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A Door Opens
The coming days after Luz helps Eda and Lilith escape from the Emperor and his coven, Civil War breaks out amongst the Boiling Isles. Many citizens, empowered and moved by Eda’s desire to practice wild magic begin to ask themselves, why do we have to limit ourselves? What was so wrong with the old ways, and why does the Titan disapprove of them?
The announcement from Lilith that the Emperor doesn’t actually have any capabilities to speak to the Titan is all it takes to solidify many citizens’ resolve to stand up to the Emperor and his Coven.
Leading the Rebellion is Eda and Lilith with Luz, Amity, Willow, and Gus right behind them. The forest around The Owl House becomes the base camp and main stronghold for the Rebellion. Covens are torn apart as opposing factions form within them. Those wishing to aid the Emperor in protecting his Empire vs those wishing to help the ones who wish to practice wild magic and perhaps even renounce their vows of following their coven’s chosen magic type.
While short, the war is brutal.
With each victory, more people defect to the Rebellion, acknowledging the true power that one can obtain from practicing wild magic. Within several months, the final battle for the Emperor's castle is over. Emperor Bellos is petrified for his crimes against the people of the Boiling Isles.
In the aftermath directly after the battle for the Emperor’s castle, the remains of the Door to the Human Realm are found in an underground chamber. After looking over the door, Eda determines that it is stable enough to be used.
One last time.
Luz took in the news with a shocked expression. Everyone around her had the same look on their face. After all they had fought for, they found a victory arguably better than the dethroning of Emperor Bellos.
Luz could go home.
Luz could go home, but she wouldn’t be coming back.
Months of fighting to the death against Emperor Bellos’ forces, the camaraderie that comes from that sort of fighting binding the friends more than any amount of studying for classes and hanging out between classes ever could have, all just to be forgotten by Luz going home.
But who would have the heart to stop her?
Months of fighting for what she thought was her new home, more or less abandoning hope that she could ever see her mother again. But now, there was hope. And she was staring right at it.
“You mean, I could use it? I could go home?” Luz asked barely above a whisper.
Eda, still attempting to be her usual carefree self, merely answered “You got it, kid! One way ticket to the Human Realm, all for you.”
Luz stepped forward and touched the door. Her hand felt the strained buzz of magical power as the door did its best to keep the Boiling Isles and the Human Realm connected. Even without a magic bile sack like the rest of her friends used to sense magic, she could tell that this would be a one-way trip.
She turned to look at her friends, now lower than her as she had to climb some stairs to get to the door. They each had the same expression of supportive sadness. She knew none of them would stop her from leaving if she really wanted to go. The only question now was, did she?
Luz decided that she would need some time before she would make a decision on whether to go through or not. Eda did tell her, however, that the door would probably only stay open for another week or two at most, so she couldn’t wait for too long.
Over the coming week, Luz talked with all her friends about the issue. On the last day before she would leave, she talked to Amity about it.
She had the same conversation as with all her other friends. We’ll support you, either way, we don’t want you to miss your mom, etc. It wasn’t until Amity stopped mid-sentence, that Luz truly gave her the attention she needed to give.
Amity sat next to Luz, her face on the brink of tears.
“Amity! Are you alright? What’s wrong?” Luz asked in a frenzy as none of her other friends had this reaction to their conversation.
Suddenly, Amity stood up and turned away from Luz. “No, no I’m not okay.”
“What? Why? Is there anything I can do to help?” Luz asked, her panic increasing as their conversation continued.
Amity turned on Luz quickly. Tears streamed down her face yet she looked Angry. “You can help by going home!” Amity shouted with a quivering voice.
Luz was shocked and confused. Her tears, expression, and words didn’t make any sense together.
“Amity, what are you saying?” Luz asked, tears beginning to sting her eyes.
“Alright, here it goes then,” Amity said as she looked to the ground before snapping her head up to meet Luz’s eyes. “I love you, Luz. I love you so much it physically first. I want you to stay here with me forever. But if you do, I’d regret it. Every second, I would think about how I’m keeping you from your home. I couldn’t live with myself, yet at the same time I don’t want you to-”
Luz cuts Amity off as she pulls her into a tight hug and their lips meet.
Amity tries to push back. She punched Luz’s back and squirmed with all her might. This isn’t how their first kiss should be. This isn’t how it was supposed to happen. And yet, it’s the only way it will.
With tears streaming down both girl’s faces, they take the time to savor their kiss.
Perhaps, their only kiss.
The next day, Luz makes her decision. She’ll take the door back to the Human Realm and leave the Boiling Isles. For good.
Many tears are shed as the group stands in front of the Door. Hugs are given, final goodbyes are spoken, and several mementos are gifted. Yet, who could forget the human Luz Noceda? With a final wave and a very forced smile, Luz went through the door.
Moments later, it exploded into a fine dust, permanently separating the Human Realm and the Boiling Isles.
Upon her return home, Luz is greeted warmly by her mother who had feared the worst after she didn’t return from camp. The two fabricate a story to tell the police about how she was lost in the woods and how the search parties simply hadn’t been in the areas they needed to be in order to find her. While her mother doesn’t entirely accept the real truth, she knows that Luz wouldn’t lie if she had been kidnapped during the time she was gone, so she accepts it to allow them to move on from the fiasco. Luz, however, lets her longing for the Isles grow, becoming a force to be reckoned with.
Back on the Boiling Isles, in the absence of the Empire, Eda and Lillith with the help of Amity, Willow, and Gus, create the Isle Kingdom. Spanning the entirety of The Boiling Isles, Eda and Lilith share the crown and help usher in a new age of peace and discovery as magic has once again become wild, and crazy new ways to use magic are discovered every day.
To help control the chaos, the Royal Coven is formed -the only coven- in order to provide some way to protect the Kingdom against magic that gets too out of hand. Amity, as the strongest of the group asides from Eda and Lilith, becomes the leader of the Coven, with Willow and Gus as her seconds in command.
All is “good” in the world. Both on the Isles, and the Human Realm.
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“Were the electromagnets stabilized?” Luz asked the lead assistant in the control room.
“Yes, they were stabilized. We-”
“What about the projectors? They were aligned yes?” Luz cut off the assistant mid-sentence.
“Yes, right before we-”
“And the stabilizers. They were calibrated to-” Luz didn’t get to finish her next sentence before the assistant cut her off this time.
“Dr. Noceda! Just like the last time, and the time before that, and the time before that, all the equipment was set up as it should be! Perhaps its time to accept the fact that its something a little more fundamental than-”
The assistant was cut off as Luz threw her clipboard and lanyard across the control room. It wasn’t towards anyone as Luz would never harm one of her assistants, but she needed to blow off steam.
It’s been ten years.
Ten years of studying her ass off to figure out how to open a portal back to the Boiling Isles. She knows it can be done. It has to be. There’s no way that only magic can link the two worlds.
The youngest to graduate MIT, the youngest to get an official Government Research Grant to complete her work, and an entire staff to help her finish the project.
Something had to be missing, but what?
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Amity was exhausted.
She had just finished giving a lecture about the history of the Isle Kingdom to some new students at Hexside, her alma mater, and of course, they hounded her with questions. She was quite the celebrity after all.
It would be nice to get home, kick her feet up, and drink some apple blood.
She opened the door to her room in the castle and turned on the lights with her magic through the flick of her hand. She bent over to take her shoes off, which was a bad idea.
“Surprise! Happy Birthday!”
The room around her erupted into noise, causing her to fall on top of herself and letting out a grunt.
“Oh, Amity! Are you alright?” Willow asked as she rushed over from her hiding spot to help Amity up to her feet. “Sorry about that, we just wanted to do something special for you. We figured you’d be the most comfortable at home and we thought a surprise party twist might be a good way to do it.”
Amity stood and dusted herself off slightly. She finished taking her shoes off but didn’t say a word. She knew that they thought she was probably mad at them by her silence. Sure it might be mean to make them think that, but where’s the fun in being nice, right?
She looked around with a stern expression. Eventually, her eyes landed on the cake sitting at the table. It was far too big for the few of them there in the room, as Gus, Emira, Edric, Eda, and Lilith were also there to share in the festivities, so she knew that King must be inside the cake.
“Follow my lead,” she whispered with a smirk on her face.
“Oh, no worries at all Willow! I love that you guys all came together to do this for me. And my, would you look at that cake you got me? I think I’ll use my magic to cut it up and serve everybody a slice.” Amity said in an unnecessarily projected voice.
“Oh why that would be lovely Amity! Thank you so much.” Gus said, quickly catching on to the prank that they were now pulling on King.
“If you don’t mind Amity, I think I’ll have a slice that goes right through the middle,” Eda said as Lilith shook her head at their childish antics.
“Coming right up!” Amity said, and made sure that the sound of her magic engaging could easily be heard throughout the room.
“Ah! Don’t eat me!” King screamed as he shot out of the cake, terrified of the prospect of being cut up and eaten alongside the cake.
Everyone, including Lilith, laughed at King and the party continued in earnest.
Once everything had died down and people were either napping on the couch or had left for the night, as Eda and Lilith had, Willow came to sit on the window sill next to Amity.
“So, how’s it feel to be 24?” Willow asked as she drank some of her apple blood wine.
“Eh, the same. Just another year further into adulthood.” Amity answered with a chuckle.
“I know it’s bad luck to ask but, same wish?” Willow asked looking over the rim of her glass.
Amity didn’t even blush at the comment, for she knew that everyone knew about her yearly wish. For ten years ago today, the love of her life left the Boiling Isles, never to be seen again.
Without saying a word, Willow already knew that the answer was yes.
“Well, don’t let it consume you, alright? Remember what we agreed?” Willow asked while arching an eyebrow.
“Yes, I remember. And it won’t. That’s why I’m not leading the effort directly anymore, remember?” Amity said as she propped her head upon her now curled up knees.
Willow simply nodded.
Amity had never given up hope that Luz would return. Nor could she be dissuaded away from trying to find a way back to the Human World. To keep her friend from being consumed by the longing for her true love, Willow made Amity relinquish control of all Human Realm research to her and Gus. They also agreed that they’d give it until they were 30 years old. Willow made Amity promise that once they turned 30, they’d give up the effort and move on to other focuses. While she didn’t want to abandon hope that they’d see their dear human friend again, she knew that it would be a waste of their lives to let it go on forever.
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Luz awoke suddenly out of her slumber. She had fallen asleep at her desk again, but that wasn’t anything new. This time, however, something was different. When she woke up, she wasn’t in the least bit tired. This was strange as normally it took her at least half an hour and two cups of coffee to become fully functional after she woke up.
This time, she had an idea.
In the midst of her dreams, she dreamt about the day that Eda took her to Knee of the Titan on the Boiling Isles. Eda had talked about finding the connection between magic and the Isles.
That was it. A connection.
Luz’s portal had no connection from the Human Realm to the Boiling Isles!
She quickly got up and scoured her office for where she left the mementos her friends had given her. It took her some time, but at last, she found what she was looking for. A small diamond-shaped stone tied onto a simple leather band with a latch connecting the two edges of the band.
Amity’s necklace.
If she could use it to get the portal to anchor itself in the dimension with similar molecular readings, she could get the portal to work! That had to be what she was missing! She knew the equipment worked as expected because otherwise, it would have blown up by now. This meant that she had the door.
All she needed was the key.
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Several days after her birthday party, Amity was sitting in her office attempting to focus on her grueling paperwork. It was funny, she could read for hours on end but when she had to read reports, she could barely keep her attention.
Thankfully, someone finally decided to barge into her office and give her something else to do.
The Royal Coven soldier barged into her room, causing her to look up suddenly. However, once he realized what he had done, he simply stood at attention, nervous about how badly he had just broken protocol.
“Well you’ve already barged in, what is it?” Amity asked, pretending to sound annoyed while very relieved that something was able to break her away from the monotony of reading reports.
“Yes Ma’am! There’s been a disturbance near the Owl House Historical Site.” The soldier reported officially.
If it wasn’t already for the fact that she desperately needed something else to do, what the soldier said had definitely piqued her interest.
“What kind of disturbance?” she asked curiously.
“We believe it’s some kind of portal.” the soldier answered quickly.
Amity bolted up in her chair. A portal? A portal !?
“Are you sure?” Amity asked, almost breathless at the shock of the news.
“Yes. Commanders Willow and Gus both believe it’s a-”
The soldier was cut off as Amity quickly stood, grabbed her staff, and opened the large window in her office.
“Get on soldier. Tell me everything on our way there.” Amity ordered as she mounted her staff. She turned back to ensure he was on the staff with her and noticed that he hadn’t moved. “Well get your ass over here! Are you asking to be demoted!?”
Instead of answering, the soldier simply ran over to her and mounted the staff behind her. As they took off, he began to inform the Royal Coven Leader about everything that they knew so far.
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The control room was silent.
Nobody dared to speak, let alone breathe, out of fear that a single misstep would cause the miracle that they were witnessing to disappear. The task that they struggled to complete for several years. The research that cost the government millions, if not billions, in research grants.
The portal was open.
Not only was it open, but it was stable. Every reading on every machine was showing as optimal. The silence lasted for a long time before Luz finally gained the courage to speak.
“Alright people, let’s not get our hopes up just yet,” she said in a cautious tone. She pushed a button on the console in front of her and spoke into a microphone.
“Max, do you have the item?” She asked over the intercom.
A man standing near the base of the portal waved and held up a book. Or at least to everyone else it was just a book. But Luz knew better. Max was holding the Diary that Amity gave to her as a parting gift. The Diary that contained all the unspoken words that Amity had wished to say to her over the course of the months they spent time together.
“Alright, you know what to do,” Luz said calmly in heavy contrast to the excitement she felt at the fact that this was working.
If things went as she expected within the next couple of moments, she would get to see her friends again.
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The first thing Amity noticed as they made it to the portal was its size. It was just wide enough to fit three people through at a time and was tall enough to fit the average humanoid. Her troops had built a dais around it so that way they could get closer to it if so desired, for it was several feet above the ground.
“Amity!” Willow called from where she was standing, with something vaguely familiar in her hand.
“What’s going on? And what’s that in your hands?” she asked after she had made her way to where Willow was standing by the stairs that lead up to the dais.
“It came from the portal just a moment or two ago. You won’t believe what it is.” Willow said, holding out the item to Amity.
Now that Amity could see what it was, her jaw dropped in shock. She reached out tentatively and took it with shaking hands. The item she was holding was a book. No, not a book exactly, more like a journal. No, not a journal exactly, more like a Diary. A Diary that looked very familiar. A Diary that, once she looked inside, she knew exactly who it belonged to.
It was her Diary.
The very same Diary she gave Luz the day that she left for the Human Realm.
“Titan,” Amity breathed as she took in the contents of the Diary. It was exactly the same as the day she gave it away. Granted it was in slightly worse condition considering that it had been ten years since she last saw it, but it was still her Diary.
Tears threatened to fall from her eyes as she looked up to Willow, a similar sight on her face.
“I know. There isn’t any other possibility. It has to be from Luz, which means…” Willow turned to face the portal, Amity following suit.
“Luz is on the other side.” Amity finished the thought.
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Luz was marching to the portal, her entire staff trailing after her, pleading the entire time.
“Ma’am it’s too dangerous to send a living organism through the portal yet. We don’t know what’s on the other side or what happened to the book. Hell, the portal’s only been open for three hours!” the lead assistant tried to reason.
“It’s been three hours and for the entire three hours, it has remained stable. Hell, we even varied the power levels and nothing changed. If it’s not stable or safe enough for organic matter to safely travel through at this point, then it never will be,” Luz stated as she continued her march, now reaching the stairs that lead up to the dais that the portal was situated on.
“Yes that may be true, but-”
“No buts,” Luz cut the assistant off. “This is it. I need to do this. If I can’t survive going through this portal, then no organic matter ever will.”
Luz stopped her marching and turned to look at her staff. All of them had followed her to the staircase and each looked desperate to keep her from going. While she wasn’t always the easiest to work with, she respected all of their opinions. Many other research leaders weren’t that nice or caring of their assistants and none of them wanted her to die just to prove something works.
“Look, guys, if I don’t do this, I’ll never be able to live my life the way I want to. I know you don’t all believe it, but I’ve been to the world beyond this portal. That device with the necklace sticking out of it serves as the anchor between this world and that one. It’s the only reason that the portal was able to stabilize this time. I have to go through now. If it’s not good to go at this point, then it never will be. I appreciate the concern, but I have to do this.” Luz said, holding steadfast to her resolve to go through the portal.
During her quasi speech, her assistants had all lowered their heads to the ground, avoiding her gaze as they did so. Eventually, the lead assistant raised his head and looked her in the eyes.
“Alright. We’ll support you,” he said, causing the rest of the assistants to quickly raise their heads and look at him. “If this means that much to you, we’ll support you. If you aren’t back within 48 hours, then we’ll shut down the portal, and announce the project as a failure, leaving you to your fate. Does that sound fair?” the assistant asked as he held out his hand.
“Works for me,” Luz said as she shook his hand and then turned to walk towards the portal. She threw up a peace sign as she reached the top and walked through.
“See you on the other side.”
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As Amity and Willow discussed what to do next, they began to hear some commotion coming from the dais.
“What’s going on up th-” Amity cut herself off as she turned to the portal and saw what was happening.
The portal was pulsing. Each pulse was bigger and brighter than the last one. Quickly, she sprung into action and ordered everyone down from the dais and back a safe distance.
“Is this what happened when the Diary came through?” Amity asked, now having to speak up over a breeze that was building due to the portal.
“No! There was just a bright flash of light and then it was here!” Willow shouted over the now screaming wind that circled the portal.
“Everybody back and find some cover!” Amity shouted, using her magic to project her voice over the wind.
Eventually, a whining tone could be heard from the portal over the wind. Amity took this as a bad sign, as did those around her, and began to brace themselves for what came next. Once the whining reached its peak, a blinding light flashed from the portal. Moments after, the wind calmed and everything seemed to be back to normal.
Amity was the first to crawl out from behind the boulder she used as cover, standing up and squinting towards the portal to see if she noticed anything. The portal had experienced almost no change from the events that had just occurred, however looking behind it she noticed that the back half of the dais was now completely destroyed, leaving only the front intact.
“Look! Someone is on the dais!” a soldier called out, pointing to the portal.
People began to murmur as Amity devoted her attention to the figure that she now noticed standing atop the dais.
“Amity?”
Amity barely heard the figure speak. Although once she did, only one person popped into her mind.
“Luz?”
As her vision cleared from the blinding light a little more, it was obvious that Luz was definitely standing atop the Dais.
“Luz!” Amity called almost desperately as she began running towards the dais.
“Amity!” Luz called in a similar fashion, running down the dais stairs.
The two met in the middle right at the bottom of the stairs with Luz jumping into Amity’s arms. Amity spun around with Luz’s momentum and the two girls held each other close. They each began to cry tears of joy as they realized what this meant for each of them. No more lonely nights, no more longing, and no more regrets.
“Hey, Luz.”
“Hey, Amity.”
It wasn’t the best first words to say after having been apart for 10 long years, but they each needed to say something. As they tried to catch their breaths, they stared into each other’s eyes, exhaustion and relief evident in both pairs.
Long before they were ready to, they smashed their lips together. Their tears of joy renewed in interest, however they didn’t stop kissing each other. Audience be damned.
At first, the kisses were desperate. The longing they had felt for each other fueling each one before they finally had enough to satisfy their hunger. After taking a break to catch their breaths, their next kiss was full of the passion they had harbored for the other all these years. Never faltering in their belief that they would see each other again.
As they stood there, surrounded by Royal Coven soldiers and friends alike, they savored the warmth they felt from each other and caught their breaths. And, once they weren’t panting anymore from their antics, said the words they both longed to say and hear for the past 10 years.
“I love you.”