章 28: Chapter 28: Truth and Reconciliation
Outside of the Owl House, several familiar faces could be seen standing near the stone wall in the front yard, all surrounding some kind of contraption. Eda, King, and Hooty watched as the four other individuals were at work. Flint could be seen with a continuous flame emitting from her finger like a blowtorch as he welded various sheets of metal together. Luz could be seen looking over both Flint's notebook and Philip's journal, cross-comparing details about Flint's designs and the information provided to them by the journal with her palisman egg sitting in a fanny pack on her side. Amity could be seen with an abomination-colored wristband on each hand and directing an abomination as it held some of the mechanical components in place, before looking over to the fourth figure.
"Does this look right?" Amity asked.
The fourth figure had a pair of goggles over their eyes as they traced their hand over the blueprints sprawled across a table made of solidified abomination sludge. They looked up and toward Amity, analyzing her work.
"Yes, I believe so." The figure stated, revealing themself to be Alador. The man walked up with a blowtorch-like device and proceeded to weld the metal in place. After the job was finished, Alador stepped back to the blueprints as Amity used an ice glyph to emit a cold mist onto the metal, cooling it quickly.
"Thanks again for the help Aladork," Eda said as she walked up to him.
"On the contrary. I should be thanking you all instead." Alador denied. "I've never had an opportunity quite like this. Creating a doorway to another realm is something I'm certain very few alive could ever claim. I've also found myself quite fascinated by human technology. Technology powered without the use of magic at all? School bells that don't scream? A web that spans the whole world? It's rather inspiring actually." Alador said with his excitement and curiosity on display.
Alador then glanced at his daughter. "And an opportunity to do something with my daughter," Alador said before turning to glance at Luz and Flint as they did their parts. "Not to mention helping these two in reuniting with their mothers, or meeting the ladies that raised such nice kids myself, considering what they've done for me and my family," Alador added.
Eda smiled. "Yeah, I'd like to meet them too…and apologize for blackmailing the two," Eda said sheepishly before tapping her chin in thought. "I mean, I suppose I did technically kidnap them as well," Eda said aloud after a bit of thought.
"I want to make it clear I do not support such actions, but thank the Titan you did," Alador said with relief before looking over at Amity. "This is the happiest I've ever seen Amity in my life. She told me about Abomutating the other day. She hasn't managed to control it much since, but even hearing that she could do that amazes me with how much she's grown." Alador revealed.
"I was gonna see if I could talk to Dariboy about helping her since he can do it too," Eda said.
Alador shook his head. "No. I'll be the one to do it. She's my daughter, it should be my responsibility to do so…even if I haven't been a good father all this time."
Eda slapped his back, causing him to stumble a bit. "Well, better late than never, Aladork. Besides, you were still leagues better than Odalia even before you started paying attention," Eda said with a grin.
Alador shook his head fondly at his once-classmate as Flint and Amity stepped away from the door.
"Okay…I think we're about ready." Flint said.
"You remembered to connect the thought-to-magic receiver?" Alador asked.
"Yep." Flint nodded.
"Connected the stabilizing cables from each corner?" Alador added.
"One of the first things I did," Flint said.
Alador scratched his chin. "You made the synchronizer key?"
Luz held up a metallic key in her hand from her spot. "I've got it over here."
"Well then, it looks like we're ready once you insert the blood," Alador said, rolling up the blueprints.
The device before them resembled that of a doorframe sitting on a dock about a meter away from the stone wall. The frame was plated in metal with a brand new door (which definitely wasn't stolen) held within it, the doorknob having a keyhole in it. Atop the frame was a circular protrusion that resembled a light cover.
"Was it really necessary to base the design on the ones from Monsters Inc?" Luz asked.
Amity turned to Luz with a raised brow. "You ask that as if you don't already know the answer."
Flint pointed toward Amity. "See? And she doesn't even know the movie." Flint smiled triumphantly.
"I'm not saying I didn't want to, I'm just saying we probably might've saved some time if you hadn't." Luz clarified.
"On the contrary. Having a design in mind helps when creating the final product." Alador spoke up.
Flint nodded in agreement before turning to King. "Alight bud, this is your cue."
King walked up to them with a sad expression as he handed Luz three moderate-sized dropper vials, one blue and two violet. "Here."
Luz took the vials and handed them to Amity and the key to Flint before pulling King into a hug. "Don't worry little buddy. If this works, we should be able to come back." Luz assured him, which did bring a happier expression to his face.
Flint placed the key on the workbench. The key itself was made to resemble the original. The spot where the eye would've been opened up as Amity set two vials on the workbench, one of each. Flint took the vial of Titan's Blood and put eight drops within the key, before doing the same but double with the violet vial, which was filled with Flint's blood.
After putting the last drop in, he closed the key back up. He then walked up to the door with the unused vial of his blood, creating a set of earth stairs that rose as he walked. He opened the light cover on the headframe to reveal a port. With the port opened Flint poured the rest of the vial into the device.
"Given Flint's blood is charged with a surprising amount of energy, that should be plenty enough to use for the door itself. If the key was the part holding Titan's Blood within it from your original door, then it is necessary for this new one. Given what you've told me about your original door always leading to the same door in the Human Realm, it stands to reason that the one there likely served as an anchor. This one should serve the same purpose but in reverse. Your blood should serve as both a power source for this waypoint, while also ensuring that whatever door you open with that key will lead to this one." Alador explained.
"And at the same time, give you a form of control over where it leads from here, given it's charged using your blood, not to mention letting you use a recall spell to summon it whenever," Eda added. She didn't understand much of the science behind making the portal, but she did know about how strong a blood connection can be when used with a spell.
Flint nodded as he walked back down the steps, with each one returning to the ground again until he was back on the ground, before looking at the key. "So its now or never, I suppose," Flint said before turning to Luz and holding the key out to her. "What do you say? Wanna light the path?" Flint said with a cheeky smile.
The tension Luz was feeling relented a bit as she rolled her eyes, swiping the key from his hand. "That was cheesy and you know it," Luz said fondly.
"Hey, I like cheese, thank you very much…I could go for a grilled cheese now that I think about it." Flint said, cupping his chin.
Luz shook her head at his antics before walking up to the door. Luz stood before the door and took a deep breath to steady herself. 'This is it.' Luz thought.
Luz raised the key to the keyhole with her right hand, her hand lit with a light glyph as she inserted the key into the hole. The light on the headframe began glowing scarlet as the door whirred to life. Luz turned the key and opened the door with the key still in the knob, opening to an ethereal sight. An odd mix of gold and black shone from a rift-like barrier held within the frame, some of it almost looking like the cosmos had thrown up on it.
"Whoa…" Luz couldn't help but say in awe, as everyone else did the same. The galaxy-like design swirled before solidifying, spreading to the edges of the door to reveal the Human Realm. Specifically, the same forest Luz and Flint had entered from months ago.
"It…worked," Luz said after a moment, in awe of what stood before her. That familiar green grass and plants she had known for so many years was right on the other side of the door.
Flint walked up to her and traced a spell in the air, causing Disney to be summoned into his hands. He placed Disney on the ground and willed Disney to step toward the portal with some beast-keeping magic. There was no way he wouldn't test the portal on a living thing first before stepping through himself or allowing anyone else to.
Disney obliged, walking hesitantly up to the threshold between the worlds, stepping forward…and arriving on the other side without a scratch as he turned back to them with a head tilt.
Everyone's smiles widened as Flint then proceeded to order the mouse to come back through, and it did without a hitch. This caused the palpable tension to finally break as everyone cheered at the success.
"This is amazing! You did it!" Amity cheered, running up to them and hugging them.
"Correction. We did it." Luz corrected.
Flint nodded. "That's right. Everyone contributed. You helped us get the journal and stopped me from straight up killing Disney immediately."
Alador walked up. "Now that opening the door from this side has been tested, we need to check the other way." Alador reminded.
The three separated as Flint used a spell to send Disney back to his cage. He then stepped through the portal, arriving on the other side. He then turned back to the others. "Alright. Close it. If this doesn't work, you have everything needed to make a new key to open it from your side again." Flint stated.
Luz nodded as she reached over to the doorknob and removed the key from the doorknob, with Flint watching everything on the other side fade away, leaving him staring at the old decrepit inside of the house he stood at.
Flint raised his hand and traced a spell in the air. After a few moments, the key dropped out of the rift and into his hand, no worse for wear. He opened the key up to see there was still more than enough of both bloods still housed within it.
"That's good," Flint stated out loud before closing the panel again. He stepped back, reaching for the house's door, and closed it. He moved the key toward the solid wood doorknob and a scarlet glow appeared on it in the shape of a keyhole. Flint inserted the key and turned, pulling the door open to the same cosmic backdrop that shifted to reveal the Demon Realm after a few moments.
Flint smiled as he stepped through the door and back into the Demon Realm, closing the door behind him and closing the portal, before casting another spell that dropped the key back into his hand.
"Well everyone, I'd say this was a complete success," Flint announced as everyone cheered with joy.
"I actually did it. An invention I had a hand in bridged across realms!" Alador said with an overjoyed laugh as he walked around to the other side of the door.
"And now we have a way to the Human Realm again," Eda said with a smile.
Flint turned to Alador. "Hey, Al! How much do we still have in the tank?" Flint asked.
Alador looked at a gauge on the back of the door, seeing it mostly full. "Plenty. But I would highly suggest making sure the door is at least a quarter full before using it, just to make sure it doesn't run out unexpectedly or have it open for too long." Alador stated.
"Thanks again Alador. I'll see if I can get a few old appliances or something from the Human Realm and bring them to you." Flint said as he walked over and shook the man's hand.
"You don't need to do that for me…but if want to…" Alador trailed off, causing everyone to chuckle and Eda to snort at the man trying to feign his true excitement at the idea.
"We'll be sure to make a list of things to show you so you can decide later," Luz said.
Alador smiled, before turning to Amity. "You be sure to behave yourself on the other side."
Amity raised a brow at that. "What makes you think I'm heading over with them?" Amity asked with a hint of sass.
Alador pat her on the shoulder. "Don't need to have oracle magic to have a hunch. I'll see you at home, Mittens." Alador said, bidding farewell as he summoned his palisman staff and flew off.
"Alright, kiddos. Looks like you're good to go. It's probably best King and I don't come to meet your moms yet." Eda said before turning to Hooty. "Hooty. Make sure nothing damages this door, understood?" Eda asked.
"Yes ma'am! I'll guard it with my life!" Hooty declared, stretching a bit to use part of his body as if he were saluting.
"Try not to be gone too long if possible. If you aren't back before midnight I'm making another key and dragging you back myself." Eda declared.
Luz and Flint chuckled. "We hear you loud and clear…" Flint trailed off.
Luz grinned mischievously. "Mama Eda." Luz finished.
Eda hummed. "And just like that, you're dead to me," Eda said with faux indifference, turning on her heel and heading into the house.
King still stood near with a frown. "As your king, I demand you come back by midnight!" King demanded.
Flint reached down and ruffled his head. "Don't worry bud. You won't be getting rid of us that easily." Flint reassured.
King seemed to relax and hugged the boy's ankles before returning to the house.
"So, you ready?" Luz asked, turning to Amity.
"Honestly, no," Amity admitted. "But I'm not sure if I ever will be," Amity added after a bit.
"I don't think anyone is ever truly ready." Flint began. "But sometimes it all just boils down to one thing...a leap of faith. That's all that a lot of things end up being." Flint said.
Amity closed her eyes and took a deep, steady breath. She opened her eyes with a determined look. "Let's go."
Flint smiled as he turned to Luz, who nodded as she put the key into the door and opened it, revealing the green forest once more. Flint stepped through first with Luz following behind. The two stood on the right and left of the portal respectively as they looked back to Amity, who steeled herself after a moment and stepped beyond the threshold and past the two. Amity looked around at the world before her in awe. She did it. She was in the Human Realm.
Amity looked back to the portal to see Flint with a thread of scarlet magic around his finger, connected to something on the other side of the door. Flint then pulled, causing the key to phase through the door and through the gate. Flint caught the key as the Demon Realm faded from view completely after a few seconds.
"So, how's it feel to step foot on a different world?" Flint asked.
"I mean it was just like any regular step, just across an inter-realm barrier temporarily bridging two worlds together." Amity said with rolled eyes. "So, you know…no biggie."
"Speak for yourself. I passed out the moment I stepped foot in the Demon Realm." Flint grumbled.
Amity snorts as she steps into the small clearing ahead. "Then again...I don't think I've ever seen this much green in my life." Amity said, taking a deep breath of the Autumn air and letting it out. "And the air feels almost fresher."
Luz shrugged as she walked down from the porch. "Well, you do come from a society that built itself on top of a rotting corpse." Luz pointed out. "So I mean, that probably has something to do with it."
Amity blinked before cupping her chin. "Huh. I guess you're right. And you said something about this 'Connecticut' being larger than the Boiling Isles?" Amity asked.
"Just wait until we show you a map of the world." Flint said cryptically.
Amity blinked at them in disbelief. "How big even is Earth?"
"Enough for there to be over seven billion humans, and then who knows how many animals," Flint answered.
Amity's jaw dropped at that. "What the-?! Billion!?" Amity sputtered. She was slack-jawed that there could be that many people across the planet.
"And that's only on the less than a third of the surface. The rest is covered in water." Luz added.
"..." Amity didn't even have words. How could she? The population on the Boiling Isles of the sentient races of demons and witches combined didn't even hold a candle to the number in the Human Realm.
"Might be a good idea for us to get on the move," Flint suggested.
Luz nodded, but it was partly hesitant. "Right. Though, you should probably cast an illusion on yourself. I mean...you kinda stick out like a sore thumb." Luz pointed out, gesturing to Flint.
Flint looked at himself before snapping his fingers. "You know? I knew there was something I was forgetting," Flint said to himself more than anything. With a spell cast, he replaced the key in his hand with Gray, who flew up to his left shoulder with his flames off. Flint then cast another, and two scarlet circles appeared over his head and at his feet, both moving towards his torso and replacing his semi-human appearance with his appearance just before he sprouted his tail. Once the two circles collided, they disappeared.
"Man, it's weird to think you used to look like this not that long ago." Luz noted.
Flint shrugged. "Eh, I've just gotten used to it." Flint said before turning to Amity. "You can bring Ghost out if you want. She won't really stand out."
Amity snapped out of her stupor and summoned Ghost, who perched on her right shoulder. Both palisman were looking around curiously at the world around them.
"Well, let's get a move on. We're burning daylight." Flint said, beckoning them forward as he began walking down the path.
The group eventually found themselves standing on the sidewalk as they stared at Luz's house. Amity was noticeably rubbing her right arm nervously.
Luz notices this and looks to her in concern. "What's the matter Sweet Potato?" Luz asked.
"Sorry, it's just..." Amity pursed her lips. "I'm a bit nervous. What if she doesn't like me?" Amity asked.
Luz took Amity's hand into hers. "If I'm being honest, I'm a bit scared too. Not just about introducing you, but...I didn't really leave on the best terms with her. We didn't have a big falling out or anything, but I also didn't exactly go to the summer camp I was supposed to." Luz admitted sheepishly. Now that she was standing here, Luz was finally realizing just how unprepared she really was to confront her mother.
"Well...at least you have Flint and I." Amity supplied with a nervous smile.
Luz's nervousness seemed to soften a bit. "Yeah...I do." Luz said gratefully before turning to Flint. "Same goes for you Flintlock. In this together?" Luz asked.
Flint smiled back, though Luz could see just how nervous he was. And here Luz was thinking she would be the most nervous one when it came to this.
"Of course. Weirdos stick together." Flint said. Those words had pretty much become their mantra throughout the years.
Luz nodded, letting go of Amity's hand as the three walked up to the door. Luz went ahead of them with Amity and Flint flanking her left and right. Walks up to the door and hovers her hand over the doorbell, pulling back hesitantly for a moment above the button, before finally pushing it.
The chime of the doorbell went off as Luz backed up between the two.
"Un momento!" They heard from the other side.
A few moments later, they hear the locks on the door snap open before Camila Noceda opens the door to greet them. When she looks at the group, she blinks in surprise.
Luz nervously waves to her. "Hi mom...I'm back."
Camila's hands covered her mouth as tears began to well in her eyes. "Mija!" Camila said loudly with relief as she ran forward and wrapped her daughter in a tight hug as Amity and Flint quickly stepped out of the way.
Camila held Luz tight. Tears of relief poured from her eyes as she reunited with her daughter. "You have no idea how worried I was about you," Camila said softly.
Tears pooled in Luz's eyes as she closed them, leaning into her mother's embrace. "I'm so, so sorry. I didn't mean to make you worry." Luz sniffled, happy to see her mother again.
Amity watched the scene with a smile, happy to see Luz so relieved. However, her smile began to droop as she looked down. She was happy for Luz, but the witch couldn't help but somewhat...envy Luz and Camila's relationship. Odalia had never even once shown an inkling of worry for her as far as she could remember. Not a single word of encouragement, only expectation. No compassion, only indifference. Everything Odalia did was for herself, and she was willing to do whatever it took to accomplish what she wanted.
Ghost, seemingly sensing Amity's thoughts, rubbed her head against the crook of Amity's neck reassuringly. The gesture was clear. 'I know what you're thinking about. This isn't about her, it never was.'
Amity donned a sad smile as she stroked Ghost's neck in thanks, getting a faint purr from the palisman. She looked over to Flint but was left curious at his oddly nervous behavior. He was twiddling his thumbs, and his hand kept instinctively moving to his right pocket.
Camila separated from the hug, leaving her hands on Luz's shoulders and catching Amity's attention before she could question Flint. "When we got Flint's text, we were worried about what had happened," Camila said with a small chuckle.
Camila's words caused Amity, Luz, and Ghost to blink in confusion.
"Um, mom? What text?" Luz asked in confusion.
Camila then pulled her arms back, removing her glasses and wiping her eyes with the other arm. She put them back on and clapped her hands together. "Oh! And you can finally meet her!" Camila said before turning back the house and cupping her hand near her mouth. "Girls! Can you come down?" Camila yelled into the house.
Luz and Amity looked at each other in confusion briefly. Luz then turned back to Camila. "Um...mom? Who are you talking to?" Luz asked.
Suddenly, Luz saw two figures descend from the stairs. One was a girl with green hair tipped with blue, somewhat resembling fins. Her ears couldn't be seen, but tufts of her hair seemed to sprout more from where her ears would be. Her skin was a light mocha color. Her eyes were certainly unique, with her yellow-gold pupils and black irises. Finally, she wore a yellow sweater with orange stripes and a pumpkin on the chest, blue torn pants, and brown boots.
The second one though...
Luz blinked in shock at the familiar figure. "Trixx?!" Luz exclaimed.
It was Trixx in her Bosch-a-like form. There was one difference with her hair color being switched to a yellow-gold that matched Flint's, but it was otherwise the same disguise.
Trixx looked on overjoyed. "You're back!" Trixx said excitedly.
The first figure looked on shyly. "H-hi." She said, waving slightly.
"I take it you must be Vee then?" Flint asked, getting a small nod from the girl.
"Hold up! Can someone please explain what the heck is going on?!" Luz demanded. She wanted answers damn it!
"We should head inside first. I'll call Maddie real quick." Camila said beckoning them inside as she headed in.
Flint seemed oddly quick to rush inside, avoiding looking at Luz as he brushed past. Luz could only stand by and watch in confusion with Amity, who had less of a clue what was happening than her.
The six sat at the table in the dining room. Luz sat with Amity to her right and Flint to her left (the latter of which repeatedly glanced nervously at both her and the front door). Camila sat across the table with Trixx sitting in her true form as she peeked over the table from Camila's right, and this 'Vee' to her left. Ever since arriving in the room and taking their seats, there was a sort of stand-off going on. The tension in the air could be cut with a knife. Luz could feel it, and she could probably guess that Amity was the one person present who felt it the most since she was probably the one person causing the least tension.
"So…" Flint spoke up, breaking the silence. "How long was it supposed to be until my mom gets here?" Flint asked nervously.
Camila, believe it or not, had quite the unnerving look of mischief in her eyes. Oh, Luz knew what this meant.
'No wonder Flint keeps looking at the door.' Luz cringed. She might be upset because she could tell there was clearly something he was hiding from her, but that didn't mean she couldn't feel sympathy for the storm that was approaching. That storm's name being 'Madelyn Smith'.
"Initials," Camila said simply.
Whereas most in the room could only draw confused looks, Luz and Flint knew exactly what that meant. To put it simply: Flint was screwed.
"Um…what does that mean?" Amity asked hesitantly. "And why is Flint shaking so much?"
Flint, and by extension the chair he sat in, were vibrating so fast they looked like they were gonna phase through the floor any moment now.
Seeing her girlfriend's confusion, and since Flint wasn't going to be of any help, Luz took it upon herself to explain. "Maddie, Flint's mom, responded to the text with Flint's initials. She doesn't do that unless she's…let's just say less than pleased…and that Flint got his temper from her." Luz said.
SLAM
Flint suddenly stopped shaking as his skin suddenly lost any semblance of color. Flint's head creaked slowly to the entrance of the room and everyone followed his gaze being met with the sight of Madelyn Smith. And boyshe looked pissed! Enough that Luz could swear she had a dark aura around her as she glared menacingly at her son.
"Flint. Franklin. Smith." Madelyn said forebodingly.
Flint did his best to run for the back door, he really did, but Luz felt the rush of wind as the elder Smith blitzed behind her twice. In almost an instant, Luz saw Amity do a double-take as she realized Flint was no longer in the chair he had been a moment ago. And a moment later, the tell-tale sounds of roughhousing and Flint making Tom and Jerry screams filled the household.
A moment later, Madelyn reappeared at the entryway with a bubbly smile as she strolled past Luz and placed Flint back in his seat, now sporting various bruises and swelling as he stared at the table with a haunted look. Madelyn then leaned down and sweetly kissed the top of his head. "Glad to see you're okay sweetie!" Madelyn said in a far too cheery tone after what Luz knew had just happened in the other room. The woman then moved over to Luz and gave her a crushing hug. "Nice to see you too, Little Light," Madelyn said happily before moving over to Trixx's spot and pulling the fox into her arms as she sat down in the seat.
"…I think I understand why Flint said he was afraid of her now," Amity said after a beat of silence.
This actually elicited a snicker from Camila and hearty laughter from Madelyn, who waved her off. "Oh, don't you worry, dear. I was just showing my little hellion how much I was worried, that's all." Madelyn responded casually.
Amity decided it would be better for her to not question why she didn't bother to call her son an 'angel' like many did. She already knew why. Flint was by no means an innocent boy.
"Right. So…can I just ask, what the hell is going on?" Amity asked bluntly.
Madelyn smirked. "Oh, I like you already," Madelyn said. "So, what do we want to address first? Alphabetically or chronologically?"
"I'd like to know who you are," Luz spoke up, addressing the mystery girl.
Madelyn shrugged. "A good place to start. Cam, Vee, you wanna get this party started?"
"I guess I'll start," Vee spoke up, drawing Luz, Flint, and Amity's attention.
Flashback Start
"My real name is...Number Five. I'm a basilisk." Vee started.
"Wait! You're a basilisk?! Like the one we fought at Hexside?" Amity said in an alarmed tone.
"Were they big and violent?" Vee asked.
"Yep." Luz supplied.
"I guess Number One must've escaped sometime after or something. But the thing is…I shouldn't even exist." Vee revealed. "My kind went extinct a long time ago, but we were brought back."
Vee, in her true form, could be seen in chains and a cage. Along the wall were other basilisks, each one with the Roman numeral for their number on a plaque at the bottom of the cage.
"They wanted to know how we drained magic."
Warden Wrath could be seen standing outside of Vee's cell with a clipboard in hand and two scouts at his side. He barked an order, causing Vee to flinch. Vee tried to stand firm, but the warden snapped his fingers, causing Vee's chains to light up before who knows how many volts of electricity were shot through her body. The implication of her disobedience was clear. With no choice, Vee regrettably slithered over to one of the rats in her cell and grabbed it. With an apologetic look, Vee inhaled, which pulled blue energy from the rat. After a bit, the glow faded and Vee swallowed, dropping the now unmoving rat whose eyes glassed over. As all this occurred, Wrath simply took notes of the exchange.
"Though for many of us, all we knew how to do was feed."
Warden Wrath could be seen walking along the hallway, a set of keys hanging from the left side of his hip, with a small figure and another one flanking his right and left. The trio walked along, passing the basilisks in numerical order. 'One' bore a resemblance to the Greater Basilisk that attacked Hexside and had a slew of rats in her cell, the cell bloodied as she had a sadistic smile on her face. Two had fewer, but still looked more animalistic and was also a Greater Basilisk in size. Three and Four were both downcast and closer to Vee's size. But then they arrived at Vee's cell, where she glared at the trio.
"What's with this one?" The familiar voice of Darius asked, revealing himself as the larger of the two figures.
"Oh, her? She's certainly stubborn, I'll give her that. While Number One has needed some shock therapy to rein in because of bloodlust, this one has needed it as a reminder of who is in charge. It's almost like she actually cares about her victims. A basilisk not wanting to hurt her food? HA! Wild, huh?" Warden Wrath informed.
The smaller figure revealed to be Eberwolf, tilted his head as he looked at Vee. He chattered a bit, which caused Darius to sneer.
"What did you say about me you little-" Darius swung at Eberwolf, who dodged and scurried behind Warden Wrath. The head of the Beast Keeping coven blew a very mature raspberry at him as he peeked his head out from Wrath's left.
Darius snarled as his arm shifted to abomination sludge, stretching it forward at his fellow coven head and nearly hitting Warden Wrath.
"Hey! I'd prefer you possibly try to kill each other without having to actually go through me to do it!" Warden Wrath said angrily.
Eberwolf peeked out from Warden Wrath's other side and shot him an akanbe face to taunt him. Grumbling, Darius retracted his arm and it morphed back to normal.
"Fine, but this isn't over, mutt," Darius growled out.
As the trio continued down the hallway, Vee noticed something unusual. On the ground and less than a foot from her cell were the keys that were just on Warden Wrath's hip, covered in a bit of abomination goo. Vee glanced down the way the trio left before looking to the way they came to see if the coast was clear, before reaching her arm out the cells and managing to grab the keys. Moments later, she unlocks her shackles and opens her cell, slithering over to do the same for a surprised Three and Four.
"Some of us escaped, but I knew it was only a matter of time before he caught us again."
Vee, Three, and Four could be seen hiding near a mountainside as Emperor Belos and a group of Coven Guards are looking over a cliff, searching for the escaped basilisks.
"I had heard the warden talk about someone called the 'Owl Lady'…in a very disturbingly obsessive way, I might add. But one thing that caught my attention was mentions of the 'Human Realm' and the rumors she had a portal to it.
Vee can be seen sneaking around at the market, watching Eda's 'Human Collectibles' stand carefully. Her eyes widen as she manages to barely see through the gap in the tent and sees the portal open.
"When I saw the portal, I realized I had a way out!"
Vee snuck around to the other side of the tent and under the tarp, accidentally letting a fairy in.
"And that's when I saw you."
"Stop adorably hopping away, you-Huh?" Vee hid and watched as Luz exited from the portal, following Owlbert. Luz looked around the tent, noticing a wide variety of random wares. "Whoa. I thought Flint and I had a lot of weird stuff." Luz picks up a creepy-looking doll. "But this? This is impressive."
"Finally, you're back." Vee heard Eda say, causing Luz to quickly duck down, moving to the flap of the tent and peeking through it, noticing the Owl Lady standing with her back to the tent.
Vee bid her time, waiting for the right moment as Luz was distracted by Eda. Vee's time came as Luz sprinted out of the tent. Vee took the opportunity to quickly slither out of her hiding spot and toward the portal. Freedom was finally hers, but…
Just as she reached around from the side to enter the door, she crossed paths with the skinny and bespectacled Flint, who blinked in surprise as his head turned to face her.
"What the-?"
Vee watched as the boy suddenly cut off and saw Flint's pupils briefly flash scarlet with the symbols that would be recognized as the fire glyph. It was brief, and immediately after, Flint's eyes became unfocused and glassed over. As Vee arrived on the other side, she saw the boy fall forward into some of the surrounding items before hitting the ground, his glasses breaking.
"Flintlock!" Vee heard as she looked to the source to see Luz again, looking in worry at Flint, and not noticing Vee as the portal closed, leaving Vee to look into the abandoned shack the portal was obscuring.
Vee had done it, she was free.
"I can take over from here, Vee." Camila's voice interrupted.
"Luz? Where are you?" Camila's voice called out, startling Vee as she quickly transformed into a replica of Luz.
"I had gotten the day off from work, so I thought that I could drive you two to the camp. But when I found 'you'…"
Camila came out from behind one of the nearby trees. "Luz? There you are." Camila said with relief.
'Luz' turned around to face Camila "Hello...fellow human! Um…skin's sure weird!" 'Luz' greeted nervously.
"I'll admit, with the way Vee greeted me, I had no idea it wasn't you since I couldn't tell if you were just roleplaying or something."
"Very funny. But I was thinking, instead of taking the bus to camp, why don't we drive? I got the day off from work, and you and Flint can have…" Camila looked around in confusion. "Wait…where is Flint? Wasn't he just with you?" Camila asked.
"Um. Flint? He…already got on the bus! Yeah!" 'Luz' said, sweating bullets.
Camila looked at 'Luz' suspiciously. "And left you behind? When you two are mostly tied at the hip?"
"We aren't that bad!" Luz interrupted defensively.
"…"
"…were we really that bad?" Flint asked.
"Yes. Yes, you were." Madelyn added.
Flashback End
"From there it was easy to figure out she wasn't you. I was concerned when she mentioned something had happened to Flint." Camila said.
Vee rubbed her arm sheepishly. "I'm sorry for almost trying to take over your life Luz. I just…I just wanted out. And then mo- Camila and Madelyn were so nice to me." Vee said.
"Okay, so that explains how you got here…" Luz said before looking at Flint with narrowed eyes. "But that doesn't explain how you seemed to know about Vee," Luz said accusingly.
Flint scratched the back of his neck sheepishly as he averted his gaze. "Heh heh…about that. Remember how I'm not big on lying to my mom?" Flint asked.
"…how long?" Luz demanded.
"…I was sending texts to her since the night we arrived in the Isles," Flint said quietly.
"From the very beginning?!" Luz screamed with betrayal.
"In his defense, we would've probably camped out in front of that run-down shack and I would've dragged you back myself the moment it opened," Madelyn said nonchalantly.
"Okay, so that explains that but what about Trixx? I thought she went out on her own in the Boiling Isles?" Amity asked.
Trixx raised her paw excitedly. "Ooh! I can tell you!" Trixx announced cheerfully.
Flashback Start
"It happened when we prepared to save Eda." Trixx began.
"Alright. Then we've got no time to lose!" Luz declared, running out of the room with King on her tail, throwing his book to the ground.
"You and King had already run out of the room, but Flint stopped me before I could follow."
"Trixx, a moment?"
Trixx looked at him confused. "What is it?"
Flint scooped her up, letting her onto his shoulder. "There's something I need you to do for me."
Trixx tilted her head in confusion. "What is it?"
Flint tore out a sheet of paper from his notebook that he summoned from…somewhere, and began writing on it. "If things look bad, I'm going to send you to the Human Realm," Flint explained as he handed the page to her. "This page is my address. It won't be too far from where the portal leads, but I thought it would be best to write it down for you so you won't forget, plus I wrote something on it that my mom will recognize so she knows you're telling the truth."
"Flint wanted to send me here, but I wanted to help Eda too."
"But I wanna help! Besides, doesn't Eda have the portal?" Trixx countered.
Flint then pulled out the portal key and showed it to her, causing her eyes to widen in surprise.
"I'm not going to send you there yet, but I wanted you to be ready for if I do, rather than needing to explain everything during a fight, which is no doubt inevitable, knowing our luck," Flint explained as Trixx reluctantly stuffs the paper into her mane.
"I understand why he did it, but…you guys were still all I knew. I didn't want to lose you."
Fast Forward
"We should hurry. The petrification process is likely starting soon." Lilith stated, heading back through the still-open portal.
The four begin to head for the door as well, but a breeze makes Flint and Luz look back at the path behind them.
"Hey, you guys...need a minute?" King asked, having reached the door and looking at the two worriedly.
Luz shook her head, snapping her out of her trance. "No. I'm coming." Luz said, going on ahead.
Flint continued to look at the path though. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before opening them again. He pulled out his phone and looked from the screen to the portal, before turning to Trixx at his feet.
"If we don't come back before sunset, then head to the address I gave you." Flint traced a spell, causing an illusion of Trixx to appear at his feet. "I'll use this illusion of you so that they're none the wiser."
Trixx frowned rubbing against his leg and looking up at him worriedly. "You're going to be okay…right?"
Flint smiled as he leaned down and patted her head. "Don't worry. It'll take more than a few sorry excuses called guards to take me down. We'll be a-okay and back to get you before you know it." Flint reassured before stepping back through the portal. Trixx watched from the grass as the portal flashed before disappearing.
"When he left, I did as I was told. I waited."
Trixx stared at the door, not daring to peel her gaze from it as she sat down, standing guard like a pet waiting diligently for her master.
"And waited."
Hours passed as the sun in the Human Realm began to set. During the time before, Trixx walked around the small clearing as she investigated the more peaceful world, but she never left sight of the shack and always returned to that same spot to sit diligently. One time she left because of a bunch of weird talking rats that suddenly appeared...let's just say she needed to bury the evidence after she dealt with them. Being a Zorua gave her the distinct advantage of ranged attacks.
"And waited…but he never came back."
Trixx turned away from the door to look at the setting sun. She then turned her head back to the door for another minute before she looked down sadly, letting out a whine as she did.
"When it was sundown and he never showed, it was time I completed my mission."
Trixx got up from her spot and walked to the end of the path, transforming into her Bosch-a-like form. Trixx gave one last glance at the shack in the fleeting hope it would open. When it didn't she frowned as she walked away, pulling out the paper she had been given and going down the street.
Eventually, Trixx found herself standing before a house. She glanced back at the note to double-check the address before walking up to the front door. She reached out hesitantly to the doorbell for a moment before ringing it.
"I'll be right there!" Trixx heard from the other side.
After a few moments, the door opened and Madelyn stepped out. The woman's head tilted a bit as she looked at the disguised Trixx, Madelyn's brow furrowing.
"Hi. Um, can I help you?" Madelyn asked.
Trixx mustered her courage up as she silently held the note out to Madelyn. Curious, Madelyn took the offered paper and read it, her eyes darting across the page for a moment before her eyes widened. Madelyn's expression hardened as she looked back at Trixx.
"Come inside and tell me everything," Madelyn ordered.
GRUMBLE
Madelyn blinked before seeing Trixx blush in embarrassment. Madelyn's gaze on her softened.
"But maybe after getting you something to eat first. How do you feel about pizza rolls?" Madelyn said kindly.
"I…don't know what those are…but thanks," Trixx said quietly.
Madelyn gestured for her to enter, and she did, with Madelyn closing the door behind her.
Flashback End
"Luckily, I already had Camila and Vee over. She eventually told us what she knew, and what she knew regarding your adventures. Gotta say though, finding out you accidentally caused a Zorua to become real is both crazy and awesome. Her fur is so soft!" Madelyn said as Trixx snuggled up to her with a smile.
"Speaking of fur…" Amity trailed off, as she and Luz glanced toward Flint.
Flint gained an annoyed look. "Gee, thanks Amity. It's not like I was still trying to figure out how to reveal this or anything." Flint said sarcastically.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Camila asked.
Flint sighed as he got up. "You know what? Sure. Let's just go ahead and rip the band-aid off." Flint said, snapping his fingers as the illusion he cast earlier dispersed, revealing his current true form.
Camila and Vee jolted, but Madelyn straight up jumped in surprise, her chair falling back with a yelp and Trixx getting dragged with her. Almost immediately after, Madelyn's arm rose onto the table as she started trying to regain her composure.
"Well. That's…new." Camila said, breaking the silence.
"Are you okay, Ms. Smith?" Vee asked worriedly.
"Vee, I told you to just call me Maddie," Madelyn responded before taking a deep breath and getting to her feet, walking over to look over her son. "When you said in your messages that you apparently weren't all human, I thought it just meant you were more like…Amity, was it?" Madelyn paused for a moment, getting a nod from the girl. "Yeah, like that. Not..." Madelyn vaguely gestured to all of him. "This."
"He isn't part witch, that much we know. Are you sure you don't know anything about Flint's…father?" Luz asked.
Madelyn pinched the bridge of her nose. "I don't. Honest. Hell, you can ask Principal Hal. He's the one who picked us up to take him to the hospital after I found him," Madelyn groaned.
Amity blinked. "Wait, you found him?"
"He was left at my doorstep as a baby one night. I…really wasn't doing the best at that time. But then I suddenly heard his wails outside. Whoever left him there didn't even ring the doorbell or anything." Madelyn explained. "The most ridiculous thing though has to be his DNA. There is no explanation for how the hell he's genetically my son. Frickin' magic. At least sci-fi has explanations and not 'just because'…most of the time," Madelyn grumbled.
Madelyn looked him over. "I will say though, you do look cool. Is this it, or are there any more changes that should happen?"
"Wings apparently. And maybe more fur, I do have a tail after all." Flint responded, looking at his mother she went quiet, staring at the tail for an unusually long amount of time. Flint sighed. "Just get it over it," Flint said, accepting his fate.
Madelyn proceeded to stroke his tail. "It's soft." A moment later, she heard a familiar sound, though unfamiliar coming from him. "…Did you just purr?"
Flint looked down depressingly. "Why does this keep happening?" Flint questioned, causing everyone to start laughing at the boy's misfortune.
"How long ago did this happen?" Madelyn asked, releasing Flint from his torment.
Luz chose to answer. "He started changing more after the petrification ceremony. Ever since Belos-" Luz's eyes widened as her hands flew to cover her mouth, realizing what she was about to say.
Madelyn squinted. "Since Belos…what?" Madelyn asked.
"Since Belos…killed me," Flint said quietly.
The four paled at this reveal.
"I…honestly don't know how I even came back. I think I heard what was happening around me, but it was all echoey. Then I heard another voice. I've only heard that voice in that moment, but it felt like I knew it," Flint explained.
Madelyn wordlessly went over and held him in a tight hug, with Trixx transforming, still with the yellow-gold hair, and also hugged him.
Camila watched before turning to Luz with a forced smile. "Mija? Can I speak with you privately for a bit?"
Luz gulped but nodded, leaving the room with Camila. This left Amity and Vee watching as Madelyn held her son tightly with Trixx. The two watched in awkward silence, neither willing to interrupt before glancing in the direction the Nocedas left.
The Nocedas walked into the living room.
"Mom, I know it sounds bad, but-"
"'Sounds bad'?!" Camila exclaimed exasperatedly. "Mija, how can you say that after all the worrying you two have put us through!?"
"Just let me explai-"
"Explain what?! That this 'Demon Realm' is far too dangerous?! Sweetie, Flint died and he has magic of his own! I know that he gave you gear to use those glyphs or whatever they're called, but that doesn't change how much I've worried about your safety!" Camila yelled, causing Luz to flinch.
Camila pinched the bridge of her nose, taking a deep breath before looking at Luz in distress. "Luz...when Trixx showed up on Maddie's doorstep, I thought I might never see you again. I've spent so many nights thinking the worst, and now when I finally get you back, I hear that one of you died?" Camila looked at her in tears. "I could have lost my daughter. I could have failed your father. I just want you to be safe, mija. But knowing that you chose to stay in such a place..." Camila said desperately.
Luz bit her lip as she looked down in shame. She...she never wanted any of this to happen. It was supposed to be simple. She and Flint would stay in the Demon Realm over the time of the camp, then come back with their moms none the wiser. It was all her fault that any of this happened. What was she even thinking?! Now she couldn't help but feel awful. Everyone always calls her reckless, and says she never thinks about the consequences. She was already on a thin line when it came to her antics before, and she only kept proving it back in the Demon Realm. Luz knew Flint didn't blame her for what happened to him, and she did try to accept it, but...she still felt responsible. For everything. And she still never thought about how her actions affected others.
"Luz, I know it's been hard for you growing up, I had a hard time when I was your age too. You have to understand, I just want to protect you." Camila's eyes were watering even more. "But after all of this? It makes me wonder if you're just too reckless for me to handle." Camila said.
"That recklessness saved my life."
Luz and Camila looked to the source of the voice to see Amity, who rubbed her elbow nervously.
"I'm sorry for eavesdropping, but it's true," Amity said as she walked up next to Luz. "I'll admit that things were…rocky at first when I met her. I was an uptight jerk and was acting too much like my…well, I would've said womb donor, but I have the feeling Odalia just used the conception spell."
Amity shook her head. "That's irrelevant. What is, is that if it weren't for Luz being reckless, so many people in the Demon Realm would be miserable, including me. Luz and Flint were the first people in a long time who didn't look at me as Amity Blight, heir to Blight Industries. They saw me as Amity, an abomination witch, and a secret Azura nerd. They helped me stand up for myself," Amity said before taking Luz's hand into hers.
"I can't even begin to list off everything I love about her and Flint, but she does think things through when it comes to helping others. She saw the good in me when I couldn't, the same with Lilith too. The entire reason she couldn't get back was because she destroyed the portal, all so that Belos couldn't use it for his own purposes, which couldn't have been good for the Human Realm. She knew it might've meant she might never see you again, but she did what she had to, to protect you and everyone else." Amity smiled as she turned to Luz. "And that's exactly why I love this adorable dork."
Luz's lips quivered as she looked away bashfully, her face lighting up with a blush. "T-thanks. I love you too." Luz said with a grateful smile.
Camila looked at the two as they smiled at each other. It warmed her heart to see that her daughter had found someone who thought so highly of her. At the same time though, seeing her daughter so happy…hurt.
"I really did fail you, didn't I?" Camila said depressingly. Suddenly she ruffled her hair in frustration. "Why?! Why do I have to mess up even now?! Look at me! Here I am trying to take you away from a world you thrive in." Camila's shoulders slumped. "I'm a terrible mother."
"Don't say that." Vee's voice was heard as she walked in.
"Vee…" Camila said in surprise.
"Please! Just don't say that! You…you took care of me. I tried to lie to you, and replace Luz, but even without any of that working you still decided to let me stay with you." Vee declared. "You didn't have to do any of that. You could've called the government or something, or left me with that crazy guy at the museum." Vee said.
Luz blinked before looking at her. "Wait, did Jacob do something?"
"Maddie handled him…I almost felt bad for him actually." Vee admitted before getting back on topic.
"The point is, you did all of that for me, a complete stranger. You didn't have to, but you did. And…" Vee scratched the back of her neck. "I've nearly called you 'Mom' a lot lately."
Camila brought her hands over her mouth in shock. She was touched to think Vee thought so highly of her. Taking a deep breath, Camila responded. "If you want to…you can. If you're comfortable with it, that is."
"Mrs. Noceda, you are not a bad mom. Trust me, I would know. Besides, Luz was working really hard to find a way back to you. She even caught the Common Mold and tried to still go searching for Titan's Blood to get here. Would a bad mother have her daughter go that far to get back to her?" Amity asked.
Camila looked at her daughter in shock. "Is this true? Did you really try so hard just to get back to me?" Camila asked, floored as Luz proceeded to nod rapidly.
Camila stared at her for a moment, deep in thought before taking a deep breath and watering eyes. "Luz…I am so sorry. There was never anything wrong with you, mija. I should never have tried to change you to protect you from this world. You are perfect just the way you are. You weren't wrong for this world; this world was wrong for you. I'm proud of the strong young lady in front of me," Camila apologized.
Luz teared up as she burst forward and hugged her mother tightly. Camila returned the gesture and held her daughter as both Nocedas cried with relief, their strained relationship finally mending after so long. Amity watched on with a smile next to Vee. Amity's expression saddened, looking down as she recalled her relationship with her father and how strained it had become until recently.
Amity's thoughts were interrupted when Vee nudged her arm. Amity looked at her in confusion, but Vee gestured to the mother and daughter before them. Amity looked on to see Camila beckoning her to join. Hesitantly, Amity approached and did so, her worries washing away in their combined embrace.
After a bit, they separated and Camila looked at her daughter with a smile, caressing her cheek. "I'm happy that you could finally find somewhere that appreciates you. This Demon Realm scares me so much from what I've heard, but I think the last time I saw you so happy was when you first read that Azura book," Camila chuckled a bit. "I was surprised that you actually wanted to go to a school for once. Not only that but thrive in it even with all the extra work from so many classes? I must say though, Madelyn and I would like to talk to this Principal Bump at some point." Camila said.
"I'm sure he'd be happy to meet you, Mrs. Noceda," Amity said.
"Amity, please. Call me Camila, no need to be so formal." Camila responded with a knowing smile.
Luz couldn't help but smile. None of today was going how she expected, but this was way better than that! Her mom finally gets it!
Luz blinked, her mind reaching an epiphany as she slapped her hand to her forehead, laughing happily. "I can't believe it took me this long to figure it out," Luz said, not noticing the way her fanny pack twitched, a purple glow beginning to radiate from it.
"Figure what out?" Camila asked.
"All this time. The only thing I've ever really wanted..."
The palisman egg within begins to crack, the glow becoming brighter as Camila, Vee, and Amity take notice.
"...was to be understood!" Luz declared, looking at the group with a huge, joyous smile on her face.
Beams of purple light emerge from the crack on the Palisman egg, which then explodes with a mighty roll of thunder. A bright flash of light fills the entire house, shining brightly through the windows and permeating the daylight sky of Gravesfield. Many people jolt at the crackle in surprise before looking on in astonishment at the purple light.
A group of teens could be seen hanging out under a tree. One of which, strangely enough, was holding a deck of Hexes Hold'em cards, the person in question being of indiscernible gender. With their companions, they looked up in awe at the flash of light in the distance.
"Whoa. Don't see that every day." They said.
After the blinding flash fades, Luz opens her eyes and gasps. In front of her, her staff floats in the air, with sparkles and energy clouds spiraling around the Palisman. The mass of clouds also shrouds the Palisman itself. Luz approaches her staff as the staff also floats down to her. By this point, Flint, Trixx, and Maddie have all appeared in the entryway to look in awe.
Luz grabs the staff, the contact sending another magic current along the staff and towards the palisman. The shroud of mist continued to swirl as the palisman at the center began to take form.
"Whoa…" Luz breathed out. She could feel the energy coursing from the staff. She turned to Flint with a smile. "What are you waiting for? Come meet my palisman."
"What kind of magical creature will it be? A dragon?" Camila asked excitedly.
Flint walked up beside her with Gray on his shoulder. "A bird?" Flint asked.
"Oh, an otter!" Amity said excitedly, with Ghost climbing up the stairs and onto the railing to look on in curiosity.
"A fox?" Trixx wondered.
"A snake?" Vee asked.
"Um…all of the above?" Madelyn asked a bit hesitantly.
Luz smiled. "You aren't too far off actually."
Suddenly, a serpent-like creature flies out from the mist with the staff part disappearing from Luz's hands. The palisman's body shifts as it proceeds to take the shape of a fox, then again into a bird, a large spider, and a dragon. It changes one last time to its true form: a snake-like creature with a cat-like face. It has small, pointed ears with dark pink insides like the ones on Luz's hoodie, fur-like tufts on either side of her neck, small fangs, a dark purple forked tongue, and a lime green spherical rattle/orb on the end of her tail. It has protruding eyes with dark purple irises and lime sclera, the upper back and body are aubergine in color, with a purple stripe running from the back middle of her head and ending in a point near the end of her tail. Two more purple stripes separate the upper and lower body colors, running from the lower cheeks to the ball on its tail, while the lower body and underbelly are lavender. Finally, its nose and upper snout are white and form a heart shape on the palisman's forehead.
"Everyone, say hello to Stringbean! She's a snake-shifter, and she's perfect!" Luz declares as Stringbean flies back down and rubs herself on Luz's face as Luz caresses her.
Stringbean then begins slithering in the air like the little sky noodle she is and flies around the room. She flies over to the TV before stopping in front of Flint and Gray.
"New friend?" Stringbean asked. [Btw, I'm writing this with her voice in my head being Bubbles from The Powerpuff Girls.]
Gray puffed up his chest. "Hm. Not bad. I'm still way better, but you're a pretty close second. Better than the furball over there." Gray…complimented, while throwing a jab at Ghost, who scowled at him. "Names Gray. Grumpy over there is Ghost." [Since I'm at it, might as well do this for all three of them. If I were to give him a voice…Will Friedle, voice of Terry McGinnis from Batman Beyond.]
Ghost growled. "Why you little-" […Zendaya.]
Stringbean then slithered through the air over and in Ghost's face. "Hi, other new friend!" She said cheerily.
Ghost just shyly waved as she suddenly looked like she came to a horrifying realization. "Oh no…she's another Rat Alador." Ghost meowed in a haunted tone.
Oblivious to Ghost's semi-horror, Stringbean snuggles up against her briefly before flying over to Luz, going into her hood and poking out over Luz's left shoulder, causing everyone to chuckle or coo at her antics.
A few more hours later, Luz and Flint continue to catch up with their mothers and retell what they've been through, especially the events after Trixx was sent to the Human Realm.
"So, you used your own blood to help control the portal?" Madelyn asked in concern.
"Yeah. It was the only thing we could think of. By using my blood and giving it some additional power, I also have a bit more direct control over it, since you need to have a way to guide something like this. I mean, could you imagine if we didn't do something to focus the portal? We'd be opening that door to who knows where!" Flint explained animatedly.
"Fine. Just be careful and be sure to eat enough so you aren't low on blood." Madelyn said worriedly.
"By the way, what exactly did Jacob do anyway?" Luz asked.
"Well, if you remember, I still have the restraining order on him after he kept trying to prove Flint was some kind of witch or supernatural creature." Madelyn began. "Gotta admit it's kinda funny how he was right all this time. Anyway, he got bold when Vee showed up."
"It turns out, he had some cameras installed at that busted-up shack and some of them caught her changing to look like Luz. Vee decided to make a unique look, but his camera also saw me interacting with her. He must've stalked us and eventually, he locked her up in a cage in his office at the museum. Unfortunately, there was one thing he didn't account for: Vee has me on speed dial…and I have Maddie on speed dial." Camila explained.
Madelyn had a borderline evil smile on her face. "The next day he was found in the Yamcha pose with two black eyes, three broken ribs, a broken knee, and a shattered wrist," Madelyn said in a far too cheery voice.
Amity stared in blank horror at Madelyn. "Okay…now I'm more scared of you than before. I think I also understand where Flint gets his nature as an agent of chaos from."
"Aw! Thank you!" Madelyn said sweetly.
Amity was too scared to say it wasn't supposed to be a compliment.
Flint turned to Trixx. "Say, I noticed you switched the hair color for your disguise." Flint pointed out.
Trixx chuckled sheepishly. "It's part of my cover. To others, I'm supposedly your cousin, so I decided to match you and Maddie's," Trixx explained.
Flint nodded. "Good idea."
"Oh, before I forget, I just want to make sure I remember this right," Camila spoke up, looking at Luz. "You said that Flint asked you out when you got home after the petrification thing, right?" Camila asked.
"Um…yeah?" Luz responded, unsure where her mother was going with this.
Camila turned to Madelyn. "Pay up." Camila requested, giving a beckoning gesture to the other mother in the room.
Madelyn grumbled as she pulled out a $10 bill and handed it to a very smug-looking Camila.
"Wait, were you two betting on my love life?!" Luz and Flint both exclaimed in disbelief until something donned on Flint.
"And did you bet against me?!" Flint looked at his mother offendedly.
"Oh, don't blame me! You were so oblivious it hurt." Madelyn justified.
"While I can't say I'm surprised you two would get together, I wasn't expecting a third to join in. I'm not saying I don't like you Amity, but it isn't exactly a common thing outside of very select fiction." Camila said.
Madelyn shrugged before smiling deviously as she nudged her son. "But hey, my little fire starter seems to have become quite the ladies' man.~" Madelyn teased.
Flint blushed. "It's not like I'm trying," Flint grumbled before donning a thinking pose. "Then again, Willow called me handsome when her memories got messed up, and that one Glandus girl definitely was trying to hit on me. At least she stood down quickly."
"Well, I'm glad that Luz and Flint have been able to help you so much Amity," Camila said.
Amity smiled and was about to respond when the doorbell suddenly rang. Everyone looked in the direction of the door in confusion.
"Were you expecting someone?" Luz asked.
Camila shook her head. "No…I wasn't."
Camila got up as flashes of crimson and scarlet light put Trixx and Flint into their human forms. Camila walked up to the door and opened it to be met with two men in suits, with a government vehicle parked on the street. Both men wore a white shirt with a folded collar and a black tie. On an upper layer, they had black suits with a small American flag pin on the left side. The older of the men had black hair, a dark grey mustache, and a headpiece in his ear. He also had a mole above the right side of his mustache. The other man was visibly younger than his partner and had close-cropped, light-brown hair.
"Can I help you, sirs?" Camila asked, a bit intimidated by their serious expressions and attire.
"My name is Agent Powers. This is Agent Trigger. We're here to investigate reports of mysterious activity in this town." The dark-haired man introduced. Both men pulled out IDs with their faces and a card bearing a logo detailing a bald eagle looking through a magnifying glass from their suits briefly, before putting them back.
Trigger squints as he points at Camila. "Activity!"
"Mysterious activity? In the Gravesfield? You must be joking." Camila responded, attempting to do her best to not sound suspicious.
"I assure you I am not. I was born with a rare disorder that makes me physically incapable of experiencing humor." Agent Powers responded neutrally.
"Heh heh…right." Camila laughed nervously.
"I don't understand that sound you're making with your mouth. Now if you'll excuse us, we're conducting an investigation." Agent Powers said, pushing her out of the way and entering the house.
"Investigation!" Trigger echoed as he pointed threateningly at Camila.
"Oi!" Madelyn's voice rang out, as she marched up to Agent Powers and pointed accusingly at him. "I know for a fact you need a permit before you can just barge into someone's home," Madelyn said angrily.
"My badge is my permit." Agent Powers said, staring unfazed at her.
"Wow. Stereotypical douche agent much?" Flint said coldly, standing in front of Luz and Amity as Stringbean quickly hid in her carver's hood.
"Um, and why exactly are you investigating here?" Vee said nervously.
"Ironic that you ask that, seeing as you don't register in the United States' database. Neither you nor your friend in the beanie, now that I think about it." Agent Powers narrowed his gaze on the shapeshifter and illusion fox before turning to Amity and looking at her suspiciously.
"We came here because of reports of a blinding purple light coming from this house earlier today alongside a roll of thunder. We also received some interesting footage confiscated from one 'Jacob Hopkins' regarding the appearance of a supernatural shapeshifter." Agent Trigger added.
"And why do you assume I would know something about this? Or if these reports weren't fake?" Camila asked.
"Because you happened to be in the footage we confiscated. You and your friend Madelyn here." Agent Powers stated matter-of-factly as he turned to Madelyn. "Including the sight of you assaulting this man, which lines up to the reports of how he was found with matching injuries. I'm going to need you to come with us after we're done investigating this location."
Flint stepped up in front of Agent Powers. "Not happening."
"He wasn't asking, kid." Agent Trigger said firmly, pushing him away from his partner.
In an instant, the whole area changed. Before he could react, Agent Trigger was punched in the face and sent flying thanks to Flint. Luz instinctively raised her right hand to use a glyph. Unlike the last time she had attempted to use one on Earth though, the Grafter shot a fireball the size of a golf ball at Agent Powers, setting his tie on fire. Moments later, both men were picked up by a pair of abomination tendrils sprouting from Amity's wristbands, which turned out to not just look like abomination sludge but were. The two men were thrown out the door, and suddenly an entire team of government sped down from either side of the street, with about twenty agents pulling guns out and training them on the door.
Swiftly, Agent Powers and Trigger recovered, pulling out their personal pistols and aiming at the door about a meter away. "Stand down and put your hands in the air!" Agent Powers ordered.
Flint stalked forward, a determined expression on his face. "On the contrary. You will not be taking any of us with you. I've faced foes you can't even begin to fathom. People much stronger than you and would you look at this?" Flint pointed to himself with his thumb. "I'm still here. So, here's what's going to happen. You and your buddies are going to leave, and never bother me, my family, or my friends again." Flint promised with a glare.
Agent Powers stared at Flint. "Oh yeah? And why should we?" Agent Powers asked mockingly.
"Yeah! Why?" Agent Trigger echoed.
Flint chuckled darkly as his pupils began to glow. Fire spiraled around him, starting at his feet before coiling through the air, causing nearly every agent in the area to tense or a few even open fire, as the streams divided until at least two streams were heading for each one of them. One would form into a blade that suspended just an inch from their neck, with a second turning into an ultra-thin point behind their head, like a needle ready to thread through their skulls. There were about ten of those same needles hovering threateningly around Agent Powers and Trigger, the latter of which looked like he was ready to shit a brick.
Flint's illusion dispersed while the fire swept past his face, his hand outstretched and clenched as his true form was revealed. Flint then opened his hand, allowing the semi-molten bullets that were fired to drop to the ground harmlessly as he shot a dark glare at Agent Powers.
"I wasn't asking," Flint stated, his voice becoming nearly as animalistic with a growl as his gaze was firmly planted on the agent, Gray having gone into staff form and into Flint's right hand as the palisman lit his flames.
The two got into a standoff, their gazes were locked on each other as neither was willing to back down. Everyone else though was on edge. Luz and Amity also had their staffs held tight, preparing for a fight if needed. The other agents around were sweating, both from nerves and from the heat radiating from the constructs at their necks.
After what felt like forever, something broke the silence. Agent Trigger's phone began to ring. Everyone subconsciously glanced over at him. Trigger gulped as he shakily reached into his pocket and picked up the call.
"Hello?" Agent Trigger asked the person on the other side.
After a moment of listening to the other person, Trigger slowly held the phone to Agent Powers. "It's for you." Agent Trigger said, cupping his hand to block from Flint. "It's from him." Agent Trigger clarified.
Agent Powers slowly took the phone into his hand, cleared his throat, and held the phone to his ear. "Hello?" Agent Powers asked, a hint of fear in his voice.
"Why the hell am I getting reports of you going to Gravesfield, Powers?!" A male voice demanded on the other.
Agent Powers was forced to pull the phone away from his ear from the loud shout. "Mr. X. You have to understand. There were reports of paranormal activity-"
"Of which you are no longer authorized to engage in, Powers!" The now-named Mr. X screamed from the other side. "Not after you managed to not only fail to report things properly after returning from Gravity Falls but also ended up losing all the data we had on the place five years ago!" Mr. X interrupted, chastising the overly serious man.
"Just because I'm busy with work on that portal to Amphibia does not mean you magically have jurisdiction to handle the Gravesfield situation! Now, I'd like to talk with the people you're harassing. And don't try to say you aren't doing that, I know your M.O."
Agent Powers pressed a button on the phone, turning it into a face call as he held it facing Flint. Mr. X is a bald man with tan skin, appearing to wear a dark purple suit with a light purple tie, a tan pocket square, and a yellow marigold-like flower boutonnière. He also wears spy black glasses, purple lipstick, and an earpiece like Agent Powers.
Mr. X visibly blinked from the other side. "Huh, and I thought humanoid frogs was going to be the most bizarre thing I deal with." Mr. X muttered before clearing his throat. "Allow me to apologize for Agent Powers' behavior. He's still agitated over something that happened a while back. I will however come to Gravesfield sometime in the future. We will call you in advance as I'm sure that you likely have some answers. Until then, Agent Powers, Agent Trigger. Stand down and head to Washington, now."
Agent Powers ended the call before letting out a shrill whistle. "You heard the boss...fall back." Agent Powers ordered through gritted teeth.
Flint dispersed his constructs, letting the agents breathe easier. It didn't take long for all of the government agents to get the hell out of dodge, barely even a minute passed, and all of the trucks were already out of sight.
"...huh. That happened." Amity eventually broke the silence as Flint brought his illusion back up, everyone nodding in confusion.
"Wait...did that guy say something about humanoid frogs?" Trixx said after a moment.
Hours earlier
Eda walked into the house with King on her tail. King then headed upstairs, undoubtedly to take a nap on the kids' sleeping bags because he missed them.
Eda was happy that Luz and Flint were able to get back home to talk with their moms. No lie, she kinda felt like Luz was getting a lot more desperate to figure out a way home later. She tried asking about it to Flint, but he wasn't exactly helpful either in just saying 'It's something very important to her.'
Eda groaned as she looked over at the pile of Demonology books. She was going to have to read through all the volumes again just to, what's the word, septuple check? This hunt to figure out what the Firebrat is was royally pissing her off. Eda pulled out the vial of his blood and stared at it. "Come on. Just give me something to work with." Eda demanded the vial before sighing and stuffing it back in her hair.
Eda started pacing around the room. "Okay, let's think here, what do I know? He's a hybrid, that much is for sure. He's part demon, but I have just as much clue with that as I do with King." Eda paused before cupping her chin with thought. "Hm. I wonder if they're the same species. Those golems back from King's island didn't attack him either, and their tails are a lot alike, even had the same texture." Eda said out loud.
"What else? He doesn't have a bile sac, but has magic...also something that he has in common with King, now that I think about it. Whatever seemed to be one initially turned out to be some kind of suppressor for his demon half. The magic he does have is in his blood, which I know for a fact was not purple when we first met. His magic is also incredibly strong, with his blood being charged to the brim."
Eda snorted. "Well, not as much as Titan's Blood, but still really-"
Eda's eyes widened as her body froze. She pulled out both the vial of Flint's blood and of Titan's Blood. She stared at them for what felt like forever until she finally said something.
"Hey Hooty?" Eda called out.
Hooty opened the door and stretched over to Eda. "Yeeeeessssss?"
"Any chance you can get in contact with Tiny Nose?" Eda asked.
"Of course! But what for?" Hooty asked curiously.
"I need her to run some blood tests. I've got a hunch. And if it's right…" Eda stared at the two vials in her hands.
"Then this changes everything."
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