Authors note: well this is it, the final chapter. I've had so much fun writing this so I hope you enjoy.
Side note there's a bit of Spanish in this chapter but it's all gotten from google translate so if any of it is wrong please let me know.
Luz POV
I took in the sight in front of me. The familiar woodland path. The trees that made the oxygen that fed my lungs. The leaves gently littering the ground showing it was nearing the start of fall.
I was back on earth.
I took a deep breath and took it all in.
And then someone crashed into me.
I was knocked to the ground by a sudden and unexpected force. When I opened my eyes I rubbed the side of my head and look to see what had knocked me over. What I wasn't expecting to see was the green haired girl I was so familiar with.
"Amity?!"
"Hey Luz." She said sheepishly.
"What are you doing here?" I ask her as I help the girl to her feet.
"I don't know. I wasn't thinking I saw you going through the portal and just...well followed." Amity explained.
"Well you should probably go back." I say as I grab the key, ready to reopen the portal that had closed when she came through.
"But what if I didn't?" Amity asked.
I looked at her questioningly. "What?"
"Well you want to tell your mum about the boiling isles anyway right?" She said. "Well your story would likely be more believable if you had someone from the boiling isles there with you."
"That... actually makes a lot of sense." I say. "Man you're super smart Amity."
Amity blushes a little at the unexpected compliment but then smiles. "Well I am the top student at Hexside for a reason." She says confidently.
"Speaking of." I say. "Can you do magic here?"
"I dunno, let me try." Amity tries to draw a spell circle but instead the purple lines just flicker before disappearing.
She pouts and tries again with more effort and she's able to summon a small abomination.
Amity turns to me. "Barley, try your glyphs."
I pull out a light glyph and tap the centre, but instead the paper just shrivels up.
"Welp, guess we can't show my Mamà any magic."
"Well we can just show her the key and open the portal instead." Amity suggests.
"Yeah that'll work!" I say excitedly.
I grab Amity's hand and we run towards my house.
Amity POV
"Omt I'm going to meet Luz's parents!" I thought to myself. Well her mother at least. Weirdly enough Luz had never so much as mentioned anything about her father, maybe he's not around? Either way I'm still freaking out.
Obviously I want her to like me because I care about Luz but what if she doesn't? Then suddenly a realisation pops into my mind and I stop dead and Luz is jerked backwards due to holding my hand.
"What's up Ami?" She asks.
"What're we gonna do about my ears?" I ask gesturing to the pointed ends of my ears.
"Nothing." Luz says. "When my Mamà sees your ears we'll tell her about the boiling isles and show her it."
"Are you sure your Mum will take it as well as you say she will?" I asked, slightly concerned.
"There's only one way to find out and with you here I'm sure she'll understand." Luz responds.
I didn't really know what she meant by that last bit but I'm still gonna stay by her side. No matter what.
We approach a one floor house and stand at the bottom of the stairs staring up at the door.
"Are you ready?" I ask the human girl.
Luz takes a shaky breath and then a deeper more steady one.
"Yeah." She says and then she knocks on the door.
Camilla POV
I finish putting the last bowl away after washing up. It was a little past 10 and I had finished cleaning up after breakfast when I hear a knock on the door.
I open the door and am filled with happiness as I see my 14 year old daughter looking up at me.
"Hey mom." She said nervously.
"Cariño, ¿cómo está mi lindo rollo de cinimon de una hija?" I say as I pick Luz up, spin her around and kiss her on the top of her head.
"Mamá, para, para, estoy bien, me estás avergonzando" Luz says giggling as she tries to escape my grasp.
"¿Avergonzado? delante de quien?" I respond.
"Um, hi Ms Noceda." I hear a small voice and I look back at the door to see a girl, about the same age as Luz, with brown and green hair. She nervously extends her hand.
"Ah I'm sorry I didn't see you there." I say as I shake the girls hand.
She gives a nervous smile. "I'm Amity, Amity Blight."
"Ah did Luz meet you at summer camp?" I ask.
Amity's eyes dart to my daughters who nods and walks round me to stand beside Amity.
"Well Mom there's something I need to tell you about t-that." Luz stutters but Amity grabs her hand for reassurance.
I raise an eyebrow and Luz takes a deep breath. "I didn't go to summer camp." She confesses.
"What do you mean?" I asked, completely confused by what she is telling me.
"If you haven't been at summer camp, where have you been for the last 3 months?"
"It's hard to explain." Luz says.
"It's easier if we show you." Amity added.
I simply nod, now a mix of concern and confusion swelling through me.
Luz pulls a strange looking key out from around her neck and presses some strange circle that resembles an eye on handle.
Suddenly a door, which the same eye like symbol on it, folds out a suitcase that the key turned into.
"que diablos acaba de pasar" I say under my breath.
Luz approaches the door and opens it. On the other side a white glow shines out through the door.
My daughter gestures for me to go through it.
Dumbfounded, I comply, gulping loudly as I close my eyes and walk through the door.
When I open my eyes I'm greeted by the view of water below a cliff side that I'm suddenly standing on.
I hear the sound of a door closing and I turn around to see Luz putting the strange key back around her neck. Behind her was a strange house with a large circular glass window above a door with an owl head on the front. Behind the main part of the house seems to be part of a stone tower.
"Luz what is this place?" I ask.
"This is the boiling isles." Luz says. "Where I've been for the past 3 months."
"Luz I don't.." but before I get the chance to finish I'm interrupted. By an owl face.
"Luz you're back already hoot hoot." The bird says as it neck extends until it's beside Luz. This strange display almost makes me vomit.
"Yes Hooty I am." Luz says petting the bird tube.
"Who's this?" The creature says as it extends it neck further and wraps itself around me.
Before anyone actually gets to answer the birds question I promptly fainted.
Luz POV
"¡Mamá!" I yell as I run towards my collapsed mother.
"Mierda, mierda, mierda, mierda! ella se desmayó estoy tan muerto!" I hold my now unconscious mother as Amity comes up to me.
"Luz calm down." She says softly.
"What's with all the noise!" We hear an annoyed voice coming from the door where hooty's face is extending from.
"Some of us are trying to get some sleep, oh Luz you're back."
Eda sees me, Amity and Hooty surrounding my unconscious mom and Eda snorts.
"The reunion on Earth went well then I see."
"Eda this is serious!" I complain and the owl lady just rolls her eyes, takes a sip from her mug and draws a spell circle and my mom starts levitating and Eda leads her to the couch and turfs a sleeping king off it (much to the demon's annoyance).
"So what're your doing back already kid?" Eda asks me.
"Well we decided to show her the boiling isles instead of showing her magic cause our magic wasn't working on earth for some reason." Amity explained.
"Oh I should've mentioned that." We hear the voice of Nick say as he leans on the door way leading to the kitchen, Lilith standing next to him.
"Those two have been close a lot lately" I think to myself but shake my head and don't dwell on it, it's not relevant right now.
"Well actually I didn't think I'd need to mention it as Amity going with Luz was not exactly shared with the class." He says sarcastically.
"So why didn't our magic work?" I asked.
"For magic to be cast on the human world it takes a much more intense magical output." Lilith explained.
"But Nick said he was using illusion magic the whole time!" I argue.
"Yes but that was only a small alteration to my ears." He explained. "And thanks to my large magic sack it could take the drain, and I could turn it off when wearing my military helmet or when no one was around, like with most of my mercenary jobs."
"Luz! Amity!" We hear new voices running down the stairs. It seems that Willow, Gus, Boscha, Skara, Viney, Jerbo and the twins never left either.
"Mittens what were you thinking?!" Emira scolds her sister.
"Well I wasn't really thinking at all." Amity said sheepishly.
"Aww cmon sis she didn't wanna see Luz go." Ed teases. "I say it's super romantic."
Amity blushes and I smile but then I hear my mom mumbling and I turn to see her staring awake.
"¡MAMÁ!" I yell as my mom props herself up against the arm of the couch.
"What happened?" She asks. "Where am I?"
"This, hot stuff, is the owl house." Eda says. "And I'm the bad b*tch who lives in it."
My mom shook her head a little and rubbed her eyes and then she spots Amity, who awkwardly looks away and scratches the back of her neck.
"I wasn't dreaming then." My mom says. "We really are in another world?"
"Yep." I say.
My mom locks eyes with me. "So you've been lying to me? For 3 months?" My mom asks. She doesn't sound angry, she sounds heartbroken which feels even worse. I feel tears start to prick at my eyes and Amity grabs onto my arm to try and comfort me.
"To be fair Ms Noceda." Nick begins. "If Luz had told you she went through a door that sent her to another dimension where magic is possible and she's been enrolled into a magical school, would you have exactly believed her?"
My mom falls silent then back at me. "Magic?"
"Yes." Eda says as she draws a spell circle and summons a small ball of light from thin air, to which my mother gawks in amazement.
"And Luz can do it." Eda continues as gestures for me to demonstrate.
I pull out a glyph and tap the centre, a small ball of light floats up and it hovers above my hands and I show it to my mom who looks at it with interest.
"And you've been safe here?" My mom asks.
Ed scoffs "hardly." Before his twin sister elbows him.
My mom raises an eyebrow and I sigh. "I may have had to fight a few people and am now an enemy of the emperor." I confess.
"What!" My mother yells.
"Mamá please let me explain." I beg but my mom ignores.
"No way, I'm taking you back home and you're not coming back. Ever!"
At this the tears threatening my eyes come pouring out.
"Luz." Amity says softly but I break down and fall to the ground. This was my worst fear realised. I'm never going to see my best friends, my mentor, the only people other than my mom who have ever made me happy ever again. I don't think I can handle this. No I know I can't handle this.
I felt my mother grab my arm with her trying to drag me along demanding to taken back home. It feels like the walls of reality are breaking, everything in my life, my new friends, the ability to learn magic, it's all crumbling away in an instant.
Then I hear the surprisingly calm voice of my mentor attempt to diffuse the anger in my mother.
"Ms Noceda please calm down, Luz enjoys it here and before you drag her to the human world at least hear our argument."
"Why in hell should I ever consider letting my daughter stay in this place?" My mother yells.
"Because she saved me." Amity says.
All eyes fall on the Blight girl.
"What do you mean 'saved you'?" My mom asked.
Amity takes a deep breath and the twins shoot each other concerned looks.
"Mittens you don't have to." Em says but Amity holds up her hand, showing she's okay.
"My parents were abusive." Amity says and a look of horror falls across my mothers face but Amity keeps going.
"They were violent, overbearing, controlling. They decided when I studied, if I didn't meet their standards I was hit, if I spoke back I was hit, I was hit for liking women and if I didn't eat when they told me to or ate when they didn't tell me to I was hit. I still can't eat normally thanks to them."
My mother looks at me and I nod my head, confirming Amity's story.
"Luz saved me, she got me out of that house and she helped me become a better person, a less cruel person, less cold."
"She's helped us too." Willow adds gesturing to her and Gus, who nods his head.
"She helped me get into the class I wanted and helped me and Amity fix our broken friendship."
"She helped me gain the confidence I always wanted and she taught me more about the human world than I would've ever learned on my own." Gus says.
"She taught us to be less cruel to our sister and to stand up to our parents." Ed and Em says.
"She helped me and Jerbo do all the classes we wanted instead of just one." Viney explains.
"Me and Boscha are becoming nicer to people in general, only thanks to Luz's intervention." Skara grins and Boscha scoffs and looks off.
"She helped me realise I was fighting for the wrong side." Lilith adds.
"I revive plentiful amounts of belly rubs which is much enjoyed." King says.
"See, Ms Noceda." Eda says.
"Camilla." My mom says quickly. "My name is Camilla."
"See Camilla." Eda says again. "The boiling isles may be dangerous but Luz has already had an incredibly positive effect on so many people here."
"And take it from someone who's spent significant time in both the human world and here." Nick says. "The dangers may be different but in many ways the human world is just as dangerous as this one. "
Camilla sighs before turning to me. "I'm sorry cariño." She says. "I didn't realise how important this place has become to you."
"Mom for the first time in as long as I can remember I'm truly happy here." I explain.
"I'm living out my dream of learning magic and the friendships I've made here are more meaningful and important to me that any of the ones I've ever had on earth."
My mom gives a nod of understanding.
"I understand cariño. I suppose if you really are happy here, I wouldn't be a very good mother if I took that away from you." My mom smiles at me and my eyes widen with excitement.
"Really, you'll let me stay here?!" I say excitedly.
"Yes." My mother says and I throw myself into a hug with her and she spins me around.
"gracias mamá te quiero mucho" I say happily.
"One condition though Luz." My mother says and I look up at her.
"You visit the human world at the very least once a week."
"Of course." I say and my mom smiles.
"And you're always more than welcome to visit." Eda says as she winks at my mom who blushes slightly.
"So the human isn't leaving then." Boscha says, pretending to be annoyed though I detect a little happiness in her tone.
"Nope!" I say and everyone cheers and starts dancing around with each other.
Willow and Gus launch themselves at me and wrap me up in a 3 person hug and I distinctly hear Gus crying from overwhelming joy.
Eda ruffles my hair and King jumps up and down, demanding to be picked up which I oblige in doing.
Hooty spins around the room happily and I shoot a glance at Lilith and Nick who give me a small smile.
Skara, in excitement wraps Boscha up in a hug, the three eyed girl tried to scramble free as her cheeks light up.
Viney and Emira share a kiss of happiness as Jerbo giggles at his boyfriend who has already started teasing his younger sister.
I feel my phone buzz and my looked at it.
Dad is calling
I feel nausea fill my stomach mixed with fear so I hang up immediately.
"He's a problem for later." I think to myself.
I meet Amity's eyes and both she and i start to blush a little as we smile at each other.
I'm not sure what the future holds for me and Amity. The only reason we aren't dating is because we thought I would be staying in the human world but now that's not an issue.
Well there's no reason to rush, for the first time we have exactly that...
Time.
Time enough for love.
Meanwhile
Alador POV
Me and Odalia kneeled in front of the golden stairs leading to the Emperor's throne. The giant green heart beating at a slow rhythm above us with the Emperor sitting atop his throne, giant blue flames behind him.
"So, I am to understand that not only did you fail to capture your daughter back, as well as losing the loyalty of your other two children, despite all the assistance awarded to you, but you allowed the key to the human world to fall out of your control." The emperor says with a cold fury as he taps the arm rest of his throne.
"Our deepest apologies your worthiness" me and my wife say at once.
Belos let's out and aggravated sigh.
"Your sire." I say as the emperors green eyes lock onto mine.
"Where is Zoe?" I ask.
The blue haired teen had been mysteriously absent ever since me and Odalia had awoken. I'm more than positive she had been the one to knock us out and she had been in possession of the key, we had tried to explain this to the emperor but he still found our failure inexcusable.
Suddenly the Emperor closes his fist and I feel a tightness grip my throat, stopping me from breathing.
I claw at my throat, desperate for air but not receiving any. My wife's eyes remain fixed on the ground In front of her, a smart play, if the emperor detected or suspected anything other than totally loyalty to him she would also be punished.
"I would be more concerned with your own situation Alador." Belos hisses as he releases his grip and i collapse forward and gasp for air.
Belos takes another sigh.
"Kikimora is currently dealing with the girl."
"We can fix our error your worthiness." Odalia says.
"Yes you will." Belos says.
"This time however your goal will exclusively be the obtaining of the key and the elimination of the human, the mercenary and the owl lady, as well as that traitor Lilith. I no longer desire them as trophy's I want them dead, understand?"
Me and Odalia nod our heads fearfully.
"I do not particularly care what happens to the humans friends as well as your children, therefore if their presence threatens your ability to complete any of the tasks set for you, I order to you to eliminate them.
At this my eyes widen and I look at the emperor.
"What?" I say quietly.
"You are to kill your children if needed." The emperor says again.
"Is that understood Alador?" Belos says viciously.
I lock eyes with Odalia who simply nods her head and I meet the Emperor's furious gaze.
"Understood. Your worthiness."
The end...
For now.
Authors note: and that's it, the final chapter of time enough for love.
It has been a true joy to write this and I do have a sequel planned but it's in the very early stages of development.
I truly hope you enjoyed reading the story as much as I did writing it and I hope to see you all in the next one.
Have a good day and goodbye.