King hadn't immediately noticed that Luz had not returned home that evening: unfortunately the young Titan, as he had demonstrated several times, fell asleep easily and was a very heavy sleeper, so even if he had tried to wait for her awake he had ended up collapsing asleep when the sun hadn't even set yet, and had snored continuously all night and the next morning. And obviously that idiot Hooty hadn't thought to wake him up, in fact he didn't even seem to have noticed the problem.

When he woke up the next day and didn't find Luz in the house, he was a little worried, but in the end he chose to believe that the puppet had come back while he was sleeping and she had preferred not to wake him, and she had already gone to school. So he had waited, and waited; and when again Luz hadn't returned in the evening, even though he continued to worry, he thought that she had simply gone to the house of a friend or her girlfriend, even though it seemed strange to him that she hadn't informed him in any way, and he was back again asleep.

However, when Luz didn't return again on the third day, King could no longer deny the reality and decided to go look for her; so he headed towards the town using a coat to hide, hoping to pass for a person of short height. Even though he had become more confident around people, he still preferred to avoid showing himself too much since he was still a Titan and, as his experience with the Titan Trappers had taught him, not everyone was kind to people like him.

Luckily the disguise worked, and no one paid any attention to him... also because the people of Bonesborough were busy doing other things. King didn't notice it right away, too busy looking for Luz, but soon he too realized that something was very strange: the streets were full of adults, usually in pairs, calling other people in a loud voice, or talking with the guards in turn inspecting every corner of Bonesborough. It didn't take long for King to realize that the names those parents were shouting were those of their children. As he walked he clearly noticed some people who bore a strong resemblance to Boscha, Skara, Cat and Amelia, who looked as scared as ever.

It was as if all the kids had disappeared from Bonesborough...

And all the kids in town had left with that strange guy to his amusement park.

King's body stiffened, and he called himself stupid: he should never have let Luz leave. Something had happened, he was now certain of it. Not knowing what else to do, he hurried to Lilith's house hoping to find someone, and he was greeted by Ghost who, as soon as he saw him, began to meow, and from his frightened face it was clear that he had been waiting for his owner who hadn't returned for two consecutive days. "You're scared too, huh?" King murmured. "Sorry, I have no idea where they are. By now that guy could have taken them anywhere..."

But Ghost let out another meow and jumped onto the windowsill, and he pointed with his tail towards the sea. "Huh? Why do you think they went..." King was about to ask, but then his eyes widened: "Of course! Amity is your mistress, you're tied to each other! So you know where she is now!"

Ghost nodded, and again he pointed out to sea. King remembered that the strange guy had said that his amusement park was on an island, so in fact Ghost's directions matched. "Ok... we need a boat. But the port is largely ruined... it will be difficult to find a working one..."

But just at that moment someone knocked on the door; King went to open it, even though the door wasn't technically locked, and to his surprise he found Alador standing in front of him. "Oh, hello" the man greeted him, then he asked a little apprehensively: "Is Amity here?"

King shook his head. "No, why?"

Alador bit his lip. "All the kids in Bonesborough are missing, and I can't find Edric and Emira at the inn. I was hoping that at least Amity was okay"

"I know where they went" King told him, and then he had an epiphany: "Of course! You have a giant balloon... an airship, that's what it's called, right? We can go to the island with that!"

"Hey, hey, wait! Where are they?" Alador asked him not understanding what the young Titan was saying.

King cleared his throat. His mind was now feverish, and now that he had a means to go look for Luz he didn't want to waste time: "Short version: a strange guy came to invite them to an amusement park, they left for an island, and they are no longer back. Ghost can track down Amity and therefore everyone else, but we need your airship to reach them! And we'll also need all the help we can get... let's see, who's left here in Bonesborough? Raine's friends, of course! They can..."

"I didn't understand anything" Alador admitted. "But I have understood enough, and it is clear to me that Amity, Edric, Emira and all the others are in grave danger. What should I do?"

King let out an annoyed huff; he had to stay calm and think clearly. "Look, let's do this: first, let's go recruit every possible ally and meet at the Owl House, and there I will give a detailed explanation of what happened so I only have to give that speech once"

Alador nodded. "Okay, I trust you. Lead the way"

And so King, Alador and Ghost ran to the BATTs camp, and there they met Katya, Amber and Derwin who were still waiting for their leader to return; after taking everyone to the Owl House the young Titan quickly explained everything that had happened, and when he finished everyone was amazed. "Really? They agreed to go with this... Philip?" Katya asked with wide eyes. "I mean... no one had any problems following a complete stranger?"

King shook his head. "There was something strange about that guy, I could feel it. It was like the kids couldn't help but be fascinated by him" he answered. "Maybe he used some kind of magic to soften them towards him"

"But what magic could be so powerful that it even affects Amity?" Alador asked as he rubbed his chin. His daughter was certainly not naive, she wouldn't have run after the first person who promised her fun; and even Edric and Emira would have thought twice before doing so. "I mean, Amity is now literally the most powerful witch there is. Who could..."

"You have no right to speak after the series of bullshit you did to your daughter" Amber interrupted him with a lot of acidity in her voice.

Alador fell silent, but fortunately Derwin intervened in his defense: "But he's right. If even Amity, who possesses a piece of Grometheus' soul and has the power of almost a demigoddess, was conditioned by the power of this guy, then certainly he can't be just a normal wizard. I'm afraid we're dealing with something really dangerous"

King knew they were right. He was stupid not to have thought of it before: he should have asked himself some questions about why all the kids seemed so keen to leave, and he should have dragged Luz away by force if necessary. It was impossible for everyone to immediately trust a stranger. It was clear that he must have done something. But what power could affect even Amity, who had managed to repel Grometheus and defeated Odalia with the simple movement of her hand? Clearly, that Philip was no ordinary person. It had to be someone very powerful... which made everything difficult and above all risky. "Look, Ghost can track the kids, but they're on an island in the middle of the sea. Alador, as I already asked you, can you make that airship of yours fly again?"

Alador nodded. "I finished repairing it yesterday. Give me an hour to inflate the balloon and I can take you wherever you want"

"In that case, go get to work right now" King told him apprehensively, and then he turned to Katya, Derwin, and Amber. "You instead..."

"We'll rummage through our camp and collect all the magical and non-magical tools that we can use" Katya anticipated him, foreseeing what he was about to say. "If we have to fight someone capable of having an effect even on Amity, we will need all the weapons at our disposal"

"I can provide some too" Alador said. "They may not be magical, but they are efficient"

"Great. I'll look here at the Owl House, I might find some more" King said; after all, the house was full of magical items that could be useful. "And I'll leave a note, so when Eda and Lilith come back and bring back Hunter, Willow, Raine, Darius and Flapjack, they'll know what's going on"

"I'll help you too!" Hooty exclaimed, poking his head out the window. "But take me with you, hoot hoot! I don't want to stay out of this!"

King shook his head. "Hooty, we can't lift the whole house"

"No need! Just use the Porta-Hooty!" the owl replied. "Please! Luz is also my friend, and I like the others too!"

King wasn't sure he wanted to bring Hooty with him, but the owl could actually be helpful in combat thanks to the fact that he could stretch and twist his body at will, so it was better to have him with them. In that situation, given the scale of the problem, he couldn't afford to be picky. "Okay. Then it's decided. I'll meet you back here in an hour, bring everything you find. Alador, you can land the airship on the back, there's plenty of flat space and there are no trees in the way" he said, and then seeing that no one was moving, he frowned: "Still here? Get busy!". And at those words everyone immediately ran to fulfill the tasks assigned to them.

As he had said, King first left a note (more of a letter really) explaining the situation to Eda and the others, and left it in plain sight on the kitchen table; he hoped that they would return shortly and meet them halfway, as the presence of two fairies, a djinn, a revolutionary bard, a girl who controlled plants, and a super-strong monster hunter would be helpful to say the least. Then he rummaged through the house looking for useful objects, although unfortunately he was able to take few since most did not know what they were; fortunately Hooty was helpful for once and recommended some potions. Having done this, he took the Porta-Hooty and let the owl enter it, risking making himself vomit from the scene he witnessed, and after having put it on his shoulder, he locked the door and went out followed by Ghost.

Alador arrived shortly after, aboard the airship which had returned to its full splendor: the inventor must have paid a lot of attention to it, because not even a dent had remained on it. Indeed, in some ways it even seemed improved. The BATTs reached them shortly after, bringing enchanted clothes with magical protection and rather efficient weapons. After making sure that nothing was missing, they climbed aboard and Alador immediately set the airship in motion, which rose placidly from the ground and headed towards the ocean. "Okay, which direction should I go?" he asked as he adjusted the rudder.

"Let Ghost guide you. He knows the route" King replied, and the cat immediately jumped onto the bridge and pointed to a spot with his tail. Without even asking questions Alador nodded and listened to him, and he directed the airship to head towards that point.

Despite the serious situation, Katya couldn't help but comment: "Damn, you're good at directing operations. Should we call you captain, by any chance?"

King puffed out his chest a little with pride. "Well… if you like, go ahead" he said with a laugh.

The journey continued for a while, but at one point Alador asked: "Um... King, you said the island was only twenty minutes from the coast, right?"

"Yes, why?" King asked him.

"Because we've been traveling for an hour and there's only water around us" Alador pointed out.

King, Hooty and the BATTs looked at each other in confusion. "Well... maybe that guy Philip lied" Amber said a little uncertainly.

But just then Ghost started meowing loudly. "He says he knows something" Hooty said.

"Wait, you understand the Palismen language!?" King exclaimed in surprise.

"Of course I do! I've conversed with Owlbert so many times, hoot hoot!" Hooty replied.

King scratched his head, but then he decided that this wasn't the biggest antics he'd ever seen Hooty do. And then he had bigger problems at the moment. "Okay. What is he saying?"

Hooty walked up to Ghost and listened carefully, and then he translated: "He says: 'Don't ask me how it's possible, but it's as if Amity is moving away from me all the time. Every night the place she's on moves, and always in a different direction'. That's what he said, word for word"

Everyone's eyes widened. "So... are they on a ship?" Katya asked.

Ghost shook his head and meowed. "He says he doesn't think it's a ship, it's moving too fast to be a simple boat" Hooty said.

King clenched his fists. He was liking that situation less and less. "This is really strange" he murmured. "Let's continue on this course, and hope to reach them before they move again. And let's be ready for anything"

The airship that Alador uses, in case you still haven't understood, is the same one present in canon even if it is obviously powered by real physics and not by magic. The idea that Palismen can sense where their owners are is my headcanon instead. The fact that Hooty understands the language of the Palismen, even if not officially confirmed, is instead partly canon given that in the series he is shown several times conversing with Owlbert as if he actually understood what he is saying (also in this AU he had already spoken to the owl in various occasions, for example when Owlbert warns him that Luz risks being killed by the Owl Beast when she returns to the Owl House after meeting Vee)