Steel Heart Rebellion!

by WildImaginator21

Amphibia and the Boiling Isles are two great kingdoms that have been at war with each other for a thousand years, using their great battle mech, the Machina Frame. When the war came to a stalemate, four girls will change the tide and bring the conflict to an end

The sun shone high above the evening sky, casting a warm glow on the forest and rocky terrain. Small critters such as rabbits, squirrels, and chipmunks scurry across the forest floor, their playful chirps filling the air. It was a scene of tranquility... until a colossal metal foot crashed down, shattering the peace. The critters, sensing the imminent danger, flee in a panic. The owner of this behemoth, a humanoid 15-18 meters tall mech known as a Mobile Frame, has arrived.

Its color scheme is dark gunmetal gray with white edging, giving it a sleek and formidable appearance. It has broad shoulders with '01' etched on its right. The top of the head was round like a soldier's helmet, with a green visor and black faceplate. Within the mech's cockpit lies a young pilot with a femme body wearing a white suit, light gray armor padding the chest, shoulders, elbows, and armored boots below the knees. She has short brown hair in a pixie cut, golden-brown eyes, and light tan skin. This is Luz Noceda.

Luz Noceda, a fourteen-year-old girl, lives in the quaint town of Gravesfield, Connecticut. This town, with a historical background dating back to the sixteen hundreds, holds secrets and stories that have yet to be fully uncovered. But that's a tale for another time.

Luz pressed a few buttons on the control console before her, doing a final systems check on her mech.

"Controls? Check. Stabilizers? Check. Ammo? Check. Alright, I'm as ready as I'll ever be," Luz declared, her voice firm with resolve. She took a deep breath, steadying her nerves. 'This is it, Luz. You've trained for this. You can do it,' she reassured herself, her voice now filled with unwavering determination. Luz pressed a button on the right side of her cockpit, contacting others through a comm link.

"Luz to Masha, what's your current position over?"

{Uh-uh Luz, we're supposed to be using code names, remember?} Said a femme voice.

"Oh, right. Sorry, forgot, hehe," Luz chuckled, embarrassed.

---

Hiding on top of a rocky hill, lying on its belly area, is a second Mobile frame similar to Luz's, only with the number "02" etched on its shoulder and holding an oversized sniper rifle weapon. Inside the cockpit was what looked like a young teenager a year older than Luz, wearing a pilot with a tan skin complexion and chin-length black hair in a bob cut. This is Masha; their pronouns are They/Them.

"You know how often the teacher has told you to use code names when in combat?" Masha asked in a teasing tone.

{About four, maybe?}

"Nope! Seventeen," Masha reminded.

{Heh-heh…Sorry again.}

"Do we need to put a sticky note in your cockpit every time we sortie?" Masha teased as they finished their systems check.

{Hardy-har-har, very funny, Masha.}

"I know. All right, before this gets started, let's do a position check. Zero-Three, you there?"

---

Deep in the forest, a third mech was crouched low, with the number "03" etched onto the right shoulder. In both hands, it held a large assault rifle with two extra clips attached to the hips of the mech. The third member of the group was a short, redheaded girl with freckles and glasses. Her name was Angie.

"Zero-Three here, bored as usual," Angie complained. " Ugh, when is the fighting going to start!?"

{Trigger finger itching that bad, huh?} Masha asked.

"Considering who we're up against, yeah, definitely itching. But if I can make it up close and personal, then all the better." Angie tapped her chin and asked, "Think I can talk to the maintenance crew into outfitting my Moblie Frame with spiked gauntlets?"

{Oooh! That would be so cool! Would they be able to launch like a Rocket Punch?} Luz asked.

"Uh, duh, obvi. That way, I nail the suckers from a distance or if they try to run away. Heh-heh."

{You always did like close-quarters combat, Angie.} Stated Masha. {But weapons like that don't exist yet. Sorry.}

"UGH! Well, that sucks!"

{On that lovely note, Zero-Four, what's your position?} Masha asked. A couple of moments passed, but there was no response. {Zero-Four? …Zero-Four, come in. Callum, are you even listening right now, dude?!}

"He probably spaced out again." Angie surmised.

{Callum, come in. Masha's calling you,} Luz called out.

---

At the cliffside cave, another Mobile Frame stood ready. Its shoulder had the number "04" etched on it, and it wielded a handgun in its right hand while a large combat knife was attached to the left side of the mech's hip. Inside the mech's cockpit was a boy with dark skin and long black hair that covered his eyes. He could see through his long bangs despite what most people would think. The boy's name was Callum, and he was currently staring off into space as he vibed to his music. Just then, his monitor had a window pop up, showing Masha with a really ticked-off expression.

{CALLUM! I SWEAR IF YOU DON'T ANSWER RIGHT THIS SECOND I'M GONNA-}

Callum tilted his head when he saw Masha's face on the screen. He couldn't hear her, but he did notice her expression. The teen boy removed his earbuds and waved to his friend.

"Hey, Mash, what's up?" Callum asked.

{Oh, don't you "Hey Mash" me! I've been calling you for a position check! What were you doing?!} Masha demanded.

"Just listening to music, nothing special."

Masha slapped their face and dragged their hand down as they groaned with great annoyance. Just then, two more windows popped up, showing Angie and Luz.

{Listening to music again, eh?} Angie asked.

"Yep."

{Anything good?} Luz asked.

"Oh, dude, you have to listen to this! One sec, I'll play it–"

{CALLUM! WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A COMBAT SITUATION! REMEMBER?!}

Callum stopped momentarily as if a light bulb had just turned on in his head. "Oh, yeah. Whoa, totally spaced Mash. My bad. That would've been bad if they attacked."

Everyone just groaned and facepalmed.

{Callum…just…just give me your position, please.}

Callum shrunk the windows and looked around before answering, "Uh, at the cliffside by a random cave. Hey, think I could go exploring inside? Wonder how deep it goes?"

Masha's window grew to the point of filling one whole monitor as they snapped their fingers. {Hey! Focus on the task at hand! The enemy's going to attack any second!}

*BEEP!*

*BEEP!*

*BEEP!*

{What was that?! Why am I hearing beeping on your end?!} Masha inquired frantically.

Callum just shrugged and said, "I don't know?"

[Warning: Proximity Alert! Warning: Proximity Alert!]

"Oh, right, that's the warning sound; guess that means–"

Suddenly, a streak of red-hot ordinance pierced through the cockpit of Callum's mech, leaving a wide hole in its chest just before the machine, and Callum went up in a large explosion. Reducing the mech to a smoldering pile of twisted metal.

---

"CALLUM! YOU THERE!? CALLUM!" Angie cried out.

{I lost his signal! I think…I think they got him!} Luz exclaimed.

{Dammit, Callum!} Masha cursed. {Alright, ladies, it's showtime!}

Angie gripped the control sticks as she furrowed her brow. "I'll get that SOB for you, Cal!"

[Warning: Proximity Alert!]

"Already?!" Angie shouted.

Several rounds were fired in Angie's direction. Thinking quickly, Angie had her mech jet forward as she fired the thrusters. Thankfully, she narrowly missed getting riddled with bullets as they tore through the trees behind her. Angie stopped for a moment, pointed her gun in the direction of the enemy fire, and began shooting in that direction, showering that area with bullets. Her barrage managed to make the enemy Mobile Frame bug out as it broke through its cover and began using its thrusters to dash forward.

"Oh, like hell you're getting away!" Angie declared.

She gave chase, shooting at the retreating mech. Unfortunately, the enemy was nimble, dodging her shots by either using the trees or feinting before going in another direction.

"Hold still you – ugh!" Just then, they entered a clearing, and Angie smirked. "Gotcha now!"

Angie lined up the sights on her monitor as the enemy mech kept going. She was about to pull the trigger, but that's when her alarms went off for a second time. A second mech burst from the tree line, moving quickly towards her. Angie hurriedly turned to her left to shoot, but before she could, the enemy mech she was chasing had turned around and shot the rifle she was using and made it explode.

"CRAP!"

Out of desperation, Angie had her Mobile Frame cock back its right fist and punched forward. It was futile as the mech she sought to punch weaved around her. Drawing its combat knife, the enemy mech drove the blade at an upward angle, piercing through the side of the Mobile Frame and into the cockpit. When the enemy mech withdrew its knife, Angie's mech went limp and hit the ground, with oil dripping off the enemy's knife.

---

"ANGIE YOU THERE!? ANSWER ME! COME ON, BIG GIRL, DON'T TELL ME YOU GOT TAKEN OUT TOO!?"

{Masha, what's going on?! How did they find out where we were so quickly?!} Luz asked.

"UGH! I don't know; it doesn't make sense! Whatever, I'll find 'em," Masha swore.

{Masha, let me be a decoy! I can draw them out, and you can hit them!} Luz suggested.

Masha contemplated Luz's plan. While it sounded good in theory, it was also very obvious. And if the enemy had a sniper, they would quickly find their position, leaving Luz to deal with at least two enemy mechs and fend for herself. At least until they could find another good sniping position.

'Something isn't right; there's no way they could've figured out our positions so fast. I smell a rat here,' Masha thought.

"I don't like it, but I guess we'll go with your plan for now, get–!"

[Warning: Proximity Alert!]

"NO WAY!" Masha yelled.

Their mech turned its head around, and as they feared, two enemy mechs were now behind them.

"Luz, you hear me?"

{Yeah! What was that?! Don't tell me–!}

"Sorry…"

The two enemy mechs opened fire, pelting Masha's mech with bullets as it was sent tumbling backward off the hill, where it exploded a moment later.

---

Luz watched as her monitor showed all three of her teammates' signals were lost.

"Callum…Angie…Masha…"

[Warning: Proximity Alert!]

Another enemy mech approached Luz, coming up from behind her slowly as it aimed its rifle at her. Luz could guess as to what the enemy was thinking right now. She was alone, so there was no need to keep hiding. That was probably what they were thinking. Something was wrong with all of this, but Luz knew one thing for sure…

(Cue-Gundam Witch From Mercury theme)

"I'M NOT GOING DOWN WITHOUT A FIGHT!"

The enemy mech began opening fire on Luz. But Luz used her thrusters to spin out of the way as she tossed the rifle right at the enemy mech instead of shooting. The enemy, in a panic, opened fire and blew up the gun, causing a cloud of smoke to expand between them. The enemy mech didn't have time to think about its next move as Luz's Mobile Frame dashed through the smoke and flames and shoulder tackled the enemy mech into its chest. The blow sent the machine flying onto its back with a mighty thud, kicking up dust and dirt into the air.

Before the enemy mech could get up, Luz stamped her mech's foot on the enemy mech's right arm at the joint, breaking the Mobile Frame's arm. The enemy mech rolled away and was going to switch to its handgun, but that's when the broken half of the mech's arm came flying right at it. The arm smashed into the enemy mech's head, breaking the machine's visor and camera system, basically blinding the pilot inside. While it was staggering, Luz used the stolen rifle from the enemy mech and unloaded a barrage of bullets onto it. The enemy mech was riddled with bullet holes before exploding, creating a smoldering crater of fire.

'That's one!'

A barrage of bullets sailed towards Luz, but she was quicker. She dashed forward, jetting through the trees as her thrusters blazed. The sound of gunfire and trees snapping and breaking echoed in the air as Luz continued evading the gunfire. Her alarm systems went off again, telling her an enemy was coming up ahead. Luz smirked as an idea formed in her head. She holstered the rifle she took onto her back and increased the mech's speed. As the enemy came into view, Luz feinted to the left before spinning around and moving to the right. The quick movement caught the second enemy mech off guard, but before it could correct itself, Luz drew the combat knife from her Mobile Frame's sheath and slashed upwards. A streak of light was left in the wake of the gleaming blade as it cleaved through the opposing mech's left arm. But she wasn't done yet.

Luz performed her same spin move and came down with another slash, cutting the left arm off. The third mech had just broken through the tree line, but she was ready. Luz got behind the enemy mech, grabbed it, and dashed forward. The third enemy mech hesitated for a moment, obviously not expecting Luz to use its comrade as a shield. But the hesitation only lasted a few seconds before the third enemy mech opened fire. The second enemy mech's head shook back and forth as if saying, "Wait, stop! Don't do it!" But their pleas fell on deaf ears as it was riddled with bullet holes. The third enemy mech continued to shoot until it emptied the clip, forcing it to reload.

'Now!' Luz thought.

Luz's Mobile Frame tossed the other away as she threw her knife right at the machine. Like the first enemy mech, she aimed for the head, piercing it clean through, and took out the primary camera. She cocked back her right fist and drove it straight into the "stomach" area of the mech, making it rise a foot off the ground from the impact.

"That's for Angie!"

Luz ripped out the knife from the third enemy mech's head and, keeping up with her stealing routine, grabbed ahold of the other mech's knife and wrenched it free from the sheath. Now dual-wielding, Luz began carving up the mech, slicing off its arms and legs. Each strike left behind a streak of white as the sunlight caught on the blade and the green glow of her Mobile Frame's visor. Finally, the third enemy mech was reduced to a torso, with its head, arms, and legs gone. Luz twirled the blades around in the mech's hands before putting them in a reverse grip and bringing both down, skewering the cockpit from two different angles. At that moment, the mech she used as a shield exploded as she stood up, now cast in shadows as the flames raged behind it while its visor glowed.

(BGM-End)

"Alright, that's three! Now, only one more–!"

The sound of a rifle firing echoed through the forest as Luz's Mobile Frame's right leg was blown off. She quickly fired her thrusters to regain balance, but the second leg was shot off, throwing the mech's balance completely off and forcing the mech to crash to the ground face-first. Luz wasn't about to give up as she tried to push up with her Mobile Frame's arms, but she was forced back to the ground as something pinned her against the ground. She turned the Mobile Frame's head around and gasped as she saw the fourth and final enemy mech. It had a sniper rifle in its right hand, indicating that it had shot her from a long distance. Now that she was pinned, the fourth enemy mech tossed its rifle away, no longer needing it.

Luz could only hear her heart pounding as she watched the fourth mech draw out its sidearm. Everything happened in slow motion. The gun's aiming and the trigger's slow pulling, although, at this point, Luz wasn't sure if that was something her enemy was deliberately doing or if it was just the adrenaline pumping through her and making her perceive everything like that. Either way, this moment was happening at an agonizing snail's pace. However, she didn't have to wait long as the enemy fully pulled the trigger. Eight shots echoed through the woods…

[Combat Simulation: Failed.]

---

{DANG IT! WE LOST AGAIN! ARRGGGHHHH!} Angie roared.

Luz, Angie, Callum, and Masha were gathered in a vast room. Inside the room were eight pod-like machines. The pods' interior was made to replicate the exact control panels of a Mobile Frame combat unit, for this was a training simulation area. All aspiring pilots were required to pass this final exam at Gravesfield High by pitting students in a four-versus-four match-up in the simulator. Unfortunately, Luz's team had lost their mock battle for the umpteenth time.

"We were so clooooosssssse," Luz whined.

{I know. And Luz, that was so badass of you! You took down three of them! And how you used that a-hole as a human shield.} Angie made a chef's kiss motion. {So good! You punched that third guy for me, didn't you?}

Luz blushed at the statement as she rubbed the back of her head bashfully. "Heh, yeah, I did do that."

{Shame Lance got you at the last second.} Said Callum.

{Yeah…Real shame,} Masha commented as they furrowed their brow.

{Luz Noceda. Masha Granweed. Angelies Thompson. Callum Gray. Please exit your training pods.}

"Ah, man," Luz complained.

All eight pods opened, sliding backward to allow their young pilots to dismount. As they did, Luz's team watched as Lance and his rugby teammates were whooping it up and high-fiving each other for their little victory. However, Lance looked less than pleased despite their victory.

"What the hell are you guys getting all happy about?!" Lance berated.

"W-What? Dude, we won," one of his teammates retorted.

"No, I won!" Lance began pointing to each of his teammates in turn. "You got beaten in the face with your own arm! You got used as a freakin' shield! And you?! You got carved up like an effing Thanksgiving turkey! I mean, what kind of pathetic crap was that!? There were three of you! THREE! And you still got your asses handed to you like that?!"

"HEY! LEAVE THEM ALONE!"

Lance turned around and saw that it was Luz who shouted at him. Despite her team's loss, Luz wasn't a sore loser, and seeing Lance berate his team like that, even though they won, just didn't feel right.

"You won; you should be happy. And yet you're yelling at your own team! I feel sorry for whatever unit you get placed in if this is how you treat your guys. I mean, what if that was real?! Are you going to blame them for dying?!" Luz argued.

"But out Noceda! This is none of your business!"

"Doesn't mean what I'm saying isn't the truth! Is that really how you would've acted if they died for real? Just blame them like that?! At least they're alive!" Luz shouted.

"Tch, look who's acting all high and mighty just because she took down three guys on her own. Probably think you're some kind of 'ace pilot' from one of those weeb Japanese shows you love so much after that, right?" Lance asked mockingly.

"ALRIGHT! THAT'S ENOUGH BOTH YOU!" The cadets immediately stood at attention as one of the instructors walked into the room and gave them a steely-eyed glance. "Ms. Noceda has a valid point, Lance."

"What?! Uh, excuse me, sir?" Lance corrected.

"On the battlefield, situations will arise. Even if you think you have the advantage, nothing is assured, even with numbers or superior firepower. Sometimes, it only takes one soldier, one moment, to turn the tide of battle. And when that happens, it can either mean victory or defeat, depending on how you use it. In Ms. Noceda's case, she made use of your hubris. You and your team thought you had her outnumbered, which made you overconfident. And her…shall we say…outside the box, tactics threw you off your game. As she said, be thankful you came back alive at all. It would've been a really lonely walk back to your base if that was real. And you'd be stuck explaining why three of your comrades won't be coming back home."

Luz smiled when she heard the praise coming from the instructor. But that smile immediately evaporated when he turned that steely gaze onto her.

"Now, with that being said. You, Ms. Noceda, did not maintain your situational awareness. You got so wrapped up in your flashy tactics that you failed to take evasive action. All you needed to do was stab your opponent once through the cockpit, and that was it. But you took your time with it. If you need to do such antics, save it when you know you're facing your last opponent," he scolded. "Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir…" Luz looked down, ashamed for getting carried away.

"Ms. Thompson," Angie stiffened at the mention of her name. "You still need to work on that temper. I won't say I don't feel anything when a teammate dies in battle, but there is a time and place for anger. You must keep a cool head as much as possible, or you'll end up joining your teammates in death," the Instructor explained.

"...Understood, Sir," Angie acknowledged.

"And Callum…" the Instructor ran his right hand down his face as he groaned. "Oooh, Callum…"

"Sir?"

The instructor looked as if he wanted to say more, but he felt that whatever he said would go through one ear and out the other with him. So, he decided to keep it simple and spare himself the headache of a long explanation.

"Please, for the love of God, pay attention," the instructor stressed.

"Okay..?"

The instructor groaned, hoping that Callum would not pass. Not that he would ever wish for a student to fail, but given what they were training for, he prayed for it as he did not want to go to Callum's funeral.

"Masha, your leadership skills need some improvement, but you're on your way."

"Thank you, Sir," Masha replied.

"That being said. Mr. Jackson's team has passed the final exam. Ms. Granweed's team has failed…again." The instructor noted their disappointed faces and added, "As stated, you are improving. Keep at it. Think of it this way: failing here allows you to try again. Failing on the battlefield will cost you your life. Use this as an opportunity to keep improving."

"YES, SIR!" Luz, Masha, Angie, and Callum responded as they saluted.

"Alright. Dismissed."

All eight cadets saluted the instructor once more before taking their leave. As they filed down the hallway towards the main building, Lance felt the need to dig into Luz.

"You're never gonna be like your dad, you know," Lance called out.

The world ground to a halt as Luz heard Lance invoke her father's name. Masha, Angie, and Callum watched as the young Hispanic girl stood motionless, her head tilting down as her hands balled into fists.

"Oye, what did you just say?" Luz asked in a threatening tone.

Masha, Angie, Callum, and Lance's team slowly stepped back away from Luz and Lance, knowing that this was going to get messy.

"You heard me, Noceda," Lance continued. "You're never gonna be like your dad. Sure, he was part of one of the best units in that state, but that doesn't mean squat if he ended up dying in the most pathetic way possible! hahaha hahaha!"

"¡Cómo te atreves! (How dare you!)" Luz rounded on Lance as she faced him as she slowly approached him and began shouting, "You're not even half the man he was! Scratch that: you can't even begin to measure up to him! He gave his life to protect hundreds of thousands of people! Not to mention his own squad! And yet, you stand there and call him pathetic?! Do you have what it takes to lay your life on the line for your teammates?! For innocent people?!"

Lance's response was lacking, even more so when Luz was practically a foot away from him.

"I didn't think so! Like I said, I feel sorry for whatever unit gets saddled with someone like you! ¡Eres una vergüenza para todos los pilotos de Mobile Frame! (You're a disgrace to all Mobile Frame pilots!)" Luz added.

Masha, Angie, and Callum smirked as they watched Lance seem to be taken aback by Luz's harsh words. But just as quickly, the tall boy glared at the tall teenage girl.

"Tch, you spout all that. But you're just a failure, Noceda! No matter what you do, no matter how hard you train, no matter what, you'll never be a decent pilot, and I'm being generous with decent!" Lance argued.

Luz growled, turned around, and began walking back to her teammates. However, what Lance said next escalated the situation.

"Freakin' wetbacks like you and your dead dad shouldn't even be pilots in the first place. Considering how freaky and weird you are, I can only imagine he was, too. Hell, I'm sure his squad was doing the 'happy dance' when they saw those fireworks go off!"

After hearing that statement, Angie, Callum, Masha, and even Lance's teammates went wide-eyed. His teammates may not have liked Luz, but Lance's words were way over the line. And as it seemed, that was the line in the sand for Luz. The young Hispanic girl whirled around and ran straight for Lance, shoulder-tackling him right in his gut in the same manner as she did in the simulator. Lance went down like a ton of bricks, hitting the floor hard, but managed to avoid having his head hit the floor. He was about to get up, but Luz plopped herself onto his stomach, knocking the wind out of him a little. The Latina raised her right fist and struck Lance in the face, and then she raised her left fist and punched him again.

Lance's teammates, along with Masha, Angie, and Callum, winced with each hit that Luz delivered to the jerk's face. And yet, none of them felt compelled to stop her.

---

"This is the seventh time this month that your daughter has beaten up another student!"

After beating some "sense" in Lance, Luz was sent to Principal Hal's office wearing her casual clothes: a white and purple cat hoodie underneath a black leather jacket, jeans shorts over dark gray Capri stockings, and white loafers with a few bruises and bandaids here there, courtesy of Lance. But she wasn't alone. Standing next to the principal was Luz's mother, Camila Noceda, a grown Hispanic woman in her early forties with short brown hair in a bun, the same skin tone as her daughters, and a vet uniform. After getting a call from the principal, Camila had to leave the Animal Hospital early to check on her daughter again.

"You're lucky his parents are only demanding suspension, or this conversation would go somewhere else entirely!" Warned Principal Hal.

Camila turned to her daughter and asked, "Mija, what do you have to say to yourself?"

"Well, to be clear, I didn't beat up a student; I beat up Lance." Luz retorted.

"Mija!" Camila scolded.

"Mama, if you heard what he said about Dad, you would be pissed at him too!" Luz retorted.

"Maybe," Camila admitted. "But, I wouldn't beat him up for it."

"Even if he said, and I quote, "Freakin' wetbacks like you and your dead dad shouldn't even be pilots in the first place. Considering how freaky and weird you are, I can only imagine he was, too. Hell, I'm sure his squad was doing the 'happy dance' when they saw those fireworks go off!'" Luz asked as she crossed her arms.

"Excuse me?!" Camila gasped.

"I'm not the only one who heard it. Ask my squad or Lance's, and they'll prove it."

Principal Hal seemed as shocked as Camila was that she was conveniently omitted from the incident report. However, that did not stave off the anger in Camila's voice as she rounded on the school principal with fury in her eyes.

"Hal! That is inexcusable! I won't say that hurting people is right, but he had no right to speak about my husband, her father, that way!" Camila shouted as she slammed a palm on the desk.

"I agree. I'll make sure to have a nice long talk with Lance at the end of school. Latrine duty may be involved for an as of yet undetermined length of time. However, this isn't the only reason she's in here." Said Principal Hal.

"It isn't?" Luz asked.

"It isn't?" Camila parroted.

Principal Hal rested his elbows on his desk and intertwined his fingers as he gave Luz a scolding glance that ran shivers down her spine.

"Your teacher notified me about your book report today, and well…"

"AAAAAaaaahhhhh!"

The principal was interrupted by a scream outside his office. Luz and Camila turned toward the office door and saw students running past it, screaming with snakes biting on their heads, snakes that Luz brought. Thankfully, none of them were poisonous…she hoped.

"Oh, so that's where the backup snakes went." Luz winced as she rubbed the back of her head nervously.

"Then there was the issue of this." Hal reached under his desk and plopped a large firework rocket with two smaller fireworks tied to it onto it.

"What were you gonna do with this?" Camila questioned, surprised.

"That was for the act three closer," Luz admitted, ashamed.

Camila sighed as she stood before her daughter and got down on one knee to get at eye level with her. "Mija, you know I'm not one to stifle your creativity. I love it, I do. But this…this is a lot."

"Y-Yeah…I know…I just…I just thought…Never mind…I wasn't thinking," said Luz in a defeated tone.

"Mrs. Noceda, I don't want to say this, but with Luz's rash of disciplinary actions and these…let's say, 'over-the-top' performances for her classes, I'm teetering on the edge of removing her from the pilot training program," Hal informed.

"WHAT?!" Luz exclaimed. "Principal Hal, no, please! You can't! I've wanted to be a Mobile Frame pilot like my Papá ever since he…" Luz stopped herself from going any further than that.

Camila turned to face Principal Hal and asked, "Please, is there anything she can do? Extra credit? Anything?"

"Well…I could send her to this summer camp I've heard about." Principal Hal reached inside his desk again and handed Camila a pamphlet.

Camila looked at the pamphlet in her hands before she gave it to Luz. It was for a summer camp called "Reality Check Camp Think Inside the Box," it featured a picture of a little boy inside a box.

"Reality Check Camp?" Said Luz, a bit hurt.

"It'll help you with temperament issues and give extra scholarship for your pilot training," said Principal Hal. "On the plus side, your friends will also be going."

Luz winced when Principal Hal called Masha, Angie, and Callum her friends. She may get along with them when they're in class and do simulations together, but she wouldn't go so far as to call them her friends yet. They were more like… friendly acquaintances.

Camila didn't exactly like how the pamphlet presented the camp. It made it sound as if something was wrong with Luz. "Luz, maybe there's another way. Hal, isn't there–?"

"I'll do it," Luz interrupted. "I'll go…"

"Mija..?"

"This is my dream, Mom. And…I don't want to jeopardize it because of a jerk like Lance…or my own…weirdness." The Latina sighed heavily as she added, "If going to this camp means I can stay in the program, then…let's do it."

At times like these, Camila wished her husband was still alive, but right now, she was doing all she could for Luz and knew how important this was to her. Reluctantly, Camila nodded in agreement.

"Alright. I'll let the camp instructors know immediately. You're both dismissed." Said Principal Hal.

---

After her meeting with the principal, Luz continued the rest of the school as usual. Camilla asked if she could take Luz home early, but the Latina kindly rejected it and said, "I need some time to think," and continued the rest of the school day. When school finally ended, Luz asked her bus driver if she could walk home today. Summer break officially started, and the camp would take place over the course of a couple of months, but it would be a very long two months. There wasn't much time, so Luz and Camila got everything the former would need for the camp tonight.

The next day, Luz stood outside her house, looking sad and distant. She wasn't exactly happy with her decision, but if it can keep her from getting kicked out of the program, she'll just have to endure it. Like her Uncle Carter said, "If you let the glum get you down, you'll never rise."

Luz sighed. She understood her uncle's words. But it was hard to put into practice sometimes. As she stood there, Luz heard the door open and closed behind her. Luz glanced over her shoulder and saw her mother approaching. At least her mother didn't look any happier about this than she did.

"It'll be over before you know it, Mija. Then you'll be back home, and we can spend some time together," Camila assured. "I still don't like this."

"I know…but if it keeps me in the program, I'll do it. I don't want to disappoint Dad."

"¡Luz, no digas tonterías así! (Luz, don't speak nonsense like that!) Your father would never be disappointed in you."

"Sorry…I just wish he was still here," said Luz.

"I know, I know. Now, are you sure you don't want me to drive you there?" Camila asked.

"It's fine, you go to work," Luz assured.

Camila sighed and relented as she got inside her car. She gave one last wave to her daughter and said, "Goodbye" from the open window before driving away. She also said goodbye to Luz before pulling out of the driveway and driving to work.

After waving goodbye to her mother as she vanished into the distance, Luz reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone to check how much time she had until the bus arrived. There were still a few minutes before the bus arrived, so Luz decided to kill some time by walking around the woods behind her house. She remembered how she and her father would sometimes come out to these woods and see what they could find together while also seeing who could catch the most fireflies.

They would also have little make-believe adventures, pretending these woods were mystical, and would explore them to fight dragons and monsters. Of course, her father played the knight, while Luz always took up the role of a powerful sorceress. Whenever her Uncle Carter came to visit, her father would often guilt-trip him into playing the role of a "monster" they needed to vanquish. Whenever he tried to refuse, her father would hold her up to his face while Luz gave him the puppy dog eyes and asked him, "How can you say 'no' to this cuteness?" Needless to say, the man caved every single time. Of course, her father's squadmates were not immune to this effect either, often getting roped into some of Luz's games. Not that they minded, Luz often regarded them as the big brother and sister she never had.

How she missed those days. But sadly, the times they would come over had lessened as the years passed. She knew it wasn't their fault; being soldiers and all, they had their missions. But at the same time, Luz missed them. They would call in to check on her mother from time to time, just to see if she needed anything or needed any kind of help. Luz felt blessed to have those kinds of people in her life. But still, even with them, everything still felt wrong without her father. And even now, she felt out of place. Like this world wasn't the right one for her, she was causing trouble for her mother, and the last thing she needed was for her daughter to cause headaches.

As Luz walked through the woods, she stood still and listened to the wind blow through the trees, rustling the leaves, as her mind traveled back to days long gone by.

" The wind is moving, but I am standing still
A life of pages, waiting to be filled "

The wind picked up, detaching some leaves from the trees and stirring up the ones on the forest floor as they blew by Luz. As the leaves danced on the wind, phantoms of the past appeared a vision of her father and herself playing together. He, the brave knight, and she the powerful sorceress, both holding a stick in hand as a sword and wand respectfully.

" A heart that's hopeful, a head that's full of dreams "

The vision faded as reality claimed that memory.

" But this becoming, is harder than it seems "

Luz walked on as she picked up a stick and playfully used it as a wand, pretending to cast a spell against a mighty foe. And as she walked, the canopy of leaves above her started to thicken, making the path grow dark like the sun was setting.

" Feels like I'm looking for a reason
Roaming through the night
To find my place in this world
My place in this world~ "

As Luz advanced, she saw some light in the distance past the thicket of leaves. For a moment, as the sun's rays shone through the leaves, she believed she saw someone, her father, reaching out towards her with an open hand and a smile on his face.

" Not a lot to lean on
I need your light to help me find my place in this world
My place in this world~ "

When Luz reached the end of the thick canopy and reached out toward the vision of her father, her hand passed through him. Bitter tears welled up inside of her as she dropped to her knees, letting the sadness of his passing come out yet again.

" If there are millions down on their knees
Among the many, can you still hear me?
Hear me asking, "Where do I belong? "

Luz wiped her tears as she threw away the stick and asked someone, anyone, to answer her question.

" Is there a vision that I can call my own? "

The Latina's expression changed to determination as she ran through the woods, leaping over rocks and swinging on branches as she kept up the momentum.

" Show me, I'm looking for a reason
Roaming through the night
To find my place in this world
My place in this world~ "

Luz stopped and looked up towards an opening in the canopy as she called out towards the heavens, calling for someone who had long since gone.

" Not a lot to lean on
I need your light, to help me find my place in this world
My place in this world~ "

(guitar solo)

Luz kept running along, more visions of the past playing out around her as she did, her mind replaying all the memories of her past with her father.

" Looking for a reason
Roaming through the night
To find my place in this world
My place in this world~ "

Luz saw a row of bushes and jumped through them, landing in the middle of a dirt path as she shook the tears from her eyes and continued to sing her heart out in the woods.

" Not a lot to lean on
I need Your light, to help me find my place in this world
My place in this world~ "

The young teen pirouetted, using each spin to take a step forward before stopping and throwing her arms out into the air.

Looking for a reason
Roaming through the night
To find my place in this world
My place in this–!"

*HOOT*

Luz abruptly stopped singing and glanced over her shoulder. Luz was in the middle of a small forest clearing, and standing at the center of it was an ancient old shack. The dilapidated house had been sitting out here in the woods for many years. Their family discovered it one day when they were out roaming the woods but could find nothing that gave a clue as to who once occupied it. But by the looks of it, the house could have been here since the colonial days of Gravesfield. The windows were semi-intact, with some panes broken or cracked. The wood was old and creaked whenever a strong enough wind blew through. The shutters were hanging on by a thread, with one of the windows' shutters lying on the ground in pieces while the other was leaning against the house. The roof was in need of repair as there was a big hole in the middle of it, with a smaller hole off to the left of the house. Vines had grown wildly onto the house, a show of nature trying to reclaim what was once its own. The door was still intact, but one of the four support beams for the front porch's awning was broken.

When Luz was a child, her parents forbade her from entering this house. Not just because they believed it was more than likely structurally unsound, but there were apparently some old things left behind in there—old furniture and broken items. If she recalled correctly, Luz was sure that her parents mentioned something about possible teen shenanigans going down inside. Luz could interpret that in many ways, but she decided to keep it PG in her head. In any case, that's not what grabbed her attention.

Luz tilted her head down and saw a little brown owl with a large bag resting at its side. The little owl looked up at her, blinked, and then tilted its head as if wondering if she would continue. Luz blushed as she chuckled and rubbed her arm.

"Hello, little guy…You didn't happen to see me dancing and singing to myself just now…did you?" Luz asked.

As if understanding her, the owl hooted and nodded his head.

"Ugh…" Luz groaned as her face turned red. "Well…at least it was an adorable owl. The last thing I need is another reason for people to call me a weirdo."

The little owl shrugged its shoulders and opened its beak to grab the sack, but as it did, Luz noticed something inside of the sack, something very familiar.

"Wait, is that my Azura book?!" Luz exclaimed.

The little owl, scared that it had been caught, cutely hopped-ran straight towards the open shack door, bringing the sack and Luz's book with it, which should have been impossible for a bird of his size.

That was strangely cute, Luz thought. But she quickly shook her head, stopping herself from getting distracted by the cuteness of the owl's run, and gave chase.

"HEY! GET BACK HERE YOU TINY BOOK THIEF!" Luz shouted.

Luz ran up the steps of the broken shack and straight towards the door. Just a moment later, the door slammed shut, and a bright flash of light illuminated the inside.

---

When Luz ran through the front door, a bright flash of light blinded her, but she didn't let that stop her. All she cared about right now was getting her book back from the cute little owl and heading back to her house so she wouldn't miss the bus.

"Stop adorably hopping away, you little-! Whoa,"

Luz saw that she was no longer in a crummy old shack but a large tent filled with large piles of, well, random junk. There was a grandfather clock, a refrigerator, boxes filled with various knick-knacks like plates, and old rotary phones. For some odd reason, there were more scattered pieces of junk, like an old, boxy computer monitor, a sofa, and an oil drum. But scattered amongst the junk, Luz could spot a few things that weren't precisely junk. There were parts, and not just any parts, but parts for Mobile Frames. Some of them looked old, while others looked newer. A few parts dealt with the Mobile Frames' internal machinery; others were microprocessors and circuit boards.

"Wow, I thought I had a lot of weird stuff, but this," Luz picked up a random doll with a lizard's body and a fork for a right arm hanging on a clothes hanger. "This is impressive. Especially with all these Mobile Frame parts."

"Finally, you're back!"

Luz gasped and quickly ducked down as she heard someone. The Latina turned her attention towards the slit in the tent and, slowly but carefully, made her way towards it. Once she was at the slit, Luz parted the tent, opening it to see someone with their back turned to her. From behind, all Luz could see was that this woman had a large head of silvery hair that flowed down her back and was wearing a red dress. The owl she chased had placed the sack on a table before the lady and was now looking up at her.

"Now, let's see what we've got here," said the mysterious woman.

The mysterious woman held out a stick, no, more like a staff. The owl flew up and went into a hover as the woman held the staff closer to it. The little owl perched on top of the staff, and when it did, the mysterious woman began turning the owl around as if she was screwing him into the staff. On the fourth turn, Luz gasped as she saw the owl had shifted into a wooden owl, becoming part of the staff. Once this was done, the mysterious woman leaned the staff against the table and reviewed the sack's contents.

She first pulled out a cell phone, a new and expensive one at that.

"Garbage!"

Then she took out a diamond ring with a rock big enough to choke a Great Dane.

"Garbage!"

The third item she pulled out was a glowing, golden chalice that gave Luz "Holy Grail" vibes. But to the woman…

"Garbage!"

How could she think all of that stuff was garbage? I'm pretty sure that last one was the Holy Grail…On second thought, I hope not. Thought Luz.

The mysterious woman then let out a sharp gasp as she reached back into the sack.

"Now this…!"

Luz watched as the woman pulled out a pair of glasses and fully turned to her right to allow the Latina a full view of the woman's face. The mysterious woman had put on a pair of joke glasses with big plastic eyes. A moment after donning the fake glasses, the eyes popped out and hung onto the glasses via a pair of slinky springs.

"This will make me rich!" the mysterious woman exclaimed.

…And people call me a weirdo?

"And this…" Luz watched as the mysterious woman pulled out her Azura book. "Eh, this'll make good kindling."

The mysterious woman proceeded to place the book over the flame of a lit candle. Luz gasped in horror at the thought of her book getting burned.

¡¿QUÉ ESTÁ HACIENDO?! (WHAT IS SHE DOING?!)

Tuning the warnings out of her head, Luz rushed out of the tent.

"EXCUSE ME! SORRY! THAT'S MINE! THANK YOU!" Luz quickly grabbed her book out of the woman's hands, much to her surprise, and ran straight back into the tent. Just when she was about to go through the door that took her here, it suddenly slammed shut, revealing a golden crystal eye with a slit in the middle and folded up into a briefcase. Luz slowly turned around and saw the mysterious woman standing at the tent entrance as she slowly removed the gag glasses.

"You're not going anywhere," she stated with narrowed eyes.

Luz gasped as she put her prized possession into her bag, quickly pulled the lip of the tent up, and ran out the back. The young teen kept running, glancing over her shoulder to see if that woman was pursuing her. But as she turned her head to the front, Luz quickly came to a skidding halt, narrowly missing, taking a plunge over the edge of a cliff. That was the least of her worries right now. To quote an old movie, she was not in Kansas anymore. What stretched out before her was a world she had only ever envisioned from fantasy novels, and her own musings. The land below was filled with houses, some gothic in design. Even what looked like a Gothic cathedral was sitting in the center of the structures. But that wasn't what shocked her.

The sky was a different color, a mixture of purple, pink, and blue hues, with gold-tinted clouds hovering overhead. The buildings below, some of them anyway, looked to be made of creatures. There were huge rocks jutting out of the ground, curving slightly, and…well…as strange as it sounded, they almost looked like giant bones. But upon further inspection, it seemed as if there were structures with bones as part of their architecture, giant bones at that. There was a large hand that rose out of the sprawl of houses, which had smaller houses built onto it, while another house rested between its clawed thumb and index finger. Above, a dragon-like beast flew through the sky, only to be snatched out of the air by a hand that grew out of nowhere and dragged the creature down and out of sight.

Down below, Luz could spot a myriad of creatures. Some reminded her of legendary creatures from mythology, while others looked more akin to some demonic creatures. But if there was one thing they had in common, it was the fact that they were all uncommon. Despite their obviously varied shapes, sizes, and even species, the creatures below seemed to be going about their everyday lives. Or, at least, what everyday life was like for whatever they were.

"Oh, nonononononono! What's going on?! Did I finally snap?! Did reading so many fantasy novels warp my mind?!" Luz asked as she panicked.

Just then, a cute little fairy creature appeared before her. It had fuschia-colored skin, magenta hair, and a salmon-pink dress. Luz cried out in shock when she saw the fairy, but she quickly calmed down upon realizing it was a fairy, one of myth's most playful and whimsical beings.

"Oh, hello, little fairy," Luz greeted. "Are you here to tell me that this is all just some fantastical dream and that I'm actually just asleep on the bus?"

The little fairy smiled at her momentarily, but then its mouth opened impossibly wide for a creature its size. And inside of that wide mouth were an array of sharp teeth.

"GIVE ME YOUR SKIN!" the fairy demanded.

"WAAAAHHH!" Luz's training kicked in as she swiftly punched the little fairy and sent it flying in the opposite direction. The Latina panted as she tried to calm herself down and come to grips with the world she had found herself in. "Okay, where the heck am I?! Did I die in the woods?! Did I trip and hit my head on a rock while singing and dancing?!" Luz gasped. "Am…Am I in the bad place?"

Just then, Luz felt a hand on her left shoulder and glazed up to see the woman from before standing right next to her.

"You wish," She said with a smirk.

---

Luz found herself dragged back to the tent and was forced to plant herself on a stool as the mysterious woman loomed over her. The Mobile Frame Training Program, well, trained her to deal with various situations and scenarios…but not one where you somehow got yourself isekaid. Luz knew she was done for, what with all the various demonic-looking monsters around, so she decided to just get it over with.

"I'm so sorry! I just wanted my book back! If you're going to eat my skin, then just do it! Do it, now!" Luz pleaded as she screwed her eyes shut and awaited the painful fate that was to befall her.

Papá, I'll see you soon!

The mysterious woman looked at the young teen like she had gone crazy.

"Eat you? Why would I eat…" the mysterious woman ducked behind the table as she said, "A potential customer!"

Luz slowly opened her eyes and took in what was before her. The tent was like a storage area, while at the front was a stall with "Human Collectables" written on a wooden plank. Behind the mysterious woman were shelves filled with even more junk but neatly arranged to showcase the merchandise.

"Can I offer you a human foot with holes?" she asked as she held up a lime-green croc.

When the mysterious woman didn't get an answer, she tossed it and brought up a stick of deodorant.

"A bar of green human candy? Oh, oh!" The mysterious woman tossed the deodorant, quickly reached below the table, and showed Luz a portable TV set. "How about this black shadow box that only reflects sadness?"

Luz couldn't help but laugh at the description of the TV. She clearly didn't know its proper function, but given how she misidentified all the junk she showed and that this was obviously not Earth, that was not surprising.

"Heh, well, that's not all it can do. Here, let me see it."

The mysterious woman watched Luz take the portable TV from her and put it on the table. Luz snatched up a couple of batteries from a dish labeled "Human Candy", found the battery compartment, and popped both batteries into the TV. Once she had, Luz repositioned the portable TV so that it stood right side up and turned it on.

"And, voila!"

Strangely enough, the TV managed to pick up a signal and now displayed a workout TV show. No sooner had Luz turned it than the sound of the program drew the attention of the other customers in the bazaar-like marketplace they were in.

"Huh"

"What's that?"

"The sound, it's so alluring."

"I'LL PAY FORTY SNAILS FOR THE SCREAMING BOX!"

"I'LL PAY YOU FIFTY!"

"I'LL GIVE YOU A HUNDRED!"

"Can I eat the tiny person inside?"

Yeah, I'm definitely in another world, thought Luz.

The mysterious woman couldn't believe how quickly people were flocking to her stand and, even more so, how much money they were willing to sell out for it. Without wasting time, the mysterious woman quickly took their money and began hocking her other wares.

"What'd you say your name was?"

"I'm Luz, Luz Noceda."

"Well, Luz, that was pretty clever. For a human," the mysterious woman complimented.

Luz raised an eyebrow and replied, "That's kind of a weird thing for another human to say."

The mysterious woman stopped taking the money from her customers as she chuckled and said, "Oh dear child…" That's when she removed the scarf from her head and revealed her pointy, elf-like ears. "I'm not like you." She then got on top of the table and med proudly for all to hear. "I am Eda the Owl Lady! The most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles!"

"A Witch!?"

"I am respected, feared-!"

"BUSTED!"

*SMASHED!*

A large hand smashed on the portable TV, breaking it beyond repair as the crowd fled in all directions. Luz jumped backwards and fell onto her back but then looked up to see who or what had broken the TV. He stood about as tall as Eda did, wearing a uniform that consisted of a gray tunic top, black pants, gray boots, and gloves, a white shawl-like covering that wrapped around his shoulders, and lastly, his face was covered with a metal mask that protruded outwards. It kind of reminded Luz of a plague doctor's mask.

"RUN ITS A GUARD!"

Eda jumped off the table to match the guard's eye level. "Eda The Owl Lady!" He brought out a wanted poster, which was a drawing of Eda and a horned creature at her side. She held her staff in one hand and a fireball in the other. Below the image were words that said, "Owl Lady", "Reward", and the amount of "1,000,000,000,000". "You are under arrest for the misuse of magic, demonic misdemeanors, and thievery of Machina Frame parts!"

"Whoa! A Witch criminal!?" Exclaimed Luz. Wait, what's a Machina Frame?

"You are hereby ordered to come with me to the Comformatorium!" Stated the guard as he roughly grabbed Eda's wrist.

"Would you guys quit following me around! I haven't done squat," Eda retorted.

"And you're coming with me!" the guard stated as he grabbed Luz by the collar of her hoodie.

"What! Hey, let me go! Why are you taking me in?! On what charge?!" Luz complained.

"For fraternizing with a known criminal!" he answered.

"WHAT!? That's not cool! I don't even know her! I literally just got here!"

The guard scoffed. "Tough cookies. And you, let's go! Now!"

"Alright, alright, just let me grab my stuff."

Eda ducked under her table as she rummaged around. Only to swiftly come back up with her staff and strike the guard right in the face. The blow from her staff sent the guard flying backwards, and forced him to release Luz. The Latina landed on her rear, while the guard landed hard on his back just as Eda jumped back onto the table and twirled her staff around. With one final twirl, Eda slammed the butt of the staff against the table, releasing a surge of magical energy. Immediately after doing this, all her wares began to float upwards.

The Owl Lady jumped off the table and let it float up to join the rest of her stuff. But before she continued, she reached into her large volume of hair and pulled out the key from earlier. "Whoops, can't forget this."

Eda tapped the crystal eye on the key, and the briefcase from earlier floated out of the tent and stuffed into Eda's sack. With a clenching of her right fist, Eda commanded the sack she had earlier to consume the entire collection. Usually, that amount of items wouldn't fit in a small sack, but it all fit without bulging or tearing. Once the sack tied itself off, Eda thrust her staff through a hole in the sack and carried it on her staff as she rushed towards Luz.

"FOLLOW ME, HUMAN!"

Luz glanced back at the guard, who was starting to get back up.

Like, I have a choice right now!

The Latina hurriedly ran after Eda.

"This is crazy! If I die here, my mom's going to kill me!"

"HA! I won't let him hurt you!" Eda proclaimed.

"Really?!" Luz asked with hope in her eyes.

"A human like you is much more valuable to me alive than dead!" Eda added.

"Huh, wait, what's that supposed to mean-"

"WHAHOO!" Eda cried out as she grabbed ahold of Luz, jumped into the air, and hopped onto the staff.

Eda and Luz were airborne in a matter of seconds, zooming off and away from the market and leaving the guard in their dust just as he rounded the corner.

"YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS EDA THE OWL LADY!" Yelled the guard. Only to pause as a realization came into his mind. "Yeah, alright, you did. You got away with it. She got away with it, everybody! Typical." The guard hung his head as he walked away in defeat, knowing his boss would not be happy with him.

---

Luz hung on for dear life as she and Eda flew them through the sky. Thankfully, Eda flew leisurely so as not to scare her human passenger. Eda looked at the human girl with an amused smile and asked, "You doing okay there, human?"

"Uh, yeah," she answered timidly. "Just not used to…well… everything that's happened recently. I mean, flying staffs!? Crazy Monsters?! You're a Witch?! Just what is this place?!"

"This is the Boiling Isles, AKA the Demon Realm." Answered Eda.

"DEMON REALM!?"

"Yep, every myth you humans have in your world is caused by a little of our world leaking into yours." Said Eda.

Just then, a large griffon flew beside Eda and Luz.

"A griffin!" Luz said excitedly.

And then it opened its mouth and spewed out a stream of black spiders.

"Spider Breathe!" Luz pumped a fist. "I KNEW IT!"

"Yep, griffons, vampires, giraffes," Eda listed.

"Wait, did you say giraffes?" Luz asked confusingly.

"Oh yeah, we banished those guys. Bunch of freaks if you ask me." Just when Eda was about to descend to the ground, a large shadow flew over them, gaining their attention. When Luz looked up, she gasped at what she had seen. It was a giant Mech!

It stood about 12 meters (25 ft tall) and was humanoid in design, similar to the Mobile Frames back in her world but also very different. The overall color of the mech was gray, but splashes of white around the upper torso, shoulders, and head of the mech. There was a high collar-like design around the neck of the robot, with the head possessing a flat mouth plate and the top half possessing two slit green eyes. On the back of the head were two plates, with the tips curling forward and almost giving them a horn-like appearance. In the mech's right hand was a rifle, although it looked more akin to one of those Winchester lever rifles Luz had seen in some old western movies. The rifle itself was black, gray, and blue near the barrel. It had ridges along the barrel, giving it a unique design compared to human-made ones. At the tip of the rifle was a finely honed steel blade, or at least she assumed it was made of steel, but considering where she was, it might be something else entirely.

On the back of these mechs were two white spikes that protruded, making it appear as if these mechs had actual wings. But considering their size, there was no way they were responsible for making it fly. The Mobile Frames from her world were only in the prototype stages of flight tech for their mechs, and yet these machines were able to fly with ease like a fighter jet, well, at the very least like a civilian aircraft at the rate they were moving.

"You guys have Mobile Frames here!?" Luz exclaimed. "And they can FLY!?"

"Oh, is that what they're called in your world? Well, we call those Machina Frames," Eda informed.

{EDA, THE OWL LADY! YOU ARE UNDER ARREST! LAND NOW, OR WE WILL BE FORCED TO BRING YOU DOWN!} the mech ordered.

"What did you do to make these guys so gung ho about capturing you?!" Luz asked.

"You want the short version? Long version? Or maybe you want that list in alphabetical or chronological order?" Eda asked in a sarcastic tone, smirking the entire time.

It just now dawned on me that I'm flying with a possibly dangerous criminal, Luz thought with worry.

{YOU HAVE FIVE SECONDS TO COMPLY! FIVE…FOUR…}

Luz watched as the three mechs behind them started doing something. The plates on the back of the Machina Frames' heads began to rise and shift forward. The two halves merged together and formed a kind of helmet around the top half of the mech, resembling a bird of prey's beak. The holes in the mask came alive as the original eyes of the mech glowed brighter, giving the robots an even more intimidating visage.

{THREE…!}

"You might want to hold on tight, human," Eda warned.

Luz grabbed the staff as hard as she could, her knuckles turning white from how hard she held on.

{TWO…!}

Eda drew a circle of light in the air and used both hands to mold a sphere of light between them. "When I say so, shut your eyes."

{ONE!}

"NOW!"

Luz screwed her eyes shut just as Eda shot the sphere of light into the air above them. With a snap of her fingers, the ball of light exploded. Bathing the entire area in blinding light. The Machina Frames that were pursuing them paused in midair as the light overloaded the optics of the robots and forced the pilots inside to shut their eyes.

{GAAAAAAHHHH!}

"Byeeee~!" Eda cried out as she had her staff double its speed and take off.

The blinding effect lasted a few seconds but was enough to give the two a head start. Unfortunately, the three mechs were not about to be outwitted by the Owl Lady that easily. The wing-like protrusions began to glow, and in the next moment, all three mechs shot forward as they released a halo of light behind them.

Luz dared to open her eyes, and she wished she hadn't. The world around her was blurring due to their increased speed, but she took some solace in the fact that they were hopefully far enough away to – scratch that they were right behind them.

"YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! THEY'RE THAT FAST?!" Luz yelled in shock.

This was unprecedented as far as she was concerned. To achieve that rate of speed would not only require a lot of energy but also a robust enough rocket fuel to do it. But the strange thing is, Luz, didn't see any jet flames coming from their backs or anywhere on their backs. Now that she paid attention, every time Eda zigzagged, the Machina Frames would release a burst of light in the form of a halo.

Duh, Luz, magic!

The Machina Frames aimed their rifles at them. At the mouth of the barrel, a circle of light appeared. The circle glowed and grew bigger until the mech pulled the rifle's trigger and shot a column-sized blast of sparkling energy at them. Eda quickly dodged the blast, letting it hit the ground below as an explosion went off on impact.

"AND THEY HAVE BEAM WEAPONS?!"

"What, you don't?" Eda asked.

"THOSE ONLY EXIST IN MANGA AND ANIME!"

"Huh, well, that sucks. Those are pretty standard issues 'round here," Eda explained.

Luz's eye twitched. Not only did this world possess magic, but it also had more giant mechs that were flight-enabled and wielded beam-discharging weapons. If she weren't currently being chased by three mechs and getting shot at, Luz would've thought about how screwed her world would be if they decided to hop on over and declare war.

The Machina Frames continued their pursuit, shooting at the Owl Lady and her passenger, but thanks to them being smaller and more agile, they could avoid most of the shots. Unfortunately for them, this wasn't something that they could keep up all day. Eda glanced at her staff, at the owl figurehead furiously flapping its wings, and noticed it was getting tired. She had to lose these mechs fast, or the staff would give out soon, and they'd be surrounded.

"HA, YOU GUYS COULDN'T HIT THE RIB BONE OF THE TITAN IF YOU WERE STANDING RIGHT IN FRONT OF IT!" Eda mocked.

The Machina Frame on the left shot at her, but again, Eda dodged it.

"POINT PROVEN!"

{GRRRRR! THAT'S IT!}

The Machina Frame slung its rifle, and as soon as it did, a compartment opened up in the left hip. From it, a rod shot out, and the robot grabbed it. Once it was pulled out, the top of the rod sparked as another glowing circle appeared. The circle condensed and immediately exploded upwards, transforming into an amber blade of light.

Luz was at her limit now. "Beam sabers…heh…heh-heh…because of course you'd have friggin' BEAM SABERS!"

"Technically, they're 'Mana Blades'," Eda corrected.

"I DON'T GIVE A FLYING – AAAAAAH!"

The Machina Frame released another burst that propelled it forward and slashed with its Mana Blade. Eda smirked as she was waiting for this. Instead of speeding away, she dropped her speed and began buzzing around the mech like a fly. The Machina Frame wildly swung around, using its saber like a fly swatter as it tried to cut down Eda. The growls and grunts of annoyance coming over the loudspeakers of the mech indicated that Eda was effectively annoying the pilot.

"WOW, YOU'RE EVEN WORSE WITH A SWORD! THAT'S JUST SAD, BUDDY! REAL SAD!" Eda mocked again.

"Would you stop that!?" Yelled Luz.

"Stop what?" Eda knowingly asked.

"STOP ANTAGONIZING THE GUY WIELDING A GIANT FFF-FLIPPIN' BEAM SABER!"

"Mana Blade"

This is how I die, for sure. Papa, your little girl is coming to see you soon!

The other two Machina Frames surrounded their teammate; they couldn't do much. Eda was flying too close to them, so shooting at her would end up killing their partner. Neither could they use their Mana Blades for obvious reasons. They could only hope their teammate could get a lucky swing in and take down the Owl Lady, or at the very least, the Owl Lady would fly far enough away for one of them to get a shot. However, the mech pilot wildly swinging his Mana Blade was starting to go beyond the point of rational thinking. Between Eda's taunts and her tight flying maneuvers around his mech, he was becoming more and more frustrated with each passing second, his vision tinting red as he became less focused on downing the criminal witch.

"Okay, I think I've had enough fun. Time to lose these guys for good," said Eda.

Eda made a sharp turn around the mech's head and headed straight towards the mech out in front. The Owl Lady glanced over her shoulder, raised her rear, and smacked it as she grinned teasingly at the pilot inside the mech.

"C'MON, BIG BOY, YOU'LL NEVER GET A PIECE OF THIS WITH THOSE WEAK MOVES!"

"Heh-heh-heh…ahahaa…hahahahaa…AHAHAHAHHAAHAHA!" Luz laughed maniacally.

"THAT'S THE SPIRIT, KID! SEE?! EVEN THIS KID THINKS YOU'RE A JOKE! AHAHAHAHAHA!"

{I'LL SHOW YOU WHO'S A JOKE! RRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!}

The sword-wielding Machina Frame gripped the Mana Blade with both hands as it readied to deliver an overhead strike. However, in the pilot's rage, he failed to notice how close he was to his teammate.

{HEY, WAIT, STOP! STOOOOPP!}

Eda went into a nose dive at the last second, just as the Machina Frame slashed downwards. The second mech tried to get out of the way but only succeeded in having its right arm and leg severed by the glowing energy blade. The mech's arm and leg exploded in midair, throwing off the telemetry of the Machina Frame, and throwing it into a tailspin. Eda pulled up sharply, coming out behind the sword-wielding Machina Frame as she continued her taunts.

"WHEW! WOW, YOU MUST REALLY NOT WANT ME! IF YOU'VE GIVEN UP, YOU SHOULD JUST SAY SO!"

{GAAAAAAHHHH!} The pilot cried out as his mech spun out of control and crashed on the ground below.

{ARE YOU CRAZY?!} the team leader cried out in shock and anger.

Eda now flew for the remaining Machina Frame. The robot immediately began flying backward, knowing precisely what Eda was doing and trying to avoid being sliced up by his subordinate in his blind rage. The leader's mech aimed its rifle at them, but just like before, his teammate was in the way and giving chase.

{SCREW IT!}

The team leader's mech opened fire, shooting one mana beam after the other. Eda narrowed her gaze as she circled around each of the incoming beam attacks, the end of her long hair getting singed whenever she had to do a barrel roll around the beams. Behind her, the enraged mech pilot was still chasing them, either using the Mana Blade to deflect the incoming shots or letting them hit directly. Most of the hits were to parts of the left or right leg and left arm. One shot managed to graze the mech's face, melting off part of the battle mask, but even that was not deterring the pilot from getting his target.

{STOP! STOP! DAMN YOU, STOOOOOP!}

"HEH-HA! THIS IS WHERE IT GETS EXCITING!" Eda yelled.

"YOU KNOW WHAT, I'VE ALREADY LOST MY MIND! AHAHAHAHA! DO IT, EDA! WHATEVER HAPPENS NEXT, BRING IT ON!" Luz belted out, accepting whatever fate befall her.

"AH-HA, I KNEW I LIKED YOU, HUMAN!"

The team leader abandoned his rifle in a fit of desperation and drew his own Mana Blade. Both mech pilots yelled as loud as their lungs would allow as they raised their swords and slashed. Eda nimbly weaved through the small gap between the blades and sped past the head of the leader's mech. Just as she did that, both mechs blades struck. The leader's blade pierced through the head of his subordinate, while the subordinate's blade cut down until it stopped just above the cockpit. Needless to say, both mechs became nonfunctional as they dropped out of the sky to join their companion on the ground below.

"Whew, now that was a thrill ride. You're tougher than ya look, Luz. Luz?"

Eda tapped the human, but she was as still as a statue. The term "frozen with fear" came to mind.

"You okay, kid?"

"I'd like to be on the ground now, please, and thank you," said Luz.

"Alright, we're almost at my place anyway," Eda stated.

---

Eda continued to fly for a few more minutes before she finally landed. Eda hopped off the staff first to stretch her legs. Luz was about to get off, too. Her arms and hands were so stiff that she felt like she'd need a pair of pliers to remove her hands from the staff. The Latina managed to remove one of her fingers from the staff and heard a cracking sound.

Heh…m-my hands are stiff, my finger bones are cracking, she thought.

However, as Luz kept removing her fingers, she realized that the sound was strangely not emanating from her hands, but rather right behind her. That's when Luz glanced over her shoulder and saw a severed hand on the staff.

"WAAAAHHH!"

The stiffness in her limbs evaporated upon seeing the severed hand as she practically jumped off the staff like a frightened cat, and landed hard against the ground. Her legs were not working for her just yet. Eda turned around and realized that her hand was still on the staff.

"Oh, whoops. That happens sometimes," Said Eda as she took her severed hand and screwed it back on her wrist.

Luz managed to get back on her feet, although her legs and arms were still shaking from the adrenaline. But after a moment, she managed to calm her nerves, albeit slightly, and smiled. "Whelp, this is clearly not the PG fantasy world I've always dreamed about." Her smile turned back to that same maniacal expression as she added, "IT'S MORE LIKE SOME PG-13, BORDERING "R", SCI-FI, ANIME, FANTASY ISEKAI!"

Let's just say…that this all became a little too much for Luz to handle.

"Can you send me back home now?" Luz asked.

The Owl Lady picked up her staff, twirled it around, and pointed it at Luz, making the young teen jump from the action. "I can, but only if you help me first."

"...Heh-heh. You just took me through a high-speed aerial chase scene, with three flying mechs, shooting me with BEAM RIFLES, and BEAM – ugh – MANA BLADES! And you want my help?!" Luz shouted.

"Well, yeah," Eda answered, unaffected. "Plus, I'm pretty much the only witch on the Boiling Isles who has something like this, so…really…what other choice do ya have?"

Luz inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. She needed to think calmly. Unfortunately, Eda was right, as far as she knew. However, the Owl Lady could also be lying about her being the only witch with a working portal back to her homeworld. But then again, could she really take the risk that someone else had a portal and would let her use it? There was always the possibility that they could just trick her and take her away to be eaten, sold, or whatever else this world had in store for her. And if she did refuse, what guarantee did she have that Eda wouldn't just cast a spell and make her comply?

What was the old saying? "Better the devil you know, than the devil you don't"? Yeah, that seems very appropriate for this situation, Luz reasoned.

"Alright, fine, I'll help," Luz groaned.

"Atta girl!" Eda grabbed her, which surprisingly didn't spill any of her junk, and used her staff to carry it. "Follow me, Human!"

Reluctantly, Luz followed Eda. As they cleared the tree line, Luz gasped as she beheld the dwelling place of the Owl Lady. It was a three-story house with a stained glass window in the shape of a slit eye. At the back of the house was a stone tower.

Luz glanced up at the Owl Lady and asked, "Uh, aren't you worried those guards and their mechs will find us?"

"Ha! No, my house has a state-of-the-art defense system; it is completely undetectable by Machina Frames. So, we're safe here." Eda answered.

Eda and Luz continued walking until they stood before the house's front door. The wooden door had an owl-shaped ornament on the front—at least, that's what Luz thought until the ornament blinked its beady black eyes and turned to look at them.

"Hoot, hoot! Password, please."

"AAAAH! It talks!" Luz's surprise quickly faded. "You know what, I'm just going to roll with it."

Eda's answer to the ornament's request was to poke it in both eyes.

"OW!"

"We got no time for this, Hooty. Let us in," Eda ordered.

"Alright, alright, geez. You never want to have any fun. Ow! Hoot!"

Suddenly, Hooty opened his mouth incredibly wide, becoming as tall and wide as the door until Luz and Eda could see inside. Eda was the first to pass through, with Luz skittishly walking through the Hooty's mouth and entering the home.

I swear if this thing eats me, I will haunt it for the rest of its life. Luz swore.

As soon as they were inside, Hooty closed his mouth, effectively shutting the door behind them. Eda put down the sack from earlier and dismissed her staff, letting it disappear from sight.

"Welcome to…" Eda raised her right hand and snapped her fingers. "The Owl House."

Immediately upon snapping her fingers, the house came alive. Candles flickered on, the fireplace ignited, and brooms started to move and sweep magically. Above them, Luz watched as some kind of mural appeared, with glowing lines showing the image of a large, mystical owl creature. Despite Luz's near-death experience moments ago, she had to admit that the Owl House was enchanting in a strange way.

"It's beautiful. Do you live here all by yourself?" Luz asked.

Suddenly, the room began to shake as thundering footsteps were heard from the hall next to the staircase.

"Actually, I have a roommate." Eda deadpanned.

"WHO DARES TO INTRUDE UPON I…?!" The footsteps grew louder and strangely quiet as the shadowy figure in the archway grew closer. However, upon the figure rounding the corner and entering the living room, it was revealed to be a relatively short, if not cute, little creature. "THE KING OF DEMONS!"

The little creature had dark gray fur with a mauve spot around his belly. His lower half was wrapped in a blue towel with yellow duckies printed on it, matching the one wrapping the top of his head. He also possessed a skull mask that covered the upper half of his face, although whether or not that was a mask or some kind of exoskeleton was another matter. He had two long fangs protruding from either side of the skull mask. The sclera of his eyes were yellow, while his irises were magenta. He had a rubber duck toy in his left hand and squeezed it.

Luz gasped with stars in her eyes and rushed towards the little creature as she cried out, "¡AY, QUÉ LINDO!" The Latina, forgetting all the trepidation and fear she had from earlier, scooped up the creature and held him in her arms. "EDA. HE'S SOOOOO CUTE! Who's a widdle guy? Who's a widdle?! Is it you? Is it you?!"

"AAH! NO! I DON'T KNOW WHO YOUR LITTLE GUY IS!" The little dog-like demon squirmed, trying to escape the Latina's grasp. "EDA WHO IS THIS MONSTER!?"

Eda managed to get Luz off the cute dog-like demon, despite Luz's attempts to break free and resume her cuddling of it. "Oh, this is Luz, the human. She's here to help us with our little, ahem, situation."

"Oh, hooray!" the dog-like demon exclaimed.

Ah, yes. Luz had almost forgotten that she was being blackmailed. "Right. Your 'favor'. So, what is it? What perilous quest do I have to endure to get back home?"

"Just…let me explain."

Eda put her index fingers together and drew another circle of light in the air. As Eda explained, the circle began to expand and show images.

"King was a mighty King of Demons. Until his crown of power was stolen from him and he became…well this."

"You mean this little bundle of joy?"

King just now realized he was back in Luz's arms. "WEH! When did you grab me?!"

"When you weren't looking," Luz answered cheekily.

"Anyway!" Eda continued.

"King's crown is being held by the evil Warden Wrath and his army of Machina Frames. Locked behind an impenetrable force field that only a human can pass."

"A human like you." Eda finished.

"Ah, I see where this is going," Luz deadpanned. "Warden Wrath created a barrier that only a human can pass through. And since I'm the only human around…"

"Yep! You can get past the forcefield and get my crown back!" Kind shouted excitedly.

Well, now it makes sense. Although, that also confirms how rare humans are in this place. Eda really must be the only one with a portal to my world if the Warden made a barrier that keeps explicitly everyone out except humans. Clever, thought Luz.

"So, what do you say? I mean, we're currently your only way back home. And who can say no to this cute little face?" Eda grabbed King and held him up in front of Luz.

"NO! DON'T ENCOURAGE HER!"

Eda dropped King and added, "I mean, I think I can establish that I'm pretty much your only way back home."

Luz sighed heavily. She was backed into a corner. Either help Eda and get King's crown back, or remain stuck in this world. Although, given Eda's stupidly huge bounty, this might not be the best option. In every anime, Demon Kings are the main enemy every isekai hero has to defeat. And here she was about to help a Demon King regain their lost power. What if King was way more powerful than she imagined? Eda had a working portal to Earth. She could inadvertently bring armageddon to her world by giving King his Crown of Power. That's when Luz had an idea.

They need me just as much as I need them. If they really need a human that badly, they could've just gone to Earth and kidnapped someone a long time ago. The fact that they need me means they're not confident in their ability to get a human here on purpose. Okay, this can work. I'll get the crown, force Eda to open the portal, toss that thing back through the barrier, rush out through the portal, and run like hell back home!

It was a solid plan, well as solid as it would get with her limited options.

"Alright, I accept your offer, Eda the Owl Lady, King. I'll help you reclaim the Crown of Power, but I want you to guarantee you'll send me back when I retrieve it." Luz held out her right hand towards Eda. "Do we have a deal?"

Eda smirked, grabbed the young teen's hand, and gave it a good shake, sealing the deal. "Deal."

Luz nodded in affirmation but was quickly scooped up by Eda and thrown over her shoulder.

"Now we've got no time to lose!" Eda declared as she headed for the door.

King picked up his rubber duck and chased after Eda and Luz, proclaiming, "Soon, Mr. Ducky, we shall drink the fear of those who mocked us!"

"I'm gonna regret asking this, but where are we going?" Luz asked.

"Someplace super fun and exciting! A place called–!"

---

"...The Comformatorium." Eda said gravely. "A place considered 'unsuitable' for society."

Dark clouds filled the sky, thunder roared, and lightning flashed, adding to the ominous aura of the Conformatorium. It was situated in a small chasm and surrounded by sharp rocks that rose out of the ground like jagged claws, threatening to rip and tear anyone who dared to try to escape. It stood three or maybe five meters tall and had paths and walkways leading to a great bridge to an outer wall that surrounded the perimeter, and beyond it was a large tower that reached into the dark and cloudy sky. Just looking at it sent shivers down Luz's spine.

"Wow." That was all she said.

"I know." Eda agreed.

"How are we supposed to find King's crown in–"

"GET DOWN!"

Eda swiftly grabbed Luz, covered her mouth with her free hand, and hid behind the outer wall. Luz was confused and surprised at first until she heard the sound of a large machine flying from the Comformatorium. Luz looked up and saw at least five of the same Machina Frames she and Eda had escaped from earlier, flying over her head and leaving the Comformatorium. One of them stopped and looked over its shoulder.

Luz held her breath as the Machina Frame's eyes lit up, bathing where it looked in green light. The light drew closer to where they were hiding, making Luz tense up as she, Eda, and King scooted along the edge of the wall. The Latina wasn't sure just how advanced these machines were, and now she wondered if they had some kind of X-ray vision. The light started to angle in their direction, and for a moment, Luz thought she was about to be proven right, but the light stopped. The Machina Frame shut off the searchlights in its eyes and moved on to another area to patrol. After waiting about thirty seconds, the trio breathed a sigh of relief.

"Whew, that's a relief," Eda commented as she wiped her brow. "If that light inched any closer, those Guardra's would've trounced us."

"Guardra's?" Luz asked.

"That's what they're called," Eda answered.

"Okay, so, again, how are we supposed to find the crown? Especially with those things patrolling the area?!"

"Don't worry, kid. We're too slippery to be caught." Eda boasted.

"It's true. Try catching me when I'm covered in grease. I'm a squirmy little fella."

King glanced around the corner and waved his claw for Luz to do the same. Once she had, King pointed towards the tower. "You and I are gonna sneak up to the top of the tower where they're holding my crown."

"And as far as those Guardras are concerned, I'll distract them. That'll get the Warden's attention, and once you two are in, we'll meet up. After that, we get the crown, you go home, and everybody's happy!"

Heh, well, at least I'll be happy, thought Luz.

"So, do I need a disguise? Oh, I've been waiting to use this!" Luz reached behind her back and pulled up her hood, which also sported a pair of cat ears. "Meow-meow!"

"It's hideous!" King commented.

"HA! Oh, you'll fit right in, kid." Eda took a moment to survey the area, ensuring no more Guardras were nearby. Once she confirmed this, the Owl Lady twirled her staff around and struck the butt of the staff against the ground.

Luz looked and watched a circle of light formed beneath her and King. For a moment, she thought Eda was about to teleport them, but then she stepped away from the ring of light.

"Hang on tight," she warned.

In a matter of seconds, the circle of light rose into the air, floated Luz and King above the wall, and then straight towards one of the tower's open windows. However, Luz was not prepared for the platform of light to suddenly pop like a bubble. The Latina cried out in surprise as she flailed her arms and managed to grab ahold of the edge of the window while King held onto Luz's right leg.

"Don't let go!" King cried out.

"I'm trying!" Luz cried back.

Meanwhile, Eda got on her staff and floated past them, casually saying, "I'll meet you guys at the top of the tower."

"EDA!"

Luz watched as the Owl Lady flew away to begin her distraction plan and grumbled under her breath, "Oh, sure, she gets to fly around and easily slip in from the outside. And we have to sneak around inside!"

I'm so going to throw that crown back into the barrier.

King started to climb up Luz's leg and managed to get onto her head before jumping through the window. Luz groaned after having been used as a ladder by the small demon. With some effort, Luz got herself over the edge of the window and unceremoniously plopped onto the stone floor on the other side.

"Heh-heh, cats don't do that!" King mocked.

Luz groaned, but it was muffled due to the floor. When Luz looked, she gasped as her eyes widened. She and King were on one of many floors, each that had so many cells that she couldn't keep track of them all. There was a walkway that led from the bottom all the way straight to the top. Every cell she gazed upon seemed to have someone locked inside it, several tens of hundreds of cells.

"Hey, you."

Luz turned around and saw a tall witch woman. She had black hair tied into a ponytail, a dark purple, a gold choker, and a dark purple, shoulderless dress. The witch woman had two fangs that poked out from her bottom, dark skin, and hazel green eyes. Luz thought she might be looking at a vampire, but then again, she could just be a witch with longer fangs.

"Hey, cat girl, how did you get out of your cell?" the witch woman asked.

"Oh no, no, no. I'm not a cat. Also, I'm not a criminal," Luz corrected.

"Not yet, you're not!" King retorted.

Luz groaned a little.

"Tch, neither are we! Stupid Warden Wrath likes to lock people up who don't 'fit in'," the witch woman explained. "Like, I write fanfics about food falling in love!" She then brought a book of her said fanfiction. "I like food, I like love. Just let me write about it!"

In the cell to the right of the witches was a large demon with pale turquoise skin, an oblong-shaped head, and multiple eyes, some of which were missing.

"I'm here because I like to eat my own eyeballs." Said the giant demon as he took one of his eyes and ate it. A moment later, it grew back on his head.

That's a bit…disturbing. Luz thought.

"WE ARE AGENTS OF FWEE EXPWESSION!"

Luz turned to her right and saw a little white demon whose entire body was essentially her head with orange hair, little stubby arms and legs, and a large nose.

"THEY WILL NEVER SIWENCE US!" Shouted the tiny nose demon.

"Yeah, she's really big into conspiracy theories." Said the witch, rolling her eyes.

"THE WORLD IS A SIMULATION! WE ARE BUT PLAYTHINGS FOR A HIGHER BEING!" Declared Tiny Nose

Luz looked at the three of them with sympathy. Something didn't seem right. By the sound of things, these guys didn't do anything wrong or illegal. That's when it hit her.

"Wait, none of these things are crimes. None of you guys did anything wrong!" Luz rubbed her arm as she looked down at the ground. "You're all just a bunch of weirdos…like me."

Just then, thundering footsteps sounded from behind the door up ahead, causing Luz to stare wide-eyed in that direction.

"IT'S WARDEN WRATH! HIDE!" Warned the Witch.

Luz frantically looked around the room until her eyes landed on an empty cell. Not wasting a minute, she took King into her arms and ran into the cell, closing it afterward. She and King backed up until their backs were against the far corner of the cell, huddling and holding each other as they heard the Warden's voice.

"I can hear you…"

Luz whimpered as she held onto King tightly, and so did King. Warden Wrath's footsteps were heavy and impactful; Luz wondered just how big this warden was if he was making such vibrations. That's when she saw him as he stood outside the cell she was hiding in. He wore a black hood over his head and a bird mask with a long beak. Warden Wrath's uniform also consisted of a white coat with sleeves rolled up to show off his solid, muscular, gray-skinned arms. There was a triangle symbol over the right of his chest, a triangle with a sword and two bird wings. Luz was starting to notice a theme here.

"Just what are you fools whispering about?"

Warden Wrath glanced down and picked something up: a wanted poster of Eda.

"Ah, the Owl Lady. She caused quite a bit of trouble with my Gaurdras today." Said the warden.

Warden Wrath then balled up a fist, crushing the wanted poster in his hand. His hand suddenly morphed into a giant hammer as he angrily slammed it on the bars of the cell Luz and King were hiding in, causing the young Latina and little dog demon to flinch.

"I'll get my hands on her soon enough. She can't run forever."

Luz and King tensed up as Warden Wrath glanced their way. She wasn't sure if the warden would know of her, but he might recognize King, and if that happened, her way home was gone.

"FIGHT AGAINST THE OPPRESSOR!" the big-nosed demon yelled.

Fortunately, or rather, unfortunately, in the case of the demon next door, Warden Wrath turned his attention away from their cell and walked along until he was no longer at theirs. Luz and King listened to what transpired next.

"WE WILL RESIST! WE WILL CONQUER! WE WILL NEVER BE AFRAID OF YOU! YOU OL' CREEP!"

Warden Wrath changed his hand back to normal and dropped the wanted poster in his hand. He took a few steps forward and lifted a lever on the right side of the nose demon's cell, lifting the bars.

"HOORAY! I'M FREE! ACK!"

The warden grabbed the big-nose demon in a crushing grip, stating, "Let this be a lesson to all of you. There's no place in society for you if you can't fit in."

"Uh, boss."

Wrath turned to the left and saw one of his guards approaching him.

"What do you want?" He demanded. "Can't you see I'm a bit busy?"

He held the tiny demon in his grasp to his subordinate and gave a little squeeze, causing her to whimper. Luz felt terrible for the nose demon and wanted to help her, but doing so would give away her and King's position.

"Sorry, boss," The guard saluted. "But we got a report from one of our Gaurdras patrolling the area."

"Is it them?" Wrath questioned.

"No sir, it's actually-"

*BOOOM!*

"Never mind, I know who it is. So, you finally came, Eda. Alert the rest of the guards! We're going to capture her tonight!" Warden Wrath ordered.

"Yes, sir!" the guard replied as he rushed off to do just that.

Warden Wrath raised the demon in his grip and threw her back into the cell like an old ragdoll. After pulling the lever and shutting the cell door, Wrath stomped away to join the rest of his subordinates in apprehending Eda.

Once Luz heard the door slamming shut, she rushed to the cell door and managed to lift it. Once outside, Luz and King headed to the same lever that controlled the cell doors for the prisoners, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't lift it.

"Ugh! C'mon! Come on! You stupid, weak nerd arms!" Luz complained as she kept trying. "That's the last time I skipped the gym! When I get back home, more weights and pushups!"

After a solid minute of effort, Luz stopped. She panted hard and growled in frustration at her weakness and inability to help these people, people who were like her. The witch who had spoken to her earlier smiled a little, albeit sadly.

"Hey, thanks for the effort, kid. But you need to leave. If Wrath finds you, you'll be imprisoned here forever." The Witch turned her back to Luz and added, "Enjoy freedom for us."

"But…But I…"

"Our bodies are merely vessels for the souls to commit our deeds," said the big-nose demon.

"C'mon, Luz. There's nothing we do for them," King urged.

Luz didn't like it, but she also knew that this wasn't her fight. As much as she wanted to free them, Luz had to get back home or risk never being able to go back at all. With great reluctance, Luz turned around and headed for one of the corridors. King hopped off Luz's shoulder as he walked alongside her. Their trip was silent as Luz stewed over her inability to save even three prisoners.

So many of them…As far as I can tell, they're not bad, at least not those three. Weird as heck, yeah. But no stranger than me.

As Luz ruminated on the situation, Eda flew in on her left with a big smile at having made the warden and his guards into fools chasing their tails.

"Ha! I got those bozos chasing an illusion of me. They'll be at that thing for hours. So, we got plenty of time to get the crown and get out," Eda informed. The Owl Lady tilted her head slightly as she just now noticed the sad look on Luz's face. "Hey, you okay, kid?"

"I just don't get it. It's not fair that those people are in here! Why is it that people can't be themselves!?"

Eda sighed as she placed her left hand on her hip. "Saw the prisoners, huh?"

"I did…So, is that why you're wanted? Why do you have an absurdly high bounty?" Luz asked.

"Heh, well, I'd say that's about half of it. The other half is actual crimes that are waaay too long for me to describe to you. Some I'm pretty sure I'm not legally allowed to tell you about until you're eighteen," Eda explained.

"My crown! It's close! I can sense its power!" King exclaimed as he ran off.

Luz and Eda followed the little demon to a massive door with the words "CONTRABAND" engraved on it. King immediately crawled onto the door and grabbed the doorknob with his whole body as he tried to open it.

"Heh, he's so cute when thrusting for power," Eda commented.

"So, after this, it'll be goodbye. Right?" Luz asked.

"Yeah, that's right."

The doorknob flew off the door and bounced on the floor after King ripped it off. Amazingly, that did the trick. The door swung open, and King rushed inside without hesitation. Eda facepalmed herself, as it seemed her companion was so eager that he more than likely forgot why Luz was with them in the first place.

"C'mon, let's go inside before he hurts himself," said Eda.

*ZAP!*

"WEH!"

"Too late," Luz commented.

Eda and Luz entered the room, and Luz gasped. At the center of the Contraband Room was a huge pillar of light. The young teen realized this was the infamous forcefield no witch or demon could pass through. As they got closer, they saw King building up speed before charging the barrier and ramming it with his head. Only to be zapped and tossed on his back feet away.

"We have a human here, remember?" Eda reminded him.

"Oh yeah!"

"Ready, kid?" Eda asked.

Luz stepped up to the barrier, stared at it momentarily, and then glanced back at Eda and King. "So, there's no special chant or incantation or anything?"

"Nope, just walk on through."

It was not as if she had any evidence to the contrary, so Luz had to trust that Eda was telling her the truth. Luz took a calming breath and reached out with her left hand. She pressed it against the barrier, and immediately after, her left hand passed through it as if it were just air. So far, Luz felt no pain. She pushed more of her hand through, going up to her forearm, and still felt no discomfort. Emboldened by this, Luz proceeded forward until her entire body passed through the barrier, keeping out everyone except humans. Once inside the barrier, Luz saw a mountain of random, assorted items.

"Now that I think about it, Eda and King never did describe what that crown looked like." Luz got closer to the pile and began sifting through it. "For all I know, there are probably several crowns here. Ah, screw it, I'll just grab as many as I can find. One of them is bound to be the right one. Plus, it'll give me time to escape after I throw the rest back into the barrier."

Luz kept searching through the pile, coming across several items, all varying between the strange, the cute, and – oh, yeah, that's, that's in here for a reason. After steering clear of the item she would rather forget, Luz's eyes fell on one object in particular. It looked like a strange and ornate key. It looked to be made of platinum or platinum colored. With indigo stripes that ran along the key's grooves and up to the top, where the key fanned out into a pair of wings. At the center of the key was an oval-shaped gemstone. Possibly amber, but Luz was just guessing. Further up was a ring where a chain or rope could be looped through to hang it around the neck or as part of a keychain. Luz didn't know why, but holding this key it felt right.

"I mean, a little souvenir wouldn't hurt. I'll need something to remind myself that this wasn't all in my head."

Following that logic, Luz pocketed the key in her jacket, a little something of the Demon Realm to take back to the Human Realm. Afterward, Luz hopped out of the pile and sighed in frustration at not having found even one crown yet. She could be here for hours before she found the crown, but Luz didn't have hours. Heck, the Latina doubted she had ten minutes, considering Warden Wrath could figure out Eda tricked them. As Luz tried to figure out her next move, her eyes glanced upwards and…

"Wait a second…is that a…?!" Luz's eyes widened as she facepalmed. "Oh, you've got to be joking…"

---

Luz exited the barrier, and in her hands, she held a box full of assorted items, and among them was a crown. But it was not the crown she thought it was. Honestly, she was prepared for Eda and King to laugh at her and tell her to go back and search because the crown she was holding was a paper Burger Queen crown. Something from a fast-food restaurant back in her world. Something you can just go in and pick up. Surely this was not King's fabled "Crown of Power", right?

"MY CROWN!"

Apparently, it is…

Luz took the crown out of the box, tossing said box to the ground, and bent down on one knee to give King his "Crown of Power." The little demon grabbed the paper crown and placed it on his head.

"YES! YES! I CAN FEEL MY POWERS RETURNING!" King looked into the box and found a stuffed rabbit. "You there, nightmare critter!" King took the stuffed rabbit. "I shall name you Francois, and you shall be a minion in my army of darkness! HA HA!"

Still wearing a deadpan expression, Luz grabbed Eda's arm and walked her a few steps away from King as she glared at the Owl Lady. "That's what we risked our lives for?! A paper crown?! If that's all he wanted, you could've sent me back, and I would've brought you one when I came back from camp! Was any of what you said about him being a 'King of Demons' even true?!"

Eda chuckled a little and answered, "Sorry, Luz. You're right, King…well…he believes he is."

"What do you mean?" Luz questioned.

Eda sighed and began her explanation, "Oh, look at us, Luz. King doesn't know much about where he came from, and he has it in his head that he's the 'King of Demons.' I didn't want to hurt the little guy's feelings, so…If that dumb paper crown is important to him, it's important to me," Eda smiled and added, "Besides, us weirdos have to stick together, right?"

Luz glanced over her shoulder at King and then back at Eda. The Owl Lady was right. Maybe Luz had her all wrong. Sure, Eda's a little crazy and eccentric, but she cared enough to risk getting caught to get something practically meaningless to everyone else. However, she was of great importance to King.

"I'm…I'm sorry," Luz apologized.

"For what?" Eda asked.

"I…I was planning to double-cross you. I was afraid that giving that crown to King would turn him into some all-powerful Demon Lord and that you would wage war on my world. And after seeing all these Machina Frames, I hate to say it, but if you guys decided to invade my world, there wouldn't be a single thing we could do to stop you. So, I planned to make you open the portal, and then I was going to toss the crown back into the barrier and run like hell as far from the portal as I could. I'm sorry, again, for not trusting you."

Eda snorted as she laughed but then patted Luz on the shoulder. "Ah, Luz, you don't have anything to apologize for. If anything, that was smart thinking. I'd be worried if you were that willing to help out a stranger like me without some amount of caution or a plan. But if it helps, no one here plans to invade the Human Realm. Believe me, we got enough problems of our own to deal with without traveling to another world to pick a fight."

"You talking about Amphibia?" King interjected. "Yeah, I agree."

Luz raised an eyebrow. "Amphibi-what?"

"Trust me, kid, you won't be here long enough to find out." Said Eda. "Now, let's get out of here before the warden catches us,"

"Too late."

Luz gasped as she saw Warden Wrath appear behind Eda, appearing ominous as he raised his right arm. That same arm transformed into a crescent blade just before Wrath swung it at Eda. The blade cleanly sliced through Eda's neck, severing her head from her body. Eda's head flew through the air before Luz, out of pure instinct, reached out and grabbed it. The Latina was in shock; Eda was just killed right in front of her, and now she was holding her severed head.

"OOOOWWW!" Eda's head wailed. "Damn it, I hate it when that happens."

"...AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Luz screamed. "Y-You're head – Talking head – How – What – HUH?!"

"Relax, kid. This just happens when you get older," Eda told Luz.

"NO. IT. DOES. NOT!" she retorted.

"Finally, I have you where I want you." Warden Wrath marched toward Eda and Luz and snatched King's crown from his head.

"WEH!?"

"My guards and guardras could never catch you, but I knew you'd come running if I took your pet's toy."

Wrath then crushed King's crown and dropped it to the ground, causing the little demon to cry as he fell to his knees.

"NOOOOOO! My power…"

"UGH! What do you want with me?! I haven't broken any of your stupid laws…in front of you!" Eda shouted.

"Wait…what?" Luz raised an eyebrow.

"Oh no, now that I got you right where I want you, I can finally…finally…" Warden Wrath moved closer to Luz, causing the young teen to panic.

Luz didn't know how to get out of this situation, and with the imposing figure of Warden Wrath before her, and apparently, he could shapeshift his arms into weapons, getting away from it would be an arduous task right now. The bird-masked warden reached behind his back, and Luz tensed up, her mind guessing at what horrible, awful, pain-inducing instrument was behind his back. And in a world of magic, there was no telling what it was.

"Ask you to go out with me," said Wrath as he brought out a bouquet of flowers

"Wuh?"

"What?"

"Weh?"

"GO BOSS!" shouted a guard, giving a thumbs up.

Wrath returned the gesture to his subordinate, then bent down to one knee and said, "You have always evaded our capture, always became the one that got away. I found that to be alluring."

Luz is completely flabbergasted right now. This guy, who locked up innocent people, who stole King's crown and crushed it like a bully, was asking Eda out on a DATE!?

"My dude, you're a total creep," Luz stated.

"WHO ASKED YOU!"

Warden Wrath tossed the bouquet over his shoulder and thrusted his right arm towards Luz. His arm began to change, splitting apart as it became several tentacles that lashed out and in her direction.

"I'VE SEEN ENOUGH ANIME TO KNOW WHERE THIS IS GOING! WHOA!" Luz yelped as she got ensnared by the tentacles, and forced her to drop Eda's head.

Wrath bent down, picked Eda's head up by her hair, and brought her to eye level with him. "So, how about it, Owl Lady? The most powerful witch of the Boiling Isles and the feared Warden Wrath! We'd be the strongest power couple ever!" Wrath declared. "I mean, it's- it's not like you're in a position to say 'no' right now."

Luz continued to struggle against the tentacles, but managed to shout, "Don't do it, Eda! Don't give this guy the satisfaction! HMPH!"

One of the tentacles wrapped around Luz's mouth, silencing her. Eda glanced between Luz and King, who was now getting apprehended by one of Wrath's guards, and that's when she made her decision.

"...Alright, you win."

"HHHMMMPH!" Luz yelled in disbelief.

"Can I just tell you something?" Eda asked. "Just come a little closer,"

Wrath leaned his head in closer. "No, a little closer," He leaned in again. "Closer," Again. "Just a bit-yeah that-that's good."

Eda suddenly blew a raspberry into Warden Wrath's face.

"UUUUUGGGGGHHHH!" Warden Wrath quickly released Luz, returning his arm to its normal state as he hurriedly wiped his face. "IMPUDENT WENCH! Don't you know how many germs are in your mouth?! BLUGH!"

"Stay mad, Wrath! You had your guards stalk me, cut off my head, and you crushed King's crown! I will NEVER in a million years go out with you!" Eda proclaimed.

"FINE! If you don't accept my proposal, I have no choice but to destro-!"

*WHACK!*

"OOMPH!" Wrath's grip on Eda's head went lax as he suddenly fell forward and hit the ground hard.

When Eda's head stopped rolling, she glanced up and saw Luz, now brandishing her staff and revealing that she had knocked Wrath out.

"Nice work, kid!" Eda praised.

"Thanks!"

The guard holding King threw him to the ground and joined his partner in surrounding Eda's head. However, thanks to this, the two guards didn't notice that Eda's body was now behind them. In one swift motion, Eda's body grabbed the hoods of two guards and forcibly pulled them over their faces.

"Okay, we're outta here!" Luz stated as she grabbed Eda's head. She ran to Eda's body, who had now gotten ahold of King, and dragged the headless body with her as she mounted the staff. "Expecto Flying?! Magicus Escapacus! Yip-Yip?! FLY, PLEASE?!"

Seeing this was going nowhere, Eda shouted, "GUN IT, MAGIC STICK!"

The staff immediately went into a hover and, in the next moment, flew straight down the corridor and out of the Contraband Room. Wrath regained consciousness and growled furiously when he saw Eda and her cohorts escape.

"We're not done just yet, Owl Lady! You two!"

The two guards managed to get their hoods off and quickly stood at attention.

"SIR!?"

"Round up the guards and get after them! I'm going to sortie in the Dominus and head them off!" Wrath ordered.

"THE DOMINUS!?" They cried out in shock.

"Boss, you sure!?"

Wrath removed his mask and showed his face. He had beady yellow eyes and a large mouth with razor-sharp teeth. The demon warden then let out a raging bellow as he unleashed a torrent of flames from his mouth. The guards stepped back as they watched their leader breathe fire for a few seconds before he turned his attention to them.

"DO I LOOK LIKE I'M NOT SURE?!" he yelled.

"NO SIR!"

The guards scampered off to do as Wrath ordered while Wrath ran in the opposite direction to bring forth his weapon that would subjugate the Owl Lady once and for all.

---

By now, most, if not the entire facility, was on high alert, meaning they had to get out of there quickly. However, before they left, Luz decided to make a little detour. After turning down a familiar hallway, Luz had them exit, and they found themselves back in the central part of the tower, where the cells were lined up.

"EDA! LEND ME A HAND!" Luz yelled as she raised her hand.

"NO PROBLEM!"

The Owl Lady's body raised its right hand and placed it behind Luz's. Together, Luz and Eda pushed up on the three levers, one after the other, freeing the Witch, the multi-eyed demon, and the big-nosed demon. The three inmates were shocked but grateful as they ran out of the cells and followed after Luz and Eda. The two burst through the front doors and were on their way to freedom, only for a large tendril of sparking yellow energy to burst out of the Comformatorium walls.

"WHAT IS THAT?!" Luz cried out.

"JUST DODGE IT!" Eda yelled.

Luz pushed down on the staff, making it angle in the same direction as the giant energy tendril whipped toward them. The tendril passed over them, but due to the speed of its attack, it kicked up a whirlwind that threw Luz, Eda, and King into a tailspin. Luz held on tight, trying to level out the staff. She managed to do so, but only long enough to slow down their fall, turning into a crash landing. Luz, Eda, and King were thrown off the staff, but Luz managed to keep Eda's head cradled in her arms as they were all laid out on the ground.

"Ow! My bones!" King complained.

"Am I dead…?" Luz groaned as she winced. "No, still feel pain. Not dead…" The Latina's eyes widened as her face paled. "Well…not yet."

The tendril of energy retracted back into the ruined wall, only to have a second spring and smash the remainder of the wall alongside its twin. Once the wall had been destroyed, the tendrils disappeared as the thundering footsteps and familiar sound of mechanical parts whirring drifted to Luz's ears. There was a glowing "X" shape in the shadows, but as the colossal object came walking, the owner of that glowing "X" came into view.

The Machina Frame stood about twelve meters tall, and its paint was a mixture of white and black. The mech's head was dome-like, possessed a curved horn crest, and the glowing "X" pattern came from its yellow "X" shaped visor. The mech's body was heavily armored, with a broad torso and two half-circle-shaped shoulder pauldrons tipped with three spikes each. Going lower, the legs of the mech were also heavily armored, while a metal skirt covered its waist. Strangely, this one had no arms, unlike the other Machina Frames that Luz had seen up until now.

"Well, that's not good," Eda said as she reattached her head to her body.

"What is that thing!?" Luz exclaimed.

"Something that'll ruin your day, kid," Eda answered.

{EDA THE OWL LADY!} yelled Wrath as his voice echoed through the speakers of his mech.

"Of course…OF COURSE! The crazy stalker gets a big custom mech! I'm having mecha anime flashbacks right now. Please tell me this thing isn't as bad as it looks, and it's just some cosmetic stuff?" Luz asked pleadingly.

"Oh, no, it's as bad as it looks," said Eda.

"Yep, totally bad." King agreed.

"...I think I said, 'Please don't tell me'," Luz retorted.

{NO MORE RUNNING! TODAY IS THE DAY I CAPTURE YOU ONCE AND FOR ALL! I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU SPURN MY AFFECTIONS!}

"Okay, wow, this guy is totally nuts for you, Eda."

"HA! You should see how her break up with her last boyfriend went," King commented.

"Not my boyfriend!"

"W-What do we do now?!" Luz asked. "Do you know some super powerful spell that can take down a Machina Frame?!"

"A spell? No. For these kinds of situations, you gotta fight fire with fire," said Eda as she reached into her hair.

A moment after rummaging through her large volume of hair, Eda pulled out a key. But it wasn't the key to the portal door from before. The key in question was maroon, with silver-colored grooves etched into it. The key was shaped like a curved feather, and at the center of the key was a yellow topaz gemstone. Luz unconsciously moved her right hand to her jacket's right pocket, where her "souvenir" rested.

Wait…that kind of looks like…

"Eda, what is that?" Luz inquired.

"Oh, this? This is how we're going to make our escape! Say hello to my Ignition Key!" Eda announced as she tapped the gemstone of the key.

The gemstone began to glow, but other than that, nothing else happened.

"Uh…was something supposed to happen?"

Eda smirked as she replied, "Wait for iiiiiiittt…"

---

(The Owl House)

"Hoot…Hoot," Hooty snored as he slept.

Suddenly, the ground began to rumble, rattling everything in the area and waking up Hooty.

"HOOT?!"

The ground in front of the Owl House formed a magic circle, and in the next moment, the circle stripped away the grass and dirt, revealing two huge metallic doors. Both doors slid open, revealing a deep, dark tunnel that went on for an unknown distance. However, a flicker of light could be seen deep in the dark tunnel. This flicker started to grow, getting bigger and bigger, changing from a flicker to a star and from a star into a raging flame.

A moment later, Hooty watched as a streak of fire and light shot out of the tunnel and rapidly ascended into the sky. That same object hovered in the air, and swiftly flew in a specific direction towards the Conformatorium. The metal doors quickly slid back and slammed shut as that same magic circle appeared and reapplied the disguise from earlier.

Hooty looked up, blinked, and said, "Wow, Eda must be mad. Sucks to be that person. Hoot-hoot!"

---

"Wait for iiiittt…"

"You said that three times already!" Luz pointed out.

Eda had said to wait for "it", but Luz had no idea what "it" was. If Eda didn't know a spell to take down a mech, how would they get out of this?

{Now, Eda the Owl Lady! You shall kneel before the power of my Dominus! And the Boiling Isles will see the end of your criminal ways! Either that or you could still accept my offer.} Wrath bargained.

"NOT ON YOUR LIFE!" Eda yelled.

{THEN YOU SHALL PERISH!}

"EEEDDAAAAAA!"

"Wait for iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit…!"

*BOOM!*

{WHAT IN THE NAME OF THE TITAN!}

A single beam of light shot down from the sky, hitting the ground before the Dominus and forcing Wrath to back away. Luz looked up and watched as something circled above them. That same something rapidly descended, making Luz raise her arms and shut her eyes as she thought a meteor was about to hit them. However, just before the "meteor" hit, a strong gust of wind was released as the object stopped. Luz felt something hit the ground behind with a great "BOOM!" sound. The young Latina opened her eyes and turned around. That's when she saw it.

It was another Machina Frame, but a custom one. Its body was sleek and had a distinctly avian design. The armor of the mech had a shiny maroon coloring that gleamed in the lights from the Conformatorium. Its head had three feather frills on both sides of its face, with the top half of its head covered by an owl-shaped, metallic mask. Below that mask was a black slit that showed two glowing amber eyes, and below that was a silver faceplate. The mech's feet possessed three talons, two in front and one in the back, and both of its hands had claw-tipped fingers. On its back were two large, metal bird wings, which were now curled in a kind of protective manner. Both wings had metal feathers attached to them. For what purpose, Luz hadn't a clue.

"Eda…is…is this your…?"

"Yep, say hello to my Machina Frame, Luz! The Owleon!" Eda snapped her fingers, and a panel opened on the Owleon's chest. "Sorry to do this to you again, kid. But you're gonna need to hitch a ride with me!"

Luz didn't hesitate this time as she let Eda float all three of them towards the cockpit. This was the first time Luz had seen inside one of these Machina Frames, and the design couldn't be more different from their Mobile Frames. There was a pilot seat set in front of a glowing module in the back, with two tubes running from it to the top of the cockpit roof. On either side were glowing panels that Luz assumed were meant to be the screens. Below were a couple of hexagonal modules, one on the left and one on the right, and both were attached to a pair of curved control sticks.

Once inside, Eda took her place in the pilot's seat while Luz tried to tuck herself into a corner to avoid being in the way, with King doing the same. The cockpit doors closed, and the control panel slid up and forward as the two modules released the control sticks, sliding them forward to allow Eda to grip the reins. Another screen appeared in front of them, completing the panoramic view, while a secondary screen rose and displayed more technical information, along with some kind of radar system. With its pilot onboard, Owleon's eyes glowed a little brighter as it flared its wings, widened its stance, and flexed its claws.

The Dominus's "X" visor glowed as if to acknowledge Owleon's challenge, and that's when both of its shoulder pauldrons started to emit a glow from underneath. In a matter of seconds, multiple long energy tendrils manifested, stretching out as they rose like a horde of vipers ready to strike. A crackle of electricity ran along them, filling the air with the smell of ozone. The Dominus made the first move and lashed out twelve tentacles from its right.

Owleon flapped its wings as a halo of light blasted forth and propelled them into the air. The winged mech stopped and entered into a hover as it flexed its right arm. A panel on the upper half of its forearm slid up, and a blade of pure magical energy formed. The Owleon shot towards the Dominus, but the heavy set mech attacked with its tentacles, stretching them out as they all weaved together and formed a giant fist. The Owleon quickly rolled to the left, avoiding the fist as it slashed at the tentacles with its arm-mounted Mana Blade. Sparks flew upon impact, making Eda click her tongue when she realized cutting through them wouldn't be as easy as she thought.

The giant fist deconstructed and reformed into four larger tentacles, each with an arrowhead tip. The four tentacles attacked, making Eda take evasive maneuvers as she either parried the spike-tipped tentacles or dodged them completely. The Owl Lady released another energy pulse from her engine, making the Owleon dash forward as she dove further down to meet the Dominus. Eda figured if she couldn't cut through the tightly woven construct, she might as well go for the body. Severing its legs and head would render the bulky mech useless.

Thankfully, the Dominus could not keep up with the speed and agility of the Owleon, and before long, the aerial robot was now on the Dominus' right side. The Owleon readied to cut the mech's head off, but before it could do that, the Owleon raised its blade just as a crescent-shaped blade rocketed toward them. The winged mech was pushed back as the two blades scrapped and screeched, and with a flick of the crescent blade, the Owleon was sent crashing into the wall, back first.

"What was that?!" Luz asked.

Eda focused her gaze and noticed that the Dominus' left tendrils had managed to bend around its body to attack. "Talk about flexibility."

The Dominus turned around and thrust both swarms of tentacles from its left and right towards the Owleon. Eda hurriedly took the sky as tentacles crashed into what remained of that section of the perimeter wall. The winged mech began to circle the Dominus as Eda tried to devise a better attack plan.

"Those tentacles are going to make it hard for you to even get close," Luz commented. "Don't you have any long-range weapons?"

Eda smirked. "Funny you should mention that." The Owleon stopped in the air, making Wrath wonder what Eda was planning next. Owleon flared its wings again just as Eda cried out, "SCATTER MY FEATHERS!"

At that moment, all of the Owleon's feathers launched from the wings, eight in total. The places where the feathers were housed started to emit a sparkling light, giving the mech's wings an ethereal look as they hovered in the air. The feathers that flew off suddenly surrounded the Oweloen, with the stem of the feathers opening to reveal a kind of cannon. The feather portion's panels flared, and they, too, began emitting the same sparkling energy as the wings.

"W-W-What is this?!" Luz asked.

"My Feathers, now watch, this is the fun part!" Eda shouted as she waved her hand over the screen.

The eight feathers swiftly flew down towards the Dominus, appearing as streaks of sparkling energy as they got near the heavily armored mech. Each of the Feathers began shooting mana energy beams from the stems, and each one hit its mark. Some hit the legs, others the torso, but each hit caused an intense explosion that forced the Dominus to go on the defensive. The Dominus tried to attack the Feathers, but the mini-remote laser guns were too nimble to hit. It was like trying to swat a fast-moving fly, or in this case, a fire hornet.

Unfortunately for Wrath, while the hits from the Feathers weren't too destructive, thanks to the Dominus' thick armor, the fact that they were shooting repeatedly and from multiple angles was just piling on the damage and weakening the armor further. Wrath had no choice but to be even more defensive as he weaved the tendrils together to form two large tendrils. He quickly had both of them coil around the Dominus like a snake, and thankfully, it seemed to be working as the Feathers' beam attacks were hitting the construct tentacles rather than the machine itself. However, the defense was not all-encompassing, as there were some gaps. If Wrath were facing another mech like a Guardra with its rifle, then this would be enough to protect against an attack from them. However, due to how small and fast the Feathers were flying, they could take advantage of the gaps and shoot in between them.

{DAMMIT, OWL LADY! COME DOWN HERE AND FIGHT ME!} Wrath yelled.

{IF YOU INSIST!}

The Feathers stopped their circle fire and rose above the Dominus. All eight feathers aimed directly downwards and fired all their beams at once. The Dominus quickly uncoiled its tentacles and merged them together to form a shield over its head, using it as an umbrella to protect against the beam shower that was now pelting it from above. However, that was all part of the plan. Eda deactivated the man blade in her forearm as a port hidden in the mech's backside opened up and shot a small object in the air. Eda had the Owleon ascend higher into the air and caught the object in its right hand. The object appeared to be a sword's handle with a crimson guard but had no blade. As soon as the sword was in hand, a series of blades shot out of the guard, all connected by a thick wire that rose higher and higher and then stopped. The segmented pieces of metal then merged, creating a full-length metal blade.

Now armed with a bigger weapon, Owleon zoomed down, increasing its speed to the point that Luz and King were getting pushed against the back of the cockpit. The instruments warned Eda to pull up as her descent was too rapid, and Luz thought they would crash for a moment. At the last second, Eda had Owleon release another energy pulse that was stronger than the last one. However, it was not just one pulse but two in rapid succession. The first pulse acted as a buffer, preventing them from crashing, while the second rocketed them forward. The speedy maneuver helped the Owleon rapidly close the distance on the Dominus, and by the time Wrath noticed the incoming mech, it was too late.

Owleon gripped the sword with both hands and slashed upwards. The blade sliced into the thick armor of the Dominus, which, thanks to the Feathers, had been weakened due to the continuous damage it had endured earlier. The mech's visor suddenly went dark as the robot fell onto its back with a great "THUD!". Owleon planted its right foot on the mech's chest and shouldered its sword as it looked down at its defeated foe.

"Ha! Was that all you got Wrath?" Eda mocked. "I expected better from a man who wanted to go out with me."

Suddenly, the Dominus' visor glowed again.

"EDA, LOOK OUT!" Luz warned.

"HE'S NOT DOWN! HE'S NOT DOWN!" King yelled.

The construct tentacles shot forth and wrapped themselves around the right leg on its chest. In no time, the Dominus pulled the Owleon up and into the air before violently throwing the mech across the courtyard. The winged mech smashed right into the wall, with the force of the impact jostling everyone inside of the cockpit. King and Luz bounced around, but the impact made Eda whip her head forward as it hit the console before she limply slumped back. After the shaking stopped, Luz and King groaned in pain as they rubbed their heads. Well, it wasn't just their heads hurting; they hurt everywhere. Eda was the only one who wasn't tossed around, and only because she was strapped to the seat.

"Ow…oh man…now I know why the instructors say never to let another person in your cockpit unless it's an emergency…getting thrown around like that seriously sucks," Luz commented.

"Tell me when the world stops spinning," King requested dizzily.

"E-Eda, are you alright?" Luz didn't receive a response. "Eda?" The Latina looked at Eda and gasped. "EDA!"

The Owl Lady was lying motionless as some blood trickled down from her forehead. Luz had received basic medical training, which was part of the training program. So, she quickly rushed to Eda and checked her out. She placed two fingers under her carotid, checking for a pulse. Thankfully, she found one. Eda's chest was still rising and falling steadily, indicating she was breathing.

"Is…Is she okay?" King asked worriedly.

"I-I think so. I think Eda's just knocked out, probably a concussion at best," Luz diagnosed.

*STOMP!*

*STOMP!*

*STOMP!*

Luz looked toward the cockpit's front monitor and gasped in fright. The Dominus was marching right toward them, shaking the ground with its heavy footsteps.

{You should've accepted my proposal when you got the chance, Eda the Owl Lady. Otherwise, this wouldn't hurt so much.}

Wrath shifted the energy tendrils on the right side to merge to form another crescent-shaped blade. Luz had to think fast, or else they'd all be dead if she didn't do something. That's when the craziest thought entered her head, and at this point, crazy was her only option.

"KING, HELP ME GET EDA UNSTRAPPED!" Luz ordered.

"What are you doing!?"

"DON'T ASK QUESTIONS, JUST DO IT! OR DO YOU WANT TO DIE HERE?!"

That was enough motivation to get King moving. Together, he and Luz managed to unbuckle Eda from the pilot's chair, and after some hurried moving, they managed to get Eda propped against the right side of the cockpit and out of the seat. Once that was done, Luz hopped into the pilot's seat and strapped herself in.

"Do you even know how to pilot this thing!?" King asked frantically.

"It's just like piloting a Mobile Frame," Luz answered as she took the controls. "How hard can it be?"

In reality, that was easier said than done. While some parts of Owleon's control console looked similar to a Mobile Frame's, there were some differences in the controls, and even the sticks seemed to have a greater range of motion than the ones they used. Still, it wasn't as if she needed to start the thing up; Owleon was still online, and all she needed to do was get it moving. Luz grabbed the reins, wrapping her hands around the control sticks, and positioned her feet on the pedals below.

Meanwhile, the Dominus approached the down Owleon, and once it was three feet apart, it rose its crescent-energy blade into the air as Wrath declared, {Goodbye, Owl Lady!}

"Owleon, I know I'm not Eda, but I need you to move, or we'll die!" Luz pleaded.

"Are you talking to the Machina Frame?!" King questioned. "Well, she's officially lost it!"

Luz's eyes widened as she saw the blade come down. The Latina gripped the control stick hard as she pushed forward and yelled, "OWLEON, PLEASE MOVE!"

The winged mech's arms snapped up, bringing the sword with it as the Dominus' crescent blade struck against the flat of the Owleon's sword.

{WHAT?!}

"LUZ, YOU DID IT!" King shouted.

Unfortunately, King's joy was cut short as he saw the Owleon struggling to keep the crescent blade from completing its attack. When he looked back at Luz, King saw that the human teen was working, her arms shaking as she tried to keep the attack from hitting them. But it was getting closer. Inch by inch, the blade was approaching them. As amazing as that was, Luz was still unable to control the Owleon fully, and it was a miracle that the mech even responded to her this much.

C'mon…C'MON! I have to survive! I…

Images flashed in Luz's head. The day her father left on the mission that claimed his life. The day that his captain came to their house and received the worst news of her life.

I can't…I can't…

She remembered her mother's tears and her uncle's sorrow. She remembered failing so many exams and struggling to become an MF pilot like him, only to hear others like Lance spit on her father's name.

I…I…!

Luz's grip on the control sticks tightened, and the module behind the pilot seemed to glow even brighter, making King wonder what was going on. But the module wasn't the only thing. All the instruments in the Owleon lit up one after the other as if the mech was responding to something.

I CAN'T LOSE TO HIM HERE!

(Cue-Danbell Senki Wars Original Soundtrack 04)

Luz's irises suddenly changed from a light brown to a glowing yellow. Unbeknownst to either of them, the key that Luz had pilfered was now glowing in her pocket, somehow resonating with Luz and the Owleon. As this occurred, the Owleon's eyes shined with greater light than before as the winged mech's arm pushed upwards. The Dominus now seemed to be the one struggling as the tendrils crackled, as if straining to complete its death blow. Slowly, the Owleon began to rise, getting to one knee before standing on both feet.

{W-WHAT IS – HOW ARE YOU–?!}

The Owleon removed its left hand from the flat end of the blade, now only using the sword and its right hand to hold Wrath's weapon back. With a flick of the sword, the Owleon deflected the blade, creating a strong shockwave that forced the mech to stumble backward as the construct tentacles deconstructed from the force of the blow. Down on the ground, the escaped prisoners that Luz and Eda freed had stopped and gazed in awe at how the Owl Lady's mech swatted the Warden Wrath's weapon away.

"Luz, that was crazy!" King looked back at Luz, but the human didn't respond to his praise. "Luz?"

"Hold on, King," Luz advised.

The Owleon widened its stance, flared its wings, and released a pulse of light from its back. However, when the halo formed, it was different from before. Before now, it was a mixture of blue and green hues, but now, it was a bright yellow sparkling like stardust. Even the energy being vented from the wings has shifted to this same coloration.

The Dominus quickly reformed its tentacles, but it was too slow. The Owleon had already closed the distance and struck the heavy-set mech with another slash. As the blade carved through the armor, it formed a "V" cut, giving it a wound that matched the wound from when Eda hit it. The Dominus staggered but didn't fall. Believing the Owl Lady had just done something stupid by getting this close, Wrath had the Dominus' tentacles fan out and rush towards the Owleon. Just as the tentacles were about to latch onto the winged mech, another energy pulse was released, causing it to disappear as yellow sparkles were left in its wake.

{HOW DID– THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE! WHERE – AAAUGH!} Wrath yelled as he suddenly got hit from behind.

The Dominus whirled around, weaving its tentacles together to form two crescent blades. But as soon as it turned to face its opponent, the only thing there was sparkling yellow particles. Another attack came, this time striking at the right leg of the Dominus. Another attack hit the left leg. Wrath's beady eyes widened as he could only catch brief glimpses of the Owleon as it appeared and disappeared in a matter of seconds. His instruments were blaring out warnings as the Dominus continued to take significant damage with each strike of the winged mech's blade. The Owleon finally reappeared a fair distance away as it gazed upon its work. The Donminus had several gashes in its thick armor, with some parts of its body sparking and releasing arcs of electricity.

"This ends NOW!" The module at the back of the cockpit glowed even brighter as Luz shouted, "COME MY FEATHERS!"

The Feathers that went offline due to Eda getting knocked out suddenly rose from the ground and immediately flew to the Owleon.

What's going on…? How is this happening…?

Luz didn't know how she was doing this, much less how she knew what to do next, but there would be a time for questions when this was over. The Owleon widened its stance again as it got the sword into a thrusting position, and its left hand hovered over the sword's guard. With one swipe of its left hand, Owleon ran that same hand over the blade as the metal started to glow bright yellow, energizing with mana until it hummed with power. The eight Feathers began to form a circle and rotated. The stems all glowed with energy as they began to spin faster and faster, creating a large ring of light. Owleon's eyes blazed with that same light, which leaked out of both corners. Just as the winged mech thrust the sword forward. The glowing blade passed through the ring of light, and as soon as it did, a column-sized beam of light erupted from the center.

Wrath hurriedly formed a shield with the construct tentacles just as the beam slammed against it. The Owleon didn't stop as the beam continued to fire, pushing the Dominus as its feet cut grooves into the ground. The shield rapidly deteriorated, with bits and pieces chipping away like glass.

{THIS IS ISN'T POSSIBLE! W-WHERE'S THIS POWER COMING FROM?!}

"NOW EAT THIS SUCKA!"

The Owleon's eyes shined with even greater light as it reared back the sword and thrust it through again. The column of light doubled in size as it roared towards the Dominus. The bulky mech was bathed in that brilliant light and carried all the way to the tower as it struck the side of the Conformatorium. A powerful explosion erupted from that spot, sending a column of flame into the air. The Owleon ceased its attack as it turned its back to the flames with the feathers reattaching its wings.

Alarms were going off inside the cockpit as the screens started to display several reports that various parts of the Owleon had been pushed too far and were at risk of structural failure. But Luz didn't hear all of that. She panted heavily, and she couldn't believe it. She did it, she had won.

"I…I did it…Papá…I…I…"

"Wow Luz…You did it," said King. "You actually did it! HA HA! TAKE THAT WARDEN WRATH! NO ONE CRUSHES MY CROWN AND GETS AWAY WITH IT!"

"UGH! Could you keep it down, please?"

King turned to his right and gasped in delight. Eda regained consciousness just as the battle ended, and boy was her head hurting. She felt like she got trampled in a stampede of spider bulls on steroids and didn't stop. When she touched her head, she winced. Eda pulled her hand away and saw blood, her blood.

"What the hell…? Did I get knocked out? And why is everything so noisy?" Eda complained.

"Oh, you didn't miss much…Just lust Luz taking control and beating Warden Wrath's stinky butt!" King informed.

"Wait, she did WHAT!?" Eda exclaimed.

"Y-Yep…sure did…I'm totally exhausted…" Luz groaned as she blacked out.

"Luz!" King exclaimed.

Eda groaned as she unbuckled Luz and checked her out. Thankfully, it seemed as if the young teen was just unconscious. With some effort, Eda managed to move Luz out of the pilot's seat and to the left side of the cockpit. She waved for King to come over to that side and look after Luz as she strapped herself in.

"Can you even fly this thing right now? You're injured, and the Owleon's sparking right now," said King.

"Don't really have a choice. We just need to get back home before the Owleon breaks down and before I pass out again," Eda informed.

"Sooo…that means you might pass out while we're flying," King pointed out nervously.

"In a way. Now, let's bounce before any more monsters fall in love with me." Eda joked.

The Owleon groaned as it started to move, sparks still coming off different parts of its body. Eda was even more worried now. She had never pushed the Owleon this hard before, but Luz must've done something wild to do this level of damage and put this much strain on the mech's body.

"C'mon, ol' girl, just get us home, and we can both rest up," Eda whispered, speaking to the mech.

After strenuous minutes, the Owleon finally managed to take flight and flew back in the direction of the Owl House. Carrying its three passengers with it. Eda paid a worried glance to the unconscious human on her left.

Just what did you do while I was knocked out, kid?

---

Luz groaned, feeling more groggy than she had ever felt before. Not only that, but her muscles felt sore, as if she had spent several hours in a simulator and got knocked around. Slowly, Luz opened her eyes and looked upon the owl mural. The young teen sat up quickly as she remembered all that happened, her head whipping around to and fro in a panic.

"What happened?! Did we escape?! Eda?! Eda where are you?!" Luz cried out.

"Ow! Dang, keep it down, would ya, kid?"

Luz stopped and turned her head around to see Eda sitting on the loveseat to the right of the long couch. The Owl Lady had an ice pack pressed against her head, along with some bandages that now wrapped around her forehead.

"I got a headache the size of the Titan's skull," Eda complained.

"EDA!"

Luz bolted from the couch she was lying on and quickly enveloped Eda in a hug. Needless to say, this only aggravated Eda, just a little though.

"Kid! Kid! You're not the only one who's sore!"

Luz released her hug and stepped back, and immediately regretted her decision to move that fast as the room began to spin. Thankfully, she managed to get back on the long couch and plopped her rear into it. "Gracias a Dios (Thank God). But, wow, my head is killing me. What happened? How long was I out?"

"Kid, I hate to tell ya this…"

"What?"

"...You've been out for two whole days," Eda informed.

"WHAAAT?! TWO DAYS?!" Luz yelled in shock.

"PFFFFT! AHAHAHA! Nah, just messin' with ya. More like ten minutes."

Luz sighed in relief, then glared at the Owl Lady as she said, "That wasn't funny, Eda!"

"Ha, it kinda is, kid." Eda rebutted with an amused smirk.

Luz let another sigh, deciding to just let it go. They were alive, they were safe, and at the end of the day, that's all that mattered. "So, where's King?"

"LUZ!" King yelled as he rushed into the living room from around the archway.

"Wait, wait, wait, King! OOMPH!" King immediately launched himself from the floor and landed right into Luz's chest as he hugged her tight. Unfortunately, Luz's sore body released a scream of protest in the form of pain as she did her best not to give voice to that pain. The best she managed was a shrill, "Ooooowwww…!"

"Whoops! Sorry!" King apologized as he leaped off Luz and landed on the coffee table.

"I-It's okay…It only hurts…when I move," Luz assured. "A-Anyway…Are you alright, Eda?"

"Yeah, trust me, it'll take more than that to keep me down. Plus, I cast a healing spell on myself and drank a potion to boost the healing effects. I'll be fine by morning. I'd give you one, but I'm not exactly sure how it'd react to you, being human and all," Eda explained. "More importantly, now that you're up. I need to know what the heck happened back there. King told me, but I wanna hear it from you."

Luz thought long and hard about what happened when Eda was knocked out. But all she got was…nothing. She couldn't remember how the battle went; it was just bits and pieces, and it was all blurry. Whenever she tried to think about it, her head started to pound. "Ugh…honestly, I can't remember… it's all just a big blur."

Eda raised an eyebrow when she heard that. "Have you trained in piloting before?"

"Back in my world, I'm part of a pilot training program at my school. So, when you got knocked out, I thought I could pilot the Owleon and hopefully get us out of there. But up to that point, nothing," Luz explained.

"Huh…This is gonna be a weird question, but are you some kind of ace pilot or somethin' back in the Human Realm?"

Luz waved her hand and shook her head in the negative. "No way. I don't think I'm the best, but I know I'm not the worst either."

She doesn't look like she's lying. But still, Owleon was pushed beyond its limits. The power core was overclocked, and the joints had severe wear and tear. I don't know what she did, but it was enough to put Wrath on his ass and jack up my bot in the process. I don't know if that's good or not, at least not yet.

"Maybe we could check Owleon's battle records? That could give us a clue." King suggested.

"Nah, it doesn't matter."

"Why?" King asked.

"'Cause, a deal's a deal." Eda reached into her hair and pulled out the key to the portal door. "Once you've recovered enough, we'll send you back home."

"Oh, right. And, again, sorry that I was planning on double-crossing you," Luz apologized.

"Wait, WHAT?!" King exclaimed.

"Sorry, King, I…I was afraid you would become an all-powerful demon and invade my world. Really, sorry."

King crossed his arms and raised his head in a haughty manner. "Heh, well, I can hardly blame you for your fear, Luz. If I had my true powers again, I would become a powerful and fearsome creature that would make the mighty quiver in their boots! But…" King lowered his gaze at Luz, and smiled at her. "You helped us out, and the King of Demons doesn't overlook the loyalty of his retainers! So, I will officially make you a promise that upon my return to power, I will spare the Human Realm! None shall invade! And any who do will feel my wrath!"

Luz smiled as she slowly reached out and brought King into a hug.

"I thought you hurt all over."

"Oh, I do."

"Then why…?"

"Because you deserve a hug," Luz answered.

"Ugh, all this sappiness will give me another headache." Eda placed the key on the coffee table and added, "I'll leave it here. When you're ready, just hit the eye, and the door will appear."

Luz looked at the portal kay on the table and wondered, Do I really want to go back? Luz released King, reached into her bag, and pulled out her Good Witch Azura book. The last memento of her father.

"Eda…I have a crazy question to ask you," said Luz.

"Heh, how crazy can it be?" Eda pondered.

"I think I want to stay, and…I was wondering if you could teach me more about piloting."

Eda blinked as she looked directly at Luz. "Okay, that is kind of crazy. You want me to teach you how to pilot?"

"All my life, I've been looked at as weird and different. Everyone telling me that I live in a fantasy world, and that it'll never get me to where I want to be. But here, a place where magic exists, a world of pure fantasy, I think I can achieve my dream even faster here than I ever could at some camp. Your mechs are way more advanced than the ones we have in the Human Realm, and if I can master how to use these, then using the ones back home will be child's play. I'll get more field experience this way!" Luz explained with an enthusiastic tone. "And who knows…maybe you could also teach me how to be a witch?"

"Heh, what? Okay, the first one I get, but humans can't become witches," said Eda. "Plus, it's a bit dangerous here with the war going on."

"Yeah, you guys mentioned a war earlier, what's all that about?" Luz questioned.

"Currently, the Boiling Isles is at war with the continent of Amphibia. It's a land across the sea populated by a race of talking frogs, newts, and toads. We're not exactly sure if they're demons, and their land is very different from ours. But they're also why the Boiling Isles has Machina Frames in the first place, but…that's a story for another time." Eda explained.

"Wait…talking frogs, newts, and toads?"

Why doesn't that surprise me? Luz thought.

"So, if you stay and wanna learn, then there's a high chance you might get caught in one of our skirmishes," Eda warned.

"I'm not afraid," Luz said resolutely. "Mobile Frame pilots are prepared to fight in life-threatening battles in the first place."

"Yes! Let her stay!" King then whispered, "She can make us snacks and be a valuable member of my army!"

Eda smirked a little and said, "Alright, fine. The pilot training is one thing, 'cause having someone else who can will be a big help. But as far as becoming a witch goes, don't get your hopes up, kid."

"We'll see, between the training and witching, I think I can handle it," Luz replied with a smug grin.

"I like that attitude. In that case, let's get you set up," Eda tried to get up, but her sore body told her to sit back down, "Yep, we'll get you set up after another hour or two."

"I second that." King agreed

"We're also gonna have to get you a pilot suit so you don't hurt yourself."

"Is there a difference?" Luz asked.

"Don't know what you humans have, but our suits are enchanted to reduce the amount of Gs put on our body. They also protect against impact damage so that you don't break your bones. And they have a neat little function of keeping inexperienced pilots from getting motion sickness."

Luz's eyes widened upon hearing how useful a Demon Realm pilot suit could be. "Oh, yeah, I want a suit! Please get me a suit!"

"That's on the agenda for tomorrow then, well, that and repairs on Owleon. Which reminds me…Hooty!" Eda called out.

The door opened, and Hooty extended himself into the room. "Yep?!"

"Drag some of the spare parts out of storage and put 'em near the Owleon," Eda requested.

"Can do!" Hooty glanced about the room before moving closer to Eda and whispered, "Um, there's something else. That other metal giant thing you have. Its eyes started to glow while you were away."

Eda's breath hitched when she heard Hooty say that. "Are you sure?! Like, absolutely sure?!"

"Yeah, yours was gone, and the only other one is that weird one you never got working. Hoot-Hoot."

That Machina Frame, the other one, Eda, had been tinkering with that thing ever since she got it. But in all this time, she never could get the darn thing to work. And now, this human arrives, and suddenly, it becomes active? That can't be a coincidence…could it?

"What are you guys talking about?" Luz asked.

"NOTHING!" Eda yelled, only to realize what she had done. She spoke in a calmer voice. "I mean… it's nothing to worry about, Kid, trust me."

---

A couple of hours later, Luz was brought to a spare room filled with some boxes and chests filled with old knickknacks and other assorted items. Eda didn't really have a bed set up, mostly due to the fact that she hardly had any guests over, like at all. Thankfully, Luz had packed a sleeping bag for camp. After rolling out the sleeping bag and changing into her pajamas, Luz looked over her new dwelling. This was going to be the start of something new for her, learning the ways of magic, and honing her skills as a pilot in a world unlike anything anyone back home could imagine.

Luz walked to the window and opened it. She stared into the starry night sky, letting the ocean breeze waft through and brush her face as she inhaled deeply and sighed. As she admired the beauty of the Boiling Isles' night and the two moons in the sky, Luz heard something behind her and turned around. It was then that she noticed King standing in her doorway, holding his newly acquired stuffed bunny, Francois.

"Your sleep cocoon looks fluffy," said King.

Luz smiled and replied, "Go on, King. I'll be there in a sec."

King didn't need any more encouragement as he immediately headed to Luz's sleeping bag, circled it, and curled up like a dog before falling asleep.

"So cute." Luz looked back out the window. As she did, Luz brought up her cell phone. When she did, Luz noticed a message from her mother.

[How's summer camp?]

Now that she thought about it, her mother believed she was at that "Reality Check Camp". There was a time limit on this whole adventure of hers. Two months. That's all the time she had to hone her pilot skills and learn the ways of witchcraft. But Luz was confident she could do it, feeling as if two months here would equal two years' worth of training back home. And it wasn't as if she couldn't come back. Luz could always tell her mother she was out with her "friends" and keep on training in the Demon Realm. Sure, she was lying to her mom, but ultimately, it would be for both of their benefits. With thought in mind, Luz typed her response.

[I think I'm going to like it here. :) ]

Luz put down her cell phone and confidently stared out the window, reaffirming her resolve.

" I was looking for a reason~
Roaming through the night to find my place in this world
My place in this world~ "

Luz walked back to her sleeping bag and knelt next to King. She petted his back and leaned down to give his forehead a gentle kiss.

" Not a lot to lean on
I found my light to help me find my place in this world~"

Luz slipped under her sleeping bag, and placed her cell phone next to a picture of herself and her mother. The Latina gave the picture a kiss before laying down her head, and letting the fatigue of this whole day take her away to the land of slumber

" My place in this woooorrrlld~ "

---

After King and Luz had gone to bed, Eda paid a visit to the underground hangar. After descending several feet, the elevator opened. Eda walked out of the elevator and towards the spot where her personal mech was docked. Owleon looked beat up, but strangely, she could feel as if her mech was almost…happy about it. It was said that pilots can form a kind of "bond" with their machines, and that the machines could take on a kind of personality that the pilots could sense. Personally, Eda never believed that superstitious stuff. Owleon was a machine, a weapon. Although both she and Owleon have gotten out of a number of scrapes together, so she might see it as more of a partner.

However, her partner's repairs would need to wait until morning because she was here for another reason. There was another docking port, one reserved for the Machina Frame she had obtained, but never used. Well, it's more like she couldn't use it. The area where the mech was docked was shrouded in shadows, unlike Owleon, who had plenty of light on it. A testament to how she had long since abandoned all attempts to activate it. However, for the first time in many years, in the shadows that only gave a vague, winged silhouette of the Machina Frame, the robot's eyes glowed.

It was faint but noticeable. A pair of amber-slit eyes stared at Eda from across the hangar as if reminding her of its presence. As if telling her it had finally woken up.

"I wonder," Eda said aloud. "Could she be the one for you?"

---

Next Time on Steel Heart Rebellion:

Luz tries to learn more about the world she currently resides in while learning its history.

Eda's life is in grave danger when she is captured by a group of thugs she owes a debt to, leaving Luz as her only hope for rescue.

Wait 'Till next time for the debut of the White Star!

AWAKEN LUXIA!

---

AND DONE! FINALLY FINISHED!

Hello, I'm sorry this fic took so long to publish, even though I promised it would be released in spring. I had a lot on my mind IRL, so it took longer to finish than expected. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this fic, and don't worry—more chapters of Steel Heart Rebellion will come soon. I wanted to write an Owl House with anime-style mechs since no one else seems to do it, so until the next chapter, ENJOY!

To those that don't know what I'm talking about, please watch my prologue of this story.

Authors Note: This Fic was co-written with MichealRavencroft, so please give a big shout-out to him on Fanfic and Deviant!

The song used in this story was "My Place in This World" by Michael W. Smith