she whispered, "How do you know any of that?"
Lucia smiled at Eda before she hooted, "We listened."
Luziel let out a content sigh, "Finally, progress. Sadly that's not why you're here though Eda."
Lucia cooed, "Well done sis. Should I watch Mom, and the girls, while she fixes the mess?" The owl beast hoots and groans, making Lucia say, "No Mom. This might be the only chance I get to see you. I'm not letting you go." Lucia hugged it warmly while scratching it under its head.
"No, we want to help. Luz is important to us. Let us help," Amity begged, making both Luz's blush.
Luziel looked away as she said, "Dam it gatita… Fine."
Both Luz's shed a tear, before Lucia whispered, "It was a nice dream, but I guess we will be alone again soon."
Before they could ask, Luziel waved her arm and flared her wings, and the tower door opened behind them. "This is the first of Luz's memories that needs fixing. When that putita hit her with that potion it shattered her memories instead of her soul." Luziel laughed, "Only 'she' can shatter that. Anyway, go in, fix the memory, and then I'll join you to explain. Easy as pie." With that a strong wind blew, and threw them all through the door.
When they could see again the trio found themselves in a gray world. Around them was an open space behind a reasonably sized house with the treeline a couple yards beyond. There were a couple steps before one could enter the house and on a single small table sat a cake with seven lit candles and one that remained unlit. There were a couple streamers, but without any people this seemed like the saddest birthday the girls had ever seen. "Eda, do you know where we are, and when," asked Willow, feeling a melancholy in the air."
Eda sadly sighed, "You'll see." With a flick of her wrist Eda lit the last candle and the world gained its color back, and to everyone's surprise it was the most vibrant thing they had ever seen. Color's were richer, smells sharper, and despite still being completely alone the whole scene felt warm. As they watched they saw a very human looking eight year old Luz slowly pulling an older human woman, that Eda recognized, toward the yard with a smile that reached ear to ear and a warmth about her that made all three witches smile. As the woman walked by they noticed a calming blue aura around her and the smell of lavender and warm cookies filled the air to Eda's surprise. As the memory duo set up the cake and got ready to receive gusts Eda said, "It's odd. I've never seen an aura around her before, and I don't remember Cammy smelling like that."
"That's because this is Luz's memory. Fun fact about us, we see and smell things that others apparently don't. A person's heart given color and a smell. Mami was my world, and she always felt like comfort, warmth, and home. To this day she has the second best smell I've ever experienced," said Luziel wistfully.
"I can't imagine what the best one smells like then, but I think I agree with you. She seems nice," said Amity, making Luziel blush, but Amity was too distracted to notice.
Luziel cleared her throat, "I think we can fast forward this memory a bit since no one ever shows until after dark." With a snap the world blurred, and when it stopped they saw a very sad Luz sitting on the steps, but to their surprise she wasn't crying… almost like a part of her expected this to happen. Suddenly they saw someone in a dark cloak come walking out of the woods. In the dark they could see the pale gold aura surrounding them and as soon as she appeared they could smell wood smoke, cinnamon, and warm downy pillows. They felt a wild energy in the air, but also a sense of comfort like a warm blanket on a cold night. The girls smiled, but Eda started to tear up as they saw memory Luz's face brighten up as the cloaked figure's hood fell to reveal a younger Eda. They heard little Luz's excited cheers at seeing her 'Aunt' Eda which left the other two girls confused, but they found themselves lost in this sweet moment.
"So that's how I feel too her. Titan kid, I love you too," smiled Eda, with a few tears still in her eyes.
"Ya she loves you a lot. Kinda makes what happened next even sadder," coldly stated Luziel.
As they looked at her confused, Luziel just pointed back to the scene playing before them. They saw a very sleepy Luz fall asleep in her mothers arms, and heard Camila whisper, "It's time Eda. Please you need to fortify the spell. I swear I saw sparks of magic the other day while she was playing. Please Eda, she's not ready yet."
With a sigh they saw memory Eda carefully create a few spell circles that she spun together into a more complicated spell. With a snap Luziel showed three ghostly Luz's standing nearby in chains of magic, some appeared loose or broken, but they looked painful, and as memory Eda finished her spell the trio watched as the chains grew thicker, heavier, tighter, and restored to be complete and unbroken.
In an instant Eda found herself tackled to the floor, as she looked up into the rage filled eyes of Willow and Amity. At that moment Eda couldn't stand to look at any of them. She only started to cry, "I didn't know. I thought I was just binding her magic, not hurting her. She never reacted when I cast it, and she never showed any signs of distress… Oh Titan what did I do? I never wanted to do it. I hated it, but it wasn't my place to object."
"You're her mother. If it's not your place to say something then whose was it?" roared Willow.
"I didn't know that then, and I was afraid, ok," cried Eda, making the girls look at her confused.
"She's not lying about that. Neither of them knew they were related until a couple days after Luz came to the Isles. That's why she was only 'Aunt' Eda back then, mommy's special friend," stated Luziel dryly. "But you still should have known better. Mami couldn't make a clear decision on this, and you knew it. She knows nothing about magic. Why would you just trust her to make a decision like that?"
"Luz terrifies me. Are you happy now? I spent every day up until the day she came to the Isles in terror. None of you can understand what it's like to find out you might be responsible for such a sweet innocent kid. I used to be unable to sleep because I was terrified she could get hurt. Titan dammit, I used to sneak back here in the middle of the night just to make sure she was still all right, and that was before I knew she was actually mine." Eda looked at Luziel with naked tears in her eyes and desperation in her voice, "Do you honestly believe I could have done this if I had known? Luziel we both know I couldn't have. I was just so scared that I trusted Cammy to make the call. I thought if I stayed as detached as possible it would make the fear easier to bear, but you've met Luz. It's impossible not to love her."
Seeing the genuine pain in Eda's eyes Willow let her up, and they heard Luziel sigh, "I know, but that doesn't change the fact that you did it, and there were consequences. Mom, you know as well as I do that the only thing that hurts worse than hate, and fear is misguided love. You both loved us, but because of your choices you left Luz alone and vulnerable in a world that wanted to hurt her. We could have helped her, but we couldn't because we were bound in chains." Luziel showed the marks on her arms. "At the end of the day nothing changes the fact that you did this to us. You and Mami broke us. Now it's your responsibility to put us back together, but that is a conversation for another day." With another flair of her wings Luziel opened a glowing door, and sent them through.
Once more they were in a gray world, but this time they were standing on a sidewalk by a park. It looked like a fairly normal day, but they noticed a tree had fallen over. With a small circle Willow restored it, and once more the memory returned to color. They watched as a ten year old Luz walked down the sidewalk until suddenly a group of men in pressed white shirts suddenly came up behind her, and started beating her with pipes and bats. The whole thing only lasted about a minute, but when they saw the state they left Luz in all three watchers felt sick. "Ya, not the best day, but at least they made it quick," said Luziel as she appeared from behind a tree.
Willow looked at her furiously, "Is that all you can say!? I've seen corpses that looked better cared for."
Luziel gave her a look that said, "Really." Before she said, "Need I remind you, you get to SEE the memory. I had to experience it, and look, we already started doing all we could." It was a horrifying sight, but they watched as Luz's bones slowly mended and with a few sickening pops they got back into position. It took nearly ten minutes of slow horrifying work, but when it was done Luz just woke up, and shakily kept walking.
Amity looked at Luziel and just shuddered, "Why?"
"Why'd they do it? No clue. Never even got reported to the 'Scout's' of this world. Can't prove a crime occurred without evidence, and we got better so we didn't see the point. If you're asking why this memory, then two reasons. First we couldn't fix it from the outside, and we couldn't enter until they were fixed. Second, this is a great example of a situation we could have prevented if we weren't bound. There are hundreds of ways we could have used magic to get away or defend ourselves, but we didn't have that option, and even if our wings would have been weak back then we still could have used them to escape. Anyway, I think you've gotten the point. One more memory to fix, I think. Surprisingly when you fix one a few smaller memories fix themselves as well. So good job team," said Luziel flippantly. This time a glowing portal opened below them, causing them to fall through it.
They all recognised where they were this time. They were in a washed out version of the outside of Hexside, specifically the place where Luz fought the Glandus students, except there wasn't a hole in the wall. It only took Amity a few seconds to fix that with her abomination, and the memory started to play, but nobody paid it much mind they were too distracted by the content smile on Luziel's face. With a small grin she said, "This is actually the perfect memory to explain something. I'm sure you've been wondering about our spell circles so here's the thing, Luz's theory was right. White is my Angel magic, black is the owl beasts, gold is witch, and gray is a result of any two mixing."
"Ok Luziel, that's the second time you've said angel. What is that? Some kind of magical human?" asked Amity
Luziel seemed to think about that for a moment before she shrugged, "Hard to say for sure. I could spout the human interpretation at you, but I doubt it's any more accurate than the one they have for demons. So I'll stick to what I do know. They come from the Divine realm the same way you come from the demon realm, and I'm one. Beyond that, I don't know. Sorry. Add it to the list for when you go to the library."
"What about purple?" asked Eda, making Luziel laugh.
"Liked that did ya. Sadly that's what our magic should be, a perfect blend of everything, but because Luz can't connect to us properly it's near impossible to pull off without a heck of a push," stated Luziel, while looking at Amity. "Anyway, your job is done, but before you go there is something you should probably see." With a wave of her hand they all found themselves back by the fire. As they watched Luziel showed them a piece of the wood they are burning, "This is pain and trauma. We burn it to keep it from overwhelming us, but there is always more to burn, and in order to function one of us has to take the rest on. Before you go… she would like to see you, our human half. Just please don't touch her. She's in a lot of pain."
With a concerned look the group of four girls, Eda, and the Owl Beast made there way up the tower until they reached a perfect recreation of Luz's room in her tower, and on the bed lay Luz in purple silk pajamas, but seeing her filled all of them with sadness, and made them sick. This Luz was battered, beaten, flayed, burned, and her limbs were bent and broken in a dozen directions, but from her came Luz's chipper warm voice, "Hey Mom's. Girls it's nice to see you as well. Congratulations, this is the real me. Without my magic to heal me, this would be what I'd look like. A broken useless tool, but as long as I can endure, at least my sisters can work to make my life worth something." Luz smiled at them, "I hope I've done a good job. I hope I've helped you. You all, King, Vee, and Mami are why I still hold on. One upside to my situation is I can let go, and take all of this pain with me when I do, and once I've taken on all the pain within us that's what I'll do. Sure the human part of me will die, but everyone will be happier. I'll be pure, powerful, and beautiful just like I was when I saved everyone during the Hexside Attack. Sure I'll lose the ability to feel or speak, but I won't be weird anymore. I'll be perfect, exactly what everyone back home wanted me to be. Able to handle any danger, and protect everyone until my last breath."
Hearing the contentment in this Luz's voice nearly broke Amity, but instead she rushed to Luz's bedside and tried to heal Luz with tears in her eyes. Soon she was joined by Willow and Eda with the Owl Beast on her shoulder. Together they tried their best, but their magic had little to no effect. Exhausted physically and mentally they all feel to their knees as Eda asked, "Please don't do this. We will find another way. Don't leave us kiddo. We don't want perfection. We want our Luz. We love you just as you are."
Luz smiled, "I appreciate the sentiment, but you have more important things to deal with. Mami is in danger… I hear her at night. Praying that we are ok, and that we never return to look for her… I think the same people who took Papi have her… Please, you have to save her. Her life is more important than mine. She is a better person than I will ever be."
"Kid, you're not making any sense, but I promise I will check in on her as soon as we get back, but right now we have to help you. Please tell us what we have to do. We will do it," pleaded Eda.
Luziel sighed, "There is nothing you can do, and unless she agrees to share the burden we can't either."
Willow begged Luz, "Please let them help. There's still so much we have to do. We need you Luz, not some perfect replacement. I still need my best friend."
Luz sighed, "They might die. It's too risky. Without them I wouldn't have anything left to offer. I'd just be a broken little girl without magic. No one would want me then. If I have to choose between going out with a bang or fading quietly then I choose…"
"I'd want you," whispered Amity.
Luz looked shocked, "What?"
"I'd still want you even if you were stuck like this forever, and without magic. If I thought it would help you, I'd give up mine too, and I'm not alone. Am I Willow? Ms. Eda?"
Willow nodded, while Eda smiled, "In a heartbeat Owlet."
Luz teared up before whispering, "Fine. Just back up. I don't know what will happen." As the others took her hands, Luz cried quietly, "I love you."
From behind the door they saw a flash of light as Lucia and Luziel smiled before dispersing into tri-colored orbs of light, gold, and black, and were absorbed by the remaining Luz. There was a screeching scream, a purple flash, and the whole world seemed to spin and shake, but when it passed the room was gone. All around them was just open air as if that whole floor of the tower was just wiped away. Most distressing was the fact that all of the Luz's were now gone.
For the next couple minutes they all searched, but found no sign of her until they heard familiar giggles from above them. As they watched, a new Luz lightly landed before them. She was wearing a purple cat hoodie and black sweats with green hightops with sturdy red fingerless gloves that showed off her talon like fingers. From her back sprouted four feathered wings, a pair of gold and a pair of ebony, and upon her head sat her red beanie and horns, but also now a constant halo of silver light. With a chuckle she showed off her whole and unblemished arms, before performing a sweeping bow, and saying, "Sup."
Everyone just rushed her, and wrapped her in a warm hug, before Amity said, "Please never scare us like that again?"
Luz seemed to think about it hard before she chirped, "Maybe. Heck if I know, but now that I'm a mostly unified being I'd say ninety ten on that never being necessary again." With a smile Luz gave Amity a kiss on her cheek, "For you I'll try though, mi gatita lindo." Clapping her hands Luz declared, "Now on you go. I have a lot of work to do in here. The last tenant's, wow my guy, just slobs all three of them."
Willow looked nervous, "Does that mean their…"
"Gone. Kinda, but also no. We were never supposed to be separated in the first place, but they're still here just as a part of me, and bonus…" Luz makes a purple spell circle after a couple attempts. "I can almost do that on command now. Once I learn how to do those spells again I'll be great. Hope outer me can handle this power up cuz holy heck I haven't felt this much energy since Mami accidentally let me drink coffee. On that note Mom, find Mami. Now that I can see everything the old Luz, Lucia, and Luziel knew, I think she might have been grabbed by angels, but that's mostly based on the fact that nothing else could keep her away. Well see y'all on the outside in a minute. Byeee." With a snap of her finger Luz threw them out of her mind.
On the outside Willow, Amity, and Eda were picking themselves shakily off the ground when Eda groaned, "For the record she shouldn't have been able to do that. Only I should have been able to get us out, but whatever." Looking around for Vee, Eda sighed when she saw her half transformed on her butt across the room, "What are ya doing over there Vee shouldn't you be looking after your sister."
Vee groaned, and answered dizzily and with a slight slur, "I was, and then there was this huge burst of purple magic, and it kinda knocked me over here. I hope you got the job done cuz you were only in there for maybe three minutes."
"Huh, felt like hours for me," said Luz as she slowly sat up with her new halo. When she noticed it she snapped, and it went away. Then she snapped, and it came back, "Sweet. I have a snap activated halo now. Might wait to stretch my wings though. Inner Luz might be hyper, but I'm drained. Anybody else in the mood for BBQ. I think we have some Quilboar ribs in the icebox. That fine with everyone?" After they all nodded quietly, Luz shuffled off to the kitchen.
Once Luz was gone Willow looked to Eda, "Soooo are we not going to discuss what happened in there. The way Luziel reacted to Luz getting hurt, and dear Titan, what that other Luz was prepared to do. Eda, I'm worried about her. I'm not an oracle or healer, but that looked… bad, and I don't know how to help her."
Amity gave Willow a one armed hug, and a slight smile, "I might though. After seeing… that… I think she might be in even rougher shape than me, but I think I might be the only one who can help her deal with the trauma because my scars are similar. Willow, you mean a lot to her. Just keep being there for her, and help remind her that she isn't alone. You've always been a great listener so just be you. Ms. Eda, you need to find Ms. Noceda. I don't know if she's really in trouble, but I know that Luz thinks she is, and that's enough for me."
Suddenly there was a knock at the door, followed by a scream, and then Hooty's head came in, "Hey Boss. Got an intruder. Want me to eat her or just send her away?"
"EDALYN GET THIS INSUFFERABLE THING OFF ME NOW OR I'M GOING TO RIP IT APART," came Lilith's voice.
Eda sighed, "Let her in Hooty. I'm too tired to fight right now."
Hooty nodded and after a moment a disheveled cranky Lilith walked in, but when she saw Amity her face softened, "I'm guessing that Luz is alright then?"
"Yes, Ms. Lilith, but I'm sorry. I took part in something illegal to help her. If you want to arrest or send me away… I understand. I'm willing to accept the consequences. Luz is worth it," said Amity, sadly but firmly.
Lilith just kneeled down and hugged Amity, "I'm not a fan of you breaking the law, but I trust your judgment. If you had another option you would have taken it. Besides that I knew it would happen eventually if you hung around Edalyn long enough. Tell me what happened."
"Well we were hanging out taking a break from shopping, and a student from Glandus hit Luz with what Ms. Eda thinks was a Soul Shatter potion. Vee went to try to track the attacker after they ran, while Willow and I got Luz here, and let you and Ms. Eda know something happened. After that Ms Eda, Willow, and I used a Head Dive spell to try to bring Luz out of her coma. It worked, but… I'm sorry. I don't think it's my place to talk about what we saw," stated Amity flatly.
Lilith's eyes shot open in horror, but she quickly calmed herself, "Ok, I'm going to act like I didn't officially hear anything after the potion, but a couple questions. Who is Vee? Can she identify the attacker? And did they say anything to tell you why they did it? Also please tell me Edalyn warned you how dangerous what you did was before you did it."
Willow answered for them, "Vee is Luz's sister. Probably. They said it had something to do with their little brother, and of course she warned us we could die. Eda's wild, but she'd never hurt us or let us get hurt if she could avoid it. She's Luz's Mom, I'd trust her with my life anytime, because Luz would do the same."
Eda seemed touched by Willow's words, but then she let out a long sigh, "Victoria we have a guest, and they need to talk to you about earlier."
"Ok Mom. Coming," Vee came out of the kitchen smiling in her witch disguise and with King on her shoulder, but as soon as she got close Vee suddenly stiffened, and dashed behind Eda and Willow. "No, please Mom. What-whatever I did, I'm sorry. Please don't send me back. I thought… I thought," Vee cried as her form started to waver.
Eda immediately wrapped Vee in a hug as she tried to calm her down, "No, Vee. I promise Lily won't hurt you. I will never let anyone hurt you again. Lily is my sister, and despite her other failings she just wants to know if you can identify the person that attacked Luz."
Quickly joining the hug was Amity and Willow, "Its ok Vee. We'll protect you too. You can trust Ms. Lilith."
Vee nodded, and when she was let go she was in her basilisk form making Lilith take a few steps back and gasp, "That's impossible. They went extinct over a thousand years ago. Amity, get away from it before it hurts you."
Suddenly Luz appeared between them with eyes glowing purple, halo shining, and all four wings extended as she floated slightly, "Tia or no Tia, nobody calls my sister an 'it', and gets away with it. She is not a danger to any of us, and you wouldn't be the first of the Emperor's minions I've had to educate. Do not push me Tia Lily. I might want to get to know you, but I'd kill for her. Now sit… down." Lilith did so with a small squeak as Luz's eyes stopped glowing, and she suddenly fell to a knee breathing heavily, "Holy Titan that's exhausting. I guess we should explain some things first." Luz let out a small chuckle, "Mom, if you could take over. Huff, I'm kinda spent, and King please keep an eye on the ribs for me while I rest for a minute." Suddenly Luz fell back only to be caught by Amity who slowly sat down on the floor with Luz's head in her lap. As Eda explained.
"So, that Conformatorium jailbreak a couple weeks ago was Luz and King. Wrath and Kiki up to their stupid games again. You know how those two are. Anyway while they were making the guards look like morons they found Vee and three others like her, but there were cages for up to six…" started Eda.
"In total I remember seeing twelve more, but from what the others told me. They are probably dead. I know three are… we say the guards beat them in front of us. They created us, tested on us, and when they were done they intended to dispose of us. If not for Luz…" Vee trembled and started crying again until Willow gave her a reassuring squeeze.
Eda's eyes got hard and angry, "Lily so help me, you better not have known about that or so help me… Ugh. Anyway, Luz freed Vee and together the three of them got what they came for and freed one other guy… Fenris… ya it as Fenris. He's actually the one who helped Luz and I finally get a solid answer on our bond." Eda smiled, "He's a good kid, fiery red hair. I don't know if he's still wearing it, but I gave him one of my old cloaks before he left. I'm not going to try to tell you to not bother him, cuz it won't work, but I doubt you can take him. I probably can't either with my curse."
Lilith thought about everything for a moment before she said, "Firstly Vee, I knew nothing about you or the others, but I will look into it, and make sure to flay the fool that thought it was ok to torture sentient demons. Revolting. Secondly, you have my word as long as you don't start attacking anyone, I never saw you. As far as I know you are just another witchling my sister has adopted. That being said I have a theory, but I need you to show me what the attacker looked like if you can. Can you do that for me, sweety?"
Vee nodded, and shapeshifted into the guy, "I didn't get a good look when he attacked, but I was able to track the smell of his magic back to the Healing Center, if that helps."
Lilith sighed, "Thank you Vee. I spent all morning at the Healing Center today looking into an odd magical situation. Black burns that heal oddly slow, continue to burn long after they are extinguished, and reignite when healing magic is used. Most of the affected were conscious, but in a lot of pain. A few weren't though, and most were Glandus students." Lilith looked to everyone else expectantly. "Got any ideas about that?"
Amity whispered, "The Heside Attack. I didn't know Luz's fire would do that."
"I knew it was strange that the fire only affected the intruders, but I never thought that it could linger," gasped Willow.
Without opening her eyes, Luz said, "I didn't either until now, but it shouldn't surprise me. I didn't even know what they were until now, Hellfire. It's a good thing I forgot how to cast it. I'm not exactly a fan of that kind of magic."
Lilith paled, "Did you say Hellfire? Dear Titan, I thought those spells were only a myth. What's next, are you going to tell me you can use Golden Ice or Divine Lightning next?"
Everyone looked away, while Luz chuckled nervously, "I could before, but I forgot how after my head got scrambled."
Lilith was horrified, "You could use soul magic… that's… What in the name of Tartarus are you Luz?"
Luz looked at Liliths horrified face and smiled, "I told you before Tia Lilly. My Mami is human, Mom's a cursed witch, and I learned today that my Papi might have been an Angel."
At the word 'angel' Lilith passed out. Something that worried Amity, and surprised Eda. Carefully Eda lifted her sister off the floor, and laid her down on the couch gentally. "Dang Luz, I don't know what an angel is, but if just mentioning them makes Lily faint. That's a bad sign.
Author's Notes: A lot going on in this chapter, but I loved every bit of it. Consequences are starting to show themselves, and the plot is starting to take shape both on and off the isles. I will admit that this chapter is very much the 'clouds on the horizon' chapter, but I did my best to include it organically. You'll have to tell me how I did. So i'm saying it now, Lusha is not going to happen, but there is a point to, and after looking at Bosha as a character she's attracted to power and potential. So her having a thing for the super powerful niece of the Emperors coven head, and daughter of the most infamously powerful criminal on the Isles… sounds about right. Heck you could argue that canon Boscha only hated canon Luz because she was obviously human, and had a hard time seeing either in her. She saw Luz as human first, and talented later whereas it's reversed here. While simping for Amity because she was a Blight prodigy.
So I tried to drop a subtle hint, but Bo and Cat are very openly poly, and just looking for a third. No idea if it will go anywhere, but it gives a bit of color to some usually background characters personality wise, and i find it cute, sue me.
To anyone put off by how fast Willow takes Amity back… between the fight letting her get all the emotions out, and learning why it happened and just how bad Amity has already suffered… Willow is too good of a person not to.
I understand it might be a bit janky in delivery, but I loved writing Luz's Mindscape. I allude to a ;ot during that section, and yes 'cripled' Luz's plan was basically a form of suicide to prevent herself from every feeling pain again, and it is a documented thing that happens to some viciums of sever trama. They 'kill off' the part of themselves that they can feel, but without it they are hollow, and it doesn't work. It's the deepest darkest form of depression, due to magic what Luz would have done would have been so much worse. I know there are probably questions, so feel free to ask or you can just keep reading and wait. I'd prefer both actually. I love good conversation. In the meantime shine on beautiful readers, shine on.
