This is not happening, Witch thought. This is not happening!

After a difficult battle with the Phantom, Kitsune, Luz managed to punch her into the distance. The Phantom was probably hurt, but it would return, unfortunately, so was Witch. Her armor had sustained damage, and the attacks from earlier did manage to hurt her a little, but nothing that she couldn't sleep off, probably. However, that wasn't the worst part, the worst part came when her mentor and guardian, Eda Clawthorne, popped out of the bushes and said she was after the bounty on her head.

"Uh…I'm sorry, but did you say you were going to claim my bounty?!" Witch asked. "Why?!"

"Truthfully, I have questions for you, and depending on how you answer, I might let you go. But then again, I could use the snails," said Eda.

Witch held up her hands in a stopping motion and said, "Hold on, if you just want some questions answered, then I'll answer them. You don't need to take me to the Emperor's Coven. And besides, aren't they after you, too?"

"They used to be, but ever since these Phantoms and you showed up, their priorities have shifted. And if you're really willing to answer my questions, then tell me who you are under that mask?!" Eda demanded.

Witch made an "X" with her hands. "Sorry, can't do that."

"Tch, figures. Then tell me who you're working for?! Is it that guy in the black robes?!"

"Mis – uh – he's gone. He couldn't stay in our world because his magic conflicts with this world's magic. But since I can use magic here, he gave me the tools to fight against the Phantoms," said Witch.

Eda rolled her eyes. "How convenient. Welp, that settles it, the hard way then."

The Owl Lady slashed the spell circle with her staff, immediately beams of golden magical energy fired straight for Witch. The hero of hope braced herself as the beams crashed against her and the ground around her. Several explosions went off, throwing the Witch Speeder into a tree, which then disappeared right after. Eda waited for the smoke to clear and growled when she noticed that Witch was still standing.

"Huh, you're tougher than you look," Eda commented.

This isn't good, this is SO not good! I'm running out of mana, I can feel it, and I've taken too much damage from Kitsune! I gotta get out of here before I change back!

"Eda Clawthorne, I'm not your enemy!"

"Then tell me who you are and why're you're here!" Eda demanded.

"I can't tell you that! But I'm not lying when I say I'm here to protect everyone from the Phantoms!"

Eda drew another spell circle and struck the ground with it. The earth beneath Witch shook violently before a giant owl head rose from the ground and chomped down her. The owl head then came crashing down into the ground, crumbling around Witch. The Rider smashed her way out of the rubble, but she was getting weaker, Witch didn't know how much more she could take before the transformation was cancelled. On the one hand, she could try and outfight Eda, but at this rate she'd use up all her mana before she could get a good hit in to disorient Eda, and then her transformation would cancel out because she used up all her mana.

Oh well, go big or go home, right?! Witch put on the Fissure Spell ring and activated it.

[Fissure, Please.]

Witch's hands and feet glowed with green magical energy, with a stomp of her left foot, Witch cracked the ground. Creating a ten-foot-long tear through the dirt. With her right hand, Luz commanded the plant life beneath to rise, minus any thorns, she wanted to get Eda off her back, not hurt her. The large vines sprouted smaller vines, each one with a flower bulb at the end. Those bulbs blossomed and released a blue, sparkling powder in Eda's direction.

Eda smirked, she could already tell that the powder was from hypnodrangeas, a type of flower that releases a strong sleeping powder whenever it felt threatened. "Heh, that all you got?!"

The Owl Lady drew another spell circle, and from it she created a huge tornado that sucked in all the sleeping powder, and with another spell, she ignited the tornado, burning the powder away. Eda, using the tornado, which was still on fire, had it charge for the fissure that Witch created. The flames easily engulfed the vines and set them ablaze. However, what Eda miscalculated was the number of embers that were being tossed around thanks to that attack. The embers started landing on the trees and bushes, setting them on fire. The fires grew bigger, aided by the wind that the tornado was generating, and spreading further by the second.

Witch saw this and shouted, "EDA, STOP OR YOU'LL BURN THE WHOLE FOREST DOWN!"

"What?!" Eda took a moment to look around and realized that Witch was right. "Oh, farts, forgot I was in a forest."

Witch didn't bother to think, she had to stop this before it became a huge wildfire.

[Ice, Please.]

[Kkkkkkori~! Kkkkkkori~!]

After switching to Ice Style, Witch switched out her Fissure Spell ring.

[Freeze, Please.]

Witch concentrated, calling on the mana inside. Once her hands were shining blue, Witch raised them into the air, spun around, and waved them. The result created a blizzard that blew through the trees and bushes, snuffing out the flames. The wave continued for a good thirty seconds and covered about a hundred-foot radius around them. When she was done, Witch fell to one knee, panting from the effort.

Eda, who had created a shield to block the wave, looked around, impressed by how Witch was able to put out the fire so quickly. "I gotta, say, that was some quick thinking."

"Next time, please think about what kind of spells you're using and the area you're using them in," said Witch.

"Good advice, I think I'll put it to good use right now!"

Eda tapped the ground with the butt of her staff. Before Witch could react, a stone pillar rose rapidly and struck Witch in the gut, sending her flying and crashing into a tree. That had done it. Witch slid down the trunk of the tree and fell onto the ground unconscious. The Owl Lady's smirk widened as she triumphantly marched her way to the downed hero.

"You're not bad at magic, Witch. But I'm going to get my answers, and protect Luz no matter what," Eda declared.

No sooner had she said those words did Witch's body begin to glow. Eda stepped back and watched as a magic circle appeared at the center of her body, that circle then broke into two as one went up and the other went down. When this happened, Eda gasped and dropped her staff, now aware of who Witch really was.

"Luz…?"

Luz felt achy all over, groaning as she attempted to move her right arm, but the muscles in that arm protested this action. Eventually, the protests won, and Luz gave up on lifting her arm. She attempted to open her eyes, but even her eyelids ached. She didn't know that was a thing. But the part of her that was sorer than any other was her stomach. With a little effort, she managed to place her hands over her tummy, and hissed a bit upon touching it.

"Ouch…what hit me?"

"That would be a stone pillar of my making."

Luz's eyes snapped wide open, her shock of hearing that familiar voice overriding the aches and pains she was feeling. The Latina sat bolt upright, ignoring the pain in her stomach as she realized she was back in the Owl House. That's when Luz saw she was lying on the couch, when she turned to her right, she saw King standing on the coffee table, and Eda, standing next to the table, arms crossed, an unamused frown plastered on her face, and with Owlbert perched on her shoulder.

Oh cruuuuuud…

"Uh, good morning, Eda."

"It's four in the afternoon," Eda corrected.

"Oh…uh…"

"Before you try to lie to me…" Eda snapped her fingers. Owlbert flew from her shoulder and brought over a pouch. The little Palisman dropped the pouch which spilled out Luz's magic rings. Eda then reached into her hair and took out another pouch, letting it drop on the table and letting half of the magic stones come out. "I found your stash, kid."

Luz knew she was busted; she was beyond busted. "Eda I can explain–"

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING?!" Eda screamed.

Luz winced, and King skittered off the table and behind the armchair. The little demon could tell she was angry, it was a rare occasion when something rattled the Owl Lady enough to get her this angry.

Eda sucked wind through her teeth as she tried to calm herself down enough before she went into a full rant. "Explanation. Now!"

Luz knew that there was no way out of this, so, she told her. She told Eda about what happened on the night of the Sabbath ritual, how Wizard saved her from getting killed by the Phantoms. She explained on the day the first Phantom attacked, that Wizard appeared to her and provided Luz with the tools she would need to fight against the Phantoms in his stead. And about how she defeated at least three Phantoms so far, in spectacular fashion she might add. Eda was not amused.

"And…that's it…at least up until the fight with Kitsune…"

Eda closed her eyes and rubbed the sides of her temples, feeling a migraine coming on. "For the love of Titan, kid, are you that desperate to be special?"

"What?"

"This is Adegast all over again!" Eda stated. "This Wizard guy is pulling the wool over your eyes! How do you know he's not using you to help him with whatever messed up scheme he's plotting!"

Luz took offense to that as she swung her legs over the edge and sat up in the couch. "He's not 'plotting' anything, Eda! He's a hero! Kamen Riders fight for justice and keep people safe from monsters!"

"If that's the case, then why doesn't he just do it himself if he's so heroic?!" Eda jabbed.

"I told you, his magic and the magic of the Boiling Isles don't mix well! He would've if he could, but this world was rejecting him like a virus! If he stayed, he probably would've died!" Luz countered.

Eda couldn't completely rule that out, the Titan's corpse, even though it is a giant corpse, did occasionally show that it was partially alive, and sometimes would fight back against something that it found harmful. Why it didn't do this to the Phantoms was a mystery to Eda. "Even if I believe that, why you, you're a kid?!"

"I already told you, La Lechuza is inside of me! She's kept there because of my hope and positive attitude! With her, I'm able to use magic differently, through the magic rings, and that magic is what allows me to fight the Phantoms!"

'Oh yes, I am but a humble mana battery.'

Not now!

"Then give 'em to someone who can! Luz, you're fourteen! Fourteen-year-olds shouldn't have to deal with life threatening crap like this!" Eda growled. "Again, are you that desperate to be someone special that you leap right into danger like this?! For Titan's sake, you could've been killed!"

"Ha! But I wasn't! And c'mon, we've been through life threatening situations before!" Luz began to tick off her fingers. "The Comformatorium – when I first arrived. Adegast – which you won't let me live down. Your Owl Beast curse. I almost got cube compressed by a psycho publisher!"

"What?"

"Don't ask," King commented.

"Survived a Slitherbeast attack. Defeated a Basilisk – with my Detention Track friends. Survived Grom – with Amity's help, obviously. And even survived getting bombarded by Boscha's fireball blitzkrieg! Eda, I've been put through more one 'life threatening' situations since I've gotten here, and I've gotten out of them, mostly unscathed. So, why is me being Witch and fighting the Phantom's any different?!" Luz argued as she stood up.

Eda took a moment to analyze all of that. Luz was right, ever since she got here it's been one dangerous situation after the next. "Wow…I really never thought about it until now…"

Luz was a little concerned, Eda's expression shifted from angry to realization. Perhaps the truth bomb was a bit stronger than she anticipated. "Um…Eda?"

Eda walked over to the armchair and sat down, resting her elbows on her thighs as she contemplated everything Luz said. "I keep forgetting – with the way you act and talk – you're just a human. You fit in here, Luz, so much so that I forget that. Sometimes I think was unfair that you were born human, if you were born here, you'd just be like everyone else. Well, until I got to you and made you part of the Bad Girl Coven." Eda allowed herself a little chuckle before becoming serious again.

"But the truth is you're not like us. You're – and this isn't an insult, kid – weaker than us, more fragile. Witches and demons have grown up on the island and lived on it for as long as we can remember. Our bodies have adapted to living here, we take hits better than you because we've had to survive on the island, we don't get sick as often, which is why it takes a lot to bring us down. I…I should've realized this sooner, but I guess I just like the idea of having a human around so much that I didn't really think about how dangerous this place is for a regular human."

King and Luz, Owlbert, and even Hooty – who slinked his way inside – were honestly surprised by how mature and insightful Eda was being. The woman had a devil-may-care, laissez faire kind of personality, so to hear her talk like this was a bit of a shock to the residents of the Owl House.

"That's why what I'm about to say next is going to be harsh. Luz, I think you should go back to the human world."

"WHAT?!"

"WHAT?!"

*HOOT!*

"HOOTIN', WHAT?!"

Luz shook her head and glared at the Owl Lady. "Eda, you can't be serious?! I can't leave the Boiling Isles! I have friends here! Plus, the Phantoms are still around, I'm not going to leave you guys to suffer under them when I'm the only one who can beat them!"

"Luz, those things before the Phantoms showed up, were dangerous, but these things are on another level. You're their enemy, those times before – aside from Adegast – they weren't actively trying to kill you! These things are!"

"And that's why I've been trying to keep my identity a secret! The Phantoms can take on the forms of the people they were born from, but without knowing who was there during the ritual, we don't know who they might be!"

"I noticed you said 'trying', which means someone already knows you're Witch, right?" Eda asked.

Shoot!

'Good one, child.'

Not helping!

"…Yes, a couple of people know I'm Witch," Luz confessed.

Eda sighed in frustration. "Figures, I'm going to take a wild guess that your two Hexside friends know you're Witch. What about the Blight kid?"

Luz shook her head.

"Okay, who else?"

"King knows…"

"King?!" Eda exclaimed as she glared at the little demon.

"WEH! Traitor!" King accused.

"Oh don't 'traitor' her! You knew?! How long?!"

"About a week or so…?" King admitted.

Eda rolled her eyes before asking, "Does anyone else know you're Witch?!"

"I do – hoot, hooty, hoot!" Hooty chimed in.

Luz, King, and Eda looked at the bird tube with confusion.

"Since when?" Luz asked.

"Oh, it could've been around the time when you made those rings in your room. Or the second time when you made more of those rings. Or the third time when you told Willow you were Witch and King eavesdropped. Or it could've definitely been the fourth –?"

"YOU'VE KNOWN FROM THE BEGINNING?!" Eda and Luz exclaimed in unison.

"Well, duh, you're all living inside me. So, yeah, I know."

Luz narrowed her eyes at the house demon and asked, "What else do you know, Hooty?"

"I know aaaaaaaallllllll…" Hooty admitted as he twisted into a spiral.

Luz's face went red, realizing for the time that privacy in the Owl House was not as private as she once thought.

"And you didn't tell me, WHY?!" Eda asked.

"I did try tell you."

-(Montage)-

The Night Luz Made Her First New Rings:

"Hey, Eda! Guess what–!"

"Not now, Hooty. Time for bed."

The Second Night:

"Eda, Luz is–!"

"I don't want to know what she's doing in her room. You know the rules, Hooty."

Earlier Today:

"Not now, Hooty. I'm trying to figure out who Witch is."

"Oh, you are? Well, I have some theories about that, but I know for a fact that it's–!"

"Yeah, yeah, don't care."

"But–"

-(Montage: End)-

Eda's left eye twitched before she facepalmed herself. "…Anyway…you're going back."

"No, I'm not!" Luz retorted.

"It's too dangerous here now, Luz! And that should mean something when I'm the one saying it," said Eda.

"I get that you want to protect me, but I have the power to protect everyone! I'm the only one who can use those magic stones!"

"For now." Eda drew a spell circle that made the rings and stones return to their respective pouches. "I'm going to be looking into these things, and I'll figure out how to use them. Until then, no more Witch stuff."

Luz couldn't believe what she was hearing. "What if there's another attack?! Kitsune is after a Gate, and right now I don't know who it is she's after, but she was eyeing someone in that crowd today! She could be plotting a way to make her victim fall into despair right now!"

"Then I'll pass that information – anonymously – to the Emperor's Coven."

"I'm not going back, at least not right now! Give me some time to at least say goodbye to my friends?!" Luz pleaded. "Oh, shoot! Willow, Amity, and Skara, they don't know where I am! I need to–!"

"I already took care of that." Eda interjected. "I told 'em I took you back to here when the attack broke out. I'm pretty sure they ran back to their homes, too." Eda looked into the pleading eyes of her apprentice and said, "I'll give you until the end of the week. But that's all. I don't want to see you get killed."

No more words were spoken as Eda walked away and up the stairs. King and Luz stood there while they listened to her retreating footsteps, right up until the door shut.

Luz fell to her knees and then struck the floor with her fist. "I can't leave…I still have so much I want to do here…I need to protect everyone, too! Why can't you understand that…Eda?"

King walked up to Luz and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Not right now, King."

"Look, Luz."

Luz tilted her head up a bit and saw King's claws. In them were the Driver On and Fire Style rings, along with a couple of magic stones. "King, when did you–?!"

"I've studied under the best pickpocket in town for years," said King proudly. "I understand where Eda's coming from, and I get why she's doing what she's doing. But even I can tell that those monsters are on another level from demons. And as much as she might not want to admit it, you are the only one who can beat them."

Luz's eyes watered as she grabbed the little demon and brought him into a hug. "¡Gracias, pequeña cosita preciosa (Thank you, you precious little thing)!"

King didn't struggle this time; he just accepted his fate.

The following day at school, the attack at the square was all anyone was talking about. However, for three witches, there was bigger news than that.

"YOU'RE GOING BACK TO THE HUMAN WORLD?!" Gus, Willow, and Amity exclaimed in unison.

Luz nodded solemnly. "With all the Phantom attacks, Eda's worried that the Boiling Isles has become too dangerous for me now. After the whole kidnapping thing, she's become really protective of me and…I guess this was where it was eventually heading."

Amity trembled, this couldn't be happening, Luz was leaving.

"Tch, way to go Little Miss Perfect. You lost your shot."

The green haired witch couldn't even think of a retort to her inner self. "I…I need to go."

Amity turned around and began speed walking away from the group.

"Amity, wait!" Luz called out.

Willow broke away first and said, "I'll go check on her."

Luz and Gus watched as Willow and Amity disappeared around the corner, leaving the two of them mostly alone.

Gus, in a low tone, asked, "But if you go…then…what'll we do about the Phantoms?"

Luz glanced about and reached into her left pocket, discreetly showing the red gemstone ring to Gus. "King managed to swipe this and another ring for me. I can at least – hopefully – take out Kitsune before she manages to bring a Gate to despair."

"Yeah, but that's only one out of how many?" Gus asked.

"Including me there were thirty-one of us kidnapped. I defeated Wendigo, Wil-O'-The-Wisp, and Dracula so far. That should leave twenty-eight Phantoms left, twenty-seven if I manage to take out Kitsune."

"Okay, so that leaves all of us against twenty-seven Phantoms!" Gus exclaimed. "And if this is anything like the shows, we haven't even seen the strongest ones yet!"

That was a fear in the back of Luz's mind, as well as a nitpick. In the Kamen Rider shows, the most powerful of their kind never went into battle first, they simply sent the lower ranks first. Strategy wise, it made no sense. All they were doing was giving the Kamen Rider a chance to get stronger by battling against their kind and gaining more experience along the way. Which always ended up with the Rider gaining some new form or ability, and it wasn't until they achieved their Super or Final Forms, did they decide to throw themselves into the ring. But Luz wasn't complaining, it was always cool to watch, however, she hoped that they would keep to this format.

"Don't worry, Gus, just have hope," said Luz as she patted his shoulder. "C'mon, let's go to the Kamen Rider Club, I still have a lot to teach you guys about the Heisei Era Riders, this'll take a couple of sessions because this is where things get really gimmicky and complicated."

Amity found herself in the girls' restroom, sitting on a toilet and crying her eyes out, like something out a cliché romance manga. The girl she fell in love with was going back to the human world at the end of the week, her chance to tell her how she felt was slipping away rapidly.

"And yet here you are, sitting on a toilet and crying your eyes out. Can you be any more cliché? Honestly, this is for the better."

What?!

"Luz is a nuisance; everything was fine until she popped up. You didn't even used to worry about things like crushes or anything that didn't work towards your goal of being the best of the best. It was all straight As and gold stars, you were at the top of the social ladder, second to no one, and now you're less so thanks to being around her."

How is that a bad thing?! I'm still the best, I'm still the star student, and so what about my social standing! I'm a Blight, that commands respect already! Maybe there's more to life than that, and Luz showed me there was! She's free, she speaks her mind and is herself! Who are you to tell me I can't have that?!

Inner Amity appeared before Amity in the stall, outlined in a green tinted light. The look of superiority that she always had on her face was front and center with this version of herself. "That is the question, isn't it? Which of us is the real Amity Blight?"

"Amity?!" Willow's voice called out.

The image of Inner Amity vanished before Amity's eyes, she buried her face in her legs and continued crying. Willow eventually found the right stall that she was hiding in, the Plant Track witch could've easily used her magic to open it, but instead, she leaned her back against the side of the door.

"Hey, Amity, you still have time," said Willow.

"What's the point anymore?" Amity retorted. "She's going back to her world, even if I did say something, and even if she said she wanted to, Ms. Clawthorne probably won't let me go see her while the Phantoms are still running around here. And honestly, I couldn't blame her, if portal that brought her here gets used by those monsters, it'll take them right to her!"

Willow rocked back and forth on her heels, unable to see any fault in that logic. "That is true…but, Amity, you have to tell her soon. It's better that she knows than you carrying around these feelings."

"It's not that simple…"

"Of course, it is, you just go up and say, 'I like you Luz, I want to be girlfriends. See, simple."

"I told her I only like boys…"

"…" The glow green colored magic appeared on the lock and in the next moment, the door opened, revealing Willow with a deadpan expression. "Pardon me? Why would you tell her that?"

"I panicked, okay! She told me she likes both and when she asked me which I liked, I just told her I liked boys!" Amity admitted with a blush on her face.

Willow smacked her forehead. "You're a disaster, Amity."

"A gay disaster~"

You know, there's technically nothing stopping me from going to Ms. Clawthorne and asking if there is a spell that could make me come in there and physically strangle you with my bare hands.

"…Eh, it'd still worth it, Little Miss Perfect."