Chapter 15: This night is full of surprises
It was a warm summer night in New York. The sun had just set in the horizon, and the black cloak of night would soon plunge the whole city in darkness; a darkness which would be countered by the lights of every street lamp and landmark in that city. One of such landmarks was the Sleeping Emperor.
It is beautiful and the mysterious.
The building taller than the Central Park Tower, owes its name to its overawing size, a very unusual shape and many windows in royal shades of white and gold.
According to official sources, this skyscraper served as the base and central headquarters for the a multibillion dollar global corporation known as the "Fraction."
The building incorporated a hangar for aircraft, a helipad, and a secret underground storage.
The tower also included laboratories, offices, quarters, garden with stone statues, a trap hallway, a war room, training facilities for agents, and the main apartament on the topmost level, where the owner of the tower spent much of his time.
It was a grand old spacious penthouse with a great view. This penthouse was the most intriguing part of the building.
The decor reminds of the seventeenth-century castle with subtle modern elements and technology.
There was one main room which included huge mahogany desk with a black throne chair.
At present, a man was sitting in a chair, staring at the document in his right hand.
The man with a rather original appearance.
His fingers looked long and sharp, and his blue eyes were almost glowing just as much as the jewel of the ring on his right hand. One side of his face had what looks like scarring lines extending from his lips, like a partial Glasgow Grin, but the rest of his face was unblemished.
His outfit consisted of a royal white suit, a gray shirt, a gold tie, and polished black boots. He also wore a very elegant dimmed sunglasses and the white leather gloves, which has a gold pattern, on his knuckles.
His real name was a mystery... even to his oldest and most trusted employees and advisors.
So, everybody knew him as "the Lazarus".
One of the wealthiest men in the USA. An avid collector, very interested in all kind of ancient artifacts. The founder and head of the Fraction. And the most mysterious and private man on this planet.
His eyes read each documents with attention, but part of his focus was elsewhere.
One of the employees'd enter the room and he wouldn't even see this, so deep was he in his own thoughts.
The clock struck six, and the silence of his work ended in the
Dong.
Dong.
Dong.
Dong.
Dong.
Dong.
At the last stroke, the Lazarus heard a completely different sound.
There was some kind of pendant with the symbol of the Double Ouroboros on the desk. It swung open, making him looked up from the stack of classified papers he was working on for a few hours, then back down at the documents.
The pendant was almost like a small communication screen. On the screen was a female demon of diminutive stature. Her full-body frame was quite petite, having the size and appearance of a small child, although her hands and feet were shaped like bird talons, with red skin, large pointy ears, and dark red claws. Instead of hair, a large dark turquoise hand wind hand-like bun covers her head with light turquoise talons acting as bangs that cover her right eye.
"Sir, forgive me for disturbing you. But I have news I think you'll want to hear without delay."
"Kikimora, what is so important that you're interrupting my work? the Lazarus inquired, more focused on the documents.
"Adegast the puppetmaster - he reached out to me." Kikimora said, a slight pinch of disgust in her body. Adegast gave her useful information, but she still despise this little pompous fraud. "He claims that the human teen arrived on the Boiling Isles two days ago."
"And why would I be interested in some trivial an under-age who had the misfortune to get to a place where everything will be trying to kill them?" The Lazarus stopped staring at the document in his hand and looked into the eyes of female demon-like being.
"This human can use magic." Kikimora replied quickly, aware of how dangerous wasting her boss' time can be.
"Do you have any evidence to support these information?" He asked, looking an interesting combination of intrigued and skeptical.
"No witnesses. However, Adegast gave me this." Suddenly, a sheet of paper fell out from the envelope and Kikimora turned it in hand.
The Lazarus' eyes bore into the glyph with an intensity that sent a cool shiver down Kikimora's spine.
"Kikimora, what else can you tell me about this human? Keep it concise." he retorted, being his usual, steady, calm and emotionless self.
"Her name is Luz Noceda. Our spies found out the Order of Keepers called her to be part of the new team. And Edalyn 'Eda' Clawthorne aka the Owl Lady was appointed as the girl's mentor."
"Then, tell agent Nyx I want her little friend keep an eye on the girl, and tell her to no longer holding back in phase two of the operation D.R.Y.I.N.G"
Kikimora bowed her head with the respect then disappearing from the pendant, allowing the Lazarus' reflection to appear.
He made a small gesture, closing the pendant. His eyes fell on the documents. All those highly classified things written on paper just don't seem that important.
This new informations from Kikimora were promising, but experience has taught him something about this kind of situations.
After a while, the Lazarus opened a secret drawer in his desk where he kept his most valuable treasure.
The mirror.
It was a mirror of about a head's width. Its rim was made of seven bones from 7 different species. Every detail in this mirror was done with great care.
For what seemed like an eternity but was actually only a few seconds, he stared into those mirror that showed both his reflection and something else...
"My friends, what do you think?"
And the answer came in the form... of a whisper quiet, ghostly, almost moaning incomprehensible sound.
The Lazarus watched a silver mirror that showed, one by one, the words of the first sentence that would mean a lot of different things. Soon all the words appeared, he was ready to read them.
B...L...O...O...D
W...I...L...L
A...L...W...A...Y...S
T...E...L...L
Luz looked behind her as she felt a little shiver go down her spine. She couldn't explain it, but... suddenly felt an unpleasant chill in the air.
"Luz, are you all right?" Jett asked, noting how nervous she seemed.
"I feel like we're being watched." Luz looked around at the stalls, wondering who and why would do that.
"Probably another sicko who clearly wants get rid of Eda." King stated, crawling onto Jett's shoulder to be on Luz's eyes level.
"Does everybody have a beef with Eda here?" Luz asked in disbelief.
"Not all of them but a lot of them." Jett pointed to the right, the storefront had a big banned poster of Eda.
"It's nice to be known and felt so wanted." Eda seemed almost proud of having this poster.
"You know, aunt, when people say that, they don't usually mean by the attempted killer or crazy demons." They all heard a familiar voice.
The group looked right and there was Katrina standing in the doorway of the shop.
"They don't understand, the spice of life." Eda commented, while Luz say hello to Katrina with a wave as Jett and King gave one as well.
The redhead girl answered nothing, and approaching the group. "So, what brings you to the market at this hour?"
"Weekly shopping." Jett shook a bit the shopping bag to emphasize, "You?"
"Abby wanted to check out that new Beau-Tea place."
"Hey Kat," said a black-skinned girl with blue hair and red tear-like shaman markings underneath eyes walking out of the building Katrina had been in. "Did something happen? You kind of walked out and-" She stopped, her gaze focused on the others.
"Speak the Spirit." Katrina said as she looked amused before it registered that her friend had already stood right in front of the goup before she could even finish speaking this sentence.
"Are you the Owl Lady? the girl, Abby, stared at Eda, like she saw something amazing.
"In the flesh and blood." Eda smirked.
"Oh my gosh oh my gosh! I can't believe it's real! You're real, right infront of me! I mean I know that you're real. I've been a fan of yours for a long, long time, ever since I heard that speech you did in Grav city about the life without rules. I would like to become a rebel If I could escape the fear of world without rules. There's nothing I can do about it. I love rules. However, I admire a people like you: unafraid to transgress, in life and in magic. I heard tell you were the biggest trouble maker in your gory days! Can I get your autograph? 'Cause that would be a real..."
"I'll sign anything if you stopped talking." The Owl Lady was confident the girl'll hyperventilate if she don't stop talking.
"Sorry. I'm a big fan. And..." Abby noticed Eda's expression, "And I'm shutting up, ma'am."
"Good for you." Eda wrote her a message. "Here."
"Thank you!" Abby took the card with trembling fingers, staring at it in wonder, her eyes growing brighter as she ran a thumb along the card, looking as if she couldn't believe that this was happening.
"You weren't lying when you said that she is a big fan of my mom" Jett commented with a smirk and Abby's face marks turned bright pink. The male witchling know Abby well enough to call her a fellow shaman, but Katrina's the one that told him about the girl's admiration for the Owl Lady
Abby put picture back in her bag before turning to Katrina. "Sorry, I guess I went a little crazy."
"Just a tiny bit." Katrina said it jokingly, "Now you've finished smothering my aunt with your fangirl mode, I want to introduce you to someone."
"I love meeting new..." Abby turned around, and she just froze when she saw Luz, "What is with those ears?! Wow! That rude sorry. But how did they get like that?"
She came closer to squint at them and causing Luz to self-consciously step closer to Jett.
"Is it a costume? Uh.. I'm sorry. Super inappropriate, but they're weird. Sorry again. Not to be rude, again, but how can you hear with those ears? Because, I've never met a magic users with round ears. However, I heard..."
Katrina decided to finally intervene, "Luz is a human."
"Human?" was all Abby could come up with as she wracked her brain for something else, making Jett chuckle. "Guess I owe Florian twenty snails."
"Did you two think I was lying?" Katrina kind of felt offended.
"Yes, no, maybe. I mean, we assumed that you could be misled as to the origin of the new team member in question." Abby answered.
"Well, now you can be sure that Luz comes from the Human Realm."
"And I've got about a million questions about that."
"I think," Jett started off, "The all of us could sit down somewhere and kick the thing around."
"I know this great Ramen Tacos place." Abby offered, with a smile.
"Tacos?" King was finally showing some interest in the conversation, "The king of demons wholly support this idea."
"Do you need help with the bags? Luz asked her mentor, remembering they all bought all sorts of thing they could find.
"Have fun. Dinner's at 8." Eda just said, "and if you see guy wearing sandals, keep away from him" she then thumps with her staff causing all their groceries to float in the air at this time the teenagers turned and looked questioningly at her. Slipping the staff through the knot and started to flew off into the sky.
"...and that's how I can use magic." Luz showed Abby a napkin with a glyph on it. She tapped it out of habit, and the napkin wrinkled and glowed before turning into a ball of light.
The moment Abby sees Luz's glyph in action, she watches it as just a child watches, in a child-like mirth and joy.
She tried to find something to say. Of course with her that inevitably led to having too much to say.
"Wow. Who would ever say that baby spell can be so amazing. I mean, I don't saw you as a child, Luz. Sure If you are less than 18 years old, people are considered to be a child. But you aren't a child, you are a teen, just like all of us. And we all know how to use magic. A very different kind of magic. Especially Luz. Because I've never seen light spell cast like that. Okay, once I saw demon spit out a glowing ball. I think it was a spell. Or, of course, it could just have been an accident. He ate this goop... with weird things in it; you know; like crystals and frogs' legs and- My. Great. Spirit. I babble now. Stop it, Abby. 3...2...1."
"You couldn't find a better way to let us know you're enjoying this little show." Jett said with a tiny smirk.
"I think you were the first person to ever find my babbling and lack of a brain to mouth filter endearing." Abby laughed softly.
"Endearing? No. Hilarious? Absolutely." Jett smiled.
"But returning to the main topic - how exactly did you learn that, Luz?"
"A fortunate coincidence for all involved. I saw symbol in Jett's spellcircle." Luz explained to her. "That's nothing big."
"Come now, Luz, don't be so modest. Your glyph was the key to weakening Gytrash. And let us not forget about the fact, you rescued Jett that day." Katrina spoke up.
"I know I've already said it, but are a rare human being, Luz." Abby was really impressed by Luz's achievements.
"Well, if you think that's impressive, you should hear how Luz turned Hoard the Shiny Sheel into a skewer." Jett told her.
Katrina blinked a few times, "Luz turned who into what?"
"Aaaannnd, I said the wrong thing. Oops." Jett winced and Katrina's eyebrows shot up.
"Someone's got some 'splaining to do." King laughed lightly,
"Me?" Jett glared at his brother, "Mom said that you were the one who insisted the map was real and it will lead you all to your crown of power."
"What?" Katrina gave him a hard look and King let out a squeak and put whole taco in his own mouth, to avoid answer.
'And the plot thickens.' Abby thought. It required great strength of will to be quiet.
The redhead girl was staring at her demonic cousin with this really intense look on her face as she took King's plate right off of him.
"That was mine!"
"Yes, WAS yours. And before we even discuss how you are still hungry after eating so many tacos which is a whole other mystery I demand an explanation for your 'adventure' yesterday."
Katrina kept looking determinately at the demon, a look that said 'you're-not-getting-out-of-here-before-you-tell'.
"We had a meeting with another sicko who has a problem with Eda, yesterday."
"I'm asking for the nitty-gritty, King."
"Fine. A man with sandals offered Luz an opportunity to be the Chosen One and go on a magical quest, handing her a map to a some version of celestian staff and my crown of power. Of course, it was all a trap to lure Eda in and get rid of her. We were attacked by a giant crab. My crown was destroyed in the heat of battle. And then Luz used her glyph to blind th crab. It's got laser beams shooting out of its eyes, and ended up putting a stalagmite through the middle of itself. THE END." King held out his hands towards Katrina, "Now give me back what's mine!"
Katrina ignored the last part.
"First, why don't I know anything about this?" The question was directed to Jett.
"I just hadrt gotten around to texting you about it yet." Jett parried.
"And secondly, why you started on the dangerous heroic quest without me and Jett? We are team." Katrina's words were harsh, but her tone of voice was rather tame, so they lacked their sting.
Luz sighed; she knew she had to tell the whole truth… Well, everything but the life-threatening parts. Katrina was quite angry already.
"I wanted to prove that I'm more than just a human who accidentally found a way to cast spell." said Luz, looking down at the plate, "That I'm worthy of being the Keepers."
"Luz, you done proved it two times." Katrina emphasized this and continued, "And your glyph's not the reason that we invited you to join this team."
"I know." Luz was very grateful to her friend for reminder of true reason she is here with them, "I just... Yesterday, I had a moment of self-doubt. So, I let the chosen one thing got to my head a bit too much. And frankly, I wasn't alone only because King was going to get his crown and Eda go with us to make sure I don't end up in a werewolf or other magic creature's stomach... It was a crazy false quest, but I've learned my lesson." She added after a moment.
Katrina frowned, thinking about it. "I forgive you because I know it's just hard to think straight when heart racing with adrenaline and pure excitement."
Luz smiled with joy. "Thanks Kat."
"But..." Katrina pointed at human girl. "You'll have to promise me that the next time you'll get the opportunity to get into trouble with a touch of adventure, you let me and Jett know."
"I will." Luz curled four of her fingers with only her pinky pointed out, and eagerly wiggled it in front of both friends.
Katrina and Jett looked at Luz's pinky.
"It's a Pinky Promise." Katrina confirmed, giving in to their human friend's plea.
"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye. We have deal, that's fine!" Jett showcased the pinky finger on her right hand. Both witchlings carefully wrapped their pinky around Luz's, giving it a firm shake.
Once they untangled their pinkies, Abby started talking.
"Awww. I love the dynamic of your team! You three don't know each other for very long, but you all care about your feelings and safety. I mean, Luz is the new person. You two are cousins and you grew up together. So, you three are fire-forged friends. Or maybe you are..."
Luz stopped listening, because something warm and sticky just brushed up against her ankle.
She looked down and saw a tiny shaped humanoid golem made of purple goo. It had two glowing green eyes and a mouth, from which it gasped and moaned. The goo of its back was shockingly white; and creating the Order of the Keepers symbol.
"Guys, what's this?" Luz asked. Gesturing a hand towards the blob monster on the floor. It's persistently kept patting her leg.
"It's just Abomination." King took the opportunity to grabbed her taco.
Luz glanced questioningly at her friends, so Katrina explain what that means.
"They're living goo creatures. The witches usually creates an abomination to complete various tasks."
"And this guy is clearly a messenger from the Order." Jett grabbed a tiny creature's head and laid it on the table.
"He's kinda cute." Luz smiled as she gave the magical construct a light poke of her finger.
The little blob monster looked up dumbly at her, before turning to look at everybody one by one.
Suddenly Abomination spoke up, "Team... of... Light?"
"You're looking for them." Abby pointed at Katrina, Jett and Luz.
What happened thereafter... it was unexpected, but it was cool.
Back at the Owl House, Eda was in the living room. The witch just finished preparing dinner and untangling Hooty after that fly chase he do over the three hours.
'At last, a moment of peace and nap.' Eda dropped her staff and snapped her fingers, she magically changed into her pajamas and lay down on the couch.
She sighed happily, her back touching the pillows. She closed her eyes, feeling relaxed.
The sound of opening doors and a shadow loomed over her body, forcing the witch to open her yellow eyes. Only to flinch when she saw Luz smiling at her.
"Oh, Eda, did I tell you how cool your fang looks today?" asked Luz standing with Jett.
"Whatever it is, no," Eda frowned.
"Uh, and your hair is like... girl," Luz continued to insist and Jett just looked at her unimpressed.
"Remind me to teach you the art of buttering." He whispered.
"I won't be teaching you magic today," Eda told Luz, covering herself with the blanket. "I'm sleepy. I'm a sleepy little owl."
Jett poked her on the forehead forcing his mother to open her eyes.
"Sorry, Ma. Your beauty sleep is officially interrupted. Luz really, really needs a magic lesson. Tomorrow's the big day and Luz need a little more than her glyph."
"Who said that?"
"This little guy." Luz said, bringing up something clasped in her hands.
Eda blinked, in the girl's hand was a miniature version of Abomination.
"Go on, amiguito, tell Eda what you told us."
The tiny Abomination opened its mouth real wide and gave out a wet croak, followed by a sound that was suspiciously close to static.
*Hzzzt!*
"Dear Team of Light"
It was Jenkins' a high-pitched, but reserved voice echoing up from the goo creature.
"Starting from today, you three are on the list of teams ready for a missions.
We inform you that your presence is required at the headquarter of Order tomorrow at 9 a.m. in order to verify your first Mission Rank.
Hoping you are well,
Yours sincerely,
Jenkins Geoblack
Information & Planning Office
Order of the Keepers
*Hzzzt!*
Letting out a small burble, the little messenger letting its mouth glob itself shut. Seemingly satisfied that Abomination had completed its task, it plopped over backwards, before staring up at the human girl.
"Is it normal?" Luz said, more concerned about the state of her newest little friend, as she watched it slowly turning into a tiny purple puddles in her palms.
"It has done its job, so can returned to its original form of abomination goo." Jett handed her a mug, and he wanted her to put a tiny goo creature in.
"Okay, I know you guys have a trip to the Order tomorrow." Eda told them, "That doesn't answer my question on why you nedds a magic lesson, Luz?"
"The Council of Four will send us on the first mission soon!" Luz replied, probably a little louder than it needed to be.
"Then again, what's the rush? It will be a while before you set out on a truly dangerous mission."
"Mom, when I and Katrina decided to choose Luz to our team, you promised that she would learn magic from you," Jett reasoned. "That you would teach her how to be a witch. But you haven't even taught her how to really do magic yet."
"You are the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles. What would it look like if your students will show the members of the Order nothing but a orb of the light?" Luz added.
Eda raised an eyebrow. "Weaponizing my pride, huh? Well, in that case, we're going to see what your glyph can really do."
"Yay!" Luz clapped her hands, and looked like a kid who had just been told Christmas was coming early. "Where do we start?"
"I'll take a little nap." Eda lay down on the couch, "And you can draw a several dozen glyphs."
Luz started to ask something but the Owl Lady pull the blanket over her head and started snoring.
"Well, time to start drawing." Luz lifted the pen high above her head with a look of determination.
"I will bring you the paper." Jett offered his help.
An hour later, the entire floor was covered with sheet of paper in different sizes.
"Done!" Luz said when she finished draw light glyph on the paper closest to her.
"Okay. Show me what you got, kiddo." Eda feel much more awake and also sharp, sipping the Apple Blood.
Luz looked at the glyphs. Experimentally, she tapped the biggest of them. It bloomed into a massive orb of light, nearly blinding all of the living room's inhabitants in the seconds before Luz could dispel it.
"Got to admit, I'm impressed." The Owl Lady rubbed her eyes, "Do feel tired?"
Luz considered the question "No." She put her hand on the chest, "But my cheast is tingling."
Eda raised an eyebrow but made no comment on that. "Try something smaller now. And give it a precise shape." Just imagine the shape of your spell."
The witch drew a circle in the air and the orb of light took the shape of Owlbert in response to Luz's look of inquir.
The two teenagers and King watched as the light bird simply flew across the room.
"My turn!" Luz closed her eyes tight and focus on the shape then touched the glyph.
The paper wrinkled and glowed before turning into a bizarre creature made up of two horse bodies joined at the neck, with the top half's legs stiffly protruding into the air.
Surprised, she carefully lifted it with her hands.
"What is this?" King asked.
"Centaur-taur?" Luz wasn't sure herself why her light spell took this shape. Okay, that's not exactly a truth. She tried to focus, but didn't succeed. And then let her imagination run wild.
"I am so confused and so impressed right now!" Jett took a selfie with the unique spell.
"OK, maybe we should try a something simpler." Eda decided as she took another sip of the Apple Blood. "Shoot the ray of light."
Jett put shield to play darts up on the wall and raise the thumb up. "Here, Sunbeam."
Luz picked up rather a small glyph, tapped the paper and then threw it. A tiny blast of light didn't even get to the target.
"Try again, just bigger." Eda told her.
Luz pondered the moment and grabbed two glyphs. The girl thought it'd be best if she use the same method that she did before in Falllis Subterrane, this time against shield to play darts.
She slammed a two glyphs to each other.
There was a huge flash and the force of the blast knocked Luz to the ground. A spiral beam of light practically burned a hole in the dartboard.
"Nice shot. But it was spiral, not a ray." Jett offered his hand to Luz, and, with a tiny smile, helped her stand.
"I really didn't mean to do it."
"Funny, your glyph works but there is always something interesting. I wonder why?"
"Well," Luz surprised all of them when pulled out notebook and opened it, "I have a headcanon about this spell—"
"Can't you just say 'theory' or 'hypothesis' like everybody else?" King asked as he looked over her shoulder to see.
"No."
"So, why your spell works like that?" Jett asked again.
Luz began to explain the details of her theory, using a little flowery language from the Azura books.
"This going to be a long night. I need another cup 'cause two is not enough." Eda thought, looking down at the surprisingly empty cup.
Author's note:
Abby's voice is Autumn Blaze from "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic"/Rachel Bloom
Leave a comment if you like what im writing.