Author's Note: Hey, everyone. This is a chapter I've been looking forward to writing for months, and I think you'll have your minds blown at this. Enjoy. Any and all comments are welcome.

Eda sat in her room looking over a checklist of responsibilities she had to take care of. "Let's see… Luz needs a new coat. King needs to be checked for fleas. Stephen needs new reference material for that old Ancient One book he used up. Am I missing anything? Maybe something for Clea… No. Wait. That's Lilly's job." She then looked at herself in the mirror and chuckled. "Oh, you've changed, Owl Lady. It's worth it."

Eda was then drawn to a noise she heard coming from outside. She opened her window slightly to see Luz and King doing sit-ups on her staff. Stephen watched them with a notepad in his hand.

Once Luz reached the count of ten, she turned to her brother. "So Stephen, how was that?"

"Not a bad workout." Stephen said. "Significant improvement over yesterday's training session."

"That's good to hear." Luz said. "So King, what's the first thing you're gonna do when you meet your dad?"

"Well, once we're done training, I'm gonna move out of that closer, that's for sure." King answered. Hearing that, Eda felt disheartened. "Then I'm gonna ugly cry. Hard."

"Have you told Eda about your decision to le—"

"Shh!" King shushed Luz' question as he checked up the window. Eda wasn't there, but she ducked down to make sure she wouldn't be caught eavesdropping. "I… I'm not ready yet. I'm not sure how she'll react."

Up in her room, Eda sighed as she returned to her mirror. "Everyone's leaving, huh? Stephen and Luz have to go back home. King's gotta find his dad. And Lilly… Sure, she's here now, but she's raising her own kid, and it's only a matter of time before they have to live somewhere more tolerable. It's all about family, huh? Guess I'm no substitute for the real thing." She then picked up a picture of herself, King, Luz, and Stephen in their Grom getups. "Might as well right their names so I'll never forget them."

Eda turned the picture around and wrote their names on the back. When she was done, she looked in her open chest and found an old lute with a rainstorm logo etched on it. She smiled as she picked it up.

"Well, nothing like a good distraction."

Eda began strumming the lute's strings making music that was both beautiful and enchanting, literally. As she played it, she noticed a glowing aura escaping from her causing most of the small objects around her to float in midair.

"Has my magic returned?" she wondered.

Suddenly, she saw that one of her boots changed to black and started rotting very quickly. She abruptly stopped allowing everything around her to drop down to the floor.

"Oh. Guess not. Stupid curse." Eda said putting her lute away.

While Eda continued to organize her duties in the living room, she was listening in on the news stories on her scroll. She kept her focus until one such story caught her attention.

"And we're back live at the Emperor's Castle. In light of Scooter Crane's retirement, today's ceremony will confirm Raine Whispers as the next head of the Bard Coven."

The scroll then showed the other heads of the main covens passing a badge to a person in a white hood.

"Do I have to be on camera?" Raine asked.

"For Titan's sake, just say something."

Raine nervously removed their hood revealing their middle-aged face which wore glasses and had fading-green hair with white lines. They turned to the camera with sweat dripping from the side of their heads.

"Uh, I am honored to work with Emperor Belos in preparation for the Day of Unibee. I mean, Unily! I mean… Oh, no! This is going so wrong! Get me outta here!" They ran off the stage leaving the other coven heads embarrassed.

"Just cut the feed."

"Was that Raine Whispers?"

Eda turned her head to see her sister standing behind her with Clea behind her. "Sheesh. Warn a girl, would ya?"

"So Raine actually became head of the Bard Coven, huh?" Lillith asked amused. "Well, you must be proud of them, Eda."

"Why would she be proud?" Clea asked. "I thought she was against the coven system."

"I am, but… Well, there's a history between Raine and myself." Eda said.

"They used to date." Lillith informed.

"Shut up!" Clea gasped with her eyes bulged. "You used to go out with the head of the Bard Coven!"

"It was a long time ago." Eda said. "Things got… complicated when we became adults, especially when they decided to join a coven. Ironic for them to be head of the Bard Coven with their stage fright though."

Just then, the door opened and the remaining kids walked in. Luz was holding up her backpack which she was grossed out with while King looked ashamed.

"I'm sorry, Luz."

"It's okay, buddy. We just need another backpack."

"Well, it can't be mine." Stephen said. "It's already full enough with my own stuff. Hey, Eda, is there another backpack around here?"

"Closet." Eda said directing Luz. "So why are you three suddenly so interested in flying? Did you give up on returning to the Human Realm? I mean, I suppose you can stay here a little longer."

"Don't be silly, Eda. Of course, we're still looking for a way back home." Stephen said. "We've just had a… bit of a setback with the echo mouse."

"I tried to be nice with the mouse by feeding him a carrot when, all of a sudden, Hooty scooped him up in his beak and swallowed him." Luz explained. "We were able to get the mouse back safely, but he needs to recover."

"Until he does, we thought we could help King with a little mission of his." Stephen said. "It kinda helps since I don't know how to continue the Ancient One's treasure hunt quest. The only thing that's missing is the Eye of Agamotto, but with the very short, very vague riddle, I don't know what to make of it."

"What are you trying to help King with?" Clea asked.

"This weekend is the Gland Prix." King answered. "Hexside, Glandus, and St. Epiderm students race to win glory, honor, and fame! Winners also get an interview with the Boiling Isles News. Do you realize what this means?"

"I'm sure you'll tell us." Lillith said.

"This is King's chance to get the word out to his dad." Stephen said. "Once he and Luz win, King can use the news broadcast to send a message out to him, wherever he could be."

"So you're not entering the race, Stephen?" Clea asked.

"Unfortunately, the rules state that each representative of a school can only be allowed one co-flyer, and Luz has already volunteered." Stephen said. "I'd enter myself, but this Gland Prix thing means more to King than it does to me, so I'll just be cheering them on from the bleachers."

"That sounds fun." Clea said. "What do you think, Lillith? Shall we go to?"

"Well, I don't see why not." Lillith said. "I'm very curious about the secrets of that tower King came from. If we meet his father, he can tell us what they mean. That, and it means a lot to King, of course."

King then became hesitant and nervous as he spoke. "But, uh… There's something I'd like to talk to you about first, Eda. You see, I think it's time for me to le—"

"Leave the talkin' for later!" Eda interrupted not wanting to let him finish his sentence. "If you wanna win, there's no time for talk. You gotta go practice. Now."

"You sure, Eda?" Stephen asked. "This is pretty important."

"I'm sure it can wait." Eda said nervously.

"Okay then." Luz said. "Hey, King, wanna head back out while your tummy's empty?"

"Okay!" King said excitedly.

"Don't leave me behind, you two stooges!" Stephen said hovering in the air to fly and catch up with them.

Lillith looked at Eda with a worrisome look. "Edalyn, there's something bothering you, isn't it?"

Eda sighed. "Nothing a trip down to the apple blood bar won't fix. Don't wait up." She stood up and left the Owl Sanctum.

"Is Eda going to be okay?" Clea asked.

Lillith sighed. "I've known Edalyn for most of my life. She's unpredictable in most things, but not when it comes to her own emotions. Whatever she's going through, all we can do is hope she'll get through it."

Eda sank her head on the counter at a place called Grimgrub's Pup with a box of apple blood laid out next to her. She was talking to the bartender, who didn't seem interested in Eda's story.

"I just… don't wanna hear him say it, you know?" Eda said. "I was finally getting used to having people in the house, then whoosh. Rug's ripped out from underneath me."

"Sure, I get it." the bartender said. "It's like every time you come in here, I think 'maybe she'll pay her tab this time'."

"Hey, back off!" Eda turned her head along with everyone else when she noticed a witch being dragged out of the bar by a couple of coven scouts.

"Don't fret, citizens!" one of them announced. "We are helping this wild witch find her place in society!"

"No! I don't want to join a coven!" the witch protested as she was forced to exit the pub.

Eda, unable to stand the forced recruitment, raced out of the pub to confront them. "Hey! Let her go!"

"Back off, Owl Lady." a coven scout ordered.

"Yeah. No coven wants a powerless witch." the other scout said before Eda punched him so hard, his mask was spun around.

"How's that for powerless?"

"Ooooh!" a crowd exclaimed as they gathered around.

As soon as the big scout recovered, he was about to hit Eda with a spell until a distant chord was played and his magic circle fell apart. He and everyone else turned to the square's statue to find four people standing there. They all wore bat-like masks over their faces played different musical instruments. They were clearly bard witches because as they played, a magical aura escaped from their music.

"Look at the emperor's lackeys!" one of them spoke up. "Trying to… uh…" They leaned in to one of the other bards. "Do I really have to say this?"

"We all agreed on the script."

The leading bard sighed before continuing. "Trying to… mute the music of our hearts?" They groaned out of embarrassment. "Seriously, Gene, why the flowery lines?"

"Gene?" Eda asked curiously watching. "Is that…"

"And weaken magic," the lead bard continued, "By forcing witches into covens against their will."

"Blasphemy!" a coven scout shouted.

"Blasphem-you!" the leading bard returned before playing another magical tune which made all the coven scouts be forced to march. "That's right, Bonesborough. They take your magic. They restrict your knowledge. They say they do it in the name of 'unity', but what they really want is control. You know what we say to that, folks? SHOVE OFF!" With another chord played, he made the coven scouts march away.

One of the civilians, Tinella Nosa, stepped up and looked at the masked protesters in admiration. "Who are you hewoes?"

"I'm glad you asked that, little one." the leading bard said. "We… are…"

"Surrounded!" the coven scouts returned with ear muffs covering their ears. They surrounded the bards ready to bring them in.

"Psst." The bards looked down at a manhole cover and saw Eda's face sticking out of it. She gestured for them to follow her.

All of a sudden, a new figure jumped in from out of nowhere. He landed in between the bards and the coven scouts with a sword in his hand. He was a dark-skinned man with black sunglasses, a buzz cut, a long, black jacket, and a set of vampire fangs that glistened as he smiled.

"You guys go. I'll catch up." he instructed as he sprinted at the coven scouts. He swung his sword, but he didn't cut them. Instead, it was used to knock them over while the others escaped through the sewer entrance.

Eda lead the bards out of Bonesborough through a sewer line that ended just outside the city limits. She opened the grate and allowed them all to pass.

"End of the line, folks. Word of advice, next time you put on a performance like that, make sure you have an exit strategy."

"We did." one of the bards said. "That's what Blade was for."

"That guy with the sword?" Eda asked. "Yeah, I guess he… Wait. Did you just say 'Blade'?"

"That's my name, ain't it?" Eda was startled when she heard the voice of the fanged man behind her. She turned to see him as she left with the other bards.

"Blade? As in THE Blade, hero of the vampire uprising?" Eda asked. "Dude, you're a legend."

"Well, I didn't do it for the kingdom. The last thing I wanted was for those bloodsuckers to be the ones calling the shots." Blade said.

"I didn't know you were a bard." Eda said.

"I ain't." Blade said. "These four specialize in musical magic, but not me. I'm a free dhampir with no ties to any coven. Though, I suppose beast-keeping is my specialty. The point is, not everyone in this group is a bard. Just these guys."

"Thanks anyway for your help." one of the bards said. "How can we ever repay you?"

"Well… you could let me join your little team." Eda said. "I may not have magic, but I am an agent of chaos. Plus, working with a hero like Blade is going to be awesome."

"Sorry. We're not accepting new members." said the leading bard. They turned their back to Eda, but she stopped them.

"Is that any way to treat an old friend… Raine Whispers?" Eda removed the bat mask and revealed the face of the Bard Coven behind it. "So the head witch of the Bard Coven likes pretending to be a rebel. Too bad they're not very good at it."

"Eda!" Raine yelled with a blush in their cheeks. "You're embarrassing me in front of my crew."

"Wait, I'm confused." Blade said. "Raine, you actually know this woman?"

Raine sighed before turning to his team. "It's all right, everyone. The Owl Lady is an old friend. Eda, this is Amber, Derwin, and you already know Blade and Katya."

"Katya?" Eda asked as the aforementioned girl removed her mask. "Oh, right. You're that food fanfic writer from the Conformatorium."

"Nice to see you again." Katya said.

"Is she gonna join our group?" Derwin asked.

"She doesn't seem like a good fit to me." Amber said.

"Well, the decision isn't up to me." Raine said. "You know we gotta run this by Gene first."

"So that WAS Gene's name I heard before." Eda chuckled. "That klutz is actually back? I haven't seen him in years."

"Oh, yeah. In fact, he's our group's leader." Raine answered.

"He is?" Eda asked with widened eyes. "Gene? Our Gene? Gene the Jinx? That guy was too afraid to break the rules, and now, you're saying he's a rebel leader?"

"Believe me, I was shocked too." Raine said. "Just come. He'll explain everything back at the hideout. That is, if you're still willing to join. If you've got nothing to lose, we'd be happy to have you."

Eda thought for a moment, and although she still had her kids to look after, she still kept thinking about how they were planning to leave. With that on her mind, she nodded and followed them.

Eda followed the group to a secret hideaway hidden in the middle of the forest. When they entered what looked like a house, they heard the scuffling sounds of someone muttering to themselves the next floor above.

"Hey, Gene! We're back!" Raine yelled. "And you won't believe who we brought with us!"

"What?!" Gene yelled. "You brought someone here! Raine, we don't even know if we can trust… WHOA!"

Gene suddenly tumbled and dropped the books he was carrying as he reached the steps. He fell on his butt and dropped down to each step on the way down. Once he reached the bottom, he was then hit on the head by all the books he was carrying.

Eda snickered. "Oh, same old Gene."

Gene looked up at Eda with his wide eyes. "Eda?" He stood back up and brushed his black-and-red uniform before brushing his black hair back. He then smiled back at her. "Eda! It's actually you! Man, I haven't seen you in twenty years!"

"Well, you know me, Gene. Always been against covens." Eda said. "Speaking of, what happened to you? Last I heard, you joined the Oracle Coven, and you were the best too."

"Well… that's a bit of a long story." Gene said nervously. "Let's just say my career didn't go the way I thought it was going to be. Some stuff happened afterwards and… Well, it's complicated. The point is, I'm here now, and I enlisted the help of our old friend, Raine, to help put an end to the emperor's reign of terror."

"And you agreed?" Eda asked her ex.

"Well, yeah." Raine said. "Remember when you once told me that I had to get the jump on my fears and giving them a whack in the face or something like that?" Eda nodded. "Well, I only learned what it meant when I started teaching for the Bard Coven. The emperor prioritized recruitment through force, and anyone who refused to fall in line disappeared. Well, I wasn't going to stand for that. Thankfully, Gene came to me and talked with me about putting together a resistance group to stop the coven system. I then brought in three of my most trusted students to help us. We then ran into Blade, who also had a grudge against Belos."

"You do?" Eda asked Blade.

Blade nodded. "The vampires were planning an uprising. I wasn't going to let them. So I face against those bloodsuckers and put an end to their terror. The Emperor's Coven promised me accolades, but instead, the emperor himself wanted to make me part of his coven. I told him no, but he wasn't going to take it for an answer. So he tried to arrest me for insubordination. Thankfully, I was too fast for those mask-wearing buffoons to catch. I was out on the lam for resisting arrest. Thankfully, Gene and his musical friends found me and asked me to join."

"Isn't that cool?" Gene asked.

"It sure is." Eda said. "So what's this group called anyway?"

"Well, my original idea was the Bards Against the Throne…" Raine started to say.

"Then I pointed out to Raine that Blade and I aren't bards." Gene said.

"Then why give us these bat masks?" Katya asked.

"They're intimidating. Anyway, we haven't decided on a team name yet. But for now, we're focusing on our actions against the Emperor's operations."

"Sounds good to me." Eda said. "So Gene, think you can let me into your group?"

Gene rubbed his chin. "I don't know. Are you any good at making fools out of those in authority?"

"…HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Eda, Raine, and Gene laughed out loud.

"I know! I know! I just can't keep a straight face!" Gene laughed wiping a tear from his eye. "Seriously though, welcome back to the team, Eda."

Eda smiled at Gene, then at Raine. "Looks like the original trio is back together."

The next day, after avoiding another talk with her family, Eda returned to the hideout and laid out maps that she drew herself. The rest of her team gathered around to view them with her.

"Well, there you have it." Eda said. "Homemade maps of every nook and cranny in the city."

"What's the situation, Raine?" Gene asked.

"Emperor Belos wants every wild witch in a coven before the Day of Unity."

"He's trying to steal as much magic as possible." Derwin said. "We don't know why."

"Right now, we're just focused on helping those he's captured." Raine continued. "And the next raids take place here, here, and here." He pointed at three spots on Eda's maps.

"At the same time, huh?" Blade asked. "This is gonna be tricky."

"Don't worry, everyone." Eda said with a smile. "Mama's got a plan."

"You're not our mom!" Amber cried out.

"As the first team is rounding up witches on Hackson Road, Amber and Blade will sneak in and take 'em out." Eda went on.

"Ugh. Fine." Amber groaned.

"I got no problem with that." Blade shrugged.

"Before anyone calls for help," Eda continued, "Derwin and Katya will distract the second team by Skinford Avenue."

"That, we can do." Derwin said.

"And the captain?" Amber asked.

"That's where Raine comes in." Eda said.

"As long as I don't have to make any more speeches." Raine said.

"And if everything goes well, Gene and I will be guiding the escapees outside Bonesborough. Belos has less each outside the cities."

"That's a good plan." Gene said nervously. "But can you help them escape without me. I… don't do field work."

"Oh, Gene," Eda said sympathetically, "You still anxious about getting in on the action?"

"You know me. I'm a klutz." Gene said.

"It's all right, buddy." Raine said. "Eda, will it make any difference if Gene stays here?"

"Sure, I suppose." Eda said.

"Thanks." Gene said before giving a teasing smile. "And hey, don't have too much fun you too."

Eda and Raine blushed at that remark as they took a quick glance at one another.

Gene sat in his desk looking over his books. He stopped when he looked back at a small, black box resting at the corner of his table. He looked at it with a sad frown before he heard his team returning through the front door.

"Welcome back, everyone. How'd it go?"

"It was a success!" Amber cheered. "Eda's plan went off exactly as she said!"

"We actually helped people this time." Katya said.

"Gotta say, it turned out much better than I expected." Blade said.

"That's amazing." Gene said with a proud smile before he noticed Eda stepping up to a tired Raine.

"Rainstorm." Eda said.

Raine chuckled. "Haven't heard that in a minute."

"Oh, you've gotten so strong. It's incredible." Eda praised. "But how'd you become Head Bard with your stage fright?"

"I'm just that good." Raine said. "What about you? Do you still know any bard spells?"

"Well," Eda said nervously, "You remember the curse. It messes with my magic."

Raine gave a smirk before conjuring up a lute for Eda in her arms. "How'd you become the Owl Lady with YOUR stage fright?"

"All right." Eda sighed. "You asked for this."

Eda started playing her instrument and expelling bard magic out of it. As she played, everything floated around at first before most of the objects around her quickly rotted and turned black catching Gene and Raine by surprise.

"Eda, stop!" Gene shouted. "This is still my house, you know!"

Eda heard her friend's pleas and stopped playing before chuckling. "Raine's Rhapsody. More like Eda's Requiem, am I right? I'll leave the playing to the professionals."

"Oh, no!" Gene gasped before he ran back to his desk. Eda watched curiously as he picked up his black box and opened it. He glanced inside before letting out a sigh of relief. "Good. Glad to see this wasn't damaged?"

"What's in that box that's got him so worked up about?" Eda asked Raine.

Rainw shrugged. "He won't show us. All we know is that it keeps him motivated."

"Huh…" Eda said before climbing up to Gene's level. She reached his office just as he closed his box and put it back in its place on the table. "You all right, Gene?"

"Yeah." Gene answered. "It's just… It looks like that curse makes your bard magic hazardous. You'd best keep a lid on that."

"You don't have to tell me." Eda said. "So… I ran into Professor Sallis again."

Hearing that, Gene gave a small frown. "How is he?"

"He's managing." Eda said. "You know, you don't have to blame yourself. He certainly doesn't."

"Well, he should." Gene replied sadly. "They say it's not my fault, but it was my plant spell that turned him into a monster. I ruined his life."

Eda wanted to argue, but she thought back to what happened to her father and stopped herself. "Okay. But answer me one thing: why are you doing all of this? Raine and the others told me you started all of this. You, me, and Raine have been a regular trio ever since we met at that future witches program. And out of the three of us, you were the straightest arrow of us all. You were always afraid of breaking the rules and second-guessing yourself. And now, you're leading a revolution against the absolute authority of the Boiling Isles himself. What's with the change?"

Gene looked back at Eda before glancing for a moment at the black box on his desk. He let out a short breath and answered.

"After graduation, I went on to join the Oracle Coven. And like you said, I was the best. My visions were clearer than anyone else's, and the spirits I conjured were magnificent. Unfortunately, I had received a lot of negative feedback since the only futures I could predict were bad ones. Hair loss. Dead pets. Breakups. I couldn't help it. Of course, that wasn't enough to convince Head Witch Osran to keep me around."

"He kicked you out?" Eda asked. "So, what, you revolted over being fired?"

"No. No. It's more complicated than that. After that… Well… It's quite a long story. So to make it short, I'll just say that I made a promise to someone very dear to me. And I intend to keep it. So even though I may make another mistake, even though I might end up jinxing it up again, I won't stop fighting the Emperor, because it's the right thing to do."

"Well, that was both vague and kinda cool." Eda said.

"Sorry I don't have the time to tell you more." Gene said. "I'm sure you've got other things to do. Maybe next time, I'll tell you more."

"All right then." Eda said. She climbed back down the ladder and proceeded to head out the door. "Call if you need me."

"Bye, Mama Eda!" Amber waved.

The day of the Gland Prix came. Everyone gathered at a large sports field and all the fliers stood in their positions waiting for the race to begin, including Luz and King. Standing beside the giant hour glass were three adults, each with different colored sashes. One was a red woman with a green sash, another was a man in a purple sash, and the last was Principal Bump, who sported his traditional blue Hexside sash.

"Good day, you two." Bump said before glancing at the man with the purple sash. "Kaecilius."

"Bump. Long time, no see." Kaecilius said smugly. "How have you been?"

"Better than your students, I bet." Bump said. "Two of my students told me a very fascinating story about a few of your students robbing an illusionist graveyard."

"That's a rather cruel way to put it." Kaecilius said. "I merely instructed Bria and her friends to find and uncover the Galderstones of the Looking Glass Ruins. You know, for extra credit. I didn't know that it was a sacred ground for illusionists."

"If you did, would you have sent them anyway?" Bump asked without getting an answer out of his rival. "They also reported that your students attempted to assault one of mine."

"Did they?" Kaecilius said smugly. "Well, I'll have to give them a stern talking to later."

Bump muttered to himself. "I'll give YOU a stern talking to."

Down at the field, Eda arrived only to get a firm hug from Luz. King, Stephen, Clea, and Lillith approached her next.

"Eda! I'm so glad you made it!" Luz cheered.

"I'm honestly surprised." Stephen said. "It felt like you've been avoiding us all day."

"What? No." Eda chuckled nervously.

"Hey, Eda," King said approaching her, "I, uh, would really like to tell you something before the race starts."

"Well, if it's so important, we can talk about it after the race, when you win, okay?" Eda asked.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah. Okay." King said sounding unsure once more.

At that moment, everyone turned and saw the head of the Cameo Coven, Stan, step up to the stage in front of the crystal ball.

"Welcome to the Gland Prix! I'm your host, head of the Cameo Coven, Stan, and I will be giving you the play-by-play analysis as these young witches race for glory, honor, and fame! The rules are as follows; contestants will fly their staffs down the right arm to the Cubital Valley. They're allowed to use their speed, skill, and magic to fly through a golden hoop which acts as the race's checkpoint! After that, they must fly on back here to finish the race! First staff to return wins! Winners get their names etched on the Cup of Ephemeral Glory and an on-camera interview seen by everyone watching across the Isles! All contestants to the starting line! Everyone else better take their seats on the bleachers!"

As Luz and King prepared themselves on Eda's staff, the rest of the family turned to the bleachers. Lillith, Stephen, and Clea took their seats, but before Eda could sit next to them, a gigantic, bull-like demon took the seat first.

"Hey!" Eda shouted. "Move it, horn-head! That's my family you're sitting next to!"

"Finders keepers!" the demon taunted.

"Why, I oughta…" Eda growled before sighing. "Sorry, guys. Guess I should find my own seat."

"You sure?" Stephen asked. "I'm sure me and Clea can…"

"No. Don't bother with something that could get us thrown out." Eda said. "I'll be fine. Just enjoy the race." She turned around before frowning and walking away.

"I worry about her." Clea said.

"Flyers, on your marks!" Stan announced as everyone took their positions. "Get set…"

Stan held up the Cup of Ephemeral Glory, which let out a loud scream to initiate the start of the race. All the flyers took off immediately.

While the crowd cheered, Eda finally found a free spot on the bleachers. Right before she could sit down, however, she got a ring on her crow phone. She pulled it out of her hair and answered the call.

"Raine?"

"We got a tip about another raid. I know you're busy, but…"

"No, it's fine." Eda said. "I'm on my way." Carefully, she sneaked out of the race to meet up with the other rebels.

Back at his home, Gene whistled to himself as he reorganized his books. He put them all back on the shelves one by one until he stopped suddenly. At the end of one of those shelves was a dusty, blue crystal ball. He pulled it out and brushed the dust off it as he stared in nostalgia.

"My old crystal ball." Gene said. "Maybe this time I… No! What are you doing, Gene? Cut it out. You know none of your predictions are good… Still… Maybe this one time… I mean, Eda and Raine are already very brave. Might as well follow their example."

He set up the ball on the table and took a deep breath. He concentrated as his waved hovered over it. It flickered for a bit, but after a minute, it started to glow. And as it did, Gene's eyes glowed too. He began to see a vision which made him smile.

"Oh, look. It's the gang. It must be in the very near future, because that's where they were sent to investigate that tip with…" His smile then dropped. "Wait, what?! No! That can't be! They're gonna be… Wait! What are Eda and Raine doing?! Are they…" He gasped loudly breaking out of the crystal ball's trance. His breath became heavy and he picked up a black coat to run out in. "I HAVE TO STOP THEM!"

The rebels stopped at a broken bridge in the middle of the forest. A fog began to build up as they looked around.

"This should be the spot." Raine said.

"So where's the raid?" Blade asked. "There's no sign of coven scouts or anything."

"I don't know." Raine said. They summoned their lute and played one chord which sent out a golden wave which blanketed the entire area. So far, there was no response. "Something isn't right."

All of a sudden, a purple substance creeped up and quickly covered Katya, Amber, and Derwin. They were absorbed into it and quickly disappeared. While Eda and Raine took cover, Blade drew out his sword just as another man appeared out of the substance.

The new man had dark skin and hair that was made of abomination substance. He wore a black uniform and a purple cape which matched his pants.

"That feels better." he said.

At that moment, another creature popped out of the ground. It looked like a small, furry animal with red and orange fur.

"Well, well, well." Blade said raising his sword. "If it ain't Darius and Eberwolf, the head witches of the Abomination of Beast-Keeping Covens. Should have known this was a trap."

"Ah, the legendary Blade." Darius said. "Your skills are notorious, but I'm sure you're not the mastermind behind this little rebellion. So where are the others?"

Blade scoffed. "As if I'd ever tell you. Now, what did you do to the kids?"

"Oh, they're unharmed." Darius said. "A little stay at the Conformatorium should be what they need. Listen, Blade, I was scheduled for some me-time today. So surrender yourself and your co-conspirators before things get nasty."

"Over my dead body." Blade said before charging in to swing his sword.

Right before it could impact him, Darius formed a scythe out of his abomination arm and deflected it. He then pushed Blade away as Eberwolf spun a magic circle in midair. Out of the circle came a creature that looked like a dragon, but without any wings. It swung its tail and knocked Blade off the bridge before running after him.

"You sure that thing will catch him?" Darius asked his fellow head witch. "Blade is tough."

Eberwolf spread out their hand and shook it left and right while replying "Ehh" in a critter tone.

"Right. Might as well find the others quickly." Darius groaned. "Just my luck. Eber, help me out here."

Eberwolf tapped their forehead and let out a red beam coming from their eyes. They glanced down and noticed a set of footprints which lead into the forest.

"I'm not going in there." Darius said. He was then nearly hit by a handful of dirt thrown at him by his partner. "What do you think you're… AAH!"

Eberwolf scurried over Darius' body and ran off into the forest following the footprints. Darius groaned and followed them in. As they left, Eda and Raine reappeared once they started breathing again.

"I am glad I remembered how to do that." Eda said holding up an invisibility glyph before it disappeared. "Though, I wish I could've come up with an idea that didn't involve me enchanting my boots to lure those ding-dongs away."

"Eda, Belos' plans are a lot more dangerous than I let on." Raine said. "He's preparing some big spell for the Day of Unity. And I just learned this today, but he seems to be consulting the expertise of the wild witch, Agatha Harkness."

"Harkness?" Eda asked. "I helped put that psycho behind bars. What does Belos want her for?"

"Apparently, he needs her expert opinion for the spell, but I don't know what for." Raine said. "All I know is that he can't do it without every head witch. If we can take out Darius and Eberwolf…"

"Say no more, Rainstorm." Eda said. "What's the plan?"

Raine summoned a lute and landed it in Eda's arms. "You say your curse messes with magic. I think I can make that work in our favor."

While Raine explained his plan, Blade returned to the bridge nearly tired and bruised with his sword stained.

"Did… Did we win?" Blade asked tired.

He got his answer when Darius stomped on back to the bridge, partially covered in mud. He was very furious.

"All right. NO MORE PLAYING AROUND!" Darius shouted as his entire body changed. It grew and changed into a giant living pile of abomination substance.

At the same time, Eberwolf's fangs grew bigger and their claws became sharper. They jumped into the air and summoned a giant, scarred rat-worm monster.

"Looks like the fight's not done yet." Blade said readying his sword once again. He ran right at the two head witches and jumped right at them. However, Eberwolf leaped up above him and struck him hard from above making him hit the ground. The rat worm wrapped itself around him and he was launched into the air right into Darius' grip. Blade was absorbed into the substance and disappeared just like the younger rebels were.

Meanwhile, not too far, Eda and Raine stayed in their hiding place readying their instruments. Raine started their number by playing in their violin creating the magical aura around them and Eda. Eda joined in soon after playing her signature tune which caused all the objects around her to float and, very soon, rot in blackness. Even the ground looked like it was being corrupted.

The corrupting music reached the ears of Darius and Eberwolf. At first, they were delighted to be able to find their enemies, but they quickly became afraid once the corruption started to climb up their bodies. They screamed in pain feeling their very essence disintegrate bit by bit.

"It's working." Eda said noticing what the song was doing to the head witches. "Keep playing."

Raine kept playing their violin when they noticed that the black corruption started creeping up their legs as well as Eda's. They slowed down out of worry.

"Eda, we may not make it out ourselves." Raine said.

"But it'll stop the emperor, right?" Eda asked. "Then we play on."

"STOOOOOOP!"

Eda and Raine stopped playing when they heard a voice screaming out to them. Gene ran out of the forest before stepping over a log and falling forward. He rolled on down until he knocked Eda down upon impact. The music stopped and the corruption ceased to continue. At the same time, Eda's photograph of her family slipped out of her hair right at Raine's feet. They picked it up and gasped quietly as they observed it.

"Gene!" Eda yelled. "What in Titan's sake are you doing here? You could've been killed!"

"I could say the same thing to you two!" Gene yelled out. "Listen, I used oracle magic. I saw the future. I saw the team getting captured and you two sacrificing your lives to stop Darius and Eberwolf. And I wasn't going to let that happen!"

"It was going to stop the emperor!" Eda argued.

"I don't care! I'm not willing to make that sacrifice!" Gene cried out. "You don't get it, but I've already lost a lot! More than you know! And while I'm willing to fight the emperor and put a stop to his evil plans, I'm not going to just lose my two best friends!"

Eda stared at Gene sympathetically. "Gene, I…"

"Eda!" Raine spoke up as they held up the photo. "Do you have kids?"

"What?" Gene asked as he looked at the photo.

"Uh, well, they're not 'mine' mine." Eda said. "It doesn't matter. They all have real families to return to."

Raine wasn't willing to listen. They whirled their finger around and caused both their violin and her lute to disappear into midair.

"I don't know what you're running from," Raine said, "But a great witch once told me… something about punching fears in the face? What I'm trying to say is, don't give up so easily. They probably need you more than you realize."

"They're right, Eda." Gene said. "I was scared of using oracle magic again. Scared of running out to the field. I ran right into the central source of some kind of death music spell. And I did it because you and Raine are the most courageous witches I know. Don't throw it all away because you're afraid."

Eda smiled as she returned to her feet thanks to Raine's help. She and they gazed into each other's eyes and shared a loving smile.

"Aww." Gene said cutely. "I gotta say, I really missed seeing that."

"Me too." Raine said.

All of a sudden, the three of them were caught by a large batch of abomination substance. They were dragged through the trees right where Darius was pulling them from. At that moment, Gene grabbed onto a tree branch and was able to free himself. Eda stayed latching onto him also free from the grip. All that was left was Raine. They were still caught by Darius' abomination magic, but they gripped Eda's other hand tightly, but they were beginning to slip.

Eda saw a knowing smile on Raine's face and started to tear up once she realized what they were thinking. "Raine, don't!"

"Go. You know I can't stand an audience." Raine said before letting go of Eda's hand. While she and Gene were free, the bard landed on the ground right in front of Darius and Eberwolf.

"Hello, Darius, Eber." Raine said.

"Raine Whispers." Darius growled monstrously. "You'll regret what you did to my cloak!" Eberwolf hissed at the abomination head. "And your treachery. Whatever."

As Raine confronted Darius and Eberwolf, Eda and Gene sneaked away into the forest.

"We're gonna have to regroup. Find a new hideout." Gene said.

"You go on ahead." Eda said. "My kids are in the Gland Prix, and I don't want to miss them win!"

"All right. I'll call you when I get everything all set up." Gene said before noticing Eda look back. "Hey, we will save them. I promise."

Eda smiled. "Thanks, Gene. Call me when everything's ready." She and Gene ran off in different directions.

Eda dried up her tears by the time she returned to the Gland Prix field. Thankfully, she wasn't too late. She watched with pride as she saw Luz and King flying as fast as they could against another flyer while Stan announced what was happening.

"What a match-up, folks! Luz of Hexside and Ukla of Glandus are neck-and-neck for this spot on the final rankings! They're giving it all they got in this race and…" Everyone watched in anticipation as Luz and King made it across the finish line right before Ukla did. "She did it, folks! Luz over Ukla… for fifth place."

Eda was confused at that. She then looked on the stage where three students stood on top of a podium, one of them above all. Behind the podium, Kaecilius gave a smug smile to Bump.

"Looks like Gavin won first place." Kaecilius said. "Oh, and who's school does he go to again?"

"Oh, go jump in the boiling ocean." Bump retorted.

Eda ran up to Luz and King at the same time as Stephen, Clea, and Lillith. Luz and King were covered with dirt and sticks in their hair.

"You okay, Luz?" Stephen asked.

"Not really." Luz replied.

"You were flying like the dang wind. What happened?" Eda asked.

"They were winning for a while," Lillith said, "But while they were flying back to the finish line, King got motion-sick and threw up all over himself and Luz. It was pretty gross."

"After that, they were knocked off-course and crashed into the forest." Clea said.

"It's okay." King said sadly pulling out a folded up piece of paper. "I'll just throw my message into the garbage where it belongs."

"No. This isn't over." Eda said. She reached into her hair and pulled out a scroll.

"What are you thinking, Edalyn?" Lillith asked.

"What Mama Eda does best." Eda said. She then lead everyone away from the field and started a streaming feed with her scroll pointed at King.

"Eda's who's even gonna watch this?" King asked.

"No one watches crystal balls anymore. It's all about streaming."

"All right." King said before beginning his message. Like Eda said, practically everyone in the Boiling Isles was watching from their own scrolls. The Blight kids, Wong, Willow, even Eberwolf while they and Darius were processing Raine.

Among those who watched was a long figure of immense size and demonic wings. His body was mostly covered in a robe, but his claws and skull head were identical to King's, only bigger. He watched King's message with great interest.

"Hi, Dad. If you're out there watching this, I, uh, I wanna introduce myself. I like cheesy foods and conquering kingdoms. Though I haven't conquered any of my own yet. But maybe you have, and we can compare notes. I'd love to meet you. We could do parent-kid stuff. Toss a ball. Burn some cookies. Catch me going on weird websites or something. Also, I found this symbol in the tower I hatched in and etched it onto my collar. Maybe you can teach me to read it. I live with my favorite humans, a witch with parent issues, and a couple of cranky, old witches."

"HEY!" both Eda and Lillith yelled.

"But cranky or not, one of them was the one who raised me." King continued. "Which is why I am le… gally changing my name to King Clawthorn!" He laughed as he held up a stack of papers. "Surprise, Eda! Now, we're connected for life, and there's nothing you can do about it!"

Eda stared in astonishment with a very heavy heart as she took the papers. "Is that what you wanted to tell me this whole time?"

"Yeah. What did you think he was trying to tell you?" Stephen asked.

"I picked up those papers at the same agency where I adopted Clea." Lillith said.

"It's gonna be weird having a little whatever-King-is as a cousin," Clea said, "But then again, nothing about us is normal anymore."

"And if you sign on the papers, it'll be official." Luz said handing Eda a pen.

Eda's tears began to build up until she couldn't hold it in anymore. She cried harder than she has ever cried before.

Gene burst his way back into his home and scurried around to grab a suitcase. He then picked up clothes and books to stuff in it.

"This is fine! Just a setback! A setback which cost you the freedom of one of your friends." Gene said to himself. "It's okay. I can figure this out. Once I find a new place to hide, I'll contact Eda, we'll find some more recruits, and our first priority will be to rescue Raine. First thing's first, I gotta pack the essentials. Clothes, yes. Books, yes. My box, definitely. Am I forgetting any…"

Gene stopped when he noticed something at the bottom of his shoe. He held up his foot and pulled out a square photo. He looked at it and smiled when he saw Eda along with her kids.

"Well, look at that. Those must be those kids Eda took in." He then turned the photo over and noticed the names. "Oh, and she even wrote down their names. King, Luz, and…"

Gene's smiled dropped to shock. He lost his breath for a minute as he turned the photo back around. He looked closely at Stephen in the picture.

"No… It can't be… Can it?"

Gene dropped his suitcase and let it spill out everything that was inside it before he ran over to his ladder. He climbed it back up to his office where he immediately jumped for the black box on his table. When he opened it, he pulled out what was inside: another photograph, but one that was much older.

Gene held up the old photo to get a look at it. On it, he saw a slightly-younger version of himself standing next to a hospital bed. The bed was occupied by a human woman who looked tired, but very happy, especially with the baby in her arms. Among them was a small, baby basset hound, a baby Bats.

Gene compared the two photos and let out a happy smile. "He's alive. I can't believe it! HE'S ALIVE! AND HE'S HERE AT THE BOILING ISLES! AND HE'S UNDER EDA'S CARE!"

Gene couldn't help himself. Very loudly, Gene laughed and cheered as he jumped around his home not caring what he was knocking over. He was too excited to care, even too excited to notice Darius and Eberwolf approaching his front door from outside.

Once he calmed down, Gene took one last look at Eda's photo with a prideful and caring smile. "My son is alive."