Chapter Text
"One, last, CHANCE, human!"
Luz huffed as she pulled more glyph cards from her pocket. The Golden Gaurd was a fast learner when using his new staff for someone who has never used 'wild magic' before. Gus was checking on an unconscious Willow whilst King defended them with his 'super bark', Lilith and Porta-Hooty were covering for Harpy Eda, Lilith even trying to go Harpy herself, and Amity was trying to plough her way through all the Emperor's guards to get to Luz.
Hunter's mask was long gone after getting knocked off by Luz's ice spell. He too was getting tired, but he wasn't gonna let that stop him if what Amity had told her about his breakdown about not finding the Titian's Blood is anything to go by.
All Luz wanted to do today was some old fashioned camping. It was fun, it got you away from the pressures and distractions of life, and it was a foreign concept for the likes of Lilith and Amity, so a fun bonding experience all around. Then Hunter and his platoon of guards set her tent on fire and began demanded that Luz hand over the samples of Titan's Blood that Amity was able to get from the Eclipse Lake debacle. Apparently, whatever Blood was left in the Portal Key allowed the door to open, but that was it. It wasn't enough to leave the portal functioning for too long without throwing Belos across the room (which Eda would pay many snails to see in person). And when Luz refused, Hunter commanded the guards to attack, wrecking the campsite they worked so hard to prepare. It feels like they've been going at this forever. Luz was able to get his artificial staff away from him, but Rascal came to his rescue in a hurry. No matter how much Rascal liked everyone connected to Luz, he was loyal to Hunter. And Luz respected that.
But, Titian, it was frustrating.
"Hand over the rest of the Titian's Blood, now and this will all be over and done with! Or you will be arrested and petrified for denying a Coven Offical!"
"And I told you, not a chance! If Belos is really rebuilding the door, then I'm not giving you that blood!" Hunter's eye twitched as his staff flickered with energy, the eyes of the Cardinal glowing gold.
"WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS! Why do you have to make everything so much harder for me!"
Before Hunter could stop himself, he shot a large blast of energy. The second he realized what he had done, he tried to reach out, as though to try and grab the spell by its tailwinds. It wouldn't do much good.
For everyone involved, time seemed to slow as the golden blast shot towards the human witch. Gus and the just-coming-conscious Willow gasped in horror and tried to run to help her. Harpy Eda leapt from the ground and tried to fly to Luz to take the blast herself, Lilith and Hooty following close behind. King got on all fours and tried to make it to Luz to help. Amity could only cry out her name in terror as the spell shot closer and closer. Without even thinking, Luz grabbed the first glyph card in her reach and activated the spell.
A ball of light was all anyone saw before the blast made contact, admitting a bright white light that knocked out everyone.
Amity let out a light groan as she opened her eyes. When her visioned focused, she noticed she wasn't at the campsite anymore. The burnt grass, the withered trees, even the guards were gone.
In fact, Amity didn't recognize the room she was in at all.
The walls were a light blue colour, though they looked indigo in the dark (which made Amity realize it was now night). And when Amity looked closer, she noticed that there were fluffy white clouds painted on the wall, and glow-in-the-dark stars were stuck on the ceiling. The curtains had cute cartoony canaries and on a dresser, nearby sat a large collection of plush animals.
Amity realized where she was though, she second she saw a pristine, white cradle in the room underneath a lunar mobile.
She was in a nursery room.
Before she could even begin to question why she was in a nursery in the first place, a groan from the floor alerted her to the fact that she was not alone.
In fact, the whole Bad Girl Coven, and the Golden Gaurd, were just coming too and noticing where they were.
"Where are we? Where'd my stuff go!?" Eda asked, back to her normal self, before picking up King and checking him for injuries. Lilith immediately took notice of their surroundings.
"Why are we in a nursery room?" she asked as Hooty looked around the room with a whimsical look on his face. Willow helped Gus to his feet, whilst Hunter was checking on his Palismen and making sure he was alright (which Amity will admit, is kinda endearing).
Then she noticed that someone was missing from the group.
"WHERE'S LUZ!"
Everyone immediately sprung into action and looked around the room, before Amity growled and marched over to Hunter. The boy noticed and tried to back away but only succeeded in cornering himself when Amity pointed her staff under his chin.
"WHERE IS SHE!"
"How should I know?"
"You were the one to cast the spell, Genius! So what did you do to her!"
"I don't know, okay! I don't know where she is!"
"And why should I believe you!"
"Does it matter if you-"
Pretty soon, everyone was fighting amongst themselves, except for Hooty, who was still looking around when he noticed the cradle and peeked inside. Hooty's eyes 'sparkled' as he gasped in delight, before winching at how loud the others were getting.
"QUIET!" Hooty shrieked, surprising everyone when he looked genuinely upset. He glared at them all as if he couldn't believe they were behaving this way, before gesturing to the cradle.
"The baby is sleeping."
...
...
...
"Baby?!" Gus whisper-shrieked before tumbling over to the cradle and peering inside. The others soon followed suit and some of them couldn't help but coo at what they saw.
Inside the cradle was a baby. A small cubby baby with brown skin and fluffy hair of a darker shade. She was wearing otter-themed pyjama onesie.
She was freaking adorable.
Unable to help himself, King hopped into the cradle and sat next to the baby. He stared at her for a minute before he tried to boop her.
His finger went right through her cheek.
Everyone jumped back in shock and King 'weih'ed in alarm and jumped onto Gus's head. Lilith frowned before slowly moving her hand and passing it through the baby. Like vaper, the hand phased passed her and the baby wriggled, completely unaffected by the hand supposedly 'ghosting' her body.
"Interesting. It seems like some sort of illusion." Gus immediately raised his hands in surrender.
"Not me!" Lilith patted his head.
"I'm sure you didn't, Agustus. This isn't like the average illusion though. This is something more... I just can't quite put my finger on it."
A small little grunt made them look back at the baby and then, completely out of nowhere, a loud wail echoed around the room, causing all the witches, and demons, to cover their ears as the ear-piercing wail threatened to blow their eardrums.
"AGH! Make it stop!" Hunter gritted his teeth as Hooty tried to bury himself back into his birdhouse.
"How?" Amity growled, still not happy that his initial attack on Luz is what probably cause this. And where the heck is...
Footsteps.
Just then, the door to the room opened up and Amity gasped.
If it weren't for how much taller he was, and for the beard and strong jawline, this man would have been a dead ringer for Luz.
Wearing a fluffy nightgown and dino-themed slippers, the man yawned and made his way over to the cradle, the others backing off.
"*yawn* Luz? Que esta mal mi pequeña nutria?"
Everyone's eyes went wide as they registered what the man said.
"Luz? That baby is Luz?" Amity looked at the baby closer and nearly smacked herself for not realizing it sooner. Of course, it was Luz. No matter how small and cubby she was now, it was indisputable that it was her. The baby's wails piped down ("Oh, thank Titian" Amity thought she heard Hunter say under his breath) as the man picked her up and rocked her gently.
"There, there. It's okay. Papi's here."
Papi? Did that mean that this was...
Luz's father.
Strangely (to them anyway) the man bent his head and sniffed, before sighing in relief. "I love being a father, but I don't think I'll ever get used to cleaning up your little messes." the man tickled her tummy, making her giggle in delight (Amity couldn't help but notice how King and Hunter were staring at the scene. With a sense of longing).
"Must be hungry, eh? C'mon, pequeño. Let's get you something to eat."
The man walked out the door and footfalls indicated he was going down a flight of stairs. Gus looked between the group and the door.
"Should... should we follow them?"
"YEEEEES~" before anyone could blink, Hooty circling around them and flung himself out the door, taking them all with him. They tumbled down the stairs with a thump, landing in a pile. Hunter scrambled his way out and gasped for air. Then he turned to the bird-worm and snarled.
"If you EVER, do that again, and I will pluck your entire... wormy... BODY!" Hunter threatened, struggling with his words near the end.
"Try it, you little brat and see what happens!" Lilith warned as she patted Hooty's side as he looked quite proud of himself.
Some clattering in the next room, probably the kitchen, reminded them of what was going on and moved back to observe Luz and her apparent father. The man had just finished warming up a bottle of milk before sitting down at the table with Luz in his arms and gave her the bottle.
Willow couldn't help but notice how Gus was writing something down in his notepad and peeked.
- apparently, human babies wail when hungry and need to consume a peculiar white liquid. Must be warm for consumption
"Really?" Gus froze before putting the pad away.
"Research. I could never get Luz to tell me how human babies are made." Gus pouted. Amity took a deep, cleansing breath as Lilith gave Eda a tired warning look. The Owl Lady smirked and shrugged, so Willow can guess Gus's innocence will be spared today. She just simply patted his head comfortingly.
As baby Luz guzzled at the milk bottle, her father looked around the room, before looking outside the window. When Hunter followed his gaze, he saw two bright yellow lights moving into a pathway beside the house before they turned off to reveal a car (not that Hunter knew what it was)
"Ahh. Looks like mama's home."
"That's Luz's mom?" Gus inquired as the door opened and the jingle of keys was heard before the woman entered the kitchen.
"Ernesto? Why are you still up?"
"Ah, Luz just needed a treat. How was work tonight?" Camila yawned.
"Tiresome." she approached the two and shared a kiss with her husband before tickling Luz's cheek, making her giggle (everyone, sans Eda and Hunter, cooed)(though the two did smile at the scene)
The couple did nothing. Just stared at their daughter as if she held the moon before Camila frowned and looked over at the fridge. Held up by magnets, were a series of bills. Bills that were starting to fall behind.
"Hey," Ernesto called her back, "It'll be okay. I'll find a new job soon, then we can get back on our feet."
"We could lose the house, Ernesto. How are we supposed to raise our daughter when we're in the streets."
"... then I'll rob a bank."
"HA!" Eda snorted, breaking into giggles along with King as Lilith looked as unimpressed as Luz's mother.
"Ernesto!"
"I'm kidding!" the man raised his hands in surrender before pulling her into a one-armed hug, cradling Luz close, "You know I'm always gonna be there to pick you up, right mi corazón?" Camila smiled warmly.
"I know, mi hombre tonto." they shared another kiss (Amity, King and Hunter both looked at the scene with a desire to have that; loving parents)
"Now, I'll go turn Luz in. You get into bed. You look like death, amor." Camila scoffed.
"Ever the flatterer, aren't you? Night night, amor. Night night, my little light." she kissed Ernesto's cheek, and then Luz's forehead before leaving the kitchen and walking down the hallway, whilst Ernesto stood to his feet and walked up the stairs with a mumbling Luz in his arms. The group followed suit.
When they reentered the room, Ernesto was sitting down on a rocking chair and pulling out a book from the shelf. Looking at the cover, Amity saw the depiction of a girl dressed in Viking garbs, riding a great dragon. The title read "The Dragon Rider and the Valkyries Song"
"Now, as Ingrid looked into the eyes of the great beast, she knew only a mad man would not fear its immense presence. And yet she did not. For when she locked eyes with the creature, she saw no savagery, no malice. Nothing but calm. The dragon was not a monster."
"He was a friend."
As soon as those words left his lip, the room around them seemed to melt away and they suddenly found themselves in a forest.
It was silent for a minute.
...
...
...
"WHAT WAS THAT! I MEAN IT WAS CUTE AND SWEET, AND WHOLESOME, AND SWEET, BUT WHAT WAS THAT! Why did we see Luz as a baby? Why did we see her mom and dad? WHY!" Gus finally burst, before falling to his knees. Willow patted his head in another attempt to comfort him.
Amity looked around and spotted something on one of the trees.
It was a picture. A picture of baby Luz being held by her mother and father.
Amity gasped.
"We're in her memories."
"What?"
"Willow. Remember when I accidentally burned your memories and we had to go inside your mind to repair the damage?" Hunter raised an eyebrow.
"You did what now?" Willow frowned at her.
"Vaguely." Amity giggled nervously.
"Anyway... this place looked exactly like the forest that let us access your memories."
"So that was one of Luz's memories we just experienced?" King asked, to which Amity nodded in confirmation. Lilith looked deep in thought, before clicking her fingers.
"That's it! Golden Guard!" Hunter jumped at suddenly being address by his predecessor, "What did you say before you cast that spell?"
"Uh..." Hunter suddenly looked very uncomfortable as pretty much everyone sans Hooty (he was distracted by the pretty mind butterflies) gave his death glares, "'Hand over the Titian Blood'?"
"No not that."
"'You will be arrested'?"
"After that."
"'Why are you like this?'"
"YES! THAT'S IT! Right after you said that you fired a spell. You must have subconsciously cast a Memory Lane Spell!"
Everyone looked confused.
"A Memory Lane spell?"
"Yes. It is an incredibly difficult spell and is extremely forbidden as it is viewed as an invasion of privacy if ever used. Belos said he destroyed all records of the spell, deeming it savage magic. When you cast it, you wanted to know why Luz was the way she was, so your magiks allowed you a way to see why. Where on the Boiling Isles did you learn it?"
Hunter was beginning to sweat.
On one hand, he felt quite proud of himself that he was able to cast such a complex spell from the books he peeked into on the sly. On another hand, he felt a bit guilty that not only did he use a forbidden spell, one his uncle outlawed, but that he used it to invade the privacy of one of the few people that he connected with as a... acquaintance.
"I-I saw it in some books about the savage ages. I'm not supposed to read them."
"So it is your fault we're stuck here." Amity snarled. Hunter gritted his teeth.
"I didn't mean for this mess to happen!"
"But you did attack her!"
"It was an accident! And I had my orders!"
"Ugh! You are so-"
"hehehehe!"
Everyone flinched at the giggle, as it seemed to bounce all around them. Everyone took out their staffs and stood back to back as King and Hooty scanned the area with their own heightened senses. A snap of a twig made them all spin to the sound, ready to fight...
Only to see baby Luz once again. Only this time, she was covered with a pinkish-purple aura.
She tried to walk over to them on her stubby legs, only to fall forward. She would have face-planted if Eda hadn't have swooped in on the last second and holding her up to face level. Luz's arms and legs dangled limply until Luz raised her arms and bopped Eda's cheeks.
"Eda!"
"AWWWWW!" everyone (sans Hunter and King) cooed as Lilith chuckled into her palm as Eda actually tears up, before holding Luz close, a smile on her face. Hunter actually looked surprised, seeing the infamous Owl Lady coddle a baby. King scampered up Eda's body until he was on her shoulders.
"Luz! Luz! You remember me! Right?" King's voice wavered at the end, worried and hurt at the idea that his best friend might not recognize him. He didn't have to worry though since Luz's face lit up with joy at the sight of the demon dog.
"King!"
"Yeah-haha!" King jumped into Eda's arms as well, the three of them looking happy and content.
Like a family.
Hunter felt even more like a jerk now, that he was risking ruining a happy, imperfect happy for the sake of his perfect, lonely one.
"You think this could be Inner Luz? Like how I had an inner Willow?"
"Maybe. But why is she still a baby? Why not the Luz we know?"
"Maybe these are just the after-effects of the Memory Lane spell." at the sound of their voices, Luz looked around wildly before giggling.
"Willoo! Amitti! Lilly!" the girls blushed as the baby absolutely butchered their names. Gus rushed over.
"What about me, Luz? Can you say 'Gus'?"
"HOOTY!" Hooty shoved himself in, desperate for attention.
Luz stared at them for a minute, before giggling.
"Goops! Hoot hoot!"
Gus looked so torn between finding her outburst adorable, for feeling betrayed that she used Eda's name for him. Hooty didn't mind though and simply wriggled in excitement. Luz then noticed Hunter in the back of the group, looking so out of place.
"..."
"bad, sad boy."
Eda absolutely lost it there, falling into fits of laughter as Hunter's face went as red as a Bard students' uniform. But he couldn't find it in himself to really be mad. It wasn't as insulting when a baby was saying. Rascal chirped as he fluttered over and landed on Luz's belly, tickling her with his talons.
"Ras-cal!" the bird chirped a greeting, before returning to Hunter's shoulder.
The group cooed about Luz for a bit longer, before she looked at one of the trees and squealed with joy, making grabby hands at the tree. Turning around, the group saw one of the tree 'photos' brightened in colour and come into focus. This one depicted a much older Luz, five years old at least, about to enter what looked like a school, looking very scared and nervous.
Baby Luz let another squeal as she wriggled in Eda's arms. Eda smiled warmly.
"Is that where you wanna go, squirt?"
"Go. Eda, go!"
Eda snorted, before strengthening her hold on her.
"Alright! From the looks of things, the only way out of this adorable mess is to take each of Luz's memories one at a time. You kids ready?"
The kids nodded.
Eda then looked to Lilith, Hooty and King, who nodded in agreement.
Eda then looked over to Hunter, who was surprised she even wanted his input.
"Uh, yeah. Okay." Eda smiled.
"Alright then, let's go!"
Google Translates
Que esta mal mi pequeña nutria? - What's wrong, my little otter?
Pequeño - Little one
Mi corazón - My heart
Mi hombre tonto - My silly man
Amor - Love