Chapter Text
Luz Noceda crept across the thick branches with the grace of a cat, carefully maintaining balance and keeping her target firmly in her line of sight. Amity Blight, protégé of one of the most powerful witches on the Boiling Isles (and probably one of them at this point), was strolling home, several bright textbooks levitating above her head. Having fallen into a pattern and distracted by the fact that her hair was undone and with longer roots, Luz didn't notice the absence of a branch in front of her. However, she did notice when her foot suddenly felt nothing below it and suddenly hit a branch with a reverberating ‘crack!’ Luz, using what little she picked up from gymnastics and cheerleading, effortlessly swung herself around a tree limb and hid under dark leaves, just as Amity went on to alert.
The teal-haired witch pulled out a long silver-white staff, a raven-like palisman perched atop it, and slowed her pace, eyes sliding over every tree as she walked. At that moment, her impatience and longing, which had been steadily growing, finally outweighed her desire to surprise Amity. The ground only seemed 5 feet-ish below her, and she could easily handle a landing from 5 feet! Without devoting anymore time to the thought, she eagerly wound herself up like a spring and launched herself into the air.
The moment her feet left the tree, Luz realized how much of a mistake she had made. The ground was probably closer to 10-15 feet below her, which would definitely have to hurt, and Amity jabbed her staff out at her flying attacker. Luz winced and braced herself for being impaled when she felt a light tap. ‘Am I dead? Did it kill me so quickly I didn’t even notice?’ She wondered, tentatively lifting an eyelid. Amity’s staff was poking her in the stomach and had her frozen in mid-air.
“WHO ARE Y- Luz?!” Amity drew a spell circle and dropped Luz to the ground. “Hello!” Luz shouted eagerly.
“LUZ?!” Luz wrapped her up in a big hug. “AMITY!”
Amity seemed to struggle and protest for a moment before giving up and melting into Luz’s loving arms. “I love you,” Luz whispered. She could feel how much Amity needed the hug and decided not to break apart until Amity was ready, holding on tight. After a few minutes, Amity finally let go, feeling like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
“You’re back!” Amity exclaimed, grinning wide.
“I AM! My mom said that I could hang out here again this summer!” Luz’s mother had found out about the Boiling Isles when her camp money had returned with a note that said they had no idea who Luz Noceda was. Luz had sheepishly explained the whole story, and, when her mother didn’t believe her, discovered that glyphs work in the human realm, proving her story. Over the school year, her mother had seen how changed (for the better) Luz was from the experience, and allowed her to go back over the summer (and maybe longer), on the condition that she would have to go to Hexside during her time there.
“Will you be able to stay longer? I don’t like having to say goodbye every three months and then have to wait nine months to see you again.”
Luz smiled. “My mom said she would think about it!” Amity kissed her and started walking again. “So, what have I missed on the Boiling Isles?”
They walked home in idle chatter, only to be greeted by Edric and Emira, with expressions of- what was that, agony? Rage? No, that was sorrow on their faces. “Amity, we’re so sorry.”
“I’m here too!” Luz chimed in, having no ability to read a room. “What are you sorry for?”
“You didn’t hear?”
“Hear what?” Amity asked softly, knowing something bad was about to happen.
“Lilith is- she’s- Lilith has- she is- Lilith was-“ Edric stammered, struggling to get the message across, although Emira had no such problem. “Lilith was killed by a rebel insurgence.”
Luz and Amity gasped. Luz knew that Amity and Eda cared about Lilith, and by extension, she did too. “N-no!” Amity murmured, tears welling behind her eyes. Edric and Emira nodded sadly. “The Emperor’s Coven reported that she was ambushed and fought off the attackers, but died in the process.”
Amity gagged and stepped inside. “I-I need to go,” Luz said, wanting to be there in Amity’s time of need but knowing that she couldn’t help and Eda needed her more. Emira waved her away in understanding, although Amity gave no response at all.
Luz burst through the door of the Owl House. “Eda, are you okay?”
“Of course I am, kid, why wouldn’t I- LUZ, YOU’RE BACK!” Luz embraced her mentor. “I’m sorry to ruin your happiness, but I have some news.” Luz sucked in a deep breath.
“Lilith is dead.” She whispered to the older witch, heart racing. “Really?”
Luz nodded somberly. “The Emperor’s Coven reported that Lilith was ambushed by a rebel team and fought them off, but died trying. I don’t know how true the story is, but that’s what I was told.”
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“Amity, please,” Luz begged, tears streaming down her face. “Don’t do this. Don’t leave me.”
“I-I’m sorry, Luz, I love you. This is for your own good.” Amity responded, through her own sobs. “I know you may not see it, but the Emperor- he-he keeps the peace in the Boiling Isles. The rebels killed Lilith, who knows what they are willing to do to enforce- to create anarchy? If you aren’t going to join us, and I’m never going to join them, this is going to need to be goodbye.”
“Amity, the Emperor locks away magic! He takes away the rights of his citizens and lies to the people for his own gain! He forces the people to obey unfair laws and follow a broken system! Don’t trust him! PLEASE, at least consider it!”
Amity gritted her teeth and teleported away with a spin of her staff. “I love you,” Luz whispered into the empty space where Amity had stood.
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Two weeks have passed since that horrible day, and the Emperor’s Coven has officially declared war against the growing rebellion. The rebellion happened to be currently having a secret meeting inside the Owl House. “Rebels, let’s get down to business! The Emperor’s Coven is very powerful, and this will not be an easy war! By joining us, you will be putting yourself in serious danger. Are you all completely, absolutely certain you will fight with us? There is no going back from here.” Luz announced.
The rows of heads all nodded and agreed. “Good! Let’s take down an Emperor! This is just like Star Wars! Eda, what’s our plan?” Eda produced a huge map of the Boiling Isles and hung it from the wall so everybody could see. “Listen up, kiddos, because I am only going to say this once. The Emperor’s Coven does not need to lock the powers of its members to make them stronger because they are drawing power from nine different towers, each stationed throughout the Boiling Isles.”
Nine thumbtacks appeared in her hand, each matching the color of the nine tracks. Eda flung them onto the map. “Each of these towers is somehow drawing power from the Isles, and each one is heavily guarded.” She placed a tenth thumbtack near the center of the Isles. “This is where the Emperor lives. The magic of the Boiling Isles naturally flows here, so this is where all witches will be at their most powerful.”
“What I propose is we take each tower individually to gain access to the magic held within and then use that magic to force Emperor Belos out of power. By taking the towers, we also cut them off from Emperor Belos, turning his tower into an average location.” Eda demonstrated by animating a little cutout of an army, making it float around and beat up the thumbtacks. “See, this is us!” She seemed quite proud of it.
Luz nodded. “Rebels, here’s what we’ll do.” She placed a finger on the green thumbtack. “Plant Tower. All plant magic and flora will be at their strongest here, and some of our most powerful witches will be able to take advantage of the plants that naturally inhabit the area.” Luz glanced at Willow, who blushed. “And one last thing. Take all living Guardsman captive.” She said, she struggling to stay logical and cool.
The witches nodded, some finding what they must do odd, but agreeing nonetheless. “Okay, rebels, raise your hands if you are proficient in Plant magic!” Several hands shot up from the crowd. “Everybody who can control Fire spells, raise your hands as well!” A few more hands shot up. “The Guards will be using fire magic, as it can burn through plants easily, so I want everybody who’s hands are up to attack the Plant Tower!”
They readily agreed and dispersed from their crowd-like form to idly chatter and prepare. Luz took a moment to breathe. “Once this is over, you can be with her.” She whispered to herself, reassuringly, before weaving into the crowd, hunting down a magenta-haired, three-eyed witch. “Hey, Boscha.”
“Ugh, hey, human.”
“So, I have a favor. Willow is a very powerful witch, but I know she has a tendency to lose control, so I need you to come with us.”
“Why me?”
Luz raised an eyebrow. “I think you know exactly why.” Boscha blushed. “I don’t know what you are thinking, but I am not g-,” Luz cut her off with a wave of her hand. “I don’t really care what you are and what you aren’t, because I’m clearly not someone to be judgmental about that, and because Willow clearly likes you and it seems an awful lot like you like her too, so you’re probably the best person to bring her back down to earth. Therefore, you are coming with us.”
Boscha’s blush deepened, but she nodded. “Perfect! I think the strike force is ready!” Luz exclaimed, a small smile on her face.
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“Alright, forces, move in!” Luz whispered to the team, who were all crouched behind logs in thick, tall grass. Flowers sprouted intermittently throughout in wide patches, bursting with vivid colors. The plant rebel force, who consisted of about 15-20 people, shot up from behind the logs and leapt over them, vines and flowers suddenly lashing out at the 10 or so guards who stood in a ring around the tower. The Plant Tower was tall and covered in vines and flowers that twisted over gray stone bricks.
The startled Guards fired back with huge spears of white-hot flame that easily sliced through the plants. Luz pulled out a double glyph of her own creation, a combination of a binding and a plant spell, and flicked her wrist, sending the card slicing into the chest of a Guard. Upon impact, flowers and vines burst over him, slamming him into the wall and tightening his hands against the wall.
Luz dodged another column of scarlet flame and darted to the tower, slamming another glyph against a guard’s chest and vaulting the rapidly sprouting vines to ram her feet sharply into the head of another guard, knocking them out. Suddenly, a thin spear of flame struck her back, knocking her to the ground and burning a hole into the back of her hoodie.
“DAMN IT! THIS WAS MY ONLY CAT-EAR HOODIE THAT STILL FIT!” Luz screeched through the burning pain in her back and spun around to find vines already curling over him and tearing him to the ground. Luz bounded forward and kicked him in the gut out of spite. “That is for my hoodie!” Another blast of lightning shot next to her ear, sending her whirling around. “Oy! That bolt almost hit me! Rude!” Luz tapped a glyph, materializing a block of ice, and chucked it into the Guard’s head, instantly knocking him out. “That had to hurt,” she muttered, realizing she had a habit of witlessly quipping during battle.
Luz finally scanned the tower for any remaining guards, giving her a chance to catch her breath. All of the outer guards were down, she realized with joy surging into her heart. “This war’s looking a lot more winnable by the second!” She muttered under her breath as she re-joined the team. There were a few people with torn and charred shirts, one or two minor burns, and two unconscious rebels, but the fight had ended very well.
“Everyone, take a breather!” Luz used an Ice Glyph to wall off the entry and give them some time to think, and then found Willow and Boscha, who had done very little. “Willow, can you take control of the vines and disrupt the Guards inside?”
Willow nodded. “I can, but what if I lose control? What if someone gets really hurt?” Boscha grabbed her hand. “That’s why I’m here!”
Luz grinned. “You guys remind me of me and-,” Her joy rapidly faded when she thought about how she was going to end the sentence, although Willow and Boscha got the message and blushed, “Nevermind. Willow, I need you to do that. I promise you, Boscha will be by your side the whole time.” At the last part, Willow smiled and stepped up to the tower, placing a hand gently on the vines. Her eyes began to glow as she crumpled to her knees, Boscha carefully sitting next to her and placing a hand on Willow’s shoulder.
Willow’s eyes flickered and then intensified, becoming solid green, as the vines came alive, tearing apart the stone bricks and beginning to plunge inside. “Alright, break over, everyone! Attack!” Luz kicked in the icy wall, shattering it like glass, and rushed inside. Wooden stairs spiraled up the stone walls, meeting the stone floor of a story above them. The guards were angrily firing blasts of fire and lightning at the attacking plants, too distracted by the vines to notice the rebels, who quickly took down each guard using their own plants.
Luz gestured for a few people to follow her up the stairs, many of which were being destroyed by vines. She carefully bounced over each vine and flower and slowly made her way up the stairs, dodging attacking vines and eventually reaching the second floor. There were less vines up here, so four of the seven guards weren’t occupied. “Dang it.” She muttered when they saw her and alerted the others about the intruders.
Luz slid a glyph across the ground and slapped it, sending a long, pointed pillar of ice slamming sharply into the Guard’s chin and knocking him into the wall with a loud thump. She then ducked under two streams of fire and slid in front of the Guards, kicking out their legs and knocking them down. They blasted back, but without sight they missed and Luz was easily able to drop a glyph in between them and bind them together with vines.
The second team-member was finally able to jump out and fire his own blast of fire into a Guard, and a third quickly leapt out and whipped another Guard with a vine, before using it to bind them and another together. The last standing Guard saw how outmatched he was and leapt from the window-cove, where Luz could hear him attempt to slow his fall with streams of fire before being slammed against the wall by one of Willow’s vines.
The third and fourth floors were even easier to capture, and Luz reached the final floor, where the stones were extremely worn down, huge holes appearing in the walls where vines were. There were only four guards at the top, and two were already captured by Willow’s vines. “Nice one, Willow!” Luz flung a glyph at one of the free guards and sidestepped a pillar of fire into a vine. It wrapped around her and tore her through the wall, tearing stones free.
Thankfully, it had a tight grip and she didn’t fall, but she could feel it was slowly slipping and its thorns were tearing at her skin. “Willow, you can stop now!”
Willow didn’t hear her call, but Boscha did, and she shook and slapped Willow repeatedly, but to no avail. Luz was completely out of its grip and was hanging on with her hands when Boscha kissed Willow, green instantly vanishing from her eyes and the vines tightening back into locked positions. The vine Luz was gripping pulled back into position, allowing Luz to finally reach and grab onto the uneven stone bricks and descend the walls.
Her hands were slick with sweat and couldn’t hold on much longer when she finally reached a window on the third floor, allowing her to swing in and walk out. “Hooray!” Luz cheered to the waiting crowd. “We took Plant Tower! One down, eight to go!”
They began to celebrate as Luz assessed the damage for a second time. Nobody seemed much more hurt than before the siege on the inside, although many people had cuts and bruises. “Oh crap!” She muttered when she realized how cut-up she was. There were about twelve cuts total across her arms and body, and a bruise was forming on her arm where she was shoved through the bricks, but they all appeared minor enough that they would simply prove to be inconveniences.
After a few minutes of idly chatting with friends and trying to find healing glyphs, Luz realized what had been nagging at her the whole time. “Willow, come here!” Willow walked inside the new rebel acquisition, dragging Boscha with her. “Something’s been bugging me ever since we entered this tower and started our attack, and I just realized what it was.”
“Well, what was it?”
“Where are the plants?” It seemed like such a simple question to Boscha, who took it at face value, but Willow instantly recognized what Luz meant. “OH MY GOD YOU’RE RIGHT!”
“Um, is nobody going to clue me in here? There are plants right outside!”
“Yes, but those are alive! Think about it! All magic comes from something, right? Usually it’s magic bile, but if they’re tapping the magic from here, they must be draining the energy from somewhere! But look at the plants outside! They are bursting with life, so they can’t be the source!”
Boscha gasped. “OH MY GODS, YOU’RE RIGHT!” Willow snorted as Luz began to pace.
“What if this was a fake location to throw us off?” Boscha pointed out.
“No, this is definitely where the plant magic is concentrated, I can feel it. It’s like- it’s like the ground is bursting with magic!”
Luz pointed at her. “Exactly. WHERE’S THE MAGIC?” She suddenly realized what was off. She stepped back and forth a few times and had a second eureka moment, slapping a glyph onto the wall. A spear of ice shot from the wall, plunging into the stones she had stood on moments before and causing a wide circle to splinter into nothing, pebbles falling with thumps. “Well, would you look at that! I knew something didn’t feel right, and I was right again! My footsteps, which are always loud and sound the same, sounded different! There’s SOMETHING UNDER THE FLOOR, AND I AM ON FIRE!” Luz pumped a fist into the air in self-congratulation.
Willow and Boscha gasped again. “I should’ve noticed it! The ground is practically screaming with magic!”
Luz smirked. “Come on down!” The human leapt backwards into the unknown with a loud thump. “Ow.” Willow and Boscha gingerly leapt down after her, scanning the basement-like environment and pulling Luz to her feet. Sconces sat in the dusty, illuminated dirt walls, but none of them were lit. The room’s light was instead coming from a huge glass cylinder that emerged from the ground and was almost full of a glowing, neon liquid. “Whoa, this must be Plant Magic Bile! I wonder what they’re using it for?”
Willow touched the cool glass and yelped. “What’s wrong?”
“That-that-that’s not magic bile! Those are seeds!”
Luz and Boscha gasped as Willow drew a circle in the air, thin vines emerging from the glass in the shape of a closed tube. Willow set a hand under it and twisted the tube open, and, true to her word, seeds poured out. Each was no larger than a walnut, and they quickly had a fairly large pile in her hand. Willow twisted the vine-like lid back shut. “See?” She carefully pinched one and flung it at the wall, where a huge flower suddenly blossomed.
Boscha gasped for a third time in awe and wonder. Willow nodded, pouring the rest into her pocket. “Why would the Emperor’s Coven need so much plant power? They never even use plants!”
Luz shook her head, eyes wide. “I don’t know why, but I do know that that does not bode well for us.”