As the sun rose on the horizon and the new day began for the denizens of the Boiling Isles, Booker's grandmother, Alice, looked out at the rising sun with a peaceful smile from her bedroom. A cup filled with a special tea was in her hand, and her Palisman was sitting on her shoulder. It's been a month since her family moved their new secret hideout to the ruins of the Knee, and her son had been able to use his magic to raise a new fortress. Just like the last one, it was protected by a camouflage spell. No one but the people who know of its location could have discovered it.
Except one.
"I must admit, I was…surprised to see you come all this way to the Knee, Yeoh," she said, turning to the person sitting in a chair behind her.
Yeoh, as she was called, was an elderly woman around the same age as Alice with gray hair, a pair of small glasses, and lavender skin. Her clothes consisted of a Japanese-inspired attire: a red kimono with yellow accents that had no sleeves and wooden sandals on her feet. Over her kimono, on her shoulders and hanging down her back, was a pelt of animal skin.
The reason she had no sleeves on her kimono was because of her lack of arms. Both have been cut off at the shoulders. However, this did not stop the elderly woman from performing the simplest of tasks, thanks to the help of her Palisman. The purple spider Palisman was resting on her head, acting as a hairpin, as Yeoh's head was styled in a bun.
The green jewel that was the spider's abdomen glowed as an arm of purple magic formed from Yeoh's left shoulder. "Can't an old friend come and say hello," Yeoh asked, her magic arm picking up the teacup and raising it to allow her to sip from it.
"Normally, I would say no, but when it comes to you, there's always a reason for you to come out of hiding," Alice said, crossing her arms. "You're here for something, aren't you?"
Yeoh smiled as she placed the teacup down. "More like someone."
Alice would have asked for clarification but was interrupted when her granddaughter, Claus, called out from outside.
"Everyone! It's Booker!"
Booker stared at the fortress with a frown of misery as he and his friends slowly trekked across the snow toward it. Yesterday was the worst day of his life, and he was to blame for it. Because of his actions, Eda, the Owl Lady, the only person in 7 years who wanted him to be their son, was captured by her sister, Lilith, and Emperor Belos.
Fearing the Emperor would come to the Owl House, Luz, King, and their friends quickly left. Promising to Hooty that they would return once they had reinforcements and could fortify the house. The only people who could do that were the survivors of the House of Bridges.
For hours last night, until the morning sun rose on the horizon, the group of friends had painstakingly walked across the Boiling Isles, avoiding roadblocks, dodging wild animals, and enduring the harsh environment of the Knee. Just to come to the newly rebuilt fortress, the safest place for the Seventh Son to be.
After passing the barrier, Booker and the others, in their winter clothes, saw the other family members rushing out of the fortress toward them.
{Play music: Into the Badlands theme}
As the portal gate opens, the camera zooms in on it.
Booker and Luz are seen 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 open their eyes, with Luz behind her friend and holding his arm while Booker holds onto the staff to stay on. The two kids see they are saved by Eda, who smirks at the duo as they fly to her house on her Palisman staff.
The door where Hooty was opened up as Luz and Booker stepped outside, with Luz twirling and posing with Eda's staff while Booker drew his Dragon's Bite sword he got recently and did his pose. But then Eda took her staff back with an amused grin while Luz gave a sheepish smile, and Booker looked amused. King popped up in front of them in a pose.
A Boiling Isle mural is seen as Gus, Willow, and Amity are seen briefly before it burns away to show King commanding an army of stuffed toys, which all fall 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. The latter looked brave and defiant towards the beast, and 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 Seventh Son
Chapter Seventeen:
The Blood of the Titan
Thirty minutes after Booker and his friends were brought into the main living room of the Bridge's new fortress, Claus came over with a tray of drinks and placed it on the table in the middle of the room. Everyone but Luz grabbed a cup as the human girl held the cloak Eda made her. She didn't have the heart to let it go right now, not after explaining what happened to Booker to York and the others.
Needless to say, the news shook them to the core. Booker, the Boiling Isles' best chance for freedom from Belos, came too close to the Emperor. He was nearly captured by the madman, who fed on Palismen. In his desperate attempt to cure the Owl Lady, his mentor, friend, and second maternal figure besides his mother was captured, and Booker didn't know what to do now.
"This…This is a nightmare," Luz said, placing her hands on her face.
"This never should have happened," York said, scolding the kids. He then turned to the Bridges kids who attended Hexside. "Why didn't you stop him?"
"We…we kind of wanted him to steal the Healing Hat," Roswell said, looking down in shame.
"Plus, Eda needed it!" Jason exclaimed.
"But it puts us all in danger!" York argued. "We have been trying to stay out of the eye of the Emperor's Coven for 14 years. Booker has become a high target for Belos, more so than Eda. What if he was captured and the Emperor really did try and suck out his magic, like that Palisman?"
The Bridges kids looked down in guilt, realizing how their inactions could have caused their cousin's death.
Willow, who sat with Gus, raised her hand. "So, who was that woman? The one with no arms," she clarified.
"Yeoh Saberslayer, the former head of the Oracle Coven," Alice said, sitting in her chair.
"What?!" Luz and Amity shouted, knocking over King, who was seated in Luz's lap.
"How could you have let him go with someone who was a Coven Head," the Blight girl asked vehemently.
"I said 'former head' of the coven," Alice said with a frown. "'Former' was the keyword in that sentence."
"Okay, but what does she want with him," asked Claus, curious about the mysterious visitor.
Alice sighed and looked back at the door the two of them went through. "To talk."
In what appeared to have been one of the guest rooms of the fortress, Booker sat down on the edge of the bed, looking at Yeoh as she walked over to him. Using her Palisman's magic, she created a glowing tendril that moved closer to his face.
"Uh, hey, let's try and keep our hands to ourselves," Booker said nervously. However, the tendril lightly jabbed him in the stomach. "Ow! Hey!"
"You've grown up to be different than how I'd expected you to be," she said, splitting the tip of her tendril in two. She used them to force Booker's left eye open, closely examining it.
"Whoa, hey! No touchieeeeeaaaah!" Booker had his mouth pulled open as she looked inside his throat.
"So, this is what a hybrid of a witch and a human is like?" Yeoh said, moving to examine his barely pointy ears. "By all standards, you're healthy, if not a little short in stature."
"Hey! I'm average height for my age, you jerk!" Booker yelled. Yeoh, however, chuckled at his admittedly comical outburst. Making Booker blush with embarrassment. "Look, I don't know who you are, but I'm not one to be feared, for I am—"
"The Seventh Son," asked Yeoh, raising an eyebrow. "Malcolm and Elizabeth's son?"
Booker's eyes widened a bit. "Uh, yeah," he said, not expecting the old woman to know his title or his parents. "How did you know my parents?"
"Oh dear, I've known about you even before your birth," Yeoh said, her arms disappearing. "I am Yeoh Saberslayer."
It took a moment for Booker to remember the name. But when he did, he quickly jumped on the bed and backed away from the woman. "You! You're the Emperor's soothsayer!" he exclaimed, pointing at Yeoh.
" Former soothsayer," Yeoh said, walking over to a wooden chair. She kicked the corner of it, turning it around, before sitting down in it. "I'm now merely a freelancing fortune teller. But I've come here to see you, child."
"What are you talking about?" Booker looked around, wishing he had Dragon's Bite with him. "Why did you come to see me?"
"To fulfill your destiny and your duty," Yeoh said, giving Booker a grave and serious expression. "As the newest reincarnation of Cycle of Seven."
"The…what?" Booker asked, moving over and sitting on the bed's edge after calming down and realizing that Yeoh wasn't a threat.
"Something that Belos has been desperately trying to purge from the records of our history for generations," Yeoh said, using her unique magic to create an illusion for the Seventh Son. She made a ring with seven smaller circles on it. "From the days of old, the Seventh Born of the Seventh Born was said to have been blessed with magic granted to them by the Titan, the very same being whose flesh and bones birthed the Boiling Isles. And it is that power that has been passed down from host to host for generations. All of whom were Seventh Borns of the Seventh Born, whose solemn mission was simple. To protect the Boiling Isles for those that would do it harm."
Booker stared at the rings before Yeoh made each one light up—one at a time, and each one a different color than the other. "And I'm the next person to be reincarnated from this magic," he asked the old woman. "When was the last one?"
"I don't know. I think 400 years ago."
"WHAT?!"
"There could have been more, but who knows? The Titan picks and chooses when a Seventh Born is needed in this world. Very few even knew of their existence, and all records and accounts are either destroyed by Belos," Yeoh said, making the spell disappear. "Each Seventh Born of the Seventh Born appears during times of extraordinary crisis. And now, once again, the Titan sees fit to manifest his power into a protector. And it is that magic that was reborn into you."
"Are you saying…the Boiling Isle's is alive?"
"Alive and dead. In a state of existence that contradicts each other," Yeoh said. "The body may be dead, but the spirit of the Isles is still alive."
"Whoa…" Booker said in awe as he looked at his hands. He had the power of the Titan in him? The Isles were alive? Was that why he was so powerful? So many new questions emerged from his mind. "But, wait, if a Seventh Born is only born during a time of extreme crisis, what could possibly be the crisis?"
For a moment, Yeoh was silent. When she spoke up, she asked, "Tell me, have you learned all seven primordial forms of magic?"
"...what now?"
"The seven primordial forms of magic. Where all our magic comes from, mixed to make our spells," the former Coven Head said. "Earth, fire, plants, water, ice, air, and light."
"Uh, I know all of them. Well, except for the wind spell. I haven't learned that one," Booker said, rubbing the back of his head.
Yeoh smiled and used one magic hand to pull out a small piece of paper. Using another magic hand, she drew down the final glyph for the seven primal magics. Then she handed it over to him.
Booker took the glyph and looked it over. Surprised by how simple it was in appearance. The circle had what appeared to be spirals in the middle of it, with three lines connecting them to the ring.
"Huh, that…was easy," Booker said, having had to find all of his magic spells through circumstance and even through Luz, who discovered the ice, water, and light spells on her own. Pocketing the wind spell, Booker turned to Yeoh. "Wait, what does that have to do with anything?"
Yeoh stood up from her chair and walked to the window. There, she stared out at the corpse of the Titan that made up her home. "I still remember a time before the regime, the Coven System, Belos, and before our way of life was violently changed," she said in a sad tone. "The Boiling Isles was a place where magic thrived. The original magic that was born from it was so potent that all life on the Isles evolved to wield it, too. For years, we explored those powers freely, becoming a powerful nation filled with peace and prosperity. Then, everything changed when a mysterious witch appeared…"
A flash image of the mysterious witch appeared in Booker's mind, who knew that there could only have been one person she was talking about.
"Belos!" he gasped.
Yeoh turned back and nodded at the young boy. "50 years ago, Belos ascended to the throne, declaring it was him—and he alone—that could speak to the island. According to him, we were misusing magic, which displeased the Titan. Like all movements, his movement was small. When his teachings took hold, his strength and support grew, and he crowned himself Emperor. Our society changed violently overnight. Belos said that mixing magic was wrong, that only he had that right."
"But that's not far!" Booker yelled, jumping off the bed and on his feet. "Why should he have that right when everyone else can do it, too?"
"I can imagine it's because, much like your family, Belos feared those who he ruled. Revolution can only begin when the oppressed fully realize the power they have and wield it," Yeoh explained to the Seventh Son. "So, he created the coven system. And there, our knowledge was restricted, and our potential sealed away, including knowledge of the Seventh Born. Those who resist are called Wild Witches and face harsh punishment. Once his empire was set in stone, Emperor Belos retreated into his castle."
"But that still doesn't explain why he wants me!" Booker exclaimed, placing his hands on his chest. "Why did he do all those horrible things to me and my family?"
Yeoh sadly looked at the Seventh Son before turning away, ashamed to face him. "Belos did not fear your family's growing influence, for he was planning something big. Something that would change the Isles forever," she said, looking at her stumps. Belos took her arms for punishment when she stood against him. "I foretold that someone would stand in his way: A Seventh Son of the Seventh Son."
Booker's eyes widened, and his heart sank.
"But I never could have foretold what came next…"
"The massacre," Booker gasped, realizing that Belos had attacked their family the night he was born to get to him. "I…I'm…"
Suddenly, the door slammed open, and Gus looked at his best friend with a panicked look on his face. "You gotta come see this!"
Booker quickly ran with Gus as they rushed into the living room, where everyone was gathered around the table. Booker pushed his way to the front of the crowd and looked to see an oracle crystal ball situated in the middle of the table. And it showed the news broadcast, with Perry, Gus' father, on the air.
"Perry Porter, coming to you live from outside the Emperor's Castle. Edalyn Clawthorne, known commonly as 'Eda the Owl Lady,' has been captured and has been brought before the Emperor," the news anchor said before the broadcast switched to Kikimora at a press conference.
Kikimora stood before a podium in front of the castle. She also had two small eyeballs with bat wings flying beside her, acting as living cameras with dozens of microphones in front of her. "For the crime of attacking a coven leader, refusing to join a coven, unauthorized use of magic for decades, and harboring the criminal Booker Bridges, Edalyn Clawthorne's body shall be petrified in stone! Today, sundown, at the Conformatorium."
"What?!" Booker, Luz, and King said in shock.
"Today is a grave day, Bonesborough. A grave day indeed," Perry said, ending his segment.
As the weight of the situation came down on everyone who originated from the Boiling Isles, they all looked at one another in shock and gloom. This was worse than they thought. Far worse.
Luz gulped. "Please tell me that's not as bad as it sounds."
"Let me put it like this," Felix said, looking at the Dominican girl with a grave expression. "If you had to choose between death and petrification, you would want death to take you in a heartbeat."
Hearing this, Booker stared at the crystal ball as the news feed switched to an example of what was to come for Eda: dozens of former witches transformed into stone statues. Each frozen solid mid-screaming as they tried to block the spell or reached out for mercy.
"Petrification is a fate worse than death, Luz," said Amity as she stood on the other side of Booker. "It's a punishment higher than even the death penalty and is done only to the worst criminals. Once the spell is complete, it can't be reversed."
"No. They can't do this! Eda doesn't deserve this!" Booker said as the crystal balls all showed Lilith, the Emperor's Coven head. Booker glared at the crystal ball as he picked it up. "All of this is Lilith's fault! This wouldn't have happened if she hadn't cursed Eda! If I ever see her again, I swear I'll—"
With his power building in his arms, Booker angrily crushed the ball between his hands.
"Booker, please calm down," King said to the Seventh Son, who took deep breaths to calm himself. Luz and Amity then hugged their crush, trying to comfort him.
Willow turned to Gus with a sad expression. "We should do something," she said, though she couldn't think of anything to comfort Booker.
"We are," Booker said, getting everyone's attention. "Belos wanted me. That's why he destroyed my family. That's why he took Eda to make his perfect little world. Well, I don't know about you all, but I aim to misbehave."
Booker pulled away from the girls and walked away, gaining concerned looks from everyone. "Booker, what are you doing?" Luz called out as her best friend came to a stop and turned around.
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm going to break into the Conformatorium and rescue Eda," Booker declared, turning around to walk out the door.
However, with a booming lightning strike in front of him, his uncle appeared with his staff. "You can't go to the Conformatorium!" York said to the young man with a stern expression.
"Watch me!" Booker tried to rush around the Crow Wizard.
However, York used the beak of his Palisman to hook onto the back of Booker's hoody and pull him around. Sending the young man stumbling back towards the others as he looked around in confusion.
When he realized what had happened, Booker turned to face his uncle and said, "This is serious, Uncle York. Eda used her power to save me, but Belos caught me. Now she's the Owl Beast and is about to be turned to stone!"
"It is precisely that which is why it's too dangerous to go!" York argued with his nephew. "Belos wants you, and he's wanted to petrify Eda for years. If you do, then he'll capture you, too."
"If Belos wants me, he'll have to earn me!" Booker declared.
"Haven't you been listening?" Amity said as she, Willow, and Gus approached him. "He's the Emperor! He's the most powerful witch alive!"
"Correction," Yeoh said as she walked into the room, smiling at the Seventh Son. "He's powerful, but nothing to that of a Seventh Born."
"But he's not even fully trained!" Kimberly, Booker's oldest cousin, explained. "Also, Eda's in her Owl Beast form! How will she even recognize you, Booker?"
Booker looked away from her and sighed. That's right, the monster within her still possessed Eda. But there was still a chance he could break through the curse and get to her.
"I don't know. But I have to try anyway. Eda is in this situation because of me, because of my stupid choice. I have to make up for it. Do I really have to make a list of all the reasons why I can't just sit back and let my new mom be turned to stone?!" Booker yelled at the rest of his family.
"Not me, you don't," Luz said, walking over to him and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Eda is the only one besides you who truly believed I could be a witch. There's no way that I'm going to let the rotten sister of hers win."
Booker smiled at Luz before he felt a tug on his pant legs. He looked down and saw it was King. "I'm going too," he said.
"King…" Booker gasped.
"Eda and I don't always see eye-to-eye, but I do consider her family," the small demon explained. "I want her back as much as you do."
Amity looked at the three of them for a moment before her expression lightened up. "Well, I already threw away my future at the Emperor's Coven; why not be a rebel," she said after a sigh.
"Yeah!" Gus cheered with a grin.
"Let's destroy them!" Willow said with a sweet smile.
"You're going to need help," Claus said, crossing her arms as she and the other Bridges kids stepped forth. All of them were determined to help their cousin. "And luckily for you, we're going with you!"
Sarah, however, reached out and pulled on her daughter's rabbit ear, making her yell in pain. "Let hell you are, young lady!"
"Ow, Mom!"
"You and your brother aren't going—none of you are!" York exclaimed, looking at the kids with a deadly serious expression.
"What?! But this is our chance to fight back!" Skara exclaimed.
"And put all of us in danger! Including your brother!" Willy, her father, told her as he held Gray in his arms and fed him a bottle of milk.
York sighed and looked at Booker with a regrettable expression. "He's right. We need to look after our own. It'll be too dangerous to stop the petrification, even if it's Eda. If we were all to go, and something were to happen, we could all be lined up to become stone statues."
Booker tried to protest. "But Eda—"
"I'm sorry, Booker, but... it's the only way to keep us safe," York said, closing his eyes as he blocked the way to the door.
Booker hung his head in utter sorrow as Luz and Amity hugged him, trying to comfort him as they felt the same sadness he felt. Willow and Gus hung their heads down as well. The kids were overcome with utter despair and helplessness. The woman Booker loved like a mother was going to be taken from him forever. But what could they do? York wouldn't let them leave, and they couldn't change his mind.
However, King didn't just feel sadness. He felt angry, not at Belos or Lilith, but at York.
"So that's it?!" King yelled at the Crow Wizard, who opened his eyes and looked at the little demon. "After all that talk to Booker about leading a revolution and getting back at Belos, you chose to hide like a coward ?!
This shocked everyone in the room as they gasped and looked at York.
"Care to repeat that, demon?" York asked as he glared at King. It scared him a bit, but his anger made him feel brave enough to stand up to the man.
"Y-You heard me, coward! As the King of the Demons, you're going to listen to me! You're the Crow Wizard! The witch who's been inspiring many to stand up against Belos. And now, when you have a chance to strike at the heart of Belos' institution, you think you're not powerful enough to stop a petrification ceremony? Not only that, you're just gonna let your friend, Booker's new mom, die?! Without even a fight?! You say you're protecting your family, but you're letting your family die right now. This isn't you being cautious. This is you hiding like a coward! If you can't do what's right for your family, then you don't deserve to wear that mask!"
The demon's words struck a chord in York. He glared at him before picking up King by the collar and lifting him into the air. "You have no idea what I am willing to do for the sake of my family," York said in a threatening tone of voice. Everyone looked at him and King in utter shock, worried for the little demon's safety.
"Yeah? So why aren't you doing anything?" King countered, glaring at York as he grabbed his arm. "Do you have any idea what Booker's been able to do since coming here? Again and again, that kid's shown me that magic or not, you don't give up and keep fighting! He's never given up, so why should you give up?!"
The two stared down at one another as everyone watched with anxiety. York then puts King down on the ground. The demon sighed in relief as he sat down, looking at the Crow Wizard with wide eyes.
York then sighed out a breath before turning to the kids. "Claus, Roswell, Felix, Jason, Skara. Make the necessary preparations," he said, much to their shock. The man then turned to his wife. "Sarah, you, Kimberly, and Willy will stay with Mother, Gray, and Yeoh. We have an Owl Lady to save."
This surprises Booker and his friends, but they are happy to hear they're helping. "King, thank you," Booker said, grabbing King and placing him on his back, allowing the demon to hang on him.
"Now, what's the plan?" Luz asked as she put on the cloak, the end flapping in the air that was coming from somewhere.
"The plan is simple. We're going to find Eda, we're going to save her, and we're going to kick the ass of anyone that gets in our way!" Booker said as he cracked his knuckles, his magic lines appearing briefly on his skin. "You ready to go to war, everyone?"
"The King of Demons is always ready for war!" King cheered as he threw his fists into the air.
Off to the side of the conversation, Alice walked over to Yeoh and asked her, "Can you see them coming back safely?"
Yeoh smiled and said, "Now, why spoil the plot?"
This did nothing but annoy her friend.
Booker walked into town with King on his shoulder. The two of them were alone, with Booker's lizard hood covering his head, heading in the direction of the Conformatorium. Remembering the same route that Eda took him and Luz on the first time they broke into it.
The plan was for Booker to be taken by the Emperor's Coven to the Conformatorium. He will be in charge of finding Eda.
Meanwhile, the other Bridges, with the exception of Skara, were going to break into the prison the same way that Booker and Luz did. Their mission is to free all the prisoners who have not yet been petrified. Once freed, they will be asked to join the rebellion against Belos.
As for the Dominican girl herself, to prevent her and Booker's other friends from getting involved and becoming fugitives, they will be with the crowd of people watching the petrification ceremony. If, for some reason, Booker couldn't get to Eda and save her, they would have to stop the ceremony and buy Booker the time to get to her.
Booker continued walking through the streets of Bonesbrough, looking around for any of the guards who patrolled the town. However, that was easier said than done when there was no security presence for miles.
"First, we need to find a way to get the Conformatorium before it's too late. But how?" Booker said before he turned his head to the left and saw a wanted poster of himself on the wall beside him.
Then, the Seventh Son and King heard whistling. The two turned to the side to see a coven guard strolling by without a care in the world instead of patrolling.
Booker stared at the guard, then at his poster, then back out the guard again. "Bingo," he said with a smirk.
"Who's bingo?" King asked.
"I'll explain it later, King," said Booker as he came up with a quick plan. Grabbing the poster off the wall and walking over to the guard, he stood beside him with his hood still up. The guard continued looking ahead, not turning to Booker when he started talking to him. "Hey man, how's it going?"
Instead of looking at him, the guard just sighed in misery. "Honestly, it could be better," he said.
"Well, tell me what's up," Booker said, leaning against the wall and pulling off his hood, wondering if the guard would turn around and see him.
However, the guard just kept talking. "Well, I've got a kid in the hospital. She needs life-saving healing magic, but the price is just way too crazy! My wife and I just don't have the snails to pay for it."
Booker and King stared at the guard with wide eyes and glanced at each other. Both feel bad for the guard. "Well, what if I was going to tell you that your daughter's fortunes are about to change," Booker asked with a grin as he pulled out his wanted poster and unveiled it.
"Huh." The guard finally turned around and saw the Seventh Son, the most wanted criminal in all of the Boiling Isles, standing next to him. He was initially shocked before looking at Booker in confusion. "Wait, that's it? You're just turning yourself in?"
"That's right," Booker said with a smile.
"Hotdog!"
Before long, the duo was thrown in the back of a police wagon pulled by a giant purple-horned worm and taken to the Conformatorium.
The Seventh Son and King sat back and relaxed as the guards brought them right where they wanted to be. After a relaxing yet nerve-racking ride, the duo arrived at the Conformatorium.
Standing up and walking to the barred window of the wagon with King on his shoulder, Booker looked outside and saw a horrific sight.
The wagon was passing through the same garden he saw on the crystal ball. And he got an up-close look at the petrified witches. It made Booker sick to his stomach, seeing all of them looking scared and begging for mercy from an Emperor who had no compassion for them. Sure, some of them might have deserved it, but not all of them.
Except for that Mickey Mouse-looking fucker. He looked like he definitely deserved to be there.
However, Booker gasped when he saw two guards setting down a podium. There was even a bronze plaque with a name on it.
EDALYN
CLAWTHRONE
"Don't worry, Booker. We're going to save Eda before that happens," King said as he sat in Booker's hanging hoodie.
"I know," Booker said as he glared at the podium, determined not to let Eda be placed on it.
His attention shifted toward a recruitment poster for the Emperor's Coven with Lilith on the front, smiling with that superior look on her face. The sight of his 'aunt' made Booker furious and more determined than ever to save Eda.
The police wagon entered the prison before the gates slammed shut behind it. The guard driving it performed a three-point turn before backing up into a docking spot.
"Mission accomplished, sir. The Seventh Son and his pet demon have been apprehended," he said as he looked back, seeing his superior and an Emperor's Coven member standing behind the wagon.
His superior was a Guard Captain. His uniform consisted of a gray tunic with a gold sash, dark gold sleeves, and brown gloves. On the wearer's head, the captain wore a white hooded cowl with gold outlines, a light gray bird-like mask with six small eyeholes, and a golden medallion with a triangle.
"Excellent work. Take the rest of the day off, Bill, and tell your daughter we all said hello and to get well," said the captain, snapping his fingers.
A check was placed in Bill's hands, and he cheered with unbelievable joy. "I'm coming home, Mandy!" he yelled, taking off and running out of the prison.
"And now we have you, Booker Bridges. The infamous Seventh Son. Warden Wrath was a fool to be defeated by you. But I wouldn't be, and you'll have front-row seats to Eda's demise."
The witch reached for the door handles and opened the paddy wagon. Booker, however, was ready. The moment the doors cracked open, the Seventh Son bombarded the Guard Captain with an extremely powerful gust of wind. The Emperor's Coven member screamed as he was thrown off his feet and slammed into the wall behind her.
The Emperor's Coven scout that was with him didn't even have time to prepare himself when Booker came charging out of the wagon, screaming a battle cry. Clapping his hands together, Booker used his ice magic to create an ice Warhammer in his hands. Twirling around, Booker smashed the hammer into the head of the Emperor's scout, breaking their mask and sending them flying into the wall to the right.
The Guard Captain of the Conformatorium growled in anger at Booker as he stood up and drew a hand-and-a-half sword from his left waist.
"Where is Eda?!" Booker yelled with a glare, not afraid of the Guard Captain.
"I'll never tell you!" The Guard Captain shouted before charging at Booker. "DIE!"
The Guard Captain screamed as he swung his sword to slice Booker. However, Booker clapped his hands together and, in a split second, formed a glowing katana made from light magic. The Seventh Son used the sword to duck under the Guard Captain's attack and slash across the side of the witch.
The Guard Captain yelled in pain as blood spilled from his wound. Making him lose focus, drop his sword, and fall to the ground.
"Whoa, where'd you learn to do that?" King asked in amazement, coming out of the wagon now that the fighting was done.
"Video games," Booker said as he turned around to face the captain.
The Emperor's Coven member groaned in pain as Booker had the katana disappear and turned around. "You bastard," he shouted, turning over on his back as the Seventh Son clapped his hands.
"Now, I'm going to ask you again," Booker said, slamming his hands on the Guard Captain's shoulders, making his body freeze over in ice. He then cast another ice spell to make a spear, which he pointed at his neck. "Where. Is. Eda?!"
"S-S-She's in the h-holding cell i-in the d-dungeon," the Guard Captain said, stuttering in pain and fear of the powerful child.
"Draw me a map!" Booker said as he pulled out a blank piece of paper and a pencil.
When York, Roswell, Claus, Felix, and Jason found the same window that Booker, Luz, and King took on their first adventure, they waited for Booker to get into the Conformatorium. Once they saw the wagon with him inside it enter the prison, they sprung into action.
The Crow Wizard immediately jumped inside first, taking out the two guards in front of him with a lightning spell. The attack knocked them both over the railing, and they plummeted to the ground below.
Then, the kids came in through the window. Roswell and Jason flew together on the former's Palisman's staff, and then Claus and Felix joined them on her pony Palisman. All around them, the prisoners cheered for the family.
"Well, that was easy!" Felix said with a grin, seeing no other guards inside the prison.
However, the alarms started going off. A second later, guards began pouring into the cell block. Charging out of the main entrance of the room.
"You just had to say that!" Jason yelled, pulling his banjo from his back and pulling back the strings on it as if it were a bow. Using his bard magic, he conjured arrow-like notes and fired them at the entrance. When they hit the archway of the entrance over their heads, the notes exploded and collapsed the entrance. Bringing down rubble on the guards and blocking the rest of Emperor's Coven from getting in.
However, there were still a good number of guards inside the cell block, and they began firing spells at the intruders. Making York cast a shield spell to block the attacks.
The kids, however, weren't going to stand around and do nothing. Not this time.
Felix summoned multiple Oracle Spirits and sent them flying at the guards. As one of only three people in her family to know the spell, she spun her staff around and fired a barrage of lightning bolts at the guards. Their combined efforts took them out. The spirits knocked out some of the guards while the bolts took the rest down.
"We'll need to work fast and by Booker time," York said with urgency. "York, unlock the cells. Jason, get the portal back to the house ready."
"Right!" Jason said, pulling out a spell scroll that would open a portal to the fortress
York then turned to the prisoners. "If anyone wants to stay here and serve your sentence, you're free to do so. But the rest of you, if you want your freedom, join us in the fight against Emperor Belos!" He yelled, raising his staff.
Once again, all of the prisoners cheered, wanting to get out of jail and fight back against the system that labeled them all as Wild Witches.
Outside of the Conformatorium, where an audience was gathered in the courtyard, all could hear the sounds of the alarm. Making everyone wonder what was going on. Luz and her friends were among the members of the crowd, waiting on standby. They knew what was going on inside the walls of the prison, and all of them, especially Luz and Amity, prayed that Booker was okay. However, as they waited, they looked around and heard some of the conversations the people were having about the Owl Lady's petrification. Most of it was the people questioning why Eda deserved such a horrific fate.
"This is taking too long," Luz said, holding Eda's witch staff tightly. She wore her new purple cloak with the hood up to hide her ears. "I should have gone with Booker and King!"
"Luz, it'll be okay," Amity said, resting a hand on her girl-crush's shoulder.
Luz looked at her with immense concern. "But what if something terrible happened?"
"Then we'll be here to save him when he needs us!" Gus said with a bright smile.
"Besides, it's not like anyone knows we're here to sabotage the ceremony," Willow said.
"You're here to sabotage the ceremony," asked a witch who overheard the conversation. Making their eyes widen in shock and fear.
"....no," Skara said.
"Bummer," said the witch. "Would have been awesome."
However, someone else did know of their plan. Lilith was watching the crowd from a window when she spotted her former apprentice and the human girl with their friends. Glaring at the children while Kikimora was having a panic attack behind her.
" The Seventh Son is here?! " This exclamation made Lilith gasp as she turned around and looked at Kikimora, who was grabbing her hair/hand. Standing in front of her was the Guard Captain, who was bandaged up. "This can't be happening! We have intruders breaking out all of our prisoners, then the Seventh Son is here, and you drew him a map?!"
"In my defense, I thought Bill had handcuffed him," the Guard Captain said.
"I don't care!" Kikimora yelled, stomping her foot like a child. "I want all guards to get that golden-haired bastard!"
"Delay that order," Lilith said, turning around.
"W-What?!" Kikimora looked at Lilith in shock at her audacity.
"Mere guards will not be able to handle the Seventh Son," Lilith said, walking past the small witch, her face showing her determination to do what must be done. "Worry not, Kikimora. I shall capture the hybrid myself."
Booker panted for a moment, trying to catch his breath as he looked down a hallway that was filled with enemies. Enemies that he'd just defeated. Three guards were hanging in vines from the ceiling, a fourth was holding his hands in front of a fire blocking his path, and a fifth was encased in ice.
The Seventh Son walked away from the scene with King riding in his hoodie.
A moment later, in a hallway with tattered banners and cobwebs, they'd arrived in front of a large set of dark wood and gold accessorized double doors. A padlock with chains connected to two ring handles kept anyone from getting in or anyone from getting out.
"This is it. Eda is just beyond this door," Booker said before looking at his friend. "King, keep a lookout."
"Weh." King nodded and climbed out of the hoodie. Jumping down from Booker's shoulder, he stood back as the Seventh Son stepped forward.
Glaring at the lock, Booker clapped his hands together and then grabbed it. Freezing it in his grasp before breaking it. Booker pushed the door open and entered the holding cell, which was more like a torture room than just a dungeon. Chains hung from the ceiling, single-person cages were all around, and iron maiden with blood-covered spikes were seen in the cell.
Booker was sickened by the thought of what Belos did to the witches in this room. He cast a small light glyph in his hand and walked into the room.
It didn't take him long to find his adoptive mom. When Booker heard the sound of feral growling, he looked and saw Eda on a platform in the middle of the room, still in her Owl Beast state.
"Eda," Booker said before slowly approaching her, knowing that she would still be feral-minded in this condition. "Eda, it's me."
In response to the sudden noise, Eda turned to Booker and showed that she was collared and chained to the platform. The turned Owl Lady screeched as she prepared to attack Booker with her claws.
Booker quickly jumped back and dodged the claws. Then he moved the light orb into Eda's eyes, shooing her away as he made it bigger. Making the cursed witch screech in pain.
"Eda, listen to my voice," Booker pleaded as he shined the light in Eda's face again. Eda retreated from the light as she slowly stopped growling. "I know you're still in there. The curse hasn't taken all of you. It hasn't taken everything that makes you Eda Clawthrone. Fight it!"
Having stopped growling, Eda shut her eyes and opened them. When she did, the witch revealed her normal golden ones as she looked at her adoptive son in the dungeon with her. "Booker?" Eda asked, becoming scared for him. "Oh no. Oh no, no, no, no, no, wh-what are you doing here?"
"I'm here to get you out of this place," Booker said as he bent before the chain.
Clapping his hand, he activated a fire spell and shot it on the chain that was keeping Eda in place. However, to his shock, the flame did nothing.
"What?!" Booker yelled, frustrated at the outcome.
"It's no use. These chains are made of the same anti-magic metal Dragon's Bite is made from. Your magic isn't strong enough for this," Eda said as she pushed Booker away. "You need to leave! Now.
"B-But I can't!" Booker said as he pushed Eda's beastly hand away. He tried the fire spell on the chain again but to no avail. "You got caught because I tried to steal the Healing Hat. It's because of me you got caught trying to save me!"
Standing up, Booker clapped his hands and turned on the power spell. He then began stomping on the chain to break it, but it was still too strong.
"Break, damn it! Break!" Booker yelled. He stomped harder and harder until Eda picked him up with both hands.
"No. Booker, I need you to stop, and you need to listen to me," Eda said before she set the Seventh Son on the ground and gazed sadly at him. "I'm here because of my actions. For years, I went against Belos's law, and for a while, I was able to get away with it. But…" Eda sighed sorrowfully as she gazed into her boy's eyes. "...well, without magic, I can't do much. I don't regret anything. I lived freely and…"
Eda smiled sadly at Booker and said, "I got to meet you, the son I never knew I wanted."
"Eda…" Booker said, tearing up a bit from her words.
"Meeting you was the wildest ride I've ever had, and I treasured every moment of it," Eda said as she wiped the Seventh Son's tears away. "But if you stay here, I won't be able to protect you. You need to leave. Now!"
"No, goddamnit!" Booker yelled, latching onto Eda's hand. Tears returned more intensely as they poured down his face. "I…I can't. I lost my real mom and dad. I lost my brothers. I lost everything. But…then I found you, and we became a family. Us weirdos have to stick together, remember? Please…"
Booker looked up at Eda as more tears poured down his face.
"I can't lose another mom."
Eda felt tears forming in her eyes. This wasn't fair—none of it was. Fate gave her Booker, and now fate was taking her away from him. Eda was so ready to be a mother, but now it would never come.
And so, as her first and final act as an adoptive mom, Eda pulled her hand away before she reached into her hair. From it, she pulled out the key for the portal door. She activated it, making the door rise from the floor. It opened, revealing the same path that Booker and Luz chased Owlbert down at the beginning of the summer.
"And I can't lose you, Booker," Eda said as Booker looked at the door. "Take this door and go back to Luz. And when you're on the other side, use your fire magic to destroy the portal door."
"D-Destroy the portal?!" Booker asked in shock, looking back to Eda as she placed the key around his neck. "B-But my friends! My family! Amity! You ! I'll never see you guys again!"
"I know, but please understand," Eda said. "I don't know why Belos wants it or your blood, but we can't take any chances. Please, kid, go back home with Luz."
"B-B-But, this is my home! This world is where I belong! My life has changed so much since I came here, and I don't want to leave yet! I love this world! I love the friends I made! I…I…"
Booker looked down at the ground, hair shadowing his eyes. His tears fell harder before he suddenly hugged Eda.
"...I love you, mom."
Eda's eyes widened before her tears came flowing out. That was the first time Booker called her mom. As she listened to Booker sobbing, she hugged her new son back with one arm. "I love you too, kiddo," she said, wishing that they could stay like this forever.
A siren suddenly went off as the room flashed with a red light. Over Eda's head, a doorway in the ceiling opened. It was time for her petrification.
"Booker, get back!" Eda quickly pushed Booker. Just in time, as her chains and collar transformed into a cage of pure magic.
Booker watched with horror as the platform Eda stood on slowly began to rise. Lifting her away to her fate.
"No, no, no, no, no, no! NO!" Booker shouted as he clapped his hands together. He covered his left hand in light magic and ran to the platform. Jumping up, he grabbed the edge of the cage with his right hand and began being lifted into the air with Eda.
Then, Booker used the magic cloaking his right hand to make a hand that stretched out to the ground. Jamming the fingers into the stone floor, Booker yelled in pain as he felt his arms being pulled apart. However, he was still able to stop the machine.
"Booker, stop! You'll get hurt!" Eda pleaded with her adoptive son. Watching as he struggled to keep hold of the cage and the ground.
"No, Eda! Please, don't go!"
Looking between the ceiling and her student, Eda knew that there was only one choice. As she began to cry lightly, she said what would be her final goodbye: "I'm sorry, my child. Goodbye, and I love you."
Eda pushed Booker from the edge.
"No!" Booker yelled before he landed on his back. "Eda!" Leaning up, Booker reached desperately for the cage. "MOM!"
However, it was too late. The platform ultimately raised into the ceiling with an air of finality.
The weight of his defeat and inability to save Eda devastated Booker. The Seventh Son was now on his hands and knees, crying once more between the open door to the human realm and where Eda had been just moments before. He slammed his forehead on the ground, cursing fate and God for taking away his new mom.
All of a sudden, the doors of the dungeon suddenly opened, and Lilith came in with King in her right hand and her staff in the other. "Dammit! I'm too late!" Lilith said.
"Let me go!" King shouted to her, kicking his legs and waving his arms around. However, he stops when he sees Booker. "Booker! Where's Eda?"
"She's gone," Booker said somberly, having stopped sobbing.
"Then I'm too late," Lilith said, turning her attention to Booker, stopping between the Seventh Son and the door. "Well, at least I found you, hybrid."
Hearing the head of the Emperor's Coven address her, Booker's eyes shot open, and he stood up from the ground. His magic lines began to glow a bright white as his body trembled. Then, Booker turned his head to face Lilith, glaring at Eda's sister with glowing white eyes filled with nothing but hate, as his full potential was now triggered.
Gasping, Lilith dropped King and held up her staff, her expression turning to one of fear as she realized the situation. She knew this power. It was the same power that was triggered during the duel with Amity.
Booker had lost control again!
"W-Wait, Booker! I just wanna talk!" Lilith pleaded with the Seventh Son.
The Seventh Son didn't respond to the witch as a small ball of fire was formed in his right hand. The fireball built up power as Booker raised it over his head, and a vortex of air formed around it, feeding oxygen to the fire. Then, Booker performs the downward cutting motion, unleashing a powerful blast of fire at Lilith.
Lilith tried to block the attack with her own fire spell, but it was too powerful. Booker's onslaught burned her and pushed Lilith back.
The Head of the Emperor's Coven lands roughly on the ground. Panting and grunting in pain as blood flowed down her forehead, Lilith looked up at Booker as he rose into the air.
Then, he used his air magic to launch himself at Lilith.
Gasping, Lilith reacted at the last millisecond and used her magic to disappear from her position. Reappearing a few feet in front of the door on her knees as Booker's body slammed into the wall Lilith was previously at. His fist had punched a massive hole in the wall with the use of the power spell.
"I don't want to fight!" Lilith said.
Booker said nothing as he slammed his left fist into the floor. His powers cast a plant spell that summoned several tendrils to trap Lilith. She breaks through them easily with a spin of her staff.
However, just as Lilith was about to say something, Booker appeared in front of her.
Lilith didn't even have time to gasp before her body was slammed point-blank with a torrent of water that sent her flying through the still-open portal.
From where he was, King watched as Booker's flowing body flew into the portal, determined to kill Lilith with his overwhelming power.
"Booker!" King shouted as he followed them through the door.