12. Chapter 51: A Surprising Visitor

Earlier that day…

The Baron had used his magic to open a blue vortex in front of him and Puck's former shadow.

"The glasses, please?" the Baron requested.

"So what are we doing, exactly?" the shadow asked as he handed Camila's glasses to the Baron.

"I am using these glasses as a lightning rod of sorts to bring forth Camila Noceda's spirit from the afterlife. This ritual is necessary since her body would have rotted away by now and I can't use that. Which means that in order for her spirit to walk in this plane once more, she is going to need a new vessel."

"A vessel?" the shadow wondered out loud.

"You know, a semi-physical form that her spirit can inhabit," the Baron said as he turned to the shadow, who suddenly had a bad feeling about this.

"Wait, I'm not sure if I like this-" The shadow was suddenly grabbed by the Baron and thrown into the vortex. "GGGYYYAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Puck's shadow cried out in pain as the static of the vortex surged around him.

"Apologies, friend," the Baron said as the screaming died down and shadow's consciousness ceased to be. "But this is where your usefulness to me ends…"

The Baron placed the glasses he was holding on the shadow and it began to take a new form, one with a more colorful complexion that more closely resembled a living human being…

"Mami..." Luz gasped in shock upon seeing her human mother alive. She started to breathe very quickly, her scales popping up on her skin which Camila noticed.

"Luz… what are you-"

"Stay back!" Luz drew her claws as she kept her distance from Camila. "Who are you? Why are you in this form!?"

"Mija, why are you reacting like that?" Camila asked her daughter.

"How do I know that you're not a shapeshifter?!" Luz demanded to know.

"Luz, what's going on-" Eda came into the room and gasped when she saw Camila. "It… it can't be…"

"What?" King asked as he followed Eda into the room, his eyes widening when he noticed Camila. "Whaaaat…." He gaped at her as Lilith showed up and gasped, her expression being a mix of shock and horror.

"Luz? Luz what's wrong?" Amity was the last to come and see Camila, sharing their shock.

"This has to be the shapeshifter," Luz said in denial, tears running down her face. "Maybe the same one that took Skara. I don't know what sick game this is, but you better change into your true form now!"

"Luz, it really is me!" Camila pleaded. "I don't know why I'm alive again or how I got here, I just woke up nearby and found my way to your home. But I'm not going to hurt you. That is the last thing that I would want to do."

Luz was still doubtful. "How can I be sure this is not some trick?"

Camila started to approach her daughter. "Because I remember when you summoned my spirit and I was able to see you all grown up for the very first time. You were so excited to introduce me to your best friends. Now let's see if I remember this right. There was Gus, future ambassador to the human world. Willow, your best wing-girl. Viney, the best animal caretaker that you knew. Jerbo, your go-to-guy for meta-references and moss men. Barcus was the one who set up the summoning." She looked at Amity and nodded at her with a smile. "And, of course, your girlfriend Amity. Though I noticed that she has changed her hair since the last time that I saw her. And so have you, Luz. It's not a bad change at all. I think it suits you."

Luz was silent for a long time. There are many questions running through her head, but she set them aside as her scales disappeared. She went up to tearfully hug her mother.

"It's you… it really is you…" Luz cried as Camila hugged back.

"Hey, it's okay, I'm here," Camila said warmly, calming her daughter.

"Hey, what's all the fuss about?" Gwen asked as she came in. "I was reading brushing my teeth and-" She noticed Camila who was hugging Luz. "Who is our guest?"

"That's Luz's birth mother, mom," Eda said while still in shock.

"Oh, well then hi I'm Gwen," Gwen greeted as she extended her hand. "But recently I have been going by Gwendma."

Camila managed to shake her hand while still embracing her daughter. She looked over at Lilith. "I'm sorry, but I don't think we've met yet."

"…Lilith," the Clawthorne sister said after a pause. "I'm Eda's sister…"

At Blight Manor, Edric and Emira heard their parents arguing after they returned from the retirement home where they had Arthur and Destiny committed. Since their parents rarely argue like this, the twins had to know what it was about.

"What were you thinking, Odalia?" Alador demanded to know.

"I said it was just one time!" Odalia claimed. "How should I know that the curse Lilith would use was permanent?!"

"You still kept this a secret from me in all our years together and now because of it we've lost our daughter!" Alador shouted.

"What do you mean, you lost Amity?" Edric spoke up, causing his parents to realize that he and Em were now downstairs and had heard them.

Odalia turned to face them. "Look, it's just… Amity is not dead if that's what you're thinking-"

"Then what happened to her?" Emira asked.

Alador sighed. "Emira, Edric, I don't think Amity will be coming back home anytime soon. She has declared herself… nameless."

The twins looked shocked, they couldn't believe what they heard. "W-Why did she do it?" Edric asked, knowing there has to be a reason.

"It has something to do with mom, doesn't it?" Emira asked, glaring at her mother.

"L-look, what happened was that she met your grandparents and then things went south…" Odalia began to explain.

"Then she learned that you told Lilith to curse Eda," Alador interrupted, alarming the twins.

"You… so you ruined Luz's mom's life!?" Emira asked. "How could you!?"

"I only suggested it and I had a perfectly good reason to do so, besides it was only meant to be temporary," Odalia tried to justify, but Emira wouldn't have it.

"Don't try to make excuses!" she told her mom off. "You know, I don't blame Amity for disowning us after everything that you put her through!" Emira seethed her teeth in anger, tears running down her face. "You blackmailed her into ending things with Willow on her birthday, you forced us to be friends with people we don't like, and you tried to control her future! If Amity really didn't want to be a Blight anymore, you have nothing to blame but yourself!"

"Everything I did was in your best interests-"

"In our best interests or your own?" Edric asked, equally upset as Emira. "Do you really care about us or just about advancing your own social status? Shouldn't you be glad that Amity is no longer a Blight, since she wouldn't risk hurting your image anymore?"

"Enough!" Odalia screamed at the twins, overwhelmed with anger. "Just go up to your rooms, NOW!"

The twins only glared angrily at their mother before heading upstairs to their rooms. Odalia watched them, but then noticed Alador walking away.

"I'm going to work," he muttered while heading down to his workshop.

"Alador…" Odalia called out to him, but he didn't stop and she was left all alone in the living room.

Back at the Owl House, Dr. Bride had been called over to do a check up on Camila. She studied a blood sample that she had gotten from the once deceased woman.

"I see, this is interesting," Dr. Bride said as she looked through her microscope. "I've already ruled out the possibility of you being a ghoul or zombie, unless… are you sure that you do not have a craving to eat brains?"

"Um, no," Camila responded.

"Then you are not a zombie!" Dr. Bride declared.

"So there isn't anything strange about her, Dr. Bride?" Eda asked.

"Oh, there is absolutely something strange about her," Dr. Bride explained. "The subject's flesh and blood is simulated, like her mind remembers that she once had those things so her current form simulated it based on the information in her consciousness. It is not real in the same sense that ours is, but it is close. She has everything she would have had in her first life, except for one thing…"

She shone a spotlight at Camila, but drew everyone's attention to behind Camila.

"She has no shadow," Dr. Bride explained. "And I think in this case it is because Camila is a shadow, or more specifically a shadow that has been given a more solid form. She is really here physically, but her form appears and behaves like it did in life because that is how her mind is coping with her resurrection. She is almost like… a living memory. Whatever brought her back had to have used some serious dark magic."

"Lilith, do you think Belos might have something to do with this?" Luz asked in concern.

"No, not even Belos would mess with something like this. He didn't like it when anyone in the Boiling Isles tried to undo death," Lilith responded while feeling uneasy about being in the same room as someone that she had killed.

"Boiling Isles?" Camila asked

"Oh yeah, welcome to the Boiling Isles where anything you humans thought were myth is real," Eda explained.

"Wait, so does that mean the doctor who is checking up on me is the Bride of Frankenstein?" Camila asked in surprise.

"Yes, though please do not mention the name of my ex around me," Dr. Bride told Camila, a little annoyed.

"Wow, I have… a lot to process," Camila admitted before she felt her daughter's hand hold hers.

"Hey, I know that things are… weird right now, but I was hoping that maybe I could show you around the house and we can catch up," Luz suggested.

"O-Okay, that does sound nice." Camila said as Luz helped her up and led her away.

"Excuse me, Dr. Bride," spoke Lilith, who stepped up with Lilith. "Me and Amity were wondering if you had some time to do a check up on us as well."

"Yeah, we've both got some questions," Amity agreed.

"Very well," Dr. Bride nodded. "What seems to be the problem?"

"Well, when in my owl beast form, or raven form as Luz put it, I have the ability to shoot electricity which is nothing like what my sister has," Lilith explained.

"And I think there is something going on with my magic," Amity stated, pointing at her pink eyes. "My eyes have not gone normal since I disowned my family name and cut off my magic from them. I'm wondering if this is a part of the normal process or something."

Dr. Bride listened to them and turned to Lilith. "Well, to address Lilith's concern, it seems that when I revived you through electricity, that electricity became a part of you. Which is also why sometimes you get shocked, because I think you are now basically a living conductor. Kind of like a high voltage electric eel." She then turned to Amity. "As for you, Ms. Amity, let me get a good look at you…"

Meanwhile, Luz led Camila around the house.

"Upstairs is where mom's room is," Luz explained as she pointed to a doorway. "That leads to the kitchen and dinner table."

"You do have a very lovely home," Camila complimented as she looked through the doorway, "And I love these plate sets Eda has."

"Well, that set was a gift," Luz stated. "Well, by 'gift' she actually 'repossessed' them from the local Hobby Gobby store."

"Oh," Camila responded, looking back at her daughter "May I see your room next?"

Luz's eyes widened as she realized that her birth mom doesn't know that she and Amity sleep together. "Uh… before that, let me show you my workout basement."

She brought Camila to the basement where she worked out. "This is where I keep myself in shape. When you live here in the Boiling Isles, you have to know how to defend yourself."

"It's nice to know that you are getting a lot of exercise," Camila acknowledged. "Now do I get to see your room, mija?"

"Nah, there really is nothing to see…" Luz replied nervously.

"Oh come on, if it's a mess I can help clean it up," Camila offered as they went back upstairs.

"R-Right," Luz said. "I mean, it is a mess, since… I'm sharing it with… my girlfriend."

"You two share a room?" Camila asked her, "Wait, your girlfriend lives here now?"

"At first it was only for the time being, but now I think it is more of a long-term thing," Luz mentioned, stopping in front of the door to her room. "I can explain why to you later, since it is a crazy story." She saw Camila reach for the door. "On second thought, maybe I can tell now."

Camila looked at her daughter with a suspicious gaze. "Luz, are you trying to keep something secret from me? What is it that you don't want me to know?"

"Alright, me and Ams share a bed, alright?!" Luz blurted out while blushing in embarrassment. "But it's not like we're doing anything else besides cuddling and sleeping."

"Ooh, I mean… you're probably a growing girl anyway with your age, thinking about sex-"

"No, no, I'm not having the talk again!" Luz cried out. "Me and Amity aren't like that!"

"Luz, it's fine that you two share a bed. I mean as long as you use protection…"

"What do we need protection for?! We're both girls!"

"I just felt like it's something I should say…"

Luz calmed down. "Sorry, I didn't mean to yell…" She leaned back on the wall. "It's just… I can't believe that you're here and all. I've been through a lot since we've last spoken and… there are some things you should know about me, Mom."

"What do you mean?" Camila asked her.

Luz sighed. "I'm not human anymore, I'm a cambion." She showed off the scales that Camila saw earlier. "When a human lives in a magical environment long enough, their bodies adapt. I'm pretty much part of the magic now. I found out about this from the Emperor of the Isles, who is also a cambion like me, because he was human as well. He offered to teach me, but I know better than to make deals with the devil. Right now I'm just… trying to figure out what I am."

"Oh Luz," Camila said as she patted her daughter's shoulder. "I had no idea…"

"How do you feel about having a daughter that's no longer human?" Luz asked, looking down.

Camila got Luz to look at her. "Listen to me, Luz. No matter what you are, you're still my daughter. I mean, I'm not really sure what I am either. But I am here now and have been given a chance to see you again, to hold you again, and to love you again. You being a cambion is not going to change that."

Luz smiled. "Thanks and… well, I hope we can make up for lost time."

"Me too," Camila said and the two hugged, together again after so long.

Luz hesitated before speaking again. "There is something that I have to ask, something that I didn't get the chance to the last time we spoke… what happened to my dad?"

Camila let go of Luz, frowning. "He… died. We had planned to raise you in Connecticut, but then an accident happened at his workplace and I needed a change in locale, so we moved."

Luz noticed that it was hard for Camila to talk about this. "You, uh, don't have to say anymore."

Camila nodded. "I do want to tell you more about him when I'm ready," she admitted. "But nor right now."

"That's alright," Luz told her mom. "After all, we have the time now."

Back at Blight Manor in Alador's workshop, the patriarch Blight was looking over at a crystal ball that showed his mutated siblings in a secure company facility. The more he watched them, the more regret he felt and the more he wished that he could have done something sooner. He also wondered about what type of accident his daughter may have met in that old factory if he hadn't gotten there in time…

"I'm… sorry," Alador muttered to the creatures in the crystal ball.

"Hey, Al," Alton Blight said as he leaned over to a little Alador. "Why the sad face, man? Don't tell me you got picked on again."

"No, it's just…" Alador looked down, avoiding eye contact. "Mom and dad got angry at me again. They said that there's something wrong with me."

"Come on, Al." Alton patted his little brother's head. "Don't listen to them. Your mind just works differently, but it doesn't mean there is something wrong with you. I like you just the way you are and personally I wouldn't change a thing." He gave Alador a heartfelt grin.

After remembering how kind his oldest sibling was to him, Alador glanced over at the image of his sister Alice, remembering some of the moments he had shared with her.

"Wow, that's a nice Abomination you've created," Alice complimented her younger brother. "I think you have a real shot of getting into the Emperor's Coven someday."

"You… really think so?" Alador asked her.

"Only if you want to, but whatever you do choose I know that you'll do well," Alice encouraged him.

Alador sighed and started remembering the twins next…

"As you can see, we've switched Tracks," spoke Ardon as he showed off his Plant Track sleeves.

"But aren't you two afraid of getting into trouble with mom and dad?" a young Alador asked, but the twins just grinned.

"Don't worry about it, Aladorable," Addy said while in her Oracle Track uniform. "Mom and dad can be disappointed if they want, because we are just going to do our own thing regardless."

"Yeah, and it will beat working at that old factory of theirs," Ardon mentioned. "The sooner we can get out of there the better."

"Ugh, totally," Addy agreed. "I have this horrible recurring nightmare about being trapped in that factory as a prisoner, never able to leave…"

A wrench dropped and Alador didn't bother to pick it up. All he did was sit in his chair, resting his elbows on the desk while he cried into his hands which covered his face.

"I'm… I'm so sorry…" he cried. "I'm sorry Alton… Alice… Addy… Ardon… Amity…" He felt like he had failed his family. And deep down he knew there was some truth to what his daughter said about the legacy of the Blights. Years ago he thought he had managed to escape the influence of his parents with the help of his wife before then trying to keep his parents out of the life that he had chosen to build for himself, but at the end of it all he was still a Blight.

"Alador," said a voice in the doorway of his workshop. Alador knew who it was, but he didn't respond or turn to acknowledge them. He just stayed silent as someone walked up to him and placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder.

Finally, Alador spoke to his visitor. "Thank you for coming on such short notice… Darius."

Alador's old schoolmate and the head of the Abomination Coven nodded. "I was surprised when I received your urgent message, since you never ask for my help. The great Alador Blight had always tried to outdo me on his own. But then your wife filled me in on what happened…" He looked at the crystal ball and saw the Abomi-people. "And those must be…"

"My siblings," Alador confirmed. "This is the result of my parents' irresponsibility and their pride. After the bodies of their own children were horribly mixed with the Abomination substance, my parents had them hidden away in their factory for years and I had no idea. I want to help my siblings, but I don't know if I can. The alternative would be to put them out of their misery, but… I don't think I have that in me as well."

Even though they were hardly friends, Darius recognized that Alador was at a low point and he sighed. "I am terribly sorry about what happened to them, Alador," Darius admitted. "But… don't give up. If we put our minds together, I am sure that we can find some way to help your siblings. I will help you."

"Thank you, Darius," Alador said, genuinely grateful.

"I assume that you've already taken tissue samples," Darius said and Alador nodded. "Good, because we have a lot of work ahead of us."

"So how do you make this work?" Luz asked Amity as they stood in front of the mirror on Luz's dresser in their room.

"Okay, the incantation goes," Amity held up the crow with its talon tied to the mirror. "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, open our contacts to make a call." Appearing on the mirror was a contact list of Luz and Amity's friends. After tapping on the names of their friends, they heard the dialing ringtone.

Popping up on the mirror in their own screens were Willow, Skara, Viney, Jerbo, Barcus, Bo, Cat and Amelia.

"Luz, Amity? What's up?" Willow asked.

"Yeah, I heard you both spent some time with your grandparents, how did that go?" Skara asked.

"Well it's a long story but before we can fill you in we are still waiting on Gus and Hunter," Luz said as they waited. Only Hunter's screen showed up, but they just heard his voice and they were unable to actually see him.

"Luz, um what's going on?" Hunter asked.

"I'm with Amity right now, but why can't we see you?" Luz asked him.

"Reception issues, this is the best that I can do right now," he said.

"Alright then. Hunter, you remember Willow, Skara, Cat and Viney. Amelia, Bo, Jerbo and Barcus, this is Hunter, an old friend of mine that is a customer at my mom's human stand," Luz introduced.

"Hey/What's up?/Hi!/Ruff!" the latter four greeted Hunter.

"Hi, nice to meet the rest of Luz's friends," Hunter replied.

A tired looking Gus saw that Luz was trying to contact him through his crystal ball. He considered answering it, but he decided against it and instead ignored the call.

"Gus didn't pick up," Amity noted, making Luz uneasy.

"Strange," Luz said. "I hope he's still not mad at me for getting him grounded."

"Don't worry, whatever you guys want to talk to us about, I'll be sure to fill him in later," Willow replied.

"So what's with the group chat right now?" Jerbo asked.

"Yeah, it must be very important." Viney added.

"It is," Luz replied, as she and Amity started explaining what had happened recently.

Elsewhere in the Owl House, Eda and Lilith were conversing with each other as Dr. Bride made her leave and Camila was being watched over by Gwendolyn and King.

"I don't know what to do, Lilith," Eda said, leaning on the wall. "Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that Luz gets a chance to meet with her birth mother again. But it raises so many questions and with everything else going on right now… what could this even mean?"

"I… I don't know, Edalyn." Lilith responded, looking just as worried. "But one thing's for sure is that we can't let her out of the house." Eda gave her sister a look. "Or if we do, we have to be really careful about it. She doesn't know the Boiling Isles and if another human was caught roaming around the Boiling Isles…"

"You're right, she has to stay here for the moment," Eda agreed. "She would be safer in the human realm, but we have no means of getting her there. And the Emperor can't find out, because if he does he may come after her…"

Lilith nodded, all the while wrestling with her own guilt which was becoming harder to bear with every minute…

After Luz and Amity had explained everything to their friends, they were left in a shocked silence.

"Wow… that's a lot to take in," Willow finally said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, though I am a little lost about the part with your human mother just showing up," Bo admitted.

"Yeah, same," Amelia added. "It seems like you already met her prior to today."

"Oh, that's because not too long ago we conducted a séance to contact the spirit world so that Luz could talk to her," Viney informed Bo, Cat, Skara, Amelia, and Hunter, who had not gotten the chance to be introduced to Camila yet.

"You don't think that her sudden appearance involves necromancy, right?" Hunter asked. "Because that kind of magic has been banned in the Boiling Isles for a reason."

"It does involve some serious dark magic, though we are still not completely sure how exactly she was brought back or by who," Luz responded. "And even though these are still questions that need answering, I am just happy that she gets to be a part of my family again."

"Arf!" Barcus barked.

"Barcus is right, if Anu Bist was here he could probably help," Jerbo translated.

Luz snapped her fingers. "That's right."

"Wait, who are we talking about?" Hunter asked. "Anu Bist?"

"Long story, but he was one of our former teachers," Luz quickly explained. "Unfortunately, he isn't at Hexside anymore…"

"But Kitsuni could still know something," Viney suggested. "But we can talk more about this later."

"What about you, Amity?" Skara asked out of concern, changing the subject. "How are you… handling everything?"

Amity sighed. "I don't know, but what's done is done. I'm my own witch now and… I guess I have to figure out what that means exactly."

"Well, whatever you decided, we're all behind you, Amity," Amelia reassured her.

"Yeah, if you ever need any help, just give us a call!" Cat promised.

"Thanks guys," Amity replied, appreciating their support. "You… you all really are my friends."

"I can come over if you want," Willow offered.

"I… don't think that's a good idea," Luz cut in before anyone else could make the same offer. "Things at the Owl House are just a little too hectic right now for sleepovers. But thanks."

"Well, I think I'm gonna sign out, guys," Hunter announced with a yawn. "I'm about to hit the death bed."

"Alright, we won't keep you up, night Hunter," Luz told him, as Hunter logged out of the chat.

Back at the Emperor's Castle, Hunter logged off of the mirror and put on his Golden Guard mask before making his way to the throne room.

Once there he took a knee in front of the throne, where Emperor Belos sat while Kikimora stood off to the side. "Uncle," Hunter said to him. "Were you listening?"

"Yes," Belos confirmed. "The Clawthornes have had quite an exciting day, haven't they? Amity becoming a nameless witch is a surprising development and one that we could use as more leverage against her parents. But as for the unexpected appearance of Luz's human mother..."

"What should we do about this, sir?" Kikimora asked.

"Right now, nothing," Belos answered. "Let Luz and her birth mother have their happiness. They deserve that much." His fingers intertwined. "You heard Edalyn, Camila Noceda isn't going anywhere. Though I think it is not important how she was brought back, the real question is who brought her back and why. I suspect that somebody else is playing their own long game…"

"Sir," Steve said as he came in pushing a cart with a wrecked object on it. "We found this roaming around the sky, right around the Femur Forest."

When Hunter and Kikimora got a good look at the object, they were both shocked. It was a wrecked drone with technology unlike anything in the Boiling Isles. Its black camera lenses were cracked. Belos stood up and walked over, inspecting the drone closely.

"This does not look like something from the Boiling Isles," Kikimora said out loud.

"That is because it is not," Belos confirmed, his eyes narrowing behind his mask.

Back at Blight Manor, Edric and Emira were both in Emira's room, talking among themselves about the situation in regards to Amity and their family.

"I can't take this any much longer, Ed," Emira admitted while leaning in her chair. "The stuff mom did before was already bad, but now she's driven Amity away and made her renounce her own family!"

"Does that mean we'll have to renounce our family name as well?" Edric asked.

Emira sighed. "No Ed, nothing that drastic. But right now I don't think I want to stay in this house much longer."

"You mean, you'll run away?" Ed asked in shock.

"We're running away," Emira clarified.

Edric hesitated. "I don't know, mom would really be mad if we did."

"Ed, mom and dad hardly take care of us," Emira told him. "They didn't have time for us when we were babies, they just had the Abomi-butlers and maids look after us instead! We were practically raised by Abominations!" Her anger rising, she tried calming down by burying her face in her hands.

"Will we still be able to… talk to Amity?" Edric asked.

"I think so," Emira said as she wiped away her tears. "We can still visit her at the Owl House, but I don't think we should ask to stay there. The Clawthornes have enough to worry about."

Edric nodded. "So where would we go then?"

Emira thought about it for a moment before looking at her brother. "Uncle Geist. We'll just have to stay with him until we graduate. We should still be able to find him at that lounge club in the entertainment district… look Ed, if you want to stay you can, but I'm not staying here any longer, or else I'll end up poisoning mother."

She got up to find a suitcase and started packing up her clothes. Her suitcase opens its mouth to eat Emira's clothes, while Edric sat up and got his own suitcase.

"Like I'm letting you travel alone at night," Edric said.

Emira smiled and nodded. While the two packed up their stuff, they also decided to find a piece of paper and write out a note for their parents.

"This tower is where I used to sleep," Lilith told Camila, showing Luz's human mother her sleeping area. "You can room here for the time being."

"Oh, thank you," Camila said. "But really, I don't want to take your space or anything."

"No, I insist," Lilith said awkwardly. "It is the least I can do for you. I'll just sleep somewhere else, like the basement."

"Oh there's no need for that, Lulu!" Hooty popped in through the tower's window, startling the two. "Cause I got another bed for you to sleep in!" He started to gag and cough before regurgitating a mattress. Both Lilith and Camila could only watch in disgust. "Here you go, Lulu! Now you two can share a room!"

"Um… thanks, Hooty," Lilith told him. "But I-I should go downstairs, sorry about the-"

"Oh no, it's fine," Camila reassured her. "I am already starting to get used to this. And you can stay, since I really don't mind sharing this room with you."

Lilith sighed. "Well, I'll be back to spray the bed, if you need anything just call," Lilith said before leaving.

While walking downstairs, Lilith slowed her step and just stared blankly ahead until she came to a stop completely.

"Enjoying a blast from your past, friend?" asked a voice only she could hear.

Lilith shut her eyes. "Why are you doing this to me?" she whispered.

"Oh, you think this is just about you?" the Baron asked. "I really thought you would be happy, since your niece gets to spend time with her birth mother again. Something that originally was not possible thanks to you. But of course, they don't know that yet…"

"You don't understand," Lilith said to the Baron.

"I understand better than you think," the Baron told her. "But hey, don't let me stop you from continuing what you're doing. Just remember… I own your soul."

"I know," Lilith muttered before continuing to walk back down the steps.

She made it down to where the rest of the Clawthorne family had gathered in the living room, where Gwen is at the door.

"Ah Sweat Flea, glad you're here to see me off," Gwendolyn said.

"You're leaving already, mother?" Lilith asked her.

"Well I figured that since you have your own thing going on, it's about time that I return home and not continue to interrupt your lives," Gwendolyn explained. "Edalyn, Lilith, Luz, thank you all for having me here, even if I didn't deserve it. Luz, King, I hope you two will find a time to cover over someday, you are all welcome to visit."

"Does this mean there will be snacks?" King asked excitedly.

"She's our Gwendma, King, it's pretty much mandatory," Luz told her diminutive little brother.

Gwen turned to Amity. "And I don't know how to thank you, Amity. But I do want to say that despite being nameless, I know you'll still do great things because of the kind of witch you are and the wonderful people that you have surrounded yourself with."

Amity nodded. "Thank you, Mrs. Clawthorne."

"Oh, and a little information that I forgot to mention earlier that you might be interested in, Luz," Gwendolyn mentioned. "It involves helping you find a way back to the human realm."

This certainly grabbed the interest of not just Luz, but the rest of the family as well.

"There is a rare substance in the Boiling Isles called Titan's Blood. It is extremely powerful and sometimes can cause leaks between the realms that things can pass through. This includes people, though they are rare. When I was a young witchling, my grandmother once told me about a human who once lived here until the day he vanished. But from what I've heard, him or someone who knew him left something in the Bonesborough library that might be useful to you in learning more about Titan's Blood."

Luz nodded. "Thanks for the lead, Gwendma! I appreciate it."

"No problem, Little Bat," Gwen said as she patted Luz's head. "It's the least I can do. When you take the time to visit, I'm sure Dell would be glad to have you."

Eda looked a little unsure as Luz answered. "We'd like that, Gwendma."

Gwen nodded before making her leave "See you around soon!" she said as she flew off.

"Goodnight, mother!" Lilith shouted with a wave.

"See you around Gwendma!" Luz waved.

When Luz turned around, she saw Eda lounging on the cage. "Ah, now this has been a long day, ain't it?" Eda asked her daughter.

"Hey Ams, can you tuck in King for the night?" Luz asked her girlfriend. "I want to have a moment with my mom."

"Alright," Amity replied as she scooped up King and started carrying him to his room. "Come on, King, let's finish that book you fell asleep on."

"Oh right, now's time for the part where the beast eats the girl in his castle!" King declared, while Amity just rolled her eyes. Lilith excused herself as well, leaving Luz and Eda alone.

"Hey um, how are you handling this, mom?" Luz asked.

"You mean the whole thing with your birth mother? I will admit that I wasn't prepared for this, though I doubt anyone would be," Eda stated.

"Well, I just want to let you know that, even with Camila in my life again, it doesn't change anything about us," Luz reassured her. "You're still the one who raised me, you're still my mom, and I'm still a Clawthorne. I love my birth mom, but I still love you just as much."

Eda smiled and hugged her daughter, who hugged back."I know you do, kiddo. I mean, it just means that you have two moms now, kinda like that old 90s show with the three dads taking care of three daughters."

"Mom, they weren't all dads, just one dad with the uncle and friend that lived in their basement," Luz pointed out.

"Yeah well, the point is that I think it'll be alright having her around," Eda said with a smile. "It will take some getting used to, but I promise that we will figure this out together."

Luz nodde, smiling back. "Thanks, mom."

Back at Blight Manor, Odalia was calling out to her children. "Emira? Edric? I want to have a word with you two." No answer. Peeved, she went to check their bedrooms. "Emira and Edric Blight, you two-" She found their rooms empty. "No..."

Silence followed as Odalia frantically searched the rooms for anything the twins may have left behind, finding a note left on Emira's bed. She picked it up and began reading it.

'Dearest mother and father,

If you're reading this, then we are already gone. We regret to inform you that due to current circumstances, we have decided that we can not stay under this roof any longer. No, we haven't decided to renounce the family name just yet, but we can't keep living like this either.

Do not worry for us though, since we will be staying with Uncle Geist until further notice. Our minds have been made up.

Sincerely, Ed and Em.'

Odalia crumbled the note, tears falling down her cheeks. Before Odalia knew it she was in the kitchen and going to her cabinet, pulling out a bottle of the finest apple blood, and chugging it down.

"Well, we're here," Edric commented.

"Yeah," Emira replied in a nod. "Man, this place went downhill."

In front of the twins was a black building with faded white light and a sign that read 'Pore-Ta-Geist'. The sound of blue-grass rock music could be heard coming from the inside. In the parking lot were metal staffs with flaming paint, indicating that some biker-witches were the occasional customers here. This looks less like a lounge club and more like a biker bar. Above the building was where an apartment complex was.

"Come on," Emira said as she grabbed Edric's hand and led him toward the bar.

"Are we old enough to go in?" Edric asked.

"Like that would stop us from sneaking in anyway," Emira replied as she opened the door. The interior of the club did look more like a bar, with some witches staying for the drinks and griffin wings, while one was crying on a table.

"Alright, Jugo, your birthday wings are ready!" said a man in his mid forties, offering a tray of wings to the crying witch man. The server had green hair with a bit of gray tied into a ponytail, pale skin, blue eyes, and an angular face like his sister but with a goatee. He wore a teal sleeveless jacket with a blue short-sleeved shirt, brown pants with a black sash tied around, and black boots. He drew a spell circle and the words 'Happy Birthday' sign popped up around the customer. "See, now you don't have to feel lonely on your birthday!"

The crying witch lifted his head up, "It's not my birthday, Geist, I'm crying because my girlfriend broke up with me!" He raised his scroll. "By text!"

"Oh…" Geist winced, rubbing the back of his head. "This is...awkward now, I thought for sure it was your birthday…" He then saw the twins, his niece and nephew. "Emmy? Eddie? Well, this is a surprise! How's it been?" He came to them and the twins immediately hugged their uncle. "Whoa, what's with all the sad faces?" he asked in concern. "And, uh, what's with the suitcases?"

"Uncle Geist… it's a long story…" Emira said to him.

"Alright, how about we go talk upstairs then?" Geist asked as he turned to the bartender. "Ricki, watch over the bar, I got some family business to take care of!"

"On it, boss!" spoke the demon bartender as he wiped the glasses.

In the house of a certain Oracle Track student, Dolly was shaking her doll in anger.

"Master! Master, answer me right now!" Dolly demanded, still looking bruised from the beating she had received recently. She shook the doll over and over, trying to contact the Inner Demon. "I need you to help me get back at some certain girls, including that Willow Park girl! She should not be allowed to live!" She shook the doll again. "Answer me! Why aren't you answering me!? I thought we had a deal!"

"That deal has changed."

Dolly froze. She heard the Inner Demon's voice, but it was not coming from the doll. Slowly she turned around and dropped the doll in shock when she saw the Inner Demon… standing right in front of her.

"Surprised?" the Inner Demon asked.

"Y-You.. .you're… how is this possible!?" Dolly asked in shock, reaching toward the Inner Demon before having her hand swatted away. "You're here!? You're actually here!"

"Not quite," the Inner Demon responded, looming around the young girl. "Let's just say that I've found a new, more convenient way to communicate with the physical plane." He glanced over at the photos and trophies commemorating Dolly's victories. "You remember how we first met, Dolly?"

Dolly looked confused, as she recounted. "Y-Yeah, you appeared in my dreams…"

"Yes," he replied. "You were quite the pageant witch back then. Your parents were obsessed with making you into a star, so they put you in competition after competition, show after show. Not that you didn't enjoy the spotlight. No, you loved it. But as you grew older, age started to take effect and you started to fear that the best part of your life would soon be left behind. You were afraid of growing up, since then everybody would stop caring about you if you were no longer a cute little witchling…"

Dolly looked down, shutting her eyes. "I wanted to remain adorable. But my Titan-forsaken parents didn't understand…"

"No, they didn't," the Inner Demon continued. "But I did and so we struck a deal. I freed you from your parents and promised you immortality if you would do my bidding… but I now feel like I overestimated your usefulness, especially now that someone better has come along…"

Dolly's eyes widened. "What are you…?"

"You have been replaced, Dolly Tempus," he said to her, shocking the short witchling. "I don't need you anymore."

"What!?" she shouted. "But… but we had a deal! You were supposed to show me how to become like you!"

"See, that's the problem," the Inner Demon said, raising his hand and sprinkling something over Dolly. "I want there to only be one of me. But you don't have to worry about growing up anymore…"

"What are…" Dolly felt a jolt of pain as her bones grew soft and her arms were pushed into her shoulders. "AAGH! What are you-AAAH!" She cried she knelt down, her body starting to shrink. She could feel her insides turning soft, her skin turning into fabric-like texture. "What's… happening to meeeeee!?" Her eyes turned into black buttons, while her mouth became just a line on her face.

The Inner Demon chuckled as he knelt down and picked up what remained of Dolly. He then went outside to the Tempus's backyard, where a demon dog was resting until something landed in front of him. The dog saw a doll laying on the ground and decided to bite into it, shaking it around.

'No! Stop!' Dolly's voice echoed from the doll. 'Please, don't shake me! Master! Please, I want to be useful again! I can be useful again! I promise!'

But the Inner Demon just ignored her cries as he walked away. "Alright, you can have control back now," the Inner Demon said as he left the body he was using, allowing the shapeshifter to start changing back to their original form…

"Wow, so this is your room, mija," Camila said as she looked around..

"Yeah, this is… my room, mama…" Luz said awkwardly, rubbing the back of her head. "Now it's mine and Amity's room…"

"It looks nice, a little messy but we can worry about that later," Camila responded before noticing a picture at the nightstand. "Who's this?"

"Oh, that's my stepbrother Dipper," Luz responded. "Aw man, I can't believe I forgot to tell you about him! Eda was married once and her ex lives in Oregon with his great nephew. We occasionally go to visit them."

"He looks like a nice boy," Camila commented. "I hope that I can meet him someday."

"Me too, as soon as I find a way to get back to the human realm," Luz replied in agreement. "He also has a twin sister who is staying with him now… I wonder how they are both doing?"

This wasn't supposed to happen. It wasn't supposed to turn out like this.

"The deal is off, Bill!" Dipper shouted.

"Oh come on, you're not still mad that I-"

"I am done with you, Bill!" Dipper shouted angrily. "I know what you are now and I don't want to be involved with you ever again!"

Bill backed away with its hands up. "Alright, Dipper, I give," it relented. "It's fair that you don't want to be friends anymore. Congrats, you know the truth now… but I can't say the same about someone else..."

Dipper's eyes widened in horror. "No… no, stay away from Luz, Bill!" But Bill only laughed as it floated away while Dipper screamed at him. "Bill! Bill! BILL!"

Dipper shot up from his bed with a gasp, Mabel standing next to him. "Dipper, it's alright, you're awake!" she told him while Dipper was panting.

"He… Mabel, Luz is still in trouble…" He caught his breath before noticing Mabel's bandaged hand. His expression changed to one of guilt.

"Don't worry, Luz is a smart girl," Mabel assured him. She saw Dipper reaching for her bandaged hand but she pulled it away.

"Are you… alright, Mabel?" Dipper asked his sister. Mabel just turned away.

"I'm fine," she said sternly. "But I'm not the one you should be worried about, Mason."

He felt a sting when she used his real name like that. "I-I'm sorry, Mabel," he apologized to her. "If… if I knew how dangerous Bill actually was, I-"

"Hey, it's cool," she said to him. "You have your secrets, Mason. I'll have to learn to respect them from now on… since I know where I stand in our relationship as twins now." She sighed. "Good night, Mason." She walked back to her bed and turned over.

Dipper laid on his back, feeling like an idiot. He just hoped that his idiocy wouldn't end up getting Luz hurt…

Back in the Boiling Isles, Lilith was in the hallway chugging down her elixir. She was leaving trails of black feathers because of her stress, but the elixir was helping nullify the curse.

The blue-haired Clawthorne looked at her own reflection in the glass of the elixir bottle, disappointed in herself. But then she noticed someone in front of her, Camila.

"Oh, um didn't mean to startle you," Camila apologized, wearing blue nightwear clothing. "It's just that I have been having trouble sleeping and… I don't want to disturb my daughter while she's cuddling with her girlfriend." She looked at Lilith. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah um, I'm having trouble sleeping as well," Lilith responded, looking down.

"If you want, we can talk about it," Camila offered. "I mean, we are roommates now."

Lilith felt awkward as she spoke to the human woman. "Thanks, but there's nothing much from me that we can talk about… what about you?"

Camila looked down sadly. "Well, it's just that… I feel like this is too good to be true. I was literally dead yesterday and now somehow I'm alive again and reunited with my daughter. I'm afraid that… if I fall asleep, then it will turn out that none of this is real and that I'm still dead and I had fooled myself into believing that I had another shot at the life I was cheated out of."

Lilith sighed. "I… I almost died recently. I thought I had died. But I was given a second chance to make things right with the people we care about. You may not know how exactly you got here, but you do have a second chance. I get you being worried that it will just be taken from you again, but don't let that stop you from enjoying the time that you do have with your daughter now. Focus on the good instead of fearing the worst."

Camila nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you're right. I will admit that the reason why I asked you to not leave your room is because I wanted the company. I just… don't want to be alone right now."

"I get that," Lilith acknowledged, wrestling with her own self doubts for a moment before continuing. "And I do want to do anything I can to help you and your daughter out. So don't be afraid to ask. Shall we go back to bed?"

"Yeah," Camila answered. "We shall. And thank you, Lilith. Not just for this, but for what you've done for my daughter as well."

Lilith just looked down. "Don't mention it…"

"Man, I am so glad that today is finally ending," Luz said while laying on the bed next to Amity. "So much changed for both of us…"

"Yeah..." Amity replied while looking at her own hands. She felt Luz's hand on her shoulder.

"And hey, never forget that I'm always going to be by your side," Luz reassured her.

"I know," Amity responded. "And I didn't say it earlier, but I am happy that you have your birth mother back and are able to spend more time with her."

"Thanks," Luz said, giving Amity a kiss on the cheek. "It will take some getting used to, but so did having you living with us, so I think it will work out."

Amity nodded and kissed Luz back. Soon the two of them joined the rest of the Owl House in sleep, putting an end to a very eventful day…

Luz opened her eyes, finding herself back in the dreamscape again. She looked around and saw Bill suddenly in front of her. "Gah!"

"Hiya, Lizard Bat!" Bill greeted.

"Oh, it's just you…" Luz said as she put herself together. "So what's been happening back in the Falls?"

Bill brushed it off. "Nothing too out of the ordinary, unfortunately. Mabel did do this whole puppet show but I don't want to bore you with the details. Instead I want to hear what you have been up to lately."

And so Luz began to tell him, unaware that Dipper would never get this information…