The angel of the owl house

Season 1: The Demon Realm

Chapter 10: One with the Elements

After their long battle with Arboriel the Mandragora, Luz and Eda enjoyed a whole day without any crazy adventures or shenanigans. They'd returned to find the Owl House in one piece, and King griping about being stuck keeping Hooty company, especially when he found out what had happened with the Bat Queen. He'd whined for the whole next day that he'd missed out on a cool adventure, and Luz had done her best to placate him by promising he could come on any more trips they took before she started Hexside in a week's time.

The very next day became one such adventure, though it was mildly underwhelming. A Book Fair had come to Bonesborough, and Luz had wanted to attend, so they all went together. After seeing a famous author being fawned over by his fans, King had almost roped Luz into writing a book with him to get the same level of fame, but their plans changed after Eda spotted Lilith. She and Luz had been mildly worried about her after she failed the Emperor's mission to capture the stray Palismen, so they'd followed her and found her on a new mission; finding a Bloom of Eternal Youth, a map to which Lilith obtained from one of the Book Fair merchants.

Eda had decided she'd get to the Bloom first, and Luz and King came along on the adventure too. They'd gotten another copy of the map from the merchant, then headed off to collect the Bloom before Lilith did. Naturally this failed and they ran right into Lilith and ended up travelling with her the rest of the way. They learned that the Emperor had indeed believed that the Mandragora had destroyed the stray Palismen the Bat Queen looked after, and had set a large bounty on her head, while Lilith only got a mild reprimand for letting her escape. Her new mission to make up for this failure was more of a reconnaissance mission to confirm if the bloom existed or not. Naturally, the bloom turned out to be a fake and the merchant who'd sold them the maps was waiting for them at the end to prey on them.

Luz and King didn't even need to do anything, as they watched the Clawthorne sisters pummel the scammer. King was disappointed by the lacklustre adventure and pouted for the rest of the day. Luz played with him to cheer him up.

The two days after that, King clung to Luz wherever she went. They spent a day having a sleepover at Willow's house, were she got to know Amelia better, then another with Gus and the HAS, where Luz helped them identify their collection of human relics. Both days had been fun, but they lacked the adventure King craved.

Finally, the last Friday before Hexside started up again arrived, and saw Luz reading through the pamphlet Amity had given her while Eda and King sorted through a new pile of human trash, dragged through the portal door by Owlbert.

Seeing Luz reading and not looking through her new acquisitions, Eda called out to her; "Hey kid, don't you want in on this?"

"No thanks, Eda. School starts on Monday, and I have to prepare for the placement exam on Sunday afternoon! I want to know as much as possible!" Luz answered, not looking up from the pamphlet.

Eda snorted; "Luz, you've got four different types of magic and mastered all of them, except the Illusions, plus you've got a bunch of utility spells I taught you! You're as prepared as a kid can be! Besides, I'm pretty sure you've read that thing enough to have it memorised."

"I know, I just want to do the best I can, and impress Principal Bump! I didn't have the best experience with my human principal…" Luz mumbled, remembering how often she'd ended up in his office after trying to help someone and it going wrong. The man had always been so frustrated by her, in part because she wasn't a bad kid acting out, but a good one who didn't know where to draw the line… at least in his opinion.

"Well whatever. More trash for us!" Eda shrugged.

Luz went back to reading, until her scroll appeared to let her know she'd received a message. "Oh, it's from Amity… Oh Cramity! I forgot I'm supposed to meet her and get my Azura book back! Oh no, she's already waiting for me! Gotta fly!" she said, hopping to her feet and running for the front door.

"Wait! I'm coming too!" King cried.

"King, I'm only going to get my book back." Luz said.

"But whenever you go off on your own, you have adventures! Well I'm not letting you out of my sight until Hexside!" King said stubbornly, clambering up her back and sitting in her hood.

"Aw… you're adorable! Fine, but hold on tight. Eda, I'll be back soon!" Luz said, rushing out the door. Eda just waved her off, and after a brief stop to say hi to Hooty and pet him a bit, Luz summoned her wings and took to the sky. Her concealment stone was still on, so her wings were invisible, and she cast an illusion spell to make it look like she was wearing the winged red shoes she'd seen other teens flying around Bonesborough with, so no one would realise how she was really flying.

Luz and King touched down in an alley near the market, then hurried out and found Amity standing down the road. Luz began running over.

"Hey Amity! Sorry to keep you waiting!"

"Hi Luz!" yelled Edric and Emira, seemingly popping out of nowhere.

Luz screamed in surprise and fell on her backside, while King leapt towards the twins with his pencil and notepad of glyphs at the ready. "Who are these Bozos, Luz!? Should I beat 'em up!?" King yelled, glaring at the two.

The twins giggled and cooed; "Aw, look at this little guy! He's adorable!" Emira said.

"What kind of Demon is he? Does he belong to you, Luz?" Edric asked.

"I don't belong to anyone!" King yelled, stamping his foot.

All the noise drew Amity's attention, and she scowled at her siblings as she stomped over; "Edric! Emira! Stop bothering them!" she scolded, before helping Luz to her feet with blushing cheeks. "Sorry Luz. They insisted on following me for some reason."

"Because we love you, baby sister!" Emira cooed, hugging Amity tightly and squishing her cheeks.

Amity shoved her away, while Luz giggled; "Aw. I kind of get it; King here is like my little brother." Luz smiled.

King let out a happy little squeal and scurried back up into Luz's hood so he could nuzzle her, making the three Blights smile at the cute sight.

"Good to see you again King." Amity said politely, "I admit that I like the twins better this way, but they've been extra protective and nice towards me ever since the library incident."

"And we still apologise every day." Edric said, leaning close to his sister. He was shoved away just like Emira was, then Amity pulled out the borrowed Azura Book from her satchel and handed it back to Luz. "In any case, here. Thank you for lending it to me."

"You're welcome. So, how did you like it?" Luz asked eagerly.

"It was… fine." Amity said nonchalantly.

Luz noticed a hand drawn picture poking out of the pages and pulled it out, revealing it to be a picture of herself and Amity, dressed up as Azura and Hecate. "So fine you drew us together as the main characters?"

Amity blushed and snatched the picture back; "I, uh, just felt inspired. From when we fought Arboriel together. That's all." she said quickly.

"Aw, well I think it's awesome." Luz smiled, "Speaking of the incident, how are you and Ghost getting along? Did your parents flip out?"

As if summoned by her name, Ghost poked her head out of Amity's satchel and meowed in greeting, allowing Luz to pet her.

"Ghost and I have been doing great. I'm still getting used to using her as a staff, but flying with her is a lot of fun. And surprisingly, Mom and Dad were cool with it." Amity said brightly, "Mom was initially mad that I bonded with a "second hand" Palisman, but Dad talked to her and now they're both just proud that I got one before anyone else in our year at Hexside."

"Yeah, and Mom's been shamelessly boasting about it to Mrs Alembic." Emira smirked.

"Your Mom really sounds like a piece of work…" Luz muttered, before brightening up again; "Still, I'm glad Ghost is being made welcome! What about your apprenticeship with Lilith? Are you still…" she trailed off, not sure how much the twins knew.

"I'm still her apprentice." Amity confirmed, "I wasn't sure I would be, but I talked to Miss Lilith the day after the mission. My opinion on my future hasn't changed, but we agreed that I'd still train under her. I think she's still hoping I'll change my mind, and help her change yours and Miss Eda's, but she's not being pushy, and I don't have to go on missions with her any more, so I'd say it's going well."

Luz gave a relieved smile; she'd been worried what Amity's Mom would do if she'd lost her apprenticeship on their first real outing. "I guess that means we're still Sibling Apprentices! And we'll be classmates come Monday!" Luz chirped.

"Of course. It's a shame you can't use abomination magic so you can't join my track, but we should still have some general education classes together. How are you preparing for the Placement Exam?" Amity asked.

"She's been reading that stupid pamphlet over and over all day!" King complained, "I suggested a practice fight, but that's apparently "too violent" and she does't want us to "hurt each other" It's so boring!"

In truth, he actually didn't want to hurt Luz either, but with her healing magic it should have been fine.

"Ooh, we've got an idea!" Edric began.

"Why don't we all train together?" Emira suggested, "We could show off what we know!"

"What do you say, Luz?" Edric finished.

Luz thought about it for a moment; it didn't sound like a bad idea, and it'd let her get more prepared for the exam. "I'd be up for that." she decided, "Should we go somewhere, or…"

"We were planning on taking Mittens on a trip to the Knee over the weekend, to teach her some new spells out in the wild." Emira explained.

"You could come too." Edric grinned, "It'd be like a fun camping trip."

Luz's eyes sparkled at the idea; she'd gone camping with her Mami a few times in the Human Realm, and she'd loved it! Being in tune with the natural world was a wonderful thing, and her Mami said it was a pleasure that only Crest Kindness Angels could enjoy to the fullest, due to their enhanced sense of empathy. Doing the same in the Demon Realm might help her feel even more connected to the place, and give her another positive experience to tell her Mami about.

"I'd love to! But I'd need to check with Eda first. Is it alright with you too, Amity?" Luz asked.

Amity blushed as she imagined sharing a tent with Luz, huddling together for warmth in the cold of the Knee, training their magic together… It was almost too appealing. "YES!" she yelled, before catching herself and saying, "I mean, of course it's fine."

"Can I come too?" King asked, raising his claw.

"Definitely! The more the merrier, right Mittens?" Edric smiled. Amity nodded, having no problem with King's inclusion.

"Alright! I'll head home and talk to Eda, then call you later with her answer!" Luz said, beginning to run in place out of excitement.

Amity and the twins nodded and waved her goodbye, and Luz sped off back to the Owl House (after giving Ghost one last quick pet on the head).

She and King arrived to find Eda in the kitchen preparing lunch, while chasing down ingredients that she'd animated to try and make her life easier.

"Oh, hey Kid. Mind grabbing that runaway leek before Hooty gets it? You know what those things do to him." Eda said, wrestling an onion into the pot.

Luz giggled and snagged the remaining veggies with her vines, while King hopped onto the table and began excitedly asking her about the Blights' trip.

"A camping trip on the Knee?" Eda questioned.

"Yeah, the twins invited us and Amity said it'd be cool with her too. We want to get some training in before the Placement Exam." Luz answered, dumping the captured veggies into the pot.

Eda hummed; "You know, I've been thinking of taking you up there myself actually."

"Really?"

"Mmhmm. You haven't managed to find anything more about glyphs or angels in that Wittebane guy's diary, so I've been going over the theories about your weird adaption. The Knee is a place teeming with magic, so if understanding the magic and language of the isles really is the source of your strange powers, then I figured that might be a good place to test it out." Eda explained.

"So King and I can go?" Luz asked.

Eda nodded; "Sure. And I'm coming too! The Knee can be dangerous, and you have a knack for finding trouble. Considering you had to bail those Blight twins out of danger during your little library heist, I'd feel better if you had some actual responsible supervision."

"But we don't have anything like that, so you're the next best thing." Luz grinned cheekily.

Eda snorted and playfully flicked Luz's pointy ear; "Ha! You got that right! Now go tell Boots and find out where we're meeting."

Luz and King cheered and ran out of the kitchen to call Amity. One quick call later and everything was arranged; they would all meet on a relatively safe snowfield just beyond some ancient ruins near the summit of the Knee. The Blights were cool with Eda coming along, with Amity knowing it would be safer with the powerful witch present, and the twins eager to meet the infamous Owl Lady and potentially learn some tricks from her.

The rest of Friday was spent preparing for the trip, digging out some old warm clothes that Luz could wear to the Knee, and enchanting them so her wings could pass through them safely. They'd be bringing their own tent so as not to intrude on the Blights, and packed away plenty of food and elixirs just in case a rogue blizzard trapped them on the mountain.

Finally, after a restless night for the excited children, they all awoke and made their way to the Knee. Eda and King flew on Owlbert, while Luz flew with her own wings under an illusion again. However they didn't fly to the summit and instead landed on the Thigh, right below the beginnings of the snowy regions that led into the Knee proper. They would have to climb the rest of the way to reach the Knee itself. The climb wasn't particularly arduous; there was a decently maintained safe path they could follow so they didn't need special equipment to climb, but Luz and King still wondered why they couldn't just fly to the top.

"The winds on the summit of the Knee can get pretty intense. It's the highest point on the isles, and if you get knocked flying by a sudden gust then it's a long way down. It's safe enough when the sky is clear, but that can change fast, so its better to be safe than sorry." Eda said, now wearing her warm furs, which she'd changed into once they arrived at the Thigh.

Luz, who was also wearing her new winter gear, nodded in understanding; "I guess that's fair. I've not tested my wings against strong winds yet. Ooh, maybe when we get to the summit I can try it out! You can tie a rope around me in case things go wrong!"

"Maybe. But there's another reason for climbing it from the Thigh; it's tradition!" Eda grinned. "The earliest witches came to the Knee to develop their magic, drawn in by its natural power. The Knee is home to a lot of the Boiling Isles' wonders, both natural and witch-made."

"Oh really? Like what?" Luz asked eagerly.

"Well, there are a lot of ruins. There's the Caplacier Temple Ruins and the ominous Black Tomb inside, which is near out campsite. There's also Cartilia, a city built into the side of the Knee. That place is home to St. Epiderm, a super fancy private school. It's the best school on the isles for pure academics, but it's also the most stuck-up." Eda explained.

Luz listened, enraptured, but King just yawned; "Boring! Isn't there anything actually interesting up here?"

Eda smirked; "Oh, that stuff not to your taste, eh? Well there are a couple of natural wonders you might be more interested in. There's old Eclipse Lake, but no one really knows how to get there after the ancient mines collapsed. That place is said to be somewhere the Titan's power pooled to after it bit the dust, and old legends say that the first demons on the isles evolved there by feeding on the power. It's one of the Primordial Wellsprings, and the last one to not be confirmed to have dried out."

King gasped excitedly; "Really!? Eda, can we go find it!?"

"Didn't I just say no one knew how to get there any more? The mines all caved in years ago. I remember looking around last time I came here, but couldn't find my way through. No matter what tunnels I took, I ended up where I started." Eda explained.

"What exactly is this Primordial Wellspring thing?" Luz asked.

"Remember my lesson on demons?" King asked, "I said back then that these wellsprings, or pools, are where the Titan's flesh and magic became wild and uncontrolled, forming the first demons!"

Luz's eyes widened; "Ooohh, I do remember that!"

"It's kind of an oversimplification." Eda said, "King never sat still long enough for me to give the full explanation. The Primordial Wellsprings are places were each of the Titan's five humours pool together, creating a place absolutely teeming with magic. It doesn't actually create new life, it just causes mutations and rapid evolution in anything that doesn't have natural magic of its own to counteract it. The Demons of the Boiling Isles came into being because small creatures living on the Titan's body became infused with this power and began to evolve and gain intelligence. Creatures which came to pick at the Titan's carcass became Beast types, parasites already living on it before it died became Bug types, and those that had children with Witches created the Biped types. At least, that's the theory."

Luz and King listened with interest; "I see, so the Boiling Isles demons evolved thanks to these wellsprings… but does that mean the Demons in other parts of the Demon Realm don't have magic, or intelligence?"

"Of course they do! There's more than one Titan, Luz. The Boiling Isles isn't even the only Archipelago formed from one; it's just the most populated. Plus Demons who evolved away from the Titans still developed intelligence; they just didn't have the kickstart of Titan magic to speed the process along." Eda explained.

"Cool… I hope I get to explore it all, some day." Luz said wistfully, looking out across the vast snowy trail they were making their way across. The Boiling Isles were big, but they were only barely larger than places like Connecticut back home, and that was one of the smaller states! Compared to other island nations in the Human Realm, like the UK or Japan, the Boiling Isles were pretty small! So if the Demon Realm was even remotely comparable to the size of Earth, then there had to be so much more to explore! Luz hadn't even fully explored the Titan's right arm, where Bonesborough was located!

She was getting excited just thinking about it!

It wasn't much longer before the three of them reached the summit of the Knee, and both Luz and King gasped with delight as they looked out across the whole of the Boiling Isles. They were high enough that they could see just about everything, including the general shape of the Titan's body. It was a breathtaking view, and when they turned around, the Knee itself was just as captivating. Eda had led them to a snowfield occupied by trees and half-buried ruins, which Eda explained were the remains of Caplacier, an ancient, pre-Savage Ages city that had been abandoned and reclaimed by the elements over a thousand years ago.

Luz took a deep breath and felt her sternum and tummy tingling, as if the raw magic of the place was reacting with the glyphs on her skin. Luz cast a simple light spell and gasped with just how easy it was; it felt like her own magic was thrumming under her skin, eager to burst free and mingle with the ambient magic of the Isles. King felt something similar, as well as a deep sense of nostalgia and longing, that felt like it was creeping out from his very bones.

"This place is spectacular!" Luz breathed, "If it were a little warmer, I'd seriously live here!"

"Don't get too comfortable now! Today's a calm day, but when the weather gets bad, this place becomes a nightmare. Now let's go find Boots and her siblings." Eda said, leading her two young charges through the ruins of Caplacier in search of the Blights.

They weren't looking for long, as a sudden blast of pink flame came flying at them from a clearing in the ruins. Luz squeaked and hit the deck, dragging Eda down with her, letting the pink fireball smash into a rock just behind them.

"Oh my gosh, Luz! I'm so sorry! I didn't expect you to be there!" cried Amity, rushing over. Luz peeked out from the ruins and smiled, seeing Amity wearing cute earmuffs and a lavender winter coat, with Ghost tucked inside it, her little head poking out beneath Amity's own.

"No harm done!" Luz said, helping a grumbling Eda to her feet.

Edric and Emira waved to them from behind Amity, each wearing matching blue winter gear, with a large and ornate looking green and gold tent erected behind them. It looked more like a fancy tower than a regular camping tent, but Luz wasn't too surprised, given that the Blights were apparently rich.

Luz, Eda, and King walked over and joined them and Amity. "You need to work on your aim, Boots. But that was some decent power. I guess my sister has good taste in apprentices after all."

"Thanks, Miss Eda. And sorry again for the near hit…" Amity said.

"Enough of the Miss thing, seriously. Just call me Eda. I'll be supervising you ragamuffins and making sure you don't cause any trouble." Eda grinned.

The Twins looked surprised, so Luz leaned in; "She means any trouble that she wouldn't want to join in on." she whispered.

Edric and Emira smirked; "Oh, I have a feeling this'll be fun!" Edric said.

"Oh, before we forget; we should introduce you to some friends of ours." Emira added.

The twins then whistled sharply, and a pair of dogs came running towards the group from beyond the trees. The dogs weren't any breed Luz recognised, both looking like a mix between a Dobermann and a large grey wolf, with a more wolfish body and a Dobermann-like head and colouration. The Dobermann that came to a stop near Edric had a black left eye and a blue right eye, with a blue flame-like pattern on the right side of its body, while the one that sat neat Emira had a black right eye and red left eye, with red flame patterns on the left side of its body, mirroring its sibling.

"These guys are our Palismen." Emira introduced; "Mine is named Russ."

"And mine is Orthie. They're twins, just like us. We carved them ourselves from one big branch." Edric said proudly.

Luz squealed and began talking in excited Spanish, gushing over the two Palismen. She was on her knees between them, hugging them both and receiving plenty of doggy kisses from them in return, their tails wagging so hard that they were kicking up the snow beneath them.

The Twins smiled, glad to see their Palismen so happy. Because of their unusual breed and colouration, many witches were scared of them, but inside they were big softies, enough so that Ghost had been able to dominate them both and become "Top Dog" as it were.

"I was wondering how you guys got here without your parents! These guys are sooo cute!" Luz gushed.

"Hey, I want cuddles too!" King protested, shoving Orthie and Russ away so he could get some hugs. The others all smirked, but Luz obliged the little demon either way.

Once King had his fill of physical affection, Eda took him aside and created some simple ice barriers and a full-on ice version of the Slayground for him to run around and play in. Eda sold it to King as "a personal and easily repairable training ground" for him to practice his magic in, but really it was to keep the young demon occupied while the older kids threw around potentially dangerous magic. As Eda and King were busy with that, Amity showed Luz what she'd been practicing.

Pulling a small stick from her pocket, Amity used it to draw a spell circle and fire another blast of pink fire, melting some of the ice on the nearby ruins. "I've been wanting to learn a fire spell for a long time." Amity explained with a smile as Luz admired her handiwork, "And now that I've had TWO run-ins with that Mandragora, I've got a great excuse to start!"

"You're looking good! But what's that weird stick?" Luz said, peering at it curiously.

Amity blushed faintly with embarrassment; "It's a training wand. They work sort of like a miniature staff, and have magic of their own. That way someone can practice the mental part of a spell before they need to worry about the physical side by supplying their own magic."

Luz blinked; "Huh, nifty! But why not just use Ghost?"

"She makes it too easy. I barely even need to focus on the mental part of a spell when I use her, since she can read my intentions and act accordingly. I can't get better if I'm relying on her, so I want to master the spell with the wand, then without it before I start casting it with her." Amity explained.

"And it's a very grown-up and responsible decision." Emira chimed in, putting an arm around her sister's shoulder.

"Even if using a baby wand feels embarrassing." Edric added, putting his arm around Amity's other shoulder.

Amity gave her siblings a deadpan look, then suddenly ducked to make them lose their balance and crash into each other. Luz giggled as the twins ended up in a pile of tangled limbs in the snow, their Palismen doing nothing to help besides lick their faces.

"Using a training wand doesn't seem so embarrassing to me. It's just a learning aid, right? Like a calculator!" Luz reassured her friend.

"I don't know what that is, but I appreciate the thought." Amity replied.

At that moment, Eda came stomping over with a sly grin on her face, a look that Luz knew meant she was plotting something.

"Alright kiddos, Mama Eda has decided to bless you all with a one-time only training seminar!" she said grandly, using her staff to set off little magic fireworks behind her.

The twins oohed and ahhed, and quickly got to their feet to stand beside Luz and Amity as Eda continued; "Baby Blight's little fireball inspired me! So I'm going to teach you all about one of the most important types of magic; one that can reinforce your ability with all others! Elemental Magic!"

To punctuate her sentence, Eda conjured a ball of fire in one hand, a ball of water in the other, and then began to juggle them with magic, eventually adding a ball of spiralling wind and a ball of conjured soil. The teens were suitably amazed, and Eda dispersed her spells and continued; "Luz, what is the role of the elements in magic?"

Luz straightened a bit; "Magic in its rawest form, Wild Magic, is comprised of several different elemental forces. Elemental magic is the direct manipulation of these forces in their purest state." she recited, remembering Eda's lesson on this well.

Amity paled, and even the twins looked a bit uneasy; "Are you trying to teach us Wild Magic!?"

Eda shook her head; "Kid, if you know magic then you already know Wild Magic. All magic is wild, until "tamed" and sealed up by the Coven Sigils. But don't you worry; what I want to teach you is technically legal, since the elements are also components of the nine types of magic."

The Blights relaxed, and Eda continued her lecture; "Now there are eight elements, and combining them in different combinations make the nine types of magic. The elements are Fire, Ice, Wind, Earth, Lightning, Plant, Light, and Darkness. Now obviously Plant Magic uses the Plant Element, but anyone want to hazard a guess what elements go with the other eight types of magic?"

Luz raised her hand; "Well Healing Magic definitely uses the Plant Element." she said, remembering how bonding with the Plant Glyph unlocked her healing magic. She thought a bit more, then cautiously added; "And I think the Light Element is involved in Illusion magic…" it was the only other element she could use, and illusions (albeit only visual ones) were the only other kind of magic she could use well, beyond a handful of utility spells.

Eda nodded; "Good job Luz, you're correct. But you're missing a second and third element from both those types of magic. Any of you Blights think you can work it out?"

Edric and Emira exchanged a look then suggested; "Is Ice used in Illusions?" thinking of using ice as prisms to bend and manipulate light

"Not bad! You're right; the Ice element is used in illusion magic, as Ice is the element of change, and illusions are the art of changing reality. Can you guess the third illusion element?"

"Ooh! Is it Wind?" Luz asked.

Eda looked to her apprentice; "Explain your answer."

"Uh, well I can use light and my illusions are all visual, because sight relies on light. So illusions that effect sound or smell probably rely on wind because sound travels through the air, and so does smells. At least, that's my theory." Luz explained, suddenly not so sure of herself.

However Eda gave her a thumbs up; "Well done, my apprentice! You're exactly right! Wind is the third element used in Illusion magic, after Light and Ice. Beyond the surface reason you gave, Wind also represents desire, which is useful for shaping illusions to what you want! Baby Blight, can you guess the second element in Healing magic?"

Amity thought about it, then shrugged and suggested; "Light?"

It was a guess, but since Luz had light and plant elemental powers, and powerful healing magic, it made sense to her.

"Correct!" Eda said, "While Plant represents rejuvenation, restoration, and life, the Light element represents purification, positivity, and caring. As for the third element of Healing Magic… it's all around us!" she said, throwing her arms out wide.

"Ice?" the teens all said together, surprised.

"That's right! Ice is also the element of Water; the two are basically considered the same magically. They represent fluidity, change, and transition, as well as protection. So when you combine regeneration, protection, and purification, you get Healing Magic! Get it?"

Eda watched as the four teens thought about it carefully, smiling as she saw the moment it clicked inside their minds and understanding dawned on their faces. She was proud to see that Luz was the first to grasp it, the girl's eyes shining with delight as she looked at her hands, making the light and plant glyphs appear inside spell circles. The twins, alike in most things, were the next to figure it out, with Emira getting it just an instant before her brother. Amity was the last to grasp it, having only just started moving beyond the rigid and safe path paved for her, but she still got there in the end.

All the way until lunch, Eda continued her lecture on the elements and how they combined into the nine types of magic. She explained how Ice was also used in Plant Magic along with the Plant Element, since change and transition were an important part of growth. She explained that Darkness was the element of corruption, negativity, and death, and made sure to also express that Darkness was not evil, as such things were all necessary parts of the natural world. Corruption for one creature was purification for another (such as the lotus, that grew from muddy water rather than the clean water favoured by other plants), negativity was a necessary part of life, and needed to counter positivity, and death often led to new life, as was the case with the Titan.

Construction magic was formed from Fire, the element of destruction, passion, and warmth, and Earth, the element of strength, endurance, and determination. Potions also used Fire, as well as Ice and Plant, while Bard magic required Light and Wind, the element of freedom, faith, and desire. Abomination magic relied on Earth, Ice, and Darkness, while Oracle magic also used Darkness, along with Wind and Lightning, the element of emotion, intelligence, and instinct. Amity speculated that the presence of darkness in those two types of magic were part of why Luz couldn't cast them, as her magic relied on the elements entirely, and Light (which was an intrinsic part of her and all angels) and Darkness did not play nicely together. The last school of magic, Beast-Keeping, used the Plant, Fire, and Lightning elements, completing the set.

After this lesson, the teens, King, and Eda ate lunch together, then began working on some practical training, working to learn elemental spells whose elements matched their specialities; illusion for the Twins and abominations for Amity. Eda taught the twins some wind magic, allowing them to whip up small gusts of wind, or miniature whirlwinds, as well as outright gales if they worked together. She also taught Amity some ice magic, teaching her how to manipulate the snow around them into different shapes, and even putting her abomination training into practice by having her melt ice down to water and re-freeze it, similar to how she liquefied and solidified her abominations.

The Blights were learning a lot, but the same couldn't be said for King and Luz.

King had fun wrecking the training ground Eda had made for him, and watching as Amity practised her ice magic to restore it, but it frustrated him that he couldn't do more. He couldn't do magic like a witch or a biped demon, and while he was grateful for the glyphs, he felt like he was still too weak, and his goal of reclaiming his old power as the King of Demons felt like it was impossibly far away. Meanwhile Luz found that she couldn't use elemental magic at all, besides Light and Plant magic. She could just barely cast normal non-elemental spells by using raw magic without the elemental components (like how modern witches did), but any attempts to manipulate the elements themselves just seemed to fail! It was terribly frustrating, especially when she saw Amity and the twins progressing. It made her feel like a failure, and that she was impossibly behind. Sure Amity still needed her training wand to learn new spells, but that was still beyond what Luz could currently do!