When Booker opened his eyes, all he saw was darkness. He was in a void where there was no one and nothing for what appeared to be miles and miles of pitch blackness.
"Hello?" He called out, his voice echoing in the darkness. "Luz? Eda?"
As he looked around for something, Booker stopped when he noticed a light off in the distance. He stared at it before walking towards it. Curious as to what it might be. When he reached the light, Booker was met with a rather peculiar sight in front of him.
On a table was a birthday cake, with the light being from the lit candles. Booker immediately got excited at the sight of the cake. "Ooh! Don't mind if I do!" He said, reaching out to scoop some frosting with his finger.
But just as he was about to touch the cake, his magic circle appeared on his hand again. Booker turned his hand over and gasped when he saw the glowing lines forming. Slowly going up his arm.
"No. No, no, no, no!" Booker yelled, panicking as he tried to push them off. "Someone help!"
But it was no use. He was at the mercy of his own powers.
The flames of the candles had spread out of control and engulfed the cake and the table. As the fire raged on, the lines spread throughout Booker's body and climbed up to his head, entering the corners of his eyes. Booker let out a scream as his eyes and hair started glowing. "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"
"BOOKER!"
"GAH!" Booker jolted awake as he quickly sat up. He looked around and saw that he was back in the Owl House, in his and Luz's bedroom.
"Are you okay? You looked like you were having a really bad dream," Luz said, worried for her best friend as he rubbed his face. Trying to clear it from his grogginess.
"I'm alright," Booker said, yawning and stretching his arms. "It was just a nightmare." They looked at one another but blushed when they realized how close their faces were and quickly moved back.
Ever since that hug at the Covention, both Booker and Luz have been awkward around one another. Luz was still embarrassed but didn't know why. It wasn't the first time they'd hugged, and Luz was a hugger. Luz didn't know why that hug was so different. It was her best friend in the whole world, after all. Booker, on the other hand, was nervous because Luz had been his crush for a really long time.
"Kids! Come on down!" Eda called up from downstairs, snapping the two out of their blushing states.
A moment later, in their normal clothes, Booker and Luz were on the couch with King. They were watching Eda and Owlbert playing a card game. Eda shuffled her hand, and the eyes on the cards looked up at her. Owlbert, wearing a green visor, narrowed his eyes at her and hooted.
"Watch closely, kids. Hexes Hold'em is the most tricky game on the Boiling Isles. Any proper witch knows how to play," Eda said as she crossed her legs in confidence.
"Really? It doesn't look any different from Pokemon or Yu-Gi-Oh," Booker said before turning to Luz. "By the way, do you still have my Victini?"
"Do you still have my Decidueye?" She asked, pulling out his card. Booker pulled out her card, and the two were traded.
"Oh yeah? Well, can your cards do this?" Eda asked, placing a card down on the table. Magical energy sparkled from the cards, sending Owlbert flying for cover behind the side of the table. That's when the cards all grew legs and stood up, opening jaws to roar at their enemies.
"...Only in the anime," Booker said, a little frightened by cards.
Owlbert's card surged forward and attacked Eda's, making the little owl smirk. As the two armies fought one another like herds of animals, Eda smirked. "Now, when it looks like the deck is stacked against you, that's when you break out the wildcard," she said, drawing a card with a tower on it.
It glowed green, and Owlbert's animated cards burst into flames. The fire then flew up into the air and formed fiery letters spelling out "WINNER: EDA"
Owlbert hopped back on and hooted at Eda, and his wings extended in acknowledgment of her victory.
"Woo, I win!" Eda gloated before she bent down and pointed at the owl's face. "In your adorable owl face. Ah, I love the feeling of victory; it feels...fluffy?"
"Eda, your arms!" Booker said, pointing at her arms. Black feathers were growing from them, which alarmingly alarmed him, Luz, and King.
"It's happening again!" Luz whimpered
"What's happening again?" Eda asked.
"Your curse is returning!" King pointed out. Eda finally noticed her arms and screamed when she saw the feathers.
{Play music: Into the Badlands theme}
As the portal gate opens and the camera zooms in on it, Booker and Luz are seen to be in the sky. They open their eyes, only to realize they are falling, which causes them to freak out before something zooms past them and catches them. Booker and Luz opened their eyes, with Luz behind Booker and holding his arm while Booker held onto the staff to stay on. The two kids saw they were saved by Eda, who smirked at the duo as they flew to her house on her Palisman staff.
The door where Hooty was opened as Luz and Booker stepped outside. Luz twirled and posed with Eda's staff while Booker drew his Dragon's Bite sword he had recently received and did his own pose. But then Eda took her staff back with an amused grin while Luz gave a sheepish smile, and Booker looked somewhat amused, too. King popped up in front of them in a pose.
A Boiling Isle mural was seen briefly as Gus, Willow, and Amity were seen before it burned away to show King commanding an army of stuffed toys, which all fell on him. The scene burned away again, showing Booker standing under a spotlight with grief written on his face as the fire was seen all around him. Silhouettes appear as they take the shape of a man with pointed ears, a human woman, and six children with slightly pointy ears. The fire consumed them.
Now Booker and Luz were on Eda's staff, with Luz riding up front like she was driving and Booker standing behind like he was surfing on a surfboard. They zoom down the Boiling Isles, past many friends and foes alike, until Eda and King join in on the ride.... then they hang on for dear life as a massive monstrous worm-like monster, mouth wide open, lunges at them. Everyone, minus Booker, screamed in horror, as the latter had a look of bravery and defiance towards the monster as he pointed his sword towards it.
Then the scene changes back to the Owl House, where it's nighttime and stars twinkle in the sky as the four are on the roof and looking up into the sky. Luz opens her hands to reveal a ball of light as Booker's hands glow, and a glyph-like symbol appears on the back of his hands.
He grinned and slammed his hands together, causing light magic to burst from his hands. That's when the title appeared.
The four of them ran up the stairs to Eda's room and pulled out the chest where she kept her elixirs. But when she opened the chest and looked inside, Eda was distraught to find that all the elixir bottles were empty. "Oh boy. This is terrible. I'm out of elixir," Eda said, grabbing one and shaking it.
"Uh, last time this happened, you turned into this thing." Luz held up her phone to show her the picture of the Owl Beast on her cracked screen.
"I know I should be repulsed, but that look is fierce," Eda said, puffing up her hair.
"Yeah? Well, monster, you tried to kill us!" Booker exclaimed. The last thing he wanted was to face that ravenous beast again.
"You're right, you're right. We need to head to the market," Eda said, hitting her fist in her palm.
"Market!" Luz cheered.
"Market!" Booker cheered after her as they stood up and started to leave.
King followed them and shouted in glee. "I'm stealing everything that's not nailed down!"
"Before we go, would anyone like to play one more hand of Hexes Hold'em?" Eda asked and reached for the cards in her pocket. But then Booker came over and pulled them out of her pocket before she could get to them.
"Yoink!" He quipped, jumping back before she could grab them.
"Hey, give me back my cards!" Eda yelled, upset that he had the gall to steal from her.
"You want them back? Then you're going to get that elixir," Booker said, handing them to Luz. The girl then turned and handed the deck to Owlbert.
"Take these and fly ahead. She'll have to follow us," she said to the owl from Eda's staff. Owlbert grabbed the cards from her and flew out of the room.
Eda ran after him. "Owlbert, you sore loser, gimme back my cards!"
It was another lovely day in the town of Bonesborough. Winged demons flew over the witches and demons going about their day on the ground, including the Owl House group. With her cloak to disguise herself, Eda led the group through the market towards a potion shop named 'Mr. Elixir'. Eda banged on the closed metal grate that covered the window.
"Hey, open up, Morton!" she yelled as Booker, Luz, and King went to sit down on a bench.
"Uh, ju-...just a minute!" called Morton's voice from inside the shop.
"Is there anything better than people watching in the Demon Realm?" Luz asked as she and Booker sat together.
"It's like watching the inner machinations of a madman," Booker commented.
To prove his point, the two and King watched three witches standing at a bus stop as a giant egg rolled up to them. The egg cracked and opened, revealing a featherless bird that screeched before flying away, leaving room for the witches to get inside the egg. One of them closed it, and it rolled off. "Wait, wait!" Tiny Nose shouted as she ran to try and catch the egg but missed it. "Aw, dang it."
"Heh, I remember those days," Booker said, reminiscing the days when he ran after the bus back home.
"The curse of tiny legs," Luz said.
"I know the pain," said King.
Tiny Nose looked down in defeat before the sound of loud footsteps made her look up. When she did, she screamed and ran away from a larger witch with a brown cloak. He stopped and looked over his shoulder. Waving his hand, he motioned for other witches dressed like him to follow. They did so while pulling a cart with a large worm-like demon tied to it through the street.
Booker and Luz approached Eda. "Whoa, that is one ominous parade," said the Latina girl.
"Yeah, Aunt Eda. Who are those guys?" asked the Seventh Son.
"Those are demon hunters," Eda said, frowning at the hunters. The demon tied down growled and started bucking against its bindings. The two demon hunters pushing the cart pulled its ropes to pin it back down. It then tried to bite at the first demon hunter, but he stepped back from its jaws. "Dangerous nomads who capture and sell the most powerful beasts."
The first demon hunter traced a spell circle of green magic and created a green fireball in his hand. Without mercy, he burnt the demon unconscious. When he stopped, the hunter turned and looked at Booker and Luz with one eye covered with an eye patch.
While Luz felt uneasy, Booker stared down the hunter a bit before the hunters continued on their way.
"...Which I'm about to become IF YOU DON'T OPEN UP, MORTON!" Eda yelled as she continued knocking on the grate unit. Morton finally opened the gate.
He revealed himself to be a lanky young man with light pale skin, light brown eyes, and short brown hair. Oddly, he was wearing a gray funnel hat. He also wore a mint green long-sleeved top with fingerless gloves, a long brown overlay dress with a crisscross sleeve, and a dark brown belt with a frog necklace.
"Sorry, Eda! I was up all night poison tasting, and for some reason, I don't feel great," he said.
"You taste test poison, and you're wondering why you're sick?" Booker asked with an incredulous expression. Unable to comprehend why he'd do something so idiotic. "Dude, the fact that you're still alive is a goddamn miracle!"
Morton looked at him uncertainly. "You think it's the potion that's making me sick?"
"YES!"
"Booker, stop yelling at my potion guy. That's my job. Now I'm all outta my juice, Morton," Eda said, pulling out one of her bottles and handing it to Morton.
"Oh, gee. Lemme see what I can do," Morton said before ducking down and digging around. The others heard the sound of rattling bottles.
As he was doing that, Booker looked back and saw the demon hunters continuing on their way. That's when he saw Willow and Gus, looking dejected, behind the demon.
"Willow and Gus!" Luz called out when she saw them, too. The two best friends ran up to their witch friends as they walked over. "Heya, friends!"
"What's the matter? Did something happen?" Booker asked when he noticed their frowns.
"Them," said Willow, pointing to a food stand a few feet away. A group of teenage girls were talking and laughing together. Among them was Amity, who was staring at a potion.
The other girls were her friends, Boscha, Skara, and Cat. Boscha was a slender witch with pink skin, three gray-blue eyes, and violet hair tied back in a bun. Skara was a young witch with a dark brown skin tone, eyes with gray irises, and hair that came in tones of pinkish-gray and deep mauve held up in a ponytail. Cat had dark skin, too, and brown wavy hair with a side bang. She wore squared glasses with black frames over her brown eyes and had a red lower lip.
"Amity's having a moonlight conjuring and invited everyone but me," Willow said as she looked down at the ground, sad.
"And she keeps posting about it on her Penstagram account," said Gus as he summoned his scroll, opening it to Amity's post of her and her friends posing.
"'It's Conjuring night! No dorks allowed'"? What a bitch!" Luz exclaimed, scowling for a second before looking at her friends. "What's a moonlight conjuring?"
"You spend the night at someone's house, telling stories, playing games…" Willow explained.
"Like a slumber party! We have those!" Luz smiled, pointing at herself and Booker.
Willow then pulled out a book. "Then you bring something to life with moon magic!"
"Should have known there was a weird angle to this," Booker muttered.
"Gus and I have never been to one. You need at least three people and--"
"Well, luckily for you, you've got 4," Luz said, pulling Booker in. "Right, Booker?"
The Seventh Son, however, was hesitant. "I-I don't know," he said, rubbing his arm. "I mean, after what happened at the Covention, I don't want to lose control again."
They were interrupted when Amity's friend group walked by, laughing at them. "Sorry you couldn't get an invite to the conjuring, Willow," she mocked Booker's friend before turning to Amity. "Only real witches allowed."
Amity sighed, trying not to look at Booker and Luz. "Leave her alone. It's not her fault she was born without talent," she said as they walked away.
This made Willow growl with anger, which unknowingly made her magic act up. Several large vines started growing from the ground.
"Whoa! Willow, chill out!" Booker exclaimed in alarm, slapping the vine away. "Don't get angry at those bitches. They're not the ones that'll have a kickass moonlight conjuring."
"So, does this mean…" Luz trailed off with a hopeful grin. Willow also looked hopeful.
"Yeah, I'll join you guys." Booker relented, resulting in Luz nearly tackling him to the ground when she hugged him. The two looked at one another and blushed before Luz let him go, and then backed away.
"Are you serious? This was on my bucket list!" Gus said in excitement as he pulled it out and checked off moonlight conjuring. "After owning a real human bucket!"
"That's a really weird thing to want, but I appreciate your enthusiasm," Luz said.
"We should go tell Eda," Booker said as they walked away.
Back at the store, Morton stood up again. I've got bad news and good news. The bad news is I'm all out 'til next week," he told her with an apologetic look. "The good news is feathers are a good look for you."
A feather grows out of her hair. "Morton!" She yelled, swinging her arms down in anger, causing the feather and several others to flutter to the ground as she stalked forward.
"Well gee, E. Why'd you wait to re-up 'till now?" Morton asked his most frequent customer.
"I've been very busy," Eda said, crossing her arms and turning her head away from him.
"Yeah, busy playing Hexes Hold'em. She's obsessed with it," King said from the bench.
"I am not obsessed!"
"You're playing it right now!"
Just as King said, Morton and Eda were playing the card game. Several cards were now splayed out on the counter, and Eda held one in her hand. "...Am I winning?" she asked the store owner.
Morton then spoke to her in a dark and serious tone. "You know, I wouldn't suggest this to just anybody, but if you need your elixir, you can try your luck later this evening."
"In the night market?" Eda gasped.
"There's a guy with a stand who goes by Grimm Hammer; if anyone has what you need, it's him," Morton told Eda. Understanding the situation, Eda told him as he walked back into his shop. At that same time, Booker and Luz walked back to her.
"Eda, Gus, Willow, Booker, and I are gonna do a moonlight conjuring and stick it to Amity. So can we--
"Not tonight, I'm going out," Eda quickly said, grabbing her staff and walking away as Booker looked upset at her. "I need you to watch the house; I have many precious objects in it."
"Like me!" King said, pointing to himself when Eda picked him up by his collar. "Whoa!
"You're coming with me. I need an extra pair of eyes looking out for pickpockets and an extra pair of hands in case I want to pickpocket," she said with a smirk.
"Pickpocket!" They both cheered together.
Booker then spoke up. "Well, maybe they can come to the house and--"
"No! Besides, conjurings are dumb, such as sitting in a circle and holding hands. Pft. It's like magic for babies," Eda said as she and King walked away.
Booker furrowed at Eda as she walked away, upset at how petty she was over the moonlight conjuring. He sighed in frustration and turned to Luz. "So much for that," he said, wondering what they were going to do.
Willow and Gus ran over to them. "So, what did Eda say?" asked the former
"So...guys…" Luz tried to explain this to their friends but was interrupted by Gus.
"Oh, look!" He pointed upwards at the moon as it rose into place. "The moon is rising into place. And the celestial powers only align once a year."
"Oh, I can't believe I finally have enough friends for a moonlight conjuring! Thank you, Luz and Booker! Did Eda say it was okay?" Willow asked the two best friends.
Well, that certainly made Booker and Luz cringe. Why did they have to have those big and innocent eyes? Taking a deep breath, Booker decided to be the bearer of bad news. "Yeah...listen, guys...she said—"
"Yes!" Luz yelled, slamming her hand over his mouth. "She said yes. We can do it at the Owl House. As long as we don't make a mess or touch anything and never bring up that we did it!" She nervously laughed.
"Yes! Oh, you're the best!" Willow cheered before she and Gus started singing together. "We're gonna do a conjuring! We're gonna do a conjuring! Conjuring! Conjuring!"
Booker pulled Luz aside and turned her away from their friends. "Luz, are you sure about this? If Eda finds out about this, she'll kill us," he said to her.
"It'll be okay. It's just bringing something to life," Luz said. "Look at them. Do you really want to break their hearts?"
Booker looked at Willow and Gus, seeing how happy they were. He then looked up at the moon nervously. One little lie won't hurt, would it? After all, Eda was a criminal herself. So, what was having the conjuring going to do?
Hours later, night came to the Boiling Isles, and Eda was about to leave the Owl House. Booker was sitting on the couch with Luz as he looked out the window, listening to the crickets chirping outside. He and his friend were waiting for Eda to leave.
"Alright, you two. I'm leaving. Booker, as my unofficial nephew, you're in charge while I'm out," Eda said, putting on her cloak. "Make sure Luz and Hooty don't get into any trouble."
"Hoot hoot!" Hooty opened the door to pout at her. "I don't need a babysitter. I'm a big boy house!"
"You can count on me, Aunt Eda. I've actually house-sat before," he said, standing up from the couch. It was true. He had to house-sit the orphanage on some occasions.
"Yeah! We'd never betray your hard-earned trust!" Luz said before laughing nervously.
Eda narrowed her eyes at them. "You're acting suspicious. You're doing that thing where you hide in your hoodie."
She was referring to right now, as Luz had her hood up and closed over her mouth. "Meow, I'm not."
"Uh…" Booker tried to figure out a way to change the subject when he remembered something. "Oh, where's King?"
"He's right here," said Eda with a smile as she opened her cloak to reveal King strapped in a pink baby carrier and snoring as he slept. "His little body just conks out when he's weightless. Look at this." She moved side to side and showed the two kids King was still sleeping as he moved like a ragdoll, with his arms and legs dangling in the harness.
"Aww, he's so dangly," Luz said, playing with his feet.
Eda chuckled as she pulled away and walked outside. "Anyway, really going now," she said before stopping and turning back to the kids. "And Booker…"
The Seventh Son grew nervous as she scowled at him.
"...I don't care if you're Mal's kid, if you or Luz mess up the house, I will never trust you again, Booker Bridges," she said in a dangerous, menacing tone. Then she smiled and used a lighter tone. "No pressure! Bye!" Owlbert hooted and opened his wings before Eda hopped on and flew away. Leaving Booker and Luz waving after them for a few seconds.
"Yeah...no pressure at all…" Booker gulped in fear.
Luz turned to two bushes near the house and whispered. "Okay, she's gone."
"Release!" a voice said as the two bushes glowed and then exploded in a burst of leaves, Revealing Willow and Gus in their casual clothes. "I'm a sneaky sneaker!" Willow said, wearing a long-sleeved yellowish-tan dress with a blue tie with an oval chartreuse gem on it, light gray and dark gray striped leggings, and brown boots.
"I've got leaves in my pants...and I like it," said Gus, whispering that last part. He was wearing a green tunic with white sleeves and a black belt, black tights, and brown boots.
"Well, come on in!" Booker said as Luz opened the door for them to enter.
"Company! Hooray!" Hooty said as the two friends led their witch friends into the house. "Finally, someone to listen to my stories! Okay, one time, a sparrow flew into my mouth, and then I—"
He was cut off when the door shut on him.
"Hey…" He coughed out a sparrow, which flew away chirping.
"Welcome to…" Luz started before she and Booker gestured towards the main area of the Owl House.
"The living room!" They both exclaimed with big smiles.
"We call it that because it's technically living! I'm pretty sure it's Hooty's breathing from the walls." Booker pointed towards a wall as it moved with heavy breaths.
Willow looked at it closer with an intrigued smile. "Enchanting," she said.
Gus started rummaging through an open chest and pulled out an 8-Ball. "And look at all these human treasures," he said before pulling out an actual human skull. "And actual humans!"
"Yeah, I wouldn't touch that," Booker said, creeped out by that.
Luz held up a blow of eyeballs. "We've got snacks. We've got weird music!" She put the needle down on a gramophone, which produced the sounds of an evil witch cackling evilly.
Gus walked up to her with a bucket on his head. "We've got a bucket!"
"Gus, my man," Luz said with a wink.
"And best of all, we have actual friends with whom to do the conjuring! This is so exciting!" Willow said with excitement as she held her hands together.
"Yeah, so how does this conjuring stuff work?" Booker asked as he approached his friend.
"Well, first, we find something to animate. Since it's our first time, we should pick something meaningful," Willow suggested, walking over to some flowers in an owl-shaped pot. "Something beautiful."
Gus then burst through the flowers with a Beef Bob action figure. "Like this strangely buff little man?!" he said as he held it in front of them and tapped the figure's stomach.
"I'm half beef, half Bob!" It said.
"Yes! He's perfect!" Luz exclaimed.
"That's...not exactly what I meant by 'beautiful'," Willow cringed.
Gus lowered the action figure as he started whimpering and looking hurt with sad eyes. As Booker cursed the universe for creating the puppy dog pout, he turned to Willow. "Why don't we do the plant after Beef Bob?" he asked.
Willow relented. "Okay, Beef Boy it is," she said with a small smile.
"Yes!" Luz hugged Willow.
"Tonight, he shall be risen!" Gus screamed at the ceiling.
As the moon rose up into the sky, the group of friends moved to the center of the living room. Gus placed Beefy Bob on the ground between the four of them as they sat in a square formation with several lit candles around them.
"According to the conjuring books I've read, we say the incantation and make a connection with the doll," Willow explained as they all held hands and closed their eyes.
"Figurine." Gus quickly corrected.
However, there was one person who wasn't holding hands with them. Luz looked and saw Booker looking hesitantly at Gus and Luz's hand. "Are you sure it'll be okay? What if I lose control and hurt you guys?" He asked.
"It'll be okay, Booker," Willow said with a reassuring smile. "It's just a simple spell. Nothing bad will happen."
Booker glanced at her, Luz, and Gus before letting out a sigh. Taking their hands, he scooted into the circle. They then began the incantation.
"Moonlight, we call, we sing. Moonlight, take this chance. Moonlight, come tie the string. Moonlight, start the dance!" Willow and Gus said perfectly while Luz tried to keep up but slipped with each line.
"Moonlight tie... string... and I don't know the words!" Luz said.
Booker said nothing and just let them chant. Even as the group started glowing with a layer of moon magic washing over them, he was still focused on his own powers. When the glowing started, he saw his circles appearing. Now, all he had to do was keep his power in check.
Outside, the moon continued rising into the sky. Hooty looked up and stared at the Demon Realm's natural satellite. But then the moon stopped moving before a burst of blue light expanded out of it. A similar burst of blue light came out between Booker, Willow, Luz, and Gus, spreading around the living room and extinguishing the candles.
Booker looked around, confused. "What the heck was that?" Did it work?" he asked. The others all opened their eyes and looked at Beefy Bob.
"That's your cue, little man," Gus said to it.
It didn't move.
"I've got a really bad feeling about this," Booker said nervously.
His anxiety would prove to be correct, as the entire house started to rumble like it was an earthquake.
Outside, Hooty blinked his eyes before opening them, revealing them to have turned the same blue as the magical energy from the moon. Birds flew away from the house as the foundation cracked around it. Then, the Owl House suddenly started to rise up and stand on two giant owl legs. The three kids screamed as they lost their balance. The shaking stopped when the Owl House stopped rising and just stood there.
When Booker groaned and sat up again, a book fell on his head. "Ow!" he yelled before opening his eyes, only to see that the entire living room was in a state of dismay. "Oh, man."
"Did the entire house just hiccup?" Luz asked.
"I don't think so," Booker said, standing up as Gus leaned up from the couch.
"Little buff guy, what did you do?" he asked the toy, pushing it to make it talk again.
"A real man never takes accountability!"
"Hooty? Hooty, what the hell happened?" Booker asked the guardian of the Owl House. However, the owl didn't answer back. So, the Seventh Son walked over to the front door with a frown. "Come on, Hoot! What hap--"
He stopped when he opened the door and looked at Hooty. Startled to see his eyes glowing blue with an also transfixed look.
"Hooty? Are you okay?" He asked, worried for his friend.
"Uh, Booker…" Luz nervously said as she walked out onto the front. Booker turned and gasped when he saw how high up they were. "What's going on?"
"I think we might've animated the house by accident!" Willow exclaimed as she and Gus ran out to join them.
"The house?!" Booker and Luz shouted in a panic. Hooty made ghostly noises before the House began to walk away. They all scream in terror as the door slams shut.
Luz ran up to the door. "Hooty? Hooty! Hooty, you have to stop!"
"By the power of moonlight, I have risen. Hoot hoot." Hooty said.
"He's in some kind of trance!" Gus said to the two humans.
The House stepped through some trees, causing it to shake again. The jostling made Gus yell as he, Willow, Booker, and Luz lost their balance. He and Willow nearly fell off the edge when Luz and Booker caught them.
"Hang on!" Booker yelled as he held onto Willow's arm while Luz grabbed Gus. The two grunted as they tried not to drop their friends. "Why is this happening? I thought it was supposed to animate the doll!"
"Figurine!" Gus corrected.
"SHUT UP, GUS!" He shouted.
"Our magic must've spread through the house instead of the doll!" Willow shouted up at him.
Booker and Luz nearly fell when the house shook again. The two grabbed each other's hands for balance, causing the glow to return. Book then noticed that Hooty was heading straight for a cliff and was about to walk over it.
"HOOTY, STOP!"
Incredibly, Hooty listened. The House stopped moments before it would have walked off a cliff and stood still. Giving Booke and Luz the time to pull Willow Gus back up to safety. The four friends let go of each other and stared at their hands. But when they broke contact with each other, the glowing stopped.
"How'd we do that?" Gus asked.
"That glowing…" Booker whispered, looking at Hooty's eyes and then gazing at the moon. Getting an idea in his head, he held his hands out again. "Guys, hold hands again."
They did so and started glowing once again.
"Hooty, back away from the cliff," Booker said to him as he obeyed. The Owl House took several steps away from the cliff before stopping.
"We're controlling it with the power of friendship," Willow said before Booker gave her a 'really' look. "Uh, and the moon. Probably the moon."
"This is amazing! What do we do now?" Gus asked as they let go, causing the glow to fade.
"On the one hand, we should probably stay put," Luz said, glancing at Booker. She remembered what Eda warned him about and didn't want to get her friend—or herself, in trouble.
"On the other hand, we've got a giant walking house and should totally take it on a joyride!" Gus exclaimed.
Booker and Luz looked at one another and then up at the now-descending moon. Booker thought to himself that if they only go around for a bit and stay away from Bonesborough, they might be alright. He looked down at Gus and said, "Okay, okay, we'll go. But we gotta be back before the moon sets and clean everything inside. If not, then Eda's gonna kill us!"
Willow and Gus smiled and nodded. The four then cheered and laughed as they directed the house forward. However, little did they know that they were being watched. The leader of the demon hunters growled out as the house walked away.
After walking through the forest for a while, Booker noticed someone down on the ground. "Hooty! Stop!" he quickly ordered, bringing the house to a halt. He then let go of their hands and turned back to where he saw the person.
It was Boscha walking past the trees with a duffel bag under her arm and a...crow to her ear.
"Hey, is that the same girl that made fun of you two?" Booker asked, as they spoke into the bird. "And why is she talking to a bird?"
"Willow gasped when she saw her. "It's Boscha."
"Ugh! Yes, Mom. I'm going to a moonlight conjuring," Boscha said into the crow. So, birds were the equivalent of phones in this world? "No, Mom. You can't come. And yes, Mom, it's sad that you're asking."
She let go of the crow, which cawed as it flew away. However, she then turned around and noticed the Owl House behind a hill.
"She noticed us. What do we do?" Willow whispered to her friends.
As he stared at Boscha, Booker had an idea. "I've got an idea," he said, turning to Gus. Can you make me a megaphone?"
Gus nodded and conjured a megaphone with his magic, bringing it in front of his face. Booker took a deep breath before clearing his throat and started speaking in a menacing tone.
"Get out!" He said in a ghostly voice. "Your negative spirit has disturbed my land! Now you must leave it! Or suffer my curse!" Gus, Luz, and Willow held in their laughs at the trick they were pulling.
"Ew. A talking house is threatening me? Whatever," scoffed Boscha, rolling her eyes at it unimpressed. "I'll just TP you like I did with the rest of the neighborhood."
"You will leave my land or suffer the consequences!" Booker roared through the megaphone, and the Owl House stood up.
Boscha screamed as she turned and ran away.
At that moment, the four friends started laughing hysterically before calming down. "Got 'em!" Booker exclaimed.
"I've never pranked anyone before. And now I have a taste for it," Gus said.
"Yeah, Booker, that was brilliant!" Luz said.
"I know. I'm awesome like that," Booker boasted.
"We should follow her to Amity's house to show off our conjuring. That will show her who's got no talent," Willow said, getting excited.
Booker and Luz looked at the moon. It was now nearly at the treetops and still going down, meaning their time was running out. "Yeah, no. While I'd love nothing more than to prank little Miss Perfect, we need to start heading back," Booker said to his friends.
"Amity's updating her Penstagram," Gus said, showing them the post.
"'Shout out to my fellow witches. #HumansandHybridscansuckit?!'" Luz read before growling at the post.
"Easy, Luz. Don't let her get you all riled up," Booker said, trying to remain calm. He was upset and a little hurt that Amity would say that about him and her, but he didn't let it get to him. The last thing he wanted was to risk losing all they'd accomplished on the Isles.
But then the scroll's notification bell went off, and Booker saw that Amity made another post.
'Especially a certain short blonde #Hybrid!'
"Let's get that bitch!" Booker shouted, furious with fire in his eyes.
Reconnecting the conjuring, the group made the House walk towards Bonesborough as they all cheered. Not noticing that several shadowed figures were following after them through the trees.
When they reached Bonesborough, they commanded the Owl House to walk the streets. Down below, the citizens who were out screamed and ran for cover as the Owl House stomped through the town.
"Look, Amity's house!" Willow said, bringing the house to a halt.
In front of them was a huge manor on a hill covered in red moss. It was made from purple and gray stone, with a brown shingle roof, stone chimneys, and a large spire. At the highest level of the manor, round stained-glass windows with diamond shapes painted on them are found.
"That's her house?" Booker asked, surprised. The manor resembled more like an English castle than someone's house.
"Time to show Amity what a real conjuring looks like," Willow said with a determined look in her eyes.
However, just as the House started forward, a giant rope over the roof stopped it and tied it down to the ground. The group's connection broke when the house suddenly stopped.
"What happened?" Willow asked as she and Gus looked up. Noticing the large rope holding them down.
"Is that a giant crossbow?" Luz asked nervously, pointing at a giant crossbow aimed right at them.
The Demon Hunter leader gave his followers the signal, and the crossbow fired another rope anchor. That bolt flew over the house and stabbed into the ground, further securing the house. The kids were then startled by the Demon Hunter jumping up and landing in front of them.
"Knock, knock." He growled before he created electricity in his hands. Before Booker could do anything to stop him, the Demon Hunter electrocuted the kids. All four kids screamed in pain before falling to the ground.
When Booker regained consciousness, he groaned in pain, and his vision was still buried. Looking around, he saw that he, Luz, Willow, and Gus were tied together. The Demon Hunters were busy tying down the Owl House to their cart.
"Guys! Guys! Wake up!" Booker yelled, shaking around to get his friends to wake up.
Luz groaned as she and the two witches woke up. "Booker? What's…" she gasped when she saw the hunters tying down the house. Once they were done, the Demon Hunter leader jumped down from the porch.
"Hey! What's your problem?!" Booker yelled at the hunters. "You can't just take our house!"
"We're Demon Hunters, kid. As long as there's a demon in your house, I can do whatever I want to it," the leader said with a smirk. "Which is why we're taking the house and ripping out the house demon. We can sell it to restaurants as exotic meat."
"No! Hooty would taste terrible," Luz exclaimed.
"Hey, I'm a refined taste. Hoot! Hoot!" Hooty said.
"What do we do with the worms?" another Demon Hunter asked. The two looked at the kids before the leader smirked.
"We'll stop by the cliffs and throw them over into the ocean," he said.
The four kids gasped in fear. The hunters laughed evilly as one of them picked up the kids while another one opened the front door. The four screamed when they were thrown through the air before landing hard in the living room. "Ow! Ow! Ow!"
After the hunters closed the door, the leader signaled for his band to get moving. Together, they started pushing the large cart through the woods. One stood atop a cliff and blew into a horn. As for the kids inside, Hooty made more strange noises as Luz kicked at the door.
"Hooty! Hooty! You have to wake up!" Luz yelled, trying to snap Hooty out of conjuring.
"If you want this to end as you say, three of us hold hands. It's the only way," chanted the house demon.
"¡Oye, no me hable así!" Luz snapped in Spanish. "If these guys don't kill us, Eda will when she finds out about the house."
"Wait, I've got an idea!" Booker exclaimed. Struggling against the ropes around his body, the blonde boy held out his hand as best as he could. Trying to call Dragon's Bite to his hand.
The magical sword, leaning around the couch, shook as it slowly moved out from behind the furniture before zooming towards Booker. It flew into his hand with its sheath still covering its blade.
"Willow, I can't use a sword like this. I need you to use your magic, too…" Booker paused when he noticed Willow looking down at the ground with a look of shame. "Hey, what's wrong?"
"I'm so sorry, you two," she said.
"It's fine," Luz said.
"No, it's not!" Willow exclaimed. "You wanted to turn back, but I just had to show off to Amity."
"Willow, why would you want to show up to Amity?" Booker asked. "You've got nothing to prove."
Willow looked at him a bit. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you," she said, looking away.
"We could try," Luz said, trying to be supportive.
With a sigh, Willow finally admitted, "She and I used to be friends."
"...You're right. I don't believe you," Booker said, only for Luz to nudge him in the arm with a disapproving frown.
"You and Amity were really friends?" Luz asked her friend.
"Yes. We played together as kids, but when she got her magical powers, and I didn't, she stopped hanging out with me. I just wanted to prove to her that I was a powerful witch, too," Willow said as she sniffled a bit, almost crying. "Guess she was right all along. I am just a loser."
Booker and Luz stared at her in silence, trying to understand how their friend was feeling. "That's ridiculous," said the young girl. "You helped bring a house to life. Amity doesn't know what she's talking about."
"She's right, Willow," Booker said, joining in on cheering Willow. "You've got crazy powerful plant magic that I can't even believe. Next to Eda, you're the most powerful witch we know. No offense, Gus."
"No, not at all. I know what I'm about," Gus said.
Willow looked at Luz and Booker in surprise before smiling at them. She then wiggled her arms around before finally getting her arm free. Pulling the scabbard off the blade, she then said, "Quick. Give me the sword."
Booker handed her Dragon's Bite, and Willow was able to cut them loose. She handed the weapon back to Booker as they all stood back up. "Alright, let's get out there and kick some butt!" He exclaimed with a grin.
"Yeah!" They all cheered.
But then, all of a sudden, the cart carrying the house stopped abruptly. Thinking that they were at the cliffs, the hunters were going to throw them off of, they opened the door and ran outside to fight—only to find out that wasn't the case. The group of Demon Hunters stopped because of something, or rather someone standing in their way.
Standing a few feet away was a tall man wearing dark clothes under a black cloak. In his right hand was a staff with a crow Palisman. However, the most disgusting part about his appearance was the white plague doctor mask covering his face, along with a wide-brim hat on his head.
Through the black-tinted eye holes of the mask, the mysterious person stared at the hunters and children, not moving or saying anything until the leader of the Demon Hunters stepped towards him.
"Move aside, stranger!" He demanded.
"I'm sorry, but that's not going to happen," said the witch with the mask, who then pointed at Booker and his friends. "Now, I'll be taking the children and their home off your hands."
This made the other hunters laugh at the witch. "I don't think so," the leader said, pulling out his sword. "Now move, or we'll…"
POW!
The masked witch suddenly swung his staff into the face of the Demon Hunter. The hunter cried out in pain and stubbled back when the witch drew a magic circle and thrust his staff through the ring and into the chest of his enemy. Using lightning magic to send the hunter flying back and landing on the ground. Knocking them out as the others stared with shocked expressions.
The masked wizard then drew a large magic circle on the ground before slamming his staff into it. This activated an earth spell and made multiple pillars rise rapidly from under the other hunters' feet. The pillars launched them into the air, where they were hit with bolts of lightning from the sky summoned by the mysterious wizard.
With all of the hunters taken out in such a quick and brutal fashion, the kids were stunned for a moment until the wizard turned to look at them. In a flash, he was gone and appeared in front of Booker and his friends.
The kids gasped at his sudden appearance and stepped back, with Booker holding Dragon's Bite to fight if necessary. But the wizard just stared at them, looking at the Seventh Son through the glass lenses of his mask.
"Uh...hello…" Luz nervously said with a wave. She flinched when the wizard raised his hand and drew a circle.
He summoned a ball of fire in his hand and threw it at the ropes tying down the Owl House, cutting them loose and freeing the house from the cart.
"You should go. The moon will be setting soon," the man said before turning and walking away.
"Wait!" Booker called out.
But the wizard disappeared when his body turned into feathers that spiraled into the air and off into the sky. Leaving the four kids standing there in a state of confusion and wonder.
"...Who are you?" Booker finished his sentence, even though it was too late.
Luz snapped out of it when she looked out at the horizon and saw the moon setting in the distance. "Oh, no. I don't mean to step on this victory, but we gotta get home before Eda does."
"Then let's get Hooty home!" Booker said as he held hands, making the connection through the moon's magic. The Owl House walked away, leaving the battle ruins behind.
After walking through Bonesborough once more, the Owl House came back to its original spot. Sitting down in the crater it left when the kids animated it, the moon magic faded away a moment later. The four kids were in the living room, and when the house was back in its original place, Luz opened her eyes and glanced at Booker. "Did we do it?" she asked.
Hooty opened the door. "Is the room spinning, or is it just me?" He joked with a chuckle. "Ah. Just a little house humor. Ooh."
"Sorry about all that, Hooty," Booker said as he rubbed the back of his head. "None of that was supposed to happen."
"It's okay. I'm just glad I was included," Hooty said with a smile. But then the moment was ruined when the door slammed shut, revealing a very angry Eda on the other side, with King by her feet.
"Oh, crap." Booker and Luz gulped, with Luz clinging to Booker for dear life.
"Booker Bridges! You are so busted!" Eda glared at the blonde boy as she marched to him.
"Hey Auntie…" Booker tried to speak when Eda cut him off.
"I trusted you to look after my house," she said.
"You did," Booker admitted.
"And you went behind my back and held a moonlight conjuring. And you animated my house. My house!" She shouted at him.
"We did…"
"Wait! Eda!" Luz exclaimed, coming to his defense. She stepped in front of him with her arms out. "It wasn't Booker's fault. It was my fault."
"And ours!" Willow said, stepping alongside Luz and Gus. Don't punish Luz or Booker. We pushed them to do the conjuring."
"If you're going to eat me, just do it now. DO IT!" Gus yelled in Eda's face, shutting his eyes and awaiting his fate. However, Eda looked disgusted at the idea. That was an old witch thing. How old do they think she was?
"Willow, Gus, what are you doing?" Booker whispered to Willow as she looked at him.
"Helping out a friend," Willow said to him with a smile.
"Well, you're all guilty, so you'll all be punished by cleaning my house top to bottom," Eda said, summoning various cleaning supplies that landed in the kids' arms. She walked past them before stopping and looking back at the kids. "And another thing…"
The four of them gulped in fear when Eda's glare turned into a smile. "That was totally amazing. And I'm so joining you for next year's conjuring. Now get to work."
The four of them ran off, and Eda flopped onto the couch with King, who had an adorable sailor suit on. After the night that she had, with Tibbles cheating at Hexus Hold Em, the Owl Lady could use more than a little time to rest. It was actually lucky that her home stomped on Tibbles' stand before the little demon could do anything to her.
"I can't believe they animated a whole house," King said, looking at Booker and Luz as they cleaned together.
"Yeah. You're right. That takes some powerful magic," Eda said as she looked at the kids.
"You know, I still kinda wish we got to show up, Amity," Luz said.
"Yeah. Too bad no one will know of our daring adventures," Willow said. However, unbeknownst to them, the same wizard that saved them from before was watching them.
"So, it's true," the masked wizard said, standing on his staff as it hovered in the air. The wizard with the crow mask stared at Booker Bridges through the house window. The young boy was putting books back on a shelf as he talked with his friends about their adventures.
The man then looked at the rising sun, shining its radiant light on the Boiling Isles and bringing the new day. "There will be many more summits to climb. Each is more dangerous than the last."
The wizard then flew away.
"I hope you'll be ready for when the time comes...Booker."
Meanwhile, Amity was in her room with her friends at Blight Manor. To say that their conjuring night was a disappointment would be putting it lightly. Boscha, Cat, Skara, and Amelia were glaring at a stuffed rabbit sitting on the floor. They did everything that the book said to do, but they couldn't bring it to life.
"Ugh. So what if we couldn't move a doll? Now we have time for what really matters," Boscha said, summoning her scroll. "Penstagram." The other three summoned theirs a few seconds after her.
Meanwhile, Amity was brooding while looking out of her window. Last night was a complete failure, but she wasn't too bothered by it. Normally, she'd be angrier about failing at something as simple as a moonlight conjuring, but Amity wasn't. She was thinking about yesterday when she saw Booker and Luz with Willow and Gus and how she somewhat denied them coming to her conjuring.
Boscha gasped, getting Amity's attention. She walked over and looked at Boscha's scroll. Her Penstagram feed had several people's posts showing off Booker, Willow, Luz, Gus, and the animated Owl House.
Amity and Boscha share a look of total shock.
"WHAT?!?"