A Family Stronger Than Steel

Chapter 07

"So, King, what kind of chosen one should I be?" Luz asked her furry friend, who was kneading her sleeping bag, as she looked at the items before her. After returning to the Owl House, their shared home, without Dell, who was still absent, she snuck into a room with a sign that read, "Open this door, and you're grounded!" and "borrowed" some supplies. This included a shortsword and various potions. She also grabbed snacks for the road and her "Good Witch Azura" book.

King yawned and lied down. "Huh? Wuh?"

Luz chuckled at King's lack of interest in her preparations. "Guess I'll have to figure it out alone," she mused. "Should I be full of optimism and goodness, like Azura? Or should I embrace my rebellious side, like a bad girl Chosen One with black nail polish and a mysteriously withdrawn 'I act like I don't care, but I secretly do' attitude?" The choice seemed impossible, and yet it was hers to make.

"Oh, you guys talking about bad girl stuff?" Eda asked, peeking her head into the room. "I can help with that."

"And who ignored the sign?" Raine interjected, holding up the sign Luz disregarded to get her stuff.

"I think I'll go with the Azura vibe for now," Luz finally decided. And I'm sorry, Raine. I needed to get some stuff for my quest."

"Quest?" Raine raised an eyebrow.

Eda also raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What kind of quest are we talking about here?"

"Eda, Raine, tell Luz how dumb wizards are," King said sleepily.

"Oh, don't get me started on wizards," Eda replied. "They think they know everything."

Raine rolled their eyes and added, "I've had my fair share of encounters with wizards. They can be quite arrogant. Wait, why'd you need us to tell Luz this?"

"One of Eda's clients, a wizard, told Luz..." He started to chuckle. "That she was a chosen one!" He gave into his laughter uncontrollably. "He even gave her a map!"

"Wait, wait. Luz, a chosen one? That's rich." Eda laughed so hard that she almost fell to the floor. "I can't wait to hear how that conversation went down." Eda and King laugh as Luz hides behind her book, an embarrassed blush on her face.

"Eda, don't mock the poor girl!" Raine responded. "She doesn't know she's not supposed to trust what wizards say."

"Let me see this map." Luz handed Eda the map, and she inspected it for a few seconds. "You didn't think this was real, did you?"

"What?" Luz exclaimed, feeling a mix of disappointment and confusion. "But he seemed so genuine."

"This map is bunk. Don't be so gullible, Luz," Eda chuckled, wiping a tear from her eye. "Wizards and their prophecies are nothing but smoke and mirrors. There's no lake with a celestial staff on the Boiling Isles. I would have stolen it ages ago."

King joined in. "Yeah, Luz, you might as well chase after fairy tales!"

The room fell silent as Raine stepped forward, their expression stern. "That's enough," they scolded. "There's no need to keep kicking her while she's down."

Eda noted Luz's expression and handed her the map back. "Ah, don't worry. You won't look like a maroon here for a few more months."

Luz's heart sank. The laughter stung more than she cared to admit. "Can I have some time alone?" Luz asked softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

"We'll talk about this later, okay?" Raine nodded understandingly and gestured for the others to leave the room. Eda shrugged and left. King hopped off of Luz's sleeping bag and followed his parents. The door closed, casting the room in shadow and giving Luz the space to process what she heard.