Chapter 5: Chapter Five: Rebel Without a Coven

Another day on the Boiling Isle means another day for Booker and Luz to work at Eda's stand, trying to sell human junk to the people. It's been a few days since the incident with Eda's curse. Since then, the Owl House has repaired from the damage caused by the Owl Lady. As they waited for potential customers, Eda dusted off some of the items while Booker set up more for sale. Meanwhile, Luz was reading to King one of her Azura and the Dark One books. 

"'Emboldened by the dishonor Hecate had shown, Dominic lifted his sword to the cotton-candy skies and shouted, 'I challenge you to a Magic Duel!''" Luz read the page to the little demon. 

"Isn't that the page I made that little drawing?" Booker asked. 

"Yup!" Luz looked at the bottom right corner of the page. There was Booker's small drawing of Dominic and Hecate. She flipped the corner of the page back and forth, showing Dominic's sword and Hecate's staff hitting one another. "Pew, pew, pew!" 

"Show me the picture," King said, wanting to see. 

"What?"

"Show me the picture!" Luz turned the book around to show the little demon the page. "Hah! I can draw better than that. You know, they once called me the King of Artists."

"King, are you just making up all these titles to make you feel more important than you really are?" Booker said with a smirk.

"Burn~," Luz said as the two fist-bumped. 

"No, I don't!" King shouted before calming down. It doesn't matter. What's important is that my followers would leave me offerings in fear of me!"

"Yeah, 'fear of you.'" Booker rolled his eyes.

"Well, I can offer you more of this tantalizing book," Luz offered. 

Eda groaned out loud in annoyance. "Ugh! Please stop reading that crap! Its flowery language is an insult to witches and wizards alike. And driving away all of our serious customers!" She complained while lightly swatting the two best friends with the feather duster. 

"Um, Aunt Eda? What customers?" Booker asked his aunt, gesturing to the sheet. Showing that it was completely empty and devoid of life. No people or even the other stands. "We've been here for hours, and we haven't seen a single person!" 

"There aren't even any other stands around. What's going on?" Luz asked the Owl Lady.

"This is a bad omen," Eda said in a serious tone. "There must be something horrible happening today."

"Luz! Booker!" shouted a familiar voice. Booker and Luz turned and were pleasantly surprised to see Willow and Gus, their new friends from Hexside, running over to them. 

"Gus, Willow! Hey!" Luz greeted her friends.

"Something amazing is happening today!" Gus said with excitement. 

"Really? What's going on?" Booker asked.

"It's the annual covention!" Willow said, holding up a flier to show the friends. "Student witches get to see all the types of covens before they're placed in one. There's even a mystery guest this year!" She pointed to the bottom of the flier, where the two words were brightly shown. 

"A job fair for witches! Eda, can we go?" Luz asked her mentor with excitement. 

"Absolutely not." Eda quickly shot down. This just caused Luz to groan and slide onto the ground, but she was stopped when Booker held her up from under her arms. 

"But why not? Sounds like it could be fun," said Booker, struggling to hold up Luz. "Okay, Luz, please get up."

"It is most certainly not. I never joined a coven for a reason. Sure, it's like a fun club for witches, but you're also giving up your magical independence to be part of a crooked system," Eda said, slamming her fist on the table. 

"Yeah, they're still here, by the way," Booker said, pointing his thumb back at Willow and Gus.

"Eh, but, you know, no judgment. In any case, I haven't been to one since we were girls," Eda said, looking away. 

"'We,'" Booker said. Luz popped back up with equal interest. "Who's we?" 

"I-I mean Mal and me!"

"You also said when 'we were girls'," Booker said, using air quotes.

"I—the—I mean—" Eda sputtered, trying to formulate a response, but she was interrupted by Luz pointing her finger at the witch. 

"You have a mysterious past! Now we gotta go!" She exclaimed. 

"No."

Booker and Luz frowned at the old woman. They then looked at one another and gave each other a mischievous smirk. Turning back to Eda, they crossed their arms. "Okay, Auntie. Let the record show we tried to reason with you," Booker said.

"Now it's time for the nuclear opinion," Luz said, handing King her Azura and the Dark One book. 

"You wouldn't," Eda said, glaring. 

Only then did Luz snap her fingers, and King opened the book. "' You shall not shan't doeth no more harm,' Dominic callethed out…" King read the book out loud as he walked up to Eda, who could only stare into nothingness in horror. 

"So flowery, so awful," Eda said, trying to walk away. But King followed her. 

As one final act to escape the awful tween novel, Eda brought out the transdimensional portal Malcolm had given her. She threw it up, and the door unfolded and opened to the human world. Eda walked through it. Booker picked up King and threw him through the portal after her before it closed. 

"3, 2, 1," Booker counted with his fingers until the portal opened again, and Eda came back with King on top of her head. Still torturing her with reading. 

"Stop it! Stop it! I will literally do anything. Just stop this!" Eda begged her two students. 

"Anything?" Booker asked with a smirk.

"Yes! Anything!" 

"Will you come with us to the covention?" 

"Yes! Yes! I'll go! Just make him stop!" 

"Down, boy," Booker said. King closed the book and jumped over to the hybrid's shoulder, Giving Luz back her book. Eda sighed in relief—that was until she realized that she had just played into their hands…again. 

And just like that, minutes later, they were all standing in front of the large building housing the covention. While the kids were excited, Eda let out a loud groan as she pinched the bridge of her nose. 

"I don't know why I put up with you two," she complained. 

"Because we own you," Booker said, smirking mischievously. 

"Because you love us," Luz said, smiling innocently. 

"Yeah, yeah. Now help me out with this." Eda tried to put her cowl on, but her big hair made it difficult for the woman. Booker and Luz worked together to push her hair into the cowl while King got on her head to get it over her head. "Gotta keep a low profile," she grunted.

"Is this cowl really necessary?" Luz grunted, still pushing the hair. 

"Do you think all my wanted posters are for petty theft?" Eda asked, finally managing to push the hair into the cowl. At that moment, multiple stolen items fell out of her cowl onto the ground. Causing a moment of silence.

"Really?" Booker deadpanned. 

"Well...partly. But the big whammy is I disobeyed the law and refused to join a coven," Eda said, gathering all of the stolen items and stuffing them back into her cowl. 

"Wait, that's a thing?" Booker asked, raising an eyebrow. "This is why you're on the run."

"That's right. If I'm seen, I could go to jail. Again," Eda said. 

"Maybe this informative event will inspire you to join a coven," Willow said, with one of Eda's wanted posters. This annoyed Eda, and she made a small spell circle. The spell pulled Willow's hood over her face. 

"Eda!" Booker said, helping his friend get the cloak off.

"Let's just get this over with," Eda groaned like a whiny teenager as the group walked towards the door. 

When they entered the building, Booker and Luz were left in shock and awe. The large room building was filled with magical wonders. Creatures of all shapes and sizes walked around or flew above the crowd on broomsticks. Nine large multicolored tapestries hung from the roof, with different booths all over the place under them. 

"Whoa...Was I even alive before now?" Luz said with wide eyes. 

Booker looked at the tapestries and pointed at them. "What do those represent?"

"Those are the main nine covens, but there are hundreds of other ones you can join," Gus explained as they started walking past the booths. 

Willow began listing the ones that she knew about: "There's Flower Coven, Artist Coven, Big Dog Coven, Small Cat Coven, Tiniest Cat Coven—" She was interrupted by Eda's groan of annoyance. 

"Is there a coven for grumpy," Booker asked with a smirk. 

"What was that?" Eda glared at him. But the kids and King ran off. 

As they continued walking and glancing at the stands, Luz stopped and pointed at something. "Ooh, what's that?"

She pointed at a muscular wizard wearing a hard hat. Behind him were two large stacks of wood and bricks. Standing near him was a familiar face—or rather, a nose. 

"Hey, that conspiracy theorist from the Conformitorium?" Booker asked, pointing at Tiny Nose.

"That's the Construction Coven," Willow said. The friends watched as the man took the two pallets the stacks were on and threw them into the air. Booker gasped and was about to shield himself and Luz when the building material came back down, assembling and forming a fully functioning house. 

"Oh, shit! That's awesome!" Booker exclaimed at the amazing feat of strength and skill he had just witnessed. 

"It's one of the main nine covens. They use power glyphs to increase their strength," Willow explained as the wizard took off his hard hat, revealing a small stack of papers. When the man peeled off one side, they turned out to be stickers. 

Luz saw the glyph, which was a fist with a thunderbolt in it. "Oh! Booker, maybe we can use that glyph," she said, pointing at the glyphs.

"But how will I get my hands on it?" Booker asked. 

It turned out luck was on his side when the construction wizard slapped the glyph on Tiny Nose. She suddenly screamed and looked like she was going Super Saiyan. So much power exploded from the little creature's body. At first, the wizard nodded, but that was before Tiny Nose grabbed him and threw him into the air. 

"I'm the destroyer of worlds!" She then went on a total rampage as the other wizards and witches tried to stop her. 

Just then, the construction wizard who had been thrown landed in front of them. The hat came off, and stickers flew everywhere. 

"Yoink!" Booker snatched one of the stickers from the air. Tearing off the plastic piece, he placed his hand on the glyph and watched as his magic circle copied the glyph on his hand.

"Yowza-wowza!" Luz said, still shocked by Tiny Nose's rampage. Suddenly, a blue copy of Luz appeared behind her.

"Yowza-wowza!" It said, startling her. 

"Yowza-wha-a-a?" Luz and Booker watched as the copy walked over to another one of the covens. It waved at her and winked at Booker before disappearing, revealing it was being controlled by two other students with the same colors as Gus. The sign of their coven was a handheld mirror. 

"Ah! The allure of the Illusionist Coven has taken you in. We like magic with a hint…" Gus said, stepping forth and making his magic circle before poofing into smoke. He then reappeared again a few feet away from where he originally was. "...of showmanship."

His fellow members poofed in behind him, and then they bowed together. 

"Wow! Acceptance? Comradery? A sense of belonging? Covens sound incredible!" Luz said with a big grin. 

"I'll say," said Booker before looking at his aunt. "How come you never joined one, Aunt Eda?"

"Watch closely, you two," Eda said, turning the best friends towards the Illusionist Coven. Having them watch as a new member was initiated with magic branding. "When you join a coven, all your other magic is sealed away. From now on, that kid will only be able to make illusions. Since I never joined a coven, I can do every kind of magic." 

She showed this by conjuring a fireball in one hand and an orb of water in the other before dispelling them. 

"That's why I'm the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles." She walked away, leaving the kids in awe before running to catch up with her. 

As they walked along, Booker pulled Eda back away from Willow and Gus. While they didn't notice, Luz did and walked over to join her friend and her master.

"Hey, Aunt Eda. About what you said. What would happen if I joined a coven? Would all my magic be turned one magic," he asked his mentor. Eda thought for a moment with her hand under her chin. 

"Nope, you'd most definitely explode," she said.

"WHAT?!" Booker and Luz yelled in total shock, with Luz hugging her best friend. 

"What do you mean I'll explode?!" Booker asked.

"Kid, you're asking to contain an ocean inside a glass jar! It's why your dad never joined one either," Eda said as they walked together. 

"Booker's dad never joined one?" Luz asked, finally letting go of Booker. 

"Yep. For him, it wouldn't have been as bad as you, Booker. But he didn't like the coven system. Knowing that it wouldn't have done him any good." Eda said, looking away from them and frowned. "Especially if Emperor Belios knew about him."

"Who?" Booker asked, not quite hearing her completely. 

"Guys! Look!" Gus called to the three, getting their attention. Gus and Willow were standing at the entrance of a section that had guards standing at attention. Each guard wore a white cape and cowl with a raven-looking mask. Above the entrance was a coven bander that was of a sword with wings and a circle in the middle. 

"That panel looks popular," Luz commented, 

"It's the Emperor's Coven!" Gus exclaimed with excitement. "Do you think they'll sign my forehead?"

"There's only one way to find out!" Willow said as they started heading towards the entrance. Booker and Luz were going to join them, but they stopped when they realized that Eda wasn't. 

"Aren't you coming, Aunt Eda?" Booker asked.

"No way. Of all the covens, they're the worst. I'll wait out here," Eda said with a huff. 

"Look, Eda, I get it. Covens are bad. Individualism is good. But Booker and I are still trying to find our way in this world, so we're going to go in there and make up our own minds, okay?" Luz said before walking in with Booker.

In the end, Eda was forced to join them because she feared that someone from the attending covens would recognize her from her wanted poster. Booker and Luz were quite surprised to see that the Emperor's Coven had its own large, domed theater with rings of seats that overlooked the arena. There was a stage underneath a banner with the coven's symbol on it. 

"All right, let's see this mess," Eda said, sitting down next to the two friends. 

"Be nice," Booker said, the lights dimming down around them, signaling the beginning of the show. 

Music started to play as Principal Bump of Hexside appeared from a green pillar of energy. The spotlight shone on him as the crowd started applauding and cheering. He then made a small magic circle that conjured a microphone with bat wings. 

"Hello, Bonesborough! Students ask me all the time, 'Principal Bump, what's the height of magical achievement?'" Bump said to the crowd. 

"Is it this?!" said one of the students before doing his own spell, growing his head to freakishly large proportions. However, his neck couldn't support the weight and tilted over, crushing another student. 

" Wow. I failed you as a principal," Bump said, wincing. He then grabbed the mic. "It's being selected to join the best of the best. And there are none better than the jewel of the coven system and the enforcers of His will, the Emperor's Coven."

As he said this, three soldiers of the Emperor's Coven emerged from the floor in front of Bump. The crowd cheered and clapped for them. Booker and Luz were amazed by their entrance before Willow and Gus caught their attention. The two friends pointed at Gus's head, which was signed by the coven. Booker gave them a thumbs up. 

"Feast your eyes on this elite force; each member is handpicked to help usher in a new age of controlled magic," Bump said. The crowd watched as the three coven members held up their fingers and drew their own spell circle, shooting their separate types of magic, like water, fire, and lightning, into the air and combining them into a large firework.

While her apprentices were in awe, Eda was less than impressed. Leaning over to a random monster, she asked, "When does that elite force get here?" The Owl Lady started laughing at her joke after slapping her knee. The monster scooted away from her. 

"Members of the Emperor's Coven have access to all—yes, all forms of magic. Ooh. Aah." Bump said as the crowd copied his 'ooh' and 'aah' for some reason. But... only the best can ascend these ranks. Someday, that could be one of you!" 

He pointed at someone in the crowd. Booker followed his finger and saw it was none other than the Wicked Bitch of the West herself, Amity Blight. However, she didn't seem all that bitchy today. When Bump pointed at her, she squealed cutely in excitement at his words.

Booker was a little surprised to see Amity again but chose not to think too much about her.

The three coven soldiers then grabbed the corners of their capes and raised them in unison, causing them to disappear while Bump continued with the introductions magically. "And now, I'm pleased to introduce the esteemed leader of this coven and this year's mystery guest. You know her, you love her! Lilith!"

While everyone else gasped in shock and excitement, Eda had a different reaction. She stopped laughing and looked shocked at the mention of the name. 

Up above, they all watched as a flash of light conjured a large raven perched on a branch made of glowing blue energy. The raven dove off the branch and flew down towards the stage, landing in front of Bump and dispersing a large magic wave of energy that washed over the crowd. 

Booker shielded his eyes from the energy, but when it was over, he looked at the raven and saw a figure standing inside of it. The person was wearing a white raven mask, a white cape, and a white cowl. The person then raised her arms into the air, causing the raven to screech before disappearing into orbs of light, revealing the individual. 

Lilith appeared as a tall, slender middle-aged woman who looked to be in her mid-to-late forties. She had ivory skin, pointy ears, dark blue lips, dark gray claw-like nails, long, dark blue hair, and cyan eyes. Just like Eda with her jewel, Lilith had an inverted kite-shaped sky-blue gem on her sternum. She wore a long-sleeved, two-tone dark gray dress and dark gray laced boots.

While Luz and Booker clapped and the crowd cheered, Eda was still in shock seeing Lilith. Noticing their teacher's expression, Booker asked her, "You know her?"

"You could say that," Eda said. 

Luz gasped. "Mysterious past."

"Thank you, all," Lilith said with a small smile, using her magic to take off her cloak and mask and hand them over to Bump. "It wasn't easy for me to rise to the top. I also started from humble beginnings. Now, I have the highest honor of enforcing the Emperor's will. So be more! The Emperor's Coven awaits you!"

With a twirl, Lilith made another, much larger raven appear. This raven expanded and then exploded into many orbs of light, amazing everyone in the crowd as they cheered for her.

Everyone but Eda. She glared at Lilith.

After they exited the arena, Booker and Luz were about to explore more of the covention when they noticed Eda turning to the right and about to walk off. "Eda! Where are you going?" Luz asked.

"I'm gonna head home and wash the con funk off my skin," Eda told her. 

"Does it have something to do with that Lilith woman? How do you know here?" Booker asked.

"That's not something I want to talk about, Booker. Now, if you'll excuse me," said Eda. She started walking away again but stopped when Luz grabbed her arm.

"But we haven't even taken the quiz to determine our coven type!" Luz said, raising a book. Eda responded by using her magic to blast a hole into the page. As she walked away, Booker and Luz looked at the book. "Ooh, a punky potionist."

"Wait, where's King?" Booker asked, now realizing that the little demon was gone. 

"I thought he was with you," said Luz

"I was with you!"

Realizing this, Luz started to panic and looked around for their friend. "King! King! Baby precious!" 

"We'll split up and find him," Booker said. Luz nodded and ran off to find King. The boy did the same, but Booker accidentally bumped into someone when he was about to walk away. 

"Oh, hey, sorry about that-" He stopped and gasped when he saw a certain green-haired girl. 

"Watch where you—" Amity said, turning around and halting her sentence when she saw it was Booker. She glared furiously at him. "You again!" 

"Hehehe, Hey…" Booker said with a nervous laugh.

"You've got a lot of nerves coming here after what you and Willow's abomination did," Amity said, pointing at Booker.

"Look, we're sorry about that. We just wanted to help Willow. Also, Luz isn't an abomination; she's a human—just like me. Actually, I'm half-human on my mom's side, and I'm a witch on my dad's…" Booker said as he gently pushed Amity's finger away from his face. "Why don't we start over? I'm Booker Bridges, and I'm half human."

"Don't touch me!" Amity yanked her hand away from Booker. "You're the one that got me in trouble with Principal Bump, and I never get in trouble."

"That wasn't our intention," Booker said, following after Amity as she walked away from him. "And you're not innocent either."

Amity turned back to him. "What was that?"

"You tried to have Luz dissected by that old man." Booker reminded her.

"Yeah? Well, you shouldn't be here! This covention is for witches only," Amity stated. 

"I'm a half-witch, genius," Booker said, already giving up on trying to be nice to her. "And Luz and I are learning how to use magic. We're receiving magic lessons from a powerful witch and a ferocious demon."

"Booker! I found King," Luz said, running over with a smile. However, that smile vanished when she stopped and saw Amity. "Wait, what are you doing with Amity? And Amity's here?"

"Unfortunately," Booker sighed, frowning at Amity.

Amity glared at the two humans before something caught her attention. Looking past them, she then asked, "Is that your ferocious demon there?"

Booker turned and was met with a sight that made him sweatdrop. 

King was walking with a green baseball cap on his head, a pale green T-shirt with a pin, a blue and light blue striped scarf, and a pink cupcake in his hands. Behind him were witches from the bakers' coven with a tray of cupcakes in hand.

"Cupcakes in my tummy-tum makes the King say yummy-yum!" King said, smiling.

Facepalming, Booker said, "Yeah, that's him."

"So you'll join the Bakers Coven?" A baker asked King.

King stopped and looked at them as he stuffed the cupcake in his mouth. "Hmm... Nope!" He quickly snatched another cupcake and ran off towards Luz, Booker, and Amity. "Hey, guys! Look at all those offerings."

"You alright there, buddy?" Booker asked, with him and Luz helping him up.

"Heck yeah, I am! The King of Demons is back!" Booker and Luz laughed at how cute that was before Booker looked at King's cupcake. 

"I'll get that for ya," Booker said, reaching out to grab the treat. 

Suddenly, without warning, Amity stepped on it. Causing King to gasp in horror.

 "Oops. That was an accident," Amity said with a mocking smirk. Not at all sorry for her actions.

"What the hell's your problem?!" Booker snapped, standing up and glaring at Amity. "Why'd you do that?!" 

"I think I've made it clear that you're my problem," Amity said, snobbishly lifting her nose and turning her head away. "You two and your pet are giving witches-in-training a bad name."

"I'm not a pet!" King said, scratching himself like a dog. 

"He's a very good boy and the King of Demons!" Luz said, hugging King's head against her chest. 

"Tsh. Whatever." Amity scoffed before turning and started walking away. 

"Apologize," said Booker, causing Amity to stop and turn back to the group of friends.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Amity asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I said apologize. Say you're sorry to King," Booker said with a glare, pointing back to King.

"And why should I," Amity said with a smirk. "Freak."

That was the last draw for the Seventh Son. The way she acted and talked made Booker remember most of the bullies he dealt with back home. The kind that acts all high class and mighty, thinking they are superior to everyone around them. Amity was just like those bullies, and he got fired up. 

"Alright, that's it!" Booker yelled, startling the three around him a bit. He pointed his finger at Amity. "You can make fun of my ears. You can make fun of me being a hybrid. You can make fun of me being...of me being sh...of me being height-challenged!"

Behind him, Luz and King looked at him with exasperated expressions. "He really can't say it, can he?" King asked.

"He refuses to face reality," Luz added, knowing too well of her friend's antics. 

"And you can say I can't be a witch—" Booker continued before he was interrupted. 

"I just did," Amity said with a smirk. "'Cause you can't, half-witch."

"...but it's another thing to bully my friends," Booker finished, narrowing his glaring eyes. 

"Yeah? And what are you going to do about it?" Amity challenged. 

As she watched the two fight, Luz suddenly gasped and let go of King. "This is just like what the Dark One Dominic said when facing down Hecate at the Bog of Immediate Regret," she whispered with excitement, her eyes sparkling. 

Booker was about to respond when Luz suddenly stood up and pointed at Amity. 

"He'll challenge you to a Witch's Duel!"

Everyone around them gasped. Amity was a little surprised by this before looking at Booker. "Is that right?" 

"If it means I get to you down a few notches, then yeah," Booker said, pulling out Dragon's Bite and pointing the sword at Amity. 

"I challenge you to a duel!" 

Amity's face grew smug as she stepped towards Booker. Booker lowered Dragon's Bite to his side as she got in his face, and he kept his glare. "I accept," Amity said, then taking a step back. "Let's set the terms for this duel, shall we?"

"One, if I win, you apologize to King for squashing his cupcake," Booker said, nodding towards King as he was picking up what was left of his treat.

"Good night, sweet child…" He mournfully said. 

Booker thought for a moment before looking back at Amity. "Two, you'll accept that humans can be witches, as well as human hybrids. Will that be enough to satisfy the wicked bitch."

Amity growled in anger before smirking smugly again. "Fine by me. But when I win, not only do you have to tell the whole covention you two are not witches, you have to stop learning magic. Forever!"

"What?!" Booker asked, shocked.

"What's the matter? You afraid?" Amity asked, smirking.

"Do it, Booker! For my honor!" King shouted.

"Yeah, you can take her, Booker. You've beaten bullies before, and you can do it again," Luz said for encouragement, punching the air. 

Looking back at Amity, Booker's shocked expression turned to a look of determination. "Deal."

Sheathing Dragon's Bite back in its scabbard, Booker held out his hand to Amity to shake on their deal. Amity, however, made a spell circle around his hand before grabbing it. The Seventh Son looked down at his hand as the magic signs returned. But Amity didn't seem to notice. 

"The everlasting oath is sealed," Amity said smugly as she let go of Booker's hand.

Booker pulled his hand back and stared at the magic circle. Watching as the glowing circle faded before clenching his first. 

"When and where?" Booker asked as he glared at Amity. 

"Meet back inside the theater in one hour," Amity said. With that, she turned and walked off with a flick of her hair. "Let's see what kind of witch you are, hybrid."

"I got this," Booker said, turning to his best friend. "I got this, right?"

"Oh yeah," Luz said with a nod. 

The two turned to King and saw him munching on what he could of the cupcake. When he turned his head to them, he stopped. "Mmm? Oh, yeah. No," he said, not sounding any concern for Booker. "There's no way you'll win."

"WHAT THE HELL, KING!? YOU TOLD ME TO DO IT FOR YOUR HONOR!" Booker yelled angrily, grabbing the demon by the front of his shirt and shaking him for a moment. 

"I was being dramatic!" King argued back. "Amity is a full-fledged witch studying at one of the best magic schools. You only know one spell. And it's a LIGHT SPELL!" 

Booker's eyes widened at the sudden realization of what he, but mostly Luz, had gotten him into. "Oh my God, I only know the light spell!" He yelled, dropping King and grabbing his head. Now totally freaking out. 

Meanwhile, Eda was trying to sneak her way out of the covention. This was not how she wanted to spend her afternoon, and she just wanted to leave and go home—away from wanted posters, from the corrupt coven system that was conforming young witches into its ranks, and most of all, to get away before she saw her.

"Sister?" 

Eda gasped when she heard that voice. Stopping in her tracks, she turned around and what was meant by the sight of her older sister, Lilith. 

Lilith noticed her sister as she was signing autographs for a few kids. "It's been so long since I've seen you last!" she said, finishing up another autograph before walking towards Eda. The kids followed close behind. "What are you wearing? You look like some sort of trash collector. Oh, right. You are."

"Oh, Lily. I just had to see the leader of the Emperor's Coven in action," Eda said before kneeling down to the children around Lilith. "You know when we were kids, Lilith was so excited to see the Emperor's Coven, she pissed herself."

This made the kids giggle and laugh while making Lilith blush in embarrassment. "That—That's all for today," she said, herding them along and waving them on their way. 

She then turned around, dropping the pleasantries.

"You shouldn't even be here. You're a wanted criminal! Unless…" Lilith's eyes widened, and she gasped. "I don't believe it! You are here to join the Emperor's Coven!" She exclaimed, grasping her little sister's hands. 

It took Eda a second to chortle at that statement before she took her hands away and broke out into fits of laughter. "In your dreams." 

She continued to laugh as Lilith narrowed her eyes into a frown. "You think being covenless makes you so much smarter than everyone else. But while you run from the law like a degenerate, I'm mentoring the next generation of powerful witch students into the world."

"Well, I have my own student, too. And I bet they could wipe the floor with any of your prissy little blue-bloods."

Lilith walked up to her face. "Is that a challenge?"

"Oh, it's a promise."

"And where are your students?"

"Eda, we need your help!" Booker and Luz yelled as they ran up to Eda. Both of them were freaking out.

"We met Amity, and we got into a fight!" Booker said.

"And I…accidentally had him challenge Amity to a witch's duel," Luz said.

"And because I only know the light spell, there's no way I'm going to win!" Booker stopped and calmly pointed at Lilith. "And aren't you the witch from the presentation?"

Lilith looked at the human and hybrid, focused mainly on Booker, noticing how oddly familiar he looked. 

"And I supposed these are your students, sister?" Lilith raised an eyebrow at Eda.

"Sister?" Luz asked, looking at her master. Eda groaned and face-palmed. 

"Kids, this is Lilith, my older sister," Eda said, gesturing to Lilith. She then pointed to the two kids. "Lilith, these are my students, Luz the human and Booker the hybrid…" she then smirked at Lilith. "...Booker Bridges."

When Lilith heard that last name, her eyes widened, and her jaw dropped slightly. "You mean…"

"Yep. He's Malcolm's son."

This information absolutely shocked the leader of the Emperor's Coven, and it made her look at the young boy again. Booker was a mirror image of her former crush, but she was more curious about the eyes. 

"That's...not possible," she said, looking a little troubled. 

"You knew Dad?" Booker asked.

"Ha! Knew he? You kidding me?" Eda snorted as she placed a hand on Booker's shoulder. "She had the biggest crush on your dad back in school. She even had drawings of Mal and her kissing with cute little hearts on them."

"Will you stop teasing me about that!" Lilith hissed. Her face turned bright red. 

"Why? You mad that Mal clearly likes me more than you?" Eda teased her sister.

"In your dreams," Lilith said. She turned back to Booker and recomposed herself. "So, tell me, Booker, where is your father?"

Booker's curiosity turned to sadness as he looked down with an upset expression. Luz walked over and placed a hand on her best friend's shoulder. "I-I'm sorry, but he's no longer with us," he said, knowing that it would be devastating for Lilith to hear.

Lilith was silent for a moment, trying not to show any emotions, before she said, "I see. I'm sorry to hear that. It's a shame, really."

Booker's eyes widened before he looked up at her with a frown. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Your father was a great wizard. Had he stayed, he would have made an excellent member of the Emperor's Coven. I can only imagine the good he could have done for the island."

That made Booker scowl at her. The way she was talking about his dad really didn't rub Booker the right way. 

Looking back up at Eda, who was also not happy about how she was talking about her former lover, Lilith smirked. "But it seems your students have met my strongest protégé. I mean, look at them! A human and a hybrid?" Luz flinched as she covered her ears. "Where did you even find one of them?"

"Maybe so, but Booker can still kick your student's ass," Eda said proudly.

"Okay, Edalyn," Lilith said, lifting a finger and drawing a spell circle. All around the covention, Eda's wanted posters were burnt to ashes. "For one day, you won't have to hide from the law because I want to see how good a teacher you really are."

Lilith then turned and walked off to find Amity to prepare the young witch for the duel.

"Come on, kids. Time to prepare for bloodshed." Eda said, putting a hand on Booker and Luz's shoulder. 

"But-- whose blood?" Luz asked, nervous.

"Anyone's guess!"

"Oh my God," Booker groaned. 

Taking the kids to a corner of the building, Eda gets ready to prepare Booker to fight Amity. Putting on a workout headband on her head, she turned to her male student. Luz was sitting on a box to the side, watching and supporting her friend. "All right, Booker. Let's start your training. Now, I'm coming at you with a blast of fire. What do you do?"

"I dodge the attack and then attack with Dragon's Bite," Booker said, rubbing his chin. 

"Alright. It's a little basic but still good. But let me see what kind of magic you'd use to counter me," Eda asked her student. Booker glanced at Luz with a 'Is she for really look?' With a sigh, he clapped his hands and formed a light spell. "Oh, that's right. I haven't taught you many spells, huh?"

"No, no, you didn't," Booker said with a frown as Luz shook her head. 

"Boy, I hope you didn't make an everlasting oath to stop learning magic or anything. You'd be toast," Eda said with a smirk.

That made Luz and Booker glance nervously at one another. The girl turned back to the witch. "I-Is there a glowy hand thing that happens, or, uh--"

"Abomination. Rise." 

Hearing Amity's voice, the trio looked to see her summoning an abomination. This one was smaller than what she created that day in school and the ones that attacked Booker, Luz, and Willow. The creature took off its head and threw it at a wizard from the baker's coven, hitting him in the head and knocking him out. Standing nearby, Tiny Nose grabbed him and threw him to the side before screaming and powering up.

"Ooh, shit," Eda 

"Oh, Dios mío. I can't believe we're going to have to stop learning magic, and it's all my fault! I should never have made you challenge Amity."

"Hey, we're not stopping anything. I mean, I was able to beat all those abominations at the school; I am more than certain I can do it again," Booker said, trying to reassure her. But not even he was so sure. There was no telling what other tricks Amity had up her shelves. However, that wasn't going to stop him from kicking that bitch off her high horse. 

An hour later, it was time for the duel. Going back to the theater, Booker stood with Luz and Eda as Lilith and Amity stood across from them. Everyone in the covention, except King, assembled to watch the two apprentices duke it out for supremacy. Amity looked smugly at Booker as the Seventh Son glared back at her, wanting nothing more than to wipe that smug look off her face. 

"Beloved citizens, the Emperor's Coven proudly presents an impromptu demonstration of the sort of witch we seek every year. Introducing Amity Blight," Lilith announced to the crowd, presenting the green-haired girl to the people. Amity gave a smug look as the crowd, and all of her classmates cheered for her. Willow and Gus, however, looked worried. "Versus... a human/witch hybrid."

"You know damn well what my name is, you ass!" Booker yelled as the crowd started to mutter. 

"A human? Where? I don't see one!"

"A hybrid? How disgusting!"

"Humans can't do magic!

"Why would any witch want to breed with a human?"

"He's not Amity."

"Is he from grade school?"

"You might as well quit, short stack!" 

"Good luck, beansprout!"

All those jeers caused Booker to get really mad. He jumped towards the crowd, but Eda held him back. "DON'T CALL ME SMALL! I'LL CUT OFF YOUR LEGS AND STICK THEM ON YOUR HEAD!" he yelled furiously at everyone.

"Geez, kid, calm down," Eda tells him, pulling him back down to the ground. "Save that anger for Amity."

Booker growled in anger as the crowd continued to make fun of him. He sighed to calm down. Staring at Amity, Booker said to his teacher, "Eda, be real with me. Do I have a chance of beating Amity?"

"Yes," Eda said with a smile. But then she thought for a moment. "No? Maybe? What's the right answer?"

"Forget it!" Booker said. 

"Hey. Booker," Luz said, walking up to him.

Booker looked at her curiously. Luz then pulled him into a hug and held him tightly. They've hugged so many times, yet for Booker, the hug felt so much different. The way she held him close to her, rubbing her cheek against him with her face in his neck, made his heart skip a beat. Luz pulled away from the hug as he stared at her with blushing red cheeks and sparkling eyes. 

"Good luck," she said, rubbing her arm, trying to smile.

Booker blinked his eyes and came back to reality. Remembering that he still had to fight, Booker nodded and turned back to Amity. This was it. He's fighting for not only himself but for his crush's right to learn magic. There was no going back from this. The bell screamed for the match to start. Taking a deep breath, the Seventh Son started walking towards his opponent. 

"Please be careful," Luz said worriedly. But then she noticed that Eda was looking at her with a knowing smirk and her hands on her hips. "What? We hug all the time. It wasn't anything special! I promise!" 

Eda smirks. "I didn't say anything," she said, making Luz's blush grow.

Both combatants walked toward the center of the arena and stopped in front of each other. 

"You ready to do this, Amity?" Booker said, pulling out Dragon's Bite. 

"That's something I should be asking you, hybrid," Amity said smugly, cracking her knuckles. "Last chance to walk away."

"And miss kicking your ass? Witch, please," Booker said with a smirk, getting into a fighting stance. 

"Just what I want to hear." Amity started the fight by drawing a large circle on the ground in front of her. "Abomination. Rise," Amity said, raising her hands in the air. 

What came out was something Booker wasn't ready for, and his eyes widened with horror as a giant abomination squeezed itself out of the circle. It was massive—at least five times the size of the Seventh Son. The abomination reared its head back before bringing it back towards Booker and let out a mighty roar that rattled his bones. 

"Didn't see that coming," Booker said nervously.

"Whoa," Amity said, just as surprised as Booker. But then she smirked and turned to him. "Show me what you got, hybrid!"

The abomination raised its fist and brought it down towards Booker. Booker quickly jumped out of the way as the monster's hand slammed into the ground. Landing on the ground with a thud, Booker quickly got back up and turned back to Amity.

"You could have crushed me!" He yelled before having to dodge another attack from the monster. 

Running towards the arm, Booker raised Dragon's Bite and swung at the wrist. The moment it cuts into the being, its hand and wrist splatter across the ground. 

"What?!" Amity shouted in shock. With how large her abomination is, the goo that made it up would have been extremely thick. That sword shouldn't have been able to cut it off or even destroy it. "How did you do that?!" 

"I don't know. All I did was cut it with Dragon's Bite…" Booker trailed off as he looked at his sword. Remembering how he was about to kill both Warden Wraith and Adegast and how he was able to destroy the Abominations from the school, Booker was reminded of what Eda said. The sword's blade was made from anti-magic metal.

Meaning it can repeal magic.

His attention was brought back to the abomination when the gooey golem reformed its hand. It then groaned while twisting off its head and threw it at Booker. The Seventh Son stood his ground before swinging down when the head was within striking distance, splitting the head and turning it into puddles of goo. 

"Yeah! That's showing them!" Eda cheered.

"Whoo! Go, Booker!" Luz cheered like the cheerleader she was back home and jumped into the air. But unfortunately, when she landed, she did the splits. "Well...I never did that before."

Booker looked up at the abomination as it was reforming its head. Thinking quickly, Booker threw the sword at its chest. Dragon's Bite stabbed into the abomination, causing it to lose its form and collapse, Shocking Amity and everyone in the audience.

"Alright, Amity. You wanted a fight," he said, reaching out his hand and calling back Dragon's Bite. "Well, you got one!"

Lilith didn't look pleased with the fight's progress. Amity growled in anger before summoning another abomination.

Back in the upper stands, King was scattering. He was wearing a bunch of coven swag, including clothes and hats stacked on top of each other.

"♪ Things that are free ♪ ♪ . People are giving offerings to me! ♪" he sang, walking over to where Willow and Gus were sitting. "I love offerings! What did I miss?"

"Booker's in a witch's duel!" Willow said, sounding worried. 

"Yeah! And he can win it all! Yeah-yeah!" Gus cheered, throwing his fingers into the air. 

"Wha...?" King asked, surprised. 

The abomination charged at Booker, but the Seventh Son had an idea. Remembering what Eda said about Dragon's Bite, he concentrated his magic on the blade. The runes of his sword lit up before an orb of light was created at the tip of the sword. 

Grabbing the light, Booker threw it at the abomination's head. The golem saw the light floating in front of it and stared at it. Seemingly transfixed by the bright light. 

"What are you doing? Get him!" Amity shouted at the monster, but Booker was quick to act. Running underneath the abomination, Booker cut into its right leg, destroying it and bringing the monster down on one knee. "How did you do that?!! 

"Sorry, Amity, but a wizard never reveals his secrets," Booker quipped with a smirk, shrugging his shoulders. 

Amity gritted her teeth in fury. "Just give up! I've been training my entire life!"

"And I haven't trained much at all, yet here I am kicking your ass," Booker said, tossing his sword back and forth. "That's gotta be embarrassing."

Suddenly, a ball of goop collided with his sword and knocked it out of his hand. Dragon's Bite landed on the ground, far from where Booker was standing. Without his weapon in hand, Booker turned back to see the abomination towering over him, now having reformed its leg. 

"This, I have to see!" King said, climbing down the row of benches to take a closer look.

"Go, Amity!" cheered one of Amity's fans.

"Hey! You root for Booker or nobody!" The small demon exclaimed, marching over to teach him a lesson. But before he could, King suddenly slipped on one of his scarves again and started tumbling down. 

From where she was standing, Lilith watched with growing interest as Booker clapped his hands together. To her amazement, Booker conjured a ball of light. The abomination stopped and looked down at the light with great interest. 

"You want this?" Booker moved the light back and forth between his hands. The abomination's head followed it. "Then fetch!" Booker threw the orb of light off to the side, and the giant abomination ran after it before he called back Dragon's Bite.

After seeing his magic, Amity demanded to know, "How are you doing that?" Now she wanted answers to how this boy was beating her and started walking towards her opponent. "You're nothing but a half-breed. You shouldn't be able to do magic!" 

"Yeah? Well, guess what? I'm not a normal human or even a hybrid," Booker said, sheathing the sword and standing ready to fight her. "I'm something else."

Before the fighting could start, King suddenly fell from the stands and landed between the teenagers. 

"King?" Booker asked, confused as to the demon's sudden appearance. 

King sat up and shook his head, before standing up. "I'm okay!" He said, about to walk away. That was until Amity's hand grabbed the back of his many shirts and held him into the air. The demon trashed around to free himself of Amity's grip. "Hey! Put me down!" 

"Ah, does the little pet not like being picked up?" Amity asked in a mocking tone. 

"Amity, let King go!" Booker shouted, glaring at the green-haired girl. 

"Why, Booker?" Amity taunted, raising an eyebrow. "What'll happen if I don't let your little teacher go?"

Booker growled, "Then I'll make you regret it."

Amity scoffed. "I'm not the one that's about to lose," said the witch with a sense of superiority. 

"And why's that?"

"Booker, look out!" Luz suddenly screamed to her friend, terrified and worried by what she saw. 

When Booker turned to her, his eyes widened, and he looked up to see the abomination towering over him with its foot raised over him. 

It then stomped down on Booker. 

Luz gasped in horror, thinking that her best friend was just crushed before her eyes. Eda glared and growled in frustration. She knew that Booker wasn't dead, as the abomination's body was made up of goo. But she knew that if Booker couldn't get out of it, the match was over. 

Lilith smiled and walked over to Amity, who had dropped King on the ground. "I'm sorry, Eda, but it looks like you lo...

Right after she declared Amity as the winner, Lilith stopped when she noticed a bright light. Then Amity noticed it, and when she saw where it was coming from, she gasped in shock. 

The bright light was coming from underneath the foot of the abomination. The same one that crushed Booker's body. As it grew in intensity, Booker's silhouette became visible from inside the abomination. His magic circles glow brightly.

From where he lay on the ground, King looked at the boy's body in the abomination's leg with wide eyes. Everyone in the audience looked at the light with confusion and wondered what was happening. Even Willow and Gus wondered just what was going on. 

Luz stared in amazement, but Eda looked more scared. 

"Uh oh."

A sudden blast of golding energy sent the abomination flying up at the ceiling and slammed into it. Breaking apart into several pieces that rained down on the arena.

Luz uncovered her eyes after the blast and gasped at what she saw.

Booker's eyes were glowing bright yellow, just like the symbols on his hands started glowing brightly as well. But something else was going on. 

Appearing from the symbols were glowing lines that spread up his arms. They looked just like the lines that appear when a coven seals a witch's magic. But these were glowing bright yellow and didn't go away. They spread up his arms, across his chest, and down his legs, with the lines also going up his neck and to his face, with some of the lines connecting to his eyes. 

In the center of his magic circles was the power glyph. 

The entire stadium was silent as they stared at the last Bridges, who was sitting on his hands and knees. They had never seen anything like this in their lives.

Lilith stared at Booker with wide eyes. In truth, the legend of the Seventh Born of the Seventh Born phenomenon was not one that a lot of people knew about. Only those that were well-knowledged have heard about it. And even fewer of them actually believed it was real.

"Is he…?" 

Amity stared at her opponent with wide eyes before glaring at Booker. "W-What is this?! Is this some kind of human trick you're pulling?" She demanded to know. 

Booker didn't say anything. His glowing eyes stared out into nothingness. 

Clenching her fists and becoming even more enraged, Amity marched over to him and grabbed him by the front of his sweater. "Are you listening to me? Talk! Tell me how you're doing this!" she yelled at him before the lines on his body started glowing even brighter.

[Play Music: The Wolf Among Us Episode 3 Soundtrack - Big Bad Wolf (Alt. Ending)]

Again, a wave of magical energy blasted from Booker's body—even more powerful than before—knocking back Amity, King, Lilith, Eda, and Luz. The blast of energy rocked the building and started cracking the walls. 

The power glyph on his right hand turned into a light glyph. Without clapping his hands together, Booker activated light magic around his body. Forming a bubble of light that encased him entirely as magical energy started to spiral around him. Creating a light magic whirlwind as he was lifted off the ground and floated just a few inches. 

"Luz!" King screamed as he ran to his other human friend.

Luz picked him up and hugged him close to her as she stared at Booker. His silhouette can be seen within the bubble of light, with the lines and his eyes glowing. Her amazement quickly turned to terror.

"Eda! What's going on?!" Luz shouted over the whirling energy. 

"Booker lost control of his powers!" Eda shouted, summoning her staff to create a shield to protect her and her students.

"What?!"

"I've only seen it with Malcolm! It's a state in which he unleashes his full power, but this...this something else!" 

Luz looked back at Booker and noticed his left hand had the power glyph from the Construction Coven. Remembering how it basically made the conspiracist go Super Saiyan, Luz gasped when she realized that was what had caused her friend to lose control.

Amity stood up from the ground, refusing to be beaten by the hybrid. "Abomination, rise!" Amity yelled and summoned another large abomination. "Take him down!" The abomination followed her orders and charged at Booker. 

But the Seventh Son raised a hand up and, to everyone's shock, created a large sword. He swung it down and sliced the abomination in two.

He then started floating towards Amity.

"Guards!" Lilith shouted. The guards of the Emperor's Coven quickly rushed in and started firing whatever magic they had to stop Booker.

"Stop!" Luz shouted, worried that they were going to hurt him. But their magic didn't affect the light bubble shield. 

Instead, a tentacle of light formed from the bubble and swatted all of them away. Booker then continued his way towards Amity, who was backing away from him in fear.

Lilith quickly got in front of her and summoned her staff. Twirling it around to form a large blue magic ring, she then fired a blast of her magic at him. But not even her magic could stop him. It bounced off the bubble before another light tentacle knocked her away. 

"I'm going to try and calm him down!" Luz handed King to Eda and ran towards Booker.

"Luz!" King called out to her. 

"S-Stay back!" Amity shouted in total fear and was about to summon another abomination when Booker stopped her. Another blast of energy knocked her off her feet and onto her back. The mint-haired witch looked up, and her eyes widened when she saw him in front of her. 

Now, Amity was completely at the mercy of the powers of the Seventh Son of the Seventh Son. 

"Booker!" Luz shouted a few feet away from him. She was fighting against the raging whirlwinds as she tried to approach Booker. "You've got to snap out of it!" 

But Booker didn't respond. Determined to bring her friend back from this state, Luz forced her way forward toward him, trying to get him to hear her voice. 

"Booker, please! You can't hurt her!" Luz yelled, pleading for her friend to hear her. "I know you don't want us to stop learning magic, but you don't want to hurt Amity! Or anyone! Come back to me, Booker!"

The whirlwind of magic died down before ceasing altogether. Then, the bubble shield disappeared. Booker himself lowered down to the ground. But his magic was still flowing through him. Luz walked over to him and hugged her best friend behind him. 

"It's okay, Booker. Just please, calm down," she whispered in his ear. 

Booker's eyes stopped glowing and returned to normal. His eyes rolled into the back of his head as he suddenly collapsed to the ground. The lines and circles disappeared from his skin. Luz quickly kneeled and rolled him on his back. Looking down, worried at Booker as Eda and King came rushing over. 

[Song ends here]

The Seventh Son remained unconscious for only a moment before he jolted awake. Gasping loudly as he shot upright, Booker then started breathing heavily. His eyes looked around wildly, confused by where he was. 

"Booker!? You're okay?!" Luz cheered, and tears filled her eyes as she hugged her friend. 

"Luz? What happened? I thought that abomination crushed me," Booker said, rubbing his head from the pain he was feeling inside.

Luz looked at Eda, who shrugged her shoulders. Turning back to Booker, she looked concerned for her friend. "You...don't remember anything?" 

"Remember...what…" Booker trailed off as he looked at everything around him. Seeing the damage caused by his rampage, the guards were knocked out, and Lilith, who was standing back up while holding her right arm. 

The more he looked at it, the more terrified he became of what he did during his time of being unconscious. 

"I...I did all of this?"

"You!" Booker looked to see Amity glaring at him as she breathed heavily. Still shaken by what she saw and experienced. "Are you out of your mind!? How could you have not remembered any of that!? You could have killed me!"

Booker flinched when he heard her say that last. "Amity, please, I-I- I didn't mean to—"

"Oh, you didn't mean to? So you do remember what you did?" Amity exclaimed, pointing an accusatory finger at him.

"No, I don't, " Booker said, genuinely sorry for what he did. "I-I'm saying that I wouldn't have done that."

"Amity, you have to listen to him," Luz said, stepping in to try and reason with Amity. "Booker wasn't in control of whatever that was. He lost control of his magic."

"Why don't you two do me a favor and stay away from me?" Amity snarled, turning and starting to march away from the two. 

But as she watched the snobby girl walk away, Eda noticed something on the back of Amity's neck. "Wait just a sec, Miss Protégé," Eda said, walking up to Amity and lifting up her hair. 

"Hey! What are you—" Amity felt something getting peeled off the back of her neck. Eda then held it up for her and everyone to see. 

"A power glyph from the Construction Coven!" Eda said to everyone. Everyone gasped at this revelation, shocked and appalled that Amity, Lilith's best protege, had used an underhanded tactic to gain the upper hand. 

"You used a power glyph?" Luz asked.

"What? N-No, I didn't know!" Amity said in genuine shock and fear. "I'd never cheat!"

Booker saw she was telling the truth, and it just made him more confused. "But if you did, then who…" he trailed off when the realization hit him. 

There was only one other person who could have gotten close to Amity—someone close enough for her not to notice, putting the glyph on the back of her neck.

"It was you!" Booker shouted, pointing accusingly at Lilith. "You put the power glyph on Amity's neck, Lilith!" 

Everyone in the auditorium was in total shock, especially when they learned Amity had cheated. But for the head of the Emperor's Coven, who was looked up to as the symbol of order, to use her own star student to cheat? It was unthinkable. It was unimaginable. And yet, that's exactly what happened. 

"Ah-ha! Yes, yes, yes-yes-yes!" Eda cheered as she started doing a victory dance before turning and mocking her sister. "You cheated. Perfect, prissy Lilith cheated. Hot damn, I love coventions! La-la-la--"

"I-I-I only did that because I knew you would cheat!" Lilith said, trying to defend her actions. She pointed to Dragon's Bite on Booker's back as Eda began dancing around her. "I mean, your student used an anti-magic sword!"

"Guess what? There is nothing in the rule books about that!" Eda said mockingly. "So you're the only cheater here! Welcome down to my level!"

But while Eda was celebrating her sister's embarrassment, Amity was having a different experience. Still in shock by this revelation, the green-haired witch looked around and saw their faces. Their shock, sadness, and disappointment at her. 

"But... I didn't know!" She said. 

Booker looked at her, and any dislike for her left as he genuinely felt sorry for her. He realized Lilith had used her in her petty rivalry with her sister. 

"Amity…" He walked up to her. Amity glanced at him before running out of the theater. "Wait, come back!" Booker called out to her, chasing after her. 

"Booker!" Luz running after him. 

"Hey, wait for me!" King followed them but tripped over the same scarf. 

Meanwhile, Eda was still dancing, and Lilith was getting fed up with her. "Knock it off. You're making a scene!"

"You cheated!" Eda pointed at her with a big grin. She'd dreamt of this moment for years and wasn't going to stop. "Hey, where's the Rhyming Coven? What rhymes with "cheated'?'"

"Stop acting like a child!"

"You were defeated; don't get heated. Get your stank face treated."

"Rhyme one more thing," Lilith growled, having reached her melting point. "I dare you!"

"Oh, it's okay, I'm done," Eda said, waving her hand. But then, she grinned at her own lie. "Because my rhymes are depleted, bitch!"

"That's it!" Lilith screamed, summoning her staff. Just like when she tried to stop Booker, Lilith spun it around and produced a blue ring of energy before firing her magic at Eda. 

Eda was knocked back by the blast into the arena's podium in an explosion. Shocking everyone in the theater. 

When the dust cleared, despite the hit she took, Eda opened her eyes and smirked. "There she is!" she said, summoning her staff. Just like Lilith, she spun it around to make a ring of yellow energy. 

But she missed one twirl and dropped her staff. Quickly picking it up, she fired her magic at Lilith. Lilith fired back, and the two opposing magics collided in the middle. 

"Witch's duel!" Amity's fan shouted as the two sisters battled one another.

After making their way out of the theater, Booker and Luz looked around for Amity. "Where'd she go?" Luz asked before spotting her in a dark space right near the bathrooms. She was squatting down on the ground, knees to her chest, and her head burrowed in them. 

Turning to her friend, Luz said, "Booker, you've got to talk to her."

"But…"

"You have to be the one to talk to her," Luz said, pointing at her friend. "Amity was a jerk, but do you really want her to be miserable?"

Booker frowned and looked down at the ground for a moment, knowing that she was right. Even if Amity was a bit of a bitch. 

Turning to Amity, Booker started walking over to her. "Amity…" He said, standing over her. 

"What do you want?" Amity said, turning her head away from Booker and Luz.

"I...I just want to talk," Booker said.

"Ugh, seriously? Just leave me alone."

"Amity, I'm so sorry," Booker said with sincerity. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

Amity whipped her head towards him to glare at the Seventh Son. "You think that's what I'm upset about?!"

"Wait, huh?" Booker asked, confused as Luz. "I mean, I went berserk during our fight, and I—"

"You embarrassed me!" Amity snapped, standing up to look at him in the eyes. Taking Booker aback. "Ever since I've met you and Luz, all you two ever do is embarrass me! First at school, and now this! You made me look like a fool in front of the Emperor's Coven. My future! You think it's so easy to be a witch. I have been working my whole life to get to the top! And then you suddenly come into my life and fuck up everything! You're not a witch! You're a hybrid, and you don't belong here!"

Booker looked at her in surprise as a sad expression formed on his face.

"Say it! Say you don't belong here!" 

Booker remained quiet and stared at her. 

"SAY IT!"

"...You're right," he admitted, surprising both Amity and Luz. "I'm not a witch, and I don't belong here. I honestly don't know if I really belong anywhere." 

He then raised his hands, confusing Amity as she watched. Focusing his magic, Amity's eyes widened as she saw the magic sign appear on his hands. Booker then clapped his hands together before pulling them apart, producing a light spell.

"But I'm not going to stop trying to find my place in the world," Booker said with a smile.

"How did you…" Amity whispered, still amazed by the way that Booker made the spell. She quickly scoffed and turned away. "That's nothing. A child could cast that," she said, stepping away from Booker.

"Yup." Booker flicked the light at her, and it lightly bounced off her shoulder. 

Amity turned her head and looked at it, still floating, before holding it herself. 

"But...I've never seen it cast like that," Amity said, turning to face Booker. "Does it have to do with what Principle Bump called you? A Seventh Son."

"Actually, I am the Seventh Son of a Seventh Son," Booker said. "My father was a Seventh Son, too. I don't know anything about what it means or why it's so special to be one, but what I do know is that I'm supposed to be this being of great magical powers."

Amity looked at him with wide eyes.

"At least, that's what a wizard said, but he could have been full of shit. I just could have dad's natural abilities," Booker said, tapping the light spell and making it pop. "But that's my magic. For a human—like Luz, it doesn't come naturally."

"Booker's right," Luz said with a small smile. 

She knelt down, confusing Amity, but she kneeled down with her to see what she was going to do. Luz brought out her notepad, drew a light glyph, and tapped it. The paper crumpled up and turned into a ball of light.

Luz picked it up and said, "Even though I'm not a witch, I'm training hard to be one. All I have to do is improvise."

"But I honestly think she has a better handle on her magic than I do," Booker said, shrugging. Amity looked at him with a surprised expression. "I don't know what it was that happened during that fight, but I do know that I'm scared of it ever happening again or hurting people all because I lost control. But that's not going to stop me from learning how to control my magic. 

"And you shouldn't stop just because you were embarrassed today. Life isn't a one-way journey. There are multiple paths you can take towards your future. You just have to take the one that leads to where you want to go."

Amity looked at him with wide eyes as a moment of silence hung in the air. 

"We'll leave you alone," Booker said, with Luz standing up. The two friends were about to leave when Amity stopped them.

"Wait," Amity said. 

Booker and Luz stopped as Amity stood up and used her magic to make a spell circle. Gently grabbing Booker's hand with her left hand, she put her right hand through the ring and then grabbed his hand. Pulling it into the ring caused both hands to glow for a moment. 

"The oath is unbound," Amity said before walking away from the duo.

"Did it work? Can we still learn magic?" Luz asked.

"Humans have no magical ability. But I doubt that'll stop you," Amity said, looking over her shoulder at the girl. Then she gazed over at Booker. "And...Booker, was it? I...I wish you the best in learning that power of yours..."

And with that, she walked off. 

"So you think she's a friend now," Luz asked.

"No, but I think we're now at an understanding," Booker said, rubbing his wrist. 

"Luz! Booker!" They both turned to see King running up to them. Luz knelt down to him. "You left me!

"Yeah, sorry," Luz apologized. "Your legs are just so tiny."

"Wow, King, don't you think you've got enough swag?" Booke asked with an amused smirk. 

"Maybe. But I have something for you two!" King said. "And it's the best thing because it's free, comes from my heart, and I always have more than I need."

Luz gasped at this. "Is it love?"

King made a disgusted expression. "Ugh! No!" He then pulled out a covention bag. "Tote bags!" 

"Wow, how generous of you," Booker said sarcastically as he took the bag, and King climbed on his arm.

"And they have so many uses!" King then jumped into the bag and pointed at the exit. "Away, fair chariot! Away!" Booker and Luz laughed, with the Latina girl petting the dog-like demon's head. 

Then Eda came up behind them in a rush. "We gotta go."

"Wait, what about your sister?" Booker asked.

"Let's just say she had a real 'snack attack.' Hah!" She laughed and snorted at her own joke. "Wait, I got a better one."

Booker followed her but stopped when he realized that Luz wasn't with him. Turning back around, he saw her standing with her head down. 

"Hey, what's wrong?" Booker asked.

"Eda…" Luz said, making Eda stop to look at her apprentice. "Do you think Booker and I'll ever be a true witch?

"What? I don't know. And who's a true witch? These suckers? According to them, that means being in a coven, but I never joined one, and I'm better than all of them combined. You gotta be your own witches," Eda said to the kids.

"Our own witch," Luz said with a growing smile. Liking the sound of that. 

"Now, let's go before my sister realizes I tied her pointy shoes together," Eda told the kids. They then heard Lilith screaming in the background. "And that's our cue!"

"So, you have a sister now?" Booker asked as they walked out of the covention.

"Yes! Now that's a mysterious past payoff!" Luz cheered.

"Oh, you think that's all the mystery I got? Wait until you hear about my parents," Eda said.

"What?! You've got parents?! I need to know more!"

"You very much don't!" King said. 

As they walked together, Luz's happy smile dropped before she turned to Booker. "Hey, Booker, I'm so sorry for making you fight Amity," she said, looking down at her hands clasped together with an expression of shame. "It was stupid of me to do, and I shouldn't have done it."

"It's alright, Luz," Booker said, but Luz looked at him in disbelief. 

"But why aren't you angry with me?" she asked, placing a hand on her chest. "If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have lost control."

"Yeah, but then you brought me out of it. If it wasn't for you, who knows what would have happened? So, thanks, Luz."

Luz looked at him with a surprised look before she smiled and blushed. She then grabbed his hand and interlocked his fingers with her. The Latina girl honestly didn't know why she was doing this. First, it was the hug, and now this? But it felt so right, and it made her smile. 

"Hey, do you think me going crazy is going to come back and haunt me?" Booker asked Eda while still holding Luz's hand and King's bag.

"Eh, I doubt it," Eda said.

However, in the theater's backstage dressing room, the door opened, and Lilith struggled to walk in with her shoes still tied together. She tripped over and pulled herself up by a dresser. "You make it so hard to want to help you, Edalyn," she said. But now that boy…"

She was interrupted when a magical device in the form of a pendant with the Emperor Coven's symbol activated. It popped open, making the witch gasp in surprise. The glass showed another person on the other side. 

That person was Kikimora, the emperor's assistant. She's a demon of diminutive stature and childish proportions. Standing several heads shorter than her subordinates, she had red skin and pupils, yellow sclera, and three-pronged, taloned appendages similar to those of a fowl. Her most defining feature, though, was the conjoined hands that make up her hair. One hand formed a fringe that hid one of her eyes from view, and the other was clenched behind her head to form a bun.

Being a high-ranking affiliate of the Emperor's Coven, Kikimora wore robes reminiscent of the coven: a white tunic over a black ensemble and a high-collared veil that shrouded her face's lower regions. A triangular accessory fastened this veil.

"Lilith, I see you let The Owl Lady get the best of your temper. Just remember what Emperor Belos has promised to you," Kikimora told the woman.

"I will capture her, ma'am. But right now, I have to speak with the Emperor," Lilith said to the assistant.

The little demon scoffed. "You think that you can just demand to know the whereabouts of our fare Emperor Belos?"

"It's important. I've found the Seventh Born of the Seventh Born."

This made Kikimora gasp in shock. "B-But, how's that possible? We destroy all—"

"Kikimora," said a male voice off-screen. One that made her flinch. "Who are you talking to?

"I-It's Lilith, my lord," she said to the person off-screen. "She said that she had found a...a…"

"I'll take it from here." 

Lilith watched as the screen pulled away from Kikimora. Then, it showed another person, who made her eyes widen. A man who wore a mask with two long, upward-facing horns. The eyes were hollow through the mask, creating the appearance of having no eyeballs. And the man that dawned a large cape with white and brown, as well as gold trim.

This was the Emperor of the Boiling Isles, Emperor Belos.

"Lilith," the emperor said.

The witch quickly knelt before her ruler. "Emperor Belos, I'm honored to be speaking to you. I've encountered a child that I know will please you—"

"I'm growing impatient, Lilith. Speak what you have to tell me, now."

Lilith nervously gulped the lump in her throat before telling him her news. "I've encountered the Seventh Son of the Seven Son today in the company of my sister. He is the son of the Seventh Son, Malcolm Bridges."

After those sentences left her mouth, there was perhaps the longest and most tense moment of silence she'd ever received from Belos. Sweat started to build up on her face as she tried to maintain a professional appearance to hide her anxiousness.

"Lilith. For your sake and the sake of your sister, I do hope you're not lying to me," Belos said sternly. 

"I'm not, Emperor," Lilith said, bowing her head. "I've seen his powers with my own eyes." 

Again, there was a moment of silence, but then he turned his head to the right. "Then the Cycle of the Seventh hasn't ended. At long last, the prodigal son has returned home," he said. Belos then turned back to Lilith. "You are to find this child and bring him to me."

"And if I capture him, will you still uphold your promise?" Lilith asked with a hopeful look. 

"Bring me the child and your sister, and I shall," Belos said. "Am I clear, Lilith?"

Lilith bowed her head slightly. "Crystal, my lord."

"Splendid," Emperor Belos said before the screen turned back into a mirror. Lilith looked up and stared at her own reflection. She then turned to a picture she had on the deck, showing her when she was a teenager with Eda and Malcolm. It was a reminder of happier times—a time before everything changed. 

Walking over to the picture, Lilith looked at it sadly, then frowning. 

"I'm sorry, Mal, but your son and Edalyn's days are numbered."