The walk back from Adegast had been lengthy.
Luz had clutched the ridiculous map across her chest, eyes gleaming with the kind of fervent belief that made my teeth ache. The "Chosen One." A prophecy. Meant to find the Celestial Staff. It was almost textbook fantasy drivel quest narrative that wouldn't pass, even in a first-draft fanfiction. Luz of course had swallowed every word as presumed.
"Luke! Luke, did you see the way he looked at me? I think he knew!" She had practically bobbed with excitement, her sneakers crunching against the forest path. "This is my chance, to prove I'm meant for something greater! And you—" She had grabbed my arm with both hands, eyes wide and earnest. "—you can be my first companion! Like, we'll be a team! The Chosen One and her—her trusted ally!"
I had almost laughed. Almost. What was I, some Pokémon to be picked up on Route 1? Luke used Skepticism. It wasn't very effective.
Instead, king sat back. I had given her a noncommittal hmm and let her ramble the entire way back to the Owl House.
The moment we stepped through the door, the map unfurled in Luz's triumphant hands, both Eda and King took one look.
"HAHAHAAHHA!" They'd both burst into laughter.
"Oh, sweetie, no." Eda wheezed, wiping a tear from her eye. "You didn't fall for the old 'Chosen One' bit, did you?"
King climbed onto the table, scrutinizing the map with his tiny claws. "This is clearly a fake! Look at this craftsmanship—amateur hour! The edges aren't even burned convincingly!"
Luz's face fell. "But. but he said,"
"Wizards," Eda said, leaning back against the kitchen counter with her arms crossed. "They're all conmen, kid. Every last one of them. They prey on starry-eyed believers looking to be chosen. Trust me, I've seen it a hundred times."
"But the prophecy—"
"Is nonsense," King finished, hopping down. "Complete and utter garbage. There's no such thing as a 'Chosen One.' Well, except for me, obviously, but that's different."
The light in Luz's eyes dimmed. Her shoulders sagged, and she clutched the map against her chest like it might crumble to dust.
Eda exchanged a glance with King, then softened slightly. "Look, kid, we're not trying to crush your dreams or anything. We're just... trying to keep you from getting crushed by reality. Why don't you take some time? Process this. We'll be here when you're ready."
They left the room, Eda ruffling Luz's hair on the way out, King trailing behind with an awkward waddle.
We stood there in the quiet, Luz staring at the map, I was standing near the couch where my phone had been temporarily placed. She finally spoke, her voice small.
"They're right, aren't they?"
I walked over, pausing beside her. For a moment, I considered laying it on thick. it might speed up the teaching about gullibility. But something about the defeated slump of her shoulders made me reach out and pat her shoulder once, briefly.
"Yeah," I said. "They are."
She nodded, swallowing hard, and I moved away, heading toward the couch to collecting the phone. If we were going to be running around on errands as often as it seemed, I needed to make sure this thing stayed charged. The human world would have resources I'd need soon, items, knowledge, and tools that'd work manually.
Behind me, I heard a sharp intake of breath.
"Wait—Luke! Look at this!"
I turned. Luz had moved toward the window, holding the map up to the evening light. Words were appearing on the parchment, glowing faintly as though written in invisible ink.
"The Chosen One. The path will only appear to the worthy."
Her face lit up like a fireworks display. "See?! SEE?! It is real! The map—it's magic! Luke, this means—" She spun toward me, clutching the map, her grin threatening to split her face in two. "This means I am the Chosen One! And you, we'll go on this quest together!"
I stared at her.
Stared at the map.
Stared at her again.
Then I slipped my phone it into my pocket, and said, "No."
"What?!"
"I said no, Luz." I headed toward the stairs. "I've got, things to do. You have fun with your quest."
"But Luke! Don't you see it this is destiny! We're supposed to—"
"You're supposed to," I corrected, already halfway up the stairs. "I'm supposed to stay here. Good luck."
Her protests followed me up to our shared room, but I shut the door firmly behind me.
Twenty minutes later, she'd finally left out, I was alone in the forest.
The evening air was cool and damp, the canopy above filtering the dregs of sunlight into muted gold. Somewhere in the distance, a creature howled—low and guttural, it reminded me that this wasn't the human world anymore.
I walked carefully, keeping my footsteps light, my eyes scanning the underbrush and all visible surroundings.
It was time to make good use of my knowledge, Luz's hero's journey might be the main storyline, but being a supporting character wasn't somethiing I was interest in. If I was going to gain strength I had to act now. I needed knowledge, knowledge of this whole world and it's kingdom. But most importantly, I needed allies.
The only issue was figuring out which ones were worth pursuing.
There were dozens of witches and demons scattered throughout the Boiling Isles, but only a handful were truly essential. It was time I decided.
Lilith Clawthorne. Belos's right hand, the head of the Emperor's Coven, and arguably the strongest witch on the Isles outside of Belos himself or the Titan's magic. Her knowledge of spells, and magical theory was unparalleled. She would be difficult to approach, loyal to Belos for those she loved, and arrogant in her own right, not to mention her fierce competitiveness with Eda. But if I could get her on my side her insight would be invaluable, or at least extract what she knew...
Gus Porter was almost as important. A prodigy illusionist, nearly friendless and wanting to prove himself. I'd be easy to gain his reliance. His illusions were a true masterclass of power, and would be mine eventually, his loyalty, once earned, was ironclad. A useful piece to have early on.
Amity Blight. Another prodigy, top student at Hexside, but what interested me most was her own families control in this empire. The Blights wielded constructs, abominations, essentially an army of malleable, programmable soldiers. Yes, that power itself would speed things up greatly for me.
And finally, the one I was most cautious about.
Hunter.
The Golden Guard. Belos's nephew or so he believed. A grimwalker, magicless witch who wielded the power of a palisman with no magic of his own, It may be my lack of understanding of magic thus far but it made it all the more important in comprehending how he produced magic through that bond..
It could change everything.
Those four were at the top of my list. But I knew there was an abundance of talent. I intended to collect every one worth having.
The sound of rushing water pulled me from my thoughts.
I stopped at the edge of a semi-clearing, the trees sparse enough to let in the dying light but dense enough to provide cover. A stream cut through the area, burbling over smooth stones.
I adjusted my grip on the kitchen knife I'd "borrowed" from Eda's counter, a wicked looking thing that resembled a medieval dagger more than a utensil—and the large coil of rope I'd snagged from the storage closet. She'd get them back eventually.
The forest around was alive with sound, chirps, rustles, the distant screech of something with too many teeth. I crouched low, scanning the area.
If I was going to understand the magic of this world—the bile sacs, the glyphs, the way everything worked—I needed more than theory. I needed a test subject. A live one.
Which meant I needed bait.
I moved carefully through the clearing, testing the ground with each step. The soil was soft near the stream, packed harder further back. Good. I could work with this.
Kneeling, I began cutting branches from the surrounding trees thin, youthful ones that could bend without snapping. I worked quickly, my eyes usuring every few seconds to scan for movement.
The trap I had in mind was simple. A basic snare, the kind you'd use to catch rabbits in the human world. Loop the rope, anchor it to a sturdy branch overhead, set the trigger mechanism low to the ground. When something stepped into the loop—snap—it would yank them up by the leg, leaving them dangling and disoriented.
A basic non-lethal method of hunting.
I tied off the first snare, pulling the rope taut and testing the tension. It held. I camouflaged the loop with loose leaves and dirt in the effort of blending it into the forest floor.
The only problem was bait.
I frowned, staring at the finished trap. Most creatures here were opportunistic predators or scavengers. They'd need a reason to come this way a scent, a sound, something to lure them in.
I didn't have anything on me and didn't want to deal with the event of stealing from a powerful witch. No food, no—
I paused, glancing down at the knife in my hand, then at my forearm.
...No. Not yet. That was a last resort, and I wasn't desperate enough to start bleeding myself out in a demon-infested forest.
I'd have to rely on luck. Or set multiple traps and hope one of them caught something.
I spent the next hour setting up three more snares in strategic locations around the clearing—near the stream, along a game trail I'd spotted, and at the base of a tree that looked like it had claw marks gouged into the bark.
By the time I finished, the sun had dipped below the horizon, and the forest was bathed in twilight. Shadows stretched long and distorted, and the sounds around me grew louder, hungrier.
I stood, brushing dirt off my hands, and took one last look at my work.
Four traps. Four chances.
Now I just had to wait.
I turned and headed back toward the Owl House, my footsteps as quite as I'd entered. The forest at night was not a place I wanted to linger.
By the time I returned, the house was quiet.
I slipped inside, careful not to wake Hootie, and made my way upstairs. Luz's bed—well, nest, really—was still empty. She was probably still out chasing that ridiculous quest, or sulking somewhere with Eda and King.
I suppose I should take advantage of the brief abscence
I surveyed our shared room with a critical eye. It was cluttered,Luz's sleeping bag and Edas bags of human world trinkets piled in haphazardly on one side, a few scattered books and papers on the desk just above it.
I started by consolidating Luz's nest, shoving it firmly into one corner of the room along with her meager belongings. Then I grabbed the desk, which was heavier than it looked, no I was just that weak, and dragged it to the opposite side, positioning it near the small, crooked window.
This would be my temporary workspace.
I headed back downstairs, moving quietly through the darkened house. Eda's collection of books and scrolls was vast and disorganized, scattered across shelves, tables, and even the floor. I picked through them carefully, selecting a few blank journals—unused, their pages yellowed but intact.
Back upstairs, I placed them on the desk in a neat stack. One for consolidation of tested Theories the other meant for experimental data. One was off to the side meant for the worst scenarios, contingencies.
Studying the room with a critical eye I could still tell It wasn't much. A desk, some books, a corner to sleep in. Everything had it's beginning.
This would be my temporary laboratory though It wasn't possible to bring the full subject into this space, A simple place to record findings.
Eventually, I'd need something more and it must be hidden. But for now, this would manage.
I sat down at the desk, flipping open the first journal and running my hand over the blank page.
Tomorrow, I'd check the traps. If I was lucky, I'd have a subject. If not... well, I'd figure something out.
I always did.
It was late when I heard the front door creak open downstairs.
I glanced up from the journal, listening. Footsteps—light, shuffling. Luz.
A few moments later, I heard Eda's voice, low and soothing, followed by King's higher pitched chatter. They were trying to cheer her up. Failing, by the sound of it.
The stairs creaked.
I set down my pen as the door opened, and Luz stepped inside. Her hair was disheveled, her face smudged with dirt and... was that sap? She looked exhausted, defeated, her shoulders slumped as she dragged herself toward her nest.
She didn't say anything. Neither did I.
She flopped down onto her sleeping bag with a heavy sigh, staring up at the ceiling.
The silence stretched.
Finally, I closed the journal and turned in my chair to face her.
"You went anyway,"
"Yeah." Her voice was flat. "I went."
"And?"
"And it was a scam. Just like Eda said. The 'Celestial Staff' was a cheap fake. The 'ancient evil' was just Adegast in a costume, trying to trap me so he could... I don't know, eat me? Drain my magic? Whatever."
I nodded slowly. "So you got conned."
"Yeah." She laughed bitterly. "I got conned."
Another silence.
I stood, walking over to sit on the edge of her nest. She glanced at me, surprised.
"Luz," I said carefully. "Do you know why you fell for it?"
She frowned. "Because I'm an idiot?"
"No, your wrong." I shook my head. "Because you wanted it to be real."
She blinked.
"You wanted to believe you were special," I continued. "That you were chosen for something greater. That you had a destiny."
Her eyes glistened, and she looked away. "Yeah. I guess I did."
I leaned back, resting my hands on my knees. "There's nothing wrong with that."
She looked at me sharply. "Really? Because it feels pretty wrong right now."
"It's not wrong to want power, Luz. It's not wrong to want to be more than you are." I paused, choosing my words carefully. "The problem, is waiting for someone to give it to you. Waiting for a prophecy, a wizard, or some cosmic force to tell you you're special."
She stared at me, her brow furrowed.
"You want to be a hero?" I asked. "Then become one. Not because some map says you're the Chosen One, but because you choose it. Those who work for it, fight for it, make it their reality."
Her eyes widened slightly.
"I agreed with you, that we where special," I said, my voice low. "Not because I think I'm special. Nor that destiny handed it to me. But because I'm going to take it."
I met her gaze, unflinching.
"I'll ask you again Luz, do you want to be a hero? Then stop waiting for permission. Decide who you want to be, and become it."
She stared at me for a long moment, her eyes searching mine.
Then, slowly, she smiled.
"You're right," she said softly. "I don't need a prophecy. I don't need to be chosen." She sat up, her expression hardening with determination. "I'll become a hero because I choose to. Because I decide to."
I nodded. "Good answer."
She grinned, that familiar spark returning to her eyes. "And you? You're going to become some all-powerful witch or something?"
"Something like that."
She laughed and flopped back onto her sleeping bag. "Well, at least we've got goals."
"Yeah," I said, standing and heading back to my desk. "At least we've got that."
As I sat down and opened my journal again, I heard her breathing slow, deepening into sleep.
I picked up my pen and began to write what I already knew for certain.
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Finished up on the Magic system Ill show it off to you guys soon, well apart of it I mean since it's kinda hard to swallow all of it.