The Owl House seemed quieter than usual that evening. Its many guests had wondered why, but it didn't take them long to realize that the reason for that calm was that Luz had become quieter than usual: she was constantly lying on the sofa looking at the ceiling, as if she were thinking intensely to something. Although Gus and Willow and to some extent Matt could imagine what she was thinking, but from the point of view of Eda, Hooty and even King it was rather strange.

Around dinner time there was a knock on the door; Willow immediately jumped up and ran to open it, only to find Hunter standing in front of her. "Hi" the boy greeted her. "Sorry for the intrusion, I just wanted to know how you were..."

Ever since he discovered that Amity's mother was a witch, Hunter had started doing real patrols around Bonesborough; at least once a day he showed up at other people's homes with an excuse to check on them. Apparently, even though he claimed to give Odalia the benefit of the doubt, he still wasn't willing to trust her completely: he didn't try to confront her again and didn't accuse her of anything, but he still started to control his friends every day like a rather pompous watchdog. His friends had mixed opinions about this behavior: some considered it legitimate and some were starting to get annoyed by it. But of course, if there was one person who didn't mind that at all, it was Willow. "We're fine, thanks for coming! Come on, Eda cooked more macaroni than necessary, have dinner with us!"

"Um... actually I should..." Hunter tried to refuse, but he was literally grabbed by Willow and dragged into the house, in fact she almost lifted him over her head like a basket of apples. And so, without even realizing it, he found himself sitting at the table with the others with Eda serving a generous portion of macaroni. It wasn't the first time that Hunter had dinner with them, but it still seemed strange to him: all his life he had never shared a meal with someone, and those dinners that seemed like a classic family picture (however classic could be considered a puppet, a fairy, a cricket, a spider, a crab, a Palisman, a monster hunter and a stretch-necked owl in the same room) were almost unnatural to him. But he couldn't deny that he felt good, even if he wasn't exactly comfortable.

As they ate, Eda realized that Luz, who would normally have devoured everything within a few minutes, was picking very absently from her plate. That further oddity made her raise an eyebrow. "Is everything okay, kiddo?"

Luz stirred as if she had just woken up from a deep sleep, and only then she seemed to realize where she was; she remained silent for a moment, then she said: "Eda... I have to confess something to you"

Eda was rather surprised by that behavior: not so much because Luz wanted to confess to her a probable mischief, but because she could clearly see that what was troubling her heart was not guilt. "Okay. Just tell me"

Luz played with her fork a little, then she said: "Today my friends and I went to Raine's concert... it was very beautiful, by the way... and Skara was so eager to meet them, and so I proposed to my friends to take advantage of the fact that they were yours... friend... and go and wait for them directly in their tent"

Eda didn't have to make much effort to understand what Luz was referring to with the word 'friend'. "Well... I can't say it was a good thing, but it doesn't seem too bad either..."

"Yes... that's not the most important part" Luz said. "While we were there, I found a lamp that I had already seen hanging from Darius' waist when he came here... so I took it and handled it a little even though no one had given me permission..."

Eda continued to suspect that the elephant in the room was something else. What Luz was describing wasn't a great behavior, but it wasn't very serious by any means; certainly not enough to justify all that hesitation. And looking at the faces of Gus and Willow, who were clearly trying to avoid her gaze, it was clear there was more. "Kiddo, get to the point"

Luz took a deep breath. "Darius came out of the lamp. He's a djinn, apparently"

Eda seemed somewhat surprised, but she wasn't the only one: Hunter almost spat out what he was eating. "A djinn!?" he exclaimed.

"Um... yes" Luz murmured, a little upset by that reaction. She suddenly thought that perhaps revealing that information while Hunter, a hunter of magical creatures, was present wasn't such a great idea.

Hunter looked confused for a moment, then he said: "Okay, I need some context. Who is this Raine and more importantly who is this Darius?"

"Raine is Eda's old boyfriend" Willow explained. "They are the leader of the BATTs, the company of musicians who recently arrived in Bonesborough, who are actually rebels who liberate the towns too oppressed by tyranny. They and their friend Darius came here yesterday to meet Eda again. And today we discovered that Darius is actually a djinn who makes a wish on whoever owns the lamp where he lives and that Raine used theirs to find Eda"

Hunter seemed to suddenly become thoughtful. However, he wasn't as threatening as he had been when he discovered that Odalia was a witch, so at least that boded well. "Have you never met a djinn in your travels?" Gus asked him.

Hunter shook his head. "Djinns are rare and are good at hiding. Besides, I've never actively hunted one" he replied. "This Darius is the first I've heard of"

"Yeah, he is right. Finding a djinn means that you must have a lot of luck" Eda confirmed.

"Uh... well.. you're not going to... well, hunt him, are you?" Luz asked Hunter a little hesitantly.

"I'm already tolerating the presence of a witch just as a favor to your friend. I'd say I can tolerate the presence of a djinn" Hunter answered. "Although if that guy makes a wrong move he'll deal with me. Djinns are beings composed of life magic, so that Darius is extremely weak against my staff; I'm not afraid to face him if he turns out to be hostile"

Those words caught Willow's attention. So a djinn was made up of life magic? The same life magic that, according to Eda, was necessary to make her perpetually human? She was suddenly much more interested in the matter.

Seeing that the situation didn't seem to be heating up, Eda spoke up: "Well, I can't say I'm not surprised. Meeting a djinn is rare even for a fairy. Ah, Raine... I can hardly believe they had such a luck. But after all, if there was anyone in the world who could make friends with a djinn, it was them" she said. "You don't have to worry; djinns since they are made of life magic have a neutral nature, and are not completely evil or good, but although this varies depending on their personality they tend to be respectful towards other living creatures. It is rare that they are chaotic, and if Raine is such a friend to Darius I seriously doubt that he will turn hostile. But... that's not what's bothering you, is it, kiddo?"

Luz nodded. "When I discovered that Darius could grant wishes... for a moment I hoped for a miracle and asked him to give me back the people I lost because of Belos". She swallowed lightly. "I knew I was just deluding myself, but... I still hoped. I foolishly chose to hope for something I already knew was impossible"

Eda took on a mortified expression. Yes, she had imagined that something like this had happened. She felt very bad for her. "Kiddo, I'm sorry" she told her. "But don't ever blame yourself for having hope, ever"

Luz didn't seem very convinced, but she shook her head. "It's okay. Rather... there's something I wanted to ask Darius, but unfortunately I didn't have time to ask him". Shw paused, then she asked: "Eda… do you think that if I express this as a wish, a djinn could turn me into a real girl?"

Eda quirked an eyebrow. "Luz, I already told you that you already have the necessary magic within you. It is no other magic that you need to look for"

"But he could do it, couldn't he?" Luz didn't give up. "You said that life magic can create a new body. He could make me human..."

"Human, that's right. Not a real girl" Eda told her.

Luz was speechless. "Is not the same thing?"

"No, Luz, it's not. You can change your appearance as much as you want, but if your spirit remains the same as before, then absolutely nothing will actually change for you" Eda replied. "If you ask Darius to turn you human, he can probably do it, but that won't make you a real girl. You will always be a puppet, simply in a flesh body instead of a wooden one. If you can't understand what it means to be a real girl, then it doesn't matter what material you are made of, you will always be just a puppet. All you will get is the illusion of having achieved your goal, which will only distract you and prevent you from reaching the finish line, and when you'll realize it you will regret this"

Luz looked down. She wasn't sure she understood the meaning of the fairy's words, but the gist was clear to her: Darius couldn't really make her a real girl. However, the mere prospect of becoming human was very appealing to her. "But... if it at least turned me into a human, I wouldn't need your magic anymore. You wouldn't risk becoming the Owl Beast anymore. And I would have all the time in the world at my disposal to understand what it means to be real..."

Eda closed her eyes and sighed, and suddenly she looked very tired. "Luz, I already told you not to worry about the Owl Beast. And even though what I'm about to tell you is going to sound bad... from my perspective, you still understand too little about what it means to be real for becoming human to be of any use to you. In fact, in my opinion, it could even be harmful to you". She looked her straight in the eyes: "Luz, promise me you won't try to ask Darius to make you human"

Luz knew she hadn't made much progress in becoming a real girl, but hearing Eda say it to her face like that hurt her anyway; she knew that the fairy hadn't done it with any malice, but knowing that she was still so far from the finish line discouraged her quite a bit. "Fine, Eda... I promise" she replied, although with a lot of insecurity in his voice.

Despite her unconvincing tone the fairy seemed satisfied, so they finished dinner and then started cleaning up the kitchen. However, all the time Luz continued to seem rather absent... and Hunter and to some extent Willow had become so too. Until at one point Luz took Hunter aside, took him to a secluded place and then she whispered to him: "Listen, tonight can you pick me up and take me to the BATTs camp, and help me get that lamp?"

"Who knows why, I was sure you would ask me sooner or later" Hunter muttered, but he didn't seem very disappointed. "Didn't you just promise your fairy that you wouldn't?"

Luz bit her lip. "I know... and I hate myself because I'm not keeping that promise, but this time I have to do it. Becoming human is the only way to prevent Eda from becoming the Owl Beast again! I know that sooner or later I'll make some serious mess, just like the last time... she tells me not to worry about it, but I can't! I can't let her transform again!"

Hunter couldn't remember ever seeing Luz so conflicted in his life. It was clear that she wanted to slap herself for not keeping the promise she made to Eda, but at the same time she was sure that it was necessary. "What is this Owl Beast?" he asked, since that question had been bothering him ever since he heard that name during dinner.

Luz realized that Hunter didn't know that detail. "It's something that Eda risks turning into if I behave badly" she confessed. "I'll explain it to you another time, now just tell me if you're willing to help me. I bet you also have a wish you want to express, don't you? With your staff and your skills we'll do it in an instant: we go, we take the lamp, we express our wishes, and then we go back here to suffer the wrath that Eda will rightly shower on me"

Hunter narrowed his eyes. In fact he too had a wish to express, and he had been thinking about it ever since he learned of the djinn's presence. That could be his chance to escape his uncle's control. He wasn't foolish enough to think that Darius could kill him, of course: if it had been that simple to eliminate his uncle, the world would have been freed from that horror centuries ago. But maybe Darius could hide him, allow him to escape his gaze. It would have been perfect: Hunter already knew how to disappear and escape potential pursuers, so if the djinn had managed to hide him even from his uncle's tracking magic, he would never have been able to find him. He would be free, finally, after all those years. And also… if Luz became human, she would become useless to his uncle and she would no longer have a target on her back. Her, Willow, Gus, Amity and all the others... none of them would have been in danger anymore. Of course, his uncle wouldn't have taken it well: knowing him, at the very least he would have dragged the whole of Bonesborough under water, or maybe the whole region, but there would have been time to evacuate... and furthermore it would have been enough to give the lamp to a random person and make them want to transport the whole town far inland. His uncle would vent, and then he would return to the deep ocean to pursue his goals, no longer caring about Luz now that she had become useless to him. Maybe he would have tried to take revenge on them in 'that way'... but Hunter would have only needed to warn his friends of the danger to prevent them from falling into the trap.

Sure, his friends would hate him after he would have confessed them the truth, especially Luz, who definitely wouldn't forgive him after finding out that he was the one who called the monster who destroyed her family... but after all, Hunter had always known that their friendship wouldn't have lasted. It would hurt him to lose them, but he could accept it. He would go off on his own, as he always had. He would travel continuously, so that he could stay away from any spies from his uncle; maybe he would have become a mercenary. After all he was a soldier and the only thing he knew how to do was carry out the eternal imperative to kill, consume and conquer that his uncle had imparted to him ever since he was old enough to understand his words; Hunter doubted there would ever be a different life for him. Of course he was sure he would never get married or have kids or anything like that. He would continue to fight throughout his life, but this time he would fight for a cause he believed in. Now that he thought about it, from what he understood the BATTs were undercover rebels who liberated towns from tyrannies, a task that Hunter didn't dislike at all; perhaps that Raine wouldn't have minded having two extra arms that could fight.

However, as hopeful as he was, he wasn't even stupid enough to sell the bear's skin before killing it. It wasn't the first time he thought he'd found something that could hide him from his uncle and it promptly proved ineffective. Even if he had never tried to ask a djinn for help, nothing guaranteed that he could really free him from that monster's control. He had to act with caution and coolness, as he always had. "Okay, I'll help you, but on one condition: I'll be the first to express the wish, and I'll do it far away from you, so that you can't hear me. Don't ask me why, because I won't tell you. Are we in agreement?". That way, if Darius said he had no chance of freeing him from his uncle, he could destroy the lamp before the puppet could ask to become human. If he couldn't hide from his uncle, allowing Luz to no longer be a puppet was tantamount to a death sentence for him. No, it would be good if it had just been a death sentence... his uncle wasn't that charitable, especially when he got angry.

Luz seemed a little confused by that condition, but she nodded anyway: "Okay, it's enough for me to be able to express my wish. So? When will you pick me up?"

Hunter thought carefully. Perhaps the best choice would have been to go without Luz, so as to find out for himself whether the djinn could help him or not, and return for the puppet later to stage a failure of their mission in case of the second option; however, he didn't know where the lamp was and didn't want to risk someone finding out and alerting everyone. Even though he was confident that he could defeat a djinn (life magic was weak against the dark magic of his staff), he didn't want to risk killing him before finding out whether he could be useful to him or not. Having Luz with him would have meant making a much easier theft. "Go to your bedroom window at midnight. I'll be there"

"Fine" Luz said, feeling terribly guilty towards Eda. But after all she was doing it for her too, so for that time the fairy had to accept her decision, wheter she would like it or not.

In case anyone has strange flashbacks during this chapter, it's because in this narrative arc the relationship between Luz and Eda will be partially inspired by that of episode 12 of the first season, the one where Luz asks Eda to teach her a new spell, but since she doesn't seem to help her much (with all due respect to Eda, she wasn't very good as a teacher) she ends up doing her own thing and stealing Amity's training wand to do magic with it, and this leads to a fight with her. In Luz's defense, it can't be said that Eda is very good at explaining her reasons, both in canon and in this AU, and so it's quite natural that from her perspective she isn't helping her, despite Eda actually has very valid reasons but she simply can't make them understand (maybe if she had avoided being antisocial and locked herself for 20 years in the Owl House away from everything and everyone she would have been better at talking to people... but I admit that if I had had a house in the middle of nowhere and an owl that beats anyone who comes near, I would have done the same. Socialize is disgusting!)

And in case anyone is wondering how it is possible that Hunter, a monster hunter who has faced practically every creature, has never met a djinn, I would like to point out that he himself defines djinns as "rare" and that even Eda, a fairy, considers them as such. Which, considering that other magical creatures, including fairies, are already very uncommon since Belos ate most of them centuries ago, means that djinn are so few in number that it's almost impossible to cross paths with them, and also when you do this they hide and camouflage themselves well, which makes them very difficult to find even for someone like Hunter who has explored practically half the world to hunt magical creatures for his uncle.