Agony of a Witch

At the Emperor's castle, Lilith stood on the castle walls. As she looked down she could see coven guards escorting multiple wild witches that looked resigned to their fates.

She turned as she walked into the castle before stopping in front of a large stained glass of Emperor Belos. A group of robed witches bow to him as the Titan's hand reaches towards the sun.

"I haven't forgotten what you've promised me. I will bring you my sister, Emperor Belos," Lilith said to herself

"Then why the delay?" A voice said behind Lilith, startling her.

"Kikimora!" There stood a small red imp demon with a claw for hair on top of her head covering one of her eyes.

"The Day of Unity is fast approaching, and other teams have bound many rogue witches to covens, and yet the Owl Lady still roams free. Are you... protecting her?" Kikimora contemplated

"Rest assured, Kiki. I have everything under control," Lilith said as she snapped her fingers and multiple coven scouts approached them. "Today, we capture Eda, once and for all."

At the Owl House, Hooty was sleeping while wearing a sleeping cap with blue and green stripes.

Lilith lifted her beak mask as she observed the house from the bushes. "Good. That infernal house demon is asleep," she said as she signaled towards the other guards as they got their weapons ready.

"Surround the house." The guards all began to move in different directions.

"Sleepwalking… sleepwalking." Hooty suddenly woke up in alarm. "Sleep-hooting!" Hooty shot into the ground before popping up in front of Lilith startling her.

"Hiya, Lilith! Peek-a-hoot!" Hooty slammed into Lilith, sending her flying into the tree as the rest of the guards began to charge at Hooty.

"Sorry! Eda doesn't like trespassers, but I'm always here to make new friends! Hoot!" Hooty said as he bonked a scout on the head before putting his head in the armor. "Oh! Look at me! I'm a person now." Hooty used the armor to punch another scout. "Wobbly, wobbly! Ooh, blackout!"

"Hoot hoot! Bye friend!" Hooty said as he launched the armor away. "Ooh! I feel like dancing! Hoot!" Hooty began to shake his body, knocking the scouts flying.

Lilith stands up with a grunt as she grabs her staff. She aimed her staff at a bobbing Hooty before firing at him.

"I did it! Oh hey! Look, it's a bug!" Hooty said as ducked down and dodged the spell. The spell slices through the tree behind Hooty causing it to fall towards Lilith.

Before the tree could hit her, Lilith managed to dodge out of the way before she collapsed from exhaustion.

"Aww! Just an old leaf! Well, that's good too!" Hooty began to eat the leaf while making loud chewing noises.

Eda, now wearing a yellow scarf, was watching Hooty fight the scouts from inside of the Owl House using a pair of binoculars.

"Hooty. Ah, you're a thorn in my side," Eda began to say as a coven scout slammed into the window; "but you always dig your way into my heart," she said as she drank some tea while a spoon was whisking something in a cauldron next to her.

"Ooh, magic 'sghetti," Luz said as she reached into the cauldron

"Don't just stick your hand in there, sis," Cruz said as he looked at the cauldron with blue thread.

"Hey!" Eda controlled the spoon to smack Luz's hand back. "That 'sghetti is Witch's Wool. It repels powerful spells," Eda said, holding up the threads. "Every witch worth their salt has a cloak made from this stuff."

"I'm worth salt… I want cloak!" Luz said in amazement as she grabbed onto the cauldron

"I'm curious how this stuff repels magic," Cruz said as he looked at the cauldron.

"Easy, kid!" Eda pulled the cauldron away. "With the Emperor's goons at my doorstep, I need this for protection. They have really stepped up their attacks lately."

"I think I finally understand why the Emperor wants you so badly. He's got the hots for you, doesn't he?" Luz jokes

"Please don't put that mental image in my head," Cruz said with a shudder

Eda clicked her tongue as she shot finger guns. "Uh, but no. Emperor Belos wants to control all wild magic through his coven system. He ordered my capture years ago because I refused to fall in line."

"And he won't stop until he's got you," Luz said with worry as her head dropped.

"Awww, don't sound so worried. I'm a master escape artist. The only thing that can slow me down is my curse, and that hasn't bothered me for weeks!" Eda said happily before feathers popped out of her arms. "Uh oh…"

"You jinxed it!" Cruz called out in alarm as Eda transformed into the Owl Beast.

"King!" Luz called out as King popped his head around the corner before he screamed in alarm

"Get the elixir. Now!"

Eda gasped as she opened her eyes and saw the dark void all around her. Her childhood room materialized all around her, with her younger self sleeping peacefully.

Eda sighed sadly at the sight before the door opened behind her as the mysterious shadow stood there.

"You know, I'm getting a little tired of this game," Eda said as she reached out towards the shadow. "So, why don't you just show me your face?"

When Eda's hand reached the figure, standing in front of her was Luz who was holding an elixir bottle to her mouth.

"Whew. Oh, thanks for this," Eda said as she took the bottle out of her mouth and stood up knocking over multiple empty elixir bottles. "And those…"

As Eda stood up straight, her yellow scarf fell to the side showing her gem still darkened.

"Hey, your gem! It's still dark!" Luz said in alarm

"Uh… no, it's not! You're nuts!" Eda said as she covered her gem with the scarf

"The curse has been getting worse and you've been hiding it!"

"Eda! You can't be hiding stuff like this from us," Cruz said with clear worry in his eyes

"Ugh... you're right. It's taking more elixir to turn me back and more magic to keep the curse from rearing its feathery head."

"What happens if you use your magic up? Do you... do you die?" Luz asked with worry

"No! Jeez, you're morbid. I just kinda sorta, turn into the Owl Beast... forever. Ahhh, it's a fate much worse than death if you think about it," Eda said as she laughed

"No! No, I-I can't let that happen! We'll do something about it. We'll find a cure and then—"

"Hey, don't worry," Eda said as she put a hand on Luz's shoulder. "I just have to limit my magic use a little." Eda raised Luz's lips into a grin before trying the same with Cruz. "Ah! There's the Luz and Cruz I know!"

Luz's smile dropped as she pouted with puppy dog eyes and Cruz looked down sadly. "Ugh. Go on. Do the parallel arm thing…"

Luz brightened up as she dragged Cruz into a hug with Eda. "King demands huggies too!" King said as he latched onto Eda's leg.

"Okay! It's… time… for… school!" Eda said in a strained manner as she began to walk with the three still hugging her before reaching the kitchen door.

"Have a good day!" Eda said as she dumped the two Noceda twins outside, giving them their bags.

"Get rest! Drink lots of water! Stay out of the sun! Lift with your knees, not your—" Luz was interrupted as Eda slammed the door shut

"Ah, what good kids. So considerate. They deserve something nice," Eda said as she lifted the cauldron of witch's wool. "And I think I know what."

"Poor Eda," Luz said as she and Cruz headed towards Hexside. "Enemies everywhere, even her own body. I wish we could help her."

"I'm sure there's something we can do. I'll make the next couple of batches of elixir stronger. Maybe that'll buy us some time," Cruz said as they heard a groan coming from the bushes.

As the two peek over the bushes, they see Hooty wrapped around multiple beat up scouts.

"The roughhousing was fun, but I like this part of our playdates even better!" Hooty said as he poured tea on the ground as one of the scouts feebly tried to escape.

Luz and Cruz shuddered as they continued on their way. The two passed by a compact mirror that was ringing on a pile of ruble. Lilith's arm burst out from the rubble as she dragged herself out before grabbing the mirror and opening it.

"The Emperor demands your presence in the throne room. And there's… a bird on your head," Kikimora pointed out as Lilith looked up to see a blue bird sitting on her head.

"Oooo... you're in trouble!" The bird said as Lilith groaned before closing the mirror.

At Hexside, Principal Bump along with multiple students are lining up for the flying bus.

"Luz, Cruz," Gus said as the Noceda twins walked up to him and Willow. "You ready for the field trip of a lifetime to the one, the only, Emperor's Castle!" Gus held up a guide book.

"Right. We were actually going to stay behind. I don't like the way they treat Eda," Luz said

"She's right, they keep raiding the house. I'd rather not go there," Cruz said

"But you're going to miss out on all the cool stuff!" Gus said shoving his book into Cruz's face

"Like what?" Luz asked

"Like ancient relics," Willow said as she grabbed the book. "Look, it's the Plant Coven's Green Thumb Gauntlet! It can grow whatever you imagine."

The book showed an image of a group of trees with the word "before" written underneath and the same trees with arms with the word "after" underneath.

"Mmm…"

"That seems… impractical," Cruz pointed out

"And the Oracle Sphere!" The image in the book showed an orb with a twin headed snake wrapped around it. "It shows you which path will help you become your best self!"

A certain artifact caught Luz and Cruz's attention. "'The Healing Hat. Made from the magic of the Savage Ages. It is said to cure the deadliest diseases... and heal any curse'?"

Cruz's eyes widened in realization knowing that this hat might counteract the curse. "Yeah! You can't miss this!" Willow said in excitement

"All aboard students!" Bump called out as Willow and Gus headed towards the bus while dropping the book.

"Mmm," Luz picked up the book while coming up with a plan. "You've done so much for us, Eda. Now, we're going to do something for you."

"We have to succeed in stealing this hat. It's the best way we can pay you back for everything," Cruz said with equal determination.

As the flying boat approached the Emperor's castle, multiple students were cheering. "No roughhousing! Do not make me turn this carriage around!" Bump said sternly

Luz was busy drawing in her notebook. With the simple three step plan of: " into the castle! Healing Hat! curse."

As Luz and Cruz looked over the notebook, Willow came up to them startling the two. "Hey, Luz!"

"Ah!" Luz quickly hid the notebook. "Um, what was that, Willow?"

"I was just saying we were getting close to the castle," Willow said as they looked over the side of the boat to see the castle sitting in the center of a large crevice. "Emperor Belos built it as a symbol of unity. Before he came to power, folks were doing magic all wrong. He taught us that the only way to respect what the Titan gave us is through joining covens."

Luz and Cruz frowned at that. They had both been taught by Eda that magic was meant to be free. Cruz frowned as he felt that what Willow had said simply sounded wrong. With his brief time meeting the Titan, it didn't seem like he'd felt wild magic was something that he minded at all.

"It's a shame Amity couldn't make it. She would love this trip."

Amity laid in her bed with her broken leg being propped up. She looked up and saw the Emperor's coven poster of Lilith that said "Join the Emperor's Coven today!"

"Shut up," Amity grumbled in annoyance

"So Willow… would you say this Belos guy is like… powerful?" Luz asked as Willow giggled at the question

"No offense to Eda, but the Emperor is the most skilled witch that's ever lived. He can even talk to the Titan," Willow said as Cruz's eyes widened before he frowned in further confusion.

The ship landed in front of the castle as the two towering doors opened up. "Now, the Emperor's assistant will be your tour guide. Please don't make me regret taking you here," Bump said as Kikimora stood on a platform as a bridge extended towards the ship.

"Whoa!"

"Look at that!"

"It's massive!"

They all stood on the bridge as it retracted towards the doors. "Children of Hexside," Kikimora began, "Emperor Belos welcomes you to his castle. We're honored by visits from students. You'll soon be a part of a coven, some lucky few may even find their home here, in the mighty Emperor's Coven!"

"She looked at me!"

"Wow… some!"

"You… are the future of the isles! My job is to teach you its past," Kikimora said as she led them into the castle where multiple scouts flanked them with a salut as more scouts passed overhead.

"Today, the Isles are a place of peace and prosperity. But that wasn't always the case," Kikimora said gesturing towards a mural of a group of witches dancing around a large fire.

"Up until 50 years ago, witches and demons practiced wild magic during what we called the Savage Ages. Witches had access to corrupt knowledge, and that dishonored the Titan."

As the group began to walk away, Luz and Cruz dropped down to look at a grate. "That was, until our great Emperor ascended to the throne, and taught witches how to use magic properly." Kikimora gestured towards a mural of Belos holding up a beam of light as the witches revered him.

"Our next stop is the Emperor's personal collection of relics."

"Oh! Luz, Cruz, you'll like this. It's where—huh?" Willow looked back at her friends to see Luz struggling to try and open the vent. Cruz noticed Willow and Gus looking at them as he tapped on Luz's shoulder gaining her attention.

"Heh… uh, we love a properly ventilated castle!" Luz said as they walked past a confused Willow and Gus.

Kikimora opened the door to the relics room as all of the students followed her in. "The Relic Room. These items are reminders of our great Emperor's overwhelming power," Kikimora said as lights shined on the relics

"From the curious and mighty." The group passed by the oracle sphere as Gus oohed. "To the very handy," Kikimora said passing the Green Thumb Gauntlet.

"Oh, I could grow such beautiful things with that," Willow said in admiration

"And even… the most valuable." The group passed the Healing Hat as Luz and Cruz stared at it.

"Come along, children," Kikimora said as Willow began to catch up with the group. As they left, Luz and Cruz began to creep towards the hat before Gus grabbed both of their hands.

"Let's go, you two," Gus said, dragging them along.

"Here at the Emperor's Coven, we require members with sophistication, elegance, and grace," Kikimora explained as the doors slammed open. Lilith stood at the door with leaves in hair. She spit out multiple feathers as she vanished her staff before entering.

Luz gasped as she ducked behind a corner. Cruz slightly panicked as he looked away trying to act inconspicuous. As Lilith looked at the group her scowl softened when she noticed Cruz standing at the rear.

"Ah! Make way for Miss Lilith Clawthorne, students," Kikimora said as the group all took a step back

"Oh, my gosh."

"The head of the coven!"

"Wow!"

"Yes, and if I'm not mistaken, she's on her way to see the Emperor himself. Let's all wish her luck!"

"Good luck, Miss Lilith!" The students as said Lilith blushed in embarrassment before inhaling.

"Thank you, students. Good luck with puberty," Lilith said in annoyance before continuing on her way.

"This way, children," Kikimora said as the group began to follow her. Luz and Cruz looked towards where Lilith went before they began to follow her. As the twins follow her towards the Emperor's room, the walls are lined with more and more pipes snaking around the walls.

As Luz rolls down a turn, she notices Lilith before backing up with a gasp still remaining unnoticed by Lilith. As Lilith continued toward a large pair of doors, Luz and Cruz peek around the corner.

Lilith cleans up the feathers in hair before straightening it out before entering the room. Luz and Cruz run up to the room before peeking in through the keyholes.

The inside of the room is a massive throne room. A giant green heart is beating in above the throne as pipes are hooked up to it with flaming braziers flanking it.

Multiple scouts are lining the room as one scout with a golden owl mask stands directly behind the throne. Belos, a large witch wearing a large robe and a gold mask with large antlers, sits on the throne with his head on his hand.

"I am at your service, Emperor Belos," Lilith said as she approached the throne before kneeling.

Belos breathed heavily as a scout approached him with a Palisman on a tray.

"Just a moment, Lilith," Belos said as he grabbed the Palisman and dug a finger into the Palisman, breaking its head off. As green goop fell out of the Palisman, Belos poured it into the eye holes of his mask. As the goop finished falling into his mask, his eyes began to glow green.

"Ah, that's better," Belos said in relief. Luz and Cruz gasped as they pulled away from the door covering their mouths trying not to be heard before running off.

"How's the hunt for the Owl Lady? I heard you attempted a raid this morning," Belos said

"Yes, but we were—"

"Unsuccessful? That was obvious enough," Belos interrupted. "It's been over a month since you promised to bring me the Owl Lady. Well, where is she?"

"If I just had more time, I—"

"I'm getting bored of your excuses, Lilith," Belos said coldly. "Don't worry, I'll give you the time you need. Bring the Owl Lady to me by twilight. She'll join the Emperor's Coven and in return, I'll heal her little curse. But, if you fail..." Belos dug his nails into the throne as the heart above him started beating faster; "…you will be stripped of your rank and banished from my coven. You do know what happens to covenless witches, don't you?"

Lilith looked towards the same mural the students had seen earlier. From her perspective, the witches weren't revering Belos and his power, they were begging for mercy.

"I-I understand. I will not fail," Lilith said as she stood up and left.

In the hall, Luz and Cruz look out the window to see their class leaving. "Please don't notice we're gone, please don't notice we're—boarding the bus?" Luz questioned as she saw herself and Cruz standing next to Willow and Gus.

"Is there another basilisk running around?" Cruz questioned as someone tapped on his shoulder, startling him and Luz.

When they turn, they see Willow and Gus standing behind them with Gus spinning four spell circles.

"That makes more sense," Cruz said

"Oh, guys. We, uh…"

"You were planning on taking the Healing Hat, weren't you?" Willow asked as she took out Luz's notebook.

"When'd you lose the notebook?" Cruz asked as Luz looked down.

"You got us. But you don't understand. Eda has this curse and it's zapping away her magic, and—"

"Luz, no matter what, you can't steal this hat," Willow scolded

"But you can borrow it!" Gus said stepping in front of Willow

"Hey! I wanted to say that! We learned about Eda's curse from your notes. We're totally gonna help you," Willow said

"We really appreciate the help," Cruz said with a smile

"Thanks, guys. I know exactly what we gotta do. It's time for a heist!"

The group began to sneak through the halls. When they spotted the shadow of a guard coming, Willow used her magic to change a plant into a large unicorn which they all ducked behind. When the guard saw the unicorn, they nudged the horn a bit before continuing.

The group notice a guard so they all stack together into a uniform before passing them after Luz gave them a high five and finger-guns confusing the guard. As they passed by the same vent from earlier, Luz used a fire glyph to melt the grate.

As they reach another hallway, they spot a guard. Gus used his illusions to create a double of Kikimora and had her order the guard to a different location. As soon as the guard leaves, the Kikimora double starts to do the worm. Gus laughs as the others all look on in confusion before they enter the relics room.

"Healing Hat. You're Eda's last hope" Luz said nervously as she grabbed the hat before it began to glow. "I-I can feel it! I can feel the magic flowing!"

"Me too!" Gus said holding the Oracle Sphere. "Finally, I'm about to become my best self!" As Gus held up the sphere, a double of himself in a purple tint appeared

"You're always your best self," the double said as Gus teared up before he began to cry.

Willow grabbed the Green Thumb Gauntlet creating a large wooden arm before it retracts back into the gauntlet. "Whoa! I just wanted to try it out," Willow said as she placed the gauntlet back with a chuckle.

"Still don't see how that's practical," Cruz commented

"Now we can cure Eda and get this hat back before anyone knows it's gone," Luz said with a laugh

"I will know," said the chilling voice of Belos as the room seemed to pulse.

"We need to go. Now," Luz said as they all started to back away. Barricades drop on the front doors. Luz and Gus gasp as more barricades drop on the other doors.

"Stand back!" Willow said as she grabbed the gauntlet again and grew a giant buff tree. The tree extended its arms towards the barricades punching it.

As the Luz, Willow, and Gus were focused on the barricades, none of them noticed that Cruz had fallen to his knees as soon as the barricades all dropped. When the words pulsed all around them, Cruz felt a heartbeat pulsing in his ears. He clutched his own heart as it felt like it was going to burst. He began to see spots in his vision with flashes of the pulsing green heart from the throne room.

In the hallway, Lilith was pacing in front of the stained glass mural of Belos. "Lilith, think! You've given your entire life to this coven, you can't lose it. What's Eda's weakness?" Lilith said as she pondered.

"Obviously using her children might get me the results I want. But I can't endanger them, those two are like family. Think!" Lilith punches the wall in frustration as a loud crash is heard. Lilith looked towards her first before realizing where the sound came from.

In the relic room, the barricade has a large hole as dust covers the entire room. As the dust clears, Willow's tree shrinks down. "Come on, let's go!" Luz said as she looked back and noticed Cruz on the ground.

"Cruz!" Luz rushed towards her brother as Willow and Gus rushed towards him as well. "Cruz! What's wrong?" Luz asked in worry.

"The… pulsing," Cruz said weakly as he tried to stand up.

"We should get help!" Willow said with worry

"But we have to get out of here too," Gus pointed out

"We have the hat. We can use it to help Cruz and Eda both once we get back," Luz said as she tried to help her brother up.

"What's going on in here?" Lilith asked as she stepped into the room. "What are you all still doing here?" Lilith noticed Cruz on the ground.

"Cruz!" Lilith ran over to him and began to inspect him. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"He said something about a pulsing. We don't know anything more than that," Luz said as Lilith looked over to her and noticed the Healing Hat. Luz followed Lilith's gaze before hiding the hat behind her back.

"Were you really planning to steal that decrepit old relic?"

"Well, I mean... Cruz and I wanted to use it to cure Eda. I know you want to cure her too, and we just thought that maybe the hat would help her," Luz confessed.

Lilith's face softened when she heard her before she gave her a small sad smile. "I do understand how you feel. However, this relic won't be able to heal her. It has grown too weak over the long years of use."

Luz looked down at the Healing Hat as Lilith's words sunk in. "So we did this for nothing," Luz said sadly

"Just leave Edalyn to me. You won't have to be involved in this business of ours. The first thing we'll have to do is take your brother to a healer."

"Head Witch Clawthorne," Kikimora said as she entered the room gaining their attention.

"Oh great," Lilith said under her breath. "What is it, Kikimora?"

"Why are these students still here? I believed that they had all left."

"Some of the students were left behind as stragglers. I was about to take them back home. One of them isn't feeling well."

Kikimora looked over Lilith and saw Cruz rising from the ground looking towards Lilith as his eyes began to focus again.

"A-Aunt Lilith?" Cruz asked as he looked around the room before noticing the imp demon.

"Did I hear this child correctly? He called you Aunt just now, didn't he?" Kikimora asked as Lilith's eyes widened in alarm. "If he is calling you Aunt, then unless you have another family member, that would mean that this boy is the Owl Lady's child."

"Well you see—"

"Lilith, this boy presents a perfect opportunity for you. He will serve as the perfect bait to capture the Owl Lady."

"If we take him hostage, then Edalyn will mostly likely storm the castle to get him back," Lilith argued

"Yes. Like I said. He is the perfect bait," Kikimora said as she began to walk towards Cruz.

As Kikimora began to walk towards him, Cruz suddenly felt the pulsing return as panic began to set into his mind.

"Stay back," Cruz warned quietly as he felt the pulse quicken in his head and his chest.

"Don't worry, child. I will not harm you. You'll simply act to lure out your mother," Kikimora said as she prepared a spell circle.

"I said. Stay. Back!" As Cruz yelled at Kikimora a large pulse of sound came from his mouth in a ring launching the demon imp back. As Kikimora was sent flying back by the roar, Lilith stepped towards Luz.

"Quickly, you must get back to Edalyn," Lilith said in a whisper. "I can't stop Kikimora, but I can make sure that your brother is not harmed."

"I'm not leaving without him," Luz said in determination

"Staying here will only place you in danger. Kikimora will not hesitate to see any of you as expendable," Lilith said as the three gulped. "Here." Lilith handed Luz her staff. "Take this to Edalyn. Tell her about what has happened. I'll make sure your brother is safe."

"But—"

"Some assistance would be appreciated, Head Witch," Kikimora said as she stood up.

"I'm coming. Please, go now." Luz looked towards Cruz and saw his glove light up as he began to trace a spell circle. "Alright, just make sure he's safe."

Lilith nodded at her. "I'll make sure of it," Lilith said as Luz, Willow, and Gus flew off on her staff.

When Lilith turned back towards Cruz, she saw Kikimora launch a spell at him before he raised his glove and traced a spell circle creating a shield.

"Cruz! You need to calm yourself," Lilith said as Cruz turned to look at her. When she looked into his eyes she saw that Cruz's eyes seemed to be unfocused with an underlying glow to them.

'What's going on with him? Could his blood be reacting to the threat around him? I'll need to put him to sleep.' As Lilith prepared a spell circle, Cruz created his own, shooting off lightning in different directions.

"Impudent, child. Attacking a Emperor's Coven member is a punishable offense," Kikimora said as she shot off a spell at Cruz.

As the spell landed, Cruz skidded back slightly before he shot off a fireball at Kikimora. As Lilith prepared her sleeping spell, a red bolt of magic struck Cruz in the back causing him to stagger before he collapsed onto the ground.

Lilith looked at the collapsed Cruz with worry before looking towards his attacker and saw the scout with the golden mask standing at the entrance with smoke coming from his staff.

"Were you really having this much trouble with one student?" The scout asked mockingly

"Golden Guard," Kikimora said with a slight growl. "I had thought you would've left already. We had the situation completely under control."

"Clearly. The Emperor informed me that someone had taken one of the relics. So he sent me to deal with them."

Kikimora glared at the Golden Guard as Lilith walked over to the unconscious Cruz. "Golden Guard… is he…"

"He's fine, Head Witch Clawthorne. I only knocked him out." Lilith let out a sigh of relief.

"Isn't that a relief, Lilith? Your nephew isn't harmed too much, and he can still act as the bait for the Owl Lady," Kikimora said as Lilith glared at her.

"This boy is your nephew?" Golden Guard asked, looking towards Cruz. "In that case, I do apologize for being so rough when knocking him out. On the plus side, we know that the Owl Lady will most definitely be coming. You can finally finish that assignment for the Emperor." Lilith scowled at the Golden Guard as he left the room.

On the bridge outside of the castle, Lilith stood waiting for Eda nervously. "Come on, Edalyn. You would be late when I need you the most. …When Cruz needs you the most as well," Lilith said as she looked up to see Emperor Belos watching.

Yellow light flashes in front of Lilith as Eda appears, floating in the air with a glare. Lilith looks back at Eda as her staff flies past her leaving a crater in the castle wall.

"Sister! I see that you got my invitation to a Witch's Duel!" Multiple bolts of electricity fly at Lilith as they all miss. Eda flies around Lilith purposely missing as one attack almost lands against Lilith before she blocks it using a shield. Lilith summons her staff from the wall before firing at Eda.

"Where is he?" Eda asked flying towards Lilith

"Easy now," Lilith said as Eda stopped. "Cruz is safe." Lilith tapped her staff on the ground as a blue bubble flew out of the castle with Cruz inside of it.

"Eda!" Cruz called out as he hit the bubble.

"You can have him back, provided you do as I say. Renounce your wild ways and join the Emperor's Coven. He can help heal your curse!"

"Don't believe everything that bonehead tells you," Eda said with a scowl. "He doesn't want to heal me, he wants to control me!"

"Then I will take you in by force," Lilith said as she spun her staff

"You've always looked down on me because I'm wild, but fortunately, that just made me work harder than you."

As Eda slammed her staff, she summoned a large owl made out of light behind her. She rushed at Lilith, sending her flying back as the guards all watched from the inside.

Eda reappears behind Lilith before she teleports to avoid the staff from hitting her. Lilith reappears from behind Eda before Eda disappears again and kicks her before chasing after her again. Cruz looked up from the bubble seeing Eda and Lilith zip around the air in flashes of gold and blue.

One of the bolts of magic fly towards Cruz knocking his bubble towards the edge.

"Cruz!" Eda flew towards the bubble before using her magic to redirect the boards on the bridge to stop Cruz from falling off. Eda rolled out of the way as Lilith landed on the bridge.

Eda summoned a three headed Hooty hydra wrapping it around Lilith. Eda spun her staff before sending a large blast of magic towards Lilith. Before the blast could reach, Cruz appeared in front of Lilith with a slight red glow around the bubble surprising the Clawthorne sisters. Eda redirected the blast, firing it towards the castle wall.

"Stop hiding behind Cruz, you coward," Eda said with a groan

"It's sad to see you slowing down sister. Tell me, is it the curse?" Lilith asked between pants as she looked back and saw the Golden Guard and knew he'd been the one to move the bubble in front of her.

Eda growled at her sounding slightly like the Owl Beast as her gem grew darker.

"Eda! Stop! Your gem!" Cruz cried out banging on the bubble as he pumped his arms back before noticing his gauntlets missing.

"Maybe it is the curse. But then how pathetic are you, that you can't beat me at my worst?!" Eda spun her staff as she summoned multiple rings of magic that sent bolts of lightning towards Lilith. The Hooty hydra drags Cruz out of the way as Lilith summons a bubble shield to protect herself. Cruz looked around and saw a pointed rock next to him.

"Maybe you are stronger than me, but that made me work smarter! I became smart, crafty!" Lilith said as her bubble started to crack.

"A lapdog for a tyrant!" Eda said as Cruz began to slam into the rock before the bubble shattered freeing him.

"You always thought you were better than me, that I could never beat you in anything!" Lilith said

"I am better than you!" Eda argued

"Then why were you so easy to curse?!" Lilith and Cruz gasped hearing what she'd said.

Eda looked towards her sister feeling shocked and betrayed. As her mind returns to the night that she was cursed, the mysterious figure steps into her room with the shadow disappearing revealing a young Lilith with her round glasses stepping towards Eda.

"A-and I have the power to remove it, if you would just let me explain."

Eda looked away before she began to shake with anger. She charged at Lilith with a yell of furry, shattering her shield and flinging her towards the wall leaving a crater.

"Eda, stop it! Your magic!" Cruz pleaded as the gem began to writhe with fury as Eda simply didn't care.

As Lilith began to stand up, Cruz was surrounded in a red glow before he started to float. Lilith looked back to see the Golden Guard activating his staff.

"What are you doing?" Lilith asked angrily

"Simply following orders," the Golden Guard said as he flung Cruz off the cliff.

"Cruz!" Eda called out as she drew a shaky spell circle with her staff as Cruz stopped plummeting above a score of giant spikes. Eda strained to hold him up.

"Eda, stop! You'll run out of magic! I can save myself," Cruz pleaded as he activated the glyph on boots.

"Oh son of a—now of all times?!" Cruz yelled realizing he hadn't refueled the boots.

"It's my power, kid. And before you and your sister showed up, I spent my whole life wasting it," Eda said as Lilith floated in the air looking on with worry.

The gem on the Golden Guard's staff shined brighter as a red glow began to push Cruz down forcing Eda to use more magic.

"Eda, no, no, no!"

Eda's gem became almost entirely black as the whites in her eyes began to be covered in the same black color.

"Alright, kid. Listen to me. I'm going away, and… I don't know if I can bounce back this time. Watch over King and your sister. Remember to feed Hooty."

"Please, no!" Cruz pleaded with tears forming as he began to remember his dad's final moments in the hospital all those years ago.

"And, Cruz, thank you… for being in my life." Eda screams as a large burst of magic is unleashed as Owlbert flies off of her staff. Lilith and the Golden Guard are pushed back as his spell is broken over Cruz.

As Cruz begins to plummet again, Owlbert grabs him by the hood before dropping him back on the bridge.

"Eda!" Cruz runs towards Eda as she rolls over and screams with her voice overlapping with the Owl Beast. Eda slams a hand on the bridge as she transforms into the Owl Beast.

As the Owl Beast advances towards Cruz he begins to back away. Before the Owl Beast could pounce at Cruz, Lilith binds her in magic before dragging her away towards the castle.

"Come along, sister. Now we can let the healing begin," Lilith said solemnly as she looked toward Belos who walked back into the castle with the Golden Guard following suit.

"How could you! You monster!" Cruz yelled as he jumped onto Lilith's back. Lilith quickly shook him off onto the ground before grabbing Owlbert.

"Leave, Cruz. Edalyn will be safe now," Lilith said, not wanting to look at Cruz before she tapped on the bridge using her staff. As the gears turned, the bridge began to retract towards the castle. "Take your sister and go back home."

As Cruz stood up, he tried to follow after Lilith but there wasn't a bridge for him to run over as the castle doors slam shut.

After walking all night, Cruz arrived at the Owl House feeling completely drained. "Oh, Cruz, there you are!" Hooty said as he woke up with a yawn.

"Hi, Hooty," Cruz said quietly as he entered the house. When he entered the living room, it was completely dark. The first thing he noticed was Luz sitting on the couch with a blanket wrapped around her with King sitting next to her.

The next thing he noticed was that balloons and streamers are hung up. Confetti and party hats are lying all over the floor with a broken cake sitting in the center of the coffee table. Luz stirs before she wakes up and notices Cruz.

"Cruz!" Luz yelled as she ran towards her brother, waking up King. "You're all right! Are you hurt?!"

"No… I'm fine, Luz," Cruz said reassuring her

"Hey, um, where's Eda?" King asked as he looked around as Luz noticed their mentor missing. As King's words sink in, Cruz's eyes begin to tear up before he collapses on the ground before he begins to cry. Hooty looked at Cruz with concern before he, King, and Luz all approached Cruz to comfort him.