"Edric! Emira!" The youngest Blight yells throughout the manor, hoping her two older siblings will pop out. "ED! EM!"
As Amity stands in the middle of the manor, Edric pops his head from around the corner "Mittens? Why the urgency?"
Emira then pops out from behind her baby sister and leans on her shoulder, startling her "Yeah Mittens. Did you skip lunch again?"
Both Edric and Emira walk up to each other, standing shoulder to shoulder, laughing. Amity however keeps a stern face and snaps her fingers, catching both of her sibling's attention. "Listen you two. I'm calling on the council of the Double-Blights'. I don't want to endanger either of you so all I can say is I need to cause enough trouble to get me sent to the Conformatorium so that mom and dad have to bail me out!"
The twins stop laughing and stare daggers at their little sister. Edric rubs the back of his neck, very confused and concerned "Mittens, we're all for causing trouble and all, but we're not going to help you with that."
"Yeah." Emira starts to pick at her nails, getting concerned for Amity "We like to cause trouble Ams, but nothing too serious to get us arrested. In fact, it's our duty as older siblings to stop you from doing something like that."
Amity rolls her eyes and groans "Oh Titan, now you two get responsible? I don't have time for this, are you going to help me or not!"
The twins both look at each other and then back at the young Blight "No. In fact, I think we have to stop you." Edric looks at his twin sister for confirmation that she agrees with him. When Emira nods and agrees with him, he begins to draw a spell circle.
Before the oldest Blight son can complete the spell circle, Amity holds her hands up "Wait!" Edric holds his finger up, not completing the spell, but not discarding it either "It's for Luz. She's in trouble."
Edric puts his hand down, getting rid of the spell. Emira looks at her little sister and places a hand on her shoulder "Mittens, tell us why you need to be arrested for Luz."
"I-" Amity pulls away from her sister's touch and sighs "I can't tell you. But you just have to trust me. Luz is in danger, and mom has been quiet about it for two weeks. I just need to save her."
"Amity, all jokes aside, going to the Conformatorium won't get you closer to Luz. In fact, that will get you further from her. Either you'll stay as a prisoner, or mom and dad will kill you." Emira states while bringing her hand to her chin.
Edric nods "Yeah. And I'm sure if something was wrong, mom or dad would say something. Right?"
"You don't get it! Either of you!" Amity's ears lower in frustration, and her voice starts to shake "Why would they! Luz is in trouble because the Titan is reincarnated into Steve's body! He probably threatened mom and dad and us to keep them compliant. That's why they've been on edge!" The young witch pants from her rant, she pinches the bridge of her nose, and takes a deep breath "Now, are you going to help me or not?"
Emira once again steps towards her sister, but this time not laying her hand on her shoulder "We'll help. But we need to come up with a better plan. One that's beyond the normal eye."
Edric follows in his twin's footsteps and smirks deviously "Yeah. A plan fit for two master illusionists!"
Amity smiles and then sighs in relief "Not just for two!" Amity draws a spell circle, opening the door to the manor.
Then, as if on cue, the Clawthorne sisters and three young witches, all walk through the door. Eda laughs as they all flow through the entrance of the manor "Wow, that took a lot of convincing!" Lilith holds out her hand and the Owl Lady rolls her eyes while placing seventy-five snails into the witch's hand "Also lost me some cash. Guess you two are more responsible than you let on! Now that you two are on board, let's plan!" Eda and Lilith both draw a large spell circle, engulfing the group in a protection spell so that nobody could spy on their plan.
~~
The Titan pushes the doors open, revealing an empty throne and its empress. He slowly made his way to the chair, admiring the consistent beat of the bile sac that hangs above it. He takes a deep breath, taking in the room and the magic it radiates. Each step closer to the throne, his smile grew wider and wider. He reached the stairs and took joy in each step, coming closer and closer to the chair that's rightfully his. Titan Belos finally stands in front of the throne ready to sit and take glory in his victory. He places his hand on the arm of the chair when a voice appears from the entrance of the room.
"That spot is reserved for the Empress." The voice echoes throughout the room, making its presence known.
The smile fades from the Titan's face, and he grits his teeth in annoyance. He turns his head, keeping his hand on the throne, revealing a small creature making her way towards the Titan "I have more of a right than she does to sit here. After all, this is my body all of you ungrateful witches live on, isn't it?" His eyes glow a dim red for a moment, before returning to their normal pink-purple glow.
Kikimora makes her way, now standing about six feet away from the creature possessing a familiar face "And who will believe you are the true Titan? The Titan who died eons ago. All they will see is a crazy, rouge guard, trying to take control of the Isles. And if you get rid of the human, no one will trust you and there will be riots. Is that what you really want?"
He sighs, abruptly taking his hand away from the throne that lies inches from his grasp "And what do you impose I do? The only threat is the human's friends, and if they know what's good for them, they'll stay away from here. It's not like the witches of Bonesburrow know what's happened to Luz. They never have to know either." The Titan now fully turns, facing the petite creature standing before him.
"Witches talk, my liege. Gossip is like a plague that cannot be stopped. The true question is, what do you truly want? You've cursed the human and crossed her out of the equation. You also managed to scare the two most powerful sister's on the Isles to not bother you anymore. Now what?" Kikimora ask's showing no emotion and hides her genuine curiosity.
The Titan pauses and really thinks for a moment. He's technically living again, and he's been ruling the Isles in the shadows these past two weeks. But something felt like it was missing. Then, it clicked. "I need my power back from the human. Then, nothing would pose as a threat to me and I could finally sit on the throne meant for me."
Kikimora's eyes widen, knowing how that went last time, ending with the last emperor's death. "And how do you plan on doing that with the human cursed? She's really not in the position to just hand it over."
A ghost of a smile is found on the Titan's face, but before he can answer the doors throw open once again. Odalia and Aldor Blight both enter with multiple guards holding Eda and Lilith in binding spells. Odalia steps forward "Titan, I hope we're not interrupting anything important." Kikimora steps to the side, while the Titan steps forward, away from the throne and towards the witch. He glances at the Clawthorne sisters and lets out a small laugh and nods. Odalia continues "We caught these two trying to break in. What shall we do with them?"
"Where's Luz you coward!" Eda screams out, not caring about being caught and surrounded.
The Titan folds both his hands behind his back, and takes long, slow steps to the two prisoners brought to him. His eyes keep their pink-purple glow, and his smile is now noticeable to everyone present "I'm surprised it took you two this long to come for the human. And to be caught this easily? Tsk Tsk Tsk. I had higher expectations for you two." He taunts the two, laughing in their faces, enjoying every second. He then turns to the Blight's "Take them to the Conformatorium. I want to petrify these two for treason against the Isles. And spread the word, I want it to be public."
Odalia internally sighs and bows "Yes, Titan. When will their petrification take place?"
"Tonight. Oh and take the Empress too. I have plans for her as well." The Titan waves his hand, dismissing all of the members of the coven. "Aldor, I want you to personally bring the human. I can't risk anything happening."
Aldor and Odalia both stare wide-eyed at the Titan. They hesitantly bow and start to head out of the room, scared for what the Titan's plans were for the human that made their youngest so happy. While being dragged out Eda screamed more "Leave her alone! She's just a kid!" The wild witch tries to maneuver her way out of the guard's bindings, but fails "When I escape I'm going to kill you, so help me-"
"Titan? Oh Edalyn, when will your defeat finally sink in." The Titan then walks up to the prisoner and fixes a loose strand of hair behind her ear "You lost. And now you're paying the consequences. That, human, has only brought pain, and I'm doing the Isles a favor." He pulls away and draws a spell circle, making Eda and Lilith fall into a deep sleep, silencing them until they meet their fate. "Now get them out of my face. I'll meet you there later tonight when there's a crowd."
Odalia and Aldor lead the guards through the hallways silently. Both terrified for the future where the Titan rules. They walk, only listening to the consistent beat of the large bile sac sounding the castle. They come to an intersection and halt. Aldor grabs his wife's hand "I'm going to get Luz. Be careful my love." He grabs both of her cheeks and kisses the top of her head.
As he pulls away, she grabs both of his wrists and stares deeply into her husband's eyes with fear consuming her "Aldor!" She says in a whisper only he can hear "This isn't right! We cant do this to the human! She has only shown us kindness and made Amity extremely happy. It doesn't feel right! She's just a child!"
A tear rolls down Odalia's face, breaking her character. Aldor wipes her tear away with his thumb and gives her a half-hearted smile "I know. I'm more worried about how Amity will react to this. But darling, unfortunately, there are things that are out of our control. You've seen first hand what he is capable of." They both glance at the unconscious Clawthorne sisters, being dragged like rage dolls. They bring their gaze back into each other's eyes "We need to think about our family first."
Odalia nods, feeling incredibly guilty. She would even call herself a coward for not standing up for what's right. Defeated, she forces a fake smile and heads off to the Conformatorium, leaving her husband behind to go and retrieve the human.
Aldor watches Odalia walk away until she is no longer in his line of sight. After standing alone for a bit, the Blight turns and makes his way to the Empress's chamber.
As he is walking down the hallway, Aldor noticed two guards at the door, who seemed like young new recruits. He approached the two guards who seemed to tense up a bit, gripping their spears and raising their shoulders a bit. He raised an eyebrow at the two "I don't think we've met yet? Are you two new recruits?" The two guards just nod, not saying a single word, raising more suspicion in the Blight. "Interesting. I wasn't aware that we were giving new recruits the responsibility of guarding the Empress's chambers. What are your names?"
The two guards turn their heads so now they are looking at each other. The one on the left just shrugs while the one on the right turns their head back to the high-ranking member of the coven. The guard clears their throat and answers Aldor "I- I'm Rubin, and this is- this is Robin!"
"Rubin and Robin?" Aldor doesn't seem convinced, noticing the strange voice of the guard, almost as if he was trying to cover up his actual voice. "And tell me, who assigned you to this post?"
This time, the guard on the left, Robin, fixed her mask and cleared her throat "Uh- Mrs. Blight assigned us personally just this morning. We were top of our class in- in guard training." Robin said with a waver in her voice, making it clear she wasn't confident in her own words.
Before Aldor can question the two more, a loud crash sounds in the room where Luz is currently being kept. The witch's yellow eyes perk up away from the two guards and he tries to open the door. However, the two guards cross their spears, blocking Aldor's way to the door. He stares in shock and grits his teeth "Let me through you fools!"
"Sorry, sir. No can do! Strict orders not to let anyone in without the presence of the Titan himself!" The left guard says, still having a waver in her voice. What the guard forgot is to try and hide her true voice.
Aldor stares at the two, squinting, and then steps back in disbelief "Emira? Edric?" His tone held a bit of venom in it, trying not to grab the attention of any other guards.
The two guards look frantically at each other and back at the Blight. The right one facepalms and grumbles through his mask "Really Em? You just couldn't do it, could ya!"
"It's not my fault!" The left guard yells in a whisper "How was I supposed to know that I would have to lie to our own father! I wasn't prepared to change my voice or my name!"
As the two Blight twins bicker, Aldor furrows his eyebrows and grabs the two masks off of his children's faces. He takes a deep, deep, deep breath and rubs his temples after he gently places the masks into each of his kid's hands "Children!" He now has their full attention "What in Titan's name, are you doing here! Out of all days!"
Another crash, sounded from the other side of the door, making the three Blight's jump. Ed and Em face their father, with their heads hung low "Dad, we're sorry. But we couldn't just leave Luz." Edric's voice was low and sincere "We consider her a friend, and she means too much to Mit- Amity."
Aldor doesn't know what to do. On one hand, his children had a point, and it was the right thing to do. But on the other, this would not sit well with the Titan if this backfired. His palms begin to sweat, and his ears lower in deep thought. Aldor fixes his posture and acts like nothing is wrong, just in case, there are any wandering eyes. He bends down a bit and whispers very carefully "Listen very carefully, I want you two to put your masks back on so you don't get caught. Then I want you to let me into that room so I can see what's going on. Do not draw any attention to yourselves and knock on the door three times if anyone approaches. Do you understand?"
Edric and Emira both nod and put their masks back on, fully covering their faces. They move their spears and allow their father to enter the room where Luz is currently situated. He pushes through the door to reveal four unmasked guards surrounding the cursed empress. Aldor closes the door behind him and clears his throat, grabbing the attention of three of the guards, while one gave Luz their undying attention.
"Mr. Blight!" Boscha screams, surprised and terrified at the same time. "Funny seeing you here! How are things?" The three stand in front of the bed, blocking the view of Amity and Luz.
Aldor stares at the three witches facing him with a stern look. He ignored the pink-haired witch's small talk and slowly makes his way to the bed "Boscha, Willow." He looks Gus up and down, not knowing who he is "Boy. Step aside now."
They all smile nervously and stand their ground. With a sudden burst of confidence, Willow speaks up "We can't do that."
Out of frustration, the Blight sighs and lets out a groan "Children! Enough of this behavior!" He does his best to keep his tone quiet, but obviously angry "Step aside before the Titan gets curious!" The three stand their ground. Aldor begins to draw a spell circle but is immediately attacked by vines appearing out of nowhere. He falls to the ground, with both hands constricted, unable to cast anything. Both Boscha and Gus stare at Willow with wide eyes, impressed and shocked at the witch's reflexes.
"I'm sorry Mr. Blight but we're not letting you take Luz!" The plant witch says with a shaky voice. She didn't expect herself to react so fast and bold.
"Stop." The three students turn around and face the young Blight who sits on the bed next to the sleeping human. Her eyes stay fixated on Luz but direct's her voice to her father "Dad, I know you know that this is wrong. We need to get her back and stop the Titan."
Aldor finally lays his sight onto his daughter. He really looks and observes her, realizing how distraught she looked. He's been so worried about following the Titan and his orders, he forgot to really see how his actual family was doing. How different they've been acting these past two weeks, but he was too blinded by fear to really take notice "Amity, I've only been trying to protect our family. You have to understand. He cursed the empress. She's in a prison and I'm not sure she can escape from it."
A tear falls from the witch's cheek. She tries to call out for Luz, hoping that she'll magically wake up "Luz!" She whispers and strokes her cheek "Please wake up. We need you. I need you."
Willow sees that Aldor has calmed down and releases him from the vines. He stands up slowly and brushes himself off before making his way to his daughter. He places his hand on her back and tries to comfort her "Darling, I don't know what curse he used. But I do know it's a powerful one."
"What kind of prison?" All of Amity's attention is still on the still human.
Aldor then looks at Luz and is disgusted with himself for letting the Titan do this to Luz "He trapped her in her own mind, with everything she could ever want. So she thinks that she's living her everyday life and that everything is perfect. Even if she figured she was a prisoner in her own mind, she would never want to leave."
Amity grips Luz's limp hand, and squeezes it, trying to receive any sign that she can wake up. The green-haired witch lets out a whimper. She finally gives in and hugs the human, burying her head into the crook of Luz's neck. Boscha and Willow both stand next to the bed, comforting each other, while Gus just bows his head, upset at the view in front of him.
"Daddy! Please do something!" Amity is full-on sobbing, soaking the pillow with the flood of tears she is currently producing. She pleads with her father "Y- you h-have to do something!"
Amity's brokenness breaks the Blight father's heart to pieces. "I'm not sure that I can." He scolds himself for what has to come out of his mouth "I have to take Luz now or the Titan will get suspicious. I don't have a choice."
Then, Amity sits up, halting her sobs. Everyone looks at the witch with caution, ready for her next move. Amity thinks very carefully for a moment "What was that spell Eda did? Come on Blight THINK!" Everyone is in silence, waiting for her to make a move or say anything. She can't remember that one spell. Amity uses all of her will to remember but can't wrap her head around the particular spell. "I need to go in and save her."
"Am, I don't think that's the best idea." Boscha grabs the witch's shoulder, only to be swatted away.
The youngest Blight remains quiet while her father looks at the helpless human, and back to his heartbroken daughter. "That's not an option."
"Why not!" Amity finally looks away from Luz and to her father. She starts to raise her voice, making everyone in the room flinch.
Aldor jumps back a bit, taking his hand off of Amity's back. "Then you would be trapped too. I would never be able to live with myself if you or Luz never woke up."
Amity jumps back into her mind, trying to remember the spell the Owl Lady used the first time they entered Luz's mind. "Where do you have to take her?" Aldor shoots his daughter a confused look, not answering. Amity rolls her eyes and shows her fang in frustration "Where!"
The Blight father looks at the three students and his daughter who are all staring him down. He stands up from the bed and bows his head "The Conformatorium."
Amity however just calculates how long that would take for them to arrive there from the castle. "Are you personally taking her there in a carriage?"
"Yes... What are you planning?" Her father raises an eyebrow, trying to read his daughter's mind, knowing nothing good.
Then a light bulb goes off in the top student's head. Her head perks up and her eyes suddenly have a hint of hope in them. She gets off the bed and stands up. The adrenalin is pumping through her blood, every fiber determined with her mission to save Luz. She turns to her fellow classmates "You three will ride in the carriage, undercover, making sure that we are safe." Amity then turns to her father "You will take your time driving us to the Conformatorium, making sure we have more than enough time." She places a hand on her chin and says quietly but out loud for everyone to hear "Ed and Em will also join us, driving the carriage."
Everyone looks at Amity confused. Willow glances at Boscha and back at Amity "Amity? What are you talking about?"
The witch grabs her girlfriend's hand and shoots her friends and father one last glance "That's the plan. Whatever happens, do, not, bring, me, back!" With that final sentence, Amity draws a spell circle over her head, making her disappear into Luz's mind.
Aldor tries to stop her but is only a second too late. "Amity No!" He stares at the spot that his daughter just disappeared from, fear consuming every ounce of his body. "What did she just do?" He looks to Willow, Boscha, and Gus who have the same look as the Blight. He asks again more frantic "What did she just do?!" But before anyone could answer, three knocks sounded the room. Aldor quickly stood up and faced the three witches "Put on your masks and do not make a sound!" The three complied and all stood tall, looking like guards.
The doors opened and in waked Kikimora. "Mr. Blight, is everything alright? You've been in here for quite a while now?" Kiki looks to see that Luz is still lying on her bed, asleep and untouched.
"Everything is fine Kikimora. Just paying my respects to the Empress I've come to know. That is all."
The petite creature looks the Blight up and down "Very well. Let's get going. Wouldn't want the Titan to lose his temper."
Emira and Edric walk into the room as Kikimora walks out. The doors shut behind the creature and Edric looks at the three younger witches "Who's missing? I'm eighty-seven percent sure we had one more."
Emira takes off her mask and elbows her twin in the ribs "Really Edric! Only eighty-seven? Sometimes I really wonder how we are related." Edric follows his sister's actions and takes off his mask only to reveal a smug smile across his face, taunting her.
Aldor rolls his eyes, internally wondering if these two were actually his children. "Enough!" Both stop messing with each other and turn to their frustrated father "Your sister is the one missing! Now put your masks back on and help me bring the empress into a carriage."
Edric and Emira both stare in shock at the news that Amity is the one missing. They follow their father's orders and put their masks back on. Then, all of the young witches surround Luz, and altogether make one big spell circle, making a levitating platform that lifts the human up. Aldor nods and begins to make his way to the carriage, where he will do his best to drive as slowly as possible for Amity.