As promised, here is the next chapter. Thank you all for your patience.
Disclaimer: I don't own The Owl House or its characters. I only own this story and any OCs I throw in.
It was a new day at the Owl House. The wind howled as it moved Hunter's open, creaking window. Inside, the blond witch was still fast asleep in his sleeping bag. He rolled over and breathed heavily, tensing in his sleep.
Owlbert hooted as he hopped through the portal door to Eda's tent with a sack in his beak, Luz running through behind him a few seconds later.
"Stop adorably hopping away, you–" Luz said before she stopped when she realized she was in a tent. "Huh?"
"Luz, wait for–" Hunter began as he joined her before noticing the same thing. "Me?"
Cut to the Owl House's living room when the teens first entered.
"Welcome to," Eda snapped her fingers as an overhead depiction of an owl beast of some kind began to glow with a tremendous screeching noise. "the Owl House…"
Luz and Hunter gasped in awe.
Cut to their first staff ride, both siblings had their eyes shut tight with fearful tears as they flew, Luz clutching her book close. They soared over the Boiling Isles, various winged creatures flying behind them as whimsical music played over the scene.
Suddenly, everything around Hunter vanished, making him yelp as he fell. Hitting the ground with a grunt, the blond immediately jumped back to his feet, finding himself in a dark void.
"Hello?!" He yelled, looking around anxiously. "Luz?! Eda?! Anybody?!"
As he called, white noise was heard around him, building into a crescendo. Despite everything blending together, Hunter could make out a few different sentences from different people.
"What are you doing here?!"
"We have to get him out of here!"
"This cycle ends with me…"
"Will!"
The sounds became too much for Hunter, covering his ears as he yelled, "STOP!"
Hunter's eyes snapped open with a gasp as he jackknifed upright, panting.
"That was a dream…" He breathed before looking around the room he was in. "But yesterday wasn't."
Moving towards his open window, Hunter looked outside as the sun lit up this strange place he and Luz had found. He smiled slightly, admitting that this deathtrap of a world had its good points. Suddenly, a giant sea monster rose from the ocean, startling the blond.
"Whoa!" He recoiled with a gasp.
"Hello!" It waved its tentacle at him pleasantly.
"Uh, hi…" Hunter waved back meekly.
Suddenly, Luz opened her window. "Good morning, terrifying fantasy world."
"Good morning." The sea monster waved at her before sinking into the ocean.
"Ughhh." Luz cringed.
Hunter sighed before he started getting ready for the day. After getting dressed and freshening up, he headed to the kitchen to find something for breakfast. Looking in the fridge, Hunter mentally slapped himself when he didn't recognize any of the food. "I should've known the food here was going be weird, too."
Closing the fridge, he sat at the table and waited for Eda to come around so he could ask about food. A few minutes later, King walked in, and Hunter decided to ask him, figuring he would have some insight.
"Hey, King? What's edible around here?"
"Well, last I checked," King thought briefly before stating matter-of-factly. "Everything in the fridge."
"King, I grew up on Human Realm food. None of that looked appealing to me." Hunter stated bluntly.
"Oh, yeah," King murmured like he forgot that part. The little demon then walked towards the fridge and pulled out a plate of yellow stuff with eyeballs. He came back to the table and, after some maneuvering, got into a high chair next to it with his food.
"Here, give this a try," He scooped up some goop and held it out to Hunter. "It's one of my favorites."
"… It's got eyes in it."
"Human food doesn't have eyes?"
"Not usually, no."
"Huh. Must be a Human Realm thing." King shrugged before suddenly shoving the spoon into the blond's mouth. It took a second to process what happened, but once he did, Hunter quickly swallowed the "food."
"Ugh! That's… actually not horrible." He said, surprised. The taste reminded him of an egg and sausage breakfast casserole but with the texture of soup and eyeballs.
"See? Told ya."
"Is there any more of that?"
"There should be more in the fridge."
Hunter grabbed a plate for himself with a smaller portion to not overwhelm his stomach. He sat down to eat while trying to ignore the eyeballs in it.
Seconds later, Eda came into the kitchen, tired and wearing sleep clothes with beat-up bunny slippers. Luz came in behind her, wearing a black robe and a pointy hat like a Halloween witch.
"Remember me? Luz?" She questioned, grunting when a coffee cup hit her in the back of the head. Eda just walked over to the fridge to get something to drink. "We freed the oppressed and defeated the evil warden together? Yesterday?"
"Kid, lay off the details," Eda turned back to her, holding up her cup. "I haven't even had my cup of apple blood yet."
"You mean apple juice?"
"No."
"Not a morning person, is she?" Hunter asked as Eda sat on the kitchen table and drank from her mug.
"Not even close." King agreed.
"Teach me some spells. When do I get a magic staff? Was I supposed to bring my own runes?" Luz pestered before gasping as she grabbed Eda's arm. "Do you have a dangerous magical quest for me?"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down, kid," Eda eased the human off of her. "Being a witch doesn't happen overnight. Also, you're wrapped in a bathrobe and wearing the dirtiest traffic cone I've ever seen."
Luz took her hat off and blew on it, revealing that it was, in fact, a traffic cone with a severe layer of dust on it. King and Hunter laughed at her, the latter getting an annoyed look from Luz.
"Shut it, Hunter." She mumbled in embarrassment.
"But a magic staff, huh?" Eda asked, some apple blood on her lip. "You really want one?"
"More than anything," Luz's eyes shined with excitement.
Hunter smiled slightly from his spot, thinking it would be cool to have a magic staff of his own.
Eda wiped the stain from her lip before holding out her hand. "Magic staff, come to me!"
For a second, nothing happened. Then, several things crashed in the distance. King, Luz, Hunter, and Eda slowly turned to the sound until Eda's staff appeared and smacked her in the face.
"Ah! Yeesh!" Eda grunted as her staff clattered to the floor. She picked it up and spun it around before tapping it on the ground. "It's early. Now, witches are awarded their staffs from school. With me as your teacher, you'll be taking a different approach."
She dropped a bag of potions onto the floor. "You'll have to work for it."
After Luz changed out of the bathrobe, she picked up the bag before the siblings followed Eda into the living room.
"I run a few businesses. On weekends, I offer rare human treasures that Owlbert drags over from your side of the realm." Eda explained, patting Owlbert on top of the staff.
She grabbed a toy sword from the mantel and hit the button near the pommel. "I shall smite my enemies! Ages six to eleven."
Eda tossed the sword over their heads, making the siblings duck slightly. "But most days, I sell only the finest homemade elixirs and potions."
Luz pulled a bottle from the bag and read the label. "Snake oil."
"No one wants an un-oiled snake."
"I don't know if that has a different meaning here, but in the Human Realm, snake oil means a scam product," Hunter mentioned.
"Huh, maybe that's why it's not selling," Eda pondered before getting back on track. "Anyway, follow me."
She led the Noceda siblings onto the house's balcony.
"Today, you'll deliver packages and sell potions to that town over there, Bonesborough," The Owl Lady explained, pointing her staff to a town in the distance. "You'll have to be careful. I have rivals everywhere who'd love to take my business down and you along with it. You wanted a dangerous magical quest? Sister, you've got one."
"We won't let you down, Miss Eda!" Luz turned to salute her… and lost her grip on the sack of potions.
Reacting quickly, Hunter saved the bag at the last minute. "Yeah… We've got this."
"I'm sure," Eda replied sarcastically, earning broad smiles from the siblings. Cutting back to the living room, the older witch pushed the siblings out the door. "Remember, never befriend a man in sandals, and always measure twice, cut once."
"Uh…" They both said in confusion.
"Good luck!" Eda slammed the door in their faces using her magic. Luz and Hunter stood there for a minute, turning to each other before they heard slightly muffled talking inside. "I hate to interrupt your power nap, but you have to go with them."
"What? But I just found the perfect spot! Why do I have to go?"
"You and I know they're either going to get lost or eaten, probably both."
"No, we won't." Luz squished her face to the window.
Inside, Eda closed the blinds with a spell. "And because you work for me, too, unless you want to start paying rent."
They heard King throw a short tantrum before stomping out the door to join them.
"Be back by nightfall or risk mortal peril," Eda added before slamming the door again.
"Have a nice trip," Hooty said.
"I'm already regretting this," Hunter said.
"Huh! Let's get this over with," King groaned as they walked off together.
(Bonesborough)
After walking for a bit, the trio made it into town. Luz followed the directions and brought them to a stop under an archway.
"Woah!" The siblings breathed.
The walls on either side of the archway were covered in wanted posters. Various demons passed by, going about their business as Luz and Hunter walked by, staring at them all in amazement. A strange butterfly creature fluttered past them, causing Luz to gasp as they stared after it.
"Hey, it's rude to stare," King said, getting Luz's attention as they stopped.
"I've only seen places like this in my dreams. It's incredible. Right, Hunter?" She glanced at her brother.
"Uh-huh," Hunter said distractedly, enamored at the strange creatures and buildings around them.
"And I'm the only human here?" Luz looked back at King.
"Haven't seen any others." King shrugged.
"Wow! There must be a reason for that, right? Why am I here? What if I, Luz Noceda, average teen, actually had…" She gasped. "A predetermined path of greatness! Just. Like. Azura!"
"No offense, Luz, but I don't think this is that kind of fantasy realm," Hunter turned back to them.
"Yeah, did Azura's path to greatness involve her delivering boil cream?" King took a potion labeled "Boil B' Gone" from the sack.
"Today, I'm delivering packages, but tomorrow, I'll be earning the respect of everyone on the Boiling Isles with my magical prowess," Luz said confidently.
"Ha! Good luck. The Boiling Isles is nothing but a cesspool of despair."
"More like a cesspool of delight." Luz put the boil cream back in the sack before hefting it over her shoulder and looking around. "Aha!"
She started toward the market, gasping in awe when she saw a centaur holding a pumpkin (or Gourdbeast Egg, according to the sign) in front of his chest. She walked up to him, nudging the demon playfully.
"What has four hooves and wants to buy a potion? This guy." She pointed at him.
The centaur sighed and lowered the pumpkin to reveal that his face was on his chest. "My eyes are down here."
Luz yelped in shock.
"Nothing in this world makes sense, does it?" Hunter asked.
"Not to your human logic," King replied.
Moving on, the trio went to a house to make a delivery. Standing on the porch, Luz rang the doorbell. She left her hand on the button, and the doorbell came to life, and bit down on it. She screamed in fright as it slowly started to eat her arm. King walked away in annoyance while Hunter grabbed his sister and pulled her out of the doorbell's mouth, both tumbling to the ground once she was free.
"Can't take you anywhere, can I?" Hunter joked as they got up, dusting themselves off.
After a while, the group decided to take a break. Luz, Hunter, and King sat on the curb while the boys ate some Not Dogs from the cart behind him. After King scarfed his down, he sighed before turning to Luz. "I know I've had enough delight for one day."
"I thought being the only human in a magical world would make me special," Luz said, taking her book out of the bag. "But apparently, it just makes everyone want to scream at me or…"
She held up her arm to reveal a small, winged creature biting her elbow, "eat me."
Luz flung the creature away and sighed sadly as Hunter finished his Not Dog. "If it makes you feel better, I'll watch for things trying to eat you."
The human gave her brother a small smile before her face fell. She opened her book to a picture of a wizard giving Azura a quest. "At this point, Azura had already been sent on an enchanted quest. Where's my quest-granting wizard?"
King looked at the picture briefly before saying, "Sorry to break it to you, Luz, but no one here is that well-dressed."
"This has been a rough day," Luz said as she put her book away. The trio stood up as she hefted the potion sack over her shoulder with a grunt. Taking out a piece of paper, they started down the alley next to them.
"Let's just deliver this last package and go home. Maybe this world isn't what I thought it wa–" Luz pushed aside a curtain, cutting herself off with a gasp. Their final destination was a large castle straight out of a fairy tale, with golden banners illuminated by sunlight. "Pretty!"
Luz pressed a doorbell also made of gold, and two towering wooden doors opened by themselves moments later.
"Big houses always belong to big whackjobs," King complained. "Let's kick the package inside and get outta here."
"Yeah, I don't know about this, Luz," Hunter agreed with the little demon before noticing she wasn't next to them.
Ignoring them, Luz had already walked inside. "Hello?"
"Luz!" Hunter ran after her.
"Hey, wait." King ran after them, yelping when the doors slammed shut behind him. "Weh!"
Hunter looked around nervously as they entered a dark room at the end of the hall.
"I–I'm delivering a package from Miss Eda, the Owl Lady," Luz called again before the room suddenly brightened. "Huh?"
Lanterns around the room flared on, revealing the room was a massive library. They illuminated a grand staircase with a painting of a classic wizard above it. Then, the wizard from the painting entered from a door at the top in the same pose he had in the painting.
Luz gasped before smiling in excitement. "Today just got good."
The wizard stood at the top of the stairs, looking down at them with a kind smile.
"Magical wizard!" Luz said, dancing excitedly while getting a weird look from her brother.
"Weird old man in jim-jams." King corrected with crossed arms.
"I was in my oscillarium, reading the stars," The wizard explained as he descended the staircase. "And who might you be, with eyes full of curiosity?"
"Uh, I-I'm–" Luz tried to answer before he suddenly ran up to the three of them.
"Young lady, dareth I say, I sense something unique about you." The wizard remarked, causing Luz to blush slightly and giving Hunter a red flag in his mind. The man stepped back and created two magic circles, summoning three chairs and a table of snacks before sitting down on the white throne. "Please, won't you join me for tea?"
Luz gasped. "Okay."
But before she could move, she was stopped by King grabbing her leg.
"Let's scram!" The little demon climbed up on Luz's shoulder. "Wizards are just old people with glitter in their pockets."
On cue, the wizard took a handful of glitter out of his pocket and dropped it on the floor.
"I don't trust him."
"I'm with King on this one, Luz," Hunter whispered to her. "Plus, didn't Eda have a rule about befriending a man in sandals?"
"But the stars on his robe are sparkling. And look, there's a baby fox in his beard," Luz gushed as the baby fox giggled sweetly. "Plus, I see scones on the table."
"Where?!" King jumped down, panting as he ran to the table.
Luz followed him before Hunter sighed and did the same, whispering to himself, "I don't like this."
His sister dropped the bag of potions in front of the chairs as they sat down, each taking a cup of tea. "We'd love to join you for tea."
As King munched on food beside them, Luz turned and noticed a cart of potions. "Do you sell potions, Sir Wizard?"
"Please, call me Adegast. And, yes, I run a small business."
Hunter paused, glancing at the wizard as he put his cup down. If he makes his own potions, why was he ordering something from a rival competitor?
King finished munching as he held up an empty plate. "You should run a small business of more scones into my mouth. Ha ha! Yes!"
"I'm surprised to see you here. It was my understanding that Eda delivered the packages herself." Adegast commented.
"Well, Hunter and I are kinda, sorta, her apprentices," Luz explained.
"Luz," Hunter looked at her, not wanting this guy to know his name.
"Oh! And how are you finding the experience so far?" Adegast asked.
Luz held a fake grin before sighing. "Can I be honest, Mr. Adegast? When I decided to stay in this magical world, I thought I was meant for something special. But Eda thinks I'm meant for chores, and I'm afraid I came to the wrong place."
Hunter looked at his sister as she stared into her teacup, Adegast approaching them. The blond sighed and started to say, "Luz–"
"Well, I have a quest–" Adegast interrupted.
"A quest?!" Luz jumped out of her chair, dropping her cup as it shattered on the floor.
He chuckled. "You didn't let me finish. I have a question."
"Oh." She deflated.
"Would you like to go on a quest?"
"Yes!"
Adegast reached into his beard and pulled out a scroll. "I might have just the thing."
Hunter narrowed his eyes suspiciously at him as he unrolled the scroll to show the siblings an old map.
"The prophecy speaks of a young human girl who will claim the Celestial Staff and free this world from an ancient evil," The wizard explained as Luz touched the map reverently. "Perhaps thou hath cometh here for a reason."
"Perhaps I hath." The human girl breathed before taking the map.
"Should you believe yourself worthy to attempt this quest…" Adegast continued as he began to walk through his house.
"So worthy," Luz said as she followed him.
"… you need to know the road is dark and perilous."
"Love peril. Big fan of peril."
"And only the Chosen One can pull the staff from its post."
Luz stopped walking, glancing at the map. "Chosen one…"
"Neat story, awesome," King walked past her with the bag of potions to tell the wizard they were leaving. "Anyway, your food is gone, and we are, too."
"Yeah, Luz, we should get going," Hunter added as he rejoined his sister. "Remember? Back by nightfall or risk mortal peril?"
"Yes, we have to go…" Luz agreed, rolling up the map. "And pack for this enchanted quest! I'm in."
"What?!" Hunter gasped.
"Wonderful." Adegast smiled, tapping his fingers together gleefully.
(Later)
"You're telling me that you don't find this guy suspicious at all?" Hunter said as they made their way back to the Owl House.
"Of course not. I mean, he had a baby fox in his beard. Why would he be suspicious?" She asked, still excited about the idea of a quest.
"Luz, I don't know much about Demon Realm businesses, but don't you think it's weird that he's buying something from a competing business? I'm just saying it sounds too good to be true." Her brother insisted.
"Oh, Hunter, you worry too much. Besides, what's the worst that could happen?"
Hunter and King glanced at each other before saying, "Mortal peril."
Once they returned, they all went to Luz's room, where she started packing for her "quest." She was sitting on the floor, sheathing the toy sword from earlier. Around her were various potions, food, the quest scroll, and, of course, her Azura book.
"So, King, Hunter," Luz turned to the boys, the demon kneading her rolled-up sleeping bag while Hunter read his Gem Riders book beside the trunk. "What kind of Chosen One should I be?"
King yawned as he lay down, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. "Huh? What?"
"I still think this is a bad idea," Hunter said as Luz picked up her book.
"Should I be full of optimism and goodness, like the Good Witch Azura? Or should I be like a bad girl Chosen One with black nail polish and a mysteriously withdrawn attitude?" She explained, mimicking the look before using the book as a mouth. "'I act like I don't care, but I secretly do.'"
"Please don't pull an Adriane on me, Luz," Hunter remarked, referring to one of the Gem Riders, who was more of a loner than the other two.
"Oh, you guys talking about bad girls?" Eda suddenly poked her head in, waving a severed hand before entering the room. "Wait, what's going on?"
"Seriously, what is it with you and severed limbs?" Hunter remarked, creeped out.
"Eda, tell Luz how dumb wizards are," King said, getting up.
"Ugh! Wizards are the worst. Never trust a man in casual drapery," Eda gestured around with the severed hand, almost hitting King several times before lacing her fingers with the severed arm's fingers. "Why?"
"Your wizard client told Luz…" He tried to explain as he started laughing. "She was a– was a Chosen One!"
"Wait, wait, Luz?" Eda snickered before laughing so hard she fell onto the floor.
"He even gave her a map!"
Eda and King kept laughing as Luz hid behind her book with an embarrassed blush on her face. Hunter scowled at the twosome before angrily closing his book, startling everyone with the sound.
"Knock it off!" He barked at the witch and demon.
"Yeeesh, kid, calm down," Eda held up her hands before getting up. "Let me see this map."
Luz handed her the map, giving Hunter a sad smile as a thanks. Eda inspected the map for a few seconds. "You didn't think this was real, did you?"
"What?" Luz asked, standing up.
"This map is bunk. There's no lake with a Celestial Staff on the Boiling Isles. I would have stolen it ages ago." She noticed Luz look at the floor sadly before handing her the map back. "Ah, don't worry. Couple more months here and you won't look like such a mark."
Eda tried patting her head reassuringly, but Luz nudged her hand away. "Can I have some time alone?"
Eda shrugged and left the room. King hopped off Luz's sleeping bag and followed her, leaving Hunter in the room with his sister.
"Luz?" He turned to his sister.
"You too, Hunter…"
"What?"
"Just… please?" Luz begged softly, not even looking at her brother.
Hunter hesitated before nodding slightly, walking out as well. He glanced one last time at his sister before going downstairs, where he found King and Eda talking.
"Crony, wake up. You said that wizard was one of my clients?"
"Yes. Now go away." King replied, curled up on the couch.
"I don't know him that well," Eda sat on the couch with enough force to send King flying into the air. "And I don't trust this itch he's scratching in the human."
Hunter flopped down on the loveseat next to them. "Yeah, I don't trust the guy either. Though, I wasn't laughing at my sister about it…"
"Less talky, more nappy," King spoke up, not caring.
Eda looked at the stairs before sighing as she got back up. "I'll be right back."
"There better be an apology involved." Hunter half-ordered as he started reading his book again.
After a minute, something shook the whole house, scaring the daylights out of Hunter and King.
"What the–?!" Seconds later, Eda came running down the stairs. "What happened up there?!"
"Luz snuck off to do the quest."
"She what?!" Hunter jumped to his feet, ready to run out the door.
"King, I need you to take me to where you met that wizard! Now!"
"Alright, alright!" King groaned though he could sense the urgency.
(Cut to the city)
Retracing their steps, King and Hunter led Eda back to Adegast's castle. King sniffed the area before pointing ahead. "This is where we met the scones. I mean, the wizard."
At the end of the alley, Eda pushed aside a patched curtain.
"Uh oh." Hunter gasped, eyes widening.
"Whoa!" King said in surprise. The castle was now in complete ruin with crumbling walls, no spire, and faded banners. One of the front doors was lying on the ground, and as they looked at it, a chunk of wall fell from a pillar. "It wasn't like this before."
"I don't like this," Eda said.
Going inside, the door to the library creaked open. Tattered scrolls littered the floor, shelves were broken, paintings were ripped, and chunks of debris were blocking the stairs. As the trio investigated, Eda looked down when her foot hit something and found a bundle of scrolls. She picked them all up, each illuminated with the glowing message: "The chosen one."
"I really don't like this." Eda narrowed her eyes.
"What did you find?" Hunter came back over.
"More copies of the map." The Owl Lady showed him, making the older Noceda worry more for his sister.
"We need to catch up to her now!"
"Hooty said she was heading towards the forest near Bonesborough. Let's fly out there and see if King can pick up her scent again."
"Let's hurry!" Hunter ran out first, with the other two behind him.
(Cut to the woods)
A quick staff flight later, and they were beyond the city limits. King started tracking the human girl again as they walked through the woods. Following the map, they found something that raised more alarm bells.
"Oh no." Eda gritted her teeth.
They were standing in front of a destroyed village, unaware it was a thriving city of cat people when Luz passed through earlier. Dark clouds hung in the sky, and fog clouds lingered in front of the houses.
"This is not a good sign," Hunter remarked.
"Are you sure she came here?" Eda asked King as he sniffed some more.
"Can't mistake her smell. Like lemons and young, naïve confidence."
"Hmm," The Owl Lady rubbed her chin in thought. She walked up to a broken fountain covered in dying vines. There was a cat thing lying in the lower basin wrapped in vines. Eda kneeled in front of the fountain for a better look.
"Hey! Wake up, you," She flicked the cat's head before shaking it. "What have you done with Luz? What's your endgame?"
The cat turned out to be a puppet, but then it suddenly came to life, turning its head to look at her.
"To find your pupil and still your wrath, look ahead and follow the path." It cackled evilly as it disintegrated in her hands.
King and Hunter gasped sharply, a bit creeped out.
"The cat man melted!" The little demon cried.
Eda sighed as she stood up, dusting herself off. "It's a trap. They want me to follow Luz."
"So, what do we do?" King asked.
"We fall in line," She pulled out her staff and hopped on. "Everybody on!"
Once they were on board, they took off, racing through the sky.
"Whoa!" Hunter gasped, King clinging to his jacket.
"I know this guy," Eda said. "He's no wizard. He's what you'd call a puppeteer, a demon who specializes in scamming and manipulating people. He's trying to use Luz to get to me."
"Yeah, and we're flying directly into his trap," King pointed out sarcastically. "Hurray."
"Well, if you can think of a better plan, I'd love to hear it," She glanced over her shoulder in annoyance.
"Eda," Hunter said, worry in his voice. "Luz is gonna be okay, right?"
"I hope so, kid," Eda responded before slapping her staff. "Hey, faster you."
Owlbert hooted before picking up speed.
Soon, they made it to the lake. Below them, they saw Luz tied up in magical restraints, surrounded by puppets controlled by an octopus-looking demon.
"Adegast!" Eda called, catching their attention.
"Luz!" Hunter yelled.
"Oh, heck," Luz said in disbelief as the rescue party landed at the end of the walkway.
"Eda, I have you now!" Adegast declared.
Three cat puppets erupted from the ground, each grabbing Eda, King, and Hunter and holding them above the ground.
"That's right. You have me. Now, release Luz." Eda demanded.
"Let go of my sister, you freak!" Hunter added.
"I didn't have to be a part of this!" King yelled in protest.
"Oh, she can leave. If she wants to," Adegast said as he turned back to the human. "But I sense she wants a real fantasy."
One of his puppets breathed a cloud of fog at Luz, obscuring their view of her as some puppets swarmed around her.
"It is beautiful here," Luz said softly.
"Luz!" Eda called out, but it went unheard.
"Manita!" Hunter hollered as well.
"And you guys think I'm special."
"No!" Eda grunted as the tentacles started to envelop them.
"But it's not real," Luz said a little louder. Grunting, she waved the fog away and pushed past the puppets. The human ran to her sword, scooping it up as she prepared for battle. "I am a Witch's Apprentice. And I'm gonna earn my magic staff the hard way. I believed you, Magic Man. Now feel my wrath!"
She charged forward and stabbed the wizard puppet through the stomach, making it disappear with a puff of smoke. Adegast screamed in pain, losing his grip on the others enough for them to free themselves, landing next to Luz. The princess puppet came flying towards Luz. The human swung her sword at it like a bat, making her poof away.
Three cat puppets approached Eda. She drew a spell circle, sending a plume of orange flames at them. They disintegrated with distorted screams as Adegast screamed in pain again.
The scraggly-looking cat puppet came at Hunter, who raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. He sidestepped the puppet as he unsheathed a crooked dagger that Eda gave him before they left the house. With a swift thrust, Hunter stabbed the puppet and watched with cold eyes as it vanished, too.
Nevareth tried to blindside Luz, but his yell alerted her. She caught his sword with her own and dueled him.
"I thought we had a connection, Nevareth!" Luz remarked before plunging her sword through his chest.
"Ah, my flawless pecs!" Nevareth grunted before poofing away.
Eda landed next to Luz as Hunter joined them, all sharing a smile.
"Back off!" Adegast got their attention as he held up King. "Or the dog gets it."
"I am not a–" King protested before Adegast moved his tentacle over his mouth to shut him up.
"King, I'm sorry," Luz apologized as they all dropped their weapons and raised their hands in surrender. "I should have listened to you and Hunter and never trusted that wizard. You were right. He isn't mystical or magical. He's just a big, slimy jerk."
She kicked her sword, sending it flying point first into Adegast's head. The demon screamed in pain as he dropped King, who was caught by Luz. The scream changed pitch as Adegast shrunk to less than an eighth of his previous size.
"¡No te metas con los Nocedas!" Hunter cheered, sharing a high-five with Luz before they and Eda approached him.
"Well," Eda picked the demon up, unimpressed. "That's the last time I take an outside referral."
She then ate him whole, causing Hunter to cringe in disgust. "Mmm. Oh, did you want some of that?"
"No. I'm just confused." Luz said sadly.
"Thinking of calling it quits, huh?" Eda raised a knowing brow.
"This place is nothing like I imagined."
"Hmm. Maybe not here," the Owl Lady said, looking around before walking past them. "But come with me. I got something to show you."
(A short time later)
The Owl House gang was flying through the sky, Luz holding onto Eda's waist while wearing a blindfold. Hunter was also blindfolded and sitting behind his sister while King perched on the other side of the blond.
"Okay, you can look," Eda said when they came to a stop.
When the siblings took their blindfolds off, they were taken aback by the sight in front of them. "Whoa!"
From where they hovered, they could see the whole of the Boiling Isles: the decomposing body of a Titan. It was lying with its arms splayed in the sea, its skull illuminated by the setting sun.
"The bones of the Isles. Up close, the Isles can be slimy–"
"And very stinky," King added in.
"And gross. But if you look at it from a different perspective…" Eda continued as they all looked up.
Stars were beginning to appear in the sky above the Titan's skull. As they watched, a shooting star crossed the sky, there for only a moment.
"Es hermoso," Hunter said in awe.
"It's beautiful," Luz smiled softly.
"Yeah," King yawned, leaning against the teen witch before falling asleep.
"Eda, how did you know that wizard was lying?" Luz couldn't help but ask.
"Look, kid, everyone wants to believe they're "chosen." But if we all waited around for a prophecy to make us special, we'd die waiting," She chuckled. "And that's why you need to choose yourself."
"Didn't take you for the philosophical type, Eda," Hunter said with a slight smirk.
"Quiet you," Eda ruffled his hair playfully.
"Does that mean you'll give us magic staffs of our own?" Luz asked hopefully.
"Not yet. But… someday."
Luz leaned against Eda while Hunter pulled King closer as they watched the sun continue to set.
And with that, the chapter is done. I'll work on "Charmed" and maybe another story for the rest of the year before I reset my story lists.
Merry Christmas, everyone, and Happy New Year!