Author's Notes: So now for something new; I've had a brainworm about making a new AU and I couldn't decide on what kind of universe fusion could work so you get to decide. This will be one of three Fics of Kai the Star Child; Whichever one is the more liked will be the one I can continue or otherwise I can do all three…I hope you enjoy reading as much as I like writing it.
"Mrs Noceda, I understand that creativity is important but I cannot keep ignoring this behaviour forever." Principal Hal said with a tired tone to a mature looking woman in a nurse's uniform and then glanced to a sheepish looking girl with a doll of a witch in one hand and a live snake in the other mumble something about a book report.
Camila Noceda then looked to her daughter as she tried to think of the right way to explain what comes next. "Mija, I know you like to express yourself and show your imagination at work…But you need to be able to separate fantasy from reality as well, you know this isn't the first time that it's gotten you in trouble."
"I know, Mom…And I do try to play it cool but every time I get caught up in stuff, I just…" Luz tried to simplify how her head worked but so far: flipping her eyelids at cheerleader practice, making a Gryffin with spider breath and using sausage link in a school play was by no means easy to explain.
"Luz…I think maybe we should start considering an alternative to try getting you on track for more practical thinking…We can discuss it at home though, Principal Hal said you can leave early but I will still need to pick your brother up after practice before we can-." Camila explained and smiled a little but the sudden clearing of the principal's throat made it apparent that the discussion was far from over.
"Actually Mrs. Noceda, we need to discuss your son's behaviour as well. I was going to bring this up on the last day of school but…Unfortunately these circumstances aren't something that can be held off anymore." The Principal explained as he tapped the buzzer for the secretary outside of his office. "Nicole, please have Kai brought in now."
A few seconds later, the door opened up to show Kai Noceda walking in with a rather nervous look on his face; The older brother of Luz was a little taller than she was due to being in a higher grade, most people were polite enough not to point it out but Kai's broader body, short dark brown hair that nearly looked black along with his piercing blue eyes made it abundantly clear that he was adopted or at least a foster child. "You…wanted to see me?"
"Kai, you know exactly why you're here." The Principal said with a pointed tone that was typically reserved for people who had return visits to his office. "And unfortunately this is something that I have to bring up with your mother about."
Kai took a seat next to Luz with a concerned thought as he felt Camila's worried but equally serious stare on him; If his little sister was there than there was no doubt that she got a grilling too. "Jeez…If it was just Mom here then I could at least try to explain fully but Luz is just gonna feel worse…"
"Kai, what happened?" Camila asked as she was starting to become concerned that the Principal had something worse in mind for her "son".
"Johnny Mortenson was trying to get to me along with his friends…They kept saying things about me and about Luz but I tried to ignore them." Kai tried to explain things and for the most part he was telling the truth; Though it didn't take a genius to recognise that Luz and Kai weren't blood related which made the jokes and comments all the more fun at school.
Camila nodded along as she heard him out; Granted she knew that Kai was the more sensible of the two but she was also aware that her son had a short fuse when it came to bullies. "So what happened?"
The room was silent as Kai felt ashamed that it wasn't just Camila and the principal who were here to witness it but also Luz. "I…"
"It was my fault!" Luz stammered as she got out of her seat and had a rather determined look on her face. "Johnny and his friends kept making fun of him for being adopted and kept trying to push him but I tried telling him to leave Kai alone!"
"Luz, stop it. I'm the one who made it worse, you're just gonna get in trouble too." Kai tried to stop her before she continued to talk.
"No Kai! It wasn't fair that you were being ganged up on." Luz argued back; It was one thing for people to either ignore her or pick on her for being weird but she wasn't going to stand to the side when people made fun of her older brother. "I tried to get between them and stop what was going to happen but he grabbed me by the hair and told me to butt out." She detailed further which earned a widened gaze from Camila and a look of internalised anger from Kai as he remembered what happened.
"Juro por Dios que si alguna vez conozco a los padres de este niño…(I swear to God that if I ever meet this child's parents...)" Camila mentally growled to herself as more of the story unfurled itself; "And you or the teachers didn't see a problem during any of this?" She asked the Principal with a barely contained hint of anger in her voice.
"This happened during the lunch hour, teachers were still wrapping up from previous classes and if I may be perfectly honest, our school isn't due for more staffing until the next semester." The Principal explained with a grimace on his face; "We keep an eye on particularly noteworthy students and treat them accordingly."
"So those other guys are going to be talked to as well?" Luz asked as even she could note the problem.
"They will…But right now the biggest issue is handling Kai's lashing out." Principal Hal explained and then pulled out a small pile of thin folders. "Because this isn't the first time that this has happened at this school."
Camila frowned when she saw this comprehensive pile of Kai's screwups; With how the conversation was going, this was bound to happen. "I thought the agreement was we move past these incidents once apologies were given and Kai improved his temper."
"I would agree but the issue lies in that these problems remain unresolved despite that…Which is why we need to address Kai's behaviour before it escalates into a more dangerous situation." The Principal explained which had both Luz and Kai jumping out of their seats.
"But that's not fair!"
"They're the ones who start it all! This is complete bullshi-" Kai started to get more and more frustrated but dialled himself back before he let loose something that'd get him in trouble.
"Kai…" Camila said warningly before gesturing for him and Luz to sit down again. "Principal Hal, I understand that Kai and Luz have been having…difficulties with things recently but you really can't blame all of this on them."
"Mrs. Noceda, I have been seen by the other kids' parents and they have threatened to sue if something isn't done about your son…This needs to be fixed otherwise we may not be able to take Kai back after Summer." The Principal explained with a rather apologetic look on his face; While it was true that Kai didn't start the fights every time, the older Noceda was still the one who finished it and the Principal was still the one who had to explain to the parents why one of their darling little angels were needing expensive dental treatments after "Some vagabond" ruined their faces.
The car ride home was a very tense, silent one as Luz and Kai were given the ultimatum: Go to Reality Check Camp and iron out any sense of quirkiness or find another school to attend. "This is ridiculous…Why is it that Kai gets threatened with expulsion for protecting himself and me but they'll overlook kids getting their lunch money taken or beat up for liking different stuff?" Luz grumbled to herself as she had to externalise some of her outrage but she knew that her mom wasn't exactly the right person to vent to it about right now.
Camila on the other hand wasn't any happier about one child getting told she would be made to attend camp for being "Weird" and the other having to join her for being bullied and lashing out. "Kai…I know we've been over this in the Principal's office but I still want to know; What exactly was it that made you angry like that? I thought we practiced how to better manage yourself after the incident with Carlo."
"It's nothing mom…It's a stupid reason now that I have time to think on it…" Kai said and kept his eyes averted from Camila's gaze through the rear view mirror, however his adoptive mother wasn't letting this go.
"Mijo, I know you're lying…" Camila said as she kept one eye on the road and the other on him; "I know that you've been getting better at not rising to bullying but I don't think that I've seen you get this worked up before…What's done is done but all I want to know is what made you react like that." She asked with a more caring tone in her voice; Kai had anger issues in the past when it came to being picked on and the worse it got was when Luz or his status as adopted was brought up. She and their dad made sure that they could help him try to get a lid on his temper which seemed to work for the most part, however she also knew that kids could get vicious when they wanted to be mean.
Luz looked equally as upset about it as her brother did since she had been present to hear the whole thing and it was no better the second time around.
"They took the necklace that Dad gave me and said that they were gonna smash it since I like it so much…And then said that I had bad luck with parents…" Kai admitted with his fists clenched tight and his body tensed from remembering just how much that pinched the raw nerve.
Camila was hoping that what those kids said was just a joke taken too far but when she realised what this really ended up being, she had no words to try questioning further though it gave her a small amount of solace to see that silvery gem around his neck showed that he truly cherished his gift from Manny. "Well...You two have camp tomorrow but I'll make sure that you don't leave feeling down about things….How about Sancocho for dinner?" She offered as she tried to cheer the mood up a little; A small smile made itself known on Luz's face while Kai looked more relaxed on hearing that made it better for them to enjoy themselves.
Packing was pretty simple since no one wanted anything big or grand/creative at the camp due to most of the activities revolved around the mundane and the less-than-interesting.
Kai was sat outside sitting on top of his bag wearing a large black zipup hoodie that had a gold star on the shoulder, a pair of well worn dark blue jeans and black sneakers with white wing patterns on the side. He was currently staring at the light show caused by the glimmering stone in his necklace as he held it up to the sun, Luz on the other hand was still staring at her Good Witch Azura book that she kept hold of religiously.
"Come on, you two…This is a chance for a new start!" Camila said optimistically as she walked between the two in her vet scrubs. "You're gonna be able to learn a lot at this camp and come back with a lot of helpful skills like…" She wanted to give the kids something to enjoy and read the pamphlet but the whole thing was so dry that even she couldn't help but feel like this was a little much. "Uh…Balancing chequebooks or appreciating public radio…Those help out a lot more than you think."
"But I can't just give up everything at this camp…I want to still enjoy magic, fantasy and making dope music videos to anime clips online." Luz said with a small amount of protest; Part of her acceptance for this excursion was so Camila could be happy with her and so that Kai didn't have to suffer through what would be mind numbing anger management exercises.
"I have to side with Luz on this one, mama." Kai agreed as he looked up from the book; "Real life's good and all but no imagination means no more excitement and wonder at the world around you…I can't imagine living without my Bonedock Saint series or no Adventures of Mightyman…" He admitted as he placed a bookmark in the paperback. "I know that you want us to be more grounded in real life but why not just let us balance it out ourselves instead of having some stuffy knowitall telling us how to appreciate things."
"Kai, the other part of this is so you two can better adjust yourselves and make some new friends….Do either of you have friends who aren't imaginary or animated?" She asked as Luz slumped in embarrassment before looking to Kai. "Or a walking science project in a pinstripe suit?"
Kai felt the back of his neck burn before nodding along; "Si mama…" The two siblings mumbled a second language affirmative as said mom checked the time.
"Okay, I've got to get going to work…You two make sure to get that bus and call me when you get there." Camila said quickly before pulling Kai in to kiss his cheek and did the same for Luz as well before walking to her car. "Cuídense mucho ustedes dos...¡Pasenla bien! (Look after each other you two…Have a good time!)" She called out to them before opening the door.
"So much for needing this…" Luz sighed as she took her Azura book and placed it on top of the trash and then watched the road for the bus to arrive.
"Luz, come on…It's not like we're gonna say bye forever to this stuff…We'll just manage around things." Kai pointed out as he got up to pick up his bag while Luz had second thoughts and shuffled back to the trash can to grab her book.
"It's gone…"
"The bus hasn't arrived yet, it can't have gone." Kai pointed out but then saw Luz's weirded out expression as she hunted through the trash for her book. "H-Hey, Luz…Seriously, now's not the time fo-"
"Tiny Trash Thief!" Luz cut him off excitedly as she started sprinting towards the woods at breakneck speed; "Kai, come on! This weird little gremlin stole my book along with a buncha trash!"
Kai took another glance left and right for the bus but saw that it was clear for now at least. "Luz, seriously we have to get th-Oh the hell with it, wait up!" He called after her as he ran after his younger sister, brushing past the snapping of twigs and snagging himself on thorns, branches and eventually coming out to see what looked like a derelict house that the tiny creature had entered and Luz following quickly after. "Luz, hold on!" He yelled out before she vanished into the splintery doorway.
After Kai took a brief moment to contemplate whatever thought made him do this before following after her; He was hit with a bright flash of light and suddenly found himself somewhere dark, musty and surrounded by junk. "Huh…Just like the basement back home." He thought as he carefully moved around; "Luz?" He whispered to call out for her but found nothing. "Luz! Dang it, Luz! We need to get back before we-"
"Why would I eat a potential customer?" An older woman's voice called out as as she opened up what looked like a stall at a bazaar. "Hey, I can offer you all kindsa stuff like this human candy." The gold fanged woman hawked as she held out a handful of what looked like AA batteries.
"Wait…Those are batteries." Luz pointed out as she turned one over in the odd woman's hand before showing her what they do by plugging it into an old portable TV. "You haven't ACTUALLY been selling these as candy ri-KAI!" She started but then changed her focus as she saw Kai trying to look for her in the crowds and waved him over before pulling him into a tight hug. "Oh, thank god I didn't lose you out here…I thought I ended up in the bad place."
Kai let out a grunt as Luz pulled him in and squeezed but ultimately smiled and pat her head; "Hey, come on…This isn't that different from when you got lost at that convention and I had to play "Which Stand is Luz At?" for an hour." He joked which earned a pout from his little sister while the gold fanged woman wandered up to them. "Besides…You know I've always got your back."
"Hey, look at that…You're already pulling in more customers, Kid…Pretty good for a Human." The woman remarked as she sized up Kai while counting the odd coins in her hand and lightly gestured at his ear; "So what's your story, you her bodyguard?"
"I'm her older brother so in a way, yes…Who exactly are you?" Kai asked as he was naturally defensive about this woman hanging around Luz. "Plus calling us human is oddly specific when you look exactly like us." He mentioned as he glanced to see all of what had essentially been junk that he'd find in a dumpster.
"Garbage lady? Oh kid, I am NOTHING like you two~" The woman remarked and snorted as she flicked her hair with the bandana on her head coming off to show her pointed ears; "I. am Eda the Owl Lady!" She declared as she climbed on top of her stand with a puffed out chest. "The most powerful Witch on the Boiling Isles!"
"Witch?" Luz asked as she felt her own excitement rising. "Kai! Kai, you know this is exactly how most fantasy novels start!"
"Uh huh...Or she's one of those weird ladies that collects garbage and got her ears modified…" Kai mentioned as he remained suspicious of the whole thing, though he did have to admit that Witches didn't seem all that out there when there were people with mismatched bodies, part-animal people and other assorted weirdness around. "Well, At least they're friendly…I think…"
"I am the most respected, feared and-"
"BUSTED!" A thick arm came from out of the crowd as an armoured guardsman smashed the tv and sent everyone scattering. "Eda the Owl Lady, you are under arrest for blatant abuse of Wild Magic and deliberately operating without a Coven Sigil!" The Guard explained as he held up a wanted poster of the woman who looked more menacing than the dishevelled looking one standing in front of him.
"Dang it, Lilli…" Eda growled under her breath as she glared at the guard; "Okay, Coven Sigil is something I'll own up to but I haven't done squat with "Wild" Magic so butt out!"
"Ooo, Witch Criminal~!" Luz said with hushed excitement as she peeked out from behind the table before getting pulled back down by Kai.
"Luz, Focus!" Kai whispered to her; "We need to get out of here, we're already going to get in enough trouble as it is if we miss the bus." He mentioned as he gestured to the tent that the pair came from.
"And as for you!" A second guard came up from behind and grabbed Luz by the hood; "You're going with her to the Conformatorium for fraternising with a criminal."
"Gah, hey! Let me go!" Luz struggled as she tried to flail about and get free but failed.
"Alright, alright! You guys win…Lemme just get my stuff…" Eda relented as she reached down under the table.
"Take your staff but leave the rest, it's coming with us so you don't cause any trouble." The Guard said though he was quickly floored as an ornate looking staff with an owl bust smacked the guard on the head and knocked him to the ground.
"Same thing." Eda quipped as she pointed her staff at the other guard who was holding on to Luz. "Alright, ugly…I whooped your friend so put the pipsqueak do-"
There was a sound of wood hitting head as Luz was dropped and the other guard fell down like a ton of bricks; Standing there was Kai with a bat that had broken in his hand from swinging too hard and a peeved look on his face as he gripped it tight. "Don't. you ever. touch my sister like that!" Kai growled as he then helped Luz up. "You okay there? Sorry I just lost it when that lump grabbed you by the neck" He asked after calming down and then looking around for any guards who heard the commotion.
"Damn, kid…You're a lot gutsier than I pegged you for." Eda complimented as she grabbed onto the suitcase with an eye on it along with her bundle of junk. "But that was probably a bad idea since now more are probably coming…So hop on and we can hightail it out of here!" She explained as she climbed onto the staff and pat the back. "Don't worry, Owlbert here can hold up to three but I'd still suggest holding on tight."
The trio made their escape but both humans were equally scared stiff at the idea on flying a staff; Luz was currently clinging onto Kai like she was about to fall while the older brother was gripping the staff for dear life. "So what the hell is this place? It doesn't look like anywhere we know of back home." Kai asked as he was looking for anything to distract him from the zero defense measures that came with flying.
"This, my violent little friend is the Boiling Isles. Every myth you humans have ever thought of is caused by a little of our world leaking into yours…" Eda explained as she gestured to a flock of winged creatures plus a Griffin moving past before barfing up spiders.
"HA! I knew it! Suck it, Mrs Cramden!" Luz cheered as she felt more at ease now that she was in her element. "Gave me an F on the Biology homework she gave me…" She explained as she looked back to Kai who was currently staring at the Isles which were literally built on a gigantic decomposing body.
"So…What's the deal with the body? I don't think I've seen anything make an island out of this." Kai asked as he gazed at the horned skull near the top.
"Well…It's kind of a long story but The Boiling Isles was made on the body of a Titan, it's because of that and part to our influence of the Demon Realm; You humans were able to know about Griffins, Vampires…Giraffes." Eda waved off the question for the time being as she could see the house up ahead.
"Hold on…Giraffes? The long necked animals from Africa?" Kai asked with a raised eyebrow. "They're like THE most harmless thing that anyone could think of."
"Propaganda…We actually had to banish those guys from here, bunch of freaks…Anyway, this is our stop here." Eda cut them off as Luz climbed off though Kai was looking shaky on his legs as he felt solid ground under him.
"Okay, that's something I didn't expect to-AH!" Luz said to herself but screamed in fright when she saw Eda's hand separated at the wrist still holding onto the staff.
"Oh, right…Yeah, that happens sometimes." Eda waved it off as she reattached it and moved her fingers around like it was nothing. "Still, now I can show you where you can lay low for a little."
"Well, I've had enough adventure for today. This is clearly not the age appropriate fantasy world I dreamed about. So, can you help us get back home before we get in trouble?" Luz asked as Kai peered up at the house ahead with the damaged looking tower.
"Details, details~ Now boy and girl, we've reached my place." Eda announced as she threw her hands up to the abandoned looking house with an owl's face sticking out of the peephole. "Alright, Hooty…I'm back."
"Hoot Hoot! Password ple-OW! Alright alright!" The door spoke indignantly as it was poked in the eyes by Eda's manicured fingers and then opened up with a disgruntled Hoot.
As soon as the two siblings crossed the threshold, the house came to life with magic as the broom swept up dust on it's own, the engraved Owl Beast on the ceiling flickered into light and the fire lit itself. "Alright, Boy and Girl…Welcome to the Owl House!" Eda announced as she shut the door and noted the look of awe. "Man, is the world back home really that boring if this'll surprise you?"
"It's not boring…" Kai mentioned as he looked around but felt a little grossed out was he touched the wall and felt what was probably Hooty's breathing resonating.
"Our world just doesn't have magic." Luz finished as she gazed at the shelf of spell books; "100 Ways to cook a puppet squid…101 ways to magic prank your coworkers?" She mumbled out loud but then looked to the house's owner; "Wait…If you're the most powerful Witch around then why stay all the way out here instead of some magic mansion?"
Eda snorted as she dropped herself on the couch; "I may be powerful but I'm not rich…Besides, out here I can avoid a number of things; Tax collectors, bounty hunters…exes…" She explained and then her body bounced up off the ground before landing on the couch again without her even flinching; "Plus I've got a roommate to keep an eye on."
"Who dares disturb my sacred dominion?!"
Luz felt her whole body seize up as she hid behind Kai nervously at the sudden threatening.
"Because those that do can never escape…" The voice continued to grow as from it's source emerged from around the corner; What looked like a small dark furred dog with a horned skull on it's head emerged in a bath towel and holding on to a rubber duck. "The King of Demons!" The supposed King bellowed as he squeezed the rubber ducky, allowing it's menacing squeaks to ring out his arrival.
Kai felt like he knew what was about to happen as soon as he saw the creature that barely came up to his knees at horn height. "And….5, 4, 3, 2-" He mentally counted down before he heard his little sister's captivated gasp and then sidestepped without looking back as Luz darted past him.
"¡Ay, que lindo~!" Luz squealed as she sprinted forward before scooping the little creature up into her arms and engulfing him in an enamoured hug. "Oh my god, Eda! He's so goshdang cute!" She said with the biggest smile on her face as she gazed down at the King's equally shocked and confused face. "Who's a widdle guy? Who's a widdle guy~? Is it you? Is it you?" She cooed energetically before squeezing him again as Eda laughed at the sight while Kai merely recognised how Luz's mind worked when it came to little critters.
"Kai, this is The King of Demons…His name is King and he's been my roommate for ages." Eda introduced the two as she watched King getting smothered in Luz's unauthorised snuggles. "He is part of the situation that I want the two of you to help me with."
"No! I don't know who your little guy is! Eda, who is this monster?!" King protested as he squirmed and struggled in Luz's surprisingly strong nerd arms. "YOU! Tall One! Obey my commands and remove this grabby beast!" The Fluffy Fiend demanded at Kai as he pointed a claw and tried to assert himself which made no change as he remained both ignored by the older brother and stuck.
"Hold on…What exactly do you mean by situation? And why exactly does he look like that if he's supposedly some grand Demon?" Kai asked as King finally accepted his fate in being Luz's snuggle buddy.
"He wasn't always like this, someone stole his Crown and it transformed him into the adorable lil goobus that you see right now." Eda mentioned as she used some of her Magic to illustrate the story. "As it stands; The Crown is currently being held by the Warden Wrath in a forcefield that can only be crossed by someone who doesn't have any magic to repel….aka A Human, luckily for this little guy here, we currently have two."
"Wait…I'm not exactly sure about this "Situation" thing, what exactly are you gonna have us do? We just wanna go home." Luz pointed out as she started to take things seriously; "You CAN get us home, right?"
"Of course I can…You do this for me and I'll make sure that you two get back to…Wherever it is you wanna go, Witch's promise." Eda mentioned as she placed a hand over her heart.
"Plus it's not like you have any other options, we're kinda your only choice here." King added as he clambered up onto Eda's shoulder.
"If you can get us home then we'll do it…Besides it's not like we can refuse anyway, Luz can't say no to a face that cute." Kai snarked as he looked to King.
"Don't encourage her, Tall One! Her grabby hands are too strong to repel." King complained as Eda playfully squished his face.
"I mean, the kid does make a good point…Besides I can assure you that this will be as simple as it is a sure thing." Eda promised as she let King down and started to head for the door before stopping to ask them something; "You kids are okay with trespassing on private government property, right?"
About an hour or so later when the sun had gone down, the four would-be intruders had settled on one of the outside perimeters to the Boiling Isles' home of detainment and restraint of deviants: The Conformatorium. "Seriously…How are we supposed to break into a place like this?" Kai asked as he took note of the numerous living spotlights and guards around.
"And with you around too." Luz mentioned before turning around to see Eda's posters splattered all along the walls in case numerous differently sized creatures wanted to cash in. "Man, these guys REALLY have the hots for you."
"What can I say? I have that Wild Bad Witch charm~" Eda boasted as she smirked widely and flicked her hair, earning a look of pride from Luz, confusion from Kai and an unamused look from King. "So, here's the plan…Since I'm the big ticket, I'll keep the guards and the Warden distracted…While that happens, you two sneak in to their vault and get King's crown back."
"I get that but…How exactly do we climb several stories?" Kai asked as he looked up to see a high tower where a window was. "Humans can't fly and last I checked, I'm just about tapped out for growth spurts."
"I could've one time…But SOMEONE decided to stop me from jumping off the shed in our old house." Luz said with a pout and glowered comically at Kai.
Kai sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose; "You were eight and very lucky I was there to catch you…Better that you got a band-aid for a scraped arm than stitches." He pointed out as he fired back at Luz.
"Alright, alright I get the idea." Eda stopped them before the two squabbled, tapping the butt of her staff on the ground to make a platform fall under the two and rose them up. "Make sure you're both careful!" She called up to them before rushing off.
"You guys can disguise yourselves right?" King asked as he hid in Luz's backpack. "Because I'm pretty sure that you guys stick out even for around here."
"Well, we just need to hide our ears, right?" Kai suggested as he pulled his hood over his head and tugged on the strings to make it snug around his head in case of wind. "People'd think we're just regular…Witches?"
"Oh! I've wanted to do this for ages!" Luz grinned as she flipped her own hood up; "Meow, meow!" She said and used her fingers to flick up two sewn on cat ears.
"Wow…That is hideous…It'd work great!" King vouched as the platform stopped to let them through the window, the smaller beast laughed as Luz tripped over herself and planted her face in the floor. "Ha! Cats don't do that at all."
Kai carefully climbed through as he watched around for any sentries or guards. "Let's just keep going before we get caught, I think Eda can buy us a few minutes."
"Probably more if you use that Concealment Stone…Come on…try thinking of something to hide us better!" King demanded as he reached over to grab at Kai's necklace but shrank back when he saw Kai swing his arm out to bat King's hand away.
"Don't touch that!" Kai snapped with an angry look and gripped onto it tight in his hand, earning a scared look from King and a knowing look of sympathy from Luz.
"Kai, take it easy…he didn't mean anything." Luz assured him as she started stroking his back gently to try calming him down. "Don't worry, bro…I'll help make sure no one takes it here or at camp." She promised him and smiled a little as they continued to walk in silence.
"Hey…Uh, I didn't mean to rile you up like that but if that's a magic stone then we can use it…Right?" King asked after a few minutes as he decided to apologise when he felt guilty.
After he had a moment to calm down, Kai looked to King with an apologetic look on his face. "Look, I-I'm the one who should be sorry but…I just don't like people touching my necklace." He admitted as he tucked the necklace under his shirt before marching on deeper.
"What's a Concealment Stone, anyway?" Luz asked as the three walked with each other, keeping careful watch in case someone was around.
"They're little magic rocks that can hide things with their influence…having one means that you can disguise yourself without a spell." King explained; "I 'unno the whole story but right now we need to get my crown back!" King remarked as he rushed on ahead to sprint up the stairs.
"King, hold on!" Luz protested as she rushed along with Kai in tow as they moved up the floors until they reached a higher area where the holding cells were.
"Hey, Cat girl…Tall guy, how'd you two get out of your cells?" A woman's voice called out from one of the cells as a few inmates came out to peek at the new sight; The woman was snaggletoothed and had a gold band around her neck, the second was a large and rotund being with multiple eyes in various parts while the third was a literal head on a pair of legs.
"Oh, I'm not a cat." Luz remarked as she pulled her hood down as she went over to them with Kai following.
"And we're not criminals." Kai added as he looked around; "Seriously, what's with all these cells? Just how bad is crime here?"
"Heh, join the club…This place isn't a jail for people who steal or do bad stuff…This is for the people who don't fit in or get in line…I'm Katya, by the way." Katya mentioned as she leaned against the bars. "The whole reason I'm locked up here is because I write fanfictions."
Kai raised an eyebrow; "They throw you in jail for that? I get some fanfics can get a mob raised but it's not THAT dangerous."
"I know! I just write about food falling in love…I like my food and I love love, just let me write about it!" Katya groaned as she was glad Kai understood that it wasn't THAT much of a problem.
"I'm here because I eat my own eyes." The rotund being mentioned as he plucked an eye out of his head like a grape in a fruit bowl before popping it in his mouth, the munched eye then reappeared in one of the empty holes in the creatures head.
"Okay, that one's a little more to unpack…But it doesn't hurt anyone at all, at least not you." Luz mentioned as she then looked to the little one who looked like she was about to burst.
"We are agents of fwee expwession! We will never be siwenced until we weveal the twuth of the world around us!" The tiny being ranted as she paced back and forth.
"Conspiracy theorist?" Kai asked Katya with a raised eyebrow.
"Nailed it in one."
"The world is a simulation! We are but playthings for a higher being! And this world is born from another strange being's weird and confusing imagination!" The tiny one further exposed her theories to everyone's growing confusion.
"Hold on…None of these are actual crimes, you guys are just weirdos with outside the box passions." Luz explained as she put the pieces together.
"Just like us." Kai added though he was stopped by a sudden thumping as something large was coming their way.
This brought Katya into a state of panic; "That's Warden Wrath, hide now!" She warned them as she pointed to a cell next to her that wasn't populated.
Kai and Luz ducked into the cell and shut the door as soon as the large bolted door opened up to expose the imposing Warden who could hear the sounds of spirited talking and came to investigate.
"I can hear you…" The Warden growled as he peeked into the cells of the current inmates; "What's got you in a frenzy…I already told you before that you're not getting out!" He barked as he leered at each of them.
"F-Fight against the oppwessor! We will wesist! We will conquer! We will never be afwaid of you, you old cweep!" The tiny being cried out in nervous defiance and was rewarded by her cell door opening up. "Oh…Hooway, I'm fwee now!"
"Wrong…" Warden Wrath growled as he made a giant hand grab her and squeeze her tight; "You're coming with me for insolent talking…And for the rest of you, if you want to join her…Then be my guest." He threatened before slamming the door behind him.
Kai glanced out and then lifted up the lever to open the cell door; "Eda's distracting that guy? I don't know if I should be impressed or worried for her." He mentioned as he looked to the others; "Alright, let's see if we can get you guys out."
"Don't bother…We'll just end up caught again and it'll land us in more trouble." The Eye Eater complained as he sat on his bunk.
"Bullhonky! We're busting you out of this joint!" Luz said stubbornly as she tried to push the lever up to open their cells but the problem with weak, nerd noodles that Luz called arms meant that no one got out.
"You know we can help." Kai mentioned as he walked over to the cell door that held Katya, "You don't necessarily have to fit in with everyone else…You just need to be you and that's all that matters." He stated and began to push the lever up with a grunt, the lever than jerked upward and opened up the door for Katya to escape.
Katya looked at him, both sad and equally happy that someone could relate decided to spare him and his sister from getting into worse trouble. "Look, it's not that we don't appreciate the help but it'd make us feel bad if the Warden catches you two because of us." She explained and stayed on the inside of the cell. "If we stay here while the doors are open then we might get less punishment, so just…Get out of here while you've got the chance, guys. Make sure you enjoy freedom for us…" She surrendered before walking back deeper into her cell.
Luz could see Kai's confliction and then walked over to grab his arm; "Come on, we have to go…if that Warden guy comes back then WE get in trouble too." She pointed out as the two walked together to try catching up with King, Luz was still equally hesitant about leaving what she saw were innocent people behind even though she tried to be the one to stay focused for a change, though while the two were gone; Katya peeked her head out of the door and then decided to try making a decision.
The two Nocedas climbed up the stairs and found King rushing down the hallway with Eda floating through a nearby window. "Hey, perfect timing." She said as she climbed off her staff and glanced around; "So turns out we got a lucky break, the Warden's off punishing some prisoner so we have a golden opportunity."
Luz nodded before walking along without saying anything, getting a confused look from Eda while Kai was equally unresponsive.
"So…What's with the mood? Earlier today, she was bouncing around like a bag fulla beans…Now she's like…just the bag." Eda asked as she leaned in to Kai while they walked behind her.
"This is just…A lot to accept, is all." Kai admitted as he looked to Eda; "Is it like this for everyone here? To just…"Get in line or Get in jail" and that's the end of it?" He asked as he glanced back to the hallway they came from. "These people aren't doing anything wrong, they're just…different."
"Well…" Eda started but then sighed; "Emperor Belos isn't exactly the chaos embracing kind of guy, he wants order and everything to fall neatly in a pile…that's kind of why he wants everyone to fit in." She explained and then looked to Kai with a small smile; "But you don't have to worry about a guy like that…Neither of you do, you can help us get King's crown back and then I'll help you two get home like I promised."
Kai nodded as he followed on after as King scrambled through a door that was labeled "CONTRABAND" to the sound of zapping and Luz yelling at King to stop whatever it was that he was doing. "Alright, let's just get going before your little guy hurts himself."
Inside of the room was King happily giggling to himself and holding on to a stuffed rabbit along with Luz looking particularly peeved while holding something in her hand.
"A Burger Queen Crown?" Kai asked as he walked over to Luz and saw the paper crown in her grip. "You broke us into a Prison and risked me and my little sister getting caught, just so you could get him a paper hat?!" He turned his frustration to Eda who looked more than sufficiently guilty that they weren't fooled by the crown.
"I uh…Yeah, that's pretty much it…" Eda muttered as she rubbed her arm nervously, feeling like Luz and Kai were boring holes into her for the risks they took just to help her.
"Look, does the crown actually do anything for him?" Luz simply asked as she placed it down next to King.
Eda realised that this wasn't the time to try pulling the wool over their eyes anymore and decided to go with the truth. "Who am I kidding? Look at us… King and I don't exactly have much besides each other. So if that dumb crown is important enough to him, then it's important to me too and besides, us weirdos have to stick together, you know?"
Luz felt a little better knowing that this was more of a friend helping a friend and less of a scam while Kai rummaged through the other piles and found a metal baseball bat. "You could've just been honest with us and we'd have helped more…Or Kai could've at least helped to plan things out."
Eda snorted a little; "And what? Tell you that breaking into a high level prison to steal a paper crown is a good idea?" She quipped before finally getting to her feet; "Well, real or fake doesn't really matter now, we owe you guys one. Now, let's get going before the warden finds us and loses his head."
"Or rather…You lose your's!" The Warden rumbled as a blade appeared in his hand and then swung straight across Eda's neck; Separating her head from her shoulders and landing in Luz's arms with an expression like a bad Halloween prop, causing the girl to scream out of fright.
"Luz! We gotta go, NOW!" Kai yelled as he grabbed King in his arms and started to make a run for it but stopped when he heard Eda groan in pain. "What the…?"
"E-Eda…Are you…Okay?" Luz asked as she examined the separated head to try looking for some kind of trick or hidden whatchamacallit that she was using.
"Yeah, I'm cool as a cubecumber…This kind of thing just happens when you get older."
Both Kai and Luz looked at the severed head with shocked and confused worry. "It does?!" The two Nocedas asked her.
"Phew…Now then, I finally have you cornered and right where I want you, Eda the Owl Lady." Warden Wrath remarked with what sounded like a smirk but the plague doctor looking mask concealed it while holding King's crown. "My guards could never get you, but I knew if I took your pet's toy, you'd come running…" He gloated and then slowly crushed the paper crown in his hand.
"NO! MY CROWN!"
"Okay, seriously; What is with you?! I haven't broken any of your dumb laws….At least not to your face." Eda quizzed the Warden as she wasn't in the best mood after watching King getting sad.
"Oh, you still don't get it…I don't want you because I want to throw you in jail." The Warden explained cryptically as he stomped over towards the group. "I want you…To go out with me." He elaborated as he pulled out a bouquet of flowers to nearly everyone's surprise.
"What?" The collective thought was put into words.
"You are one of the most wanted women in the Boiling Isles and you were always the one who got away." Warden Wrath further explained to everyone's confusion. "I found that alluring~"
"Kai, what is this?" Luz asked as she was unnerved by this impromptu love confession, this certainly threw her for a loop even for the more passionate shipper out of the two siblings.
"I don't know but I hate literally everything this guy is saying." Kai stated bluntly and kept ahold of the bat. "Hey buddy, word to the wise; Physical violence is not the precursor to romance!"
"YOU stay out of this!" The Warden snarled as he made a multi-tentacled arm swing out and swatted Kai hard into a nearby wall before grabbing Luz with it to hold her captive while eyeing Eda's head in his other hand. "The most powerful witch of the Boiling Isles and the feared Warden Wrath would be something that no one would dare cross! We'd be the strongest power couple ever, so how about you just go ahead and say yes. I mean, it's—it's not like you can say no right now."
"Eda…Don't!" Luz grunted as she tried to struggle free while Kai was putting in every effort to get up after being knocked around.
"So let me get this straight; You had your guards following me around, you smashed King's stuff and then cut off my head….All because you wanted me to date you?" Eda asked as she dangled by her hair.
"Well, when you put it like that; You make me sound like a jerk…But if you say no then I'll just squish this little imp and put you in a cell until you decide to take up my o-"
CLANG!
Eda's face changed to confusion as she saw Wrath collapse over with Kai panting heavily and gripping his bat tightly. "Kid?"
"Eda, we need to go…before he gets back up…" Kai warned her and then froze when he heard the Warden groaning before smacking him again and again with the bat to knock him out. "You can fly us out of here if I hold on to King, right?"
"Duh, you're talking to the Owl Lady, just get my staff and I'll handle the rest." Eda said as she looked to Luz who grabbed the staff and ran over with Eda's body on her back as best she could carry.
"Okay, how do we do this?" Luz asked as she handed Eda's head to the wandering body. "Uh…Levitatus? Fly away? Shazam?"
Eda rolled her eyes as Kai and King grabbed on to the staff as well. "Gun it, Magic Stick!" She yelled as the staff burst to life and flew off with the group in tow.
"Seriously kid, I've said it before but you have got to be THE gutsiest or the stupidest guy around for trying to take on the Warden without magic." Eda explained as she helped patch Kai up once they got back home and Luz ended up going to bed.
"Well, the guy had you by the hair and Luz in those weird tendril things…I wasn't exactly gonna sit and watch." Kai pointed out as he winced a little from Eda bandaging his chest.
Following the fight that they had gotten in; Kai managed to severely bruise his chest and cracked a few ribs from hitting a stone wall hard enough to crack, it took some of Eda's healing potions and bandages to at least keep him in good condition but it did raise a curiosity in Eda at how durable he must be. Currently he was sat in a chair with his shirt off and several bandages wrapped around his barrel-like chest
"So tell me kid…What exactly is that stone around your neck?" Eda asked as she took notice of the necklace; "King told me about your…thing earlier."
"It's just a necklace…I don't really think there's anything that special about it, no magic or anything." Kai explained as he decided to explain a little. "It's a gift from my dad back in the Human World and it's just important to me."
"Alright, you're done…Just try not to go swinging a bat at any other big government figures anytime soon." Eda said as she pat his back; "I know your sister said that you guys were gonna stay and try to learn magic but you're still a human…that whack did a number on you so head to bed and I'll think of some jobs for you two tomorrow." She mentioned and then watched him vanish up the stairs to be alone with her thoughts. "Dealing with Warden Wrath was not on my to do list but these kids are really something…Though something feels…weird about the tall kid; That hit he took from the Warden should've turned his bones into dust, I'm gonna have to keep a close eye on those two."
When Kai carefully snuck in to his room; he saw Luz in her sleeping bag with King at the foot of it and headed to his on the other side of the room to place his phone to the side; It had a picture of Camila pulling Kai and Luz in a hug as the wallpaper which always seemed to make him smile. "Cuidaré de mi hermana, mamá... Te prometo que estaremos a salvo. (I'll watch over my sister, mom...I promise we'll be safe.)" He mumbled to himself before zipping up the sleeping bag and drifted off to sleep