The kids were quite shocked. Even if they had been in contact (even too much in some cases) with magical things very often recently, this didn't prevent them from considering a large man made of gelatinous liquid emerging from an oil lamp as something absolutely bizarre and inexplicable. The first to recover was Luz, who, albeit with wide eyes and a wide open mouth, asked: "Darius, is that you?"

The purple jelly man looked somewhat embarrassed, but he continued to act very regal: "I fear you are mistaken, young wooden lady. I am the mighty djinn, and I can express any..."

"Darius, I recognize you by your voice" Luz interrupted him. She would have recognized that voice among a thousand, since she had it imprinted in her mind against her will after hearing him talk about 'certain things'.

The djinn seemed to bite his tongue, then he gave up: the gelatinous body trembled and shrank, and finally the same man who had been outside the Owl House the day before appeared before them, although his beard and hair remained composed of that strange purple liquid. "Okay, it's me. Are you happy, puppet? By the way, what are you doing in Raine's tent since they are not here? Don't tell me you came here secretly and started touching my friend's things without permission. I could tip off your fairy, you know?"

Luz blushed and dug her head into her shoulders a little, knowing that what she had done was a bad thing. But despite this she didn't give up: "Don't try to change the subject! What does this mean? Are you a magical creature?"

Darius let out a snort. "Exactly: I am a djinn, and that lamp that your friend just touched waking me up is my house" he replied. "So, now you..."

He didn't have time to finish the sentence: the kids had completely recovered from the shock and now they all had excited looks on their faces. "So you're a genie!?" Amity exclaimed with a wide smile. "And can you make wishes?"

"I prefer the term djinn" Darius corrected her. "And yes, I can make wishes of anyone who has the lamp..."

"That's great! What can we ask him?" Boscha's eyes were already shining, and she then took the lamp from Amity's hands. "I want a new dress, and new shoes, and I want to have a gold clip, and..."

"And I want a new harp!" Skara exclaimed, snatching the lamp from her friend. "And I want it made of gold and silver! And not common gold, the most refined there is! And I want a lute, also made of gold and with strings made of unicorn hair! Indeed, I want a unicorn! And..."

"Hey, hey, hey, calm down! I can only grant one wish for each person!" Darius was quick to specify.

The two girls looked a little disappointed. "Oh… just one?" Boscha murmured, but then she looked at him determined: "Well... then I wish to have infinite wishes!"

"Oh, who do you take me for!?" Darius snapped irritably. "You're not the first person to try this trick! It can't be done"

"Then I wish it can be done" Boscha said with a grin.

"Ah! I knew you would say that, but this time I came prepared. You can't even do that" Darius said with a smirk, and he looked like he was going to say something else, but then he seemed confused; at that point he raised his right hand and took off his glove, and he looked at his palm and began to speak as if he were reading: "Because I cannot fulfill wishes that go beyond my strength, and changing the very laws of the magic lamp is one of those, therefore I can't do it even if I wanted to!"

"Seriously? Did you write the explanation down on your hand?" Amity asked raising an eyebrow. That djinn wasn't exactly as she had imagined.

"Absolutely not! I just... checked" Darius replied sheepishly, and then he turned back to Boscha: "Anyway, you can't ask for any more wishes!"

In response Boscha told him: "Ok, then create for me another fifty djinns, all at my service and all ready to fulfill my wishes. No, even better, just give me your powers..."

"Enough! Stop it!" Darius exclaimed with a bit of haste in his voice, as if he was afraid that the magenta-haired girl would actually find a loophole. "There is no chance of having any more wishes! You only have one!"

Boscha thought about it, then she turned to her friends: "Well, it's not an unsolvable problem: if we divide the wishes among us and choose the ones that would benefit everyone, we could have more of them! Let's see, if we count, Hunter, the twins, the two fairies, maybe even our parents... they are many people. All we need to do is choose wishes in a way that everyone benefits from! For example... I could wish for a box that provides me with infinite clothes, and so I could give them to all of you too!"

"You're right! That's a great idea!" Skara said. "We just have to be very careful about which ones we should express…"

Darius looked rather intimidated. "Wow… I didn't expect humans to be so good at circumventing the rules when they were young" he murmured. "Not to mind your business, but if I were you I would examine my conscience..."

"Can you really make any wish?"

Darius turned and saw Luz looking at him with hopeful eyes. But they weren't the classic hopeful eyes of a kid hoping to get a certain gift or a certain type of dessert... they were something deeper. The djinn felt that the puppet's request wouldn't have been as superficial as that of her friends, and he also felt that it was better to make certain rules clear: "I can make any wish you want, provided, as I said before, that it doesn't exceed my powers"

The puppet clenched her fists and she almost seemed afraid to speak. Seeing that scene, het friends took on worried expressions. "Luz, is everything okay?" Amity murmured.

Luz bit her lip, then she looked at Darius almost pleadingly: "Can... can you bring the dead back to life, or go back in time? If I ask you... you can give me back my mother, my sister, and my old friends? Can you... give me back my family?"

Amity's heart sank when she heard those words. Of course, it was obvious: how had she not thought about it the moment she realized that the one in front of her was a djinn capable of granting wishes? It was clear that Luz would immediately want to have her mother back and everyone she had lost because of Belos. Amity looked at Gus and Willow, who were wearing sad expressions; and even Skara and Boscha were a little darkened. Everyone stared at Darius, hoping he would answer in the affirmative; however, the djinn was taking too long to respond, which foreshadowed what that response would be. Sure enough, Darius finally lowered his head in displeasure and said: "I'm sorry. Not even the greatest power in the universe can violate the natural laws of this world. No one can bring back what has passed, or alter what has already happened. As much as I would like to grant your wish, it is not in my power to do so"

Luz had expected that response, but it still didn't stop her from feeling like she was sinking a hundred meters underground and a rock was placed on top of her. "Yeah... Eda told me the same thing" she murmured with a sad smile, and for a moment she seemed on the verge of tears. "I wonder why I tried to delude myself into the possibility of a miracle..."

Amity approached her and wrapped her arms around her neck, and Luz seemed to shiver at the touch, but after a few moments she relaxed. Amity could clearly hear the puppet's ragged breathing attesting to her anxiety. "Luz… I'm sorry. Don't blame yourself for hoping for a miracle; I had hoped for it for a moment too. I really wish there was a way to give you back what you lost. I'm just a girl, not a goddess... but if there's anything I can do to help you, tell me. I'm here for you, and I always will be"

Luz trembled slightly, but her smile changed from sad to a happier one. Almost instinctively she raised her hands and wrapped them tightly around the lavender haired girl's arms. "Thank you, Amity" she whispered. "You... you're an angel"

Even though Amity's cheeks would normally turn tomato-colored upon hearing the puppet say such things, in that moment all she felt was strong relief at seeing Luz smile again. She held her tightly to her just as the puppet had done when it was her turn to comfort her, even though she knew that her hug could never be as warm and comforting as Luz's, but in any case the puppet seemed to like it because she let herself be cradled from her arms. After a while she seemed calmer, and then she turned to Darius again: "If you can't give me back my family... then could you turn me into a real...?"

"Hey, is anyone there?"

The kids fell silent when they heard a voice coming from outside; after a few moments the door of the tent opened and Raine appeared, who fortunately seemed more surprised than irritated. Luz, knowing that being the pupil of the fairy that the bard loved gave her some 'special privileges,' at least from her point of view, was quick to point out: "Hi, Raine! Sorry to come in without permission, but my friends really wanted to meet you and unfortunately there was too big a crowd surrounding you! I hope you don't mind"

And as she had predicted, as soon as they noticed her Raine took on a jovial expression. Luz didn't know if it was because they knew her or if it was because they hoped that if they stay in good terms with her they would have a better chance with Eda, but ultimately what mattered was the outcome: "Oh, hi, Luz! It's It's a pleasure to see you again! Don't worry, you're always welcome!"

"What an opportunist..." Darius muttered to himself, even if he did it without any malice, and then he added: "Raine, they found out everything. They know that I am a djinn"

"Uh, really? I didn't expect you to tell them so quickly" Raine commented a little surprised.

"I didn't tell them. Simply these kids here don't have the slightest respect for other people's property" Darius growled. "They summoned me while I was sleeping!"

But contrary to his expectations, Raine started laughing. "Seriously? And tell me, how did it happen? Did you really hit that lamp, or did you just tickle it, or... um, I mean, what you kids did was very, very, very badly" they hastened to say noticing the glare the djinn was giving them.

Raine's tone was so false that none of the kids felt scolded in the slightest, but they still chose to play along and apologized, also because technically it would have been the right thing to do. Raine obviously immediately accepted their apologies and invited them to stay, despite Darius commenting that they shouldn't have been so lenient just because they wanted to 'have fun' with Luz's fairy (and at those words the puppet was tempted to set her own ears on fire). In the end everyone was welcomed quite warmly by the musician, and also by their companions, who as soon as they took off their masks revealed themselves to be a short girl with mauve skin, light gray hair, freckles and round silver eyes as well as two ears so big they almost look like a bat, a woman with pointed ears, dark skin and black hair pulled back in a ponytail with some tufts sticking out at the front and quite distinct canines, and finally a teenage boy with dark skin, his brown eyes and dark brown hair parted on the right side of the head. "Guys, in order, Amber, Katya and Derwin!" Raine introduced them.

The kids were happy to meet them and introduced themselves too. "Are you magical creatures too?" Luz asked.

"Only me, and just for half. I'm half vampire," Katya announced, then shr patted Amber: "Though we seriously suspect there's a goblin somewhere in Amber's family tree"

"Sgrunt! No one suspects, you just like to torment me!" Amber grumbled annoyed.

"A vampire?" Although the woman was friendly, Amity felt a little uncomfortable. "So you drink human blood?"

"No, I only drink the animal one. From the vampire point of view, it's like I'm a vegetarian" Katya replied, and then she added with a bit of shame: "Although... sometimes, when I'm really hungry, it happens to me to lose a little control... but don't worry, I don't risk transforming anyone. Only pure vampires can transmit vampirism"

The kids breathed a sigh of relief. Even though they had now understood that many misconceptions about magical creatures were not completely accurate despite having a grain of truth, they still didn't feel comfortable in the presence of a being who could potentially try to bleed them dry or even turn them into vampires themselves. Knowing that Katya didn't drink human blood was reassuring. "Why didn't you tell Eda about Darius?" Luz asked Raine. "She's a fairy, I doubt she would mind the fact that he's a djinn. Wait... is there some kind of enmity like with witches or...?"

"No, nothing like that. Darius simply doesn't like to reveal his nature too much, especially to strangers, so I decided to let him tell you about it if he ever felt ready" Raine replied.

Luz agreed that that answer seemed sincere, and it also made quite a bit of sense. After all, Raine had simply respected their friend's privacy; revealing his nature as a djinn was something that should have been up to Darius alone, certainly not to one of his friends. "Let me guess: your wish was to ask him to find Eda"

Raine nodded. "Yes, that's right. It was my wish" they replied. "You see, Luz, there were no lies in my story, I simply omitted some details. I really met Darius in a temple in the desert... because there I found his lamp. Darius had settled there because he wanted to stay away from people. You see, a djinn can move freely as long as the lamp is in his hands, but when it ends up in someone else's, the djinn has to obey and follow them as if they were their lord and, if that person expresses it, to fulfill their wish; therefore Darius couldn't live peacefully among others without someone trying to steal his lamp or take possession of it while he slept, and had therefore taken refuge in the temple to escape the greed of men. When I met him he asked me what wish I wanted to express, but I simply gave him the lamp back telling him that I didn't want to make him do something he didn't want. That small gesture was enough for Darius to decide to trust me and entrusted me with the task of protecting the lamp when he slept or took refuge within it; after all, he felt homesick for the outside world and wanted to live there again. And so together we left the temple and became friends. You know the rest of the story. And then, recently, Darius handed me his lamp and asked me to finally make my wish, because he realized something was making me sad and wanted to help me get over it. I asked him to find Eda, and so here we are"

Luz looked intently at the magic lamp. "So... if Darius has to grant the wishes of whoever has the lamp, if we express one now..."

"... but we don't do it, so you have no reason to ask such questions" Amity suddenly intervened, taking the lamp and handing it to the djinn. "Luz, as much as I would love to be able to make a wish, I don't think it's something we can do lightly. And I also don't think doing it because we came in here without permission and took this lamp without its owner's consent is a good action"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that qualifies as trespassing and theft" Willow supported her. "So now we will do the right thing and return the lamp to the owner. If Darius wants to let us make a wish, he will give us the lamp, just like he did with Raine"

Luz bit her lip, desperately wanting to contradict her friends and take back the lamp, but then she looked down sadly. "Yes... yes, you're right. We have to do the right thing"

"Well done! You are very judicious" Raine complimented them, then they patted Luz: "Eda is doing a really good job with you"

Despite the disappointment she was feeling, Luz cracked a smile at those words. Darius took the lamp back, and he too seemed quite satisfied. "There aren't many kids who would have resisted such temptation" he said. "You should be proud of yourselves, all of you... although I still think some of you are a little too criminally minded for my tastes"

"Of course, of course" Boscha muttered, noticing that the djinn was looking at her pointedly, then she gave Skara a little push: "Anyway, now that we've resolved the lamp issue, let's get back to the reason we're here! Come on, girl, go and say something to your new idol!"

Skara was literally catapulted in front of Raine, and the moment she found them in front of her she began to sweat so profusely that her skin almost dried out from dehydration: "Er... hello, sir... I mean, Mr. Whispers! I wanted to... I just wanted to tell you that you are the best musician I have ever seen... and that your music is worthy of that of spirits and angels and gods and... and that I would really like it if you could... give me some suggestions... you know, I like music too... that is, what I mean is that I like playing... and you are..."

"Okay, okay, I understand" Raine intervened seeing her in such difficulty. "How about we try to play something together? Whatever you want"

Skara let out a scream so loud that for a moment Raine feared she would faint in front of them, but that assumption was dispelled when the girl started bouncing on the spot while shaking violently and a toothy grin was plastered on her face. "Yes, yes, yes! Very willingly!" she exclaimed in a voice so shrill that it seemed that her vocal cords had been tied, and her friends had to bite their tongues to keep from bursting into laughter.

And so Skara and Raine began to play together, to the joy of the girl who, every time they finished a song, begged them to perform another immediately. Fortunately, if there was one quality that Raine didn't lack, it was patience, and they continued to please her until the sun began to set, and probably they would have continued afterward if it hadn't been for the fact that Boscha, growing impatient, had gone to drag Skara away against her will. At that point the kids said goodbye to the musicians and left on their own, returning home. But Luz's mind, despite that, continued to be focused on a certain oil lamp.

Don't do it. You can resist this. You are a grown man. Don't do it. Don't do it...

"Well, Belos had Hunter for his thieves
Odalia has a family of slaves
But, mistress, you in luck 'cause, up your sleeves
You got a brand of magic never fails
You got some power in your corner now
Not even Alador's ammunition is out your camp
You got some punch, pizzazz, yahoo, and how?
See, all you gotta do is rub that lamp, and I'll say:
"Miss Noceda, dear, what will your pleasure be?"
Let me take your order, jot it down
You ain't never had a friend like me, ha-ha-ha!
Life is your restaurant and I'm your maitre d'
Come on, whisper what it is you want
You ain't never had a friend like me

Yes miss, we pride ourselves on service
You're the boss, the queen, the big guy!
Say what you wish, it's yours, true dish
How 'bout a little more fairy pie?
Have some of column A, try all of column B
I'm in the mood to help you, kid
You ain't never had a friend like me
Wah-ah-ah! Oh, my
Wah-ah-ah! No, no
Wah-ah-ah! My, my

Can your friend Willow do this?
Can your friend Gus do that?
Can your fairy Eda pull this
Out her little hat?
Can your lovely Amity go poof?
Hey, looky here, an awesome girlfriend, ha-ha!
But if I say: "Abracadabra, let them kiss!"
Then can the blush disappear?

So, don't 'cha sit there slack-jawed, buggy-eyed
I'm here to answer all your midday prayers
You got me bona fide, certified
You got a djinn for your charge d'affaires
I got a powerful urge to help you out
So what's your wish? I really wanna know
You got a list that's three miles long, no doubt
Well, all you gotta do is rub like so, hey-oh

Luz, my dear, have a wish or two or three
I'm on the job, you big nabob
You ain't never had a friend, never had a friend
You ain't never had a friend, never had a friend
You ain't never had a friend like me
Ya-ha-ha!
Wah-ha-ha!
You ain't never had a friend like me, ha!"

"Ehm... Raine, what is Darius doing?"

"I don't know, Luz. Sometimes he starts singing without reason... he said he has a contract with a certain Disney production..."

Ok, I cannot resist to do this, it was stronger than me. My childhood forced it on me. Oh, and all of you who read the song and sang it, leave a comment. And you who won't leave it... I know you're lying, and you should be ashamed, you shouldn't tell lies! No one can read this song without singing it, it's proven by scientific researches