20. Chapter 58: The Ballad of Eda, Act I

Thirty Years Ago… on Earth.

Nobody had been in this old, dilapidated house for a long time. Until now…

"Ow!" shouted a young witchling as she fell out of the portal. Young Eda got up and looked around. "Where am I?" she asked, walking around the old house and opening the front door to find herself looking at a forest unfamiliar to her. "I don't… I don't think I've been here before." She turned around and saw that the portal door had disappeared. "Nonononono!" She rushed to the spot where it had been. "Where'd you go!?" she asked, still looking. "Ah farts, I'm stranded!" She then noticed the key on the floor, the same key that had opened the portal door. She picked it up and stuffed it in her pocket.

Heading out of the old house, Eda walked around the forest and took a look around. The leaves of the trees were green, the sky was blue, and there were no flying eyeballs in sight. "What is this world?"

Up ahead she saw a neighborhood. While trying to keep herself discreet, she spotted a woman hanging her towels and clothes in her backyard. She noticed a woman with round ears… which clued her in that the woman wasn't a witch.

After finding a piece of cloth that she used to cover her own ears, Eda entered the neighborhood and followed the road into an unfamiliar town with no giant monsters, no flying griffins, and no hands on building. Parts of it still looked similar to a town in the Boiling Isles, like the number of shops, but most of it was still unlike anything Eda was used to.

"Hey you," said someone behind Eda. She turned around and saw an older teenage boy with a mullet. "You lost or something? You look like you don't know where you are."

"Uh…" Eda was trying to come up with an excuse. "Actually, I'm not around here…"

"So you're new around?" he asked, confronting her.

"Yes! Yes, I am," Eda told him, before noticing the look he was giving her. "I-I'll be on my way." She bumped around, but bumped into another older boy with a mustache. Then she saw two more approaching her. "Um… what's going on?"

"We just saw you walking around and thought we could help," Mullet said.

"I-I don't need help, so-"

"But we insist," Mustache interjected while grabbing Eda's hand.

"Don't touch me!" Eda shouted, pulling her hand away, only to be grabbed by the other guys. "Hey! Let me go-hmm!" Her mouth was covered and her hands were restrained as they dragged her into an alley. Eda was kicking and screaming, but it did her no good. "Let me go! No! Please stop!" What happened next was a haze until…

"Get away from her!"

WHACK!

Mullet and Mustache fell on the floor. The other assaulters backed away when they saw the girl holding up a baseball bat. "Get away from her!" she repeated as she wielded the baseball bat, causing them to run. "Yeah, you better run!"

The girl, who had short bobcut black hair tied to a ponytail with an orange bow, tanned skin with orange eyes, a purple button shirt, jeans with black timberlands, and a black leather jacket, saw that Eda was on her knees, shivering. "Hey, get up and come on before they come back!" she said, grabbing Eda's hand as she led her out of the alley.

They were soon hiding behind a fence, the girl checking to make sure they were not being followed. "Finally got away before they-" She turned to Eda, who was still shivering and looked like she was on the verge of tears. Her Hexside shirt was loose and a part of her legging was torn by her knee. "Hey, hey it's alright. I'll make a report about this," she said, taking her jacket off and wrapping it around Eda. "It will be okay."

"I-I-I was…" Eda sniffed. "T-Thank you."

"I'm sorry that happened to you, but luckily I got there when I did," she said as she held her hand to Eda. "Got a name?"

Eda looked at the girl's hand and shook it. "E-Eda, you can call me Eda."

"My name is Angel Sinclair," the girl introduced herself. "I guess you could say that I'm your guardian angel."

Eda opened her eyes as she woke up in her nest. "Angel…" she whispered to herself as she sat up. She saw her hand shivering and she held it to stop the shivering, taking a deep breath. "It's… going to be okay, Eda," she told herself. She heard sounds coming from outside and she went over to the window, seeing Amity and King doing pull ups on Eda's staff in midair.

"And three/weh, and four/weh, and five/weh, and six/weh!" Amity and King simultaneously shouted during their pull ups. "Seven/Weh! Eight/Weh! Nine/Weh! And Ten/Ten thousand!"

Eda snorted as she watched Amity and King getting off the staff. "Alright King, what's the first thing you're gonna tell your dad?" Amity asked.

"Well, once we're done training, I'm gonna move out of that closet. And then, I'm gonna ugly cry real hard!" King declared.

"Have you told Eda yet?" Amity asked him.

"Oh right, we should get to that," King realized.

Eda raised an eyebrow as she turned away from the window. "Moving out?" she asked, looking at the photo of herself with King and Little Luz. "No, King wouldn't leave me… right?" She then looked at herself in the mirror as she thought about how King might meet his dad soon, while Luz was growing older and was going to be with Amity. Her kids were growing up. "Oh, what am I worried about? Whatever King has to say to me, I'll be ready."

Downstairs Luz and Lilith were sitting at the coffee table together in awkward silence.

"So um… what's….happening… with uh… Flora?" Luz asked her.

"Things with Flora are… great," Lilith replied. "I was… even given a job offer… for the museum."

"Oh that's… great," Luz congratulated while Eda came downstairs in her usual maroon outfit.

"Morning, family!" Eda greeted them and Amity and King as they came in with Owlbert.

"Morning, Eda," Amity greeted.

"So, uh, why were you and King out there doing pull ups?" Eda asked while getting her morning apple blood.

"Oh, me and King are participating at the Gland Prix this weekend," Amity revealed while Luz held up a pamphlet.

"Yeah, students of Hexside, Glandus, and St. Epiderm race to win glory, honor, and fame," Luz explained, showing Eda the pamphlet. "Prize is a very ugly flesh trophy and an interview with the Boiling Isles news."

"Which we can use to send a message to my dad!" King cheered.

"Oh, that's… great," Eda said as she rubbed the back of her head.

"I was originally going to enter with King, but… I don't trust myself with Owlbert right now," Luz said awkwardly and Owlbert hooted in response.

"Owlbert wants you to know that he isn't afraid of you because of what happened to Maya," Eda translated. "He doesn't hold it against you either."

"Yeah, I know he doesn't," Luz admitted. "And I appreciate that. But I just… don't want to risk his safety until I know what happened with Maya won't happen again."

"Hey, breakfast is ready," Camila said, popping up from the kitchen.

As everyone was eating their breakfast, King cleared his throat.

"Alright, I have an announcement!" King declared, causing everyone to turn to him. "About twenty years ago, Eda found me and took me in. And I have something to say to her."

Eda, who was sitting next to him, suddenly felt nervous about what King was about to say.

"Eda, um… when we first met, you thought I was a pet. But we both know that our relationship… is so much more than that. Which is why I think it's time to make this official. Amity?"

Amity nodded as she brought up some papers and handed them to Eda, whose eyes widened.

"King… this is…?!" Eda gasped, tears leaked as she read 'King Clawthorne'.

"Those are adoption papers. You just need to sign it to make it official," King explained. "I may be looking for my dad, but it doesn't change the fact that you raised me and have played a larger role in my life. I just couldn't wait a little longer."

"H-How did you get the-" Eda asked until Luz interjected.

"Oh we had the usual help," Luz explained.

"Oh Titan, where am I?" Larry asked after being taken into some room. He saw three hooded figures. "Please don't hurt me! I have a husband and two small griffins to provide for!"

"Relax Larry," Luz spoke as she, Amity, and King unhooded themselves.

"Oh, hey Luz!" Larry said, relieved. "How have you been?"

"Depends on the day," Luz admitted.

Larry nodded understandingly before turning to Amity. "Is this your girlfriend Amity? It is so great to finally meet you! Eda has told me a lot of good things about you! Luz definitely knows how to pick them!"

Amity's face turned slightly red at this. "Uh, thank you Larry. But we'd like you to help us with something."

"Sure, what can I do for the Clawthornes this time?" Larry asked.

"We need adoption papers," Luz answered.

"For me!" King declared.

"Oh, that's…" Eda sniffed, she couldn't hold the tears. "This is… this… oh my Titan!" she cried, Lilith patting her back.

"Hey, hey, it's alright Edalyn," Lilith said as she handed Eda the pen. "Just sign and King's an official Clawthorne."

Eda calmed down enough to sign the papers. "Thank you all for this. I-I-I don't know what to say, but…" She cried again as she hugged King. "SON!" she wailed.

"Come on, mom, stop it, you're making me cry!" King cried as he hugged Eda back.

Luz smiled, happy that King was finally her official adopted brother. Camila was smiling as well, though it wavered for a second as she remembered how she and her husband had once wanted to have more kids…

"Hey, what if we make a video to talk to your dad?" Eda suggested, wiping away her teats. "Like, if things don't work out at the Gland Prix, you can still get your message out. And if you do win the Gland Prix, it just means there is a higher chance he'll see it!"

"Really?" King asked her. "But, do you think he'll… find it?"

"It couldn't hurt! Besides, everything's about streaming now," Eda said as she held up her scroll.

Soon she began recording King, who held out the letter he wrote for his dad.

"Uh, hey um, dad," King said. "If you're out there watching this, I want to introduce myself."

Willow was watering her plants while watching King's message, Clover sitting on her head.

"I like cheesy foods, and conquering kingdoms…"

Gus was with his chameleon Palisman as he watched the video in his room.

"...though, I haven't conquered any of my own yet. But someday I will!"

The Blight twins were watching the video while helping out Geist in his bar, Batric on Edric's shoulder.

"But maybe you have, and we can compare notes…"

Skara watched the video while petting her new Palisman that she and her dad had carved together, a red cricket.

"I… I want you to know that… I'm here and… I've been raised by a wonderful family that I'm glad to call my own."

While watching King's video, Viney looked at a picture of her with her dad, a tear falling from her eye as she leaned back on Puddles.

"Eda's… been a great mom and I have an awesome sister named Luz. Then there's my cool Aunt Lilith, and there's Hooty…"

Jerbo and Barcus were up on a rooftop together watching King's video.

"Amity, Luz's girlfriend, has become a really good friend of mine. She is like another sister to me, or a sister-in-law."

Simon, after a workout, saw the video with Flint holding up his scroll.

"I have… a lot of questions about you and where I come from."

"I even found a symbol in the tower I hatched in."

The Shadowy Secret Exposerz watched the video while working on their project. "What tower do you think he found that in?" Korn asked.

"Not sure, but that's another mystery to delve into later…" Linkin replied.

"Maybe we should ask our benefactor," Sioux suggested.

Somewhere else in the Isles was a demon who wore a similar skullcap as King, was dressed in yellow robbing, and had a long gray and black beard along with large bat wings. He was watching the video with his own scroll.

"Maybe you can teach me to read it. Tell me where I came from and what kind of demon I am."

Boscha and Tom were in the attic together, watching the video while Boscha petted Hogarth, who laid on her lap.

"But even if I do find you, it wouldn't change the fact that Eda raised me to be the demon I am now."

Amelia and Cat were hanging out together in the latter's bedroom, watching King's video.

"Which is why I've decided to become an official Clawthorne," King explained. "But I am still interested in meeting you someday."

"Can you turn that down!" Cat's younger brother Moose shouted from another room. "I'm trying to sleep!"

"Cause hey, maybe someday we could play catch, have some cold ones while sitting on our lawn chairs, and you can even ask me if I'm winning, whatever that mea-"

Emily Tricks paused the video. She was drinking her tea and sitting with Stella.

"You have to admit, he is an adorable little guy," Stella commented.

"Yeah… too bad he lives with those wild witches now," Emily said while holding up the Gland Prix pamphlet. "Now, let's practice for the Gland Prix."

After breakfast, Camila went over to talk to her daughter. "Luz, I just want to say that I'm happy for you and King."

"Yeah, I'm happy too," Luz admitted. "I knew that Eda already saw King as her other kid and King saw Eda as his mom just like how he saw me as his sister, but it is nice for it to finally be official after all this time."

Camila nodded. "You know, me and your father had planned on having more kids when you got old enough," Camila mentioned, which surprised Luz. "We even thought about getting a bunk bed for your room. But of course, that never happened." She looked down for a moment, but then smiled. "However, I am thrilled that you still have siblings. Not just King, but this step-brother of yours that I hope to meet someday."

"Yeah, I hope you get to meet Dipper too," Luz admitted. She was silent for a moment. "Hey Mama… can you tell me what my dad was like? Not about how he died… I want to know how he lived."

Camila's eyes widened in surprise. She smiled again. "Of course."

At Blight Industries, Alador was replaying the recordings of the latest tests on his siblings. With him was Darius… and Sheldon Snope.

"Still no progress on reversing their conditions," Alador lamented.

"Don't give up hope yet, Alador," Sheldon assured them. "Believe me, I know what it's like to feel helpless, but there is still a chance that they can be cured."

"He's right, Alador," Darius agreed. "And we are still making breakthroughs, like how they appear to have maintained their sentience while in their Abomination forms and how they show signs of having cognitive abilities rather than just being mindless monsters."

"Which means they are still your brothers and sisters," Sheldon added, while trying to stay awake. "And it means that this isn't hopeless."

"Yes, you're right," Alador declared while rubbing his tired eyes. "I can't give up."

"And neither will we, Alador," Darius said before his crow started cawing. "I have to take this," he said as he walked away, leaving Sheldon and Alador alone.

"Thank you for coming down here, Sheldon," Alador told him.

"Of course, I would be happy to help even if I didn't owe you," Sheldon said. "But after my employment and my apprenticeship under you, this was the least I could do."

Alador nodded. "Yes, and thank you for helping my daughter in class," he said. "Especially while she is having her difficulties. How… how is she by the way?"

"She is well," Sheldon admitted. "Don't worry, if something is wrong with her I will let you know."

Darius came back. "I'm sorry that I have to cut this short, but I have to leave for a Coven Head thing going on."

"I won't hold up your duties," Alador said to Darius, who started to leave. "But Darius… it is nice… to work with you again."

Darius paused, remembering a time before they were rivals. "I will call you later," was all he said before he left.

Alador sighed and turned back to the crystal ball with the test recordings.

"What exactly is your history with him?" Sheldon asked.

"It's… complicated," Alador admitted.

A heavy, marching triumph tune played around the swirling rainbow background. Popping up were images of each of the Coven Heads. Then, a flashing bolt of the background changed to the Emperor's Castle.

"In the Emperor's Castle of the Emperor's Coven, there lives the nine Head Witches of each Coven."

Flashing portraits of Darius, Eberwolf, Raine, and Terra were shown.

"They are the Head Witches of… Abominations."

Darius was shown using his Abomination form to punch a hydra who was attacking a ship.

"Plant."

Terra Snapdragon swung her vines like a lasso.

"Beast-Keeping."

Eberwolf whistled as they rode on a beast, leading them in a charge.

"Bard."

Raine Whispers played their violin, only to trip over and fall.

"CUT!"

Suddenly the music stopped as 'Raine' disappeared. In their place was a coven scout with her hood pointed up due to the horns underneath.

"Serventine!" said a fairly tall witch man who marched forth. He had dark turquoise hair with thick eyebrows, and purple eyes. He wore a light blue, furred vest over a teal jumpsuit with golden details, and light blue shoes, with a golden mirror earring on his left ear that was actually a magic amplifier. He also had a turquoise tail with a light blue orb connected to the fur. "You were supposed to be composed in Raine Whisper's place! Follow the notes!"

"S-Sorry, Adrian, I'm doing my best!" Serventine said nervously.

"Your best is not enough!" Adiran Graye Vernworth, Head of the Illusion Coven, declared. "And it's Head Witch Graye to you!" He looked around. "All of you are terrible! Especially the Darius stand-in!"

The 'Darius' was revealed to be another coven scout. "Hey, Steve's doing his best!"

"How are we supposed to make a Coven recruitment commercial if you guys keep flubbing it up!" Graye cried out while spotting Terra stealing from the catering table. "Terra! I see you!"

"Why are you shouting at me? Eberwolf's playing with the film." Terra pointed to Eberwolf, who was biting at the camera demon.

While Graye tried to stop Eberwolf, Darius was meeting up with Hunter behind the set. "You called me here just for this?" he asked.

"The Emperor has ordered these recruitment videos. You're scheduled for a PSA on Fae awareness," Hunter explained, making Darius sigh.

"Terrific." Darius rolled his eyes and drank his latte. "So how are your therapy sessions going?"

"I'm… not sure," Hunter admitted. "Reisender seems nicer than Kikimora at least, yet I still don't really know what to think of him. But he is a good listener and he has given me… a lot to think about."

Darius nodded. "Well, I am glad that your uncle has decided to do the right thing for you," he admitted. "And… I am sorry that things didn't work with the Blight boy."

Hunter sighed and looked down. "When you became Head Witch of the Abomination Coven, did you have to… give up anything?" he asked.

Darius was silent for a moment. "Yes," he admitted. "I had to make my sacrifice to the Emperor. Between my duties to him and my duty to my family… I chose the former. I ended up getting a divorce with my wife and she is raising my son, who I barely have time to see." He fell silent again. "You don't just remind me of your father, you know. You also remind me of my son. And perhaps… I could have been a better father. But I have already burned that bridge."

Hunter had a saddened expression. "How do you deal with it?" Hunter asked him.

"I made a friend," Darius explained, watching Graye as he chased Eberwolf. "Don't get me wrong, Eberwolf can be annoying… but I know that I can depend on them." He smiled slightly and turned to Hunter. "What about you? Will you be okay?"

"Um… yeah," Hunter responded, sheepishly. "I've made a friend of my own as well."

"What's with the box?" Tom asked as Boscha brought up a box full of books.

"Something to help you pass the time while I'm at school," Boscha explained. "I didn't want you to get bored."

Tom started going through the box. "Sports catalogs, coffee table books, crow call book…" One caught his attention. "What's The Great Witch Azur-"

"I don't know how that got there!" Boscha shouted as she pulled the book away, looking embarrassed.

"Okay…" Tom shrugged as he pulled out another book. "'The War on Witchcraft.' What's this one about?" he asked in confusion, flipping through pages, which showed illustrations of demons, witches, and a face eclipsed with a crescent moon shape.

"This book… it's not from the Boiling Isles, I think," Boscha replied. "It was written by some human witch hunter named G.B. Gates. I should have honestly gotten rid of it already, since it has caused me nothing but trouble."

"How would a book like that end up here?" Tom asked.

"Don't ask me, I got it from some vampire," Boscha said as she grabbed the book. "Apparently, humanity has a history of prejudice and violence against witches in their own world."

"That reminds me of where I came from, honestly," Tom mentioned.

Boscha looked at Tom curiously. She had been curious for a while about where Tom had come from, suspecting that he wasn't even from the Demon Realm. But she never pushed the issue, not wanting to distress him.

"You… don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," she told him.

"No, no I think I'm ready," Tom responded. "I'm from another realm, a dimension called Mewni which is filled with an assortment of creatures including the Mewmans, who are more human or witch-like, and monsters. But unlike the demons and witches of the Boiling Isles, they don't really get along that much. The Mewmans, who were ruled for generations by the royal Butterfly family, hated monsters and treated them poorly even when they hadn't done anything, seeing them as barbaric." He looked out the window. "I… didn't give it too much thought before I came here, though this girl did once rant to me about how hypocritical the Mewman bigotry is. For example, I'm half-demon and half-Mewman but I am still a monster by Mewman standards, yet I am tolerated because of my status and who my family is, plus I hide my tail to look more Mewman." He sighed. "I was never able to realize just how messed up it all was until I saw how demons and witches co-exist here with no issue. She was actually right…"

He said the last part to himself rather than Boscha. And though Boscha was curious about who Tom was talking to and what he meant by status, she decided to ask him later as Tom continued. "Eventually, tensions between the monsters and Mewmans led to an all-out war… that nobody won. Mewni's gone now, but my parents made sure that I was able to get out before they… died. All of that happened because the different races couldn't co-exist, but the Boiling Isles proves that it could've been possible. So many lives lost over something stupid, it was a war of absurdity." He looked distant while remembering how the war played out.

"I'm sorry that happened in your world," Boscha said while looking at the book. She thought about how she had spread anti-human propaganda around Hexside and with that she threw the book out of the window. "Good riddance."

Outside, the book hit the ground and fell open on a page with an image of the portal door. A moment later, a hand picked up the book and tucked it into a cloak as a hooded figure walked away…

At the Emperor's Castle, Hunter had gone down to the secret dungeon, bringing food from the set catering table to Webstor and Ludo's cells.

"Got you some food, courtesy of the Emperor," Hunter said as he gave them food.

"Courtesy, my thorax," Webstor sarcastically sneered.

Hunter didn't pay him any attention, instead he was focused on Ludo who was scarfing up his food. "If you want more, I can get you more if you tell me about the creatures you saw."

"Creatures?" Ludo asked and Hunter pointed at the carvings on the walls. "Oh… those guys… they were supposed to help us win the war against the Mewmans, all the corn we could ever want and power of the wand was within my grasp… but then those things started killing everyone instead of just the Mewmans! Not even the Pony Heads were spared!"

"Wait, Mewmans?" Hunter asked. "Where did you come from?"

"A place called Mewni, which… doesn't exist anymore," Ludo answered.

"Were those creatures responsible for that?"

"Oh those creatures were just a distraction. I thought they were the worst of it but then… red skies… cracks…" His eyes dilated when he started to remember what happened that day…

Ludo found himself in the ruins of a castle, staring up at the red sky… which was cracking. Said cracks were rifts in the fabric of Mewni's reality… and something was coming through those rifts. Something that caused Ludo to absolutely lose it.

"AAAAAAAHHHH!" Ludo screamed. He knew he had to get out of here. He knew he had to get away from the things coming out of the rifts. Quickly he pulled out a pair of inter-dimensional scissors and used it to open a portal. Then he made the mistake of turning back and his eyes widened at the sight of the horrors entering Mewni. He dropped the scissors and fell on his knees, screaming and laughing out of madness. Mewni was lost. And as the sky continued to crack, the wind picked up and blew Ludo off his feet, knocking him into the portal.

He had escaped, but for others it was too late…

Ludo had stopped making sense and had started shaking the bars. While he laughed, screamed, and cried, Hunter backed away. Realizing he wasn't going to get any more answers from him, he turned and left.

"Come on, let's get you inside," Angel told Eda as she brought the witchling to her home.

Eda hesitated, since this was someone she had just met. But the girl had saved her and was now offering her something to eat. Eda stayed quiet, still recovering from her attack.

"Hey, come on, I'm sure there's some pizza pockets in the fridge. Have you ever tried some?" Angel asked, trying to reassure her.

"Pizza…?" Eda questioned as they entered Angel's home. Eda looked around at the living room and saw that it was… very brown. The walls were wood, the couch had a flannel pattern, the flower curtains matched the coffee table cloth and she was especially curious about the TV, which reminded her of the crystal ball. "What is… that?"

"Wait, you've never seen a TV before?" Angel asked.

"Angelica?" asked someone from the other room. "Angelica, are you here?"

Angel sighed and turned on the TV. "Here, entertain yourself," she said as Eda saw a music video play.

"Angelica, if you're here-"

"I'm coming, sheesh!" Angel said as she walked into the other room and saw her mom, who was giving her a disapproving look. "What?"

"Don't 'what' me, young lady," her mother told her. "I just got a call from some parents who told me that you had another freak out and attacked Roger and Smith!"

"What!?" Angel cried out in disbelief. "I was just defending a girl that those two jerks were-"

"Don't lie to me, Angelica. We both know that Roger and Smith are good, well-behaved young men who are going to State. We can't anymore of your freak outs. And I expect you to apologize to both the boys and their parents."

"Seriously?!" Angel asked.

"Yes, seriously," her mother answered with a sigh. "You used to be such a good little girl. My sweet little angel. What happened to you?"

Angel's fists tightened, but she didn't say anything. That is when Eda, who had overheard their conversation, butted in.

"Hey lady, what Angel said is true!" Eda said. "If she hadn't come to my rescue, who knows what those punks could've done to me! And she is not going to apologize to those fuckers who deserve much worse than they got! It's you who should apologize to her, she shouldn't have to apologize for saving me! And if you can't realize that, then fuck you!"

This shocked both Angel and her mom. After a moment of silence, Mrs. Sinclair spoke up while glaring suspiciously at Eda. "Just who are you and who are your parents?"

This caused Eda's eyes to dilate as she remembered what she did to her dad and what her mom had said about her curse. Rather than answering, she turned and ran out of the house.

"Eda, wait!" Angel cried out as she tried to follow her, but her mom grabbed her wrist.

"Don't you go anywhere, we are not done!" she told her, ignoring Eda.

Before Angel was pulled away, she could spot Eda running into the woods…

That night, Eda was back in the old house. She was crying, she had been crying for a while now actually. She looked down at the key, knowing she could use it to go back to the Boiling Isles… but she knew she couldn't go back. She knew she couldn't face her family again. Not her parents… not Lilith… and not Raine.

She could feel her curse stirring inside her, the Owl Beast wanting to be let out.

"Eda?" asked a voice.

The witchling lifted her head up and saw Angel coming into the old house.

"Angel…?" Eda asked in surprise.

"I saw you running into the woods and I thought I would come looking for you," Angel responded, holding a bag full of snacks. "Had to wait until my folks were asleep. But I brought you some stuff to eat."

Eda took the bag and opened it. Inside she saw food unlike anything she had seen in the Boiling Isles. "T-Thanks," Eda replied, pulling out a bag of chips and opening it. She ate a few and found them delicious.

"You know, I've never seen anyone talk to my mom like that," Angel admired in admiration. "Thanks for defending me."

"Oh, it's no problem," Eda replied, rubbing the back of her hair. "She shouldn't have talked to you like that."

Angel nodded. "Have you ever had problems like that with your mom?" she asked, bringing out a coke.

"Um… maybe? I don't know, she can be… meddlesome." Eda sighed and looked down. "To tell you the truth, I'm a runaway."

"Oh…" Angel replied. "That's… pretty awesome."

This surprised Eda. "Really? You think… me running away is awesome?"

"Hell yeah, that makes you a rebel!" Angel declared. "Which is like, the coolest thing to be!" She opened up some Reese's Pieces and sighed. "Honestly, I've been wanting to run away for a while now. But, like, where would I go? I'm stuck here in this stupid town…"

Eda smiled as she ate her chips. "Well, just because you're stuck here doesn't mean you still can't have some fun."

Angel looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, do you think being a rebel is cool?" Eda asked. "Well, from where I'm from I am considered the coolest rebel in town, so I can show you how it is done…"

Eda was looking down at her apple blood juice box, thinking about Angel. She had been thinking about Angel a lot recently. To take her mind off of it, she decided to make small talk with the bartender.

"You know, I've officially adopted another child into the family. Well, he's been around me for years before I had Luz, but we made it official," Eda told the bartender, who was wiping his glasses.

"Well that's great for you and all, but what I'm more interested in is if you're gonna pay that tab after all these years," he told her.

"Don't worry, it'll come," Eda said while turning around, spotting someone sitting at a table by herself.

Sandra was sipping her own drink while looking up her scroll. She noticed Eda walking up to her.

"Hey, aren't you that Sandra woman from Hexside?" Eda asked.

"Hmm? Oh, you're the Owl Lady whose kid goes to my son's school," Sandra replied. "The name's Sandra Storms, Mattholomule's mother."

"Well I don't know who that is, but nice to meet you! I'm Eda, Luz's mom," Eda greeted. "It's nice to find another mom whose kid goes to my daughter's school and knows how to put Nicole in her place."

"Yeah, it is not like I can go after the kids without getting in trouble anyway," Sandra said while sipping her drink. "Some parents need to be put in their place anyway."

"Yeah, I get that! Parents suck!" Eda declared.

Sanda looked at her suspiciously. "What are you trying to get out of me?" she asked.

"I… uh…" Eda said, looking down. "I don't have a lot of friends, being the Owl Lady and all. Luz's best friends' parents are dads. Her girlfriend's mom's out of the picture and Calypso is sobering up so there goes a potential drinking buddy. But my daughter has been expanding her friend group, so I thought I would make an effort as well."

Sandra considered this. "Well, your daughter saved my youngest son twice, once from the Coachman and once from those former Glandus friends of his," Sandra said. "So sure, I'll take you up on that offer. I don't really have a lot of friends either."

This surprised Eda, who smiled. "Well, I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship, Sandy."

"Don't call me that," Sandra said

"Hey, let me go!"

Eda and Sandra turned to see the demon hunter, Purple, getting arrested by a coven scout and a guard. "I told you that I'm already in the Beast Keeping Coven!" she declared, while the scout and guard moved up her sleeve to check her seal.

"That seal is fake," the guard declared.

"Man, third time in a row," the scout commented, before turning to the bar patrons. "Do not worry, we're just taking this covenless witch to find a coven to join."

"Let her go!" Eda declared as she followed them outside.

"Back off, Owl Lady," spoke the scout.

"Yeah, no coven wants a powerless witch," the guard said, only to get decked in the mask.

Eda cracked her knuckles. "Who's powerless now?"

"Why you…!" The scout was about to perform a spell, but the sound of music playing got him to stop. "What the…!?" He and his partner started to move against their will, giving Purple a chance to escape.

Eda turned to the sound of music and saw a familiar group standing on top of a fountain. It was the BATTs, now with two new members, one of them playing the accordion and the other playing a kazoo. Eda smiled when she saw them, but that smile faltered when she noticed that Raine isn't among them.

"Look at the Emperor's stooges! Trying to mute the music in our hearts!" Tryam spoke with his keyboard guitar up, tapping the keys. "And weaken our magic by forcing witches into covens!"

"Blasphemy!" the coven guard cried out.

"You're one to talk!" Tryam shouted in anger. "That's right, Bonesborough. They take your magic." His music forced the guards to kneel. "They restrict your knowledge." He made them march in place. "They say to do it in the name of unity, but what unity? All I see is a way for them to control us! You know what we say to that? Shove off!" He tapped his keys while the BATTs played their instruments, making the coven guard and scout march away.

"Stop! No, not the trash! Not the trash!" they both groaned as they were marched to a dumpster.

Watching this, Tiny Nose came up to them. "Who are you, hewoes?" she asked in admiration.

"We're the Bards Against the Throne!" Tryam declared. "Aka…"

"Surrounded!" shouted a female voice.

More of the Emperor's guards show up, this time prepared with earmuffs. The one who had shouted was a coven scout shorter than the others.

"What do we do now?" asked the member with the kazoo.

"Do what most bands do when confronted by the law… make an exit!" Amber replied as Katya threw a ghost ball down, releasing ghosts around the area.

"Ghosts!" someone shouted.

"Quick, call the Oracle Coven to contain them!" another shouted, the BATTs escaping through a manhole while the authorities were distracted and after Derwin created a smokescreen.

Eda, who saw the BATTs making their escape and knew they could tell her what happened to Raine, pursued them.

They left behind a scene of chaos, including the shorter coven scout being chased by ghosts.

"Hey, would you like to be my friend?" the ghost asked.

"No! I don't want to!" shouted Kikimora as she ran away from the friendly ghost.

After making their getaway, the BATTs hid in the outskirts of Bonesborough at the entrance to a sewer pipe. "Think we lost them?" the member with the kazoo asked.

"They'll be busy with those ghosts for a while," Katya answered before they heard footsteps.

"We've been followed!" Derwin realized. Tryam prepared his keyboard guitar for battle.

"Wait, wait, it's me!" shouted Eda, who emerged from the pipe.

"Eda? Oh thank Titan it's you," Katya said while she and the others removed her masks. This revealed that their newest members were Levi and-

"What the… Perry!?" Eda exclaimed in shock, Perry Porter quickly shushing her.

"Quiet, who knows who's listening," Perry whispered.

"Hey um. Ms. Clawthorne," Levi spoke to her. "You may not have met me, but I'm Levi Thians, I used to go to Hexside and work on my dad's boat with Amity."

"Oh, you're Amity's friend," Eda realized. "Wait, I thought you were in the Fishing Coven?"

"Well, not really," Levi pulled up his sleeve, showing his coven seal. "Thanks to Boris's tattoo magic, he can make some seals look real but they're fake. It's how I'm still able to do bard magic."

"Boris here has been giving countless wild witches fake seals around the Isles," Katya explained, patting Tyram's, revealed to be Boris, back. "But it looks like the Emperor's Coven is cracking down on them."

"Where's Raine?" Eda asked them. "Did they escape from the Emperor's Coven, are they alright? Can you take me to them?"

"Don't worry, they're fine," Derwin assured her. "In fact, they're waiting for us."

The BATTs took Eda around to a forest area where Katya gave a signal whistle. A hooded figure slid down from a tree and unhooded themselves. "Eda," Raine said with a smile.

"Raine!" Eda ran up and embraced them in a hug. "Oh thank Titan, you're alright! You didn't answer my calls and I couldn't find any of your team, so I thought the Emperor got you and had you imprisoned."

"Don't worry, Eda, I'm fine," Raine assured her. "I was able to get out of the Emperor's Castle but we had to lay low, which is why I couldn't call you sooner but I did receive your messages. I can't believe the Emperor had your home bugged?"

"Well, the important thing is that you're safe," Eda said. "And it looks like you expanded your little group."

"Oh, you have no idea," Raine told Eda. "I have been doing a lot of recruitment lately."

"You're making new friends too, huh?" Eda replied while walking up with Raine. "Well, let me call Lily so we can all get filled in."

At Pour-Ta-Geist, Luz and Amity had decided to have lunch there after Amity had finished training with King for the Gland Prix.

"Whoa…" Luz said, looking around the place. "I thought this place was a lounge."

"I thought so too…" Amity said.

"Hey, sis, welcome!" Emira waved. Her 'beauty mark' was present, meaning she had found a concealment stone. She was wearing a jean sleeveless jacket with a purple shirt, purple shorts and black boots. Viney was at the bar, wearing a brown griffin-style hoodie with a black skirt, striped stockings and black boots.

"Hey Luz, Amity," Viney greeted.

"Hey, Vines," Luz greeted back. "So where's the famous uncle I keep hearing about?"

"Oh he's around." Edric was fixing up the crystal ball, shown in the same jean sleeveless jacket as Em. He was also wearing a white t-shirt, baggy pants, purple boots, and glasses, though he did seem to have found a razor to shave with since Amity saw him last. Batric was flying around his head.

"Around as in…?" Luz asked as Emira passed a glass of water to her.

"Just swimming, kiddo."

Luz looked around upon hearing Geist's voice.

"Down here," he said to her and when Luz looked down, she was startled to see a small man sitting on an inflatable tube in the class of water. "Hey, the water's fine down here!" he said as he disappeared from the glass.

"What the…" Luz asked only to see Geist pop up from under the bar.

"Surprise! I'll be here all night!" Geist declared, before going over to shake Luz's hand. "How's it going, I'm Geist Grubar-Blight, but you can call me Uncle G, or Geist Blight after my sister forced me to legally change my name. You must be Eda's kid." He turned to Amity. "Mittens! Haven't heard from you in a long time!"

"Nice to meet you, Uncle G!" Amity replied, hugging him.

"And I love what you did with your hair! And I hear that you take both Abominations and Illusions now, that's great!" Geist praised.

"This is Odalia's brother?" Luz whispered to her girlfriend.

"Yeah, he's the fun uncle," Amity replied.

"I find it hard to believe that this man is related to Odalia," Luz admitted.

"Oh believe me, we are even if we aren't close anymore or don't talk as much as we used to," Geist mentioned. "But I remember this one time back in the twin's birthday party she gave me a mouthful for a magic trick where I was supposed to make a cottontail appear, but made a cocktail witch appear instead, hehehe." He laughed along with the twins.

"Yeah, she was really mad about that. It was the last time she didn't get the party clown like most parents would," Edric mentioned. "Back then she thought the Blights were too good for that."

"Amity said that this place used to be a lounge, how did it get it like that?" Luz asked him.

"Oh it started out great! I used to get all kinds of famous singers to perform here," Geist explained, showing Luz a wall of pictures. "Bleeding-Eyes Gary, Vocal Valerie Vixen, Shelia the Glass Killer, who could sing so high pitched it can destroy all kinds of glass, and of course, Denise. Now that's a lady with killer pipes, and I mean that literally." He sighed. "But as time went on, business slowed down and I had to either close up or change the theme to fit the times. Business still ain't what it used to be and neither are the patrons, but I still make by. Though I do remember when Odalia came on opening night to sing with me like we used to when we were kids…" He looked down. "I miss that."

"Mom was a singer?" Emira asked in disbelief.

"Of course, it wasn't full time but she used to help me with my gigs," Geist explained. "But she had her own ambitions and her own path, while I had mine. It was never again like how it was when we were kids, but that's true for most relationships between siblings when they get older." He snapped his fingers. "How about those griffin wings, like them hot or mild?"

"Give me the 'Mercy of Death' wings," Luz ordered after sitting down and reading the menu.

"Alright, but you'll have to sign a waiver," Geist said. "Amity?"

"I think I'll just have mine mild." Amity replied.

"Got it! Order on the Mercy Wings and another for Mild!" Geist said while entering the kitchen.

"Are you sure he wasn't adopted?" Luz asked.

Lilith had shown up in the outskirts of town. She spotted her sister.

"I came as fast as I-" Eda grabbed Lilith and looked behind her.

"Were you followed?" Eda asked her.

"No, I made sure to use Luz's invisible glyphs," Lilith assured her sister.

"Good." Eda turned around. "We're clear!"

The BATTs showed up and Raine spoke. "Good, now then we shouldn't make them wait much longer."

The group entered the BATT's headquarters, an abandoned warehouse where the various members of the resistance had gathered. Some that both the Clawthorne sisters recognized.

"What's up, Eda? I'm part of this too, ain't that a twist!" announced Witch Rick, who was accompanied by a bird biped demon and a cat demon.

"Really, Raine? You brought both my exes here?" Eda asked them.

"Well I, wait… both exes?" Raine asked. Eda pointed to a very tall vampire woman with black hair, yellow eyes, pale skin, a black wide-brimmed hat, and a black dress.

"Hello again, Eda. Congrats on adopting another kid!" the vampire woman, who was accompanied by several other vampires, told her.

"It's like an 'Eda's Ex-Convention' here…" Eda said while Raine rubbed the back of their neck.

"Sorry, Eda…" Raine apologized nervously.

"No way," Lilith said in awe when she recognized a fish-headed biped demon in white militant clothing. "Admiral Barack, I thought you and your crew perished on the Boiling Seas while trying to hunt the Selkidonus?"

"We faked our deaths and went rogue," Barack, a former member of the Emperor's Navy, answered. "We lived in the Foot Fungus Forest, where we learned the ways of the mushroom people. Just ask our member, Sporky." He patted the head of a mushroom biped.

"Shrooooh!" Sporky replied.

"I'm not so sure about her," said a witch teenager with long blue hair, gray eyes, spots around his face, a blue turtleneck, black pants and sandals. He was pointed at Lilith. "She used to be the Head of the Emperor's Coven."

"It's okay, Tres," Derwin told the witch. "She's not one of them now."

"Even if she isn't, I still don't trust her," Tres sneered, while Lilith had a funny feeling that she met him before. "I know what she did…"

"Sorry about Tres," said a member that was part of Tres's group. She also had spots around her face. "We've had bad experiences with the Emperor's Coven before…"

Eda walked up to Goonla, who was with some of his crew. "And you must be Goonla. Amity has told me a lot about you."

Goonla nodded. "She's a good kid. I'm surprised you didn't bring her here."

"I would have brought Witch Morty, but my daughter doesn't want me to involve my grandson in my wild witch work," Witch Rick mentioned.

"Alright, may I have everyone's attention please," Raine said to all of them. Perry was standing next to them. "Thanks to Perry's intel from the inside, we've managed to get info on upcoming raids and arrests. The Emperor is cracking down hard in preparation for the Day of Unity, so we have to hit back harder. The more allies we have, the better. I know not all of us were on the same side before." Tres glared at Lilith. "But this will affect all of us. And both me and Perry can confirm that Belos wants Luz Clawthorne to be a part of the Day of Unity."

This piqued Eda and Lilith's interest. They exchanged a worried glance at each other.

"From our sources, we also know that since Belos is a cambion like Luz, he was once human, though we know nothing about who he was prior to fifty years ago," Raine explained. "Though until we have evidence to expose Belos with, we can only hold onto this information. Right now our priority is to keep Belos from gathering as much magic as he can for the Day of Unity, which will weaken him. We are all enemies of the Emperor for one reason or another. Alone we couldn't do much, but together we will begin the end of his reign, one step at a time."

Once the meeting was over, everyone either left or talked amongst themselves. Eda found Perry, grabbed him by the collar, and dragged him aside.

"E-Eda! Um, I hear you adopted again…" Perry said nervously. "Congrats on that."

"Cut the small talk, dweebus senior," Eda told him with a narrow look. "I want to know how in the actual hell did you get yourself roped into this? Don't you have a son to look out and provide for?!"

"Which is why I'm here not just for my son, but your daughter and his friend as well," Perry explained.

"Luz?" Eda asked. "What… how is she a part of this?"

"Eda, your daughter is part of something bigger than you realize," Perry revealed. "Do you remember the Boiling Zit incident, and how the Emperor's Coven media omitted Luz's presence in that incident? Don't you ever find it weird?"

"I… don't watch the news much," Eda admitted. "Too much propaganda."

"Regardless, about four years ago my son told me he came upon a human kid who was the daughter of the Owl Lady," Perry told her. "Of course, I didn't think too much of it at first, but then I did some digging and found witness testimonies from the victims of that incident that mention a human girl that the Owl Lady protected. When I asked Webstor about the incident, he told me to drop it, which only encouraged me to keep digging for the truth. Not only did I discover the Emperor's Coven had purposely omitted Luz's existence, but I learned about something called the Day of Unity as well. The official explanation is that the Day of Unity is meant to unify the Boiling Isles and purify it of wild magic, but it is so much more than that. The forced recruitment, the mass manufacture and purchase of weapons… Raine and I were able to confirm that the Emperor is preparing for a war with the human realm. The Day of Unity is when that war will begin and Luz is going to be a weapon for that war."

Eda's eyes widened as she let that sink in for a moment. She then looked back at Perry. "So that's why you joined the BATTs? To get the biggest story?"

"That, and to make sure my son's friend isn't used by the Emperor for the Day of Unity," Perry told her. "August-" He stopped himself. "Gus speaks highly of Luz, and despite what everyone says, you raised a good kid."

Eda smiled, but then remembered something that made her frown. "Thanks, but also I… heard about Jenny, and… I feel responsible for that."

"Eda…"

"No, no it's not alright," Eda said. "Sure, we weren't all friends back in the day, but Jenny was in the same Potions Track as I was. I knew that she gave off some red flags and that she was interested in you, but I didn't say anything. I should've been a better witch about it, because what she did to you was downright awful… I could have done something…"

Perry sighed. "Don't blame yourself for not getting involved, Eda," he told her. "I am truly angry at Jenny. Not just what she did to me… but what she did to Gus as well. I originally suspected that the Emperor's Coven did something to her, but they seem just as clueless as I am to where she went. And if I ever see her again, I don't know what I'll say. But at the same time… I'm honestly glad she did what she did… because otherwise Gus wouldn't have been born. And when I realized that she had been drugging me with love potions, I was horrified. Because it meant everything I did up to that point had been for her. She was more important to me than anything else… including my son, who I had been unwittingly neglecting. So after Jenny left, I started to pay more attention to Gus. I tried to be a better father. He became the most important thing in my life and that is why I joined the BATTs, to make sure that nothing bad happens to his friends, including Luz."

Eda was silent for a moment. "Thanks, Perry," she said in a low voice. "But you should be careful. If things get heated, run and don't look back. The last thing I want is for Gus's dad to end up in jail. Though hey, I guess this makes you an honorary member of the Bad Girl Coven."

"The what?" Perry asked, confused.

"I'll tell you about it later, since we are friends now and all," Eda told her.

"…I thought we were already friends…" Perry said, leading to an awkward silence.

"…Hey, Raine, are you free to talk!" Eda called out, leaving the awkward situation.

"Hey, don't take it personal," Witch Rick spoke up. "You were just too square for her before. Also, I overheard your conversation and I sympathize. Love potions are messed up. I once heard about a version of me who made something like that for his grandson and it did not go well…"

Eda walked over to Raine, who was talking with Lilith. "Hey, you two. Did I miss anything?"

Raine looked at Eda. "Well, I've talked with Lilith and you two don't have to be part of this. I don't want you two to get hurt."

"Why? Cause we don't have magic?" Eda asked, "Well tough cookies, Rainestorm, you can't get rid of the Clawthorne sisters that easy."

"And with Luz teaching us how to use these glyphs, you don't have to worry about us being burdens," Lilith reassured Raine.

"Besides, we want to do our part in stopping Belos and protecting our kids." Eda added.

"And I am sure that I could be a Bard," Lilith said before turning to Amber. "Say, you got an instrument I could use to play?"

"Well there's… the nyckelharpa." Amber summoned the instrument and gave it to Lilith. It looked like a combination of a violin with keys, making it a bowed key instrument.

"A nyckelharpa… I shall learn to play it," Lilith said as she wrapped the strap around her neck, causing her to almost fall. "Titan, it's heavy…"

Eda snorted, not noticing a strange look on Raine's face. Briefly Raine felt a migraine, but then it passed and Raine put their hand on her shoulder "Hey, can we talk somewhere private."

"So what do you like to talk about?" Eda asked as she followed Raine into their room. "Oh wait, it's the video, is it?"

"Yeah, I'm… happy for you," Raine admitted. "I could never see the Eda I used to know having two kids, though it is pretty clear we aren't the same witches we used to be." They sighed. "Do you still know any bard spells from back in the day? I'd love to hear you play the lute again."

"I don't know, my curse messes with my magic, so I'm not sure-"

Raine summoned a lute. "For old time's sake?" Raine asked with a playful smile, causing Eda to look away in embarrassment. She took the lute from them.

"Alright, you asked for this." Eda sighed and started playing enchanting music on the lute. As she played, the enchanting music started to play out a story which Raine witnessed.

Both Eda and Raine saw the aura of a young orange-haired girl coming through a door and walking through a strange land that was unfamiliar to her. She was cornered and surrounded by gray wolves, but then she was saved by a blue light that made the wolves disappear as an angel descended. The orange-haired girl saw the angel reaching out to her.

But before the girl could reach up, the hand started to rot and turn black. Half of the angel's face started to rot as well, which caused Eda's eyes to widen as it triggered a memory.

Angel was on the ground, her hand on the bloody side of her face. She looked up at the shadow towering over her, tears coming out of the eye that was visible.

"E-Eda?"

Raine realized that something was wrong, turning to see objects in the room beginning to rot, turn black and corrode, including their earring. "Eda, stop!"

Eda stopped playing, tears leaking out of her eyes as she saw the angel's face burning away. She could still remember her scream. "Oh… oh Titan what was-" She started to hyperventilate, pulling out an elixir and downing it.

"Eda, Eda take a breather!" Raine said to her, calming her down. "What… what just happened?"

"I…" Eda wanted to tell them, but she hesitated. "I don't know… something about my curse…"

"Lilith had mentioned that you have had something on your mind recently," Raine said. "She's worried about you, and… I am worried too. Does this… have something to do with what happened after you ran away?"

Eda looked at Raine and thought about what Julia had told her. She sighed. "Yeah…" Tears fell down her face as her hands shook. "And it involves an old friend."

"Do you… want to talk about it?" Raine asked her, holding her hands until they stopped shaking. "You don't have to."

Eda took a deep breath. "O-Okay, I think I should talk… about what happened."

And then she did. She told Raine about what happened during her first trip in the human world, about what happened to Angel. Raine listened and when Eda finished her story, they gave Eda a hug when she started to break down.

"I'm… so sorry, Eda…" Raine said while rubbing her hair. "I had no idea…"

"It's… it's alright, Raine," Eda sniffed while crying onto Raine's shoulder. "But you can't tell Lilith. I don't want her to have this on her conscience. It was my fault anyway."

"No it wasn't, Eda," Raine assured her, rocking Eda. "You've gone through so much… do you want to stay here for a while with me?"

Eda nodded. "Yeah… I'd love that." She looked up to them as Raine helped wipe away her tears.

At the mom and pop store, Eda and Angel walked over to the counter with a comic and a candy bar.

"Just these," Angel said while pulling her cash out.

"Gee, just a comic and Snickers? Your mom must have lowered your allowance," the cashier replied as he took her money.

Once Eda and Angel were out of the store, they headed for an oak tree in the center of the town and pulled out their spoils, a lot more comics and some chips.

"Wicked, Eda, all that you can hide in your hair?" Angel asked in surprise.

"Yup! My hair's good for storing the goods," Eda replied with a hint of pride. "Stick with me and you'll be going places, kid!"

Angel laughed. "I'm starting to like hanging with you, Ede."

"Ede? That's the best nickname you can come up with?" Eda questioned.

"Oh, um, sorry, should I-"

"Nah, it's cool. You can call me Ede, but I'd like to be called the Edanator!" Eda declared.

"What a tragedy," said a voice.

A startled Eda turned around and saw that two kids had come over. One was a tan skinned girl with wavy black hair, green eyes, an orange button coat jacket with a checkered skirt, and black leggings with orange mary janes. Next to her was a black haired tanned boy wearing a white polo shirt, a pink sweater tied around his neck, khaki pants and white tennis shoes.

"And who are you two?" Eda asked.

"The Gate Siblings," Angel groaned, rolling her eyes. "What do you two want?"

"Oh Angel, are you really going to talk to your friends in that tone?" asked the female Gates.

"We're not friends, Abigail," Angel told her.

"Oh don't be like that… why is she like this, Joseph?" Abigail asked her brother.

"She is probably having one of her freakouts again, Gail," Joseph responded with a smirk. "Like when she went psycho on Roger and Smith with a basement bat. Word around town now says you have been hanging out with the wrong crowd and we just wanted to see your new 'friend' for ourselves. I mean, someone who keeps stuff in her hair? Angel, we really thought you had better tastes than that."

"Hey, what's your deal? We ain't did nothing wrong to you!" Eda shouted as she stood up for Angel.

"Yeah, why don't you two just buzz off or we'll make you leave us alone!" Angel told them, following Eda's example and getting the siblings to back away.

Gail narrowed her eyes at Angel and Eda, but then smiled. "Suit yourself. If you no longer want to be on the side of the angels, be my guest. Come on, Joseph, let's leave those punks alone," she said as she walked away, her brother following her after glaring at the two girls.

"Ugh, I can't stand those two. Always think they can do whatever they want just because their family owns this town," Angel muttered.

"Own this town?" Eda questioned and Angel sighed.

"Yeah, this place used to be called Gravesfield until the Gates family practically took over the town and renamed it Gatesfield." She pointed to the statue of a man who stood in the center of town. "That guy over there is their ancestor. Gabriel Belmont Gates: explorer, author, reverend, and apparently a witch hunter."

This made Eda suddenly nervous. "Witch… hunter…"

"Yeah, I heard he dedicated his life hunting witches, though the Gates family tries to downplay that since we now know that historically 'witches' were just innocent people used as scapegoats by religious fanatics," Angel shrugged before she noticed that Eda looked nervous. "Are you… okay?"

"Yeah, yeah I am," Eda replied, while looking at some comics. "Huh, care to tell me who that guy is in the funny bat suit?"

Angel began explaining who Batman was to Eda, but Eda was only half-listening as she glanced back at the statue of the man known as G.B. Gates…