Storm's Hand (The Owl House AU)

Sturm had reached a low point. He was already miserable when he lost the map, but now he was in a worse state than ever. The uncertainty of his future, combined with the humiliation at the hands of Amity during the private sale at Blight Industries had taken its toll.

During his day off, Sturm aimlessly walked through the streets of Bonesborough to reflect. Was he losing his touch? Did he overstay his welcome at the top? Was this someone's way of telling him he was unworthy of being number one? Was being the best too much to ask?

Sturm didn't know where to begin, and his mind was jumbled the entire time he wandered the streets. He looked ahead and saw that he was heading for a pedestrian bridge, and to the left were two familiar faces: Luz and Gus.

Sturm was far from happy to see Luz again. The last time the two met, he used her as a test dummy for the Abomaton Soldier and almost killed her with it. He'd heard rumors that she and her friends were finally allowed back into Hexside. Part of him still felt ashamed, but he could not forget about her involvement in his disgrace. Upon looking closer, Gus was all glum, almost more than Sturm. The pale-skinned teen didn't want to interact with them or notice them, as they were having a conversation he couldn't hear.

Before he could walk closer, he heard a loud roar that almost shook the earth. He and everyone on the bridge turned their heads and saw that it came from the street below.

It was a Slitherbeast, and Animal Control had failed to subdue it. The monster broke free from its bonds, attacked the demon that stood in its way, and started charging down the street in a frenzy.

Up ahead was a red demon child crossing the street and joyfully holding a balloon, blissfully unaware of the incoming danger until the last second. When the Slitherbeast was quickly gaining on the child, someone finally decided to intervene and jump between the monster and the child.

The ones who stood in the Sliterbeast's way were two boys wearing school uniforms, but they obviously didn't belong to Hexside.

One of the boys was a dark-skinned witch with short, spiky dark hair, light purple-pink eyes, and a chin that tapered to the point. He seemed to wear the abomination track uniform of his school, which consisted of a short-sleeved gray-brown shirt, a magenta scarf that was torn in some places, magenta leggings, and yellow and white sneakers.

The other student was a short demon with yellow skin, brown claws on his hands, a pink nose, small fangs, and eyes with blue sclera. His left eye was covered by a tuft of blonde hair. He also had a tail with a barb-like tip that ended in the same brown as his claws. His uniform consisted of a gray tunic with dark gray trims, matching boots, and green sleeves and leggings. He also wore a gray cap with green cylinder-sided ear covers.

The dark-skinned witch conjured up a slick of abomination goo that caused the Slitherbeast to slip, and then the demon boy created a net of vines that launched the rampaging animal backward into the air. After the Slitherbeast landed with a loud thud, a girl leaped over it, twirling in the air before landing on one knee and using construction magic to trap the Slitherbeast in stone.

The girl got up to reveal herself, and she was a slightly shorter witch with a well-built frame, pale skin, and short indigo hair, with amber-colored eyes and three freckles on each cheek. Her uniform consisted of a gray short-sleeved tunic with dark gray trims, brown gloves, and brown tattered shorts. She also had dark gray-heeled boots and carried a broadsword in a brown sheath that hung from her right hip.

The girl briefly brushed her fingers through her hair before smiling and giving the two boys a raised thumb.

"Good work, guys!"

The two boys cheered as everyone who witnessed the incident praised the three heroes.

Well, almost everyone.

"Tch. Show-offs."

To the surprise of absolutely no one, Sturm was far from impressed. He had done more impressive things, yet he got no praise from anyone. With that alone, Sturm had three more individuals to add to the jealousy list. At least he knew what kind of people this world preferred more.

He quickly descended to the street below as everyone congratulated the three students. He moved toward his favorite chocolate shop to get himself a treat. After paying, he leaned against a wall to enjoy his snack. However, his peace was interrupted by a few familiar voices coming from outside his visual field.

"Wow! Just wow! Plants. Abomination. Construction. You guys took down that Slitherbeast like it was nothing!"

He could hear Gus's voice just around the corner, admiring the three students.

"Nah, it wasn't that easy," the girl said.

"Yeah. Looked like you had a real hard time out there," the taller witch smiled with a sarcastic yet playful tone.

"You're Glandus students, right? I go to Hexside. Name's Gus."

"Nice to meet ya. This is Angmar. Gavin. And I'm-"

"BRIAAAA!"

Another voice Sturm hadn't heard in a while cut the girl off. He didn't recognize it, but it sounded familiar. Whoever that was, he sounded out of breath.

"I would've helped, but, like, there was this OTHER baby in danger. You probably couldn't see."

"Mattholomule?" Gus asked, confused. Then it clicked in Sturm's mind, finally remembering the student's name. He was THAT irrelevant to him.

"Augustus?! Back off, twerp! This operation is Glandus kids only," Mattholomule said aggressively.

"Hey, Matty, it's all cool. Did you get the map?" Bria smiled.

"Yes! And I only had to endure thirty-five noogies from my older brother."

Sturm rolled his eyes and started to walk away to a spot where he couldn't hear them. If he got annoyed any further, he would start breaking things.

But then he heard a question from Bria.

"Wait. Have you ever heard of the Galdorstones?"

Sturm immediately stopped moving and dropped his snack. His head sharply turned so fast that his neck cracked. He zipped over to the corner in half a second and leaned out to peek at the group.

He saw Bria holding a map and showing it to Gus. And not just any map; it was THE map Sturm had stolen from the Emperor's castle. He knew this because he knew for a fact that there were no copies of that map.

"They're powerful relics. Many witches and demons have sought them," Gavin explained.

"But they've all returned empty-handed, haunted by its guardian. Until us!" Angmar continued.

"We heard some coven scouts talking about them, but it'll be rough going," Bria added, rolling the map. "You said you are a Hexside student, right? We could use the extra strength."

"That sounds awesome, but... I can't," Gus said, giving Bria a nervous smile and rubbing the back of his head. "I promised a friend I'd help her with something today."

Then, as if on cue, Luz appeared right between everyone, surprising them. Even Sturm flinched at the suddenness of it. It was strange – as if Luz had appeared from absolutely nowhere. Luz gasped for air as if she had been holding her breath for quite a while.

"Gus, you ran away so fast, but I didn't wanna interrupt, so... I think you should go."

"Well, he can't. Gus is just an illusionist. He'll only hold us back," Mattholomule protested.

"Hah! Shows what you know. Gus here is a regular super-witch," Luz smirked with her arm around Gus's shoulder. Gus tensed up and blushed.

"Luz!"

Gus dragged her to the side and started whispering something to her. Neither the Glandus kids nor Sturm heard what the two discussed. But after a few seconds, Gus turned around with a confident grin.

"Alright. I'm in. Where do we find these Galdorstones?"

Bria smiled.

"We're journeying to..."

"...the Looking Glass Ruins in the Forearm Forest!"

Before Gus, Mattholomule, and the others knew it, they were already beyond the outskirts of Bonesborough, and the landscape before them was majestic. Ahead of them was a dense forest with dark red trees bordered by enormous rib-like bones, with the right side of the Titan's skull in the distance.

As everyone admired the sight before them, Mattholomule decided to be a jerk and tease Gus again.

"What's wrong, Augustus? Scared?"

"We all are," Bria said in Gus's defense before smiling. "Who knows what awaits us out there? But we all got each other's backs, right?"

Bria winked at Gus, causing him to blush and stammer while smiling.

"Yeah, um—Yeah. Yeah, alright, let's go!"

The group cheered and ran ahead excitedly, except for Mattholomule, who gave off a sarcastic 'Woo' before following them.

As the teenagers ran toward the forest, someone else stepped from behind a good distance away. It was Sturm. He had followed them from the city without being spotted for one second.

And he was absolutely furious.

Part of him wanted to give those kids the punishment of a lifetime for even daring to take HIS prize. There was even a glint of an idea in the back of his mind that suggested killing those teens and taking the map for himself, but he thought better of it. He was smart enough that it would only raise suspicion.

But then he thought of a plan. He would quietly stalk them through the woods, and they'd lead him to the Looking Glass Ruins. But he also knew that the Forearm Forest was littered with dangerous animals, so he had no choice but to keep the teenagers safe by fending off whatever creature would try to eat them.

"You little punks better take me there..."

The Forearm Forest was much darker and denser than it looked from the distance. Barely a hint of sunlight could peep through the thick thorn-like branches, the dense leaves, and the bushes that stood in the way of the Glandus kids and Gus.

They were still unaware of Sturm's presence, who observed from above and kept his distance. His agility allowed him to jump from tree to tree and occasionally swing from the vines. He stopped at a branch to watch the kids progressing through the woods, with Bria leading the charge as she cut through the vegetation with her sword.

"This will be a breeze once we get the Galdorstones," she said as she cut through some vines and bushes.

"What can the Galdorstones actually do?" Gus asked.

"If you're holding one, every spell you cast gets a BIG power boost!" Mattholomule explained.

"I can grow an entire forest and make my own butterfly sanctuary!" Angmar stated with sweet eyes as butterflies flew around him.

"I can create the biggest Abomination ever!" Gavin added, smiling before clenching his fists bitterly. "I bet Dad will pay attention to that."

"Whoa," Gus interjected, almost surprised by what the Galdorstones could do, but Mattholomule had to butt in and spoil the amazement.

"Sorry. Doesn't do squat for illusions. Can't enhance what's not actually there," the boy said smugly, lightly shoving Gus's shoulder.

"Pfft. I know that," Gus replied, shoving Mattholomule back. He shoved Gus again, and it only took about three seconds before the two engaged in a small slap-fight.

Sturm rolled his eyes at what he was seeing and hearing. They wouldn't know how to use the stones's formidable power properly if it hit them in the face. This only fed his belief that he was worthy of having them.

"What morons..."

As he observed them, he noticed something up ahead in the trees. He saw something move, and it seemed huge. It was heading toward the kids, who were none the wiser about the imminent danger.

Sturm immediately decided to act and zoomed down the tree trunk and behind the group. The kids heard the rapid footsteps from behind, but they didn't see anything as soon as they turned around.

Sturm ran through the trees until he reached the animal that sought to harm the kids. He ran straight into the creature and fell down a slope with his target. Upon reaching the bottom, Sturm got up and beheld what animal he was dealing with.

Before him was a large black bear with eight heads and twelve limbs. It had one main head, surrounded by four other heads on its neck region. It had three more heads, one on its back attached to a partially formed separate body and one in each of its two crotches. The bear also had two sets of arms and legs, including an additional vestigial set of limbs on the partially formed body on its back.

Sturm was surprised to see this... multi-bear. Even he knew how dangerous and ferocious the wild ones were. But he had no choice but to give everything he had to put it down.

The multi-bear stood on its four hind legs and let out a roar that shook the air. In its animalistic rage, the multi-bear raised its arms and slammed them against the ground, creating a small shockwave, and got on its forelimbs and hind legs before charging like a bull.

Sturm zipped out of the way and let the multi-bear run past him. When the multi-headed animal turned around, Sturm zoomed over to it and leaped. Using his speed, he knee-kicked the multi-bear right in the main head, sending the beast flying backward before falling flat on the ground.

While the multi-bear was down, Sturm wasted no time getting on top of the beast while stepping on one of its heads and grabbing one of its left arms. Using both hands, he twisted the beast's arm so far that it broke, creating a loud crack and making the multi-bear howl in pain.

The multi-bear looked up at Sturm, terrified. It saw his silhouette looming over it, with an intimidating glare and electricity now crackling around his clenched fists. Sturm let a low growl and raised his right hand.

By the time Sturm was finished, he had beaten the multi-bear half to death with his fists. The creature was still clinging to life, but just barely. Sturm had tied a lasso made of abomination slime around the multi-bear's legs and began hanging it upside down from the branch of a tree. It took every bit of effort in Sturm's muscles to lift the creature by pulling the lasso, but he managed to raise up the animal far enough, ensuring it wouldn't escape.

"Alright. I've wasted enough time..."

Sturm gave the multi-bear one last look before zooming back to where he last saw Gus and the Glandus kids. But when he returned to the spot, the kids were already gone, but he saw a major difference ahead of him: a gigantic wall of thorny vines with a scorching tunnel. Sturm had no idea how the kids could have created that, but he didn't care. He followed whatever trail the kids left behind, getting ready in case he needed to fight other wild creatures.

Finally, after a long journey, Gus and the Glandus kids reached their destination. It took Gus a handful of glyphs to pretend he was more than just an illusionist, but he did gain Bria's respect and saved Mattholomule's clumsy butt a few times. Now? They were at the entrance of the Looking Glass Ruins. On the outside, it looked like a cemetery's entrance, with a stone double door with carved faces, and the top of the gate displaying the name was partially crumbled.

"Okay, Angmar, you're on lookout duty," Bria smiled. She then looked back and saw that Angmar was walking off, following a butterfly with a fascinated look. "Angmar!"

Angmar's attention was quickly grabbed by Bria's sweet voice. He stopped, but he didn't turn around to look at her.

"I said you're on lookout duty. And if I catch you playing with any more bugs, I'll make you eat them! Okay?"

The threat, combined with that smiley tone, made Angmar freeze and whimper. He watched the butterfly flutter away from him as his body went stiff. But Bria continued talking sweetly.

"I believe in you!"

Then she pushed the doors open and entered the ruins along with Gavin, Mattholomule, and Gus, leaving Angmar all alone.

Angmar didn't dare to move an inch for fear of angering Bria. Instead, his eyes darted around the woods in front of him. After about a minute, he heard a sound from somewhere up ahead.

Against his better judgment, Angmar followed the sound to the woods ahead. Upon stepping into the treeline, the demon boy started to feel anxious.

After a few seconds of looking around, he was taken by surprise when a figure appeared out of nowhere and punched him square in the face in a millisecond, knocking him to the ground. Angmar cried in pain as he held up his face.

"AAAH, OWW! Oh, my nose!"

Then he heard heavy breathing, so he finally looked up and saw who hit him. Angmar saw Sturm standing over him – a person he'd never met before in his life, and he was staring down at him with his intense red eyes.

His clothes were wrinkled and filthy, his hair was messy, and he had a few scratches from the animals he fought along the way. He was furious and exhausted. The journey was long but relatively smooth for Gus and the Glandus kids, but whatever Sturm had been through was far more physically taxing.

Angmar was shaking upon seeing the freaky-looking stranger. His fear quickly escalated when a butterfly flew up to Sturm's face and he watched in horror as the pale-faced teen crushed it with his hand without looking before letting it fall to the ground.

Sturm took a deep breath and roared the loudest, angriest, yet simplest question he ever asked.

"WHERE?!"

Angmar was stunned into silence. He was shaking now more than ever. Seeing that the demon boy wouldn't answer his question, Sturm decided to go for a more drastic solution.

Sturm zoomed out of Angmar's line of sight and returned in less than a second, now kneeling over him and holding a rock the size of a Grudgby ball. He heaved it over his head, ready to smash Angmar's brains out if he didn't answer him.

Out of fear and self-preservation, Angmar pointed in the direction of the Looking Glass Ruins. Sturm looked ahead and saw the entrance through the trees. Then he tossed the rock aside, got to his feet, and ran after the Glandus kids, leaving a traumatized Angmar to rock back and forth while still lying on the ground.

Meanwhile, Gus and the Glandus kids went further down the ruins to find the Galdorstones. And everywhere they looked, they saw pieces of broken stone pillars and overgrown vegetation, with mist partially blanketing the area.

The kids shortly reached the middle of the ruins. Ahead of them, partially covered by mist, were eight stone statues depicting tall cloaked figures lined in a semicircle arc.

"I can't believe we found it," Mattholomule gasped as the others stared in awe at the place, knowing they were the first people to set foot here in centuries.

Bria looked at one of the statues and noticed something in its hands. Whatever it was, it was shiny and was covered in ivies. Bria climbed the statue and ripped out the plants to reveal a shiny spherical blue rock. The girl could practically see her face reflected onto the relic and smiled. She took the Galdorstone from the statue but accidentally made its fingers crumble.

"Oh. Whoops."

That mattered little to her. She dropped to the ground and landed before her friends, finally holding one of the most precious artifacts in the Demon Realm.

"Well, we did it, everyone. The power of the Galdorstones is ours!"

Bria could feel her magic growing stronger while holding the relic. She activated her magic and slammed her palm against the ground, creating a gigantic stone pillar. It was so tall that it reached far above the canopy of the Forearm Forest. The girl looked up and saw her work and squealed in excitement.

"I can't believe it! The legends were true! Woo-hoo!"

The other kids cheered and started to go around to steal the rest of the Galdorstones. All except Gus. As the others were taking the relics by either climbing the statues or using magic to take them, Gus walked around meekly. Something about the place and Bria's behavior didn't feel right.

As his eyes darted around, Gus noticed something at the base of a statue covered in ivies. He pushed aside the plants to reveal a plaque with a name etched into it. It said 'Mari', with a title right below it.

"Huh. 'The Phantom Bringer'."

The uneasiness inside of Gus started to grow. He looked to the left and saw more and more names.

"'Aleth the Vision Creator'? 'Khari the Mirage Maker'? But these titles are for– Oh, no..." Then it clicked. The realization made him gasp, and his eyes widened considerably. He turned to Bria, Mattholomule, and Gavin, who continued to take more Galdorstones from the statues and called out to them, making them stop what they were doing. "Stop! These aren't ruins. This is an illusionist graveyard!"

Mattholomule immediately dropped the Galdorstone he was holding, disturbed by the thought of handling the belongings of a dead person. Bria, on the other hand, just giggled.

"Haha. Aw, Gus, you're saying that as if it's a bad thing."

"What? Of course it is! These stones were theirs. We shouldn't take them."

"Even if these witches were alive, what would illusionists use Galdorstones for? High-def party tricks?" Bria asked sarcastically, clearly showing her lack of respect for the dead. Then she briefly wrapped her arm around Gus's shoulder and gave him the Galdorstone she held. "Come on, Gus. Don't you wanna power up those cool spells of yours?"

Gus could see his reflection on the relic. The power these could give him was tempting, but his moral compass spoke louder.

"No. This isn't right. I won't let you steal these," Gus said, glaring at Bria and trying to keep the Galdorstone away from her. Bria did not appreciate how Gus refused her, and her usual sweet smile was replaced by an annoyed scowl.

"I don't think you know what you're saying, Gus."

"Here's a solution: None of you will take those things; I will!" said a voice out of sight.

Gus, Bria, Mattholomule, and Gavin turned their heads and saw Sturm marching over to them with his fists clenched and fuming with rage. He stopped when he was about a few yards from the group, and Gus was surprised to see him. Mattholomule was shocked and frozen with fear.

"Sturm? What are you doing here?" Gus asked. Gavin ignored him and walked over to Sturm, ready for a scrap if it came down to it.

"Who are you supposed to be?"

Approaching Sturm proved to be a foolish mistake. When Gavin got close enough, Sturm gave him a punch in the gut and kicked him in the face as he bent over from the pain. The sheer force made Gavin slide over to Bria and Mattholomule's feet. The others were surprised by Sturm's hostility.

"I found that map first! I don't know how you miserable wretches got it, but I do know for a fact there are no other copies in existence. The point is, I had my eyes on those relics first. They belong to ME!"

Bria's shock faded to anger upon feeling challenged. Did this guy really have the nerve to barge through here, beat up Gavin, and claim that the most precious relics in the Boiling Isles belonged to him? If there was one thing Bria couldn't stand, was entitled jerks making demands.

She drew a spell circle while holding a Galdorstone, preparing to cast a spell.

"I don't like your attitude, tough guy. Get lost, or you'll leave with broken bones," she said as Gavin got up and followed her example by drawing his own spell circle. Mattholomule didn't dare to draw a spell circle against Sturm, so he raised his shaking fists.

Sturm responded by extending both arms toward them and clenching his fists as electricity quickly built up around his forearms.

"Give me the stones...or none of you will leave this place at all."

Just before a fight could break out between the teens, Angmar came running in a panic. Everyone looked at him, confused, wondering what he was so scared about.

"It's real! The guardian is real! And it's coming this way!" he yelled, pointing at the entrance to the ruins. The others looked over and saw thick mist approaching them with lightning flashing within.

Everyone screamed as they ran toward the statues and hid behind them. By the time each of the teens found their hiding spots, the mist had already enveloped the entire area. Then the mist started to swirl around, turning into blue fire as it turned into a tornado.

When the tornado dispersed, the guardian finally showed itself. It had a long, light blue body and had elements of a whale, a clam, and other vague creatures. It also had two limbs, a long tail, wings of blue flames, a hidden face with glowing eyes, and a longue tongue sticking out of the hole.

"I heard it has the power to control weather," Angmar said fearfully.

"And summon ghosts," Gavin added, just as nervous.

Sturm was annoyed by that point, with the guardian now standing in his way of getting his prize. Under normal circumstances, he'd do the smart thing by stealing the Galdorstones and leaving. But his rage tempted him to fight, and he just didn't care.

"Then let's see if that freak can withstand my special storm!"

Sturm then zoomed away from the kids and got behind the guardian. Sturm got the beast's attention by putting his fingers in his mouth and whistling loudly to get its attention. The guardian quickly turned around as it hovered above the ground of the graveyard. But once its gaze focused on Sturm, the white-haired teen prepared to launch a lightning bolt straight through its neck.

Sturm thrust his fist forward and shot his bolt, creating a bright light and a sound similar to the cracking of thunder. But the beast didn't go down as expected. In fact, it didn't even flinch.

"What?"

Sturm was baffled, but his confusion was interrupted when the guardian roared and began to approach him. Sturm zoomed up to the statue behind him until he reached the top of its stony head. He jumped from statue to statue as the guardian tried to keep up with him. Sturm then leaped into the air, right above the guardian. He stopped in midair, his hands crackling with electricity again, and his right fist raised above his head. He dashed downward straight at the guardian, then slammed his fist.

But something had gone wrong yet again. Sturm phased right through the guardian, and the impact of the slam cracked the ground beneath him. Sturm then zoomed over to a statute to see the guardian unharmed.

"What the? I didn't even touch it!"

Everyone watched as Sturm faced off against the guardian, and Bria was ready to make things more interesting.

"Well, I wonder if it can handle a little fire."

She shoved Gus into the open. The second Gus was exposed, the guardian turned away from Sturm and glared at Gus, growling as it did so. As it dove toward Gus, the young witch tried to reach into his shirt for a glyph and then patted himself down when he couldn't find any.

"I'm all out of glyphs!"

The guardian hovered over to Gus and let out an ethereal-like roar as its magic pulsed, creating a shockwave that made the wind blow against Gus's face. Gus gasped in fear as the guardian got ready to smash the kid with its head. Sturm stepped in and zoomed toward Gus, carrying him out of harm's way before the guardian could slam its head against the ground.

The two hid behind a statute and sat down as the guardian searched for the intruders when it lost sight of them.

"Alright, what plans do you have, Porter?" Sturm asked. In his fight or flight mode, Gus finally decided to use the only type of spell he knew.

"I'll cast an illusion; maybe I can scare him away."

"Make what you have in mind. I'll make it scarier," Sturm smirked, readying his index finger to draw a spell circle.

Sturm and Gus stepped in the open, and the latter drew a large spell circle. Suddenly, a creature similar to the guardian appeared, facing its real counterpart, but it was light purple instead of blue. Sturm nodded and cast another spell, seizing control of Gus's illusion and changing it drastically. Not only did he make it larger, but it had more spikes and sharper features and turned its color red.

But the illusion didn't last very long. It suddenly burst into clouds of blue smoke and disappeared. Gus began to sweat as he saw his only type of defense fail, and Sturm merely put a hand on his shoulder with a deadpan expression on his face.

"Well, it was nice knowing you, little man," he said, thinking that one of them would meet his end at the hands of the guardian.

But then something else happened.

The guardian remained completely still, and it began to...glitch? After a few seconds, the guardian turned into a cloud of smoke and dissipated. But something else took its place.

Upon closer inspection, the two teens saw an elderly witch with a mostly bald head, with tufts of white hair and a beard. He had pale skin, pointy ears, and light blue eyes with bags underneath. He wore a dark turquoise top with a teal robe, which was slightly torn, and white sleeves. He wore red-violet boots and appeared to have cobwebs all over his robe.

"Oh-ho! I am the keeper of the Looking Glass Graveyard!" he smiled, stepping closer to Gus and Sturm before hugging the former. "And it has been a very long time since I've had visitors! And to think it'd be not one, but TWO other illusionists! Hehehehehe, though I don't remember them being so small. Or so pale, for that matter."

The keeper stepped toward Sturm and began to squish his face, much to the red-eyed boy's annoyance.

"Hands off, crusty!" Sturm said rudely, pushing the keeper away from him with both hands as Gus gave both of them an annoyed look.

"Don't act like that. An illusionist has always kept watch over the Galdorstones. We gain no powers from them, so we're the least likely to use them for evil. Probably."

"Well, we gotta get out of here. Now," Gus said, panicking. But it was too late; he heard Bria's voice coming from near the statue and saw her climb on its shoulder, laughing.

"So, the big bad guardian is just another useless illusionist. Hehehe, today just keeps getting better."

Suddenly, Gavin and Angmar cast their spells, ready to trap Gus, the keeper, and Sturm.

Sturm zoomed out of the way, and Gus and the keeper tried to run, but they were too slow. Gavin summoned an abomination to keep them in place while Angmar made some thorny vines to ensnare them.

Sturm watched how the two illusionists were so easily caught, but he wasn't concerned for them. He already had his priorities.

"Stop this, you boneheads! The Galdorstones have MY name all over 'em!"

Bria tapped her chin for a moment, thinking. Then she shook her head and waved him off.

"Nah, I don't think so."

She tossed Gavin and Angmar a Galdorstone and had them trap Sturm, too. Gavin quickly summoned a pair of abomination hands below Sturm's feet to prevent him from running. Angmar then wrapped some vines around Sturm's legs and hands, forcing him to kneel. And for a finishing touch, Bria got down, took a Galdorstone, and used it to summon a dome made of rock to trap Sturm inside, but made a hole so he could breathe and watch them take the relics he wanted.

Surm started to feel absolutely furious and hated the Glandus kids. Almost more than Amity (if that was even possible). And the worst part about all of this was that he knew he couldn't do anything about it He couldn't cast any spells and didn't see another way of freeing himself.

Sturm grunted and growled as he tried in vain to free himself. He then stared at the Glandus kids hatefully.

"I swear, when I get out of this, I'm gonna rip you a new-"

Gavin then silenced him by shooting some abomination goo at Sturm's mouth, preventing him from speaking.

Bria, Mattholomule, Gavin, and Angmar approached a statue that held four more Galdorstones. Bria climbed over to it and grabbed one of the relics.

"Got it!" she announced, but the other three fell as soon as she showed it to the others. "Whoops."

When the Galdorstones reached the ground, Angmar, Gavin, and Mattholomule scrabbled around to grab as many relics as their hands allowed. Mattholomule only managed to get one Galdorstone, though it was about the size of his palm. But as he stared at it, Angmar approached him and snatched it from his hand.

"Hey!"

"You're playing by Glandus rules, Matty," Bria smirked as she sat on the statue. "You can have anything you want. If you're strong enough to take it."

Then she, Gavin, and Angmar all laughed, mocking Mattholomule for being obviously the weakest out of all the four. Mattholomule looked down at the ground, feeling humiliated and disrespected by the others.

He then looked back to see a trapped Gus, who was now just as blue as him. Despite their past rivalry and being nothing but a bully to him for so long, Mattholomule realized that Gus was the closest thing to a friend he ever had. Unlike the Glandus kids, he was honest and gave him more chances than he deserved. But worst of all, he knew he was in this state because of him.

He saw only one way to make it right with him. So, he approached him and the keeper with a gloomy and guilty look.

"Hey... I- I didn't know she was gonna do this."

"Matty! We need you to hold our stuff!" Bria called sweetly, but Mattholomule didn't want to look at her.

"This is exactly how it was at Glandus," he continued bitterly. "Always Bria's stooge."

"Better a stooge than a clown," Gus said in a defeated voice. "Bria was right. Illusions are nothing but high-def party tricks."

"Yeah. I used to think that too."

Mattholomule drew a spell circle and made a piece of the ground rise from below, taking the shape of a saw. He ripped the rock and used it to cut the vines that trapped Gus and the keeper. He then continued.

"But then I met some dork who used his powers to save me from a man-eating detention pit."

He quickly made the vines fall to the ground, freeing the two illusionists.

"All I'm saying is... if a dumb illusion can save a jerk like me, maybe it's not as useless as you think."

This lifted Gus's spirits a bit. He'd never seen Mattholomule act so genuine. And this was the closest thing to a compliment he ever got from someone as meanspirited as him.

"Thanks, Mattholomule," Gus smiled before giving a determined look. "It's time to teach those jerks a lesson!"

"I agree. I'll call the hounds," the keeper suggested deviously, making Mattholomule feel slightly unsettled. But Gus had a better idea.

"With all due respect, sir, I'd like to try something a little more...creative."

Bria and Gavin were having a blast with the Galdorstones. When they got bored of casting spells, they decided to play with them like balls. They tossed a Galdorstone back and forth until Angmar jumped in.

"INTERCEPTED!"

He caught the relic, but the momentum made him crash into a statue, making it crack from the impact and causing its top half to fall to the side. Despite the damage they caused, the three kids couldn't stop laughing.

As Angmar laughed, he noticed a glowing pink butterfly-looking creature fluttering past his head.

"Maybe we can sell the small ones to the Emperor's Coven and keep the rest for ourselves!" Bria suggested. "Angmar, start collecting! ...Angmar?" She turned and saw Angmar a few yards away, following the butterfly. "Hey! Get back here!"

But the butterfly had already enthralled the demon boy. He'd never seen anything like this before. Not only was the butterfly glowing, but it also giggled cutely and winked at him. It giggled one more time before flying off into the fog.

"Wait! Come back! What species are you?" Angmar asked before disappearing into the fog as well. Bria was a bit disturbed and disappointed with this.

"Ugh, whatever. I never really liked him anyway," the girl said before turning to her other friend. "Looks like you're my second in command, Gav-"

"D-Dad?"

Gavin then saw a figure appear in the fog. His 'dad' was just a clone of himself with a large handlebar mustache.

"Gavin, I just want you to know that I'm proud of you. Now, how about we go get some ice cream, son?"

Gavin gasped with joy at hearing this. For as long as he could remember, he wanted to spend time with his father despite their rocky relationship, so he ran over to his 'dad' with a smile.

"That sounds great, Pops! Wait, when did you grow a mustache?"

"Hey! Don't blow this chance," said his 'dad' before putting his arm around Gavin's shoulder and walking off into the fog together.

Bria, on the other hand, wasn't fooled like the others. She knew what was at play and would not let that stand in her way.

"Come out, illusionist! I'm not dumb enough to fall for these tricks."

In an instant, the world around Bria turned black. She could still see her hands and feet, but her surroundings had just vanished. She could see a shadowy figure run across from her peripheral vision. Unwilling to let those parlor tricks get to her, she cast a spell circle and slammed it against the ground, creating a pillar and breaking the illusion. The world returned to normal, and there was no one but her in the ruins.

"That's right. Who's strong now!? I never needed those losers anyway," she smiled confidently as she put the last of the Galdorstones into a burlap sack. She then lifted the sack over her shoulder, feeling the heavy yet bearable weight of the stolen relics. "More for me."

When Bria was about to leave, the wind howled, and the mist thickened. That's when she got the overwhelming feeling that something wrong was about to happen.

She turned around and saw the graveyard's statues turn to face her. Their eyes began to glow a crimson red and cry with blood instead of tears, which pooled in their mouths. And the area now had a red tint. It was as if the spirits of the dead illusionists were judging her for her misdeeds. She looked down and saw a statue around her size dragging itself toward her from the ground.

This was enough to scare off most people, but Bria wasn't daunted.

"Haha, cute," she laughed. She tried to draw a spell circle, but it quickly disappeared. Not a single spell was cast, much to her confusion. She then tried again but got the same result. "Why isn't my magic working?!"

Bria looked down at her hands, and her heart sank when she saw them turn to stone. She yelped in horror as she watched her now stony hands break off like brittle clay. Bria then heard the sickening sound of rock sliding on rock approaching her. She looked down and saw the statue on the ground getting closer and closer as she backed away in a panic.

"What's going on? No, no," she said before trying to rationalize the situation, "This is all just an illusion. Haha, it can't actually hurt me. It can't even touch me!"

As soon as she said that, she was instantly proven wrong when she felt the touch of stone fingers wrapped around her ankle. She looked down and gasped in shock, horror, and disbelief. She saw the statue grab her foot and look up, revealing its face to be Bria's, a look of agony and terror etched into its cold face, with bloody tears pouring from its eyes.

Bria jumped and fell backward. She used her hand stumps to break her fall, but as soon as they made contact with the ground, her hands reappeared, but that didn't stop Bria's panic. Fight or flight kicked in, and she scrambled to her feet and ran off toward the exit as fast as her legs could carry her, screaming.

"AAH! CURSED! THIS PLACE IS CURSED! AAAAHH!"

When Bria was finally out of sight, the illusion dissipated, revealing Gus in the place of the haunted statue. He was exhausted from how far he'd pushed himself.

"Man, that took a lot of concentration."

The rest of the illusions quickly disappeared, revealing several of the rock pillars Bria had conjured. When everything was clear, Gus picked up one of the Galdorstones Bria had dropped as Mattholomule and the keeper came out of hiding.

"Laying an illusion over the whole graveyard to make it seem like the stones weren't working. Very clever," the keeper complimented the young witch. "Keep honing your powers of observation, child, and there's no limit to what you'll be able to do!"

"There are... some limits," Gus said, looking hesitantly at the Galdorstone in his hands. The keeper then put a hand on Gus's shoulder.

"Come now, let's free your other friend."

But as soon as he and the kids turned to look in Sturm's direction, they saw, to their shock, that the dome Sturm was trapped in was broken, like a hatched egg. Sturm was nowhere to be found.

"Where did Sturm go?" Mattholomule asked.

"He must've escaped during the illusion," Gus said.

"I must say, even I couldn't escape from there. But hey, at least the boy shows promise. And best of all, the graveyard is safe."

"I wish I could repair all the damage the kids did," Gus said, but Mattholomule was there to make things easier.

"Um... maybe I can help."

It took about an hour, but the statues had been repaired, though nowhere close to their former glory. Some had their faces wrong, and some parts were not stuck together properly, but at least the statues were still somewhat recognizable. Yet the effort was very admirable.

"Thank you for defending the Looking Glass Graveyard, witchlings," the keeper said with genuine gratitude. "Perhaps it's time I hid this place for good."

"But—there's so much history here!" Gus protested, not wanting the opportunity to learn more about the graveyard to go to waste.

"What if we came over on the weekend to help build your defenses?" Mattholomule suggested.

"I would like that very much," the keeper replied, humbled by the kindness of those kids before smiling. "You're both welcome to come whenever you please."

He jokingly made finger guns at the two and left. The two witches waved him goodbye.

"He is definitely a ghost," Mattholomule smirked.

"So, does that mean we're like... friends now?" Gus asked, almost embarrassed to say it. Mattholomule stopped waving, and his smile fell. He had mixed feelings about Gus, their relationship, and everything that led up to that point.

"I... don't know," he said, walking to the graveyard's exit as Gus followed. Then he decided to playfully shove Gus. "Squirt. Hehehe."

"Jerk. Hehahaha," Gus laughed, shoving Mattholomule back.

The keeper watched the kids go, smiling at this display of friendship. It reminded him of someone he knew while he was younger, but that memory was too distant to matter. In a way, he was happy for them. But as soon as the kids were gone, the keeper resumed his job by ensuring the Galdorstones were accounted for.

"Ah, good kids. Alright, let's see...one, two, three, four, five, six- Wait..." the keeper stopped and saw that one of the Galdorstones was indeed gone. His eyes widened as he realized what this meant. "Oh, no..."

Sturm limped through the woods, now holding a small bag and feeling the scratches and bruises on his body taking their toll. The trip didn't go exactly as planned. But at least he didn't walk out of there empty-handed.

He reached into the bag and pulled out his prize: a Galdorstone. It was lighter than he imagined.

"I was hoping to get more, but this will do," he said, finally holding what he wanted most for the first time.

After holding it for a moment, he could feel something stir within his body. His already impressive power grew, and it was only a matter of time before reaching his true potential. But first, he had to test it. He stopped moving and held the relic with both hands.

"Alright. Let's see what you can do..."

Sturm slid one leg back and leaned his body forward. A white aura surrounded him, and he finally zoomed out of the area he was in. As he ran, something felt different. He could think and react quicker. Everything around him seemed to move slower when he moved faster than ever. He felt light as the wind blew against him. He was a lot more agile than he already was. He could leap higher, do more flips, and jump from tree to tree more easily.

At some point during his journey out of the woods, Sturm surrounded his fist with electricity again and cast a lightning bolt at a tree. With just one bolt, he destroyed dozens of trees at once, obliterating their trunks and making them collapse.

"Amazing! This is AMAZING! Where were you all my life? Hahaha!" Sturm laughed joyously before kissing the Galdorstone in pure victory. "I feel so much more powerful than before! But I'll find a way to make myself even stronger! Haha!"

It took Sturm over two hours to get from Bonesborough to the Looking Glass Graveyard. But with the Galdorstone, it only took him twenty minutes. By the time Sturm arrived, the sun was already beginning to set. As soon as he got to the town's outskirts, Sturm had to hide the relic back in the sack to not raise any suspicions. Eventually, he reached Blight Manor, but after he entered the front yard and approached the entrance, he saw Luz at the bottom of the steps. She was sitting on her knees while her head was turned to the door, holding something in her hands.

When Sturm got closer, he noticed that she was much filthier than before; her clothes were stained and torn, and her hair was disheveled. Upon closer inspection, she was holding an echo mouse. Sturm had no idea where she got that vermin from or how she ended up looking like that, but there was too much on his mind to ask those kinds of questions.

Luz snapped out of her trance when she heard Sturm's footsteps and turned to look at him. She smiled nervously and tried to wave.

"Uh... Hey, Sturmie."

"You look terrible," Sturm stated blankly.

"I know," Luz replied, watching the white-haired boy walk past her, going up the steps and through the front door.

Upon entering the manor, Sturm stopped when he saw Amity walking back and forth around the manor's foyer. She looked drastically different from the last time he saw her. Her hair was no longer dyed green but lavender. It was shorter and no longer tied up. Her face was flushed red, and she muttered to herself repeatedly, "WhydidIdothatWhydidIdothatWhydidIdothat?"

Amity also stopped moving upon catching sight of Sturm staring at her. There was an awkward silence for a few seconds before Sturm finally spoke up.

"Yeah, exactly. Why did you do that? You ruined your hair again."

"GET OUT OF MY LIFE, DON'T LOOK AT ME!" Amity yelled in embarrassment, covering her blushing face as she fled into another room, leaving Sturm alone. He had a lot of questions, to say the least, but now he wasn't ready to ask any of them.

"What a fruitcake, I swear..." he muttered as he ascended the stairs.

He got to the floor where his room was located and walked over to his door. When he was about to reach it, he heard a door open from his left and saw the twins exit. They noticed Sturm and approached him.

"Heya, Sparkles!" Emira greeted him with her usual friendly/flirty tone while waving at him.

"Where've you been, dude? You've been gone all day, and you didn't-" Edric paused as he noticed Sturm's disheveled state. "Whoa, what happened to you? Your clothes are a mess!"

"Eh, just a hike through the woods, nothing special," Sturm shrugged, not wanting to tell them what he actually went through. "Can you go, please? I need some time alone."

"Oooh!" the twins grinned, giving Sturm suggestive looks that perturbed him.

"Not THAT kind of alone time, you perverts!"

"Haha, we're kidding, we're kidding, Sparkles," Emira laughed.

"Well, don't let us keep ya," Edric smiled before stepping back into his room with his sister and closing the door.

"Finally..."

Sturm took a deep breath, reached into his pocket, and pulled out the key to his room. Upon unlocking the door, the red-eyed boy stepped inside before locking it again.

Sturm's room was dark and had no wallpaper, but it had a window opposite the doorway, which always had its blinds closed. There was no bed, only a mattress with a pillow and a blanket on the right side of the room. There was also a wooden closet on the left, and on the right side of the window, there was a desk filled with books.

Finally having some privacy, Sturm walked through the room and approached his closet, sack in hand. He opened the door and took out the Galdorstone from the sack, looking at it intently and with a shaky breath.

"I have plans for you... But for now? You'll have to wait."

And with that said, Sturm put the Galdorstone at the bottom of his closet and closed the door before finally resting. He needed time to contemplate what he could do with his newly acquired prize.