Chapter Text
Luz found potions class to be a lot more complicated than she expected. She should’ve seen it coming, considering she was mixing substances she had never even heard of before. It was like walking into an AP chemistry class without any kind of science prerequisite. Thankfully for her, she had Willow and Gus as lab partners. Most groups only consisted of two witches, but since Luz was a shadow, she could join in with the existing group Gus was in, which happened to be with his best friend.
Gus got very passionate about teaching Luz about the ins and outs of potions, and his face beamed whenever Luz would make a connection to some human realm equivalent to whatever liquid or other ingredient they were discussing. Willow, however, mostly kept to herself, vigorously taking notes and adding to the potion brew without saying a word to her lab partners. Gus and Luz would occasionally question her or try to spark a conversation with her, but her responses were dry and brief.
Things took a turn for the worse when a familiar figure came into the room about 15 minutes past when class started- a girl with mint green hair and black lipstick. Willow’s heart sank.
“Sorry I’m late,” Amity told the professor. “Mx. Graves pulled me aside before I got to class to talk with me. I have an excuse note.”
Willow furrowed her brows. Amity seemed so nonchalant about her excused absence after having lied on Boscha’s behalf. She was the one who almost got her in trouble! She desperately hoped that Mx. Graves tore her a new one. She deserved it. She longed to see Amity’s scared face as Mx. Graves performed the most horrifying necromancy spell as punishment for her terrible deed.
No, she couldn’t think like that. She was letting herself get too heated, and it was distracting her. She brushed off the negative thoughts, turning her focus back to her potion brewing. Even if Amity made her blood boil, she couldn’t let it get to her. After all, Boscha was the one who started everything. Everything was always Boscha’s fault. If that jerk would just walk a mile in her shoes for even a day-
“Um, Willow?”
Willow snapped out of her thoughts, jerking her head towards the one addressing her. “Yeah, Luz?”
Luz subtly pointed to the ground beneath Willow. “Is that normal?”
Willow raised an eyebrow. She then looked to her feet, and she nearly jumped out of her boots at what she saw. Roots sprouted out of the ground, wrapping around her feet and ankles. She quickly moved and kicked them away, trying hard not to smush them in the process.
She looked back at Luz, smiling awkwardly. “It’s fine, it’s fine! I think it’s just a little stress, but it’s nothing to worry about. Anyway,” she picked up her book, “I think we need to use a few arcanal leaves for this mixture. This’ll help give it its distinct aroma that’s important in taking on the calming effect it's supposed to produce.”
“Oh… okay,” Luz said, hesitantly. She turned to Gus, asking if he had any of the leaves Willow mentioned.
Satisfied, Willow returned to her textbook, taking more notes and looking for anything else she needed to know about the potion she was brewing. Then, she felt an itch on her leg. She looked down to see the plants reemerging, creeping even further up her leg than before. She tried to kick it away, but her leg got caught, nearly causing her to trip.
She got a few glares from around the room, including from Gus and Luz. She looked around, panicked, and soon locked eyes with another girl staring at her. Amity. She felt her body quiver a little. “What are you looking at?” she said.
Most students, not wanting to get involved, returned to their work. However, Amity still kept looking for just a second too long. Willow clenched her teeth. “That means you, too, Amity. Mind your own business.”
Amity quickly darted her eyes away. “I was. Now leave me alone, I’m trying to work.”
More and more roots began to come out of the floorboards, slithering across the ground. “Is that all you have to say to me after almost getting me in trouble?” Willow shouted. Her eyes began to glow a sickly green. Luz and Gus looked at her, briefly exchanging panicked glances with each other.
Then, the roots sprouted into vines, shooting in every direction. Cauldrons and beakers were knocked over, leaving a mix of odd-smelling gases and liquids scattered across the room. Then, a vine grabbed Amity, wrapping around her like a tentacle, and pinned her against the wall. She grimaced, trying to break free to no avail.
“Willow, stop it!” Gus stuttered. “You’re gonna hurt someone!”
Willow looked back at him, a few tears starting to swell in her glowing eyes. Her angry frown fell into an expression of pure distress. “I… I can’t. I can’t control it.” She clutched her hair with her hands as vines began to wrap all around her, spreading outwards to knock over everything in their path. Luz and Gus backed up, and Willow quickly ran before she could let any of her vine barrages hurt one of them. She sprinted out the door, becoming entangled in a never-ending sea of vines that sprouted from her feet.
Luz and Gus exchanged a glance before running after her. Once they made it into the hallway, though, Willow was gone. In fact, most of the hallway as they knew it was gone. It was replaced by a maze of vines, ferns, and flowers, suffocating the halls into a claustrophobic embrace. Vines continued to jut out of the walls, leaving a lot less room to navigate through the thicket.
Navigating the transformed school left Luz’s head spinning in confusion. She was already unfamiliar with the school’s normal layout, but the crowded hallways of invaded plants left her feeling trapped. She had Gus to navigate, but it was still somewhat difficult even for him.
Gus spotted a couple of roots freshly emerging from the ground of an already thick jungle. “She went this way,” Gus pointed out. “She should be close.”
Luz turned to take a step toward Gus, but she halted when she heard a peculiar sound in the sea of vines behind her. It sounded vaguely like the scraping of metal, but with the sploshy sound of a goopy liquid. Then, a thicket of bushes and vines right behind her was swiftly cut down, revealing an angry-looking Amity. She was covered in bruises and heaved heavy breaths. In her right fist was a purple machete that seemed to have been formed by abomination matter.
Luz backed up, barely breathing. Amity gave her a nasty glare. “Where’s Willow?” she demanded.
“Like we’re gonna tell you,” said Luz. “You gonna cause more trouble for her?”
“Last I checked, she was the one who pinned me to the wall with plant magic and turned the school into a jungle. Look, I’m not here to cause her trouble. I just want an apology and to get her to release whatever spell that created this mess.”
“ You want an apology from her ?” Gus retorted. “Maybe you should apologize first for selling her out like you did in history class.”
Amity’s expression briefly faltered. She took half a step back, her eyes widening with the slightest hint of remorse. She then adopted her cold demeanor once again. “Fine,” she said. “I’ll apologize and then get out of her hair. As long as she stops… all this.” She gestured to the hallway around them.
Luz stood silently for a moment, trying to get a read on Amity. She found herself just as confused as Willow had seemed to be. Finally, she motioned for Gus to lead them on. Gus hesitantly complied, leading Luz and Amity along the trail that Willow had left for them.
After crossing through the next hallway, their footsteps slowed as vines and roots continued to form around them, creating several tripping hazards. They struggled to keep their balance, and they found themselves ducking under branches that jutted out of the walls and ceilings. A branch suddenly sprang from the wall, slapping Amity in the forehead and causing her to trip.
“Are you okay?” said Luz, quickly scurrying to her side to help her up.
Luz offered a hand, but Amity simply picked herself back up. “I’m fine. I can take care of myself.” She walked off to catch up with Gus. Luz, sighing, followed.
“Uhh, guys?” Gus called out as the others were still lagging behind. “Look at this.”
Luz ran past Amity to Gus’s side. “What is- oh.” She found herself staring at a giant, carnivorous plant that looked very similar to Larry, but with an even larger stature.
“Is that Larry or… a different man-eating plant that happened to grow from Willow’s plant magic?”
“Whatever it is, I’ll take care of it,” said Amity. She spun a purple spell circle, reshaping the abomination machete into a more rope-like object. She spun it around, trying to entangle the plant creature and trap it like a bug in a spiderweb.
Gus panicked. “Wait, Amity, stop that, or it might-”
It was too late. The creature roared angrily, breaking free of Amity’s trap and splattering muck everywhere. It jutted its stem outward, quickly hovering over Amity before opening its jaw, revealing a gaping void of teeth and acid. It reached over to take a bite out of Amity, but just before it could, she vanished.
The creature halted, looking around in confusion for its prey. Luz shared its confusion, also looking around for an answer until she saw Gus with a light blue spell circle hovering above his finger. She recognized it as the same type of magic Adrian used.
“Amity, run!” Gus called. Footsteps could be heard on the ground as grass and flowers were flattened. Once he determined that Amity was far enough, he dropped the spell, revealing Amity once again.
Luz ran to catch up with her comrades as they tried to escape the monster, which was coming for its next bite. Gus and Amity managed to escape its reach, but Luz’s foot got caught in a patch of roots in the ground. Then, what followed made Luz howl in pain. The carnivorous creature had bitten into her leg, stopping her completely in her tracks. It began to drag her by the leg with its horrid clutch.
“Luz!” Gus called, stopping in his tracks.
Amity had run just barely ahead, but stopped in her tracks once she heard Gus call Luz’s name. She turned around, looking horrified as the creature tried to drag her off. “Fight it off!” Amity called. “What kind of magic do you use?” She started running back, preparing her abomination goo.
“She… doesn’t,” said Gus.
“What? What do you mean?” Amity questioned.
“She’s a human. She doesn’t have innate magical abilities.”
Amity gasped. Then, her expression hardened. She shaped her goo into a spiked sphere, hardening it like iron. She lobbed it at the creature, smacking it upside the head. The creature was briefly stunned, but didn’t let go of Luz. At that moment, Amity reached into her backpack and pulled out a small, pointed stick with a purple grip around the edge of it. She tossed it towards Luz. “New kid, catch!”
Luz intercepted it. “What is this? A wand?”
“It’s a training wand,” said Amity. “Trace a circle and tap the center.”
Luz did as she was told. She spun it in a circle, watching it light up with a silver glow. Then, with a shaky hand, she thrust into the center, causing the circle to collapse into a small light. It charged up energy vigorously before shooting into the plant, igniting it in a barrage of flames. They spread like wildfire, causing the plants trapping Luz to incinerate. Still on the ground, she backed away like a scurrying spider before getting to her feet.
“I… I just did magic,” she said, breathless.
“It was the wand that did the magic,” said Gus. “Careful, that thing is meant more for training than real combat. It has a very limited battery.” He then turned to Amity. “Why were you carrying that thing around, anyway?”
Amity, blushing, looked away from Gus’s eyes. “I carry it around in case of emergencies. Like this.”
Gus smirked. “You still need that training wand, don’t you?”
“No!” Amity retorted. Gus couldn’t tell if the reddening in her face was from embarrassment or anger. “Maybe…” she admitted. “I’ve- always struggled with fire spells.”
“Oh! The abomination prodigy can’t conjure a fire spell? Am I hearing it right that Little Miss Perfect has a weakness?”
“Shut up, shut up, I don’t want to hear it!” Amity whined, her face turning even redder.
“Uh, guys,” said Luz, slowly backing into them. “I don’t mean to interrupt your banter, but, uh…” She pointed to the end of the hall where she ignited her flame spell. Fires began spreading across vines and roots, quickly making their way towards the party.
“Yikes, we gotta go!” said Gus. He began running in the other direction, leading his comrades along before slowly falling behind him due to his short legs.
Luz, too, began to lag. She cringed as she felt a stinging sensation in her leg. There were deep teeth marks torn into her pants and had made their way into the leg. Gus, noticing her struggle, tried to put her arm around his shoulder. She slouched over him as he tried to jog her through the hallway.
“Which way?” Amity called from ahead.
“Follow the roots coming out of the ground,” said Gus. “I think it goes left.”
Amity followed his instructions, keeping slightly ahead while occasionally looking behind to make sure Luz and Gus weren’t caught in the fire. Soon, she found the hall leading to a larger commons section spanning all three floors of the building with open ceilings. She stopped in her tracks as she gazed upon the site before her.
Luz and Gus caught up to her, sharing her look of shock and awe. The entire school looked like a plant sanctuary, flowers blooming across pillars. Then, in the middle, they saw her. Willow was entangled in a messy heap of vines dangling from the ceiling of the third floor. They slowly dragged her up, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake as plants, vines, and roots continued to sprout out of every corner of the building like a multiplying virus.
At the ground floor, several teachers stood, casting spells to try and get rid of the plant infestation and free Willow. However, each one found themselves captured by the embrace of vines, snatching them away like insects in a spiderweb. The only one that remained was a tall yet hunched man with graying facial hair and long, flowing purple hair tied in a ponytail. He had one silver eye and one eye covered in a scar, permanently shutting it. He cast spells with the assistance of his palismen, a small, red, impish creature.
“Principal Bump!” Amity called, rushing to his sight.
“Ms. Blight! Return to your class immediately. We’re dealing with a situation.”
“Willow-” Gus softly spoke, approaching Amity and Principal Bump.
“Mr. Porter, do you know anything about what’s happening with Ms. Park? It’s unlike her to attack the school like this.” He slashed his staff, creating a trail of icicles to cut away plants about to grab him.
“She’s not attacking! She lost control of her magic, and it went on a rampage.”
Before Bump could respond, vines caught him from the back and quickly wrapped around him, making him drop his staff. Luz, Gus, and Amity each let out a brief scream.
“Willow! Can you hear us up there?” Gus called.
Willow looked down, her eyes still glowing a sickly green. Parasitic roots stuck to her face like leeches. She tried to follow the sound of Gus’s voice, attempting to spot him. Instead, her eyes landed on Amity. She let out an angry, distorted scream as the roots spread further across her face and sank deeper into her skin. Dirt bled from her mouth, muffling her sounds of distress.
Amity, shaking, felt something clutch her feet. She looked down to see roots quickly wrapping around her legs, and a panicked whimper escaped her lips as she realized she’d been caught. The plant prison pulled her legs down into the ground, attempting to bury her.
“Amity!” Luz called. She sprinted, gritting her teeth from the pain in her leg, and clutched Amity’s hand with an incredible grip that could practically break her wrist. She pulled, gritting her teeth as her muscles twitched in pain, desperately trying to keep Amity from going under. “You’re gonna be okay, you’re gonna be okay!” Despite her best efforts, though, Amity kept sinking. Soon, she vanished, causing Luz’s hand to slip out of her own. Luz tripped, falling to her knees.
“Agh!” Gus yelped. Luz turned to find Gus captured by a web of vines nearly covering his entire body.
“Hold on, I got this!” Luz gripped her training wand as she ran up to Gus. She lit a small flame on it, careful not to set the entire room ablaze like she did in the previous hallway. She slowly and cautiously held the flame over the vines. Her hands shook violently as she tried to hold it in place, chipping away ash into the plants.
Then, the flame died. The purple handle on the wand blinked red before losing its color entirely. “Wait, is this thing dead already?” Luz complained. Then, she felt the stinging squeeze of a plant wrap around her wrist, making her drop the wand. Her other wrist immediately got caught, as well as her legs. “No… not yet… I can’t go out like this!”
She shivered as vines wrapped around her stomach and shoulders, slowly squeezing tighter. “Why did I think I could do this?” she whimpered. “I’m only human… What can I do against magic like this? I’m kidding myself here!”
Luz’s body grew very hot as she sank deeper into the plants’ embrace. She shook, trying to resist the intense sensation of being squeezed. She let her thoughts go haywire until they suddenly fixated on a particular voice. Eda’s voice popped in her head, injected into her brain. She remembered something she was told earlier that day, and it suddenly stuck with her like glue. “It's important to understand that wild magic is all about connecting with magic and nature. Slow down and appreciate the environment you’re in and the spells you encounter. Take the time to understand how things mesh together. Understanding the world in its free, natural state is what being a Wild Witch is all about.”
Luz’s emotions settled slightly. “Maybe there’s something I can do,” she told herself. “Okay, think… what is causing Willow’s magic to go haywire? Maybe there’s something I can do to stop it from spreading.” Luz took a deep breath, trying to settle her nerves. She almost didn’t notice at first, but she felt like the plants’ grip on her was loosening. She took another breath. No, it wasn’t her imagination. They were slowly freeing her.
She thought back to Willow screaming as she saw Amity and the way both of them were swallowed by the plant magic around them. “That’s it! This magic responds to strong emotions. It’s feeding off of Willow’s intense feelings, and by extension, our own panic is feeding into it.”
The plants surrounding Luz fell back into the ground, sinking beneath her. She stretched her limbs, feeling the freedom in the air surrounding her. She then fixated on the various plants sprouting in every direction around her. No longer afraid or panicked, she took a deep breath and ran to the nearest vine. She grabbed on and climbed it, scaling up the pillar.
As she got closer to Willow, more vines surrounded her, their movement acting like predators wanting to attack her. As they moved closer, Luz tried to repress the fear she had- not perfectly, however. Her heart rate shot up as the vines tried to intercept her. Pushing aside her fears, she leaped, trying to grip a vine that hung from the ceiling. She swung across, using the grip of the vine around her wrist to keep her in the air. She refused to look down, knowing that even if she didn’t fall, the fear of falling would cause her to be swallowed. She swung across vine after vine like monkey bars until she finally reached Willow.
She grabbed the vines that were suffocating her new friend and leeching off of her. She looked directly at Willow’s face, not quite meeting her glowing eyes. “Willow, can you hear me? It’s me, Luz. The magic is feeding off your emotions. I know calming down isn’t easy- it’s been a stressful day. But I need you to try. If nothing else, understand that you have power over your magic, not the other way around. It can’t harm you if you’re not afraid of it.
Willow struggled vigorously against her own magic, unable to break free. “It’s just… so much. I can’t keep it in.”
“Then just let it out. If you keep burying it, it’ll only get worse. Just let it out and you’ll feel a lot better. I got you, okay?”
Willow’s eyes began to quiver as she felt the sincerity of Luz’s words. Then, the tears started to run through her eyes. She whimpered and sniffled, and soon, the dam in her heart burst. Everything came flooding out- tears, snot, and gut-wrenching howls. The vines leeching on her face expanded and contracted violently, fighting against their host’s rigorous emotional distress. The school shook along with the vines, threatening to make Luz lose her grip, but she clutched tighter to make sure she didn’t separate from Willow.
Soon enough, Willow began to calm down. She took a deep, shaky breath, tears still stinging her face. The glow in her eyes gradually faded. The familiar warmth of her own emerald-colored eyes gleamed through her glasses. “Luz, I’m sorry. I should’ve just been honest, but I let things get out of control.”
“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Luz assured. “You’re among good company. Just take another deep breath and let it all go.”
Willow did as she was told. Slowly, the vines loosened their grip and began to recede into the ceiling. As they let go, Luz and Willow realized just a moment too late that they were about to lose what was keeping them in the air. The vines let go, and they screamed as they plummeted to the ground.
Quickly, Willow traced a green spell circle, summoning a large flower at the center of the commons area. She braced herself as she and Luz landed firmly into its soft, cushiony embrace. It sank back into the ground, vanishing and leaving the two shaking teenagers on the ground in one piece.
Plants receded into the ground and walls, freeing several teachers as they gasped for breath. The ground spit up Amity, leaving her on her back. She shivered, an icy feeling of despair shooting through her veins.
Once Gus broke free of his own plant prison, he immediately ran as fast as his short legs could carry him over to Willow and Luz. “Are you guys okay?” he huffed, catching his breath.
“Yeah- yeah, I’m fine,” Luz assured. She turned back to her other friend. “Are you okay, Willow? Let us know if you need a minute.”
“Nah, I’m good,” she said, rubbing her head.
“Ms. Park, a word, please?” Willow’s bones turned to ice as Principal Bump approached her. His imp palismen released from staff form, instead opting to cover half of his head, biting around his eyes. His tall stature felt like a giant standing over her, ready to crush her. However, his tone was not angry. “Although you unleashed a rampage on half the school, it is to my understanding that you were not in control of your magic. With some proper training, you could learn to control it. Yes, I think you have much potential in the plant track. How would you like to switch?”
Willow’s heart nearly stopped upon hearing the offer. “Really? But- what will it do regarding my career opportunities? My parents really wanted me to go into abominations.”
“While I understand the concern, a witch with talent like yours should not go to waste, in my opinion. You are more than capable of achieving success with the right support. Ask your parents if they could schedule an appointment with me so we can discuss your options. Does that sound fair?”
Luz and Gus shared in Willow’s sudden breathless enthusiasm. “Yes! I’ll do that right when I get home,” she said.
“Excellent. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for you here at Hexside. Now, once you’ve all had a moment to rest, I would like for you to return to your classrooms. I’ll call the teachers and let them know you’re excused.” Without another word, Bump walked off.
“The plant track,” said Gus. “Girl, I’m so excited for you! Congratulations.”
As Gus, Willow, and Luz celebrated, their attention was stolen by the sound of Amity getting to her feet and brushing herself off. The green-haired girl took a step, but halted as she heard the sound of clearing throats behind her. She sighed and turned halfway to meet Willow’s face. “I’m only going to say this once, but- I apologize for almost getting you in trouble. If it’s any consolation, Mx. Graves approached me earlier, and I gave him the full truth of the situation. You have nothing to worry about.” Amity turned away, walking off and leaving Willow stunned.
“Well,” Willow said softly, “can’t say I’m happy with her, but… I’ll take it.”
After returning to their classes, the rest of the day went over without a hitch. A haunting chime of the school bells rang through, dismissing the eager students. At the stairs, Luz spotted Eda hovering above the flooding crowd on her staff. Smiling, Luz waved goodbye to Willow and Gus and ran for Eda, trying to grab her attention.
“Hey, kiddo. How was it? You get indoctrinated yet?” Eda playfully punched Luz’s shoulder.
“It was great! I think I’m gonna love it here. And for your information, your Wild Witch advice this morning actually saved me.”
“Woah, really?”
“Yeah. I’m proud to call you my mentor, Eda.”
A wide grin lit up on Eda’s face. “Well, you caught me in a good mood with that! What do you say we get takeout? Do you like griffin eggs?”
“Can’t say I ever tried them,” Luz giggled. “But holy crap, all my dreams are coming true if griffins exist on The Isles.”
“Consider your dreams realized. Just don’t get used to me spoiling you.” With a few more playful punches, Eda took off, taking Luz into the skies above Bonesborough.