Hey everybody!
So before we begin, there's something I'd like to address really quick. And that is the sheer amount of attention this story has gotten since its creation.
Across this story's three years and four months of life, and its as-of-this-chapter 289,666 words, this story has garnered so MUCH attention from readers.
We have officially reached over 1,000 comments on the Archive of Our Own postings of Owls and Souls (1,005 comments as of the posting of this chapter), and while I know that roughly half of those are my responses to other people leaving their thoughts, that's STILL about five hundred comments from you guys; people who are willing to actually sit down, read my nonsense, and get invested enough to actually leave your thoughts and respond to me when I respond to you.
On FanFiction, there's 223 individual reviews as of the posting of this chapter, and while I have a much harder time keeping up with those, much less responding to them, I appreciate each and every single one of them so, so much. It really is amazing that so many of you are reading this story.
That's not even touching on bookmarks, kudos, follows or favourites; as of posting chapter 31, there are 355 kudos and 99 bookmarks on Archive. On FanFiction, there are 223 favourites and 229 follows. There's even a freaking TV Tropes page run by one particular reader on FanFiction (thank you very much, Don), and maho_kat on Archive is helping me with the translation of all the Spanish, neither of which I ever thought I was gonna get on a fanfic - much less one that as far as I'm aware remains the only written crossover of Owl House and Soul Eater to this day.
That is just... insane to me. You don't know how much it means to me that you're willing to give this a read, let alone that you're engaging with the story this much. I cannot thank you all enough for taking time to read what I thought was a fun crossover.
Thank you all, so much, for reading Owls and Souls, Witches and Resonance. From the bottom of my heart. I hope you all continue to enjoy this wild, wild ride I have planned for you.
Without further ado... let's begin.
I do not own Owl House or Soul Eater.
If I did, they'd both be getting Brotherhood adaptations any day now.
Getting help had been out of the question from the beginning.
The boiling rain had been yet to let up for so much as an instant; even now, the distant raindrops and blowing winds were a din only broken by the occasional drum-roll of thunder. Although by some miracle Eda's golden barrier was still standing around the house, leaving it would be a death sentence - it would not be a matter of if the storm would kill, but only whether it would be the rain, the wind, or the lightning that did it first.
Even beyond that, Luz was becoming increasingly aware of just how dangerous the Boiling Isles were.
Even if she actually made it to Bonesborough, who knew if any place, anywhere was even open in this kind of storm? Where would she go to get Eda the medical attention she needed? Would anyone even listen to her? Would she just get Eda arrested, or worse?
All of these questions and more surged through her mind in a storm to match the one that continued to rage outside as she paced the room, unable to take her eyes off of her mentor.
The elder woman was now curled up beneath a blanket, her ragged red dress having vanished entirely in a flash of gold, replaced by an old purple sweater and long blue skirt upon being set down in what seemed to pass for the Witch's bed. Owlbert had nestled himself beside her, eyes wide with equal parts concern and fear, letting out the occasional frightened croon as he tried to wipe away the rivulets from her chin, which had already gone dark and dry. The shaky rise and fall of her shoulders was the only sign that she was even still alive, each breath slow, but painfully shallow.
She was currently cradled by a massive nest; a gigantic tangle of twigs and treasure that easily spanned more than ten feet from one end to the other, rising nearly three feet tall at the lip. Sticks both large and small formed the frame, held together by thin woven branches; a thick cushion of what looked like moss covered the entire bottom, cool, soft, and oddly pleasant to the touch. Random trinkets, toys, coins, and the occasional book or bottle lie scattered throughout the entire nest, glinting in the dim candlelight and only adding to the chaotic visage of the bedding.
Framed on either side by deep violet curtains and a sail overhead acting as a canopy, it was hardly what Luz had been expecting Eda to sleep in - and yet, now that she saw it, it somehow fit perfectly with the strange back and forth of pettiness and grandeur that seemed to define the Owl Lady's very existence.
This dichotomy bled into the rest of Eda's personal abode; the impressive carpentry of the molding surrounding the window over the nest, painstakingly carved to resemble a horned owl, was marred by several arrows that had been embedded into the wood and surrounding wall, wax dripping from a trio of candles set atop the owl's feathered crown and nails holding several necklaces and lanyards. A beautiful golden picture frame hung on the opposite wall, but whatever painting once hung inside it had been torn to shreds; only tattered edges hanging limply in the air remained, large, heavy claw marks splintering the wood beneath. An ornate mirror stood atop a desk that had been built into the far corner, piled high with all manner of books, beauty products and jewelry. A folding changing screen stood in the opposite corner, and in the center of the room, the giant, circular window, its slit pupil pattern resembling a massive eye. The stained glass refracted what little light bled in from the storm and barrier into pale golds, shimmering oranges, and muted fuschias, glints of gleam that danced across the floor in shards of broken prism.
"Crépes, that woman is heavy," King wiped at his brow from where he sat on the edge of the nest.
"It's 'cripes,'" Luz mumbled absently, still unable to stop her pacing.
"Eh, I like crépes more; they probably taste better," the Demon shrugged, "Either way, when Eda wakes up, I'm telling her she needs a diet!... though honestly, she probably actually does; live shrews and voles don't exactly make for a healthy snack."
"King," the girl glanced at him, and she saw his shoulders tense, betraying the nervousness beneath his nonchalant demeanour, "... has this… ever happened before?"
"... not in all the time I've been here," the skull-capped child shook his head, glancing away, "Sure, Eda's had some bad days, but… this?... I've never seen her run herself this ragged. And I've never seen her cough blood like that, either; normally, she doesn't bleed at all. I've seen her cut her finger off by accident while cooking, and she didn't even notice until I told her; she left it in the stew because it would 'add extra flavour,'" he mimed holding something small in his claws, then stuck it to his other paw as if he were putting on a ring, "After that, she just stuck it back on like nothing happened.
"And you've seen what she likes to do with her arms and legs," he finally looked up at Luz, bringing his claws across his throat, "You've even seen her shrug off getting decapitated."
"She acted like it was an annoyance," Luz shuddered, rubbing her neck with a grimace, "So… what's happening? What could cause something like this?"
"I dunno, Luz," King admitted, looking back down at the Witch, "Owlbert probably knows, but neither of us can understand him the way Eda does, and I don't think he can use a pen."
"What about arranging letters?" Luz asked, "Do you guys have Scrabble? Maybe we could use that."
"We used to have Scrabble," a distinctly annoyed edge entered the tiny tyrant's voice; he turned towards the open window, "Until someone ate all the letters because he's a sore loser!"
"It's not being a sore loser if your opponents are CHEATING!" Hooty shouted shrilly, his head arching up and in through the window, brows furrowed and beak somehow twisted into a snarl, "Last time I checked, 'ZQFMBG' is NOT an actual word!"
"Of course it is!" King countered, "It's a demonic worm from some place in the human realm called 'New Guinea!' Famous for its delicious guinea pigs!"
"It doesn't even have a VOWEL!" the bird tube whined, twisting his head in place, "If you and Eda don't play fair, then you don't get to play at all!"
"Okay, then what about a ouija board?" Luz interrupted, trying to get the two Demons back on track, "Could Owlbert tap letters while I type out what he says on my phone?"
At this, King and Hooty both stared at Luz, incredulous. Even Owlbert had briefly poked his head up and out of the nest, eyes wide and unblinking, fixed upon Luz with equal parts shock and horror.
"... a ouija board?" King gawked, "Luz, are you serious?"
"... what?" she tilted her head, "You guys never played with a ouija board?"
"Luz, I say this with love. Believe me, I do," Hooty began, before screaming at the top of his lungs, "YOU DON'T MESS AROUND WITH OUIJA BOARDS!"
"I can't believe I'm agreeing with Hooty on something, but he's right," it was King's turn to shudder with quiet horror, "Ouija boards are a one way ticket to being haunted or worse. I'm all for breaking the law, but some things are illegal for a reason."
Owlbert let out a loud hoot of assent, as if to accentuate their points, before diving back down to the bottom of the nest.
Luz crossed her arms, "Then what about an ordinary alphabet? If we wrote one out, would that work?"
"Maybe?" the tiny tyrant glanced back down into the nest, "... whatcha think, 'Bert?"
Finally, the tiny owl carving popped up and out of the nest; he flapped up and out before landing on the round nightside table, carrying an empty glass bottle as large as he was in his talons. Perfectly spherical save for the thin neck and lip of the bottle, it was quite easily the size of a softball. He gave another hoot as he indicated the bottle with a wing, glancing between Luz and King expectantly.
"... what's this?" the girl reached out, picking up the bottle. It was surprisingly heavy for its size, the glass itself a quarter inch thick.
"... Owlbert, buddy, I don't know if you've noticed, but Eda's got problems as it is," King crossed his arms, eyes half lidded, "I don't think getting her more booze is gonna help."
The wooden bird immediately took to the air, flapping over to King faster than the Demon could react and pecking viciously at his forehead; startled, the pup let out a squeal as he tumbled backward off the lip of the nest, landing in a tangled heap of his own limbs.
"... I don't think this was alcohol, King," Luz lifted the bottle to her nose, grimacing at the acrid scent of bile, "I'm not sure what was in here, but it doesn't smell too good…"
"Then what is it?" he growled, pushing himself back into a sitting position and rubbing his head, firing a glare at the smaller of the owl carvings.
"Oh, those are the bottles Eda uses for her elixirs."
At this, the chocolate child felt herself blink; she turned to face Hooty, who had stretched so that his face was right beside her's, staring through the bottle in such a way that the glass ballooned his already strange proportions to a disturbing degree.
"... elixirs?" Luz squeaked in her attempt to fight down her rising scream.
"Oh, yeah," Hooty retreated, rising up on his neck with a smile, "I'm not entirely sure what they're for - I've asked, Eda won't tell me - but she downs 'em whenever she's feeling particularly tired or stressed. They seem to perk her right up."
"Huh. I always assumed those were part of her drinking habit," King clambered up Luz's leg, perching himself on her shoulder so he could study the bottle more closely, "Like some sorta homemade moonshine."
"If not, then… maybe it's medicinal?" the teen ventured.
Immediately, Owlbert let out a particularly loud hoot, bobbing his whole body up and down eagerly as if to mimic enthusiastic nodding.
"So, you're saying we need to find more of these bottles for her?" Luz gestured, kneeling so that she was eye level with the tiny brown owl, "Ones that actually have elixir in them?"
She could swear that the owl's eyes were shining with quiet joy. He flared his wings briefly before silently and rapidly bringing them together, a facsimile of clapping as he happily crooned that proved that she had hit the nail perfectly on the head.
"... yeah, that… might be a problem," Hooty interrupted.
The chocolate child glanced up; the larger of the two carvings had his beak drawn in a thin line, brows upturned in clear concern.
"Oh, don't tell me you've been sneaking this stuff," King growled, snatching the bottle out of Luz's hand.
"Ugh, no," Hooty's face warped, eyes squeezing shut as he shook his head, "I tasted that stuff behind Eda's back once. It tasted like despair and did things to my insides that made me wanna die. That was the only reason she didn't kill me for it."
The teen and the diminutive Demon just stared; the shudder that ran down King's spine seemed to trigger one down Luz's, confirming they had the exact same precise thought.
'Considering what he eats…'
"Anyways, Eda's current supply is almost out," the bird tube continued, "Her next batch is almost ready, but it needs some final ingredients and a little more time to finish. She's also been going through more elixir than usual lately, so she doesn't have much left. I'm sure there's a couple, but you'll probably have to go hunting for them."
"... she doesn't just have a medicine cabinet for them?" the girl asked.
"Luz," the Demonic child's eyes were half lidded, his tone flat, "It's Eda. When does she ever do things the simple way?"
"Fair point," Luz sighed, then looked back down to the unconscious Witch, "... but we can't just leave her here all by herself. Like Mami told me, somebody's gotta stay and watch her - make sure this doesn't get any worse."
"I'll stay!" Hooty declared cheerfully; his "body" descended, coiling around the edges of the nest like a mix of caterpillar and serpent, "Eda doesn't like me going through her stuff anyways. I'll send Owlbert to find you if anything goes wrong!"
The smaller of the owl carvings fixed his eyes upon the tubular Demon, not seeming particularly pleased at the prospect of being left with Hooty. Nonetheless, when he looked back to Luz and King, he gave a shallow nod, and a gentle hoot, waving his wings towards them as if to shoo them back into the rest of the house.
"... okay. We'll go look," the girl nodded, finally feeling a smile spread across her face.
"Fiiiine," King grumbled, sighing as he hopped down from Luz's shoulder, padding back over to the double doors, "Let's get this over with…"
"Thank you, Hooty! Thank you Owlbert!" she jogged after the tiny tyrant, carefully pushing the door open…
… and sliding it back shut as quietly as she could.
"... there's no need for you to be so quiet."
Maka glanced up, turning to face the voice; Stein was hunched over the back of his crooked, stitched office chair again, leaning forwards on his arms. His eyes were obscured by the sun's glare on his glasses, even as he adjusted them, "I'm not saying you should be shouting, but no amount of noise is going to wake him up. Soul will wake up when he's good and ready."
"... I know," the Meister acknowledged, "Still…"
Slowly, her hand slipped off of the doorknob - but it was still a struggle to bring herself to turn around.
It wasn't due to the intense sunlight that cut in through the windows; the bell had only just rung for lunch a few minutes ago (something Maka was acutely aware of, despite the fact she wasn't allowed to go back to class yet). Nor was it because of the doctor himself; as soon as the grey-haired girl had received Stein's email, she had all but thrown herself out the door, not even noticing that Blair, in cat form, had latched herself onto the preteen's shoulder until they were already on campus.
But now that she was here, now that she was in the hospital wing, in the room… the scent of chemicals hanging in the air, the room largely sterile with its pale yellow walls, dark reflective tile and the wainscoting that reached to the far windowsills…
It felt all too close to being back in the hospital, helplessly waiting. The spreading crimson that haunted her every time she closed her eyes was now dancing before her, seeming to dye her hands red all over again.
"... you don't have to do this right now," Maka felt the Magical cat's paw on her cheek, her tone sympathetic, "We can come back when you're ready."
"... no, Blair," she huffed, closing her eyes, "I do. I… I need this."
"... if you're sure," the stitched professor stood, popping his bones back into place one by one, "Although I do have to ask why the cat's here."
Maka felt Blair shift her weight, tone scathing, "I'm here because I'm their housemate. I have every right to come in and check in on Soul if he's ready for visitors."
"Housemate?" she could hear the perplexed curiosity in Stein's voice.
"Yes. Housemate," the cat leaped down from Maka's shoulder; the telltale poof of her transformation rang out, and the young Meister finally managed to raise her gaze. Blair was in her regular black dress once more, idly flouncing the purple curls of her hair with a self-satisfied smile, no small amount of pride in her tone, "And I will thank you for referring to me as such."
"Duly noted," Stein stated, his smile mildly amused as he adjusted the screw, "Although I must admit I'm curious how you managed that."
"Ask your boss," Blair crossed her arms, "He's the one who let me go scott-free."
Before the back and forth could continue, Maka stepped forwards, a monumental effort going into clearing her throat, "... can we see Soul now?... please?..."
"Right. Of course," Stein nodded, expression and tone regaining their seriousness. He turned, stepping around the empty cot towards the drawn grey curtains. He glanced at his student, "You're sure you're ready?"
"... yes," she lied, forcing herself to nod.
If he detected her lie, he didn't comment. Instead, he slowly pulled the curtain aside, exposing the figure that lay in the hospital bed.
For a moment, it was as if nothing had even happened to Soul; his expression was peaceful, his chest gently rising and falling with each he took, his lips partially open and his white hair spread across the surface of the pillow. If Maka didn't know any better, if she hadn't seen the damage inflicted firsthand, she would have thought he was only asleep, whittling away the afternoon by faking an illness, all so he could skip class by taking a nap in the infirmary.
But then, she began to see the other signs that something had indeed gone wrong.
An IV hung from a stand beside him, the tube gently trailing beneath the covers; several wires stretched out from beneath the covers, reaching over to a monitor that displayed a myriad of numbers that the Meister could vaguely guess at - overall heart rate, primarily, the line consistently spiking with every faint beep that it made - but not fully understand.
Worst of all, though, was the scar.
The hospital gown didn't quite cover his whole neck; although most of his shoulders were covered in the light blue fabric, just enough skin was exposed for Maka to catch a hint of the aftermath of that ghastly wound; thick, and jagged, the edges sewn together by criss-crossing black thread.
She couldn't stop the breath she took, eyes widening and welling up before she could fight the tears down; the grey-haired girl wiped her face, swallowing down the rising horror as best she could…
All of Blair's former cheer and assurance was gone; she rounded the bed, gold eyes wide with shock as she reached for the slumbering Scythe's collar-
Only for Stein to snatch her wrist, his grip gentle, but firm.
"... I understand your concern, Miss Blair," his tone was soft, soft enough that if she didn't know any better Maka could swear the empathy beneath it was genuine, "But I assure you, Soul has already pulled through the worst of it. Right now, all he needs is rest; he'll wake up in his own time."
The cat snatched her wrist back with a glower, lips pursed… but ultimately let her gaze drop back to the boy in the bed, anger quickly supplanted by solemness, "... you're sure?..."
"I'm sure," the doctor nodded, remarkably patient, "I understand that it's frustrating… but for now, there's nothing more to be done. All we can do is wait."
The silence that fell over the room seemed to smother even the world beyond the window; nothing moved beyond the glass, and Maka herself could only stare at Soul, needing to force herself to look him in the face so that her eyes couldn't drift back down to his wound.
She had thought that actually seeing him would bring some relief.
But now, all Maka could see were the results of her failures. Failures that Soul had paid for, would continue paying for; she was under no illusions that he would be ready to out on collection anytime soon, after everything that had happened.
… not that she felt ready to go back out herself, for that matter.
Again, the young Meister swallowed, turning to look up at the doctor with her next question on her lips-
Only to find that he was halfway to the door, hands in his pockets.
"... Professor Stein?" she asked.
He stopped mid-stride; slowly, he turned to face her, an expression of surprise on his face.
"... where are you going?"
"... I thought you might want to be left alone," Stein stated simply, adjusting his glasses, "Spend some time with him."
"... can you leave him alone right now?" Blair ventured, "I thought he'd need supervision."
The grey-haired man pointed up to the ceiling; a camera that Maka hadn't noticed before silently stared back, embedded into the ceiling and sitting silent.
"Because of the intensity of the damage, Soul is going to be under surveillance for the duration of his stay here," the professor explained, reaching up to adjust the screw in his head, "Soul is a mild enough kid that normally I wouldn't feel the need to monitor him-"
"Don't tell him you said that," the cat's lips twitched into a smirk, reaching out to cover Soul's ears; even Maka found herself having to stifle a snicker, a spark that broke through her melancholy, however briefly.
"-but," Stein continued despite the smile that was pulling at his own lips, "Soul is also going to need intensive care for a while. He'll make a full recovery - there was no need for any sort of implants, thankfully, and everything is healing nicely - so long as he doesn't strain himself.
"All that being said, I'd rather be safe than sorry when it comes to these kinds of wounds; as such, he's being monitored to ensure that Doctor Gorgon and I can access him immediately if something goes wrong."
That seemed to be enough to reassure Blair, who pulled her hands away, settling them in her lap, "As long as you're sure."
"Perhaps I should have asked, though," again, the sound of clicking as he adjusted the screw, "Would you like to be left alone for a while?"
"... if that's okay," Maka nodded, "Just… one question, first."
Stein gestured towards her in silent answer, a clear sign for the girl to ask away.
"... how long…" she swallowed, turning back to face Soul, "... how long is it… going to take for him to recover?"
"... I don't actually know," Stein confessed, his cheer seeming to drain, his eyes once again obscured by the sun's glare as he looked away, adjusting his glasses, "Soul could take anywhere from a couple of hours to a few weeks to wake up. Hopefully, it won't take that long, but even after that, he'll need bed rest in order to make sure he heals from the surgeries. Even with his Soul Wavelength helping along, he shouldn't be doing anything strenuous for at least a month - and then there'll be things like physiotherapy to consider to get his strength back… and… well," those grey-green eyes were abruptly visible again, fixed upon the Scythe with an unusual intensity, "... even the toughest people take time to recover fully from this sort of incident."
His eyes fixed upon her then, hands falling back to his pockets, "However long it takes for Soul to be ready to go back to doing missions… it's going to depend largely on the both of you."
It didn't take a genius to tell the multiple layers that were present in those final words. Maka, however, blinked, trying to untangle the literal meanings from the all-too-present warning that underscored Stein's statement as he turned back to the door, "Please remember to sign out when you leave. And please - take care of yourself, Maka."
"... I will," she nodded, "Thank you, Professor."
With that he opened the door, and stepped out into the hall…
… lazily letting it swing shut behind him on its hinges.
King let out a breath, leaning back against the cupboard door; he was starting to lose track of where they'd already searched. There had been nothing on the shelves or under the couch in the foyer, nothing in the kitchen pantry, nothing hidden in Luz's room (save for whatever was inside the box that bit their crowbar in half), and now practically nothing inside the bathroom; he'd spent the whole time squirreling his way through bottles of all shapes and sizes, from human concoctions for hair care to Witch brews for warts and boils, but nothing resembling the spherical bottles that Owlbert had all but demanded that they find.
Standing above him on the very tips of her toes on her spindly human legs, Luz was rooting through another cabinet, taking out bottles one by one and then setting them back with one hand, the other holding her purple scroll-box; she grunted with every movement, clearly straining to reach to the back of the cabinet.
"... you need a stool there, Luz?" he asked, staring up at the back of the girl's head.
"I think I'm fine, King," she managed through grit teeth, taking down another bottle, glancing at it before putting it back, "But could you come up here and hold my flashlight? It'll be easier for me to do this with both hands."
"Oh, yeah!" he pushed off the cabinet, padding over to her; he gripped her leg, and scrambled up, hopping first to her knee, then her hip, and finally climbing her strange, rib-length hooded robe to perch himself on her shoulder, "I keep forgetting you have dumb human eyes."
The whole house had dimmed in the wake of Eda's collapse; most of the candles had gone out, with only a precious few remaining to cast any light. The entire abode seemed to react ot the Owl Lady's state of being in a strange way, perking, dimming, or even quaking with Eda's moods and state of wakefulness; despite himself, King had to admit it was an impressive feat, fixing a location so thoroughly to her emotions and energy that it warped and twisted at her very whim.
He'd have to remember that for his own castle, once he regained his power.
In the meantime, though, it was making things significantly more difficult.
Luz, however, only shot him a smile as she handed him her box, "Which is why I need you to hold this for me. It'll make this go faster."
"You got it!" he aimed the box around the edges of the cabinet; even without his help, it seemed that his minion was halfway through this one, roughly half of the jugs and bottles having been shoved to one side.
With both hands free, she started sorting through the remainder remarkably quickly; everything that wasn't glass immediately got pushed to the other end, while everything that was was brought to the forefront, quickly examined, and then with a slight sigh of disappointment, pushed away.
"Kinda wish we knew more than the bottle," she muttered, "Like the medicine's colour, or maybe a label…"
"I'm sure we'll know it when we see it," King mused, "Potions like this tend to be… distinctive."
"I guess," she set another bottle aside; this time, though, before she reached for another, she slowly traced a circle in the air. King felt her Wavelength flex through her shoulder, the anticipation in her stomach rising… only for her to sigh again, disappointed, before reaching for another.
"... what're you trying to do, Luz?" he started, curious.
"I'm trying to do that spell Eda showed me - the light spell," another jar scraped the wood, the lizard suspended inside the concoction utterly still.
"Oh!" he chuckled, hoping his abrupt nervousness didn't carry through, "Right… that…"
With a frustrated snort, Luz set down the last bottle, closing the cabinet and raising her arms, stretching them over her head with a groan as she spoke, "I'm trying to figure out exactly how it works, what I need to do. There's gotta be some trick to this - something Eda's expecting me to figure out on my own. But so far I'm just… waving my hand in the air, and nothing happens."
His words to Eda flashed through his mind.
His outburst, mere minutes before she fell unconscious.
He took a breath, trying to prepare himself for what he had to say next.
"Are you sure now's a good time to be trying that?" King heard himself say instead, "Maybe it should wait until Eda's up and at 'em again. Wouldn't want her to miss it, right?"
Even as his heart leaped into his throat, the human hummed, lips pursed as she opened the next cabinet, "I guess. Still, it'd make searching easier; wouldn't have to have you holding my phone while I look."
"Why not hold it in your teeth?" the Demon inspected the box quizzically, resisting the urge to turn it around in his claws - blinding himself by accident with it once was quite enough, thank you, and his minion needed it steady, "It's not that fragile, is it?"
"You'd be surprised. Once upon a time you could chuck these things at a wall and the worst that would happen is the battery would pop out," again, she traced with her finger before picking up the next glass bottle, "Nowadays, they seem to crack if you so much as tap them wrong. And don't get me started on the terrible battery life…"
"I'll take your word for it," he glanced up and into the cabinet, searching with his eyes as Luz kept digging.
A bottle with a stylized dove was shoved aside, exposing a jar with an actual dove; he felt Luz grimace, grabbing it and firmly shoving the disturbing display aside…
"... wait… is this one it?"
"Which one?" he perked up, resisting the urge to pull himself up to his feet by the human's hair.
She reached as far towards the back as she could muster without climbing up and into the cabinet proper; after a moment, she grinned, pulling herself back and rocking back on her heels, catching herself on the counter.
"Got it!" she held the bottle aloft, triumphant in her efforts.
Like the bottle that Owlbert had shown them, it was almost entirely spherical, with no smooth bottom and only the neck disrupting its otherwise perfect shape. The glass was thick, but entirely clear, allowing the golden glow of its contents to shine through entirely unimpeded.
The glow emanated from what appeared to be liquid daylight; it shone such a bright yellow that King had to squint in order to look at it, even in the dim candlelight that surrounded them. A simple wooden stopper with no brand or name was lodged in the neck, and a half torn tag had been wrapped around, trailing around Luz's fingers.
Wordlessly, King handed his minion back her scroll-box, blinking past his watering eyes as he struggled to read the label, "... huh. I've seen Eda sneaking this stuff before, but I've never gotten a good look at it. Always thought it was some kinda honey or mead."
Luz's only response was to reach for the stopper, grunting as she struggled with the wood, then letting out a yelp as it abruptly popped loose; she gave it a sniff, and she gagged, slamming the cork back into place as she doubled over the sink, nearly dislodging King entirely from her shoulder.
"... doesn't… smell like honey…!" she managed between retches, a hand on her stomach.
"You really need to stop sniffing random junk," the self-proclaimed Ragnarök huffed, hopping down to the counter and snatching the bottle out of her hand. It was surprisingly heavy for its size, making the King of Demons stumble briefly before he stared down at its confines, "... think this is the right stuff?"
"'s gotta be," the human pushed herself back up, finally getting her breathing back under control, "This is the only other bottle I've seen with this shape."
"It'd be easier to know for sure if we had more than one bottle to compare it with," he set it beside the empty bottle for comparison; the two were nearly identical, the only thing missing from the empty one being its stopper. Finally, he snatched the torn label, frowning, "'An Elixir a Day…'"
"... let's take it to Hooty and Owlbert," Luz settled, "If nothing else, they'll be able to let us know if it's Eda's medi-"
Abruptly, the candles flickered; human and Demon alike found their eyes drawn to the few orange gleams that remained, their flames wavering, suffocating under some unseen wind. They danced, seeming to desperately cling to what little life they had left, before flickering out entirely, plunging the room into near total darkness.
"...cine…" the girl finished; King's vision rapidly adjusted to the shadows, the only illumination coming from the barrier's light beyond the window, filtering in just enough for him to see Luz's face. Her eyes were wide as she stared at the candles, the thin plumes of smoke rising into the air, "... well, that's ominous…"
"... look, Hooty has some control over the candles," King started, "He probably just fell asleep-"
This time, the interruption came in the form of an earsplitting shriek. A horrid mix of birdlike screech and Witch's scream, the sound was deafening, forcing King to try and shove his claws into his skull so that he could cover his eardrums. His eyes squeezed shut as he curled in around himself, trying and failing to muffle the noise…
And then it was over, as quickly as it had come.
"King!?"
He found himself being scooped up into Luz's arms, the human cradling him and staring down with eyes full of fear and concern.
He snapped up, clutching at her robe as his eyes wildly darted about the bathroom, "... Luz, what was that?..."
"... I was hoping you'd know," she confessed, swallowing hard as she looked towards the door.
For a long moment, neither spoke. Neither moved, waiting for the source to reveal itself…
But it never came.
"... that sounded like it came from Eda's room," Luz whispered.
"... I've never heard Eda make a noise like that," King shuddered.
"... something's wrong," those brown eyes turned back upon him, "We gotta check on her."
"You wanna go towards the horrible screaming?" he gawked, "Didn't your human horror illusions teach you not to do that!?"
"King, if something's wrong, we're the only people who can help Eda right now," Luz insisted, "We can't just leave her in there if something's broken in!"
"Not possible," the Demon finally managed to regain feeling in his limbs; he crawled up Luz's shoulder, pointing out the window, "The barrier's still in place; nothing can get in while it's up, not without breaking through!"
"Not even by teleport?"
"I-" he cut himself, suddenly uncertain, "... nobody knows where we are! Who could get something through the barrier without finding us first?"
"What if someone has, then?" she picked up the bottle, "Or there's some Demon out there that can teleport through the barrier? If we've been found, then we need Eda!"
King bit at his tongue, scraping his claws along his skull. As much as he hated to admit it, Luz was right; he wanted nothing more than to just crawl back into the cabinet, bolt it shut, and wait for the storm to clear… but if there was even the slightest chance the human was right…
"... I hope we got the right bottle," he glared down at the golden glow, hopping down to the floor.
"... thanks, King," he could hear the relieved smile in the human's voice, clearly glad to not be going alone.
"Quietly," he hissed, silently padding to the bathroom door, "Whatever's in here, we don't want its attention."
King didn't wait for Luz's response. Instead, he looked at the doorknob, took a breath, and reached up…
… wiping her face on her sleeve.
It was harder to keep the tears down than Maka had thought; it felt like every time she looked at Soul, they started to well up in the corners of her eyes again. It was a bitter feeling, a sting that made her grit her teeth and clench her fists, a sting that she hated more than any sort of physical wound that she'd suffered over the years, regardless of whether it was when she'd broken her arm when she was eight, or when she'd been cut open on Tsubaki's blade fighting Sid.
There was always a better way to handle pain than crying. Bandaging wounds, mulling over one's mistakes - that was what she should have been doing. She should have stepped back by now, started looking at things critically, objectively, trying to think of ways to prevent what had happened to her partner from ever happening again.
After all, crying didn't solve anything.
Mama had taught her that.
"... would you like a chair?"
One of the room's disparate seats that the girl hadn't previously noticed had floated over, allowing Blair to sit herself down beside the bed; she stared up at Maka expectantly, a second chair floating just behind the preteen.
"... thanks," she murmured, part of her genuinely grateful for the chance to get off her feet for a moment as she took the chair, scooting up beside the anthropomorphized cat.
"Anytime," Blair beamed, then turned her attention back to Soul.
For a long moment, the pair simply sat in silence.
"... are you feeling any better since last night?"
"... mildly?" Maka wondered, not entirely sure herself.
"Well, you're seeming steadier, at least," the Magical feline folded her hands in her lap.
"... I…"
The student trailed off, glancing down and biting her lip, arms folding over her stomach; it was a genuine struggle just to maintain a conversation with her strange housemate, much less maintain eye contact, those golden discs imploring.
"... I'm sorry," Blair shifted, those eyes pulling away, "I just…"
"... I know," Maka acknowledged, still staring at the floor.
Again, silence fell between them.
"... Blair?"
"Yes, Maka?"
"... how… strong…" she chewed idly, pain starting to spread through her lip, though she couldn't bring herself to let go, "... how strong can a Witch… become?"
"... not an easy question to answer," the cat leaned forwards on her knees, chin set on her bridged fingers.
This time, the Meister was able to make eye contact; those golden eyes were faraway now, the natural pout of Blair's lips pulled into a thin line as she stared off into the distance.
"Humour me," Maka managed, finally managing to bring some confidence back into her voice, some of the fire that had once been extinguished.
"... what exactly brought this on?" Blair glanced up at the girl, hat and hair flouncing with the motion. She pointed to Soul with a finger, "Did… a Witch do this to…?"
"No," the Scythe Meister shook her head, "It wasn't a Witch. But…"
"But?"
"... there was a Witch out there that night," Maka settled, "I didn't see it up close. But I saw its Soul. I felt its Wavelength… and I felt its Magic."
Blair's expression didn't change as she listened, giving no indication as to the inner machinations of her mind; a veritable enigma, waiting for the youth to finish.
Finally, Maka started, eyes dropping to her hands as they wrung themselves in her lap, "It… it was so strong. So… evil. I don't know how else to describe it; it was like this… second moon hanging up in the sky, made of malice and pure power. It just… it was up there, and there was… nothing I could do about it; even if it wasn't so far out of my reach, even if I hadn't-..."
She trailed off; she forced herself to breathe, then continued, "... even if Soul… even if we could still fight… there's… no way we could have won… and… and that thing can just… hide? Wherever it wants?..."
The girl stopped, trying to rein her mind back in before it rushed away from her. She met Blair's eyes again, all too aware of note of fear that was tinging her voice now, "... Soul and I… together… couldn't even beat you on our own. I know we're young and not even close to fully trained yet, but… how are we supposed to be able to fight that?... and… how much stronger can a Witch become?"
For a long moment, Blair simply sat, silent and inscrutable. Finally, she sighed, eyes drifting from the Meister to that faraway place once more, "... you're not gonna like the answer, Maka."
"... I need to know," Maka scooted forwards, "I… I need to know what I'm up against here. What… we're up against."
Again, Blair didn't immediately answer.
"... please?" the grey-haired girl felt her voice waver slightly.
"... Maka," Blair began slowly, "... how many stories about Witches do you know?"
"... a few," Maka answered, "Mostly… fairy tales. Not sure how many of them are based on actual history."
"Which ones?"
"Well… there's King Arthur; Morgan le Faye and Vivienne du Lac, namely," the preteen started to tap fingers, "There's more than I can count in the Irish mythology cycles… then there's Baba Yaga… the Brothers Grimm had Maleficent…"
The cat let out a low hum, "... did you know that Maleficent was an actual Witch?"
"... she was?" Maka felt her hands fall.
"She was. One of the most powerful in her day, if you believe certain accounts," Blair mused, "I'm a little too young to say I actually lived through those days, but for a long time, she had one of the largest Witch Covens in the Demonic Realms. Surrounded her territory in whole thickets of brambles of her own creation; she was a favourite to succeed the Old Witch Maba, just as Maba succeeded Baba Yaga."
"... did she?" the girl queried.
"... no," the cat huffed, "Maleficent and her whole Coven were ultimately destroyed by the machinations of another Witch - Arachne."
"... the woman that challenged the Goddess Athena to a weaving contest?"
"The very same - though the Witch version of that story has a very different ending from the human version," she raised a hand to the ceiling, tilted it, and brought it back down as she spoke, "Almost overnight, everything Maleficent built came crumbling down. What was left of her Coven scattered to the winds. As for Maleficent herself… well, let's just say Arachne was nothing if not thorough."
"... what's the point of this story?" Maka asked, "What are you getting at?"
"Two things," Blair raised a finger, "The first is that, with enough time, Witches can become ludicrously strong. Maleficent's old territory was rendered uninhabitable because of the Magics she cast on it; a whole part of the old continent had to be just… burned to ash and dust because there was no one who could control the Briarwoods Maleficent left behind. Even now, the effects of her Magic still haunt the Realms - and she's not an exception to the rule. With how long they live, Witches can train their bodies, Souls and Magic to such a degree that they can become veritable Gods in their own right. It takes a long time for them to get to that point - I'm not nearly that strong yet - but I've seen some Witches tailor whole landscapes to their whim with a single spell."
"... and the other?" the girl managed past her abruptly dry throat.
Blair turned her head, opening her mouth to speak again-
Only for the door to break entirely off its hinges, smashing through the window and down into the courtyard below, making the preteen and the cat jump in their seats.
"SOUL! SOUL!" the half-roar, half scream of the blue-haired buffoon stomping his way into the room was both shrill and guttural, painful in both its volume and its familiarity. He didn't even seem to notice Maka or Blair in his haste, galumphing right past them to the bedside, chest heaving, eyes wide and pupils having shrunk to the side of pinpricks.
"Black Star!" Tsubaki implored, trailing behind him, "You need to be more quiet, Soul needs-!"
"IT'S GOING TO BE ALRIGHT!" before anyone could react, Black Star had Soul by the shoulders, shaking him vigorously, "BLACK STAR IS HERE FOR YOU NOW! OPEN YOUR EYES! ONE LOOK AT MY BIG HANDSOME FACE AND YOU'LL BE CURED FOR SURE!"
"BLACK STAR!" Maka was already on her feet. She was reaching forwards with both hands, ready to wring the shorter shinobi's neck-
Only for Blair to step past her, silent and graceful, a finger tracing the air with a golden trail.
"Pum-Pumpkin, Pumpkin," she incanted, her hand rising right in Black Star's face, "Silent Slumber."
Briefly, he let out a noise that was somewhere between a startled squeal and a hiccup, before his eyes went unfocused. His whole body swayed, briefly, before collapsing to the side, right into the cat's arm.
"I think he needs a time out," the Magical feline sighed, handing the unconscious shinobi off to his partner, "I believe he's yours?"
"I'm so sorry," Tsubaki bowed, nothing short of mortified as she accepted Black Star's limp form. She set him down on the other cot, turning back to the preteen and the cat-woman, "As soon as he heard Soul was in the hospital wing, there was no stopping him."
Slowly, Maka felt her heart rate coming back down; she let out a sigh, a calming breath that let the haze drop from her mind, and felt an actual smile creep back across her face.
"... it's alright," she stated, glancing down at the knucklehead ninja, "Honestly, I wasn't expecting Black Star to visit at all. It's… strange, honestly, that you didn't have to drag him here."
"... he cares," the Dark Arm Weapon smiled, running a hand across her partner's brow, "I'll be the first to admit, he's… very scattershot, but… he cares. More than he lets on."
"So much so that he forgets how doors work, apparently."
Another new voice; Kid stood in the open portal, running his hand along the splintered doorframe with a grimace. Liz and Patty followed him as he made his way inside, the older sister distracted by her pocket mirror, the younger's attention darting about with her hands stuffed in her pockets.
"Honestly, did he even try the handle?" Kid asked.
"Nope," Blair crossed her arms, "Just kicked the door in. He could've hit someone with it."
Maka stared, having momentarily forgotten how to operate her mouth. After a moment, she managed to regain some measure of control, half croaking as she spoke, "... Kid… Liz… Patty…"
"... hello, Maka," Kid smiled, eyes fixing upon her, "It's good to see you've both made it back."
"You can say that again," Liz snapped her mirror shut, blue eyes fixing on the grey-haired girl, "You had us worried there, kid."
Maka let out a derisive snort, her voice returning, "Worried enough to make you forget to touch up your eyeliner, Liz?"
"Well, you still got your snark, at least," the elder Thompson smirked, even as her sister sauntered over, leaning well into the Scythe Meister's personal space.
"... Patty?" Kid prompted.
If Patty heard him, she didn't answer; those deep blue eyes were unblinking, hyper-focused upon Maka's forest green.
"... uuuuuuh…" the Scythe Meister stammered, leaning back slightly to regain some distance, however small.
"... are you alright?" the shorter Thompson finally asked, cocking her head to the side slightly.
"... yeah," Maka answered automatically, giving a slow nod, "Yeah, I… I'm fine."
Patty just tilted her head in the other direction, seeming remarkably like a dog for a brief moment. Her expression was both uncomfortably focused and utterly unreadable, firmly fixed upon the grey-haired girl before slowly pulling back. Her eyes closed, her lips pursed, and she folded her hands behind her head as she stepped away, gently bobbing her head as if to some beat only she could hear.
But before Maka could ask what that had been all about, Kid was stepping forwards again, taking Patty's place, albeit from a much more comfortable distance. He smiled, warm, but professional, "I'm glad to know that you're alright, Maka. I'm sure that you and Soul will pull through this."
"... thanks, Kid," she forced a smile at the young Reaper, hoping it seemed more real than it felt.
She was grateful that her friends - even Black Star, as infuriating as she found him - cared enough to visit, to check in on her. There was something genuinely comforting in their mere presence, that they actually took the time to visit Soul despite how recently they'd only just met him…
It spoke to a genuine empathy. A true friendship and desire to offer her their support.
But their words didn't quite match up; the confidence in their tones, the certainty they held that everything was going to be okay…
It didn't take a genius to understand the disconnect.
They simply didn't understand what she and Soul had been through.
The image of the pink-haired Swordsman flashed in her mind, the dark shadow looming behind them…
But before she could be lost in her own mind again, another voice rang out.
"Oh, my goodness… what happened to the door?"
It took a moment for Maka to recognize the voice; the blond woman sauntered in, a clipboard in one hand as she casually surveyed the damage that had been done to the room, golden eyes first running along the length of the doorframe and the empty space where there should have been a door, before looking upon the broken window. Then she took one look at the gathered gaggle of students, eyes fixing upon Black Star, and letting out a sigh.
"I can see you're all lively as ever," she chuckled fondly, but her tone was stern as her gaze swept across the various students, "I know you're all excited to see Soul now that he's allowed to have visitors, but I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't make such a mess."
"Doctor Gorgon!" a wave of relief suddenly washed over the Scythe Meister.
"I am so sorry, Doctor," Tsubaki bowed, apologetic, "Black Star… he was in such a rush to see Soul, he was on his way here as soon as he heard."
"And I appreciate his care," again, Doctor Gorgon indicated the broken doorframe and window, "But if this is going to be the result of his visits, then perhaps he will simply have to wait for Soul to return home. This is an infirmary, not a playground."
"... yes, ma'am," Tsubaki wilted under those golden eyes, thoroughly chastised by the doctor's warning.
"Good. Thank you, Tsubaki," the labcoat-clad woman never once lost her smile as she spoke, "As for the rest of you… I'm sorry to cut your visit so short, but I'm going to need to move Soul to a new room; we can't very well keep him here with both the door and window broken."
"Aw, so soon?" Patty pouted, eyes opening again.
"You'll be able to visit again tomorrow," Gorgon promised, then looked to the grey-haired youth, expression warm, "Maka, would you be so kind as to join me? I'd like a hand moving Soul, and there's something I'd like to speak to you about at any rate."
"O-Of course!" Maka felt her whole body straighten.
"Thank you."
"Well, I suppose there's no helping it," Kid sighed, stepping past with another smile, "We'll see you tomorrow, Maka."
"Take care of yourself," Liz gave a mock salute, falling into step behind the young Reaper; Patty, however, lingered a moment too long, eyes fixed upon Maka before finally deigning to follow her Meister and sister, hands still clasped behind her head.
"... we should go, too," Tsubaki murmured, sliding her hands under Black Star's limp form. She looked to Maka, dark blue eyes imploring, "... will you be in class tomorrow?"
"... no," the younger girl shook her head, "Still not allowed. But if you could get me the notes?..."
"... of course," finally, a smile graced the demure shinobi's lips, "I'll see you tomorrow, Maka. Hopefully, Black Star won't be so loud next time…"
With that, she slipped away, footsteps silent.
"... I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave as well," the doctor turned to face Blair, "Miss…?"
"Blair," there was a slightly clipped note to the cat's tone; for the first time since Maka had met her, a slight edge had set into Blair's voice and posture, a newfound shine in her bright gold eyes, "Just Blair."
"Blair," if Doctor Gorgon noticed the Magical feline's tone, she didn't show it; her smile was as serene as ever, the darker golds of her eyes inscrutable, "This is between Maka and I; doctor-patient confidentiality, nothing against you whatsoever. If you like, you can wait for Maka in the lobby."
"... I'll do that," the cat kept her tone even, heels clicking on the tiles as she slowly sauntered out of the room. Her gaze fixed upon Maka, voice softening, "... I'll see you when you're done?"
"... yeah," Maka nodded, "I'll come find you."
A silent nod, before Blair slowly sauntered around the corner, disappearing from view.
"... so, what is it you need to talk to me about?"
"Soul first, Maka," Doctor Gorgon reaffirmed, pressing a button behind Soul's unconscious form, "For now, just give me a hand with his bed."
Silently, the young Meister obeyed, stepping around the bed as the rails rose around her partner. As the doctor took the IV stand, Maka took the bed, gently pushing it as the dark blond woman guided her…
… back into Eda's room.
Luz couldn't help but hold her breath as the double doors creaked on their hinges; when nothing came screaming out of the dark, she released it, long and slow, following King's lead as he crept into the Owl House's master bedroom.
At first glance, nothing seemed to have changed; the nest, the mirror, the portrait, and the folding screen all seemed to still be in their proper places. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary, nothing appeared to have been damaged, the window still firmly closed…
But none of the room's former occupants were anywhere to be seen.
Hooty had disappeared from the window. Owlbert was no longer perched in the nest.
… and worst of all, Eda seemed to have simply vanished entirely.
"... they're gone," the brunette whispered, heart dropping out of her chest and plummeting clear through the floor, eyes wide.
"I can see that," King muttered, having climbed to the lip of the nest, glowering down into its base.
"Well, where'd they go?" she clutched the bottle to her chest, "Eda needs this elixir!"
The diminutive Demon raked his claws across his skull, then padded over to the window, "Well, Hooty's attached to the front door - he can't exactly pop himself out… I swear, if this is some sick prank of his, I'm gonna drag him and his stupid door down to the beach and leave him for the tide."
"Front door," Luz nodded, "Got it…"
"... somethin' wrong?" King queried.
She clutched the bottle tighter, biting her lip, "... King… you don't think whatever's in here got Eda, do you?"
"... only one way to find out," he huffed, hopping down from the nest.
She swallowed, letting her gaze drop to the golden glow of the elixir in her palms. It rolled back and forth, the only other source of illumination beyond the little light that streamed in through the stained glass window…
"... okay," the teen clapped a hand to the side of her face, trying to refocus, "Front door."
She turned, pushing open the door to go back into the hallway-
Only to find the foyer on the other side instead.
"... what…?" she stared, eyes wide as they danced about the room. From the silhouette of the couch to the now-dead hearth, only faint embers remaining of its once roaring fire, there was no way it could have been any other room.
But that couldn't be right; the master bedroom in no way connected to the foyer. If the map in Luz's mind was right, it was directly above the foyer. There was no possible way that the doorways could connect like this.
But here it was, as if the two had always been connected.
"... what's going on?" she murmured, "This… this can't…"
"... I've never seen this before," King was beside her, staring into the entryway with a gleam in his eye that was somewhere between awed and terrified, "I knew Eda had some control over the house, but… this is…"
He trailed off, utterly silent as he stared forwards into the dark.
Luz, frightened, but infinitely curious, stepped forwards into the foyer, head moving back and forth on a swivel as she examined the room.
"Luz-!"
As soon as she was through, the door slammed shut behind her.
"King?" she spun in place; where the door had been, there was now just a wall and shelf, the stairwell having gone utterly dark. There was no sign of any opening, no handle nor hinge, even as she rushed back and slammed her hands into the paint, searching for the way back, "King!?"
She received no answer. The wall did not shift, remaining stubbornly static.
Slowly, she turned back to the rest of the room, struggling to keep her breaths under control-
Only for her heart to leap into her throat.
The front door lay on the floor, beaten and broken; Hooty's face lay motionless, eyes closed and tongue lolling of his beak. It would have been comical, were it not for the near pitch blackness and the way the door had been torn entirely off its hinges, deep clawmarks bored into the wood and whole chunks having been torn away entirely.
"Hooty!" she all but slid to his side, placing a hand to his face; she received no response, the carving utterly silent.
He didn't hold her attention for long, however.
How could he, when the world beyond the front door was simply gone?
She stared into an inky abyss; the sound of the storm had faded entirely, and the barrier was nowhere in sight. There was no sky, no golden shell, not even any grass or ground beyond the doorway; reaching out, she even found her hand delving down beyond the doorframe, dipping past the threshold where solid earth should have been…
"... what's going on?..." she whimpered, inching back away from the pitch black; the room had gone completely dark, illuminated only by the light of the elixir in her grasp…
Which only made the scream louder in her own ears as something landed on her shoulder.
"¡QUÍTATE!" she threw herself to the ground, scrambling to get away, "¡QUÍTATE! ¡QUÍTATEQUÍTATEQUÍTATE!"
She was met with a gentle crooning, wooden feathers brushing her cheek in some attempt to calm her down. The girl stopped thrashing almost immediately, pushing herself back up onto her knees, "... Owlbert?..."
She felt the carving hop down the length of her arm, sitting on her wrist, now illuminated by the bottle's light; he stared up at her, eyes wide, something about his expression speaking to assurance trying to hide fear.
"... boy am I glad to see you," she murmured, "Where's Eda?"
He shook his head; whether he meant he didn't know, or that it didn't matter at the moment, Luz couldn't tell.
Nonetheless, she held up the bottle, trying to press the issue, "I-I think we found her medicine. 'An Elixir a Day,' right?"
His eyes widened as he looked upon the bottle, shooting back and forth between the girl and the glowing liquid.
"Eda needs it," she started, "So let's-"
Abruptly, he flew up, his claws gripping the teen's hair and pulling her to the side.
"Agh-!" Luz felt the bottle slip out of her hands; it fell to the floor, rolling across the hardwood to the edge of the carpet. She scrambled to try and grab it, but Owlbert's grip was firm, pulling her further and further away from it.
"Owlbert, what're you-!?"
The teen found him perched on her chin, wings wrapped firmly around her cheeks and jaw like a mask; he started fearfully into the dark, as if searching for something.
And finally, she heard it.
She saw it.
The heavy creaks across the floorboards.
The sound of something like bone scraping across the hardwood.
And in the faint light cast by the elixir, a massive, quadrupedal shape lumbering out of the shadows.
Translation for Luz's Spanish:
"¡QUÍTATE!"
"GET OFF!"
...
Not all that much to translate this chapter, but the work is done nonetheless by the wonderful maho_kat on Archive of Our Own! Please be sure to give her your thanks for all her hard work!
Not all that much for me to say this time, at least not beyond all my thanks again! I know that the final section might be a little confusing, but I promise, I'll explain it soon; there's just not a good opportunity for me to do so at this particular moment in time.
But, yeah. We're now well into the swing of things. I hope to wrap up this section next chapter, so I'm not sure how much Soul Eater there'll be in comparison to the Owl House stuff. Nonetheless, I think you'll enjoy what's coming up next.
Thanks so much for giving this a read, everyone, as well as for your patience and understanding with me. Please be sure to leave your thoughts below! I hope you enjoyed the thirty first chapter of Owls and Souls, Witches and Resonance!