The angel of the owl house

The Angel of the Owl House

Season 2: The Human Realm

Chapter 1: An Angel's Homecoming

One week. One long crazy week. That was how much time had passed following the Petrification of Eda, and the duel between Luz the Arch-Angel and Emperor Belos. In that time, a lot had changed for the Owl Family (as the residents of the Owl House came to be called), the town of Bonesborough, and the Boiling Isles as a whole.

With Eda's successful rescue, Luz driving off Belos, and the CATTs driving the Emperor's Coven out of Bonesborough, the entire power dynamic of the Boiling Isles had changed. The rebellion in Bonesborough had led to three major attacks on the town by the Emperor's Coven, an attempt to besiege the town, and copycat rebellions in various other towns and small settlements around the Boiling Isles. The Emperor's Coven still controlled 75% of the Boiling Isles, but it had stretched itself thin to try and maintain its control and suppress the uprisings. Luz, the Owl Family, and the CATTs had personally turned back the three attempts to retake Bonesborough by the Emperor's Coven, and effortlessly destroyed any siege attempts, since none of the Coven System's really powerful witches had been assigned to the operation. However, the attacks were still affecting morale within the town, so after four days, the local government in Bonesborough (namely the Mayor and Town Council) had called for a parley between both the CATTs and the Emperor's Coven.

That meeting had been tense, but ultimately productive. It was declared that the town of Bonesborough would be a completely neutral zone; it would be controlled by its own locally elected government and policed by its own citizens, with neither the CATTs nor the Emperor's Coven holding sway. Both sides were welcome in the town as regular citizens, but no fighting was permitted; both for the sake of the other residents, and so CATTs and Coven Members who lived in the town could continue to live there without trouble. This also ensured the neutrality of Hexside, which would be a safe haven for students no matter where their families sided in the growing conflict. Kikimora of the Emperor's Coven had objected to these terms, but the Emperor had approved them, calling it; "An act of mercy" and an attempt to prove to Luz that his side was the righteous one.

Naturally Luz didn't believe that for an instant, but she expected Belos didn't want another confrontation between them so soon after the last one, even if she hadn't actually beaten him. It didn't help that Eda's bounty had increased to five trillion snails after it was discovered she wasn't trapped as the Owl Beast, and 10 billion snail bounties were placed on the heads of both Raine and Lilith. King got a bounty of 100,000 snails (being so much lower since the Emperor just assumed he was some beast demon that Luz had taught glyph magic too), and Luz's own bounty (still marked alive and unharmed) had ballooned to ten trillion. The numbers were staggeringly high, to the point that Eda and Raine both suspected Belos had no problem bankrupting his empire to complete his Day of Unity plan… whatever that was. The high numbers were also enough to make a few fools try their luck, but thanks to Luz's Angelic Blessings, the now cursed trio had little trouble with them, and Luz even less so.

Luz's angelic nature was widely accepted in Bonesborough just as it had been in Hexside, and her presence combined with the safety offered by the neutral Bonesborough resulted in almost half of the isles' wild witches fleeing there for safety from the Coven System. The other half fled the other way, having been taught of the danger of angels by their parents and families.

The CATTs had also discussed revealing that Belos was an angel to the entire Boiling Isles, but they ultimately decided against it. Since Belos had painted angels as a good thing (not even condemning Luz as evil for her defiance, only corrupted by Eda) only wild witches might have any major problem with that, and they already hated him. Plus, raising anti-angel sentiments could be dangerous for Luz, who had become the pseudo-poster child for the rebellion, alongside Eda and Raine as the actual leaders. And of course, everyone believed that angels couldn't lie, but since Belos could, all he'd have to do is say he wasn't an angel and it would confuse everyone.

On a more personal note, things had been fairly calm for Luz and her family and friends. Excluding the attacks on Bonesborough that were easily repelled, they had all spent the week mostly relaxing, as Hexside was closed for the week to handle the changes happening in town. Principal Bump had already assured them that Luz was still welcome as a student though, so Luz was looking forward to going back. Her friends had gotten some flak from their parents for getting involved in the Conformatorium break out; Perry Porter, the Parks, and Matt and Steve's parents were all upset over the situation, though they ultimately agreed with the CATTs and since the kids hadn't gotten in trouble with the Covens, they were let off the hook with only some stern words. Steve, who had managed to avoid having his identity exposed to the Coven, was even able to continue operating as a spy among the scouts.

Skara's dad was a difference case, as Severin Cadence had taken Raine's place as the new successor to Scooter Crane, who had officially announced his retirement, meaning Severin would soon be officially named the Head Witch of the Bard Coven. He had been both thankful for his daughter's part in helping to save his old friend, but also very upset that she'd been involved at all. He still believed in the Emperor's cause even if his faith in the Emperor himself had been shaken. He'd encouraged Skara to stick close to Luz and try to open her mind to the Emperor's Coven, but Skara had made it no secret that she wasn't going to betray her friend, leaving Severin both exasperated and secretly proud.

Then of course, there were the Blights. They did business with the Emperor's Coven and so Odalia had tried to forbid Amity and the Twins from having anything to do with Luz and her friends, but all three just ignored her, with Amity reminding her mother what had happened the last time she'd gone against Luz. Odalia had dropped the issue, but the Blight siblings knew she would inevitably try and pull something, likely an attempt to capture Luz for revenge. Alador had remained neutral on the whole thing, continuing his work for the Emperor's and Abomination Covens without particularly caring about the rebellion. He had subtly asked Amity if she could get her hands on some part of Luz's DNA for his experiments though, something she fiercely refused. Amity had yet to tell her parents that she was dating Luz, and it looked like that wouldn't be happening any time soon.

Lastly, there was the residents of the Owl House itself. Raine had slipped straight into their normal routine with ease, to the point that Luz and King felt like they'd always been there. Their presence meant that Katya, Amber, and Derwin were frequent guests, and Luz and King found they got along with them swimmingly. Lilith was a little more awkward, especially as she had taken it upon herself to do all the chores and busywork in the house, while also effectively becoming the secretary and logistical support for the CATTs, whom she joined and fully devoted herself too. There was still a lot of distrust towards her, especially from King, but she was earnestly working to rebuild their trust in her and their broken relationships. She had even offered to keep mentoring Amity, though the girl was still rather hostile and had refused so far. Rasiel, being without magic, had begun supporting Lilith while working with her for information on the remaining Black Tombs, and both he and Lilith had moved into previously unused store rooms in the Owl House's tower.

Eda, adjusting to her diminished magic, had gotten really into being the rebel leader of the CATTs, as well as being a Mom to Luz and King. She'd renovated the store room Luz had claimed into a proper bedroom, and even built Luz and King real beds shaped like nests. The two kids were ecstatic, especially since Eda had already given them fine presents made from Witch's Wool (which Luz was very happy to see she could get back, as her Holy Raiment could freely transform back into her cloak whenever she wished). While Eda was doing that, getting lovey-dovey with Raine, and slowly bonding with her sister again, Luz and King had been practicing their powers. Luz was slowly getting the hang of her fire magic and learning how to mix and match her elements more competently, while her skills with Beast-keeping, Construction, and Potions magic all increased now that she had another of the elements needed for them. In fact, with fire, ice, and plant magic at her disposal, Luz could now perform the high-tier spells needed to brew truly difficult potions, which Eda was having a great time teaching her. King was also working hard with his glyphs and how to combine them with his roars, as well as a secret project he was keeping from the others until he'd finished it.

But as fun and crazy and busy as the week had been, it eventually came to an end and the last day of Summer came; AKA the day that Summer Camp was due to end and Luz was supposed to return home.

That morning found Luz pacing the living room of the Owl House, a bundle of nerves over the inevitable reunion with her Mami. Eda, King, Lilith, Raine, Hooty, Rasiel, Amity, Gus, and Willow were watching her pace, each of them a bit nervous themselves.

"There is no way this isn't going to be a disaster…!" Luz whined, "Mami told me countless stories about how evil and dangerous the Demon Realm is! Even if we convince her that she was wrong, she's still gonna flip out that I've been here and not at camp!"

"Luz, I know this is scary, but you're just working yourself up. Take a breath and relax a little." Eda said, catching the girl's wrist as she paced past her again. With no effort, Eda picked up her daughter and gently dumped her into Amity's lap, knowing that the Blight girl was the best at soothing Luz when she got inside her own head.

Amity happily held her girlfriend in her arms and nodded; "Eda's right. Panicking is only going to make it harder on you. Try to calm down."

Luz blushed and snuggled into Amity; "I'm trying. It's just… the Demon Realm and all of you mean so much to me now. What will I do if Mami forbids me from coming back and being with you all again?"

"I doubt you'd listen." Willow said with a confident smile, "Besides, if your Mom is anything like you've described her, I'm sure she'll be reasonable."

"She probably will be upset that you weren't where you said you'd be, any parent would be. But if you calmly explain everything to her, I'm sure you'll convince her." Raine agreed, picking up a book from the coffee table. It was the diary that Luz had been keeping during her time on the Boiling Isles. It was full of detailed accounts of every single day of the three months she'd spent with them, and included pictures Luz had drawn of all the things she'd seen.

Luz took the diary with a soft smile; she'd been making it to show her Mami and convince her. Gus then chimed in; "Besides, you said your Mom sent you to camp to make friends and find a way to help people like an angel, right? Well it may not be camp, but you sure made a lot of friends here and helped a lot of people! I mean, how many angels can say they're helping to overthrow an evil tyrant?"

The young angel giggled; "I never thought facing Belos would seem less scary than my own Mami… I just don't want her to be disappointed in me. You guys remember what happened at Grom, right?"

The Hexside trio grimaced; while it had been a great night in the end, the things Grom-Camila had said and done had been Luz's worst fears… If the real Camila reacted in an even remotely similar way, Luz's heart would be shattered.

"If you'd like, I can offer my support." Rasiel said, "As a fellow angel, and a former Seraphim of Crest Humility, I might be able to ease Camila's fears about this world."

"And I'll put on my cutest act! Anything to keep my big sister around!" King cheerfully added, climbing onto Luz's lap even as she was still on Amity's.

Luz giggled again; "Oh, Mami will love you. I'm more worried about her reaction to Eda…"

Eda grimaced, and Lilith quietly said; "Because you've come to consider her a Mother figure too. You're afraid your biological mother will be hurt."

"Yeah…" Luz nodded. "I never thought of Eda as a replacement Mom… it's just… it's hard to explain."

Eda reached over to stroke Luz's hair; "I understand, Owlet. If it makes things easier with your Mom, then you don't need to bring that up to her. You can just call me Eda as always and say I'm your mentor. It's not really a lie, and I'll know how you really feel so I won't be offended or anything."

Luz frowned; "Thanks Mom, but I don't want to lie to her any more, even by omission. She deserves to know the truth… no matter how scary it'll be."

"Think on the bright side!" Hooty hooted, "You're an Arch-Angel now! Hoot, your Mom has gotta be happy about that!"

"That's true! You said before that your Mom is a regular angel, right? Then you technically outrank her now!" Amity grinned, hiding her own nervousness at the idea of meeting her girlfriend's mother.

Luz laughed; "I don't think you can ever truly outrank your mother! But I'm sure being an Arch-Angel will help convince her! I mean, I spent 14 years in the Human Realm and stayed as a magically stunted Cherub the whole time, but one day here and I unlocked my magic, one week here and I fully matured as an angel, two months here and I became a High angel, and three months here and I become an Arch-Angel!"

With Amity's cuddles and everyone's words of support boosting her confidence, Luz began to calm down and relax a bit; today would be tough and emotional, but she would face it like every other challenge she'd faced this summer!

With a snap of her fingers, Luz summoned her satchel and dug through it for the old Camp Reality Check leaflet she'd been given before. It was crumpled up at the bottom of the expanded space, but Luz fished it out and flipped to the last page, which had the return schedule for the bus, listing the rough times it would be stopping in each town it passed through.

"Okay, the camp bus will arrive in Gravesfield just after midday. I say we go a little early, that way I can make sure to show up before the bus, so Mami doesn't freak out when I don't get off. Now who's coming with me?" Luz asked.

Immediately, Eda, King, Rasiel, Amity, Willow, and Gus raised their hands.

"You know King and I have got to meet the other side of the family." Eda smirked as King nodded along excitedly.

"As your girlfriend, I have to make sure I get your Mom's blessing!" Amity said, puffing her chest out proudly.

"You know I won't miss a trip to the Human Realm for anything!" Gus cheered.

"And I've got to make sure those two don't get overexcited." Willow grinned, gesturing towards their classmates.

"Naturally, I will come too. I wish to give my best to your mother, and compliment her on raising a fine child." Rasiel smiled, making Luz blush at the compliment.

That left just Raine, Lilith, and Hooty. Hooty wanted to come, but everyone agreed that he was probably a bit much for Camila's first impression of them all. Lilith also agreed that she should stay away until after she'd done more to redeem herself, as Luz genuinely feared her mother would give the woman a taste of La Chancla if they met at this point. Meanwhile, Raine would stay behind to watch the house, take care of business with the CATTs, and make sure Hooty didn't get into trouble.

With that decided, they all began preparing for the trip to the Human Realm. Luz wasn't planning on taking anything home with her except for her phone, her diary (which she had Eda stow in her hair since Luz wasn't bringing her satchel), and the clothes on her back, so she'd have an excuse to come back and see the others one last time if the absolute worst should happen. Gus tuned a series of Concealment Stones to give each of them an illusory disguise, hiding their pointed ears and changing their clothes into stuff they'd chosen from a human clothes catalogue.

King was also disguised as a human, and he was adorable. His disguise made him look like a little boy with messy black hair, reddish brown eyes, and skin a shade darker than Luz's. It came with white sneakers, grey shorts, and a slightly oversized black hoodie with white horns on the hood. He really did look like Luz's little brother (or at least the little brother of her human disguise), and Luz couldn't stop herself from hugging him with delight.

Luz herself also put on her old Concealment Stone for the first time since she'd been outed as an angel to the whole Boiling Isles, and modified it so it would give her a new disguise, just in case she was spotted by any townspeople who knew her in Gravesfield. It would raise unwanted questions if she was seen by anyone but her Mami before the bus had arrived after all! Her new disguise made her look like an entirely different girl; one that was a bit more androgynous, with a thicker frame and skin a shade lighter than her own. Her hair went from curly white to a messy sandy brown, and her clothes became simple brown boots, tight dark blue jeans with tears in the knees, and a hooded shirt just like her favourite one, only green and white instead of purple and white, and with a snake themed hood instead of a cat.

By the time all the disguises were made, it was about time for them to make a move, so Eda summoned the portal door and opened it up.

"Okay, I'll be taking the key with me and closing up behind me, so no random humans come wandering into my living room. I'll be relying on you two to keep things safe on this side." Eda said, looking to Raine and Lilith.

"Don't worry Eda, we'll make sure nothing goes wrong on our end." Raine smiled, kissing the woman on the cheek.

"As will I. I will endeavour to give Hooty a bath; he has been rolling around in the mud out of protest over not being allowed to come along." Lilith commented with a frown. Luz and the others peered out the living room window, and sure enough, Hooty was wriggling around in some fresh mud.

Luz shuddered in sympathy; "Well, uh, good luck with that!"

Lilith smiled wearily and trudged outside with a bucket and sponge. Eda then turned to Luz and asked; "Are you ready, Owlet?"

"As I'll ever be!" Luz replied. She then took a deep breath and marched through the portal door, followed swiftly by King, Amity, Gus, Willow, and lastly Rasiel and Eda.

They emerged outside the dilapidated house on the edge of Gravesfield, and immediately, Gus and Willow began to look around excitedly. Gus was amazed to finally be in the Human Realm, and eagerly took in all the limited sights he could, while Willow was fascinated with Human Realm plants, including the green grass and tree leaves. Amity and Rasiel had more of a casual interest, especially since it had been over 100,000 years since the later had visited the Human Realm, back when humans were basically cave people and a fairly young species. King and Eda were the least interested, both having been in the Human Realm before on trash collecting missions.

"Well, this is Gravesfield." Luz said as Eda pressed down on the eye of the portal key, making it close on the other side. "Or at least, the forest outside it. My house is about five to ten minutes that way." she said, pointing to the west.

"Let's go! I can't wait to see a real human town!" Gus said giddily, having to hold himself back from racing on ahead.

"Maybe once we've talked to Luz's mom, we'll be able to have a look around. Just don't get too excited Gus, we're pretending to be humans ourselves, remember?" Willow grinned.

Luz guided them down the path to her house, holding Amity's hand tightly for comfort. When they emerged from the forest and found the house, Eda commented; "I've been past this place countless times, but I never knew an angel lived there. Kinda makes me wonder what else I missed."

"There are shielding spells up to hide our magic. No one outside can sense anything magical on the inside." Luz explained; "Mami wanted us to be safe."

"Huh, I wonder why she never put a shielding spell on your Concealment Stone then." Eda said, "That thing was like a beacon to people who could sense magic."

Amity giggled; "I bet that's exactly why she never put a shielding spell on it. It was a beacon to help her find her little Cherub when she wandered off."

Luz blushed even as she giggled too; "You might be right! Mami always was weirdly good at finding me when I tried to hide. Playing hide and seek with her was impossible!"

However Luz's moment of cheer faded when she noticed something odd; her Mami's car wasn't in the driveway. Was she at work? Luz could have sworn her Mami had texted that she'd have the day off on the day she came home…

"Weird… Did she go out for some reason?" Luz muttered to herself.

"Something wrong, Luz?" Eda asked.

"Yeah, Mami's car isn't here. She must have driven somewhere." Luz answered.

Most of her friends looked confused, but Gus helpfully explained; "Cars are like our carts, but they use special explosions to propel them along without using a creature to pull it!"

"Fascinating! The last time I met a human, it tried to skewer me with a sharpened rock on the end of a stick. They've come remarkably far over the millennia." Rasiel commented, looking at the other houses in the neighbourhood with interest.

"Forget the car!" King said, "What should we do Luz? Should we wait inside?"

Luz thought about it for a moment, then nodded; "Yeah, good idea. It'd look suspicious if we're all out on the streets around the house. We don't want the neighbours calling the cops."

The disguised Arch-Angel walked up to the front door and was about to head inside when she heard some panicked yelps and odd animalistic screams coming from the forest nearby. With a frown, she held up her hand to silence her chattering friends, allowing her to hear it better.

"What is that?" King frowned. "Sounds like an animal."

Luz nodded; "Yeah… hold on a second, I want to check something."

She headed in the direction of the sound, followed by her friends, and soon gasped at what she found. Someone had set up an illegal snare trap, and a fox had gotten caught in it. The poor thing was still quite small (though not quite a kit any more) and its hind leg was trapped in the wire snare, where it was bleeding from its attempts to escape.

"Oh no! Poor little guy!" Luz cried, slowly approaching the panicked animal. She knelt on the ground just out of the creature's reach and made a spell circle to perform some Beast-Keeping magic. Since Beast-Keeping magic was a combination of Plant, Fire, and Lightning elemental components, her bonding with the fire glyph had improved her ability to use it, so Luz focused on the Life aspect of the Plant Element and the Warmth and Passion aspects of the Fire Element as she cast a basic beast calming spell.

Immediately, the fox stopped its terrified keening yelps and began to relax, allowing Luz to gently reach down and pet its head. "There there, it'll all be okay." Luz said, before reaching back to the wire around the fox's leg and very carefully cutting through it with a tiny light blade from her finger. As soon as the wire was cut, the fox limped forward into Luz's lap, making her, Willow, and Amity all coo at the cute sight. Luz then cast some healing magic to fix the fox's wound.

"There we go! All better now! Go on back to your family." Luz said gently, petting the fox one last time before shooing it away.

"Viney would be proud." Willow commented with a smile as Luz conjured some water to wash her hands.

"I am a Vet's daughter! Helping animals is in my blood. But I can't say the same about whoever set this up!" Luz growled, grabbing the wooden fork of the snare trap and ripping it out of the ground; "These woods are a no trapping zone! This is illegal! When Mami founds out, she's going to go ballistic! She and I will have to search the woods later for more of these."

"Well if all else fails, your new animal helping skills will definitely help your Mom feel better about the whole Demon Realm thing!" Amity joked nervously. She was still worrying about the inevitable meeting.

Luz smiled and kissed Amity's cheek, then led her friends back to her house. She walked up to the front door and unlocked it, then allowed the others in whilst dropping her illusion disguise. Everyone immediately began looking around at the Noceda home, each of them quickly becoming enraptured in something. Eda and Amity were both immediately drawn to the numerous pictures on the walls, showing Luz in her childhood with her Mami and even some early enough to be with her Papi too. King was interested in the contents of the fridge, which Luz had to make sure he didn't start eating, and Rasiel was walking around with his eyes closed, feeling the ambient angelic magic of the various little enchantments Camila had cast around the place. Willow was interested in all the potted plants that the Nocedas liked to keep around the place, and Gus was interested in just about everything, especially the TV.

"Feel free to look around, but please don't mess with anything. Oh, and avoid my Mami's room; it's the one at the end of the hall upstairs, on the right." Luz said, feeling a little bashful all of a sudden. She'd never had friends come to her house before, and combining that with the nerves she already felt just made her more anxious.

Her family and friends happily agreed and continued to look around the place, looking at anything and everything that caught their fancy, until they all made their way to the second floor, where Luz showed them her room.

"Awesome! You've got bunk beds!" Gus exclaimed, rushing over to take a look.

"And Azura merchandise!" Amity gushed, staring reverently at an Azura figurine that Luz had gotten for Christmas one year.

"Nice digs. Makes me feel bad that I waited so long to give you a proper room back at my place!" Eda smirked.

Luz giggled; "I loved that room before you renovated it and I loved it even more after, so don't feel bad."

King looked around, but he wasn't overly impressed. He preferred the room they shared back at the Owl House. "Meh, I guess it's fine…" he said casually, "But when I stay with you, I call the top bunk!"

"Sure thing, little bro." Luz said, kneeling down to pat his skull. She then frowned as she noticed something else. "It looks like some of my stuff is missing…"

"What do you mean, Luz?" Rasiel asked.

Luz looked at her desk, which had previously had a video game strategy guide on it, only to find it was missing. Not only that, but some of the clothes she'd left folded on top of her chest of drawers had been moved too. Her Mami had never moved stuff in her room unless it was messy, but Luz did a fairly good job of keeping the place clean, so it seemed odd for her to randomly come in and move stuff around. Luz then went and looked in her closet to see if the folded clothes were there, only to blink in surprise when she found the closet almost empty.

"Almost all my spare clothes are gone!" she gasped, "And my purple satchel too!"

"Maybe your Mom's doing the laundry?" Willow suggested.

Luz shook her head; "Those things should all be clean! What's going on here?"

Eda and the others exchanged curious looks; "There has to be an explanation. Maybe your Mom donated them to a charity or something?" Amity said, "You did say they were your spares. Maybe she was planning to take you to buy new ones."

Luz bit her lip; "Maybe… something about this feels strange though."

King didn't personally see what the big deal was, but then again he didn't wear clothes. However he did have a more immediate concern of his own.

"Hey Luz, where's the little demons' room?" he asked, fidgeting slightly.

"Oh! Down the hall and on the left." Luz answered.

King shouted his thanks over his shoulder as he ran out of the room and down the hall. Out of habit, he opened the door on the right instead of the left, since that was where the bathroom was in the Owl House. However in the Noceda residence, this put him in Camila's bedroom. Seeing this, he immediately turned around and went through the opposite door, but once he'd done his business and was heading back, he noted that he hadn't closed Camila's bedroom door. He went in, telling himself he was just going to close the door, but his curiosity got the best of him. It was the one room in the house they weren't free to explore, and so to the young and mischievous King, it was the one room he wanted to explore in the otherwise mundane home.

Of course, Camila's room was fairly mundane too; there were a few things that King could sense magic coming from, but none stood out to him. Camila seemed to enjoy living as a human, and as the son of a Human Trash Seller, he'd seen pretty much all the common items scattered around the room. King was just about to turn and leave, when he finally noticed something a little out of the ordinary; a stack of open letters on Camila's bedside table. Curiosity once again getting the best of him, King scurried over to take a look, but what he found chilled his blood.

They were letters from Luz… letters sent from that camp! The one Luz had most certainly NOT gone to!

Taking a random letter from the pile, King read it to himself.

"Hi, Mom! I am having a great time at camp. Today we learned what mortgages are! I can't wait to get home and see you. Let's do lots of fun mother/daughter activities forever and ever."

It was signed Luz, though it had initially been misspelt with an s and corrected. King knew for a fact that Luz hadn't sent this letter, and the handwriting was a lot neater than Luz's (she tended to write fast, so it came out a little messy), so he grabbed the whole stack and went running back to the others.

"Guys! Guys we've got a problem!" he yelled urgently, bursting back into Luz's room.

"King!? What's wrong!? What have you got there!?" Eda exclaimed, summoning Owlbert in staff form as she looked around for threats.

"Luz, take a look at these! I found them in your Mom's room!" King said, thrusting the letters into Luz's hands.

His big sister gave him an unamused look; "King, I told you not to go in there."

"It was an accident! Sorta… But forget that and look at those!" King yelled.

Luz frowned and looked at the letters, her face growing wide-eyed and pale as their contents registered in her mind. Her friends read them over her shoulders, and looked just as disturbed.

"What the heck!?" Eda shouted.

"I-Is someone impersonating me!?" Luz cried, rapidly flipping through the letters, "There are tons of these, all talking about stuff from camp!"

"Why would someone be impersonating you at this camp of all places?" Amity asked with a concerned frown; "Do you think maybe its a prank?"

"M-Maybe someone at the camp noticed Luz didn't show up and started sending those letters so her Mom wouldn't find out?" Gus suggested.

"You think the camp is covering their own butts?" Eda asked.

Gus shrugged; "I don't know! It's just a guess! For all I know, Luz from the future found a way to time travel to the past and go to camp so her Mom wouldn't be mad!"

Willow snorted; "I doubt that. But this is a puzzle…"

Rasiel, who'd been deep in thought since the letters were discovered, finally spoke up; "I wonder… could that be the reason for the missing clothes and satchel? Someone else came along and packed for camp in your place?"

"B-But why!?" the young angel asked in a panic; "Why impersonate me at camp? U-Unless… is it someone targeting Mami because she's an angel!? Are they trying to get her trust for some evil reason!?"

King was about to comment himself, when his sharp ears heard a sound. He hopped up onto Luz's desk and peeked out the window. "Uh guys, Luz's Mom is home! You might want to take a look at this!"

Everyone gathered around the window and peered outside, seeing Camila's car parked in the driveway and Camila herself stepping out. However, stepping out from the passenger seat was someone they weren't expecting.

Luz.

They all gasped as they looked between the real Luz and the one outside with Camila; they were almost identical! The Doppelganger was even wearing Luz's favourite outfit, though there were a few minor differences; the Doppelganger's hair was dark brown and her eyes were hazel, just like Luz's had been when she first arrived in the Demon Realm, and her ears were round like her old human disguise. She also lacked Luz's eyebrow scar, so it was like she was a snapshot of the Luz who had entered the Boiling Isles three months ago. Luz also noticed she was carrying her missing purple satchel, confirming Rasiel's theory.

"Who, or what, is that!? Could it be another angel from Crest Kindness pretending to be you?" Eda asked, remembering that angels of the same crest order tended to look similar.

"We all tend to bare a resemblance to each other, but we're not identical!" Luz replied, "That has to be an illusion or some kind of shapeshifting!"

Gus cast a spell over his eyes, making them glow blue, then frowned; "It's not an illusion, unless its an angelic illusion I can't see through."

Luz very carefully cracked open the window so she could eavesdrop on her Mami's conversation with the imposter; "...mean time, why don't you go put your things away in your room?"

The imposter happily followed Camila to the front door; "Okay Mama!" she said, even her voice sounding like Luz's.

Luz's magic flared as she heard the front door open. "All of you, hide under illusions around the house. That imposter is coming here, and I want to get the drop on them!"

They all nodded, and Eda and Gus both cast illusions over them all to make them invisible, then snuck away. Amity and King remained in the room with her, hidden on the top bunk of her bed, while the others were hiding in the hall or in Eda's case, floating outside the window on Owlbert.

The Imposter came up the stairs and walked right into Luz's bedroom like it was their own. Then the fake Luz laid eyes on the real one and completely froze, her stolen satchel dropping to the floor at her side. Luz glared at her, her golden eyes gleaming with magic, but for some reason, her anger began to fade.

Something about this imposter felt… off. She seemed genuinely terrified in a way that made Luz's stomach twist.

Luz stepped forward, unsure if she was going to grab the Imposter and confront her, or try and calm her down since she looked like her whole world had just come crashing down.

That choice was taken out of Luz's hands when the Imposter let out the most heart-rending scream of fear that Luz had ever heard.

The scream startled Luz and she stepped back instinctively, while the Imposter fell on her backside and crawled away from her.

"Mija!? Is everything okay!?" Camila yelled, having heard the Imposter's scream.

Before either girl could answer, the woman ran into the room, having removed her own disguise and flown up the stairs with her angelic wings at record speed. She slid into the room and her eyes immediately widened as she saw what appeared to be her daughter on the floor, with another angel staring her down.

Camila gasped and threw herself between Luz and the Imposter, spell circles already forming in her hands as she glared at Luz; "Who are you!? What are you doing in my daughter's room!? Are you from the Divine Realm!?" she demanded.

Luz recoiled as if struck; her Mami didn't immediately realise who she was!? She supposed it made sense; her Mami was expecting a little brown haired, hazel-eyed Cherub, not a white-haired, golden-eyed, and scarred angel overflowing with magical power! It was a good thing Luz hadn't gotten her wings out, or her Mami might never believe her!

"Mami! It's me! I'm Luz, the real one!" Luz cried, trying not to sound too heartbroken.

Camila narrowed her eyes on her and her angry expression faltered; "Y-You really do look like… but that's impossible! My Luz doesn't have those features, or that magic!"

The woman sounded unsure of herself; Luz's appearance had really shaken her once she'd let it register, and now Camila wasn't sure what to do. The girl cowering behind her had to be her daughter, Camila felt it in her heart! But then again, she also felt the same when she looked at this apparent stranger.

"You must be a relative… that has to be it; you're another angel from Crest Kindness!" Camila reasoned, still sounding doubtful.

"No Mami, I'm Luz! The Real Luz Noceda! Come on, I'm an angel! You know I'm not lying!" Luz implored, nearly in tears.

She took a step towards her Mami, but her confused mother brandished her spell circles; "Don't come any closer!"

Luz gasped sharply, and the threatening motion by Camila was enough to make King fear for his sister. He jumped down from the bunk bed and landed between Luz and Camila, breaking the invisibility spell but retaining his concealment stone disguise.

"She's telling the truth! This is the real Luz! That one's an imposter!" King cried, pointing an accusing finger at the fake Luz.

The Imposter squeaked in terror, while Camila's eyes widened; "What the- Illusion magic!?"

With King already giving himself away, the rest of Luz's friends broke the invisibility spell and surged into the room, Eda coming in through the window, Amity hopping down from the bunk bed, and Gus, Willow, and Rasiel coming in from the hall. Camila and the Imposter looked at them all in shock, especially Eda who was still holding her staff.

"Who are all you people!?" Camila cried, flaring her wings out, "And that staff… a Palisman? None of you look like angels…!? No… you're witches! You're from the Demon Realm!" she yelled.

One of Camila's spell circles turned from white to cyan as she clenched her hand into a fist. A wave of magic spread across the room and all the concealment stones deactivated, revealing their real ears and outfits, as well as King's true form. Only Luz (who'd already removed her stone) was unchanged.

Camila looked briefly over her shoulder and saw that the Luz she thought was real hadn't changed. But then she did a double take. The Luz behind her hadn't changed at all… including her human-like ears. Her own concealment stone should have deactivated as well and revealed her pointy ears and cherub wings. But at the same time, there was no sign of an illusion on the rest of her appearance.

"Has she fully adapted to not having magic and become a full human!?" Camila thought fearfully.

Eda also noticed the lack of change and pointed it out; "See! Luz here is the real one! She's just a little different since she awoke her angelic magic! That one's a fake!"

Camila turned back to the witches, the angel that looked like her daughter, and the (adorable) little demon. "I don't know what's happening here, but someone better start explaining!"

The Imposter Luz looked around in terror, then suddenly leapt to her feet and charged at the door. Gus was blocking her way, so she tackled him to the ground and cried; "I'm sorry!" before fleeing towards the stairs.

"Don't let her get away!" Amity yelled, chasing after her. Willow helped Gus to his feet, then joined Amity, Rasiel, and King in chasing the imposter, while Eda leapt out the window with Owlbert, and a stunned Camila was torn between chasing after the daughter who appeared to have become a full human, and staying with the one that appeared to have become a full angel. In the end, the sound the "human" Luz screaming from downstairs had her making her choice, and she ran out of the room with a pained look back at Angel Luz, who looked on numbly.

The Imposter Luz's scream had been caused by her running to the front door and throwing it open to escape, only to find Eda had swooped down onto the door step from upstairs, surprising the girl. Eda then twirled her fingers to create a ring of golden magic that bound the Imposter's arms and legs, preventing her from fleeing.

"Got you now!" Eda said triumphantly, "I don't know what you are, but you picked the wrong life to try and steal!"

The others had been hot on the Imposter's trail and swiftly surrounded the bound girl, Amity summoning her own staff while Gus and Willow drew spell circles and King and Rasiel prepared drawn glyphs (the latter having made them with King's help). The Imposter whimpered, but before Eda could grab her and haul her up, bolts of white magic came sailing over the witches' heads, creating bright flashes and loud bangs that had them all recoiling. Camila, the source of this spell, flew forward and gathered up the bound child and cast a spell to release her.

"Stay away from my daughter!" Camila cried, hiding the Imposter Luz behind her back as she threatened the witches with another spell.

Eda, rubbing the spots out of her eyes from the flash, groaned out; "Ugh, that's not your daughter! The real Luz is right there!" she pointed to the stairs, where Luz was slowly descending, a look of absolute shock and heartbreak on her face.

Seeing that expression made Camila want to cry, but she shook it off; "I-I don't know what's happening, but I know my daughter! I took this girl to camp three months ago! I picked her up just today! We've been exchanging letters and texts the whole time!"

"The letters are from her, but the texts were from the real Luz!" Willow yelled. "Luz, show her your phone!"

The real Luz reached into her pocket slowly and pulled out her phone, with its bat-themed case. Camila paled as she looked at it, then looked over her shoulder to the Imposter, who could only stare back, knowing the phone she'd won at camp wasn't the same as the real Luz's.

Still, Camila tried to rationalise it; "Y-You must have stolen that! I don't know what game you're playing, but it ends now! All of you get out of my house! I won't let you near my daughter!" she demanded.

Luz really did look like she'd been struck this time, and Camila once again found her heart lurching. This was wrong… she knew it in her gut, but this angelic girl simply couldn't be her Luz! Her Luz had been at camp! There was no way she'd been off with these witches and demons! The Luz she'd known had always been terrified by the stories of the Demon Realm that Camila had told her!

But even so, the angelic girl's look of anguish tore at Camila's heart so thoroughly that she knew something was wrong. Luz's expression apparently effected her doppelganger too, as the Fake Luz began to tear up.

With reluctance, the fake put a hand on Camila's shoulder and said; "M-Mama… I mean, Camila… I'm sorry."

Camila gasped and turned to face the other Luz, only to be shocked speechless as she began to warp and change into another person… another creature! The Doppelganger Luz transformed into a young Basilisk; one with golden tan scales and a cream coloured underbelly, very pale blue hair, and eyes with golden pupils and black irises. Luz and her friends gasped in surprise too, recognising the creature as a Basilisk, but seeing the notably more human torso and head.

The Hexside Trio were immediately on guard, remembering their last encounter with a Basilisk, while Luz and Camila both stared at the creature with shock, and in Camila's case, guilt.

The Basilisk had tears in their eyes as they whimpered; "I-I'm so sorry… I never meant for any of this to happen! I-I just came here at the same time I saw Luz get trapped, so I-I…!" Tears began to trickle down their cheeks; "I'm sorry!"

The little creature then used her powerful tail to launch herself at the living room window, breaking through it and landing on the front lawn. She'd cut herself on the glass and was now leaking red blood from her arm, but she didn't let it stop her from transforming back into Luz and using her legs to run away, heading into the woods beside the house.

A stunned silence filled the air as everyone tried to register what had just happened. Eda, the oldest and most accustomed to bizarre happenings, recovered first and cast a spell to fix the broken window and clean the blood left on the glass shards, before turning back to the others and saying; "So the imposter was just a scared Basilisk. I don't know how they got here, but I bet they've got something to do with the Greater Basilisk that attacked Hexside."

"Based on what they said, they ended up in the Human Realm at the same time the real Luz ended up in the Demon Realm. They must have immediately assumed Luz's form to blend in, and was accidentally found and mistaken for the real one by Camila." Rasiel continued.

"And ended up pretending to be me to the point of going to camp in my place…" Luz finished. She should feel angry and hurt at being replaced (and she was definitely still a little hurt that her Mami hadn't immediately realised), but the Basilisk's tears and heart-wrenching apologies made Luz feel sorry for her. She'd also confessed to the ruse and revealed herself rather than let Camila drive off her real daughter out of ignorance. The Basilisk could very well have chosen to stay silent and permanently taken Luz's place in the Human Realm, but she'd done the right thing and revealed herself.

Camila looked between the window the Basilisk had fled through and her daughter… her real daughter, who she'd just all but rejected for an imposter. She felt utterly devastated, not just by what she'd said and nearly done to her daughter, but also by the sight of the fleeing child's tears. That Luz hadn't been the real one, but Camila had still formed a bond with her through their trips to and from Camp Reality Check, and through their letters. The fact that she was obviously also a frightened child, lost in a foreign world after either losing her way home or fleeing that home, made it all the worse. And like Luz, Camila hadn't missed the fact that the child had confessed rather than allow Camila to continue unwittingly pushing her real daughter away.

"I… I'm so confused." she eventually whispered as she turned to look her daughter in the eye.

Her daughter… her Luz. Her mind had tried to reject it; to dismiss this white haired, golden-eyed, scarred girl as a different angel all together, but her heart had known the truth. She should have listened to it.

"Luz… I'm so, so sorry."

Luz sniffled and gave a watery smile; "M-Maybe we can start again? Um, I'm home!"

Both Luz and Camila laughed even as their tears began to overflow, then in an outpouring of emotion, the two came together; Camila rushing to hold her daughter and Luz rushing to be held by her mother. The two embraced tightly, both openly sobbing their hearts out as their reunion had become far more emotional than either had expected. Camila kissed Luz's cheeks and forehead over and over, running her hands through her child's snow white hair while Luz giggled through her tears, overjoyed to be accepted after her brief fear of rejection and breathing in her mother's familiar and comforting scent.

"Oh Mija… Look at you! You're a full angel now, aren't you!" Camila exclaimed with joy.

"Yeah! It happened during my first night in the Demon Realm! My magic awakened and my hair and eye colours changed." Luz smiled.

"And what about this!?" her Mami cried, tracing a finger over Luz's scar, "Who hurt my baby!?"

Eda gulped nervously, while Luz just giggled; "It's a long and kind of difficult story, but it was an accident."

Camila accepted that answer, knowing she'd get the full version shortly. She then looked past Luz to her friends, who were all watching and smiling at their reunion. It was an odd group; three young witchlings, an older witch with an owl staff, a tiny demon, and a golden haired man whom Camila couldn't tell if he was a witch or an angel.

"And who are these people?" she asked.

Luz beamed; "They're my friends! They're some of the people who helped take care of me in the Demon Realm, and came with me to meet you!"

Camila's eyes widened; "Oh! They're your friends?" she released Luz from their hug (though kept an arm around her daughter's shoulders) and smiled at the group; "Please forgive my earlier rudeness! And thank you all for taking care of my baby!"

Eda and the others all smiled in return; "It's okay, we understand that things got a little crazy with the Basilisk." Eda said.

"And honestly, Luz has done more to take care of us than we have to take care of her." Amity added.

"Yeah! We owe her a ton! She's helped us so much it's crazy to think how different our lives would be without her!" Willow smiled.

"Some of us literally wouldn't be here without her." Rasiel said, giving a polite nod of his head.

"In fact, Luz actually saved three of us from a Basilisk before! Though that one was bigger and meaner." Gus said.

King nodded; "I didn't get to see that one. But the fake Luz one didn't seem very scary."

Luz and Camila exchanged looks; "Yeah… Actually, Mami? I know that you're probably mad about that Basilisk taking my place and pretending to be me, but I kind of want to go after her. She seemed really scared and upset… I don't think she meant to do anything bad." Luz said. She felt like she had to do something to repay the Basilisk for revealing herself, and for helping ensure her Mami never realised she was missing until she was already back.

Camila readily agreed; "I think so too. The poor child didn't seem to be acting maliciously when she took your place; it was like she was looking for a home and someone to care for her."

"Not surprising, since Basilisks are supposed to be extinct." Eda commented.

The Noceda ladies looked at one another and simultaneously said; "We should go after her."

Eda and the others all smirked; "You're both definitely Kindness Angels all right!" the Owl Lady laughed. "But if I were you, I'd leave it for a bit. Basilisks aren't normally dangerous to humans since they don't have magic, and that one was pretty small. Odds are she'll just go and hide somewhere until she feels safe, then we can go track her down to whatever den she makes. If she feels like we're pursuing her, she might try to eat our magic and then we're in big trouble, especially if she eats Luz's or yours, Mrs Noceda."

"Please, call me Camila." the elder Noceda said kindly, "And I suppose that's for the best. We'll give the poor thing a chance to calm down, then go after her. In the mean time, I'd like to hear all about where you've been this summer, Mija. It terrifies me to think you've been in the Demon Realm!"

Luz nodded with a sad smile; "I know it sounds really scary, but the Demon Realm is nothing like the stories I grew up with! It can be kinda gross and dangerous at times, and definitely really weird, but its also cool and full of life and amazing people! I've gone on so many adventures there and met so many new people! Like them!" Luz gestured to her extended family and friends. "Let me introduce you to my friends properly."

"Of course, Mija. Why don't you all take a seat in the kitchen? I was just making tea anyway." Camila said, gesturing for everyone to follow her into the kitchen. They all took seats around the kitchen table and gratefully accepted cups of tea, which were very different from the teas they'd had back in the Demon Realm.

Once everyone had taken a seat and had a chance to drink a bit, Luz began the introductions. "Okay first, let's start with Willow Park and Gus Porter! The first friends my own age that I ever made!"

Willow and Gus smiled and waved as Luz said; "They're the number one Plant and Illusion witches in our school!"

"Though I only got to be in the plant track thanks to Luz." Willow said.

"She also helped me out with the HAS! Oh, that stands for Human Appreciation Society!" Gus added.

"Our school? Mija, did you start attending school? And during your summer vacation, no less?" Camila asked, an incredulous but pleasantly surprised smile on her face. Luz had never been a bad student, but she really hadn't liked human school!

"Yep! I enrolled at Hexside School of Magic and Demonics! I've been a student there for over a month and I've learned a ton! I've got even more friends there too, though they couldn't all come along today." Luz chirped happily.

Camila's jaw hung open as Luz continued; "Next to Willow and Gus is Rasiel! He's actually an angel like us! It's a long story, but he's a Ten-Winged Seraphim! He got sealed up by a bad guy 100,000 years ago and my friends and I accidentally released him! Now he's our friend and we're helping each other out."

"T-Ten-Winged…!?" the woman gasped, looking a bit pale.

Rasiel bowed his head; "Indeed. I am Rasiel, former Seraphim of Crest Humility. I would show you my wings, but they were sealed separately from the rest of me it seems. Please consider me as just another friend of your daughter's."

"O-Okay, I'll be sure to do that." she said nervously, really unsure how to deal with what was essentially a legend in the flesh!

Seeing her mother's nervousness, Luz powered on to the next introduction, which was sure to get her Mami to forget her nerves. She gestured to Amity, who was sat beside her and said; "This beautiful witch is Amity Blight. She was the third friend I made at Hexside, though as of about a month ago, she's my g-girlfriend!"

She then finished her introduction by kissing Amity on the cheek, both girls blushing. Amity giggled shyly and said; "Um, hello Mrs Noceda! I-I'm Luz's girlfriend!"

Camila stared at the two girls for a second, before her face absolutely lit up with pure joy. She squealed with delight and leapt from her seat to go and hug the two girls. "Oh! Oh Mija! You've got a girlfriend! I can't believe how much my little girl has grown up! And look at you!" Camila let Luz go so she could put both hands on Amity's shoulders; "You're so pretty! I hope my daughter has been treating you right!"

"Mami!" Luz whined, even as she smiled.

Amity giggled, her cheeks seemingly stained red permanently; "Luz has been wonderful. If anything, I've got to live up to her example as an awesome girlfriend."

That made Camila smile wider, and Luz hugged her girlfriend; "Aw! Hermosa, you're wonderful too! And perfect just the way you are! You're already an awesome girlfriend!"

Amity gently booped her nose against Luz's and said; "No, you're the awesome girlfriend!"

Luz opened her mouth to retort when King got between them; "Okay, enough of that! We don't want to waste a half hour on you two being all mushy and gross!" the little demon complained.

Luz and Amity blushed in embarrassment over getting lost in their moment, while their friends laughed. Camila was overjoyed for them, but now her attention was drawn to King. She'd noticed him before, but with everything that had been happening, she'd not truly registered what he was. Well now she had registered it, and her reaction proved that when it came to the Nocedas, the apple didn't fall far from the tree.

"¡Ay, que lindo! (Oh, how cute!)" she gushed, scooping King up and hugging him; "Luz, who is this adorable little fella?" she asked as King actually allowed her to hug him without squirming.

Luz laughed; "This is King Clawthorne! He's my little brother!"

King finally wiggled free and stood on the kitchen table, imperiously pointing a claw at Camila; "That's right! Luz is my big sister! Which makes you my Aunt Camila!"

That was probably the weirdest and most demanding way Camila had ever heard someone essentially call her family, but she was delighted all the same; "Sweetie, I don't know how you and my daughter became close enough to consider each other siblings, but I'd be happy to consider you my nephew!" she said, hugging him once again.

That left only one introduction to make, and it was arguably the big one. Luz had already resolved to tell her Mami about how close she'd grown to Eda, but the incident with the Basilisk and the near-rejection had shaken her, so instead she said; "And last, but certainly not least; this is Eda Clawthorne! AKA The Owl Lady, the Wild Witch of Bonesborough, and the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles!"

Eda puffed out her chest proudly as Camila looked at her with appraising eyes. That appraisal turned into gratitude as Luz added; "Eda is also King's Mom, and my mentor! She took me in when I first came to the Demon Realm! She's been the one to take care of me!"

"Aw, you make it sound like a bigger deal than it was! Honestly, you've done as much to take care of me as I have of you. I'd have gone to pieces by now if it weren't for Luz!" Eda snorted, pulling off her own hand to prove her point.

Camila yelped at the sight of Eda's hand popping off so casually; "Okay that is kind of terrifying! But I am beyond grateful to you for looking after my little girl." she said, waiting for Eda to reattach her hand, then shaking it. "I'm so glad that my little Cherub has made so many wonderful friends, and truly found her own way to help people."

The older angel felt a wave of deja vu as she remembered saying the same words to the little Basilisk who'd been disguised as her daughter. She too had made friends and learned to help people… she'd even found someone she had a crush on! Camila hoped she could help the poor child; perhaps now with help from Luz and her new Demon Realm friends! Putting that thought aside for later, Camila brushed a hand through Luz's white hair; "Oh Mija, I guess I can't really call you my little Cherub any more. You've become a full-fledged angel! Tell me, can you fly yet?"

Luz nodded, "Oh boy can I! I fly around all the time! It's so much fun! And of course, I can do magic now!"

To demonstrate, Luz pointed to a flower pot on the kitchen windowsill and cast a spell with the plant glyph, making a daffodil grow alongside the fern that was already inside it. Camila clapped with delight, though she was curious about the odd green symbol that had appeared inside Luz's spell circle; she hadn't seen anything like it! She then took a look at Luz's hands and blinked as she saw a red marking on the back of her right hand, and a blue one on the back of her left hand.

"Mija, what are those marks?" Camila asked, "They look a bit like the symbol that appeared in your spell circle."

Luz looked at the backs of her hands and chuckled nervously; "Um, don't freak out but… these are Glyph Markings. They're kind of permanent… I didn't ask for them though; the Titan of the Boiling Isles gave them to me. That's another long story, but they're how I unlocked my magic! I've got two more, see?" she said, lifting her shirt to show the plant glyph on her stomach, then pulling down her collar to show the light glyph on her sternum.

Once again, Camila looked completely shocked; "You've got magic tattoos… Oh my… I-I might need a minute to take that in." she said, grabbing her tea cup and draining it in two big gulps. "Glyph Markings given by one of the legendary Titans… I thought they were extinct though."

"You know about the Titans!?" Amity exclaimed, as she, Willow, and Gus gaped at her.

Camila nodded, and Rasiel said; "Titans are insanely powerful beings; their is no way stories about them didn't linger into the modern era of the Divine Realm."

"Rasiel is right. I was taught a bit about Titans when I was a Cherub being raised by Crest Chastity. I never bothered teaching Luz, since they were supposed to be all gone and I never imagined she'd end up in the Demon Realm." Camila said, before adding; "Are you saying there is still a living Titan?"

Since everyone present knew about King being a Titan, they all looked at him as he sheepishly said; "Um yeah. Just one, as far as we know. My Dad is the one who gave Luz the glyphs, but it was kind of his spirit who did it?" the little Titan explained.

"Oh my!" Camila gasped, "You're a baby Titan! I never knew such big scary creatures started off so small and adorable! Maybe the things I heard about the Titans were wrong…" she muttered that last part, a contemplative look on her face. She shook her head; "But never mind that; while I can't say I'm glad you've now got magic tattoos, I can't be mad at you since you didn't actively choose to get them. I also can't be upset that you've finally unlocked your magic!"

Camila wiped a proud tear from her eye; "Honestly, as scary as the idea of you being in the Demon Realm for three months is, it really seems like you've matured!"

Luz beamed; "Yes! I've learned so much! Staying there was the best decision I ever made!"

Instantly, all of Luz's friends and family knew that Luz had made a mistake, as they watched as Camila's expression fell into one of disbelief and even anger.

"You… you chose to stay there?"

Luz gulped; she'd gotten carried away! Her Mami had thought she'd been trapped, and while Luz hadn't intended to mislead her, she hadn't been planning on correcting her until after she'd told her everything else.

"I-I did… but it wasn't like I chose to run away!" Luz quickly said; "I ended up there by accident! I saw Eda's Palisman Owlbert hopping on the ground and was worried he'd get caught by a predator or something, so I followed him and accidentally went through Eda's Portal to the Demon Realm! That's when I met her, and one thing led to another, and I helped her and King with something! We had an adventure and I unlocked my magic! T-Then I thought; "Well Mami's sending me to camp to make friends and be a better angel, so maybe I can do that here!" A-And it worked! I've got friends and I'm great at helping people now! I-I still mess up sometimes, but I'm not a failure any more!" she said, smiling shakily as she tried to sooth her angry looking mother.

Camila took a deep breath, but it was clear she was still very upset. She put her hands on Luz's shoulders and looked her seriously in the eye; "Luz, you ran off somewhere without telling me! You've been lying to me through texts this whole time! Do you even understand how serious this is!? You could have died!"

Luz bit her lip as she began to tear up, feeling awful for disappointing her Mami; "I-I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have lied, b-but it isn't that bad, right? The Demon Realm isn't the scary, hellish place we were raised to think it is! It's kind of scary at times, and a bit dangerous, but it's a great place! And I-"

"Mija!" Camila yelled, cutting Luz off. The poor child flinched fearfully and Camila had to take another deep breath to steady herself; she wanted to get through to her child, not terrorize her into obedience. "Luz baby, it doesn't matter how safe or dangerous the Demon Realm is! It could have been the safest, most peaceful place in all of existence… but it doesn't change the fact that if you hadn't awakened your magic, you would have died!"

Luz gaped while her friends exchanged shocked looks. Rasiel narrowed his eyes, having a feeling that a suspicion of his was about to be confirmed.

"Camila, what do you mean Luz would have died!?" Eda asked seriously.

The angel sighed heavily; "I suppose this is my fault for hiding the truth from you for so long, Luz… Have you told your friends about how important magic is for an angel?"

Luz nodded, as did her friends; "You guys need magic to live, right? It's like your life force. Rasiel can only survive without it because he's a True Immortal." Willow answered.

Camila nodded, making Gus frown; "But even before she awakened her magic, Luz must have still had some, right? She'd have died a long time before we met her otherwise!"

"Right! I was never able to use it to cast spells or anything, but I definitely had magic inside me!" Luz said.

This time, Camila shook her head sadly; "No Luz… before you awakened your magic, you didn't have any magic of your own. Your body didn't produce any magical energy at all."

"W-What!?" Luz cried.

"It's true." Camila said sadly, "My pregnancy with you was… difficult. I needed to use a lot of healing magic on myself and you to keep you healthy and steadily growing inside me. When you were finally born, you were almost a month premature. You had pointy ears and tiny little wings, but your hair and eyes weren't the usual colours of an angel's. Not only that, but your wings were completely vestigial; they couldn't take in natural energy or convert it to magic. Only a day after you were born, you began to die…"

Luz and the others stared at Camila in horror, while Rasiel grimaced; "I'd suspected something was different… Remember back during the Photographic Memory class you and Willow had together?"

Willow gasped; "You said back then that it was weird for Luz to have had brown hair and hazel eyes!"

"No angel should have them. All angels have hair that is some shade of white, silver, or gold, and eyes that are some shade of gold or blue. There are no exceptions. Normally, a Half-Angel is nearly indistinguishable from a Pure Blood Angel, but from what I saw in Luz's memory… it was more like she was just a human that had inherited some angelic physical features." Rasiel explained.

"B-But I AM an angel, aren't I!?" Luz cried.

Camila nodded; "You are, baby. But for some reason, your wings never developed the ability to produce magic. Y-you were my newborn baby girl and you were dying, so I did the only thing I could think of. I performed an Angelic Blessing, giving you some of my magic to keep you alive. So long as you had some magic, you would live… I-I thought it would just be for a little while. Just until your wings fully developed. But while you grew up, your wings barely changed. They never fully developed… I even tried giving you a lot of magic all at once, hoping to kickstart your natural magic, but I'm not very powerful and it wasn't enough…"

"S-So you've been secretly performing blessings on me to keep me alive!?" Luz asked, eyes wide with shock. She was struggling to accept all this.

"Yes. Remember our mother/daughter bonding days every month?"

Luz nodded, feeling her heart clench. For as long as she could remember, the last day of each month was a special day she shared with her Mami, where they spent the day together and did anything and everything Luz wanted. Luz always remembered that as her life in the Human Realm had dragged on, she would often feel lethargic and weak by the end of the month, only to feel reenergised by those days with her Mami. She'd thought it was just life and her inability to be a good angel getting her down, and then being cheered up by her Mami, but now it made so much more sense! She was getting lethargic because her magic was running out, and she'd felt better afterwards because her Mami had performed a blessing!

"B-By the Seraphim…!?" Luz uttered, clutching her chest.

Her friends were in a similar boat, each and every one of them coming to the same conclusion Camila had; if Luz hadn't bonded with a glyph and unlocked her magic, she would have grown weaker and weaker as the days went by in the Demon Realm, until she finally died after only a month. The Titan had effectively saved her life!

"Luz could have really died… a month would have passed right before she came to Hexside for the second time, for Gus's HAS meeting! Oh Titan!" Amity cried, suddenly hugging Luz to herself. "We could have lost you!?"

Luz clung to her girlfriend as she took in the terrible shock; "W-Why did you never tell me, Mami!?"

Camila winced guiltily; "You were always trying so hard… you seemed so down about your lack of magic; I was afraid it would make you feel worse! That you'd feel like a failure from birth! I-I always thought your magic would awaken eventually, maybe when your human side had matured more."

That made a question come to King's mind; "Wait a second… you were mad at Luz for spending three months in the Demon Realm, but you sent her away to Summer Camp for that long! Wouldn't she have died there too!?"

"I wouldn't have sent you if that was the case!" Camila promised, addressing the upset Luz instead of King, "I… I sort of snuck into the camp on the last day of each month. It was at night after everyone was asleep; I cast sleep spells on your, or I guess that little Basilisk's cabin mates, then performed the blessing. Come to think of it, I remember her waking up during both visits, but I always lulled her back to sleep with a spell. She never said anything, so she must have assumed it was a dream."

Luz looked conflicted and highly emotional, causing Eda and King to both move to comfort her; the former stroking her back while the latter sat in her lap and hugged her belly. Willow and Gus looked to Rasiel; "Is it bad that the Basilisk got some of Camila's magic?" Willow asked.

"The Greater Basilisk at Hexside was super dangerous even without getting any of Luz's magic…" Gus added.

Rasiel stroked his chin; "I'll admit, that child did look a bit different from any Basilisk species I remember. Her eyes were that of a Golden-Eyed Basilisk, a largely docile and magically sensitive race that originally came about through a now-extinct subspecies of Amphibious Basilisks mating with Witches. However they usually have paler scales and darker hair, and rarely had solidly coloured underbellies instead of mottled spots of colour. Perhaps Camila's magic caused her to begin undergoing a magical metamorphosis; its not uncommon in creatures that feed off of magic and I know Basilisks tended to evolve based on the magic they consumed."

Eda looked to the three and said; "Now probably isn't the best time to be worrying about that!"

Luz got to her feet and began pacing around the kitchen, handing King to Eda as she went. "I-I really was a failure from birth, wasn't I…? Before I went to the Demon Realm, I was just a defect!"

"NO!" Camila cried, getting to her feet; "Mija, you were never a failure or defect! If anything, the fault was mine for not being able to give you the strong body you deserved!"

"B-But I thought that's why you sent me away!" Luz cried right back, all her old hurt coming back to the surface, "I was weak and useless as an angel! I thought you sent me away to fix me!"

Now it was Camila's turn to recoil as if struck; "I wasn't trying to fix you! I wanted to help you! I wanted to see you make friends and finally help people for your own sake! You were always so miserable when things went badly…"

"But I thought… I thought you were disappointed in me. I wanted to become a better angel and daughter to you, but I was never cut out for the Human Realm. So when my first day in the Demon Realm went so well, I knew I'd found my place!" Luz said.

"Your place!? Your place is here with me! Luz, baby, you're not planning on staying there are you!?" Camila gasped.

Reluctantly, Luz nodded. This was a decision she'd come to after a lot of thought; she'd found a home in the Demon Realm and she didn't want to give that up. Other than her Mami, the Human Realm had little beyond painful memories and a few kinds of food or entertainment. But the Demon Realm had literally everyone and everything else that she loved! It was there that she'd finally come into her own as an angel and begun to grow as a person! It was there that she'd felt accepted! Not only that, but there were people depending on her there, especially with Belos still controlling the isles!

Camila looked utterly heartbroken; "Did you… did you hate living with me that much?" she asked, on the verge of breaking down in tears.

"No!" Luz cried; "Mami, you're the only thing about the Human Realm I truly love! I don't want to leave you, but the Demon Realm has become my home! I've got so much to tell you about it, and I want you to be a part of my life there! I-I know it's not fair to ask you to live there with me; in fact, I still want to live with you too! I-I can come and go from that world whenever I want with Mom's portal and I-"

"Mom!?" Camila repeated incredulously, making Luz gulp; she hadn't meant to let that slip, especially when emotions were running so hot.

King, the Hexside Trio, and Rasiel all looked uncomfortable, while Eda gulped nervously as Camila stared at her daughter; "W-Who is Mom!?"

"Me." Eda said, standing up; "And it's not what you think."

Camila stared at her, a mix of hurt and anger in her eyes. She didn't respond to her and instead looked back to Luz. For a moment Luz thought her Mami would yell and demand answers, but the reality was worse as she heartbreakingly implored her daughter; "I-Is this because I sent you to camp? I-If I made you feel like I didn't love you as you were, then I'm sorry!"

"Mami, I never doubted you loved me! I just… a lot happened with Eda. I never saw her as a replacement for you, I just… she understood me and we went through so much together and I…!"

Luz struggled to maintain her composure in the face of her mother's tears. Every argument and explanation she'd prepared for this moment vanished from her head and all she could do was stutter and choke out half-formed sentences. Luckily, both being angels, Luz and her Mami knew the other was telling the truth whenever they spoke, so at the very least they both knew they loved the other to pieces and didn't want to be apart from each other, but the hurt still remained.

For Camila, it was a mix of gut-wrenching guilt and sorrow. In her eyes, Luz had felt like her Mami thought she wasn't good enough and needed to be sent away to be "fixed", like a car being sent for repairs. She had been so upset that she'd accepted and even volunteered to stay in the Demon Realm, a place she'd previously believed to be a nightmarish hellscape, instead of allowing herself to be sent away to camp. And while she was there, Luz had found a new home and a new family that had not only accepted her for who she was, but had helped her do what Camila never could; become the angel she was always meant to be. With that in mind, Camila couldn't blame Luz for finding maternal love in another woman. And to make the guilt feel even more intense Luz had been replaced by a doppelganger, and Camila hadn't even noticed… worse still, she'd been glad of the changes in her daughter. The doppelganger had played the part of the perfect daughter and Camila had completely fallen for it. She couldn't feel angry at Luz for running away, or even the little Basilisk who'd taken her place; Camila had done her best, but it simply hadn't been good enough. She hadn't been good enough for her daughter…

For Luz, the emotions were just as intense. She felt her own soul crushing guilt and despair, not to mention a deep fear that no matter what she said or did, she would be losing someone precious to her; either her beloved Mami, or her Demon Realm family and friends. It was like the Human Realm was her kryptonite; the instant Luz had stepped back into it, she stopped being the Arch-Angel of the Boiling Isles and returned to being the pathetic little screw up she'd always been! As much as it had hurt to be sent away, Luz knew her Mami had her best interests in mind and she'd broken her heart by running away. Her Mami had found herself with a new Luz, albeit unwittingly, and from the letters the Basilisk girl had sent to her Mami from camp, the real Luz knew that the Basilisk was closer to the kind of daughter her Mami deserved; the helpful, sweet, soft-spoken and friendly girl that Luz wished she could have been. Luz felt like she should be upset over being so easily replaced by a better version of herself, but she couldn't blame her Mami; after all, Luz had run away to a new life without her Mami and had then had the nerve to love that life more than the one her Mami had worked so hard to provide. Luz felt like a wretched, spoiled, ungrateful little girl… She couldn't feel angry at her Mami for not seeing through the Basilisk's disguise, or at the Basilisk herself for taking her place; Luz had done her best, but it simply hadn't been good enough. She hadn't been good enough for her Mami…

The two stood there, eyes overflowing with tears as both tried and failed to find the words to say. To apologise and make everything better. The others watched, frozen in place as they felt like they were intruding on something deeply personal.

Camila was the first to find her voice; "Luz… you are my daughter. I love you, I love you so much… Please don't leave! Promise me you'll stay here!" she put her hands on Luz's shoulders; "I didn't mean to push you away! I didn't mean to hurt you or make you feel like you weren't good enough! I swear, things will be different!"

Luz shook her head tearfully; "Mami, it's not you! It never was! I love you too, more than anything! I don't want to lose you from my life! I just… I can't go back to being a failure. I want to be the kind of daughter than can make you proud but…!"

She reached into her pocket and pulled out the letters that the Basilisk had been sending from camp; "...but I can't be this person. I can't be the daughter you deserve… I'm sorry…!"

With one last quiet sob, Luz turned and fled the kitchen, running out the front door before Camila could react. The poor woman was so stunned that it took her a minute to react, and when she finally did, she screamed after Luz.

"NO! Please, come back! I'm sorry I-!"

Camila took a step towards the front door but she was stopped by Eda's hand on her shoulder.

"Camila, wait. I know how you must be feeling, but both you and Luz are way too wound up right now. You both need to take a moment to collect yourselves." Eda said, feeling incredibly awkward as she was forced to be the "responsible" one. She had to channel Raine (and begrudgingly, her sister) but she needed to do this for the sake of her daughter Luz, and Luz's real mother.