Adventures in the Boiling Isles

Keeping up A-fear-ances

During the night, I had this vision. I thought I'd never have to deal with Eda's flashbacks again, but this one wasn't about Lilith cursing her. It was of Eda around my age. The flashback sounded like she was talking to someone. "It always starts the same way. I wake up someplace dark. And then it appears." Young Eda said. "And eventually, I wake up and I know I turned into that thing." "I see. Here, take this." The healer said, handing Eda the gem she's worn since forever. "It will tell you when the beast's energy is bubbling to the surface. Also, I hear gems are quite fashionable for young witches. "Oh, what a beautiful little stone." The woman next to him commented, who I could only assume that was her mom. My grandmother. "May I speak with you outside? Just a minute, hon." After my grandmother went to talk with the healer, I walked over to Eda, until I tripped over something. "Oh, shit!" I cursed. Then, I noticed Eda walking to the door and trying to listen to her mother argue with the Healing Coven witch. "That's right. This is another Eda flashback, so no one can see or hear me." I recalled. I walked up to her and spoke. "Don't worry, Mom. I know you can't hear me, but I promise. I will find a way to heal your curse." Eda walked to her bedroom door and listened to her mom arguing. Eda quickly escaped her room through her window.

I followed Young Eda into the woods, but she looked around, confused with her surroundings. "I never knew this was back here." She said to herself, accidentally tripping on something buried in the ground. She took it out of the ground. I immediately recognized what she found. The portal door to the human realm. I watched her escape from her mom as I woke up.

"Beans!" I hear Eda say, waking up me and Luz. "We ran out of apple blood. Still no luck?" "None. And we stayed up all night." I yawned. "We read every tome, book, notepad, and tea leaf." Luz added. "But nothing explains how to make a portal to the human realm." "I wish I could help you, kiddos. My door was already pretty old when I found it." Eda explains. "How long did you have it?" Luz asked. "Well..." Eda started, until Lilith screamed at the top of her lungs. "Lilith!" I gasped as we all ran to the living room to see her struggling with the curse. "Help me!" Lilith cried. "Calm down, just calm down." Eda said, giving an elixir to her older sister as her feathers faded away. "The curse acts stronger when you're stressed." "That was horrible." Lilith sighed. "How have you managed all these years?" "Well, it's been hard, but ever since we split the curse, at least the elixirs are working again." Eda replied. "Oh, that's a relief." Lilith sighed, but freaked out about her missing hand. "Oh, yeah, sorry. Side effect of the curse." Eda added, attaching the hand to Lilith. "It's actually fun once in a while. Now don't worry, I've stashed elixirs all over the house. Whenever you start feeling feathery, just help yourself to one of these bad boys." "I had no idea this is what I did to you." Lilith said. "I am so, so sorry." "Eh, at least I got company now." Eda replied. "And you got me if you need anything."

Eda took Luz and I outside to let Lilith get some rest. "As I was saying, I've had the portal door for years. But I originally just found it in the dirt." Eda explains. "Never figured out who made it or where it came from. I just kept it to myself." "Why wouldn't you tell anyone?" Luz asked. "Why? Suddenly curious about my past?" Eda chuckled. "Always. Always curious." Luz replied. "Well, I may have been using it to hide from someone." Eda confessed. "Hide from who?" I asked. "Probably me." An older woman replied, making a dramatic entrance. "Magic bird tornado?" Luz wondered. As the tornado settled down, it was revealed to be Eda's mother. "Hello, little witchlet. Come here." She greeted. "Gwendolyn." Eda grumbled. "Oof. Are we still on that?" Gwendolyn asked. "I'm your mother. Call me "Mom."" "Mom?!" Luz and Lilith gasped. "It is so good to see you again." Gwendolyn said. "How are you feeling? Are you eating well? I heard all about the Petrification Ceremony. Trust me, I have a lot of strong words for that Belos." "Mother! Mother, you know, I was there too." Lilith added. "Oh, hello to you too, sweet flea." Gwendolyn greeted. "Still dyeing your hair, I see. Well, it's very sleek. Now give me a moment with Edalyn, dear. It's important. That's right. Today, I'm about to complete a 30 year old mission." "Oh, no." Eda groaned. "Your mother has finally succeeded." Gwendolyn said. "Here it comes." Eda sighed. "Today, I shall be curing your curse." Gwendolyn announced. "No thanks." Eda declined. "What?!" The rest of us gasped. "I've got my elixir system. I'm good." Eda said. "But who knows what they put in those nasty concoctions?" Gwendolyn asked. "Actually, I do. And, would you look at the time? I got a lot to do today. So sad to see you go. Okay, byeeee!" Eda lied, sending her mother off. "Moms? Am I right?" "I haven't seen Mother in forever!" Lilith snapped. "And she was handing you a cure on a silver platter." "I was told that you and Dad were dead for the past few years!" I exclaimed. "And until recently, I fucking believed it!" "I'd kill to see my mom right now, and you just launch yours into the sky?" Luz asked. "Oh, listen, she comes around every year, toting a new cure for my curse, but they never work." Eda replied. "So I am done getting my hopes up." "Mother visits Edalyn regularly?" Lilith wondered, following her sister inside. Luz noticed Gwendolyn landing in the woods not long after. "Mrs Clawthorne, wait!" Luz shouted. "I'm Luz, one of Eda's apprentices." "I'm Peter, the second apprentice." I added. "We think what you're doing is so sweet. Eda can just be so... Eda sometimes." "Call me Gwen, children. But please don't blame Edalyn." Gwendolyn said. "It was the curse that created the rift between us." "I understand. Right now, there's an actual rift between me and my mom in the Human Realm." Luz explains. "My dear, I may know how to fix both our rifts." Gwendolyn said. "I've heard some information that may assist you on your quest. Help me cure Eda's curse and that information is yours." "Yes! Where do we start?" Luz asked. "We'll be consulting someone very special." Gwendolyn replied.