The angel of the owl house

The angel turned back and looked at Eda; "H-How can you possibly know how this feels? You're the mother Luz wants! The one who accepted and understood her! The one who didn't want to change her! The one who didn't almost replace her…!"

Eda groaned; "You and Luz really are cut from the same cloth! You both blame yourselves for everything and believe you're the problem! How can such amazing people have such low self-esteem!?"

"I-I… what?" Camila stuttered dumbly, completely thrown off by Eda's words.

"Listen; I'm kinda new to this whole "Mom" thing and let me tell you, I've made more mistakes with Luz in the last three months than you have in your whole life, I guarantee it!" Eda said, beginning to count off incidents on her fingers; "Her first day, I essentially refused to let her go home so that I could use her to bust into prison and get some confiscated stuff back."

Camila's eyes widened as Eda counted off a second finger; "Her second day, I stupidly conspired to make her cry so I could use her tears to try and cure my curse. Just over a week after that, I let my pride and my big mouth get her into a duel with her future girlfriend, in which she had to either lie and hurt herself, beat up said future girlfriend and ruin her life, or lose and be permanently bound to a psychotic tyrant! Four days after that, my stupid Hexes Hold 'em habit got me in enough trouble that I needed Luz to come and save me! A couple of weeks later, I dragged her along on a wild goose chase for a stupid plant that wasn't even real! And of course, the coup de grace; just over a week ago, I lost control of my curse and gave her that scar, then got captured and needed her to save my life by joining a rebellion and facing down the Emperor of the Boiling Isles in front of everyone."

King, Amity, Willow, Gus, and Rasiel all exchanged looks; when all of those incidents were laid out like that and lacking context, they really did sound awful! In fact, even with the benefit of context, most of those incidents were still pretty bad! Camila was left gaping in shock as Eda pulled her into a somewhat awkward hug; "After all that, Luz was still able to call me her Mom and love me. If she can do that, then how could you ever think she'd want to replace the Mami who'd birthed, raised, and loved her for 14 years?"

"I-I don't know what to say…" Camila whispered. A part of her kind of wanted to smack Eda after hearing all that she'd apparently put Luz through, but at the same time, the odd woman was helping her.

Eda reached into her hair and pulled out Luz's diary from the Demon Realm, and handed it to Camila. "Read through this. It's Luz's record of everything that happened since the day she left up until today. It'll help you understand."

Camila shakily took the book then weakly protested; "B-But what about Luz herself? What if she runs back to the Demon Realm and I never get to see her again?"

"She won't. She loves you too much. Besides, even if she wanted to flee she couldn't." Eda said, revealing the portal key; "Only I can open the portal. She's stuck here until I say so and I refuse to let her run away from her family."

Camila stared at Eda for a long moment; "You… you really love Luz, don't you?"

Eda nodded and picked up King; "She and this little goof ball are blessings that changed my life for the better. I would do anything for both of them. Luz loves you, Camila. That's why she's hurting so much; she's scared of losing you, but also thinks she's not good enough for you. In other words, she's thinking the same things you are; right?"

Camila nodded numbly.

"Mom's right, you and Luz are alike!" King commented, "Which means you're both amazing people! So hurry up and read that diary already so you can make up and we can all be one big happy family again! King demands it!"

Camila and Eda both found themselves chuckling at the little demon, as Rasiel stood from his seat and gestured for the teens to join him; "We'll give you your privacy and wait outside. We'll also keep an eye out for Luz." he said.

He received grateful nods from both of Luz's mothers, as well as King, who had now jumped onto Camila's shoulders. Camila was just taking a seat again and opening the diary when Rasiel and the teens walked outside.

"Do you think this is going to work out?" Amity asked fearfully as she sat on the door step with Willow.

"I don't know. Both Camila and Luz have had a lot of shocking news and experiences dropped on them at once. They'll need to talk it out eventually." Rasiel answered, taking a seat on the grass.

Willow smiled and bumped her shoulder against Amity's; "Come on, this is Luz we're talking about. She and her Mom will definitely work things out! Just have faith."

"Willow's right." Gus agreed as he looked at Camila's car; "Luz has dealt with worse stuff. If she can break Belos' mask, she can make up with her Mom."

Amity nodded; "Yeah, you're right. We just have to believe in them. Still, I hope that Luz is okay… Do you think we should go looking for her?"

Rasiel shook his head; "It would be best not to wander. We don't know this place and could end up lost. Especially since you can't just casually use magic here. Luz is a responsible girl; she'll find her own way back when she's ready."

The trio of teens had no choice but to accept that, and wait for the Nocedas to reconcile.

[Meanwhile]

Luz panted as she slowly stopped running. She'd fled her house and run into the woods behind it, knowing she wouldn't easily be followed here. However as she ran, her confused emotions became clearer and once she finally stopped, she punched a tree in frustration.

"Ugh! Stupid Luz!" she cursed herself, tears still in her eyes, "Why did I run away like that!? Now I've made everything worse!"

She hadn't meant to run away… again. She'd just felt suffocated, her emotions and her mother's looks of despair making it feel like she was drowning. Her poor Mami begging her to stay; her, the defective child she'd loved despite it all, tore at Luz's heart and sent her into fight or flight mode, and with nothing there she could bear to fight, she had run. Now she was alone in the woods, cursing herself for her foolishness.

"What am I going to do now?" she whispered to herself, crouching down and hugging her knees. She knew she should just go back and apologise, but she was scared. What if her Mami didn't let her leave again? She truly couldn't bear to be forced to live in the Human Realm again, especially with how much she was screwing it up already. It would all be so much easier if her Mami came to live with her in the Demon Realm; but that was a pipe dream and an unfair thing to even want.

As Luz sniffled and dried her eyes, trying to think of a solution that could appease everyone, she spotted something on the ground that gave her pause; blood. She gingerly touched the blood with her finger and frowned as she found it was fresh and even slightly warm; whoever had shed it had done so recently. Only two options entered Luz's mind; either a small animal had been wounded (perhaps by another snare trap), or the Basilisk who'd cut her arm escaping through the Nocedas' living room window had come through here. Regardless of which option it was, Luz couldn't just ignore it and she needed something to focus on right now, so she carefully looked around for more signs of blood.

She found some, but it was in the direction of the house, so Luz instead went the opposite direction and sure enough, she found more. "It must be that Basilisk." she thought aloud, following the trail. The girl had been running, her heart no doubt beating wildly, so she'd spilled a fair bit of blood for Luz to find once she actually started looking. Luz eventually found the trail winding through the woods towards the abandoned house that served as the Human Realm side of the portal. As Luz got close, she began to hear a quiet whimpering and sobbing.

Luz crept up to the abandoned house and peeked through the door, gasping at what she saw. The Basilisk, back in her own form, was lying on the floor and sobbing, bleeding from not only her cut arm, but also her tail, which had been snagged by another snare trap. The poor Basilisk had obviously tried to pull herself free and made the snare even tighter, to the point that it was cutting into her. Luz then saw the Basilisk give another desperate tug on the snare, whimpering even more as she once again made it tighter.

"Stop!" Luz cried, rushing into the house, "You'll hurt yourself!"

The Basilisk screamed in fear and scrambled away from Luz as much as the snare would let her; "P-Please don't hurt me!"

Luz put her hands up slowly; "Easy now, I promise I don't want to hurt you, okay? I just want to help."

The Basilisk whimpered, but didn't try to escape any more. Instead she carefully watched as Luz edged her way to her trapped tail and knelt down.

"Now, I'm going to get you out, okay? Then I'm going to heal you. If you want to run away after that, then I won't stop you, but I'd like to talk with you. I promise I won't do anything bad, alright?" Luz said soothingly.

The little Basilisk nodded fearfully, and Luz smiled; "Great. Now brace yourself, the snare has cut into your tail so it'll probably sting when I loosen it. Bear with it, okay?"

She got another fearful nod as an answer, then smiled and looked at the Basilisk's tail. She very gently grasped it to stop it wiggling as she undid the snare, then found and pulled a little metal catch on the snare wire, allowing her to expand the loop and pull it off of the Basilisk's tail. The poor creature hissed and winced as the wire was pulled out of the cut, and the instant she was free, she gasped with relief and hugged her tail to herself. Luz smiled, then used some light magic to slice apart the snare trap, and then burned it with fire magic to erase all traces of it as well as the Basilisk's spilled blood, just in case.

"There we go. May I heal you now?" Luz asked gently.

The Basilisk looked her in the eye, fear and curiosity shining from tearful golden eyes. "W-Why are you helping me?"

"You need help." Luz answered simply, before revealing her six shining wings; "As an angel, it's my duty to help. Besides, I owe you."

"Y-You owe me?" the Basilisk blinked.

Luz nodded with a gentle smile; "You exposed yourself to my Mami instead of keeping up the disguise. You could have taken my place, but you sacrificed that to do what's right. Besides, its not every day I get to see a friendly Basilisk."

The Basilisk looked stunned by her answer, but didn't attempt to move or escape as Luz slowly reached over and gently took her tail. She held it very carefully as she cast her Healing Lotus spell to heal the cut left by the snare. Luz worked slowly to make sure she left no scars, and the Basilisk was struck by the lack of hesitation; Luz had called her a Basilisk so she had to know that she could eat her magic! Yet she was still helping her!

"My name is Luz Noceda." Luz introduced as she worked; "What's yours?"

"I-I'm Number f- I mean, I'm Vee."

Luz smiled brightly; she'd caught Vee's self-censoring, but decided not to question her on it just yet; "Vee huh, that's a cute name. Okay, all done with your tail. May I heal your arm?" she asked as she finished healing Vee's tail.

Vee nodded again, so Luz moved to her side and gently lifted Vee's arm to get a closer look at the wound. After being satisfied that there were no shards of glass inside the cut, Luz easily healed it. Once she was done, she took a step back from Vee and smiled softly.

"Alright, you're all healed up. If you'd like to run away now, I won't stop you. But I'd like to talk, if that's okay. I want to figure out what's been going on." Luz said.

Vee looked at Luz warily; "O-Okay…"

Luz put her hand on the floor of the abandoned house and cast a plant spell, causing a layer of soft grass to grow across the hard wood floor, then sat beside Vee. "Great! So, you're a Basilisk right? From the Boiling Isles?"

"Yeah…" Vee replied, "H-How do you know about us? I thought we were supposed to be extinct."

"My school on the Boiling Isles, Hexside, was attacked by a Greater Basilisk pretending to be an inspector from the Emperor's Coven. She hurt a lot of people, but my friends and I were able to defeat her. I don't know what happened to her after that, but I think the Emperor's Coven took her away." Luz answered.

Vee gasped softly; "Subject Zero…"

Luz's eyes widened; "Subject…? Oh, I see. That's why the Basilisks came back; you guys were made in a lab somewhere, right?" Vee bit her lip fearfully, so Luz gently put a hand on her shoulder. Vee flinched, but Luz just smiled calmly; "It's okay. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

Vee felt comforted by Luz's gentle touch and soft voice; they reminded her so much of Camila. "You're right. About the lab I mean. My real name is Number Five, or Subject Five, and I shouldn't exist… Like you said, my kind went extinct a long time ago, but the Emperor and his coven brought us back. He found fossils with our blood and DNA, and had us created in a lab. He wanted to know how we drained magic…"

Luz frowned sympathetically; "That must be awful… how many of you were there?"

"Six in total, including Subject Zero. She was the oldest, and I was the youngest. It was thanks to her going into a feeding frenzy that we were able to escape. Number Three, Number Four, and I managed to hide and run away, while Number One and Number Two attacked the Coven. The earlier subjects were wilder; I don't think the Coven knew how to make them properly, so they came out… wrong." Vee shuddered, remembering the other subjects. Zero had obviously been mad and thirsty for magic, and Number One had been similar, often snarling and howling into the night. Number Two had been a little better, but he was still more of a skittish beast than an intelligent creature. Even Number Three, who was docile and somewhat intelligent, still clearly struggled with their minds at times, and Number Four was on the verge of human/witch/angel intelligence. Vee herself was the only one whose mind had been completely on the level of the other sapient races.

"Oh… if I'd known that, I wouldn't have let the Emperor's Coven take back Subject Zero." Luz said, now feeling guilty. Who knew what had become of the poor creature?

Vee didn't look as concerned; "She wouldn't have thanked you for it; she'd have just gone on feeding. That's all many of us knew how to do… But her rampage did save me and let me escape. Still, I knew it was only a matter of time before the Emperor caught us again…" Vee said, before explaining to Luz how she'd heard rumours of Eda and her Human Realm connections, leading Vee to seek her out in hopes of escaping the Demon Realm.

"That's when I saw you. I went through the portal while you were distracted by the Owl Lady and her Palisman, but then I saw the portal close behind me and I thought you were trapped. I took your form to hide, and Mama… I mean, Camila… found me. She was so nice to me, and talked about how she hadn't wanted me, or I guess you, to feel like she was chasing you away. Since I thought you were trapped, I kept playing the role… We drove to camp together. I made friends with some humans, learned Spanish and about life in the Human Realm, and tried to become the kind of daughter I thought you were."

Vee finished her tale with a sad sigh; "I-I let myself think you might not come back, but then you did and… I couldn't keep lying to Camila. I couldn't just steal your life… even if it means I have to run again."

Luz gasped softly and pulled Vee into a hug; "Oh Vee, you are the sweetest! Even though you thought it meant giving up your safe haven, you still did what was right! I'm beyond grateful! But I don't think you have to run any more."

Vee blinked; "I-I don't?"

"No." Luz shook her head; "Mami was really worried about you; I think she cares about you, even if you're not me. You two did still spend time together and exchange letters; I think you bonded, and I know Mami would never throw out a child in need. In a lot of ways, I think you actually became a better daughter than I was."

Vee looked confused, so Luz sighed and told her everything that had happened after she'd fled the house earlier. The Basilisk looked both shocked and horrified, and even a little bit angry at Luz.

"W-Why would you choose to stay in the Demon Realm!? You have a Mom who loves you, a home, a life! You had it good!" Vee cried, frustrated.

Luz looked at her hands in shame; "I know… But I never meant to run away. If I hadn't thought Mami would assume I was at camp, I never would have tried to stay in the Demon Realm. I just… I finally felt like I'd found my place, you know? I was being useful, I was making friends, I was becoming the person I thought my Mami wanted me to be. But now I know I was wrong… I'm not that person… I don't think I can ever really be that person."

Vee looked at Luz with a frown; "I don't think Mama, I mean… I don't think Camila wanted you to be someone else." she said, making Luz blink in surprise; "I don't think she wanted you to change or be more like she wanted you to be; I think she just wanted you to have a happier life."

Luz nodded sadly; "I know… Mami only ever wanted what was best for me… and I wanted to be the best me I could be for her. But I kept messing up…"

"You know, at camp one of the life lesson seminars they gave us was on healthy communication." Vee said, seemingly changing the subject; "They said that a lot of problems in life could be avoided if people just talked to each other about what they were feeling and what they wanted. You and Camila both love each other and want what's best for one another, but you're also trying to balance that with what you want for each other and yourselves. You're both trying to get the best result for each other, but you're doing it without actually understanding each other."

The young angel looked surprised; "Y-You think I should just tell Mami exactly what I want?"

"Yes!" Vee nodded.

"B-But what if it hurts her? I love my Mami so much, but telling her that Eda has become like a Mom to me and that I want to stay in the Demon Realm made her so upset!" Luz cried.

"She'd be just as hurt by the idea of hurting you. She's a great Mom! But you can't solve your problems if neither of you will talk about them! If you keep going on like this, you'll end up hurting each other AND neither of you will get what you want!" Vee exclaimed, really flexing what she'd learned at camp. As much as she sort of resented Luz for running away from a life Vee would kill for, the little Basilisk was also overwhelmingly grateful to her for giving her the opportunity to live the last three months in bliss (even if it wasn't on purpose). She also dearly wanted Camila, a woman she'd come to love like a mother, to be happy too.

Luz chuckled and wiped a tear from her eyes; "It's funny, I came in here to help you, but you've ended up helping me!"

Vee, despite herself, chuckled too; "I guess we both want to be helpful."

The two girls laughed together for a moment; they had both gone through so many emotions in the last few hours that it made their heads spin! Vee's words had been just what Luz needed to hear too; she needed to sit down with her Mami and have a proper talk; tell her what she wanted and how she felt, and listen to her Mami's wants and feelings too. Only then could they work things out as a family.

But it wasn't just Luz and Camila who'd need to work out what to do next; Vee still needed a place as well, and Luz was determined to give her one.

"I think I'm ready to go back and face Mami now… and I want you to come with me, Vee." Luz said, getting to her feet and offering the little Basilisk her hand.

Vee looked shocked; "Y-You want me to come home with you!?"

"Of course! You're someone who's become precious to Mami, and you clearly need a home and someone to take care of you. Who better than your Mama, right?" Luz smiled kindly.

Vee's eyes sparkled with hope even as she hesitated; "B-But I'm not her real daughter…"

"You mean you're not her blood daughter." Luz corrected, "And so what? I'm not Eda's blood daughter, or King's blood sister, but they're still my Mom and little brother! It's the bond that matters, not the blood. I'll bet my wings that Mami feels the same way!"

The young Basilisk's lips wobbled and tears filled her eyes as she slowly took Luz's offered hand and allowed the angel to pull her upright and into a hug. Luz pulled her straight into a hug and whispered in her ear; "I think the two of us are going to end up being sisters."

Vee laughed even as she struggled with her tears; "We literally just met!"

Luz giggled; "Well a very wise Titan once said to me; "The sister of my child is also my child.", so I figure that the daughter of my Mami is also my sister! I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to grow into great siblings!"

"Y-You're such a weirdo!" Vee laughed tearfully.

"I am! And so are you! And us weirdos have to stick together!" Luz grinned, releasing the hug but still holding Vee's hand; "Now let's go home, so Mami can tell you the same thing!"

Vee sniffled and gave Luz a smile, wiping away her tears. However as she did so, she found herself looking at her scaly hands; "I-I don't think I can leave. I need magic to transform, and I used it all up while trying to get out of that trap…" she said.

When the snare had caught her, Vee had panicked and rapidly transformed to try and slip free, but in her distress she'd only made things worse and ended up completely stuck, on top of draining her magic reserves. She couldn't risk leaving the woods while in her true form! If a human saw her, she'd end up in a cage again! Or worse, another lab!

Luz pat Vee's shoulder to relax her; "That's okay, I can give you some magic!"

"B-But feeding on you could be dangerous! We Basilisks usually suck out all your magic in one go! Wouldn't it be bad for you if I drained it all?" Vee asked.

"Probably. I don't think losing all my magic would kill me immediately, or else I would have died when Rasiel drained me, but it would still be bad for me. But I can give you magic with an Angelic Blessing!" Luz offered.

"A… blessing?" Vee tilted her head in confusion.

Luz nodded; "That's right! Mami has actually given you a couple of blessings already, thinking you were me! She snuck into your cabin at camp a couple of times to do it."

Vee gasped; "Those dreams of Mama weren't dreams at all! That's why I suddenly had more magic, and why I began to change!" Now she understood what had been happening! It was because Mama had been giving her magic in her sleep!

"So Rasiel was right about you. He thought you might have been going through a metamorphosis when he saw your eyes and colours." Luz said, "I wonder… I'm an Arch-Angel so my blessing might be more potent than Mami's; this might change you even more. Is it still okay if I do this?"

Vee thought about it for a moment; she had no idea what she was becoming thanks to the angelic magic, but she also knew that without that magic, she'd have to feed on someone else (probably Luz's friends) in order to get the magic needed to transform again. Unwilling to feed on and hurt an innocent, Vee decided that she'd take her chances with the blessing and the metamorphosis.

"Yes please. I'll take the blessing." Vee answered.

Luz didn't need to be told twice; she conjured her white and gold flame and said; "This won't hurt, I promise." to relax the slightly worried Basilisk. She then pressed the flames against Vee's body and watched as she immediately ignited, being engulfed by the flames.

"W-Whoa! I feel so much magic!" Vee exclaimed. She absolutely loved the warm feeling the flames were filling her with, especially as it was accompanied by the feeling of fullness, like she'd just had the world's most satisfying meal. It was a feeling akin to sitting around the campfire with her friends from Cabin Seven, after having experienced a long and fulfilling day. As the flames began to sink into Vee's skin and fade away, the feeling of her internal magic began to swell massively and her skin began to tingle. The young Basilisk gasped and fell to the ground, suddenly feeling weak as her body was overcome with the sensations of her changing body. Her back, specifically her shoulder blades, felt like they were transforming and she felt a distinct splitting of her skin at her tail.

"Vee! Are you alright!?" Luz cried, kneeling on the ground beside her.

"I-I think I'm shedding." Vee gasped, suddenly feeling like her skin was too tight, especially on her back. She flicked her tail forward and saw that the splitting she'd felt a moment ago was indeed the skin on the end of her tail splitting so she could begin to shed the old skin. Unfortunately, the ring pierced through her tail fin made it nearly impossible to shed on her own; when she'd shed in the past, it had been under the supervision of the Emperor's Researchers, who'd temporarily removed the ring to let her skin peel off safely.

"Luz, I need your help with the ring." Vee begged, her growing discomfort making her desperate to get her old skin off.

"Should I destroy it?" Luz asked.

Vee whimpered and nodded, so Luz created a thin blade of light from her finger tip and sliced through the ring, allowing her to easily remove it from Vee's tail fin. Once the ring was removed, Luz began to slowly peel back Vee's shedding skin while gently washing the new skin underneath with cooling water. She'd helped snakes shed their skin with her Mami at the vet's office, and she'd also learned a bit about Basilisk biology in her Beast-Keeping classes, so she knew how best to help Vee shed.

As the old skin was peeled away, Luz marvelled at the new skin beneath it; Vee's tail fin had rapidly regenerated, healing the hole from the now-removed tail ring, and the scales were a more vibrant colour than ever. Her cream underbelly was now snow white just like her tail fins and Luz's hair, while her golden tan scales had become sleeker and shinier, appearing to actually be made of gold. Then Luz got to Vee's back, where she found strange lumps forming under the skin. She pulled the old skin away to reveal the reason for these lumps; a pair of folded feathery wings. They were similar to Luz's angelic wings with their white feathers and large size, but their bone structure was shaped more like draconic wings, more closely matching Vee's reptile-like body.

"V-Vee! You've grown wings!" Luz exclaimed as she continued to help her shed.

The young Basilisk felt a lot better once the skin was off her torso; the presence of these new wings must have been what made it feel so tight! Now that it was gone, she could breath a lot more easily. "I-Is this the metamorphosis your friend was talking about?" Vee asked, confused but happy to stretch her new wings. They felt a bit weak, likely because they were newly grown, but Vee was sure they would be strong once she'd broken them in a bit.

"It must be! We just have a little more to go and you're old skin will be completely off. Are you ready?" Luz asked, gently spraying more water over the newly exposed fresh scales.

Vee nodded and closed her eyes, using her now free hands to help Luz pull the last of the skin up and over her head, like it was an old undersized sweater. The skin took Vee's hair with it, revealing new, slightly longer hair beneath it, which was even paler than the baby blue colour it had originally became after Camila's blessings. The top of her hair, as well as the fur of her ears, had turned a shining silver to compliment her golden scales, while the underside of her hair had become a pure white like her underbelly, and Luz and Camila's hair. It was a bit damp from sweat after the exertion of shedding, but a quick spray of water from Luz followed by a little fire magic held close by to dry it quickly had Vee's new hair looking soft, fluffy, and clean, with the beginnings of some curls at the ends.

"Phew! Finally done!" Luz said, holding up Vee's old skin. It had come off in one piece, so now it looked like she was holding a translucent, deflated Vee.

Vee shuddered at the sight of it, before looking at herself; "A-Amazing… I feel incredible! I wonder if I can fly with these?" she thought aloud, gently flapping her new wings.

"I'm sure you'll be able to! I wonder what kind of Basilisk you are now. We'll have to ask my friend Rasiel; if anyone will know, it's him." Luz said, "But what should I do with this?" she asked, still holding up Vee's skin.

"I don't really want to keep it, but I don't want to leave it lying around either. Can you burn it?" Vee asked.

Luz nodded and promptly squeezed it into as tight a ball as she could, then covered it in leaves and vines grown by the plant glyph, before igniting it. Luz tossed the burning ball of skin on the dirt path outside the abandoned house, then watched as it quickly turned to ash and blew away in the wind.

"Well that's taken care of! Now to get you back home." Luz said; "But you'll stand out like a sore thumb if you walk with me while disguised as me, so how about we give you a new disguise!" she smiled.

Vee nodded; "Do you have any ideas? I'm not very good at making up faces."

"I do! Try this!" Luz said, putting on the concealment charm she'd customised that morning, and taking on the disguise. Vee examined it closely, then transformed into a slightly modified version. She retained the somewhat androgynous look, the thicker frame, the skin tone, and the messy hair style, but she'd turned the hair a sandy blond to somewhat resemble her new scale colour, with silver tips to match her real hair. Her eyes also had the same golden pupils and black irises as her Basilisk form, and her Basilisk ears remained exposed too, though they blended in with her hair. She kept the outfit that Luz had picked out too, but turned the hooded shirt from green and white to orange and white (though she kept the snake themed hood).

"There! This is my own unique human form!" Vee declared proudly as Luz removed her concealment stone to return to normal.

"You look great, Vee! I bet Mami and the others will love it!" Luz beamed. "Now, are you ready to head back and see Mami?"

Vee gulped; "Honestly? No, I'm not. Are you?"

Luz laughed nervously; "Not at all! But we're still gonna go, right? Together?" she asked, offering Vee her hand again.

Shyly, Vee took her hand; "Right. Together."

The two girls then walked out of the abandoned house together and began heading back to the Noceda residence. However, both of them failed to notice a certain detail… a small camera installed in the corner of the abandoned house's living room, with a blinking red light.

[Meanwhile]

Camila sat at the kitchen table, having now downed about four cups of tea and having a craving for something quite a bit stronger. On the table in front of her was Luz's diary from the last three months, filled with stories of her adventures, her friends, and her experiences on the Boiling Isles, all accompanied by little drawings. Eda and King sat across from her, both watching her and waiting for her reactions. But upon finishing the diary, Camila didn't know HOW to react…

Luz hadn't spared a single detail; every day of the last 13 weeks had an entry devoted to it, and after reading them all (with some help from a little speed reading spell), Camila truly felt like she understood what her daughter had gone through; both the good and the bad. On the one hand, she was incredibly proud of her daughter; Luz had grown from a little Cherub to a proud young Arch-Angel (Camila was still wrapping her head around that fact) and she'd helped countless people and stood up to evil in the form of the Tyrant Belos. She'd done good and become a beacon of hope for many people on the Boiling Isles, and had even helped others change themselves to become the people they wanted to be.

But on the other hand, the dangers of the Demon Realm were laid bare on those pages. Warden Wrath, Adegast the Puppeteer Demon, Hexside Bullies, Arboriel the Mandragora, Eda's curse, the Detention Pit, Zara the Ice Wyrm, the Greater Basilisk, Odalia Blight, Grometheus the Fear-Bringer, Callisto Alembic, Glandus Bullies, Ancient Angel-made golems, Godric the Fire Drake, and of course, to top it all off, Emperor Belos… the man who'd tried to enslave Luz and turned her into a monster in an attempt to force her to murder her own mentor and mother figure. The thought of her little girl being faced with any of these threats was enough to make Camila's blood run cold, but Luz had faced all of them and survived.

Besides her adventures, Luz's diary also documented her growing relationships with those around her. She wrote of how Willow was finding her confidence as a witch, how Gus was growing as an illusionist, how Amity was becoming a better person to the point that Luz had fallen in love with her. She'd written about a friend named Skara who had grown passed her own bullying phase and was now helping another girl named Boscha grow up too. She'd written about how hard Matt had worked to redeem himself for throwing her in the Detention Pit. She'd written about the fun-loving and chaotic Blight Twins and how they'd come to understand their sister more. She'd written about Rasiel and his stories of the past, his lost personal memories, and his struggles to adjust to a modern world 100,000 years more advanced than he'd ever known. There were even entries about Viney, Jerbo, and Barcus, and their exploits in a group called "The Magic Mixers". And of course, above all else, Luz had written about her growing bond with King and Eda.

Reading those entries was a confusing experience for Camila's heart; they both warmed it with the sweetness of their growing familial bonds, and made it ache as she saw the ways Eda accepted Luz's mistakes and failures, and helped her move past them. She felt spikes of insecurity whenever she saw how well Eda had handled some problem of Luz's, and waves of both annoyance and vindication when Eda had screwed up and landed Luz in trouble. But through it all, one thing stood out; Camila had never once left her daughter's mind.

Every entry had something along the lines of "Mami would love this!" or "I wonder if Mami would be proud of how I handled what happened?" or "I hope Mami doesn't get mad at me for this…"

Luz's love for her mother was clear on those pages, and that was made clearest in one of the last entries; the one that Luz had written after the events at the Conformatorium and her ascension to an Arch-Angel. Most of the entry was recounting what happened, but it ended with;

"Things have calmed down now, and I can finally just relax with Mom and my little brother. It still feels a little strange to call Eda "Mom", but it also feels right. We've grown so close in these three months, and she calls me her daughter too, so it feels natural and good. Like we're a real family! It feels a little like it does with Mami!

But even though it feels the same, it makes me miss Mami even more. I wish I could see her right away; it's not like I'm going to pretend I actually went to camp, so I could go back right now, but I'm scared. Mami is going to be mad, I just know it! I just have to hope that she sees how much I've grown up, how many friends I've made and how much I've been helping people! I've become the kind of daughter she wanted, right? So she'll forgive me eventually, right? I hope so.

But will she forgive me for calling Eda "Mom"? It's not like Mom is a replacement for her; in my head, it's just like Willow having two dads! Or Steve and Matt being close to their real Moms and their Step-Moms! It's not a betrayal of my Mami, is it? I don't know, I think I'm just psyching myself out. It'll be just a few days before I can see her again! I'm looking forward to it, even if it's scary too. I hope Mami can accept my decision. I don't want to choose between her or my life here."

Camila took a deep breath and then let out a long, contemplative sigh.

"The little girl I sent to camp really has come back as a young woman… and I have no idea what to do about it." Camila said slowly; "I knew she didn't have the easiest or happiest life outside this house; I always tried to make it the best I could for her…"

Eda nodded; "You're a great Mom, Camila. Luz is always talking about it and how much she loves you. The only good stuff she's really had to say about her life in this world has been about you."

"Maybe… but I caused her grief too." Camila said sadly; "As a parent, we always try to do what is best for our child, but sometimes we lose sight of the line between what we want for them and what they want for themselves. This home was Luz's only safe haven in her life here, and without even realising it, I took that from her when I sent her to camp. All my reasons, as good as they may have been, fail to make up for that fact. I hurt my daughter… and I'm afraid I'm hurting her again now."

King carefully got out of Eda's lap and moved to sit in Camila's, making the older angel smile and cuddle him; she had as much of a weakness for the adorable little Titan as Luz did. "Aunt Camila, if Luz wants to continue her life in the Demon Realm, is that really so bad? It makes her happy, and it doesn't mean she has to leave you behind! Plus there are a lot of people depending on her! Mom and I would have fallen apart a long time ago without her! It's thanks to her that I know who I am now."

"And its thanks to her that I'm not a stone statue or a powerless witch." Eda added; "Like you said, I think its easy for a parent to mix up what they want for their child with what is actually best for them. I know I made a ton of mistakes… heck, you've pretty much read all of them, and I'm kind of surprised you haven't tried to kill me for some of those mistakes, but making those mistakes has made me a better Mom to both King and Luz. You've just got to learn from 'em, you know?"

Camila snorted in amusement; "Oh trust me, I'm very tempting to have some strong words with you on a few of these; the Conformatorium break-in, the Tearful Tonic, and the Covention Duel incidents especially, but you're also right. You learned from your mistakes and became a better parent to Luz, and this adorable little fella!" she cooed, scratching the back of King's skull, much to his delight, "But seeing how much you and Luz's friends care about her, and how much she's grown… it's made me more aware of my own mistakes, and what I need to do to fix them. Luz is my daughter… she's a lot like me." the woman closed her eyes and remembered her past; especially her childhood in the Divine Realm. "So I think I know what I need to do. Before Luz makes the same choice I did, I'll do for her what I wished had been done for me."

Eda and King smiled; "Then I'm sure it'll all work out! Now we just have to wait until Luz calms down and comes back."

As it turned out, their wait wasn't very long at all as Eda's sharp ears heard Luz's voice talking with her friends outside. She told Camila, and the angel mother put King on her shoulders and leapt to her feet, rushing to the front door with Eda right behind her. She threw open the door and found Luz being hugged by a worried Amity, while Willow, Gus, and Rasiel watched alongside a new girl that Camila hadn't seen before.

"Luz!" Camila cried.

"Mami!" Luz cried right back rushing over to hug her mother. The two embraced one another, and Luz said; "Mami, I'm so sorry for running away like that! I never wanted to hurt you or your feelings, I was just getting so overwhelmed and I was messing up again and I thought-"

Camila rubbed Luz's back and gently shushed her; "There there, Mija. I understand. We both let our emotions get a little out of control. I forgive you for running away, and I'm sorry for getting so upset and reacting so badly. I should have listened to you and let you explain your feelings."

Luz sniffled as she smiled up at her Mami; "I-I forgive you too. I think we both have a lot to talk about… but first, I have someone to introduce you too." she said, gesturing for Vee to step forward. The disguised Basilisk did so nervously, and before either she or Luz could say another word, Camila gasped softly.

"It's you… the little Basilisk child." Camila said, recognising the eyes and ears, since Vee's disguise didn't hide them fully.

Luz had already told the others, so it was a surprise only to Eda and King, though everyone was shocked Camila had immediately noticed, even with the eyes.

"Umm, Hello Mama. I mean, Camila." Vee said shyly.

Camila's heart melted; "Oh, Cariño… I think we have a lot to talk about as well."

Vee's eyes widened at the soft tone and term of endearment, then they filled with tears as she gave a trembling smile.

"Let's go inside. All of us." Camila said, gently putting an arm around both Luz and Vee, then looking to Luz's friends.

"Are you sure?" Amity asked.

"We don't want to intrude on your family business." Willow said.

Camila smiled; "That is sweet of you, but I'd like you to be there. I want Luz to feel supported even if she and I disagree on things."

Luz felt touched by that, and her friends all happily agreed to come back inside too. This time they were sat around the living room, while Camila cast a few spells to make her teapot fill itself and begin making tea on its own. A fresh cup of tea was soon placed in front of everyone.

"I promised you some tea earlier, Cariño. I'm glad to finally get you some." Camila smiled at Vee.

"T-Thank you. But you made that promise when you thought I was Luz…" Vee said, taking the cup regardless.

"Maybe so, but it was still you beneath that disguise." Camila said, "I'll be honest; I'm a bit upset about being tricked. The only reason I'm not angry is because you did the right thing in the end and you seem like a genuinely nice girl who was trying to make the best of your situation."

Vee felt her throat go dry and took a sip of the warm, soothing tea; "I'm sorry…"

Camila very carefully out a hand on her head and stroked her hair; "Cariño, I forgive you. But I'm more concerned with an explanation than an apology. May I know your name?"

"I'm Vee. Though the name I was given at birth was Subject Number Five." Vee answered.

Everyone but Luz narrowed their eyes, already having a feeling Vee's story would make them angry. Still, Camila remained calm and said; "Vee is a very nice name. Would you feel comfortable telling me what happened? How you came to be in the Human Realm and taking Luz's place?"

Vee nodded, then retold the story she'd told Luz. She left almost nothing out; she spoke of the lab and the experiments, her escape, how she'd gone looking for Eda, and how she'd taken Luz's place. She even mentioned how she now knew her dreams about Camila at camp hadn't been dreams at all, but the results of her waking up while Camila was giving her Angelic Blessings.

The story left everyone feeling sympathy for Vee, and even more furious with Belos and the Emperor's Coven.

"How could they be so cruel!? Bringing an innocent creature back from extinction just to experiment on and torment her!?" Amity spat, absolutely furious. She couldn't believe she'd ever wanted to be a part of that rotten coven!

"It's disgusting! I'm glad some of you were able to escape!" Willow agreed.

Gus nodded; "I was pretty scared of you after what happened with the Greater Basilisk, but you're not some evil doppelganger! You're just a kid like us!"

"I-I guess I am. I'm 14 too… I think? I might be 15; I don't know my actual birth date." Vee replied.

"I can probably cast a spell to determine when your date of birth was, but that can wait until later. I wonder if my sister knew about this…" Eda frowned.

Rasiel shook his head; "I doubt it. She seemed genuinely shocked by the existence of a Greater Basilisk. We know Belos kept secrets from her, so I wouldn't be surprised if this was one of them."

"Just one more reason to want to blow Belos to smithereens! I swear I'm gonna squash him beneath my claws one day!" King declared.

Vee looked around at Luz's friends and family, and felt overwhelmed by their words of support; "T-Thank you all for being so kind, even after what I did."

Camila rubbed her back soothingly; "Vee, you didn't do anything wrong. You went through a harrowing experience and survived it. I never knew I had been exchanging letters with such a strong young girl…"

Vee's eyes filled with tears; "I-I'm still so sorry for tricking you like I did. You were so kind to me, I couldn't stop myself from playing the role of your daughter! I didn't want to lie to you…"

Camila picked up the letters that Vee had been sending her while at camp; "I know you lied when you pretended to be Luz… but are the things in these letters lies too?" she asked, smiling since she already knew the answer.

Vee shook her head; "N-No. Everything in them is true! I promise! I didn't want to lie more than I had too."

The angel mother smiled a bit wider; "Even the parts where you say you love me and miss me? Where you call me Mama?"

Vee bit her lip. She looked to Luz, who gave her a reassuring smile. Gathering her courage, Vee then said in an impossibly small voice; "Those were true too."

Camila beamed; "Then I'd like to say that even though I thought I was talking to Luz, the things I wrote in my letters were true too, Cariño."

"R-Really!?" Vee gasped.

"Yes. I realised when you ran away, that even though you weren't who I thought you were, I still cared about you. Which is why I'd like to offer you a place in our home." Camila said, looking to Luz who was already eagerly nodding in agreement.

Vee looked at her with disbelief, then slowly turned to Luz, who just grinned at her as if silently saying "See? I told you so!"

The poor little Basilisk burst into tears and threw herself into Camila's arms. The woman made comforting sounds as she held Vee, who cried her little heart out. After going through so much torment in her short, 14 years of life, Vee had finally found herself a home and people who loved her; not because she was pretending to be someone else, but because they cared about the real her.

Luz joined the hug too, snuggling Vee between her and her Mami and whispering in her ear; "You have a home here now. Looking forward to getting to know you better, Little Sis!"

Vee's only answer was to transform back into her true Basilisk form and wrap her tail around Luz, since her arms were preoccupied by hugging Camila. The others all looked on with smiles, glad to see that the little family had solved at least one of their problems, though they all noticed the difference in Vee's form, especially her wings. Rasiel's eyes widened briefly in recognition.

When the hug finally came to an end, Camila was briefly surprised to see Vee's wings and new colouration, but her first reaction was to cast a spell to banish Vee's tears and pour her another cup of tea. "Here Cariño, drink this. You could use some hydration after all that crying."

"Thank you, Mama. I mean-" Vee began, before Camila gently interrupted her.

"It's fine, Cariño. If you want to call me Mama or anything like it, then go right ahead."

Vee beamed, even as a light blush covered her cheeks. It was quite strange to see a Basilisk blush, but it was also very cute, especially since the shape of her mouth was akin to a puppy's, making Camila, Luz, Amity, and Willow all coo happily.

After giving Vee a moment to fully compose herself and drink her tea, Camila asked; "Mija, Cariño; what exactly happened when you two left? I'm fairly certain Vee didn't have wings when I saw her last."

Luz looked to Vee, who nodded to her silent question. "It's a bit of a story," Luz began, "but here goes!"

Luz then told them everything that had happened at the abandoned house, largely brushing over the details of their personal conversation. When it came to the part where Luz gave Vee magic, both Eda and Camila were impressed.

"Ha! You've barely had that power a week and you're already using it smartly! Way to avoid getting drained again, Kiddo!" Eda grinned.

"Yes, well done Mija! That was very kind of you, and very helpful! You really have become a wonderful angel." Camila complemented, making Luz beam with pride.

"So Camila's first two blessings made Vee's scales and hair change colour a little, and Luz's blessing changed her even more? Do you know what happened, Rasiel?" Gus asked.

Rasiel nodded with a smile; "I do indeed. Basilisks are a species that are prone to spontaneous evolution via metamorphosis. Since they consume magic, they can gradually evolve based on the magic they eat; that's why there are so many sub-species of Basilisks. Basilisk eats a lot of magic from a Cockatrice? They can become a Petrifying Basilisk. Eat a lot of magic from varied, but potent sources? They can become a Greater Basilisk. The same things can happen when a Basilisk mates with another species; Basilisks are all genderless and can reproduce with any magical species, including each other. As I mentioned earlier, Vee's original sub-species; the Golden-Eyed Basilisks, were originally born from a certain breed of Amphibious Basilisks mating with Witches. That's why Vee's eyes and ears were a lot different from the Greater Basilisk."

Everyone looked intrigued, especially Vee who knew little of her species due to her upbringing; "So what species am I now? I ate a lot of angelic magic, so am I some kind of Angel Basilisk?" she asked.

"Not quite. Your sub-species is very rare but it did exist back in my time; you are a Quetzalcoatl Basilisk." Rasiel explained.

"Gesundheit." King said, making the Ancient Angel glare at him, then reach up and flick his forehead.

Eda, smirking at her pouting son, asked; "Aren't Quetzalcoatls a breed of dragon?"

"Yes, they're considered Grand Dragons, one grade beneath the Supreme Dragons. Though Quetzalcoatl Basilisks are just called that because their golden scales and feathered wings resemble Quetzalcoatl hatchlings." Rasiel said.

Camila hummed; "We have Quetzalcoatls in the Divine Realm. Crest Diligence raises them as a security measure. They're like the angelic equivalent of Human Fighter Jets."

Willow and Amity looked to Gus, who mouthed; "Think super fast airships that shoot explosions."

"Huh… so I look a little like a Baby Quetzalcoatl?" Vee asked, looking at her golden scales.

"You do, actually." Camila smiled, "It's very cute. The adults get rainbow scales, but I don't think you will."

"She won't." Rasiel confirmed; "Like I said, you look like a Quetzalcoatl, but that doesn't make you one. Instead, you'll have angelic traits."

Vee's eyes widened, while Luz and her Mami exchanged amazed looks; "What kind of angelic traits? Besides the wings of course." Luz asked.

"Well those wings are pretty much it, but they're multi-faceted. For one, you'll be able to fly once they get a little stronger. They're still new, so it'll take time." he replied.

"Wonderful! I missed being able to teach Luz how to fly, but now I'll be able to teach you, Vee!" Camila grinned. Vee grinned right back, already imagining what it would be like to soar freely through the skies.

"Secondly, those wings function like angel wings, in that they'll naturally accrue magic. You won't need to feed on magic any more, though from what I remember, the process is a bit slower and less satisfying than feeding." Rasiel continued.

Vee shrugged; "I never enjoyed feeding, so I'm okay with that. Besides, I've got a taste for human food after camp!"

"Just wait until Mami cooks for you then, you'll have a hard time going back to camp food after that!" Luz grinned, getting a playful ruffle of her hair from her Mami.

Rasiel smiled, glad to see his little saviour cheerful again. His final bit of information was sure to further improve her mood; "Lastly, a Quetzalcoatl Basilisk has limited spell-casting abilities. You won't be able to cast a lot of the more complex forms of angelic or demonic magic, but simple spells should be possible for you now."

Vee gasped; "I can cast spells!?"

"To a degree. I never met a Quetzalcoatl Basilisk personally, at least not that I can remember, so I only have second hand accounts. Those accounts show that Quetzalcoatl Basilisks can cast basic elemental manipulation spells, and if those elements are mixed properly, they can cast some simple spells of other types. It's difficult though, and you'll be limited, but it is possible." Rasiel finished.

"That's another thing I can teach you!" Camila said excitedly. It bothered her a little that she hadn't been able to teach Luz how to fly or cast magic due to the circumstances, but at least she'd be able to do those things for Vee!

"I can help too! Mom taught me a lot about the elements! If King's okay with it, we could even teach you Glyph Magic too!" Luz added eagerly.

Vee nodded, intrigued by the idea; "Thanks, Luz. But you've done enough to help me for the moment; now it's your turn." she said, using her tail to lift Luz into the air, then slid into her vacated spot before dropping Luz down next to her Mami; "It's you and Mama who need to talk now!"

Luz gulped; "R-Right… I guess we do have some stuff we need to talk about, right Mami?"

Camila nodded, then took Luz's hand; "We do. I want to hear your feelings, Luz. I want to know what you want for yourself and your own life."

"Even if its something you won't like?" Luz asked fearfully.

"Even then. This is your life, Mija; I want what's best for you, and that means trying to make sure you're happy too. Talk to me, even if you're afraid of hurting my feelings. I promise I won't get mad." Camila swore.

Luz thought about it for a moment; Vee had told her to be honest with her feelings, and now her Mami was doing the same. She was also surrounded by friends and family who would support her… she could do this!

"Okay." Luz said, before biting the bullet; "I want to stay in the Demon Realm, in the new life I've made for myself there. I've never fit in here in the Human Realm, and the only important thing to me here is you, and I guess Vee now too. You always made me feel loved, but you can't always be around, and a part of me always felt like I wasn't good enough. But in the Demon Realm, I have friends, and I can help people. I grew as an angel and did a lot of good things! I fit in there! And I know dropping out of my school here would be bad, but I'm going to Hexside instead, and I'm actually doing pretty good! And with Eda's portal, I'm never more than ten minutes away from here! So I want to stay… ideally, with you coming too."

Camila instinctively pulled a face, so Luz quickly added; "I understand that you don't want to; it would be totally unfair of me to expect you to give up your life here just for my sake, plus we've got Vee to consider too. She wouldn't be safe in the Demon Realm with Belos still at large… But even with all that… I want to stay there."

A hint of desperation entered Luz's voice with those last few words, and Camila closed her eyes and let herself truly think about what Luz was asking. With all that in mind, she began her reply by showing Luz her diary.

"Eda had me read this, so I know about everything you experienced in the Demon Realm now. I have to be honest and tell you that my first instinct is to say no; to forbid you from going back there. You've been in such terrible danger there, especially with Belos and his Coven after you. You've been hurt so terribly…" Camila gently traced a finger over her daughter's scarred eyebrow, "… and I know for a fact you are going to keep fighting that tyrant, and be in even more danger."

Luz's heart dropped as she waited for the inevitable, soul-crushing reveal that she'd never be allowed to go back to the place she considered home.

"But…" Camila continued, "… even with the danger, you love that place. You've thrived there; you really have matured into a fine young Arch-Angel with wonderful friends, and a lovely girlfriend." Amity blushed while Willow and Gus puffed their chests out proudly. "You've even got a family there; Eda has become a mother to you, and while that was painful to think about at first, I'm beginning to understand. She isn't meant to replace me, just as Vee isn't meant to replace you. I won't stand in the way of you and your bonds."