Chapter 6 - CHAPTER 5 what experience

DOUGH: Ya'all still reading this huh? Alright alright.. here enjoy...i guess

(Note:Ngl be someone that always sick and always go in and out hospital sure gave me lots of ideas.)

No omake and Btw there question end of this chapter.

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AHEM... Rafheal look here.

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RAFFY'S POV:

Well,i be dammed what you look at that!

"Stop right there!"

A bunch of wardens? Or guards were chasing us — me, Luz, and this bootleg Cubone-looking Pokémon, King. Apparently, one of us thought it was a bright idea to pull a lever that 'might free all the prisoners ( because lever on their prison cell ain't work as it just for decoration seem so) as they have heroic mind in their head after Heard their story.' Spoiler: it didn't. It called the damn wardens instead not one! But bunch more—and that brute one that had sorta clay face power almost crush my Skull.

"Good job, Luz…" I groaned, sprinting as fast as I could with my heavy backpack bouncing on my shoulders. Getting blasted by magic left and right didn't help either. Why didn't I just leave this thing at Eda's place? Simple — I don't trust her with my stuff."I thought those lever could free them! I didn't know!" Luz shouted, running beside me while King clung to her shoulder."Come on, human! Don't let us get caught before we find my crown!" yelled the little furball."Aaagh! I'm starting to believe this isn't even worth it—just to get your stupid crown back, you mutated ugly fur dog!" I yelled, shoving and dropping random furniture of this place hallway to block the guards chasing us.

"For Titan's sake!" one of the wardens shouted as a chair smacked them in the face. The voice sounded weirdly feminine but also deep at the same time."How dare you question the king of demon's request! As the King of Demons, I won't tolerate that kind of disrespect!" King barked from Luz's shoulder. "Even though I don't know what a mutated fur dog is, I do know what ugly means!"

"Guys! Guys! Cut it off! We're still being chased here!" Luz panted, running beside me, while King clutching tightly on her head."Raffy… any plans???" she asked, voice shaking as another magic blast exploded behind us...as this point i need to think fast.

———

I swear, I wanna yell my lungs out at this damn bootleg Cubone. All this crap we're going through—just for his so-called "crown of power." Like, yeah right. I know it's bullshit, but could I even do a damn thing about it? Of course not.

Back then, I tried to make excuses, but nope—Luz wouldn't budge. She never does. And of course, she had to drag me along for this mess, with that low-tier version of Baba Yaga getting me involved too. There's seriously no loophole in this whole cursed situation. I'm always stuck close to the protagonist—Luz. That damned troll god who slapped this leash curse on me really did a number. Sigh… sometimes I forget just how much of a pain in the ass this whole thing is. Guess after all the crap I've been through with her since we were toddlers… I just got too damn comfortable.

"Raffy…" Luz called again, still looking at me as we ran through the Conformatorium — a prison, a "rehab," or whatever Eda called it. From where I ser, it was a gulag. Huge. The wardens or guards as i couldn't tell the defferent is kept after us, blasting magic at our heels. I looked at Luz and this bold thought crossed my mind: I could just leave her. Let her get caught while I get away. Be free. But I couldn't. She's the protagonist of this world — I'm not dumb enough to try to replace her. What am I, some powerful extra who can steal the lead? No,i ain't manhwa character. I just want to survive. And I'd be damned if I sacrificed the kid who grew up with me. I couldn't do that.

Dang it… I know I once said I'd do anything, even if it meant throwing my morals out the window—but… I couldn't do that. I looked ahead and spotted a hallway splitting off to the right. "Luz! There—turn there and hide with King! I'll distract these wardens or guards or whatever their are, if you co—" I said, breathing heavily between each word.Her eyes widened. "What!? That's a crazy plan,i don't want that kind of plan! You'll get caught! I'm not leaving you behind—if you get caught, I'd rather get caught with you!" she shouted, still running beside me."Luzy…this not time to be sturborn." I muttered between my panting, trying to reason with her as the sound of magic blasts filled the corridor behind us try to hurt us.

When we reached the turn, I saw it was a corridor stuffed with junk—but plenty of places to duck into. Without saying a word I pulled out my telescopic staff and slammed it into the wall, knocking down torches along the hall toward the guards. They reacted fast, trying to seal them off—one of them blasted ice to make a barrier. The torches hit the ice and blew up in a cloud of steam. The mist thickened, the ice held for a minute, and that was enough to scramble their vision and give us cover. I looked at Luz and sighed. "Sorry, Luzy. It's for your own good."Before she could react, I shoved her toward the turn and swung my staff down, smashing a statue to block the path.

"Waaah! Huh—what the—Raffy!!" Luz yelled from the other side.

I didn't answer. My legs were already moving, heavy backpack bouncing behind me as I sprinted down the hall. The wardens had already broken through the ice wall and spotted me.

"Nooo!" Luz's voice echoed from behind as I heard the guards shouting,but seem the guard didn't Heard her voice as their eat being block by their own voice."Ugh, this smoke! I can't see a thing!" one of them coughed."Hey! I saw movement over there—get them!" another barked.And just like that, the entire squad was on my tail.

———

I kept running, even though my legs screamed in pain from the damn weight on my back. Every step felt like I was dragging a bag of bricks through hell, but I didn't stop. Couldn't stop.

Still, my mind wouldn't shut up—Is Luz okay? She should be fine, right? Aaagh, I hate caring too much. It's annoying. But… I guess I can't help it, not after everything i've been through with her,in this second life of mine.

"Focus, Raffy," I muttered between breaths. "You can't afford to get soft now."I forced my thoughts down and fixed my eyes ahead. No room for feelings. Not when a pack of magic-hurling maniacs was right behind me. Survival first—everything else comes after. I skidded to a stop, boots scraping against the rough brick floor—only to find a gaping drop ahead. A dark pit. Deep enough that I couldn't see the bottom.

"...Shit," I hissed under my breath. My lungs burned, and my backpack felt like it weighed a ton.

"There he is!" one of the guards shouted from behind. The faint glow of their staffs painted the walls orange as they closed in.

"Wait—why's he alone? Where's the other kid?" another voice, higher and more feminine, questioned.

"Who cares?! That little cuckold's gotta be around here somewhere—we'll find them after!" barked the brute among them, slamming his staff on the floor.

All of them wore those same creepy plague masks some Made by iron or something, their voices echoing through the narrow hall like a bunch of death reapers on duty. I looked back at them, then down into the pit. Great. Out of all the options I had, both looked equally stupid. "Let's get 'em!" one of the guards barked, their boots thudding closer.

"Hah, you're alone now!" the slender one with horns sticking out of their hood shouted, staff raised. "You're outnumbered—surrender now, or we'll use force!"

The end of their staff glowed, forming a purple magic circle that hummed with energy. The others followed, surrounding me like a pack of wolves ready to pounce.

I gritted my teeth. My heart was hammering. Think, damn it. Think. Think! My eyes darted between the glowing staffs, and that big dark hole behind me. None of this looked good."Fuck…" I muttered under my breath. Fighting all of them would be suicide. Sure, I was faster than most thanks to my size and training, but being outnumbered by armed mages? That was a whole different game. Still, I wasn't the type to just roll over and let myself get caught.

I sighed hard, inhaled deep, and let it out slow — the kind of breath you take when you already know what kind of dumb thing you're about to do.

The guards flinched when I dropped my backpack to the ground with a heavy THUD, the sound echoing down the the place. Some of them raised their staffs,wand,and hands instantly, the tips glowing brighter — ready to blast me to pieces if I made the wrong move.

"Easy there…" I muttered, tightening my grip on one of the straps.

They didn't relax. Each step I took backward, they took one forward, boots scraping against the stone floor. Then, in one motion, I slung the heavy pack in front of me like a makeshift shield — the thing was nearly as big as me anyway well more— and started inching backward toward that big dark hole behind me. If this was gonna go bad, I'd rather it be my way that by— I jumped.

The second my feet left the floor, I knew this was one of those "I'm gonna regret this" kind of moves—but too late now. I hugged my backpack tight, using it like a cushion for the landing I knew was gonna hurt like hell.

"Get him!" one of the wardens shouted, and before I could even look back—ZAAAP! five bursts of couple light of magics shot through the air—aiming to my left leg.

Pain ripped through my left leg like it got stabbed with a bunch of burning iron rod. I screamed through clenched teeth, the smell of scorched fabric and skin filling my nose. But I didn't let go. I held that backpack strap tight, swung it back over my shoulder mid-fall, and braced myself. The drop felt endless. Wind howled past my ears, my heart pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat. The pain in my leg burned worse with every second—but the ground still didn't show up."...how deep is this damn hole…??!!?" I muttered through my teeth, the only thing keeping me from screaming outright because the pain.

Then—THUD!

The impact hit like a truck. Dust burst everywhere as I crashed down, my back slamming into the ground with my backpack taking most of the blow. For a second, all I could hear was ringing in my ears. My vision spun, stars dancing around like bad TV static. I groaned, half laughing, half dying.

"Ugh—thank God I packed half my wardrobe in there…" I muttered, coughing as I tried to sit up. My spine screamed, my leg throbbed from the burn, but at least I wasn't a pancake.

I gave the backpack a pat while i still lay down ontop of it. "Hope my stuff's still fine in there… all those meds, kits, and my foods Supply better not be broken now."when i try to moved,you could tell. Every move hurt like hell, but I forced myself to breathe—slow, steady, in and out. Check for fractures, dislocation, nerve shock… anything. Just pain, no snapping sounds at first. Good enough, I told myself. At least I was alive.

But then I tried to sit up.

A sharp crack shot through my spine, loud enough to echo in my head. My whole body froze. The pain exploded up my back, and before I even realized it, I couldn't feel my legs anymore.

My chest tightened. "...no. No, no, no—"

I tried again, forcing my brain to send the signal down—move, damn it, move!—but nothing. Not even a twitch.

My breathing grew faster, uneven. "Shit…"I pressed my hand to my lower back—no bleeding, but the angle felt wrong. The weight of my body wasn't sitting right.

Fuck—spinal cord injury… most likely severe trauma to lumbar or thoracic vertebrae… paralysis from the waist down, my brain recited automatically like I was diagnosing someone else.But it was me."Damn it…" I whispered, gripping a handful of dirt and trash just to feel something. "I'm my legs paralyzed. Great… just great....Hahaha… fuck! This is one sick joke," I muttered, half laughing, half groaning in pain. The sound echoed around the filthy pit I'd fallen into. My neck hurt, my back was screaming in pain , and all I could move were my arms and upper body. Everything below my waist? Dead weight.

When Im so focus of my situation i smell something from this place i fallen in ,The stench hit next—rot, mold, and something chemical. Yeah… a trash dump. Figures. Guess that hole wasn't some secret escape tunnel, just a goddamn dumpster."Perfect. Just perfect," I mumbled as I forced myself to move, dragging my useless legs with my hands. Each crawl felt like someone jabbing a hot iron into my spine, but I had priorities—I needed to check my stuff.

I reached my massive backpack, fingers fumbling for the zipper. "Come on… please don't be broken…"

The moment I opened it, relief hit me. My stuff—clothes, tools, kits—all still intact. The pile of clothes I packed ended up saving my ass, literally.

"Guess overpacking wasn't such a dumb idea after all."

I pulled out my first aid kit, hands trembling, and went to work. The burn wound on my left leg from that damn magic blast looked bad—charred skin, purple edges—but treatable. I disinfected it, applied a numbing salve, and wrapped it tight.

Then came the hard part. My back. I pressed my fingers carefully along my spine, feeling for deformities, pain responses—T12? Maybe L1? "Yup…my spinal cord's messed up," I muttered, voice dry. "If I had a proper brace, I could stabilize it… maybe keep it from getting worse."I tore up one of my spare shirts, folded it thick, and wedged it against the worst spot to act as a temporary brace. Not perfect, but it'd do.

"Alright…" I whispered, breathing heavily, sweat dripping down my face. "That should do for first aid on my legs and spine. I can't move too much… what should I do next…? Of course nothing just stay here now as i am can't move… maybe… maybe Luz and Eda—that damn Baba Yaga—will come looking for me. I don't wanna hope too much, but knowing this damn chain that links me to her, and her behavior… she'd probably ask that Baba Yaga to find me a after couple scenes later… I just hope it goes according to the episode flo—"Then I heard something fall in the trash pile. I turned toward the sound and saw a bunch of small eyes shining through the darkness.

"…You gotta be kidding me."

As I said that, my other fear came true—rats. This place was full of them. As I looked around, there were dozens… no, maybe more. But they were different from the rats I'd seen or read about in the human world. These ones had more rows of sharp teeth, their exposed gums showing beneath dark, dirty-grey fur. And behind those fuckers teeth was a face—not a rat's face, but something more like a demon's.

These rats were at least eight times the size of normal ones, and I could tell they were hungry. They must've smelled the blood from my injured leg miles away… and now they were coming straight for me.

"Heh… haha… dang it."

Well I'm completely fucked, am I? That damn god really doesn't let me catch a single breath the moment I step into the main storyline of this show. Now I'm surrounded by demon-world rats while I'm lying here paralyzed and injured. These motherfuckers are looking at me like I'm their dinner. Now I get how Donnie from the TMNT comics felt when he was about to die under a horde of rats—difference is, that turtle was paralyzed from head to toes."fucking hell.."

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The demon rats started creeping toward Raffy—too many to count, just a sea of glowing eyes and gnashing teeth closing in on him. Raffy needed to think fast. His legs were dead weight, completely paralyzed. He couldn't run, couldn't scramble away, couldn't even shift enough to give them a proper fight. This was one of those rare moments where all his martial arts training meant jack shit.

"Shit…" he grumbled under his breath as he dug through his backpack with shaky hands, searching for anything useful. Steel axe. Telescopic staff. Super-strong duct tape. Taser. Good, His brain finally started working again.

"SKIIIIIIIRRRRRR!!!" the rats shrieked as one of them lunged straight for his face. Raffy snapped the telescopic staff open, the metal rod shooting out. The taser—strapped to the end with layers of duct tape—crackled violently.

ZAP!!!!!!!

The first rat hit it mid-air and spasmed, dropping like a fried pancake. As the twitching rat hit the ground in front of him, Raffy didn't hesitate—he swung the axe down and split it clean in half as the blood and guts almost hit his backpack but didn't—blood splattering across the trash around him.

He glared at the rest of them with those dark crimson eyes, his short hair falling over his face, breath shaking but steady. He sighed once… long, tired, resigned.

"So this is what it is, huh?" he muttered then he bared his teeth."If this is the end of my second life—" his voice cracked into a furious yet calm one,"—imma gave ya lil shit a hell before have bit of me.."as that the rats look understood what he was saying ,they become more agressive then The horde screeched back at him, a tidal wave of teeth and fur surging forward—

—and then everything went blank.

———

In another part of the Conformatorium, Luz and King had managed to slip away from the wardens' grasp."Looks like they're not after us anymore," King said from his spot on Luz's shoulder."Your foul-mouthed friend with that personality of his sacrificed himself quite well for me, the King of Demons. A noble act indeed. His sacrifice will not be wasted," the little furball declared proudly.

"Can you not say that!? He's not dead!! Stop saying he died!" Luz hissed at him, whisper-yelling so the wardens wouldn't hear. "He'll come find us later. I know he will…"She tightened her fists."He's some one, i hold dear to… and if he doesn't come, then I'll go look for him myself. And we're gonna free those prisoners too."

The king blinked, confused by how the girl reacted. She wasn't scared at all—just angry, worried, and stubbornly determined. She clearly cared a lot about that human boy. For a moment, King felt he should say something more… but he chose not to."Whatever. Let's just find my crown… I can feel it. It's close. Somewhere around here," King said instead.

Luz followed the direction the little furball pointed, her steps quick and tense as they walked."Once we find my crown," King added, trying—awkwardly—to ease the mood, "I'll ask Eda to help you look for your male friend. She wouldn't let a human die here. Well… not without at least complaining loudly first, but you get the point."

Then, suddenly—

WHOOOOOOOSH

Eda came flying out of one of the corridor windows on her staff, landing on her feet with a thud."Hey there, kiddo! I just saw the warden's getting all distracted—looked like they were dragging someone off for tor—WOAH, what happened?" she said, eyes widening when she finally noticed something was off. "Hold up—where'd the red-eyed one go?" Eda asked, realization hitting her. One of the kids was missing.

"Eda!" King yelped, surprised she popped out of nowhere.

Luz's face lit up for a moment—then fell right back into worry.

"Well," Eda said, crossing her arms, "care to explain why that boy, your friend suddenly isn't here anymore?"

Luz swallowed hard. "He… he was luring the guards away so they wouldn't chase me and King. He sacrificed himself. We were being chased earlier."

Eda's golden eyes went wide. "Huh. That's… not good."

She looked genuinely thrown off, like this was not the outcome she expected when she told the kids to do her binding because the deal she Made with them."That's really not good," she added, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "The Conformatorium wardens and guards are very loyal pets of that guy. They don't mess around."she mutter under her breathe.

"C-could you help me find him… please?" Luz asked, looking up at her with that hopeful, desperate expression that punched straight through Eda's ribcage."I… I don't know, kid," Eda said at first, voice softer than usual. "This place is dang—"she stop mid-sentence as she look the expression the young human had.

Luz's expression crumbled.

Eda sighed—loudly—and flicked Luz on the forehead. "But I can't just let a human child die in this world. No, no, as i said, you humans more valuable when still alive then dead,and if he dead that would give me way too much pain in the butt later."A smirk tugged at her mouth as she ruffled Luz's hair. As the three finally found the room their looking for the three of them stood in the contraband room, King puffed up his tiny chest."Haaah! My crown is closer! The power—oh, the power! I can sense it!" he shouted, hopping off Luz's shoulder and sprinting straight toward the door. "Heh. He really is adorable when he's thirsty for power, isn't he?" Eda said, trying to lighten the mood—but Luz didn't even crack a smile.

Eda opened her mouth to try something else, but then a little round thing—looked like some kind of doorknob—rolled across the floor and bumped into their legs. Right after that, the massive door swung open. Somehow King had managed to open it, despite definitely not knowing how he pulled it, its open. They stepped inside, and the place was lit with an eerie green glow. In the middle of the huge room was a giant tube made of glowing green magical energy—some kind of forcefield protecting all the confiscated items inside. King tried to headbutt the barrier, but just bounced off like a rubber ball."aaagh how dare this blocking the king's way!"said the little mutant raccoon in angry.

Both Luz and Eda walked up to the little gremlin, and Eda scooped him right off the floor like an annoyed mom grabbing a toddler.

"Hey, hey, hey—nope. You're not getting in there," Eda said, holding King up to eye level. "That barrier was made so anything living in the Demon Realm can't pass through it, remember? Hahahaha."

She set him back down and tapped his head. "But lucky for us… we've got a human, remember?"

King blinked, then muttered, "Ah, right. Yeah…"

Meanwhile, Luz wasn't even listening. She was staring up at the massive pillar of glowing green magic, eyes wide with awe—until she tilted her head a little and the excitement dimmed. Because she remember there a empty space next to her because Raffy wasn't here to see any of this—if he was there she believe that he would amaze also seeing this—but he's not here. As that She sucked in a deep breath, held it, then slowly let it out through her nose and look back at the massive green pillar. "Ahem, kid? You still there?" said Eda, snapping Luz back.

"Ah—right… yeah. Sorry. I just… nevermind," said the short-haired girl, shaking herself out of her thoughts.

"So what should I do?" Luz asked Eda.

"Well, like I said, I can't penetrate that magic wall. It's made so nothing from the Demon Realm can walk through it. But you? You're human. I think you can get in," Eda said bluntly.

Luz wanted to question it more, but that would just waste time, so she started walking toward the massive green pillar of energy. She stretched her hand out first and—she could actually walk pass through it.

Inside, she was blinded for a moment by the bright transition. As her vision returned, she saw a huge mess of items floating insde—witch stuff, magical tools, all kinds of belongings from people who were thrown in here without any real reason. Some of the "crimes" didn't even seem wrong from what Luz and Raffy Heard earlier, like one prisoner studying more than one type of magic… or someone's conspiracy-theory like that packman looking demon Raffy called them, or fanfic about food or vegetables or whatever that purple-outfit witch girl was into. Luz even spotted another copy of what she assumed was that girl's latest fanfic.

(Author:if my memory didn't wrong me like all Times i believe there one mofo that couldn't stop ate his own eyes?)

As she stepped deeper into the swirling magic barrier, Luz started scanning the piles of stuff for the Crown of Power they came here for. There was so much junk—witch gear, magical trinkets, random personal belongings—basically a whole mountain of confiscated contraband. She moved fast, hoping she could find it quickly, then go find Raffy, and together they could free everyone trapped here.Then she stopped in front of a heap of witches' belongings. Among the mess, she saw something shaped like a crown."Gasp—found it," Luz said, rushing toward it. But the closer she got, the more sketchy it looked."...Hold on. Wait a second… is that a—?"

Her suspicion was right—that was not a crown. Sure, it was crown-shaped, but the moment she grabbed it and got a better look, she realized it was just a damn cardboard Burger King crown. Luz stepped out of the magic barrier holding it, staring down at the cheap cardboard in her hands. Disappointed? Yes. Irritated? Absolutely. This was what they'd been looking for? This was the reason Raffy threw himself in as bait so she and King could escape the wardens' chase—for this??? Her left eye twitched, her brow furrowing hard. "Ah! My crown!" King shouted, jumping up with pure excitement when he saw Luz holding it. The little furball reached his arms up expectantly. Of course, Luz handed it over.

"Hohoho—YES YES YES YESSS! Ah, I can feel my power returning!!" King shouted as he slapped the cardboard crown onto his head.

Luz's tone was flat—annoyed"This is… stupid…" she muttered, glaring at Eda after watching King celebrate. "That crown doesn't give him any power… does it?"The Spanish girl stared up at the tall ivory witch, eyes narrowing."Hehehehe ...Umm… no…" Eda admitted, meeting Luz's look for half a second, Luz's eyes narrowed even more."Oh, well…" Eda sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. "Litsen..look at us, Luz… me and King..,we don't have much in this world." Luz stared right into her eyes, arms crossed, not breaking that unimpressed look."We only have… each other." Eda's voice softened, a little sad, a little melancholic. Her gaze drifted from Luz to King. "So… if a dumb crown is important to him… then it's important to me too, i just—couldn't help it..."She finished with a small, gentle smile.

Eda looked back at the girl and added,

"Besides, we weirdos gotta stick together, y'know? If the world doesn't want us becau—… well, you get what I mean." She finished with a wink. Those words hit Luz harder than she expected. Yeah… weirdos sticking together. Just like her and him—her childhood friend, her only real friend.

Even here in the Demon Realm, he was the one constant. The one person who always stayed with her (forcefully). She couldn't help it—her lips curled into a tiny smile. "...You really care about King, huh?" Luz asked softly. "Yes, I do. And Luz, I owe you a lot—same goes for your friend," Eda said, voice warm but firm. "That's why we're gonna find him."

Luz's smile brightened.

"Now let's go find your boy-friennnnd before the Wardens sweep this place!" Eda teased."HEY! He—he's not my boyfriend! He's my childhood friend!" Luz yelped, face turning lightly pink."Huh? Really? I thought you two were datin' because ho—"Eda's words were cut off by a booming voice:"THERE THEY ARE!"The Warden and guards burst in, binding them with magic.

"WHAT THE—!" Eda yelled as all three of them were caught off guard. She whipped her head toward one of the Wardens—only for her head to be cleanly chopped off mid-turn by the massive Warden whose arm morphed into an axe.

"Got you…" the Warden rumbled.

Luz, seeing Eda's head fly, managed to catch it with the only hand she had free. Her eyes went wide—then she started screaming. Eda's severed head stared back at her, frozen in a perfect expression of pure panic… before the face twitched back to life."Owww! Ugh, I hate when that happens!" Eda groaned, sounding more annoyed than anything."WAAAAAAAAAAAA!! AAAAAAAAAAA!!" Luz kept screaming, shaking.

————

"E–Eda!! Are you okay!?" she asked, panicked, clutching the witch's head like a football. "Well yeah—this just happens when you get older. Super annoying, really," Eda grumbled casually. "D–DOES IT???" Luz yelled, horrified and confused. Then it hit her—she remembered Eda's hand popping off earlier and getting stuck on her staff… but this? A whole head? This was on a completely different!

(Author:ah yes trauma)

"Finally… I have you cornered now, Eda the Owl Lady."

The brute rumbled, his deep voice shaking the room as his axe-hand shifted back into a normal one. More Wardens stormed in behind him, filling the space like an army of armored insects. He stepped toward them and snatched King's crown right off the little guy."Grunt—HEY!" King yelped, eyes going wide as his dark grey fur puffed up like a terrified cat.

"All this time I've tried to catch you," the broad Warden growled, pacing closer with that low, heavy tone. "And it never worked. My guards could never get you…"

He leaned down, right in front of Luz—who was frozen by the glowing magic ring binding her—and stared at Eda's still-separated head in her hands."But I knew… I knew if I took your precious, nasty pet's toy… you'd come running. And here you are."

He smirked under his mask.

"That's why… I'm glad this plan worked."And then, right in front of them, he crushed the cardboard crown in his fist—ripping it apart. King saw the crown get crushed and his eyes went huge."Nooooo!!!" he screamed, trying to break free from the binding magic—but he couldn't."Huuuwaaaa!! My power…!" he wailed, dropping to the floor. One of the guards—big, three horns sticking out of his plague-mask helmet—walked up and kicked King, sending him rolling across the floor.

"GAH!" King yelped as he smacked into the green energy barrier, getting zapped. Luz flinched at the sound and pushed herself toward him as much as the binding allowed."King!" she shouted, eyes locked on the little furball curling up in pain."HEY! Don't hurt him!" Eda barked, fury flashing across her face.

Her body—still separated from her head—wiggled and twisted, trying to break out of the magical bindings. Her head glared up at the Warden, golden eyes narrowed."What in the Titan's name is wrong with you!? What do you even want with me!?" Eda snarled, baring her teeth—one gold fang glinting. "I never even broke your dumb, stupid laws! Not in front of you, anyway!"

"Oh, that's simple," the Warden said in that weird ominous tone of his."I want you…" he paused, reaching behind his back like he was about to pull out a weapon. Both Luz and Eda tensed then the brute finished his words."…to go out with me."His voice dropped even lower, trying to sound smooth—but it just sounded weird. Eda's eyes went wide. Luz's brain completely short-circuited."WHA—?????" both of them blurted out at the same time."What????"

And then—like this was somehow normal—the wardens around the room started cheering."Go, boss!!" one shouted."WOOOOO!! There we go!" a female guard yelled, fist pumping."Finally! Oh my Titan, it's actually happening!" another said. Others just threw thumbs up like they were hyping up a school confession scene instead of… whatever the hell this was. The big guy shot his subordinates a thumbs-up, then turned back to Eda's severed head, still awkwardly holding his sad bouquet of flowers."You… y-you always escaped our capture… you've always been the one who got away…" he rumbled, voice weirdly soft for someone built like a brick wall.

Some guard in the back started playing soft romantic music on a lute. Why? Who knows. This situation were weird."A-and… I found that… alluring…" he added, voice dipping into this pathetic, pleading tone.

Eda—just a head in Luz's hands—looked like she wanted to puke, despite not currently having a stomach attached. Luz, who'd had enough of this fever dream, cut in flatly,"I hate everything you're saying right now."

That snapped the Warden right out of his fantasy. His eyes twitched and he snarled,"YOU stay out of this!"He lashed out an arm like a mud whip, grabbed Luz—still bound by that magic ring—and yanked her off the ground."Aa—AAAGH!" Luz choked out. The Warden's grip tightened so brutally it felt like her ribs were about to snap. Her fingers spasmed, and Eda's head slipped from her hands, rolling onto the stone floor.

Before the head could even bounce, the Warden grabbed Eda by her long white hair, yanking her up so her golden eyes were level with his.

"So… how about it, Owl Lady?" he murmured, voice dripping with obsession. Eda's eyes went wide—not with fear, but with the pure ick of the situation."Kid!" she barked when she heard Luz groan."Ee… Eda…" Luz could barely force the words out. Her body was being crushed like an empty soda can.

The Warden tightened his grip on both of them, leaning close."What do you say now? The most powerful witch in Boiler isle and the feared Warden Wrath… together? Become one??" he crooned, smug like this was some romantic moment and not literal torture.

He chuckled, low and gross."Hohoho… can you imagine? We'd be the strongest power couple ever. So what do you say? I mean…" His fingers closed harder around Luz's torso, making her scream."It's not like you can say no right now~ or else."

He jerked his chin at one of his subordinates.

The guard instantly aimed their glowing magic circle at King, who was still tied up shacking. Eda's heart dropped. Her body—still trapped under binding magic—thrashed uselessly across the room. Yes, she could break free… but it would take at least fifteen minutes—She didn't have fifteen minutes, she barely had seconds "Alright!" Eda snapped, voice tight with forced defeat."You win, Warden. You win…"The brute straightened proudly, a wide grin clearly forming under his plague-mask."Oooh hoho, finally—"

"But," Eda cut in, tone suddenly sugary sweet, "I'd just like to say something first."The Warden paused, blinking."Oh? Alright then. What is it? Tell me," he said happily, not even a little suspicious."Come closer," Eda said calmly—He obeyed, lifting her head nearer.

"Closer," she repeated, he leaned in more."Little bit more."They were inches apart now—way too close."Oh! Yeah, that's good—tsssssssssssssst!!"Eda snapped her tongue out like a whip and spat right across his mask, the grossest, slimiest spit she could muster.

The Warden froze—even through the mask, he felt how nasty that was. His whole body recoiled in disgust. Eda smirked. "Been dyin' to do that."

"Aaaagh!" the Warden yelled, jerking back. His grip loosened, and Luz dropped to the floor hard, groaning as her butt hitting the floor first."What are y—!!" he barked, only to slam Eda's head down against the ground. The impact made her grunt, but she still managed to laugh.

"Haha— hahaha! Oh, please, please—get over it!" Eda snapped, glaring up at him. "You had your guards stalk me, then you cut my head off—my head! And one of your goons just kicked king! You really think I'd accept your offer, you psycho? Hwak tuh!!"she spit on the warden mask Made the brute flinch in disgust."Of course NOT! IM NOT GONNA GO OUT WITH YOU!"Her golden eyes flicked past him—Luz was already back on her feet, shaky but determined. One hand was still bound by magic, but the other managed to snatch up Eda's staff. The girl lifted it, aiming to whack the Warden right across the skull. Eda grinned at her—but one of the Warden's underlings spotted Luz and fired a spell.

ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!

"Aaagh!" Luz's body seized up and she collapsed, paralyzed, her fingers slipping from the staff—Eda's grin vanished. "HEY! Leave the kid alone!"But the guard didn't care.Then, in anger, the Warden growled, "If you won't accept, then I have no choice!"His arms twisted again, grabbing Luz and squeezing her like a vice."Aaaaaaagh!!!" Luz cried, tears stinging her eyes as she struggled to breathe. The Warden snapped his fingers at his subordinates. "Aim at the beast. Let's see how long you can stay strong while your precious pet and that kid die in front of you."

His voice was ice cold. The guards charged their spells, pointing straight at King.

And then—

A tiny dark object whistled through the air.

pop—BOOOOOOOM!

A blinding flash exploded across the room."Wha—AAGH!!" Wardens screamed, staggering back in total disorientation. Even Eda flinched, her head tumbling from his grip and rolling across the floor."Gah!!" Eda yelped, blinking uselessly. Luz dropped free as the Warden's hands jerked open, the light overwhelming him. Every single one of them—warden, guards, even Eda—were left confused, stunned, and blind by the sudden flash. "Man… this is something that shouldn't be happening," a voice muttered, sounding exhausted as it walked closer to the spot. The warden who had been using the binding magic on the trio was still blind—completely vulnerable, not even knowing what was coming.Then he got zapped with a high-voltage shock that made him scream before collapsing."AAAAAGH!"He passed out instantly. With that, the binding magic holding Luz, King, and Eda finally vanished.

"Aaaaaaagh! What in Titan! Who are you?!" the warden said, still blinded by the light even with the mask on. He roared at the small figure standing there, very beat up, with slighly Torn clothes and blood on him. The person carried a heavy backpack on his back, and one of his leg were bandaged with cloth. His red eyes looked at him, exhausted, while his brown skin was covered with bruises, small healed bite marks, and blood. His messy short dark hair slightly covered his eyes.

Luz, who didn't get flashbanged, could see who it was… and she smiled, knowing exactly who it was."Ra–Raffy....Raffy!!! You're alive! Thank goodness!" Luz said between pants as she recovered from the pain but happy seeing her dear friend alright. Eda, who finally regained her sight, saw the scene in front of her: a beaten boy in bad shape standing in the middle of the guards, having knocked out one of them who was using binding magic on them. He was holding a long metal staff with something taped to the end of it. He was badly beaten, and it looked like he had done some first aid on himself, with that look like temporary brace on his abdomen going around to his back and leg.

She wondered what just happened to the kid, why he looked like that, but her thought got cut short as she saw the warden morph his arms into something."Oh, you would get i—aaack!" the warden yelled as he got whacked by Luz, who had already regained her strength slightly and was recovering from the pain. Metal clanks echoed, then a THUD!!, and the brute warden fell down unconscious."Haha, nice, kiddo, you did it this time," Eda said with a smile. Luz grabbed Eda's head and latched it back to her body, then grabbed King. As that happened, the warden's subordinates tried to cast spells to blast them but—"Nope."Raffy tased them with high voltage one by one, even whacking some.

Crazy for a fourteen-year-old kid that beat up still had the strength to do that. From there he started beating them more and more, and some he even hit in the crotch, tasing their balls with a grin. "AAAAAAGH!" one of them yelled in agony, and some passed out from the pain. The guards inside the room saw the kid doing pure horror to their male comrades, but the female guards/wardens weren't safe either—getting whacked in the face and tased. They didn't even have a chance to fight back.

Even one who tried to shoot magic at him couldn't hit him and got whacked by him instead. Seeing her childhood friend do that, Luz couldn't even comment about it —she want to but she stop when try open her mouth, while Eda looked at the boy's rough violent behavior with a calm demeanor, making the witch grin."Hah, I like that kid," Eda said. Then that boy ran toward them after criple the guards and other wardens there."The hell you guys waiting for???! Let's run now from this place!" Those words snapped them out of it."Ah—right! Right!" said Luz, looking at Eda, who was already on her staff, holding King with one arm.

"Hop on, kiddos!"The four of them flew right through the beaten-up wardens and guards toward the door of the room.The brute warden, who regained his consciousness, saw that and got angry. "AAAGH! OWL LADY! I WON'T LET YOU GET AWAY AGAIN!!!!!! UUURRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!" he roared as his limbs morphed into tentacle-like limbs and he used them to chase them.

As the group flew through the coridor hall of the Conformatorium's with Luz in front of Eda in the middle, King on top of Eda's head holding her long white hair to keep it from falling, ane Raffy whom look back at the warden that chase them as he hold his massive backpack on his bruses and blood stain arms, thinking away around to chase away this bastard warden. As he thinking eda look back at the boy whom sat the back side of her staff that weirdly strong enough to hold four of them and plus the boy massive backpack."so,kid you look very beated up,what happened? Is the guards that chase you took quick some number of you?"ask eda as the curious she was in this situation—the one focus flying them was Luz whom panic as this her first time flying with witch staff.

Raffy twisted his head toward the Ivory Witch and looked into her golden eyes.

"What the—are you damn serious, old hag??? We're in this situation right now, being chased by that crazy motherfucker! And you're asking that?? Help me think a way out of here, would you??" Raffy snapped, pointing at the warden still chasing them at full speed.

"Aaaaaaa! Oooooowwwwwwlllllll laaaaaddddyyyyyy!!!" the warden roared through the stone-brick hall, as his shapeshifting limbs moving like octopus tentacles, propelling him forward at terrifying speed. Meanwhile the group in front of him kept moving and maneuvering. The slender woman looked at the boy and responded,

"What? I'm just curious," said the old hag with a smirk as she seem calm in this situation. Raffy, already irritated by the witch's laid-back attitude, suddenly remembered—she's a witch. She can literally do magic."Hold on the damn second— you're a witch, right!!! You can do magic! Why the hell are you NOT using magic right now to slow down that cheap knock off clay face on our back!!?" Raffy barked at Eda.

Eda froze for a split second, making a face like she had just remembered something extremely obvious.

"Ah…"

That one sound was enough for Raffy to know exactly what that face meant. "You… perra… seriously?" he said, disbelief and annoyance mixing in his tone. She then looked at the warden still behind them and started drawing a magic circle in the air. A cyan-colored circle formed, then shot out a blast of insanely strong air pressure that sent the warden crashing backward into several decorative statues along the hallway.

"Woohoo! Take that, you scum! That's what you get for destroying my crown!" King shouted happily from Eda's shoulder.

After that, she blew on her fingers like a gun after firing. "There. Happy now, brat?" Eda said, looking down at the brown-skinned boy. Raffy finally let out a breath he'd been holding. "Yeah, yeah, whatever," he said, not even looking at her as he kept his eyes on the back. As he finally caught his breath, he said, "Just focus on flying us out of this place with your staff, and we'll be good."

Hearing that, the elderly woman blinked her golden eyes in confusion, same with King. She started to speak. "What do you mean by me flying us out? I'm not even controlling it right now."

That sentence made Raffy's bruised ribs throb. "W–what… what do you mean you're not the one controlling the staff?" he asked, staring at the ivory-skinned witch.

She shrugged and pointed at Luz, who was in front, gripping the owl staff tightly. "Your female friend over there is the one flying us right now, and she's a damn wild driver."

Raffy looked forward and saw it—Luz was the one piloting the flying staff."¡Ay, tu madre!" Raffy said, eyes wide in horror.

———

Luz herself was in panic as this was her first time piloting a witch's flying staff. She was freaking out while maneuvering through the hallway."AAAAAAAA! No no no no no! How do you control this thing???" she said in panic. She literally couldn't pilot it—this was just sheer luck she didn't hit anything.

As the group reached the prisoners' jail room, Luz burst the door open with the staff, the door slamming into the guards standing there."Aaagh!" they cried as they fell, making a loud sound that surprised the imprisoned witches and demons."What the—?" said a surprised witch in purple clothes.

———

Behind them, the warden finally regained consciousness after Eda blasted him with powerful air pressure magic. He groaned in pain, rubbing his head."Aaaaagh, Titan—you'll pay for this, Owl Lady!"

The brute got back on his feet and started shapeshifting his arms again into multiple limbs, even more horrifying than before. He rushed through the hallway toward the prisoners area, straight to where the group was right now, the more he rushed towards them, the more his body grew into something disgusting .

Meanwhile them, As Luz kept maneuvering wildly in the air, she screamed in panic."Get out of the way! Waaaaaa!!!" shouted the brown-haired girl as she knocked into a couple more guards.Raffy, also panicking, yelled at the ivory witch."THE FUCK—WHY DID YOU LET HER PILOT YOUR FLYING STAFF?! TAKE CONTROL NOW! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!"

His yelling nearly made the witch temporarily deaf.

"Ouch, kid—my ears!? Alright, alright," she said, placing her hand over Luz's hands and helping her steer."Eh, Eda!" Luz said, looking at the elderly witch as she finally took control of the situation."Let me help you with this, kiddo. There we go," the witch said, finally stepping in. Raffy could finally breathe and relax again."That was close," he said, then glared at the witch, clearly pissed that she hadn't taken control sooner.

"Hahaha, not gonna lie, kid—you're a pretty skilled pilot for human with my staff. Gotta give you that. Heck, that was awesome," Eda said, praising Luz."Huff… huff… thanks. Honestly, flying a witch staff for the first time is kinda fun," Luz said, wiping her sweat as she smirked.King wasn't left out and complained too."Be proud, human, you can drive better than Eda can—ouch!"Eda flicked King on the forehead Heard that."What was that for?" the little demon asked."For talking nonsense," Eda said, then added,

"And you, boy." She looked back at Raffy. "You were mad violent back there, haha! Never thought I'd see someone crazy enough to break guards' balls and smack them down with that human stuff of yours—sparked with electric magic or whatever," Eda said, praising Raffy. Raffy just looked at her, still kinda angry, then looked away and held onto his massive backpack."Whatever…" the boy said, nonchalant.

The witch shrugged. Luz, who saw that, just smiled warmly.

"He likes your praise, and he mean thank you." she said, making the witch grin wide. Raffy jolted when he heard that, because he didn't."I do not," Raffy said in his casual tone."Yes, you do," Luz added, trying to fuel it."I—whatever, it's useless to argue with you. Now let's just get out of here before that living Play-Doh comes chasing us," Raffy said, making Eda raise an eyebrow."What is Play—?"

Before she could ask, Luz cut her off."Wait, Raffy, we can't just go. We need to save the prisoners here! They're being imprisoned for no real reason! We already promised them!" Luz said.Raffy wanted to say something, but he didn't. He groaned."Fine… let's save them," the boy said reluctantly, already thinking that the faster they freed them, the faster they could escape.

Luz smiled brightly, then looked at Eda."Ms. Eda, please help us free the prisoners," Luz said to the witch. Eda was about to say something, but she was cut off by King, who was standing on her shoulder."Ah, of course she'll help! Yeah, Eda, let's free these peasant demons and witches. As I, King of Demons, already made a promise to her after we found my crown—although my crown was destroyed by that ugly brute—I, as king, can't break my promise!" King said proudly and cutely toward Eda."Alright, you humans are really crazy, huh? Even the young ones…" Eda said. "And since King wants to free them too, let's free these rough rats and get going. I believe there's a real lever that opens the prison cell doors, four floors up there."

"Ah, is that so? Then you could just fly there—oooooh no…" Luz looked behind them in horror, seeing something grotesque that made her stop mid-sentence.

Eda and King looked confused, same with Raffy, but he immediately turned to where Luz was staring and the first thing he said was, "Oh, you've gotta be fucking kidding me."

What he saw was the warden—but not in his humanoid form. This time, he looked like an abomination of a creature."OWL LADY!" the warden boomed, making Eda and King flinch."What the freak?!" King said, eyes wide.

"Oh, cramity…" Eda muttered, her face twisting in disgust. The warden's body was horrifying—his mask still on, his whole form writhing and beating like a lump of meat or a giant slug. He smirked beneath the mask."Found yooouuu!" the warden said as he quickly stretched out multiple limb-hands toward them, trying to grab them. Eda immediately maneuvered her staff away, dodging the long, thick, disgusting slug-like arms.

The group flew across the prison cells as the warden's limbs tried to grab them. Some smashed into empty cells, while others tore straight through cells that still had witches and demons inside.

BOOOM!

BOOOOOOOMMM!!!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMM!!!!!

One by one Cell being burst destroy by the warden limbs some of them there witch inside caughting by the smoke"cough!Cough! WHAT THE—?! THE WARDEN'S GONE MAD! I'M OUTTA HERE!" yelled a red-haired witch with two horns as her cell door got destroyed. She bolted, escaping with a few others.

The rest of the prisoners ducked for cover, not wanting to get hit by the warden's wrath—even if it meant getting freed. Meanwhile, the group kept maneuvering through the prison, barely slipping out of reach of the warden's many limbs."Shit, shit, shit, shit—what the hell is that?!" Raffy yelled, seeing the chaos behind them as his legs locked tightly around Eda's staff so he wouldn't fall off."That's his magic," answered King, grabbing tightly onto Eda's maroon cloak so he wouldn't fall."Magic?!" Luz said, curious but with panic in her voice.

"Abomination… it's a type of magic in this demon world, kid. It's like, ummm… I don't really know how to explain it to you humans. Just know it's one of the magics here, and that guy's one of the witches who uses it," said Eda. "Very annoying, nonetheless, in my opinion. It's very, very flexible and versatile if you're smart enough," she added, maneuvering again between the warden's many limbs.

"Wow… real magic… that's really something," said Luz as she glanced back at the warden, feeling a mix of amazement and disgust at the demon world's magic—real magic—especially since it looked like snot (that part she feel disgust). As the group almost reached the fourth floor of the prison, high above, Eda called out to Luz, who had spaced out."Hey, kid! We're almost there!" said Eda, snapping Luz out of her thoughts.

They reached the fourth floor of the prison area. This section of the prison looked even stranger and more disgusting, like the place was covered in living meat, but that didn't stop them. As they flew around, they found a room that seemed to be the prison warden's place.

As they went inside, Eda started barricading the door with wood that came out of the floor. "Good, that should block the door so that crazy guy can't get us," said Eda, clapping her hands together.

As for Raffy, he felt his legs go a bit numb from locking onto Eda's staff so he wouldn't fall during all the maneuvering earlier, while also holding onto his backpack. "That was intense," said the red-eyed boy, wiping sweat from his face as he started rummaging through his backpack to find some of his equipment for later on. He knew they would meet that monstrous warden again on their way out. His actions caught the attention of the witch, Eda, and the little demon, King. As Raffy warned King, Eda picked up something from Raffy's backpack without him realizing it.

"Hey! Give that back," said the boy as he snatched it back—something like a bunch of clothes folded into a tube shape.

"Oh ho~ seems interesting. What's that actually?" asked the witch."First of all, this is called a backpack. Second of all, that's my damn underwears that i folded all together like that, Naku matandang babae (damm ol hag) so back off!" cursed the boy at the witch.

The witch slightly flinched at the bloody boy bark in front of her and took a step back. Meanwhile, Luz walked around the place and saw lots of things inside the room, but there was one thing that caught her eye: four levers that seemed to open all the prisoners' cell doors. She walked over and tried to pull one down, but it didn't budge.

"Hmmmmmm!!! Ah hmmmmm!!! This won't budge!" said Luz as she tried even harder to pull the levers. After trying for ten minutes, she finally called for help. "Raffy! Eda! Could you come here real quick?! I need a hand."

Luz calling them made the boy stop staring daggers at the witch, and they went to help her. "Sigh… alright," said Raffy as he walked over first, carrying his backpack, followed by Eda and King.

"This human kid is really scary," said King to Eda, who just silent before open her mouth."heh,yeah scary. But wild one too for human child."comment the witch.

"Help me with this…" said Luz, pointing at the four levers. Together, the group finally managed to pull levers one through three. They could see it through the balls there show the prison doors open."Hah! It work!"said Luz happyly seeing it,now it one lever left.

Door after door opened, from the top floor down to the mid floors—prisoner cells that hadn't been destroyed by the warden earlier. The witches and demons inside rushed out to escape.

"Huh! The door's open?! The door's open, I'm finally free—whaack!" one of the prisoners cried before being caught by the warden.

"NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO ESCAPE THE CONFORMATORIUM!!" roared the grotesque figure as his body enlarged into a living purple slug-like mass, monstrous and horrifying. Inside him, something was moving—it turned out to be all the prisoners he had caught earlier.

He noticed that all the cell doors were open and looked toward the prison surveillance room, realizing the group was there at the four floor, he clench his teeth under his mask and others in his monsterious body then Roar.

"OOOOWWWWL LAAADDDDYYY…!"

While he moved like a snake, crawling—grappling—up toward the fourth floor as his eyes see the room he start approching the room that being lock from inside barricaded and start smashing through the door that Eda had barricaded earlier. The sound of the door being smashed by the warden's monstrous limbs trying to break through the barricade door of the room—it was way too loud, making all four of them flinch.

"Ah shit, that thing's fucking here!" said Raffy, his red eyes wide in panic at the situation—until Eda suddenly opened her mouth.

"dang, i can't believe this guy is still relentless trying to date me. I know I'm hot, but I wouldn't want someone who tried to chop my head off earlier. Plus, he's ugly—for Titan's sake, not my type," said Eda sassily, earning stares from the trio.

"What?" said Eda after noticing Raffy, Luz, and King staring at her knowing at this situation she just need to open her mouth. It didn't help though both the humans.

Meanwhile king just straight say word to her face."That guy sure is blind. Even me, the King of Demons, wouldn't be stupid enough to do that," said King bluntly, earning a sharp stare from Eda."King, I'm holding every inch of my body back just to not hit you,my little pipsqueak," said Eda, which only made him respond,

"Hueh?"

"Guys! Focus! There's one lever left! Help me pull this before the warden gets in!" said Luz as she rushed over, already gripping the lever. "Eeeghhh, how could anyone even pull these levers!? It's so hard!"The others rushed forward and started helping her, their hands grabbing onto the lever, King's paw included.

"Alright, just like before—on the count of three! One…! Two…! Three…!" said Luz. The four of them poured all their strength into it, pushing down the last lever down—and it finally moved. The cell doors on the bottom floor opened as the crystal balls lit up. Her eyes beamed happily. "Finally! They're free! We freed them!" said Luz happily, and the first person to taste her happiness was Raffy, who got a bone-crushing hug from her.

"Luz! Luz! You're hurting me! I'm badly injured!" said Raffy, tapping her back to remind her.

"Ah! I'm sorry, I'm sorry—I forgot!" said Luz as she released him.

Raffy could feel his soul still inside his body as he took a few breaths, almost getting killed by his childhood friend.

The situation felt calm for a moment, until Eda approached them.

"Okay, now we're done with this. Now what should we do?" asked the witch.

"What do you mean?" Luz answered, confused.

"I hate to break it to you, kid, but we're literally cornered inside this room with no escape route. And you probably already heard the warden outside trying to break in. That guy's already turned into something even more disgusting, and it looks like he already caught the escaped prisoners," said Eda, catching Luz's attention.

"What do you mean he caught them?? They should've been able to escape after that!" said Luz, not fully convinced by the witch. Eda looked at Luz. "I mean, do you see any of the prisoners stepping out earlier when we freed them here?" said the witch, pointing out the situation.

"N.. no.. I didn't," said Luz. She hadn't even checked the crystal ball surveillance long enough, only glanced at it quickly because she just wanted to pull the levers fast and free them.

"Now that you mention it, yeah, I didn't hear any footsteps or running on this floor or the third floor that opened first. It went quiet again really fast…" said Raffy suspiciously.

"They… already got caught again," Raffy continued, making Luz feel disbelief and frustration as she realized what they did had been in vain.

"So all of this we did was just for nothing…" muttered the brown girl, feeling to naive and useless .

Seeing his childhood friend make that kind of expression, Raffy sighed and patted her back. "Hey, don't be down. It's not literally your fault…" Raffy tried to cheer her up. "I mean, yeah, this is bad, and your plan didn't go how you wanted, but still… at least you tried, and you kept your promise to them," said the boy. The girl didn't know how to feel. She was still guilty, hopeless, and useless, knowing her plan and the promise she made to the prisoners didn't work. But at the same time, hearing Raffy's soothing words helped calm her down, and she couldn't help but form a small smile on her face.

"Thank you, Raffy. You really know how to help me with this," said Luz, smiling at her childhood friend. A faint red hue formed on her cheeks, not really visible—and Raffy didn't notice, or maybe he just didn't want to. "No problem, Luzy," said the boy in his usual calm manner.

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RAFFY'S POV:

'Ok that cringe as shit, fuck! I feel embrasssing to say those words even though it just an act i put on, and the top of all shit this girl just blushing?! Even it slighly i clearly see it. Oh hell nah, don't do that to me. Please we stay mutual plutonic Childhood friend in near future!' i scream in my thought as i cursing myself to say such nonsese earlier like those 90s Disney cartoon lines—now! focus Raffy! Focus! I need to think how to escape this situation,as my mind Scrambling againthjng the way out—i got hit by the idea fast."that might be work." I mutter as i looked at the ivory, slender witch, catching her attention.

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Eda who say that grin to raffy."Seems like you got a plan there, kid, by the way you're glaring at me. Spit it out, let's see how insane this plan is," said Eda. She already knew this boy would have some kind of plan for a situation like this.She had been studying his actions ever since they met. Even she couldn't fully predict him, unlike the naïve girl. But she could tell one thing clearly—this boy was the type who wouldn't hesitate to do anything to survive, even if it meant coming up with a completely insane plan. That much was obvious just by looking at him: covered in blood, beaten badly, yet still standing.

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Yup,you betcha sweet bippy i did,i will use you in this plan."You said earlier you were the most powerful witch in this place, right?" i asked it as the bait for the witch to show her pride while im started rummaging through my backpack, looking for something. And not to long seem my bait she take it."Yes I am. Why do you ask again, brat? Unconvinced?" said the witch.

"oh really? Well Very much I'm not believe. As You're a fraud, a liar, and a low-tier con artist from what I've seen so far," said me to her, seem my words feel like sharp like wooden stakes. As i see the witch clearly understood them as insults unlike others the boy throw it at her.

"Raffy… don't say that, its not time being rudefy." Luz said, trying to scold me for being too rude, like i always does, she even used soft tone voice i didn't work of course."What? I'm just stating facts. So anyway, how strong are you compared to that cockroach man out there?" asked me again as i pulled something out of my backpack something crusial to this.

"Cockroa—? What? You mean that guy? I'm way stronger than him," said Eda confidently. Hear her confident tone of voice from this Sassy old witch i couldn't help to not had grin on my face."Good… then here's the plan…"

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"HUAAAAA!" the warden yelled as he kept trying to break the door, forcing it open with his multiple limbs—although he could've used other ways, like casting magic. But after transforming into this monstrous abomination, he'd slightly lost his mind and couldn't think straight anymore yet he could still maintenance his body control."Hmmp! Hmmp!" other sounds could be hear came from his body as it sound of multiple witches and demons who had tried to escape earlier were recaptured and now held hostage inside his sticky abomination form it make look like scary scenes almost like in horror movies. They couldn't break free."HUAAAAAA!!! OOOOWWWWWLLLL LLLLAAAADYYY!!!!" the monster roared again as he swung all his limbs like a wrecking ball and finally busted the steel door of the surveillance room open.

He leaned down to see the room. It was dark, the lights inside turned off, and he felt suspicious. He leaned in more, letting out a low groan as he spoke. "Eeeeeeeeeeegh… wheeeree aaaarrrreeeee yooooouuu…" He stretched his head further inside, looking around the dark place, slowly lurking his head through it.

Little did he know, Eda was hiding behind side of the door frame grin with king on her shoulder. "Got you, stupid," said Eda as she drew a glowing magic circle in the thin air and shot a blast into the room, hitting the warden's head. Smoke poured out as the warden screamed in pain, unable to react in time. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"

As that happened, the captives' attention went to the warden's head—what just happened to their warden? Then the witches and demons stuck in his body saw figures emerge from the smoke while riding a flying staff—it was Eda, King, and the humans.

"Haha! I didn't know that would work! Good idea, kid," said Eda as she maneuvered up to higher ground.

"Don't be happy yet, we're not done," said the boy as he pulled out two sticks with white star prints on them. "Here, Luz. You still wanna save them, right?" he asked as he handed her something. The girl took it, and with determination, she nodded. "Mm! Yeah, let's save them!" king see the thing boy pulled out he wanted one and wonder why he didn't get one."hey where is mine?"ask the little furball.

"Aaaaaaagh!" the warden roared in pain as he pulled his head out of the room. His mask was half destroyed, letting the group see his real face—a huge mouth full of large sharp teeth, with his canines more prominent, and tiny yellowish-white eyes.

"sheeeeeesssh, this guy really mad ugly. No wonder he wears a mask," Raffy commented as he looked at him.

"Agree," said King.

When the warden regained his sight, he spotted them flying over the Conformatorium prison ceiling and shot them an even angrier glare. This time, the look of rage and hatred toward them was very clear.

Without a word, the warden launched more of his limbs at them. Seeing that, Eda was already ready for what was coming."Kiddos, hold tight! It's about to get rough!" said the witch as she maneuvered through the purplish arms reaching for them. "HUUUIWAAAAAAAAAA!!!" roared the warden as he tried to catch them, but it didn't work—even though the group flew closer to him, he still couldn't grab them. As soon as they were at a fairly close distance, Raffy and Luz lit the things they were holding and pointed them at the warden.

In a second, in a flick of pink light, shots fired toward the warden's face.

SHUUUUUUWWW!!

SHUUUUUUUWWW! SHUUUUWWW!!!

Then they exploded right in his face.

BOOOOOOM!!!

BOOOOOOOOM!!!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

It made the warden howl in pain, his exposed face burning as his focus broke. "What the—?! AAAAAAGGGH!!" the warden yelled as small explosive fire rained on him.

"Would you like that, you evil creature!!" said Luz as she kept firing at him. It turned out the sticks Raffy pulled out were fireworks—specifically Roman candles, size like batons. "Eat that, booger face! Hehehe!" said Raffy as both him and Luz kept firing, making the warden lose focus. Eda had said the weakness of this type of magic was the user's concentration to keep their constructs properly attached right after the boy tell his plan. That's why they were using fireworks to disrupt his focus and eda do sneak attack to deal some early confusion and surprise, in conclusion, Raffy knew the warden wouldn't mind a little pain, but this would mess him up anyway.

Meanwhile, Eda watched the two humans and what they were holding, curious nonetheless. It was her first time seeing fireworks up close. She had seen those lights explode in the night sky long ago in the human world she visited—yes here there had that thing also, well something like it, but she didn't know those lights came from something so small— can be this destructive, yet beautiful, just like magic in the Demon Realm.

Meanwhile the other person where thinking something else."Come on, come on! I wanna try too, humans! It looks fun!! Let me do it too!" said King, jumping on Raffy's back. The boy winced in pain; he wanted to argue, but chose not to and handed one to him.

"Geeez, here! Stop stomping my back,you furball midget!" Raffy said as he handed it over. The little demon held it in his paw with wide eyes and fired at the warden, laughing."Huahahahaha! Take this! Kneel, kneel to your king whose crown you destroyed!!" King said maniacally. Eda and Luz found it adorable—not Raffy, though He let the little demon have the Roman candle, while he pulled out something more interesting: a rocket and eight red firecrackers from his backpack.

"Raffy… is that?!" Luz was the first voice heard over the sound of the Roman candle firing.

She recognized it—it was once part of their book report project that they never used—but this one seemed upgraded. Raffy grinned. "Yup. Wanna fly our project here, Luzy? It'd be a shame to let this collect dust," said the boy.

The brown girl smiled and nodded. "Mm! ¡Claro que sí!" She lit the rocket's fuze with the Roman candle.

"hey baba yaga! Could you fly us closer to that ugly thing? Me and Luz have a surprise for him!" Raffy said, calling the witch, the witch grin and nodden "Hahaha, with pleasure!" She piloted her staff straight toward the warden more closer, whose body now seemed unstable. The warden, in so much pain, saw them coming and tried to do something, but he couldn't—his abomination body was too unstable as he lost focus. He could only grunt in anger as that he open his big mouth and breath fire toward them but its miss even it almost hit them eda Drew something again in think air and return his fire hitting himself.

The group flew closer to him as the boy and the girl held the rocket in their hands, while King took over Luz's Roman candle as the one Raffy gave him stopped shooting and hitting the warden's face.

"Here we gooo!" said Luz as Eda flew them closer with her staff. Their distance was already close as the two human kids dropped the rocket toward the warden, just as the fuse burned out.The rocket moved on its own and then exploded in his face and then—

KAAAAAAAABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!!!!

The explosion was loud, and it managed to paralyze the warden as the abomination's body fell apart piece by piece, freeing the witches and demons. "Cough! Cough! Cough! Wha—? Hah! I'm free? I'm free! Hahaha!" said a witch with multiple limbs. "Waaaa! I'm alive! Waaaa, that was scary!!" said another witch with red hair and two ponytails shaped like croissants. "Phewww, that was a scary experience!" said a demon brute with multiple eyes, and others too—the group could hear their voices of relief as they were freed from that horrible experience.

Luz looked down at the crowd and smiled, feeling like she had done something truly right, something that made her chest feel warm. "We saved them… we finally saved them this time,i—" said Luz in a low voice.

"You kept your promise? Yeah you happy don't you?" said Raffy as he also looked down at the demons and witches, seeing their relieved and cheerful cheers. His expression was flat but relaxed.

"Yeah… very," said Luz as she looked at him with a small smile.

"Well look at that, good job kiddos. That was something, I tell you that," said Eda, praising the kids.

"Huahaha, truly indeed! What an awesome way to defeat that evil guy! He should know not to mess with the king of demons or face his rage!" said King proudly, putting himself at the center. Seeing the little demon's behavior, the group could only shake their heads, while Raffy just side-eyed him. "Yeah, yeah—yes, you are king," said Eda, patting him,that make king making a cat-like purring sound from enjoying the pats. "Even how talkative this guy is, I still find him adorable," said Luz. "I'm not, I'll be honest with you," said the red-eyed boy.

Then a witch in a purple outfit—the one who had been wearing fanfic merch—called out to them from below. "HEY!!! YOU TWO WERE THE HUMANS EARLIER! THANK YOU FOR FREEING US AND SAVING US FROM THE WARDEN GRASP! YOU GUYS REALLY KEPT YOUR PROMISE, I'M VERY GRATEFUL!" said the witch.

"IT'S NOT A PROBLEM!" Luz yelled back, waving her hand. Then the girl's pointed ears twitched slightly, the same with the other demons as they noticed the sound of many footsteps. "HEY, I THINK WE SHOULD GO NOW, IT SEEMS THE GUARDS ARE COMING HERE AFTER HEARING THE SOUND!" the girl said to the group.

Hearing that, Raffy looked at Eda, and the witch immediately knew what to do. "The front door ain't far from here—let's go, kiddies," said the ivory woman as they flew into the hallway, leading the way while the witches and demons followed them.

———

In front of the gate, there were two guards standing in front of the Conformatorium access door.

"Yaaawn, man, this is getting boring sometimes. No one in the Titan's name would even come here to try to free them. Heck, the prisoners wouldn't have a chance to escape with the warden around. Why do we still need to guard this door? It's not even the only exit here," said one of the guards, yawning loudly behind his mask. The guard looked bored, as gate duty was really dull to him.

His partner just stared at him. "You're saying that because this part of the Conformatorium is the one you hate to guard, aren't you? Hah, quit whining. We just need to do this until we—"

The guard's words were cut off as the door suddenly burst open and slammed into them, knocking them out. The ones who burst through were the group—Eda, Luz, King, and Raffy—as they flew out."HOOOHOOOOO!!! FREEDOOOOOM!!!" King shouted, throwing his little arms up. Eda closed her eyes, feeling the gentle breeze on her face as they came out of that place, then opened her mouth."Kid— I mean, Luz and Raffy, right? I'll say it again—you two were something back there, I'll give you that… heh. Could say this wasn't a bad life experience, huh?" she said, rubbing the back of her neck. "And listen… sorry for involving you kids in this situation nonetheless," the witch said sincerely, looking back at them.

Both human kids looked at the ivory witch with different expressions."I— I'm personally not mad at all—well, I was, when I found King's crown and it turned out to be just a cheap cardboard crown. I was confused and wanted to yell since it was the thing we risked our lives for in this deal we Made and almost got caught over. And I was also really angry and concern to this guy plan, after see Raffy used himself as bait for the guards just for that crown, for nothing—" she said, staring slighly at the boy before looking back at Eda.

Her lips curled into a small smile before she spoke."You… you said those words about how it's okay to be weirdos, how that's what makes us—well, makes us feel special. We do things differently, that's what makes us weird, but also what makes us awesome," she continued. "That's something I also told them earlier, about how being different isn't something that should be punished for who they are. I shared your words because they changed my perspective, Miss Eda, and opened my eyes about this whole situation. I understand you now, back then—you'd do anything for the one you only have, someone just as weird as you. I really get it. You did this for the one you have left, and you couldn't help but care that much, so—"

She stopped mid-sentence and looked back at the Conformatorium behind them."I'd probably do the same," she said, then looked back at the witch. "So I don't mind it. This was actually pretty fun. Yeah, it was almost a near-death experience, but it was fun," Luz said in a warm tone. That made the witch give her a look—a look of seeing someone who shared a similar situation, full of gratitude for being understood feeling touch as she want to something she being cut right when she open her mouth.

There was silence, then—"WHAT?!! YOU NEED GET PATCH NOW!!!! OH GOD!!" came from Luz as her eyes twitched slightly, clearly worried as she examined him."Hah, I knew it—you're wild, kid! Hahaha," laughed the witch as they flew toward her house.

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RAFFY'S POV:

Welp, I already saw this coming. You're probably wondering what scene this is right now—where am I and Luz after that brief moment earlier? Well, right now we're at the Owl Lady's place… yeah.

Just like in the original (probably) well—, we stopped by to treat our bruises and scars from what just happened. The Owl Lady used something like healing magic on herself and Luz. Hmmm, why didn't I get any, you may ask? Because I don't believe in that kind of stuff. I don't understand the theory behind healing magic—as someone that to much read manhwa i already read lots defferent type of healing magic, that had defferent theory of it make me feel suspicious when i got real one, so I don't want it anywhere near me. I'm someone who strongly believes in modern medicine then healing magic, after all.

When I refused her treatment, she tried to force me to get healed anyway. Luz backed her up, asking me to just let Eda do it—but I still refused. I really didn't want that kind of magic.

In the end, Eda gave up well i was treated her with survival knife toward her so she didn't try to do that to me—she handed me a potion instead. She said it worked like antibiotics—something to deal with bacteria or poison. Apparently, demon rat poison is a pretty common problem. That potion was meant to "erase" the poison inside me, quote-unquote. infection from dangerous bacteria comes from rats. Yeah, I took it.

Why? Because it smelled familiar. Like actual antibiotics. And when I drank it—yeah, it tasted the same too. That was good enough for me although i wonder about it. Other than that, I handled everything myself. Stitching, bandaging—my own work. Luz helped, though. She passed me supplies, applied disinfectant to my scars, and stayed close the whole time. She looked really worried, constantly asking if it hurt whenever she touched a wound. Honestly… I'm really glad I stole some of my mom's medical supplies from her company before all this. No way she'll find out. But that still didn't save me from Luz.

She immediately bombarded me with questions she'd clearly been holding in the entire time—why I had those stuff i pulled out except rocket, where I even got them, why I was prepared like that. I gave her a simple answer: I packed everything for the camp we were originally supposed to go to. I told her I didn't trust that camp.

She believed it.

…At least, I think she did.

Of course, that wasn't the real reason. But that truth was something I couldn't tell her. Because we in that reason now—After all the treatment was done, we had talk Luz told me she wanted to stay here. In this world. She said she finally felt like she belonged—that this was the most fun she'd ever had, that she actually fit here. Then she tried to persuade me. I told her ,that we couldn't—(i try my shot here try to talk her). I remind her of people back home would worry. If we disappeared for three months and never showed up at camp, parents would start calling the place try to check on us and of they say we where not there, they gonna start asking questions to The camp headmaster or something—someone would notice.

I even joked—half serious—that I'd let her stay here while I went back to the Human Realm. I said I could pretend I had amnesia or something, cover for her so she'd be safe—she didn't like that at all—She wanted me to stay. With her. She even pulled out the puppy eyes.

My word seem didn't work—My words went in through one ear and out the other. And… honestly, I didn't have the heart to keep fighting her on it. So, with a heavy heart, I agreed to stay—What can I do, I'm an extra trying to talk to the main character here,of course it useless.

When we told Eda, she was confused at first—especially when Luz said she wanted to become a witch and learn magic. But in the end, Eda agreed to let us stay, as long as we helped around the house. And that's how it happened—that's how we ended up staying (stuck) at the Owl Lady house in this demon world.

———

"hehe… this is comfy. Thanks, Raffy—for everything! I'm glad you packed so much stuff, you're a lifesaver, always prepared for anything." Luz chuckled as she lay on the camp sleeping mattress I brought, clearly excited about whatever was going to happen later.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, Noceda. Don't sweet-talk me—I'm still pissed we're stuck here because of you. Sigh… just hope we both stay alive in this demon world," I said.

"Aww, don't say that! We could be great here with magic! You and me—I'll become the first human witch! Just like Azura! And you could be a sorcerer supreme! Or a magic warrior! Isn't that awesome?" Luz said, trying to hype me up.

"Hey, I didn't agree to that. Only you want to learn magic. I'm not— I'm a man of science!" said the boy. Luz could only grin as she took off her hoodie, now just wearing a white shirt. "Too late, mister—if I'm learning magic, then you are too! We could be a duo, two humans who can do magic!" said the Latina girl with a bright smile.

I just stared at her flatly and kept doing what I was doing. "I hate you sometimes—you really like forcing me. Tch, xari ktam (whatever)," I groaned in frustration at her behavior.

"Hmmm, by the way, Raffy, why did you make that?" she asked, pointing at the portable partition wall.

"This is to separate your area from mine. I'll sleep on the left side of the room, and you take the rest. This way we don't mess with each other's private space," I explained.

"What? Why? We always sleep over together though! Why do we need that? Come on, put it away!" she said, puffing out her cheeks."Nope. Not a chance. When we were 12, sure—but we're almost 15 now. So nope," I said. "Hmp! Fine! But that won't stop me," said the girl, making me roll my eyes as I walked to my side of the mattress. I was wearing a track training suit, kinda like the Ad*das ones from this world, since the clothes I had on before already looked like bloody cleaning rags. Of course, I'd packed a lot of clothes, and I still had two sets similar to my old ones, so I wasn't worried.

On the other side, Luz lay down, her eyes gazing up at the ceiling, still looking really happy—until she pulled out a picture of her and her mom from her bag. Her expression suddenly changed. She clearly missed her mom. Then her phone rang. She checked it and saw a message from her mom:

("How's summer camp?")

She stared at the screen, confused about what to reply i could tell when i slighly peek form other side—but our attention changed to sound of door open—its king. The little demon was hugging a rabbit doll, and when he saw the two of us lying there, he clutched his stuffed animal and said, "Ahem… you guys sleep cocoon-look… fluffy," commenting on our mattresses, which were only separated by a wall in the middle. I could hear him while Luz patted her side of the mattress, inviting King to sleep there. He got the okay from Luz, then looked at me. I sighed. "Come in…"King happily accepted and walked over to us, then curled up and fell asleep like a cat.

Seeing that, a warm smile formed on her lips. "I think you need to reply to your mom, Luz," I said in my usual tone. That made her jolt a bit before she looked back at her phone, reminded of it.

"Yeah, you're right, Raffy," she said, then started typing on her phone:

( "I think I'm gonna like it here." )

She sent it—Then she put her phone away. "I'm gonna sleep first. I can't wait for tomorrow morning. Good night, Raffy… sweet dreams," she said, then waited for me to say it back from the other side."…Yeah, good night, Luz. Sweet dreams," I replied. She smiled, then closed her eyes and fell asleep almost right away.

———

I looked at her for a bit, seeing her sleeping face—completely unbothered by what had happened earlier, that nearly dead experience, as she mumbled in her sleep.

"This kid, seriously… how can she just sleep after all that? MC's really weird," I muttered to myself as I still hadn't gone to sleep yet.

There were things lingering in my mind that I'd been thinking about since earlier.

First, how the fuck do we even have signal here? This is the demon world, right? Yet somehow we still had Wi-Fi on our phones. There was something off about that.

Second, I could move my legs again. I realized it earlier when I woke up in that dump hole at the Conformatorium, after I'd passed out fighting those demon rats. I even touched my back to make sure I wasn't dreaming, because I clearly remembered thinking I wouldn't be able to move my lower body anymore—like my spinal cord had been broken. But now it's healed. When I press it, I don't feel anything wrong anymore. Not just that—my burned leg from the guards' attack is healed too. I know for a fact I had massive burn holes on my leg, but now they're gone.

The thing that makes me feel the most uneasy, though, is my right arm. I'm sure it was gone—ripped clean off when one of the biggest rats tore it away. But now it's here, still attached, like nothing happened. And that's not the only thing that makes me wary. There's this… tattoo? Or maybe a scar, shaped like something. I don't know what it is or where it came from.

Until I remembered something.

When I was about to pass out from the pain, I saw a blurry silhouette approaching me—a small creature with four wings. It looked transparent. Was that thing the one that helped me?

Well, whatever it was, I don't want anything to do with it. Call me ungrateful for not feeling thankful about being saved, but I don't trust anything here. This place is like five times more dangerous than human world. So whatever it is, I need to be more wary here. There's really no turning back now.

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Somewhere unknown dark place as there nothing but water as thing swing through the darkness of there.

"Chunchun...chunmimimi....."

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