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Chapter Text

The following entries were recovered from the journal of Dr. [Redacted, the assistant of Head Researcher [Redacted] of Project Basilisk

Entry # 1

My name is [Redacted]. I am a humble alchemist of the Potions Coven. I have been chosen to assist fellow Alchemist [Redacted] with an important project given by Emperor Belos.

We are to study and bring back an elusive species called Basilisks...also known as the scourge of magickind.

Despite my...surprise with being tasked to take part in a project such as this I will do as I'm instructed. It is the emperor's will after all.

I shall document our findings for this project in a Journal

Entry # 6

It has been hours since the two subjects has hatched from their eggs. They are clumsy and confused. Fearful. ̶T̶h̶e̶y̶ ̶s̶t̶u̶m̶b̶l̶e̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶t̶r̶i̶p̶ ̶o̶v̶e̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶i̶r̶ ̶o̶w̶n̶ ̶t̶a̶i̶l̶s̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶c̶h̶i̶l̶d̶-̶

As expected they are having a terrible adjustment period. They're having difficulties with adapting to movements and still continue stumble. I'm sure it will come to them in time

The two will be branded subject BSK-001 and BSK-002 respectively.

Entry # 7

The two subjects have shown increasing interest in one another. This is a surprise as Basilisks were believed to have been isolationist creatures.

We had to separate them for now as they had not mastered movement yet and it is too risky to have anything happen to them. We only have a limited number of eggs recovered from the expedition by the Beast Keeping Coven.

Entry # 8

We have made attempts to communicate with the two but it appears that they do no understand me or are capable of speech. They may not be truly sentient...

It would have been interesting if they were

My colleague said it does not matter either way.

Entry # 9

I have noticed that BSK-002 is...needy. It always seems to be looking for attention. Unfortunately, I had unintentionally provided some attention after the subject had hurt itself in its cell and I provided treatment. It has imprinted on me. Now it won't stop calling for me. It thinks that I am its parent. How foolish. Do I look like a Basilisk? Doesn't it know that I am just food?

Now that's an amusing thought. A basilisk seeing a witch, its natural prey, as its parent. 002 would never survive in the wild not like it will ever see it in the first place

It is far too needy than I'd like. I need to take measures to prevent any further attachment.

At least BSK-001 is quiet in his cell.

Entry # 10

Turns out BSK-001 was asleep. That explains why he was quiet

He had awoken after an hour of inactivity

We were surprised he even survived at all. Unlike BSK-002, BSK-001 is much more frailer and generally much more weaker than the other one.

He may be tougher than I thought.

I went to observe him in person.

A transcript of our note is as follows.

I kept my distance at first.

BSK-001 seems to be poking and prodding at his cell. He scratches at the floor and the walls but makes no attempt to approach the iron bars of his cells. Perhaps he senses the danger that the hidden security trap poses. It seems that he is trying to find a way out.

BSK-001 has yet to make any sound beyond the scratching noises he produces from scratching at everything. It's preferable to 002's constant whining and screaming for attention. Though I suspect 001 may not be capable of vocalizing.

I step closer and 001 finally notices my presence. He immediately gets defensive, clearly wary and suspicious of me.

He's more perceptive than the other one at least.

I take another step closer and 001 begins to growl at me as he backs up against a wall. Subjects sees me as a potential threat but makes no other move beyond attempts at intimidating me.

Another step and 001 starts to shake violently seemingly trying to do...something. Is he trying to transform? Unfortunately for 001 if that's the case he's too y̶o̶u̶n̶g̶ new to be able to do transformations, not to mention he doesn't have any magic to fuel it.

I wonder what will he do if I keep approaching.

I take another step and that's when 001 opened his mouth and attempted to drain my magic.

I simply step out of his range to render his ability ineffective. 001 falls over, tired out by his attempt...Heh.

At that point I decided to leave him be to attend to other matters.

Entry # 15

It has been a few days. Upon further observation both 001 and 002 seems healthy enough with the latter no longer being as frail as he first came out. They both displayed the ability to use Shapeshifting and Magic Absorption (We had a volunteer for both parts).

Although based on recent studies while 001 and 002 are both Greater Basilisks the two of them differ greatly in temperament. One is Docile while the other is Hostile.

Whether that will make things easier or harder remains to be seen

Entry # 22

There was an unexpected development...

I had intended to keep the two subjects away from each other until they fully developed however I had mistakenly left them within earshot as I kept 001 in a room I was working on for future uses...

When 001 made noises... Turns out 001 IS capable of vocalizing after all.

I did not pay it much mind at first. It wasn't until I realized that they were beginning to babble in a seeming attempt to repeat words that I had said to them during previous encounters

They...can speak. They can LEARN.

They were SENTIENT.

̷T̷h̷e̷y̷ ̷l̷i̷e̷d̷ ̷t̷o̷ ̷m̷e̷!̷ ̷[Redacted] ̷l̷i̷e̷d̷ ̷t̷o̷ ̷m̷e̷!̷ ̷T̷h̷e̷y̷ ̷s̷a̷i̷d̷ ̷t̷h̷e̷ ̷B̷a̷s̷i̷l̷i̷s̷k̷s̷ ̷w̷e̷r̷e̷ ̷j̷u̷s̷t̷ ̷m̷i̷n̷d̷l̷e̷s̷s̷ ̷b̷e̷a̷s̷t̷s̷!̷

I don't know how to feel about this.

I had hoped that because the Basilisks that hatched were greater basilisks it meant we wouldn't have to deal with basilisks like that!

I do not want them to sound and look like...

̶C̶H̶I̶L̶D̶R̶E̶N̶!̶ ̶

It's...inconvenient.

Maybe...If I could progress their minds to an adult level of understanding then perhaps...

I did not plan for this but I will arrange them meet each other as soon as possible to see how it will go.

Let's see what happens.

Entry # 25

This is it. We had made preparations and even considered putting it off but 001 and 002 will finally reunite.

I'm...not a fan of it but for practical reasons we've chosen to install shock collars on both subjects in the event that the two end up trying to kill each other as I remember that Basilisks, can be territorial towards strangers or perceived threats to their territory. It would be inconvenient to lose two promising test subjects.

̶I̶ ̶d̶i̶d̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶l̶o̶o̶k̶ ̶0̶0̶2̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶e̶y̶e̶s̶ ̶w̶h̶e̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶y̶ ̶a̶s̶k̶e̶d̶ ̶m̶e̶ ̶w̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶c̶o̶l̶l̶a̶r̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶.̶

Both subjects had asked me what the collars were for and I simply told them it's to tell them apart.

I'm getting off topic.

When the 001 and 002 finally meet I did not know what to expect as the only stood there with curiosity and a level of wariness on their faces.

002 was the first to initiate contact with 001 who was apprehensive at first but quickly warmed up to the other.

They are curious about one another as expected and were getting attached to each other in a frighteningly fast manner.

My colleague says attachments carry a lot of risks but they can be exploited.

Entry # 30

The two have made good progress. They are now capable of full speech though 002 seems to be the more proactive of the two as 001 seems to be more introverted. ̶0̶0̶1̶ ̶s̶e̶e̶m̶s̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶l̶i̶s̶t̶e̶n̶e̶r̶ ̶t̶y̶p̶e̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶0̶0̶2̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶s̶ ̶t̶o̶-̶

These little quirks of theirs does not matter. I did not notice and it holds no importance to the research.

Entry # ?

We've decided to move them into the same cell. While they talk non stop for hours it has made them more willing to work with me to perform certain studies.

Entry # ?

I have noticed that every time I see them they are always touching or holding each other. It appears that they crave physical affection...

At least they won't ask it from me.

Entry # ?

Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

I had made an error.

002 would not stop bothering me with questions that resulted in an error from my part because of how distracted I was.

They had asked me what they were to each other...

I told them they were siblings. Brother and Sister. Now they won't stop calling each other that.

001 asked me what I am to them...I chose not to answer

I need to be more careful with what I say...

[Redacted] told me I was very careless as if I didn't know that already

Entry # ?

They have learned to read...

I restricted the reading materials I gave. I do not want them to learn anything about the outside world.

001 is a fast learner

Entry # ?

002 tried to hug me

Entry # ?

001 asked me if I hated them...

̷I̷ ̷s̷a̷i̷d̷ ̷n̷o̷.̷.̷.̷ ̷

I told him I felt nothing for both him and his stupid sister. They are nothing but experiments that I am to gather information from to help bring forth the day of unity

Entry # ?

I can't do this anymore...

Entry # ?

This is it. I have been removed from the project after I had sent a formal letter. Of course I was required to take an everlasting oath to never share what I discovered here.

While my resignation from the project was approved I was required to perform a procedure first...

I...didn't want to but I had no choice.

I don't care that 002 no longer looks at me with genuine joy in her eyes and would scamper away to a corner when I get too close or that 001 always hisses at gives me a look of utter hatred.

I pass by their cell one last time...

̷I̷ ̷p̷r̷e̷t̷e̷n̷d̷ ̷t̷o̷ ̷n̷o̷t̷ ̷s̷e̷e̷ ̷t̷h̷e̷ ̷k̷e̷y̷ ̷t̷h̷a̷t̷ ̷0̷0̷1̷ ̷h̷a̷d̷ ̷h̷i̷d̷d̷e̷n̷ ̷

Chapter Text

Entry # 667: Basilisks

Species: Basilisk

Subspecies: Greater Basilisk, Cockatrice(Possibly)

Home: Demon Realm, Unknown Island

Type: Beast Demon

Body: Serpentine

Lifespan: Unknown

Diet: Magic(Possible) Meat and Plants

Strengths/Abilities: Magic Absorption, Shape shifting, Magic Detection (Via Scent), Enhanced Strength, Enhanced Durability, Enhanced Reflexes, Enhanced Agility, Healing Factor.

Predators: Griffins

Weaknesses: Lightning and Cold Temperatures

Enemies: Vampires

Status: Extinct

Further studies are being conducted again about these beasts. Unfortunately we had to start over after Former Researcher [Redacted] walked out and took most of the notes with him. So some of these information may need to be double checked and updated

To think that these beasts came from another land. I wonder what were their homeland like. Was it like our titan corpse?

Were they different when they first arrive here? Did they adapt? I wonder how they would adapt if they ended up in an environment without magic like the human realm...

Further studies required...

-Recovered Journal

"Mami...can you tell me a bedtime story?" a young Luz asked her mother, Camila

"Aren't you a little too old for that Mija? " Camila asked with an amused smile as she fixed up her daughter's brown hair with white streaks. The woman's hand briefly brushed along smooth pale blue scales and webbed ears "I thought you like Mr. Manny's stories more?"

"I...just missed your stories"

Luz tried to sound happy but Camila could recognize the sadness in her daughter's tone. She briefly wonders if those bullies were messing with Luz again before she shook her head and quickly finished up with her daughter's hair. "Alright then why don't you get in bed and I will get started"

Luz let out a small cheer, her lizard like tail(which had tail fins) wagging, before she quickly settled into bed before she picked up a mug filled with what appeared to be a viscous red liquid which she immediately drank and briefly cringed at the taste just as her mom pulled up a chair next to her bed.

''What kind though? A tale of the Brothers Wittebane, perhaps?'' Camila asked as her daughter looked at her expectantly with her red eyes

''No, not them.''

'' What about a story of a magical place called the demon realm"

The girl nodded and the young woman smiled.

"Ah, there are so many, which to choose…? There's so much to choose from like the time Great Beasts called Titans roamed the land, Or the tale of the Bat Queen ! Or-''

"Can...you tell me more about Basilisks?" The girl asked

The woman seemed taken back for a moment before smiling "Of course mija. Long ago these magnificent beasts called basilisks roamed a place called the Boiling Isles"

Camila Noceda let out a yawn as she sat down in her office. Being the head veterinarian and researcher for the "Mystical Wildlife Management Division" at Cognito Inc. was an exhausting job, but at least it paid well.

Just then she heard her phone ring and when she took a look at the caller ID which had the name "Alien Ex Partner" on it she immediately press dismiss "Nope. Not dealing with that right now"

The woman reclined her chair when a voice called out to her "What's up snake fucker!"

Camila cringed at that nickname. She turned and saw none other than her coworker Dr. Andre Lee from the Biochemistry Department.

"Andre I thought I told you to stop calling me that." Camila scolded her coworker who sounded high at the moment "And it was one time!" she added in an annoyed tone

"Relax I'm just teasing girl" Andre took a seat "So did you hear about the latest gossip?"

"Gossip? I thought they're more Gigi's thing?" Camila said in an amused tone.

"Doesn't mean I can't take part but anyways I heard we're finally gonna get a new CEO" Andre said

Camila gasped "Does this mean J.R. will finally be replaced? Finally! You know I caught that guy literally stealing our lunches one time. I had to smack him in the face to get him to stop"

"Oh yeah I remember that. J.R was scared shitless of you after that!" Andre laughed remembering that incident. Camila had been hailed a hero by those whose lunches had always been stolen.

"So who will be replacing him?" Camila asked curious

"Well that's where things get interesting. I heard it's gonna be Reagan"

"Reagan huh? Well I can't say she doesn't deserve it" Camila has always considered Reagan Ridley to be deserving of the position. It certainly didn't have anything to do with the fact that Reagan was her bff and Luz's honorary aunt.

Just then though the sound of a phone call interrupted Andre just as he opened his mouth to say something.

"Excuse me I gotta take this" Camila said as she got up to answer her phone which had an unknown caller id displayed on the screen "Hello? Yes this is Luz's mother... Yes ... Luz did what?! Ok... I can't come over but my husband will be right over. Thanks for letting me know" the woman let out groan after she ended the call. She couldn't help but slump down in her chair.

"Woah what was that about?" Andre asked, a look of worry and curiosity on his face

"Luz got suspended" Camila said simply while pinching the bridge of her nose

"Hold up. Luz? Your daughter the sweetest angel ever got suspended?! Why?!" Andre said in disbelief. He was also something of an uncle figure to the young girl having even babysat her one time.

"They refused to share that information with me" Camila frowned.

"Well what are you gonna do? You gonna go yourself? I can have some of the guys fire up the portal gun" Andre offered.

"Thanks but no. I told them Manny will come over. I don't think it will end well if I'm the one who goes" Camila grabbed a stress ball and began squeezing it.

"Hey what's the worse that can happen? Maybe it was all just a misunderstanding. Luz is an angel I mean she's a bit of a kleptomaniac and a hoarder but still an angel...for the most part. Surely she didn't do anything serious, they probably just overreacted" The biochemist said trying to ease Camila

Camila let out a tired sigh. Although she didn't want to admit it, her coworker was right. Her daughter had always had what people called "sticky fingers," and she would even go as far as taking things that didn't belong to her, just because they caught her eye - which had resulted in numerous trips to the principal's office. Fortunately, they were able to get her to a therapist with mixed results, and that wasn't even accounting for her hoarding habit.

The woman picked up a framed photo of her and a much younger Luz with scales and a tail smiling at the camera.

Don't get her wrong she loves her daughter with all her heart but if it wasn't for her deal with Cognito inc coupled with her kind and understanding husband, raising a half basilisk with a case of kleptomania would probably be exhausting.

Luz has always known she was different from others. It wasn't exactly a difficult thing to figure out when she literally had scales all over her body, a lizard tail, and could turn into other people provided she had "fuel."

She was what one would call a human-basilisk hybrid. Her mother was human, but her sperm donor was...well, a basilisk from another world. She didn't know how that had happened either at least not the specific details

But it sounded like something straight from a fairy tale or even a fanfic right where they then live happily ever after right? Two people from different worlds formed a beautiful union that resulted in her birth.

Yeah...about that.

She was the result of a drunken one night stand...

Her mom and...father had met in a bar and when mom found out she was pregnant they were only married for almost a year when they divorced. They got shared custody of her but her alien sperm donor rarely showed up to spend time with her due to always being busy on some scheme he never bothers to tell them about. The one time she was excited to meet him was when he gave her a nanny bag which was somehow bottomless and a normal umbrella.

After that she barely saw her basilisk parent much not that she ever tried to seek them out.

Luckily a few years later her mom remarried a nice man named Manny who she thankfully got along with really well. So let it not be said that she did not have a good dad influence.

And she did what any other kids her age did by trying to fit in...which had mixed results.

Put simply, she was a rather active kid with a lot of energy to spare, which she directed into being creative at school by joining clubs like the baseball club and the drama club.

For the most part, she got along well with other kids, especially her BFF Masha, but unfortunately, like in any other school, there were always...the mean ones.

Bullies were the worst, and unfortunately for both them and her, she was very protective of her friends and those who couldn't defend themselves. In her defense, she usually avoided biting back, both literally and figuratively; however, she just couldn't help it, especially when she saw that jerk Amber and her cheerleading squad harassing Masha and her friends.

At first, she simply told them to back off, but when Amber called Masha the B-word, that was when she saw red and proceeded to sink her teeth into the bully's shoulder.

She "definitely" did not enjoy it when Amber squealed like a pig. Though she did have to stop herself from gagging and throwing up when a familiar metallic taste reached her mouth.

Unfortunately, her satisfaction was short-lived when Amber's lackeys called a teacher who was also one of the mean ones. Go figure.

This was why she now found herself waiting in the principal's office while the bully was in the nurse's office having her bite wound tended to.

She couldn't help but gulp nervously when the principal told her that he would be calling her parents to discuss what she had done.

"I'm so dead," she muttered to herself as she watched with a look of dread as the principal talked to her mother on the phone.

Hopefully they don't find out that she broke into the bully's locker while on her way to the principal's office. Sure she promised her mom to never steal but jerks like Amber are an exception right?

"I wonder how much her earrings would sell for?"

Manuel "Manny" Noceda has always prided himself in being a reasonable and open minded person.

It was kind of necessary when you're the stepfather of a literal half-alien who he love very much with all his heart. And it's just so cool! It's like straight out of some cosmic frontier where one of the characters is also a human-alien hybrid.

Though he had met Camila's first husband he doesn't bring it up with her because it was a sensitive topic on account of how their relationship ended. The fact that Camila's ex was some sort of alien was awesome! It meant that there were other intelligent life out there in the universe! It was like the origin story for cosmic frontier where space travel started to improve when humanity made true first contact with aliens.

He remembered when he had first met Luz. He and Camila had been dating for almost a year when she brought him to meet her daughter. She had told him to keep an open mind because Luz was different from others. At first, he assumed she meant that she was what people called weird, but regardless, he would accept her. It wasn't until Luz literally turned into another person that he realized what Camila meant. Thankfully, he and Luz got along really well especially when it came to The Good Witch Azura and sometimes Cosmic Frontier

And his parents said marrying a single mother was a horrible idea. Ha! Jokes on them. Camila and Luz were the best, and there's no one he would rather have as his family.

He didn't care that his parents disowned him for not marrying someone they approved of. He was happy with his choice.

Manny was brought out of his reminiscing when he found himself standing in front of the door to the principal's office. This wasn't the first time he found himself here.

It was no secret that people thought Luz was a "problem" child who frequently got into trouble, but Manny knew the truth. Most of the time Luz even got into trouble because people overreacted to something she did. Seriously, the last time Luz got into trouble was because she was playing with her eyelids! Like, what kind of teacher sends a kid to the principal's office just because they flipped their eyelids?

"Wonder what they overreacted about this time," he said quietly to himself before opening the door and walking in. One thing was for sure; no matter what, he was on her daughter's side.

When Manny walked into the principal's office, he saw two very familiar faces waiting for him there. One was the principal of the school, a stern but nice man who only wanted the best for his students, but unfortunately was way too quick to judge and sometimes easily got fooled by those with influence. The other person was none other than his stepdaughter, Luz Noceda, who was sitting in a chair while wearing an unzipped purple cat hoodie, a white shirt, black shorts with white lining, and a pair of pink fuzzy slippers. Manny noticed that she looked rather nervous.

"Hello, Mr. Noceda. I'm glad you could make it. " The principal said as he nodded to him

"Yeah. My wife couldn't make it so sorry about that." He said sheepishly as he noticed Luz seemed a bit relieved that Camila wasn't here.

"That is quite alright Mr. Noceda. Now, regarding our current situation, I assume that you have been informed as to why you've been called here? " The principal said

"Something about my daughter getting into a fight?" Manny said with a doubtful tone as he walked in and stood next to his daughter, who just looked to the ground with her arms crossed. Seeing this, Manny put a reassuring hand on his daughter's shoulder. Thankfully, Luz seemed to calm down at that.

"Not exactly a fight. More like your daughter bit her fellow classmate which resulted in them having to be sent to the nurse's office, hence why I called you here" the principal said sternly as he turned to Luz, who avoided eye contact with the principal.

Well it was time to work his magic that one year of law school gave him.

"I see..." Manny said with a thoughtful look on his face "Did my daughter say why she bit her classmate?"

"I...uh" The principal sputtered not expecting Manny's question "Well no"

"Then why don't we ask my daughter" Manny said with a smile and without hesitating he knelt down to Luz's level "Hey danger noodle" he called out his nickname for her daughter

Luz was at least no longer as nervous as when he first came in and giggled at the name

"You wanna tell the principal why you bit your classmate? You didn't do it for no reason right, Mija?" He asked in an understanding tone

Luz seemed to hesitate before relenting "Amber and her lackeys were being jerks. She was bullying my friends and even called Masha the F word"

Hearing this Manny couldn't help but be taken back a little before turning to the principal "Well there we have it. My daughter was only standing up for her friends. Surely you wouldn't punish her for that right?"

The principal to his credit also seemed to be surprised by what Luz said. He seemed to think things over for a moment before answering "I...supposed you're right. I'm really sorry about all this Mr. Noceda. I'll make sure to bring in Amber later but unfortunately Luz still assaulted her classmate and as much as I don't want to my hands are tied. Amber's parents are threatening to sue unless something is done"

Manny couldn't help but pinch the bridge of his nose in annoyance. Amber's family have always been problematic. They thought just because they were rich they could do whatever the hell they want and unfortunately their daughter thought the same with her constant bullying. Combine that with Luz's tendency to stand up for others...Geez.

"That's not fair!" Luz finally spoke up "I was just trying to stand up for my friends!"

"I know danger noodles," Manny said, giving the principal an expectant look. "Surely the nice principal has an alternative option that doesn't involve punishing you for helping others." Manny did not like guilt tripping others but this was his daughter

"Actually," the principal said, with a thoughtful look on his face. He reached into his desk and pulled out a pamphlet. "As much as I don't want to do this, it's my only suggestion. Amber's parents have already agreed to it. Now all that's left is if this option is alright with you."

The principal showed the pamphlet to the father and daughter duo who were both taken back.

"Reality check camp?!" Luz said in shock at seeing the motto "Think inside the box? That doesn't even make any sense! and why does it say they help rid of unnecessary thoughts?!" the girl said with slight fear in her tone having taken the pamphlet and read through it.

"That better not be what I think that is Principal Hal" Manny said with slight anger in his tone. He was not liking how the camp advertised itself.

"Oh no no! I swear this is not what you think. It's perfectly normal though I will admit they should really work on their advertising. But I give you my word that this camp isn't bad. You can look it up yourself" Principal said urgently to calm down the situation. He had mentally cringed at what the two had assumed of the camp because even he thinks that would be going way too far "If not then I would have no choice but to expel Luz"

"Ok now that's not fair!" Luz said while Manny had a thoughtful look on his face.

The young girl opened her mouth to protest even more but was cut off by Manny "Ok. We'll go with camp"

"Wha- but dad!" Luz said shocked at what her father said.

"I'm sorry mija but we its either this or expulsion and I don't think your mother would be too happy to hear you got expelled" Manny said grimly as Luz couldn't help but shiver at the thought of her mom finding out she got expelled

Seeing no other choice, Luz could only let out a defeated sigh "Alright"

A few more weeks of school later, Luz now found herself standing on the sidewalk outside of her house as she waited for the bus for Reality Camp with what appeared to be a nanny bag which was rustic and slightly worn and had umbrella patterns on its exterior, by her side and her hands in her pocket. She was absent-mindedly whistling a tune as her dad stepped out of their home.

When Manny was now standing next to Luz the pair just stood there in awkward silence. Both looked like they wanted to say something but could not figure out how to get it out.

"I'm not mad at you dad. I know you tried your best" Luz said.

"I just wish I could've done more" Manny said sadly before cheering himself up. He then turned to Luz and gave her massive hug. "Now don't worry. I packed you just enough fuel to last you the summer though I included extra even if you'll only be gone for three months. I be you'll have so much fun that time will fly by and tell you what mija, after camp you and I can go visit comic con. I heard the writer of Good witch Azura is going to be there. What do you say?"

"I would like that" Luz said with a genuine smile. She and her dad had always had a shared love for Good Witch Azura which had contributed to their positive relationship instead of a negative one like those in movies.

"Alright," Manny said as he pulled her daughter into one last hug. "They need me at the fire station. I'll see you in a few months Mija" He said, giving her daughter a kiss on her forehead before walking off.

"Bye dad" Luz waved goodbye as she watched Manny get into a car and drive off.

"Welp. Time to get this camp over with" Luz said with a sigh, she sat down on the bench and went to pick up her bag. Or at least that was the plan as her bag had mysteriously vanished and caused her to fall to the floor.

"What the?" Luz said to herself as she jumped up immediately and looked around for her bag. She knew for a fact she had it with her, and it definitely didn't just roll away since it was a nanny bag!

After a few moments of searching, her eyes landed on one of the weirdest sights she has ever seen. Her bag was in a sack that was being dragged into the forest… by a small owl?!

"Luggage thief!" Luz gasped before she ran after the owl as it headed into the woods, moving surprisingly fast for a small bird, until she came upon an old house abandoned in the woods. She saw the owl fly into it before running after him again.

"Give me back my bag! My diary is in there!" Luz pleaded to the owl as she ran into the house, the door shutting behind her before an eerie yellow flash came from the house.

Meanwhile in Incognito Inc.

"Hey guys, take a look at this," a security officer said worriedly as he stared at the monitor that displayed a map of the US. Additionally, there were several profiles displayed on the screen, with the most notable one being a profile of Luz, accompanied by the word "Missing."

"What is it Larry?" another officer asked impatiently.

"Remember Camila's kid? She disappeared off the map" the first officer said worriedly "Should we inform the others?"

"Nah she'll be fine" The second officer said nonchalantly which took the first officer by surprise

"W-What! But this is Camila's kid. She literally invited us for Luz's Quinceañera in the future and you don't even wanna tell her that her daughter's missing!" the first officer said annoyed

The second officer rolled his eyes "Look kid you're new here right?"

"I've been here for months"

"Whatever. The thing is, this isn't the first time this has happened. That kid's weird biology messes with our tracking equipment all the time, so unless she disappears for a week, we're not going to do anything. Do you understand?"

The first officer hesitated and seemed to think things over for a moment before letting out a tired sigh "Fine. But if anything happens to her you're taking all the blame"

"Works for me!"

Suddenly, in an unknown location, a doorway appeared and the owl with the sack had walked out with Luz still running after it.

As soon as Luz walked through the door, she suddenly felt a weight on her chest that made her pause. This was followed by a warm feeling that seemed to spread throughout her entire body.

This lasts for a few seconds before Luz decides to shake it off and continue her chase, but immediately pauses again when she realizes where she is.

She was now in an entirely new area which was a sort of tent filled to the brim with all sorts of weird things. "Whoa, what is this place?"

Luz picked up a weird looking doll "Weird"

She then suddenly heard a voice and cautiously moved towards it, peaking past the tent cover to see a woman with a red scarf with white polka dots wrapped around her head standing in front of a table.

"Finally, you're back!" the woman said to the little owl as it took flight and landed on top of the woman's staff, standing still as the woman started twisting it around until the owl suddenly became a wooden statue.

Luz let out a gasp, but immediately covers her mouth with her hand to avoid getting caught by the mystery woman who was now going through the sack that the owl brought her.

"Now let's see what you brought me today." she said as she pulled out an magazine, a diamond ring and a shining golden chalice. "Garbage, garbage, garbage."

Luz went slack-jawed as she watched the woman throw those items away like their were nothing before they pulled out what appeared springy eye glasses. The woman gasped at the sight of them before putting them on and seeing the eye spring pop out "Now, this is a treasure worth selling" the woman said victoriously

Luz couldn't help but giggle at how silly the woman looked. However, she immediately stopped laughing when the woman started going through her nanny bag and pulled out her good witch azura book

Luz's eyes widened when the woman held the book over a candle.

"My diary!" yelled and without wasting any time, she ran out of the tent and grabbed her book and nanny bag back while quickly saying "Excuse me, sorry, that's mine, thank you"

She then quickly went back into the tent, aiming to go back through the door that brought her to this place only for said door to suddenly fold in on itself into a briefcase and floated into the air out of reach. They then turned round and saw the lady enter the tent, holding a strange key.

"You're not going anywhere," said the mysterious woman, taking off the googly glasses and showing her serious face.

"Oh fuck!" Luz involuntarily squeaked before she quickly put her book back into her bag and climbed out from under the tents edge, running away until she found she was now at a cliff and stopped. Luz gasped at the sight before her.

"Woah" Luz said in awe seeing that the world before her was now that of fantasy and monsters similar to those rpg games she used to play on her phone. However her awe quickly turned to panic when she realized her current predicament.

"Oh, no, no, no, no! What's going on?" Luz stated as she backed away from the cliff before shrieking when she was suddenly approached by what appeared to be a small flying fairy "Oh, hello, little fairy. Are you going to tell me this is all a fantastical dream?" She asked in a nervous tone whilst hoping that it was really just a dream though a very strange one.

The fairy just smiled at Luz before it spread out its mouth, showing them it was much larger than it should've been with teeth completely non corresponding with the fairy's size.

"Give me your skin!" the fairy screeched at Luz as she approached, her face dripping with drool as she planned to eat Luz's skin.

"Holy shit!" Luz yelled in surprise before swatting the fairy with her bag, sending the weird creature flying over the cliff Luz was standing off of.

"Where am I? Did I die? Am I in the bad place?" Luz asked in a scared tone before, she felt a hand suddenly grabbed her shoulder.

It only caused Luz to knock it away before attempting to throw a punch at the person who grabbed her, who was the lady from before.

Luz could only watch in horror when the woman casually caught her punch with an unimpressed look.

"Nice try Kid, but like I said" the woman said while tightening her hold on Luz's hand "You're not going anywhere"

"Oh crap" Luz murmured before she was forcefully picked up by the woman and then taken back to the tent against her will.

"I'm so sorry! I just wanted my luggage! If you're gonna eat my skin" Luz said fearfully while she offered her arm and closed her eyes "just make it quick! Just do it now!"

The woman though simply ignored her ranting and instead focused their gaze on the terrified "human" who still had her eyes closed. She then smirked before saying "Eat you? Why would I eat... a potential customer?"

"Say what now?" Luz said dumbfounded as she opened her eyes and noticed that the tent they were in front of had the sign" Human Collectibles" on it.

She was even more dumbfounded when the mystery woman became like an old time sales person before they began pulling out human items that were not considered treasures. A yellow croc shoe she said was a foot full of holes, a bar of men's gel deodorant she thought was green candy, and eventually a small portable TV that she called "a black shadow box the reflects only sadness."

Luz couldn't help but chuckle before standing up and taking the TV.

"Actually that's not all it can do" Luz said before looking around the stand, she noticed a pair of batteries from a bowl with the sign 'human candy' that didn't have any real candy. She then took some of the batteries and placed them into the device.

The T.V suddenly started playing an old dance aerobics video that seemed to attract the attention of all the other creatures around the bazaar. Luz swiftly put the TV on the table before moving away and leaving everyone crowding around. They were captivated by the picture and the TV, full of desire to possess it.

"I'll give you 40 snails for it!" A random creature said while holding up green money that looked like US dollars.

"I'll give you 100!" another said.

"Can I eat the tiny person inside?" a third one asked.

The woman smirked having been impressed by Luz's knowledge of human artifacts and loved how it was steering up her business. "What did you say your name was?" she asked.

"Oh, well uh...I'm Luz. Luz Noceda" Luz said with a smile, her eyes blinking vertically for a moment

The woman seemed to have noticed this but decided not to say anything before she shook her head and smiled "Well kid that was pretty clever," the woman said, "for a human"

"That's a pretty weird thing for another human to say lady" Luz said with a raised brow, confused by the lady's statement. She chose not to correct the lady at the human part since it was only half true.

"Oh, dear child, I am not like you." the woman said before pulling off her scarf and showing Luz her two pointy ears and jumped on the table. "I am the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles, Eda the Owl Lady"

"A witch?" Luz gasped in pleasant surprise. She was astounded at the revelation of the woman who called herself Eda was actually a witch.

I am respected, feared..." Eda continued to say as a shadow made it's way to the front of her stand.

"Busted." it said in a male voice before it smashed the TV with it's large fist, causing everyone to disperse and run away wile Luz took a step back having been taken off guard by the new arrival.

The big figure that casts the shadow was a man in a hooded tunic with a white wrap over his shoulders, black gloves, black pants with a belt and sword on his right him, and black boots. He also had a large metal cone with eye holes on the sides on his face.

"Eda the Owl Lady, for your misuse of magic and demonic misdemeanors, you are under arrest!" the burly man, a sort of guard, said as he held up a wanted poster with Eda and a strange black creature on it.

"Wait, you're a criminal!?" Luz asked accusing while she turned to Eda, swiftly pointing an accusing arm at the pale lady who only rolled her eyes in response.

"Yes, she is and she is hereby ordered to come with me to the Conformatorium." the guard said as he grabbed Eda's arm but she pulled her arm away.

"Would you guards quit hassling me? I haven't done anything!" Eda said as she crossed her arms in annoyance but the guard didn't listen.

The guard then turned to Luz and moved to grab her

Noticing the incoming hand, Luz immediately stepped back and moved next to Eda seeing the lady as the lesser of two evils(and less scary) in this place.

"You're coming, too..." The guard pointing their gloved finger at Luz in an intimidating manner "...for fraternizing with a criminal"

"What?! That's not cool!" Luz yelled back at the guard.

"OK, OK, I'll go" Eda held up both of her hands "Just let me get my staff"

"Don't you mean stuff?" Luz couldn't help but ask in curiosity.

Eda smirked at her before suddenly taking out a familiar wooden owl staff from underneath the table, and swinging the guard in the face. She then slammed her staff on the ground and caused her table, human objects, and tent to float in the air.

"Oh, right. Can't forget 'bout this?" Eda said, getting a key out of her hair, and pressing it like a button.

Luz heard a clock sound and saw a suitcase, with the same marking as the door she just came through, float with the rest of the things just to get wrapped up in the sheet Eda used as a mantle for the table.

"Now follow me kid!" Eda said as she dragged Luz away from the guard, who was slowly getting up.

"This is insane! and if I die, It will be on you!" Luz shouted to Eda, who was still dragging her by the arm.

"Hey, don't worry kid! After what you showed me at the market, you're much more valuable alive than dead." Eda answered

Luz tried to retort but was cut off when Eda suddenly jumped into the air.

Eda cheered excitedly before her staff's owl top suddenly unfurled wings while its eyes glowed, allowing the two to hop on and fly forth like a classic witch on a broomstick while the guard caught up only to watch them fly away.

Luz closed her eyes, feeling the air hitting her in the face, she hugged the staff tightly and looked down and saw the ground drifting further and further away from the second. She could feel herself getting little bit nauseous.

She then heard Eda's voice. "You can open your eyes now, kid."

Luz did as she was told by the woman, only to see a forest, miles under her feet and what she could only assume were giant bones.

"W-what is this place?" Luz questioned nervously.

"Welcome to the Boiling Isles," Eda said nonchalantly, "every myth you humans have is caused by a little of our world leaking into yours"

Luz's eyes widened at that. Her mother had told her stories of the Boiling Isles. She would have thought it was pretend but the fact that she was a half basilisk made it hard to assume that but the fact that she was in the place that she had heard so many stories about as a kid felt so surreal.

She then thought of something "Every myth? Does that include...Basilisks?" She asked a bit hesitantly and hopeful.

"Sure. Though those guys died off hundreds of years ago. They're practically extinct. Why do you ask?"

"Well..." Luz began to say but was interrupted by a loud screech before she saw a large griffin fly overhead. She couldn't help but watch in awe as the majestic beast let out a bunch of spiders from its mouth "I knew it! They do have spider breath! Wait till my teachers hear about this! I was right about Griffins!"

Edra smiled and looked as if she wanted to say something, but to their shock, the griffin suddenly turned its head towards them. It seemed to focus its gaze on Luz before letting out another screech and, to the two's horror, the giant beast made a beeline for them with its talons.

"Aaahhh!" Luz screamed and braces herself for the attack

"Not today!" Eda exclaimed as she immediately drew a spell circle which unleashed a giant fireball towards the griffin, which was fortunately blasted away by the attack. "Phew, that was a close call. Must be mating season if that Griffin attacked us out of nowhere just for getting close."

Eda then landed her staff in the woods, dismounting it while Luz stayed on. The witch turned around and was a bit taken back when she saw the "human" looking at her with a look of amazement.

"What?"

"Oh my god how did you do that?! You made a circle and then all that fire came out and went boom! and the griffin was like ah! Was that magic?! Can you teach me!" Luz began to rant excitedly.

Eda raised a hand which made Luz stop "One at a time kid. We're in a rush so you get to ask just one more question"

"Right right sorry. Just so excited. This place is like one of my fantasy books and-" Luz immediately stopped her ranting when she saw the look Eda was giving her "Sorry. So what you did back there. Was that magic?"

"Yep" Eda said simply "Everyone around here can do magic"

Luz gasped at that. If everyone could do magic then could she do it as well? "Everyone?"

"Well there are some who are more like magic beasts than actual magic users not to mention powerless witches who have defective bile sacks" Eda explained

Luz frowned at that. She remembered her mom would say in her stories about how basilisks were like magic beasts. So much for hoping to be able to do magic. She opened her mouth to ask another question but was cut off by Eda

"Hold your snake horses kid. I said you get to ask only one question. Now follow me kid" Eda said as she dragged her stuff with her

Luz frowned at not being able to ask more questions before walking after Eda who then led them to a strange yet mystical looking large house made from white brick with a sloping blue roof, a stained glass window above the door gives the impression of a large orange demon eye and most of the house consists of a crumbling stone tower with orange moss growing on it

"Wow" Luz whistled in amazement. "As cool as this place is aren't you worried that more of those guards might show up?" she asked while looking around in suspicion.

"Not at all because my household has a state of the art defense system" Eda said confidently while gesturing to her home before looking at the owl face shaped ornament on the door.

"Hoot hoot! Password please!" the ornament asked, revealing itself to be sentient before Eda poked it in the eyes. "AH!"

"We don't have time for this, Hooty. Let us in." Eda deadpan as Luz stared at the door ornament with a look of surprise.

"All right, all right! Geez! You never want to have any fun! Ow! Hoot!" Hooty said before he suddenly opened up his mouth wide enough to allow the three to walk through.

Once inside, Eda turned around and smiled. "Human, welcome to, 'The Owl House'," she said proudly before snapping her fingers causing the candles to ignite while A fire in the fireplace starts, a cauldron starts stirring itself, and a broom starts sweeping the floor. On the ceiling , a depiction of an owl beast of some kind begins to glow with a loud screeching noise.

"Cool." Luz commented as she walked and looked around a bit. There were a bunch of both mystical and normal objects either lying around or placed inside boxes.

"This place is my little retreat from the pressures of modern life. Also the cops. Mm, also ex‐boyfriends" Eda said with a laugh.

Luz couldn't help but giggle at Eda's last statement.

"This place is beautiful! Do you live here all alone?" Luz asked in curiosity.

"Well no." Eda said before the room started to shake, causing bit of rubble to fall from the ceiling. "I do have a room mate."

The shaking continued as Luz turned to a doorway and saw a shadow approaching.

"Who is the fool that dares intrude upon me?" it alleged with an intimidating voice before it was revealed to be a small black dog like creature with a skull head and wrapped in bath towels while holding a rubber duck. "The king of demons?" he said once again but in a somewhat high-pitched voice.

"Oh my god..." Luz said as she slowly walked towards the small creature with a blush on her face before she gently picked him up.

"You are the most adorable thing I have ever seen!" Luz exclaimed before she hugged the small creature to her face with a look of bliss. The little creature, the supposed King of Demon, didn't like the hugging though and attempted to break free from the girl's tight grip to to no avail.

"No No! I am not adorable, let me go!" he shouted while trying to push away Luz's face which was now rubbing against his. "Eda! Who is this monster?!"

"OK kid, that enough," Eda said, separating Luz from King which took a bit of effort due Luz's tight grip. "King, this is Luz the human, she is here to help us with our little… situation."

"…Wait, what?" Luz said as she narrows her eyes at this in suspicion "I don't like the sound of this 'situation' you are talking about."

"Well, just let me explain, OK?" Eda asked.

She then proceeded to talk about how the little creature, King ,was once a mighty demon before and the betrayal that trapped him in his actual—mass of beauty and dreams—body. Luz was more interested in the magic spell Eda used for the storytelling though. The images floating inside the circle were… amazing, even if not actual motions, They took in the entire story and for a moment Luz once again wondered if it would be possible for her to be able to use magic as well.

Maybe once this is over she could ask Eda.

"So… what do you need me for?" Luz asked once Eda had finished her little light show.

"Weren't you paying attention?" Eda asked, "I need a human to get King's crown back from the safe since its warded to prevent witches and demon from entering"

"Oh well uh I don't think that is a good…" Luz began to say but Eda cut her off.

"Hey, sorry but you kinda don't have any choice here," Eda said , before taking King by the cheeks. "Besides, who wouldn't want to help this cute face? How could you say no to him?"

"No, don't encourage her!" King begged.

Eda dropped King before sighing. "Okay, then... If you do this favour for us, I will send you back to your boring world for free and, as I have already said, you have no choice. What do you say?"

Luz let out a sigh "Look Miss Eda as I was trying to say before I don't think its a good idea because of one teeny tiny detail"

"And what's that?" Eda raised a brow

"I'm not exactly a human" Luz said sheepishly

"What?! But you have round ears!" King exclaimed pointing to Luz's round ears in question.

"Well I'm actually a um..." Luz hesitated

"A what?" Eda narrowed her eyes

"I'm a Basilisk"

Eda and King in response both let out a laugh thinking Luz was joking

Seeing this Luz let out a sigh before she proceeded to shed her human disguise

which immediately cause Eda and King's eyes to both widen.

"WHAT THE F-?!"

Chapter Text

Excerpt from "Claws, Teeth, and Tales: an incomplete guide to beast demons" written by Zoonara Pankon, edited by Official Historian, Flora D'splora, Former Head Witch of the Emperor's Coven.

Entry # 13: Basilisks

'Of all the many kinds of demons across the titan, none is as infamous as the basilisk, from their mimicking behavior and tendency to stalk in the shadows, it's no wonder they are the subject of nightmares across the Isles. Used as a warning for young children to not be out alone in the dark, these beasts are known far and wide, but how many of these rumors are backed by real evidence? Perhaps much more than we realize.

Basilisks are reptilian, beast demons with no magic of their own. They are characterized as having long serpentine bodies, two arms and a long tail instead of legs. They are covered in protective scales and have shaggy fur along their backs. Armed with sharp teeth, claws, and the ability to hide in a crowd, they are quite a menace to be dealt with. Known for their erratic and aggressive behavior, they were commonly described as sneaking into early settlements and destroying dams, mills, and other monoliths of advancement [we will go further in depth later].

Due to archaeological evidence, we have discovered that basilisks are not native to the Boiling Isles. This invasive species seems to have suddenly appeared several decades before our golden age of advancements. A possible explanation is that they traveled from another titan, we have often speculated that other corpses of titan exist in the world, but are simply inaccessible at the moment.

Perhaps basilisks had the ability to swim in the boiling sea, but lost it over the years. Some enthusiastic scholars believe that basilisks crafted a ship of sorts to travel over the sea, but it is much more likely that they simply traveled by floating on a piece of debris.

Once they landed, they spread like eye rats, and eventually had dens all over the titan, taking up precious land and resources. It is believed that the basilisks that landed on the titan were not the same ones that harassed early civilizations. From unearthed remains, we have found that basilisks had extreme adaptive properties. Earliest specimens had larger eyes, lengthened bodies, and seemed much better suited for life in a cave system.

Later specimens had shorter bodies, shorter arms, and wider hands, which points to a tendency of burrowing.

What's interesting is that these adaptations happened within the life of the first arrivals, suggesting that they changed their fundamental physiology in order to better survive in their new environment.

Researchers believe that basilisks' shape shifting ability might be a side effect of this quickened evolution, allowing them to change their appearance at will. Most likely this was used in hunting, allowing them to blend into their environment and sneak up on their prey.

An interesting fact researchers found was that witches were described as feeling weak or faint around basilisks, the current theory is that basilisks had a form of poison or venom that they used to paralyze their prey, but without the proper fangs or venom glands, more information is required.

Basilisks were very dangerous creatures, equipped with protective scales, claws, venom, and the ability to hide anywhere, brutal beasts that would wreak havoc on our society. Their extinction was unfortunate but ultimately better for magic kind.'

Luz has to admit it was kinda funny seeing Eda and King's faces when she told them she was a basilisk.

It was a lot better than how the last person reacted which was pulling out a shotgun, intending to mount her head on a wall after she made the mistake of shedding her human disguise to do a bit of stretching out in the woods and being mistaken for some big game in the middle of hunting season at that.

Not counting her mother the number of times people actually found out what she was could be counted on one hand.

Her BFF Masha who being the awesome friend they are was totally understanding and was even amazed

Her Stepfather Manny who would more than definitely be worthy of a best father of the year award unlike a certain sperm donor of hers.

Then there was that curator guy at the museum who kept stalking her a few years ago after accidentally seeing her default form only to suddenly up and leave one day due to something about needing to visit a sick relative in Antarctica.

And lastly, it was that hunter, but did he count though? Then again, she didn't really get caught or anything; the man didn't even know who she was, other than a potential mount on his wall. She still had the occasional nightmares about that incident, especially after one of his bullets shot off one of her horns, which still annoyed her to this day, as they were now unbalanced, no matter how many times she tried to get them to match again!

And now there was Eda and King. She briefly wonders though why they look shocked when her non human half was supposed to be native to the isles but then she remembered that Eda said basilisks are supposed to be extinct(which was depressing to think about).

What the two were experiencing was probably the equivalent of someone in her world seeing a living breathing dinosaur in the present. She wasn't sure if that was even a good comparison.

Eda was the first to recover from her shocked state.

"Let me get this straight. You're telling me you're a basilisk? The same guys who were supposed to have died off a long time ago?" Eda asked still puzzled.

"Well, technically, I'm only half basilisk because my mother is human. And before you ask how it happened, it involved a lot of alcohol." Luz deadpans. She had asked her mother once how she met her father and her answer was in a bar so Luz was able to piece together the circumstance of how she was conceived.

Eda was about to ask something but was interrupted by King who has also snapped out of his shocked state

"Can you shapeshift!?" the little demon asked excitedly

"Hmmm" Luz had a thoughtful look on her face before she suddenly turned into Eda who took a step back out of surprise "Does this answer your question?" she couldn't help but says proudly as the grin on King's face widen even more

"Eda, she is a basilisk!" King was now hopping around a little seemingly excited at the revelation. Luz found it endearing.

"Yep and since I'm not the human you need for your little heist I would really appreciate it if you just send me home" Luz asked while turning back into her human disguise. As much as she wanted to explore this world she didn't want to miss summer camp and end up getting expelled.

"Now hold on a minute kid we're not done with you quite yet. You're still helping us get King's crown back" Eda raised a hand

Luz was taken back by this "What? Why? You said you needed a human to get past the barrier. I'm only half human so it wouldn't work"

"Nah it just means you have 50% chance of getting past" King explained

"Exactly" Eda added with a grin

"I...don't think that's how it works and I'm not even from this place" Luz deadpans

"Look just help up with this real quick and if it doesn't work we'll send you home regardless. Alright?" Eda said though there was now a hint of impatience in her tone"

Luz thought about it on one hand she really wants to go back home on account of not disappointing her mom and dad but on the other hand this was a magical world where magic is real it was like the world of good witch Azura!

"Alright," He slapped his hands down on his knees and stood up. "I'll help you get this crown of yours but if it doesn't work you're sending me home immediately. Deal?"

"Deal!" Eda grabs her arm and pulls her out of the house. "There's no time to lose!"

"Wait up!" King said before he throws his towel off and places the duck on the table before running after them.

"So where is this crown being held?" Luz asked

Eda laughed at the question "Somewhere fun"

"Wow" Luz couldn't help but watch in awe as she took in the entirety of the boiling Isles. Earlier she hasn't been able to appreciate it but now though she has to say it's quite beautiful.

It was just as fascinating as the stories her mom used to tell her about it.

To pass the time, she had asked Eda and King more about the place, which had led to her learning quite a number of things. One was that the Boiling Isles didn't have weather; instead they had disasters like plagues, gorenados, shale hail, and painbows, which apparently turned people inside out just by looking at them.

The last part had made her shiver and she couldn't help but wonder how the population was even able to survive them which led her to another discovery.

She had learned that the island itself was apparently made from the corpse of a gigantic and powerful creature known as a titan, and the witches and demons that inhabited it were born from its powerful magic. This made her wonder... would that make them technically evolved maggots?

Luz shook her head thinking about how it was probably more complicated than that and she shouldn't apply earth logic to this strange magical place.

King had also asked her some questions, mostly about her being a half-basilisk, and some questions about her basilisk parent. She answered some of them, and others she didn't, either because she personally didn't want to or outright not knowing the answers.

Eventually though they had reached their destination and Luz saw that it was definitely NOT a fun place.

In front of her was what could only be described as a sort of dark fortress surrounded by a tower. The sky was soulless and gray, which only gave it a feeling of dread. She didn't picture a prison as a fun place but she will admit that the conformatorium was kinda cool.

In hind sight she probably should've expected it considering Eda is a wanted criminal and if the crown was exactly as she described it then it makes sense that it would be stored in a place like this which look like something straight out of lord of the rings or pretty much ang medieval fantasy setting.

"Remind me to never believe you when you say we're going somewhere fun" Luz couldn't help but deadpan while King and Eda only chuckled at her "So this is the conformatorium? It's huge"

"Yep! The Conformatorium, a place for those considered too weird for society" said Eda as she stood next to Luz

"How exactly does one get considered weird for society in a place like this?" Luz asked curious

"By beheading someone duh!" King said happily as if it was the most obvious thing in the world and also not finding anything wrong with what he just said

"So basically criminals?"

"Pretty much...or anyone the emperor doesn't like" Eda shrugged.

"Wait you guys have an emperor? I though you were all just independent and stuff" Luz said surprised at this piece of information

"We do but unfortunately he's what you humans would call an asshole" Eda snorted which earned a chuckle from both Luz

"Bah! He's just a false ruler! I'm the only true ruler here and once I get my crown of power back I'll show everyone who ever mocked me that I'm the true king of demons!" King said triumphantly which Luz found both adorable and funny.

Luz then noticed the same wanted poster that the guard had a while ago on the wall next to her and stared at it

"Wow, they must really hate you to have a bounty like this." Luz commented as she took it down and stared at it. The basilisk girl's eyes widened in surprise when she saw the amount of zeroes on the poster which was 12 to be exact

"Yep, but they can never caught us because we're so slippery." Eda said smugly with a wink.

"Yeah! Just try to catch me when I'm covered in grease! It can't be done. Nyeh!" King said as he pointed to himself while walking up next to Luz. The little demon then pointed towards the Conformatorium tower.. "You and me are gonna sneak to the top where my crown is!"

"And I'm gonna make sure the warden's distracted" Eda added as she gestured to herself confidently.

Luz briefly got a thoughtful look on her face "Well I better change up my appearance then" she said before all of a sudden her skin literally started to melt off much to the horror of King and Eda.

"Holy titan! Kid are you ok?!" Eda said worried

"Your skin is melting off!" King added

Luz found their reaction very funny "Sorry. This is just what it looks like when I completely remove my disguise" she said trying to hold back her laughter. The last time someone reacted like that was when she showed her dad Manny her true form.

Eventually, her disguise completely melted off and revealed her true default form, which was that of a tall, average-built pale blue-skinned humanoid with messy brown hair with white streaks. She had two horns (one being shorter than the other) sticking out of her head and possessed light purple scales all over her body. She had sharp teeth, fangs, and webbed ears. Additionally, she had claws, a tail with a tail-fin at the tip, and red colored eyes

Overall though she now felt much more free in this form. She no longer felt so confined.

"What do you guys think?" She said showing off her true form, swinging her tail around which almost hits Eda in the face

"Other than that earlier bit that will give me nightmares. You look like our everyday demon!" King said

Eda though was inspecting her appearance with a curious glint in her eye which Luz couldn't help but be unnerved by "So this is what you actually look like without a disguise? I thought that basilisk form you showed us earlier was your true form?" she asked curious

"Well technically I have two true forms. This is which is my default one which I like to call my hybrid form and my earlier one which is my basilisk form" Luz explained.

Eda seemed to contemplate something for a moment before shrugging. "Alright. With your looks, you'll fit right in." She said before she tapped her staff on the ground, creating a glowing platform for King and Luz. "Hold onto your butts."

Eda stepped back as the platform rose them up and towards the window to the Conformatorium before it suddenly vanished, causing them to fall. If not for Luz grabbing the edge of the window and King grabbing Luz, they would have plummeted to their deaths. Eda simply smiled as she made her staff fly and sat on it with a lazy demeanour. "Meet you guys at the top," she said with her eyes closed as she flew away.

Luz managed to pull herself up and landed inside the tower, panting heavily before taking a deep breath to steady her breathing. She really needed to get back on her workout routine.

"Took you long enough" She heard King, who was tapping their foot impatiently (and adorably), says sarcastically. She couldn't help but growl at him.

"Would have been faster if you helped" Luz said sarcastically. King simply laughed at her before she got up and walked forward. However, when she looked around, she began to notice the number of cells inside the tower prison.

King hopped on Luz's shoulder as she stopped at the edge and looked down to the bottom.

"Yeesh! That's a long way down" Luz said as she continued to look around until she heard a voice from behind her.

"Hey, lizard girl!" a female voice said as Luz and King turned to see a woman with black hair in a high ponytail style, noticeable fangs, and green eyes wearing a yellow choker. She also wore a purple dress with sleeves, stockings, and black boots, in a cell with her arms crossed. "How'd you get out of your cell?"

Luz wonders for a moment whether the woman was a vampire or not.

"Actually we broke in, so we're not criminals here..." Luz shrugged as she walked closer to the presumed vampire girl.

"Not yet, you're not." King jokingly said as he sat on Luz's left shoulder.

"Neither are we! That crazy warden likes to lock people up just because they're a little different or just plain weird!" The fanged girl angrily said as she suddenly turned to the duo outside her cell and pulled out a book, opening it to show Luz her writing and pictures. "Like, how I like to write fanfiction of food falling in love. That's not criminal is it?"

"What? Of course not! There's nothing illegal about fanfiction" Luz said while going through the book. She had been taken back by what the girl said cause if fanfiction was criminal here she would be one of the place's most wanted with how much fanfiction she has written herself

"I'm here cuz I like to eat my eye balls." came a voice from the cell next to the fanfiction writer, said a large male creature with blue pants on and 5 eyeballs, 2 spots being empty before he suddenly ate one of his eyes and instantly grew it back.

"Oh gross, but cool! Still you shouldn't be in jail for something as trivial as that, you probably just have different taste than everyone else." Luz explained "I've eaten plenty of weird stuff myself!"

Luz briefly thought back to the time she drank her fuel in front of everyone in school. In hind sight she really should've known that wouldn't end well considering what her fuel is. It was funny seeing Amber throw up though

"We are agents of free expression! Our voices will never be contained!" shouted a small female voice from the other cell next to the fanfiction writer, a small round creature with large blueish eyes, a rather prominent nose, and reddish hair. She's practically just a head with no body, with her limbs coming out of it.

"She's a real conspiracy buff, can't get enough of them." the fanfiction writer said as she rolled her eyes, at the conspiracy theorists

"Reality is just a simulation! We are but pawns of a higher cause!" the conspiracy theorists yelled out loud while grabbing her cell bars and shaking it violently.

Luz had a look realization at hearing the reasons why these guys were in jail "Wait. These aren't crimes. None of you actually did anything wrong. You're all just a bunch of weirdos like...me" .

Well, "Weirdo" was probably a weird way of describing a half-human half-basilisk. But if her social life had anything to say about it, that didn't really matter. She thought back to times when she had tried to talk to people other than Masha about things she liked, or had tried to show her classmates a project she was working on, only to be made fun of just because whatever she was working on wasn't popular or was "too creepy".

Luz pulled out Eda's poster, wondering if the woman really was a criminal or someone who was just misunderstood. Luz's thoughts, however, were soon interrupted by the heavy beat of footsteps coming from the stairwell.

"Oh no! It's Warden Wrath!" the fanfiction writer said as she turned to Luz. "You need to hide! Quick!"

"Crap!" King and Luz yelled before they looked around for a spot to hide but unfortunately there were no hiding spots available. Seeing that there was no other choice Luz turned to King "King. I need you to trust me"

"What are you-" King began to ask but his words died in his mouth when Luz suddenly transformed into an exact copy of a conformatorium guard.

"Quick hide behind me" Luz whispered to King who thankfully chose not to question anything and obeyed by hiding behind her now broad back

Luz then waited with sweat building on her brow as a figure began walking towards the other prisoners. Revealing himself to be a large, humanoid with a muscular build. He wore a hood and a mask with yellow button-like lenses that resembles a plague doctor, a white sleeveless tunic with brass buttons, a leather belt with a brass buckle, and black trousers tucked into dark purple shoes. There was also appears to be a triangular brass badge on his right pectoral.

Luz made sure to memorize what he looked like...just in case

"I can hear you." he said as he looked to his prisoners. "What are you fools talking about?"

The warden looked down and saw a wanted poster of Eda on the floor, the one that Luz dropped when she ran to hide.

"Eda the owl lady." he said as he picked up the poster and crushed it in his fist before transforming his hand into a hammer and slamming it into the vampire lady's cell bars. "Your capture will be soon. I promise you that."

The warden then looked at the transformed Luz, trembling in fear as she hides a cowering King behind her.

"You!" The warden pointed at Luz harshly

"M-Me?" Luz nervously pointed to herself, thinking that the warden had seen through her disguise.

"No. The other guard over there-Yes you! Get over here!" The warden yelled which Luz fearfully obeyed "Don't you know...that your uniform is out of order!" he pointed at Luz's uniform which she realized was now wet with her sweat and she had mixed up the colors of the uniform due to her being in a hurry.

"Oh! S-Sorry. It's just you know. It's very hot around this part of the prison. You should think about installing some air conditioning" Luz answered barely able to hide the fear in her voice

"The fuck is air conditioning?! You know what forget it! I want that uniform of yours in order by the end of the day. Got it!?"

"Y-Yes sir!" Luz gave a mock salute as she felt King trembling behind her.

The warden then seemed to notice something behind Luz but before he could check it out one of the prisoners spoke up.

"We will never truly be captured! Freedom shall always be within our grasp against the oppressors and we will never be afraid of you, you giant creep!" the tiny nose monster said as she got Warden Wrath's attention, making him turn his hand back on Luz and King before he walked over to her cell.

He then randomly pulled the handle next to her cell door up and freed her.

"Freedom. Hurray!" she cheered before Wrath suddenly grabbed her in his hand, shutting her mouth as he moved from her cell.

"Let this be a lesson, you criminals, you will never find a place in society if you don't fit in." he said as he crushed the tiny monster a bit, getting a short squeak of pain from her.

Luz couldn't help but wince at the treatment.

Once Warden Wrath left the room with Tiny Nose, Luz let out a breath before turning back into her default form

"Don't worry, I can get you out!" Luz said, shifting back to her default form as she went to one of the levers and pushed it upwards with all her might. But no matter how much she tried the lever would not budge much to her frustration

"Darn. This thing is stuck real good" is all she was able to say.

"Look kid. From one witch to another, we're not worth it. Go out and enjoy freedom for us." The eye-eating demon said sadly

"Look I can get you guys out I just need more power. And I'm not exactly a witch" Luz said revealing her basilisk form to the two prisoners who's eyes widened in shock

"You're...a basilisk?" The fanfic writer said in surprise as she took in Luz's appearance.

"She sure is!" King said before Luz could answer

"I thought you guys were extinct" The eye eating demon said also having been taken back

"Well clearly we're not and that is the second time I heard that today but that's not important" Luz said "The important thing is I'm busting you guys out of here!"

Luz once again tried to push open the level. Thankfully being in her basilisk form always did give her an extra boost in strength and the lever began to give way only to suddenly snap leaving Luz with a broken rod in hand.

"Fuck" Was all she can say.

"Look kid. Even if you did get us out we would only slow you down. You should just go and enjoy your freedom" the fanfic writer said before turning around.

"No" Luz said

The fanfic writer looked back at her "Huh?"

"Yeah, what are you talking about?" King looked up at him

"I'm not leaving you guys here, from what you said none of you when did anything to deserve getting locked up. You wrote fanfics, he eats his own eyes, and that nose girl is just a conspiracy theorists." Luz takes a deep breath "I may not be able to help you at the moment but mark my words I will be back"

The fanfic writer has a stunned look before she smiled "Thanks kid. For a basilisk you're not really anything like those books said"

"Historians said basilisks were evil and eats people for fun" The eye eating demon added "I guess they were wrong. Are others like you?"

"Well, there's my basilisk parent, who's dead to me, but probably not on the level I've heard about." Luz said, though internally she made a mental note to ask Eda about any basilisk books she might have since the more she hears about basilisks, the more curious she's becoming, even if she does have some working knowledge from her mother and sperm donor.

"Huh...Well good luck kid"

"Thanks" Luz was about to leave when she remembered something "Oh by the way out of curiosity do you know where confiscated items are being held? My friend's crown here was stolen by the warden and we're trying to get it back" she gestured to King.

"I need it to get my power back and take my place as the rightful king of all demons!"

The fanfic writer gave King a weird look before she thought about it for a moment "It's probably in contraband, I think it's down that hallway." She pointed in a direction behind Luz.

"Thanks. Again I promised I'll come back for you guys!" And with that Luz ran off with King almost falling off.

Along the way, Luz had shifted back to her default form while King had decided to walk for himself and jump off of her shoulder. The cells were far behind them and they now faced the last floor of the 'Conformatorium' but while they were walking King decided to ask his basilisk companion something

"So can you turn into anything else other than other people" King asked curious

"Its mostly limited to people" Luz said

"Mostly?"

"Well my transformations are usually just on the outside and I can't turn into anything that's either way bigger or smaller than me and usually I need to actually get a good look on who I want to turn into otherwise there would be flaws in my disguise like when I turned into that guard earlier" Luz explained

"Awww Does that mean you can't turn into a large hand dragon to swallow your enemies whole?" King said sounding disappointed that Luz could not turn into whatever she wanted.

"Trust me buddy if I could I would definitely do it especially when that bitch Amber messes with my friends" Luz couldn't help but smile while imagining herself being able to turn into a large dragon and proceeding to scare the shit out of that jerk

"Who's Amber?" King asked

"Just some jerk back in the human realm who thinks she can do whatever the hell she wants just because she got rich parents" Luz couldn't help but growl at the thought of Amber

King looked like he wanted to say something but was interrupted when Eda arrived sitting on her staff

"Hey, good news, the warden is busy torturing some tiny creature so we should be good to get the crown and get out of here before anyone is the wiser" she said as she jumped off her staff as she was approached by Luz

"I don't see what's good news about someone getting tortured and why are you so casual about it" Luz frowned remembering how the tiny nose person had been the reason she and King didn't get caught so hearing Eda be so casual about her fate was upsetting.

"Eh. Torture isn't anything out of the ordinary and around here it happens a lot more than you can imagine" Eda said off handedly as she and the group walked towards the contraband room.

"Yeah! Some people even enjoy it! Especially when they get whipped" King said happily

Hearing that Luz's face heated up as her mind unfortunately drifted to thoughts that could only be described as not family friendly

Fortunately she didn't have to dwell on such thoughts when she noticed she and her companions found themselves face to face with a large, decorative door with the word "CONTRABAND" spelled out on it.

"My crown, I can sense it!" King said as he ran to the door, scratching up to the doorknob before jumping on it in an attempt to get it open.

"Aw, he gets so cute when he's thirsty for power" Eda said.

"Out of curiosity, was that little guy there really the king of demons before he lost this so-called crown of power?" Luz asked suspiciously, gesturing to the King who was still struggling to open the door.

Eda was seemingly taken back a bit by the question due to her not expecting it "Well duh. Of course he is" she said while avoiding eye contact with Luz

"Oh well, I just find it hard to believe since that small fur ball looks way too adorable to have been a tyrannical leader. Crown or no crown." Luz said before she jumped in surprise as the doorknob that King was trying to remove got thrown to the ground with a thud. The tiny demon then immediately pushed open the door, cackling, and ran inside.

"Come on, before he hurts himself" Eda said walked inside with Luz following suit.

In front of them was what looks like a large tube of light "Wow" Luz said in awe. She then sees King rub his head before charging at the pillar headfirst, succeeding only in launching himself backwards which caused Eda to snicker in amusement.

Eda picks up King "We have a human, remember?"

"Oh, yeah" King said.

"Half human" Luz corrected before looking at the tube of light "So, I just walk in, get the crown and then we leave?" Luz gave Eda an expecting look.

"And if it doesn't work I still send you back to your boring realm as promised" Eda added with a snort.

"Alright. Let's get this over with" Luz took a deep breath as she walked towards the barrier...only to get repelled with a rather nasty shock

"Ow! What the?" Luz said as she saw her skin briefly turn scaly before returning to its default form. She then turns to Eda with a huff. "There. It doesn't work. Can we go now?"

"Not quite yet. Do your basilisks thing first" Eda said cryptically.

Luz was confused "What basilisk thing? My transformation? I don't see how that's going to be any help here"

"Oh! You mean their magic eating thing?" King said seemingly excited

"I'm sorry what?!" Luz's yelled, shocked.

"Yeah what King said. Use your magic eating ability to bring down that wall" Eda said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world

"Ok first of all I had no idea Basilisk can even absorb magic" Luz said still reeling from this new information because she really didn't know. Her basilisk parent has never told her this particular detail about their species.

Now it was Eda and King's turn to be confused with the former speaking up "What do you mean you have no idea? How else can you shape shift? Basilisk eats magic to transform though that does bring in the question of you're able to do it in the human realm"

"Because I don't use magic. I use blood. It's what fuels my transformations!" To emphasize Luz reached into her nanny bag and pulled out a vial filled with what looks like blood. For as long as she can remember blood has always been what she needed to consume in order to transform as much as it disgusted her and made her want to throw up.

Plus all the vampire jokes from Masha got on her nerves a few times.

'I'm definitely gonna be asking Eda for those books on basilisks' Luz thought to herself as she couldn't help but wonder how a basilisk's magic eating ability even works.

King had a look of awe on his tiny little face again and looked like he wanted to say something but was cut off by Eda "Look can you at least try? If it still doesn't work I give you my word that I will send you home"

Luz gave the Owl Lady a look

"Ugh fine" Eda groaned "And I'll answer whatever stupid questions you have"

"Good enough for me" Luz couldn't help but grin at Eda's offer as she put away the vial before walking up to the barrier again "So how do I do this cause I honestly have no idea how basilisks absorb magic"

"Just open your mouth and suck it!" Came Eda's crude suggestion

"What?!"

"Yeah that's how basilisks do it. It's like breathing in air for them" King helpfully added

"I can't believe I'm doing this" Luz let out sigh before she opened her mouth wide and began to suck in air hoping that it will activate her apparent magic eating abilities. But no matter how hard she sucked nothing happened that is until a fly flew into her mouth causing her to have a coughing fit "Gross!"

"Well that didn't work" Eda frowned while King had a sad look on his face which Luz couldn't help but feel bad.

She heard Eda tell her that they need to go but she tuned it out. She stared at the barrier again but this time she placed a hand on it and like before it wouldn't pass through. She then closes her eyes, opens her mouth again and imagined herself eating the magic that powered this barrier.

For a moment nothing happens again until...

"Eda look! She's doing it!" Came King's happy voice which made Luz's eyes shot open.

Much to her shock she immediately saw that her hands were now glowing with a bluish hue as she felt a tingling feeling from them which passes along her arms and settles in her chest which gave her a warm feeling "Oh my god. I'm doing it!" she couldn't help but grin as she saw that the barrier was beginning to flicker.

Until eventually it completely shut down. Luz doesn't know why but for some reason she had expected it to shatter like glass but in hind sight its probably better that it didn't happen like that.

Instead the barrier simply disappeared like a flashlight losing batteries.

With the barrier gone, it revealed what could be described as mountains of garbage stacked upon one another. On the tallest pile Luz noticed what appeared to be a shining gold object.

"There it is." Luz said as she began to climb up the mountain towards it.

Once she had reached the top, she immediately stopped and gazed at the item in disbelief. "Wait... this seriously can't be it." Luz said as she took the crown and climbed back down, knocking over smaller piles near the edge before walking down to Eda and King with the crown.

"Um... Is this it?" The crown in Luz's hands wasn't that of gold, jewel and other priceless gemstones but of paper and white ink with a familiar logo of a local fast-food chain on it called "Burger Queen."

"Yes! That's it!" King eagerly said as he jumped out of Eda's hair and took the crown, before placing it on his head.

"Yes, YES! I can feel my powers are returning!" King said triumphantly.

Luz and Eda simply watched as King went over to the knocked over pile and pulled out a stuffed bunny he named "Francois."

"Is...that...thing just for show?" Luz asked as she looked at Eda who ignored her question while looking away "Hey Eda, what the heck is going on? Isn't that crown supposed to 'restore his powers' or something" Luz said the last part in a suspicious tone.

"Uh, no." Eda said as she looked to Luz, who gave her a confused look. She lets out a sigh "Oh, look at us, kid. King and I don't have much in this world. We only have each other. So if that dumb crown is important to him, it's important to me. And besides, us weirdos have to stick together, you know?"

The witch said, giving the basilisk girl a genuine smile.

Luz felt a smile of her crawl onto her face. She couldn't help it because the situation was just so damn wholesome...ignoring the fact that they were still in a creepy prison

"Now let's get out of here before Warden Wrath catches us and loses his head."

"Too late."

It happened so fast.

Warden Wrath had appeared out of nowhere and stood menacingly behind Eda and before she knew it she was now holding the owl lady's head in her hands and she did what any logical person would do in her shoes. Scream.

"Oh my god!" She screamed as she held Eda's severed head which...blinked?

"Ow! Oh I hate it when that happens" Eda's still very much alive head groaned in pain much to Luz's shock

Luz was very thankful that there was no blood coming out of Eda's severed head otherwise she probably would have thrown up right then and there "Oh my god, Eda! Your head. A-Are you ok?" she wanted to immediately slap herself for asking that last question.

"Yeah this is just what happens when you get older" Eda said in a resigned tone.

"Does it?!"

Before Eda could answer Warden Wrath had taken a step forward snatching the cardboard crown off King's head as he got closer. "Edalyn Clawthorne. My guards could never catch you, but I knew that if I took your pet's toy you'd come running to get it" He crushed the crown in his hands.

"No! My power!" King fell to his knees

Eda glared up at Wrath, "What do you want with me anyway? I haven't broken any of your stupid laws… in front of you"

"I want you…" Wrath got down on one knee and pulled out a bouquet, "To go out with me!"

"What." Luz and Eda deadpanned

"Go boss!" one of the guards cheered

"You've always eluded our capture. You've always been the one who got away. I found that alluring"

Luz wanted to gag at the words that were coming out of this guy "I hate everything that you're saying right now"

Unfortunately this was the wrong thing to say as Warden Wrath was angered by her words

"You stay out of this!"

Wrath threw the bouquet away as his arm morphed into a mess of tentacles that flew forward and snatched Luz up. Eda's head hit the ground before Wrath picked her up by the hair.

"So how about it Eda?" He held her head up to his eye level, "The powerful Owl Lady and the feared Warden Wrath. We'd make the greatest power couple on the Boiling Isles. It's not like you can say-"

Before Wrath could finish he suddenly let out a scream and immediately dropped both Luz and Eda's head which was caught by King.

Wrath looked at his hand only to see a bite mark on it courtesy of Luz "You little brat! Do you have any idea how many germs are in your mouth?!"

"Don't know. Don't care!" Luz stuck her tongue out at the warden before turning to King "We gotta go!"

The three immediately ran towards Eda's body and quickly reattached her head.

"Thanks Kid! Let's get out of here!" Eda said before summoning her staff"

The three of them hopped onto Eda's staff and made their way through the conformatorium. Luz looked back for a moment and saw Warden Wrath rapidly approaching them, using his fleshy appendages to swing off the floors and walls.

As they passed by the cells the other prisoners were being held in, Luz transformed her left arm into a similar form to warden wrath's before turning it into a similar blade to slice the cells open.

"YOU'RE NOT GETTING AWAY FROM ME THAT EASILY!" Wrath roared as he shot one of his arms towards the staff. While Eda was able to avoid a direct hit, it was still enough to make them lose balance and tumble to the ground outside of the conformatorium.

"Alright Luz" Eda grunted as she pulled the key out of her hair. "Take this and I'll meet you back at the house"

"But what about you guys?" Luz asked worriedly

"If you think this guy is bad, you should have seen her last boyfriend!"

With a swift toss from the witch, Luz felt herself getting picked up and carried away by Eda's staff. And as she looked towards the scene below her, she saw as Warden Wrath pulled his mask off to reveal a gaping maw where his face should be. As the two figures exchanged blows, Luz realized that the weirdos from the prison cells were gathered around the hole that Wrath had left in the wall. With a frown, she redirected the staff.

"Why are you just standing there?" Luz asked. "This is your chance to escape!"

"What for?" The multiple eyes demon said, "the warden will catch us again… he always does." he said sadly

The fanfiction writer talked next. "We belong here."

"Insecurity is a prison you can't escape from," the tiny-body big-nose demon said who Luz was really relieved to see that she was ok save for the black eye they now have

The prisoners all muttered in agreement.

"What? Don't you see it?" Luz said as she got down the staff, "you have a different way of doing things, a different way of seeing things, and yeah, that may make you weirdos, but it also makes you who you are!"

Luz stopped at that, before she looked at Eda who was beginning to lose against the warden.

"Why are you helping us?" they heard the fanfiction girl asked with a skeptical look

"Because…" Luz snickered before giving the prisoners a bright and wide smile. "Us weirdos have to stick together! And nobody should be punished for. Who. They. Are!" Luz shouted before she got on the staff again "Now, let's go get them!"

"I can't believe that speech worked" Luz thought as all of them cheered and she charged against the warden, smiling as she began to undo her human disguise.

Their battle cries caught the warden's attention as he was about to slice down on Eda and King with two blade hands.

"Huh?" he said in confusion as turned his head to them.

"Luz!" Eda said in shock seeing the basilisk and prisoner's sudden charge

Luz passed by the side of the warden, letting the other prisoners fight him while she flew towards the air. She will be honest she wasn't a fighter so there's no way she could fight wrath so instead she will be taking him down wrath with a different approach.

One thing she had discovered when she was younger was that she was very heavy...not because she's fat mind you but because it had something to do with being a basilisk of her sperm donor was to be believed. In her default form she was the size of a human but her basilisk form though was the size of a horse and had the weight of one. She assumed that whenever she was not in her basilisk form her size was being compressed but her weight remained the same. Though that did not stop the fat jokes from Masha

"Well time to put that weight to use" Luz said to herself in amusement as she looked down and saw the warden who was now being restrained by the other prisoners.

With that she jumped

"Cannonball!" she yelled out loud as she began to shift into her basilisk form once more for maximum impact all the while expanding some of her blood fuel to make her skin denser to reduce the chance of her hurting herself.

The prisoners immediately backed off the impact zone while the poor warden could only watch in both shock and horror as a large basilisk was about to land right on top of him and he could do nothing to escape.

"Oh Fu-"

BAM!

The force of the impact cracked the ground below the warden who let out a pained gasp before falling to the ground unmoving.

"Did I get him?" Luz couldn't help but joke despite knowing that she did in fact get him due to the fact she was lying on the (thankfully not dead) body of the sadistic warden before all of a sudden she was approached by the prisoners who began to compliment her.

"Wow that was amazing! You took down that guy in one hit!" The fanfic writer said

"You were so cool" The eyeball eater said

"I'm gonna wwite a stowy about you" Tiny nose said in an adorable manner, not surprised by her basilisk mode.

"Oh man that's a good idea! I could even write you a fruitsona!" The fanfic writer said before their conversation with tiny nose started to get a bit weird and heated especially when the topic of shipping came up which prompted Luz to quietly back away from the argument. She noticed Eye guy doing the same whom she gave a quiet nod they returned.

When she spotted Eda and King she immediately ran up to them wanting to get this nightmare over with.

She couldn't help but smile though when Eda complimented her and when King made a comment about Eda's ex boyfriends.

Eventually they got on Eda's staff and flew back to the owl house unaware of a shadowy figure watching them before disappearing further into the shadows

Luz who was still in her basilisk form slithered through the door with Eda and King in tow.

Eda placed her staff on the table and turned to Luz.

"Well, a deal's a deal, kid. Here's your ticket home." Eda said as she snapped her fingers, making the key she gave to Luz float back to her before she clicked it like a button.

Luz watched as the doorway that brought her to the Boiling Isles soon opened up behind and waited for her to open it to return home, but as she turned to it, she hesitated before turning back to the two behind her and seeing King's crestfallen expression.

"Hey, King, about your crown." Luz said as she turned and walked to him, opening her bag and pulling out an azura toy that her father Manny had gotten for her and taking off its small crown. "I know its not much but I figured a King shouldn't be without his crown" she then put the small crown on King's head

"Its not much but it will suffice." King said as he smiled up to Luz who returned the gesture.

"Take care of yourself little basilisk." Eda said to her.

"I will." Luz said as she turned to the door.

She opened her suitcase up to make sure she had everything she packed.

Clothes? Check.

Charger that would be useless in the demon realm? Check.

Her diary containing her deepest embarrassing secrets? Check.

Vials of blood to keep up her human disguise? Check

The good Witch Azura issues1-5? Check.

She then pulled out the brochure for Reality Check camp and her Azura book Issue 1. She gazed at the three in silence before looking at the cover of her book.

As she flipped through the pages, her eyes found their way up to a mirror above the mantle. Her, Eda, and King were all reflected in it, and almost perfectly matched Azura, Haggar the Elder, and Shuffles the Adorable.

"Hey Eda, what does it mean to be a witch?" Luz asked.

The witch raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Like, where is the line drawn between witches and demons? In town I saw some people who looks more like a cross between witches and demons." The teen elaborated. Eda simply gave her a shrug.

"Eh those are probably hybrids plus Witch just tends to be a term for anyone who can use magic, really plus its like the name for our species"

Luz got a thoughtful look on her face upon hearing this "Anyone who uses magic" she thought back to all the times Eda used magic and how it fascinated her. Even back then when she read Good Witch Azura she always wanted to be able to do magic and now she might have a chance.

"Alright" the girl said as she turned around. "I know we started a prison riot. And you got your head cut off"

"Which still hurts"

"...But this is the most fun I ever had! I don't fit in on Earth, even without people knowing what I am. And you don't fit in here. So if I stay, then we could... Not fit in together!"

Eda blinked. "You lost me, kid."

"Back at home I've always found magic to be so fascinating and wished it was real. Of course some people told me its not and that I'm crazy for believing in it but now that I found this world where magic is real I want to stay here and learn to be a witch like you!"

Eda let out a small laugh at the idea.

"What? Alright that's crazy. Basilisks can't do magic."

"Maybe that's just because they never tried or you never met one since you said basilisks are supposed to be extinct right? If you teach me how to be a witch, then I'll do anything you want!"

"Anything I want huh" Eda said with a thoughtful look

"Let her stay!" King begged. "She can do the heavy lifting for us!"

Eda showed a soft smile as she picked the little rascal up.

"Well, I could use a hand keeping this goofball out of the cupboards... Alright, I'll teach you how to be a witch, but you'll have to work for me before learning any spells. Deal?"

The owl lady offered her hand to the girl, who eagerly accepted it.

"It's a deal"

However Luz suddenly realized that there was one flaw in her plan "Oh fuck I just realized if I don't show up to camp my dad will find out when they call him that I didn't show up"

"I could wipe his memory if you want" Eda offered

Luz immediately gawk at the idea of Eda manipulating her dad's memories "That's alright I know a less morally questionable idea"

Back In the Human Realm...

Masha entered cabin seven with a tired sigh. From their bag they grabbed a picture of them and their best friend Luz standing in front of the statue of the Wittebane brothers

First day of camp had been exhausting. They had been waiting for Luz to show up all day but unfortunately they never did. They wondered if they had backed out which was weird since they agreed with Luz to share a cabin. But they would have told her if that's the case.

A buzz from their pocket pulled Masha out of their thoughts. They pulled out their phone and saw a message from none other than Luz.

Danger Noodle: Hey Mash! I got something I need to tell you really quick!

Enbylord: Luz? Where are you? I thought you were coming to summer camp? I even saved you a bed.

Danger Noodle: Ok this is going to sound crazy but I'm currently in another world called the demon realm where I'm learning to be a witch under this woman called the owl lady...

Enbylord: ...

Danger Noodle: Mash?

Enbylord: Bring me a souvenir when you get back.

Danger Noodle: Huh. I thought for sure you'd be more shocked or wouldn't believe me.

Enbylord: Luz you're literally a giant snake person wearing human skin. Plus you're a terrible liar.

Danger Noodle: Its not human skin but Touche. So what souvenir do you want?

Enbylord: I want something haunted that we can use to scare the shit out of Amber.

Danger Noodle: Hahaha nice. Oh by the way in order to keep my parents from finding out I had Jeff take my place in camp. He should be there any moment now. Please help him keep a low profile

Enbylord: Got it. You can count on me.

Danger Noodle: thanks Mash. Love you.

Masha couldn't help but smile at that before their thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door "I'll get it!" They told the other campers.

They got up and when they opened the door they saw "Luz" standing there with a blank look on their face

"You must be Jeff" Masha said simply

The Luz impostor now known as Jeff gave a creepy smile before nodding.

Masha briefly wondered what Luz's plan was if she never had found Jeff's egg during a trip to Gravity Falls.

"Probably something stupid," Masha said to themselves, imagining Luz completely forgetting that the camp would call her parents if she didn't show up, with an amused smile as they led "Luz" to their bed.

Luz landed on her sleeping back with a thump. From her bag she grabbed a picture of her and her Mom and Mr. Manny standing in front of their favorite restaurant, rubbing her finger over the worn wooden frame.

The day's events flew through her head. In particular, how she went from chasing an owl to get her stuff back to causing a prison riot. She then felt her phone ring which she pulled out and saw a bunch of messages.

The first one was from Mr. Manny which she couldn't help but smile at.

Mr Dad: "How's the camp Mija?"

Luz's face turned a bit sad. She really didn't like lying to her dad but on the other hand she also didn't want to go to camp. Plus this was the demon realm where magic was real! Hopefully her bestie can help Jeff stay in disguise.

She immediately types up a reply to reassure her dad who she knows was most likely feeling guilty for sending her to camp.

Danger Noodle: Camp is really fun!

She looked at the other texts some of which were just random attempts at scams. There was a text from her mom and like her dad she was asking if she was having fun. She quickly sent a message of reassurance like with Mr. Manny.

When she saw the last message though she couldn't help but frown.

Sperm Donor: Hey kid. I heard you got sent to camp for crazy kids...

"And ignore" Luz scowled while deleting the message which soured her mood a little.

"Hey"

Luz turned to the door, finding King carrying his stuffed rabbit.

"Your sleep cocoon looks comfy" King said

The girl smiled and patted the ground next to her. As the small demon curled up around her feet, a warm feeling spread through her chest..

"I think I'm gonna like it here"

Meanwhile

Back at the Conformatorium a bruised but pissed off Warden Wrath stomped his way into his office

It had taken hours before he woke up from being knocked unconscious. His colleagues were smart enough to bring him to the infirmary.

But his injuries were nothing compared to the embarrassment he was dealt with by the Owl Lady who not only rejected him but her student somehow defeated him and freed his prisoners!

Her student who also happened to be a basilisk...

This is problematic. He didn't get a good look at them to determine which basilisk they were among the ones that had escaped but from what he saw they didn't seem to match any descriptions.

But no matter he needed to report this.

He really didn't want to get in contact with him again. His time as assistant to that head witch was bad enough that it was a reason he transferred to prison duty but he had no choice.

He picked up his crow and punched in the number and waited as it rang.

After a few seconds someone finally picked up.

"Headwitch Crowe. I have news" he managed to hide the nervousness in his tone

"Speak"

Chapter Text

Document #4825: Journal Recovered from the site of a failed attempt at a Basilisk Hunt. Entries were written by Red Fang, a new member of a group of mercenaries known for their efficiency and brutality.

21st of Scabuary.  Entry # ?

Our crew finally got hired for a new job. Hopefully it's a job like the one last week, money is tight right now but just a couple more days and we'll be fine. Going to grab the fellas and head to the guild at noon.

Just great. That weirdo who's been going around about wild magic and being a prophet of the titan was the one who hired us. He wants us to go basilisk hunting. He told us that his followers told him that there were reports of a nest deep in the chest near some swamps. There might be a mother nearby but if it is anything like last time, she will be quite easy to take care of. He's going to pay us based on how many we can kill and of course we asked him to show us the goods first and damn he's loaded. If all goes to plan, I would never have to work again. We leave tomorrow morning, going to pack up supplies.

About to go to bed. I told Green Fang I will be heading out tomorrow but I left him some leftovers he can heat up. I won't be long so he should be fine. He has been more protective ever since Blue Fang disappeared.

22nd of Scabuary. Entry # ?

The crew and I are making our way out to the spot where the basilisk was spotted according to witnesses. Abalgar is driving while I am riding this but it will be my turn soon.

I did find one thing odd. Why would a basilisk be in a swamp area? Their main environment were forest lands. No matter. I can simply do my studies after the job is done.

Everyone is joking and having fun, but something is throwing me off. I had a dream last night and Ma always said to pay attention to dreams. I was standing in the middle of the woods and some lady and her daughter walked up to me, a spear shot through the trees and killed the little girl. The lady started crying and then her skin melted off to reveal she's a basilisk but huge, bigger than I've ever even heard of and then I woke up. I'm not sure what it means, if it means anything, I bet Green Fang could tell me, he's always good at this sort of stuff, I'll have to ask him.

Just finished my shift, but we found tracks, huge tracks from a basilisk. Pixdon said that basilisks don't stop growing and that this one was probably super old and would be quite easy to take down. I'm sure she's right, and we'll be paid more for each head we bring back. We are pulling up to the spot so I gotta get ready.

Everyone's dead.

The basilisk killed them all. We saw the nest, we saw the eggs even. From the shadows she jumped out, as tall as any tree, she was camouflaged and we couldn't see her. We didn't have any weapons ready so everyone just foolishly started firing magic despite my warnings for them to not do it.

Nothing happened, I saw their spells get sucked away, all the magic from our weapons, potions, everything was gone. We were too weak to fight back, then to my horror she suddenly breathed fire, only it was wet and stuck to everything it touched.

This was a new discovery! We have never once encountered a basilisk that could breathe fire.

Abalgar was completely covered and it took him so long to die, he just kept screaming. Sellrek was crushed when she tipped the cart onto him. I don't know what happened to everyone else. I got hit with the sticky fire but it only got to my legs and I just laid there and pretended to die as it burned away at my flesh. She left us to finish burning and I managed to crawl away. It was a mistake to come here. I can't walk, I won't make it back. I can hear her looking for something, she's looking for me. I can't fight. Green Fang, I hope you find this and live a happy life. I'm sorry I wasn't there to protec-

[The rest of the entry was soiled with blood and is unfortunately ineligible. The journal was recovered shortly afterwards by a member of the Cutburn Clan, when the crew had not returned. No news of this has reached the public and all rumors have been silenced. Green fang received a generous amount of compensation and a forged note from Red Fang stating a desire to explore the world and the unlikelihood of him returning. Another mission is underway and should hopefully be more successful as this time it is being led by the Cutburns]

"Reagan we're going to be late" Camila said with a sigh as she watch her friend lay waste to the local rage room in Cognito Inc. for employees or supernatural creatures with violent or homicidal tendencies. It wouldn't be good for the company if people here snapped and started killing each other specially with all the dangerous tech and artifacts lying around not to mention the supernatural creatures that would get caught in the crossfire. So the room allowed them to vent out their frustrations without killing anyone as was the case of her friend Reagan Ridley

Reagan let out another rage fueled yell as she raised her metal bat and slammed it down on a robot that looks exactly like, J.R. Scheimpough ,the current target of her wrath "Just a second. I need to get a few more hits in" the woman said with a huff as she let loose a few more hits on the robot which looks more like scrap metal at this point.

Camila had heard about what happened from Gigi though.

On one hand she can't blame her friend for being like this cause even she would be pissed if she got denied a promotion after doing everything for the company.

But on the other hand there was good reason for it. Reagan was responsible for nearly half of the Inhuman Resources complaints most of which include vulgar comments and that time she went crazy because people forgot to do time cards. Glenn was still scared of Reagan to this day even if he would never admit it.

Camila though has long since gotten used to Reagan's outbursts and intense moments. With what the woman's childhood was like under her asshole of a father its a miracle she didn't end up a supervillain bent on world domination...then again she did admit to wanting to be tyrannical when she was in charge.

Sometimes she wonders if Reagan is actually an agent of chaos reborn as a human...

Speaking of agent of chaos...

Camila's thoughts drifted to that of her daughter. She felt terrible that her daughter had been sent to camp, and she wished it hadn't come to this, but according to her husband, there was no other choice; all she could do now was hope that her daughter would at least be able to enjoy her time there which Manny had reassured her of since apparently Masha was also going to be there which provided some relief as they were Luz's best friend and one of the few people to know the truth...

But still...

A part of her was still worried. What if Luz accidentally exposed herself there? Manny had assured her that he packed Luz enough blood fuel to last her more than three months, but it wouldn't be the first time Luz accidentally exposed herself because she was being careless.

That incident with the hunter still gave her nightmares from time to time.

What if they had aimed lower? Would her mija have been able to survive that? That deadbeat Dryad could shrug off things that normally kills a human but her daughter was only half. Oh god what if-

Camila was pulled from her thoughts when Reagan spoke up

"You're doing that thing again"

"What?" Camila raised her head to see Reagan had finally finished venting her frustrations and had taken a seat in front of her.

"You're doing that thing where you overthink and start muttering" Reagan said looking annoyed but Camila fortunately knew her enough to know that wasn't the case.

"Sorry. It's just...Luz got sent to camp and I'm really worried about her"

"Oh fuck so it is true. I thought Andre was just pulling my leg" Reagan admitted "So did she really bite someone?"

"Yeah...Manny told me Luz did it to protect her friend from a bully but she still got in trouble in school. It was either expulsion or summer camp" Camila admitted

"You know if you want I could pull some strings and make that bullying brat and her family "disappear" and as a bonus get Luz out of that camp..." Reagan began to suggest but stopped when Camila raised a hand

"Its alright. As much as I hate it Manny and I agreed that this can be an opportunity for Luz to make new friends so its not all bad"

"If you say so" Just then Reagan heard her phone ring and when she pulled it out she let out a groan "Ugh. Brett's looking for us. He says meeting can't start without his co leader. God I just want to punch him in the face!"

"Brett's not that bad" Camila had met the guy who was supposed to be Reagan's co leader and he doesn't seem bad. If anything he seemed very nice though her friend was probably still too salty about the promotion to see that.

"I'm telling you! That guy is hiding something and once I found out I'm gonna get him kicked out and I'll get my promotion and be the tyrannical leader I was meant to be!" Reagan let out an evil laugh

Camila could only shake her head in amusement as she sent a text to her daughter wishing her good luck on her second day at camp.

Lloyd's day had started out fairly normal.

He got up from bed. Had breakfast and got to work. Typical artist coven morning routine.

That was until for some reason a bunch of people from the emperor's coven walked into his shop and requested him with making a new wanted poster.

Of course when he had asked for any photos and information about them that's when he was shocked.

It was...a basilisk. An actual living breathing basilisk.

How?! They were supposed to be extinct! How is one still alive and even walking around with the owl lady. Are they working together?!

Oh Titan. He had so many questions but the scouts told him it would be preferable if he gets it done immediately so the public can be warned about this menace to society.

Being the law abiding citizen that he is he immediately got to work. He can get this done in 30 minutes or less.

The scouts showed him footage captured by the security crystal balls of all the forms the basilisk took and fortunately it included their true form but he can still include the other two it took just in case...

But what would stop it from just using another disguise...if only it had a defining feature in all of its disguise and...

"Wait a minute" Lloyd said as he looked at the paused image of the basilisk disguising as a guard. Their eyes were green and so were all the other ones. In fact it seems to be the one trait that's being carried over no matter what. Could it be that this basilisk was unable to change their eye's appearance?

A flaw perhaps...or maybe he's overthinking it...

Well it wouldn't hurt to be sure.

"Watch For the Eyes!" he added on the wanted poster. Add in a bunch of arrows pointing to saids eyes and there!

Yeah...this will work.

Eda Clawthorne had seen many things in her life that would make the average witch shit themselves.

She can even proudly say that with the life she has, she's the type of witch who rarely gets taken by surprise. Life could not possibly throw her any more fucking curve balls that can get one over on her specially not after all the shit she had gone through.

But that is exactly what happened when she met a seemingly human girl who turned out to be a fucking 's more the girl was apparently half human like how the fuck was that even possible?

But regardless of the fact that she met what's basically a species that was supposed to have died a long time ago she kept a level head that came with being most wanted witch on the Isles.

Even if the the girl who identified herself as Luz wasn't fully human it doesn't mean she couldn't use her to get pass that stupid anti magic barrier since if those biased books were to be believed, basilisks had no magic of their own which meant her plan can still work.

Which it did more or less and all it took was her getting her head sliced off which was worth it.

All things considered it went...too well. They got the crown back so King will stop bugging her about it and the basilisk wanted to be her apprentice.

All in all she was half expecting to wake up this morning and find out everything that had happened was just a dream albeit a rather realistic one.

Of course she was woken up to the sound of music disturbing her slumber so she immediately cusses them out and got up from her nest. She was half expecting the culprit to be King or Hooty. Either way she was going to give them a piece of her mind for waking her up this early

Instead what happened was when she opened her door she saw an all too familiar basilisk girl standing right in front of, confirming that what happened yesterday wasn't in fact a dream.

Fuck.

"Morning, Miss Eda! I'm ready for my first magical lesson."

Double Fuck

Eda does not know the first thing about teaching magic to someone much less a basilisk hybrid who isn't even able of even casting a spell circle.

And it was way too early for her and she hasn't even drank her apple blood yet!

She spots a bag of potions in the corner of her vision and she immediately got an idea.

She had been meaning to trick some gullible teen to do her delivery run but now that she has an apprentice. It was only day 1 so she can have a little fun

"Who are you again?" she fought back a grin. While doing her best impression of a sleep deprived idiot.

Yeah this was fool proof.

When Luz opened her eyes the first thing she noticed was how energetic she felt which was a complete contrast to how she usually woke up feeling lethargic and lazy until she had her breakfast.

"Woah...I feel so...alive" she whispered to herself. But then she noticed that she was looking up at a ceiling she didn't recognize. Memories of the previous night came flooding back, and she gasped in surprise.

"It wasn't a dream" she whispered, a smile spreading across her face. Without wasting another moment, she reached for her phone and scrolled through her gallery. There were dozens of photos of The Boiling Isles, some with Eda and King, and even a few selfies she had taken in front of an unconscious Warden Wrath. The last photo showed her and the others fleeing from a mob of guards seeking vengeance for their fallen boss.

Satisfied with what she saw, Luz pocketed her phone and headed towards the window. As she opened it, she was greeted by the sight of the horizon and the sounds of monstrous birds. The cool air and warm sunlight that touched her skin made her feel calm and at peace.

She was kind of excited by it all. "Good morning, terrifying fantasy world!" She shouted to no one in particular

This is why she did not expect to be greeted back by a giant Cthulhu-like creature "Good morning!" said creature greeted with a wave of one of its tentacles before submerging into the sea.

Shaking her head, she returned to the interior of the room and sat down next to king who was still sleeping

"Hey, you little cutie‐pie. Time to wake up" she said to the cute demon before kissing his head.

"Ugh...Five more minutes" King said groggily while doing a shooing motion to Luz

"Welp i tried" Luz said in amusement, before she then walked over to her bag and pulled out a vial of her blood fuel which she downs in one gulp.

She tried and failed to hold back a gag. While she needed blood for her powers to work it didn't change the fact that it tastes so gross!

"What I would give to find an alternative to blood" Luz sighed before she proceeded to shift into her human disguise. She then gave herself one last look over before she proceeded to exit the room.

The corridor was devoid of any life except maybe by the house itself which she could feel was alive(and breathing?). Luz took a deep breath and walked up to the bathroom door, stopping in front of a painting on the wall.

"She's like a valkyrie…" Luz admired the image of a woman in one fancy dress with a sword. Norse mythos was probably her favorite stories.

Luz went to the door this time. Pulling it open and just avoiding the escaping birds. Shaking her head she entered the bathroom and closed behind her, turning to find a pair of pure black eyes.

"Hi, Luz!"

"Ah!" She screamed and punched the thing out of reflex

"Ouch!" the thing said, "I was just wishing you a good morning… Jeez."

Luz moved closer to the window once the thing which actually turned out to be poor Hooty was gone.

"Sorry about that, Hooty!" Luz called out in apology to the bird tube

She then heard her phone ring before she reached for it again. She saw that there were more messages this time most were from her mom wishing her a good morning while the rest were from her friend Masha who sent her a picture of Jeff doing his job of pretending to be her, and lastly a photo from her dad showing her his breakfast and wishing her a good morning. She took a deep breath before quickly responding to them all.

Moving to the mirror, Luz faced her reflection which made her realize something"Wait a minute! I'm in the demon realm why am I using a disguise?" she exclaimed before proceeding to shift back to her default form which made her feel so liberated and not confined.

She then looked at herself in the mirror again and couldn't help but smile.

"I really did it, huh?" Luz whispered, running her hand along her arm which now had scales along her skin, "Well. This is the first day of the rest of your magical life girl, better go and start making it worth it!"

After tying her hair back into a pony tail, Luz decided to go downstairs to check out the kitchen as well as the rest of the house.

"Huh? Looks almost like a normal kitchen back home." Luz commented before she saw the fridge and went to check it out, opening it to see a whole box full of strange looking food and drinks that she didn't recognize. "Ooh! Witch Food"

Luz then decided to close the fridge and simply seat on the couch to wait for Eda, hopefully starting her day of right so she could get on with her first lesson in magic from the woman.

After waiting for a while Luz decided to look around before she noticed what looked like a mandolin lying on the couch.

"Might as well pass the time" Luz said while picking up the instrument which she then proceeded to play with her eyes closed. She began to play an upbeat melody however she failed to noticed the various object beginning to float around while covered in a golden aura because of the music. She was so immersed in playing that she also didn't notice, Eda come down in a plum sweater with amber cuffs, a stained, long, violet nightgown, and light yellow bunny slippers.

"Ugh who's playing music at fucking 6 in the morning!" Eda said in an annoyed tone as she rubbed her eyes and also not seeing the effects of Luz's music playing.

"Morning, Miss Eda! I'm ready for my first magical lesson." Luz said, excitedly while putting away the mandolin resulting in the other objects in the room going back to normal and the golden aura quickly disappearing before anyone could notice.

"Uh huh. And who are you again?" Eda asked as she cleaned out her ear and flicked what she got out away

If one were to listen closely they would hear the sound of Luz's heart shattering as her face fell a little at Eda's words before realizing that not everyone is a morning person, but it still stung a bit as Eda walked past her to the kitchen.

"Um, my name is Luz Noceda. Basilisk girl? The one that helped you take down an evil warden? And the one that you agreed to teach magic?" Luz said with an nervous tone as she walked behind Eda. "Ringing any bells?"

Eda groaned from the questioning as she rubbed her head and continued walking.

"I need my apple blood." Eda mumbled as she walked into the kitchen, heading to the fridge and opening it to pull out a normal looking mug filled with the alleged "apple blood."

"Apple blood? Is that like apple juice?" Luz asked with curiosity

"No." Eda said before taking a sip of it and showing Luz the contents. "See?"

It was in fact blood going from the way it moved and the familiar irony smell hitting her nose. She almost gagged at the familiar smell

"Okay I'm just going to ignore that you drink blood" Luz said as Eda went to the table, where King was sitting with a plate of green goo and eyeballs, and sat on it. "So what's the plan for today, Ms Teacher?" Luz said jokingly "Learning a spell, doing chores, or learning about ancient texts? Come on, Eda I'm your student here."

"Okay kid, just calm down with your questions." Eda said as she held up a hand to stop Luz's talking. "Becoming a witch takes time, it's not something you can just learn over night."

"Figures. So when exactly do I know I have become a witch, will I get a cute animal staff like your's?" Luz asked as Eda looked more awake now, thanks to her apple blood.

"Smart kid." Eda said while pulling her mug away and having a blood mustache, sipping it away before holding out her left hand. "Magic staff, to me!"

The two waited in the kitchen as a plethora of crashes and things breaking was heard as Luz looked to the door and saw Eda' staff flying towards her and smack her in the head.

"Ack!" Luz yelled in pain while Eda grabbed her staff.

Eda snickered a bit at Luz who was rubbing her head a bit before she picked up her staff and twirled it to her side.

"It's early." she said to Luz with a smile

"Sure..." Luz said before Eda poked her in the forehead.

"No snarking at your mentor. Now, a witch is awarded her staff after completing the necessary educational route but with me, you're going to be doing something completely different." Eda said as she crossed her arms behind her back.

"What kind of approach? Do I have to slay some ancient beast that feeds on happiness?" Luz asked as Eda leaned forward a bit.

"Something better. Hard work." She said to Luz with a grin before dropping a burlap sack full of bottle in front of her. "Now follow me."

Luz nodded to the witch before she picked up the sack and put it in her nanny bag, carrying it as she followed Eda through the owl house.

"I run a few businesses here and there, like the stand you saw full of human treasures that my little buddy Owlbert drags over from the human realm." Eda said as she stopped in front of a fire place and picked up a toy sword, clicking the button.

"I shall smite my enemies!" The sword said as the blade glowed a bit. "For ages 6-11."

Eda tossed the sword away before noticing that the bag of potions she gave Luz was gone "Hey where did you put my stuff?"

"Oh I put it in my bag" Luz gestured to the nanny bag she was carrying around "And before you asked how it fit its bottomless"

Eda narrowed her eyes "Right...but anyways like I was saying my main business is brewing the finest of homemade elixirs and potions around." Eda said before pointing to Luz, right in her face. "And that is where you come in, my little delivery girl"

"Um...sure?" Luz said as if unsure of her answer.

"Good, now follow me again." Eda said as she lead Luz upstairs and to a balcony. "Today, you'll be delivering packages and potions to that town there, Bonesborough."

Pointing with her staff, Eda showed Luz a large city like village across the horizon with large rib bones next to it and a bone like structure looming over the town.

"Woah." Luz said at the sight of the town

"Before you go here are some warnings, I have rivals all over that want to take me and my business down. And since you're my delivery girl, they'll go for you too but I've got confidence you can handle yourself especially since you're a basilisk so you can just eat their magic or something. Besides people are terrified of basilisks and some hates them" Eda said which cause Luz's eyes to widen.

"I'm sorry what?! People here are afraid of basilisks? and some hates us? Why? I thought it was just a few conspiracy people" Luz couldn't help but ask. She remembered how the prisoners talked about her. As if they expected her to be evil. She had assumed it was only because it was a coincidence that the books they read told them as such but to think that it was actually a major line of thinking for most people. It was scary to think about. Would they hurt her for being a basilisk?

"Well probably has something to do with all the stories about you guys or maybe its the whole they can eat magic. Why? Is that going to be a problem for you?" Eda asked

"Uh yes? What if someone attacks me in town? Or worse try to hunt of capture me for sport. I've seen what people will do if they're scared of you. Great just what I needed. Some basilisk racism" Luz couldn't help but sigh in annoyance

"You have a point but I'm sure you'll be fine" Eda said confidently

"How can you be sure?" Luz asked worried

"Because you don't look like a basilisk right now" Eda then reached into her hair and pulled out a book. She flipped through the pages and showed one page which made Luz gasp. It was an entry about basilisk which had a picture that resembles her basilisk form a lot "This is what a basilisk actually look like. Right now you look like some random lizard demon so like I said you'll be fine"

Luz wanted to object but realized that Eda was right. She looked almost nothing like a basilisk in her default form so she should be fine...right? "I guess you're right. But if anything happens to me and I get killed I will seriously haunt you"

Eda chuckled at her words "That's the spirit!"

The duo then walked back to the front door of the owl house and Luz stepped out with Eda watched her leave.

"Alright, just a few more things. Never trust a man who wears sandals, always measure twice and cut once, and be sure to be back before sunset or face doom!" Eda said with a cheery smile and tone before shutting the door.

"Have a nice trip!" Hooty added with a normal tone.

"Thanks Hooty." Luz said while waving goodbye as she proceeded to walk away from the house with the bag as Eda watched them leave from the window next to the door.

"Don't worry about her. She's tough. I think she can take it." King commented on Luz's capabilities as he laid on a chest near the door.

"Maybe, but unless you forgot she's not a local resident of this world. She's from earth so she'll need a guide to help her and that's why you'll be going with her." Eda said as she pointed to him, who looked like he was going to argue about it before Eda quickly said. "Or do you want to start paying me rent to live here?"

King groaned in frustration before accepted his job.

"Fine! What the heck was a basilisk doing on earth in the first place. That world sucks" he muttered as he got up from his spot, the perfect spot for him to sleep in his opinion.

"Take this with you before you go just in case you two need an escape plan especially if the guards or some hunters find out what Luz is" Eda handed King what looked like a normal looking broom

"A broom? What you want me to clean the house now?" King raised a brow

"It's a flying broom you nitwit" Eda snapped

"Since when did you have a flying broom?" King inquired

"Since I stole it off some rich asshole the other day" Eda said "Now go on get. Our little basilisk roommate is getting further away"

"Whatever" King rolled his eyes before he left and ran to catch up with Luz with the broom in hand. "Hey Luz!"

His call out caused Luz to stop her walking into town and turn to see him running to him.

"Eda said you need a local guide, so I volunteered to tag along!" King shouted to her with a look of excitement and pride.

"Awww that's nice of you, King. What's with the broom?" Luz said as King stopped next to her and handed the broom to her

"It's a flying broom! Eda gave it to us so we can do our delivery faster" King said

"Oh my god. It's just like the delivery service" Luz gasped remembering the show about a witch girl doing deliveries. She has always wanted a flying broom ever since she saw that and now she finally got one. "So how do I fly this thing?" She said as she and King positioned themselves similar to how they rode on Eda's staff.

"Like this!" King said before slapping the handle of the broom. With a jolt the two took off towards town with Luz yelling in excitement.

"And with that I get a few hours of the house to myself and no excitable kids to worry about" Eda, who had been watching through the window, said with a smirk while watching the two kids fly off to town.

It didn't take long for Luz and King to reach Bonesborough. After they landed in the middle of town, Luz immediately put away the flying broom in her bag for safe keeping. Now that she got a better look of the town(thanks to not being chased by any guards) she realized how weird it was. Some other thing she noticed about the town was that in a sense its surroundings had a similar feeling as the owl house did like the place just feels like it was alive. Bonesborough was more than she could have ever imagined.

Not to mention it had a scent that was so different from the human realm...She just couldn't find the words to describe it.

Luz was almost jumping as she looked around with excitement, her tail wagging around like an excited dog as well. Next to her, King seemed more irritated than anything.

"It's rude to stare you know," King said with a yawn

Luz stopped and looked down at him. "Sorry, it's just that I've only seen places like this in my dreams… and in my friend's books," she said, "But compared to the real thing none of them could match all THIS…"

"You are really weird." King sighed. "Can we just finish with this? I want to go home already."

"We just came out, how is possible you are not excited?!" Luz said, throwing her arms in the air, "Am I the only human here?"

"Never seen any others," King answered, "and you're not exactly human, are you?"

Luz scoffed. "Hey, I'm half human so it still counts. Oh maybe there's a reason I found this place! Even if Eda said I came here by chance...*Gasp* What if I'm supposed to discover my destiny here!" she gasped, "It's just like Azura…"

"Who?" King asked in a confused tone

"Azura, my favorite character in my favorite book series!" Luz responded, "I thought I told you about her last night."

"I was probably asleep and I wasn't listening," King admitted, "besides, did Azura's quest involve delivering boiling cream?"

"Today I'm delivering packages, but in a week I could be tasked with slaying an evil one eyed god bent on world domination!" she said, while punching the air

She failed to notice how some people were avoiding her and some were giving her dirty looks.

Luz remembered reading about destiny, fortune telling, and even the fantasy series and voodoo books whenever she slept over at Masha's house.

She briefly wonders if there's magic in the Isles focused on being an oracle. Masha would love that.

Maybe, just maybe… There must be a reason she ended up in the Boiling Isles. Her situation is like straight out of a fanfic!

"Ha, good luck with that," King said, breaking her moment, "the Boiling isles is nothing more than a hole full of despair"

Luz scoffed at that "More like a hole full of delight!" She announced and looked around.

"And I'm going to prove it to you!" She told King, walking up to what looked like a slime person.

"Excuse me, my slimy friend!"

Turns out Eda was wrong. Luz had a suspicion that even though she's only in her default form people seem to be aware that she's a basilisk for some reason.

She saw people give her looks of fear and hatred but fortunately none of them were approaching her. That and when she had approached the slime man they had screamed in fear and ran away.

"Call it a hunch but I have a feeling people know I'm a basilisk" Luz said as she watch a little girl get picked up by her mom and walk away the moment she got close.

"Isn't that great!? These idiots already fear you! It's a step in our mission to reclaim my rightful place as the king of all demons" King said excitedly

"I would rather be loved than feared actually especially after we almost got arrested earlier" Luz said with a sigh remembering earlier's incident

Flashback...

"Excuse me my slimy friend!" Luz said excitedly as she walked up to the slime person.

"Yes?" The slime turned around.

"How would you like to-" Luz began to say but was cut off when the slime person screamed in fear.

"Y-Y-You're that basilisk! The one who attacked the conformatorium!" The slime man fearfully backed away "Please don't eat me!"

"I-What the what now?" Luz stood shocked at the man's word. Why would she want to eat him? She then noticed the people around them were now watching her with fear and apprehension. Some even looked like they were on the verge of running away the moment she make a move.

Before she could say anything else she heard another voice

"Hey you!"

Luz turned around and to her horror it was a trio of guards

"Me?" She pointed to herself

"Yeah you! You're under arrest!" the leader of the guards said

"For what?" Luz exclaimed taking a step back as King climbed up to her shoulder.

"For breaking into the conformatorium and assisting a wanted criminal known as the owl lady" the guard said

"The Owl Lady?"

"She's working with a basilisk?"

"I thought basilisks were extinct?"

Some people in the crowd whispered among themselves.

Luz then found a wanted poster being shoved in her face by the guard. To her surprise it was a drawing of her in her three forms with her basilisk form being in the center and the words "Watch for the eyes" written above with arrows pointing at her green eyes which were prominent in the poster.

Fuck. How did they know that she couldn't change her eyes no matter what form she took? When she looked at the bounty she almost did a spit take when she saw that she had a whopping one million bounty for being brought in dead or alive. Double fuck. This was not good.

"Look guys I'm sure we can talk about this like reasonable people right?" Luz said as she began to back away from the guards who now had their hands on their swords.

"Do not resist or we will use force to bring you in Basilisk" the guard said the last part in a disgusted tone. "What will it be?"

Luckily before anyone could do anything King had finally spoke up "You'll never take us alive copper!" before throwing a potion on the ground which created a smoke screen. "Come on Luz! Let's get outta here!"

Luz did not hesitate to do as she was told making a run for it and proceeding to hide in an alley.

Flashback Over...

"Seriously I get that they're afraid but accusing me of eating them just because I'm a basilisk is just so racist" Luz said in a frustrated tone as she proceeded to shift into a different disguise being that of her best friend Masha but with pointy ears. She then reached into her nanny bag and pulled out a pair of sunglasses to hide her green eyes which now unfortunately serve as a target on her back. "So much for people not recognizing me as a basilisk"

"We should take advantage of their fear and use it to rule over them like tyrants!" King said before letting out an evil laugh.

Luz couldn't help but let out a tired sigh "Look this day did not go as I expected and can we just...get this delivery over? I want to lie down after this is done"

King looked like he wanted to argue but upon seeing Luz's bummed out look he decided to do as told "Fine. Show me the map. I know all the shortcuts"

Fortunately with Luz now being in a less familiar disguise she and King were able to deliver the potions without any trouble and soon they were already on their last delivery .

"Hey King?" Luz spoke up

"Yeah?"

"Are basilisks really extinct?" Luz couldn't help but ask. She hasn't gotten the chance to read up on books yet so she figured she could ask a local who wasn't petrified at her presence

"If my memory serves me right which is perfect. Your kind died off during the savage ages which was about 200-ish ago give or take. I don't know I'm gonna have to get my books if you want to know more" King explained

"Actually...I would love to learn more" Luz said

King gasped in surprise at that "Wait really?! You want me to be your mentor?"

"Well when it comes to basilisk stuff yeah. Would that be ok?" Luz asked.

"Of course! I'm an expert at demons. As the king of demons it is my duty to know about my subjects and that includes you basilisks. Now lets get this last delivery done so that I may bestow my divine knowledge upon you" King said now excited to get the chore done with.

The two walked down the street as Luz pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket before saying "Ok so the last guy's house should be down the stre- oof!" The Basilisk girl exclaimed in surprise when she felt herself suddenly bump into someone causing her and King to be knocked on their butts

"Ow..." Luz said while rubbing the back of her head

"Hey, watch it buddy!" King said angrily while immediately getting up to look at the one who dared bump into him!

"My apologies, tiny witch" the stranger said with a hoarse voice as they offered what looked like a bandaged arm to help Luz up.

"It's ok. I really should have watched where I'm going" Luz said as she accepted the stranger's hand. She noticed her sunglasses had fallen off which she immediately picked up and put back on before the stranger could notice.

When she finally got a look at the stranger she saw that they appeared to be a humanoid with sickly greenish-grayish skin, long, wavy white hair, a long, pointy nose, and large red eyes with pink horizontal diamond-shaped pupils and yellow sclera. Their feet resembled a bird's and their outfit consisted of a tall, black pilgrim hat and a black robe with yellow bands. Their arms were bandaged with white tape, and they had a brown backpack-like box on their back. Additionally they had a yellow mask over their mouth.

All in all the person in front of her reminded Luz of those classic witches in cartoons she would watch.

"Woah" Luz said in surprise while King glared at the stranger.

"I believe this is yours?" the stranger said while holding up the sack of potions that Luz had brought out of her bag earlier and had now dropped which brought her back to reality and thankfully stopped her from staring at their admittedly cool clothes.

"Oh yes! That's mine" Luz took the sack but when she looked inside to see the contents she saw that all the bottles have been destroyed "Uh-Oh"

"What's wrong Luz?" King asked, noticing Luz's nervous face

"Hehe funny story King. The remaining potions may or may not have been destroyed when I accidentally dropped it" Luz said nervously while putting down the bag for everyone to see its now destroyed content "Probably should have just kept it in my bag"

"You think? Oh you're gonna be in some much trouble!" King said

Luz was about to panic but was cut off when the stranger spoke up "Not to worry. There is a simple solution to this" they said calmly

"There is?" Luz and King asked at the same time.

"Yes" the stranger said simply before pulling out what appeared to be a vial filled with yellow liquid. They then poured the contents into the bag and in a flash of light the destroyed potions have now been restored much to Luz's amazement.

"Oh my god. How did you do that?" Luz questioned

"A simple restoration potion" the stranger said

"I didn't know potions could do stuff like this! I thought they were used for only healing and mana or something" Luz said admiring the effects of the potion.

"Clearly you underestimate the art of potion making. Now if you'll excuse me I have places I need to be" The stranger said before walking away

"Wait! I never got your name!" Luz called out to the stranger who stopped in place

The stranger stopped for a moment before saying "It's...Vitimir. Vitimir Crowe".

"Thank you Vitimir!" Luz shouted and waved to the stranger now known as Vitimir who only gave a small nod in return before leaving.

"Can we go now?" said an irritated King who had decided to continue walking on his own

"Coming!"

Later...

"This is a terrible idea, and that guy should not be trusted" King yelled at Luz

"But Adegast said he saw something special in me!" Luz answered back "Plus he knew I was a basilisk but didn't care!"

After Luz and King's encounter with Vitimir they had wasted no time going to their final delivery where they met a wizard called Adegast who had proceeded to tell Luz that she's some sort of chosen one and even gave her a map to some sort of Celestial staff. To King it was an obvious scam but unfortunately Luz was gullible enough to believe the guy without so much as a second thought despite how much King tried to convince her that the wizard was obviously lying much to his annoyance.

"Well Eda and I know you're a basilisk and do we care? No. And the door to door salesmen always say they have everything you need to be happy," King countered, "Its a scam, Luz! The wizard is just pretending to be all nice and understanding"

Luz on her part ignored him and instead continued looking at the map Adegast gave her. The thing was pretty old and messy, but she could make out just the right amount of information on it.

Just like all cryptic documents she had seen before, wizards liked to play with your head. Like the gray wizard did with the dwarf king.

She got inside the Owl house and rushed to her room. Preparing all the things she would need for her grand quest.

"King, what kind of chosen one should I be?" Luz asked looking at the small demon, who was cuddling himself on top of her sleeping bag.

"Now, what are you talking about?" King asked, looking at her.

"For my quest!" she said, "should I be full of optimism and goodness, like the good witch Azura!" Luz said before transforming into an exact copy of Azura "Or should I be a bad girl chosen one, with a mysterious withdrawn attitude and black polish nail?" She then proceeded to turn into Azura's rival, Hecate before making the book move like a mouth. "I act like I don't care, but I secretly do."

Just as Luz turned back to her Masha disguise a huge hand came into view from the door, just for Eda to show right after, the arm cut off of the body it belonged before.

"Oh, are you talking about bad girls?" Eda asked with a smile before her frown took the place in her face. "Wait, what is happening?"

King stood up. "Eda, tell Luz how dumb wizards are!"

"Ugh, Wizards are the worst." Eda immediately said with a groan. "Never trust a man with casual rag-wear. Why do you ask?"

"Your wizard client. Told Luz…" King started to laugh then. "That… that she was… she was a 'chosen one'!"

"Wait, wait, wait… Luz?!" Eda asked and then she started laughing as well

Luz stood there, with a blank look on her face as Eda and King laughed however the latter immediately stopped when he took a look at Luz's face and saw her eyes glow for a moment. This sent a shiver up King's spine and reminded him that he and Eda were currently in a room with a basilisk. A basilisk who is a natural predator to witches and demons and could eat them whole.

"OK, OK… let me see this map," Eda asked and Luz sighed, reluctantly giving the scroll to the woman.

She stood up while Eda studied the thing. "You didn't believe this was real, did you?"

"What?" Luz frowned

"Luz, there is no celestial staff or celestial lake in the boiling isles," Eda explained, her voice being kind "Otherwise I would've stolen it ages ago!"

She hadn't thought about that. Luz considered all the possibilities and had to face that Eda was right. In a place with magic and all kind of creatures she had seen along the day, a wizard did seem out of place.

It still hurts...

"Kid, don't get sad," Eda said, giving the scroll back, "you are smarter than this; you'll get the hang of it all in a few weeks."

"Could I have some time alone?" Luz asked, looking away.

Eda seemingly shrugged and made a signal to King who quickly left. A minute later Luz was alone in the room. She groaned and hit the wall, turning and leaning on it before sliding down until she was sitting on the floor.

"Luz, you fool" she said with a sigh. "Maybe they are right… this is not the kind of world I was expecting…" she whispered, looking at the map before she caught the sight of the shining letter on the corner.

"What the…?" She moved the scroll to the light a bit more, revealing the full message.

"The path will be revealed only to the worthy"

"The worthy? *Gasp* this must be why Eda couldn't see it"Luz said, looking at the scroll. "If only the worthy can see it… then it must still be there!"

Luz stood up, feeling the energy returning to her body. She was chosen and she had a mission!

"Wait…" she whispered, looking at the map again. "what… what if I'm not worthy…?"

The wind blew, surprising her and getting the scroll out of her hands. It flew until landing next to her Azura book. The pages moved until it stopped at the very moment when Azura got her staff and was recognized as the savior of the ancient lands!

Maybe this was a sign. If she could do this quest maybe people will stop looking at her like she was a monster like earlier. They would recognize her as a witch.

"That's a signal, anybody would say it, right?" she asked to no one in particular before smiling. "I'm taking the signal. I'll never know unless I try!"

She moved and took the scroll, she also made sure her bag was properly stocked with supplies, and after checking herself in the mirror she fist-pumped the air. All in place, Luz got up the window and then down to the ground.

"Let the quest begin!"

Luz was starting to think that maybe Eda and King were right. That and her nose has been picking up a weird scent ever since she started this quest

However she only started to become suspicious when a guy called Nevareth took his shirt off. No one was that 'out of a book' perfect.

Her mind kept running over the words 'chosen one' one time and another, and she just liked the ring it added to her name, so she rolled with it. But each second next those creatures just seemed…

Too good. And she was blaming Eda because of it.

Everything looked so perfect but despite this...

Luz's sense of adventure started to feel like a growing danger.

"Go on chosen one, the staff is yours, you earn it!"

Luz nodded with a smile at Nevareth, walking the path they indicated her.

She wanted to believe in the things they just said, she really did, but a bit of her mind kept kicking back, fighting the idea with such desperation that Luz felt torn apart. She raised her eyes to the sky, seeing perfectly white birds indicating her path.

It was perfect… too perfect.

She stopped in front of the lake, the staff in the middle of it, shinning too perfectly in its place. Luz watched how the path raised, how all the signs for her to just approach and take it, to get what she earned.

But she didn't move.

"I… I didn't do anything to earn this" She said, getting a hand to her face, "what am I doing? All of this...It feels wrong"

Luz took a deep breath and looked at the staff again.

"Eda's staff was less fancy but much more real…and feels alive" she whispers and walked down the path way to the staff, entranced by it's glow as she grabbed the staff with both hands. A pulse of magic energy soon exited the crystal tip as the water rocked around her before calming as she pulled it from the platform.

"Whoa." Luz let out as she reached for the crystal tip, sliding her fingers on it before it's glow began to dim.

When it stopped flowing all together, the staff suddenly turned to dust in her hands as the magical forest around her began to decay and dull into a hollow and abandoned ruins. The water drained from the lake, the trees lost their color, and the leaves blew away in the wind to leave the trees bare and lifeless with a thick fog rolling in.

'I...It wasn't real...' Luz thought to herself as she clenched her fists, tears slowly building in her eyes as she was forced to face the reality that she wasn't a chosen one.

"Luz the basilisk" a voice came from the growing mist that pulled Luz from her thoughts

She spun, transforming her arms into Wrath's and turning it into a wicked blade and stopping just in time to avoid hitting the person in the neck.

She recognized the robe and the stars on it. "Adegast?"

"Your arrogance has betrayed you little girl" he said smugly before his eyes suddenly rolled to the sides and his entire body separating from the ground.

Luz felt now something closed around her. She saw that all the accessories she had gotten during her fake quest has now turned into chains which restrained her

"Oh fuck" She muttered, trying to break free only to receive a nasty electric shock which caused her to scream in pain

"Aaahhhh!"

After a moment the shock finally stopped before she fell to her knees, panting. She had dropped her bag

"Apologies for the shock. Just have to make sure you don't do anything stupid little girl" Adegast explained with fake sympathy in his tone.

"Damnit. Betrayed by my cool accessories. Stupid kleptomania" Luz couldn't help but mentally slap herself. She should have known there was something off when everyone willingly gave her free stuff but the greedy part of her didn't want to ask questions. She then looked to Adegast "Why are you doing this? Because I'm a basilisk? You gonna cut me open, rip out my insides and sell them for profit on some black market?"

"Dear titan no! What is wrong with you?That's disgusting" Adegast said being visibly taken back by her accusation. Look I really don't care that you're a basilisk. Sure I was surprised but the real reason I'm doing this is because your mentor Eda has been stealing customers from my potion business for years. She must be destroyed" he said with a satisfied grin.

"Does everyone here have a beef with Eda or something?!" Luz exclaimed and in response all of the puppets nodded. Though a small part of her is weirdly relieved that Adegast wasn't doing this because she was a basilisk.

"And you lured her right into my trap, all because you wanted to think you were anything more than the little monster you are" Adegast laughed

Luz couldn't help but look away for a moment at that in shame before she shook her head "Joke's on you, 'cause Eda isn't stupid enough to fall for your trap"

As if the universe wanted to mock her she heard an all too familiar voice

"Adegast!"

"Ah crap" Luz deadpans.

Eda had wanted to slap herself earlier

When King and the human er basilisk came back from their delivery run she didn't mean to sound like a jerk when she was told by the former that Luz had been told by a wizard that she was a 'chosen one' to which she couldn't help but laugh at how gullible the kid was for believing it.

The irony of Basilisks being known to be tricksters themselves was not lost on her that it just made it funnier but in her defense she did try to comfort the kid when she saw that she had hurt their feelings.

She didn't object when the kid wanted to be alone but she definitely should have known that they would run off under the belief that the map was real and they had some great destiny to fulfill.

So she wasted no time going after her student before they got themselves killed though she really doubted that could happen considering the fact that they're a basilisk even if they're only half which she had admittedly doubted at first until she had secretly done a spell on the kid last night which confirmed that they were indeed telling the truth about being a hybrid.

She had been taken back by it.

Seriously a human and a basilisk? How did that even happen? Screw that. How the heck did a basilisk even ended up on earth in the first place? She was the only one who had access to a portal door.

The kid says that even they didn't know but she had her own theories.

She had a sneaking suspicion that emperor bonehead had something to do with it.

Regardless she was getting off topic.

So she immediately went after the kid. King wanted to come but she told him that it was too dangerous.

She wasn't even surprise when lo and behold the castle that King told her about was now an abandoned ruin. Inside were multiple copies of the same map that Luz had received which gave her enough of a hint as to who was behind this scam.

Adegast...

Fortunately the map was easy to follow so it didn't take long for her and King to find having been restrained by none other than the twisted puppeteer himself

"Adegast!" she exclaimed as she landed in the area with King on her shoulder

"Ah, Eda the owl lady how unexpected and by unexpected I mean completely expected!" the puppeteer let out a stupid sounding laugh at his own joke.

"That's so corny" a still restrained Luz commented

"Quiet you!" Adegast snapped at the basilisk girl before turning to the owl lady again. He snaps his fingers and two cat puppets erupt from the ground, one grabbing Eda and the other King "I have you now, Owl Lady!"

"That's right. You have me. Now release the kid" Eda demanded as she struggled in the puppet's hold.

"I didn't have to be a part of this you know!" King exclaimed!

Luz though couldn't believe it. Eda went after her and was willing to be captured just so she could get away? Well this was unexpected.

"Oh, she can go, if she wants to…" Adegast said, "But after how she was treated in town I sense that she wants a real fantasy!"

One of the puppets then sprayed some gas on Luz's face which caused her to cough and closed her eyes. When she opened them again she found herself in a dark void with her restraints gone.

She then saw the puppets appear around her

"Stay with us Luz" Nevareth said, "stay with Adegast, you can be our chosen one. You can be yourself here"

The princess of the fairies was next. "You can eat our tiny food forever and ever… We won't judge"

She stood up and looked down. "It is pretty nice here…"

"Luz!"

"Basilisk Luz…" Nevareth said, holding her chin and making her look at him, "why would you want to live in a world where people hate you and try to hurt you? A world where they hate you just for being...a basilisk"

It was a good question, why would she want that?

All her life she has been an outcast just for being different. It really was like the world hated for being something she had no control over.

"You guys think I'm special, don't you…" She said, "you think I belong…"

"No! Snap out of it!"

Luz closed her eyes and thought about it. Why wouldn't she want what Nevareth offered? She could stay here and she could be her true self where she doesn't have to hide who she was. Where everyone didn't hate her or try to kill her just for being a monster.

But...that wasn't true. Not everyone hated her

She had her stepfather Manny who accepted her for who she was.

Her best friend Masha who thought it was cool that she was a snake person.

And there was her mom who loves her and did everything so she could live a normal life and even joined a shady organization.

Plus there was also Eda and King who went out of their way to rescue her even after she didn't listen to them.

"No" Luz's eyes snapped open and without wasting a moment she shifted into her basilisk form which destroyed her restraints "This isn't real!" she growled bearing her sharp teeth at a now terrified Adegast.

"What?! How did you escape my illusion?!" The puppeteer screamed in terror as Eda stared agape while King looked fascinated.

Luz took a step towards the demon as she seemingly began to grow in size little by little before she was now bigger than the octopus demon. When Adegast sent a number of puppets towards she easily destroyed them with her claws.

"Stay back!" Adegast demanded this time casting a spell circle which sent an energy blast towards Luz who instinctively held her hands in front and much to her surprise absorbed the magic attack followed by her feeling a rush of energy within.

"Woah. Magic absorption works on magic attacks. Neat" Luz couldn't help but grin at her hands before looking back at Adegast who was slowly stepping away.

Wanting to end this, Luz simply pounced with surprising speed on the demon who tried to jump but found themselves pinned under Luz's grasp.

"No! Let me go! Please I'll give you anything!" The fake wizard pleaded to the now pissed off Basilisk girl who only ignored his plead for mercy as she began to increase her gave one last squeak before his body began to shrink until he was only about the size of a baseball just as Luz also stopped crushing him in her hold.

Though she was a bit taken by how small he became. The demon then tried to make a break for it but Luz was faster as she shifted into her Masha disguise before easily catching the now tiny Adegast. She then proceeded to reach into her bag where she pulled out a jar and placed Adegast inside before putting him into said bag."Nice work kid. After this I won't be taking anymore outside referrals" Eda joked

Luz couldn't help but smile before she sighed

"What's wrong? Thinking about calling it quits?" Eda inquired

"It's just… this place is not like I imagine it, I guess." Luz admitted

Eda moved beside her, and Luz saw her make a face, before she smiled, moving to get her staff.

"Maybe not here, but hey, come with me, I have something to show you, kid," she said, mounting the thing.

Luz followed her with a small smile.

"Ok"

"Oh, and put this on," Eda said, throwing at her a piece of ragged fabric, "It's going to be a surprise."

Luz did not like the blindfold, but she rolled with it. But at least the wind felt nice in her face as she and co. made their way to wherever it was they're going.

"Ok you can take them off now" Eda told her

When Luz took off her blindfolds she saw one of the most beautiful thing she has ever seen

"Behold, the bones of the Isles." Eda said as she took in awe the giant skeleton that made the Boiling Isles, glowing over the sunset.

It was unlike anything she had ever seen before and it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, where when one life ended other lives can begin.

"The bones of the isles," Eda said, closing her distance with her, "I know that up-close the isles can be slimy…"

"And very stinky," King added.

Eda grimaced. "And gross…" she then looked up, and her face changed into a soft smile. "But if you look at it from a different perspective…"

"It's beautiful…" Luz managed to say that time. The sight was terrifying and at the same time so astonishingly beautiful and breathtaking.

King leaned closer to. "Yes it is…" he said, falling asleep.

Luz giggled at him looking back at the isles. The sight was terrifying and at the same time it really is beautiful.

But her mind went back to Adegast, its plan, and how foolish she had been.

But her mind went back to Adegast, his plan, and how foolish she had been.

"Eda…" she said, "how did you know the wizard was lying?"

Eda's eyes went wide at her question, and Luz watched closely how her face twisted for a moment before sighing

"Look kid, everyone wants to believe they are 'special'," she said, making the air quotes with her hands, "but if we waited around for a prophecy to make us special, we'll die waiting." Eda shook her head and looked back at the isles. "King told me about what happened in town with the guards and I really understand why you wanted to believe you're a chosen but that's why you have to choose yourself. You should make your own choices and maybe just be your own chosen one. You get what I'm saying?"

Luz gaped at Eda, and before she knew it, she was smiling. A bit of warmth spreading through her body at those words. She closed her eyes at the feeling.

"Yeah I think I do...Does that mean you are going to give me a magic staff of my own?" Luz asked with a grin

Eda laughed at that. "Not now, but… someday," she said as she and Luz watched the sunset together.

A few moments later Luz just remembered something.

"Hey Eda?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we loot Adegast's castle?"

"Now you're talking!"

Meanwhile...

Warden Wrath walked down the halls of Cutburn Manor to deliver his report about the basilisk to Head Witch Hettie Cutburn.

He was supposed to give this report to Kikimora who would then pass it to Emperor Belos but Hettie had insisted that she be the one to receive it first and Wrath was in no way willing to argue with that crazy woman so he might as well get it over with.

When he had reached the door to Hettie's office he knocked on the door "Miss Cutburn. It's me Wrath"

"Enter" came a woman's voice from inside.

Wrath entered and saw Hettie was on her desk working on some paperwork. He saw that the room was still the same as when he was Hettie's apprentice. Clean and orderly just the way he liked it. Though he was still unnerved by all the...basilisk fossils and artifacts including a skull that was seemingly attached to the front of Hettie's desk. He always thought it was ironic that a head witch of healing comes from a family of famous beast hunters that had major contributions to eliminating the basilisk threat in the past.

"Have you brought the report like I asked?" Hettie asked without looking up from whatever it was she was working on.

"Y-Yes" Wrath said trying and failing to hide the nervousness in his tone

"Good. Put it on my desk and you can leave" Hettie said simply still not looking up from her paperwork.

Wrath immediately did as told and placed the report on Hettie Cutburn's desk. He didn't wait for the woman to dismiss him as he already found himself leaving the room.

After Wrath has left Hettie finally stopped what she was working on to look at the report her former apprentice has delivered.

Looking it over she couldn't help but grin. The buffoon wasn't lying then. A basilisk has been spotted and from the looks of it it wasn't one of the escaped ones but a naturally born basilisk. It was even working with the Owl Lady. How fascinating.

She then looked up her clock and remembered something.

She summoned her scroll and made a call to the lab "Prepare number five for testing"

To be continued...

Chapter Text

Once upon a time, in a humble town that was once located near Bonesborough , there lived a young boy known as Little Blood Riding Hood.

This enchanting tale unfurled when the boy's mother entrusted him with a noble quest: to carry a basket of magical potions to his ailing grandmother in the village beyond. The journey ahead led him through the heart of a dense, ancient forest, cloaked in mysteries and shadows.

Despite the trepidation that danced upon his heart, the boy embraced his duty with courage, embarking on his odyssey.

Alas, fate had woven a thread of peril into his journey. As he ventured deeper into the woods, he encountered a cunning basilisk, its hunger hidden behind a guise of another child claiming to also be charged with a delivery. This creature of magic and danger entertained the idea of consuming the boy instantly, yet held back due to vigilant coven scouts nearby. Inquisitively, it inquired about the boy's destination, despite the admonition against conversing with strangers. Ignoring this counsel, the boy revealed his purpose—to deliver the potions to his grandmother's dwelling. The wily basilisk, with artful deception, questioned the distance to the destination, and the boy answered that it was but the first house in the village beyond.

The basilisk, its voice laced with craftiness, proposed a challenge: a race to the grandmother's house. It proposed they take divergent paths to see who would arrive first.

Tragically, the unsuspecting boy agreed, his innocence clouding the danger that lay before him.

With a sly wink and a calculated decision, the basilisk opted for a shorter route, ensuring its swift arrival at the grandmother's dwelling. Meanwhile, Little Blood Riding Hood traversed leisurely, taking pleasure in the forest's charms, collecting nuts, and pursuing butterflies.

As destiny's strands would have it, the basilisk, under the guise of the boy, reached the grandmother's dwelling. Ingeniously, it won over the trusting grandmother, who unknowingly welcomed the perilous creature within her abode. Inside, the basilisk consumed her without a hint of remorse, assuming the guise of its most recent victim and slipping into the grandmother's bed, awaiting the boy's arrival.

When the boy finally arrived and called out for his grandmother, the basilisk's voice echoed in response, urging the boy to enter. It instructed him to set aside the food and potions and to join it in bed. The boy, heedless of the subtle shifts in its appearance and demeanor, undid his hood, climbed into the bed, and innocently commented on the transformation that had gradually unveiled its monstrous form. He remarked on the basilisk's arms, ears, eyes, and lastly, its teeth, to which the basilisk responded with a wicked grin, "All the better to eat you with." In an instant, the boy vanished into the basilisk's maw, leaving no trace except for his blood-stained hood.

Moral of the enchanted tale: Beware the alluring guise of basilisks, for they might hide peril behind their magic, impersonating those you hold dear.

-Excerpt from "The story of Little Blood Riding Hood: A Tale by the Grim Brothers" a book donated  to the public library by an esteemed member of the Cutburn Clan

Manny let out a yawn as he made his way home with his bag of groceries in hand.

Ever since Luz went to camp, Manny found himself being bored most of the time. His little danger noodle always made his day brighter but now that she was at camp he couldn't help but feel like things have gotten dull. It didn't help that Camila won't be home for a while so he was left to his own devices.

Just then he felt his phone ring. When he pulled it out he saw that it was a message from Luz's best friend Masha.

It was a photo of them taking a selfie in front of what looks like Luz cannonballing into a lake where a bunch of other campers were splashing each other seemingly unaware that she was about to land on them.

Masha: Hi Mr. Noceda. Just wanted to send a bunch of photos of our activies at camp. Luz asked me to. Don't worry she told me you might still be feeling bad about camp so hopefully this should cheer you up! We're having a lot of fun even if the lectures are boring.

Manny: Thank you Masha. That does make me feel better. Can you tell Luz to remember to put on her sunscreen for me? She always forget to take care of her skin sometimes and you know how bad that gets.

Masha: Will do Mr. Noceda!

Manny: Alright have fun you kids

Manny couldn't help but smile when Masha sent another photo, this time of Luz eating a very large ham and cheese sandwich. After saving it he pockets his phone and continued to make his way home.

However all of a sudden Manny found himself being pulled aside into an alley before much to his horror he found himself being aimed at with a gun by a man wearing a clown mask

"Money or life?!" the man asked threateningly in a gruff voice.

"M-Money!" Manny immediately raised his hands. Oh god this couldn't be happening. Of all the times to get mugged when he left his gun at home "Wait do some people choose life?" he rambled, his terror having overtaken his logical thinking.

"Shut up!" The man now aimed the gun at his head "Put your hands in the air!"

"Ok ok! They're up!" Manny raised his hands even more "Please just don't shoot me! I have a wife and kid!"

"Do I look I care?" The man said taking a step closer and placing his gun against his head. The feeling of cold metal made Manny all the more terrified.

'Oh god. Is this how it ends for me? Shot dead in an alley by a mugger?' Manny thought while bracing himself for the bullet. To think that he managed to beat cancer only for a thug to be the one that ends him.

"Now with your hands in the air. Wave them like you don't care~" The man suddenly said in a singsong voice before lowering his gun

"W-What?" Manny said confused but at the same time felt a wave of relief that he didn't get shot dead.

"What's up man? It's me" The man said his tone now friendly though Manny was confused as he didn't recognize him until he took off his mask

"Wait...Dryad?!" Manny exclaimed as he now found himself face to face with none other than Dryad, Camila's ex husband and Luz's biological father, the basilisk.

"Yeah baby! Now put your hands down and give me a hug!" Dryad said with a cheeky smile.

"Dryad. What are you doing here? Last I heard aren't you supposed to be in Los Angeles?" Manny asked

"That's right but something came up which I legally can't disclose in public. Now enough about that. How are you doing?" At that point Dryad had pocketed the gun before he then started asking all sorts of questions with some being about Luz but mostly they were about him and Camila

Manny though had one thing on his mind at the moment. Telling his wife that her ex was back in town.

Meanwhile in the Demon Realm...

Somewhere on the Boiling Isles...

In a dimly lit room, adorned with flickering torches, Head Witch Hettie Cutburn knelt before a figure shrouded in a horned mask, seated upon a grand throne. This enigmatic being was none other than Emperor Belos, the most formidable witch alive, Prophet of the Titan, and the architect of the coven system, designed to safeguard everyone from the perils of untamed magic... or so the tales proclaimed.

Silently, Hettie awaited as the Golden Guard, the emperor's trusted confidant, perused her report. She observed them whispering something to the emperor before handing over the document.

"Do you stand by the contents of this report, Head Witch Cutburn?" Emperor Belos inquired, his hands gripping the report tightly as he scrutinized its details.

"With absolute certainty, Emperor Belos," Hettie responded, her voice tinged with a hint of annoyance. "My people and I meticulously combed through our records and the guard's reports, and it is evident that this basilisk," she spat out the word with contempt, "is not one of our experiments. It appears to be a wild one, born naturally in the untamed wilderness, lacking any trace of our identifying markers."

"I see... this is troubling," the Emperor murmured, his grip tightening on the throne's armrest, clearly perturbed by the news. "We cannot permit this abomination to roam freely. Where was it last sighted?"

"Our scouts report that it was seen in Bonesborough delivering potions, seemingly in service of the Owl Lady. They made an attempt to capture it, but regrettably, it managed to elude them and assumed a different guise. None of its previous forms have been spotted recently," Hettie explained.

The Emperor pondered for a moment before rising from his throne. "Very well. I shall assign you to lead your people, Head Witch Cutburn, to capture this monster. If it is indeed a wild creature, as you suspect, there might be more of these parasites lurking in the shadows which it can lead us to. Their capture becomes an utmost priority, as they serve as agents of wild magic. We cannot risk a repetition of the disaster that ensued the last time a basilisk was allowed to roam freely, particularly with the Day of Unity only a few months away. Do you comprehend the gravity of the situation?"

"Yes, my lord. It shall be my utmost pleasure to bring this monster to you" Hettie replied, rising to her feet with a sly smirk, her eagerness to hunt down this monster palpable.

"Very well. You are dismissed," the Emperor declared, settling back upon his throne.

Hettie bowed respectfully before turning to exit the grand chamber. Once outside, an insidious grin spread across her face. The thought of hunting down a basilisk filled her with exhilaration. It had been far too long since the Cutburn Clan had the opportunity to pursue such a formidable quarry, not since the days of the Savage Ages.

She summoned her scroll and began to contact her associates with one in particular being Adrian Graye Vernworth, the head witch of the illusion coven.

Oh, she would relish every moment of this hunt.

Meanwhile at the Owl House, It was another beautiful day for everyone. Luz can be seen seated on the couch in the living room of the Owl House. She was surrounded by numerous books, most of which were about the different kinds of magic in the boiling Isles she had found lying around in Eda's house. She figured that if Eda wasn't going to teach her any actual magic yet she might as well do her own research in hopes of figuring it out for herself.

She also had collected a few books with information on basilisks that she was planning on reading later as for now she had tucked them away in her bag and instead focused on the ones about magic and how she could apply them.

The book she was currently reading was titled "Potions: Spells in a Bottle" and she found it very informative.

"Potion making is a subtle science and an art. Not many people understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through a living creature's veins, bewitching the minds, ensnaring the senses... The art of potions can teach one how to bottle fame,brew glory, and even stop death— if you are still reading this then congratulations you at least have the minimum necessary focus and patience to understand this art" Luz couldn't help but smile at the last part before she continued to read the book. She was beginning to like the idea of potions. She used to think that they were only for medicine and poisoning dictators but after her encounter with Vitimir the other day she's starting to see that there is more to potions than meets the eye in this world.

"Because of the very nature of potions, many people believes that it is not real magic. But that is far from the truth. Think of it like this, Potions is magic but with extra steps and as a bonus even a powerless witch or a human can do it because one does not need their bile sac magic to make potions. As long you have the smarts and the patience then you can do almost anything that other witches do including other types of magic...if you've got the skills for it"

Luz got a thoughtful look at that. From the looks of it Potions seems to be her best bet due to the fact she didn't need a bile sac attached to her heart which was what allowed witches to do magic. If what it said that it can do what other witches can could she use it to do other magic type like abomination and healing? Based on what she has read in other books Abomination did have the option of being manually created in a cauldron and healing is obvious enough for why knowing potions can allow these two branches of magic to be used and maybe more once she gets a better handle on it she could expand to other branches entirely.

She remembered her encounter with the guy called Vitimir the other day. She was fascinated how he was able to use a potion to fix the ones she broke. "Well now I know what I want Eda to teach me first" Luz said to herself with a victorious smile knowing she now at least has a clear path to her goal however she jumped in surprise when Hooty suddenly made the front door open and stretch his face uncomfortably close to her.

"Hoot Hoot! Hey Luz, Eda wants you around front. Said she needs your help with something!" the owl tube said to the basilisk girl.

"Huh, Alright. Tell her I'll be over in a minute." Luz said to Hooty(who thankfully left her alone) before she doggy eared the page and then putting the book away in her bag. "I'll just do my readings later"

Luz was about to leave when she caught the sound of tapping glass. She turned around to find Adegast still trapped in the jar she had confined him in. Initially, Eda had contemplated devouring Adegast, but the thought of consuming a sentient being, even if he deserved it, unsettled her. After some negotiation, Eda agreed to spare his life on the condition that Luz kept an eye on him. This task proved effortless since Adegast, diminished in size, found himself incapable of performing much. He had lost his magical abilities and could only vocalize sounds without speaking. Moreover, he lacked the strength to even break the glass let alone escape, rendering him as harmless as a fly.

In fact, Adegast was more like a grumpy cat, for whom Luz had taken on the responsibility of care.

Even as he glared at her and was probably thinking of ways to get revenge especially after she and Eda stole his stuff, she couldn't help but find him adorable.

"Oops almost forgot about you little buddy" Luz said jokingly as she picked up Adegast and attached his jar to her belt using the harness she had put on the jar.

Adegast made a sound that almost sounded like a growl

"Aw don't pout little buddy. If you behave maybe I can ask Eda to give you some meat stuff later. How does griffin meat sound?" Luz suggested to the small octopus. Eda had only fed Adegast fruits and vegetables slices which the octopus man seems to not be a fan of.

Adegast seemed to think about it before they gave a reluctant nod, satisfied with the bribe for him behaving.

Luz satisfied patted Adegast's jar before she walked out and saw Eda and King waiting for her outside.

"Hey, Eda. You wanted to see me?" Luz asked before noticing a large sack next to Eda which she couldn't help but frown at. "Oh please don't tell me you're gonna send me on another delivery run?" Luz asked with a groan. While she had no problem doing a delivery run it was getting boring when it was all she's been doing since she began to stay here. Eda hasn't even taught her any magic yet!

"Pfft. Relax kid I can tell you're getting sick of doing my delivery runs so this time we're doing something different. I need you to accompany me to Bonesborough to help me sell some of this human junk at my stand. Your earth knowledge should make it easier to sell this crap" Eda said with a smile to Luz before gesturing to the large sack next to her.

"What? Boo! Another chore? Miss Eda when are you gonna teach me magic? It's been almost two weeks and you haven't taught me anything" Luz complained while crossing her arm

"I'll teach you magic when you're ready now hop on" Eda said but frowned when she saw Luz didn't budge from her spot and just continued to glare at her much to her annoyance "Ok you know what? Fine. You help me with this and I promise I will teach you magic after we're done. There you happy?"

"Really?!" Luz said excitedly "Pinky swear!" Luz offered her pinky to Eda who groaned in annoyance at it but nonetheless accepted

"Yeah yeah. Pinky swear" Eda said "Now can we go?

"Yes! Magical lessons here I come!" With a smile Luz proceeded to hopped on the staff. It didn't take long for them to reach the marketplace and thanks to Eda's magic the shop was easily set up.

"So Eda. Quick question. Can potions do stuff like this too?" Luz asked as she watch in awe at the stall setting itself up.

"Well basically yeah it can do stuff like this with a simple 'Fix Me Up Brew'. Potion users would have no problem doing these even without magic. Though most potion users usually just opens up potion shops that sells medicine and ointments like I do. Why do you ask kid?" Eda said before handing Luz a box of human "treasures".

"Well since you're finally going to be teaching me magic, I was wondering if you could teach me potions first instead once we're done?" Luz asked

"Potions? I thought you wanted to learn magic kid?" Eda asked confused.

"Hey! It's technically magic Miss Eda! Like a wise book told me, Potions is magic just with extra steps" Luz said confidently

Eda raised a hand to argue but found herself not coming up with a counter argument "Ok I can't really argue with that logic. And now that I think about it Potions would actually be the best option for you at the moment due to your lack of a bile sack. So I guess potions it is for you then...until I finally get you your own staff" Eda quickly whispered the last part so that Luz was unable to hear it.

"Yay! I won't let you down Miss Eda!" Luz gave a salute "Who knows maybe once I get to do magic I could surpass you as most powerful witch on the isles" she said jokingly

"Hey King, looks like we got a joker here. Maybe in 100 years you can start thinking about getting stronger than me" Eda joked back which made Luz pout

"Bah! Why do magic when you can just suck it out of everyone" King who had been listening quietly to the conversation spoke up though in response Luz tickled him hard "Ah! That tickles! Uncle! Uncle!" he pleaded Luz to stop which she did with a giggle.

"Hey less roughhousing and more selling! We got a bunch of treasures to sell and a bunch of costumers to scam!" Eda announced proudly which Luz eagerly began to do so by using her knowledge of human "treasures" to better sell Eda's products while King decided to take a nap...again.

However at some point Eda had to go back to the owl house to get the second batch of human goods which she forgot to bring but not before giving Luz specific instructions on how to manage the shop and to make sure to keep an eye out for guards and not to remove her sunglasses to hide her eyes that indicated she was the basilisk they were looking for. Luz was then on her devices to manage the stand which was surprisingly easy, and it did help that she knew how many of the things operated.

She managed to attract many people though at one point she had to keep her head down when a few guards walked past. Luckily thanks to her being in her Masha form(except with pointy ears) they didn't pay her much attention. She definitely need to find Masha a suitable gift especially with them helping to keep her cover at camp.

Later on when she managed to get an old radio working, the amount of snails a guy had given her just to buy it was more than she could count. She didn't know how the currency worked in this world yet but she was sure that 100 snails was a lot at least

Although Luz was now beginning to grow bored, it had only been an hour since Eda left. King was still asleep, Adegast was engrossed in reading, and there were no customers around to entertain her. She contemplated heading back to the Owl House when suddenly, a woman's voice called out.

"Excuse me!"

Startled, Luz turned to see an average-built woman with tan skin, a round nose, short black hair styled in a bob cut, and brown eyes. The woman wore a burgundy dress with a black belt and sleeves, along with orange pantaloons and high gray-and-black boots. A triangular emblem adorned her dress, and she sported pink-tinted eyeglasses.

Luz couldn't believe her eyes. "Mom?" she muttered, rubbing her eyes to make sure she wasn't imagining things. The woman bore a striking resemblance to her mother, and for a moment, Luz feared she had been caught.

"Apologies for scaring you," the woman chuckled, glancing up at the banner that read 'Human Collectibles.' "I'm looking for The Owl Lady. Is this her stand?"

Luz shook her head, still in disbelief. "Yes, this is her stand. Can I help you with something specific?"

The woman smiled warmly. "Oh, that's a relief. I've been searching for it all morning! I just wanted to talk to her about something," she explained, scanning the items for sale.

"You just missed her. Eda went out to find more treasures," Luz informed her, noticing the woman's focused gaze on her.

Feeling a bit uneasy, Luz asked nervously, "Um...do you need anything else?"

"I heard the Owl Lady has a basilisk for an apprentice now. That's you, isn't it?" the woman asked abruptly, smirking knowingly.

Luz's eyes widened in shock. How did this stranger know? She was in disguise, and Eda had warned her about the danger of revealing her identity. Could this woman have seen through her façade? Panic set in as Luz imagined guards waiting around the corner to capture her. She needed to escape, but with King and Adegast asleep, it wouldn't be easy. Where was Eda when she needed her?

Interrupting her thoughts, the woman chuckled and reassured her, "Relax, sweetie. I'm not here to capture you. I'm more open-minded than most. I was simply curious if the rumors were true."

Luz narrowed her eyes, recalling Adegast's similar words when he tricked her. While she wasn't panicking anymore, she remained cautious, ready to defend herself if necessary. "Better prepare the flying broom," she thought, pulling the item out of her bag.

"Let's do proper introductions. I'm Flora D'splora," the woman introduced herself, extending her hand for a handshake. Luz accepted hesitantly.

"I'm Lusina Noceda, but people call me Luz," she replied, mentally berating herself for revealing her real name to a stranger who might still have ulterior motives.

"What a lovely name. Rather unusual for a basilisk, though," Flora remarked curiously.

Luz raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" She resisted the urge to mention her half-human heritage.

"Well, just between you and me," Flora lowered her voice, "I consider myself a basilisk researcher. One interesting fact I've learned is that basilisks don't have names. They're known by titles like 'The Honest One' or 'The Protector.'"

Luz's eyes widened. A basilisk researcher? What were the chances? She had been yearning to learn more about her kind, and here was someone claiming to be a researcher. However, she couldn't let her guard down. Trust should be earned, not freely given, especially after Adegast's deception. Eda might not be able to save her this time.

"Is that so?" Luz feigned disinterest. "My parents probably didn't feel like following the tradition."

"Interesting," Flora replied, her interest piqued. "So, what's it like being Edalyn Clawthorne's apprentice?"

A strained smile formed on Luz's face as she glanced around, then whispered, "Well, between you and me, it's pretty boring! Eda hasn't taught me any real magic. I even started to think she was joking until this morning." Luz couldn't help but express her frustration. Eda had promised to teach her after selling human junk, but the lack of actual magical lessons beforehand had been disappointing.

Flora chuckled, recognizing the complaint about Eda. "I'm guessing the Owl Lady will be teaching you potions, given the basilisk's lack of magic, right?"

Luz's eyes widened once again. How did Flora guess? Then she remembered Flora's claim of being a basilisk researcher. She was starting to believe that Flora might know what she was talking about, but that didn't mean she could trust her completely.

"That's... actually correct. How did you know?" Luz couldn't help but ask.

"Call it a hunch," Flora winked. "But it seems like you could benefit from a proper education at a school."

At the mention of school, Luz gasped in surprise. There was a magic school here?

"A school? There's a magic school here?" Luz asked, her excitement barely contained at the thought of a magical school in the Boiling Isles. Maybe she could even meet a kind upper-class student who wouldn't discriminate against basilisks.

"Of course! Why wouldn't there be?" Flora answered with a hint of amusement. "Wait, now that's an interesting question for you to ask, unless..." Flora narrowed her eyes. "You must be quite sheltered by your parents, which makes sense," she giggled, answering her own question.

Luz gulped, fearing that Flora might somehow figure out her half-human identity and her origins on Earth. She hadn't revealed her backstory to anyone else yet.

"That's right, hahaha. Just a sheltered little basilisk, since everyone here either wants to capture or kill me," Luz nervously chuckled.

Flora shook her head sympathetically. "Oh, you poor thing. Well, if you want to know more, there's a school nearby called Hexside. It's a good choice if you ever consider applying. It's even run by an old student of mine who's very open-minded. If you apply, you won't have to worry about being hunted... probably. If you'd like, I can give you some directions to check it out," she offered.

Luz pondered the offer, aware of the potential risks but unable to ignore the allure of a magical school. It could be like the schools in the stories of the great witch Azura. Taking a deep breath for courage, Luz looked around, ensuring there were no guards or customers nearby. Satisfied, she sniffed the air, confirming the absence of any guard-like scents. If there were customers, she believed King and Adegast could handle it until Eda returned.

Taking another leap of faith, Luz inhaled deeply and asked Flora for directions to Hexside. Flora seemed delighted to oblige, and Luz couldn't help but feel cautious as she listened to the instructions. Little did she know, a cloaked figure watched from a distance, holding a crow phone to their mouth.

"I have eyes on the basilisk..." the figure whispered into the device, their intentions unknown.

...

Chapter Text

"Ah! Nothing like a relaxing cup of apple blood on a beautiful morning" Eda let out a relaxed sigh as she took a sip of her drink

Taking on a witch apprentice was the best decision ever...next to not joining a coven of course. The thought of being able to delegate tasks she usually disliked doing herself was appealing to her. All she had to do was teach them magic, which she does intend to do. When she makes a deal she follows through.

However, she was faced with a dilemma - how could she teach a basilisk girl to perform magic when they lacked the bile sack required for casting spells in the first place? While Luz had asked her to teach them potions for now since it was technically magic but it still had its limitations compared to magic done via spell circles. And the only other option Eda knows for Luz to be able to do magic was to get her a palisman but its still too early and Palistrom wood was incredibly rare not to mention hard to get from the Plant Coven who kept guard of the few that remains. Even she knows it would be suicide to try it especially with that psychopath Terra Snapdragon often hanging around the greenhouses.

She does remember from her old teachers and some books that witches and demons used to do magic differently back then but the knowledge has been lost to time and most of the few that remains is locked up by that bonehead of an emperor. She could do more research but she was not in the mood to do any right now.

'Eh. I can do more research later. Now it's time for some me time' Eda thought before taking another sip of her apple blood.

Unfortunately her R and R time was interrupted by a very annoying voice.

"Hiya Eda! Shouldn't you be going back to Bonesborough hoot hoot!" Hooty stretched right above Eda, casting a shadow over the owl lady

Eda groaned "Can it Hooty. Can't you see I'm taking a break?"

"Aren't you worried about your apprentice hoot" Hooty asked. He really liked Luz especially because she was so nice to him.

"Luz is a smart kid. She can handle it. What could go wrong?" Eda said, tempting fate.

"Yeah nothing could go wrong. Not like she could get misinterpret the going rate of snails to human realm currency or accidentally reveal her basilisk form to the public causing mass panic, get caught by the coven and violently experimented on, or maybe even be used as bait to lure you out in some climactic duel with a relative or something. Yep, none of that can happen. hoot hoot!" Hooty casually explained all the possible ways things can go wrong.

"Hah! Nice try Hooty but you're not going to guilt me into going back. Not when I haven't been able to sit back and relax like this in a while" Eda announced taking another sip of her apple blood.

Yeah...Luz will be fine.

"Me and my stupid little conscience! Damnit" Eda cursed out loud as she made her way back to the stand.

Hooty just had to make her overthink. He couldn't even let her relax for even a day. When she gets home she's replacing his griffin meat with meat pellets. That'll teach him.

However just as Eda was about to think of other ways to get back at Hooty she immediately noticed something was wrong. Luz, King, and that stupid octopus was nowhere to be seen. In fact the stall was completely empty.

"Luz? King?" Eda called out as she landed and walked up to the stall. She looked around and saw that the entire stock of human treasures she left Luz with was gone and the register was empty. Shit.

Eda was about to cast a spell to locate her missing charges when a familiar voice called out.

"Hello Owl Lady"

Eda immediately turned around and aimed her staff at none other than Flora D'splora, the current head witch of the emperor's coven. She would have blasted her had it not been for the woman holding a still sleeping King in her arms as well as Adegast who was visibly panicking. To her worry though when she looked around she saw that Luz was nowhere to be found with Flora.

That means...

"Where is she?" Eda growled. She never liked Flora. Her sister had told her all about her and what she heard did not paint this woman in a positive light.

"Where's who?" Flora tilted her head, seemingly amused by her question.

"You know exactly who I'm talking about. The girl that was here. What did you do to her?" Eda tightened her grip on her staff. She was now very worried. Did this bitch take Luz? Did they find out she was a basilisk or did they take her simply because she was associated with her? No it doesn't matter why. Cause if this woman took her then Luz was now most likely in the hands of the Emperor's Coven which was really bad.

"Oh! You must be talking about little Luz. I have to say she's such a nice little girl" Flora answered looking like she was remembering something.

"I swear to Titan if you harmed even a single hair on her head" Eda threatened, already thinking up her plan of attack. If she could just get King and Adegast off Flora then she can beat her face into the ground and find out where Luz is and hopefully rescue her.

"Easy now. The basilisk is safe" Flora said, raising a hand in a placating manner

"So you know what she is. Where did you take her? Some lab where she's being cut open?" Eda accused. This went from bad to worse. If they know then there's no telling what they're doing to Luz. The Basilisks did not have a good reputation in these lands.

"Oh relax Owl Lady. I'm not that kind of witch. I simply...gave her directions" Flora vaguely answered while petting King.

"Explain yourself before I blast you into the boiling sea" Eda demanded

"Oh its quite simple. When I met your little student I made small talk. You know she expressed disappointment that you haven't taught her any magic and she said that she wanted to go to a magic school which I have to say is a really weird way to say school which gave me a few theories about her" Flora then made eye contact with Eda. There was now a hint of seriousness in her eyes "So where did you find her? Last I heard the basilisks are supposed to be extinct right? Did you perhaps...raise her from an egg or-"

"That's none of your business" Eda cut her off "Where did you send her?"

"Oh just towards Hexside of course. It's the closest school around and one of the friendlier ones too so you don't have to worry about any lynching if they find out what she is...probably" Flora added the last part as an after thought.

"Hexside?!" Eda's eyes widened in shock

"What a great nap!" Just then King had finally woken up. He looked around and noticed he was being held by some stranger "Huh? Who are you supposed to be?"

"Oh aren't you just the cutest thing" Flora coos before suddenly tossing both King and Adegast at Eda who immediately caught them "Well I have to go. I have business elsewhere. Oh and by the way I had to confiscate your treasures and your snails because I'm still required to do my job, even if its the bare minimum. Bye!"

With that Flora suddenly pulled out her Palisman which transformed from a whip into a staff she used to fly away leaving a very frustrated Eda and confused King.

"So uh...who the heck was that supposed to be?" King asked "And where is Luz?" he noticed she was nowhere to be found

"Doesn't matter" Eda frowned "I'm going to get her back" She just hoped Flora wasn't lying.

Boscha let out a grunt as she ran across the field, grudgby ball in hand.

'Straight ahead. Dodge the obvious axe trap and the spear trap. Maneuver around the enemies. Score the goal'

Boscha thought as she performed her plan. She sped up her pace and ran in a straight direction.

As she had predicted an axe trap shot up a metallic axe which she easily avoided. She easily does the same for the spears that shot up from the ground but one had nearly nicked her in the leg though it managed to only graze her grudgby armor.

Not good enough. She should have been able to dodge that without a scratch but no matter. The enemies are child's play. She just need to score the goal.

"Boscha! I'm open!" came a voice that greatly annoyed her.

Unfortunately at this moment she was reminded that she wasn't the only one on the team.

She turned and saw none other than the tree hugging eyesore, Willow Park, signaling her to pass the ball to her.

Yeah no. She didn't need that stupid Plant girl to score this goal. She can do this herself.

So instead of answering she pushed forward ignoring her "teammates" yelling at her to cooperate.

She immediately prepared a spell circle, bracing herself as the enemies closed in on her with intent to block her.

To her knowledge, the adversaries were far from genuine threats. Mere life-sized dolls, animated by magic to help Hexside's grudgby team develop their skills, or in the case of Willow and Amity, to further nurture their inherent prodigous abilities. Boscha, on the other hand, had clawed her way to her current standing, fighting tooth and nail.

Yet, a bitter thought gnawed at her - all her efforts still fell short to those two. With surprising ease, she deftly maneuvered past the first two dolls, only to face an unexpected challenge from the third. Just as she was poised to unleash her spell, the doll cunningly evaded her fiery projectile and retaliated with one of its own.

But, just in the nick of time, Willow intervened. With a twirl of her fingers, she conjured a protective wall of intertwining vines, shielding Boscha from the impending strike.

Boscha immediately got up and prepared to retaliate but unfortunately the dolls suddenly deactivated due to none other than Amity Blight who had snapped her finger to command them to stop. She could see the angry look on her face from this distance

'Great. Here comes little miss perfect' Boscha thought in annoyance as Amity marched right up to her

"Damn it Boscha, this is the third time today that you went against our plan!" Amity scolded her

"And like I told you for the third time its a stupid plan!" Boscha snapped back

"Right. No wonder Willow had to save your butt...again" Amity said in a mocking tone

"Guys there's no need to-" Willow tried to ease the situation but unfortunately she was cut off

"Shut up you nerd" Boscha snapped

"Don't you talk to her like that!" Amity immediately came to Willow's defense

"Or what? You gonna make me run laps around the school?" Boscha challenged

Amity scowled before it turned into a smirk "You know what? I have a better idea. I'll just kick you out"

"What?!" Boscha exclaimed "You can't do that!"

"Oh yes I can. I'm team captain remember?" Amity said in a smug tone "I could kick you off right here right now for poor sport witchship. You could be demoted to team mascot"

"Mascot?! Over my dead body!" Boscha said angrily. Being the team mascot was one of the most embarrassing positions ever! She would sooner gouge out her eyes and jump off a cliff than be the mascot, especially since the mascot costume looks so stupid. Who designed that thing!?

"So what's it gonna be Boscha?" Amity asked, pushing Boscha's already fragile buttons.

Willow couldn't help but worry when she saw Boscha grit her teeth and clench her fists. For a moment she thought her best friend and Boscha were going to have a witch duel, but luckily they were interrupted by the school bell.

"Whoops. There's the bell. To be continued. Think about what I said and perhaps you'll have an attitude adjustment at practice later." Amity said the last part in a warning tone and turned and walked away. "Come on, Willow. We don't want to be late.".

Willow hesitated. She looked to Boscha who looked like she wanted to murder Amity. "Boscha I-"

"Shut up, Park. Just get the fuck out of here" Boscha let out a scoff at Willow's attempt to "comfort" her before she also turned and left in another direction.

Seeing this, Willow just let out a sigh before running after Amity. Maybe she could talk to her about being nicer to Boscha even if the triclops is a jerk.

After changing into her uniform, Boscha had quickly made her way to her class as she was not in the mood to hear any more snide comments from the damn Blight.

Unfortunately for her she still had to share a class with both Little Miss Perfect and the Plant nerd and of course when she arrived the only seat available was right next to those two...go figure.

She had to stop herself from scoffing when Willow gestured to the empty seat next to her when they saw her. Amity seemed to just ignore her.

She might as well get it over with.

Without a word she took the seat next to Park. Fortunately they didn't try to make small talk with her and Amity continued to ignore her.

Meanwhile the class wasn't anything interesting as usual as it was just about history which she was never that much of a fan on. So now she simply sat in her class with a bored look on her face.

She practically ignored the teacher who went on about a topic she didn't even care about, all the while cursing the god's name if there even is one as she looked out the window with a bored look on her face

"Alright Class! Eyes up here!"

Boscha jumped in surprise, she sighed and forced herself to look at the professor.

They smiled and clapped their hands "To see if you all paid attention let us have an oral recitation. Let us have, mm...Amity Blight, please stand and answer this question. During the Savage Ages which clans were responsible for leading the Great Basilisk Hunt?"

Boscha rolled her eyes as she watched Amity stood up with that same damn smirk on her face and answered.

"The Great Basilisk Hunt was led by mainly the Cutburn Clan and was assisted by the Blight Clan, The Hargreaves Clan, and last but not the least, the Emperor's coven but from before they rose to power" Amity explained

The teacher nodded in approval "Very good. Can you explain why?" they added.

Amity seemed to think about it before she answered again "It's because according to Emperor Belos, the basilisks were sent as a test by the great Titan themselves to see if our souls can still be saved. By killing a basilisk we purify our soul of the corruption of wild magic as well as to bless our bloodline with good health and fortune" the way she said it was as if she had memorized it directly from a book word for word.

Of course the professor smiled and clapped his hands clearly impressed with her answer, the other students soon joined him all with big smiles on their faces, Boscha excluded, she couldn't deny that Amity was smart but what exactly was impressive with her answer? She just repeated the words from a book. Anyone could do that.

The professor coughed "Smart as always, Amity."

The teacher then spent the next few minutes calling random students and asking them questions about history ranging from who were the first coven heads and how the construction of the castle was done. She was lucky enough to have not been called by the teacher and before she knew it, the bell screamed signalling that class was finally over and it was recess time.

Unfortunately it seems fate decided to be a dick today when the teacher told them not to leave yet.

"Before you all go, remember you shall be presenting your reports after your recess"

Boscha froze.

Oh Titan damn it. She completely forgot about that.

"This is a 3 group assignment about the history of the coven system but you already know that. Heck why am I even explaining this to you unless you all forgot which I'm sure you didn't" The teacher laughed as if he just said a funny joke "But anyways you're all dismissed. Just don't forget about your reports for it will be part of your final grade for this semester or else you will have to get extra homeworks for the entire term"

Part of Boscha wondered if the teacher knew she forgot and was mocking her for it. Then again if her groupmates found out she forgot...Oh fuck.

Boscha had immediately tried to make a beeline for the exit in an attempt to rush through her report before "they" found out. But of course before she could even escape she felt a hand on her shoulder which stopped her in her tracks.

She looked up and stared at Amity who was giving her a suspicious look while Willow stood behind her. Oh and did she mention these two also happened to be her groupmates for this report? She can already see where this is going "What do you want?" She hid the panic in her voice.

Amity smirked "I was actually just going to ask if you needed help with your part of our group report" there was a hint of a mocking tone in her statement

Boscha blinked at her, she clenched her fists and glared at her "No. And what makes you think I didn't do it?"

"Oh there's no need to lie Boscha. I already know you didn't do your part. Besides you don't want to get suspended from grudgby because you got a failing grade do you?" Amity said in a mocking tone "Willow and I can get it done in flash too"

"I said no, Blight. Just because you're a star student, doesn't mean that you can help me nor do I even want it in the first place. So, just leave me the fuck alone" She pushed past her and Willow and walked out the classroom.

Amity watched as Boscha walked away before she herself left the room. She looked to Willow who gave her a disapproving look

"That was kinda mean, Amity" Willow said

"Oh please. If I didn't tell her she would have just made up an excuse to not do it. Think of this as pushing her in the right direction" Amity explained.

Willow wanted to argue but decided against it. Amity always got meaner whenever Boscha was involved.

She just hopes Boscha will be able to do her part before class start otherwise all of their grades would be affected.

Boscha strode down the halls, her head held low and her fists clenched. She despised the feeling of incompetence. The frustration of receiving poor grades and dealing with that insufferable Blight only fueled her anger. "Ugh! I can't take this any longer."

She let out a sigh. "I suppose I should begin working on that dumb report," she muttered to herself before pausing to glance at her hands. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "And perhaps reconnect with some old friends." With that, she dashed towards the school's exit, a wide grin now adorning her face.

Aside from grudgby, there was one other thing she found solace in—the companionship of beasts.

Unlike the people in her life who often judged, looked down on her, or even "abandoned" her in tough times, beasts never exhibited such behavior. They remained fiercely loyal and devoid of judgment towards people.

If it weren't for the illegality of the act, she would have gladly taken beast-keeping as a secondary track. Unfortunately, engaging in such an endeavor would result in her being labeled a wild witch. Furthermore, her parents were adamant about her sticking to the potions track, not that she detested it, considering it was one of the few things she was good at so just switching is a no go.

Well there was no point thinking of scenarios that she won't even do in the first place.

She shook her head and stopped in front of a familiar area the Hexside Zoo, a place where the school kept their beasts for students of the beast keeping track.

She looked around and made sure no one was still here. After all only beast keeping students were allowed to spend time in this area.

She smiled when the beasts immediately perked upon seeing her. They're already familiar with her at this point due to how frequently she visited them. "Hey girls, I brought you a snack" she pulled out an apple for a griffin.

The other beasts seemingly whined, jealous at the unicorn getting all the attention "Don't worry I didn't forget about you guys. I brought enough for everyone" she proudly said while casting a spell circle to summon all the snacks she had brought.

While many other students went off to have their lunch and study during break. Boscha would always come out here and just hang out with the beasts in the zoo, she knew if she were caught she would probably get in trouble, possibly even suspended or worse expelled, but she didn't really care. As long as she gotta do what she loved, then everything was alright in the world for her.

She took a seat and couldn't help but smile when one of the baby griffins approached her and laid their head on her lap. She didn't hesitate to pet them.

And nothing was going to ruin this moment for her...

Only for the sound of a person to interrupt her.

"Awww" they seemingly coo before gasping as if realizing they had said that out loud.

"Oh for the love of!" She stopped and turned around, she spotted a figure right by the window who immediately ducked and tried to run

"Oh no you don't!" Boscha said and without hesitating she created a spell circle which summoned a magical lasso which she used to grab the eavesdropper outside.

"Eep!" they let out a squeak and tried to resist when Boscha tried to pull them in. Unfortunately for them the triclops was stronger thanks to years of grudgby and she was already used to wrangling unicorns and ratworms herself.

Just to be sure though, Boscha sent a small zap electricity along the lasso, not enough to cause serious harm but just enough to shock someone into temporary paralysis. The outsider let out a yelp of pain at the zap and seemingly stopped moving. Seeing this opportunity the triclops gave one powerful tug, and the outsider were roughly pulled into the building.

When Boscha saw their face she uttered the first words that came to mind

" .Titan"

Moments earlier...

Luz had followed Flora's directions, but instead of a school she found herself walking around a forest. It's not like she was lost or something because for one she followed Flora's instructions unless the woman lied...Now that she think about it maybe she had missed a few turns but she was definitely not lost because she had a bad sense of direction. If anything she had a decent enough sense. She just wasn't used to the Isles yet.

"Maybe I should have asked for a map instead" Luz said out loud. Hind sight has never been her forte unfortunately. She's definitely asking Eda for one when she get back.

"Maybe I could try flying around? No No. That's a terrible idea. What if someone spots me?" Luz said to herself. She didn't want to lose this disguise already. It was really hard to come up with new ones. She couldn't help but let out a sigh as she continued to walk around in hopes that she would finally reach her destination.

Although part of her was beginning to think this was a trap like Adegast but then again his map and instructions were stupidly easy. Of course she did make sure she wasn't walking blindly into the unknown as she always made sure to keep her nose out for the scent of any scouts that maybe waiting to jump her.

Maybe she should have brought Adegast with her. He could have been like a guide and would know his way around the place but then again he might have led her intro a trap. He hasn't exactly shown willingness to change...yet

Fortunately today the gods above decided to have mercy on her as she finally seemed to have found the school Flora told her about. Or at least a part of it.

She could see what looks like the school building which was right in front of what looks like an outdoor football field or at least that's what she thinks it is. Or was this supposed to be like an outdoor gymnaium? She wasn't sure. Regardless at least she finally found it.

She could see some kids which she assumed are students walking around with some eating snacks which made her stomach grumble a little. God she should have brought a sandwhich. She always needed to eat more than other kids her age which she attributed to her basilisk side.

And her blood fuel while it fueled her transformations it did nothing else as it provides neither sustenance nor did it actually fill her hunger which sucks. One time she did try drinking a large amount of blood but all it did was left hungrier than before. She still remember when one time she got so hungry that she bit Manny, who of course quickly forgave her.

Shaking her head. Luz thought about asking a few students about school but remembered Flora had warned her about entering school grounds without an official Guest id or being a student otherwise the trouble sniffers will catch her and throw her into detention which is apparently a huge no no.

She could try shapeshifting a uniform on but that might get her into trouble if said trouble sniffers caught her.

"I know! I'll just look for a student who's all isolated and alone and ask them to invite me in as a guest. That's how I met Masha. That way I won't get in trouble for sneaking in! Yeah this can work!" Luz said to herself. Yeah this plan is fool proof. And maybe if she's lucky she could meet a cute yet vulnerable upper class man

Of course that left Luz wandering around while hiding in search of a lonely student. Part of her couldn't help but feel like she's being a creep sneaking around like this.

At one point she stumbled upon what looked like a barn. That was when she heard a voice.

"Hey girls, I brought you a snack" Luz heard someone from inside the barn.

"Maybe I could ask them for directions" Luz said walking up to the window.

When she looked inside she saw a rather cute sight. What looked like a girl with three eyes was tending to the beasts inside, and was feeding and petting them. She couldn't help but let out but coo at the sight.

"Aww"

Unfortunately this was the wrong thing to do as when the girl heard her they immediately got angry and defensive.

When she tried to run away she of course found herself caught in what looked like a magical lasso which also delivered a rather nasty shock which unfortunately forced her into her basilisk form. She almost dropped her bag but she kept a tight grip on it.

"No wait!" Luz exclaimed but before she could do anything she was dragged into the barn which was why she now found herself facing the triclops who had a shocked look on her face.

" .Titan"

In response, Luz gave a small wave before saying "Hello" with a sheepish smile

"You're that basilisk. The one from the wanted posters" the triclops said still in shock while releasing the magical rope

'Crap. She knows' Luz thought thinking this was already going badly as she immediately got up and took a step back.

She raised her hands in a placating manner "Please don't panic, I'm not like what your books thinks. At least I'm not like the ones you people talk about there and I have no secret agenda or tricks"

"I didn't think the rumors were actually true. Basilisks are supposed to be extinct. How?" the triclops said

Luz opened her mouth but then closed it "Honestly I have no idea."

The triclops raised a brow at that.

"Well technically I'm not even a full on basilisk. I'm half human. Before you ask, my dad is a basilisk and no I don't know how he ended up on earth" Luz explained.

"Alright. How did you end up here then?" The triclops asked curious

" Well I got here thanks to the owl lady's portal door" Luz said

"Owl Lady? You mean that weird woman selling human junks?" the triclops seemed familiar with Eda.

"Yeah. do you know her?" Luz asked curious

"We've...met" the triclops said vague which was followed by an awkward silence between the two.

"You know you're not as panicky around me as the people around town." Luz said noting how calm this girl was around her. It was honestly a refreshing change of pace.

Boscha shrugs "I read about your kind from a book. It says basilisks attack on sight. But here you are holding a conversation with me instead of tearing my throat out so I guess you're not lying about not being like the others in the books"

Luz was surprised to hear about a book which she immediately wanted to ask the triclops about but before she could even do so she saw them turn around to sit down next to a griffin "I never got your name. I'm Luz Noceda. What's yours?"

The triclops girl stopped to look at her and sighed before answering "Boscha"

Luz smiled "Nice to meet you Boscha"

Boscha shrugged and pulled out a piece of paper which she started writing on. Luz took a step forward but when the griffin next to the triclops growled at the basilisk girl she immediately took a step back "So, What are you doing? Studying ancient magic scrolls made by a immortal wizard?" she asked eager to know about what kind of stuff a magic school has their students do

Boscha glanced at her "I'm working on a history report for a presentation"

Luz was surprised at how..."mundane" that sounds. "I suppose even magic schools has school stuff like boring old reports" she said. She was never a fan whenever a teacher just kept assigning students to do presentations rather than actually teaching them stuff. She still remember that one teacher who never actually taught them anything and just had the students report everything while she sat back and played candy crush. Fortunately she retired not long after due to a hiking accident.

"I guess" Boscha shrugged "Look if you don't mind I really need to get this done in an hour. So scram if you don't got anything better to do"

Luz then remembered why she came here in the first place and was about to speak up when she and Boscha heard the sound of footsteps approaching.

"Gus, said Boscha, should be around here somewhere" came a familiar voice which Boscha instantly recognized.

"Fuck" Boscha muttered before suddenly pushing Luz into one of the pens.

"Hey! What's the big idea?" Luz exclaimed just as a griffin sat down on her back with a growl forcing her to be quiet.

"Keep your head down fool and be quiet" Boscha quickly said in a whisper

Just then a girl wearing the same outfit as Boscha entered while reading a book. For some reason, Luz couldn't help but blush at her.

"Another witch girl" Luz thought as the girl turned to look down at Boscha with an annoyed look on her face

"Boscha" the girl said as she closed her book. "So this is where you've been hiding out during lunch"

"Amity" Boscha spat, as she got up and gave the girl a glare "What the hell are you doing here"

"You know, our class will be starting soon. How's your part of our report going?" The girl now known as Amity asked before noticing the snacks Boscha had brought for the beasts as a unicorn snacked on them

"Oh, Boscha. Spending time with beasts again? No wonder you're having a hard time in class not to mention grudgby practice. You do know principal Bump won't be pleased to know you've been studying a different track than the one you're assigned to? Is potions no longer entertaining for you?" Amity asked while gesturing to the animals

Luz narrowed her eyes at Amity, not liking how she was essentially making fun of Boscha who was now gritting her teeth and looked like she will explode in anger any moments now.

"At this rate everyone's gonna start calling you Half a Witch Boscha" Amity said before pinching the bridge of her nose "Looks like its up to me to bail you out of this one again"

Amity snapped her fingers and a cauldron magically wheeled itself inside. She then moved to the cauldron and took off the top, before stepping back a bit. "Abomination, rise." she said with a smug smirk and crossed her arms, snapping her fingers.

A monster of purple, pink, and gray began to form from the cauldron before facing Boscha with it's green lifeless eyes. "Here...to...help" it groaned while picking up a pen and paper

"Since you're having so much trouble I'm just gonna go and leave one of my abominations here to help you." Amity said as she pointed to the abomination proudly. "Besides as the top student of Hexside, it's my sworn duty to tell struggling witches like you to never stop trying. And keep striving so you won't be such a burden on the team."

As Luz watched the conversation between them, she couldn't help but feel bad for Boscha. It was clear she was struggling with something and Amity was just being needlessly mean to her. It reminded her so much of Amber who often pulled the same stunt of belitting other students due to some stupid belief that she was better than them

"Abomination, help Boscha." Amity told her construct as the sludge nodded in confirmation. "See you at school, and for the love of titan don't mess this up" the girl said as she finally left the barn.

As she left, Luz couldn't' help but stick her tongue out at Amity.

"Grr. I hate it when she does that! URH! She thinks she's so much better than me?!" Boscha said before her eyes glowed red and she began to shake. "Rah!"

Then all of a sudden an intense stream of flames was shot forward by Boscha, who targeted the abomination creature, completely incinerating it.

"Woah!" Luz looked in awe as she witnessed this incredible display of firepower. Some of the beasts took a step back out of fear which fortunately included the griffin that was sitting on Luz.

When the flames finally subsided, Boscha let out a weary sigh.

"Oh right. You're still here" Boscha said before she suddenly turned around and pointed at Luz who had just gotten up "You should leave as well. Unless you want the trouble sniffers to find you trespassing on school grounds"

Before, Luz was planning on bribing Boscha into taking her into school but after witnessing that whole interaction it didn't feel right. Right now she just want to help Boscha with this stuff she's doing, no strings attached deal.

"Wait", Luz walked up to her, "Maybe I can help?"

"What exactly would you even be able to help me with this? This is a history report. You said it yourself that you didn't even grow up in this realm. Do you even know anything about the history of the coven system?" Boscha said not looking convinced by Luz's offer.

Luz grinned upon hearing that. It was as if the gods themselves were smiling at her. She had read just read about this coven system earlier while trying to learn magic, of course Eda scoffed at it. But still the fact that it was exactly what this girl needed made her wonder if this meeting was fated or something "What a coincidence! I've actually had read about it. Really interesting subject too"

"That's way too big of a coincidence" Boscha said narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

"No seriously! Now that you mention it does sound way too convenient but trust me, I happen to be really good at making a presentation even if I hate reports" Luz laughed, as if remembering an old joke.

Luz then moved to sit down next to Boscha, grabbing the pen and paper from her intending to get started. However before she could get started the triclops stopped her. They gave her an odd look.

Boscha's question hung in the air, "Wait...why are you doing this? What do you have to gain from helping me?"

Luz paused, considering her response. "To be honest, I first came here because I really wanted to learn magic. I thought I could find a student who could help me get in, and that's when I found you. But after that jerk earlier made fun of you...well, let's just say I couldn't sit back and do nothing to help," she explained with a smile.

Boscha seemed taken aback and said nothing. For a moment, it looked like the triclops wanted to say something else, but she shook her head. "Well, at least you're honest. For a moment there, I thought you were going to say something cringey like 'because it's the right thing to do' or some crap. Guess you did have an agenda, you little trickster," she said, and Luz swore for a moment it sounded like the girl was cracking a joke.

In response, Luz chose to just smile sheepishly. "Hey, that was before all that earlier stuff happened. Right now, I'm helping you, no strings attached. Now come on. You said you only got an hour, right? I can do half that."

"Right," Boscha nodded, and with that, they immediately got to work. True to Luz's words, she did get it done in half an hour, which did give Boscha time to review the report she had done to make sure it was correct. After a few more minutes of review, they were finally done.

Boscha couldn't believe it though. She was already bracing herself that she was definitely gonna have to get a half ass report done but here she was with something that actually took effort. Granted she did have some help.

She took a look at the time and saw that break was almost over. She immediately gathered up her things and put away her report paper in the magic storage.

However before she left she looked back at Luz and said "Hey uh...thanks for the help. If you want I could come back later after school and see if I could hook you up with a guest id for school"

Hearing that, Luz's face immediately lit up and she ran up and hugged Boscha, "Thank you! I can finally get to see a magic school"

"Uh yeah..." Boscha could only awkwardly returned the hug before pushing off Luz "Anyways I need to go!" the triclops then ran towards school

"Good luck with your report, Boscha!" Luz yelled to the girl. She really couldn't help but feel giddy. It always felt so satisfying to help people.

Just then her stomach grumbled again. "Oh darn it. Maybe I managed to leave a snack in here" Luz said reaching into her bag for anything she could munch on while she waited. Luckily she managed to somehow pull out a peanut butter and jelly sandwhich which she thinks she must have packed from before she was supposed to go to camp but was preserved by the bag's magic "Score!"

However just before she could even eat it she heard a growl. She looked to see the Griffin from before was now eyeing her hungrily or more specifically her sandwich "Uh-oh"

Some time Later...

Boscha breathed a sigh of relief as the report had gone well. However, it was no surprise that Amity, with her usual attitude, had seemed to anticipate Boscha's usual half-hearted effort. Boscha couldn't help but take some satisfaction in seeing Amity taken aback by her actually doing something decent.

As she looked ahead to the day when she could finally challenge the damn Blight for the position of grudgby captain, Boscha couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation. And as for Willow's attempted congratulations, Boscha simply brushed it off, leaving to have lunch, which led to her current situation.

She was currently seated with none other than Augustus Porter and his little Human Appreciation Society club. As for why she was with them well that's no one's titan damn business.

She didn't pay attention as they conversed among themselves while she scrolled through her penstagram. She briefly saw a post from the emperor's coven releasing an announcement about a basilisk which reminded her of her encounter earlier but she swiped past it. She's gonna have to make up for that. Let it not be said a Hargreaves didn't repay their debts even if Luz says they don't need to. Although deep down the beast lover side of her for some reason feels really curious to know more about Luz as a basilisk.

Boscha was pulled from her thoughts though when she noticed Augustus was actually saying something to her

"...about you, Boscha? Would you like to come?"

Boscha raised an eyebrow at Augustus "Huh? Coming to what?"

Augustus frowned at her not listening " I'm talking about the moonlight conjuring at the end of the month! A ritual where witches are able to animate an object using the power of the moon. Me and the Human Appreciation Society are planning to use the ritual to bring a human artifact to life so that it could maybe tell us more about humans. I was wondering if you wanted to come"

"Yeah Boscha. It will be really fun" Bo, who was sitting with them inquired. The other members nodded in agreement.

Boscha shrugged "That sounds dumb"

Augustus frowned "Oh come on Boscha! Pretty please? I swear it will be really fun"

"No"

"Please"

Boscha was about to say no again but to her horror she realized Augustus was now using his secret weapon. The dreaded puppy dog eyes. She hated those eyes. They somehow looked so pathetic that she had a hard time saying no to them.

"No. That...won't...work... Must... resist...Damn it! You know what? Fine. I'll go to your stupid conjuring" Boscha said in a defeated tone

Eileen gave a thumbs up of approval.

"Yay! I promise it will be one of the best conjuring you'll ever experience" Augustus said excitedly

"Whatever you say" Boscha said, she wanted to go back to reading her scroll when Amity suddenly slammed her hands on the table, making everyone jump in surprise.

"I have to say Boscha, I'm impressed. You actually managed to not screw it up" Amity said with a smirk

Augustus and the other members couldn't help but tense as they watched the interaction between the two.

"Go away, Blight. I'm not in the mood for your bullshit" Boscha said with a scowl

Amity chuckled, "Why are you in such a grumpy mood? You actually managed to do a decent job this time" Amity said as she leaned in "Unless perhaps it wasn't your own work? The way some of the answers were structured really didn't sound like you even with my abomination. It's ok to admit if you cheated"

At that last part Boscha immediately got right in Amity's face. How dare this bitch accuse her of cheating. "How fucking dare you, Blight" she growled. If there's one thing, Boscha hated was cheating. Everyone knew that. She'd rather eat her arm than cheat.

At this point tensions were getting really high with some students leaving to avoid getting involved in the crossfire of what's most likely going to be a fight

However this fight was not to happen today for it was at this moment that all of a sudden, Luz, in her basilisk form, came crashing through the cafeteria window a few feet away from them

"What in Titan?!" Amity jumped in surprise at the intruder, as the girl got up that's when the witch noticed exactly what they were "Basilisk!"

As soon as Amity announced this the entire room erupted into chaos with students panicking as soon as they also saw the basilisk among them. Some of them even screaming in terror

"Oh my Titan! The rumors were true!"

"It's a basilisk! Run!"

"She's going to eat our magic!"

"Every witch for themselves!"

Luz got up and immediately looked around seeing students running away from her and even some looking at her in terror. Unfortunately before Luz could do anything to even try to calm everyone, she heard a loud screech

"Luz what are you-" Boscha tries to say but was cut off

"Oh fuck!" Luz cursed before running away just as a large griffin suddenly crashed through the wall, seemingly chasing after Luz herself.

Fortunately as the others ran from the savage beast, a few of the beast keeping students stood their ground and attempted to pacify the beast to no avail. It seemed to be intent on getting its claws on Luz who was now hiding underneath a table.

Boscha was dumbfounded by this. Griffins were usually docile beasts. It made her think that Luz must have done something to royally piss it off to the point it won't stop attacking until it gets to her.

Just then the rampaging griffin broke through the line of beast keepers and made a beeline for Luz while knocking away any poor students who were unfortunately in the way.

"Ah! No get away from me! I'm sorry about the snacks!" Luz screamed in terror as the Griffin continued to chase her

Seeing this, Boscha turned to Gus and his friends who were all hiding under the table "Stay here and don't make any sudden movement" she instructed them before running after the rampaging griffin.

She casted a spell circle which summoned a wall of flames that briefly distracted the griffin enough for Boscha to get between it and Luz who immediately backed away

"Boscha, what are you doing!? That's a basilisk right behind you!" Amity yelled at Boscha and looked at her as if she was crazy.

Boscha resisted the urge to facepalm "Are you kidding me!? There's a freaking griffin rampaging here!"

Amity looked between the griffin and the basilisks before scowling "Fine then!" she said before summoning multiple abominations to hold down the griffin while it was still distracted.

Seeing the griffin temporarily restrained, Boscha got an idea. She pulled out a sleeping potion and doused the entirety of the content on the Griffin's mouth. It didn't take long thanks to the huge quantity of the potion for the Griffin to finally stop thrashing around and passed out cold. For some reason she couldn't help but feel it was rather anticlimatic end to the chaos of it all.

"Is it dead?" Luz said peeking from behind Boscha who let out an annoyed sigh at the basilisk girl before realizing all the students were now glaring at Luz who gulped nervously at the looks she was getting.

"You!" Amity said stomping forward and pointing an accusing finger at Luz "You brought that thing here!"

Some of the other students were also surrounding Luz but kept their distance out of fear of having their magic eaten.

Luz raised her hands in a placating manner to appear peaceful "It wasn't on purpose. I swear"

Some of the students were murmuring among themselves although some of them seem intrigued about seeing a basilisk

"Wow. So that's basilisk?"

"It looks kinda cute"

"I thought they were extinct?"

Amity wasn't convinced by Luz's answer and scoffed "You expect us to trust the word of a monster that brought chaos to our school? You probably brought that rampaging griffin here for some nefarious scheme to eat all our magic!" she said accusingly.

Most of the students behind Amity seemed to nod in agreement which made Luz even more nervous and worried that she might get mobbed

Amity moved towards Luz but Boscha stood between them

"Didn't you hear, Blight? She said it wasn't on purpose" Boscha said taking Luz by surprise at the triclops defending her

Amity looked to Boscha with a scowl "Are you really that obssessed with beasts, Boscha? You'd go as far as to defend a magic eating monster?"

Boscha stood her ground and simply glared at Amity. Luz was trying to figure out a way to escape but as it stood she was surrounded on all sides with no viable escape route. She didn't want to go the violent route out of fear that everyone might react with hostility towards her if she attacked.

"What on Titan is going on in here?!" A tall woman with short fluffy, curly and orangish-red hair, ivory skin and mint blue eyes yelled. They were wearing traditional academic dress consisting of a long black gown with a gold yoke, a black cape, gold trim at the sleeves and cape hem, plus a blue stole draped over her shoulders and brown high-heeled boots.

Luz couldn't help but feel intimidated by the woman who seemed surprised to see her before it was replaced by a look of suspicion. "You. You shouldn't be here"

"I...uh..." Luz stammered, trying and failing to come up with an answer.

Seeing the situation, Amity stepped forward "Principal Lilith, this basilisk tried to-" she began to say but was interrupted by a voice Luz recognized

"Hold it!" Luz let out a sigh of relief as she saw Eda arrived through the hole in the wall. Lilith seemed to groan in annoyance though. Still Luz was so glad to see Eda who once again came to her rescue

"Hello, Edalyn" Lilith said frowning at seeing the owl lady "I'm going to assume you have something to do with this then?"

"That's right. I'm responsible for this. My apprentice, Luz here was just acting on my teachings"

Lilith was briefly surprised at hearing Eda call Luz her apprentice while Luz's eyes widened in surprise at Eda taking the entire blame for all this "What, Eda no this is my fault"

"No, kid it isn't" Eda said in a assuring tone

"Yeah it kinda is" Gus commented making Luz dejected which earned him an elbow from Boscha.

The other students began to talk amongst themselves again but Lilith raised a hand to silence them.

"Edalyn" Lilith said

Eda looked at her "Yeah?"

Lilith seemed to think on what to say "We should discuss this in my office. You and your...student"

"But Principal Lilith!" Amity spoke up "That girl is a basilisk!" she pointed at Luz who flinched

"Its alright Miss Blight. I will take care of this. And for the rest of you" Lilith turned to the students around them "You all still have your next period. Go"

The students seemed confused by this but nonetheless obeyed as they began to disperse and make their way to their next class. Luz saw Boscha looking at her. The triclops looked like she wanted to say something but chose not to and instead left with a short boy.

Luz then turned to Eda "Eda I'm so sorry" she felt terrible. The only reason they were here was because of her. Now her teacher might get in huge trouble.

Eda looked down at the little basilisk and smiled at her "Don't worry about it kid. You think we're in trouble but we are not. Plus Lily and I go way back especially since she's my sister and all"

Luz's eyes became the size of dinner plates at Eda's words "Wait what?! Your sister is a principal?!"

Some time later...

Luz, who was now in her Masha disguise again, heaved a melancholic sigh as she gazed at the poster bearing her image with the word "banned" stamped across it. Despite Eda's assurances that their predicament wasn't dire, given that they weren't reported to the Emperor's Coven, Luz couldn't shake off the feeling of disappointment. The reason for her banishment was justified - she had caused significant damage - but it still stung knowing that she wouldn't be able to visit Hexside anytime soon.

Eda had given her a stern talking-to, scolding her for her recklessness. Luz couldn't help but feel a twinge of embarrassment at the memory. She had acted on a stranger's suggestion and had run off without thinking things through just like with Adegast. She briefly wonders if Flora even counts as they had assured her that the school they pointed her to was run by an open-minded student, which only made Luz realize that Lilith was probably the one Flora had been referring to.

"I wonder if Eda knows about Flora," Luz mused to herself, while thinking maybe Flora could be trusted considering she wasn't greeted with a squad of guards waiting for her at hexside.

However, Luz was pulled from her thoughts when a voice spoke up.

"Hey"

She looked up and Blinked. In front of her stood Boscha and the boy she was with earlier. Luz smiled "Oh hey. It's you. What are you doing here?"

Boscha smiled "Yeah, just wanted to make sure you didn't get caught and locked up after that whole mess earlier"

"Yeah...sorry about that" Luz smiled sheepishly

Boscha smirked "Don't worry about it. At least something exciting happened for once. It gets really boring when its not grudgby season"

Luz smiled. At least Boscha seemed to enjoy it. Just then she looked to the boy next to Boscha "By the way pardon me for asking but who's your friend?"

The boy stepped forward "Hi! I'm Augustus Porter!" he offered a handshake which Luz accepted "Oh man I never thought I'd be shaking hands with a basilisk" he whispered the last part

"Nice to meet you. I actually knew an Augustus back on earth" she couldn't help but say

At the mention of Earth though Augustus gasped in surprise "Oh my titan you've been to earth!? How?!"

"Here we go. You know Luz here is half human actually but don't tell anyone else that" Boscha commented

"Half human?! Oh man that's just as good as being an actual human" Augustus then pulled out a pen and paper "Can I interview you?" he asked eagerly

Luz couldn't help but feel flattered "Sure. You know back on earth, we called our Augustus, Gus. Can I call you that?"

"Oh man, a human nickname? Titan I can die a happy witch now!" Gus said dramatically which Boscha couldn't help but roll her eyes at in an amused manner.

Luz though even as Gus bombarded about all sorts of questions about Earth she couldn't help think that despite messing up she finally made witch friends that was her age.

Friends...

Are these two her friends now? She like to think that they are considering they went all this way to meet her again.

Hettie Cutburn strode purposefully down the halls of Hexside, flanked by two members of the Cutburn clan, her expression grim. The hunters on either side of her held scrolls, murmuring quietly as they read through the information contained within.

"Our sources report seeing the basilisk in the forest near Hexside," the hunter on the left said, his voice low. "But no students or faculty have reported an attack."

"That's odd," the hunter on the right agreed, frowning. "Why wouldn't the basilisk take advantage of such vulnerable targets?"

Hettie remained silent, her brow furrowed in thought. They soon arrived at the door to the Principal's office, where Lilith was waiting for them.

"Hettie" Lilith greeted

"Lilith," Hettie greeted her, wasting no time with pleasantries. "You know why we're here. We need to know if any of your faculty or students have seen the basilisk."

Lilith's expression turned to one of surprise. "A basilisk? But they're extinct."

Hettie scoffed. "We both know that's not true, especially considering your past."

Lilith looked away briefly, her expression pained. "That was a long time ago."

Ignoring Lilith's discomfort, Hettie pressed on. "My hunters have seen the basilisk near Hexside. If you or anyone else had seen it, we would have expected a report by now. I have been tasked with hunting this creature and bringing it to the emperor, but if there's no evidence, then we'll need to look elsewhere."

Hettie stood up, turning to leave the room. "Let's go," she called to her hunters, who followed her out.

As Lilith watched them go, she let out a tired sigh. This was bad. Hettie and the Cutburn clan were after the basilisk, and Lilith wasn't sure they knew what they were getting into. "I really hope you know what you're doing, sister," she murmured to herself.

Chapter Text

In the early days of witch civilizations, the establishment of new villages was fraught with numerous hardships. Famine, plague, and the threat of dangerous beasts plagued these pioneering societies, with one of the most menacing adversaries being the basilisks.

Basilisks, serpent-like demons adorned with scales, possessed a formidable array of weapons to assail the early witches. Their claws, fangs, and shapeshifting capabilities, coupled with a unique ability to consume magic, enabled them to assume the guise of any witch, infiltrating villages to pilfer their magical reserves, rendering the inhabitants helpless.

Though basilisk attacks were infrequent, they invariably occurred whenever our ancestors endeavored to expand their settlements and agricultural lands. Territorial by nature, basilisks fiercely guarded access to nearby rivers and streams, vital lifelines crucial for the sustenance of villages and towns. These waterways not only provided potable water and irrigation for crops but also teemed with fish, offering a reliable food source during lean times. Moreover, they fueled essential innovations, such as mills facilitating grain and lumber processing, reducing reliance on magic. Basilisks employed myriad tactics to impede expansion, from pilfering tools and equipment to draining workers of their magical energies, leaving them vulnerable to attack.

Contemporary writings from the era vividly depict the hardships wrought by these malevolent creatures. Below is an excerpt believed to have been scribed by a witch guard within their besieged village:

"Today, some of those accursed snakes were apprehended skulking about our town. They demanded we vacate the riverbed, insisting we seek settlement elsewhere. Foul vermin! We dare not permit our children to frolic near the river, lest these shape-shifters snatch them away. Every passerby now invokes suspicion—is it friend or foe? I advocate for a lasting solution to banish these interlopers from our midst."

Archaeological inquiries have further revealed that while basilisks exhibit signs of sapience, they lack a societal structure akin to that of witches. Evidence suggests they operate more as primal beasts, guided by instinct rather than organised society. Despite their sentience, they eschew technological or cultural advancements, opting for a simple, hermitic existence attuned to nature.

Observational studies suggest basilisks lead solitary lives, congregating solely for breeding and sustenance. Some researchers have noted rudimentary celebrations marking seasonal milestones or the migration of prey species, underscoring their reverence for nature's bounty.

Despite repeated attempts at negotiation, lasting peace eluded both parties, compelling villages to expel basilisks from their territories to safeguard their populace from escalating attacks. The basilisks, compelled to relocate to remote regions away from witch habitation, facilitated a tenuous truce—for a time until the emergence of...

-Excerpt from "Claws, Teeth, and Tales: an incomplete guide to beast demons" written by Zoonara Pankon, edited by Official Historian, Flora D'splora, Former Head Witch of the Emperor's Coven.

Camila prided herself on being a calm and level-headed person, a necessary quality when working for a dubious shadow company responsible for countless conspiracy theories. Despite her personal reservations about some of their actions, she had learned to adapt and tolerate the chaos. After all, it was this company that allowed her to provide her daughter with a semblance of a peaceful life, despite her mixed alien heritage.

Remaining collected was second nature to her, even in the face of situations that would make even someone like Reagan panic and lose their cool. However, there were a few things that could shatter her composure: Reagan's father, whom she despised; any harm or mistreatment towards her daughter; and, of course, dealing with her basilisk ex-husband.

While discussing recent budget cuts with Reagan at work that ended in the cloning department getting destroyed, Camila's world was thrown into disarray when she received a call from Manny, her husband. He informed her that her ex was back in town. Without a moment's hesitation, Camila rushed home, forgetting to inform Reagan in her haste.

To her great relief, Manny was waiting for her outside, unharmed and safe. He recounted his encounter with her ex, causing Camila to struggle with the urge to shoot him in the back of the head when he wasn't looking.

"I'm going to kill him," Camila seethed through gritted teeth, aiming her gun at Dryad, who was too engrossed in playing one of his ridiculous agent spider games on Luz's PS5 to notice.

"Honey, please, calm down," Manny pleaded, attempting to soothe his furious wife.

"Calm down? Manny, he almost gave you a heart attack! Who even pulls a prank like that?" Camila exclaimed, exasperated.

"Well, no one got hurt. But please, don't do this. I doubt it would work on him, but still..." Manny placed his hands on Camila's shoulders, trying to diffuse the situation.

Reluctantly, Camila lowered her gun, releasing an annoyed sigh. "Did he tell you why he's here?"

Manny shook his head. "Not really. He just asked about Luz's well-being and then invited himself back here to play video games and gave me a bag of cookies which were really good." he then showed said bag to Camila which were in the shape of dragons

Camila pinched the bridge of her nose, frustration mounting. "Of course, he never says anything. Even when we were together, I could never understand what went on in that empty head of his. One thing's for sure, trouble always follows him. Well, I might as well confront him." She cleared her throat, walking up behind Dryad. "You better have a damn good explanation for why you're here."

To Camila's surprise, her ex didn't seem the least bit shocked. He turned around. "Oh, hey, Camila! You look... uh... different. Yeah, different." he let out a sheepish smile while almost commenting on Camila's grey strands in her hair.

"Levi," Camila said through gritted teeth, while Manny wisely decided to observe from the sidelines.

"Levi? Wow, it's been ages since I last heard that name. These days, I prefer to go by Dryad, you know?" Levi said, echoing the name Manny had used to refer to him.

"I don't care," Camila snapped back. "Now, talk before I report you for violating our agreement. You're well aware that you're banned from this state."

Levi had been banned from numerous states due to his involvement in shady activities, including a notorious stint with the mafia. His uncanny ability to shapeshift had allowed him to evade capture, as he could easily assume a new identity whenever necessary. Tracking him down years ago to demand answers about Luz's unique nature had been a nightmare for Camila.

"Okay, okay, I've got a solid reason for crashing your game time," Levi announced casually, hitting pause and rising to his feet. With a flourish, he produced a piece of paper and thrust it toward the bewildered duo. "Ta-da!"

"Wyrm's Whisk Bakery?" Camila read aloud, perplexed. "What does a bakery have to do with you being here?"

"Remember when you cornered me ages ago and gave me that whole spiel about being a better person?" Levi began, a mischievous gleam in his eye. "Well, I've finally taken your advice to heart and decided to turn over a new leaf! Behold, the proud owner of Wyrm's Whisk Bakery stands before you!" He gestured dramatically to himself, then pointed to the bag of cookies now held by a stunned Manny. "And I've even brought samples!"

Manny, still processing the news, managed a surprised, "Wow, Levi, that's fantastic! Isn't this great, dear?" he asked his wife, who remained skeptical.

"Hold on a second," Camila interjected, her tone accusatory as she recalled past deceptions. "Last time you claimed to be going straight, I found out you were knee-deep in the mafia a few days later."

Levi grinned sheepishly. "Hey, in my defense, I was a hitman at the time. It's kind of in the job description to fib a bit. But I swear, this time it's the real deal! Check the paperwork and everything. No shady business, just delicious pastries!"

Arms crossed, Camila remained unconvinced. "Let's say I believe you. Why the sudden change? You've been a career criminal, and now you're suddenly Mr. Clean? Forgive me if I find that hard to believe."

Manny wanted to vouch for Levi, but Camila's skepticism was hard to shake, given Levi's colorful past.

Levi hesitated, then took a deep breath. "Look, I know I wasn't the best husband during our brief stint together, and I've made more than my fair share of mistakes. But I swear on my treasure collection, this is genuine. Plus, I want to make it right with Luz, and be a better dad. Going legit seems like a good start. So, please, give me a chance?"

Manny was moved by Levi's sincerity, and Camila, though still wary, seemed to soften a bit.

"Fine," she relented with a sigh. "One chance. But don't screw it up."

Levi whooped in triumph. "Yes! You won't regret it, Cami!" Then, as if remembering something, he pulled out an envelope and handed it to Camila. "Oh, almost forgot. The Reptoids wanted me to pass this along."

Camila's confusion turned to fury when she saw the date on the letter was weeks old. "Levi... when were you supposed to give me this?"

"Ah, about a week ago. Got sidetracked by some comic-con thing, but hey, better late than never, right?" Levi grinned obliviously.

"You imbecile! This was urgent!" Camila growled, channeling her frustration into a Simpson-esque stranglehold on Levi, prompting Manny to intervene before things got out of hand. "Some things never change," Levi wheezed, amid Camila's grip.

—

Boiling Isles, Demon Realm

In the heart of the forest, sunlight dappled through the whispering leaves, casting a warm glow on the makeshift classroom Luz and Boscha had created. Boscha, clad in a comfortable pair of leggings and a yellow tunic, expertly stirred a bubbling concoction in a cauldron. Luz, perched on a nearby log, watched with wide-eyed fascination.

Since the events at Hexside, an unlikely friendship had blossomed between Luz and Boscha(Kinda), along with Gus. While Gus bombarded Luz with questions about the human realm, Boscha, typically glued to Penstagram, minding her own business until Luz asked her for some potion lessons which after some begging and bargaining, the triclops agreed to it. Today's lesson: An Emberflash Potion.

With a practiced flick of her wrist, Boscha poured the potion into a vial. It pulsed with a vibrant orange glow. "Emberflash Potion, bottled and ready to blow," she declared, a hint of pride in her voice. As if on cue, she tossed the vial at a nearby rock. It exploded with a satisfying pop, leaving a small crater in its wake.

Luz, a tad shaken from the display, scratched the back of her head. "Uh... could you maybe explain that whole process again, but, you know, for someone who barely passed chemistry class?" A sheepish grin spread across her face.

Boscha rolled her eyes, an annoyed frown on her lips. "Fine, fine," she conceded. "But only because I have a few questions of my own. You've witnessed three potions now, and frankly, it wouldn't be the first time someone zoned out during a potion lesson"

"Fair enough," Luz sheepishly chuckled, watching as Boscha unfurled a worn leather notebook and grabbed a quill. "Ask away, Professor Boscha."

The first question came as a surprise. "Do you, by any chance, have venom? The textbooks claim basilisks use it to paralyze prey."

Luz pondered for a moment. "Don't think so. I've bitten a few people, including my friend Masha, and nothing happened. Even had Mom take me to a doctor – no venom glands apparently."

Boscha jotted down a note, her brow furrowed in concentration. "Huh, interesting. Next up, the books say basilisks can mesmerize with dance or control other creatures. Any truth to that?"

Luz shrugged, a hint of self-deprecation in her voice. "Dancing's definitely not my strong suit, and most animals seem terrified of me. Not much mesmerizing going on there."

A spark of excitement flickered in Boscha's eyes. "Actually," she proposed, "we could test those theories later, if you're up for it."

Luz's face lit up. "Absolutely! But first, that potion breakdown I requested?"

Boscha's grin turned mischievous. "Not so fast. Got more questions." She scanned her notes. "Can you petrify people, turn them to stone with a look?"

Luz let out a hearty laugh. "If I could, half the cafeteria, including you, Boscha, would be permanently petrified."

Boscha chuckled, scribbling another note. "Right, right. This part's a little vague, but apparently, basilisks can detach their tails to distract predators."

Luz's eyes widened in disbelief. "Detach their tails? What?"

"Can you do it?" Boscha pressed, her curiosity piqued.

Luz hesitated, glancing at her tail with a mixture of apprehension and curiosity. "Never tried... Should I?"

Just as Luz reached to test this bizarre idea, Boscha's scroll buzzed, interrupting their session. "Ugh, hold on a sec," Boscha grumbled, answering the call. "Inventory duty at home, figures. Just when things were getting good."

Disappointment flickered across Luz's face, but she understood. "That's a bummer," she said sympathetically.

Boscha packed away her things. "We'll pick this up later," she promised. "I'll send a message on the Owl Lady's scroll – you are, after all, still magic-deficient."

"Sounds good," Luz agreed, a hopeful smile returning to her face. "See you later, then."

"Don't die while I'm gone, nerd," Boscha teased with a playful smirk. With a quick burst of speed, she soared into the sky on her flying broom, disappearing into the lush foliage.

Alone once more, Luz sighed. The forest, now felt a little empty. Oh well she might as well go back to the owl house. Maybe Eda could teach her a more basic explanation of potions

Who knew potions would be so complicated?

—

The sky loomed cloudy and ominous as Luz finally returned to the owl house. Stepping inside, she was greeted by an unexpected sight: King and Adegast, locked in an intense game of checkers.

"Where's Eda?" Luz inquired, surprised.

King shrugged nonchalantly. "On some business or something. Should be back soon."

Luz had planned on researching, but the dregs of Boscha's potion lesson still muddled her head. To occupy her time, she opted for a favorite pastime - drawing.

"And... finishing touches!" Luz declared with a flourish, presenting her artwork to King and Adegast. It was a detailed rendering of Tyrantrum, one of her favorite Pokemons. "What do you guys think?"

King, brow furrowed in concentration, barely glanced up. "Uh-huh, cool, whatever." Adegast, still in his pre-speech form, remained silent and stoic.

"Come on, you two! I put a lot of effort into this," Luz whined.

"Quiet, Luz! Victory is almost mine!" King hissed. "Gotcha, poser-wizard!" He triumphantly slammed a checker down, only for Adegast to counter with a single, swift move, securing his win.

"What?!" King sputtered, disbelief etched on his face. Even without a mouth, Luz could practically see Adegast smirking as he collected his winnings - a pile of confiscated snacks. Eda, ever cautious, wouldn't trust him with actual currency. Though, honestly, Adegast seemed content with his fate, especially since escape attempts (and those horrifying Chucky inspired traps) had become a thing of the past.

"Looks like someone lost," Luz couldn't resist teasing.

"No way! Rigged! Cheating octopus!" King spluttered, accusing Adegast, who ignored him with supreme indifference as he walked off, presumably to enjoy his spoils in peace.

Luz felt a pang of sympathy, but King was clearly in a moping mood, unlikely to offer any insightful critique on her art. "Alright then," she decided. "New drawing it is. Just because you lost doesn't mean there was cheating, you know."

"He totally cheated! Luz, by the power vested in me as King of Demons, I command you to morph into a fearsome beast and devour Adegast! Like, a giant slitherbeast or something!"

Luz raised a skeptical eyebrow. "First, even if he did cheat, cannibalism is gross. Second, what exactly is a slitherbeast?"

King's eyes widened in realization. "Wait... you don't know what a slitherbeast is?"

"Uh, yeah? Only been here like a week, remember?" Luz reminded him. "Human world origin, no clue about Boiling Isles beasties or lore."

"Hold on," King mumbled, dashing out of the room. A cacophony of sounds followed him briefly before he reappeared, panting.

"So," Luz prompted, curious, "about that sudden sprint?"

King grinned mischievously. "Surprise! Follow me downstairs! I've got something to show you!" With that, he bolted out the door once more.

Without hesitation, Luz trailed after the energetic little demon.

—

Luz and King entered the living room. Luz spotted a pile of potion books, a familiar sight by now, but this time there were intriguing newcomers: "The Art of Magic Through Music" and "How to Avoid Griffins" (useful!).

"So, spill the beans, King," Luz said, plopping down on the floor. "Are we summoning an ancient, one-eyed demon for infinite power in exchange for, say, some deer teeth?"

King smirked, then cleared his throat dramatically. He clambered onto a large chest, positioning himself in front of a corkboard hidden by a red curtain. "Greetings, Demon Luz!" he declared, pointing a tiny claw at her. "Obsessed with witchcraft and musty potions, you haven't learned the first thing about your own kind!"

With a flourish, King yanked the curtain aside, revealing a demon-themed bulletin board. He'd even donned a ridiculously oversized blue teaching hat. "Prepare yourself for Demons 101!" he announced, pacing around with adorable teacher enthusiasm. "We demons are grim tricksters of the twilight, creatures of sulfur and bone! We thrive on chaos and misery – and hey, are you even listening?!"

Luz's expression was utterly blank. "Huh?"

King sputtered. "Come on, Luz! These are the lessons you should have had ages ago! Pay attention!"

Luz's eyes widened in realization. "Oh, King, forgive my lack of focus. It's just…" she trailed off, then confessed, "Honestly, I've been devouring those 'boring' books, including demonology. In fact, I already know half of what you're about to teach – demon basics like the three Bs, for example."

The basilisk girl reached into her hair, an impressive feat considering its style. Out tumbled a stack of demon-related books, the top one titled "Demonology 101." Nestled beneath it was another book with a golden handprint and a giant "2" on the cover.

King's frown deepened. "Oh. I… uh… didn't realize you were studying demons too."

"Hey, diversifying my reading doesn't mean I can't learn more from you! Besides, I haven't gotten around to more detailed information about basilisk specifics yet," Luz said, trying to cheer him up. There was truth in her words. The Adegast incident had given her an interest for knowledge about her species. She even considered approaching Eda or Boscha about a local library.

Just as King seemed about to speak, a booming crack of thunder rattled the windows. "Uh oh, storm's brewing," he muttered.

Luz perked up, a wide grin spreading across her face. She dashed outside before King could protest. "Rain! I love rain!" she exclaimed, planning to relish the first cool drops on her skin. "I bet it's gonna feel amazing, isn't it, little buddy?" She crouched down before a nearby flower, intending to share the refreshing experience. But as the first raindrop touched the flower, it wilted instantly.

Luz's eyes widened in horror. "What the heck?!" she shrieked.

"Boiling rain!" Eda's voice boomed from down the path. The witch herself soon appeared, sprinting towards them. "Everyone inside!" she yelled, grabbing Luz's shoulder and pushing her indoors. In a swift motion, Eda tossed the basilisk girl into the house before turning back to the deluge outside.

"Whew, that was a close one," Eda panted, turning to Luz who sat sprawled on the floor. "But the important thing is you're not hurt." There was a hint of amusement in Eda's voice despite the urgency.

"Yep," Luz deadpanned, slowly pulling herself up and scratching her arms which were itching from the pain . "Totally not hurt."

"I stand by my statement," Eda said with a smirk, clearing her throat. She brushed dirt off her dress before straightening up. "Anyway, I'm going to set up a shield for the house."

Moments later, Eda stood outside, shielded from the boiling rain by a shimmering golden dome. Her hands crackled with magic as she prepared a protective spell.

"Boiling rain in the Boiling Isles? Talk about exciting weather," Luz remarked, settling comfortably near the door with King by her side.

"Exciting? We don't get weather here, Luz," Eda called back, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "We have plagues, gorenados, shale hail, and painbows!" she finished, adding the last word with a playful lilt.

"Painbows?" King piped up, his tail wagging excitedly. "They're like regular rainbows, but looking at them turns you inside out!"

Luz shuddered at the image. A recent demonology book flashed in her mind, a passage detailing how powerful demons possessed a degree of resistance, if not immunity, to the Isles' "weathers." Reading about demons had been exhilarating, offering endless ideas for art portraits and maybe even possible forms to mimic. Now, if only she could find information on Basilisks. Every book she found in the house was frustratingly lacking in details, and most of the time just repeated the usual dialogue of them being dangerous beasts rather than a proper lore drop for her. Then again it probably didn't help that most of the books Eda had around on demons were books about legends.

Hoping for some knowledge, Luz glanced at King, who was about to begin one of his lesson. "Until this rain stops, no one goes outside," Eda declared, her voice firm as she channeled pure white magic into a swirling sphere.

"And if the rain doesn't get you," King chimed in, brandishing a book filled with grotesque illustrations, "the Snaggleback will!"

Luz examined the creature with a critical eye. It lacked any real menace. "If that thing wants a fight, it'll have to get through me, Luz the Basilisk!" she declared proudly.

"Hoot hoot! Can you please hurry up with that force field? This rain is ruining my impeccable stucco!" Hooty's voice boomed, interrupting their conversation.

"Yeah yeah, I got it." Eda replied, placing the magical ball on Owlbert with a quick spin of the staff and making her personal shield expand until it enveloped the entire house. Luz just watched, completely awestruck at the display of magic

"Wow... Someday I can be as cool as Eda the Owl Lady! Magical, sassy, surprisingly foxy for her age. Hey, why do they call you the Owl Lady, anyway?" Luz asked as the witch walked over with a smug grin.

"Cause I'm so wise." She replied proudly

"Cause she coughs up rat bones!" Hooty commented

"I think it's because she gets distracted by shiny objects." King deadpanned.

"No I don't!" Eda objected

In response King pulled out a pen from under his hat and clicked it, making it shine with a pink light. Eda's pupils instantly dilated, her focus now solely on the shiny pen.

"It shimmers, it sparkles, it shines and delights. I must have it for my nest!"

The witch crouched down on all fours before leaping towards the object, which King promptly pulled out of the way, causing Eda to crash to the ground which earned an amused chuckle Luz.

"Did you say nest?" Luz made an ooh face. "Can I have one for my room?! It would be so comfy!"

"Bleugh. That forcefield really took a lot out of me." Eda said as she rubbed her temples and walked back inside when Luz had a look of realization on her face.

"Uh‐oh. Moving a little slow. Age finally catching up to ya?" King said with a grin before Eda hoods his head with the hat causing him to yell in surprise" Darkness!"

"Wait a minute! Since we will be stuck in the house Eda won't have any excuse not to teach me potions like she promised" Luz gleefully said, as she followed Eda back inside..

"But… Don't you want to finish our lesson? There is tons of stuff you could learn from it, I got an entire chapter on uh... dragons and trolls! We could even skip to the High Tier demons if you want" King said with a hint of desperation in his tone while clutching his book on his side.

Hearing this Luz stopped dead on her tracks and sighed. The basilisk girl turned around kneeling so she could be closer to the tiny demon. "Sorry lil buddy, its just that I spent the entire day yesterday reading demon books, and I have yet to be able to do magic" Luz said while gently patting King's head. "Tell you what we can continue our lesson after Eda teaches me a spell, alright?"

King sighed with a look of sadness on his face. "Alright…"

Luz gave king a sympathetic look before turning around and walking towards Eda, who was laying on the couch, covered in a blanket and half asleep. "Oh Ms. teacher!" she said, in a singsong tone.

"Forget it kid, I'm not teaching you how to make potions tonight." The witch grumbled, not even bothering to open her eyes.

"Oh come on! How am I supposed to earn a witch's staff if I don't even know any magic stuff?" Luz pleaded

"Nope no way, I'm a sleepy little owl." Eda cut her off before pulling the blanket over her head, covering herself from head to toe with it. She smiled, feeling sleep gently tugging her until the sound of of clicks made her eyes shoot wide open. "Sparkle thing"

Eda quickly sat up, looking at Luz like a cat. Or rather, at the pen the kid was holding. "Oh? This?" The girl smugly said, while waving the pen around. Eda jumped on the couch's armrest on all fours, then pounced, only to fall face first on the floor when Luz simply dodge her by jumping to the side

"Teach me how to make potions, and I'll give you your sparkle thing." she said

"I respect your cunning, but I also hate you for it." Eda said, looking up at the cunning girl without even bothering to get up. The witch finally rose to her feet, summoning Owlbert to her side. "But I'm serious though I really can't teach potion today and before you interrupt! There is no shortcut to it. Potions is a complicated process and I'm in no condition to teach you right now so instead I'll be showing you a spell"

Luz was about to object before realizing that Eda did actually have a point. She was clearly too tired to be teaching her potions so she'll just take what she can get for now "You know what? That's fair"

"Good. Maybe by some miracle you'll figure out how to do it. Now, if you wanna get this right, don't make… Me… Repeat my...self…" She said, barely managing to stay awake. "Alright so for your first spell, I'm gonna teach you how to create… Light." The witch stated, drawing a golden circle in the air. Once it connected a floating orb of golden light appeared, gently levitating down towards Luz before dissipating.

"Now… some people think magic comes from thin air, but that's dumb and stupid." Eda continued. "Everything comes from something! Let me ask you something, Luz. Where do you think magic comes from?"

"Uuuh…from...the... heart?" Luz said as if she was unsure of her own answer

Eda blinked. "Actually… You're right!" Luz gasped in awe, making Eda realize what the girl meant. "No really, it comes from a large sac of bile attached to a witch's heart!" She explained, producing a diagram that showed exactly that from her hair.

"Oh gross! Can I keep that?" Luz exclaimed

"No." Eda deadpanned. "Now, everything depends on the spell circle. The bigger the circle, the bigger the spell." She explained, drawing a large spell circle that created an equally large fireball to match.

"Wait… How would I, do magic then? I can shapeshift but I don't really have a bile sack" Luz said. The reason Luz was sure of that was because a few years back she had an X-ray and she was told that there was an anomaly the doctor found. Something about how she had two stomachs and how her body was so unnaturally cold. She didn't really pay attention.

Eda got a thoughtful look on her face "That's about right. Usually demons especially biped types also have a bile sac like witches does… But you're not exactly a normal demon either. Besides why do you want to learn magic so badly huh? And can't you just grow a bile sack with your transformation powers"

Luz got a thoughtful look on her face before answering "Well I would need to actually know how a bile sack work for me to grow one plus there are still limits to my transformation you know? Like how I can't just grow the size of a castle and if I don't understand the exact capabilities of what I'm transforming into I can't copy their abilities only their appearance to an extent"

Eda blinked. "Fair enough. Anyways if I remember correctly I heard Basilisks have a few other abilities that are unique to their kind but I don't really know much about it as they are a rare sight these days" Eda explained.

"Yeah before you came along the last Basilisk sighting was decades ago!" King commented from behind.

"Darn. Well can you at least do the circle thingy again? I can record it with my phone, maybe I might be able to figure out how it works! One more spell won't kill you!" Luz practically begged while getting her phone from her pockets. Eda simply groaned in response

"Ugh, alright." The witch waited for Luz to start her weird device to record, then sighed. "Now, you see, the spell circle is key because…" She explained once more, drawing a very unstable looking circle with her index finger before suddenly collapsing with a yawn.

"Looks like one more spell killed Eda." King deadpanned.

"Oh my god!" Luz yelled frantically. "My obsession with magic killed Eda!"

"Yep, she's out cold" King said nonchalantly as he repeatedly slapped Eda's face.

"We should get help, right?" Luz walked towards the door before being stopped by the small demon.

"Boiling Rains, remember?" King said

"No let her try. It'll be funny" Hooty commented from the door earning a collective glare from Luz and King.

"But what if Eda's dead?" Luz said, looking at Eda's body on the floor with a look of worry only for said woman to suddenly mumble something revealing that she was only unconscious.

"Remember when her head got cut off last week? That woman can survive anything. She's probably just tired from staying up all night chasing shrews and trolls"

"Alright" Luz sighed. "We should still take her to her bed though"

"Fine" King groaned.

As Luz and King went to carry Eda the latter couldn't help but notice that Eda smells weird like some sort of bitter smell? She decides to shake her head and focus instead on getting Eda to bed even when for some reason the woman growled a little despite being out cold

—

After bringing Eda up to her nest, Luz, and King went back down stairs while they waited for the boiling storm to pass.

"Oh come on. This is all she does" Luz exclaimed as she tried to draw a spell circle in the air like Eda demonstrated earlier and as expected nothing happened. "Why you gotta be so mysterious, owl lady?" the basilisk girl said as she continued to watch the video of Eda on her phone in the hopes of figuring out how to do magic.

"Maybe I would have better chances studying how a bile sack works instead of potions" Luz thought. If she could figure out how it works then she should be able to grow one which should allow her to do spell circles if what Eda said about them being the source of a Witch's magic is true. Shouldn't be too hard right? After all, at the end of the day it's still a biological part of the people of the isles.

Plus it was how she does her other transformations too that weren't human. Unless she does extensive study with how a creature's biology works then she would have a hard time turning into them not to mention the flaws her form would have too. So if she wants to grow a bile sac she would have to study exactly how it works. Heck she even had to look up that crazy warden's species just so she can use his form better. Who knew his species was called a Mawkin which is pretty fitting and on the bright side they were surprisingly easy to get the gist of how they work

"You know who else are mysterious? The Grimwalkers!" King exclaimed as he shoved into Luz's face what appeared to be a page in a book showing a hand reaching out from the ground with the words 'Legend of the Grimwalkers' above. "They're...Ok I will admit that I don't really know anything about them but their name sounds cool right?!"

"Not now, King. I need to figure out how a bile sac works. Unless I figure it out I will just be twirling my finger around unmagically forever" Luz muttered as she continued to repeatedly do the gesture that at some point she transformed her hand into a bird claw out of frustration. She took a deep breath before turning her arm back to normal

King seemed to notice this.

"I know Eda already asked this but why do you even care about learning magic so much?" King asked. "I mean, you're a basilisk for crying out loud! From what I had just found out recently you are supposed to be an apex predator feared by magickind!" To prove his point King picked up one of his books before showing to Luz a page with the description "Basilisks were once a species of serpentine demons said to have not been native to the Boiling Isles. These creatures are said to be an unholy spawn from another land who preys on magickind. They were believed to have been brought to our land as punishment by the titan themselves for our foolish use of wild magic. Never engage this Apex predator alone. Should you ever encounter this beast on your own, pray that your death is quick and painless"

The description seemed to end there due to the rest of the pages being completely blank other than a mention that not much was known about basilisks which disappointed her.

While the discovery that basilisks were not native to the boiling Isles took her by surprise, the fact that her species were believed to be supposedly an unholy spawn made her cringe. Well it does explain the racism towards her species at least

"Wow just wow" Luz shook her head with an amused smile "This page is seriously exaggerated" she said jokingly

"What?! No it isn't!" King said, offended at how his source of knowledge was being questioned.

"Uh yeah? Look at this. Unholy spawn of the titan? An apex predator who preys on magickind?" Luz said sarcastically "I mean does this look like the face of an unholy apex predator?" she then proceeded to make the most innocent and cutesy face she could muster, complete with puppy dog eyes.

King did not know whether Luz was using her transformation to look like a cute defenseless direwolf but there was no way he was going to let her make him doubt his knowledge. No freaking way!

"How dare you question my knowledge!" King pointed an accusing finger at Luz "I'll have you know that I get my information from a very reliable source"

"Press X to doubt" Luz said, narrowing her eyes in suspicion while holding back a smirk

"Press what?" King said, confused

"Sorry, its an expression from back home" Luz said sheepishly

"Whatever! Basilisk Luz, I will prove to you that my knowledge is legit!"

"How are you gonna do that?" Luz raised a brow

"By helping you learn your stupid spell first" King said proudly

"Huh? Why?" Luz said with a puzzled look "I thought you wanted to teach me about demons?"

"Because! I said so...also Because I know you're just not gonna pay attention unless you're done learning that dumb spell" King deadpans

"Ok that's fair" Luz said "So, any ideas?"

"Ah ah. Not so fast. Before I help you, you need to sign a contract first" King said before somehow pulling out a piece of paper with some stuff written on it from behind him. Luz did not want to think about where, King had hidden it.

"A contract?"

"Yes! In exchange for my services in helping you learn the boring useless art of magic you will be required to listen to my super awesome demon lessons for a week!" King read off the paper before handing it to Luz who read through its content

"Why does it say that I need to give you lots and lots of snacks during the lessons?" Luz said with a knowing smile while pointing near the end of the contract. Judging by King's look of surprise he must have been hoping she wouldn't notice it.

"Well it's because...as a king of demons I need sustenance! Can't teach on an empty stomach after all" King said with a hint of nervousness in his tone

Luz got a thoughtful look on her face for a moment before saying "Hmm. You know what? It's a deal"

"Really?!" King said happily

"Yep. So do I just sign my name here?"

"Eh a drop of blood will do" King said with a shrug

"Weird but ok" Luz said before she turned one of her fingers on her right hand into a sharp talon. She then proceeded to use it to prick her left hand to draw what appeared to be light green colored blood which she immediately wiped on the paper.

"Your blood looks weird" King commented which earned him a light smack to the back of the head by Luz.

"Rude" Luz grinned "Here you go. One signed contract. Now fulfill your part of the bargain and I'll do mine"

"You got yourself a deal!" King said happily while putting away the contract before he then got a thoughtful look on his face "I got it! I remember Eda once said that witches used to do magic differently, so there has to be a way, right?" He said, sketching something in his notebook. "And I have a theory about how it works!"

The demon showed Luz his sketches, which showed some kind of jar followed by a plus sign and a rude sketch of Eda. Beneath them was the word "MAGIC". "Every day I notice Eda sneaking drinks of this special elixirs, then she always gets a boost of energy. I think that's where she gets her powers! And I know where to get some."

"Really?" Luz asked

"Si" King said

Hearing this, Luz suddenly pulled him into a hug, happily spinning him around. "Thank you so much! You sweet little prince!" Luz said happily

"King. I'm King and I'm not little!" The demon exclaimed. Luz gently lowered the demon back to the floor. "Alright, I'll go get the elixir, you wait for me in the kitchen."

True to his word, the tiny demon returned a few minutes later with a bottle filled with what appeared to be a shiny, golden liquid before handing it to Luz. "One magic elixir. As promised!" he said proudly "Now drink it so that you can get your magic and I can teach you my awesome lessons!"

The basilisk hesitantly took it before pulling off the cork with a look of curiosity. "This is it! I'm about to learn magic! Real magic! This is historic!" Luz said excitedly as she got ready to drink the elixir only for a thunder clap to startle her, making her drop the vial.

"Nooo! Golden elixir. Gone! This is awful!" Luz cried out

"Eh, we can always find another one." King said with a shrug "Besides, it's just a light spell! We don't need that, this house is full of lamps!"

"Yeah no. Lamps are boring! I want to be able to make my own light! I want to be able to cast a spell circle and make a light bomb that goes go boom boom boom! Like that admiral from that pirate anime" Luz said while making finger guns at King

"And then we can use that power to destroy my enemies so I can take my place as the rightful king of demons!" King said dramatically

"And then I can overthrow you" Luz said simply with a smile

"Yea- Wait what?!" King said with a shocked look on his face

"Well I'm clearly bigger and stronger than you. So I can easily overthrow you" Luz said as her smile turned predatory which seems to scare King

King was about to retort when all of a sudden all the lights went out.

"Hey who turned off the lights?" Luz questioned

"Ugh, Hooty controls the lights. He probably just fell asleep." King said in an annoyed tone while taking a step Back from her

"Hoot! Hoot!" came Hooty's frantic cries which was followed by a loud crashing sound

"Oh for the love of-" King started to say in an annoyed tone but was interrupted by Luz

"Hang on Hooty! I'm coming" Luz yelled as she quickly ran with King jumping on her shoulder. When they got to the living room, they were faced with a horrifying sight.

In front of them, Hooty was laying on the floor, as a large figure shrouded in darkness dug its claws on the poor house demon.

"Hooty!" Luz yelled worriedly upon seeing the horrible state Hooty was in.

"Get the hell away from him you...you... shadow monster! " Luz yelled angrily and without thinking picked up a random object as makeshift weapon to hopefully intimidate the monster.

Unfortunately said "weapon" was just a lamp which she then decided to throw at the monster in a rather lame fashion much to her chagrin.

To no one's surprise the monster bared its fangs with a hiss before easily evading Luz's attack by simply moving to the side.

"Ah crap" Luz deadpanned seeing her attack have minimal effect. Although at least it made the monster move away from Hooty.

Unfortunately before Luz could further contemplate her terrible throwing skills the monster took her and King by surprise when all of a sudden it charged towards what it seemed to have as deemed the most dangerous creature in the room which just so happened to be a still surprised Luz.

It was at this moment that Luz Fight or Flight response kicked in. Unfortunately she barely had time to even register her flight response when the monster tackled her against a wall and pinning her with its talons. Luz lets out a pained gasp before desperately attempting to push off the monster to no avail. Curse her weak nerd arms!

Seeing this, King tried desperately to help Luz but unfortunately the best he could do was uselessly attempt to push it off. What happened next would haunt King for a week.

The beast opened its maw and bit down on Luz's right arm hard and before the girl could even stop it, the beast ripped it off, spraying her blood everywhere.

"Aaaaahhhhhh!" Luz let out a blood curdling scream at the loss of her arm.

"Luz!" King shouted, horrified at what just happened. He then immediately bit down on the creature's leg in hopes of forcing it to let go of Luz. Thankfully it had worked when the beast let out a yelp of pain and released Luz while backing off with a growl

"M-My arm. It *gasp*...got my arm" Luz said shakily with tears in the corner of her eyes from the pain as she quickly got back on her feet while clutching the stump where her arm once was.

Luz and King then looked back at the beast and saw that it still had the former's right arm in its jaws. Luz was about to prepare to try to get her arm back to get it reattached, when a lightning strike illuminated the room and fully revealed the beast.

It was covered in grey feathers and had a bird like physiology but what truly unnerved the two was the beast's face. "Eda?!" Luz yelled in shock

The beast that was supposedly Eda shook her head, and glared at Luz before quickly running back outside with the girl's arm still in its mouth . The basilisk girl simply stood there, completely shocked at this before she fell to her knees, still clutching the stump where her right arm was.

"Luz! Are you ok?! That thing got your arm!" came a rather high pitched voice from behind. Luz turned around and there she saw that it was King who's eyes were darting between the broken door and her injury with a terrified look.

"I'm fine, It will grow back! But that thing! It was Eda, I saw its face! Oh, man. Did you see her eyes? They were like‐‐ Grrr! What happened to her?" Luz frantically said as she tried to make sense of everything that was happening

King frowned, looking between Luz and the broken door. This had never happened before, Eda had never shown any signs of turning into a monster. Something must have happened for her to- Oh crap. King's eyes widened in realization and horror

"Uh-Oh." he quietly muttered but was still heard by Luz

"Uh-Oh? What's uh-oh? Please don't tell me you had something to do with Eda turning into a monster, King" Luz said in both an accusing and disappointed tone.

"That elixir I got you wasn't giving Eda her powers! It was preventing her from turning into that thing, she must have some kind of curse!" King explained

"You've got to be kidding me" Luz deadpanned "You said that elixir gave her powers! Not her freaking medicine for whatever's happening to her right now!"

"Ok first of all I said it was just a theory ok?! And second of all we need to get her to drink that elixir again..." King said urgently "Use your magic eating ability against Eda or something!"

Luz's eyes widened at this "Are you crazy?! I don't want to hurt Eda especially since I've never used it on another person before not to mention my short range" Which was true. While there wasn't much helpful information in the books in the house, one thing she had learned was that basilisks can absorb magic directly from witches and demons to drain them of their energy which was another reason they were feared.

"Ok what about your transformation powers? Surely you can take her down with it the same way the warden does with his arms?"

Luz frowned and looked at her injury "I can't. I've never used my powers to actually hurt someone. I've never actually fought using it. I usually use it to avoid a confrontation, not engage in one" she explained. Luz was smart enough to know that while as a basilisk she had some advantages she by no means was a fighter at all. Heck its more accurate to call her a pacifist most of the time. Masha who actually had self defense training had managed to beat her soundly when it came to actual hand to hand during the few times they invited her to spar.

King frowned at this and was about to say something, but was interrupted by a familiar roar of Eda from upstairs. "Alright Alright just keep it down or else we'll end up as owl beast snacks"

"For the record if we got caught I would feed you to her...as a last resort of course" Luz said jokingly which caused King to protest with an indignant "hey!"

"Sorry. I handle stressful situations with jokes" Luz said with a strained smile

Luz then let out a tired sigh at their current situation while at the same time coming up with possible solutions for it. Without wasting time she picked up King before getting out of the living room just in case Eda comes back and attacks her again. She's not risking her other arm getting torn off. No freaking way!

As she continued down the hallway with King she thought about what her best friend would do in a situation like this. Unfortunately she couldn't come up with anything besides pulling out a taser or pepper spray to hopefully incapacitate the beast but unfortunately her tools were in her bag which happened to be in her room and it was too risky to make a run for it.

"God I was hoping to spend the day studying magic not trying to hide from a crazy Owl Beast Eda" Luz groaned in annoyance causing King to get a guilty look on his face before speaking up

"Luz…" King started to say "I'm so sorry."

"Huh? What for?" Luz asked in surprise

"This is all my fault. I was the one that came up with the idea of the elixir. It's just- I wanted you to be into demons like you're into magic, y'know? No one takes me seriously, and I don't have any friends..." King said as tears were forming in the corner of his eyes "and because of me you got hurt"

Hearing this Luz shook her head before giving King a sympathetic look. "Hey now don't say that. If anything its both of our fault since to be honest I really should have known better than to drink some liquid we knew nothing about, so it's not your fault at least not entirely." Luz said. "Besides, you're a pretty cool teacher. Way better than the ones back in the human realm."

"R-Really?" King sniffed while wiping away his tears.

"Yeah. You're a good teacher, King...and a good friend" Luz said with a sincere smile

The two then shared a smile, but unfortunately the moment was ruined when they heard a growl coming from down the hallway. Luz gasped, quickly jumping to a room to her side and closing the door behind. The Basilisk girl put her weight against the door, to ensure that Eda could not break in.

The two demons held their breath as the Owl Beast's footsteps drew closer and closer to the door which was soon followed by another growl. They heard Eda come to a stop behind the door, and for a moment they thought she would try to break it down but thankfully the attack never came when Eda instead continued down the hallway.

Luz finally sighed in relief as she slid down the door until she was sitting down. King hopped down from her shoulder.

"Alright, we can't just hide forever so we need a plan that does not involve beating the crap out of Eda." Luz suddenly said, then she looked at King. "King, you're the demon expert! Any ideas?"

The demon's eyes all but lit up with excitement at the compliment. "Let's see… When we saw her she was bigger, covered in feathers, and had black eyes..." King's eyes widened in realization . "That's it! Demons with black eyes are highly sensitive to light! That's it. Light! Luz, use your human wonder rectangle"

"I-I can't" Luz hesitantly said, before taking out her phone and showing that it had been cracked all over

What's wrong?"

Luz sighed. "The camera is all busted Chief. It would be a miracle if it even worked with how damaged it is"

King frowned. "Well, what about that light spell?"

"Ugh You already saw. I can't draw circles in the air!" Luz replied, while she did the gesture to prove her point. "I'm not like Eda…" Luz said as she opened her phone before playing the video again. Eda's recording played once again, but this time she noticed something inside the circle "Wait a minute. There's a pattern in the circle!" she exclaimed

"What? Where?" King asked while trying to get a better look at the symbol Luz was referring to

Luz scanned the room briefly, searching for something specific until her gaze settled on a plant. Carefully plucking a leaf, she delicately placed it over her phone before starting to sketch over its surface. Upon completing the drawing, she lightly tapped the pattern with the tip of her pen. To her amazement, the drawing on the leaf began to glow, eliciting a small gasp of astonishment from her.

The leaf then folded in on itself, gradually brightening until it transformed into a small floating ball of light, which she cradled in her hands, bringing it to eye level. "It's beautiful," she murmured in wonder at the radiant orb in her grasp.

Her sense of awe quickly shifted to shock, then joy, as she realized she had just performed magic.

"Holy moly, I just did magic!" Luz exclaimed with excitement, a sense of triumph swelling in her chest. "King, did you see that? I just did magic!" she continued, still exhilarated by the simple yet magical light orb.

"Oh my titan. Luz... you just did magic," King responded in surprise. "I can't believe it."

Luz couldn't contain her broad smile. "I-I did it. I did magic," she said, almost as if she herself couldn't quite believe the reality of it.

A distant roar from Eda caused Luz to startle, accidentally popping the light orb.

"We're not going to stop her with something that small!" King protested in a hushed tone. Luz frowned at the remark but had a sudden idea.

"Hey, King, I have a plan to return Eda to normal, but I'll need your help. What do you say, buddy?" Luz inquired, tightening her grip on her phone, feeling protective of the item that had facilitated her magical feat.

"I'm in!" King replied promptly, without a hint of hesitation.

"Good."

Eda paced the living room, sniffing restlessly, trying to pinpoint the scent of the dangerous demon in her territory. The aroma was elusive, masked by the scent of the boiling rain outside. She couldn't comprehend why such a perilous creature would assume the guise of a small child, but she was not naive enough to be deceived by its transformation.

As she scrutinized a book, a clicking sound caught her attention. At the doorway to the hallway stood the small furry creature (which felt oddly familiar to her), holding the shiny object in its paws.

"What do we have here?" King remarked casually, flipping the pen. "What a lovely thing we have here. It's just so dazzling. Oh, my. Oh, dear!"

Eda gazed at the pen's light, cooing momentarily before screeching and lunging at King. The tiny demon swiftly dodged her, leading the owl beast on a chase. Dodging around a corner, King caused Eda to slip on a pile of his books, sending her crashing to the ground with a screech. Before she could recover, a large blanket descended upon her.

From a ladder, Luz peered down at her transformed teacher, finishing a large light glyph on the wall. "Sorry, Owl Lady, but this is for your own good," the basilisk girl declared, as the spell activated just as the transformed witch struggled free from the blanket.

The last thing that the Owl Beast saw was a blinding light followed by a searing sensation before darkness enveloped her.

–-

Eda abruptly got up in her nest with a gasp. "Ugh, what happened?". She took the large white straw in her mouth, carefully inspecting it before noticing where it led. Her elixir. "Huh. I was wondering where that went."

"Actually." King's high pitched voice said to her side. "We found a spare one in your closet!"

Eda narrowed her eyes. "King! You stole my elixir?! Why I oughta break every single bone in your miserable b-"

King shushed her in response, which only infuriated Eda even more. "Over there!" The demon pointed at a corner in Eda's room. Sitting there was Luz was drawing something on a piece of paper with over a dozen light orb above her. Luz grinned as she finished the drawing which generated another light ball that joined the rest.

"Wow. How is she doing that?" The witch said, looking at the light orbs in fascination just as Luz once again drew another symbol on a piece of paper. She then notice the look of sheer joy on little basilisk's face as she tapped the symbol which crumpled into another light orb.

"I don't know but she did it all on her own" The demon then sighed. "Hey, I, uh, kind of messed a bunch of things up back there. And I just wanted to say I'm sorry..."

Eda's frown returned. "Well, you better be. I got a long list of disgusting chores with your name on it"

"Sucks to be you King" Came Luz's joking voice as she walked over to Eda and King. Eda was about to say something but whatever she was about to say was caught in her throat when she saw that her apprentice was missing her entire right arm!

"K-Kid..." Eda began to say horrified "Your arm!" she immediately got up and began to look over Luz's injury which seemed to had slowly began to heal and was thankfully no longer bleeding

Luz just chuckled sheepishly "Oh right. I forgot about this!"

"How can you forget that you're missing an entire limb?!" King asked bewildered

"How did this happen?! Does it hurt?!" Eda demanded as she casted a healing spell on the stump where Luz's right are used to be

"Don't worry Miss Eda. I assure you it doesn't hurt anymore and it will grow back I just need to drink some of my fuel, promise! As for how it happened..." Luz said but instead of answering her first question part she just gave a sheepish smile.

It didn't take too long for Eda to put together what happened "Oh no...I'm the one who did this to you, wasn't I?" she hesitantly asked

Luz and King looked at each other with a frown before nodding. Eda just fell to her knees and brought her hands to her face and gave a loud groan prompting Luz to seat next to her "I can't believe I did this to you"

"Oh no no no! This isn't your fault Eda! Besides this isn't the worst thing to happen to me!" Luz said trying to make Eda feel better "But...I still need to know the truth about that thing you turned into" she asked in an understanding tone as she ignored her slightly throbbing right shoulder.

"Yeah Eda! What was that horrible monster you turned into that ripped off Luz's arm?!" King said bluntly but a quick glare from Luz quickly shut him up and made him seat down next to Eda as well.

"Yeah, well I suppose you're right." Eda said as she put her hands down. "When I was younger, I was cursed and I can't even remember HOW it happened."

"Is that why you're called "The Owl Lady." Because of your curse?" Luz said, piecing it together.

"That's right, Kid." Eda said as she picked up an empty bottle of elixir near her nest "No one likes having a curse, but as long as I take the proper steps to manage it, I should be fine."

"Really?" Luz asked her.

"Yeah, kid. I'm sure but enough about me." Eda said as she gestured to all the light orbs Luz made. "Look at what you did, all of this magic with just a pen and paper. I don't know how you did it but nice job kid"

"Thanks, I had a great teacher." Luz said as she smiled to her and King while showing off her new wand.

The tender moment, however, was soon interrupted by a certain door demon waking up from his encounter with Eda's beast form

"Hello?! HOOT! HEY! Anybody there?! I'M ON THE FLOOR! IT'S COLD!" Hooty called to them.

"That voice, that stupid voice!" King said in annoyance as he made his way downstairs to Hooty.

"I'll clean up the mess I made while you rest, Luz." Eda said as she got up "And don't even think about helping out especially with you missing your entire right arm!"

"Fair enough" Luz said with a shrug before making her way back to her room

As she left, Eda turned her eyes towards the light orbs and thought about how Luz made them with paper and writing a symbol. It was very impressive but she couldn't help but think of the drawback to it

"Maybe I can get her something to make it easier for her to do magic like that" Eda thought as she made her way downstairs to help King with Hooty

—

Meanwhile on the roof of the Owl House, Adegast could be seen leisurely munching on his snacks.

"Hey, do you think everyone's alright down there?" a Snaggleback, who had taken shelter, asked him with concern. "There was a lot of screaming and crashing."

Adegast pondered for a moment before nonchalantly shrugging. "Yeah, I guess you're right. The Owl Lady is with them; I'm sure they're all fine," he replied. The Snaggleback attempted to grab one of Adegast's snacks, only to have his hand smacked by Adegast in response. "Ow, that hurts!"