𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐛𝐢𝐞 | 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝

[26]: 𝙀𝙙𝙖'𝙨 𝙍𝙚𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙚𝙢

"𝘓𝘶𝘻 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘵, 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴..."
Eda mumbled to herself, sitting at her vanity as she waved her diamond-pen around before looking up. The woman smiled at her reflection, chuckling.

"Oh you've changed, Owl Lady." 

She plucked a photo off the frame of her vanity's mirror, smiling softly at it. The image was of Luz, King and her during grom, the younger two smiling as she stared at the camera with a surprised glance.

"It's worth it..." She muttered, before hearing counting from outside her window.

Eda looked down in curiosity as she opened the main window to the Owl house, leaning her head in her hands, seeing Luz and King doing sit-ups on her staff, the two counting as they smiled brightly.

"And six, and seven, and eight, and nine, and ten!" Luz glanced out in exhaustion before smiling down at King. 

"Alright King," Luz glanced down at the hanging demon.

"What's the first thing you're gonna do when you meet your dad?"

"And ten-thousand!" King exclaimed, sitting upright. "Well, once we're done training, I'm gonna move out of that closet, that's for sure."

Eda's eyes widened in surprise, listening in on the conversation between the two.

"Then I'm gonna ugly cry. Hard!" King continued.

"Have you told Eda about your decision to lea–"

King cut Luz of with a hush, the two looking up as they had heard the shutting of a window before conversing once more, Eda hiding below the window to avoid being seen.

"I– I'm not ready yet..."

Eda heard King's muffled voice, frowning.

"I'm not sure how she'll react."

The woman sighed sadly, walking towards her vanity, glancing at the photograph sadly.

"Everyone's leaving, huh?" She picked the image up. "Even King."

She kneeled before a chest, slamming a fist on the lock as it dropped off.

"I guess I'm no substitute for the real thing."

She lifted the lid, halting when she spotted a guitar, the woman stuffing the photo in her hair leaning in to pick up the instrument.

"Welp, nothing like a good distraction."

She smiled, plucking the strings, the magic spreading around the room as the items in her room began to float, glowing.

Eda, who was so focused on plucking the instrument, missed the floating objects until a candle holder passed by her face, the woman glancing up in surprise before gasping.

"Has my magic returned?"

Unfortunately for her, she missed the dark glow in her gem as a book turned grey, the once-floating items dropping.

"Oh. Guess not." She frowned, placing the instrument back in the chest.

"Stupid curse."

She then slumped in her chair once more, oblivious to one of the potted plants, the shrub turning grey as it corroded, smoke coming from the item.

•

Luz stood at the edge of a cliff, looking down confidently as she held Eda's staff in hand, King on her shoulders as she jumped off.