Madelyn Smith was many things. A very successful lawyer, a mother, and an anime enthusiast. She could be kind, she could mean. She could be gentle, but she can also be the most violent bitch you've ever met. She could never hurt a fly or…um…you know what? Let's maybe not get into that side of her. For anyone she cared for, she'd kick Death in the balls if needed.
Trixx could respect that. Lying curled up in her probably-mother's arms, she felt safe as could be. She had been nothing but kind to the magic-born fox, so Trixx would gladly kill any who dared to harm the woman. She had seen Madelyn's wide range of emotions of joy, concern, and sadism- er, anger. Of all those emotions, there was one she hadn't seen yet, at least not until today.
Trixx didn't know what was so different about August 22nd, but it must've been bad if even Madelyn was looking sad. So after waking up and seeing Maddie's face turn from the usual morning drowsiness to sad, Trixx wondered what could possibly make a s̷͚̹̑á̴̛̱̗d̷͙̅is̴͇̲̿̇t̯͂ saint like her become so melancholy. All she knew was that apparently Camilla and Luz were going to be spending the day together, and that Flint would also be sad. Trixx had already texted Vee to see what she would be doing and if they could hang out, but apparently the basilisk was invited to join them.
'Hm. What to do. What to do…' Trixx thought.
Amity was excited. How could she not be? Today was the Bonesborough Brawl, and her dad agreed to come and cheer her on! Oh yeah, her siblings too, but he was way more important! This was going to be one of the first times she ever wanted one of her parents to be somewhere and was going to…which was really sad now that she thought about it.
Amity smacked both sides of her face and left her hands sitting there. 'No. No more thinking like that! My real family's coming to watch the brawl, I'm gonna kick everyone's asses, and then get smothered with love from my amazing boyfriend and girlfriend for winning! This is a great day!' Amity psyched herself up, a wide smile on her face.
All that was left was to go get Luz and Flint, which she was currently doing by walking through the woods to the Owl House. She didn't necessarily need to walk all the way over to tell them about it and could've just hexted them, but Sov damn it, she wanted to spend some time with them beforehand!
As the abomination witch reached the clearing the house resided in, she was greeted with the sight of Jean-Luc and Louis patrolling the area. Flint had managed to revitalize them to be extra security. Both looked over to her with a head tilt before slowly raising an arm and waving at her, though the movements were jerky. Nearby, she saw Trixx standing near Portal Door 2.0 with everyone else as Flint and Luz shared a hug. The two separated and Amity was able to hear the tail end of their conversation.
"I'll be by later. You have a good time, okay?" Flint said.
Luz nodded. "I will, just try not to get into too much trouble while I'm gone."
Eda snorted. "Kid, we all know just how unlikely that is."
Luz chuckled. "Yeah, I know, but a girl can hope," Luz said, bidding her farewell as she stepped through the portal, letting it close behind her.
Seeing her girlfriend disappear through the door was a bit of a bummer for Amity. Before she could think much about it, though, Trixx noticed her and excitedly waved.
"Ams! Hey! Hey Ams! HEY!" Trixx waved frantically, attempting to get the girl's attention. In the process, she got everyone to look in Amity's direction as the young witch approached.
Flint's melancholic expression faded as he greeted her with a smile. "Hey Sugar Queen. To what do we owe her highness' presence?" Flint asked with a dramatic bow.
Amity rolled her eyes at his antics. "I was hoping I could get you and Luz for something, but it looks like that's not happening."
Flint cringed briefly. "Yeah…Luz has something with Camilla that they do every year, and today's that day." Flint said before gesturing to Trixx. "And as you can see, we've got Trixx here."
"I wanted to hang out in the Demon Realm since Maddie is at work and Vee is busy with Cam and Luz," Trixx said before grinning, rubbing her hands together mischievously. "And I'm itching for some pranking targets."
"Well, how about watching me beat up other witches in a tournament?" Amity suggested.
Trixx held her hands together and up at her chin, thoughtfully, before pointing at her with narrowed eyes. "Interest: piqued. Give me the deets." Trixx said, now thoroughly interested in whatever Amity was going to say next.
Amity smiled as she brought out a flier for a 'BONESBOROUGH BRAWL' and showed it to them. "Today is the Bonesborough Brawl. It's a fighting competition my dad won before joining the Abomination Coven. Since I'm finally old enough to participate, I wanna win it just like he did back in the day."
Eda groaned. "Why did you have to say 'back in the day'? Now I feel old." Eda then looked to see everyone giving her a flat look. "I'm not!" Eda yelled defensively.
"Anyway, I used to love going to those. Aladork was great in duels, which might be one of the reasons Odalia wanted him, come to think of it," Eda said thoughtfully.
"So I get to watch one of my girlfriends beat the shit out of people and it doesn't even need to be Belos' goons?" Flint received a nod. "Damn, I'm gonna have to record your fights so Luz can watch them later. And mom too. And me whenever I feel like it," Flint said.
Amity smiled. "Awesome! And both dad and the twins are gonna be there to watch." Amity turned around and pointed toward the town. "Now then, to the brawl!" Amity declared.
grumble
"…after we get something to eat!" Amity quickly amended, blushing in embarrassment.
"Come on in, I can make us something real quick, and we can come up with your stage name in the process," Flint said as he quickly walked into the house with Amity on his tail…metaphorically, that is.
Eda and King watched as they disappeared.
"He's using this as a distraction from Luz's situation. Isn't he." King stated.
"Probably," Eda said before the two followed the teens into the house.
After eating, the quintet walks through the forest toward town, eventually coming upon the arena. The arena itself was an elevated circular platform with a small staircase along the side. There was a crowd forming on the outside of the arena in preparation for the fighting that would come. Among the crowd were faces familiar and not, some of the familiar ones being the Blight Twins and Alador.
"Hey Aladork. So, are you ready to watch your daughter win this whole thing?" Eda greeted.
Alador rolled his eyes at the nickname. "Her abomutation alone assures me, but I can't deny I'm looking forward to seeing how far she's come," Alador answered, smiling at his youngest.
"Yeah, Mittens is gonna wipe the floor with them," Edric remarked. "We'll be cheering you on."
Emira sighed. "It's a shame. I've got a friend competing in the Brawl as well. It'll be hard for me to choose which of you to cheer for if you face off against each other." Emira lamented.
Edric raised a brow. He smiled cheekily as he leaned into Emira's ear. "Really? Just a friend? You realize I know he was your Grom date, right?"
Emira huffed. "So what if he was? He's nice." Emira said, only to receive a stare from her brother. "…okay, I might have originally accepted because I was surprised he even asked, but I'm glad I did." Emira amended.
Amity shot her a flat look. "Wow, sis. Way to root for your sister." Amity said sarcastically.
Emira just put her in a headlock and gave her a noogie. "Oh, don't be like that. Of course I'm gonna root for you, Mittens." Emira said. She donned a look of disgust as she freed Amity from the headlock, wiping the abomi-hair goo onto Amity's face to get it off her hand. "But hey, I can root for you both as long as he puts up a good fight, which he will, just for the record." Emira clarified.
"Doesn't matter. She'll win." Flint said confidently, draping his arm around Amity in a side hug that left her blushing like a tomato, causing the other Blights to laugh.
The others stood off in the background as Flint and the Blight family talked. Eda watched the interaction as Trixx scanned the area for pranking targets, with King assisting from his perch in Eda's hair. King's gaze locked onto the sight of Warden Wrath fixing his Champion belt around his waist.
"Hey, Eda!" King whispered, getting the woman's attention as he pointed toward Wrath. "Let's mess with your ex."
Eda grunted. "Not an ex! Stop calling him that." Eda said with annoyance before smirking. "But maybe we can see if we can get any more info out of him." Eda glanced at Trixx. "Hey Trixx, I think I know the perfect target."
Trixx looked at Wrath and hummed in thought before grinning. "Alright then. Ninja vanish!" Trixx said, pulling out a paper with an invisibility glyph and taking a breath, slapping it on herself and disappearing.
King hid in Eda's hair as she walked over. "Boo!"
Wrath yelped in fear, recoiling away from Eda at the startle before recognizing the culprit. "Oh, it's you." Wrath grumbled.
King pops out of Eda's hair. "And me!"
"So, been training since my students humiliated you in battle? Hmm. Twice?" Eda taunted. Her taunts had the desired effect of getting under his skin as he moved to attack her, but she held up her hand to stop him. "All right. Chill out, button eyes. Just answer me this: Heard any good castle gossip lately? Maybe something about the Day of Unity?" Eda asked.
Wrath chuckles. "I see. So you finally need something from me, don't you, Owl Lady? But why should I help you?"
"You want the list chronologically or alphabetically?" Eda asked with a raised brow, displaying her now transformed hand in a 'Try me' pose.
"I dunno, maybe we should help her." Wrath's voice said.
Wrath hummed. "Maybe-" Wrath jolted as he realized something. "Wait a minute, I didn't think that!"
"Yes, you did!" Wrath's voice called out again.
Warden Wrath looked around to the source to see an exact copy of himself standing behind him. "What the-! Who are you?!" Warden Wrath demanded, pointing at his doppelganger accusingly.
"Me? I'm Warden Wrath. Who are you?!" The second Warden Wrath demands, mirroring the first's accusatory stance.
"No, I'm Warden Wrath! You're nothing but some- faker!" The first said.
The second held a hand over their heart dramatically. "'Faker'?! I think you're the fake Warden around here! You're comparing yourself to me? Ha! You're not even good enough to be my fake!"
"I'LL MAKE YOU EAT THOSE WORDS!" The first Warden Wrath screamed in rage, pulling his cocked fist back then throwing it forward to strike his doppelganger. In response, his copy did a flip and lit with crimson light, before landing as Trixx's disguised form as the fist swung over her head.
Trixx let out her signature snicker. "Chill out, I'm just messin' with ya." Trixx eased, though she didn't let her smirk fade at having utterly screwed with someone else so well.
Wrath growled. "Damn illusionists." Wrath grumbled under his breath before walking off to cool his head. He didn't need these distractions when he had a title to defend.
Eda transformed her hand back to normal and fistbumped Trixx, both her and King laughing. "That was hilarious! I can't believe he almost helped because of that!" Eda cackled.
Trixx snickered. "I know, right? Man, pranking people like that is so much more fun in the Demon Realm." Trixx said.
"YOU!" A voice suddenly called out.
The three turned in the direction of the voice only for Trixx to be tackled to the ground by someone. Trixx looks up to find it is Boscha looking at her with pure hatred.
"Uh oh!" Trixx managed to say before Boscha's hands wrapped around Trixx's throat.
"WHO ARE YOU!? WHY ARE YOU WEARING MY FACE!?" Boscha screamed at her, strangling the Zorua's disguise against the ground.
The damage caused by the tackle and the strangling finally took their toll on Trixx as her disguise finally burst in crimson light, causing Boscha to fall to the ground with a thump, no longer having Trixx's disguise by the throat. She felt something squirming under her stomach, looking down to see Trixx dragging herself out from under the triclops in her true form, popping out and rolling a bit with a dizzy expression.
Boscha's anger was replaced with confusion as she looked at the disoriented fox. "Huh?" Boscha questioned before Eda grabbed her by the back of her shirt, pulling her into the air in her harpy form.
"Step off, three-eyed brat." Eda threatened, with King growling at the teen from his perch.
Someone cleared their throat loudly as they all turned to see some Demon Hunters working security appear.
"No fighting outside the ring. This is your only warning." One of them declared.
"Okay, okay. We'll play nice. Right, brat?" Eda turned back, glancing at Boscha as she placed the teen on the ground.
Boscha scoffed. "Fine. But I want answers." Boscha demanded, pointing at Trixx.
The Demon Hunters walked off as Trixx shook her head rapidly, getting onto her feet. "Alright then. Shoot."
"What are you? Why did you look like me?" Boscha demanded.
"Fictional creature brought to life by comet magic." Trixx began, jumping into the air to cast her disguise. "I can disguise myself with illusions. Used you as the base for my custom one." Trixx walked around to Boscha's eight 'o'clock and walked behind her, reappearing on the other side as a perfect replica of her. "And by the way, I was the one doing the mirror thing to you the one day," Trixx said, her voice matching Boscha's now.
Boscha gave her replica a once-over. "Okay, that's unsettling to hear my voice coming from someone else."
Trixx rolled her eyes before standing in front of the triclops and reverting to her true form. "Eh, it can be. That's why I stick with my own when I'm not disguised. If anything, be honored that I chose you as my base. Even if I don't like you for being a certainly unkind ne'er-do-welling teen, I can still at least respect the look." Trixx remarked.
Boscha smiled smugly. "Well, at least someone knows what class looks like."
"Uh-huh. Keep telling yourself that. At least then someone'll believe it, at least." King deadpanned.
Boscha scoffed. "Whatever. I didn't come here to talk with a bunch of losers, I came to watch the brawl." Boscha said as she walked off.
"I think that went well, all things considered," Trixx said, dusting herself a bit.
"'No one will ever believe you,' huh?" A voice rang out.
Trixx turned to the voice. "Oh, hey Viney." Trixx greeted nonchalantly before turning back to the Eda and King…only for her eyes to widen as realization struck. She turned back to Viney, the girl's arms crossed and eyes narrowed at Trixx, who realized she was still in her true form.
"I mean…Ra?" Trixx chuckled nervously.
After all the preparations and the competitors had applied, the leader of the Demon Hunters stepped into the center of the arena with a microphone.
"Witches and demons, welcome to the Bonesborough Brawl!" He announced, getting the whole audience to cheer in excitement for the upcoming fights. "You know the rules. Contestants will fight one-on-one. Not for honor, not for glory, but for the ultimate bragging rights as the toughest dueler on the Isles!" He continued, getting another eruption of cheers.
"Last one standing will get the chance to snag the coveted Brawler's Belt. Now give a hand to our reigning champion, Warden Wrath!" The announcer declared, gesturing to Warden Wrath as he stepped up into the arena and lifted the Champion belt over his head like it was the WWE belt and bringing another round of applause.
"For our first match, we have Scab the All-Knowing..." The announcer began, a shadow wisping along the ground before the aforementioned Scab the All-Knowing appears in the arena through the shadow, an oracle sphere in their hands.
"...versus The Abomity!"
Amity surfs through the air on a mass of abomination matter, landing on the other end of the arena and letting the matter amass into a golem ready to obey its mistress's order. Amity turned to her family and waved to them and the Owl House occupants, her hands bare of her Glyph Grafters. The group waves back enthusiastically, with Trixx held in Viney's arms nearby.
Wrath stepped out of the arena as the two combatants squared up.
"Now let the brawl begin!" The announcer declared, initiating the fight.
Scab leaps high into the air with a flip until facing Amity again, their orb glowing bright until a blast of magic shot from it toward Amity. Amity's determined look doesn't waver as she raises her left palm forward with a spell circle looped around her wrist. The abomination reacted, morphing into a circular shield that protected her from the incoming blast. When the energy receded, Amity channeled her inner Katara and motioned the abomination to her with her right arm, the sludge arcing through the air around her. Amity then stepped forward with a thrust of her left arm, rocketing the now whiplike matter at Scab.
Scab prepared for the incoming whip, but it shot under their legs and looped up, latching onto them at their back and spreading around them like a harness. The 'All-Knowing' being caught off guard as they are flipped backward against their will and slammed into the ground on their back. Amity then made a gesture like she was using a bow to fire an arrow off into the forest nearby, the sludge following as Scab's screams sailed into the distance and out of the arena, striking the nearest tree and knocking them out.
After a moment of stunned silence, the announcer snapped out of his awe to do his job. "And the winner of our first match is The Abomity!"
Cheers roared from the crowd, with Flint and the Blights' in particular being the loudest among them. Boscha even clapped, bitterly admitting in her mind that Amity had far surpassed her. The triclops' expression was somewhat sad, though.
"Let's keep this party going! Our next fight is between-" The announcer's voice faded out of Amity's focus as she stepped down from the arena so the next fight could take place, walking over to the others who readily congratulated her.
"You've got this in the bag, Sugar Queen! Maybe I ought to start calling you the Abomiqueen instead." Flint praised, wrapping her in a hug that Amity had to fight with every ounce of her being not to literally melt in his embrace.
"It's almost a shame that you'll probably take all of your opponents down so easily. It would mean I would see your skills more." Alador remarked with a proud grin.
At Amity's look of confusion and surprise, Alador scratched the back of his neck with a blush. "I've been trying to learn how to say cool lines like that from Ed, Em, and Flint," Alador admitted embarrassedly.
Amity chuckled at her father. "I thought that sounded like Flint's dorky humor."
Flint gasped dramatically. "'Dorky'? I'll have you know my humor is perfectly normal."
Amity just smiled. "A shame. I like dorky."
The group watched as they could almost see the gears in Flint's head visibly turning. "…Dorky it is!"
The group laughed at the boy's antics, but Amity thought Flint was acting a bit weird…-er than usual. His antics felt somewhat strained. Something was bothering him and Amity knew it.
"And finally, for our last match of the first round! In one corner, we have…the Flexicutioner!" The announcer began, gesturing to the aforementioned Flexicutioner, who arrived by leaping into the arena with a heavy thud. "And in the other…"
Everyone looked toward the other corner. From nearby, a figure flew through the air on a giant five-pointed star made purely of ice, riding it like a surfboard through the air with a trail of cool mist trailing the icy ride. The figure leaped from the star as it reached their corner of the arena, letting the star continue to the center before rocketing up. After reaching sufficient height, the star exploded into a flurry of snowflakes that descended upon the area, letting the crowd watch in wonder (with Trixx trying to bite at the ones in front of her while in Viney's arms. Trixx may be sapient, but she was still an animal at the end of the day).
"…Cold Frontier!" The announcer introduced the final combatant.
Cold Frontier was on the shorter side, looking about as tall as Luz. He wore a royal blue drawstring hoodie, black jogger sweats, and navy blue tennis shoes. Over his face was a white zukin, leaving only a small window over his eyes, revealing piercing green irises. Around his wrists and ankles were a set of ring-shaped bands that reminded Flint of a certain hedgehog.
Flint would admit that the Cold Frontier's attire was a bit odd, at least compared to the usual attire of the Isles, but the look in his eyes caught his attention. They were the eyes of someone with something to prove.
"Woooo!" Emira erupted loudly from nearby. "You go gettem Frontier! Kick his butt!" Emira cheered.
"Looks like we know who her Grom date was now," Amity noted.
"It would appear so." Flint agreed with a nod. "She was pretty confident in him, so let's see what he's made of."
"Let the brawl...begin!" The announcer declared, quickly stepping back after giving the signal.
The Flexicutioner rushes forward, the power from his footsteps breaking the ground from his initial launch. The axe-wielder swung his axe back and forth at Frontier, only for the boy to evade each swipe. The boy moved gracefully as his opponent's frustration grew, as he used his power to kick up part of the arena and throw it at the smaller of the two. The force threw Frontier across the arena.
As Frontier tumbled, he recorrected himself by punching the ground, causing a large crystalline pillar of ice to launch him into the air back at Flexecutioner. Frontier threw his left hand forward and extended his thumb and pinky out, flipping the hand as a sky blue spell circle formed from the two halves connecting at the space the other once held. The completed spell trailed up his left arm with a thick gauntlet forming along the space the circle had already traveled, pausing just before his elbow.
Using the momentum, Frontier slammed his left hand into Flexecutioner's temple with a downward punch, the force behind it causing the ground he stood on to crack. Frontier used the punch to retreat with a backflip, landing on his feet with a solid stance as his opponent recovered.
Flexecutioner's world spun from the heavy blow, his cycloptic vision blurring as he charged at Frontier, his movements sluggish. He mustered his strength into a downward swing with his axe, but Frontier shot an icy torrent from his right hand that put the end in a large block of ice, before punching it with his left. The punch sent the now-sledgehammer back at Flexecutioner, bouncing off his face before slipping out of the man's grip. Flexecutioner tried his best to hold on to consciousness, but the powerful blows to the head had taken their toll. With a sway, Flexecutioner fell back as he entered dreamland.
"He's gonna need some ice for that," Frontier quipped, an amused gleam in his eyes. [Imagine his voice is Josh Keaton.]
The announcer then comes over and raises Frontier's hand. "And we have our last winner of the first round, Cold Frontier!" He declared.
The crowd erupted into cheers. Emira was the loudest among them, but Boscha was watching with sadistic glee at the raw power Frontier had displayed. Trixx looked on in awe as Viney smiled proudly.
Eda let out a long whistle. "Daaaamn. That's a lot of power for a kid that size." Eda said, thoroughly impressed.
King excitedly jumped from Eda's hair onto Flint's other shoulder. "Big Bro, did you see that?! He was like: whew-POW!" King said, emulating the moves and causing everyone to chuckle at his excitement.
Flint grinned mischievously. "I did. It was pretty-"
"Don't you say it!"
"-Cool."
"Sov damn it!" Eda yelled in frustration.
Flint laughed at his mentor's suffering before becoming thoughtful. "Pretty clever of him, redirecting all that force back at him like that. His technique was like mixing the fluidity of a waterbender, but the power of an earthbender."
Amity nodded. "And he did that same spell circle trick you did back at the Covention." Amity hummed in thought. "This might be harder to win than I thought."
Edric had a paper in his hand. "You guys are in opposite brackets though, and he'll have to face Warden Wrath if they both move on." Edric pointed out. Given that Wrath was the defending champion, Frontier would be in for a tough time getting to the final.
Emira blinked in surprise before snatching the paper from her brother's hands, much to his vocal dismay. Looking at it, her shoulders slumped a bit. "Dang, I didn't even think of that. As much as I hope he'll get there, I probably won't have to worry about rooting for you or him." Emira said with a sigh, both bummed and relieved.
"You shouldn't let your guard down, though. I was a bit of a dark horse when I won the brawl myself." Alador advised.
The fights continued as Amity, Warden Wrath, and Cold Frontier progressed through the tournament.
Amity took on the Book Forger, the two in a standoff with each trying to overpower the other with brute force as Amity's abomination matter extended over her arms. As the construction witch attempted to gain some distance, Amity discreetly morphed her arms to encase the man's wrists. He tried to free himself, only to discover his predicament. Amity lifted him off the ground and spun him around, using her feet as a pivot. She then sent the witch flying out of the arena, winning her the match.
Warden Wrath used his strength and wide variety of magicks, thanks to his Emperor Coven's sigil, to overpower all in his way.
Cold Frontier faced an elderly goat demon. The demon suddenly smashes her walking cane on her knee, pulling a Dragon Ball and screaming as an aura of power radiated around her.
"Okay, wasn't expecting I'd be fighting the 'Legendary Super Goat' today," Frontier remarked, cracking his knuckles.
Frontier raised his left foot and slammed it into the ground, his heel striking first as a trail of ice sprouted from it, spreading in a line toward his opponent. Behind the goat demon, a large ice pillar abruptly launched her into the air towards the outside of the arena. Before she could strike the ground, though, Frontier slammed his entire right foot on the ground flat; from it, a spiral ice slide rose from the ground outside the arena and caught the woman, letting her slide to the ground easily before landing in a pile of snow summoned at the bottom.
"Chill over there for me, will ya?" Frontier quipped again.
Half the crowd cheered while the others groaned, but Flint was quiet as he looked at the boy curiously.
'How unusual. I didn't think anyone in the Isles would utilize construction magic purely using ice. And his movements are nearly identical to Toph's earthbending. This is either a coincidence, or they've studied the show.' Flint thought. He knew things leaked from Earth to the Demon Realm, but seeing this was strange. Even then, playing Earth media wasn't common, with Amity having the only other case of technology to do so, thanks to Alador fixing up a laptop. It could be a coincidence, but that didn't seem right.
Thinking about Alador saddened Flint a bit. He shook his head, wiping those thoughts from his head. He needed to keep distracting himself by watching the tournament. It was easier when his pointy-eared girlfriend or the mysterious ice-wielder were fighting.
It was now in the semifinals. Amity had won her match, so all that was left was for her opponent to be decided.
"This match decides who you're up against in the final, Mittens. Gotta say Em, your boyfriend sure is strong." Edric said.
"Not gonna lie, I don't know how he improved so quickly. What do they do in those H.A.S. meetings?" Emira wondered.
Flint blinked in surprise at that. 'He's a H.A.S. member?' Flint wondered internally.
"Man, these kids nowadays sure are powerful," Eda remarked, rather stunned herself. She expected as much from Amity, Willow was no slouch, and Gus was starting to get there too. Luz had taken well to the glyphs and using her staff, and Flint...well, he doesn't count. But this kid? Where the hell did he come from?! It's like he just appeared out of nowhere!
Alador nodded. "They are, and that's a good thing. They're the future, after all."
Eda looked at Alador with faux unease. "That was...actually pretty wise. Who are you, and what have you done with Aladork?" Eda asked, a devious smile on her face.
Alador just shook his head fondly. "I can have my moments. It's like inventing. We're last year's model, and they're the new ones with all the improvements."
Eda thought about it and gave a conceding hum. The two stood in silence as the match between Cold Frontier and Warden Wrath began.
"...I missed this," Eda said suddenly with a nostalgic sigh.
"Missed what?" Alador asked, looking toward her curiously.
"Hanging out. All of us. Before my curse, before the covens, before everything went downhill." Eda elaborated, turning to look at him. "I mean, I know I kinda dragged some of you guys around, but it was still fun and you tolerated me at least."
Alador closed his eyes and smiled, thinking about back then. Though Eda certainly made things chaotic at Hexside, it was never a dull moment, at least. "I did too." He remembered all the antics Eda would get into, causing him and others to be the targets or even the unaware culprits of her pranks. He missed talking with Darius about new ways to use abomination magic. Seeing Amity and her friends reminded him of them, though his daughter's friendships were a lot stronger than Eda and his age group had been.
"And in a shocking turn of events, Warden Wrath has been defeated!" The announcer's voice interrupted.
Eda and Alador's eyes widened as they finally paid attention to the arena again. "WAIT WHAT?!" They both said in shock.
Lying in a crater in the arena on his stomach, Warden Wrath looked worse for wear. His mask had fallen off at some point, his arms sported all kinds of cuts and bruises, part of him was covered in frost, and his outfit was scuffed up. Before him stood Frontier, the boy standing proudly in front of him as his ice gauntlets shimmered in the light.
Frontier reached down and pulled the champion belt off of Wrath and held it over his head. "Today, there will be a new champion!" Frontier declared, the audience cheering as he did so, before he returned the belt to Wrath. Whether it would be Frontier or not, it didn't matter, for Warden Wrath had been dethroned as the Bonesborough Brawl Champion.
Eda shook off her surprise and shifted into an intrigued look. "Looks like this final is going to be quite the show."
As the intermission before the final match was happening, Amity walked up to Eda.
"Hey Eda, can I talk to you privately about something?" Amity asked.
Eda blinked in surprise, not having expected this. "Okay, kid. Let's head off somewhere private then." Eda said, gesturing for her to follow as they walked over to the treeline.
"So, what's on your mind?" Eda asked.
Amity frowned. "Something just feels off about Flint today. And with Trixx being here and Luz on Earth…is something wrong?"
Eda sighed. "I was hoping it wouldn't be about that," Eda muttered.
"So there is something up! Spill!" Amity demanded.
"Calm down, Bossy Boots." Eda brought her hand to her face and groaned. "Of all the things- fine. I don't care if it's not my secret to tell, but are you sure you wanna find out about this before your big match?"
Amity looked at her with conviction. "Yes."
Eda sighed. "Alright then, but you asked for this."
Flashback Start
It was late at night, and Eda couldn't sleep. Everything that had happened over the previous few days leading up to, and the day of the Gland Prix, had been a lot to take in. Seeing the only ex she genuinely cared for the most, helping their little rebellion in saving wild witches from the Emperor's grasp with Flint, King revealing he wanted her to officially adopt him and make her his mother, and Flint's body mutating more with the awakening of his palisman Gray. A lot had happened and questions had sprung in the woman's mind. Would she really do well as a mother for King? Were Raine, Darius, and Eberwolf going to be okay? Would they ever find a way to reopen a portal to Earth? What the hell was Flint?
Eda frowned. These questions were all driving her nuts, but there was one more that was currently taking the forefront.
'Who's Manny?' Eda wondered.
She'd been wondering about who this 'Manny' was ever since Flint had mentioned them, and it was eating away at her and was the current reason she was staring at the ceiling with her own thoughts.
'Lying here isn't gonna get me any answers. If I want to know, there's only one way to find out.' Eda thought to herself.
Gaining a determined look on her face, she got up from her nest and left her room. She walked through the dark hallways, having memorized the layout over the many years she'd lived here, and made her way to Flint and Luz's room. She stood outside, idly wondering if she should separate them into different rooms just to know they weren't up to some hanky-panky, but decided against it. Chances were that they'd just end up in the same room anyway. And as much as she could tell from the looks in their eyes that they aren't foreign to more frisky content, she knew that both were too much of goody-two-shoes to decide on reenacting it...well, at least notyet.
Then again...remembering that Hooty controlled the entire house certainly dissuades the idea of ever...yeah.
Eda carefully opened the door to peek inside, seeing Luz with King curled up beside her. Eda had the bite back a coo at the sight and a curse that she couldn't get a picture of this, she'd have to get hold of some memory tweezers or something. However, she noticed a distinct absence of a certain fire-wielding brat that wormed his way into her life.
'Where is he?' Eda wondered, slightly panicking at the fact that he was missing. She calmed herself before closing the door again and stepping out into the hallway. While passing the window, she noticed something outside. A figure sitting by the cliff with a dim glow on their shoulder.
Eda carefully made her way through the house, exiting out the back door through the kitchen. She was met with Flint sitting with his back to the house, looking off into the sea as Gray sat perched on his right shoulder. Flint was sitting with his legs hanging off the side of the cliff.
"Hey Eda." Flint greeted suddenly, not turning around but somehow knowing she was standing there as Gray turned to look at her.
Eda walked up behind him. "Hey, kid." Eda greeted back, moving to the boy's left and plopping onto the ground next to him, sitting with her left leg tucked under her right as the latter dangled off the side.
They sat in silence for a moment before Eda spoke up again. "Couldn't sleep either?"
Flint hummed in acknowledgment. "Just...thinking about...things," Flint said. "That and it's a bit harder to sleep when you can suddenly see in the dark."
Eda hummed in understanding as she watched the waves. "You should try a covering. Does wonders," Eda sighed. "I've had a lot on my mind too."
"Well, you probably have a good idea what mine's about, so mind if I ask about you?" Flint offered.
Eda turned to look at Flint. "Back when you stopped me and Raine, you said something. You mentioned someone named 'Manny'...who are they?"
Eda watched as Flint's curious expression shifted to dread for the briefest of moments when she spoke the name, before he recomposed himself. He turned to Gray. "Can you let us talk privately?" Flint asked.
Gray was surprised by this, but ultimately nodded before flying back toward the house and into the humans' window.
"Luz and I didn't always know each other." Flint began, drawing Eda's intrigue. "I lived in Gravesfield as long as I can remember. I didn't really have any friends, not until a new family had moved into the neighborhood and right next door to me and my mom. I first met Luz at school, which was also when I first saw the light glyph. When I got home that day and told my mom about it, we soon went over as a way of welcoming them to Gravesfield."
Flint smiled fondly. "Camilla was so grateful for me greeting Luz, I thought I was gonna suffocate," Flint said with a chuckle. "Manny Noceda was a lot more tame in his gratitude, but I could tell just how much it meant to both of them. From there, Luz and I became fast friends, and a lot of the time, the five of us would end up having dinner together. Manny was..." Flint tapped his chin a few times in thought. "He was the kind of guy you could always count on to cheer you up. Manny just had a way with people, always able to tell how you were feeling just from a glance. I never had a dad or anything while growing up, so I think he kind of took it upon himself to give me a bit of the experience in a way only a father could." Flint snickered. "Hell, when it came up one night that I'd never been fishing before, he got this really determined look on his face. The conversation kinda ended there and I didn't think much of it...until I suddenly found myself on the dock of a lake that was in the area with a fishing pole in hand, and Manny teaching me how. I didn't even know what we were doing at first. I swear he literally threw me in the car, without explanation, and bam, we were there."
Eda smiled, amused at the image she was picturing. The idea of a young Flint, confused as hell with a fishing pole in his hand, as he tried to understand why they were suddenly on a dock.
"That sounds like it was an interesting day for you," Eda remarked.
Flint snorted. "It was something, I'll give it that. We didn't catch much, and anything we did catch we threw back. We mostly spent the time talking." Flint said with a fond smile. "It was...nice."
It was then that Eda watched as Flint's smile faded. The joy he once held disappeared from his features as they became much more somber.
"But...it couldn't last. See, the Nocedas hadn't moved to Gravesfield on a whim. They moved into the area originally because Manny had contracted an...illness, and there's this hospital in the area that was best equipped for treating it. He'd been doing okay at first, but...do you know what cancer is?" Flint asked.
Eda felt a knot forming as she got a sickening feeling from Flint's words. Absently, she shook her head.
"Nowadays, the survival rate has gone up with all the medical advancements over the years. But...it's not a guarantee." Flint said cryptically.
After a moment of silence to let the implication, Eda asked the dreaded question. "How long?"
"...I only knew him for about eight months," Flint said.
Eda's heart sank. She was beginning to understand now why Flint had been so desperate to stop her the other day.
Flint interlocked his fingers as he stared down the cliff at the waves below, crashing upon the cliffside. "Luz...wasn't the same for a while after that. It was like something inside her was just...gone. She'd practically gone mute for at least a week after." Flint explained sadly.
A dreadful realization hit Eda. "If you hadn't come back..." Eda cursed internally. It all made so much sense now.
"Even when I did come back, you saw how much it affected her. Amity wasn't much better either, and she hadn't even known me as well as Luz did." Flint said sadly.
The two dropped into silence again as Eda registered Flint's words. "I...had no idea."
Flint sighed. "You couldn't've. You never really asked, and it's not like this is really something you bring up on a weekly basis. But when I met your father...I was mad. Mad that you would avoid him for so long. Luz lost her father, and I never had one in my life to begin with-" Flint turned to her and pointed accusingly. "But you? Even after the owl beast attacked him, he was still there. Hurt, yes, but alive. Compared to Luz, you got lucky, and yet you actively avoid him." Flint snarled.
Eda looked down, taking in the boy's words. He was right. Here she was avoiding her father when she should've been counting her lucky stars that the beast hadn't killed him. She buried her face in her hands and groaned. "I'm a terrible daughter." Eda pulled her head up with a determined expression. "Alright. No more. I'm sick of running."
Flint nodded in approval as he got up from his spot. As he walked toward the house, a thought occurred to Eda.
"Hey, how did Luz go back to being Luz?" Eda called out to him.
Flint stopped where he stood and turned back with a smile. "Manny left her a book, one that would enthrall her into the world of magic...one I believe you've become decently acquainted with."
Flint continued into the house, leaving Eda to stare at where he'd once stood in shock.
Flashback End
"And that's pretty much the gist of it," Eda concluded, watching as Amity covered her mouth and tears threatened to roll down her face.
"And today…" Amity trailed off quietly.
"-Is the anniversary of his passing. Luz spends the day with her mom before picking some flowers to put at his grave every year, which is why she isn't watching you fight in the tournament. I can't even imagine how she'd be if we hadn't completed that portal." Eda said.
"I…I shouldn't've asked." Amity said.
Eda's brow furrowed as she leaned down a bit, putting her hands on the girl's shoulders and looking her dead in the eye. "Too late for that, but that's not something you should hold against yourself. Just go out there, kick Blunder 1's maybe-boyfriend's butt, and make everyone proud by winning this whole damn thing." Eda said, shooting the girl a toothy smirk.
Amity took the entity of chaos' words to heart, mirroring her smirk with a smile.
"This. Is. IT! Our final match of this brawl-some competition! Both of our finalists have laid waste to all in their way, even our previous champ could not stand against the onslaught!" The announcer began, hyping up the crowd.
"You don't have to rub it in!" Warden Wrath loudly grumbled.
"All's fair in love and brawl!" The announcer shot back without a beat. "Now, which of these next-gen witches is going to go all the way and take home the belt?! Will it be, Abomity the Abomiqueen-"
A mass of abomi-matter appeared in a circle on one side of the arena. Tendrils of the sludge spiraled upward as it took the shape of Amity, temporarily displaying her abomutation form before solidifying in her normal appearance.
"-or the King of Ice, Cold Frontier?!"
Frontier stood atop an ice star like he'd entered the first match. This time though, he was standing with his arms crossed and facing forward in a stance that reminded Flint heavily of a certain turban-wearing aura farmer. He floated through the air, even doing a spin as he stayed attached to the star before it landed on the opposite side of the arena, the star exploding on contact in a wave of mist that spread in the shape of a star as it dispersed.
"Let the brawl-"
"Wait!"
The announcer paused as he looked over to Frontier, who held his hand out in a stopping gesture.
"All these people here came for a show, so where would the fun be if either of us won by ring out, or by holding back?" Frontier asked, gesturing to the crowd. "We don't wanna end all this on a flat note, right?" Fronter asked.
The crowd murmured about it until Boscha rose her voice above it all. "Yeah! We came here to see a brawl!" Boscha declared. In the wake of her declaration, the crowd chanted in agreement.
Frontier seemed to smile underneath his garb as he turned back to Amity. "So what do you say? We fight until one of us can't or surrenders. No more holding back, either. You game?" Frontier challenged, with an ironic fire in his eyes.
Amity hummed in thought, scratching her chin. "You know…I was thinking the same thing." Amity replied with a grin, her competitive spirit lit.
Frontier nodded, moving his wrists together. He removed the bands on his wrists before moving on to doing some leg stretches, removing the bands around them in the process as well. After he was done, he tossed the bands to the side of the ring, sounding a lot more solid than cloth is supposed to. He then spun his arm around his shoulder. "Man, nothing like shedding forty pounds to loosen up," Frontier remarked, getting his shoulder to pop.
Everyone was taken aback.
"Forty pounds?! I mean, it's not a lot, but he was wearing all that this whole time?!" Edric exclaimed.
"Ten additional pounds on each limb. It's enough not to outright damage your limbs, but given his frame, it'd be enough to give a decent strength boost if he got used to the additional weight." Flint noted. 'Definitely must've watched Dragon Ball.'
"Ready to go when you are," Frontier said, raising his arms in a boxer stance.
Amity smiled as she got into her own defensive stance.
"Um, okay. It would appear our finalists have agreed to disregard the ring-out rule." The announcer recovered, clearing his throat. "With that out of the way and the fighters ready, let the final match…BEGIN!" The announcer declared before rushing away for his safety.
Amity and Frontier stared each other down. They circled the ring with their guards up, waiting for the other to make the first move as they watched every movement carefully.
Amity struck first, shooting her abomi-matter forward as it formed a golem that rushed at the boy. Frontier let the abomination approach, raising its arm for a hammer strike. At the last moment, Frontier twisted his right foot on the ground and kicked off to the left as the abomination's attack struck open air. The abomination swung the arm horizontally toward him, only for the abomination's arm to be severed by a wall of ice that rose from the ground, causing the separated matter to fall lifelessly to the ground. The abomination hacked at the wall between its target until Frontier lowered the wall and thrust his left arm forward, palm-striking the sludge and using a spell to encase it in a layer of ice.
With the abomination immobilized, Frontier charged Amity, summoning a pair of ice gauntlets around his arms as he threw a punch at her. Amity ducked under the incoming blow, then grabbed the outstretched arm, pivoted on her foot, then flipped him over her shoulder to the ground, landing flat on his back.
Frontier recovered from the blow, almost breakdancing as he swung his legs around to sweep her legs. Amity tried to dodge, but wasn't able to get away in time as his foot hit her in her right shin, causing her to lose balance and tumble along the ground.
Amity groaned as she went to stand, wincing from the pain in her leg. As she and Frontier both recovered, Amity made a pulling motion that caused the severed abomi-matter from earlier to swirl up the injured leg, obscuring it as she morphed the leg to heal her injury. Being able to reshape yourself on a whim was handy in fixing injuries. As she did, both combatants were now standing again, eyeing each other for their next move.
Frontier went on the offensive this time, the bottoms of his shoes turning icy as he skated across the ground toward her. As he approached, Amity met him head-on by mimicking the motion with abomination goo. As they came close, Amity threw her hands forward before yanking them back. Before Frontier could understand the motion, he suddenly became alert, ducking under incoming abomination tendrils that tried to grab him, forcing him to skate toward the edge of the ring as the abomination he froze earlier had been suddenly freed, glancing over to see the frozen shell sporting a hole in it as the sludge returned to its owner.
Frontier grabbed one of the tendrils, freezing it solid and breaking it off. He skated closer and swung it like a baseball bat. Amity thought fast and melted her lower half into abomi-matter before launching at him like a geyser. Caught off guard by the action, Frontier was tackled off his feet as the two tumbled. Frontier caught her left hand in his right, ice wrapping around the spot. Amity tried removing the arm to no avail and proceeded to throw a punch with her right arm, only to end with the same result. Before she could attempt to morph her legs back to normal, her lower half was frozen.
"You're goo-d, but I'm-"
The air in Frontier's lungs were evicted post haste as he was sucker punched, causing him to lose focus on the ice holding them together and throwing him across the arena. Groaning, he held his stomach as he looked up to see an abomination arm sprouting from Amity's stomach. After a moment, it retracted into her, the area it sprouted from looking like abomi-matter briefly before returning to normal.
Frontier hacked as his lunch violently attempted to exit the way it entered. "Hrrk! Wow. Talk about a gut-punch." Frontier croaked out.
Amity's eye twitched. "Do you ever shut up?" Amity said through gritted teeth. Frontier was starting to sound a lot like Flint, but at least when he did it, it was cute. This guy was just being annoying.
"You'd be surprised," Frontier answered as he got back to his feet. "Nice tricks with the abomutating. Didn't even think someone our age could do that."
"And I'll admit, you're good." Amity complimented back.
Frontier scratched the back of his head. "Thanks. I was honestly surprised I even made it this far. Didn't think I'd make it past the first round, let alone beat the previous champion." Frontier admitted bashfully. It was quite the contrast from his previous flamboyance.
"I'm still gonna win this though." Amity declared firmly.
Frontier snorted as he slammed his foot on the ground, a solid block of ice raised beside him. "No. You won't. I think it's time for the final phase." Frontier stated before punching his left hand into the block, the ice breaking as an icy clone of himself was formed...holding a guitar?
"Um…why does it have a guitar?" Edric asked in confusion.
Emira chuckled. "Oh, looks like he's completely serious now. This is gonna be awesome."
'Why does that guitar look familiar?' Flint couldn't help but wonder.
Back in the arena, Amity stared at him in disbelief. "Huh? I thought you were in the construction track?"
"I am," Frontier said, before snapping his fingers, causing the ice clone to strike the guitar's strings and causing a shockwave of energy that forced Amity to brace herself not to be blown over. "But let's just say, I've really enjoyed multi-tracking." Frontier finished, a dim sky blue glow outlining him.
Frontier cracked his knuckles before slamming them together. His body was encased in icy armor that resembled Fire Nation armor from ATLA, with the addition of his ice gauntlets from earlier. In response, Amity morphed into her full abomination form.
"Let's finish this then, shall we?" Abomity said.
"Agreed. Just don't cryo bout it when you lose." Frontier shot back.
[Insert Dragon Ball Z Theme (Rock the Dragon) on Guitar by Niall Stenson]
The ice clone began playing as Frontier threw ice throwing stars at Abomity. Abomity weaved like water around the incoming projectiles as she charged forward, her hands morphing into a pair of gauntlets matching Frontier's. The two each threw a punch with their left hand, their fists colliding head-on. Their fists devolved into a flurry of jabs, neither being able to hit the other. Abomity then changed it up by relenting on her punches suddenly. Frontier threw a punch at her torso, only for her to shift around the limb and lift her hand forward with her palm facing him, shooting a portion of abomi-matter into his face.
With her opponent blinded momentarily, Abomity made an uppercutting motion, stopping partway through and making her limb burst like a geyser for extra power. The attack sent him flying into his ice clone, the music cutting off as the clone as both it and his armor shattered.
Abomity panted, all of the battles from the day finally starting to take their toll on her. 'I don't have much left in me. I can't let this go on much longer. He must've been using that music to pump himself up like a music-based power glyph.'
Abomity kept her eyes on Frontier as he tumbled across the ground before stopping flat on his back. She held her arms up in a defensive stance, ready for Frontier's next move. She would let him come to her, so she waited.
And waited.
And waited.
And…wait…why hasn't he gotten up yet?
Cautiously, Abomity approached him. When she was in range, she saw how his body slumped. She jolted when he let out a pained groan, attempting to right himself with no avail.
"I…yield." Frontier croaked out.
Abomity blinked in confusion. "Huh?"
"I can barely move. You win. I surrender." Frontier said.
"What happened to all that strength just a minute ago?" Abomity asked with a confused tone, now standing over him.
"I can barely move. That power song, at least that's what I'm calling it, was my last ditch. I cast it to energize me while it played, but now that it's not I don't have the energy to make another." Frontier explained with a half-lidded look.
The announcer walked over. "Well folks, Cold Frontier has conceded. The winner of this year's Bonesboroguh Brawl and new champion, Abomity!" The announcer declared, grabbing one of Abomity's hands and raising it.
The action elicited an eruption of cheers from the crowd, the most prominent being from the Blights and the Owl House residents. It made Abomity smile before looking down at Frontier, who had yet to get up. Abomity withdrew her hand and held it out to Frontier, who accepted the help to his feet. When he standing, Abomity didn't let go as she looked to the crowd and raised his hand up triumphantly, another round of applause letting loose as everyone cheered for the runner up.
Frontier's eyes widened before softening, shooting Abomity an appreciative nod before looking back to the crowd, a visible glint of joy in his eyes.
"That was a good fight. You said you were a part of the multi-track at Hexside?" Amity asked, the champion belt draped over her shoulder like a sash and her hair having reverted from its abomi-matter state.
Frontier nodded. "I am. I had actually done it before, in secret, with my family. My dad's side is bard, and mom's in construction. I couldn't decide which one to go with, so they've been teaching me in both so I'm good enough with both that I won't feel too bad about choosing one or the other. I eventually left it up to a coin flip and was in the construction track until this semester." Frontier explained as the two walked off the stage.
Amity hummed in interest. "Neat. Well, it's nice to meet you." Amity said as Flint ran up to them.
"Great match, you two. But I knew you could do it, Sugar Queen." Flint praised, causing Amity to blush.
Frontier nodded. "Thanks." Frontier turned back to Amity. "Although...you already know me. I was supposed to demonstrate construction magic for the inspector, but ran off before I went on stage." Frontier replied.
Amity blinked before her eyes widened. "Wait, Hidey-Cole? The kid who's always wearing that white mask?"
Flint looked over at her. "What kind of a name is that?" Flint wondered.
"One you get when you're too shy to make friends with anyone but the 'weirdos' in the H.A.S.," Cole grumbled.
"You seem like you were doing fine to me up there," Flint pointed out.
Cole shook his head. "That's because I'm behind the mask, er, a different mask. It's easier when your identity is anonymous." Cole sighed.
Flint patted the boy on his shoulder. "Have a little more faith in yourself, dude. Who are they to judge if someone like you can give my girlfriend such a good fight out there?" Flint advised.
Cole seemed to consider Flint's words. "I'll...think about it. Thanks for the good fight, Amity." He said, bidding her farewell as he walked off hurriedly.
The others approached, including Trixx, who had returned to the group and hopped up into Eda's hair with King poking out from above Trixx.
"Nice job, Mittens," Edric said.
"I'd love to stay and congratulate you more, lil' sis, but I need to catch up to my buddy," Emira said quickly as she rushed after Cole. "Get back here!" Emira demanded in the distance as she pursued her maybe-boyfriend.
Everyone chuckled as Alador put his hand on Amity's head, ruffling her hair a bit. "You did great out there. Perhaps when we get home, the two of us should take a picture with our respective champion belts on." Alador suggested before pulling his hand back.
Amity's smile was nearly at Luz-levels of brightness, but she then let out a sigh as her shoulders slumped. "I'm kinda bummed I didn't get to show off all my new tricks though," Amity said.
"Then I look forward to seeing them," Alador said with a smile.
Eda rubbed her hands together with a smile. "Then let's celebrate! Both for the 'Abomiqueen's' victory, and for that jerk Wrath getting beat up by another teen. Hehehehe." Eda grinned maliciously at the last bit, eliciting some laughs from everyone.
Amity glanced over at Flint as he laughed, her face morphing into a frown briefly before she put on a sheepish expression. "Actually, maybe we should delay that celebration. I'm still kinda tired from that fight." Amity looked Eda in the eyes before glancing at Flint repeatedly. "And I'd kinda like Luz to see how well I did first."
Eda gave a light nod. "Cool beans. Well, we ought to head over then." Eda suggested.
Amity turned to Edric and Alador. "I might be late getting home."
Alador smiled. "Alright then. Edric, can you hext Emira to let her know the plan?"
"I would…but if I try and catch up, I might be able to snag some blackmail material." Edric grinned mischievously before running in the direction his twin had gone.
"I should probably be concerned…we'll see you at home, I'll need to polish my old belt anyway," Alador said before heading off.
With that, the rest made way toward the Owl House. As they walked, King and Trixx loudly gushed over the fights while Amity and Flint walked a little slower than Eda. Amity wordlessly entwined her hand with Flint's and gave it a light squeeze. Flint turned to look at her after the action to see the worry shining in her eyes.
Flint pursed his lips. "Eda told you." Flint acknowledged.
Amity hummed. "She did."
The two walked awkwardly for a moment before Flint sighed. "Sorry for not telling you. I just…"
"It's okay," Amity reassured. "I'd say 'I understand,' but I don't think I actually can."
The corner of Flint's mouth twitched. "Mom and I let Cam and Luz have their day to themselves, but we join them in visiting his grave during the evening. Even for as short a time as we knew him, he left an impact. I've only ever had my mom growing up, but Manny was keen on giving me some of those experiences." Flint gave a light chuckle. "He made me promise to look out for Luz, but now I can't help but feel he said that suspecting we'd end up together at some point."
"Well, it was kinda predetermined anyway," Amity remarked. "But…I have something to ask."
"Ask away."
[Play Valley of Death by Skillet]
The sun was nearly set in Gravesfield, Connecticut. Within the local cemetery, four figures could be seen looking over a grave. Camilla, Luz, Madelyn, and Vee all held flowers in their hands as they looked at the grave for Manny Noceda. Camilla and Luz stepped up to the grave first, placing their flowers before it as Stringbean, who was curled around Luz like a scarf, floated down with some in her mouth to place beside them too. Next was Madelyn, followed by Vee.
The four stood in silence with downcast expressions, the only sounds coming from the nature around them. Vee wished she could've met the man. Madelyn missed her friend. Luz missed her father. And Camilla missed the love of her life.
The sounds of nature suddenly came to an eerie halt. Stringbean was the only one to notice it at first. The palisman then heard the tell-tale sounds of footsteps as she turned to look at the source, her eyes widening by a fraction as she gently nudged Luz to get her attention. Luz turned to look where her palisman (daughter?) was looking, her eyes widening in recognition. One by one, the others all turned to face the source as well, having noticed Luz do so.
Flint walked with his wings draped over him like a cloak. At his side, Amity walked beside him, both teens holding flowers in one hand and each other's hands in the other. Perched on their outside shoulders were their respective palisman (Gray's flames snuffed out), and atop Flint's head was Trixx in her true form, all three holding the stems of flowers with their teeth/beak.
The palisman and Zorua all dismounted and placed their offerings with the others. Trixx walked over to Madelyn's side, turning into her human disguise along the way. Ghost and Gray stood at the base of the grave, waiting for their partners.
As the teens approached Luz, Amity released Flint's hand and wrapped Luz in a reassuring hug, a gesture the human was all too happy to accept, a tear rolling down her face. The two separated as Luz turned to Flint, who proceeded to embrace her as well. While Flint and Luz separated, Amity kneeled down to the grave and placed her flowers with the others, her palisman walking up her arm after and regaining her previous perch.
As Amity stood back up and went to stand with Luz, Flint approached the grave now. Flint kneeled before the grave, with Gray flying up to his perch as the flowers were now all in one place. Before Flint stood up, he gently placed his palm against the grave with a dim glow. The glow spread across the grave in a wave, illuminating it briefly with a repair/reinforcement spell to ensure the grave was spotless and sturdier than before. Wordlessly, he stood up and joined the others, the whole group simply embracing the silence as they read the words that had been engraved in the stone years ago.
Manny Noceda: Loving husband and father.
'In the hearts of those who love us, we are never truly gone.'