Chapter 10: Lost Languages and Found Knowledge

After the moon conjuring night, Finn was once again bedridden, lying on top of Eda's couch. The battle with the Lich had exhausted him, both physically and magically, leaving him in a weakened state. To help him recover, Luz decided to read The Good Witch Azura, volume 5, to him as he slept.

"'Azura,' Hecate began, 'our paths have crossed only in battle, but today I stand before you seeking an ally.'" Luz held the book close, immersing herself in the story and characters.

King pointed at her, annoyed. "Luz, you're getting all swoony again."

"I can't help it! Azura can befriend everyone, even her biggest rival. I wish I had that kind of power." She glanced at the unconscious Finn. "Hey, King?"

"Yeah, what is it?" King raised an eyebrow at the sudden question.

"Do you think Finn can beat this Lich guy?"

King thought for a moment. "I don't know. Most of what people know about him is from folktales." He ran over to the bookshelf and grabbed a book labeled Tales of the Lich. Opening it, he set it down on the coffee table. "It says here that the Lich is an ancient evil—some say he's older than the Titan itself."

"Wow, that's one terrifying picture of him," Luz said, looking closely at the illustrations. "So he's a skeleton?"

"No one really knows. No one has seen him and lived. But everyone agrees that he's one of the most powerful creatures to ever exist on the Boiling Isles."

"So… no weaknesses?"

"Well, not exactly. Some stories say there's a force that can destroy him." King looked at Luz with a serious expression.

"What is it?" she asked, hopeful they could use it to help Finn.

"It's called… love."

"Huh?" Luz was confused by the simple answer to such a difficult problem. "Wait, so the only thing that can possibly defeat him is love?" She looked at King with stars in her eyes.

"Yeah, I mean, that's what most of the stories say, at least." King looked puzzled at her reaction.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Luz raised her fists in the air. "I knew the power of love could defeat any evil." She placed both hands over her heart.

"Alright, enough with the love talk. Let's get back to the book," King said, eager to continue. "Rivals are meant to be annihilated, not befriended. Now keep reading—I'm sucked into your awful fandom!" He was completely invested.

Luz smiled, happy to oblige her fellow Azura fan. "Okay, suddenly the door swings open—" Just then, the front door burst open, interrupting her reading.

"Ding, dong, ding, hoot hoot," Hooty announced.

King panicked. "The book has come to life! Burn it!"

Luz checked the door and noticed a basket at her feet. She brought it inside and placed it on the kitchen table. "Eda, you got a package. It looks like a gift basket."

"Probably an offering. Ah, being the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles has its perks."

Excited at the prospect of food, King pulled off the cloth covering the top—only to reveal a sleeping baby. "Hmm, fresh meat," he said, rubbing his hands together.

Luz was horrified. "Nope, not eating that." She walked out of the kitchen to avoid the scene.

"Witches eating babies is so 1693. What is this?"

"There's a note." King read it out loud: "'Take care of my child 'til morning. Yi Yi?'"

"Nope, babies are awful. Not happening." Eda gave two thumbs down.

King continued reading the note. "'You will be handsomely rewarded. XOXO, the Bat Queen.'"

Eda's eyes widened. "Bat Queen?" King then pulled out gold coins from the basket. "Rewards?"

"Who's the Bat Queen?" Luz asked.

"She's—" Finn, now awake, interrupted her explanation. "She's the wealthiest demon on the Boiling Isles. Pretty nice, but do not make her angry." He looked around. "Also, is there anything to eat? My stomach's basically caved in."

"Finn! You're awake!" Luz rushed over to check on him.

"Well, perfect timing, kid," Eda said. "Here's the plan: we keep this thing alive for a few hours, and we get paid. Easy."

"Our greatest adventure yet—learning about love and life through a child's eyes," Luz said dreamily, hands clasped and gazing upward.

"Not you. You and Finn have to return the books I checked out from the library." Eda conjured a pile of books from thin air.

"Don't listen to her, Luz. She just wants us out of here so she doesn't have to share any rewards." Finn had spent enough time with Eda to know when he was being cut out of a deal. "But I don't have the energy to babysit, so let's go." He hesitated. "Am I forgetting something?" Shaking his head, he dismissed the thought. "Must not be important." He closed the door behind him and Luz. After a few seconds of walking, they heard an ear-piercing screech from inside. "Ah, the sweet sound of karma." He pulled Luz into a side hug, grinning at Eda's misfortune.

"Whoa, we really dodged a bullet there, didn't we?" Luz said, relieved that their task was simply to return some books.

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Finn and Luz were on their way to the library, with Luz struggling to keep her balance as she held all the books. Finn trudged alongside her, looking as though he could collapse at any moment. Luz noticed his condition.

"Hey, buddy, you don't have to do this with me. Why don't you sit down somewhere and take a breather for a while?"

"Thanks, but no thanks," Finn replied. "The sooner we get there, the sooner I get to rest in a place that encourages silence." He thought to himself, What am I forgetting about the library?

When they arrived, Luz was awestruck by its design. The building was large, two stories tall, with two separate wings. At the center stood a tall tower with a stained-glass window.

"Whoa," was all she could say.

Finn sighed and muttered to himself, "What is it about the library that I'm forgetting?"

"Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah, it's just… I never go to the library, but I can't remember why."

"Well, since we're here, let's just return the books, then look around a bit?" Finn shrugged at Luz's suggestion and walked through the front door. As soon as Luz stepped in, all the books she was carrying floated toward the front desk.

The librarian at the desk checked each book, marking them all as overdue. Inspecting the last book, he muttered, "Coffee, grass, and blood stains? These are Eda's, aren't they?"

"Ha! That was a crazy night," Luz chuckled awkwardly.

"Ugh, I'll put them on her tab. By the way, we're closing early for the Wailing Star meteor shower."

"Ooo, what's that?" Luz asked, intrigued.

"You're in a library. Read a book," the librarian deadpanned.

Luz brightened. "I am in a library. I will read a book!" She began wandering around, marveling at all the library had to offer. She fed the Demon Decimal System some candy, which then threw up index cards at her. She tried to grab a book from the line of floating books above the room but was carried away by them instead. She even watched people using reference crystal balls. "This place is amazing."

While Luz was getting lost in the wonders of research, Finn was busy trying to rest. He sat at a random table, scrolling through his messages, one of which caught his attention—it was from Skara: Hey, just wanted to know what that was all about the other night. Just text me back when you want to meet up again, okay?

Finn frowned, headache mounting as he tried to think of an explanation. "Being possessed by an ancient evil" would sound absurd, even in the Demon Realm. Suddenly, he heard a low humming, growing louder. Curious, he went to investigate. He found the sound coming from a book titled The Enchiridion.

The Lich's voice echoed in his mind. "Ah, The Enchiridion, a powerful artifact. Bound within its pages lies a mere fraction of the knowledge I possess."

Finn placed the book back on the shelf. "Pass."

"What are you doing?" The Lich sounded annoyed. "With that, you could unlock untold knowledge."

"Anything you find interesting is probably going to kill me or my friends. Pass." Finn deadpanned. As he walked away, he noticed Luz. "Hey, had enough fun yet?"

"Well, I—" Luz began, before they heard someone speak.

"What do you think you're doing?" a voice said.

"Ah! I've been caught! Pretend to be a book!" Luz folded her arms, trying to blend in with the other books, only to hear children laughing. "Wait."

The voice continued. "We are your friends, and we want to help."

Both Finn and Luz realized the voice belonged to Amity, who was reading to a group of children.

"Amity seems so nice and smiley. Maybe I can befriend her, like Azura befriended her rival?" Luz said excitedly.

"I wouldn't try that," Finn whispered. "She has a habit of changing her tune depending on who you are. And she's coming this way—hide!" They ducked behind the shelves near the entrance.

Amity walked over to put a book back when she spotted them. "Ugh, you two again."

"Amity, reading to kids? Wow, looks like this sour lemon drop has a hidden sweet center," Luz said, trying to befriend her.

"It's for extra credit. Don't get your leggings in a bunch," Amity replied, tidying up the Kid's Corner.

"Of course it is," Finn said sarcastically. "Everything the perfect princess does is for extra credit."

Amity bristled at that. "Hey, I work hard for everything I achieve." She pointed a finger at Finn.

"Oh, so your family being one of the richest on the Boiling Isles has nothing to do with it? Or maybe it's your ability to get rid of any distractions whenever you feel like it." Finn's tone matched her anger.

Amity had had enough. "Just go. Get out of here right now!" She pointed toward the door.

Finn looked hurt, then sad, as he closed his eyes and seemed to repress something. Opening them again, he glared at Amity before shaking his head. "Typical. Even after all these years, you just—" He sighed. "Never mind. Come on, Luz, let's go." He turned to leave, then paused, glancing back at her. "You know, seeing you read to those kids with a smile on your face made me think maybe there's a little bit of the old you left in there."

Luz watched Finn walk away, concerned for him. "You know, Finn isn't the best with words; he usually just punches problems away. But I hope you two can work things out, because beneath it all, he's just trying to be a better person." She chased after Finn, leaving a conflicted Amity behind.

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Luz hurried to catch up to Finn. "Hey, Finn, wait up!" she called. When she finally reached him, she asked, "What happened back there? You seemed kind of sad." She wanted to understand and perhaps help fix whatever was bothering him. Finn just stood there, his face showing annoyance.

Before he could respond, they heard someone interject, "You gonna let her get to you like that, Sunshine?" Finn and Luz looked over, only to see two people Finn least wanted to encounter—Amity's older siblings, Edric and Emira Blight.

"Who are you? And who's 'Sunshine'?" Luz asked, puzzled.

Before they could answer, Finn cut in, "Luz, these two future criminals who share a brain cell are Ed and Em, Princess's older but not wiser siblings." He smirked as the two walked over to him.

Ed responded with a grin. "Ah, Sunshine, we knew you still cared about us."

"Yeah, are you gonna write a song for us like you used to?" Em teased, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

Before Finn could retort, Ed turned to Luz. "Since he answered your first question, we'll answer the second."

Em continued, "This guy here is Sunshine, because no matter what, he's always positive, happy, and writes cheerful songs about life, love, and happiness." She then used her fingers to force Finn's face into a smile, which he quickly swatted away.

Luz looked surprised. "Wait, Finn's nickname is Sunshine?" She gave him a playful grin. "So there is a nice guy under all that anger." She threw an arm around him in a side hug, which he immediately tried to escape. Then a thought struck her. "Is there a reason you call Amity 'Princess'?"

The twins exchanged mischievous looks. "Oh, there's a story behind that," Ed said with a smirk.

"It all began when Sunshine here put on a cursed crown that—" Em started, only to be cut off by Finn.

"What are you two doing here?" he asked, clearly annoyed by their antics.

"We are well-wishers on a mission," Ed said.

"A noble quest," Em added.

Then Ed turned and called out to Amity, "Hey, Mittens!" This made Amity turn red with embarrassment and irritation. "Mom says stop forgetting your lunch, and stop being a jerk to your new friend and Sunshine over here." He held out a lunch bag, which Amity snatched, her expression frosty.

"Neither of them is my friend," Amity said coldly.

Luz's expression fell, showing her disappointment. Em stepped next to her, placing her hands on Luz's shoulders. "Yeah, makes sense. Sunshine's too happy, and you're too cool for her anyway."

Amity, fed up, pointed at them. "You can all leave now," she ordered, giving Finn one last glare. Em giggled, and Ed winked at Luz, making her blush with embarrassment.

The four of them walked together through the library. "So you're the human we've heard so much about," Ed said.

"We heard how Sunshine and you embarrassed Amity at school and at the Covention last week. No wonder she hates you both," Em added.

Finn smirked. "What can I say? I have a unique gift when it comes to Amity."

Luz looked at him, a bit concerned. "Come on, Finn, I know you didn't mean for any of that to happen. I thought you two were as cool as cucumbers, but now you seem more like sour pickles."

Em grabbed Luz by the arm. "Don't waste your time on Mittens; Ed and I are way more fun. Come with us."

Finn grabbed her other arm. "Be careful, Luz. Speaking from experience, these two are nothing but trouble." He glared at the twins. "If you go with them, chances are you're going to end up in trouble." Luz thought for a second, then walked off with the twins anyway. Finn just shook his head and sat at a random desk, waiting for them to inevitably be kicked out.

He didn't have to wait long before the librarian pushed them through the front door, shouting, "You've made reading far too fun. Now, stay out!" He slammed the door shut behind them.

When Finn exited the library, he saw Luz and the twins laughing. "So, did you have your fill of fun? Because if so, Luz, we should go back to Eda's and call it a day." He yawned for emphasis.

"In a minute! Let me say goodbye to Ed and Em," Luz replied. She turned to the twins. "Amity's even madder at me now. I didn't think that was possible."

"Oh, when Mittens gets mad, she looks like this." Ed took a deep breath and held it, his face turning red. "Whoa, almost passed out," he joked.

"You're pretty fun, human," Em said, nodding along with her brother. She leaned in closer to Luz. "So hey, we're coming back tonight. There's a certain book we forgot to check out." She whispered the last part, smirking.

Ed chimed in, matching her tone, "And bonus, rumor has it the Wailing Star is supposed to unlock some rare magical event. You in, friend?"

"Sure!" Luz agreed without hesitation.

The twins waved goodbye as they walked off. "Great! Meet back here at midnight. See you, Luz! And hey, Sunshine, you can join in if you want," Ed added with a smirk.

"Bye! This is great—first I befriend the siblings, then I befriend Amity!" Luz squealed in joy.

Finn raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't get my hopes up, Luz. Knowing the twins, this is going to end in disaster. And as for Princess—uh, Amity—you're probably not up to her standards for a friend. Trust me, I speak from experience." He began walking down the steps, ignoring Amity, who was clearly trying to eavesdrop nearby.

Luz followed him. "So, are you coming back here with me tonight?"

As they walked away, Amity, having overheard their conversation, grew so furious that her face turned red. "Whew, almost passed out," she muttered, trying to calm herself down.

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Luz burst through the door, bubbling with excitement. "I just had the best day! Cool teens like me! Call me a library book, because they were checking me out." Her enthusiasm paused as she noticed Eda gently holding the Bat Queen's baby in her arms. "Aw, Eda, you look so motherly."

"Eda, motherly?" Finn chuckled. "It looks more like she kidnapped the little guy and is holding him hostage for ransom."

Eda shot him a glare. "Say that again, and I'll steal both of your tongues."

Finn raised his hands in surrender. "And with that, I'll just wait outside to avoid any of the future mess that's about to go down here."

"Aw, how could you say that with this cute little baby here?" Luz cooed, leaning in to poke the baby's cheeks. Suddenly, the baby coughed up another baby. And then that baby barfed up another one, making a total of three. "Uh… gross," Luz muttered, cringing.

One of the babies then exhaled a burst of fire, sending everyone scrambling. "Parenting sure looks rewarding. Enjoy your life lessons—bye!" Luz called as she darted out the door, shutting it firmly behind her.

Outside, Finn was waiting. "Alright, since Eda's occupied, let's go to the obvious trap the twins have set for us."

"You don't know that for sure," Luz said, trying to defend them.

Finn raised an eyebrow. "Luz, I've known them a lot longer than you. Trust me, by the end of the night, I'll probably want to punch them both for messing with me." He held up his hand and conjured a small flame for emphasis.

Luz laughed nervously. "I'll take that as a 'let's get going,' then."

They headed off, with Finn looking more than a little wary.

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At the library entrance, Luz was pacing nervously, fixing her hair and adjusting her posture. "I'm cool," she kept muttering to herself, trying out different poses to seem more confident.

Finn, watching with growing annoyance, finally spoke up. "Luz, you don't have to worry about impressing Ed and Em. Like I said, by the end of the night, you'll learn to hate them."

Em giggled as she walked up. "Aw, Sunshine, I thought you really cared about us!" She turned to Luz. "And keep going, this is fun to watch!"

"Ready to bring this, uh… whatever you're doing, inside?" Ed gestured toward the door.

Luz nodded eagerly, while Finn rolled his eyes. "Alright, let's get this over with."

Ignoring the "No Trespassing" sign, Ed unrolled a piece of paper with an illustration of four keys, then handed it to Em.

"And he's also allergic to dairy," Em added, with a mischievous grin.

Ed sighed, mock-annoyed. "Wow, okay, just expose me." Em placed the paper on the giant keyhole, which promptly enlarged enough for all of them to pass through.

"Whoa." Luz was amazed as they entered the dimly lit lobby. "You guys know how to throw a party!"

"There! The Wailing Star!" Ed pointed at a stained-glass window where a strange star emitted a soft, eerie wail.

The group watched expectantly, but nothing happened.

"Hmm, disappointing," Ed said.

"Wait!" Luz pointed at a shelf where the books were glowing green. She pulled one down, titled Extinct Birds of the Boiling Isles. As she opened it, a flock of birds flew out of the pages. "Wow!"

"The Wailing Star brought the books to life!" Ed exclaimed. Sharing an excited look, they began to pull books from the shelves, causing creatures and spells to emerge.

Meanwhile, Finn decided to find a quiet spot to lie low until they'd had their fun. As he wandered, he came across The Enchiridion—the same book he'd grabbed earlier that day.

"The book calls to you, boy. Will you ignore it?" the voice of the Lich whispered in his mind.

"I don't need it. I'm powerful enough," Finn muttered, staring at the book's cover—a circle of jewels with a sword in the center. Just as he was about to put it back, he heard a growl and rushed to see what trouble the others were in.

"Luz!" Amity shouted, being dragged away by a pink monster rabbit.

"Amity!" Luz called, trying to help.

"Luz!" Finn ran up to her, concerned. "What happened here?"

"No time! Go to the kids' corner and save Amity!" Luz urged.

Not questioning it, Finn sprinted toward the kids' corner, where he found the pink monster sewing Amity into a book.

"Why are you doing this? I've been reading you since I was a kid. I know you're not like this—someone changed you!" Amity protested.

Before the monster could respond, Finn interrupted. "Hey, ugly!" He punched the creature, knocking it away from Amity. "Stay away from her, and I'll only beat you halfway to death," he added, cracking his knuckles.

Amity looked at him, shocked. "Finn, just burn his book—that'll end this!"

Finn grimaced. "Wish I could, but I'm drained right now. I don't even have my sword."

The monster stood back up, ready to attack, when a purple cloud filled the room. From it emerged Azura—or so they thought.

"Azura?" Amity said, confused.

"Close." The figure revealed herself to be Luz in an Azura costume. "Is it drawn okay? I kind of interpreted the descriptions."

"Luz, I'm handling this just—" Finn's words were cut off as the monster sucker-punched him, sending him through a wall and a few shelves.

"FINN!" both Luz and Amity cried.

Finn, barely conscious, saw The Enchiridion nearby. Desperate, he thought, If this dumb book can help me, it's worth the risk.

"Don't open it yet," the Lich advised. "Turn the sword on the cover. Invert it." Finn followed the instruction, and the cover turned pitch-black, now displaying the Lich's face. Its mouth opened. "Place a drop of blood on it, and the book will be bound to you."

Without hesitation, Finn bit his finger, letting a drop of blood fall into the open mouth. The book floated in front of him, opening itself. "Good. Now, gaze upon my work."

The page displayed a glyph—a circle with two parallel arrows, each with three barbs pointing in opposite directions.

"A glyph?" Finn murmured, recognizing its resemblance to Luz's magic symbols.

"Yes," the Lich confirmed. "I created glyphs like these when my magic was once sealed. This one, called Kronos, will aid you in this fight. Turn it clockwise or counterclockwise to activate it."

Struggling to his feet, Finn limped back to the kids' corner, where Luz and Amity were nearly sewn into the book. He quickly drew the Kronos glyph on a sheet of paper, slapped it onto the monster's back, and turned it counterclockwise. In seconds, the monster transformed into a small pink rabbit, leaving everything it had summoned to vanish.

Luz caught the rabbit, which looked up at her apologetically. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me," it said.

Amity took the rabbit, comforting it. "It's okay; we're still friends."

"Speak for yourself, Princess," Finn growled, collapsing to the floor.

Luz closed the book, making the rabbit disappear, then turned to Finn with a look of awe. "Finn! That was amazing! Was that a new glyph? Can you show me how to draw it?"

Finn, too tired to protest, sighed. "Let me lean on you on the way back to Eda's, and I'll think about it."

Luz helped him up, letting him use her as a crutch.

Amity joined on his other side, steadying him. "Fine, I'll help too, but only so we can clean up this mess faster."

"Aw, I thought this could be a bonding moment," Luz said with a slight pout.

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As the three of them made their way down the library steps, Luz beamed. "What an adventure! Thanks for helping clean up, Amity."

"This never happened," Amity replied curtly, walking away from them.

"Wait!" Luz called out, digging through her bag. "I know it doesn't make up for reading your diary, but…" She pulled out a book. "If you'd like to borrow this." Luz offered The Good Witch Azura, Volume Five. "I noticed you only had up to Volume Four."

Amity took the book, her expression softening slightly. "Thank you." She sounded surprised, a bit guarded, but grateful. Taking a few steps away, she turned back to them. "Maybe you aren't a bully. I haven't exactly been the friendliest witch either. I'll… think on that." With a small nod, she walked off into the distance.

"Huh," Finn murmured, watching her go. "Maybe there is a bit of the old Amity left in there after all."

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Luz and Finn stepped into the Owl House, with Luz announcing cheerfully, "Hey guys, we're… home." They both paused at the sight before them: Eda was cradling three babies, with King sound asleep on her lap.

They might have enjoyed the scene a little longer, but then—"DING! DONG!" Hooty's loud voice echoed.

Luz groaned. "Hooty…" Just then, a massive figure with a giant head and bat wings entered through the door.

"Whoa, you must be Mama," Luz said, wide-eyed at the Bat Queen's size.

"Yes, Mama is I. And I is the Bat Queen." She whistled, summoning her children, who flocked into her hair. "Ah, my snuggle dumplings." She then tossed a red chest filled with snails and a skull-shaped whistle onto the floor. "For troubles, Eda is owed one." With that, she turned and flew off into the night.

Luz closed the door as Eda began to wake up. "Ah, my sweet babies! Babies? Where are the babies?" Luz made a bird shape with her hands, imitating their flight. "Aw, and I just taught Junior to pick locks too," Eda sighed.

"Looks like your night was a success! Look at all that money you made!" Luz gestured to the chest of snails. "And this whistle—courtesy of that scary lady. Probably best to wash it before you use it."

"Yeah, we did it all for money…" Eda muttered, sounding a little defeated.

"I miss my babies!" King whimpered, clinging to Eda.

"Oh! I got you something from the library!" Luz handed Eda a book titled Coping with Empty Nest Syndrome.

"Heh, thanks, kid." Eda accepted it with a grin, then glanced at the injured and nearly passed-out Finn. "So, how was your night?"

Luz gave a small smile. "Good, then bad… then maybe good."

"Hey, wanna hear about my night?" Hooty interrupted eagerly.

"No!" Luz and Eda chorused, covering their ears.

"That's not a thing anyone ever wants!" King shouted, glaring at Hooty from his spot on Eda's lap.