Gravesfield High School, a typical high school in a typical New England town in Connecticut. You had your typical cliches and cliques. The jocks consisted of the big three, basketball, rugby, and of course, football. Then you had your cheerleaders, aka the top of the social hierarchy. Then your band kids, theater kids, science nerds, otakus – which may or may not also include the science nerds – and the goth kids.

So, where does that leave our dear girl Luz Noceda?

Well…nowhere.

You see, Luz Noceda was a sixteen-year-old, Dominican American girl, who also happened to be bilingual, and oddly enough, bisexual. She really didn't care who knew, heck, she even wore a bi flag pin on the side of her trademark beanie. Luz wasn't the kind of girl to fit into, well, any of these groups. She was deemed "too weird", "too extra", and often times she was a bit violent. But Luz wasn't a bad girl, although you wouldn't think so at first glance. She wore an old army-green jacket, over a purple and white striped shirt, a pair of dark navy-blue pants, and a pair of sneakers. Despite her outward appearance, she was a friendly girl, but her antics and "violent behavior" had earned her both the ire of some of her classmates, as well as the stigma of being disliked by some of the popular students.

Why was this you ask? Well, it was mostly due to the fact that Luz tended to throw herself into fights. She just did not like bullies, or anyone, really, who picked on people who were weaker than them because they knew they could. This sense of justice had been the cause of many of her fights, she stepped in and fought, sometimes one-on-one, sometimes one-v-five. As much as she would like to brag that she kicked everyone's ass in her fights, more often than not, she either ended up getting her own butt kicked or taking the ones she was fighting down with her. She was a scrappy tomboy. But she also loved her anime and fantasy novels.

Currently, Luz was walking towards her locker, she had gotten through with class, and was going to switch out her books. As she got to her locker and put in her combination, she looked inside and glanced over her decorations. There were stickers for Dragon Claw Mega and My Demon Slayer Academia, some Funko Pops of some of her favorite anime characters, last but not least, a poster of her favorite fantasy novel series, "The Good Witch Azura". Luz reached out and pressed her hand against the poster. She loved the book series, she loved how Azura wasn't afraid to stand up for what she believed in, and she loved the idea of becoming a hero like her.

What's that Japanese word? Oh, right chunibyo, Luz thought as she sighed. What's wrong with standing up and protecting people who obviously need help? That's how Dad…how Dad was…

It had been years since her father's death, and even to this day she missed him. She knew her mother did as well, but every time she looked into her mother's eyes, it looked like there was a hint of guilt in them. Luz didn't know why she would look or feel guilty, there was nothing else she could've done.

Still, knowing that, and moving on are hard to do. Like I'm one to talk.

Luz closed her locker and started to make her way to the next class as she continued to think.

I know I'm not making it easier. A violent daughter, who's bi, and some learning disabilities. And she's raising me alone. Okay, you know what, that ends today. I'm going to start fresh, no more fighting, no more… "weirdness"…I'm just going to go through school normally without making anymore waves.

"Dillon, there you are."

Oh crap…

Luz looked off to her right, and that's when she saw a group of three jocks harassing some smaller kid. One of them she recognized as Lance from the rugby team, he was big, tall, and knew how to get rough on the playing field. He was dating Zoe, the head cheerleader of the GHS, and the leader of the popular girl's clique.

Also, admittedly, kinda hot.

The one who was on their list of people to exploit today was Dillon. He was a scrawny kid, and good at math. You can probably guess as to why he was being harassed at this point.

"I need that homework Dillon, class is about to start here soon," said Lance.

"I…I'm sorry, I didn't do it," said Dillon.

"Excuse me?"

"I couldn't get to it! I had to go visit my grandma, and I only had time to do mine," Dillon explained.

"You can visit your grandma any other day, you should've stayed home and finished it up!" Lance scolded.

Dillon looked down and mumbled something.

Luz stayed where she was as she squeezed the strap of her backpack tighter and tighter. C'mon Luz. You just promised yourself you weren't going to make waves. Summer starts the day after tomorrow, don't start anything.

"Speak up pipsqueak," he growled.

Luz, reluctantly, turned her back to walk away.

"S-She's sick, Lance. We don't know how much longer she'll be with us, so…"

Luz paused mid step when she heard that.

Lance rolled his eyes and said, "Boo-freakin-hoo. If that's the case, then you should've done mine first! You could've sold that sob story to the teacher, and he would've given you a pass, but my grade is higher priority, so that should've been the first thing on your mind when you made that dumb choice."

"Considering you're the 'star player', he'll probably just pass you anyway," Dillon mumbled.

"What'd you say you little creep?!" Lance grabbed Dillon by his shirt and forced him against the lockers. "Saying I'm stupid or something?!"

"I think he is Lance," said Lance's teammate.

"N-No, I'm just – what I mean is–!"

"STOP RIGHT THERE!"

Lance and his two teammates, along with Dillon, looked in the direction of the voice. The rest of the students parted like the Red Sea, giving them a direct view of Luz. She was standing there with her arms crossed, a furrowed brow, and a cocky grin on her face.

"Oh, give me a break," Lance groaned. "Butt out, Noceda, if you know what's good for you."

"HA! Do not underestimate me, Lance! For I am Luz Noceda! Warrior of Peace!"

There was a long pause that saw a lot of people cringe a bit. That's when Luz swiftly reached into her backpack, pulled out a thick math book, and cocked back her right arm.

"NOW EAT THIS SUCKA!"

Luz threw the book like a frisbee, and miraculously enough, the book managed to sail a good distance before striking Lance in the arm and making him grunt in pain as the book slammed onto the ground. Thanks to that hit, Lance let go of Dillon. Thankfully the scrawny kid didn't need to be told before he broke out into a sprint and ran away.

Now that he was gone, Luz threw off her backpack completely and charged right in as she cocked back her right fist, closed in on one of Lance's teammates, and decked him in the face. The boy was sent stumbling backwards, and while he was distracted, Luz came in with a knee strike to the second teammate, nailing him in the gut and briefly knocking the wind out of him.

Lance growled and barreled into Luz as he picked her up and threw her to the floor. This allowed his friends to recover as they stood next to him.

"Stay down, Noceda," Lance warned.

Luz coughed from the harsh throw but managed to get back up and raised her fists. "What's the matter, that all you got?"

Lance and his teammates growled and charged for Luz, at the same time, Luz smirked and charged in herself. Both sides clashed.

"Ay, mija…"

Camila Noceda, a woman in her early forties who worked as a veterinarian at the local Animal Hospital. Unfortunately, she was called to come down to Luz's school after being informed that her daughter had gotten caught up in another fight. And that's where she was right now, standing outside the principal's office as she looked down at her daughter who was sitting in a chair just outside the office as well. Luz looked beat-up, with some scratches, bruises, and some Band-Aids and bandage wraps around her arms and face. Again, not the first time she has seen her daughter in such a state, but at least this wasn't as bad as the other times before that.

"Hi, Mamá," Luz greeted, timidly.

Camila sighed as she asked, "How many and why?"

"Um…three, all on the rugby team. It was a kid getting extorted," said Luz. "To be fair, I at least managed to K. O. Lance and his other teammate…! And then the last one sucker punched me, and it was lights out after that…"

Camila sighed again as she said, "I'll be right back. La hablaremos más tarde. (We'll talk about this later.)"

Luz lowered her head as she replied, "Si Mamá…(Yes, Mom…)"

"Uh, Mrs. Noceda," the receptionist called out.

Camila turned around and answered, "Yes?"

"Actually, Principal Hal wants you to speak to the School Counselor about this matter first."

"Oh…" Camila looked back at Luz, who also had a worried expression as well. "Okay, thank you."

The Latina woman headed to the school counselor's office, which was a couple of doors down from the principals. Camila knocked on the door and heard someone say, "Come in". Once she entered, Camila saw a man in a gray suit and red tie. He had his gray hair combed back and was currently looking down at something on his desk.

"Ah, Mrs. Noceda, please have a seat," he said.

Camila sat on the chair in front of his desk. There was a plaque there that read, "Dr. Charles Reese". She had spoken to other counselors in the school regarding Luz, but from what she remembered, he was the one that the others answered to. Which only made Camila more nervous about what this meant for Luz.

"I was told I was supposed to see you, instead of Principal Hal," said Camila.

"Yes, Principal Hal decided to defer this situation to me instead." Dr. Reese looked up at Camila with a neutral expression. "Luz has been getting into a lot of fights here at school, at least from what it says here in her file."

"Oh, um, yes, she has. A-And I know she instigates it, but all the times she has, Luz has only done so because she witnessed another student getting bullied by another student," said Camila.

"I am aware, helping someone in trouble not a bad trait, Mrs. Noceda, but when it gets to the point of physically harming herself and others, it starts to become one. There have been times here where she, quote, 'lost the fight but saved the kid'."

Camila rubbed the back of her head as she chuckled nervously. "She told me that, even if she doesn't win the fight, so long as the person she tried to save gets away, then it's a win in her book."

Dr. Reese closed the file and brought his hands up, knitting them together in a pyramid of contemplation. "Mrs. Noceda, I have read and reread Luz's file, and spoken to her teachers. And I must say, this behavior is starting to appear self-destructive. Luz has no friends in this school that I can see. Most, if not all, of her classmates avoid her. If anything, she's made more enemies."

"Dr. Reese, Luz is just trying to do the right thing. And I have told her to get a teacher instead of throwing herself into such situations, but you can't say that what she has done isn't good on some level. If anything, I think you and the staff need to start asking why there are so many instances where Luz feels like she has to do that," Camila countered.

The man before her nodded his head and replied, "That is an issue I plan on bringing up to Principal Hal and the faculty. I won't deny that Luz has shed some light on this matter, no pun intended. But her vigilante-like attitude and approach is going to end up getting herself killed."

Camila lowered her head, that was a constant fear for her. There were days when she was wondering, whenever the school called, if that was going to be the call when she heard that Luz had got seriously hurt.

"I don't like to dredge up the past, but you did mention to one of the counselors once that you were bullied yourself, Mrs. Noceda, and because of that, it was hard for you to make friends," said Dr. Reese.

"…Yes, but…"

"Again, Luz has no friends, and her grades are…subpar to be frank. She's done a few things over the years, like making a taxidermy 'griffon' for an art project, and somehow filled it with live spiders. And then there was the school play when she stuffed a string of salamis in her costume and pretended it was entrails spilling out."

Camila chuckled a little under her breath. Heh-heh, her father taught her that one.

"There are more, but each one has two central themes. Luz seems to find comfort in the world of fantasy and sees herself as a 'hero' of sorts. I believe this is stemming from the loss of your husband, Mrs. Noceda," said Dr. Reese.

"W-What do you mean? Losing…" Camila looked down at the floor. "Losing Manny was hard on both of us…but…"

"Forgive me for saying this. But I believe Luz's obsession with fighting against the perceived 'bullies' in this school is her way of lashing out. In a way, she sees the kids she's defending as her father and the bullies as the cancer that took his life. Unlike a disease, this is something she can prevent, an opponent she can 'defeat' with her own hands instead of being on the sidelines."

Camila tensed a bit, Dr. Reese was making a point, and it did make some sense.

"I do think we need to curb this behavior sooner rather than later. The more she delves into this fantasy hero role, the worse it will be for her down the road," said Dr. Reese as he reached into his drawer and took out a pamphlet. "Take this."

Camila took the pamphlet and read aloud, "Reality Check Camp?"

"They can really help her, Mrs. Noceda. I suggest, for Luz's sake, that you make the right decision here. Otherwise, we may run into some trouble with her admission next year."

Two days had passed since that incident at school, along with a two-day suspension. Luckily, Luz managed to get most of her class finals out of the way before all that happened, so at least when school started again, she wouldn't be held back. Still, this was not the way she was expecting to start summer vacation. Her mother had signed her up to go to this "Reality Check Camp", telling her that it would help with her aggression and her overactive imagination. Plus, if she didn't, there was a chance that they wouldn't let her attend next year.

Luz weighed that option, honestly, considering how she was more or less persona non grata as far as her classmates were concerned, not being able to go back to school was not exactly unappealing. But Luz knew she couldn't do that to her mother. That would only create more headaches, and she did promise herself she was going to try and stop making problems for her. Maybe Reality Check Camp would help her with that?

Currently, Luz was standing at the edge of the curb in front of her house. She had packed a few things, a sleeping bag, her favorite manga, and of course her favorite book.

"Luz?" The Latina turned around and saw her mother come walking out of the house after locking up. She approached Luz and gave her a few kisses on the cheek. "I know it's for three months, but you'll see, the time will fly by!"

Luz gripped the strap of her backpack a little hard as she said, "I'm sorry, Mom. I…I just cause problems for you."

Camila's expression fell when she heard her daughter say that. "Mija, no, no. It's…You're not a problem. You just need to…to…tone it down a bit. I don't want you ending up like me."

Luz raised an eyebrow at that and asked, "What do you mean? 'End up like you', like, how?"

Camila averted her gaze for a moment and sighed. "It's…It's not important. But, Luz, at least try when you're there. Maybe you can make some real friends?"

Luz put on a little smile and nodded.

"Okay, the bus will be here in a few minutes. I'm heading off to work. Call me when you get there. Te amo, (I love you,)" Camila said.

Luz flashed a little smile and replied, "Yo también te amo, Mamá. (I love you, too, Mom.)"

After they said their goodbyes, Luz watched as her mother got into her car and drove away down the street. The teen girl glanced at her cellphone, looked down the street and made a decision.

I have a bit of time.

Luz ran to the back of the house, past her fence and into the forest behind it. She had spent a lot of time roaming around the woods, there was just something mysterious about them, almost mystical. Whether that was due to her imagination or because of something else was up in the air. Whatever the case was, Luz wanted to bid one last farewell to her "secret base" as it were.

It took a couple of minutes, but Luz eventually found her little secret hideout. It was a rundown old house, it looked like it had been there for years, but in all the times that Luz had explored the house, she could never find any clue as to who once occupied it. There were times when she thought about asking her mother about the house or seeing if her mother knew anyone who knew about it. But if she did, she might lose access to it.

"Guess after I come back, I might not be hanging around this place as much," said Luz, wistfully.

Just then, Luz heard some rustling coming from the bushes. She turned to her left, expecting to see a little woodland creature to come scurrying out. A squirrel, maybe a racoon, aka trash panda, or maybe a possum, sweet little angels. But what Luz saw was not what she expected at all.

"Huh…?"

What came out of the bushes was a little brown feathered owl. Technically the owl creature wasn't weird, what was weird, was the fact that this little owl was dragging a large sack by its beak. The little owl looked up at her, blinked, and then proceeded to hop – adorably – towards the house and up the porch steps.

…A little owl just came out of the bushes. Carrying a bag. A big bag. A bag that a bird its size shouldn't be able to carry…

Luz kept watching as the little owl flapped and jumped until it managed to get the heavy sack over the edge of the porch and headed through the front door.

"W-Wait! Wait! What are you doing with that sack little cutie?!" Luz called out.

Luz ran towards the front door, and before she realized it, the door slammed behind her.

Luz was blinded by a light for a moment, but after a moment the light faded as she was able to resume her pursuit.

"Stop adorably hopping away you…you…whoa."

Luz was not in the house, definitely not. For one thing, the interior looked like a giant tent. Second: there were many random objects inside the tent. There was a busted refrigerator, an old grandfather clock, and several other miscellaneous items that would be considered random junk. But how? She was inside the house, not a tent.

"Whoa, I thought I had a lot of weird stuff." Luz bent down and picked up a strange object. It was a clothes hanger, with a doll's head piercing through it, a fork for a right arm, and a plushie lizard body. "But this? This is impressive."

"Finally, you're back!"

Luz dropped the strange doll and gasped. There was someone else there. Carefully, Luz approached the opening in the tent, and pushed one of the flaps aside, just enough to peer outside. Standing on the other side of the tent opening was a woman in a red dress, long silver hair, a green bandanna with yellow polka dots tied to her head, and pale skin.

"Now let's see what you got," said the woman.

The Latina watched as the little owl flew up and landed on top of the woman's staff. That same woman used her right hand to then twist the little owl around like a cap, and after a few turns, the little owl swiftly turned into a wooden ornament at the top of the staff, as if it had melded with the staff. Luz gasped upon witnessing this.

No way that just happened…!

The woman started to go through the sack that the little owl had brought with it. Luz watched as the mysterious woman started to go through the items. The mysterious woman pulled out a cellphone and chucked it, she then pulled out a rather large diamond ring, and then threw it away. Another item was a golden chalice that seemed to radiate a mystic, almost divine aura, but she threw that away too, calling it garbage as she did the others before it.

The last thing the mysterious woman took out was a pair of gag glasses. She put them on and as soon as she did, the springs connected to the fake eyes popped out and began dangling in front of her face.

"Now this will make me rich!" the woman exclaimed.

Luz looked at the odd woman, not sure how she thought a silly toy like that was going to make her rich. Okay, well, no idea what's going on here, but I should probably go back the way I came and–

Suddenly, there was a crashing sound behind Luz, making her jump back and out of the tent on pure instinct. Unfortunately, this made Luz bump directly into the mysterious woman, nearly knocking her down in the process. The woman managed to catch herself before she fell, but when she did, her eyes fell directly onto Luz.

"What the – wait a second, what are you doing here?!" she exclaimed.

"Sorry! Gotta go!" Luz replied as she rushed back into the tent.

Various junk piles had somehow fallen over and were now blocking her path. Despite this, Luz climbed over the mess and saw her exit. Apparently, whatever she came through was actually a door floating in the middle of the tent with a glowing opening. Luz wasn't about to question it as she managed to tumble down the pile and fell flat on her face. She was almost there, but suddenly, the door slammed shut. It was a wooden door, with a large yellow eye with a black slit down the middle at the top center of the door. The door folded up until it was about as big as a medium sized briefcase. The briefcase flew over Luz's head, and straight to the entrance of the tent where the mysterious woman was.

"EEP!"

Luz, with little alternative, rushed towards the back of the tent, picked up the flap at the bottom, and crawled under it to the other side. Once she had gotten out, she ran, but had to stop when she saw that she was almost at the edge of a cliff. But from that cliff, Luz was able to see that she was not in her world anymore. Giant bones jutted out from the ground as a sprawling town littered the land below. Several creatures moved about, some grotesque, some strange, and others just plain weird looking.

"Hey!"

The Latina turned around and saw the woman again. Luz dashed around the tent and kept running. She passed several other creatures, many of them stopping to look at her, and some others weren't giving her any attention at all. Luz managed to duck into an alley and pressed her back against the wall as she stopped to catch her breath.

"Oookay, Luz, calm down. We're not in Connecticut anymore. I've somehow isekaied myself. How and why, I have no idea, but the only other explanation is that I'm dreaming, and this isn't the PG rated kind of fantasy world I normally fantasize about," said Luz to herself.

Just then a little fairy flew up to her. Luz jumped at the sight of it, but when she saw how cute the fairy was, she calmed down.

"Oh, hey there little friend. Are you here to help me?" Luz asked.

After asking that question, the fairy's response was opening its mouth unnaturally wide to reveal several different sized sharp teeth as it said, "Give me your skin!"

Luz yelped and swatted the fairy to the ground as she bolted out of the alley. Unfortunately, Luz managed to run into someone, sending both herself and the other person tumbling and rolling onto the ground for a few seconds before they eventually stopped.

"Ow…s-sorry about that…"

As Luz got up, she felt something soft under her right hand. It was a strange, familiar sensation, but as she looked down to see who or what she ran into, she froze. Below her was a very pretty girl. She had long green hair, with some of it tied back into a short ponytail. The hairline around her forehead was brown, possibly her roots. The girl's eyes were golden yellow, and her ears were…pointy. She had pointy elf ears. The girl looked to be about the same age as her, and had pale, smooth skin. Which made the redness on her face all the more prominent.

Luz glanced further down the elf girl's body, spotting the black choker, and necklace with an amethyst gemstone hanging from it. The girl had a crop top on that was white and pink that had the word "HEX" in pink letters, a purple skirt, black leggings, and a pair of brown shoes. But that wasn't important, what was really important was the fact that Luz's right hand had somehow found its resting spot right atop the elf girl's left bosom.

Oh…Okay…That explains the, uh…t-the softness…

The elf girl glared up at Luz, growled, and ordered, "Get! Off! Me! NOW!"

Luz immediately sprang to her feet as she took several steps back. The green haired elf girl got up as well, dusting herself off before shooting Luz a death glare.

"How dare you molest me in broad daylight! You have some nerve you–?!"

"Aaaaaand scoop!"

Before the elf girl knew what happened, Luz was swiftly picked up off the ground and whisked away into the air. The elf girl blinked a couple of times as she slowly turned her head towards the air and watched the retreating image of the girl she was about to chew out.

"…What just happened?"

Luz suddenly found herself weightless as the wind rushed past her ears. Within a few seconds, Luz was dropped down onto a roof somewhere. The Latina looked around, but then saw the same woman from earlier, but she was flying. On the same staff she saw the woman use earlier. The owl figure's eyes were glowing yellow as its wings flapped, and after a moment of gawking, the woman from earlier hopped of the staff as the wings of the owl figure folded until it looked like just a fancy wooden carving.

"Wha…Wha…Wha…"

"Finally, found you," said the woman.

"Who-Who are you?! W-What do you want with me?! Look, if you're going to take my skin, then just do it!" Luz exclaimed as she raised her arms up.

"Your skin? Oh, ran into a fairy, didn't ya?" The woman rolled her eyes and said, "Kid, put your arms down, I'm not going to 'take your skin'."

Luz slowly lowered her arms and asked, "Who…Who are you, and…where am I?"

"Heh-heh, I am Eda the Owl Lady! And I…" Eda removed her bandana, and upon doing so, revealed her own pointed ears, "…am a witch!"

Luz's eyes widened as she looked upon this woman with newfound awe.

"Did…Did you say you're a witch?! A real witch?!" Luz asked excitedly.

Eda twirled her staff around before hitting the butt of it against the roof, and then answered, "I am kid. And to answer your other question, you are in the Demon Realm, specifically, on the Boiling Isles. And around here I'm the most powerful witch!"

"Oooh, wow, a real witch! A real life witch! S-So you can do magic, right?! You can cast spells and – we were flying earlier, is that staff magical as well?!" Luz rambled on.

"Whoa, whoa, slow down. Jeez, normally, you humans tend to freak out whenever you're in a strange environment," said Eda.

"Oh, I am freaking out, but right now it's a mixture of an excited freak out and a normal freak out," Luz clarified.

"Huh. Anyway, I'm guessing you walked through a door and that's why you're here?" Eda asked.

Luz snapped out of her little freak out and managed to regain her composure enough to reply.

"Yes, I did! I was following this cute little owl dragging a sack in its beak. I followed the little guy through the door of a house, there was a flash, and now, I'm here…in the Demon Realm, apparently," Luz explained.

Eda sighed, and then the staff was dismissed as the owl figurine at the top of the staff came to life and began flapping its wings, hovering in the air as it turned back into that little owl Luz had seen earlier.

"Owlbert, what did I tell you when going solo? Keep a low profile," Eda scolded.

Owlbert hooted a few times.

"Well, obviously, she's that one in a million human who doesn't run away and instead chases after strange things," Eda retorted.

Owlbert hooted again.

"What's done is done, so, now the question is." Eda turned to face Luz and crossed her arms. "What to do with you, human?"

Luz gulped as she asked, "W-What do you mean? Y-You can send me back home, right? I-I promise I won't tell anyone what you're doing or about this place!"

"Calm down. However, I do need you to do one thing for me before I send you back." Eda slowly approached Luz, making her gulp once the older woman was standing in front of her. Eda leaned down, smirked, and said, "I want you to buy something!"

"…Huh?"

"C'mon, I got a few things that you might be interested in. What do ya say? Buy one item and I'll send you home," Eda promised.

"Do I really have a choice?" Luz asked.

"No, not really," Eda confirmed.

"Alright, guess I'll see what you got."

"Nice." Eda held out her hand, and the Owlbert returned to staff form. "By the way, what's your name, human?"

"Oh, it's Luz. Luz Noceda."

"Well, then, Luz Noceda." Eda mounted her staff, and immediately Owlbert's eyes started to glow, along with his wings flaring out. "Hop on!"

"…Huh?"

Luz was hanging on for dear life as Eda flew them through the sky. Thankfully, for Luz, Eda seemed to notice how afraid she was and flew at a leisurely pace. This in turn allowed Luz to get a better view of the town. She could see more giant, protruding rock spikes jutting into the air, and, in the distance, she swore she could see a mountain in the shape of a skull.

"Impressed, Luz?" Eda asked.

"This…This place looks…wild," said Luz. "I can't believe no one's seen this place."

"Eh, I wouldn't say that. Sometimes, a little of our world actually leaks into yours," said Eda.

As Eda said that a huge griffon flew overhead, and a moment later, it opened its mouth and shot out a stream of black spiders.

"I KNEW IT!" Luz exclaimed. "Validation, baby!"

"Yep, griffons, vampires, giraffes," Eda listed.

Luz paused, turned her head, and asked, "Did you say 'giraffes'?"

"Oh yeah, we banished those guys. Eek, buncha freaks." Eda lowered her altitude and brought them to a hover a few feet off the ground. But when she did, her brow furrowed. "Ah, farts…"

When they arrived at the tent that Luz had exited from when she ran, they found at least five people there. They were dressed in strange clothes, with helmets that were metal and long, giving them a bird-like appearance. Each of them had a sword sheath strapped to their belts, and all appeared to be of the same build and height. These men were drawing circles of light in the air, and after doing so, an aura of light wrapped around Eda's tent, and her table.

Eda grabbed Luz by the collar of her jacket and pulled her into a nearby alley. She peeked from around the corner, and watched as the men in uniforms began confiscating her things.

"Well, that's not good," said Eda.

"What do you mean?" Luz asked.

"I mean, the thing I need to send you back, is still inside that tent," Eda explained.

"WHAT?! W-We have to stop them!"

"Not right now. Listen, we'll get it back. I know where they're going to take it all. But if we're going to get it back, we'll need to wait until tonight."

"W-Where am I going to do until then?" Luz asked.

"Well, you can always crash at my house, unless you want to wait here all night. FYI, the fairies are more active at night, and love to go after people sleeping on the streets," Eda warned.

"You're place it is!"

Without any other choice, Luz was forced to go back to Eda's home. She couldn't believe her luck, she was in a magical world, but also trapped in said magical world until they could get back that "portal door" that brought her here. Eda flew through the air for a few minutes before eventually arriving at her home. It was a two-story house from what she could make out, with a window at the top that was stained glass and looked like an eye. The roof was a teal blue color, with a weathervane that was gold colored and shaped like an owl. Next to the house was a stone tower, some of it looked in ruins, or was in the middle of reconstruction.

"Aren't you worried that those people will find us?" Luz asked.

"Nope, my house has a state-of-the-art defense system," Eda answered.

Once they dismounted the staff, Eda led Luz to the front door. It looked like an ordinary wooden door, but it also had an owl face on it.

"Hoot! Hoot! Password please," the owl head requested.

"It talks?!" Luz gasped.

"Unfortunately, yes." Eda, in response, poked the eyes of the owl head and said, "We don't have time for this, Hooty. Let us in."

"Alright, alright, jeez. You never want to have any fun. Ow! Hoot!"

Suddenly, Hooty opened his mouth wider and wider until he eventually made an opening into the house. Eda walked through first and waved for Luz to follow her. Once inside, Hooty closed his mouth and gave a burb.

"Welcome to…the Owl House," Eda announced as she snapped her fingers.

The moment she did, several candles lit up, illuminating the inside. A mural on the ceiling started to glow, depicting a large, winged creature. The living room of the house was spacious, with a long pink couch that was up against the wall, a coffee table, a table with a lamp on it, and various items hanging from the wall, one of them being a wanted poster with Eda's likeness on it.

"This is where I go to escape the pressures of modern life. Also, the cops, heh-heh," Eda chuckled.

Luz looked closely at the wanted poster, and then turned to Eda and asked, "Eda…are you…are you some kind of criminal?"

Eda crossed her arms as she said, "Depends on what your definition of a 'criminal' is. Did I steal? Yes. Scammed? Oh yeah. Killed anyone? No. But if I'm guilty of one thing more than others, it's that I don't fit in. I don't fit the mold of how witches should do magic."

Luz's mind clung onto those words, "I don't fit in".

"How…How is your way of magic bad?" Luz asked.

"Hey, don't worry about it. You won't be here long enough for it to be your problem, kid," Eda assured.

"If you say so…Do you live here alone?"

Suddenly there was a thumping sound coming from the second floor. Luz turned her attention to the archway, and it was there she spotted a large shadow forming on the wall.

"I do have a roommate."

"Who dares disturb I, the King of Demons!"

Luz's jaw dropped, what stood in the archway was a little creature that was three feet in height. Its body was covered in dark gray fur, with its stomach covered in a lighter shade of gray fur. The top part of its head was covered in a skull and had a broken left horn, and a red collar with a gold tag on it. This creature also had a towel wrapped around its waist and was holding a rubber ducky in its left claw.

"¡Ay, qué lindo!" Luz dropped her backpack and ran straight towards the little creature, wrapping him up in her arms as she twirled around, bringing them into the living room, as she rubbed her cheek against him. "Eda he's SOOOOOOO cute! Who's a wittle guy? Who's a wittle guy?"

"AAH! I'm not your little guy!" The creature exclaimed as he tried to escape her grasp. "Eda! Who is this monster?!"

Eda rolled her eyes, smirked, and drew a circle of light. A thin golden light outlined the little creature's body as he was levitated out of Luz's arms and onto the table.

"Calm down, King. This is Luz, and she's going to help me with a little problem, and maybe help us out with that other issue."

"Really? Hooray!" King cheered.

"Uh, what 'other issue'?" Luz asked, suspicious.

"I'll explain. Just hear me out."

Eda drew another circle of light in the air, and when she did, the circle expanded and acted as a screen as the witch woman began her tale.

"King was once a mighty King of Demons. Until his crown of power was stolen from him and he became…"

"Well, this."

Luz had somehow managed to get King back into her clutches and was hugging him yet again.

"You mean this wittle guy?"

"Weh!"

"The crown is being held by the evil Warden Wrath. And locked behind an impenetrable magical forcefield that only a human can break through."

Eda dismissed her circle and added, "A human like you."

"Wait, me? And that seems oddly specific. A barrier that only humans can get through," Luz said.

"Well, since humans being here is an extremely rare thing, it makes sense to have that kind of barrier around it," Eda explained.

Luz had to admit, it did make sense. If you wanted to keep people out, creating a barrier that only let in a certain type of person that you know doesn't exist in your world would work.

"And if I'm right, Wrath will have my stuff in there, along with your means to get back home. So, either way, kid, you'll need to go through that barrier and get that crown and the portal door," Eda stated.

Luz sighed, she really didn't have a choice one way or the other. If she didn't help them, she wouldn't be able to go back home, and she'd be trapped here forever. Not that she didn't think this place was interesting, but having a way back home was good to have on hand. Luz put King back on the table and turned to Eda as she held out her right hand.

"Okay, Eda, I'll help you and King get back the portal and the crown. And then you send me back. Deal?"

Eda smirked as she shook Luz's hand and said, "Deal."

After shaking Eda's hand, she pulled back and realized she was still holding Eda's hand. Luz yelped loudly as she stumbled backwards and landed on the couch, flinging her hand around until Eda's hand let go and flew into the air. The Owl Lady snatched her missing hand out of the air and reattached it.

"Sorry, that happens sometimes."