There was no way her mother wouldn't be angry about her going on recruiting missions for the rebels, fighting the Emperor's Elites, saving Selkidomus, chasing spies into hurricanes, and getting captured by a crazy woman who'd put a knife to her throat! Plus, now she'd also be upset that Luz had hidden it from her!
Amity was trying to be silently supportive, not wanting to broach the topic herself and force her girlfriend into talking, but also not wanting to just let her keep hiding things from her Mami. So now the girls were stood together at the sink, peeling potatoes for lunch, while Camila and Vee chopped veggies behind them on the kitchen table.
"… and then Mrs. White showed the class how to make the flames turn green! I didn't know humans could do stuff like that, but she just threw some powder into it and fwoosh! Green fire! It was so cool!" Vee chattered away, telling them all about the science experiment she'd done in Chemistry class.
"Chemistry class sounds almost like a mix of the potion and abomination tracks at Hexside." Amity said, intrigued.
"It is fairly similar. It's has a lot in common with our angelic alchemy too. Just without the magic of course." Camila said, "I've always been good at that one! It comes in very handy at work. Speaking of, Luz; have you done any more alchemy work recently? I know you help Eda make potions from time to time."
Luz nodded; "Yeah actually, Rasiel showed me how to make Harmonic Crystals with alchemy."
Vee tilted her head curiously, while Camila gasped softly; "Don't tell me… did you make a Teleportation Circle!?"
The look on Camila's face was one of awe and pride, making Luz blush. That blush intensified when Amity grinned and said; "She sure did! It's amazing, Camila! Luz helped the CATTs find an uncharted Titan Island inside a giant hurricane called the Maelstrom Strait! She made a Teleportation Circle to take us there and back, so now we've got a whole private island just for the CATTs! Somewhere Belos can't get to!"
Camila beamed; "That's amazing, Mija! You've really come so far since the day you left. I'm so proud of you!"
Luz blushed, feeling her insides squirm as she both enjoyed the praise and felt even more apprehensive about what she had to tell her Mom. "T-Thanks Mami."
Camila frowned, picking up on her daughter's nerves; "Luz baby, are you okay?"
"I'm fine I just… I've got some stuff to tell you. Stuff I don't think you'll like…" Luz replied, forcing herself to look her Mami in the eye.
Amity and Vee looked at the nervous girl with sympathy, while Camila kept her expression neutral; "Are you in trouble Luz?" she asked.
"N-Not exactly? Stuff happened in the Demon Realm, but I'm just as safe as I was before."
Camila nodded, then asked; "Did you do something wrong?"
"I think so… I sort of kept stuff from you. Stuff I should have said on my last two visits, but chickened out on. I guess it was a lie by omission?" Luz replied, beginning to shrink in on herself. Amity reached out and held her hand to comfort her.
"Did you do this because you knew I'd be angry with you, or because I'd be worried?" Camila asked.
"The second one." Luz answered in a small voice
That made Camila smile softly; "Okay, I understand. I assume you haven't broken any of the three conditions I set you? I know you didn't break the one about coming home."
"No, I've been obeying them, honest! My grades actually got better since I can do some real Construction magic now, and I haven't even seen Belos since the Petrification Ceremony!" Luz quickly assured her.
Camila put down her kitchen knife and went to her daughter's side, putting a hand on her cheek and stroking it with her thumb; "Alright. Listen Mija, I don't ever want you to think you can't talk to me about anything, okay? I want to know all about your life in the Demon Realm, even if it's stuff that would upset me. So you can take your time, but please tell me all about it. I'll listen whenever you're ready."
Luz smiled brightly, feeling a little better; "Thanks, Mami. I'm sorry for being so nervous and keeping things from you."
"I understand, Luz. This situation is still very new for us both. It'll take some time to work out the kinks." Camila reassured her, giving her a kiss on the cheek before getting back to work on lunch. Luz felt a lot better as she got back to her own prep work, and Amity gave her a proud smile.
Vee then chimed in; "I did something like that too, last week." she confessed; "Mama has been teaching me how to use my new powers and wings! I can fly on my own now, and I got so hooked on it that I sort of snuck out for a night time flight when I couldn't sleep."
Luz grinned; "Oh yeah, I did that a few times when I first mastered flying! Mom said it was okay as long as I left a note and told Hooty where I was going, but she doesn't like it if I do it on a school night."
"Neither does Mama! I thought I was in big trouble when I got home and Mama was waiting for me in my room!" Vee said with a wince. "I was scared I'd get kicked out for causing so much trouble!"
Camila tutted; "You would have been grounded if it wasn't the first time you'd misbehaved and you hadn't been so scared. I'll never kick you out for causing trouble, especially when you didn't mean to."
The poor little Basilisk had been in tears when Camila had first confronted her, but seeing her so contrite and genuinely apologetic had severely blunted any scolding Camila had planned.
"Mama was great! I still wasn't allowed to fly the next day, but I didn't get hit or have to go without food! It was nothing like the Conformatorium!" Vee chirped happily.
Camila, Luz, and Amity all scowled at the mention of the life Vee had lived before, while Amity was also painfully reminded of her own mother; a woman that was now her second biggest enemy, after Belos himself.
"Those people really were monsters… Hitting children, or anyone outside of self-defence for that matter, is reprehensible! And withholding meals is almost as terrible! Parents are supposed to make sure their children are safe and fed, and those things go against that!" Camila said passionately.
Luz nodded; "Mami says that corporal punishment is strictly forbidden in the Divine Realm. Anyone instigating violence of any kind is severely punished!"
"One of their better laws." Camila added. "But anyway, you learned your lesson Vee, so it's all fine. As I always said with Luz growing up; if you do something wrong, it's best to confess and face the consequences! Then you can move forward with a clean slate. Besides, it's even more important now for you to not be roaming around outside the house in your true form Vee."
Vee nodded, suddenly becoming serious. Seeing the tone shift, Amity asked; "Did something happen with Vee's true form?"
"Not exactly…" Vee said; "Luz, remember the snare I got caught in on the day we met? You healed my tail after getting it off me?"
Luz frowned severely; "Yeah, I remember. Some jerk set up traps all over the place! I also saved a fox from one!"
"Well there are even more of them around now." Vee frowned, "We've found at least five this week alone. They're all along the path too and from the abandoned house, and around the house too."
"Not only that…" Camila said, angrily opening one of the kitchen drawers and pulling out a camera; "I found this set up in the bushes across the street, pointed at our house."
Luz's eyes widened as she stared at the camera; it was a cheap camcorder that looked like it had been broken and repaired, and it was placed on a short tripod. "No way! Someone is spying on our house!?"
Camila nodded grimly; "It seems that way. I already spoke to the neighbour whose yard it was in, but they swear they'd never seen it before. I'm not the best with technology either, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't hooked up to any Wi-Fi or internet cables though, so whoever set it up must have planned to come back and check the recordings. It's a good thing I found it too, as it had caught Vee leaving and returning on her midnight flight."
"Have you shown it to the police?" Amity asked, "That's what you're supposed to do with stuff like this in the Human Realm, right?"
"I haven't." Camila replied; "I deleted the footage, but I'm worried that if I hand it in to the police, they might recover it somehow and find out the truth about Vee. Instead I cast a spell that lets me know whenever someone comes and goes from the area around the house. If someone I don't recognise or who doesn't live on this street shows up, I'll be able to keep an eye on them and see if they're the culprit."
Luz and Amity exchanged worried looks, and Vee nodded grimly; "Masha also swears someone is stalking me. Every time we hang out in town, she says she can feel someone watching us, and last time, Rebecca swears she saw someone suspicious following me! She chased after them, but they escaped."
"Okay, now I'm a little worried. It couldn't be some government agent, right? That only happens on TV!" Luz said, sounding unsure.
Camila nodded; "It's not, I'm sure of it. If the Human Government found out about us, they wouldn't waste time; they'd just try to catch us immediately. No, I think it's someone else. Probably whoever set up those traps! I wager it's a poacher who caught sight of Vee on a hidden trail cam."
"Should we do something?" Amity asked; "I could ask my dad about some home defence measures? Maybe a portable Abomination Pot so Vee has something to defend her if she's attacked outside the house?"
Camila and Vee smiled gratefully, but politely refused; "We appreciate that, Amity. But it isn't necessary; I've been teaching Vee more than just flying! She's gotten quite good at both water and earth magic. If anything happens, she should be able to defend herself and call for me. Which reminds me…"
The older angel drew a spell circle, and to Luz and Amity's surprise, summoned a Smart Scroll just like theirs. Luz gasped at the sight of it, even as Camila grinned.
"Mami! You've got a scroll too!" Luz exclaimed.
"Yep! I traded Eda some human junk to sell in return for her buying this for me. It may not have as many features as a smart phone, but at least now I can also keep in contact with Eda and your friends." Camila explained. "Speaking of; can I have your contact details? And yours too, Amity?"
"Of course!" both girls said, quickly exchanging contact information with Camila.
After exchanging information, the conversation once again became more positive and light hearted as the four of them worked together to finish lunch. Camila insisted on making a hearty meal, believing Amity was too skinny, and it was greatly enjoyed. Odalia always limited how much her children could eat, wanting them slim and "presentable", so while they'd not gone hungry (unless they'd gotten in trouble), they'd not had as much as they'd like. The irony was, with how active her children were, Odalia was actually making them underweight, something Alador was currently working to fix. By the time they were done, Amity was sitting back in her chair with a content smile and a full stomach, while Luz giggled and stroked her hair, making the witchling purr like Ghost.
"I still can't believe witches purr." Luz gushed. "Are you sure you're the cool one and not the cute one, Amity?"
Amity pouted at her teasing girlfriend; "No fair! I can't help it!"
Luz giggled, while Camila smirked at her daughter; "Oh, so you haven't told Amity about your adorable little noise?"
Luz blushed and Amity perked up, while Vee snickered. "What noise?" Amity asked eagerly.
Before Luz could do anything to stop it, her Mami's hand shot to the back of Luz's head and gently rubbed the base of her skull, where her neck met her head. In an instant, Luz made an adorable, involuntary trilling noise that was halfway between a bird's trill and a cat's. Amity squealed with delight.
"Oh my Titan, that is precious! Luz, how could you keep this from me!?" Amity cried, immediately taking Camila's place in rubbing Luz's head to make her trill.
Camila giggled while Vee shot teasing grins at her adoptive sister. "Just as witches purr, angels trill. I'll have to dig out some old home videos later; I've got tons of Luz trilling as a cherub and it is adorable!"
Luz huffed and tried to pout, but it was hard to keep that expression with Amity making her feel so good! She couldn't stop trilling, and she had a feeling she'd be doing a lot more of it in the future too, now that Amity knew! Amity eventually stopped, if only because her arm was getting tired, but then Vee decided she wanted a turn and began petting Luz too, leading to Luz playfully swatting at her like a kitten, which in turn made Vee playfully swat back, until the girls were having a full play fight. This continued as Camila and Amity did the dishes together, both wanting to let the new sisters bond some more, but once they were all done, they settled down in the living room.
"Now that we're full and you girls have worked off some energy…" Camila shot a bemused look at Luz and Vee, who grinned back impishly, "… maybe now you can finally tell me what's been going on in the Demon Realm, Mija?"
Luz immediately felt her stomach lurch, and the meal she'd just eaten suddenly felt like a rock in her gut. Amity held her hand and smiled reassuringly, which helped Luz's pounding heart, and Camila quickly added; "You don't have to if you're still not ready."
"N-No. I don't think I'll ever be completely ready, but you deserve to know." Luz said, steeling herself. She then took a deep breath and began; "Okay, so it began literally straight after I went back to the Demon Realm on the day I first came home…"
From there, Luz told her Mami and Vee everything that had happened over the last three weeks; the meeting with Darius and Eber, the Selkidomus mission, the fight with the Emperor's Elites, the truth behind Treble on Digale Island, and the events of the Blight Ball. Through it all, Camila had kept a neutral expression on her face, though her eyes flashed with anger or annoyance at various points, which was the only emotion she allowed herself to show. She'd also shot some sympathetic looks at Amity after hearing about her mother's actions, while Vee had been shocked by what Treble had really gotten up to, and how Luz and Skara had dived into a hurricane to save him.
When Luz was finally done with the story, Camila sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of her nose; "I understand why you didn't want to tell me all that…" she said.
"A-Are you mad at me?" Luz asked fearfully.
"No Baby, I'm not. Aside from not telling me about these things straight away, you haven't done anything wrong. That being said, I can't say I'm happy about this either. I knew you'd be involved in the rebellion against Belos, but infiltrating factories and jumping into hurricanes is a bit more than I expected!" Camila frowned.
Luz wilted a little; "Y-You're not thinking about stopping me from going back, are you?"
Camila winced, making Luz's heart nearly stop; "I'd be lying if I said the thought didn't cross my mind-"
She didn't get a chance to go any further before a terrified Luz leapt to her feet; "No! Mami, please! I don't want to leave! Don't make me!"
Luz began to hyperventilate as she was flung into a full on panic attack. Her eyes began to dart back and forth, and both Vee and Amity could see that she was on the verge of bolting like a terrified cat. Thankfully Camila was faster and her hands shot out towards her daughter. One gently clasped one of Luz's hands, while the other drew a spell circle that shot a ball of warm orange magic at Luz's chest. A light orange aura coated Luz for a moment before her eyes, previously wide open with terror, began to droop and the strength fled her legs. The girl nearly flopped to the floor, but Camila pulled her into a hug then took a seat on the sofa beside Amity, keeping Luz in her lap.
"Shh, Mija. It's alright; calm down. You've got nothing to be frightened of. You've done nothing wrong and I won't go back on our deal. You can relax. Let's just talk." Camila said softly, stroking her daughter's back. Amity slowly reached up and pet the back of Luz's head just like she had earlier, while Vee hurried off to make a pot of tea to help calm everyone's nerves.
After a few minutes and some sips of tea that Vee gently pressed to her lips, Luz's breathing began to slow again and she remained curled up on her mother's lap, mentally pulling herself together. As she began to trill adorably from Amity's ministrations, her girlfriend looked to Camila with concern.
"I've never see her get like this before… not since the last time we all came here at least. What was that spell you cast on her?"
"A combination of a simple soothing spell and a very minor angelic blessing. It's a common trick of angel parents, and something I learned growing up in Crest Chastity; it soothes a child with the feel of their carer's magic, helping them feel safe and secure. I haven't had to use it on Luz for quite a while, but I used it on her a lot before she went to the Demon Realm." Camila explained, her eyes becoming misty. "The fact you've never seen her like this in your world is just more proof of how much better suited she is for it than this one."
Amity and Vee both looked confused; "What do you mean, Mama? Did living here cause Luz a lot of panic attacks?"
Camila nodded; "Since the day she was born, Luz has been an emotional child. She wears her heart on her sleeve and only ever hid her feelings if she was afraid they'd hurt someone else's. But the Human Realm can be cruel to people who don't fit in, and between her emotions being obvious and her inability to lie, Luz couldn't even pretend to." she stroked her daughter's hair lovingly; "Combine that with her wanting to be a good angel and help people, but her methods being a little too chaotic and "out there" for this realm, and Luz ended up with a lot of negative emotions that she had to bottle up because she was too scared of hurting people by showing them, or causing them trouble. It got to the point that she struggled even to be herself around me… though I suppose I didn't help her much there. But frequently, she wouldn't be able to keep it all in any more and she'd have a breakdown. It was always so hard on her…"
The angelic woman wiped her eyes, refusing to cry in front of the girls. Vee looked at the Nocedas with sympathy, while Amity couldn't help but stare at Camila in shock. It was so strange to hear something like that! Luz had always been a little chaotic and Amity knew she was open about her emotions most of the time, but the idea of her precious Luz ever having it so bad shocked her to her core and made her heart ache. Luz was always the first to volunteer to help someone, and never once looked ready to back down from an impossible situation so long as it meant she was helping.
"It's so strange… I've seen Luz fight dragons and monsters, and even Belos! She never batted an eye… but living in this realm caused her so much pain?" Amity said quietly.
Camila nodded sadly, and Vee piped up; "I think I understand why though. She wasn't as scared by fighting those bad guys because, well, she actually could fight them. She wasn't totally helpless even if she was outmatched. She could fight! But in the Human Realm… the problems they face aren't something you can just magic away with a beam of light or a blast of fire. It's like fight or flight; Luz couldn't fight, so she had to run and before the Demon Realm, she had nowhere she could run to except Mama and this house."
"I think you might be right, Cariño." Camila said, smiling sadly as she reached over to pet the little Basilisk's head; "It was the same for you in the Demon Realm, wasn't it? You couldn't fight so you had to run."
Vee nodded; "Yeah, but I can fight in my own way here! We Basilisks are masters at fitting in, and so long as I've got you and my friends, I can thrive in this world!"
That made Camila smile a bit wider as she ruffled Vee's hair; she'd had a few reports from Luz's teachers that the "New Luz" that had come home from Camp was a breath of fresh air in the school. Vee was just as happy to help, but she was calmer and more methodical than Camila's more energetic daughter, and thus able to adapt to situations and give the help that was needed without going overboard. Luz's old principal had even said that if "Luz" wasn't so keen on sticking with her core group of three friends, she could rapidly become one of the most popular children in the school!
It had made Camila proud to hear that Vee was fitting in so well, though it also made her feel bitter that everyone was so happy with "Luz" no longer being herself. The realisation that her daughter would have had to change her entire being just to be happy in the Human Realm stung.
After a few more minutes of sitting together quietly, Luz's trilling stopped as she finally came back to herself. When she fully realised where she was sitting and what was going on around her, she went red with embarrassment.
"Oh… I had a panic attack again, didn't I?" she mumbled.
"You did. Don't worry though, we all understand." Camila said gently.
Luz still felt humiliated; she couldn't believe she'd freaked out like that in front of Amity! The Angel girl turned to her witch girlfriend, mouth open to apologise, but her words were stopped in her throat by Amity pressing her lips over hers, trapping her in a kiss. Luz blushed, but leaned into the kiss and soon forgot all about her embarrassment.
When Amity finally pulled away, she gently held Luz's cheek and made her keep eye contact; "I know what you're thinking Luz, and don't you dare apologise. You've done NOTHING wrong. You're allowed to feel upset or overwhelmed sometimes and it's nothing to feel ashamed of."
"I-I guess. I just never wanted you to see me like that." Luz confessed.
"Luz, as your girlfriend, I insist that if you ever have a panic attack or feel on the verge of one or a breakdown, you come and find me so I can help take care of you! I love you Batata, even the parts of you that you don't like to show me." Amity said, her golden eyes boring into Luz's own.
Luz's lip quivered; "You're too good to me sometimes, Hermosa."
Amity snorted and kissed her again, on the cheek this time; "We'll have to disagree on that one!"
Luz giggled, and both Camila and Vee watched the exchange with wide smiles. Seeing Luz and Amity so clearly in love and so caring of each other made Camila's heart swell with joy, as she was reminded of better times. She and Manny had been just as sickeningly sweet with each other; their home had always been full of love and joy, and the birth of Luz (even with its difficulties) had added to that. Camila was sure these two would one day have their own home full of love… and perhaps a grandchild or two for her to spoil!
Meanwhile Vee was just happy to see her adoptive sister bouncing back. She knew how awful panic attacks could feel! She was a little jealous too; she wished she had someone like Amity in her life. Well maybe not exactly like her… the image in Vee's head was a person with darker hair, a cheeky smile, and a surprisingly adorable gap tooth.
After letting Luz and Amity have their cute moment (during which Luz had been shifted from Camila's lap to Amity's), Camila cleared her throat to speak, making Luz suddenly nervous.
"Mija, do you remember what I said? While you were panicking?" Camila asked.
Luz nodded; "You said I didn't need to be scared. That you wouldn't break our deal."
"That's right." her Mami replied; "And I meant it. Like I said, the thought of convincing you to stay here in the Human Realm for good did cross my mind, but I won't act on it. I'm just worried about the danger you're in. Danger I can't do much to help you with."
"I understand Mami. I should have told you from the beginning. Three weeks of stuff being explained all at once just made it worse… it's like the moment I come back here, I become a failure again." Luz sighed dejectedly.
"Don't call yourself a failure. You were never a failure! You just hadn't found your niche yet! But now you have." Camila reassured her; "I promise I won't ever go back on my end of our deal, so long as you don't go back on yours. Alright?"
"Alright. Thank you Mami." Luz smiled, feeling her usual confidence beginning to return.
"Good. But no more secrets! I don't want you to feel like you can't tell me something." Camila said, a touch more sternly.
Luz gulped and bowed her head in a little nod; "I'll try. Sorry Mami."
Camila shook her head with a smile, then ruffled her daughter's hair; "I forgive you. Now, I think we've been cooped up inside for too long! Let's go out and work off some of our lunch."
Luz and Vee both cheered and hopped to their feet, with Amity soon joining them. The Noceda girls rushed off to get ready for their outing, leaving Amity alone with Camila in the living room. Camila waited to make sure the others were out of earshot, then turned and smiled at Amity.
"Thank you for what you said to Luz, Amity dear. I'm glad she has someone who loves her so much." Camila said.
Amity blushed and fidgeted a bit; "O-Of course! I'd do anything for Luz! I know she'd do anything for me too."
"I'm glad to hear that! And just so you know…" Camila put her hands on Amity's shoulders; "If you ever need some advice or someone to talk to, you can call me. I know I'm not your mother, but given what you've told me of your actual mother, I think you could use more positive maternal influences in your life."
"T-Thank you, Camila!" Amity beamed, surprised but overjoyed! The fact her girlfriend's Mom valued her more than her biological Mom was a bit irksome, but it just went to show that Camila outdid Odalia in every way that mattered.
Camila then gave a teasing grin as she added; "You're welcome. Consider it practice for my eventual "Mother-in-Law" status!"
The lavender haired girl squeaked adorably, and Camila giggled; her daughter's girlfriend really was precious!
Luz and Vee returned shortly thereafter and the four ladies left the house together, ready for a walk. Since it could be a problem if any of Vee's friends saw Luz looking and acting so differently from normal, they decided that walking into town would probably be a bad idea for now, so they instead decided to go for a leisurely stroll in the woods near the house. It was a nice clear day out, with enough of Summer's residual heat to keep them warm while a pleasant autumn breeze kept them from being too warm. As they walked through the trees, Camila told Amity all about the nature and animals they passed, as the girl had no experience with Human Realm flora and fauna, while Luz and Vee chatted about their magic lessons and what they could do with their powers now. Luz also told Vee a bit more about how Treble was doing on Digale Island, and discussing some tentative plans to find and rescue the other Basilisks (whom Vee was immensely relieved to learn weren't being harmed).
The walk was almost soured when they found another snare trap, thankfully one that hadn't been triggered yet, and Camila had angrily blown it apart with a concussive force spell.
Vee scowled at the remains of the trap; "More snares. What's the point in setting so many? Are rabbits and foxes really worth enough money to make all this effort worth it?"
"They aren't worth anything. Selling their fur is illegal around here, and no one is going to buy wild rabbit meat. It's either cruelty, or something just as sinister going on." Camila growled.
Luz and Amity exchanged nods, before the former suggested; "How about we hunt around the forest for more snares? We'll make a game out of who can find and dismantle the most! We could use our magic and make it a test of what we've learned too!"
"Good idea, Mija. The winner gets to pick what we have for dinner tonight!" Camila declared.
That got Luz and Vee smiling broadly, and they immediately began scurrying about the woods in search of traps. The first signs of them finding one was a sudden twanging sound, followed by a yelp, a thud, and an "oof!" from Luz.
"I'm okay!" she yelled before anyone could worry, and the others all chuckled. Amity followed the sound and found Luz hanging upside down from a tree branch by her ankle, while trying to stop herself spinning long enough to shot the wire holding her up. Once she got herself down, she smiled sheepishly and said; "That still counts as finding and destroying one, right?"
Amity giggled, then swiftly joined Luz in hunting for Snares, while Camila followed along at a slower pace, being far more methodical about her search. They each managed to find at least five snares, with Luz and Vee both finding seven for a total of 24 in the space of 30 minutes. It was frankly ridiculous, and not all the traps were empty; some had snared rabbits, foxes, and even a deer in one instance, all of whom the Noceda family calmed, healed, and released.
"If I ever find out who is setting these traps, I'm introducing them to La Chancla!" Camila fumed, clutching the snares she'd found so tightly that they began to crack. Luz and Vee nodded grimly, while Amity just wondered what "La Chancla" was.
Suddenly, Vee began looking around and sniffing the air, having noticed something.
"What is it, Cariño?" Camila asked.
"I smell magic… familiar magic. I think it's King and Eda!" Vee said, sniffing more intensely.
Luz blinked; "Really? Did they leave the portal open or something? Or did they come to the Human Realm for more junk to sell?"
"I have no idea. Still, we should at least go and say hello if they're here, or make sure the portal is closed if they're not; we wouldn't want whoever's setting these traps to wind up in the Demon Realm! They might get eaten, or worse, start trying to catch demons!" Camila said.
The girls agreed, and they all began to follow Vee's nose as she led them through the woods. It didn't take long for them to find King and Eda, as they soon heard a cry of "Weh!" in the distance. Picking up the pace a bit, they hurried along until they found a large clearing not far from the abandoned house, inside of which was King, Eda, Rasiel, and Lilith. It looked like they'd set up an outside classroom of some kind to study glyphs, but they'd clearly run into some odd difficulties. Jagged crystals littered the clearing and more kept raining from the sky, which King was shattering with cries of "WEH!" as he stirred a cauldron full of elixir. One crystal was embedded in Rasiel's head, and the man was bleeding gold blood as he wandered absent-mindedly around the clearing, while Eda was lying spread eagle on the floor with a peeved expression and feathers sprouting from her neck. Meanwhile Lilith was busy melting chunks of crystal while also trying to reinforce some magic chains that she'd used to capture a kind of sentient cloud known as a Cumaulus, though based on the ice it was trying to spew, Luz guessed it was the Freezing Fog variant! They were a breed of cloud-like monsters that usually lived in the Snowy Rib Cage or on the Knee; how had one gotten into the Human Realm!?
"Hey guys!" Luz yelled, announcing their presence as she, Amity, Camila, and Vee walked into the clearing.
"Luz! Thank the Titan you're here! I'm trying to brew more elixirs for Eda, but the knife rain won't stop and Lilith is busy with that stupid cloud! I could really use your help here!" King cried, looking out of his depth.
"Whoa, what on earth happened here!? Ugh, questions for later." Luz shook her head and turned to the rest of her family; "Vee, go drain the magic from that Cumaulus so Lilith can help King with the elixir. Mami, please cast some calming spells on Eda to keep her curse at bay! Amity, use some abominations to shield King from those falling crystals! I'll go heal Rasiel!" Luz said.
The others nodded and immediately got to work on their assigned tasks while Amity smiled; Luz may not believe herself to be a leader, but she was surprisingly good at it when she needed to be!
Amity immediately summoned a large abomination to shield King and the cauldron of elixir, allowing him to focus on brewing while Amity blasted fire at the crystals. She frowned when the crystals didn't melt, meaning they weren't the usual ice knives that rained in the Demon Realm. Still, her light beams did the trick! At the same time, Vee hurried over to Lilith and the Cumaulus, changing into her true form as she went. Lilith was briefly startled by the appearance of a winged basilisk, but she'd been told about Vee before and so didn't question it, instead sighing with relief as Vee inhaled sharply and began to suck tendrils of blue magic our of the sentient cloud, causing it so slowly shrink from the size of a buffalo to the size of a house cat. Once it was out of magic and lying on the ground lethargically, Vee smiled triumphantly.
"Mmm, tastes like ice cream! Are you okay now, Miss Lilith?" Vee asked.
"I am now that you're here, Miss Vee. Please keep an eye on him while I help King." Lilith replied.
Vee nodded and held the weakened Cumaulus in her arms while Lilith hurried over to help King brew. Meanwhile, Camila had knelt down beside Eda and begun casting some calming spells to help her relax.
"Take deep breaths, Eda. Don't try to fight or resist the curse, just focus on your breathing and your heart rate. Let the stress melt away." Camila said soothingly, applying the spells directly to Eda's shoulders by casting them on her hands and then massaging the magic in. Eda sighed with the steadily growing relief.
"You're a gift from the Titan, Cammie!" Eda said as her feathers stopped growing. They weren't shrinking, but it was better than nothing.
Lastly, Luz had gone after Rasiel, who was now scooping up rocks from the forest floor and gnawing them like a baby with a teething ring. The crystal that had stabbed into his head had pierced his brain and was messing with his intelligence, and without his wings he didn't have the magic needed to regenerate on his own. If he wasn't a ten-winged Seraphim and True Immortal, he'd be dead.
"Whoa there, Rasiel! Let me help you." Luz said, gently pulling the stones out of his mouth.
"Oh, hello Fluffy Duck. You have a lot of wings. Can I borrow a couple? I seem to have misplaced mine." Rasiel slurred.
Luz would have laughed if the situation wasn't so grim; "I'm afraid not. Don't worry though, let me get that crystal out of your head and then I can heal you."
"Oh, you're going to remove the sparkle horn? I think I'd like that. It went thunk in my head meat and now I don't talk so good." Rasiel replied.
Luz tried to get the crystal out with her hands, but it was jagged and she only succeeded in cutting herself. After healing herself, she instead grew some vines and tied it around the crystal, before throwing the other end over a tree branch, then yanking on it hard. It took all of her weight, but it created enough leverage to yank the crystal straight out of Rasiel's skull. There was a spurt of golden blood, but Luz was quick to create her Crystal Lotus spell to heal the wound, which regenerated rapidly. Once she was done, Rasiel shuddered and groaned.
"Ugh, why does my mouth taste like dirt?" Rasiel complained.
Luz created some water for him to wash his mouth out with as she explained; "You were licking rocks."
"Oh. Thanks for the help Luz, I'm missing enough memories without missing chunks of my brain too." Rasiel replied.
"It's okay. You did call me a Fluffy Duck though." Luz giggled.
"Surely a goose would be more fitting?" Rasiel smirked. "Because you're silly, and it rhymes with Luz!" he then gave her the finger guns with a slightly unsure expression; "Am I doing this right?"
Luz laughed; "You're spending too much time with King and his puns! But enough of that for now, let's help out the others."
Rasiel nodded, then went with Luz to help the others brew Eda's elixir. They had it complete before too long (King had gotten it mostly done before they arrived) and administered it, causing Eda's feathers to finally recede completely and turn her back to normal. There was a sigh of relief from everyone, and thankfully the rain of crystals seemed to have stopped, so they were able to relax a bit.
"Well, that was chaotic." Luz said, taking a seat on the ground beside Eda, who was now sitting up. "What are you guys doing in the Human Realm, and what was all that about?"
Eda sighed and explained the situation with Gwendolyn and her quack methods of curing her curse, as well as how they'd come to the Human Realm so they could keep studying the glyphs in peace, without Gwen bothering them.
"We weren't here for long before things starting getting weird." King added. "Also, remember that theory I told you before about you and the glyphs?"
Luz nodded; "The one about glyphs working in this realm if they're bonded to me?"
"Yep! We confirmed it! The fire glyph works now while it didn't when we first came here, and the wind glyph doesn't work at all yet." King declared happily; "I also found out that glyph combos work here, but only if you've bonded with all the glyphs."
Camila hummed; "It's almost like Luz has become some kind of signal extender for the Titan's powers. I've never seen anything like it. But does this mean you'll end up with another glyph tattoo?" she asked.
"Probably." Luz replied.
"Ah. Well hopefully it'll be hidden like most of the others. The only ones we can see normally are on your hands." Camila said. She wasn't a big fan of tattoos and even with their magical (and involuntary) origins, she didn't like that Luz had some.
"Putting that aside, things started going wrong not long after we made these discoveries. First, Eda found that." Rasiel said, pointing to a wooden sign on the edge of the clearing. It said "Apple Blood!" and had an arrow pointing deeper into the woods, away from the clearing.
"We thought it might be you pulling a prank on Edalyn." Lilith explained. "We couldn't think who else in the Human Realm could know about Apple Blood and Edalyn's love of the stuff. But we decided to ignore it; my sister's way of teasing you by messing up your prank."
Eda nodded; "But then it started raining those crystals wherever I went! I thought Knife Season had come early this year, but then I remembered you don't have Knife Hail in the Human Realm."
Luz gulped; "It hails knives in the Demon Realm!?"
"Well technically it's just very large, very sharp ice. Atmospheric temperature and razor sharp winds result in large hail stones that are carved into spikes by the wind." Rasiel helpfully informed; "But those things were definitely crystals and not regular ice. Painful too…" he added, ruefully rubbing the spot he'd been stabbed.
"Rasiel here pushed me out of the way, which is how he got stabbed. The curse started acting up then, but when I tried to grab an elixir, I found them all gone!" Eda exclaimed. "That's when the Cumaulus showed up and started trying to freeze us all!"
Luz, Amity, Vee, and Camila all frowned, beginning to get the picture. But they were confused also; who had left that sign? It must have been the same person who caused the crystal rain and released the Cumaulus, but the question was who and why!? The sign made it seem like they were targetting Eda and trying to separate her from the others, but for what purpose? Was it an assassination attempt? How had the culprit gotten into the Human Realm!?
"One thing I'm confused by; why did you start trying to make more elixirs here? Why didn't you just go back to the Owl House and grab more from there?" Luz asked.
Eda and her group all cringed, making Luz's heart drop. She had a feeling she wasn't going to like their answer.
"We tried." Lilith admitted, "But the portal is closed and Edalyn… misplaced the key."
"WHAT!?" the others all cried.
"B-But if the door is closed and you can't open it, then we're all stranded here!" Amity cried. She'd only just started reconnecting with her Dad; was she going to be separated from him forever now!?
Luz was also on the verge of another panic attack, realising she might be trapped in the Human Realm, but Eda quickly said; "Now hold on! Before everyone freaks out, I know for a fact I had the key when I came here. I probably just dropped it while running away from the crystals and Cumaulus. It's gotta be around here somewhere. We can use magic to look for it."
That calmed the others down, but the calm didn't last long. The temperature suddenly began to rise, until it was as warm as the middle of summer… and it was slowly rising even higher!
"What's going on now!?" Camila yelled, beginning to sweat.
"I smell something coming this way!" Vee said, looking around. "And I hear… buzzing?"
Luz and the Demon Realm inhabitants all went pale; "Oh no…" Eda groaned.
The buzzing got louder until the source suddenly burst into the clearing. It was a swarm of Fire Bees, each one burning with intense flames that made the clearing even hotter! Their beady little eyes gleamed hatefully as they swarmed towards Eda, seemingly hyper-focused on the Owl Lady. Lucky for Luz and the others, that meant the swarm ignored them, but unlucky for Eda, it also meant they were chasing her around! Eda screamed as she fled the swarm, keeping away from Luz and the others so they wouldn't get stung too.
"Fire Bees too!? If this is an assassination attempt, the assassin is either cruel or stupid!" Amity yelled.
"Forget that, we've gotta help Eda!" Luz cried, preparing an ice spell. She shot an aurora beam at the swarm, but it simply parted to allow the beam to pass them harmlessly, then reformed to continue chasing Eda.
Luz growled and prepared another shot, but Lilith acted first; "Fire Bee Swarms are too wily for accurate strikes! You need wide range magic! Observe!"
Lilith leapt forward and twirled her finger to make an icy blue spell circle, which unleashed a massive wave of cold that promptly froze the Fire Bees solid, turning each one into a little ice sculpture of a bee.
"There! No more Fire Bees!" Lilith said, dusting off her hands.
"Thanks for the save their Lily! First a Cumaulus and now Fire Bees? Someone is definitely out to get me!" Eda groaned, feeling her curse once again acting up a bit. Luckily the elixir was still holding strong.
"I feel kind of sorry for them." Vee said, sadly poking the frozen Fire Bees with her tail while holding the deflated Cumaulus. "They were forced to attack you."
"It must be someone with Beast-Keeping magic." Luz said, before patting Vee's shoulder; "And don't worry, the Cumaulus will be fine once it inhales some water, and the Fire Bees aren't dead. They'll be okay once they thaw. Though we should sweep them up and back into the Demon Realm before that happens."
That cheered Vee up, and Camila decided to help by conjuring a large crystal container to store the frozen bees in. Once they were sealed up, Camila said; "We should look for the portal key now. It can't have gone far."
The others swiftly agreed and began to search around, but kept their guard up in case someone attacked them yet again. Vee alone stayed out of the search, so she could keep the Cumaulus company since she felt bad for draining its magic. They searched the clearing high and low, but found no signs of the portal key. Luz was about to suggest using Beast-Keeping magic to get the help of woodland critters, when Eda suddenly yelped and began running away from the bushes she'd been searching. Everyone looked to her, then blinked in surprise as snakes with little draconic wings came flying out of the trees and bushes, chasing Eda around the clearing just like the Bees.
"Seriously!?" King cried; "This assassin is the worst assassin ever! I don't even think half those snakes are poisonous!"
"Stop criticising their methods and help me! Mama is having a bad time!" Eda cried, feathers once again beginning to peak out of her skin.
Luz, Camila, and Lilith immediately jumped in to try and stop the snakes, using a mix of Beast-Keeping and Bardic/Choir magic to try and tame the snakes chasing Eda. They were wilier than the Bees though and proved harder to catch. Amity, doubting she'd be much help with the snakes, decided to instead continue the search for the portal key. Since conventional looking hadn't helped, she pulled out her Oracle Stone and decided to try dowsing for the key.
Thanks to her mother being an oracle and Luz's presence messing with Oracle Magic, Amity had some complicated feelings regarding the magic, so rarely used it outside of class. The help her spirit had given her against the Abomatons had warmed her to it though, so Amity was more willing to use Oracle Magic than she had been. Removing the Oracle Stone from her neck and tying the string around her wrist loosely enough that it could still dangle a bit, Amity closed her eyes and focused her magic whilst focusing on a mental image of the portal key. The Oracle Stone then began to glow purple, and a little needle of light emerged from it, pointing off into the woods.
Amity was tempted to immediately go after it, but decided it could be dangerous if there really was an Assassin around, so she decided to recruit some help; "Rasiel, Vee; I'm detecting the portal key in this direction. Can you come with me? With a True Immortal and someone who can eat magic, we should be safe."
Rasiel agreed immediately, since he could go into as much danger as he wanted without worry, while Vee took a moment to think about it before reluctantly nodding. She didn't like the idea of confrontation, but she didn't want to leave her new sister's girlfriend to face the unknown by herself, and it didn't look like King or the others would be able to help until the snakes were dealt with.
The three walked together into the woods, following the needle of light wherever it pointed. It only took a few minutes before Vee detected something herself, as the wind changed direction and blew a new scent into her nostrils. "I smell magic. Some weird magic, and some that's kind of familiar. It smells a bit like Eda and Miss Lilith."
"Oh no… I have a bad feeling about this." Rasiel grumbled as he followed the girls. It didn't take long for them to find the source of the smell and the place Amity's dowsing spell was pointing them to. Hearing voices, the trio approached stealthily and hid behind a tree, peeking out to see the source of all their trouble.
It was Hooty in his portable form, along with a woman neither Amity nor Vee recognised, but Rasiel did.
"I feared as much. It's Eda and Lilith's mother, Gwendolyn. She must have convinced Hooty to bring her here." Rasiel whispered.
"She did more than that! Look!" Amity whispered back, pointing to a spot between the two. It was a large cloth sack full of elixirs, as well as the portal key, both of which were guarded by Gwendolyn's large Palisman, Hawksley.
Based on what Eda had told them earlier, it didn't take much for Amity to figure out what had happened; Gwendolyn must have stolen the elixirs and portal key to stop Eda from escaping or interfering with her attempts to cure her, and she'd likely used Hooty to do it. Amity knew that creepy bird tube could be stealthy when he wanted to be! Creeping closer, Amity saw Gwendolyn watching the scene in the clearing through a crystal ball, likely using beast-keeping magic to spy through the eyes of a bird or some other creature she'd tamed.
Gwen tutted; "My granddaughter and her other mother are certainly making this difficult! Sweet Flea is too! Still, I'm happy they care for Edalyn so much. If only I could make them understand! But my Little Witchlet will turn them against my methods the instant I try to talk to them."
Hooty gave an unsure hoot; "Aw gee Gwendy, I don't think we're doing this right, hoot! Freezing the curse, heating it up, even snakes! We tried it all and nothing worked! Hoot!"
Amity exchanged shocked looks with Vee and Rasiel; that was all them!? It wasn't a bad assassination attempt, it was a terrible curing attempt!?
"I know Hooty. But my grandchildren, bless their well-meaning hearts, gave Edalyn more of that nasty elixir! I thought we'd seen the last of it when you and Hawksley stole their supply, but it seems my little King is clever enough to make more! It completely reversed the progress we'd made with those purifying crystals!" Gwen complained.
Amity had heard enough; this Gwendolyn lady had almost gotten them all killed with those crystals! Heck, if Rasiel wasn't immortal, he'd be dead after being stabbed in the brain! With her temper raging, Amity leapt out of the bushes and marched towards Gwen, whose eyes widened in surprise.
"Oh! You're the young lady who was with Luz and her mother! And the little Basilisk too!" Gwendolyn said, smiling at Vee. "A Quetzalcoatl Basilisk too! How remarkable! I was quite surprised to see you with my granddaughter! I don't suppose you can eat curses, can you?"
Vee shook her head in bewilderment, while Amity glared at the woman; "Vee won't be doing anything of the sort! I think you've already done enough to hurt Eda and the others!"
Gwen frowned; "Now see here, young lady! I've been doing nothing more than trying to heal my daughter's curse!"
Amity felt her temper raise even higher; "You set wild beasts on her THREE times! You rained razor sharp crystals on her! Because of you, Rasiel here got stabbed in the head! If he was anyone else, he would have been killed! You almost murdered someone! Not to mention almost causing Luz a panic attack when she found out the portal key was missing!"
Those last two statements actually made Gwen pause; "I apologise for both of those mistakes. I had no idea poor Luz would react like that, and I certainly had no intention of hurting Rasiel! Those crystals were aimed so they wouldn't hit anyone, but the young man shoved Eda out of the way, thinking she'd be hit. It was an honest mistake, and one I deeply regret. I would have come out to help you immediately, had Hooty here not told me that you couldn't be killed… though how that came to be is something I'm very curious about." she said, looking to a contrite looking Hooty before she turned back to Rasiel bowed her head in shame; "I truly am sorry for that Rasiel. I'm glad you're unhurt."
"I accept your apology, Madam Clawthorne. However I am alive and unharmed now, while the same might not have been the case for your daughters. Eda is dangerously close to transforming out of stress. What on earth were you thinking?" Rasiel frowned.
Gwen brightened; "I know the methods are unconventional, but this is an unusual curse! Trust me though; these are tried and true methods from a master healer!"
"It's true, hoot!" Hooty chimed in, hopping up and down with his little chicken legs. Rasiel thought he was adorable, Vee found him terrifying, and Amity was overcome with the desire to try and see how far she could punt him. "We went to see Master Wortlop together! He's an awesome healer! He's got a crystal staff and more beads than anyone I've ever seen, hoot!"
Amity took a deep breath and began to count to ten in her head, while Rasiel cringed and said; "That's not a measure of healing ability, Hooty."
Gwendolyn then raised her tome; "This tome contains all the necessary instructions to heal the curse… or at least, the first set of those instructions. The ancient tome is part of a set; I was just about to go back to the Demon Realm and collect the rest of the series! Since I already have the first book, I only need to trade a few paltry family heirlooms to get the rest!"
Vee blinked in confusion, but to Amity and Rasiel, that was a red flag if ever they'd heard one. Rasiel eyed the tome suspiciously; "Madam Clawthorne, may I take a look at that book?" he asked, stepping forward with his hand out.
Gwendolyn pulled the book out of his reach; "Halt! Only people who have scaled Wortlop's Pyramid of Study may touch the tome! I worked very hard to earn this!" she said, brandishing the medallion whose rune was the same as the one on the book.
Amity was unimpressed and immediately summoned her Oracle Spirit to snatch the book from Gwen's hand, making the woman yell in surprise. The lavender haired girl ignored her though and began reading the book, her face going from irritation to disbelief, then back to anger.
"Are you kidding me!?" she exclaimed; "Look at this tripe! Essential Oils for Stab Wounds!? Abomination Salves for Athletes' foot!? Slitherbeast Dandruff for Nihilism!? How could you possibly be dumb enough to believe any of this!? You're being scammed!"
Hooty gasped dramatically, while Gwen snatched the book back; "I am most certainly not!" she huffed; "As if I would spend my life's savings on a fake!"
"Madam Clawthorne, I can tell you right now that none of those things work! You've been hurting Eda! The Curse isn't something that can be removed so easily! Luz and I had to construct a powerful magical tool just to try and heal her!" Rasiel tried to reason with her.
"And it didn't work, did it?" Gwen raised an eyebrow.
"Only because Luz had to use it to save Eda from being petrified!" Amity yelled.
Gwendolyn frowned at her; "Who are you anyway, young lady? I saw you hanging around with my granddaughter!"
"I'm her girlfriend!" Amity declared, "And I'm also Lilith's apprentice! You know, your other cursed daughter!?"
Gwendolyn froze; "M-My what!?" she choked out.
Amity's eyes widened; "You didn't know…?"
"The moment she showed up, Madam Clawthorne almost exclusively paid attention to Eda. She hasn't spoken to Lilith long enough for her to talk about her own curse." Rasiel said, wincing at Gwen's horror struck face. It hadn't occurred to him to bring it up, and one look at Hooty made it clear that the House Demon hadn't even been aware that Gwen didn't know.
As Gwen's face slowly shifted from disbelief to anger, Amity realised she might have just made a big mistake. That thought was confirmed when Gwendolyn summoned Hawksley to her side in staff form and immediately began marching towards the clearing where the others were, leaving Amity, Hooty, Rasiel, and Vee to chase behind them; Vee snatching up the portal key as she went.
Back in the clearing, the tag-team of Nocedas and Clawthornes had finally managed to capture all the winged snakes and stuff them into a second crystal coffer conjured by Camila. As soon as the last snake had been puled out of her hair, a feather covered Eda had practically dunked her head into the cauldron of Elixir to force back the effects of her curse, while the others panted in exhaustion.
"Okay… I love animals… but things like this are why I prefer the furry ones…" Camila gasped out. She really needed to get back in shape if she was going to hang around such energetic and wild people!
"I second that." Luz said, her lips dry and chapped from playing her ocarina in an attempt to charm the snakes. King conjured some water for her and she gulped it down to rehydrate herself, then her little brother made more for her Mami, Mom, and Aunt, which he poured into cups made of ice. Her mothers accepted them gratefully, but Lilith wasn't able to.
The poor woman was on all fours, panting even harder than the others. Her magic was almost entirely exhausted, and black feathers were beginning to poke out from her neck. She'd worked even harder than the Nocedas to capture the snakes, throwing magic around liberally in her desperation to protect and help Eda. Now she was paying for it though, and both Eda and Luz were looking at her worriedly.
"Hey now Sis, come drink some Elixir. You're getting close to transforming." Eda said, helping Lilith to her feet.
"I'll give you another Blessing too. Being low on magic is gonna make the curse even worse." Luz adding, already conjuring her golden flames.
Lilith gently pushed Luz's hand away as she approached with the flames; "No. Not unless you're completely fine. I don't want you getting hurt or exhausted because of me… you've already suffered too much because of my foolish mistakes."
Luz sighed sadly; "Aunt Lilith… hurting yourself doesn't make up for those mistakes. Besides, as bad as handing me over to Belos was, you truly didn't want me to get hurt. I was only ever mad at you for cursing Eda and helping Belos capture her."
"You did WHAT!?"
Everyone in the clearing nearly leapt out of their skin in surprise at the unexpected yell, and they all spun around to see Gwendolyn marching towards them, a look of shock, hurt, and denial on her face. Luz and Camila were the only ones present who hadn't seen her before, but both could see the resemblance to Eda, so it wasn't hard to tell who she was. Right on Gwendolyn's tail was Rasiel, Amity, Vee, and Hooty (whose little legs both creeped the others out, while also being rather cute).