Chapter Text
Luz turned off her camera, sighing as she got up. How she wished she could still see her mom... but now wasn’t the time. She cracked her back before checking the time. 8:30. At least it was the weekend, so she didn’t have to go to school. She knelt down and pulled out the piece of Belos’s mask she’d taken off. She smiled at it, remembering how powerful she’d felt in that moment. Then she remembered what had lead up to that moment, and her smile left quickly. Sighing, she stepped out of her room, heading downstairs. She had woken up late, and was really hungry. She gave a curt nod to Lilith as she walked past her room, the witch giving her a slight smile and nod. Luz sighed again as she walked, fixing her hair. She really just wanted to sleep in today and do nothing. But, this was the Boiling Isles. And that was generally not a safe idea.
Belos stalked through the castle, cape rustling slightly. He raised a hand to his mask, feeling where the human had cracked his mask. Such a fascinating creature... he’d have to learn more. Hopefully the Golden Guard would be able to help with that, now that he was watching the Owl House. He moved towards where the portal was housed. As he passed, guards fell to their feet to bow down. He smiled under his mask. The authority and power he commanded... he enjoyed both immensely. When he got to the entrance of the portal room, he checked the surrounding area. No one was nearby, so he opened the entrance and began the descent down to the portal. As he got there however, he was greeted by a terrible sight. The Golden Guard, that one Coven member (he believed the man was named ‘Steve’) and, of course, his son, were fooling around. He stood on the stairs, watching them act like idiots, somehow unaware of his presence. Finally, Steve noticed him and slid to a halt, saluting. The Guard and Prince finally noticed him as well, and stopped the Guard gave him a deep bow, whereas his son simply rolled his eyes at the two and leaned on his staff. Belos sighed in his mask, mainly due to his sons seemingly refusing to act like proper people. He dismissed Steve with a wave of his hand before walking down the stairs. Both the remaining men walked up to meet him.
Liaras pulled out his staff and leaned on it, giving Belos a lazy grin. He could feel his friends gaze burrowing into the back of his head, but he didn’t care. One of them had to be the fun one. “Hello there dad. We’ve been waiting about an hour for you to show up.” His father gave him an irritated look (probably, it was hard to tell with that damned mask) and pulled back his hood. His dad’s hair was grayer then he remembered. Probably due to his condition. “Yes. I apologize for my tardiness, however, just because I run behind on schedule does not give you the right to roughhouse near my portal! Do your want to reset all our progress?” Liaras rolled his eyes again, and he heard his father inhale sharply, causing him to grin. “Like we’ve been doing anything that bad. We were careful to not touch any of the machinery connected to the portal.” He heard Belos sigh, and felt slightly happy. He enjoyed annoying his father. Guard spoke for the first time, causing Liaras to look over on surprise. “So, what did you want to talk about?” Belos seemed to straighten up, and Liaras felt his stomach drop. This was probably not good. Belos rarely called them here after all and after that attack yesterday... he was worried what Belos had planned this time. “As you know, we suffered an egregious attack yesterday, causing us to lose our Coven Leader, the Owl Lady’s escape, and me to be injured for the first time in a decade.” Both of them nodded, slightly worried. Was Belos about to increase security, putting Liaras under constant guard? Belos looked at Liaras directly, and his blood chilled. “As such, I have decided to sign you up to go to Hexside School of Magic and Demonics.” Liaras felt extremely confused. He was expecting Belos to pull the old ‘you’re going under armed guard for a while until things calm down,’ not to sign him up for school. Glancing over, the Guard seemed confused as well behind his mask. “Now, you start on Killday. Make sure you are ready.” Liaras nodded, and Belos dismissed him. He and the Guard walked past, up the flight of stairs. “Oh, and Liaras?” Liaras stopped and turned sighing inwardly at whatever his father had planned to say to him. “Do be good. You will, after all, now be a public face of my dynasty. Best not to tarnish it.”
After an absolutely weird weekend, involving a ship, a monster, and the “Golden Guard” as he was apparently known, Luz was headed back to Hexside. It had been a week and a half since she last went, mainly due to needing to recover from an absolutely terrible time. She’d barely seen any of her friends, especially Amity. She’d seen Willow and Gus once, the day after, where they said they were lying low with their parents, mainly for being the public face of the crowd wanting Eda to be let go. She hadn’t even talked to Amity yet, probably due to her parents wanting her to stay focused on school. It was almost the middle of the semester now. Checking the time, she saw it was almost time to go to school. She quickly ate her breakfast and ran out of the house, ready to start her new day at Hexside.
Liaras walked down the road, the collar of his cloak up. With his hat on, he walked through town, looking like another witch on his way to work. He chuckled slightly, as he made his way past the market. Glancing over, he paused. There were a group of poor demons, sitting in the shade. There was a small can near them, with a sign asking for money. Checking his purse, he saw enough money for a nice contribution. As he approached, the demons looked over, whispering to each other. He stood in front of them, easily dwarfing them. He smiled and pulled out five golden snails. He flipped them into the can, much to the demons delight. He gave them a nod. “Thank you, sir. It’s not often you upper folks take pity on us.” Liaras simply bowed, a smile on his face. “Don’t mention it. Take care.” He turned and walked off, his white cloak twirling. He walked away, whistling a tune he’d heard from a human album. “Doxy” if he remembered correctly. He checked his satchel, making sure he had his books. He flipped it closed, and continued onto school. Hopefully things would be fine. As he got close to the building, he pulled the hood of his cloak over his head, and pulled out his mask. He slid it on, the Golden beak and wings fitting securely on. He checked his watch. Still a few minutes before 8:00. He flipped his scroll out, checking it. Seeing all was in order, he put it back, before witnessing a very curious sight. A group of students, one plant witch, an illusionist who seemed much to young, an abominationist who seemed familiar, but he couldn’t put his finger on it, and a witch with an outfit he couldn’t identify. Curious, he walked closer to the group, wondering who they were.
Luz froze when she saw the Emperors Coven member start walking towards her. She pointed towards him and her friends all turned to look, all of them instantly looking fearful. She glanced over at Amity, who seemed to have gone paler than normal. “Amity? Are you alright?” Amity looked over at her and shook her head. Luz glanced back and saw the Coven member had stopped, watching them. Their head was slightly cocked to the side. Were they… confused? Amity spike then. “Luz… that mask, is reserved for only the most high ranking members of the Coven.” Luz immediately felt even more frightened. Had the Emperor sent an even higher ranking member then the Golden Guard to trail her? But who could be higher than him? He was the face of the Coven after all. “Amity, do you have any idea who that could be?” Amity shook her head, eyes still trained on then Coven member. Luz glanced back, and froze. He was approaching them again.
Liaras had just about had enough of them looking at him so weirdly. Sure, he was kinda intimidating with his size, and the fact he was a high ranking member of the Emperors Coven, but still. As he approached, the group moved in front of the oddly colored witch, much to his annoyance. He came to a stop in front of them. “Hello. My name is Liaras.” He held his hand out in greeting. Both the plant and abomination witches watched him with a cautious look. The illusionist shook his hand carefully, seeming slightly more open. “Hi. So, why is a high ranking coven member here? Or is it a secret mission you’re not allowed to tell us about?” Liaras suddenly felt slightly stupid. Of course. They probably thought they were in trouble for something, or he was coming to abduct one of them. What for, he didn’t have the faintest idea, but still. “Oh, I’m not here on Coven business. Or, well, I guess technically it is, but I’m not here to abduct or interrogate anyone. Not today, at least.” The group seemed to relax slightly at that, other than the curious witch, who had pulled up their cowl. “No, I’m here because my father decided to sign me up for school here, rather than have me privately tutored anymore.”
As soon as Luz heard those words, all hope left her. A high ranking Coven member, as a classmate? This could only spell disaster. “Who’s your friend out of curiosity? I noticed they have a very unique uniform.” Luz froze in fear and slowly turned around. The emotionless mask in front of her didn’t change, but those eyes behind it… they seemed nice and inviting. Though it was nearly impossible, maybe he didn’t know who she was. “I-I’m Luz. Luz Noceda.” The man nodded, and Luz saw no change in his eyes. Maybe he didn’t know who she was after all. “Well, nice to meet you all. Out of curiosity, do you know where I can find…” the man began rummaging through a satchel before pulling out a piece of paper, squinting at it. “A ‘Principal Bump?’ I have to meet him apparently before school.” Amity immediately nodded. “Of course. I can show you the way now!” The man thanked her, before looking back at them, and removed his mask. “So, before that, who all are you?” The group shared a look before continuing. Willow went first. “Willow Park.” The man looked at her in surprise. “The Willow Park? I’ve heard good things about you from the Coven Leader. Apparently your one of the best up and coming members of the coven.” Willow seemed to beam slightly at that, smiling in happiness. Gus went next. “Augustus Porter. But everyone calls me Gus.” Again the man seemed to know who he was, which made Luz feel… uncomfortable? She was still wary of this whole situation. How did he know her friends but not her? It just didn’t sit right with her. “Augustus Porter? Are you related to Perry Porter, premier reporter of the entire Isles?” Gus nodded and began talking about his human obsession and him skipping a few grades. After a few minutes, he thanked Gus and began walking away with Amity. Luz sighed in relief.
Liaras glanced down at the girl as they walked. “So, who’re you?” The girl glanced up at him, but continued walking. “Amity Blight, of the Alador and Odalia Blight.” That’s why she looked so familiar! He met the Blight children years ago. It had been a while since they all met up, and she had still been young then. “Well, nice to meet you Blight.” Amity nodded, and they continued to Bump’s office. Then came the question he had been dreading being asked. “So, Liaras. Who’s your dad? I’ve never heard your name in any of my family dinners.” Liaras cringed on the inside. He knew people would ask questions, but he had hoped to have slightly more time to get acclimated and get a feel of the school before these questions. It would make it easier to lie. “My father is… a very, very important man. My existence is known to no one outside of the Emperors Coven, and only those who work at the castle. I’m not surprised you haven’t heard my name.” Amity gave him a look that he could tell was her searching him for any sign of a lie. He hoped she didn’t press any further. But of course she did. “My parents have hosted parties for every member of the Emperors Coven. Even the Emperor himself, with the entirety of the Coven. And yet I’ve never heard of you?” Liaras began panicking as he tried to think up a lie, but he couldn’t. So, noticing there was no one around, he quickly teleported behind the Blight, and brought her into an unoccupied room. She kicked and bit him, but he did not let go until they were in the room. Then, he locked the doors, put an anti-sound charm around them and bound her in magical restraints. She glared at him. “I knew it. You’re just a spy, sent after Luz aren’t you?” He gave her a confused look. Why would he be after the odd witch? “What? No. I hadn’t even heard of her until today. No, I’m doing this because we need privacy for this.” He checked to make sure everything was secure around them before releasing the Blight from her restraints. “Look. I didn’t want to have to do this. But, you leave me no choice. I am indeed the son of a high ranking member of the Emperors Coven. However, my father, is the single most important man in the Coven.” He watched as it dawned on her. She looked at him horror. “You mean, Belos? The Emperor?” He nodded, and watched the Blight carefully. He couldn’t have her spreading news of this. “Now, Blight. This stays in this room. Got it? Otherwise, my dad would probably kill you for leaking my identity.” Amity nodded vigorously, and he opened the door. They stepped out, and he dropped his spells. “Now then. Let’s continue, shall we?” She nodded and lead him the rest of the way. He didn’t notice that a certain pink haired, three eyed witch was watching them, eyes narrowed in suspicion.