Snow covers the surrounding area, along with some trees adorned with red leaves. Peering over a great height is the sight of an unusual landscape. Red was seen all along the land, with large protrusions reaching to the amber skies above, almost resembling a ribcage. The ribcage comparison may have been more accurate than not, as far away in the distance at the end of it all, was a massive skull. Looking out to the left or right, a pair of arms could be seen outstretching to either side. Overall, it was as if the entire land itself was the remains of one very, very, large individual.
One of titanic proportions.
The clouds hovered around the same height as some of the tallest points of the ribcage. The ocean all around the supposed corpse was a bit more purple in hue. It looked relatively calm, but there was a certain haze that lightly warped the view of the ocean as if the waters were far hotter than they appeared.
The wind blew, drawing the gaze of a figure standing atop the peak of what seemed to be the titanic being's knee. The figure gazed upon the bizarre, yet familiar land. There was a certain pull they felt, a level of comfort the figure could not understand. They felt at home here. They felt-
BEEP!
BEEP!
BEEP!
"Ugh." A drawled groan erupted suddenly. Right. Reality.
Abruptly, the view of the bizarre and colorful world was replaced by the sight of a rather normal-looking bedroom. On the wall behind a desk was a poster for The Good Witch Azura alongside a statue of a large purple snake-like monster with the name 'Gildersnake' written on the small pedestal it sat on. A table with a digital alarm clock on it could be seen beside a bed with someone wrapped up under the covers. The covers themselves were adorned with the design of a proud bird coated in flames.
BEEP!
BEEP!
BEEP!
The alarm clock continued beeping as the figure under the covers shifted themselves, outstretching a white arm out from underneath as it flailed about. The arm felt around the table before finally finding itself around the alarm, before forming a fist and hitting the button on the top.
BEEP!
BEEP!
The figure grunted before slamming the button again, finally ending their suffering from the horrendous sound of the alarm. After a few moments of silence, the figure rose to reveal a drowsy young boy. This young lad was Flint Smith.
The 14-year-old boy yawned as he got out of bed, grabbing a pair of oval-framed glasses from their open case beside the alarm, preparing for the school day ahead of him as he went over to the door to flick the lights on. Flint was Caucasian with yellow-gold hair in a buzz cut. The boy brought the pair of glasses up to his face, revealing his lavender eyes as he squinted while looking through the glasses a few times. The boy folded the glasses, set them back in their case, and grabbed his red-cased phone next to it as he went to get dressed.
When he was done, he was wearing a pair of black athletic shorts, a red-orange jacket, and a gold shirt underneath. The attire also managed to show off his relatively skinny frame. He grabbed a pair of matching gold socks from the nearby dresser and sat in the chair at his desk to put them on, before slipping into his gray tennis shoes. Turning to his desk afterward, he pulled out a pencil and began to draw in the notebook that sat in the middle of the desk.
After a few minutes of careful sketching, a voice could be heard in the background.
"Flint! Are you up?" A woman's voice called to him.
"Yeah, Mom! Just sketching a bit!" Flint responded.
"Well come down and get some breakfast! You can finish up your sketch later!" The boy's mother responded.
A few minutes later, and after doing his morning bathroom routine, Flint could be seen going down the stairs at a fast pace before turning around the railing to head into the kitchen/dining room. He grabbed a plate and loaded two waffles from the plate that had been prepared and set them on the table nearby. He opened the fridge and quickly poured himself a glass of apple juice. He paused for a moment, bringing the glass up to his lips and downing a third of the glass before refilling it back to the level it had been just a moment prior, finally putting the container back in the fridge.
He popped open the container of syrup nearby and put a little in the middle, grabbing the waffle on the edge with his left hand and taking a big bite out of it.
"Given you're not wearing your glasses, I take it you had another of those dreams last night?" His mother's voice asked. Sitting across from him was his mother, Madelyn Smith. The woman looked to be in her mid-30s, with her skin and hair matching her son's as she wore her black business suit with a white undershirt.
"Mhm-hmm," Flint responded, having taken another, smaller bite of his waffle.
"Well, at least you'll look nicer for your book report, given your skin isn't white as can be at the moment either," Madelyn responded with a smile.
It was admittedly a strange circumstance. Flint's skin tone normally held an unhealthy white to it on most days, having landed the boy with degrading names in the past from his peers, like 'Skellington.' There were some days when this wasn't the case though. For whatever reason, he would often find himself with a more healthy appearance, both with his pale skin turning more peach and without requiring his glasses to deal with his nearsightedness.
For reasons doctors could never explain, his body would surge a bit in overall health coming after having dreams like the one he'd been woken from. The effects would typically last for about half a day and it usually occurs about once a month. His health also affected his energy, requiring him to consume decent quantities of caffeine to stay active.
The mother sighed. "Even after all these years, I really wish we could have an explanation for all of this. By all means, at least you're still overall healthy. The glasses thing just doesn't make sense though."
Flint shrugged as he gulped down a bit of juice. "It's fine really. Sure helps to mess with would-be bullies though."
Madelyn gave him a flat look. "You're lucky those kids fear you too much after the last time you did something."
"I said I was sorry!" Flint whined.
"You broke the kid's nose!"
"We both know I could've done worse."
"That's not the-" Madelyn took a breath to calm herself. "Flint, I know you have a strict sense of justice, but that shouldn't include doing those kinds of things," Madelyn said to him with a frown.
Flint scoffed, tearing a bite from the second waffle. "It was his fault for ruining the Azura book I gave Luz," Flint grumbled.
"Speaking of Luz, I hope you two do well in your book report's presentation." Madelyn changed the subject.
Flint shrugged. "As long as she doesn't bring any snakes or fireworks, we should be fine."
The two sat in silence for a moment.
"…Why do I get the feeling I just jinxed it?"
"How did you even find my fireworks?" Flint asked bluntly.
"Why did you even have fireworks?" a young girl's voice countered.
"Just for the record, I asked you first. And to answer your question, I was saving them for Independence Day." Flint stated.
"I've known you for years, you really think I wouldn't find your stash?"
"…You took them because your snakes like me better, didn't you?"
"Those scaly traitors!"
The girl Flint was bantering with was one Luz Noceda. Luz is a thin, tan-skinned 14-year-old Dominican-American with golden-brown eyes, and dark brown hair in a slightly outgrown pixie cut. Her attire included a set of small, round black earrings, a short-sleeved half-lavender-blue and half-white hooded shirt with cat ears attached to the hood, high-waisted jean shorts over a set of dark navy-gray capri leggings, and a pair of white loafer sneakers.
Flint and Luz had been friends for years ever since the Nocedas moved to Gravesfield, Connecticut. The two happened to live next door to one another and were practically tied at the hip when they hung out. They'd formed a kinship through their shared adoration for weirdness, though Luz would oftentimes end up dragging Flint into her shenanigans more than the other way around. That's not to say Flint couldn't be just as bad (the principal still had yet to figure out he'd made a copy of the janitor's key to his office after all), but Luz could be a tad bit…unfiltered. And that trait was currently the reason why he was about to spend the summer at some stupid 'Reality Check Summer Camp.'
Because if he was being honest? Those counselors' sanity is doomed without him.
At the moment, the two were standing by the sidewalk outside of the Noceda Residence. Luz had a messenger bag draped across her, and Flint had a backpack on as well. Flint was noticeably paler than he had been prior, and he was now wearing his glasses.
The door to the house opens to reveal Luz's mother, Camilla.
"Oh! Oh, my baby!" Camilla comes up and hugs Luz briefly. "Now, don't worry. Summer camp is only going to be for three months. You'll be so busy balancing checkbooks and learning to... appreciate public radio, the time will fly by!"
"But I don't like any of that stuff. I like editing anime clips to music and-and reading fantasy books with convoluted backstories." Luz said, pulling out an Azura book from her bag.
"Mija, your fantasy world is holding you back. Do you have any friends? Real ones, not imagined or drawn or reptilian?" Camilla asked.
Flint raised his hand, about to say something. Camilla, without looking away from her daughter, held her hand out in a stopping gesture to the boy. "Outside of Flint, of course." Flint proceeded to lower his hand.
Luz's hold on the book sagged a bit, as she began to walk over to the nearby trash bin.
"Summer camp is a chance to make some new friends, but you have to try. Can you do that?" Camilla asked.
"Yes, Mom," Luz said sadly, as she softly placed the book in the filled trash bin.
The sight brought a frown to Flint's face. It hurt him to see his friend looking so down in the dumps. He knew how much that book in particular meant to Luz. He knew just how much that book report meant to her, and he knew they ended up blowing it.
He honestly should've expected she'd bring those real snakes.
Camilla's purse rumbled as she pulled out her phone. "Oh. I gotta go to work." Camilla kisses Luz's forehead. "Your bus is coming soon. Text me when you get there. Cuídate mucho, mija. ¡Qué te vaya bien!" Camilla says her farewell, tapping her phone.
Flint's phone rumbled as he pulled it out to see a message from Camilla.
Camilla: Please keep an eye on her.
Flint sighed as he quickly typed a message and responded.
Flint: I always do.
After putting his phone back in his pocket, he turned to see Luz digging through the trash bin in desperation. "Where is it? Where is it?!"
Flint's brow furrowed. "Where's what?"
Hoot
Hearing the sound, Luz and Flint turn to the source to see an owl with a bag held in its beak. Peaking out of said bag, was Luz's Azura book.
Flint blinked, stupefied. 'What the? Where the heck did that owl come from? And why is it holding a bag in its beak?' Flint wondered. Something was strange about this bird.
The owl began to hop away toward the nearby woods with the bag in tow as Luz gasped. "Tiny trash thief!" Luz said in a panic, quickly pursuing the bird.
Flint, in his own panic, chased after the two into the woods. "Luz! Wait up!"
Finally catching up, he was met with the sight of Luz running into a decrepit abandoned house. Disregarding the residual feeling of wariness he was getting from the building, he followed his friend into the house moments later. Going into the door, he crossed paths with something as it came out.
"What the-?" Spots appear in his vision to block out his sight as his ears ring. The next thing he knew, all he could see was black.
Inside a tent, a door unfolds in three parts before opening, with a large eye adorned on it. The little owl hops through it, and a second later, Luz follows.
"Stop adorably hopping away, you-Huh?" Luz looks around the tent, noticing a wide variety of random wares. "Whoa. I thought Flint and I had a lot of weird stuff." Luz picks up a creepy-looking doll. "But this? This is impressive."
"Finally, you're back." Luz heard an older woman speaking. She quickly ducked down, moving to the flap of the tent and peeking through it, noticing a woman standing with her back to the tent.
The woman was tall and slender and looked to be in her mid-to-late 40s. She had ivory skin, pointed ears, maroon lips, and golden eyes. Her untamed hair is thick, long, and layered with tones of gray. She has a removable gold fang, orange claw-like nails, and an oval amber gem on her sternum over a sleeveless, two-tone maroon dress with a ripped hem design, alongside a pair of gray tights. Her jewelry consisted of two orange spherical earrings and a gold spherical ring. And finally, for footwear, she wore maroon high-heeled boots. She had a bandana on that looked to be holding some hair down on the top of her head.
"Now let's see what we've got here." The woman said. The owl lands on top of the staff the mysterious woman is holding. She turns the owl around like a screw, and it becomes a wooden fixture of the staff, surprising Luz.
The woman proceeded to pull out various items from the bag, all rising in value (was it just her, or was that chalice glowing?) before finally landing on a pair of joke glasses with eyes on springs, putting them on. "Now this…this will make me rich." The next item she pulled out though caught Luz's attention the most.
Taking out the Azura book, the woman looked at the book uncaringly. "And this...oh, this will make good kindling." The woman said, proceeding to hold the book over a nearby candle.
Luz shook with panic. 'No! Anything but that!' Luz screamed internally as she ran out of the tent and grabbed her book before it could get damaged. "Excuse me, sorry, it's mine, thank you," Luz said frantically, as she rushed back into the tent to try and escape before the woman could catch her.
CRASH! THUMP!
Only to be met with her friend falling to the ground and looking completely out of it.
Luz gasped, a different kind of panic making itself known. She rapidly placed her book in her bag as she rushed to her friend. "Flintlock!"
Flint had fallen forward as his momentum caused him to fall into some of the things nearby before hitting the ground. When Luz went to check on her friend, she saw that he looked to have been unconscious, his glasses breaking during the fall. Along the way down, something had cut his arm. The cut wasn't much, but it was bleeding a bit.
Suddenly, the strange door folded in on itself and disappeared. Luz turned around and saw the mysterious woman holding a matching key tied around her neck, and taking the goofy glasses off.
"You're not going-" The woman blinked as she saw the boy, a slight hint of concern appearing on her face. "Oh, my Titan! What happened?!"
"Please miss! My friend just suddenly passed out, and-and-" Luz began to ramble in her panic. There was a weird woman she just tried to run from and now her friend was hurt and she was scared.
The woman held her hands up in a placating gesture. "Whoa whoa whoa! Take it easy kid! Let's get something around your friend's arm first to stop the bleeding, okay?" The woman suggested, halting in her original plans as she tried to calm the girl down. The woman reached into her hair and pulled out a small roll of gauze.
Luz wiped a few tears away as she gave a hesitant nod. The woman came closer and took the boy's arm into her hand, slowly wrapping the cut, with Luz eying her cautiously the whole time. When she was done, she backed away. The woman grabbed some nearby cloth and folded it up, setting it under the boy's head as he lay on the ground.
Suddenly, a small fairy-like being flew nearby. The being piqued Luz's curiosity. "Hi there little fairy. Are you going to tell me this is all just a weird dream?"
The fairy's Mouth grows to half the size of its face. "Give me your skin!" It demanded.
Luz screamed in fright before the mystery woman smacked it away. "Hey! What have I told you fairies about getting in my stuff?! Go on! Get!" The woman shooed as the fairy scowled, diving under the back of the tent and making its escape. The woman turned her gaze to Luz. "Now to deal with you." She said, picking Luz up and leaving Flint in the tent.
Exiting the tent, Luz was put on a stool set in front of a table.
"I'm so sorry! I just wanted my book! If you're gonna eat my skin, just make it quick! Don't hurt my friend and just do it now!" Luz said scared, offering her arm and closing her eyes in anticipation.
The woman raised a brow at her. "Eat you? Why would I eat...a potential customer?"
The question confused Luz and she opened her eyes. Looking up, she saw the table with various wares across it, and above the lady was a sign saying 'Human Collectibles' on it.
The woman began to speak like a door-to-door salesman. "Can I offer you a human foot filled with holes?" With that, she holds up a green Croc, then puts it aside and grabs a stick of men's deodorant. "A bar of green human candy? Oh, oh! How about this black shadow box that reflects only sadness?" she puts the deodorant away and holds a portable TV up to Luz.
Luz processed all this as she stared at her reflection before laughing a bit. "That's not all it can do. Here, let me see it." Luz offered, looking around nearby. Luz takes the TV and grabs two batteries from a dish labeled 'Human candy! (?)' She proceeds to place the batteries in and presses the power button. Suddenly a jazzercise video starts playing with loud music on the now-powered TV. "Voilà!"
Next thing Luz knew, there were suddenly a variety of bizarre people walking over, all most certainly not human, as they all tried to make bids to purchase the TV. The woman looked over at Luz curiously. "What did you say your name was?"
"I'm Luz. Luz Noceda." Luz introduced herself.
The woman began taking the crowd's money with a smile on her face. "Well, Luz, that was pretty clever... for a human."
Luz raised a brow in confusion. "That's kind of a weird thing for another human to say."
The woman shook her head in amusement. "Oh, dear child, I'm not like you." The woman took off the bandana to reveal a set of pointed ears as she climbed onto the table. "I'm Eda the Owl Lady, the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles!" The now-named Eda introduced herself with pride.
That certainly caught Luz's attention. "A witch?"
Eda began to speak in a posh manner. "I am a respected, feared-"
"Busted!" Someone suddenly yelled, as a figure with a cone-shaped mask brought their fist down and abruptly broke the TV, of which the hand was just as big. The sudden appearance startled Luz and caused her to fall to the ground.
The crowd suddenly ran, with Luz hearing something about a 'guard' amongst the chaos.
Eda hops down from the table as the guard holds up a wanted poster. "Eda the Owl Lady, you are wanted for misuse of magic and demonic misdemeanors."
Luz peeked over the edge of the table. "Whoa! Witch criminal!"
The guard grabs Eda's arm. "You are hereby ordered to come with me to the Conformatorium."
Eda frees herself from the guard's grip and crosses her arms in annoyance. "Would you guys quit following me around? I haven't done squat."
The guard suddenly goes over and picks Luz up by her hood, causing her to yelp. "And you're coming too...for fraternizing with a criminal."
"Wh-What? I just met this lady!" Luz said with alarm.
Eda gave a placating gesture. "Oh, all right, all right, you win. Just let me get my stuff." Eda reaches under the table…having grabbed her staff and swinging it at the guard! He falls to the ground with a grunt. Eda proceeds to spin her staff, tapping the bottom of it on the table, making all her stuff float in midair while Luz picks herself up off the ground, looking on in wonder at the sight.
"Whoops. Can't forget this." Eda said. Eda reaches into her hair and pulls out the key, pressing the eye to summon the portal door. She closes her hand into a fist, making the tablecloth wrap itself around everything from her stand. She sticks her staff through the bundle and starts running.
"Follow me, human," Eda called out, as Luz began to follow.
"This is crazy. If I die here, my mom's gonna kill me!" Luz stated.
Eda snorted. "Ha! I won't let 'em hurt you. A human like you is much more valuable to me alive than dead."
Luz's brow furrowed at that. "Wait. What's that supposed to-"
Eda jumped, pulling herself and Luz onto her staff as she hollered. They take off into the sky as the guard runs up to where they took off.
The guard waved his hand in the air. "You won't get away with this, Owl Lady!" The guard paused as he looked at his hands. "Yeah, all right. You did. You got away with it. She got away with it, everybody! Typical." The guard admitted angrily, before turning around. "I should check if she left anything in that tent." The guard said as he went back toward the once-stand.
Luz can be seen crying as the two fly on Eda's staff high above the ground.
"You can open your eyes now, human." Luz heard Eda say.
Luz does so, yelling and nearly falls off the staff when she realizes how high in the air they are. "Flying staffs, crazy monsters, you're a witch! What is this place?" Luz ran through everything she was learning, trying to comprehend everything that was happening.
Eda picks Luz up and helps correct her on the staff. "This is the Boiling Isles. Every myth you humans have is caused by a little of our world leaking into yours."
Luz looked out to the Boiling Isles to see a bizarre world…but oddly enough something seemed familiar about it.
Various winged creatures fly behind them, with a griffin that looks extremely similar to the one Luz made as one of her recent projects at school flies up next to them and screeches.
Luz's eyes practically sparkled. "A griffin!"
The griffin proceeded to barf spiders.
Luz pointed with an excited smile. "I knew it!" She cheered. She had been right! Take that, teach!
"Yep. Griffins, vampires, giraffes..." Eda listed off, lifting a finger with each name.
Luz blinked in confusion. "Giraffes?"
"Oh, yeah. We banished those guys. Bunch of freaks."
Eda lands the staff and hops off…but her hand stays behind with the bone sticking out. Then it began to move on its own. Well, time to scream.
Luz jumped off the staff in alarm, screaming at the sight of the moving hand.
Eda reaches over and grabs the hand with her intact one, screwing it back on. "Oops. That happens sometimes." Eda said calmly.
Luz took a few breaths as she got to her feet with a strained expression. "Well, I've had enough adventure for today. This is clearly not the PG fantasy world Flint and I have always dreamed-" Luz's pupils shrank as she suddenly realized something. "Oh no."
Eda looks at her in confusion. "'Oh no?' Oh no, what?" Eda asked in confusion.
Luz had a thousand-yard stare and didn't even turn to look Eda in the eyes. "We left him back in the tent," Luz said in a horrified tone.
Eda began to stare off as she realized it too, before facepalming. "Ah…crap."
When Flint opened his eyes, he was met with brickwork in a medieval-style environment. Blinking a bit to clear his fuzzy vision, he looked to his side to see metal bars. He groaned as he began to get up, rubbing his head as he attempted to soothe the headache he was dealing with.
"Wha-Where…where am I?" Flint said to no one in particular.
Flint heard gasps and a few people whispering, but it took a minute for his hearing to correct itself and for him to focus on anything specific.
"Hey, is someone there?" Flint asked.
"He's awake!" a higher-pitched voice called out.
"Hey, kid! Over here!" a male voice called out.
Flint turned in the direction of the second voice, as he noticed the room outside his…wait. Was he in a prison cell? He looked out from behind the bars to see a spiral catwalk extending vertically in both directions. The whole area was designed without the need for a staircase. Instead, the catwalk looked to slowly rise to make one continuous walkway with cells all along it. Flint had to admit, that while the workmanship was actually quite interesting, it seemed rather impractical. After all, what if you needed to go up quickly?
Wait, actually, that was rather ingenious if the entire building was just meant to be a giant prison, seeing as anyone trying to break out of their cell would likely be blocked off long before they could ever safely reach the bottom. There was always the option of climbing down from the edge though. Definitely have to make sure you don't lose balance though. He gave it an 8/10 for looks, and a 6/10 for practicality as far as medieval prisons went.
"Are you okay kid?" the male voice asked.
Flint looked over to the source to see…he wasn't sure how to describe the being with an unusual number of eyes across from him. [and neither do I]
"Y-Yeah, I guess. I'm just-to be honest, I don't even know what I doing here, or what here is."
The tan-skinned female in the cell next to the eyeball guy looked at Flint in a bit of surprise. "Damn, he's locking away kids now? You look like you're about my daughter's age." The woman shook her head. "You're in the Conformatorium. I think the warden said something about using you as leverage or something, being in league with the Owl Lady." The woman explained.
Flint tilted his head in confusion. "Who the hell is the 'Owl Lady?' Is she the one who taught that owl to steal my friend's book?"
"So you awwen't with heww?" The tiny one asked.
"No! The last thing I remember is walking through a door after my friend whose book got stolen, then suddenly everything goes black!" Flint exclaimed.
"Oh…well now just feel bad." A new voice stated.
Flint blinked, realizing that none of the three were the ones to speak. "Wait, who said that?"
"That would be me." The voice said. Flint turned to the source to be met with a hulking figure with pale purple skin. The being wore a dark gray cowl and had a mask reminiscent of a plague doctor's on his face. "I'm Wrath, the warden of this here facility."
Flint looked at him nervously. "I don't suppose you could just let me out to be on my way, could you?" Flint asked with a strained smile.
Warden Wrath shook his head. "I cannot. I'm afraid that once you're put in this facility, outside of any staff, there's only one way you get out." Wrath said with an edge in his voice.
Flint drooped at that, banging his head against the bars. "Great. My only friend chases after a freaking owl, of all things, and now I'm stuck here." Flint sighed. "Man, this is just not my day."
"Wow, your only friend? That's a bit sad." Wrath scratched his head. "If it's any consolation, it's nothing personal kid." Wrath sympathized.
Flint waved him off, not bothering to look up from the bars. "No no, I get it. You're just doing your job is all."
"Say kid, what's your name?" Wrath tried to cheer him up a bit.
"What good is it if I'm stuck here until I die?" Flint asked depressingly.
Wrath scratched the back of his head. "You know what? What the heck?" Wrath reached over and pulled a lever up. Suddenly, the bars in front of Flint shook, causing him to step back as they lifted.
"Wha-?" Flint blinked in confusion.
"I'll let the guys downstairs know you're coming down. Just don't go freeing anyone else on the way down, okay?" Wrath requested.
"Oh! Um, of course! Thank you, sir. In that case, my name's Flint." Flint said.
Wrath nodded. "Nice to meet you, Flint. You run along then. You seem like a good kid, be sure to behave now." The warden gave the boy a wave, before heading back up the catwalk a bit and disappearing into a corridor, presumably to his office or something as he left the boy standing there.
The area was quiet for a solid minute before anyone dared to say something.
"Um…what just happened?" The eye-guy asked as everyone present looked in the direction Warden Wrath left.
'Did I…did I somehow just Talk No Jutsu my way out of a prison cell?' Flint thought. The boy shook his head before turning to the others with an apologetic look. "Sorry. As much as I'd like to help, I really should get on my way."
"No, we get it. The warden actually gave you a chance, best not to waste it." The woman said with an understanding tone.
THUD
"Ha-ha! Cat's don't do that."
Flint, curious, walked over to see what the new commotion was about, only to gasp at what, or rather who, he saw.
"Luz!" Flint exclaimed, not too loud, as he rushed over and pulled her up into a bearhug.
"Woah! Flint! You're okay!" Luz said excitedly, returning the hug briefly before they separated. Luz looked him over and noticed something. "Actually, you look better than okay."
Flint looked down and finally realized his skin looked healthy. "Huh. Weird. Let's get out of here."
Luz did a sharp inhale. "See…about that…" Luz trailed off.
Flint's face turned deadpan. "Luz. What did you do?"
"You must help us steal something if you wish to go home." A boisterous young voice stated.
Flint looked down to see another individual. They were small and bipedal. It had slightly purplish dark gray fur, save for its stomach and the tip of its tail, which are mauve in color. Short limbs, a round body and stomach, and a bushy, fox-like tail. Each of his hands possesses two triangular, bone-like claws with flat inner sides, acting as his fingers, as well as short, pointed thumbs. The feet were somewhat stumpy with two more claws on the front of either foot acting as his toes. It had large, protruding eyes with orchid irises and yellow sclerae, as well as black, yellow-rimmed eyelids. He has slightly longer and shaggier fur around his cheeks, neck, and nape. An interesting detail was the upper half of its head, which was adorned with a horned skull, being canine-esque, which is embedded over its eyes and eyelids, also acting as its upper jaw. His horns are tall and point backward, curving slightly inward, the left of which is broken off near the base in a notch shape.
Flint stared at the creature before turning back to Luz. "Explain."
"That's King. We have to retrieve something of his because we're being blackmailed by a witch." Luz summed up. "Wait. If this is a prison, how'd you get out?"
"The kid woke up, talked to the warden, and was let free as long as he doesn't try and free us." The woman in the cell explained, getting them to come over, with King hopping onto Luz's back, so they could see who was talking.
Luz turned and stared at Flint. "You Talk No-"
"I Talk No Jutsu'd him, yes." Flint confirmed.
Luz's stunned look turned to a smile. "Cool."
The woman spoke up again. "Say, cat criminal lady, how'd you break in here?
Luz turned to the woman. "Oh, no, no, no. I'm not a cat." She pulls her hood down, revealing that she really wasn't. "Also, I'm not a criminal."
King popped up over Luz's shoulder. "I mean, you kinda broke in."
The woman scoffed. "But we aren't at all. The stupid warden likes to lock people up who don't fit in. Like, I write fanfics of food falling in love." The woman pulls out a book of said fanfiction. "I like food, I like love... Just let me write about it!"
Flint shrugged. 'It could be worse. She could be obsessed with writing those over-the-top betrayal stories for example.'
The eye-guy spoke up beside her. "I'm here because I like eating my own eyes." The being proceeded to do so, plucking one from his head and swallowing it. The eye then pops back into place.
Flint blinked, a little weirded out. 'That's…interesting.'
The tiny one banged against her bars. "We are agents of fwee expwession! They will never siwence us!" She yells proudly.
Luz, King, and Flint all look to the foodfic writer with raised brows.
The writer rolls her eyes. "Yeah, she's really big into conspiracy theories."
"The world is a simulation! We are but playthings for a higher being! Fire connects it all!" The tiny one screamed.
'Bizarre stories, a guy with an abnormal number of eyes, and conspiracy theories…why do all these sound oddly familiar?' Flint wondered.
Luz begins to pace around as she comes to a realization. "Wait. These aren't crimes. None of you actually did anything wrong." Luz pulls out a wanted poster. "You're all just a bunch of weirdos. Like us." Luz trailed off.
Thudding footsteps suddenly attracted everyone's attention.
The foodfic writer's eyes widened. "It's Warden Wrath! Hide!" she said frantically.
Luz yelps and grabs King, running into an open cell, dropping the wanted poster she was holding, and pulling the door down as she enters. Flint, on the other hand, started trying to think of any outs excuses he could use. The footsteps continue until a door is pushed open.
"I can hear you." Wrath stated menacingly, entering the prison block once more. He looked over and saw Flint, staring at him skeptically. "I thought I told you to head to the entrance?"
Internally Flint was screaming until he saw something held in Wrath's hand. Flint blinked. "My backpack?"
"Hm?" Wrath looked down at it. "Oh! Right, I was coming back out here to see if I could catch you before you got too far. I remembered you had this with you when you were brought here, and I thought I'd try to get it back to you." Wrath's intimidating aura dropped a bit.
Flint's mind stopped turning as the perfect excuse finally made itself known. "Oh yes! I originally was heading down, but I turned around when I realized I didn't have it with me. I was gonna come to ask where I might go to get it back. These guys were just wondering why I turned around is all." Flint half-lied, pointing a thumb at the cells next to him with the three. In all honesty, he probably would've been doing just that if Luz's sudden arrival hadn't distracted him.
Warden Wrath nodded in acknowledgment at that. "Ah, well isn't that convenient then? If that's the case, here you go." Wrath closed the gap and held out the bag to Flint.
Flint accepted it with a nod. "Thank you so much, sir." Flint thanked, slipping his arms through the straps and putting the backpack on.
Warden Wrath waved him off. "Bah, think nothing of it kiddo." He then looked nearby and saw Eda's wanted poster. He reached down and picked it up with a growl. "The Owl Lady."
Flint caught a glance at the poster and noticed the reward. He let out a long whistle. "Wow. That's a lot of zeroes."
Wrath nodded in agreement. "Indeed. A fitting price for a criminal of her caliber." He then crumples it, turning his fist into a hammer and slamming it into the door of Luz's cell without looking. "I'll get my hands on her soon enough."
Warden Wrath looks into the cell, and Flint begins to panic. 'Please don't realize. Please don't realize!' Flint screamed internally.
Suddenly, the conspiracy theorist began yelling, catching everyone's attention. "Fight against the oppwessor! We will wesist! We will conquer! We will never be afwaid of you, you old cweep!"
Warden Wrath walks over to her cell and opens it. She stares at the opening door. "Hooway! I'm fwee!"
Warden Wrath abruptly grabs her, his fist fitting around her entire body and silencing her after eliciting a squeak. He holds her up and points at the other two prisoners. "Let this be a lesson to all of you. There's no place in society for you if you can't fit in." Wrath tightens his grip, making Tinella Nosa squeak again. He then turned back to Flint and gave a small wave with his index and middle finger out, crumpling the wanted poster in the process. "Take care." He said cheerily, his tone doing a complete 180 as he stomped away, dropping the poster on his way out. As he leaves sight, a door slams.
With the warden gone, Luz opens her cell, the damage causing it to get stuck halfway and forcing her to duck under to get out.
"Don't worry. We can get you out." Luz attempts to pull the lever up to no avail. "No! My weak nerd arms! Flint! Come on!"
Flint scratched the back of his head. "It might just be designed so any average Joe can't just open it themselves."
The foodfic writer sighs. "Just get out of here while you still can, kids. Enjoy freedom for us." She said depressingly, before walking deeper into her cell. Luz and Flint reluctantly walk away. They both wished they could've done more to help them.
Eda suddenly flies in on her staff beside them. "Hey, I see you found your friend." Eda hops off her staff before continuing. "The warden is distracted, tormenting some tiny creature. He won't be coming around here anytime soon."
Luz just continued walking without a word, confusing Eda. Eda turned to Flint and gave him another once-over. "We're you a lot paler earlier?"
Flint just sighed. "It's complicated."
The group reaches a towering door with the word "CONTRABAND" on it. King runs forward and begins scratching against the door like a dog. "My crown! It's close! I can sense its power!" King jumps onto the doorknob, as big as him, and begins messing with it.
"Aw, he gets so cute when he's thirsty for power." Eda cooed.
Luz's frustration won out. "It's not fair that they're all in here. They just want to be themselves. Why does everyone think that being a weirdo is so bad?"
Flint just sighs. "Society just doesn't like it when people don't fit the roles it wants them to fit. Anyone who says otherwise is just…wrong."
Eda frowned a bit at the two's words. What had they been doing before they got here?
King grunts as the doorknob is thrown to the ground with a clink. King pushes open the door, cackling triumphantly, before he eagerly runs through.
"Come on, before he hurts himself," Eda says as the three follow after King.
A zapping sound is heard, causing Flint to flinch.
"Ow!" Looks like you're a little too late for that one Eda.
The room itself is empty, save a toppled cardboard box with a few things in and around it. Oh yeah, there was also the giant glowing pillar in the center of it all.
King rubbed his skull before charging at the pillar headfirst…which only served to repel him backward as a reward for his efforts. He stared at the pillar grumpily as Eda crouched down to him.
"We have humans, remember?" Eda reminded him.
"Oh, yeah," King responded, his mood lighter, as both of them turned to Luz and Flint.
Luz and Flint each took a breath as they approached the pillar. Luz puts a hand against the pillar before walking through it.
ZAP!
"Ow!" Flint exclaimed, shaking his hand. "What the heck?!" He turned to Eda while holding his lightly-stinging arm. "Is that normal?"
Eda blinked in surprise. "No. You should've been able to go through no problem. That doesn't make any sense." It doesn't at all. The barrier only worked on magical beings after all.
Flint turned back with a determined expression. "I'm not letting some stupid barrier get the best of me." Flint declared, cracking his neck before stepping forward again and pushing himself into the barrier. Electricity crackled around him as it stung him, but he pulled through and managed to reach the other side.
Inside are piles of what can only be described as junk: everything from books to skulls to a dead fish in a tank, all piled within the small zone. Flint looked up to see Luz climbing down with something, but what he saw started to make his eye twitch, and not from the electricity.
"You've got to be kidding me."
"My crown!" King says excitedly as he quickly takes the Burger King crown from Luz and places it on his head. "Yes. Yes! I can feel my powers returning! You, there. Nightmare critter." King points to a stuffed rabbit with one button eye falling out from the toppled box. "I shall call you Francois, and you shall be a minion in my army of darkness. Ha-ha!" King declared as he picked up the rabbit.
Luz and Flint though, were looking quite annoyed. "That crown doesn't give him any powers, does it?" Luz spoke up.
"Uh, no," Eda admits.
Luz glares at the woman as Flint gives her a side glance.
Eda sighs as she gestures to King. "Oh, look at us. King and I don't have much in this world. We only have each other. So if that dumb crown is important to him, it's important to me. And besides, us weirdos have to stick together, you know?" Eda says with a wink.
Luz and Flint look at each other as they think back to when they had first met years ago, those same words being said to bloom their friendship. They smiled with blushes on their faces at those oh-so-familiar words.
Eda stood between them and the entrance. "Well, we owe you one. Now, let's get out of here before the warden finds us and loses his head."
"Too late."
Looming behind her, Warden Wrath morphed his arm into a scythe, swiftly slicing Eda's head off and sending at the two, causing them to scream as Luz catches Eda's head.
"Oh god, she's dead!" Flint screamed.
Then the head came back to life. "Ow! Oh, I hate it when that happens." Eda's decapitated head says with annoyance.
Both humans scream even louder.
"OH GOD, SHE'S ALIVE!" Flint screamed.
"Eda! Are you okay?" Luz asks in a panic.
"Yeah. This just happens when you get older." Eda says nonchalantly.
"NO! NO IT DOESN'T!" Flint denies loudly.
"Finally," Warden Wrath begins, transforming his hand back to normal as two guards stand behind him. "I have you cornered, Eda the Owl Lady." Wrath continues menacingly, plucking the paper crown off King's head.
"Weh?" King yelps in surprise.
As Warden Wrath walks closer to Eda and Luz, King follows him, his arms up as he feebly reaches for his crown.
"My guards could never get you, but I knew if I took your pet's toy, you'd come running." Wrath explained, before crumpling the crown.
King looked on in horror. "No! My power!" King weeps, falling to his knees in despair.
Eda looks angrily at Wrath. "What do you want with me? I've never actually broken any of your stupid laws... in front of you."
Warden Wrath loomed over the group. "I want you-" He then pulls out a…bouquet of flowers? "-to go out with me."
"Wha?"
"What?"
"Nani?"
"Go, boss!" One of the guards behind him cheers him on, with Warden Wrath sending a thumbs-up in appreciation before turning back around.
"You've always eluded our capture. You've always been the one who got away. I found that alluring."
There was a moment of silence until Flint finally broke it.
"What am I watching?" Flint asked, weirded out.
"I don't know but I hate it," Luz responded, equally disturbed.
"You stay out of this!" Warden Wrath yelled angrily, tossing the bouquet over his shoulder and turning his now free hand into tentacles to grab both humans and hold them above the ground, causing Luz to drop Eda's head in the process.
Warden Wrath picks Eda's head up by the hair. "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. I mean, it's-it's not like you can say no right now."
Eda looks up at Luz and Flint, who are struggling to free themselves from the warden's grasp. She then looks to King, who gets picked up by one of the guards and also struggles for freedom.
Eda sighs. "All right, Warden. You win. I'd just like to say something first. Come closer." Wrath brings her head closer as instructed. "No. Just come a little bit closer. Just... Yeah, that's good." She then blows a raspberry in his face.
Warden Wrath sputters in disgust, dropping Luz and Flint so he can use the arm to wipe his face as Eda laughs.
Flint lands on his feet and manages to catch Luz bridal-style. The two realize their position and blush heavily as Flint wordlessly lets her down.
"Impudent wench! Don't you know how many germs are in your mouth? Blegh!" Wrath says disgusted.
Eda rolls her eyes. "Get over it. You had your guards stalk me, and then you cut off my head. I am not going out with you." Seriously, what was the guy thinking would happen?!
Warden Wrath growls. "If you don't accept, then I have no choice but to des—Oh!"
Luz and Flint hit him over the head with Eda's staff. He falls to the ground with a loud crash and drops Eda's head to the floor.
Eda chuckles. "Nice!"
The two guards step next to Eda's head. She glares at them as her body walks up behind them and drags their hoods over their eyes.
"Okay, we're going now," Luz states as she and Flint run forward, with Luz grabbing Eda's head. Eda's body frees King of the guard's grasp, and Flint grabs her by the waist and they all mount the staff. The owl at the end unfurls his wings and hoots.
"Expecto... flying? Magicus... escapicus!" Luz calls out, trying to figure out how to get the staff to go. Flint spots Warden Wrath beginning to get up and quickly takes Eda's head from her and puts it back on her body.
"Gun it, magic stick!" Eda orders, as they take off.
The group flies past prison cells, with Warden Wrath in hot pursuit, his arms morphed into tentacles. Luz focuses on the levers and decides to seize the opportunity.
"Eda, Flint, lend me a hand!" Luz requests, as Flint smiles, knowing what his friend is thinking.
Eda puts her hand against Luz's, and Flint holds his own out to help separately. They open the cells of the three prisoners from earlier, bringing excitement to them.
SNAP!
Flint looks down at the broken lever that he now holds in his hand and blinks. He shrugs and continues to hold it. After all, it'd be nice to at least have something to use as a weapon.
They burst through an outer door high in the center of the Conformatorium with a yell from, then plummet. Warden Wrath exits right behind them, front flipping off the pillar. The staff and Warden Wrath fall toward the ground. Warden Wrath extends one of his tentacles, hitting the very back of the staff and launching the four off of it. They roll when they hit the ground, and Warden Wrath steps in front of them, his hand shifting into a blade again.
"Ow, my bones!" King exclaimed.
"Luz, other human…" Eda gets their attention, reaching into her hair and pulling out the key to the portal door, handing it to Luz. "Go back to the human world." She tells her before running at Warden Wrath.
Luz looked at her in shock. "What about you guys?"
King gets up and runs after Eda. "If you think this guy is bad, you shoulda seen her last boyfriend!"
"Not my boyfriend." Eda denied as she grabbed King and jumped back towards Luz, avoiding Wrath's blade-hands. "Go! Go!" Eda then puts both of them onto her staff.
"But-But I-"
"Wait, we can-"
Eda slaps the bottom of the staff, sending both of them flying up into the air. Warden Wrath takes off his mask to reveal a face that's mostly mouth, which opens to breathe fire. Eda expertly draws two spell circles, one that catches the fire and one that launches it right back. Wrath slams into the wall of the Conformatorium. Luz whimpers as she tries to not fall off the staff, as Flint holds on with one hand closer to the bottom. Flint watches Wrath carefully as he stands up, brandishing his blade-hands and running at Eda again.
The three prisoners peek out of the hole that he left in the wall but are noticeably hesitant. Luz notices this and is about to fly down to them when Flint gets her attention.
"Go to them, I'll help Eda with Wrath," Flint told her.
Luz's eyes widened. "What!? Are you crazy?!"
"We established that years ago. Just do it." Flint told her.
Luz gives in. "Be safe." She says worriedly before directing the staff over the fight. Flint lets go of the staff as he holds the broken lever like a baseball bat, jumping down with a battle cry. While he does this, Luz flies down to talk to the prisoners.
Flint adjusts himself midair, angling as he raises his weapon and hits Wrath over the head with it, eliciting a cry of surprise from the warden. Flint pushed himself off and rolled backward, landing in a crouch with his guard up.
"Kid! What are you doing?!" Eda exclaimed, making a circle in the air to shoot a lightning bolt at Wrath.
"What's it look like? I'm helping you out!" Flint called back.
Wrath growled, having dodged the lightning. "You should've taken the chance I gave you kid!" Wrath loomed over him with his fist cocked.
Flint sidestepped the attack causing the ground to break where he had stood. Seizing his opportunity, Flint swung his weapon into the back of Wrath's knee, causing the goliath to fall to it from the blow. "Just try and hit me! Oh wait, you can't! Why? 'Cause you're too slow!" Flint cackled like a gremlin, weaving around Wrath's attempts to strike or grab him. "Sonic speed!" Flint continued his taunts.
"Damn, kid! What's gotten into you?" Eda asked, summoning a fireball and firing at their foe.
"This is the best I've ever felt in my life!" Flint declares with joy, batting away a chunk of rock Wrath threw at him with his weapon and sending back into the goliath's face. "About a quarter of everything I drink is caffeinated because I'm always just lacking energy for some reason, but ever since I woke up here I've been all twitchy with energy!" Flint held his head a bit while smiling manically. "Is this what it's like to not feel like you're gonna collapse at any moment? Is this how normal people feel?"
That statement and the crazed smile on his face left Eda admittedly a bit concerned about the boy. Unfortunately, Wrath took advantage of that moment of distraction to grab them, slamming the two into one another and then throwing them to the ground. King was at Wrath's feet feebly hitting his foot only to be kicked toward the two, with Flint instinctively catching him in his arms, with Warden Wrath looming over them.
"Enough of this. Owl Lady, today I capture you once and for all! And your new friend too!" Wrath growled, raising his blade-hands in the air.
King whimpers, and hides his face in Flint's chest as he holds him protectively.
"Go, go, go, go!" Luz's voice is heard, bringing the group's attention to Luz and the prisoners charging toward them, the prisoners barreling into Wrath and knocking him away.
Flint looks at it all in surprise. "Luz?"
The prisoners work together to topple Wrath over, pinning him to the ground with his arms tied together and putting him on his stomach as Luz descends to the ground.
"You! Who do you think you are?" Warden Wrath snarls.
Luz points at Wrath. "Do not underestimate me, Warden Wrath, for I am Luz, the human, warrior of peace," Luz says dramatically as the wind blows her hair. She then pulls out a mass of fireworks from her bag "Now eat this, sucka!"
Luz tosses the fireworks into the air before hitting it with Eda's staff. The fireworks lands in Wrath's flaming mouth and goes off, sending fireworks into the air. He runs away back to his facility, having been humiliated as fireworks still go off in his mouth.
The prisoners begin to cheer with the conspiracy theorist jumping up and down excitedly. "We are victorious!"
King jumped from Flint's arms onto Eda's shoulder as the three approached her with smiles on their faces. Eda puts a hand on each of their shoulders as they watch Wrath flee.
"Not bad you two." Eda praised.
"Believe it or not, that was actually one of her better breakups," King stated.
"Not a breakup." Eda denies. "Anyway, let's bounce before any more monsters fall in love with me," Eda suggests as they all board the staff to get out of there.
The group can be seen inside the living room of Eda's abode, the Owl House, where Eda leans her staff against the couch.
"Well, a deal's a deal. Let's get you home." Eda states, snapping her fingers causing the key to fly out of Luz's bag and into Eda's hand. She presses the eye, and the portal door unfolds itself in front of the fireplace. Luz and Flint walk up to it, with Luz hugging herself before turning back to look at Eda and King. King was looking at the ground sadly. Luz reaches into her bag.
"Before we go..." Luz holds out the head of her Azura doll, removing Azura's crown. "I know it's not the same, but a king shouldn't be without a crown."
King accepts the crown and places it on his head. "This shall suffice. You there, plant! You are now under my command." He demands, pointing at a plant and eliciting a chuckle from Flint.
Eda grabs the Azura book off the table and hands it to Luz. "Oh, and don't forget this. It was kinda why you're even here in the first place."
Luz takes it, and the pamphlet for Reality Check Summer Camp that's on top of it and walks toward the portal. Meanwhile, Flint looks from King to Luz. His gaze lands on the door before he looks down at his hand. He inspects it, his mind running a mile a minute as he tries to grasp just why his body is reacting like this in this strange land. By all means, it didn't make sense, but there was something strange about it. There've always been many questions about him, but something deep within told him that if he wanted answers, he would need to stay here. Flint made his decision, clenching his fist.
"I'm staying here."
Everyone blinked in surprise as they turned to look at Flint.
"There's something strange going on. I just have this feeling, like I need to be here, here on the Isles. I know that might sound selfish, but…even then there must be some kind of magic around here that can help me understand. My whole life has been shrouded in a mystery, and this might be my chance to finally get answers." Flint stated, continuing to stare at his hand.
Luz's look of surprise changes to a smile. "Then it's a good thing I wanna stay too."
Now it was Flint's turn to be surprised, looking up to see Luz's smile. "Neither of us fits in at home. You don't fit in here. If we stayed, we could not fit in together." She looks at the pamphlet for Reality Check one last time, then crumples it. "I'm not going back for some stupid summer camp."
Eda chuckles before looking at the two in confusion. "What's summer camp? What are we talking about here?"
"If Flint is staying, I am too. I want to stay and become a witch. Like you. And Azura." Luz says, holding her book up to Eda.
Eda laughs as she pushes Luz's book down. "What? All right, that's crazy. Humans can't become witches."
"Maybe that's because they haven't tried. If you teach me to become a witch, I'll do anything you want." Luz offers.
Flint nods. "And if you'd help me with my own goal as well, I'll do the same."
King pulls at Eda's dress. "Let them stay. They can make us snacks." King whispers the last part.
Eda smiles and picks King up. "Well, I could use a hand keeping this goofball out of the cupboards, and some extra muscle for my business. All right. I'll help you two out. But you have to work for me before we get to any of that. Deal?" Eda offers, holding out her hand between the two. Flint looks at it and shakes it, with Luz grinning and crushing the two in a hug as Flint slips out. Before.
"Gah! What's going on?" Eda exclaims.
"Too tight! Too tight!" King yelps.
Flint just looks on with a smile, happy to see his best friend looking so happy.
Luz and Flint are seen opening a door to a storage room, the door creaking loudly. Both of them take turns doing their bedtime routines until both find themselves laying on their own sleeping bags, Luz's being blue and white, and Flint's being just orange.
Luz takes a picture of her and her mom out of her messenger bag. She rubs her thumb over the glass before placing the frame right next to her pillow. Her phone vibrates, and she grabs it and turns it on. A message from her mother pops up.
Mom❤️: How's summer camp?
Luz's expression falls, and she moves her phone away from her face.
"You got one too huh?" Flint asked.
Luz glanced over to him with her mouth in a tight line. She saw he was already in his sleeping bag and holding his phone which had a message on it as well.
Mom (eye roll emoji): Is everything alright?
"Yeah," Luz answered softly in a frown.
Flint sighed. "You know we should tell them," Flint stated.
Luz gained a guilty look, not saying anything.
Clearing his throat and getting the two's attention, King steps into view while holding Francois. "Your sleep cocoons look fluffy."
Luz pats the sleeping bag and Flint gives a beckoning nod. King curls up at the bottom of Luz's sleeping bag and falls asleep. Flint smiles as he sees Luz put her phone away to go to sleep with a smile.
Flint gains a guilty look as he looks between Luz's sleeping form and the message from his mom. After a minute, he finally sends his response before putting the phone away and letting it lock. Flint then pulls out his sketchbook and a pencil from his backpack, tracing an outline of King as he sleeps before setting the open book down to the side and heading to sleep. The page of the sketchbook flips over to reveal a detailed drawing…
A drawing of the Boiling Isles.