A True Witch (Part 1)

Only a Human God

Luz let out a steady breath as a cool feeling washed over her hand. She had gotten distracted and sent an ice spike clean through her palm. Thankfully, Belos was able to quickly heal her up and make the scar fade away. Sure her palm now didn't have as much feeling, but it was better than having a hole going clean through it. Luz flexed her hand to get the feeling back in it and nodded, satisfied with how well Belos was able to heal her. She drew a spell circle and repaired her glove, thankful that most clothes in the isles were made of organic material and thus could be repaired with plant magic.

"You're getting a lot better, Little Light. Much stronger than I thought you'd be at this point."

"Yeah tell that to all the scars you handily hid." Luz chuckled with a mix of joking and sarcasm.

"I'm serious. I've been helping you for just over a month and yet your magic is more varied than mine ever was and is getting to be as strong as your friends were before you met them."

"You really think my friends only got stronger because of me?"

"Not just because of you, but you helped. You have a habit of befriending prodigies. Your friendship just helped them realize it."

Luz flushed slightly from all the praise, thankful that Belos thought so highly of her.

"Thank you, Philip."

Suddenly Luz thought to check the time and was filled with panic.

"Mother of Titan I'm late." Luz sighed.

Quickly, Luz dissipated anything she had made while training, including the blood stained ice spike, and left the cave in a rush, leaving her bag behind. She ran down the beach, through the woods, and into the hideout. As she got inside she took off her pin and tucked it in her pocket.

Luz went through the halls and eventually got to the training room. She slipped behind a small wall of mats that were standing on their ends and used a spell Eda had taught her to instantly change. When she walked out from the mats, she was in a long sleeve exercise shirt, leggings, athletic shoes, hair tied in a bun, and fingerless gloves. She looked around, trying to see if anyone else was there. She quickly realized Hunter was, in fact, there when the invisibility glyph he used faded and he swept her legs out from under her, sending Luz falling face first into the foam padded floor.

"And that's what you get for being late." Hunter said with a smirk, standing with his arms crossed, already changed into his workout clothes.

"Yeah, yeah. I get it." Luz chuckled, turning over and sitting up, "Now can you help me up?"

"Once you tell me why you were late, sure."

"I was taking a nap and overslept." Luz lied

"Yeah no, I know you get less sleep than me. Try again."

"I was with Amity and lost track of time."

"Once it hit 10 minutes past when we were supposed to start I asked her and she said she didn't know where you were. Just tell me Luz honestly, why were you late?"

Luz's mind began trying to think of what she could say next that wouldn't make him not believe her, or get mad. He seemed to be in a good mood and it was always hardest to get things past him when he was actually doing good. So she couldn't lie, but she also couldn't tell him the truth because, Titan knows out of everyone that'd hate her the most working with Philip, it would be the person abused by him. So, really, her only choice was to give a good old lie of omission, which had been a bit of a go to strategy for her basically ever since she got back to the isles.

"Okay, okay, I was practicing magic on my own." Luz sighed, "Now can you help me up?"

Luz extended her right arm to Hunter. He paused for a moment, then grabbed her hand and pulled her up.