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A flame that was once warm now burns cold in Luz’s eyes. It has been for a while. Instead of dedicating her dwindling days to learning more of the magic of the Boiling Isles, she’s been constantly plotting, training, working . She has to get Eda back. It’s her fault Eda was gone. It’s her job to get her back.
And now, she’s ready. She’s finally ready.
Standing with nothing but the purple cloak made from the Witch’s Wool, a satchel filled with notebooks of hand-drawn runes, and a staff she found in a storage room, Luz stares across the horizon. King stands beside her, looking the most grim and serious she’s ever seen him.
“Are you ready?” Luz asks, voice soft.
“...No,” King admits, “But I am ready to get Eda back.”
Luz cracks a small smile at that. “Me too, buddy.” She inhales, then exhales. “Let’s g—“
“ LUZ! ” a cry of her name has Luz turning. She pulls off the hood of her cloak, and her eyes widen.
“Guys?!” Gus, Willow, and….
And Amity.
“What are you doing here?” Luz asks, eyebrows drawn together.
“We know you’re going after Eda,” Willow says. “It’s too dangerous!”
Luz grimaces. “I know. But I’m ready. I’ve spent too long preparing and training to let this all go to waste. It’s my fault Eda was taken. I have to bring her back.”
“It’s too dangerous alone,” Willow repeats. “Let us come with. Emperor Belos is powerful, but maybe we can lessen the danger.”
Luz feels her eyes well up with tears. “ Guys ,” she breathes, inhaling shakily.
“Let us help you, Luz,” Gus says, smiling.
“Together we’re strong,” Willow hums.
“Are you sure? You’re going against Belos . You’re going against the Emperor’s Coven. There’s no going back once we make it there.”
“We’re sure,” the plant witch affirms.
Luz smiles for possibly the first time since Eda was taken. She turns to Amity. “Amity? Are you sure you want to come along? You’re possibly going to go against your mentor . You’ve worked so hard for your dreams. I don’t want you to throw it all away, I understand if you don’t want to come.”
Amity smiles, albeit wearily. “When I was a kid, all I ever wanted to do was be the best witch I could be. I wanted to join the Emperor’s Cove so bad . I became Lilith’s apprentice. I pushed myself to being the greatest. I wanted to prove to Lilith that I was worthy . But now…” She trails off, cheeks dusting a faint pink. The green-haired witch takes a steadying breath, and looks straight into Luz’s eyes. “Now, all I want is to be with you . I want to help you. Lilith tried to make me cheat in our witches duel. She hurt you , tried to kill you. That, in my eyes, is unacceptable.” Tentatively, Amity holds out her hand. “I want to be by your side, if you’ll have me.”
Unbeknownst to the two girls, Gus passes Willow a small pouch, a bitter look on his face. Willow takes the pouch with a smug grin.
Looking like she’s about to cry, Luz takes Amity’s hand, and pulls her into a tight hug. A watery laugh escapes the human, and she simply squeezes Amity tighter. “You are…” she pauses to let out another watery giggle, “ so good, Amity. You know that, right?” Luz pulls away from the hug, holding Amity by the shoulders. “ Right? ”
“Yeah, I do,” Amity replies, voice soft. Luz smiles, a tear slipping down her cheek. She presses their foreheads together.
“I would love nothing more than have you with me,” Luz murmurs, closing her eyes. She straightens up, wiping her eyes. “All of you,” she adds, turning to Willow, Gus, and King. “But I would never forgive myself if one of you got hurt. Or worse. So, please promise me one thing, okay?”
She receives four nods of affirmation, and continues, “If things get bad, I want you all to leave . Don’t wait for me. If things get bad, leave and regroup at the Owl House. If I’m not back within a day, don’t come after me. I’ll figure it out.”
“You can’t just–” Amity starts.
“Luz, we can’t promise that!” Willow interrupts.
“Yeah,” Gus agrees, “We’re friends! We stick together! If you’re not with us, we won’t leave until you are! ”
“Eda made a promise to keep you safe,” King says, “With her gone, it’s up to Hooty and I to uphold that promise until she gets back!”
Luz shakes her head. “No, no, guys...please just promise .”
Amity cuts her off swiftly, “We can’t promise something we won’t uphold. Friends don’t leave friends. We won’t leave you, Luz Noceda.”
“But…”
“ No buts.” King lets out a small, almost hysterical giggle at Amity’s words.
Luz runs a hand through her hair. “Okay,” she murmurs. “Okay. We’re in this together.”
“Always,” Amity answers. She holds out her hand for Luz, who takes it.
“Operation Save the Owl Mom has begun,” Luz announces. She pulls on the hood of her cloak, glancing at the others doing the same. King simply adjusts the skull on his head. Together, the five friends set off to save Eda.