While they waited for the Boiling storm to fully pass, Eda explained what she knew about her curse, and a part of her felt lighter knowing that even in that state her kids seemed to be safe. "When I was about your age, Luz, I got this curse. Damned if I know how though. I just suddenly felt it taking over one day, and it's been happening ever since. Honestly, it wouldn't be so bad since I have my elixirs to help with the pain and I'm used to it by now, but… it's sapping my magic, energy, and time more with every day. For Titans sake I'm in my early forties, but I look like a grandmother. A foxy grandma, but that's not the point." Eda sighed, "I'm sorry kids, but mom might not last forever." Eda brightened, "But as much as that sucks… at least I know you two lovable goofs will be ok now. You have each other, so even if I have to join the Titan in his eternal rest… at least now I know my precious little terrors will be fine."

Luz and King immediately glomp on to Eda with tears in their eyes and King whimpered, "No, you're not allowed to leave us. Your King demands it."

"King's right Mom. I refuse to lose another parent. We'll find a way to help you. Just please don't give up," begged Luz.

Eda snorted and gave them a hug, "I'm not giving up. I… I just don't want you to feel like I'm hiding things. I love you kids, and I want to be as honest as I can be with you. That doesn't mean I don't have secrets, or that I won't hide something until I think it's worth mentioning, but… I want you to trust me, and…" Eda groaned, "I hate this. Being 'open and honest' is hard ya know?"

King snickered and Luz smiled, "So… if you want us to feel safe to tell you things… does this mean you're not mad I tried some of your appleblood?"

Eda flicked her nose, "Depend… what did you think?"

Luz tilted her head, "Tasted like pennies, sour apples, and gym socks. Still better than the time I drank floor cleaner, but I think I'll stick to the light version."

Eda sighed, "In that case, no I'm not mad, but if you do it again I will be. Am I understood kiddo?" Luz nodded vigorously, and Eda chuckled as she hugged her kids.

Over the next week Luz continued to get stronger and helped her mom make potions. They also sat down and went through some of the clothes Eda had laying around to find something Luz might like. In the end they found a few pairs of jeans that Eda could resize with magic and a crimson hoodie that looked about the same color as Eda's dress. As soon as Luz saw it she fell in love with it because it made her feel closer to Eda, and it took everything Eda had not to melt when she said so. By the end of the week she was making her own daily potions under Eda's supervision, and something else was becoming clear. Luz was a lot more magical than Eda thought. Usually by this point Eda would have expected to see the magic booster potions become less effective as the drinker would become 'full', but that wasn't the case, and that made her wonder, "Just how deep was Luz's well of magic?"

In the end, Eda could only shrug and on Hypox's suggestion they ended the potion regiment as planned. Now that Luz's body was strong enough it could heal and grow at its own speed. Without the need to brew the dozen boosters, Eda had time to search her small collection of stolen books for answers to her own questions, but didn't have much luck. Without another choice, Eda prepared to do something she really didn't want to do.

"Mom, this is amazing. Why didn't you tell me there was a library nearby?" Asked Luz, nearly vibrating in excitement.

Eda chuckled at her daughter's excitement, "Honestly, because I kind of owe them a bunch of snails. I'm not the most gentle with books, and… I tend to 'correct' things that are blatantly false." Eda groaned, "Apparently that's 'defacing public property', but I call it providing a public service, and I do it for free so I'm the one who should be mad about it." Luz just smiled and turned her attention to the massive cathedral of knowledge before them. As they walked in Eda whispered in Luz's ear, "Why not go explore on your own, Owlet. I'm sure these bile suckers will hold me hostage for a bit. Go have fun."

Luz nearly crushed Eda in a tight hug, "Thanks Mom," and before she could respond Luz was gone leaving Eda alone with a simultaneously checked out and irate librarian. Eda just sighed, and prepared to lose a lot of snails.

Luz on the other hand was excitedly figuring out where to start. She hadn't been allowed to visit a library in years, and a part of her was overjoyed to be able to return to a place that always made her feel safe again. After grabbing an arm full of books, Luz found a table off to the side and started using one of her favorite powers. She set out three books in front of her and she started to read the trio at a rapid speed. The first time she'd been caught doing this the librarian was incredulous, but after a few tests, in which the librarian would choose random books and then quiz her, but soon people just wrote her off as a freak. Luz continued for an hour covering a number of topics including history, healing, potions, magical theory, and a couple encyclopedias on different beasts before a mint haired girl about her age came over looking confused.

"So, are you really just going to skim a couple dozen books, or are you actually going to read any of them?" asked the girl with a hint of annoyance, but Luz didn't notice.

Without looking up Luz giggled, "Actually I've read them all very thoroughly. I know it's a little odd, but it's true."

The girl scoffed and grabbed a book before flipping to a random page, "Difference between a Black roper and an Ebon Choker?"

"Roper's are fairly tame and playful, but their cousins the Choker are not. Given the fact both are nearly identical it can be hard to tell the difference, but as a species Choker's have more oval shaped eyes where ropes are perfect circles," recited Luz.

"Marentars third law of magic?"

Luz giggled, "Trick question, Marentar was terrified of the number three, so his laws are one, two, and four. When confronted that his fourth law was his third, he was documented as turning the perpetrators into Handbats as a punishment." Luz absentmindedly pointed to two books in particular, "Chapter five, paragraph two, and chapter eleven, paragraph six."

The girl scoffed again before checking and gasping, "How? Who are you? How did you?"

Luz smiled, "I didn't use to know, but my Mom helped me figure it out. It's a combination of my ADHD and a subconscious spell. My mind is hardwired to focus on multiple things at once in order to retain anything, and… well I can teach you the speed reading spell if you'd like." Luz finally looked up and froze as she saw a pair of beautiful golden eyes. "Hermosa diosa."

The girl tilted her head, "Excuse me? I didn't understand that." The girl snickered, "My name's Amity, and I think I'd like that." Amity was a little shorter than Luz. Thin and lithe with mint green hair with chocolate colored roots, pale luminous skin that seemed to almost glow like the full moon, and in her eyes was a burning hunger, but also a tenderness that seemed hidden away. Luz had known she liked girls, she had been beaten enough over it, but this girl was different. Luz didn't just find her cute, a part of her screamed that Amity was the most beautiful girl she'd ever met, and no part of her was arguing.

With an awkward blush Luz looked away, "Sure. Um, it's not a complicated spell."

Luz absentmindedly ran her hand through her hair to try to clean herself up a bit, but then she heard a gasp, "Wait?! Your ears… your human?" Amity sounded angry, "Are you just screwing with me? Humans can't do magic." Amity spun a pink spell circle that rippled over both of them, and for a moment Luz saw dark circles and a black eye along with light mocha skin appear before Amity's necklace glowed and rehid them.

Without thinking, Luz grabbed ahold of the pendant and pulled Amity closer. It seemed to catch Amity off guard, so she started to fall forward just before the chain snapped, but only the dark cirles and bruise reappeared. Amity looked confused since she hadn't seen any change in Luz's appearance, but that changed when she saw the tan girl poke the air causing a spell circle to appear like a ripple in the air, and suddenly her face wasn't as sore as it was before.

Luz paled, "I'm so sorry. I know that was incredibly rude, but you were hurt and…"

Amity backed up a step as she scowled, "And your point?"

The words just came out before Luz could stop them, "Someone as beautiful as you shouldn't be hurt like that." Luz blushed, "I'm sorry. That was probably creepy coming from a complete stranger. It's ok if you want to scream at or hit me… I'm used to it."

Luz waited, but then she felt a small cold hand move back her bangs, "They're not an illusion, but you just used magic… who are you?"

Luz sighed, "Luz. Luzura Noceda Clawthorne. I was born in the human realm, and I'm still new to the Boiling Ises. My… My mom adopted me a few weeks ago, and according to the healer I talked to… I'm not completely human. She didn't know what kind of demon I am, but ya… I can do magic. My last name was all I had left of my parents, so I kept it as my middle name." Luz sniffled, "Go ahead. I said it's ok. I know I'm a freak, so just get it over with."

Amity sounded even more confused now, "Get what over with?"

Luz gave Amity a pained look, "As I said, go ahead and beat me up or call me names. I'm used to it. Just please… nothing on my face. Mom would get worried if she saw me all roughed up."

Amity looked at Luz for a moment before she hugged her, "Luz… I'm not going to hurt you. Ya, you shouldn't use magic on others without permission, but it's not like you hurt me." Amity whispered, "I know what it's like to be hurt for no good reason too." Amity sighed, "I did it first anyway."

Luz gingerly returned the hug, but once she did, neither seemed to want to let go and they didn't for a minute or two. After they did separate, Luz noticed a slight blush to Amity's cheeks, but she ignored it, and she proceeded to teach Amity the spell. It was surprisingly difficult in Amity's opinion, and that just made her more intrigued with the odd girl, Luz. They talked a little, but mostly they just read until Amity checked her watch, and paled making Luz ask, "What's wrong?"

Amity seemed conflicted, "Luz, I need to go read to the kids… Would you like to come with? I'll understand if you don't-"

Amity was cut off by Luz jumping up with a wide smile on her face, "I'd love to. Lead the way, hermosa."

Amity chuckled. She'd have to ask what those odd words Luz kept using were later, but for now Amity just led Luz to the Kids Corner without noticing that she did so while holding Luz's warm hand. Luz hung back and just watched as Amity read to the kids, and she felt the warmth in her chest grow as she saw the young witchling laugh and chat with the little ones who clearly loved her as much as Luz did. But then she froze. Did she really just think that? She didn't even know Amity that well, but she had to admit… Amity was cute, and… ok, she was crushing, but she couldn't help it. Amity was so cute, sweet, and smart, but that just made Luz realize how silly she was being. Amity was way too good for her, but… at least maybe they could be friends. Suddenly the warmth in her chest started to hurt and she felt like she couldn't breath. Slipping away, Luz started looking through the children's books: Otaban, The Grumpy Werewolf, Jacky the Jackrabbits Jokery, and then she saw something that made her fall to her knees and cry.

Amity finished her reading time with the kids, and cleaned up the few things they had forgotten before looking for her new… Luz, but she didn't see her, and for a moment Amity felt hurt and alone, but just as she always did she pushed the feeling down and locked it away. Of course she left. Why wouldn't she? It's not like Amity was special without her name. Why had she thought the awkward cute girl would stick around? Amity let out a sad sigh and went to return the book she had read to its place, but then she heard faint crying.

Going to investigate, Amity found Luz with her hood up as she clutched a book for dear life. Kneeling down Amity asked, "Luz, why are you crying? What's wrong?"

Luz just trembled before handing Amity the book in question. It was the first Azura book, and Amity smiled as she noticed that this one in particular was her favorite of the copies present, a rare variant. There were only supposed to be a few in existence because each one was hand drawn by the Artist, and Azura's eyes were amber. This was the only book in the series that this particular artist worked on, but Amity didn't know why. She had to admit though, she preferred their style. Amity returned her attention to Luz, "I know Azura might not be the most popular, but I've never seen anyone cry over them. I love them, but I understand that they aren't for everyone."

Luz snorted, "Some people have no taste." Luz had a pained smile, "I love Azura too."

That confused Amity even more, so she asked, "Then why are you crying?"

Luz looked at Amity with puffy eyes, "That's my book. Inside the cover is a handwritten note." Amity checked and noticed faded writing. Para mi preciosa brujita. Nunca dejes que tu Luz se apague y deja que todos los sueños sean mágicos. Amity was surprised she'd never noticed it before, and she saw Luz's name, but she couldn't read the rest. Feeling awkward Amity asked, "I can't really tell what it says. Could you-"

"To my precious little witch. Never let your light fade, and let your dreams be magical. This was the last thing he ever worked on before he died. My papi, my dad, usually drew science fiction, but I always loved fantasy, so he took the job just for me. When those bastardos found out it was rare they took and sold it. I thought his last gift to me was gone forever, but here it is," Luz continued to cry while Amity looked shocked.

Amity studdered, "Y-your father was Manford Chestnutfield?"

Luz snickered, "That was his pen name. His real name was Manuel Noceda. In spansh Noceda can mean chestnut grove."

Amity nodded, "That language you speak sometimes. That's Spanish then?"

Luz nodded and her head drooped, "I miss him. I miss my Mami. Why does everybody leave me? Is it my fault? Am I really that… worthless? I hate being alone."

Amity looked at Luz, and she saw… herself. Not the monster her mother was trying to create, but the little girl she was inside, and before she realized it she was hugging Luz again. Their previous hug had felt right without any awkwardness, but this one felt… better somehow. Amity whispered softly, "I don't know you, and you don't know me, but I'd like it if that changed. I'm not going to promise that I'll never leave, but I will promise if I do, it won't be my choice. I want to get to know you. I don't really have many real friends, but I want you to be one."

Luz pulled Amity closer, "I've never had a friend before, so I'm sorry if I'm a bad one."

Amity just held her close, "I don't think that's possible, but I already forgive you, so don't worry about it." After another minute they broke apart again, and Amity talked about all the things she enjoyed. Then they moved onto some other things Luz enjoyed, and Amity listened more intently than anyone ever had before. When they were each done, they asked questions about things they hadn't heard of before, before they started discussing Azura and magic in general. They felt truly safe and heard for the first time ever, and neither girl wanted it to ever end.

Amity proved an expert at navigating the library, and together they read and continued to get to know each other. Amity was caught off guard when Luz asked about removing curses or obscure demon species, but she did her best to help, and through it all Luz was so kind and understanding. Luz never got mad or demanding. If Amity couldn't help her find an answer, she'd just shrug and move on figuring that they'd deal with it later. Amity was in awe. Nobody had ever just trusted her when she said she didn't know, and they had certainly always degraded her or made her feel weak for having limits, but not Luz. This just made Amity more determined. Luz trusted her, so she had to try harder, but when Luz noticed how hard Amity was trying… she stopped her, "Amity, I appreciate you helping me, but… please, stop. Sure I want answers, but you're more important. I have time to find them, but you… you're irreplaceable."

Amity froze, and she felt her dam breaking, so she grabbed Luz by the wrist and pulled her into a secret room. For a moment, Luz was confused and in awe of the room, but then she heard Amity start to break down. Luz quickly sat down in a chair and pulled Amity into her lap before wrapping the smaller girl in a reassuring embrace. Despite everything else, Amity still felt herself blush at the position, but… it just felt so Titan damn right, and a growing part of her knew it shouldn't. Amity had only known Luz for a few hours, so why did being near her feel so… good? Why did it feel so comfortable? Luz started to gently stroke Amity's head as she sang a quiet song Amity couldn't understand, but it calmed her. Amity cried herself to sleep in her new favorite place.

It wasn't a long nap, but it proved more restful then Amity had ever known before, and if Amity had a choice she would have stayed in Luz's arms longer. Unfortunately her scroll alarm started going off, and that meant she had to go back to her cage. Amity refused to call it home. Home was somewhere you felt safe and loved, and Blight manor wasn't home for her. The library, Hexside, or… Luz's embrace… Those were more a home for her than that cage ever would be. With a sigh, Amity let Luz out of her secret room, and she gave her new friend one last hug. They seperated after that, and Luz moved back toward the entrance to find a thoroughly frustrated Eda looking ready to start swearing. Luz just smiled. Luz wouldn't change her new life for anything, and Amity was proof that it was only getting better each day.

On the way home both Mother and daughter exchanged stories of how their search had gone. Eda hadn't had any luck, and wouldn't get into any specifics beyond 'Belos hides the juicy bits behind those stupid doors' and 'stupid old buzzard is no fun at all'. Eda's mood improved greatly when Luz told her mom about her new friend. Eda blushed when Luz described how they had ended up reassuring each other at different points, but kept her thoughts to herself beyond a smirk and a small comment about young love. This proved a bad decision though as Luz nearly shut down at hearing it, and it seriously worried Eda. By that point they were almost home though, so Luz just walked off looking dejected. Luz was quiet for most of the night after that, but her family just gave her space. Luz knew they were here for her, and she'd talk when she was ready.

The next day Luz was back to normal, but she didn't open up about why she had been so bothered. This trend continued for the next three days, until Eda decided they needed a distraction. Near dawn Eda was about to try to shake Luz awake… but decided making that mistake once was enough. In retrospect, she should have expected to catch a light blast to the chest. Luz had apologized profusely as she put her mom back together, but Eda had just felt proud. It took a lot of power to blow her apart.

Instead, Eda detached her hand and had it skitter and palm Luz's face. Luz tried to roll over, but the hand just moved to the back of her head and massaged her scalp. After a minute Luz sat up and groaned, but in the process Eda saw that Luz's arms were covered in bone-like armor, and when she got up Eda saw that Luz's legs were covered in fur down to the knee before similar armor appeared to cover her shins and feet. Eda stayed quiet and waited for Luz to come back from the bathroom, and when Luz did, Eda noticed it was all gone again, making her ask, "Morning kiddo. So, where'd your demon features go, or did you not notice?"

Luz yawned and flexed her hand making her clawed armor reappear, "Uuuugh, I can pretty much make the armor come and go if I want. At this point I think I'm just using a bit of magic to hide them, but it takes next to nothing to do. I'm still not used to having claws and the ones on my toes make my boots uncomfortable, so I tend to keep them hidden. My magic is also a bit weaker this way, so I'm less likely to hurt someone if I get startled." Luz looked out the window and saw how early it was, "My turn. For the love of the Titan, why are we up? You hate waking up early, I hate waking up early… Am I missing something?"

King grumbled, "Dawn is stupid. Nobody should be awake enough to see it."

Eda chuckled, "Normally I'd agree, but it's mating season for the slugs, and one washed up this morning." King cringed, but Luz was confused. Before she could ask Eda smirked, "Put on something you don't mind getting destroyed, and meet me downstairs in ten you two. We have treasure to hunt." With that Eda ran off, and Luz shrugged.

Luz got on an old t-shirt with ripped off sleeves. It was incredibly faded and barely covered her belly if Luz kept her arms down, but it was light, and Luz honestly wouldn't mind it if it got damaged. For pants, Luz chose some gray gym shorts. She had about fifteen more in various colors, so it wouldn't be a huge loss. Feeling bold, Luz let her demon features be seen, and she couldn't lie… it felt nice. Kind of like taking off an overly tight set of clothes after a long day.

Luz walked out proudly with only the slight clack of her toe claws on the wooden floors preceding her. Eda smiled as she looked Luz over, before throwing Luz's favorite red beanie at her. "Looking good kid. You're always a cutie, but this… this just looks fierce."

Luz struck a pose, "Got to represent that Cawthorne charm, and I did learn from the best, Mom."

Kind jumped off the stairs and landed on Luz's shoulder as he smirked, "Ya, me."

The trio chuckled before Eda handed each of them a breakfast burrito, one of Luz's better ideas, and they headed out. On the way Eda explained that not everything she sold came through her door. A good amount came from Trash Slugs. "Trash slugs are massive beasts that travel all over the Demon realm collecting random stuff as they pass. Meat and fur are easily digested, but plastic, steel, and a majority of human stuff these days are simply indigestible for them. When the tides shift they can end up shot full of salt, and they wash up on the beach. They're goldmines for old usable junk we can clean up and make some snails off of."

As they got close Eda expected Luz to shrink away or have a reaction as the pungent stink hit her nose, but Luz seemed completely unbothered. Noticing her Mom's disappointed look Luz shrugged, "If you were expecting me to cringe you're out of luck. I've had to eat things that smelled worse than this thing before." Luz tilted her head, "Actually, has anyone ever tried that? I could try some French recipes."

Eda turned green, "Titan kid! Please never say that again. To answer your question, yes, but the skin is toxic to consume and the meat tastes like snot no matter how much you cook it. I love you Luz, and as long as I draw breath you will never be that desperate to eat ever again. Am I understood?"

Luz shrugged, "I love you too mom, but I don't think it's a big deal. So I've eaten a bunch of 'questionable' stuff, but I've never gotten sick."

King gave both women a look, "I've eaten literal garbage before, so if Luz's stomach is even half as hardy… I think we'd be fine."

Luz bumped claws with King, "Exactly little bro, and for the record… Some people are really picky about what they throw out. Half eaten bags of doughnuts or sandwiches, it's really wasteful ya know."

Luz shook her head in disappointment and King did the same, making Eda chuckle, "I love you both, and I see your point, but no. Clawdia will beat my tail feathers if she finds out I let you do that kind of thing… again." Eda sighed, "Let's just get to work." Luz gave a mock salute and used a claw to start cutting into the slug. Between Eda's know-how and Luz's inability to feel grossed out, they actually got finished in only a couple hours. Usually King wouldn't participate in trash picking, but Luz managed to make it a game/challenge, and if King had one weakness it was his competitive streak. While Luz managed to remain clean, King ended up covered in… well none of them really wanted to know what it was, but it stank, so Eda went to take home their bounty for deodorizing and to give the little monster a bath. Since they didn't really have anything else to do, Eda suggested Luz go exploring and stretch her legs.

For a moment Luz worried about anyone seeing her in her 'work clothes', but looking into the woods, she couldn't lie, it sounded nice to run free again. When every other place turned on her, her home was taken, she was barred from the library, the less said about Gravesfield high the better… the forest never did. It sheltered her from danger, it gave her peace, and it never held her tears against her. Sure, the trees hid their own dangers, but… they played fair. Everyone played by the same rules. Making her choice, Luz started to walk into the trees.

Between the books her mom had, and her own research at the library, Luz wasn't unaware of the unique dangers present in Boiling Isles woodlands. This place was as magical as its people after all, but the rules remained the same from her precious hideaway. Be aware of territories and predators, she was a visitor in their home. Be aware that beauty is often the most dangerous and toxic. Show no fear, but walk quietly as the other hunters do, and never swim against the current of life.

These things and more were second nature to her at this point, and Luz found herself relaxing quickly as she let her mind empty and her senses open. This was one of the only powers she hadn't tested yet on the Isles. In crowds, opening oneself like this was overstimulating as she could quickly get overwhelmed by all of the noise and conversations around her, but the woods were different. Here she could listen to the music of life or hear a stalking predator approach without disrupting them, or before she is noticed, and feeling the mud beneath her or bark against her claws felt nostalgic, like returning to a childhood home after years being away.

For the next hour, Luz just roomed aimlessly taking it all in, but then she smelled something new and heard voices… one of which she knew. Deciding that explaining her 'appearance' might be a hassle, Luz returned to her fully human look as she snuck closer to the sounds of frustration. Deciding to sit and watch from a tree branch, Luz watched as her new 'friend' Amity tried to help and encourage a cute heavier set girl about their age with some kind of magic using purple goo… Abominations if she remembered correctly. The new girl was slightly shorter than Amity with round glasses and dark green almost black hair. Where most would have seen fat, Luz knew it was toned muscle, and even when wearing a grimace from strained effort Luz couldn't lie, she was very pretty. Luz cursed herself as she wondered if all witches are just attractive by default or if she just had a type.

The new girl spun a green circle and tried to command the goo, but it stubbornly refused, making the girl let out a groan of frustration and sink to her knees. Amity sighed and put her hand on the girl's shoulder, "Willow, I know you can do this. You're so strong and powerful. We just need to find a way for you to channel it into the goo."

Willow shoulders slumped, "I-I don't think I can do it Ami. Maybe your mom was right. Maybe I really am worthless. You might be better off without-"

Amity flicked Willow's forehead, "Don't you dare finish that thought! Will, you're my best friend. Nobody knows me the way you do, and you're the only reason I haven't taken a swan dive into the Boiling Sea. I don't care if you can't do Abomination magic, I never did, but… I'm tired of seeing you get looked down on. You're not half a witch Willow. You're powerful and kinder than a slimeball like me deserves, so please… don't give up. I need you Will."

Willow looked up at Amity with misty eyes and a smirk, "You sure, bestie? From the sounds of it you might have found someone you 'need' even more."

Amity blushed red like a tomato, "Th-that's not fair. I told you about my crush in confidence. You're not supposed to use it against me." Amity sighed, "I wish you could meet her though. Willow, you'd love her, and she's so kind."

Luz's heart did a backflip. Amity liked girls. She had a shot, but then it sank as she remembered that Amity already had a crush… It was too late. Forgetting her position Luz leaned back to try to find some reassurance… and fell out of the tree, loudly. When her vision cleared, Luz was on her back looking up into two pairs of eyes, one radiant gold and the other an enchanting emerald. Luz sighed, "Debo haber muerto y haber ido al cielo porque estoy rodeado de ángeles. (I must have died and gone to Heaven because I'm surrounded by angels.)"

Amity giggled, and Luz thought she'd never heard a sweeter sound before, "Morning Luzura. Want to try that again? You slipped into Spanish. More importantly… you're not hurt, right?"

Luz sighed as she laid back and noticed she'd fallen about forty feet. Well at least that explained why she felt so sore. "I'm fine. You two are just so cute I couldn't help falling for you."

Amity blushed bright red and Willow chuckled, "Real smooth. Nice to meet you Luzura. I'm Willow Park. How long were you up there?"

Luz shrugged, "Not long. I was just exploring while my mom took my little brother home for a bath. Didn't expect to find anyone else out here." A faint mist started to roll in, but none of the girls noticed.

Willow tilted her head, "So Amity has been really tight lipped about you. Are you new to Bonesborough?" The mist started to condense around them.

Luz let out a long breath, "Since your Amity's best friend I'll be honest…" Luz pulled back her hair into a ponytail revealing her ears, "I'm new to a lot of things around here." The mist started faintly glowing blue.

Willow gasped, and started to cough, "Y-y-your a- *cough* *cough* *cough* Ugh, why is my head fuzzy? What's going… on?" Willow and Amity started to waver and pass out forcing Luz to catch them in her arms, but she felt a burning in her nose and throat. Luz tried to fight it, but after another minute she fell to a knee, growling as her head swam and she desperately clung to consciousness.

A large shadow started emerging from the trees, and chuckled, "I came for those two, but… if you can fight against my magic mist for this long, you'll make an outstanding little puppet. Ssssleep. Give in, and make this easy on both of us." Luz fired off a weak light beam at whomever it was, but that proved too much of a strain, and her world faded to black.

It was cold, and Luz could feel stone against her back and under her clawed feet. Luz's head felt like it was full of angry hornets, so she grimaced as she brought a clawed hand up to massage her temples, and she let out a low growl of pain as she did, but stopped when she heard a gasp and a squeak. Luz cracked open her eyes slowly, but thankfully the room wasn't very bright, but she did see a very red faced Blight. Amity and Willow were sitting against the opposite wall, and looking at Luz with an expression she hadn't ever seen before. Suddenly, Luz realized her claws and fur were out and Luz quickly wiped her hand across her left arm, and her demon features seemed to evaporate causing another gasp.

Willow shoved Amity behind her protectively, "What was that? What are you?"

Luz sighed, "Guano, ok. So, remember when I said I wasn't completely human? I don't actually know how human I am. I was raised in the human realm by humans, and both of my parents were human, as far as I know. The only odd feature either had was that my dad had amber eyes like I do, and I don't have any other living relatives that I'm aware of. Didn't even know the things I could do were magic until Eda showed me. She adopted me, and I have a new family now, but… we don't know what I am, and the healer we saw didn't know either. The only clue we've had so far is that King, my little brother, is very similar to me. We think he might be the same type of demon, but Mom found him as a newborn, so he doesn't have any idea either."

The other two blinked at Luz, before Willow asked, "So what you just looked like-"

"Is my real appearance. I'm still getting used to having claws and fur, so I hide them for now while I adjust. I didn't mean to lie to you. I'm sorry. If it's too weird… If you don't want to be around me anymore, I'll understand," sighed Luz looking dejected as she waited to be rejected again.

Instead she just heard Amity scoff, "Why would we not want you around? I'll admit I was surprised, but… I think you look nice." Amity looked away, "Would it be ok… to get a closer look?"

Luz flexed her arm and it changed back to its more demonic appearance, "If you want."

Amity and Willow came over, and nervously took a look until Willow sighed, "I wish it wasn't so dark in here. I'd cast a light spell, but something about this cell is blocking my magic."

Luz tilted her head before poking the air and formed a light orb at her claw tip, "It's a bit less responsive, but mine seems to be working."

Both girls looked at Luz in wonder, "But there wasn't a circle! How?"

Luz giggled, "Not sure, but I don't need one for small spells, and the better I get the less I need them at all."

"Interesting. I've caught a truly unique specimen this time. You'll make wonderful puppets," came a new male voice from beyond the bars.

Now that Luz was paying attention, they were in a smallish stone cell with bars on one side. Best guess it was about ten by ten, but beyond the three of them it was empty and boring. From where Luz was sitting she saw an identical cell across from them, but it was too dark to make out much else. As soon as Luz heard that voice she remembered him as the guy who attacked them, and she pushed the other girls behind her as she growled, "I don't know who you are, but you'd better release us right now, pendejo. I'm not going to let you hurt the others, and my mom is a powerful witch. When she finds out you kidnapped me she'll tear you apart."

A large pale purple octopus-like demon appeared outside with a bulbous head and a collection of muddy orange orbs around its throat like an egg sack. It had it's teeth permanently exposed, and Luz didn't want to judge, but he was kinda smelly. He smirked, "I'm not worried. Nobodies going to find any of you before it's too late. My name is Adagast. Play nice, and I promise to be gentle, my sweets."

Luz let out a snarl much to the other two girls surprise, and the rest of Luz's demonic features reappeared as she took a posture closer to a guard dog, "Back off, and let us go before I tear your throat out."

Adagast chuckled darkly, "This one has spirit… I'm going to enjoy tearing out your insides to make a new toy, but first… you need to relax." More blue mist started to fill the cell much to their horror. They tried to fight it off, but without anything to use and without their magic, they all soon passed out again.

When next they awoke Amity and Willow were in separate barely large enough cages. As they looked around they saw that they were in some kind of underground room with a few bookshelves and a metal table at its center… which Luz was strapped to. Adagast was nearby and fiddling with some sharp implements while one of his tentacles continued to spin a circle and maintain a sphere of blue mist around Luz's head to keep her unconscious. Each girl tried to spin a circle, but abomination magic just seemed to flicker, and Amity groaned, "Damn, I can feel my magic, but… oh no. I know what these are now. My mom bought one of these to test for possible abomination improvement. Their anti-aggression cages. Unlike the dampening spells that were on that storage cell, these only block offensive magic. Abominations are completely useless while we're in here. Along with beast keeping, construction, and Oracle spirits. I'm sorry Willow… I'm useless."

Adagast turned and they heard him begin to mutter to himself, "Yes. Yes. You will make an outstanding tool. I can see it now. Once people see my mastery they'll be forced to recognize me as the second coming of my ancestor Geppetto. Who cares if I can't bring my puppets to life or give them a soul. Once they see how powerful my puppets are they'll have to respect me, and these four will be my magnum opus. I'll take that pretender Venwerth's seat and live in the lap of luxury. All of those liers will see the truth. I'm not mad… I'm a visionary." Both girls watched as Adagast pulled out a potion, a knife, and began to laugh insanely.

For a moment Willow's heart dropped, but then she saw a Palm bloom on one of the shelves. Giving it a try, Willow reached out to it with her plant magic and it began to grow. Carefully Willow coxed a vine toward a key that was sitting on a stand by the operating table. Hoping she was right, Willow had it brought toward Amity's cage, and Amity quickly used it to free herself. With that done, Amity handed the key back to the vines as she prepared spell circles to hold off the psycho that was holding them hostage. Unfortunately Willow wasn't as quiet as she tried to unlock her own cage, since the sight of the demon preparing to cut into her new friend was making her shake, and Adagast noticed them trying to escape.

Adagast grumbled, "None of that. I know you're excited to become art, but you must wait… your… turn." Adagast tried to hit them with more knockout mist, but Amity's eyes glowed pink as she commanded her abomination to attack, disrupting his focus. Now that they could fight back, that tactic clearly wasn't going to work. Adagast released a screech as he used a tentacle to slash through Amity's first golem, but by then Amity had conjured two more.

Taking a moment to focus, Willow stopped her shaking and opened her cage before letting her eyes glow green with rage and raking Adagasts back with the cactus's vines. Between both girls they managed to fully claim Adagast's attention. They couldn't beat him on their own, but they did enough as the mist slowly faded from around Luz's head.

The fight continued for a couple minutes and the duo were starting to get tired, but then they heard a roar and the screeching of bending iron. As they all turned, they saw a clearly enraged Luz in all of her previous demonic presence as she yelled, "I'm done playing games. You spat on my mercy…" Luz reached up and donned her mask, "Time to show you what a real demon can do." Luz's eyes lit up like shining violet pools of power and her claws did the saw. She seemed to disappear and reappear as she dashed and clawed at Adagast like a feral beast. The other two took a step back from the power and ferocity on display as they watched the stunning creature before them tear off Adagast's tentacles one by one with him unable to fight back in any way until all that was left was a tiny pathetic shadow of the demon he used to be… and then the jaw of the skull popped open as it two disappeared into Luz's glowing maw.

The other two just continued to watch in awe as Luz let out another loud roar before she started to pant and hold her head as she stumbled back until she hit a wall. Both girls gasped in worry and shouted, "LUZ!"

They started to rush over toward her, but Luz held up a clawed hand, "No! It's not safe. Stay back! I'm not in control yet!" Both girls watched in worry as Luz struggled to contain herself, but slowly the glow faded from her eyes and claws, but the mask remained, and they saw Luz slowly calm even if the skull-like face continued to pant ever slower. Luz slowly raised her head, "Ok, it should be safe now. I'm sorry you had to see that. My mask seems to magnify my magic and strength, but it's still hard for me to control. I'm getting better though. At least now I can think while I use it."

Amity and Willow approached, and soon all three were sitting shoulder to shoulder until Amity carefully cupped the skull's cheek with her hand, "Any more secrets you're keeping?"

Luz tilted her head, "I don't think so… According to my Aunt, the healer, I might eventually develop wings, but we're not sure. Honestly, I have no idea what I am, and the only practical magic I know is what I've been able to figure out using light." Luz held up her claw as a glow formed around her claw giving it a sharper appearance. "I only bring out my mask when I'm stressed or in danger, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about it yet."

Willow chuckled, "Sure, I think I'd prefer keeping how cute you really are to ourselves. Otherwise we might have to share." Willow snuggled up to Luz's one side.

Amity turned red as she stammered, "Y-ya. You're our fluffy demon now." Amity snuggled into Luz's other side.

Luz's skull mask suddenly shattered revealing Luz's blushing face, and Willow sighed, "This face is pretty hot too though." Luz overheated making both girls smile and giggle a bit. "Ami, I know you saw her first, but… could I convince you to share every now and then?"

Amity sighed, "If it were anybody else I'd say no and get angry… but I'll think about it, Will, but you owe me."

Willow smirked and kissed her nose, "We can stay open… even with a third. There will just be more benefits to go around."

Amity blushed, "Don't say things like that! We aren't together, or in an open relationship, and there are certainly no benefits being shared."

Willow smirked, "I don't know about that last one. I'd say the fact that we can be this open and honest is definitely a benefit. If I didn't know it wouldn't work I'd have asked you out a while ago."

Amity shrugged, "And I'd probably accept, but you're right… it wouldn't work. As long as my mom is around to try and control me anyway."

Willow sighed, "Still hate her."

Amity chuckled, "Me too."

Willow laid back, "I think it's time I accept that… I'm not an Abominations witch, and that's never going to change, but you know what… I don't care. I'm an amazing plant witch. So what if Obitchla doesn't respect me? I'll just get so strong that I'll become the new plant coven head. She won't be able to push us apart once we're both heads."

Amity smiled, "Sounds like a plan. I wonder if that creep has any tomes I can sell to Malphas for the emergency elope pool?"

Willow smirked, "I wonder if Luz would be willing to be a part of a triad, because seriously, if you change your mind… dibs. One thousand times dibs. Did you see that power and speed? Ugh, and her fur is so soft and warm. I hate being a stereotype, but girls going to make me go full succubi if she doesn't stop being so sweet."

Amity smiled, "Nobody sweeter. I just hope she's happy. That's really all I care about. Can I trust you to not get too thirsty while I look around?"

Willow pouted, "Of course. I might be a little parched, but I'd never hurt anyone like that. Go ahead." Willow held out the key, "Take this too… just in case we weren't his only intended victims." Amity nodded and walked away. Once she was gone Willow sighed and moved a strand of hair out of Luz's face, "I don't know which of you I'm more jealous of." Willow heard Luz whisper, "Amity…" and she sighed, "Titan, you're going to be such a power couple." Willow sighed, "I'm giving up on you yet. We'd be unstoppable as a throuple."

Elsewhere Amity was checking cells, and thankfully most of them were empty… except for one. In it was a trembling dark skinned girl with mauve-gray hair and a Hexside uniform with red sleeves. Amity gasped, and immediately rushed to check on her as she begged, "Skara! Oh please Titan, please be ok." Thankfully she just appeared to be unconscious, but Amity wasn't taking chances. With a quick circle, Amity created a sled and golem to help bring her back to the main room with the other girls. By the time she got back Willow was looking at a few books with Luz making Amity smirk, "Find anything good?"

Willow sighed, "Maybe, but I think most of this is 'forbidden knowledge'. Come on junior librarian we need you to che-" Willow stopped dead as she noticed the girl being pulled behind Amity, "Titans crack! Is that Skara?"

Amity sighed, "Yup. She seems like the only other person here." Amity grimaced, "I found his 'store room' though. After we're done clearing out any useful stuff, I'm calling Ms. Lilith to collect them for cremation. They deserve to be put to rest."

Luz gasped, "Ok, so I'm keeping this one." Luz held up a book, "My mom was looking for a copy at the library when we met Mity, but the only other copy is in the stacks apparently. I promise to turn it over when we're done, but until then… can you just look the other way?"

Both of the other girls paled at the book Luz was holding, Divinium Directum, the divine directory. Every devout Titanist was aware of it since it was supposedly the most heretical tome in existence, and said to be the only tome in existence to have a full accounting of the myths surrounding their most holy god. Seeing the looks on her new friends' faces, Luz tilted her head, "What? It's just a book."

Breakdown: Hey all, I'm feeling Divine, so divine you shall receive. So after the Owl Beast incident Eda is left with questions, and they have a nice talk. Luz's reading spell is how I explain the fact I can keep 20+ storylines straight in my head, ADHD is both a blessing and a curse. Anybody else curious why Amity's skin was mocha for a moment? Just keep it in the back of you head for now.

I'm really proud of the book scene, and it makes sense. Rare books might be a niche market, but that doesn't mean it's not lucrative.

I love how ghoulish and demented I made this version of Adagast. Also raging beast Luz is understandably attractive on the Isles. They have different beauty standards. Also ya, Amity and Willow are both aware and open about how they feel about each other when they're alone, but are mature enough to know how to keep it to themselves… at least until they can get away. To be honest, this is probably the truest depiction of the isles i"ve ever done in terms or relationships. No stigma, or weirdness, just honesty and normalcy. Homophobia and stuff like that are foreign concepts after all. Anyway, that's it for now. Shine on beautiful readers, shine on.