Reaching Out
It was another fine morning in the Boiling Isles. An alarm from Bijou's phone went off and she and Hazel got up to greet the morning sun. And after two quick showers, both of them went down to eat breakfast. The girl and the almiraj were surprised to see and Eda King standing at the doorway of the living room, staring at something.
"What's going on?" Hazel asked.
King did not respond and gestured ahead. Bijou and Hazel looked into the living room and saw Luz writing on a whiteboard surrounded by books, notes, and notebooks.
"Uhh, are you okay, Luz?" King inquired as Luz held a whiteboard with some sketches and photos on it.
"I feel great!" she shouted, glancing back at them. "Today's gonna be a productive day of problem-solving."
She grabbed a list of items and raced over to them, handing out the paper. "Look!"
Eda took it, and Bijou glanced over her shoulder.
"Successfully build a portal to the Human Realm? Learn every glyph combination? Figure out what Belos is planning and show him what for?" Eda was perplexed.
"Why that choice of words?" Bijou inquired.
"Look, I've already learned a new combo," Luz said, holding up a piece of paper with the new combo written on it. "Excuse me, Francois."
She took the plush bunny and attached the symbol to it.
"I call it the Safety Hover!" She flung the stuffed animal, which hovered briefly before hitting the ground.
"Ooh! That'll work great when birds try to fly away with me," King said, Bijou lifting a brow.
"And I'm already on my way to building a second door," Luz said, pointing to Hooty, the portal door's main construction, before he sneezed and everything fell to the ground.
"Ow."
"Uh, it's a work in progress, but...look at this!" she said, holding out a Penstagram scroll.
"Did you steal my Penstragram?" Eda questioned, softly.
"I borrowed it because I've got a castle insider getting info on Belos. Willow gave me Hunter's contact."
Luz stared at the scroll and texted Hunter. His username was RULERZREACHF4N.
'Are you okay now? Is Belos evil? You can tell me!'
'Also, hello!'
'It's Luz!'
She then left him some emojis.
'LEAVE ME ALONE,' he texted back. Then a picture of his palisman, covered in his cloak, came. 'Sorry, wrong person...'
"Mm..." Eda stroked her chin. "You're avoiding something. Spill it."
"I am not!" Luz defended, but her countenance trembled and she offered a mournful expression. "Maybe I am ..."
She sat down and was greeted by Bijou and Hazel with warm hugs.
"Okay, I definitely am." Eda and King surrounded the girls, with the former putting her Grudgby jacket over Luz. "Every year, me and Mom have this little ritual we do. It's...nothing big. I just miss her, that's all."
"It's okay. We completely understand," Bijou assured her friend. "Especially me, since I miss my family just as much as you miss yours."
"What you need are healthy distractions from your problems, like breakfast," King advised them.
"Yeah. Okay. We could go for some griffin eggs!" Luz hugged him and smiled.
"Well, let us know if you need anything, okay?" Eda stood up, smiling.
"We'll meet you guys in the kitchen," Luz said, putting King down and leading him, Eda, and Hazel to the kitchen. Luz took a deep breath as Bijou patted her on the back.
"Luz!" Amity said as she stood in the doorway, hands clenched. "I have a problem, and it could distract us all day!"
Bijou arched an eyebrow, noting how handy it was that Amity arrived at the exact time they needed distractions.
Luz gasped sharply and stood up. "Tell me all about it and don't spare a single detail!"
Flashback - this morning
"Dad, look!" Amity exclaimed, holding up a poster advertising the Bonesborough Brawl. "It's the Bonesborough Brawl tonight. And since I'm finally old enough to participate, I-I was thinking-"
"Ugh," Alador rolled his eyes, hard at work. He held up a book and paid little attention.
"Dad!" Amity grumbled at this.
"Ah, Mittens!" He turned to face her. "Didn't see you there."
"Clearly," she said to herself, then grinned uncomfortably at her dad. "So, do you think you'll be able to take me to the Brawl tonight?"
"No," he said with a grimace, hands behind his back. "Uh, tonight they're holding the Emperor's Coven tryouts in town."
He held up Abomination Creations, a book written by Darius.
"Your mother already signed you up, and I've prepared a chaperone to make sure you get there safely."
He gazed up at the Abomaton behind her and tossed the book. It seized Amity, who screamed as she was lifted above its head. It displayed an alert that began to sound. She shielded her eyes with annoyance till her father turned it off.
"You mean to make sure I get there," she said with disgust, stiffening her fists. "Dad...I don't wanna go to Coven tryouts. I wanna enter the Brawl, and maybe win the champion belt. Like you did."
She smiled optimistically, and he paused to recollect, gazing away with a nostalgic smile.
"I messed up a lot back then, but you have a bright future and shouldn't waste it on that nonsense," He turned back to whatever he was working on, the Abomaton carrying Amity in its arms.
"Uh, but-"
"You're welcome," He interrupted her with a hand, and as the Abomaton walked away, she crossed her arms, annoyed.
End Flashback
She maintained the same expression as she recounted the event to both of the sisters.
"I don't even want to join a coven anymore. And this thing is so embarrassing, I even tried disguising it."
"Yeah," Luz said, looking at the strange clothes it was wearing. "I believe Eda has the same clothing.
"Ugh," Amity said, looking up at the ceiling. "The Bonesborough Brawl is the one cool thing my dad did before joining the Abomination coven."
She took out a photo she found of him earning the belt, with Odalia watching with an astonished smile. Darius, on the other hand, was booing him, despite the fact that Eda and Raine were at the far back, having fun. Someone was in the distance, but no one knew who they were because they were only visible as a speck.
"It would've been nice to share something with him."
The human girls frowned at each other since they could identify with the scenario.
"Well, hey, I'm here to help," Luz reassured her girlfriend, who laid her cheek against her shoulder. "You ditch the tryouts and enter the Brawl!"
"What?!" Amity gasped, stunned.
"Come on. You should know I always go for the chaotic route," she smirked at the purple-haired witch, who flushed and smiled as she turned away.
"I'm with Luz on this one. Your dad shouldn't force you into something you don't wanna do. Especially if your mommy is involved in such," Bijou said.
"Still bitter about the expulsion, huh?" Amity inquired, nervously smiling.
"Yup," Bijou simply replied, crossing her arms.
"And if you win, maybe you can use it as an opportunity to tell your father that...you no longer want to join a coven," Luz offered, Amity glancing away. Hazel, Eda, and King peered in through the doorway.
"Did somebody say Bonesborough Brawl?" she asked, stepping in with a cup of apple blood. "I used to love going to those. Your pops was great in duels. Plus, if you go, you can get that ugly thing out of my house."
She pointed at the Abomaton.
"Mm..." Amity said, looking at the photo and smiling. "You know what? I'll give it a shot."
She then waved her finger, creating a spell circle in front of her mouth.
"Abomination," Amity muttered, sounding like her father. "Fetch me a, uh, rare and—and difficult to find emerald dagger from the Night Market!"
The Abomination turned around and walked out the door, some of the items falling off.
"That'll keep him busy," Eda said triumphantly, placing one hand on her hip.
"But my dad can't find out that I ditched tryouts. Not until I win that belt," she smiled, clenching her fist.
"Don't worry, Ams. I know two people who can help," Bijou said with a knowing smile.
And those two people were none other than Amity's siblings.
"Hey, Mittens!" Emira and Edric greeted her with a smile, Edric's pet bat on his shoulder.
Amity grumbled and crossed her arms, hoping they wouldn't get involved. Mostly because they teased her a lot...Luz merely chuckled, smiling slightly.
"We're proud of you, sis," Emira said while they were at the Brawl site.
"Yeah, you're becoming more of a delinquent every day," Edric agreed.
"All right, Ed. Hand over your concealment stone," Emira began, hands on her hips.
"Like I need one of those," Edric said dismissively, but she grasped his collar. "Hey!"
"Don't play games, Ed. I saw you take one this morning," she chastised him as the three watched, Luz little uneasy.
"Well, you saw wrong!"
He attempted to fight back against his sister, and Bijou placed a palm on her forehead. "Come on you guys, really."
"This won't take long," Amity said, glancing at her girlfriend.
Edric looked up when they both heard that, and Emira had him in a headlock.
"Wait. What's that supposed to mean?"
"Found it!" Emira removed a blue teardrop stone Edric was wearing underneath his sleeve. Smoke emerged and altered his appearance as he wore a yellow t-shirt and grey trousers, his hair pushed back with a headband, spectacles, and some stubble. He moaned at this.
"Here's mine, too," Emira said, reaching for the green diamond on her shirt. "For a little extra flair."
She removed it, exposing that she had acne, no beauty mark, and unkempt hair. She handed the stones to Amity, who pressed them together. She wore a purple and black outfit, sunglasses, black boots, and her hair was in a bun with yellow earrings. She gasped in admiration of herself.
"Not bad."
Luz gave her a hug and twirled her around. "Ooh, so pretty!"
Bijou chuckled, and the twins grinned at them. Amity and Emira laughed with her, the former blushing. While the five were talking, King noticed something in the back of Eda's hair. "Hey, guys!"
She and Hazel spun around to see Warden Wrath himself. He put on the championship belt, and Eda grinned.
"Is that Wrath?" Hazel asked, astonished to see his first enemy at the Bonesborough Brawl.
"Maybe we can find out what Belos is planning," King offered.
"And why Raine was acting weird at the parade," Eda continued. King ducked into her hair as she and Hazel raced up to the Warden.
"Boo!"
He flinched in fright, and she smiled smugly at his reaction.
"Hello, Warden," Hazel said.
"Oh, it's you two," he remarked with scorn; they hadn't spoken since she rejected him.
"And me!" King sprung out of her hair.
"Been training since my students humiliated you in battle?" Eda asked, jerking a thumb at the Noceda sisters. "Mmm."
She scratched her cheek with thought. "Twice?"
He growled as he stepped closer, clenching his fists. "Alright. Chill out, button eyes. Just answer me this: Heard any good castle gossip lately? Maybe something about the Day of Unity?"
He just laughed it off.
"I see. So you finally need something from me, don't you, Owl Lady? But why should I help you?" Wrath erupted in her face, with her, Hazel, and King staring at him.
She grabbed his shirt and tugged him forward. "After chopping off my head-"
"Stealing my crown-" King exclaimed angrily.
"Threatening my life-" Hazel continued.
"And imprisoning my students/children, I think you owe me," Eda said, extending her harpy arm with claws extended. He snapped his fingers, and somebody grabbed her arm. She looked behind her and saw two Demon Hunters working as security.
"Sorry, Owl Lady. No fighting outside the ring."
She grudgingly dropped him, and her arm returned to normal. "Okay, okay. Watch the goods."
She walked away without a fight.
"Whoa, you gave up pretty easy," King said to her.
"Don't worry, King," she said, reaching into her hair and bringing out a potion book. "I have a plan."
She turned to a page about Blabber Serum.
"Good idea," Hazel said. "If we can't force the truth out of Warden Wrath ourselves, then maybe a potion will help."
"Witches and demons," the leader of the Demon Hunters announced. "Witches and demons, welcome to...the Bonesborough Brawl!"
Everyone exploded in cheers and applause.
"You know the rules. Contestants will fight one-on-one. Not for honor, not for glory, but for the ultimate bragging rights as the toughest dueler on the Isles!"
The crowd cheered again.
"Last one standing will get a chance to snag the coveted Brawler's Belt from our reigning champion, Warden Wrath!"
The warden climbed onto the stage, holding the belt above his head.
"For our first round, we have Scab the All-Knowing..."
A shrouded creature emerged from the shadows.
"Versus the Mighty Mittens!"
Amity arrived by abomination, turning around and waving at her girlfriend, siblings, and friend. The twins waved back, Bijou showed a banner reading "Go Amity," and Luz blew kisses.
"Now, let the brawl...begin!"
Scab flew forward, flipped around, and fired their ray toward Amity. She put her hands out, avoiding the abomination that was defending itself in front of her. She then directed it to come up behind Scab...and then punch them from behind. Luz glanced away as the entire audience winced.
'Wow!' Luz grinned to herself while contemplating. 'Amity's got this in the bag. Guess I, uh...don't need to do much. She started to sweat nervously as now she had nothing to distract her. I can just sit back and think about...things.'
Her phone beeped, and she saw the reminder for today's event.
"Hey, Luz," Emira snuck up behind her, as did Edric.
"Ooh, what's that?" He inquired, and Luz pressed ignore.
"Are you okay?" Emira said, concerned.
"Yeah! Uh, yeah, I'm fine," Luz backed away uncomfortably, and Edric glanced to Bijou for an explanation, only to receive a shrug from her. "Cause I just remembered the other part of the plan. Amity's gonna kick butt, like for sure, but if I was fighting too, she could get the belt faster. So I'm also gonna sign up for the Bonesborough Brawl!"
Bijou gazed in surprise at her, especially as Amity threw Scab across the arena and then crashed.
"Wait, how is this supposed to help me?" Amity wondered as she saw Luz stretch in front of her during a pause.
"Think of it like tag-teaming a tournament! If I'm taking out contestants too, you have less people to worry about. More chances to win that belt!"
Bijou bit her lip because she understood where Luz was coming from, but she also knew why Luz was doing all of this.
"Is everything okay?" Amity inquired, looking down at her with concern. "Bijou and Eda told me it's a special day for you."
"She did?" Luz sprang up, startled, as Bijou glanced regretfully to Edric, suggesting that it was that important for Luz. "I mean, i-it's nothing for you to worry about. Not even worth talking about! Really, I-I just wanna help you. Besides, can't let you have all the fun, Blight."
She pushed Amity's shoulder, and the girl blushed.
"Just don't get hurt, okay?" She put her hand on Luz's elbow.
"Emira, do you know any healing spells?" Luz inquired as the older Blight sister approached.
"I'm on it," she smirked, hands on her hips.
"She did?" Luz sprang up, startled, as Bijou glanced regretfully to Edric, suggesting that it was that serious. "I mean, i-it's nothing for you to worry about. Not even worth talking about! Really, I-I just wanna help you. Besides, can't let you have all the fun, Blight."
She pushed Amity's shoulder, and the girl blushed.
"Just don't get hurt, okay?" She put her hand on Luz's elbow.
"Emira, do you know any healing spells?" Luz inquired as the older Blight sister approached.
"I'm on it," she smirked, hands on her hips. "Bij, you can assist Luz while I do Amity during the matches."
"Alright," Bijou said, nodding.
"Ooh, I can help too," Edric smiled. "I can make Batric sing for moral support." He twirled his spell finger, but nothing happened. "Ah, sorry. New spell. Let me try again."
He attempted the magic again, but it failed.
"It's okay, Ed," Emira assured him with a smile. "Maybe you can just cheer from the sidelines?"
"Yeah, okay. Go get 'em, Mittens!"
Emira rushed away, and he sagged his shoulders in disappointment, turning around to leave.
"Man, I can't get anything right," Edric said as his pat creaked. As the bat flew away, he came to a stop and noticed some berries on the ground, ringed by rope. He bent down and was about to touch it when he noticed movement in the bushes.
"Hey, sweatpants!" He stood up as King, Hazel, and Eda emerged from the bush. "Scram!"
"You'll scare away the Skin Badgers!" Eda interjected. "We need their dandruff."
"Oh!" He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "I thought Skin Badgers ate shushrooms, not goreberries. Also, they're strong, so you'll need a fortified rope."
He spun a spell circle and bent down to the trap. He reinforced the rope with his spell, and the three exchanged glances before looking at him. He stood up, smiled, and then grimaced.
"Sorry. I'm probably messing stuff up. Just forget I said anything."
"You know, Edric," Hazel replied, surprised by Edric's understanding of Demon World wildlife. "For an illusion student, you really know a thing or two about beastkeeping."
"Yeah, a little," he replied, turning around to face the trio. "It's just a hobby, though. Probably not any good."
He went away, and they glanced at each other. Eda smiled and ran after him.
"Hey! Blight Brother!"
"Edric," he corrected her, annoyed.
"Nah. Too close to Eda," the Owl Lady said dismissively. "Here's the deal. I'm trying to make a Blabber Serum."
She placed her arm around him, while King ran up to her shoulder and Hazel hopped over to join them.
"I need to get certain information out of a certain demon. But without magic, I'm having trouble getting some of these more lively ingredients. Your beastkeeping know-how could really help."
"You think I could help?" he inquired, staring to the ground and smiling. "Okay! I'll do it!"
"Dang! I didn't even have to offer to pay."
"Wait, what?" Edric asked, looking at her in disbelief.
"Let's get started!" she exclaimed quickly, tugging him away.
Back at the arena...
"Let's keep the brawl going!" said the announcer as he went onto the arena. "In one corner, we have...the Flexicutioner!"
The demon jumped onto the platform with a thump. "And in the other, a last-minute entry..."
Luz utilized an ice glyph to leap into the air. She hid herself in a cocoon by touching a plant symbol between her hands. She tumbled to the ground, and the vines slid away, revealing herself in Eda's Grudgby jacket, her hair a little tangled.
"The Spellraiser!"
"Woo-hoo!" Emira said, Bijou applauded, and Amity blushed at the girl.
The two contestants came up to each other. "Let the brawl begin!"
The Flexicutioner took the initial move, swinging his axe at Luz, who fled in the opposite way and flipped. She evaded his second swing, but he smacked the ground with it, sending her flying off the platform. She triggered her new glyph, hovering securely above the earth before landing. The Flexicutioner swung his ax at her, and she activated an invisibility glyph, which confused him. He looked about in uncertainty before she materialized behind him and used a fire glyph to send him flying away. The announcer approached Luz and raised her arm, declaring her the winner.
With Eda, Hazel, King, and Edric...
A skin badger noticed a flower and dashed towards it to munch on a petal, only to be caught in a trap courtesy to Edric. Eda accepted a hair with a smile, and King crossed it off the list.
Amity faced off against a massive green demon, and both of them jumped back. He smashed his hands on the ground, indicating that he was a Construction witch, and flung a massive boulder at Amity. She employed an abomination shield and fell onto the platform. But then she used some horrible slime to knock him off the platform, smirking as he landed near Emira and Luz. The crowd cheered as Bijou and Emira helped heal Luz.
When Batric stepped out into the open, a fairy howled and swooped at him. However, Batric was an illusion, and the fairy became bound in a rope. She shouted out as she fell to the ground, drooling and weeping. Fairy spit was taken from the list.
Luz fought out against an elderly woman, but she screamed and snapped her cane in half, causing flames to appear around her. Luz slammed two glyphs together, causing smoke to emerge in the arena. She stepped out, guiding the demon out of the arena because Luz did not want to battle her. The demon shoved her off and fell, but Luz still won. The crowd cheered for her.
Eda was mixing a purple potion in the jungle.
"So the Blabber Serum should get your ex to tell you about your other ex?" Edric inquired, intrigued as to who Eda planned to use this on. Eda flinched, then glared in contempt.
"Man, being an adult gets complicated."
"Warden Wrath is not my—King, can you stop telling people that?" She placed a palm on her forehead, and King and Hazel both chuckled.
"Wrath may know why my-" She moaned, struggling to say the word ex. "Friend can't seem to remember me, and it has something to do with the Day of Unity; but with this, he'll tell me everything I need to know." She smirked at her reflection.
Hazel spotted the flames beneath the cauldron. "Fire's not hot enough. Ed, can you keep on stirring while Eda and I find more fuel?"
"Sir, ma'am!" Edric saluted them, and Eda handed him the stick before she and Hazel rushed off. He sat next to King and smiled.
"You're enjoying this, aren't you, Blight Brother?" King inquired.
"It's just nice to be taken seriously for once," he said, smiling at King. "And that's other than dating Bijou, after all."
"Yeah. I know what you mean," King said, as the boy began to stir.
Warden Wrath chuckled as he hurled someone into the air several times.
"Woo!" Luz said as Bijou and Emira were curing Amity. "This is a workout!"
She stretched her arms.
"You doin' okay, Amity?"
"Yeah," she said, revealing a scrape on her knee from her previous fight as Luz looked over. The girl then winced. "This is just a nasty one."
"Reminds me of the Grudgby match," Luz laughed, nudging Emira.
"Oh! Remember when-"
"Hey, Luz, maybe you can talk after?" Emira asked, nervously smiling up at her. "Bijou and I need to focus."
"Oh, of course," Luz moved away awkwardly, her sister still playing. "I'll just...sit quietly with my thoughts."
'I just need a healthy distraction. Healthy distraction...'
Her phone beeped.
"I'm gonna take a walk," Luz said before getting up and leaving. Amity looked after her with concern, wondering what was going on.
Luz's phone kept buzzing as she went past the banner, agitated. "Next time, I am throwing you into the ocean!"
She then ran across Amity's Abomination guard, who had actually discovered an emerald dagger.
"It's you! Geez. Did you actually find an emerald dagger?"
It simply strolled by her, and she flinched, chasing after it.
"Hey! Wait. Amity is so close to winning. Just stay back!" She attempted standing in front of the creature to halt it, but had little success.
"Fine! If that's the way you want it," she said, wielding an ice glyph and slapping it across the skull. However, this caused the alarm to go off. She gasped sharply and covered her ears.
"Get out of my head!" she exclaimed, using a plant symbol to conjure a tree stump and severing the alarm.
"Luz!" She turned to find Emira, Bijou, and Amity approaching her. "Is everything okay?"
"Hey, guys," she said uncomfortably. "Look who I found!"
"Ugh. It's back already," Amity said, placing an angry hand on her forehead. "You didn't touch it, right? Dad filled this thing with alarms."
"Uh, of course not," Luz said, as Bijou crossed her arms and raised her brow. They heard a roar and looked towards Warden Wrath, who breathed fire.
"Come on, Amity. It's showtime." She held her girlfriend's hand, the purple-haired witch beaming.
"Now, we're getting close to the end, folks!" the announcer began as Amity entered the arena. "Will the Warden lose the Champion's Belt?"
The warden removed his mask, growling and breathing fire from his mouth, which the throng ate up. Amity looked at Luz, who imitated him, eliciting a chuckle from her girlfriend.
"The Mighty Mittens versus the Warden! Now, let the brawl-"
The ground trembled, and everyone gasped at what had happened. Their reactions made it plain that it wasn't because of them.
"Stop!" a voice yelled as a giant abomination appeared, then opened up to reveal Alador himself. "This child forfeits the match."
"Dad? How did you find us?" Amity said in surprise.
"Not only did you ditch the coven tryouts, but someone set off your Abomaton's alarm," he explained as he descended onto the platform, hands behind his back. He approached her, and both Amity and Luz frowned. "I just followed its signal."
He tossed the broken alarm into Amity's hand, and Luz turned around, sweating nervously.
"...Luz," she deduced, recalling that Luz's response had been somewhat off. "Did you lie to me earlier?"
"I didn't wanna worry you," the girl stated, turning around to face her with a timid smile.
"Well, I am worried! You've been acting weird all day and now I'm in trouble. What is going on with you?"
Luz looked to the ground, then at Bijou, who simply sighed, knowing that if she didn't say anything, this would come back to bite Luz... "It's nothing, really. Seriously, it-it's nothing."
"I think Amity deserves to know," Bijou remarked, and Luz cringed but didn't say anything. Amity bit her lip at Luz's response, feeling insulted that even when everything was right in front of her, she refused to explain herself...
"Hey!" They stared at Wrath, who was becoming irritated. "I'm tired of standing around. I came here to fight!"
He jumped into the air, and Alador whirled around, creating a spell finger. He utilized his abominable goo to restrain the warden.
"No, no!" He exhaled fire once more, and the man flung him down.
"Oh. Well, it looks like the Champion's Belt goes to..."
"I already have one," Alador explained as he walked up to Amity. "Mittens, go round up Edric and Emira. We're leaving."
"But-"
"And if we beg, maybe we can sign you up for the next tryout," He extended his hand, but this only irritated her more. She smacked his hand away and backed up.
"No! I'm not going anywhere with you," she said, spinning her spell finger to summon Luz's invisibility glyph from her pocket. Luz gave her a confused look. "...Either of you."
She gave Luz a pained glance before inhaling, running away and disappearing.
"Amity?" Luz ran after her, passing Bijou. Alador noticed her and blinked.
"Oh...you're one of the students my wife and I had expelled..." He bit his lip anxiously because they hadn't seen each other since that day.
"Yes, I am," she replied, crossing her arms. "And if you weren't my Amity's father, I'd punch you all the way to Latissa."
His eyes startled at her comment, and he backed away slightly. After what happened at the showcase, he learned not to offend Bijou. Which is why he didn't mind his kids hanging out with her. However, Odalia was a different story.
"But I'll just say this. Amity, regardless of her talent, is just 14 years old. Yet you continue to try to force her to do what you and your wife want. You must understand that, while she is your daughter, she is her own person. Let her do anything she wants."
He considered her comments as she walked away. Meanwhile, King and Edric saw them from a distance. "Aw, weak. Your dad's here."
"But look!" Edric exclaimed, his gaze drawn to Wrath in the arena. "Wrath's tied up. This is the perfect chance to give him the serum!"
"But it isn't ready!" King insisted, as the boy narrowed his eyes and walked away. "Hey!"
Edric bent down and opened a sack, going through it. "No, not this one. Oh!"
He pulled out a jar of firebee honey.
"What are you doing?" King inquired cautiously, as Edric stood over the boiling cauldron.
"If the Blabber Serum needs more heat to finish, this should do the trick." He then poured a drop of honey into the potion, causing a big green flame to emerge. It went completely green, and King appeared hesitant.
"You find Hazel and Ms. Eda. I'll head over to Wrath and get Bijou's help."
King nodded and ran off, Edric floating the potion into the trees.
Luz panted and rubbed her neck. She looked down and gasped as she noticed Amity's sunglasses on the ground. She looked up at the path ahead of her and followed it. She arrived upon the identical tree that she and Amity had created at Grom after their dance. She noticed her girlfriend sitting in front of the tree and approached her.
"Can I, uh...sit here?"
Amity silently nodded, and Luz took a seat.
"I've always wanted to join this brawl," she said after a few seconds. "I thought it would be fun to bring home the belt. And I thought I could understand my dad better."
She averted her gaze with sadness.
"But then you joined the competition, after you appeared to be tense, and then you tried to mess with that Abomaton on your own, and then you lied about it," she said, placing her hands on the ground and looking at her knees. She turned aside, feeling bad because she did not want to lie...
"You've been acting strange all day. Does it...have something to do with the Human Realm?"
Luz sighed with defeat. "Okay, okay. I don't...talk about this 'cause it happened, like, a long time ago. And it's like, totally not an issue anymore, but, uh..."
She pulled out her phone and showed it to Amity. She received the event reminder and clicked on specifics to discover that it took place at the Gravesfield Graveyard...back home.
"Today is the anniversary of my father's death, but that's no excuse for what I did. As I previously stated, it happened a long time ago, so I..." Amity's eyes grieved as she had no idea about this...Luz's eyes opened as she stroked her neck. "Didn't wanna bring it up."
Not to mention Amity was already dealing with her own daddy issues.
"He always brought us flowers on our birthdays."
Amity scrolled through family photos, the first of which showed the father glancing happily behind him. Camila was carrying Luz as a toddler, who had her glasses off, and her kid, who had cake frosting on her mouth.
"So after he passed away we started picking flowers for each other."
The next image depicted a younger, Luz, clutching flowers for their mother. The final image was of Luz and her mother, who clutched a bouquet of flowers.
"And then we'd visit his grave, and...us and our mom would spend the day together. It's nice. But...this year I-I'm not with her. And...I don't have any flowers. And when you told me about the problem with your dad—I don't know. Maybe I was jealous or just needed a distraction," she said with a tear streaming down her cheeks. She hid her face between her knees. "I was dumb. I'm sorry."
Amity extended a hand, but immediately screams were heard. Amity gasped as they stared towards the arena. The purple-haired girl jumped up and bolted. Luz sought to get up but was unsuccessful. Luz chuckled nervously as her girlfriend looked back at her.
"Whoops. Got a case of the ol' jelly legs. I'll catch up."
Amity glanced between the shouts and her girlfriend. She then pointed at Luz with a blush on her face.
"I don't know what rituals you have in the Human Realm, but...I'll help you pick some flowers, and we can do something here!" she cried to Luz, who blushed at Amity's decision. She blinked as she saw her girlfriend rush away.
Someone yelled as Edric appeared nervous, and Eda and Hazel rushed up to him and Bijou.
"What in the heck happened?" Eda demanded of both of them.
"Ed only said that he needed my help with something with Wrath," Bijou quickly stated to her. "So we gave him this potion he made, and..."
"I-I added firebee honey to the Blabber Serum!" Edric exclaimed, and Eda's eyes widened.
"Wait, you changed the recipe?" Hazel inquired.
A shadow fell over the four, and Eda grasped their arms, pushing them away. Warden Wrath's massive spiked arm struck the earth where they stood. He had grown in stature, and he now had huge arms and longer, sharper teeth. Eda stood up, furiously turning her arms. Edric was alarmed to witness her morph into Harpy Eda. She flew away into the sky.
"Hey, Wrath! Are you still in there, buddy?" She escaped his blow and dove straight for him, but he threw her into the forest.
"Eda!" Bijou turned around to face her, and Alador's Abomaton grabbed his arm, which was controlled by the guy himself. He flinched as the Abomaton was hurled and fell close to him. Alador had control of some gunk.
"Edric!" Emira knelt down beside her brother and grabbed his arm to heal him. Amity stepped forward and noticed her father.
"Dad!" She ran over to him. "I've got your back!" She cast a spell circle, but his goo grabbed her from behind her dress. "What?" He dropped her right in front of her siblings.
"What the heck, Dad?" Emira protested, and Edric looked irritated at him.
"Boo!" Edric said at their father, who ignored them. Amity rose up, her frustration with him increasing.
"Oh, he just doesn't get it!" she hissed as Harpy Eda landed behind King. Bijou dashed over to them, skidding to a halt. "Are you guys doing okay?"
"For now, but nothing phases this guy," Harpy Eda said, turning to Wrath. "And we have to turn him back to normal."
Edric rose up and pressed his fingers together. "Well, if the heat from the firebee honey caused the potion to mutate, then maybe something cold would reverse it?"
"We don't have time for a new potion," Harpy Eda said, placing her hands on her hips.
"You don't need one."
They turned around, Amity gasping as she noticed Luz approaching.
"I can handle this," she turned to Harpy Eda. "Eda, can you give Bij and me a lift?"
"You got it, kiddo," she said as she sailed into the air, and Luz approached her girlfriend.
"Thank you for listening. I can't wait to pick flowers with you," she said, taking Amity's hand. Amity flashed a feeble smile, while Luz let go and stepped back. Bijou stood at her side, while Luz bit her lip.
"Bij, about what I did earlier...I-"
"It's okay," Bijou said with a tiny smile, and Luz smiled back.
Luz flicked some glyphs into her hand while holding out her arm, and Bijou did the same. Harpy Eda caught them while flying. Meanwhile, Alador's grasp on his goo loosened, and the Abomaton let go of Wrath, who stepped on it. The Abomaton battled to keep itself upright until another one arrived behind it. Alador looked to the side and saw Amity helping him out. He was going to stop her when she prevented his arm from doing so.
"I'm making my own choices from now on," she told him bluntly.
"But-"
"You're welcome," she said, dividing one spell circle in two and introducing Edric between them.
"Hold him down!"
The two exchanged nods before taking a stride forward together. They formed a one large magic circle, uniting their respective abominations. Alador smirked at his daughter's determination. Harpy Eda flew above Wrath, and the girls tossed all of their glyphs to the ground. Eda flew around them in a circle, and she and Luz touched them both to activate them all at once while Bijou activated her bangle's ice magic. A cloud of snow descended over Wrath, and smoke soared away from him. Harpy Eda flew the girls down securely, and Emira dashed over to join them.
"Edalyn," Alador said tensely as they looked up ahead.
"Alador."
He looked up at her and saw her harpy appearance. "Were you always capable of doing that?"
She returned to normal with a poof. She stared at him; she had heard about his earlier confrontations with Luz and Bijou, so she formed a negative picture of him.
"Don't you have family stuff to clear up? Also, I heard about the factory incident with Luz and Bij. I've got my eyes on you, Blight," she said, clinking his goggles with her fingers and backing away. She plunged her hand into the snow and grabbed Wrath by the collar, who had been changed back into normal.
"What's going on at the castle? What's really gonna happen on the Day of Unity? Have Raine's memories been altered?"
"I don't know! I don't know," he exclaimed to her. "I actually got demoted for stealing my coworker's lunches. I just wanted to feel in control again, you know?"
She hissed and used her claws to make her hand big again.
"Okay, okay! I don't know about Raine, but I have heard some things. The Day of Unity is supposedly going to unite us with the Titan, but some of us don't think this 'new world' will be very inviting to magickind. Wild or not."
She returned her hand to her regular state and pushed him back into the snow, humming in thought.
"Ms. Eda!" Edric dashed up to her. "I am so, so sorry. I messed everything up."
"Are you kidding? Instead of making a Blabber Serum, you made a horrifying transformation serum!" She removed the snow to unveil Wrath, hands on her hips and a pleased smile.
"I think I'm gonna puke!" He lowered his head to vomit.
"Well, the side effects aren't pretty, but I can sell this," she said, digging into her hair. "Illusions, beastkeeping, and potion magic? Keep it up, kid. You got a future in wild magic."
She tossed him the object, which he discovered to be a bad girl coven shirt. He smiled up at her.
"Thanks, Ms-"
"I want a t-shirt, too!" Emira insisted, standing in front of him.
"Congratulations. You have finally gone multi-track," Bijou said, smiling as she approached the twins. "And Eddie, this is my reward for you."
She kissed Edric on the cheek, prompting the young male Blight to flush, while Emira and Eda exclaimed "Aww" at the scene.
"Aw, thanks, Bijou," Edric said, smiling.
Meanwhile, Alador and Amity were having their own talk.
"What? You don't want to join the Emperor's Coven anymore?" he questioned, shocked. "But that's-that's always been your dream."
"No, that's always been Mom's dream," she shot back, her arms crossed and staring up at him. "And you just went along with it. I bet you didn't even know I was dating Luz or Edric had his eyes for Bijou."
She averted her gaze, blushing.
"Edalyn's kids?" Alador asked, perplexed.
"See?" Amity asked, looking back up at him. "You don't talk to us anymore! You're too busy making these monsters for the Emperor, and Mom's too busy trying to dye my hair green!"
"I..." He looked away, his hand on his brow, as if he hadn't realized he'd been so far from his children. "I...like your new hair color. It's abomination-colored."
"Finally, someone gets it," she said to him. "Can you tell Mom that?" she asked, looking back at him.
"I'll talk to her," he said, reaching out to hug her, but she simply shook his hand. Her parents were never that affectionate, so it would have been strange to start doing so now.
"It's a start."
Luz, Hazel, and Bijou sat in front of the same tree again, when Amity approached them. She saw Hazel and Bijou with small bouquets of their own while Luz picked up dead plants. "Find any good ones?"
She pulled up her skirt and sat down next to her girlfriend.
"No. Not really," Luz said regretfully.
"Let me try," Amity laughed, drawing a jumbled plant glyph in the earth, which resulted in a vine. She grumbled at this. "How do you get it to do what you want?"
"You gotta know what you need," Bijou said as Luz began drawing.
"I can't believe I didn't try this first. My head's really on backwards today," she said as she drew a neater glyph, and three pink flowers appeared. Luz pulled them from the ground.
"Now what?"
Amity made three abomination balloons and held them out with a slight smile. Luz smiled as she fastened the flowers to them, then let them fly away.
"Do you think they'll reach the Human Realm?" Amity inquired as they saw flower petals from the tree flutter past them.
"Maybe not but it is a nice thought, don't you think?" Hazel said while Luz and Amity held hands.
Back in the human realm, Bijou's family and Elle had arrived at the Noceda home late at night. They gave Camila flowers after learning about her esposo's death. Susan, Quinton, Florian, Elle, and Vee worked at the kitchen table, obviously preparing something. Camilla took a deep breath after placing the flowers in a vase and gazing up at the sky and stars. She went away, hoping her daughter was still safe...
A/N: Here's the latest chapter. And yes, Bijou is taking steps to starting with a relationship with Edric and giving him a kiss on the cheek is a good start. In the next chapter, we will delve into Eda's Hexside days, the time she is also friends with another TOH OC I made. So stay magical, readers.