Chapter 11: Team of Light
Luz, Jett and Katrina were in front of the gigantic door. Luz looked up at the door with a look of admiration and awe.
"Now that's an impressive door." She said, examining it.
The thing that stood out to her the most was in the center of the door. There was a three symbols; Heptagram with three cirsles behind it, Scales with Earth and Starburst, and the Double Infinity.
"Which tells us this gotta go somewhere." Jett said with a tiny smile.
The three of them then opened the doors, and strolled into the big conference looking room as the doors closed behind them. Ahead of them, was a big long table that had four people sitting behind it.
From left to right, Master Dion, Lady Aisha, Count Sidon and General Khonvoum.
"I assume all questions related to Luz presence in the Boiling Isles have been asked and answered." Dion said as the teenagers stood before the four of them.
Three friends nodded.
"Well, then, I have to ask - my young witchlings, are you confident with your choice?"
Almost simultaneously Katrina and Jett said, "I am perfectly sure of it."
"And do you, Luz?" Sidon asked, "Now that you've learned the history and purpose of our order, you want to become part of this great mission entrusted to Keepers by Morgan Le Fay?"
"Yes!" Luz answered, and then blushes slightly when she realized how loud it was. "I do hereby pledge to follow Keepers way."
"There's no need to be so formal, Sunbeam." Jett smirked as he whispered to her. "Be cool."
"Don't listen to him, Luz." Katrina whispered and softly dug a elbow in Jett's ribs, "It was a very satisfying answer."
Luz smiled at them both.
"Let's get down to the ceremony then." Aisha drew a spell circle, changing the illumination of a whole room to create a much more serious and official atmosphere.
"Will you, Katrina Clawthorne, Luz Noceda and Jett Clawthorne, vow to watch over the people of both worlds?" Aisha's tone was a serious one, "To guard them with your life, their realms, their safety, and their magic?"
"Keep the Boiling Isles secret?" Dion spoke to them with great seriousness, "And fight with honour and courage to keep a balance between the Human and Demon Realm?"
The three teenagers looked amongst themselves before nodding, and said "I will" at the same time.
Searching their faces for any uncertainty the Council of Four really couldn't find any and put their hands on hidden buttons.
Suddenly a column rose from the ground. It held a very old book.
The cover was a royal blue paper, with a hand-drawn illustration of three characters standing right in front of portal to another world. The title was written in silver pen with a careful hand. The Guardians of Realms. The teenagers stood in front of it unknowing what to do, but it seemed as if it was calling to them.
"Here is the Book of Keepers," Dion pointed to the book, "An ancient artifact kept for centuries, used as a signing book for the people to seal in their vow of guarding the Veil, pledging to follow mission entrusted to all Keepers by Morgan Le Fay and comply with the laws of the Order."
The book opened by itself and the three quill pens appeared.
"So magical." Luz said as she and her friends held their quills, looking at the beautiful glass feathers that was as thin as a normal feather.
Luz, Jett and Katrina signed their names into the Book. A whitish sparkle followed their signature.
The Book of Keepers closed with a solid sound of thud.
A glowing orb of light appeared in the middle of the ancient volume. The Council of Four beamed when they felt the familiar amount of energy radiating from it.
After a few moments of floating, the orb began to flicker, alerting everyone in the room. The orb separated into 3 different colored lights that began flying across the room.
The lights flew at the same direction and surrounded the ones they have been searching for, the ones who will be the new Keepers.
When the light died down Jett and Katrina had the the symbol of Order on their clothes. Whereas Luz saw that a silver necklace with the same symbol materialised around her neck.
After a few seconds of silence, Lady Aisha said, "Welcome, kids, to the Order of the Keepers. May the Titan guide your steps."
Master Dion gave a nod of agreement, as he said, "Let Merlin's wisdom grace you until the stars rain down from the heavens."
Count Sidon then said, "So, may the courage and determination be with you as it has been with Morgan."
General Khonvoum was leaning on his fist, as he said "[And follow the way of the great warriors; fought with honor and dignity, just like Philomena.]"
The teenagers couldn't help but smile as they admired their own symbols of the Order.
"Take care and see you soon, young Keepers." Just as Aisha said those words, the Council of Four slowly stood up from their seats.
They left through the smaller door hidden behind the decorative elements, with one more glance in kids direction and then they were gone from teenagers' view.
"What's now?" Luz asked, uncertainty filling her voice.
"We are Keepers now... So, I guess we just go home and wait for our first mission." Katrina answered.
Luz, Jett and Katrina continued to look in the direction that the Council of Four had left in until new voice brought their attention.
"Yes, young miss, you are Keepers. But you three must come with me now."
It was horrible. It was just like being buried alive. Without water. For days. This thing must have been created by horrible demons. Seriously, how could God or Titan have created something so repulsive? Even the name was sickening:
Forms.
The very name made three teenagers shudder. They were dying! They couldn't bear to listen to the man with the voice of Diddy Kong.
"That's parents' names, your name, and your age. Of course, I'll need a copy of your birth certificate to go with this." Mr. Jenkins said, with his high pitched voice. "And now you can fill out supplementary species detail forms A38 as stipulated by circular B65."
"This is absolute torture." Jett was banging his head on the wall as Mr. Jenkins -basalts gargoyle with blue eyes and elegant wings - give them the next forms.
Luz and Katrina seemed to have taken it better than Jett, but only slightly.
The ceremony and oath, as it turned out, it wasn't the only part of the process join the Order of the Keepers. The trio of friends also had to applies for Keepers Papers.
And after filling out many many many forms for two hours Jett danced on the edge of madness, Luz started to miss school and Katrina would give her soul to got Spargle energy drink.
"I assure you that there are worse things than fill forms, young man."
"Great! I await them. 'Cause anything's better than this." Jett exclaimed looking up at the ceiling as if seeking divine intervention. But then, when nothing happened, he sighed and began to fill the form.
"What's next, Mr. Jenkins?" Katrina asked as she gave him completed document.
The gargoyle take a look at the most important form in his hand. "Team name."
"I'm terrible at coming up with names. So I'll rather leave it to you." Katrina told Jett and Luz.
Both of them pondered. Suddenly a light bulb appeared above his head before he smirked, "The Trio of Mischief-makers"
"I'm not mischief-maker." Katrina contradicted.
"You are Clawthorne." Jett insisted. Katrina's brow furrowed.
"And proud of it, but still I'm not mischief-maker." She said said flatly.
Jett sent a smirk in the direction of his cousin, "Whatever helps you sleep at night, Red."
"Oh!" Luz raised a hand with a huge smile, bouncing like a little child. "What do you think of Azura's Alpha Witches Team?"
"Veto!" Jett stated as he gave her a disgusted look.
"How about Team Friendship?" Luz asked.
"Better but still a crap name. So veto" Jett said, "I know! The Calamity Trio."
"Veto." Katrina said, "Ledgerdomain Comando?"
"Veto." Luz and Jett shocked their heads.
"You have one minute to decide, kids, before I will just pull Veto in here." Mr. Jenkins deadpanned. His pen tapped the form on the desk.
"Think ladies. Think!" Jett turned head towards both girls, "The name must be cool and deeply rooted in the memory of people."
"Something simple but with a little bit of finesse." Katrina agreed with him.
Something clicked in Luz's head and she just thought 'That's it!'. "Guys, how about Team of Light?"
"Team of Light." Katrina said like she's testing name. "It suits us."
Jett thought for a moment and then smiled as he replied, "It's perfect."
"We are Team of Light." They all turned heads towar Mr Jenkins.
"If this is your decision, then so be it." The gargoyle started writing, then slowed down and stopped. "Well, you filled out forms AZ-17, 14-B, BR-12, TW-93, DI-37 and KE-53 to KE-92. Now the only thing that's left is to take a team picture."
"Thank Titan." Jett sank into his seat, sighing with happiness.
"Stand over here, please." Mr. Jenkins take out a ghost camera and take a picture of them.
*Snap!*
"Done." He looked at the photo.
Jett has this typical smirk that suggested he thought of himself as the most important person anywhere, Katrina has light smile on her red lips, and Luz stand between them with big smile that says it's the happiest day of her life.
"Now you can go home. The Order'll send word with information about assigning mission for you in a few days." Mr Jenkins handed them the three copies of photo, "Have a good day."
"Okay, this is where our trails part." Katrina told them halfway to the fork, checking the scroll, "My parents want to meet me at home. I'll see you guys soon, stay out of trouble until then."
"I can try, but I promise nothing." Jett retorted.
Katrina sighed, "Luz, keep an eye on him. Please."
"I will." Luz promised with salute and wave goodbye.
"I can handle myself." Jett huffed, turning his head away as Katrina hurried towards the exit. "Tell your parents I said hi, Red!"
Katrina paused at the doorway, looking back. She rolled her eyes and allowed the smallest of smiles. "Sure thing, Birdbrain."
With a small wave she was gone.
A few minutes later, Luz and Jett went into the room to see Eda sitting at a table. The Owl Lady was playing some sort of card game with Master Dion.
"What took you so long?" Eda said as two teenagers walked up to them and Jett sat next to Eda as Luz sat watched Eda play.
"Papers." Jett said it as if he had something bad, something bitter in his mouth.
"Don't worry, Owlet. We will do something cool and you have forgotten about forms when we get home." Eda promised as she shuffled her cards between her hands. "Mom need to finish this."
"I didn't know you liked this game, Master Dion." Jett looked at him.
"I could never resist a good old game of Hexus Hold Em." The shaman said and a flicker of a smile chased across his lips, "Just like your mother."
"Hexus Hold Em?" Luz asked.
"Yep, it's the most tricky game on the Boiling Isles. Any proper witch knows how to play this game." Eda said as placed a card on the table and something happened.
All her cards began to spark with magic energy before they stood up on four legs and gained roaring jaws, charging at the opponent's still normal cards.
Dion look carefully at his cards and used one of them. "Not only the witch." He put the card down and a five skeleton knights rise from the card bowing down to the shaman.
Then skeletons gave a war cry at the animated cards. Each side charging at each other like two herds of animals fighting over territory.
"Whoa!" Luz let out as she leaned back from the sudden and feral fighting.
"Whenever it seems like the odds are stacked against you, that's when you break out your wild card." Eda said as she drew a card with a stone tower on it.
The card glowed with magic before the 5 cards on the shaman's side burst into flame and formed into two words.
'WINNER: EDA'
"Yeah, baby!" she said before she got up close and pointed in Dion's face. "In your face! Oh I love the feeling of victory! Now where's my prize."
"Just a garbage, garbage win. But a deal's a deal." Dion said before came to the door and took out the Nowhere Key of his pocket. He used it on the nearest door.
"Thanks Whiskers." Eda said as she draw spell circle, levitating the key into her hand.
"Remember the key back by Wednesday, tops." Dion was dead serious. "And just think about what I've said." He added a more friendly voice.
"Yeah, yeah." Eda pushed Jett and Luz to the door, the livingroom of the Owl House waiting form them.
Luz barely had time to wave goodbye, when Eda slammed the door.
"Home sweet home." Jett said relaxed measurably when he smelled the familiar scent of home.
Eda looked around the room, "Looks like King was not to set anything on fire the second we left."
"Who is King?" Luz asked.
"My younger brother." Jett answered.
"You have a brother?" Luz smiled, already preparing to ask his age, magic skills, favorite anime, and probably a lot of other things.
"Adopted." Jett said with another wave of his hand. "But he prefers to think of himself as roommate."
"I cannot wait to meet him." Luz declared happily, before she heard something coming from the next room.
"Good, 'cause you're about to meet him." Jett said as he knew who was coming toward them.
"WHO DARES INTRUDE UPON I-," a deep voice with a big shadow comes from the hallways to the living room. "-THE KING Of demons!" the voice had diminished when King, stepped into view from the doorway wearing a terribly cute towel with pictures of ducks and a bathing cap.
He was a small furry humanoid with a skull head and fluffy fox-like tail.
Immediately upon seeing the demon, Luz gasped with wide eyes and a blush on her cheeks before rushing toward him. "¡Ay, que lindo! Jett, your brother's so cute." Luz exclaimed as she hugged the demon. "Who's a widdle guy? Who's a widdle guy? Is it you? Is it you?"
"NO!" the demon yelled," I don't know who your little guy is." the girl hugged him ever more and King tried desperately to escape from her arms, "Eda, who is this monster?"
"Oh, this is Luz," Eda said pulling Luz away from King, "The human. She's going to stay with us for a while."
"So, you finally kidnapped a human that will serve me as long as possible."
"She is our guest. Not the servant." Jett countered.
"Great. Another mouth to feed." King groused, as he looked at Luz. "Remember human, the couch belongs to me!"
"Aww. He is so bossy." Luz said happily, "It's cute."
"I'm NOT cute." King snarled. "I'm a frightening the king of demons. And I have war meeting to finish."
With those words, he picked up his rubber duck and back out into the bathroom.
"So, Mrs. Eda when-" Luz broke the silence.
"Don't call me that or miss or ma'am, Eda is enough, kiddo." Eda interrupted her, "And before you ask, tomorrow, we start your magic training."
"Yay." Luz clapped her hands, "Well... What we going to do today?"
"First. We're going to clean up one of the junk rooms for you." Jett said, handing Luz a large hammer with the skull and crossbones painted on it. "It'll take us a moment."
"Why do I need a hammer?"
"That's for the spiders." Eda said it like it's obvious.
"I need this big hammer to kill spider?" Luz asked a bit scared.
"Oh no. That's not going kill them. It just knocks them enought for Hooty to eat them." Jett explained as he took an axe from the wall.
"Okay..." Luz said nervously.
When they went upstairs she thought to herself - this is going to be an interesting evening.
Author's Notes:
Thanks for reading! Reviews are always appreciated :)