I continued walking for a long time through the winding paths of the Boiling Isles.
And honestly…
The trip was far more exhausting than I expected.
Partly because the roads here made absolutely no sense.
But mostly because almost everything in this forest looked like it either wanted to eat me… or traumatize me psychologically.
After several hours of walking, the trees finally started becoming less dense.
And soon…
I could finally see something in the distance.
Ah, finally.
I had arrived in town.
Whew. I was genuinely starting to think I got lost again.
And honestly, if I didn't have this map with me, I definitely would've ended up wandering around forever.
For a brief moment, I felt an overwhelming sense of joy.
Then it disappeared just as quickly as it came.
"Ah… I'm not there yet," I muttered. "Come on, don't lose motivation now."
And so I resumed walking as fast as possible.
After a while and a very long trek…
The sight that appeared before me was absolutely breathtaking.
A massive structure stood proudly in the middle of the landscape.
Yes.
Finally.
Hexside School of Magic and Demonics.
Even from far away, the building looked gigantic.
Huge towers stretched high into the sky.
Banners fluttered in the wind.
And dozens of students moved around all over the campus.
I stayed silent for a few seconds while staring at the place.
…So this was it.
The most prestigious school in the Boiling Isles.
The place where many important future events would eventually begin.
And honestly?
Seeing it in real life felt strange.
Like the line between fiction and reality was disappearing more and more.
I adjusted my jacket properly before walking toward the main entrance.
But after a few steps—
I suddenly stopped.
…No.
Exploring the school could wait.
Right now, my objective was clear.
Find Amity.
And if my memories were correct…
Then there was one place where I could probably find her around this time.
The Grudgby field.
Or rather…
Some weird Boiling Isles sport that looked like a modified version of one from Earth.
I immediately changed direction and walked past several campus buildings.
Some students glanced at me curiously as I passed by.
Probably because I clearly didn't look like a normal Hexside student.
And honestly?
Considering my current outfit, I couldn't really blame them.
After a few minutes, loud noises suddenly echoed in the distance.
Shouting.
Cheering.
And most importantly…
Explosions.
…Yeah.
Definitely a Boiling Isles sport.
Eventually, I arrived near a massive stadium surrounded by large bleachers.
And at the center of it all…
Two teams were battling in complete chaos.
Magical balls shot across the field at terrifying speeds.
Students launched themselves through the air using spells.
And several parts of the arena walls were already partially destroyed.
…How was this sport even legal?
Then suddenly—
BOOOOOM.
A purple explosion erupted in the center of the field.
Every eye immediately turned toward the girl who had landed gracefully on the ground.
Green hair partially tied back.
Focused golden eyes.
A perfectly neat uniform despite the ongoing match.
Amity Blight.
And honestly…
She was completely dominating the field.
Another player charged toward her while carrying a magical ball.
Amity simply raised one hand.
A glowing magic circle instantly appeared before her.
Then—
WHOOOSH.
A massive purple wave blasted the opponent completely out of bounds.
Silence.
Then the bleachers erupted into applause.
"CAPTAIN BLIGHT!" someone shouted from the crowd.
Amity calmly brushed a strand of hair behind her ear with an almost bored expression.
As if pulling off something like that was completely normal for her.
…Good grief.
She was even more impressive in person.
I spent a few seconds silently watching the match.
And honestly?
It was fascinating.
Every magical movement looked smooth.
Natural.
Completely different from glyph magic.
Then suddenly—
After one of the players used a stone spell, a gigantic wall of rock burst from the ground.
The magical ball, which had been launched by a wind spell, slammed directly into the rock wall.
But instead of stopping…
It changed trajectory.
And with terrifying speed—
The magical ball shot straight toward the bleachers.
And unfortunately…
Not just anywhere.
It was heading directly toward a spectator near the stands.
Me.
…Ah.
The ball was moving so fast that trying to dodge it felt completely useless.
I barely had time to blink before the enormous projectile came flying at me.
"OH NO!" I heard someone scream in the distance.
But it was too late.
BOOOOOM.
The ball slammed directly into me.
I was violently launched backward before crashing hard against the ground.
Silence.
…
Ow.
That hurt.
I stayed sprawled on the floor for several seconds with an empty stare directed at the sky.
…Why did every important encounter in my life involve violence?
The entire stadium had gone silent.
…Very silent.
I remained sprawled on the ground for several seconds, feeling like my soul had temporarily left my body.
Ow.
No seriously.
OW.
"I think he's dead," I heard someone whisper from the bleachers.
…Thanks for the emotional support.
I slowly raised a trembling hand.
"I'm… still alive…" I muttered weakly.
A huge sigh of relief immediately spread through part of the crowd.
Then suddenly, rapid footsteps echoed toward me.
I slowly turned my head.
And I saw Amity running toward me.
…Oh.
Okay.
I wasn't expecting that.
She stopped right beside me, looking visibly panicked.
"Are you okay?!" she asked immediately.
…Wait.
Amity Blight was worried about me?
My brain honestly short-circuited for two seconds.
"I think so…" I answered painfully. "Although my body might have a different opinion right now."
Amity winced slightly before holding out a hand toward me.
"Sorry. That shot wasn't supposed to go in that direction."
I stared at her hand for a few seconds before taking it.
She helped me back to my feet while several students watched us curiously.
And honestly?
All those stares were starting to get slightly uncomfortable.
Very uncomfortable, actually.
The moment I stood up, pain immediately shot through my back.
"Ow…"
Amity looked even guiltier.
"You should probably go to the infirmary."
"I'll survive. Probably."
Then she narrowed her eyes slightly while observing me more carefully.
…Ah.
That look meant she had just recognized me.
"Wait…" she murmured.
"You…"
Her expression shifted slightly.
"You're the guy from the potion stands."
…Well.
At least this time I didn't get hit by a magical ball before she recognized me.
Okay technically I did, but the details weren't important.
"Uh… yeah."
Amity lightly crossed her arms.
"What are you doing at Hexside?" she asked curiously.
Fair question honestly.
A very fair question.
"I was looking for someone," I answered calmly.
"Who?"
"You."
…
Silence.
Amity's brain seemed to completely stop functioning for a second.
"…Me?"
Amity was now staring at me with an extremely confused expression.
Then behind her, several students immediately started whispering among themselves.
"Wait, he knows Amity?"
"Who even is that guy?"
"He got absolutely destroyed by one magic ball."
Thank you.
Seriously, thank you.
I felt my soul crack slightly.
Amity seemed to notice the whispers around us before quietly sighing.
Then she suddenly grabbed my arm.
"Come with me."
…Huh?
Before I could even react, she started dragging me away from the field while several shocked gazes followed us.
"Wait wait— where are we going?" I asked immediately.
"Somewhere people will stop staring at us like that," she answered dryly.
A few minutes later, we found ourselves behind a quieter part of the stadium.
Amity finally let go of my arm before turning toward me.
"Alright."
She crossed her arms again.
"Now explain."
Ah.
Yeah.
The difficult moment.
I took a small breath before explaining the reason I came here.
Amity blinked several times.
"Anyway," I continued quickly, "you told me that if I ever found more human objects, I could come see you."
Amity slowly nodded.
"Yes… I remember."
"And actually, I need your help with something."
Her expression immediately became serious again.
"What kind of help?"
Alright.
Critical moment.
I took a deep breath.
"I want to meet your father."
…
Total silence.
The wind softly blew around us.
Then Amity blinked slowly.
Once.
Twice.
"…Excuse me?"
Meanwhile, at the Owl House…
A massive BOOM echoed through the living room. Hooty had swallowed a mushroom boom that was lying around the house, and now he had an explosive oke.
Eda barely lifted her eyes from her steaming cup.
"…Ah. That's probably normal at this point."
King, meanwhile, was already sprawled on the couch, eating something that suspiciously looked like a living object.
"I think this couch is trying to eat me back," he said calmly.
"It's probably mutual," Eda replied without really paying attention.
Hooty suddenly popped out of a wall.
"I CAN EAT THE COUCH IF YOU WANT!"
"NO!" Eda and King shouted in unison.
Silence.
Then…
Luz came rushing down the stairs at full speed with a huge smile and a notebook full of glyph drawings in her hands.
"OK OK OK I HAVE AN IDEA!"
Eda sighed.
"It always starts like that…"
Luz placed her notebook on the table with excitement.
"Pierc showed me a light glyph, but I think we can combine it with other elements!"
King raised an eyebrow.
"You mean… create even more dangerous things?"
"Yes!" Luz replied without hesitation.
Eda slowly took a sip of her drink.
"I already love this kid."
Luz completely ignored the comment and kept drawing frantically.
"If I can understand how glyphs really work, I might be able to create my own spells!"
She looked up with stars in her eyes.
"Imagine! Custom spells! Unique effects! Maybe even… combined spells!"
King leaned slightly forward.
"That's starting to sound interesting."
Hooty suddenly popped out from behind him.
"I CAN COMBINE THINGS TOO!"
"NO ONE ASKED YOU!" Eda yelled.
Luz, meanwhile, was completely lost in her thoughts.
Then suddenly, she stopped.
Her smile faded slightly.
"…Pierc left pretty early this morning."
Eda shrugged.
"Don't worry. From the little time I spent with him, I can say he's pretty resourceful. Pierc is just a mysterious kid doing mysterious things. Classic."
But Luz tightened her grip on her notebook slightly.
"He said he was going to get stronger…" she murmured.
King looked at her.
"So? Everyone wants to get stronger."
Luz slowly shook her head.
"No… it was different."
She looked toward the window thoughtfully.
"He looked… worried. Like he already knew something bad was going to happen."
A brief silence filled the room.
Even Eda seemed a bit more serious.
Then she sighed and stood up.
"Well then, he'll come back when he's done with his 'mysterious dangerous destiny stuff'."
She grabbed her cape.
"Meanwhile, you wanted to practice glyphs, right?"
Luz's eyes immediately lit up again.
"YES!"
Eda smirked slightly.
"Then come on. Let's see if you can survive your own magical enthusiasm."
King raised his arms.
"I WILL SUPERVISE THE TRAINING AS THE OFFICIAL KING!"
Hooty stuck his head out of the door.
"I CAN BE THE DANGER TEST!"
"NO!"
And as the Owl House once again began shaking under Luz's improvised training…
Outside, the Boiling Isles kept turning.
Unaware that two destinies were drifting apart…
But also slowly moving toward something far greater.