Chapter 9: EP 9: Carve Out Your Place Part 1.

Season 1: The Demon Realm

Chapter 9: Carve Out Your Place

Four days passed following Luz's official enrolment at Hexside, and the unfortunate incident with the Detention Pit. Luz had gotten her strength back by the next morning, but Eda had turned into a bit of a mother hen and insisted that Luz take it easy for a while, not knowing what the long term effects of the magic drain could have been for an angel. Luz didn't mind too much, and took two days off from her chores and magic training, which she used to focus on translating more of Philip Wittebane's Diary. That had led to two interesting discoveries; the first was that Philip had come from Gravesfield, Connecticut in the Human Realm, just like Luz did. This had led to a talk with Eda about her portal, in which she revealed that she hadn't actually made it herself, but found it on her family's property one day. Luz theorised that Eda's portal was the one Philip described trying to make, after he'd arrived in the Demon Realm through a wild portal.

The second discovery had been Philip describing the discovery of a glyph. Luz and King were mildly disappointed to find it was the plant glyph so they couldn't learn a new power, though it wouldn't have mattered anyway, as Philip had merely described the glyph and not drawn it, likely to avoid activating its magic accidentally. The glyph itself had been found in an isolated grove that had sunken beneath the ground not far from Bonesborough, and Philip had discovered it by peering into a flower with a magnifying glass. There had been no flash of light, and Philip hadn't gotten the mark on his skin like Luz had, but the fact he'd discovered it in roughly the same place as Luz excited the girl. That meant if he wrote about finding any others, Luz could go to the same place and potentially find it too!

The day after her break also coincided with the last day of the semester for Hexside, and signalled the beginning of their week-long break before the next one began. Luz had gone up to the school to celebrate with her friends and join in with the repairs. Almost every student in the school was helping in order to get extra credit, so the repairs were coming along quite nicely. Amity secretly told Luz that her parents were helping fund the repairs, and Lilith was doing the same using the coffers of the Emperor's Coven, as she was apparently furious that her "niece" had been victimised by the Pit. Lilith was apparently trying to get the pits at the other schools on the isles closed down too. In addition, Mattholomule (or Matt Tholomule, as it turned out) had once again apologised to Luz and King. He'd bought a fresh notebook to replace the one King had exhausted in the fight with the Pit, and used his construction magic to craft pair of globes for Luz; one depicting the Human Realm (and fairly accurately too) and one depicting the Demon Realm. Both Luz and King had accepted the gifts happily, though neither were quite ready to forgive him just yet.

Luz had also spent some afternoons with Willow and Gus, both of whom were excited to learn more about their angel friend. They were keeping her secret, even from their parents, and had only brought it up outside of Luz's company once, and that was to let Amity know that they knew too. Gus was a bit disappointed to learn that Luz had never been to or seen the Divine Realm, but Luz had enough stories from her mother to satisfy his curiosity, while Willow was fascinated by the plant glyph on Luz's belly and the power it granted her. She'd experimented with using the glyph herself, but Willow found it more cumbersome than helpful and instead chose to keep using her own magic as normal.

Finally, Luz, Eda, and King had spent their Saturday selling their human wares in the Bonesborough market, where Luz and King's sign continued to draw customers, including Gus and the members of the HAS. They bought out all of Eda's stock (the Owl Lady giving a rare discount to Gus since he helped to save Luz), leaving them with nothing to do on Sunday.

As such, they decided to have a lazy day, visiting the Bonesborough Slayground so King could play with other kids his age (or attempt to rule over them, according to King himself). King was off happily playing while Luz and Eda watched from a bench nearby.

"It's nice to see King playing with kids his own age." Luz mused, smiling as she watched King running towards the slide; "Have you thought about sending him to Hexside too? The Kindergarteners are about the same age as him."

Eda snorted; "No way! He'd reduce the place to rubble! Plus he'd never accept being put in the Baby Class."

"He could get into the older classes." Luz said, pulling out a pamphlet Amity had given her, so she could prepare for the placement exams next weekend; "You only need to have mastered two spells and learned basic runes, and King has the light and plant glyphs. He could learn runes easily if he wanted."

"You've also got to be at least 12." Eda said, pointing to the relevant section in the pamphlet. "Besides, it's ultimately up to King. I was cool with letting you go there because it's what you wanted, so King can decide for himself too."

"That's true. I guess I just thought it would be fun to have my little brother go to school with me." Luz smiled.

"Little brother, huh?"

"Yeah. Is that weird? Am I being too forward? It's that King feels like a little brother to me." Luz said, not sounding too sure of herself.

"Nah Kid, it's fine. Kinda cute actually. Heh, you'll have to say that to him sometime; he'll get a kick out of it." Eda grinned.

At that moment, King came running over in a huff. He clung to Luz's leg as he yelled up at Eda; "Eda! That monster took my throne!" he yelled, pointing to a snot-nosed kindergartener who'd just pushed him down the slide.

"You mean the baby?" Eda asked with a smirk.

"No! The Usurper!" King yelled, "I want you to go over there and blow him up! Kaboom!"

"Yeah, no. I'm not going to blow up a five year old." Eda said.

"Then give me my notebook so I can do it myself! Or lend me Owlbert!" King demanded.

Luz crossed her arms; "King, this is why I took the notebook away before we came here. If you hurt someone or wreck the slayground, you won't be allowed to come back here any more." she said sternly.

"Yeah, and I'm not lending you Owlbert. He's my Palisman and he's got better things to do…" Eda took the little owl off her staff and began petting him; "...like this!"

Luz couldn't help but coo as Owlbert enjoyed the petting; "Aw, he's so sweet! Did you carve him yourself?"

"I did actually." Eda smiled; "My dad and I carved him together. The Clawthornes have a long tradition of carving Palismen, and having bird-based ones. Mom has a giant hawk, Dad has a yellow cardinal, and you've seen Lily's raven. I chose to carve Owlbert as an owl after I was cursed… my way of showing the Owl Beast that I was the boss and I'd take the whole Owl thing for myself."

"That's amazing, Eda!" Luz said, eyes sparkling with awe.

"Aw, it's nothing much, right Owlbert?" Eda grinned, letting the little fella get up on her shoulder, "But I'm surprised you knew that Palismen were carved. I don't remember teaching you that."

"Angels have Palismen too. Or at least, the really powerful ones do." Luz explained, "Palistrom trees grow in the Divine Realm, but they're kind of rare so only Arch-Angels and the Seraphim are allowed to carve a Palisman. The only other angel I've met is my Mami, and she's just a regular angel like me, so she doesn't have one. Owlbert was the first Palisman I ever saw."

Eda blinked in surprise; "Huh, who'd have thought… Don't angels ever pass their Palisman on to their descendants? A lot of old families here do that. When a witch outlives their Palisman, their descendants will often look after them until someone new makes a bond with them."

Luz shook her head; "No, if an angel with a Palisman dies, they are cremated together. Mami said it was impossible for an angel to use the Palisman of another angel. Though I guess it's possible for us to use the Palismen of witches, since I was able to use Owlbert."

"Some witches are buried with their Palismen too. I wonder if angel magic makes it so that their Palismen can't bond with others… kind of like a spiritual version of the interlocks…" Eda mused, gently raising Owlbert's foot to reveal the interlock underneath it.

"Look this is all really interesting…" King said, reminding the ladies that he was there, "… but it isn't going to help me get back my throne!"

"Sorry King, but Luz and I aren't going to help you fight a little kid." Eda said.

King huffed; "Fine! Don't help! Revenge will taste all the sweeter if they fall by my hand alone!"

The little demon then began to cackle evilly, completely unaware that the "usurper" was walking up behind him with an innocent look on his face. The little boy then shoved King from behind, declaring; "Tag, you're it!" before running away with a childish giggle as King fell face first onto the floor.

King lay there motionless for a moment, as Eda nudged Luz with her elbow; "Oh man, here we go; King's squeak of rage!"

The little demon slowly got to his feet, making little noises as he went, then the moment he was upright, he let loose the most adorable high-pitched squeak Luz had ever heard while flailing his arms and legs in a little tantrum. He then ran after the "usurper" whilst still making the squeak, leaving Luz and Eda to laugh at the adorably funny sight.

"He's like a little tea kettle!" Eda laughed, wiping a tear from her eye.

Eda saw Luz open her mouth to say something, but before she could, Luz suddenly vanished. Eda gasped and leapt to her feet; "Luz!?"

Owlbert vanished too, followed swiftly by the bench Eda was just sat on. "Owlbert!? King!?" Eda cried, watching as everything around her disappeared into an empty void, leaving her alone.

"Hello!? Anybody!?"

"Eda!?"

The Owl Lady spun around; that was Luz's voice! It was distant and echoing, but it was hers!

"Luz!"

"Eda! Eda, wake up!"

Eda felt a pain in her head and she closed her eyes tightly, gripping her head. Suddenly, the world around her shifted sideways, and Eda opened her eyes again to find herself back in the slayground, now lying on the bench as Luz, Owlbert, and King looked down on her with worried expressions.

"Eda! Are you alright!?" Luz cried, backing off a bit so Eda could slowly sit up.

Eda's body shuddered; "W-What? Oh no…" It had been a long time since it had happened like this, but Eda recognised the symptoms. "It's the curse!"

"Do you have any elixir on you!?" King asked urgently.

"No, I don't normally need it until the evening! The curse shouldn't be flaring up this early! I haven't even used that much magic today!" Eda said worriedly. "Sorry to cut play time short, King, but we need to get home. Now."

King didn't argue; he could reclaim his throne another day, when he didn't have to worry about a rampaging Owl Beast!

Eda hopped onto Owlbert, while Luz cast an illusion to make it look like she and King were riding him too, when they were actually flying alongside the Palisman with Luz's wings. That way they could fly home faster. They shot off as quickly as they could, and managed to make it back to the Owl House just as Eda was beginning to sprout some feathers from her neck.

Luz laid Eda down on the couch, cringing as the Owl Lady seemed to rapidly age, regaining all the wrinkles and stress lines she'd had when they'd first met. Meanwhile King ran off and grabbed an armful of elixirs. When he returned, he handed one to Eda and she gulped it down quickly. The feathers shrank back into Eda's skin, but the poor woman was still shuddering and felt incredibly weak.

"Oh no… the normal elixirs aren't working as well as they used to…!" Eda cried.

"Do we have any more of the Super Elixir?" Luz asked, referring to the version that was brewed with her tears. While the cure had failed, using the elixir with only a small amount of angel tears in it was safe enough to rejuvenate Eda without triggering another overloaded Owl Beast incident. Eda had taken to drinking one whenever she had to do something extra strenuous or stressful.

"We're all out of those. Between the Covention, babysitting for the Bat Queen, and the stuff at Hexside, I've been drinking the Super Elixir more often." Eda said. "Give me another normal one, King. Maybe I just need to up the dosage."

King handed a second elixir to Eda, but Luz snatched it away; "I have a better idea. You used half a vial of tears for a whole cauldron, but a single tear should be enough for one dose."

"Luz, what are you going to-" Eda began, only to gasp as Luz grabbed a single curly hair from the back of her head and yanked it out.

Luz let out a pained squeak and her eyes watered, just enough for her to blink out a single tear and let it roll down her cheek and into the elixir. Luz then corked it and shook the bottle hard, before finally handing it back to Eda once the colour had turned golden.

"Here, one DIY Super Elixir. Shaken, not stirred." Luz smiled.

Eda took the bottle gratefully; "You're too good to me sometimes, Luz."

She downed the potion in one gulp, and sighed with relief as the healing effects washed over her, soothing the aches and pains in her bones and rejuvenating her skin and muscles. She once again looked younger (though not quite as young as she should look, if she'd never been cursed) and the tremors caused by the curse subsided, allowing her to relax.

"That did the trick. Thanks, Luz. I really owe you one." Eda said, ruffling her apprentice's hair.

"It was nothing. You've done a lot for me, taking me in and teaching me magic, not to mention letting me go to Hexside too." Luz smiled, blushing faintly, "I know you had to jump through a lot of hoops to get me in, so something as little as the occasional tear is a price I'm happy to pay."

"Too bad we didn't know that on your first day here." King said, remembering how badly they'd managed to hurt Luz with their Tearful Tonic plot.

Eda nodded grimly, while Luz just waved it off; "Hey now, that's all in the past. And I messed up too." she reminded them.

Still, despite her apprentice's words, Eda felt like she wasn't doing enough for her apprentice. She'd grown fonder of the girl than she'd ever expected… certainly more than she'd ever admit. Luz felt like Eda was doing so much for her, but honestly Eda felt like she was on the winning side of their deal. Teaching was easy; she just had to show Luz a spell, how it worked, and explain what she thought and felt while casting, and Luz would be able to figure out the rest on her own (even if she still struggled with normal witch magic). Getting her into Hexside had also been a pain, but that was mostly just cleaning up the consequences of her own actions, and the Owl Beast incident mostly just made them even after the Tearful Tonic incident. Meanwhile, Luz had taught King magic, found a way to grow plants that let Eda make a huge profit in her potions business, figured out how to use that same method to grow Goldwort so Eda could make her own elixirs, identified and fixed many human items so they could be sold at Eda's collectibles stand, AND donated the key ingredient in the Super Elixirs that allowed Eda to reclaim some of her lost youth.

Eda suddenly felt like she was taking advantage of her little apprentice. She had to do something to make them even, and their conversation from earlier gave her the perfect plan.

"Luz, do you have plans for the rest of the day?" Eda asked.

Luz thought for a moment, then shook her head; "Nope. Originally I was going to go to the Hexside VS Glandus Grudgby game, but it was postponed."

"Really? Why?" King asked.

"Gus heard from Matt that some Glandus kids from their Grudgby team tried to prove they were better than Hexside by setting off the Glandus Detention Pit and beating it on their own. They failed to even set it off, but they all ended up suspended, so Glandus has no team to play." Luz replied. "Why do you ask, Eda? Did you need me to help around the house while you rest?"

"Nope! I've decided that it's time to get you a staff!" Eda grinned, getting to her feet.

Luz blinked owlishly, her jaw hanging open; "A staff!? You mean you want to take me to get my own Palisman!?"

"Yep! You're already way above those other dweebs at Hexside, but I want everyone there to know how much better my apprentice is! What better way to do that than to have you rock up to Hexside in the new semester with your own Palisman!" Eda declared.

"B-But only really powerful angels get them!" Luz argued.

"Kid, you're already powerful!" Eda said, gently flicking the girl's ear; "Besides, Hexside usually tries to get its students a staff during their sophomore year, so you'd be getting one in the next semester anyway. We're just doing it a bit early."

Luz smiled, imagining what it would be like to have her own Palisman. In angelic culture, they were considered to be like a mirror of their owner's soul; a lifelong companion and friend that allowed one to perform magic far greater than they ever could on their own. The bond between a Palisman and angel was sacrosanct, and the most precious bond an angel could have.

"Thank you so much Eda! I can't wait! Are we going to a Palistrom Grove?" the young angel asked eagerly.

Eda shook her head; "Not quite. Palistrom trees are ridiculously rare on the Boiling Isles now, and almost all of the ones that still exist are kept by the Emperor's Coven. Getting one from there is going to be next to impossible. But I happen to know of a single tree that Wild Witches can cut a branch from to carve their Palisman. It's guarded by a very powerful demon. One whom happens to owe me…" Eda reached into her hair and pulled out a familiar skull whistle, "…a favour!"

"The Bat Queen!" Luz gasped, recognising the whistle. "So we're going to pay her a visit?"

"That's right. Just me and you." Eda smiled, before looking to King; "Sorry King, you need to stay here. Hooty keeps complaining that we're always leaving him alone all day, so he needs some company."

"Oh boy, King and I can have our own adventure!" Hooty's shrill voice announced as his head came extending in through the living room window.

King glared at the House Demon, then looked back to Eda. He was about to refuse, but then he saw the excited look on Luz's face, making him sigh; he owed the girl a lot too, so he decided to just suck it up for the day. Still, he yelled at the Owl Lady; "You owe me one!"

Eda and Luz smiled, the latter giving King a big hug and kiss on the skull (then patting Hooty when he gave her his own version of puppy dog eyes). They packed a few more elixirs into Luz's satchel and Eda's hair just in case, then headed outside and boarded Owlbert.

They took off and began flying over the forest, heading deeper and deeper into it. Eda had once told Luz to be careful with the forest around Bonesborough and the Owl House; it was a dangerous place to go and few paths existed that allowed one to traverse it, and most of those paths were on the outskirts. Powerful wild demons lived within, as did ancient magical structures that were so dangerous that the Emperor's Coven didn't even bother trying to clear them out, like they'd done in less aggressive places.

"The Bat Queen's home is directly in the middle of this place, right at the deepest part. It's so deep and the path so treacherous that we can't even get in by air; we'll need to land in a safe grove then have Owlbert guide us through." Eda explained.

"Why Owlbert?" Luz asked.

"That woods shift and change, so the path from the grove to the Bat Queen's home changes frequently. Only a Palisman can find their way through. The Bat Queen herself set it up that way, though I don't know exactly why." Eda replied. "Once we get to the Bat Queen's home, we'll be able to use the whistle to summon her. She won't appear otherwise."

Luz nodded in understanding and held on tight as Eda made Owlbert swoop down and land in a small clearing a short distance from the centre of the forest. The clearing contained a little grove of trees, noticeably taller and older looking than the forest Luz was used to. However as they landed and got off of Owlbert, Luz and Eda discovered that they weren't the first two to arrive.

"Sister?" said the familiar voice of Lilith, stepping out from behind a tree.

"Lily!?" Eda said, eyes widening.

Alongside Lilith was another familiar face; Amity Blight looking just as shocked as her mentor; "Luz?"

"Amity!" Luz smiled brightly; "What are you doing here? And why were you hiding behind a tree?"

"Miss Lilith brought me here." Amity said, holding back a blush as Luz hugged her in greeting, "I'm helping her on a mission for the Emperor's Coven, as part of my training. We hid because we heard someone coming but didn't know who; not many people come here, so Miss Lilith wanted to be cautious."

Luz smiled happily, knowing how important this must be for her friend. Eda was scowling however, noticing Amity's clothing. She was wearing a modified version of the usual Coven Scout uniform, with a white tunic, gloves, and boots, lavender sleeves and leggings (similar to Amity's Hexside uniform), the usual white Coven Scout cloak, and a silver mask in the same style as Lilith's, which she had taken off along with the hood of her cloak upon seeing Luz.

"So you're making kids work for the Emperor now, are you Lily? Guess I shouldn't be surprised after trying to force Luz to join your crummy coven at the Covention." Eda said.

Lilith glared at her younger sister; "I am not making my apprentice do anything! We had a lesson scheduled for today and I felt this was a good opportunity for her to see a member of the Emperor's Coven in action!"

"Apprentice?" Luz said, looking questioningly at Amity. Last she'd checked, Amity was just one of Lilith's proteges, albeit her best one.

Amity nodded proudly; "After my performance in our duel, Miss Lilith offered to make me her real apprentice. Today's my first official day though; since she spent the last three weeks settling things with her other proteges."

"Awesome! Now we're both apprentices to one of the Clawthorne sisters! I bet we'll be the next generation of the strongest witches on the Boiling Isles!" Luz said, putting an arm around Amity's shoulders; "And I may not be a big fan of the whole coven thing, but that uniform looks pretty spiffy on you!"

Amity blushed at the compliment, while Eda and Lilith scowled, each for different reasons. Lilith was disappointed to hear her "niece" still had problems with the coven system, even after being enrolled at Hexside, while Eda wasn't happy to hear that Luz liked the uniform!

The sisters turned back to glare at one another, and Lilith asked; "What are you doing here, Edalyn? Even you normally know better than to come here. It's dangerous!"

"Hey, last I checked we both came here with our apprentices, so cram a sock in it! Speaking of; Hi Mike." Eda said, grinning at Lilith's staff.

Lilith blushed as her Palisman flew off of her staff and landed on Eda's hand. Luz and Amity blinked at the sight; while in staff form, the Palisman was sleek and cool looking, but in its living form, it was a much rougher white raven, which looked almost scruffy next to the orderly Lilith.

"I keep telling you, Edalyn! His name is Corvanc, NOT Mike Socks!" Lilith insisted, grabbing her Palisman back and holding it to her chest, which Corvanc/Mike seemed to greatly enjoy.

Eda cackled; "Face it Lils, I'm always going to use that name!"

Luz reached over and tickled Corvanc's beak, making him squawk happily; "Aw, he's a little sweetie just like Owlbert!" she said, as Owlbert came to rest on her shoulder so he could be petted too. "Why do you call him Mike Socks, Eda?"

"'Cause when Lily first carved him with Dad, he looked like a bad sock puppet. She didn't have the skill with carving that I did, so Dad had to help her more. When I first saw him, I called him Mike Socks and the name stuck." Eda explained.

"No it didn't!" Lilith protested; "You're the only one who calls him that!"

"And I always will." Eda smirked.

Lilith growled, but forced herself to take a deep breath. The Covention already made her look bad in front of Luz and Amity; she couldn't let her reputation slip any further. Once she was composed, Lilith placed Corvanc on her shoulder and straightened her back; "Enough of this. I asked what you're doing here, Edalyn. I would like an answer."

"The Bat Queen owes me a favour." Eda replied. "I'm using it to get some Palistrom wood for Luz."

Lilith and Amity both looked wide-eyed at Luz; "You're getting your Palisman already?" Amity asked.

"I was surprised too, but Eda thinks I'm ready." Luz smiled.

Lilith didn't look convinced, but she didn't want to insult her "niece". Eda noticed her expression however, and crossed her arms with a scowl; "Isn't that why you brought Baby Blight? Isn't your big "mission" to get her a Palisman?"

Amity perked up upon hearing that, but Lilith regretfully crushed her hopes; "No. We're here to offer a proposal to the Bat Queen. It is best if Amity never get a Palisman; she is going to join the Emperor's Coven some day, and all members have to give up their Palismen."

The girl frowned and looked down in disappointment, while Luz gasped and Eda narrowed her eyes.

"You have to give up your Palisman!? But that's horrible! That's like giving up a friend, or a part of yourself!" Luz cried.

"It's sick." Eda scowled, glaring at her sister, "But how did you get to keep Mike?"

"His name is-" Lilith stopped herself; there was no point in correcting her sister. Eda would keep calling her Palisman Mike just to annoy her. "As for why I was allowed to keep him… I don't truly know." she frowned, "Back when my group finished our training, the Emperor came by with his guards to collect our Palismen but told me to keep mine. He said the Titan had big plans for me, though he never elaborated."

"What happens to the Palismen he takes away?" Luz asked, fearing the answer.

Lilith somehow managed to turn paler than she already was, and promptly avoided the question; "I don't have time to play 20 questions. I am on an important mission for the Emperor. Amity, come."

The woman marched away from Luz and Eda, sending Corvanc ahead to lead her through the forest, while Amity gave Luz an apologetic look before quickly following behind her mentor. Eda and Luz watched them go for a moment, before the former sighed in annoyance; there was only one path through the forest, so there was no point trying to avoid her sister. Better to walk together, in case they ran into danger. Eda sent Owlbert forward to help guide them though, not fully trusting Lilith not to try and lead them astray.

Owlbert and Corvanc were soon flying side by side, happily chasing one another and playing as they guided their partners and the apprentices onward. Behind the Palismen, Luz and Amity walked side by side while Lilith walked ahead of them and Eda walked behind them, making sure they were covered from all sides in case of dangers. Luz and Amity remained on guard also, though they trusted their mentors to protect them if the worst should happen.

As they walked, Luz and Amity chatted quietly, while Lilith listened. She was glad to see her niece so happy, and pleased that her new apprentice was close to her; it may well prove useful…

Convincing Eda to join the Emperor's Coven was a fool's errand, but perhaps if Lilith could convince the more agreeable Luz into joining and being cured, then Eda would finally give up her resistance. Lilith had reluctantly taken Amity as an apprentice to keep her quiet about the bet she'd made at the Covention, knowing the girl would be so grateful that she'd never rat Lilith out to her parents, but now her apprenticeship could serve another purpose; bringing her wayward niece onto their side!

"Luz." Lilith said, getting the girl's attention, "I heard you are finally going to be attending Hexside. Have you decided what track you'll be joining?"

"No! I can't choose! They're all so interesting! I wish I could learn all of them." Luz said with frustration.

"Limiting oneself to only a single type of magic is rather difficult, especially for witches like us who excel in many types." Lilith agreed, "That is why the Emperor's Coven is so amazing. We can use any and all types of magic. I understand your misgivings, but you really should consider it. You're on the same level of talent as Amity, and she's a shoo-in to succeed me one day. It's been her dream for many years, hasn't it Amity?"

Amity nodded slowly, seeing where her mentor was going with this. She didn't exactly what to push Luz into joining a coven, especially given her angel status, but the girl also couldn't deny that she liked the idea of them both working together in the future.

"It is. As a Blight, I was raised to strive for the top, and there are none better than the Emperor's Coven. Anybody who wants to join a coven dreams of being welcome there." Amity answered honestly.

"I think you'd be amazing in their coven, Amity." Luz said, "But I'd honestly rather just go back to the Human Realm than join it myself. I don't trust the Emperor… what I saw at the Conformatorium was enough to convince me that something was wrong there, and I don't want to have my magic sealed away just because I don't want to be a part of his personal army. I love the Demon Realm and the Boiling Isles, but I couldn't stay a part of it if my only choice was be sealed or serve the Emperor."

Lilith and Amity gasped, while Eda smirked proudly; "That's my girl! If you're trying to convince Luz to join up Lily, then you'd better think twice. She's smart enough not to fall for that hold spiel."

Lilith scowled; "She only thinks like that because you've spent the last 14 years filling her head with anti-Emperor propaganda!"

"Better than filling it with PRO-Emperor Propaganda!" Eda shot back, as the two sisters began to bicker. Amity blinked; 14 years? But Luz said she'd only met Eda about five weeks ago…

Seeing the look of confusion on her mint-haired friend's face, Luz subtly summoned her scroll and began to text her the details of her cover story so Lilith wouldn't overhear. She briefly explained Eda's Curse, and how Lilith thought Luz was Eda's daughter, whose angel features were actually inherited via the curse. Amity's eyes went wide at that idea, as well as the fact that Luz and Eda had agreed to let Lilith keep her assumptions in order to protect the truth. However it would be hard for Luz to play along without lying, so Amity sent back a quick message saying she'd help cover for her.

Smiling to one another, the two girls tuned back into their mentor's argument, which was gradually getting more and more heated.

"Honestly, just give it up Lily; Luz doesn't want to join a coven and that's final!" Eda yelled.

"Only because of you and your issues!" Lilith shot back.

"Hey, I didn't decide for her! Sure I never hid my opinions, but I always told her the truth about the system! Luz came to her own conclusions! You should respect that!"

"How can I do that when I'm watching my own niece throw away her future! The Emperor could heal her curse! He could heal yours! But you choose to let yourself and your daughter suffer just because of your pride!" Lilith shouted furiously, before her tone became imploring; "Eda please! We once dreamed of joining the Emperor's Coven together! It was all we wanted for years! But then the curse…"

Eda's expression softened; "Lily, I appreciate that you're looking out for me, even after all these years. But those days are long gone; this curse is part of me now. Sure it sucks, but I'm managing. And Luz isn't suffering! Her curse doesn't hurt her like mine does!"

"Then why hide it? Why have her hide behind a concealment stone?" Lilith countered.

Luz frowned and took her concealment stone off, causing her hair to turn white. Her wings remained hidden though; she didn't want to take up too much space in the narrow forest trail. "I wear it so no one knows the truth. Good thing Amity already knows, or you'd have just outed me, Auntie Lilith."

Lilith blushed as she realised what she'd done in her frustration, while Eda exchanged looks with Amity. The youngest Blight gave a subtle nod of the head, showing she knew the truth and would play along.

"I am sorry, Luz." Lilith said, reaching back to put a hand on the girl's shoulder; "I acted thoughtlessly. Your mother and I tend to bring out the worst in each other, just like at the Covention. Are the feathers still hidden, or…?"

"I can control them, and make them come out when I want." Luz answered shortly.

"I'm glad." Lilith replied with a soft smile, before looking back to her sister; "But Eda, look at your child. With her features and those wings she keeps hidden, anyone who didn't know you would assume she's an angel! Those old wild superstitions about angels being real are still prevalent all over the isles, especially among the Demons. If the wrong person saw her, they'd kill her, sister!"

"And that's why she wears the stone. Plus it saves a fortune on hair dye. Now drop it, Lilith! Luz has made her decision and pestering her about it isn't helping your case!" Eda demanded.

Lilith narrowed her eyes, but she could see she was upsetting her niece, and her apprentice too, so she decided to concede for now. She'd just have to show Luz that the coven was the best thing for her, using herself and Amity as examples. "Very well, Edalyn. I will leave things here… for now."

And with that, Lilith marched further down the trail, following their Palismen guides and leaving Eda and the apprentices to catch up. Eda grumbled to herself as they continued their long march through the forest, while Luz and Amity felt awkward following the argument. They walked in silence for a few more minutes, before the question that had been bubbling inside Amity for a while now finally came out.

"Luz… what did you mean about what you saw at the Conformatorium. It's just a prison for criminals… right?" Amity asked, sounding unsure.

Luz shook her head sadly; "It's not. The prisoners there told me the truth, and Eda later confirmed it. Real criminals only stay there for a day or two, before they're taken to the Emperor's Dungeons. The rest of the people there are those who don't fit in. Those who don't conform. Weirdos who don't belong in the Emperor's order." Luz said, practically spitting the last word. The longer she stayed on the isles, the more that word felt cursed to her.