Between Worlds (The Owl House AU)

It was another boring afternoon at the Owl House. Luz was in the living room, lounging on the couch with King resting on her stomach, reading a brochure titled Hexside Facts and Trivia.

"King, listen to this!" she said excitedly.

"Hey, less reading, more scratching," King grumbled, annoyed at the interruption.

"Sorry! But now that I'll be a student at Hexside, I want to learn all about it. I've got a new crush, and her name is education." Luz beamed as she pushed the brochure into King's face, which he promptly took a bite out of.

"Can you stop gushing about school?" Finn groaned from across the room. "I come here to avoid all the mundane parts of magic… and life."

Suddenly, the front door burst open.

"Hey, freeloaders! Guess what today is?" Eda declared with a wide grin.

Luz guessed first. "Is it your birthday?"

King chimed in second. "Is it my birthday?"

"It's my birthday!" Hooty exclaimed from the wall.

Finn yawned. "Is it finally the day you renounce your evil wild witch ways and live a life of honesty and integrity?"

A beat of silence passed before Finn, Eda, and King erupted into hysterical laughter.

"Alright, enough guessing! You're all wrong—it's Human Treasure Day!" Eda pulled out a briefcase and tossed it onto the floor. It unfolded into a portal to the human realm. Owlbert flew through, dragging a large bag behind him. The bag burst open, spilling out a heap of random junk.

Eda dove onto the pile with glee. "Ah, fresh garbage!"

King rushed over. "Ooo, gimme, gimme, gimme!" He rummaged through the trash and emerged holding a stuffed teddy bear. "Yes! Another worthy addition to my Army of Terror." He pulled the teddy bear's drawstring.

"I love cuddles and kisses!" the bear chirped.

"Truly terrifying," King declared.

Finn rolled his eyes. "So the one who's supposed to teach Luz and me magic is hugging garbage. Remind me why I come here again?"

"For the amazing journey through the mysterious world of magic," Eda replied, holding up a wire hanger like it was a trophy. "And if that means digging through the occasional trash pile, so be it." She grinned. "Look at this! I've never seen such an extravagant earring!"

Luz, absorbed in her brochure, didn't look up. "You can have my trash. Whoa, did you know Hexside was built on the bones of its rival school? One it literally conquered?" She held up a picture of a younger Principal Bump standing triumphantly on a pile of enemy students, holding a Hexside flag while others cheered around him.

Eda waved it off, still admiring herself in a hand mirror with her new "earring." "Yeah, yeah, I know all about it. I went there. It was the most harrowing period of my life."

"I wouldn't get too excited, Luz," Finn said, digging through the pile. "Hexside's history is full of boring stuff, probably made up to make it look better than Glandus or those rich snobs at St. Epiderm." He pulled out two pairs of brass knuckles. "Ooo, I like these." Slipping them on, he started shadowboxing. "Okay, I'm starting to see the value in trash picking."

Luz was too lost in her fantasies to respond. "Can you imagine it? Me in the halls of Hexside, studying with Finn, Willow, Gus… and maybe even Amity."

Her eyes widened in realization. "Amity! Oh, cramity! We're supposed to meet so I can get my Azura book back!" She bolted off the couch and sprinted out the door but stopped to turn back. "Love you guys!"

"And I love you, Lu—" Hooty started, but the door slammed shut before he could finish.

Eda shrugged. "Eh, who needs her?"

King popped up from the trash with a pair of boxers on his head. "Yeah, this bear could be our new Luz!" He pulled the drawstring again.

"Being around you is unbearable," the teddy bear chirped.

King flung it away. "YOU'RE unbearable!"

Finn groaned. "Okay, it's official. I'd rather risk associating with Amity than watch King lose an argument with a stuffed animal." He started gathering his new treasures but paused. "Oh, right—Eda, did that info broker come through yet?"

"Yep." Eda tossed Finn an unmarked folder. "You'll want to check out where that thing ended up." She grinned mischievously.

Finn opened the folder and skimmed its contents. "Alright. Now I just have to find it."

As he closed the file, a wave of cackling echoed in his ears, drowning everything out.

A hand touched his shoulder. "Hey, kid, weren't you going with Luz?"

"Uh, right… yeah." Finn snapped out of it, quickly grabbing his things and running out the door. "Hey! Wait up!"

=======

Finn and Luz were running toward the Day Market, passing a sign pointing in its direction.

"Amity… gotta find the—oh! There she is!" Luz exclaimed, spotting Amity standing beside a stand selling cursed paintings. She sprinted toward her. "Hey, Amity! Luz is finally here!"

"Oh joy. Any day with Amity just screams happy," Finn muttered sarcastically. He forced the widest, fakest smile he could manage before letting it drop back into a frown.

As Luz approached, she was suddenly intercepted by Ed and Em.

"Hey, Luz!" they chimed in unison, startling her and causing her to stumble backward.

The twins giggled at her misfortune until Amity walked over to scold them. "Edric, Emira, stop bothering her." She extended a hand to help Luz up. "Sorry, Luz. They insisted on coming for some reason." Amity's eyes then narrowed as she spotted Finn standing behind Luz. "What are you doing here?" she asked, her tone sharp.

Finn rolled his eyes. "Oh, you know, just shopping for some random junk." He picked up a mirror from a nearby table and held it up to her. "Like this picture of you. It's terrible—doesn't even capture your massive ego."

Ed and Em snickered.

"Good one, sunshine," Emira teased. "We're here because we wuv our baby sister." She wrapped Amity in a tight hug, squishing her face and petting her hair.

Amity shoved her away. "They've been extra nice to make up for the library incident."

"And we still apologize every day," Ed added, grinning.

Finn gave them a skeptical look. "You two apologized? For something you did?" He mockingly checked his pulse. "Still alive. Huh."

Ignoring them, Amity pulled the Azura book out of her bag and handed it to Luz. "Here's your book."

Luz accepted it eagerly. "Sooo, what'd you think?"

"It was… fine," Amity replied, turning away to hide the faint blush on her cheeks.

Finn smirked. "I know that look, Princess. Who's the lucky fictional character?"

Before Amity could respond, Luz opened the book and found a drawing tucked between the pages. "So fine you drew yourself with Malingale the Mysterious Soothsayer?" she teased, holding up the illustration of Amity in a flowing dress, embracing a long-haired figure with a speech bubble that read, This Love is Forbidden!!

Amity blushed furiously and cast a spell to disintegrate the drawing, only for Finn to counterspell and restore it. He snatched it from Luz.

"Well, well, well. Looks like Princess Amity has a thing for the dark and mysterious type," Finn taunted.

"Come on, Finn, be nice," Luz said, trying to smooth things over. "Everyone has their own way of expressing themselves."

Finn grumbled under his breath.

"This is great!" Luz continued. "Maybe all three of us can start an Azura club at Hexside when we're classmates!"

Amity blinked in confusion. "When we're what?"

Finn raised an eyebrow. "We're starting a what now?"

"Surprise! I'm enrolling in Hexside!" Luz declared, pulling out her brochure and winking at Amity.

Amity hesitated. "Oh… uh, sorry, but to be in my class, you'll need to pass a placement exam and prove you can master two spells." She flipped to the brochure's "Advanced Requirements" section, which listed 2 Spell Minimum and Basic Runes. "You know your light spell, but… do you know anything else?"

"Placement exam? Spells?!" Luz's eyes widened in panic.

Finn smirked as he remembered something. "Oh yeah, that's right. I had to take one when I enrolled. Nearly burned down the auditorium that day."

"Quit giving her a hard time, Mittens," Emira interjected.

"Yeah, of course, she knows two spells. Right, Luz?" Ed added, giving her an encouraging smile.

Finn snorted, barely containing his laughter. "Oh yeah… she definitely knows about two spells."

"Fwah, yeah! Of course, I know two spells!" Luz chuckled nervously.

"Because if you don't…" Amity flipped to another part of the brochure, pointing to the "Baby Class" section, "…they'll put you in this class."

Ed perked up. "Ooo! Brain idea!"

"Why don't we all train together?" Em suggested. "We can show off what we know to you and sunshine."

"What do you say, Luz? Sunshine?" Ed asked with a grin.

Finn shook his head. "I already know more than the three of you combined. I'm good."

Luz, however, stammered, "Ah, actually, I have other training plans… in a very faraway place… that I need to go to… right now! Bye!" She darted off in a panic, leaving Finn behind.

Finn sighed and turned to face Amity and the twins. "As always, it's been… I guess… nice talking to all three of you." He started to walk away, then stopped and looked over his shoulder at Amity. "Oh, and it was especially nice talking to you, Mrs. Malingale the Mysterious Soothsayer."

Amity's face turned bright red, a mix of embarrassment and anger, as Ed and Em doubled over in laughter.

=======

Eda was humming to herself as she prepared lunch in the Owl House kitchen, using one of her detached hands to hold up a cookbook. "Wow, a surprisingly peaceful domestic moment. When will it be ruined?"

Right on cue, the front door slammed open.

"EDAAAAA!" Luz screamed in panic.

"LUUUUNNNCCCHHH!" Finn hollered.

"There it is," Eda muttered, her peaceful moment shattered.

Luz burst into the kitchen, flailing her arms and spinning in circles for no apparent reason. "Eda, Eda!" She tripped over her own feet and tumbled to the floor. "You have to teach me a new spell, right now!"

Finn followed, peering hungrily at the pot of boiling water. "And can I have some of whatever you're cooking? I missed lunch because Luz ran off after telling an obvious lie."

Eda didn't even glance at them. "Sorry to both of you, but these vegetables won't cook themselves. Yet." She poured a flash of green liquid over the ingredients, which promptly sprouted arms and legs and began waving.

"All right, everybody in the pot," she commanded.

The ingredients screamed and bolted off the table.

"Why do I always think that's going to work?"

Slipping on his brass knuckles, Finn chased after the runaway ingredients. "Get back here and become lunch for me!"

Meanwhile, Luz popped up beside Eda. "But I need to know two spells to get into decent classes at Hexside! I can make light glyphs." She activated one, summoning a glowing ball of light that momentarily blinded Eda. "But that's the only spell I know!" she groaned, sliding dramatically to the floor.

Eda glanced down at Luz, now sprawled facedown on the ground. "And whose fault is that?"

Luz raised a finger, still face down. "Yours!"

"Ha! Yup, got me there."

Luz pulled herself up. "Just teach me a spell! Any spell!" She leaned in with a serious expression. "It can even be the darkest, most evil spell you know."

"Evil? I've got an idea," Eda said with a sly grin. "Why don't you ask Finn to teach you one of his glyphs? Between the two of you, that's three spells altogether. Problem solved."

"I already tried that! Finn said his glyphs draw on the power of the Lich! That's obviously not an option!"

"Well," Eda replied, tossing the cookbook into the boiling pot, "I've been researching wild magic, but I'm much too busy right now."

"Come on, Eda! You're the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles. How would it look if your apprentice got thrown into the baby class?"

"Hmm, weaponizing my pride. Well played." Eda smirked, impressed by Luz's tactics. "In that case, this calls for magic boot camp."

Finn returned triumphantly, holding the battered remains of the runaway vegetables. "After a harrowing battle, I have returned victorious!" Noticing their stares, he added, "What? Did I miss something?"

King wandered into the kitchen, carrying his new teddy bear. "Did someone say boot camp?"

"Boot camp?" Finn echoed, raising an eyebrow.

"I'll run it! We'll rise at dawn! You'll carry me on your back while I yell hateful things about your performance!"

Eda dismissed him immediately. "Nope. Luz needs to focus, and I can't have her getting distracted when you do something adorable."

"I am NOT adorable!" King stamped his foot angrily.

Luz cooed. "Aww, he stamped his little foot!"

Even Finn couldn't help but smirk. "You want a treat, little guy?" He offered a freshly mashed apple from his earlier chase.

King squeaked in frustration and stormed out the back door.

Eda clapped her hands together. "Now, back to business. We've got to go somewhere special where you can learn real magic." She tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"Yes!" Luz cheered, vibrating with excitement.

"A place where magical energy just floooowwwws."

Finn narrowed his eyes. "I don't like where this is going."

"YES!" Luz climbed onto the table, fists clenched in determination.

Eda grinned mischievously at Finn. "A place like The Knee!"

Finn groaned. "I knew I wouldn't like this."

=======

At the top of the Knee, Luz screamed in exhilaration, her voice echoing across the ancient landscape. "YEEESSS!"

Eda led Luz and Finn up the snowy trail. "The earliest witches came to the Knee to develop their magic, drawn to its natural power."

Luz walked alongside Eda, her eyes wide with wonder. "It's beautiful." She gazed at the ancient witch ruins blanketed in snow, awe written all over her face.

Finn, however, scanned the surroundings with a focused expression, his mind elsewhere. It has to be here somewhere, he thought.

"Of course, it's not without its dangers," Eda added casually.

Their attention was drawn to a hulking creature covered in white fur. The eyeless beast's purple claws gleamed as it gnawed on a log with razor-sharp teeth.

"Wha—!" Luz shouted, startled.

"The Slitherbeast," Eda said nonchalantly. "Don't mess with him, and he won't mess with you."

Luz stuck her tongue out at the creature in defiance, only for it to snap the log in half with a deafening crunch.

"Wha—!" she screamed again, bolting for safety.

Finn called after her. "In the future, maybe don't antagonize something that can eat you whole!"

Eda found a suitable clearing and motioned for the group to stop. "This is where we'll set up shop."

Luz twirled in circles, her excitement reignited. "I'll definitely learn my second spell here! Gorgeous views, magic in the air, and best of all—we're completely alone." She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, basking in the silence.

Suddenly, a purple glow surrounded her. Eda tackled Luz to the ground. "Watch out!"

A purple fireball whooshed over their heads, sizzling as it disappeared into the snow.

"Enemy attack!" Finn yelled, instantly assuming a fighting stance alongside Eda. Luz gasped as she recognized the source of the fireball.

"Sorry, whoever's over there!" called Amity, flanked by Edric and Emira.

Luz crouched down and pulled her hat over her face. "Forget teaching me a spell—just make me disappear."

"Well, okay," Eda said, scratching her chin. "But I've only got a 60/40 success rate on bringing you back. Oh, you meant—" She gestured toward Amity. "Never mind."

Finn stomped toward the trio, his fists clenched in anger. "What the heck was that, Blight? If you want a fight, you've got one!" He pounded his fists together, sending a small shockwave through the snow.

Amity froze, startled by his display of power. Edric quickly stepped in. "Hey, easy there, Sunshine. Mittens didn't mean it. Honest!"

Emira added, "Yeah, she was just practicing with her training wand, and you just happened to be in the way."

Luz ran up to defuse the tension. "Finn! Stop it! They didn't mean any harm—they said so themselves."

Finn shot her a glare but took a deep breath to calm himself. "Fine." He turned to Amity. "Just stay out of my way today. I'm on a mission, and the last thing I need is distractions." He stormed off, frustration evident on his face.

With the tension diffused, Luz greeted Amity and the twins cheerfully. "Hey, guys!"

"Who are they?" Eda asked, raising an eyebrow.

Luz pulled Eda aside and whispered, "Be cool! If they find out I haven't mastered two spells, they'll think I belong in the baby class."

"What's that about the baby class?" Amity overheard, walking over.

Eda, quick on her feet, replied smoothly, "Only that it's for babies, and Luz here clearly isn't a baby." She patted Luz's head, much to Luz's annoyance, before whistling and walking away. "Nailed it."

Luz awkwardly tried to recover. "Amity! What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to train," Amity said, crossing her arms. "I'm trying to beat Ed and Em's high score on the placement exam."

Emira popped out from behind Amity. "Ah, Mittens, that's impossible."

Edric followed suit. "She still needs a training wand to learn new spells. So, what are you working on? Something powerful?"

Luz scrambled for an answer. "Oh, uh, yeah! Super powerful spells. Eda's been an amazing teacher. And Finn helps too, but right now, he's being all mysterious."

"Luz!" Eda called out, lugging a basket full of snowballs. "I shall now teach you how to identify different types of snow!" She held up a snowball dramatically. "By taste!"

Before Luz could react, Eda shoved the snowball toward her face. "Go on, eat the snow!"

=======

Finn observed Eda's odd snow-eating lesson. "Well, at least they'll be distracted long enough for me to get what I came here for." He pulled a file from his jacket, scanning every detail once more. "According to this, a strange creature should be wearing it at all times. Luckily, thanks to that thing's influence, it should be isolated."

Finn began his trek across the snowy terrain, searching for any sign of his target's whereabouts. Until he saw something strange. "What the…?" Not far from the ruins, he spotted a solid block of ice. Normally, that wouldn't be unusual here, but what set this particular block apart was the fact that it encased a Slitherbeast. Finn placed a hand on the ice. "I'm getting closer." From the tracks nearby, he deduced where the Slitherbeast had been fleeing from and headed in that direction.

As Finn continued to trudge through the snow, his mind wandered back to the day he first encountered the crown.

+++++++

It had been a few months since Finn started living on the Boiling Isles. In that time, he settled into his new identity as Raine Whispers' son. He made two new friends and, unfortunately, a few enemies—particularly a certain red-haired triclops. Despite that, Finn was happy, always smiling, singing, and occasionally getting into trouble.

One day, he and his best friends, Amity and Willow, were walking through the Day Market, browsing the booths and stands.

"So, are you guys looking for anything in particular, or are we just randomly walking around for fun?" Finn asked, walking backward with his hands behind his head as he looked at Amity and Willow.

"I actually want to see if there are any new volumes of a book series I just discovered," Amity said excitedly.

"As for me, I'm going to buy a new type of potion that makes plants glow in the dark," Willow added.

As they passed a stand selling hats, a voice suddenly echoed in Finn's head.

"The crown."

"Huh?" Finn stopped abruptly.

"What is it, Finn?" Amity asked, tilting her head.

"Yeah, did you see something?" Willow added, concerned.

"No… didn't you hear that?" Finn glanced around, trying to locate the source of the voice.

"Hear what?" Amity and Willow exchanged confused looks and scanned the area as well.

The voice spoke again: "Put the crown on, boy."

"There it is again." Finn looked around frantically until his eyes landed on a golden crown encrusted with three red jewels. Its luster captivated him. Slowly, he walked toward it.

"Finn?" Amity called as he walked past her.

"Hey, are you okay?" Willow asked, worry in her voice.

Standing in front of the crown, Finn reached out with both hands and gently picked it up. He lowered it onto his head, and everything went dark.

Suddenly, he was inside a maze of golden walls, their surfaces carved with intricate lines and circles. Ivy crawled across the gleaming walls.

"Where am I?" Finn muttered, wandering through the maze. The rhythmic sound of drums caught his attention. Following the noise, he discovered a large green lizard playing drums.

The lizard spotted him and stopped drumming. "Oh, hey there! I guess you're the newest member."

"Who—or what—are you?" Finn asked, his confusion growing.

"I'm a Gunter."

"Gunter? You know what? I don't have time for this. Do you know where I am or how to get out of here?"

"No, sorry, I don't," the lizard replied. "But you could ask that other new guy behind you."

Before Finn could turn around, a giant skeletal hand grabbed him from behind.

"WHOA, WHAT!" Finn struggled to break free, but the hand's grip was unrelenting. "Hey! Let me go, man!"

The hand gripped tighter. "You are my vessel, child. I refuse to have my property stolen from me!"

Black smoke engulfed the maze, shrouding everything in darkness.

When Finn opened his eyes, he was back at the Day Market. But something was wrong. The entire marketplace was covered in ice and snow, and everyone else was gone.

Above him, a portal opened, pulling the crown away to an unknown location. Breathing heavily, Finn stumbled as he called out, "Amity! Willow! Where are you?"

Hearing a noise, he followed it to find Amity and Willow huddled together, shivering in the cold. Relief washed over him. "There you two are! Come on, let's get—"

As Finn reached out to help them, Amity screamed, "Stay away!"

"Please, just stay away from us!" Willow cried, tears streaming down her face.

Finn froze, backing away as pain and sadness crossed his face. What had he done to make them so scared of him?

+++++++

As Finn was recalling that terrible day, he was pulled out of his thoughts by Luz's voice.

"All right, Luz, look—look with everything you've got," she said, staring intensely at the entirety of the Titan. "Focus."

Then, to Finn's surprise, Luz began making her hands talk to her.

"Focus? On what? On how you'll be stuck in the baby class?" her right hand said in a mocking tone.

"No, don't think like that," Luz replied as if her hands were another person.

Her left hand chimed in next. "Face it, you won't get a second spell following Eda's lessons."

Luz clapped her hands together. "Silence, hands."

Finn, raising an eyebrow, finally interrupted. "Is this a bad time? Because I can leave the three of you to finish… whatever this is."

Luz's face turned red with embarrassment. "Uh, I, uh…" Before she could explain, a sudden explosion interrupted them.

Amity stood nearby, her wand and spellbook in hand, beside a smoking, broken pillar. "Amity, dinner's ready!" Emira called from afar.

"I caught a bat!" Edric bragged, holding it up triumphantly.

"Edric, don't eat that," Amity scolded as she packed away her training wand and spellbook in her tent.

Luz suddenly had an epiphany. "If I want to be in the same class as Amity, I'm going to need to learn magic like Amity."

Her left hand chimed in again. "Great work, Luz!"

"I don't need your validation," she muttered, shushing her hand.

Finn smirked. "Robbing Amity for petty reasons? All right, I'm in. This will be a nice distraction." He never passed up an opportunity to mess with Amity.

Meanwhile, Emira demanded, "Ed, give me the bat."

"No way! If we're not going to eat it, I want to keep it as a pet!" Edric shouted, running away.

"Get back here before that thing bites you!" Emira yelled, chasing after Edric with Amity in tow. Their entire camp was left unguarded.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but thank Titan for Ed's love of animals," Finn remarked, taking up the role of lookout as Luz snuck into Amity's tent and stole the wand and book.

"All right, let's get out of here before they catch us," Finn said, leading Luz to a secluded area where she could train safely.

Opening the book, Luz noticed a self-portrait drawn by Amity. It showed her with one leg up, pointing a finger toward the sky with the caption, "Magic Star Beam!!" Her initials, "AB," were drawn above a pentagram with a warning in parentheses: "DO NOT STEAL!!"

"Huh, her cross-hatching has improved," Luz said, impressed.

Finn plucked the drawing from the book. "Ugh, I hate to say it, but she really is improving as an artist."

Luz flipped to the bookmarked page, which detailed a fireball spell. "Oh man, oh man," she whispered excitedly. Standing up, she twirled the wand in a circle, lighting its tip on fire. "Yes!" She launched the spell into the air, where it exploded into a shower of sparks.

"I did magic! I did magic!" Luz cheered, jumping for joy. "Without drawing anything! This thing is the coolest!"

Finn smiled, happy for Luz. But the moment was short-lived.

"Hold it right there," a familiar voice commanded. Both Finn and Luz turned to see Eda, her face stern. "What are you doing with that?" She pointed at the wand.

Before Eda could continue, Finn tried to interject. "Now, Eda, before you two get into it, why don't we just—"

"I'm doing magic!" Luz interrupted, frustration clear in her voice. "What would you have me do? Eat more snow? Lick a rock!?"

Eda glared. "Okay, so maybe my methods are unique, but so is your magic! Connecting to the island can help you. That wand can't."

"Luz, Eda, let's just calm down before anyone says or does something we'll regret," Finn tried again to mediate.

But Luz ignored him, blinded by her anger. "Well, it's already helped me. Just watch what I can do!"

She cast another fireball spell, not realizing the wand's charge was almost depleted. The fireball grew too powerful to control, launching into the distance where it exploded.

A monstrous roar echoed back.

From the smoke emerged a Slitherbeast—larger than the one they'd seen earlier. Its blue icicle-like teeth gleamed, and a golden crown encrusted with three red jewels tangled in its fur was barely visible near a patch of burnt hair.

Finn's eyes widened as he saw the crown. Then they narrowed. "Found it," he muttered.

The Slitherbeast roared furiously.

"You've angered the Slitherbeast," Eda said in shock.

"Will it accept a heartfelt apology?" Luz asked weakly.

The beast noticed the wand in Luz's hand and charged.

Luz screamed, but Finn dashed forward, tackling the beast to the ground. "All right, beastie, just hand over the metal hat, and nobody gets hurt!"

The Slitherbeast clawed at him, forcing him to dodge. It then grabbed Eda, using her as a hostage.

"Eda!" Luz cried.

Amity, Edric, and Emira rushed onto the scene. "What did we miss!?" Edric asked.

"Oh, nothing. Just your standard Slitherbeast attack," Finn quipped.

"What are you doing with my wand!?" Amity demanded, snatching it and her book back from Luz.

"Mittens, we've got bigger problems," Emira said, gesturing to the Slitherbeast.

The twins cast spells, binding the beast's arms with ropes of light. "You got it! Now finish it off!" Eda shouted.

But when Amity tried to cast a spell, the wand fizzled out. "Did you use this all up!?" she glared at Luz.

"I-I didn't know," Luz stammered.

As they argued, the Slitherbeast broke free, scooping Eda, Edric, and Emira into its grasp before fleeing.

"What do we do!?" Luz asked in panic.

"I'm going after them. Both of you stay here," Amity commanded.

Finn refused. "That thing has something that belongs to me."

"And because of both of you, it has my siblings! Stay put!" Amity snapped, attempting to trap them in a cage of light.

Finn dodged and grabbed her by the collar. "I should cave in your skull for that, Blight." Seeing her fear, he relented but still knocked her out by shocking her with the cage's energy.

Laying her down gently, he turned to Luz. "You stay here and watch her while I save everyone. Again."

"Finn, wait! Don't go alone!" Luz called, but the cage shocked her as she reached out, leaving her helpless to stop him.

=======

Finn tracked the Slitherbeast to its home, a vast ice cave. He crouched behind some rocks, carefully keeping his distance to avoid detection. From his hiding spot, he observed the Slitherbeast encase Eda, Ed, and Emira in ice from the waist down. With its prey immobilized, the beast retreated deeper into the cave.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine," Emira reassured, trying to keep everyone calm.

Edric's eyes darted to a pile of skeletons in the corner. "Nope. We're going to die."

"You will—but not today, Blight," Finn muttered under his breath.

Eda's voice rang out sharply. "Kid, get out of here! I'll just sneak away while the thing starts eating the twins."

This caused both Edric and Emira to gasp in terror.

"Wait, what?!" Emira blurted out.

"Just let me get you out of here before—" Finn started, but a deafening roar from the Slitherbeast interrupted him. He turned toward the sound, squaring his shoulders. Cracking his neck and exhaling slowly, he muttered, "Okay, round two."

The Slitherbeast charged first, its massive form shaking the icy ground. Finn rushed forward to meet it head-on, sliding at the last moment to slip between its legs. Grabbing one of the beast's legs mid-slide, he yanked hard, causing it to trip and slam face-first into the frozen floor.

Without missing a beat, Finn continued his assault. Sprinting ahead, he opened a portal mid-stride and dove through it, reappearing directly above the Slitherbeast. Using the momentum, he slammed both fists down onto the creature's head with all his strength. The beast collapsed in a daze.

Believing the fight was over, Finn untangled the crown from its matted fur.

The sinister voice of the Lich echoed in his mind. "Good. Now look within the center jewel and receive the power of corruption."

Finn hesitated before peering into the jewel. Within it, he saw the third Lich glyph: an inverted triangle with three circles along each side, and a diamond etched at its center.

"Alright," Finn muttered, "I've got the new glyph. Now return all my powers already!" After weeks of being limited to only two spells, he was eager to regain his full strength.

"Very well," the Lich replied. "But first, absorb the magic within the crown. It will aid you in the coming days."

"And how am I supposed to do that?" Finn asked, turning the crown over in his hands. "Eat it?"

"In a way, yes. Drain its magic as you would drain the life force of an enemy."

"Fine," Finn said reluctantly. He opened his mouth, exhaling a plume of black smoke that enveloped the crown. As the smoke swirled around it, the jewels began to dull, their luster fading until the crown withered into dust.

A sudden icy chill enveloped Finn, and his eyes glowed a pale blue. Exhaling again, he released a vapor of frigid white air. While he acclimated to his newfound powers, the Slitherbeast—having regained consciousness—delivered a punishing blow, sending Finn flying into the icy wall of the cave.

Groaning, Finn stumbled to his feet, shaking off the disorientation. His eyes darted toward Eda and the twins, still trapped. Summoning a portal with a swift gesture, he yelled, "Eda, stay outside the cave, and no matter what you hear, don't come back in!"

With that, he hurled a fireball at the ice, melting it and freeing them from their frozen restraints.

=======

Eda and the twins waited outside the cave, listening to the sounds of breaking rocks and explosions.

"Eda!" they heard Luz's familiar voice call out. "Don't worry, Amity and I are going to… save… you?" Luz trailed off, puzzled to see Eda and the twins safe and sound.

"Edric, Emira, thank the Titan you're both okay!" Amity exclaimed, running up to hug her siblings.

They smiled at her, and Edric patted her head. "Hey, Mittens, it's alright now. Everything's fine."

"Yeah, Sunshine here came to our rescue," Emira added with a smirk.

Luz's expression shifted as she realized something. "Wait, where's Finn?"

Before anyone could answer, the cave collapsed in on itself. "FINN!" Luz shouted, her face filled with horror.

"What is it?" a voice called out behind them. Turning around, they saw Finn standing there, a little worse for wear but very much alive.

Luz ran to hug him. "Thank goodness you're safe!"

"Yeah, of course I'm safe," Finn replied before furrowing his brow. "Wait, how did you get out of the cage?"

Luz pulled back from the hug, beaming. "Oh! You won't believe this! I connected to the island and learned my second spell." She grabbed a stick, drew a glyph in the snow, and tapped it. A massive pillar of ice shot up. "Tada!"

"Congratulations, Luzy. You're officially NOT a baby anymore," Finn teased with a smirk.

Amity walked over, smiling. "Looks like we'll be in the same class now."

Luz's response was immediate: "Azura book club? AZURA BOOK CLUB!?"

Amity leaned in, whispering, "As long as it's a secret club, okay?"

Edric raised his hand. "It's not a secret."

Emira called out with a grin, "We're totally telling everyone."

Amity sighed in exasperation.

Eda sneezed loudly. "Alright, your adorable banter is literally making me sick. Let's go home already."

"Seconded!" Finn agreed, summoning a giant snowball and dropping it onto the twins' heads. "Sorry about that—new powers, you know how it is," he chuckled.

"Okay! I'm on it, teach!" Luz exclaimed as she began drawing a larger version of her glyph on the ground. She tapped it, and suddenly all three of them were launched into the air, soaring over the trees toward home.

Eda and Luz cheered the whole way.

"Woo-hoo!" Eda exclaimed.

"Yay!" Luz yelled.

"Next time, give me a warning!" Finn shouted.

Watching them disappear into the distance, Emira turned to her brother. "I think we can just go the normal way."

Edric nodded. "Agreed."

=======

As soon as they opened the door, Eda was startled by the chaotic mess in the living room. She cleared her throat to get King and Hooty's attention. "What the heck did you two get into?"

"Excuse me, we're having a moment here!" King snapped, clearly annoyed.

"You'll never understand what we've been through together. Never! Never!" Hooty wailed dramatically.

King rolled his eyes. "Ugh, moment's ruined." He turned and walked away from Hooty.

"I will be haunted by my actions forever, hoot hoot!" Hooty lamented, flailing.

Finn yawned and stretched. "Alright, you deal with… whatever this is. I'm heading home now." He paused before turning to Luz with a smile. "See you in school tomorrow, classmate." With that, he walked off into the night.

Luz began jumping up and down, giddy with excitement at Finn's words. The thought of starting a new chapter as a student at Hexside filled her with joy and anticipation for the day ahead.