Changeling Witch

(S2) Titan's Blood

In the emperor's lab, preparations were being made.

Green energy flowed into the rebuilt portal through tubes, causing it to glow as it powered on. The man operating it pulled out a mechanical key, hesitated, then set it into the lock.

It instantly crumbled to dust into his hands.

The portal powered down as Luz watched from the doorway. Little Miss, as she'd internally dubbed her new blue jay Palisman, fluttered onto her shoulder.

"Shoo!" she hissed, waving at her.

The man unexpectedly spoke. "Would you like to see how it works, Luz?"

Her heart briefly cut out as Little Miss turned back into her wooden state. "I—I didn't mean to hide," she stammered, tucking her into the folds of her cloak. "Sorry, Papa."

Emperor Belos turned around and gave her a smile.

He rarely ever removed his mask, but to anyone who would've seen him without it—and, indeed, to Luz herself when she was younger—he looked nothing like the all-powerful, imposing ruler that he was with it on. He just looked like a normal man, aging but not elderly, with a long mane of dirty blonde hair, a crooked nose, abnormally small ears, and a soft smile. He looked like someone you could sit down with and talk to. Someone who would care about you, no matter what. Someone wise, someone understanding, someone kind.

Two things ruined the image.

The first was the long, thick, green-and-brown scar stretching across his face, a living reminder of the curse that plagued his body. Luz always suspected that the scar was why he wore the mask—he was always secretive about his curse, and if there was one thing he hated, it was appearing weak.

And the second... was his eyes.

At first glance, they didn't seem that unusual. They were a calming shade of blue halfway between the color of ice and the color of the sky, and other than the heavy bags underneath that indicated a severe lack of sleep, they were nothing to raise your eyebrows at. But on second glance, you could see that there was no life in those eyes, no sign of mirth or anger or sadness or joy. They were empty. Cold. Emotionless.

Dead.

Luz had always been to ignore that when she was a kid—it was probably just a side effect of the curse, after all, and why should she worry? He wore his mask most of the time, only taking it off when nobody else was around. And who cared, anyways? He was her dad. Mud scar, zombie eyes, tiny ears—it didn't matter. Him taking her in, him keeping up with her allergies, him giving her The Good Witch Azura novels on the off chance that she'd like them, him giving her the staff and her status—that mattered.

But now... she wasn't sure.

"We found every piece of the door," Belos said, snapping Luz out of her thoughts. "But without the power of the real key, it refuses to open." A sour expression crossed his face at that.

"Is it true that rain doesn't boil in the human realm?" Luz asked, stepping closer. "And that the trees are green?"

"It is." A smile danced on his face for a moment. "You know, I've been there before. Did I ever tell you that?"

She gasped, eyes widening. "You have?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Papa! Why didn't you say so?" Luz said excitedly, instantly feeling at ease again. "Could you tell me more? What kind of tech do humans use instead of magic? What kind of food do they eat? How many languages do—"

He held up a hand. "Luz, what have I told you about the human realm in the past?"

"Um... that it doesn't have magic?"