Chapter Text
There had already been a lot going on in the emperor's castle that day. And Kikimora knew that she would have a lot of work because of it. But there was nothing she could do. She was now standing in the Emperor's throne room. Several Coven Heads were present, for one of them had something to announce.
Next to her stood the Golden Guard. He seemed a little tense. And Kikimora became angry inside at the sight of him. For he was the only one who stood in the way of her promotion. But she couldn't say anything and had to keep a good face.
"My Emperor, I am truly sorry to announce my resignation. But due to my age and health, I simply can't perform my duties as well as I used to at the moment."
"That is truly to be regretted." The emperor's voice boomed through the hall. And Kikimora hated the fact that one could never assess how the Emperor was really in that moment. She would love to tear the mask off his face. Because maybe then she would realize what the Emperor's emotional state was. Did he really regret it? Or was he angry about it? Or did he completely not care?
Kikimora had no idea, and it was exactly this cluelessness that really got on her nerves. "But I have already found a candidate who can replace me worthily. I will see to it that a choice is made swiftly and that you can appoint him as soon as possible."
"So be it." Boomed the Emperor's voice even louder this time. And Kikimora knew that all the planning of the ceremonies and the whole shebang would fall to her. And she was sure that the Golden Guard would just stand by stupidly and still he would be seen as the face of the Emperor's Coven.
And on top of that, she had a few other tasks to do that she had been putting off. And she didn't even want to think about the missions she would have to delegate at this moment, despite the fact that one or the other exciting mission was included.
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Willow stood very still in the greenhouse. She tried to feel the plant. The plant she had felt several times now. But partly also had not felt. The plant from which an incredibly strong feeling emanated. And Willow wanted to see the plant so badly. And if it just grew out in the open, she would probably take it to herself.
But if it belonged to someone, she would not be able to do that. But then at least she could learn more about the plant. She had seen some strong plants before, especially from upper level students, but the plant she had sensed had a truly unique magic. It was stronger and in much greater quantity.
If this plant belonged to a student, she would definitely have to find out who it belonged to and then ask for tips and tricks. Actually, she would be a little too proud to ask others for tips about plants instead of finding them out herself. But for such a strong plant, she would make an exception.
But to even think about it, she would have to find the plant in the first place. And this was the big problem Willow had at that moment. She couldn't sense the plant. She didn't even have any trace of it. And it enraged her deeply. She just wanted to find the plant and do research.
But unfortunately for her, she couldn't do that at the moment. And she wondered why this was the case. She had had it several times in the last day that the plant could not be sensed. And this fascinated her even more. And she had already come up with several theories.
Either the plant only emitted its magic when it was used, or the plant had a strange nature in which it could be in a state of rest, in which magic would gather in it so that it would continue to grow or heal itself. But she could only verify this if she could examine the plant.
She let out a grumble, which earned her confused looks from other students in the greenhouse. But she knew what would put her in a better mood. Skara's music. She hoped Skara would be in the living area and immediately made her way there.
There were a few students milling around the hallways and it was noticeable that everyone was looking forward to the next day being the last day of school. Just as she turned down the hallway that led to her living area, she almost bumped into someone. "Amity"
"Hey Willow"
"Where are you going?"
Amity sighed "Home, my parents want to see me today because they'll be gone starting tomorrow. And that's why they ordered me home."
"You don't sound very enthusiastic."
"Can you blame me?"
"No," Willow said with a laugh.
"Well, I'll see you tomorrow then."
"See you tomorrow, and don't forget to watch your attitude." Joked Willow, which earned her a laugh from Amity. Finally, she made her way to the living area. She opened the door and was heartened to see Luz and Skara on one of the sofas. She immediately sat down with them.
They were all eager to see what would happen the next day. And it somehow felt a bit surreal for all of them that the semester was already over. It felt more like it had only been a few weeks. But still, everyone was glad it was over. And since it was the last night, everyone stayed up late.
Thanks to Skara, they had music, Willow had contributed snacks, and Luz kept everyone in a good mood. Whereas Skara and Willow had to laugh when they wondered if they would ever get their own room each again. But if they didn't, it wouldn't be the worst thing for either of them.
But finally, when everyone realized that they wouldn't even get 5 hours of sleep, they decided to go to sleep. Except for Luz. Willow had heard Luz's door open, and shortly after that, the door to the living area. But she decided against going after her. Much more she joked with Skara that Luz would probably have the adventure of her life now.
But this was really unlikely. And even for Luz this would be something extraordinary. And if Luz would really get into a huge adventure at this moment, Willow would have to rethink everything she thought about Luz. But she didn't want to deal with such thoughts at this moment.
Much more she just wanted to sleep. And it was much more likely that Luz just wanted to make another round through the school, at that moment would look through a window to the back schoolyard, where light would still be burning in the stable, and 5 to 10 minutes later would go back to her room.
And this corresponded exactly to the facts.
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All the students had gathered in the large hall. And the Four Friends were also seated in this adjacency. While Luz and Gus were excited, Willow and Amity found Bump's annual speech unnecessary. But alas, one had to participate.
Students had always thought that nothing could happen to them on the last day anyway if they didn't attend, but Bump had proved them wrong on the first day of the next semester. So almost all the students were present. Bump finally began his speech.
"It has been a challenging time for all of us with numerous exams, projects, and other challenges set before you as budding witches and wizards. But still, you have overcome them." He cleared his throat briefly. " However, I want to remind you that learning never stops.
It is important that we continually educate ourselves, face new challenges, and improve our skills and talents. As you all know, witchcraft is an art form that is constantly evolving. There are always new techniques, spells and rituals to learn and explore. So be prepared to keep learning and improving."
He paused for a moment, for his index cards, which he had with him as he did every time, had gotten mixed up. But looking at it again, he realized it was an illusion. If he didn't have a reputation as a strict directort that he didn't want to lose, he'd probably have a grin on his face.
"For a couple of you, next semester will be your last here at the school. And because of that, I want to encourage everyone to do their best one more time." As Bump continued talking, Luz picked up her scroll. And in her mind, she once again compared the human world with this world.
And once again realized that there were things that were the same in both worlds after all. But fortunately, after a few tributes, the speech soon came to an end. "In closing, I would like to encourage all of you to continue to work hard and pursue your dreams. Whether you want to become a powerful witch, a great wizard, or just improve your skills, with hard work you can all do it."
When Bump finally finished, the hall was quickly emptied afterwards. All the students wanted to do was go home. A week's vacation was exactly what all the students were looking forward to. And the teachers were happy about it, too.
Because as much as some of them enjoyed teaching, they were happy to spend a week without students. And so the school emptied. But it was not completely empty. A few students stayed a little longer.
They were mainly students of the beast keeping and the plant track. They said goodbye to the beasts and the plants.
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After a long walk, Luz finally arrived back at the owl house. She would have loved to just throw herself on her bed and relax. But she suspected that something would come up. She could already see Hooty getting excited. "Hoot Hoot, Hey Luz, I saw a yellow butterfly today."
"I'm happy for you Hooty." Said Luz and opened the door into the owl house. King was lying on the floor playing with his stuffed animals. But Eda wasn't sitting on the sofa as she often did. Luz heard something coming from the kitchen.
So Luz decided to sneak up. Luckily the door was slightly open, so Luz got into the kitchen without any problems. And she already saw Eda. But as she was sneaking up on her, she suddenly fizzled out and appeared next to her. "You don't think you can just sneak up on me like that. I've had years of experience with this kind of thing."
And actually she would then have to add the following, which of course she didn't say "And Hooty, who let me know you were there."
"Do you want something to eat? I just cooked something." Luz thought about it for a moment, she was actually already a little hungry, but there was a big risk that it would be something inedible or disgusting like boiled Ratworm eyes. But she didn't want to be rude either, so she nodded cautiously.
And fortunately, there was something that was edible for her. She sat down at the table with her and began to eat. "Well, how was the semester for you?" asked Eda curiously, knowing which way the answer would go.
"It's been just wonderful. Eda, I'm incredibly grateful to you for making it possible for me." And Eda grinned with satisfaction. She had no idea, when she had made the offer to Luz, if this was a good idea, because it had many risks. But by now she knew it was a good decision.
"And already excited about tomorrow?"
"Yeah, I really hope Amity likes it."
"Yes, that will be interesting to see. But for now, you can be happy that the semester is over." And Luz did the same. She spent the rest of the afternoon telling Eda stories from school and packing her things for the upcoming visit to the human world.
Which she was looking forward to seeing her friends later.
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Gus had already laid out everything he would need for the next week. He went through everything again in his head and was sure he had everything. So he was going to head out to meet up with the others once again. But before he could do that, he had to let his father know. "I'll be going now then."
"Okay, have fun and take care. And be back on time."
"Will do." he finally said and left. And he was the first to arrive at the meeting place. But a few moments later, Amity arrived as well.
"And already excited about tomorrow?" he asked.
"You can't imagine how tense I am." She said laughing to hide her uncertainty.
"So with everything I think I know about the human world, it's really going to be an exciting trip for you."
"Yeah, I think so, especially because I want to see what Luz is like in the human world."
"I'm sure it will be chaos in the middle of it." Said Gus, laughing.
"I'm sure it will, but this time it will probably start from me."
"What's going to go out from you this time?" asked Willow, who had also arrived by now.
"A mess in the human world."
"At least you have Luz, the master of chaos with you. We all know she always finds a way out of chaos somehow."
But that was as far as they got, as Luz eventually joined them as well. "Are you all right?" she asked, and they all nodded. So they began to end the semester on a dignified note. They wandered through Bonesborough and everyone laughed when they realized that Luz was still partially lost.
But finally they had arrived at their destination and were now all sitting together, glad that they didn't have to worry about doing anything for school. Everyone had grabbed a drink and Willow raised her glass. "So, here's to old friendships formed again and new friendships made this semester."
And though she was embarrassed, Amity now raised her glass as well. "To all of our success and the struggles we've had and the goals we've set and achieved."
And now Gus raised his glass. "To Luz, who came into our world, turned it upside down, and without whom we would not be sitting here now."
And Luz beamed with joy. She hoped that this moment would never end. She felt happy and secure. She had always had problems in school before and she probably hadn't had a semester where she had been happy. So Luz now raised her glass as well.
"Here's to all of us and to the end of a really great semester." And so, by toasting, they sealed the end of Luz's first semester.